Video of the Week

We all start somewhere in the hobby. There is some event or person or car that flips the switch inside our head and leads us to follow the path of the car enthusiast. Some folks get addicted to horses or music or fishing, but if you are reading this, you are probably are addicted to cars. Our Video of the Week this go-round features the car that flipped the switch for a huge celebrity and even bigger car lover, Jay Leno. In this video about his 1954 Jaguar XK120, Leno recounts the tale of seeing his first real sports car, his first Jaguar XK. He tells how the owner of that car let the then only 9-year-old Leno sit in the car, and he tells of the effect that has had upon his life.

When it comes to our classic British cars, SU carburetors are one of the common denominators. Sure there are Zenith Strombergs, Amals, and others plus fuel injection, but the SU is the norm. And when it comes to SU carburetor experts, Joe Curto is the man. Joe Curto provides carburetor rebuilding. He also provides a full range of replacement and repair parts. and now, thankfully, he is making much of his knowledge available to us via videos on YouTube. Our video this week is a great introductory one with Joe discussing the different varieties of SU carburetors. After watching this you will not be able to stop yourself from going out to look at your car to make sure of what is bolted up to that manifold. Joe also now offers float bowl koozies. The koozies are used to prevent […]

For our Video of the Week, let’s turn the clock all the way back 70 years to 1948 at Goodwood and one of the first regular races in Britain after the war. In this film from British Pathé we get to see the first race on the road racing course of what was before then the perimeter of an RAF airfield. This race was organized by the Junior Car Club and sanctioned by the Duke of Richmond and Gordon. The winner of the first race was P. de F. C. Pycroft, in his 2,664 c.c. Pycroft-Jaguar, at 66.42 m.p.h. Stirling Moss won the 500cc race (later to become Formula 3), followed by Eric Brandon and “Curly” Dryden, all in Coopers. Goodwood became famous for its Glover Trophy non-championship Formula One race, Goodwood Nine Hours sports car endurance races run in 1952, 1953 and […]

With this being the height of show season, we decided that this week we should take a moment to look at the judging process in a concours d’elegance. Now, different shows do judging differently. There are, of course, the popular choice car shows, but even within the concours shows the judging can be varied.  Our video is The Judging Process at Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Some shows that I have attended have cared more about the presentation and condition of a car than its originality. Other shows have stressed original equipment and options even if that meant that condition may suffer a bit. Still, other shows want every part of the car to be of an original type and quality or be period correct, but the part itself does not need to have been original. Again, there are many variations and it […]

For our Video of the Week, let’s take a spin with something a bit on the lighter side. This is perhaps one of the world’s smallest races – in terms of the number of entrants, size of entrants, and the size of the cars. This is the Settrington Cup at Goodwood Revival, and the 2018 edition was held this past Sunday. Held annually at the Goodwood Revival since 2012, the Settrington Cup race is for children ages 6 through 9. Cool, you think … so go grab a pedal car and let your kind hit the track, you think. But no. In addition to the age restriction of the drivers, the only pedal cars allowed are Austin J40 models built by disabled coal miners beginning in 1949 (true story). Here is a quote from an original brochure for the car, which […]

In a stunning new film launched today, Lotus Cars celebrates its anniversary in manufacturing outstanding sports cars, ahead of its 70th birthday event, by creating a unique logo on the test track at its HQ in Hethel. Leaving a 70–themed mark on the test track’s skidpan using just two of its most celebrated models, no CGI and more than a few pairs of tires, the precise driving required is a fitting tribute to the precision engineering that the marque is world famous for. Rather than rely on artificial aids or electronic trickery, the new video perfectly reflects Lotus’s approach to sports cars by showing the action on the day as it unfolded, with the final aerial shot proving the cars’ and drivers’ ability. Piloted by Gavan Kershaw (Head of Attributes) and Daniel Peck (Vehicle Dynamics Engineer), the duo is part of […]

