Video of the Week

Our video this week is from deep in the vaults for something a little more esoteric – a brief history of the Morris Oxford and Wolseley Fifteen-hundred. These fantastic old cars were two of the stalwarts of the British automotive industry in their day. The Morris Oxford is a series of car models produced by Morris Motors in many different forms. Although the name was used from the 1913 bullnose Oxford to the Farina Oxfords V and VI of the 70s, the cars being referred to in this video are the models produced from 1948 and up until 1959. Those interested in the Morris Oxford should check out the Cambridge Oxford Owners Club as well as the Morris Oxford site. The Wolseley 1500 was first introduced in 1957. The Wolseley 1500 was produced at Longbridge with a detuned version of […]

Our Video of the Week this time round features the short-lived collaboration between the folks and Jensen and Donald Healey. The Jensen Healey has long been one of personal favorites with a body style that seems somewhere between a muscular Spitfire and a slimmed down Mustang, a Lotus engine, and a comfortable, almost plush, interior. For those who don’t know, or have forgotten with our increasing age, the Jensen Healey was a two-seater convertible sports car, in true British fashion, produced from 1972 to 1976. Even though it was only produced for about 4 years, it was the best selling Jensen of all time. In total 10,503 (10 prototypes, 3,347 Mk.1 and 7,146 Mk.2) were produced by Jensen Motors Ltd. in West Bromwich. A related and rare fastback, the Jensen GT, was introduced in 1975 but did not include the […]

Our video this week is courtesy of Aston Martin. Normally we don’t use purely promotional videos as our VotWs, but this one is simply too cool to pass up. As the last remaining airworthy Avro Vulcan prepares for its final flight later this month, the iconic 1950s British V bomber has been united with its modern namesake: the Aston Martin Vulcan. Vulcan XH558 – currently being operated by the charitable trust Vulcan To The Sky – is due to retire from ‘active service’ in October, going on to form the centrepiece of the educational Vulcan Aviation Academy & Heritage Centre at her home base,  Robin Hood Airport near Doncaster. Ahead of that final flight, the famous Cold War-era long range bomber was paired with the Aston Martin Vulcan – the new track-only supercar – via a special fly-past at Elvington […]

This behind-the-scenes video focuses on the Aston Martin DB10 in Spectre. Director Sam Mendes and actor Daniel Craig share their thoughts on the collaboration with Aston Martin. Stunt Coordinator Gary Powell discusses his experience with the DB10 in Rome. Spectre will be released in the UK on October 26, 2015 and in the US on November 6, 2015. The DB10 was developed specifically for Spectre, just ten examples were built, all of which survived the grueling stunt sequences. The exclusive sports car celebrates Aston Martin’s half century association with James Bond, which started with the iconic DB5 in 1964. Note: Press release courtesy of Aston Martin.

There is no doubt that of all the British marques, MG is the one that has sunk deepest into my veins. And of those classic cars, the MGBGT holds a special place in my heart. So, for our video of the week this go round we will turn to an MG buyer’s guide. Danny Hopkins, editor of Practical Classics Magazine, uses a 1975 MGBGT Jubilee edition to illustrate what to look for — including typical trouble spots — before you make a purchase.

Our video this week is dedicated to the British Invasion show in Stowe, Vermont. The 2015 edition occurred this past weekend, and although we couldn’t make it (hope to next year), we are told it was a great event. This video features the show held last year. This video is an episode of My Classic Car hosted by Dennis Gage. In this particular episode, Dennis travels to Stowe, for the 2014 British Invasion car show. Additionally he discusses classic car restoration in the Autogeek Garage. I will admit that one of the segments I had to rewatch multiple times in this episode is the piece with one of my favorite cars, the 1932 MG J1.

