End of the Production Road for the Land Rover Defender – a unique and much-loved British icon. Kim Henson reports… It hardly seems possible, but as of 10 o’clock this morning, and after 68 years of production of Land Rover ‘Series’ and ‘Defender’ models, no more will be built. Reasons for the discontinuation of the model include 21st Century emissions and safety regulations. However, perhaps … [Read more...]
Classics Information
Jet powered cars – a fascinating history (so far!)
Retired and forgotten old lady now 66 - by Dave Moss Time to reflect on a story which began in 1941, when the Rover company received a wartime invitation to help make the experimental jet engines dreamed up by inventor Frank Whittle production-ready. Despite lacking experience in the field, Rover dutifully began work at sites in the midlands and northern England, but friction between the parties … [Read more...]
Top Ten Cars of Everything
We know that our 'Wheels-Alive' readers/viewers enjoy varied aspects of cars and motoring, so we thought that you would like the following light-hearted look at some interesting/unusual cars in a special 'Top Ten'... Countless hours have been won and lost chatting - or arguing - about the top ten fastest cars, the classics, the not-so-classics, and the “if only we won the lottery” cars. Well, we … [Read more...]
Book Review: No Speed Limit – Sixty Years of Road Testing Classic Cars
A ‘Must read’ title for all motoring enthusiasts, reviewed by Kim Henson Author: Stuart Bladon Published by: The History Press (www.thehistorypress.co.uk) 272 pages (paperback) UK Price: £14.99 ISBN: 978-0-7509-6491-3 I was very much looking forward to reading this book, not least because Stuart Bladon is one of the most accomplished, knowledgeable and … [Read more...]
The Goddess – still amazing at 60!
The Goddess at 60: Citroën’s design icon retains its timeless beauty Dave Randle is your guide to this sleek, evocative, ahead-of-its-time machine… Although the years immediately following World War Two in Europe were a time of rationing and austerity, they also saw an upward shift in public expectations and the first flowering (if that’s the word) of consumerism. Many returning service … [Read more...]
Triumph Stag – A classic comes good
Julian Leyton reflects on four decades of knowledge and experience of these fascinating grand tourers… For my sins I had the, perhaps dubious, pleasure of working in all three divisions of one of the largest British Leyland dealer groups throughout most of the 70s, meaning that I saw Stags from Sales, Parts and, toughest of all, Service perspectives. Launched a couple of years before I … [Read more...]
Michelotti (and the Triumph Stag) – ‘A free pencil…’
2015 marks the 45th anniversary of the launch of the Triumph Stag. Dave Moss looks back at the car and its talented instigator, Giovanni Michelotti... In 1968, the Triumph Stag - and various other shadowy prototypes - were oddball survivors in the new BLMC stable. At the time marque plans were being fiercely guarded and nurtured by previously-independent operations then recently joined in an … [Read more...]
First ‘enhanced’ audio video eBook on Porsche 911
Glen Smale delivers an innovative eBook treat for Porsche 911 enthusiasts... Performance Car Publishing, an all-Welsh team in South West Wales, has published the first in a series of new enhanced eBooks. Believed to be a first in the field of automotive publishing, this eBook will cover the design and development of the iconic Porsche Carrera RS 2.7, originally unveiled in 1972. The … [Read more...]
Why Austin’s Smallest Car Hails from the Welsh Valleys
Some 66 years on, Dave Moss remembers the disabled Welsh miners who produced 30,000 cars... Pengam, on the outskirts of Bargoed in south Wales, is a pretty unlikely place for a car factory - but its product was a pretty unusual car. Deep in the Rhymney Valley, landlocked by hills, eighteen tortuous miles north of Cardiff and almost as far from Ebbw Vale and Merthyr Tydfil, for years the … [Read more...]
Austin A30 Van Stolen!
WHEELS-ALIVE APPEAL; CAN YOU HELP PLEASE? Can anyone help us please? On the afternoon/early evening of Sunday 1st March an enthusiast’s Austin A30 van was stolen from his home near Welland, in Worcestershire. The vehicle was locked and the owner, Colin Dolding, still has the keys. This is an exceedingly rare Austin van, with just a small handful surviving (especially by comparison with the … [Read more...]
Sunbeam Start-up – National Motor Museum, Beaulieu
Sir Malcolm Campbell’s land speed record breaking 350hp Sunbeam has been fired up in anger in the New Forest for the first time in over 50 years following a major eight-year mechanical rebuild. BY CHRIS ADAMSON The first car to exceed 150mph it was also the first vehicle to carry the famous Bluebird name and over its life set numerous speed records. Prior to this week’s start-up at the … [Read more...]
Finding Future Classics
When do the first indications appear that a car is turning into a classic and its value could start rising? The only real answer is eventually - maybe... but there are certain clues that, intelligently interpreted, can point thoughtful buyers in the right direction. Much depends here on your definition of a "classic," for many regard any car of a certain age in that light; others might give more … [Read more...]
Long distance Volgas drive to Silverstone
Making a round trip of over 6,000 kilometres (4,000 or so miles) from Moscow to the Silverstone Classic event (which runs from 26th to 28th July) are two intrepid members of the Russian GAZ-21 Car Club, in a pair of classic Volgas. Vladimir Smagin and Dmitry Kilpio will be travelling via Minsk, Warsaw, Poznan, Hannover, Antwerpe, Brugge and London, on their way to Silverstone. Over 8,200 classics … [Read more...]
45 years of the Citroën Méhari
Throughout the company’s history, Citroën has been known for producing innovative and fascinating vehicles. Well, here’s one that not everyone may be aware of… The firm is currently celebrating 45 years since the introduction (on 16th May 1968) of its now rarely encountered Méhari. This diminutive but versatile and useful vehicle was built for utility and pleasure, and was unpretentious when … [Read more...]
30 years of the Nissan Micra
Can you believe it? Surely it can’t already be 30 years since the Nissan Micra was launched in the U.K? Well, it is. Throughout four generations, the model has been known and liked for its dependability and low running costs. To help celebrate three decades of the model, Nissan has introduced a range of special ‘30’ themed offers for owners… So, for all Micra drivers with more than three … [Read more...]
Classic car tax concession
Way back in the 1990s, the government changed the road tax rules so that vehicles over 25 years old qualified for a zero rate of road fund licence (‘Vehicle Excise Duty’). This helped owners who, in general, covered relatively few miles in their older cars, and helped to encourage the preservation of ‘modern classics’. The exemption was sensibly applied on a ‘rolling’ basis, so that as vehicles … [Read more...]
100 Years of Car Making at Oxford
Today BMW MINIs are produced at ‘Plant Oxford’, but vehicle production started there over 100 years ago, on 28th March 1913, when the first car built at the site, a Bullnose Morris Oxford, emerged. Oxford was home to the well-respected Morris company (started by William Morris) for many years. To date, nearly 11,700,000 cars have been produced at the Oxford site. In addition to the 2,250,000 … [Read more...]
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