VotW - Triumph Stag British Leyland Training Video
Video of the Week

VotW – Triumph Stag British Leyland Training Video

Compiled from the original 35mm filmstrip and vinyl LP record soundtrack, this is a training film from 1970 which introduces the BL salesmen to the new Triumph Stag. Well, new to 1970. I love using our video of the week to look back at how cars were viewed in the period versus how we think of them now. OK, I will admit that it is also fun to view the world pre-PowerPoint. Even though Time lists the Stag as one of the “50 Worst Cars of All-Time“, I have always liked them. And, they have a pretty good following these days. The issues can be sorted out these days, the wrongs set right, and then you have a very stylish, comfortable, touring sports-car. Sure, the Stag should have gotten the Rover V8 that went into so many other cars of […]

VotW - Six-Cylinder Austin Healey versus Triumph TR6
Highlights

VotW – Six-Cylinder Austin Healey versus Triumph TR6

Our video this week represents a comparison of classic British six-cylinder roadsters – the ‘big’ Austin Healey 100/6 versus the Triumph TR6. My only wish is that the MGC were included in this matchup. Yes, there were other six-packs out there, most notable may be the Jaguar E-Type. But, it was always in a different league than the common-man roadsters of Healey, Triumph, and MG. This video, coming by way of AutoWeek, features European spec cars which were a bit different, especially in fuel delivery, than their US shipped counterparts. Oh, and yes, the video starts off in non-English, but most of it is actually in English. So stick with it. Plus the visuals are beautiful.

William Medcalf featured in stunning Petrolicious film Living Life as a Bentley Boy
Video of the Week

VotW – William Medcalf – Living Life as a Bentley Boy

World-renowned vintage Bentley specialist William Medcalf is proud to be the subject of one of the latest films to be released by celebrated film-maker and car magazine Petrolicious. The evocative film perfectly captures the spirit of William Medcalf and gives an insight into what drives his passion for vintage Bentleys while entertaining the viewer with fantastic cinematography that shows exactly how these cars are best used. The 10-minute piece was filmed in the beautiful Sussex countryside, in the areas surrounding William Medcalf’s workshop and headquarters in Liss. This area not only provides the perfect driving roads but also shows England at its very best. William tells the story behind his life-long passion for vintage Bentleys, and how he feels the cars should be driven today. “Anything with wheels should be raced. Everything with wheels should be driven to the limit,” […]

VotW - Unipower GT
Highlights

VotW – Unipower GT

Our video this week is of a rarely heard of, and even less seen, Mini-based beast, the Unipower GT. Not a kit, but a true production sports car in the vein of TVR and Marcos. To quote Wikipedia, because I honestly didn’t know much about the cars… The Unipower GT was a British specialist sports car first shown at the January 1966 Racing Car Show, and produced by truck maker Universal Power Drives Ltd in Perivale, Middlesex and later by U.W.F. Automotive in London until production ceased in early 1970, by which time around 71 cars are believed to have been made, including about 15 built by U.W.F. Originally the brainchild of Ernie Unger and Attila sports racing car designer Val Dare Bryan in the early 1960s the design of Unipower GT was actually said to have been penned by […]

VotW - 1977 Triumph 2500S
Video of the Week

VotW – 1977 Triumph 2500S

In their latest video, our friends over at Take to the Road test drive a fine example of one of the last big Triumph saloons, a 1977 Triumph 2500S. This car came up at Classic Central Auctioneers May sale and they had great fun driving it. Watch their film to find out how they got on. Quoting from their article, “The Triumph 2500S was the last in a long line of Triumph and Standard-Triumph big saloon cars. Launched in 1963 at the Earl’s Court Motorshow, the new saloon replaced the ageing Standard Vanguard and arose from Triumph’s failed Zebu project. With fresh investment from new owner Leyland, who rescued Standard-Triumph in 1961, the new saloon promised much for the future of the company. And when it was launched it was well received by the motoring press and the general public. […]

VotW - My Good Old MG Song
Articles

VotW – My Good Old MG Song

Our video this week is something I don’t think we have ever had here before, a song. Yes, a music video. Kind of, well, I guess it really is. Anyway, here is Mark Evenchick performing his song “I Wish I’d Never Sold My Good Old MG” at the Le Michele Ange Coffee Cafe, Ottawa, at the Spirit of Rasputin’s “The Next Stage” in May, 2012. This comes from Youtube by way of Kate Morgan of ConstantSoundStudio.com. So, does anyone know of any songs for Jaguars, Triumphs, Healeys or perhaps even TVRs?