In this clip from Extra Gear in 2016, Rory Reid heads to MG Live at Silverstone to get the verdict on the MGB Abingdon Edition. From the Frontline website: The concept was the easy part, the design a greater challenge and the implementation even more so, but welcome to the all-new MG Abingdon Edition. Conceived for the driver that appreciates quality and craftsmanship but wanting something more than just understated class, style and charm. The Abingdon Delivers literally earth shattering performance transporting you from 0 – 60 miles per hour in just 3.8 seconds. Combine this with the latest in suspension and braking design, add in the most detailed of finishing’s using the finest materials available in the world and you have a car that will not only make you smile every time you see it, but find every excuse […]

Most folks who own a television set are familiar with Dennis Gage and his show My Cassic Car. Well, our video this week is from a show he shot at the McPherson College C.A.R.S. Club show. It just so happens that two of the cars he featured in this episode are a 1967 MG 1100 and a 1964 Indy car racer featuring MG 1100 liquid suspension. The cars belong to Richard Morrison who has painstakingly restored them both. The footage of these cars starts at 5:40. For the 1964 Indianapolis 500 Kjell Qvale, who imported and distributed several British Marques, asked the head of his racing department, Joe Huffaker, to build 3 cars incorporating the hydrolastic suspension from the MG 1100 Sports Sedan. The cars raced at Indy as the MG Liquid Suspension Specials in 1964 and 1965. A. J. Foyt […]

Our Video of the Week for this first week of June features another, and first of the well known, designs that took place under the leadership of Alec Issigonis.  This is the story of the Morris Minor. Over one-and-a-half million Minors were produced between 1948 and 1972. Initially available only as a two-door saloon and convertible, the range was quickly expanded to include a four-door saloon in 1950, a wood-framed estate (the Traveller) in October 1953, and panel van and pick-up truck variants from May of 1953. It was the first British car to sell over one million units and is considered a classic example of automotive design, as well as typifying “Englishness”. Eric Lord, the director of Morris Motors, said that Lord Nuffield thought that the new Morris Minor looked like a poached egg and that the car was narrow […]

Our video this week comes from our friends over at Take to the Road. In fact, the featured car, a Vauxhall Viceroy, belongs to the site’s own Niall Julian. He told me this about his car and the video: I own a 1982 Vauxhall Viceroy, a car that I doubt many in N America have ever heard of, despite the General Motors connection. It was a mid range luxury saloon, based on the Opel Commodore C from West Germany. The car was first registered to Vauxhall UK in Luton and a couple of weeks ago I took the Viceroy back to where its journey first started. I went to the Vauxhall Heritage Centre and also got some shots outside the factory in Luton. How could I resist a car going back to its home? In the article on Take to the Road, […]

From the old to the new – the very new. Our Video of the Week this time features the brand new Brabham BT62 and its unveiling in London on May 2. In addition to unveiling the new car, the background of the new Brabham logo was discussed. To understand the history of Brabham automotive and the late Jack Brabham’s role in racing and autosport, check out the comprehensive timeline on the Brabham Automotive site. First, in regards to the logo, it is Derived from the ‘V’ that so prominently featured on the badges of Brabham’s Repco-powered championship-winning racers from the 1960s, and the fangs from the iconic ‘Hissing Sid’ snake that was synonymous with Brabham’s Ecclestone-era Formula 1 cars, the bold new emblem echoes the marque’s rich heritage with a sharp, strong and engaging device that embodies the Brabham attitude: […]

Our video of the week this go around is actually more of a series. But since I can’t put the entire series in here (can I?) I will choose just one. The series is Britain’s Greatest Machines hosted by Chris Barrie and produced by The National Geographic Channel. The series, of which there were two seasons for a total of eight episodes, shows the technological progress of the 19th and 20th centuries from a British point of view. Each episode covers one decade. The episode I am choosing for this week’s feature is the first – Season 1, Episode 1, and showcases the 1930s. Note that the episodes do not go in order. This technological achievements highlighted in this first episode include the De Havilland Dragon Rapide, Sentinel S6 Steam Wagon, Morris Eight & Cat’s Eye, LNER Class A4 Locomotive, […]

