british cars
Lotus to Unveil Four New Concepts at Paris Auto Show
Details of what exactly the “New Era” for Lotus will entail have begun to slip out with reports that the automaker will show-off four new concept cars at the Paris Auto Show this Fall. According to some reports the vehicles will include a successor to the Esprit, two new front-engined GT cars and a new…
New Jaguar XJ Off to Strong Sales Start in the UK, Handily Beating German Competition
From the moment we first set our eyes on the new Jaguar XJ it was obvious that the progressive new design was a shot across the bow of its German competitors and was aimed at attracting new and youthful customers in a bid to expand Jaguar’s reach in the marketplace. Jaguar even said as much,…
McLaren F1 Successor Coming in 2012
Having already announced it’s new MP4-12C exotic and setting up a worldwide dealer network, McLaren is now planning a successor to its F1 supercar, reports AutoCar. When the McLaren F1 debuted back in 1992 it created a new standard for performance vehicles and set a top speed record that stood for over a decade until…
Bentley Supersports Convertible Debuts at Goodwod With Derek Bell Behind the Wheel
With Bentley looking to put more focus on the performance of its vehicles in the future, the snooty British brand certainly chose the right way to show off its latest product at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The Supersports Convertible, the world’s fastest drop-top, tacked the exciting hillclimb event driven by none other than racing…
Jaguar XE Concept Headed to Geneva Auto Show as Porsche Boxster Rival
Jaguar‘s upcoming entry-level sports car will first be shown in concept form at the upcoming Geneva Auto Show in March of next year. According to InsideLine, the car will not be called the F-Type, but rather the XE. Based on a version of the all-new aluminum structure for the next generation XK, the smaller Jag…
Land Rover Evoque Unveiled on 40th Anniversary of Original Range Rover
Looking pretty much identical to the LRX concept car, Land Rover has now officially taken the wraps off what it will call the Evoque. Land Rover will brand the new “coupe” styled SUV as the Range Rover Evoque, joining the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport. No specific details have yet been provided but it…
Aston Martin One-77 Spied Testing at the Nurburgring
Spy photographers have recently snapped several crystal clear shots of Aston Martin‘s new One-77 supercar testing at the Nürburgring. There’s not a lot new to see here as the car has already been shown several times already, but it certainly looks impressive in its copper paint scheme and black wheels. It’s not clear if Aston…
Bentley to Re-Brand Itself With Focus on Performance
Even a decade after Bentley and Rolls-Royce split up, most folks still thing the two automakers are related. The reality, however, is quite the opposite, with Volkswagen owning Bentley and BMW claiming Rolls-Royce, the two luxury British marques compete in a small segment. But that is about to change. While it’s obvious that Bentley still…
Refreshed 2011 MINI Lineup Officially Unveiled
MINI has just officially taken the wraps off its refreshed 2011 lineup of models and while we’re sure the MINI-faithful will debate the changes for months and years to come, were not sure most folks will notice the difference. It’s a good think the original design of the car is timeless. Notable updates include the…
Lotus in Talks to Sign-On Bob Lutz, Tom Purves As Part of Major Brand Expansion
As part of a major expansion plan that will see the Lotus brand leave behind its niche-market history and expand into a more mainstream automaker, Lotus is poised to sign-on two long-time industry execs: Bub Lutz and Tom Purves. Lutz needs no introduction, having worked in the auto industry most of his life, holding senior…
Porsche Beats MINI at its Own Game, MINI Still Comes Out On Top
With Porsche refusing to take part in MINI‘s challenge to race at Road Atlanta (which was neither a real race, nor actually on the track at Road Atlanta), MINI decided to go ahead and stage the comparo anyway. And the plucky British automaker… lost? That’s right, the MINI Cooper S couldn’t best the German juggernaut…
Edo Competition Converts Aston Martin DB9 to DBS, But Why?