VotW - Austin Healey Bug Eye Sprite at Silverstone
Video of the Week

VotW – Austin Healey Bug Eye Sprite at Silverstone

Call them ‘frog eye’ or ‘bug eye’ either way, this is the first version of the venerable Austin Healey Sprite. Our video this week is from when the car was still brand new to the roads in 1958. This old British Motor Corporation publicity video shows the still wet behind the ears, and tires in this case, Sprite driven at Silverstone by famed English racing driver Roy Salvadori. The Austin Healey Sprite, here in the guise that would become known as the Mk I, was a marvel in its day. Cheap, quick (not fast), and easy to maintain. What it didn’t have in speed, power, or creature comforts it made up for in charm and smiles per gallon. These were, and still are, simply fun cars.  These days though they are becoming much more scarce in solid, unmolested condition, and the […]

VotW - Bullet Run 2016 - Gordon Birtwistle
Video of the Week

VotW – TR Bullet Run 2016 – Gordon Birtwistle

Our Video of the Week this week is of the TR Drivers Club Bullet Run, which we featured yesterday. The video itself comes by way of our friend John Clancy at TriumphDVD. June 2016 saw the inaugural Bullet Run hosted by the TR Drivers Club. The event commemorated the life of Tony Lee (Standard-Triumph’s Chief Development Engineer) who sadly died in September 2015. The Bullet Run re-traced the old Standard-Triumph test route which saw all the new and forthcoming models taken down to Bwlch y Groes in Wales. Gordon Birtwistle worked for Tony for over 20 years at Triumph as High-Speed Development Engineer and did an extensive interview with me in front of an audience of about 60 after the Saturday dinner. This video is the opening ten minutes.

VotW - Unrestored Survivor Triumph TR5
Video of the Week

VotW – Unrestored Survivor Triumph TR5

From “Men and Motors” we have the very first Triumph TR5 off the production line brought along to the Classic & Sports Car Show by Nick Goldthorpe from ‘Classic Motor Cars Ltd’.  Yes, the very first one, and a beautiful survivor. The TR5 was little more than a one year only car, very late 1967 to 1968, and was really just a stopgap between the aging TR4 and not quite ready TR6. As such, it had the body styling of the former car and the six-cylinder engine of the latter. In the UK the car was petrol injected while in the USA it was carburetted and known as the TR250. Seems our US regulations couldn’t quite handle the fuel injection – or maybe it was the other way around. These TRs have gone up dramatically in price recently, leading me […]

VotW - Magic Carpet - MG 1100
Highlights

VotW – Magic Carpet – MG 1100

Our Video of the Week (VotW) this go round comes by way of the British Motor Corporation of 1962. It is entitled “Magic Carpet” and is a nice period marketing piece for the MG 1100. The BMC family of 1100 and 1300 sedans were the big brothers to the Mini. Designated AD016, they were badge engineered as Austin, MG, Riley, and Morris to name a few. They were enjoyable little people movers and were the top selling, or one of the top selling cars, in Britain for many years. Although they never reached that same level of popularity here in the US, there did used to be quite a number of them around. Long ago I had  a website devoted to the MG 1100, and although I haven’t updated it in a long time you can still find it at http://justbritish.com/mg1100. […]

VotW - 1957 Aston Martin Mk III - Perfectly Awful
Video of the Week

VotW – 1957 Aston Martin Mk III – Perfectly Awful

Our “Video of the Week” this time is from Petrolicious and is of a 1957 Aston Martin Mk III that the owner bills as “perfectly awful.”  And no, that is not an insult, it is a term of endearment. This is not one of those over-restored, pampered, show-only cars. This is an honest to god, survivor, original. And it is simply wonderful. “Some day, down in the future, whoever ends up with this car when it leaves my garage—they may choose to restore it,” says Dave Adams. “…but I hope if and when that happens, they do it with the correct lens so it’s not over-restored.” This 1957 Aston Martin Mk III is actually the prototype for the Mk III range, and was not only used for official testing and design duties, but had also been entered into the Monte […]

VotW - English vs American Automotive Vocabulary
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VotW – English vs American Automotive Vocabulary

This week we are going to take a drop back away from the cars themselves and take a look at terminology. And no, I am not referring to the infamous “reverse procedure” instructions in most manuals on how to reassemble your automotive explosion. What we are looking at here are the words that are used for the same parts of the cars depending on whether you are speaking “English” or “American”.  Ever look at your US friend’s faces the first time you tell them you are going to stuff something in their boot? Yes, as the phrase most often attributed to George Bernard Shaw goes, “England and America are two countries separated by a common language.” And this is no more true than when we talk about cars. When I was younger, way so may years ago, I learned most […]

VotW - The Skyline Soiree with the New England MG T Register
Highlights

VotW – The Skyline Soiree with the New England MG T Register

Our Video of the Week (VotW) this time go round comes from Steve Wincze of the Connecticut MG Club and the upcoming British by the Sea car show. You may also remember Steve as the winner of last month’s puzzle contest. The video in question is of the Skyline Soiree from 1993. This event was put on by the New England MG T Register. The Skyline Soiree was A scenic road trip through the mountains of the Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway in mostly open 2-seater MGs. What we have here is 12 minutes of highlights from a 60 minute DVD. One of four great MG Road Trips sponsored by the New England MG-T Register. On this drive, and in this video, you get to experience the mountain vistas and natural beauty of two national parks and 574 miles […]