I am a big fan of New Orleans, and also a fan of the SVRA (Sportscar Vintage Racing Association). So what could be better than combining the two? Our video this week is from the SVRA touting their upcoming races in the Crescent City. This new addition to the SVRA schedule will be co-hosted by the Texas-based vintage car club, Corinthian Vintage Auto Racers (CVAR), at this racing facility located just 14 miles from the French Quarter of New Orleans. This event is non-points race for both clubs, featuring two days of exciting racing for all classes. Also sharing the weekend, as a featured group, will be The Trans-Am Series. In addition to the racing, there is a Saturday Car Show. NOLA presents a 2.75-mile, world-class track consisting of 16 turns, with a 5,200-foot straightaway. Designed to be challenging, but […]

The all-new W12 TSI engine is the most technically advanced 12-cylinder in the world, delivering the best combination of power, torque and efficiency of any car in its class. With a top speed of 301km/h, the Bentayga will be the fastest, most powerful SUV in the world. This film provides a glimpse of what is to come: a unique combination of performance and luxury. Performance of this nature is rare in any car. It was unheard of in an SUV – until now. Note: Press release courtesy of Bentley Motors.

A week of motoring celebrations in Scotland is underway with the Concours of Elegance Highland Tour, now complete with the arrival of the cars in Edinburgh this evening. More than 50 incredible pieces of automotive history dating from a 1903 Mercedes 60HP Simplex to a 2015 Ferrari La Ferrari took part in the tour, covering over 200 miles through Scotland, arriving the centre of Edinburgh on Thursday afternoon. A welcome party aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia officially opens the Concours of Elegance in Edinburgh tonight, and sees the inaugural Scottish Motoring Hall of Fame presented by His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent, the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers and Bridge of Weir Leather Company. The three-day Concours of Elegance itself opens in the grounds of the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh on Friday 4 September following a parade down the […]

We really appreciate the help from Take to the Road for our Video of the Week this go round. Titled “A Very British Wedge – The Triumph TR7”  this is the story of Triumph enthusiast Alan Gleaves who spent many years looking for a good TR7. In 2014 he found his dream car. To quote our friends at Take to the Road, Barn finds are very popular these days in the classic car classifieds world. The term itself is often applied to literally any car storage scenario which can raise a few eyebrows. Many are genuine “barn finds”, locked away and forgotten about for decades. Regardless of how the term is used, barn/garage finds always get classic car enthusiasts just a little bit excited. We all dream of one day of stumbling across an old classic parked up, covered in […]

This week we have decided to feature a video from one of most any car guy’s heroes, Jay Leno. This episode from Jay Leno’s Garage is entitled “Restoration Finished: 1966 Lotus Elan 26R”. As might be expected, it features a walk-through of the magnificent Lotus elan that Jim Hall rebuilt – this ultimate Lotus of his dreams is a tribute to one of the most wonderful eras in racing. The original Elan was introduced in 1962 as a roadster, although an optional hardtop was offered in 1963 and a coupé version in 1965. The two-seat Lotus Elan replaced the elegant, but unreliable and expensive to produce Lotus Elite. It was the first Lotus road car to use a steel backbone chassis with a fibreglass body. At 1,600 lb (726 kg), the Elan embodied the Colin Chapman minimum weight design philosophy. Initial […]

Our Video of the Week is entitled The Big Drive and features the 1966 London Motor Show with its push for export of British cars to help the economy. In addition to the fabulous cut-away rotating BMC 1100 in the first few seconds, this video also features such innovative cars as the Triumph GT6, Singer-Rootes Chamois, and the Ford Executive. Competing cars from makers such as Ferrari and Honda are also briefly shown. These cars displayed as new nearly 50 years ago in 1966 is an amazing sight, and the film footage is very clear. But just as amazing is some of the commentary and the displays themselves. Take a look, and be wonder and maybe chuckle – hindsight is a wonderful thing.

