The past, present and future of Aston Martin is to be honoured through a year-long celebration of the iconic British brand’s 110th anniversary. Sunday 15 January marked 110 years since founders Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford officially formed the partnership that went on to create the first Aston Martin car, igniting more than a century of automotive intensity, cutting-edge British innovation, … [Read more...]
Classics Features
Newslines 16 December
The DVLA contact centre will be closed from 24 December to 27 December inclusive and on 1 and 2 January 2023. On-line services will continue over the holiday period. A buzzing live auction of 100 much-loved automotive icons from yesteryear will add yet another exciting new dimension to next year’s eagerly-anticipated The London Classic Car Show 24-26 February. After a two-year enforced break, … [Read more...]
Porsche and JLR knocked for reliability
Porsche has been named the most unreliable marque according to Warrantywise. Joining it is a range of premium luxury passenger car makers; proving that despite a high price tag, even for a used car, luxury cars could also cost owners more in the long run. Analysing over 131,000 extended car warranty plans, the Reliability Index places Porsche as least reliable used car marque - scoring a mere … [Read more...]
Graham’s cosy car guide to surviving winter
With rain lashing down and gales blowing Britain’s classic car owners are putting their cherished vehicles away for winter; but what are the pitfalls to avoid which can lead to heartbreak and big bills when you come to retrieve it next Spring? The man charged with overseeing Toyota and Lexus UK’s press and heritage fleets has put together his top tips for how to do it right, and the mistakes to … [Read more...]
Welsh author’s F1 classic view
Proving every picture tells a story, Welsh motorsport author Richard Jones has self-published a fascinating book from an idea provided by an evocative painting that captures just a brief snapshot from a hot and sunny May afternoon in the tiny Mediterranean principality of Monaco. In fact, the original Nicholas Watts painting (below) proudly hangs on the author’s study wall in Penarth as both his … [Read more...]
The party’s over for the Ford Fiesta
It's the end of the road for the Ford Fiesta, the car maker announced this week. The highly popular baby Ford created in the wake of the early 1970s oil crisis to get Britons moving again will roll off the Cologne, Germany productions line for the last time next June, after 46 years of sales. But before then, the axe will also fall on the sibling Ford S-Max and Galaxy SUV and MPV models in … [Read more...]
Oasis Roller was wrecked, research suggests
Flying Spares, the world’s largest independent supplier of Rolls-Royce and Bentley parts, has uncovered new evidence suggesting that the 1972 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow from the Oasis album cover ended up being banger raced and was destroyed. Neil Arman, Director of Flying Spares, said, “Supplying the car in the swimming pool for Be Here Now is part of Flying Spares folklore, and people often … [Read more...]
Royalty on the road
Britain’s longest reigning monarch, Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who sadly passed away aged 96, was a keen motorist. Not only did she serve during the Second World War as a driver mechanic in the Women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service – but she was the only person in the UK that didn’t need a driving license to drive, due to every license being issued in her name. So to honour the Queen’s … [Read more...]
Bond classic cars going under the hammer
A display of cars from the 007 blockbuster No Time To Die will be in pole position at Silverstone for The Classic over the end-of-summer bank holiday weekend 26-28 August. To celebrate 60 years of James Bond on the silver screen, EON Productions and Christie’s are teaming up to present a very special two-part charity auction with 60 standout lots. The live auction on 28 September includes … [Read more...]
Sporting lines 4 August
Spain will host the final round of this year’s FIA European Rally Championship after being added to the calendar on Monday. Rising stars of the ERC will cross paths with FIA World Rally Championship legends as both series combine at RallyRACC Catalunya-Costa Daurada - offering the ultimate spectacle to rally fans worldwide from 20 - 22 October. The Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show, with … [Read more...]