Classic British Microcars
Highlights

VotW – Classic British Microcars

Size matters. At least that’s what some people say. I suppose it must be true because I have always had a thing for small cars. For some perverse reason even though I am of a “larger build”,  I have always been attracted to smaller cars – Minis, MGs, Triumphs, Sunbeam Imps and all manner of vehicles that make people puzzle over how I fit into them. I guess that is why our Video of the Week (VotW) caught my eye. The Classic British Microcars is actually a single show split into three parts. I have included all three of those parts here for you. Now, the cars I mentioned above are actually not microcars. In contrast to microcars, the Mini and even the Sunbeam Imp seem huge.  What we are talking about in the realm of microcars are vehicles like […]

Jowett and Humber
Video of the Week

VotW – Jowett Javelin and Humber Super Snipe

I thought that for this go around of our Video of the Week (VotW) we would go for something that is almost unheard of these days – at least unheard of beyond the shores of the UK herself. So, let’s take a look back at the Jowett Javelin and the Humber Super Snipe. While both of these marques and models would get you a bewildered look at the local DMV, and perhaps a talk about it being a serious place of business and not a source of pranks for your amusement, they were actually well known and fairly popular cars in their day. To quote Wikipedia on the Javelin, “The Jowett Javelin is an executive car that was produced from 1947 to 1953 by Jowett Cars Ltd of Idle, near Bradford in England. The model went through five variants labeled […]

Royale Racing at Walter Mitty Challenge
Highlights

VotW – Royale Racing at the Walter Mitty Challenge

And now for something completely different … our video this week was only filmed a little over a week ago. What we have here is footage from the Walter Mitty Challenge by Classic Motorsports, April 23rd, 2016. Take ia ride in a Royale RP-4 with pro driver Elliot Forbes Robinson, around Road Atlanta’s 2.54 mile, 12 turn track. The onboard camera was mounted on the Royale RP-4 owned by our friend Gordon King. This footage is from the Group 3 Feature Race. The black and red RP-4 is Cliff Berry of Team Mean and the blue Lotus 23b is piloted by Doc Bundy of Team Regogo. Great driving by all.   This on Royale and the car from Gordon … Royale was a small race car builder in the 1960’s in England. Owned by Bill King. He built very successful Formula Fords […]

VotW - Magnificent Machines - The Golden Age of the British Sports Car
Articles

VotW – The Golden Age of the British Sports Car

Our video this week is titled “Magnificent Machines – The Golden Age of the British Sports Car”. I thought it was time to get a little less marque specific and a little more all-inclusive this week. You know, broaden our horizons a bit, just like going to shows does. When I got to car shows, I often find myself marveling at some creation that either I didn’t know existed or would not have believed myself to be at all interested in. This documentary was broadcast by the BBC in 2012 as part of the “Timeshift” series. It takes a look back at the golden age of British Sports Cars using both in period and modern footage to emphasize the craze around the Jaguars, Austin-Healys, MGs and Triumph’s of the early days. This was the golden age of the British sports […]

Rolls-Royce History
Video of the Week

VotW – History of the Rolls-Royce

Our Video of the Week (VotW) is a history of Rolls-Royce. In many ways, the Rolls-Royce is one of the more hidden British cars. It isn’t that they are that rare or invisible, but they have such a personality all their own that sometimes we forget about them in the midst of the MGs, Triumphs, Austin Healeys, and even Jaguars. However, if you were to ask the random man-on-the-street who is not an English car buff to name a British car, chances are that Rolls-Royce would be the first name off the lips. The history of the marque, its names, and its branding with Bentley, can be more than a bit confusing. But Rolls-Royce as most of us know it, formally named Rolls-Royce Limited in 1973, began in 1906 with the business partnership of Charles Stewart Rolls and Sir Frederick Henry […]

VotW - Barn Find Hunter with Tom Cotter
Video of the Week

VotW – Barn Find Hunter with Tom Cotter

The name Tom Cotter may not be tip-of-the-tongue familiar to a lot of you, but it should be. Tom Cotter wrote the book on barn finds. Literally. He is the author of The Cobra in the Barn, The Hemi in the Barn, 50 Shades of Rust, and many other of similarly amusing titles and drool worthy contents. And don’t let those titles fool you, there are plenty of non-American cars in these books – yup, good old British barn find.  To that end, our Video of the Week (VotW) is the first in a new series of videos titled “Barn Find Hunter”. This series starts Tom Cotter and is produced by Hagerty, the insurance guys. There are a good number of things that appeal with this video, not the least of which is that it was filmed around Savannah, Georgia. […]

Earls Court Motorshow 1962
Highlights

VotW – Earls Court Motor Show 1962

Earl’s Court Motor Show of 1962, that is the subject of our Video of the Week this time. 1962 was a good year. Not only was it the introduction of the Triumph Spitfire and Mk I Ford Cortina, but it is the year before I was born. (Figure that one out on your own.) Looking at this video there are some great machines. Not only will you see the aforementioned Spitfire and Cortina, but you will also catch glimpses of the BMC Mini, Austin Cambridge, Morris Oxford, Morris 1100, MG 1100, Mini Cooper, Riley Elf, Hillman Super Minx, Jenson, Rover 3.0L, Ford Zephyr, Jaguar E-Type, Lotus Elan, and Bentley Continental.  Can you imagine a British car show with such a varied lineup these days? Wouldn’t it be wonderful? Oh, and have some have mentioned, please try to ignore the sexist […]