In our video of the week, Christopher Glancy’s tastefully refreshed Jaguar XJ6 Coupe makes Jay Leno envious with its lack of B pillar, comfortable seats, and British racing green styling. The XJC’s, otherwise known as the XJ Coupes, are a rare two-door version of the standard four-door saloons. When Sir William Lyons began styling exercises for the new XJ models in the mid-1960’s, it was clear that he had the notion of a two-door coupe in mind for eventual production. They were first shown in 1973 at the International Motor Show when it was announced that both 4.2 liter six cylinder and 5.3 liter twelve-cylinder versions would be available for the 1974 model year. However, production was delayed until the 1975 model year due to a combination of labor disputes at the Brown’s Lane factory and engineering troubles with the coupe […]

Our Video of the Week this go-round comes from our friends over at Petrolicious and features the story of the Jaguar XKR-15. In their “Made to Drive” episode from Januar of this year, they fold themselves into the cockpit of Jasbir Dhillon’s 1991 Jaguar XJR-15 to experience one of the rarest and rawest supercars built in the 20th century. Aimed at transferring the Le Mans-winning XJR experience to the road, just 53 examples of the XJR-15 were produced with the help of Tom Walkinshaw under the banner of Jaguar Sport, and only 27 were optioned for road use. Powered by a beautifully shrill six-liter V12, it’s a lesser-known but no less sexy staple of 1990s supercardom, and one of the finest examples of a “race car for the road,” of any decade. See the photoshoot and further info here: http://petro.li/JaguarXJR-15

For our video of the week this time, we have an MG factory publicity video that comes to us via Pathé.  This film, Sports Car of the Year 1955-56, focuses on the newly introduced MGA. Starting with competition films from Le Mans, the Alpine Rally, and the Mille Miglia. The MGA, as most readers know, replaced the MG TF 1500 and represented a complete styling break from MG’s earlier sports cars – that styling having been developed for racing and records cars. Announced on September 26, 1955, the car was officially launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show. A total of 101,081 units were sold through the end of production in July 1962, the vast majority of which were exported. Only 5869 cars were sold on the home market, the lowest percentage of any British car. While now what one would call “impartial”, […]

Our video this week features a car you rarely see anymore, especially in the US, the Hillman Imp. The video takes a look at the production of the Hillman Imp at the plant in Linwood, Renfrewshire, Scotland. The program includes interviews with past members of the Linwood workforce. It also examines the wider workforce, trade union, management and government relationships which existed throughout much of UK manufacturing in the 1960’s and 70’s. The Hillman Imp was a small economy car made by the Rootes Group and its successor Chrysler Europe from 1963 until 1976. It was made in many different forms and in addition to the Hillman marque was also marketed as both Sunbeam and Singer. Unveiled in 1963 after much advance publicity, it was the first British mass-produced car with the engine block and cylinder head cast in aluminum.

MG Guru John Twist demonstrates the inner working of an MG transmission using a cut-a-way model. This video was taken in 2010 at a tech session hosted by Brit Bits, Inc. in Rye, NH. This demonstration was part of John’s “Complete Lubrication and Lucas Electrix” talk.

With Spring coming and car show season starting, we wanted to feature some car show activity, but maybe something a bit out of the norm. So, this week’s video features that British car show favorite rocker or valve cover racing! Yup, that’s right, our video this week comes from Doug Pelton at From The Frame Up and covers the finer points of vintage MG Rocker Racers. In valve cover racing, competitors must construct a vehicle using a valve cover from a car’s engine. In the case of British car events, the requirement is normally that this be from a British car. Additionally, the norm is that the racer must have four wheels. It can be decorated or modified within the rules set by the organizing body. The valve cover is powered by gravity. In a valve cover race, two or more racing valve covers […]