When it comes to automotive customizing, conversions are a natural occurrence whether good or bad. Last week we talked about the Nissan Skyline R34 with an R35 GT-R front end as one of those conversions that are much to our dismay. But this one just has us scratching our heads. A Russian owner of a…
Lotus to Unveil ‘New Era’ at Paris Auto Show
Lotus has chosen today, the first official day of summer, to announce (cryptically) the launch of a ‘new era’ for storied British sports car maker. What exactly the ‘new era’ will entail, will become much more clear in exactly 100 days at the Paris Auto Show says Lotus. Our minds are already racing with the…
Hyundai Calls Out MINI, Offers to Stand-In for Porsche at Road Atlanta Race
By now were sure you’ve heard about MINI‘s challenge to Porsche to come out and race at Road Atlanta. A genius piece of marketing no doubt, but it appears two can play at this game as Hyundai has just turned the tables on MINI in a new YouTube video, offering to step in for the…
Lotus RGB Special Edition Models to Honor Roger Becker as 1.8L Models Eliminated
Lotus will launch two special editions models at the end of this year, both to celebrate the dedication of its long-time vehicle engineer Roger Becker, and to mourn the loss of the 1.8-liter engine. That’s right, new Euro 5 emissions regulations are set to mark the end of the 1.8L-powered Lotus Elise and Exige and…
MINI Countryman to Compete in WRC in 2012?
MINI is set to join the World Rally Championship in 2012, competing with the new Countryman crossover. Rumors to this extent swirled just ahead of the Geneva Auto Show earlier this year where the Countryman was unveiled, but nothing ever came of it. The MINI fans at MotoringFile say the project is still in the…
MINI Taunts Porsche in Rocky IV Training Montage
It’s possibly the best 80’s montage of them all; yes, we’re talking about the training scene from Rocky IV where the underdog Balboa trains in a wooden hut in the Russian countryside while Captain Ivan Drago (aka, Dolf Lungren) pumps up on steroids and makes use of the world’s most sophisticated machines to tone his…
Big Pimpin Borat Style: Kazakhstani DIY Phantom Conversion
Pimpin’ ain’t easy, even in the U.S. But what about in Kazakhstan? Unless you’re a mobster, a chauffeur, or a car thief, odds are, you’ll never get to drive a Rolls-Royce Phantom. Most people outside of major cities have never even seen one. That fact may work to mechanic Ruslan Mukanov’s advantage, as he’s simply…
Jaguar XKR Goodwood Special Headed to Production
Jaguar will build a production version of the 523-hp Goodwood Special XKR that debuted at last years Goodwood Festival of Speed. Jaguar managing director Mike O’Driscoll confirmed the plans in an interview with PistonHeads.com, commenting that the new model would essentially be a production version of the one-off show car. Power will come from a…
MINI Exploring New Models Says Design Boss
In a recent interview MINI design boss Adrian van Hooydonk admitted that the BMW sub-brand is looking at expanding with new models in the future. “Because Mini is on the threshold of turning into a proper brand, we will be looking at a pallet of models for the future,” he told AutoCar. But that’s not…
MINI Re-Challenges Porsche to Road Atlanta Race: Puts Justin Bieber Tickets on the Line
Exploiting social media for all it’s worth, MINI isn’t about to let up on its David vs Golliath challenge. As we’re sure you recall, MINI recently challenged Porsche to a race at Road Atlanta. Porsche subsequently declined, trading MINI’s fun jabs for biting disdain of the fun British brand. (Funny, we always thought German’s were…
Vauxhall Astra VXR to Get 300-HP; Could Be Offered in U.S. as a Buick
In an effort to compete with the impressive Ford Focus RS and Renaultsport Mégane, General Motors is reported to be building a new Vauxhall Astra VXR with as much as 300-hp. So why should you care? Well, because the Astra shares its underpinnings with the Buick Excelle, which recently launched in China and is set…
BMW’s Active Sound Design Gives MINI Cooper V8 Sound [video]
Last week we brought you a story about an innovate technology BMW is working on called Active Sound Design. The primary use of the technology is in sound deadening using an electro-acoustic system (aka, your car’s stereo) to minimize or change the sound you here. This is particularly important for BMW when it comes to…
Aston Martin DB9 Replacement Coming in 2013
Aston Martin is planning to introduce an all-new DB9 model in 2013 or possibly 2014, with a new look, updated engine and reduced weight. The underlying structure of the car won’t be all-new, however, with Aston recently scrapping a plan to develop all-new chassis – instead opting for a significant refresh to the current lineup….