We all started somewhere. That is fairly obvious, but where a lot of us started is with little cars. Very little cars – as in Matchbox and Hot Wheels toy cars. And quite frankly, I, like many of you, still have a nice collection of these wonderful miniatures. In honor of the toys of our youth – no matter the age – our Video of the Week this week is a 1965 piece on Matchbox cars. In the world of little cars, Matchbox were always the more authentic and real-to-life cars, while Hot Wheels were the concept, far out, and fantasy cars. What’s more, at least when I was young, Matchbox more often featured British motors while Hot Wheels had a distinctly American slant. Matchbox was introduced by Lesney Products in 1953 and is now owned by Mattel, Inc. The […]

OK, so we have had Jaguar and MG and Triumph and Healey and Aston Martin and even Sunbeam. Oh wait, Morgan and Morris and Rover too.So this week we are going to do a more general video. This week we are going to turn our attention to our general love – Classic British Cars. This video is part one of a multi-part series that covers the full range of British cars, from the sports car to the touring saloon. There are many classics in this video that you just don’t see anymore – for better or worse. Some of these cars have gone on to become valuable collector’s items, while some of them have disappeared into obscurity.  How I would love to see a full range of these at a British car show. Not that I don’t love row upon […]

For our video this week we are going to turn to a more rare, perhaps even esoteric, car but one that is highly desired by most enthusiasts. The Jensen Interceptor is a stylish combination of British sports car design, American muscle car power, and Italian bodywork. So, our Video of the Week (VotW) this go round is another episode of the television show Wheeler Dealers with Mike Brewer and master mechanic Edd China. The Jensen Interceptor was a sporting GT-class car. Interceptors were hand-built at the Kelvin Way Factory, West Bromwich near Birmingham in England by Jensen Motors between 1966 and 1976. The Interceptor name had been used previously by Jensen for the Jensen Interceptor made between 1950 and 1957 at the Carters Green factory. Jensen had extensively used glass-reinforced plastic for the fabrication of body panels in the preceding […]

Things seem to come in cycles here, and this current go-round seems to be a Jaguar one. So, for this week’s Video of the Week we are going to feature a road test of the Jaguar XKR and XJR by Vicki Butler-Henderson from 2000. For those of you who don’t know, Vicki Butler-Henderson is a former racing driver, so very well qualified to evaluate high-performance cars. The XK8 was launched in 1996 to replace the XJ-S. Two body styles were produced – a coupé and a convertible. The car was the first in the Jaguar line-up to use Jaguar’s newly developed V8 engine – the AJ-V8. In 1998 the supercharged XKR was added to the range. However, both the XK8 and XKR are limited to a maximum top speed of 155.4 mph (250.1 km/h). As for the Jaguar XJR, well we all know […]

Founded in 1913 by Robert Bamford and Lionel Martin as ‘Bamford & Martin Ltd’, Aston Martin has developed into an iconic brand synonymous with luxury and elegance. 1914 saw the birth of the name ‘Aston Martin’ following one of Lionel Martin’s successful runs at the Aston Hill Climb in Buckinghamshire, England. Within a year, the first Aston Martin had been built and registered with the name, and an icon of the automotive world was born. Obviously, our Video of the Week this time around focuses on the iconic favorite of James Bond, Aston Martin and the DB range in particular. The DB9 is a true automotive icon. A badge and bloodline which represents all that is great about Aston Martin – and British supercars in general. Each Friday during January 2014 Aston Martin released an exclusive film exploring the design, engineering, […]

A little something different this week. Our Video of the Week this time is of a great looking British car shop on the US West Coast. Unfortunately, I have never been there, but I have been in enough other shops to recognize and impressive setup when I see one. In this video, Justin Jurgens takes you on a tour of British Sports Cars in San Luis Obispo, California. You can check out the shop’s website at http://www.britishsportscars.com. As I said, I have never been to the shop and have never met anyone associated with them. However, I think that the video and the website are both top-notch, and the type of quality we need more of. If you know these folks and or have some experience with the shop, please let us know about them in the comments below.