SEARCH RESULTS

News Management changes at MPC Thursday, 10 November 2022 at 10:30:00 UTC By Al Suttie Manor Park Classics announces revised management Manor Park Classics has announced that Managing Director Roger Nowell is stepping down from his position, though he will remain as a part-time consultant. James Gregory will assume the role of managing the business as part of his job as Sales Manager, along with Operations Director Rik Askins. Stephen Ashworth, MPC’s Chairman, said: ‘Over the last two years, Manor Park Classics has become a widely recognised national brand in the industry with an unrivalled reputation for quality, performance, honesty and first-class customer service. Roger has been a fundamental part of creating this and I want to thank him for his hard work and professionalism. I am pleased that he has decided to stay on with us as a consultant.’ MPC is looking to expand in 2023 and recruit a further member to its classic car sales team, as well as a classic motorcycle specialist. http://www.manorparkclassics.com

News Ford Escort tops online searches Thursday, 3 March 2022 at 10:00:00 UTC By Al Suttie Ford Escort is most searched for classic The Ford Escort has been named as the most popular car for online searches in 2021 by Car & Classic. A top 10 of searches of cars for sale by the online classifieds and auction website also showed a shift towards more affordable classics from the 1980s. The Escort displaced the Porsche 911 as the most popular search on the website, pushing the 911 into second spot. In third place, the Triumph Stag has seen searches more than double, while the BMW E30 3 Series is in fourth place with searches up by 20% on 2020’s figures. The Ford Mustang took fifth place. Other cars in the top 10, in order of search numbers, are the Jaguar E-type, Ford Capri, Volkswagen Beetle, MGB GT, and MGB roadster. Showing the rising demand for Japanese sports cars, the Toyota Supra and MR2, Mazda RX-7, and Datsun 240Z all appeared in the top 20 searches of 2021. The Supra’s rise showed a surge from the edge of the Top 50 to nearly edging out the MGB. https://www.carandclassic.com/

News Young Driver acquires rare Atco Junior ​ By Al Suttie One-of-two young driver training cars acquired Young Driver has acquired a rare 1938 Atco Junior SafetyFirst Trainer to help promote its driver skills courses for young people. The 98cc Villiers-powered Atco is one of 200 built pre-war and thought to be one of two survivors. Ian Mulingani, Young Driver’s Managing Director, said: ‘We hope to have our Atco SafetyFirst up and running very soon so that we can demonstrate it at some of our venues and tell its remarkable story to our new generation of young drivers.’ He added: ‘We’re passionate about classic cars. We offer the option of trying one of our classics - a pre-war Austin Seven, Morris Minor or a ‘60s Vauxhall VX 4/90. If young drivers can master one of these, they have a far greater appreciation of how a modern, geared, ICE-driven vehicle works, which ultimately improves their driving skills. The company offers classic car driving courses to 10- to 17-year olds. http://www.youngdriver.eu

News Bicester Heritage is StarterMotor’s biggest donor Wednesday, 23 November 2022 at 16:45:00 UTC By Al Suttie StarterMotor receives £20,691 from Scrambles in 2022 Bicester Heritage’s Scramble events have raised £20,691 for the StarterMotor charity in 2022. Ticket sales for the popular Scrambles helped generate the amount, making Bicester Heritage the single largest donor to StarterMotor in 2022. StarterMotor offers career awareness days, work experience, and the opportunity to drive the charity’s classic fleet. It also provides representation at events, including the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, and opportunities for the future generation of motoring enthusiasts to learn new skills. Dave Withers, Chief Executive, StarterMotor, said: ‘Bicester Heritage has been a principal supporter of StarterMotor from the beginning, and donations, particularly through Scrambles but in other areas too, have helped expand the charity mission year after year. Our youth ambassadors, volunteers and all the young beneficiaries are hugely grateful. Daniel Geoghegan, Chief Executive Officer, added: ‘Our Scramble events truly are the best opportunity to experience Bicester Heritage at its best, and our intention is always to welcome as many interested local parties as possible to join us for these celebrations of both classics and modern machines. With 2022 having celebrated a plethora of events, I am sure 2023 will provide us with even more opportunity to support StarterMotor and celebrate with enthusiasts of all ages.’ http://www.startermotor.co www. bicesterheritage.co.uk

News New premises for Quickfit Saturday, 20 November 2021 at 0:00:00 UTC By Al Suttie Quickfit moves Quickfit Safety Belt Service has moved to new premises and is now located in a larger industrial unit in Loudwater, High Wycombe. The company is continuing to operate while moving premises and can also supply seat belt components. https://www.quickfitsbs.com/

News Bicester receives award for supporting former Armed Forces personnel Thursday, 10 November 2022 at 14:45:00 UTC By Al Suttie Bicester Motion awarded bronze medal by Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Bicester Motion has received a bronze award from the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme for its commitment to supporting formers members of the Armed Forces. James Cameron, CEO and Founder of Mission Motorsport, said: ‘As a founder member of the Mission Automotive initiative, Bicester Motion continues to open up opportunities for those seeking employment following a military career. We are incredibly proud to be working with all the companies at Bicester Motion who support our work, and are one step closer to making Britain the best place to be a veteran.’ Dan Geoghegan, CEO, Bicester Motion, added: ‘Here at Bicester our mission remains to provide a welcoming and equal-opportunities workplace for all. Developing our relationship with Armed Forces personnel and the unique skillsets and talent that they offer to our site, is truly remarkable to see.’ A number of specialist businesses based at Bicester Motion’s Heritage quarter have also been awarded bronze by the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme. They include Blue Diamond Riley Services, Classic Performance Engineering, Classic Oils, Harry Fraser Upholstery, Heritage Skills Academy, Historit, Kingsbury Racing, RH45 Insurance, and the Vintage Radiator Company. http://www.bicestermotion.com

News Maserati unveils Classiche Tuesday, 14 December 2021 at 0:00:00 UTC By Al Suttie Maserati Classiche launched alongside new parts Maserati has launched its Classiche certification programme and the first car to receive its authenticity certificate is a Mistral 3700. The Italian company has also introduced its Collectors and Customers programme to provide genuine parts to help with servicing and restoration of classic, youngtimer and Speciali cars. The Collectors and Customers scheme is set to manufacture many spare parts that are currently no longer available. This will use original design drawings and modern technology to ensure accurate fit and improved reliability. A committee of experts makes up the Classiche Certification programme for cars more than 20-years old. Users of this service also benefit from in-house minor repairs and an on-demand vehicle detailing offer. https://www.maserati.com/gb/en?redirect=1

News Hagerty opens Clubhouse at Bicester Friday, 2 September 2022 at 7:30:00 UTC By CCB staff New Clubhouse to be social hub Hagerty is opening a new Clubhouse at Bicester Heritage to be hub for classic car enthusiasts, clients and clubs. The Clubhouse will feature a members’ louge, bar area, and an exhibition space within its refurbished interior. As well as being open to enthusiasts to meet up, it will also be used for talks, industry presentations, and car culture-inspired activities such as club meetings. Mark Roper, Managing Director of Hagerty International, said: ‘Hagerty has been connected to Bicester Heritage for many years as a prior sponsor of Scramble and Scramblers events and the Starter Motor charity, and now we take that relationship further by becoming a resident business. ‘Our new Clubhouse will host a selection of member and public events, designed to appeal to classic vehicle enthusiasts from all sectors, and everyone is welcome to visit the Hagerty Clubhouse when we open for business in 2023.’ http://www.hagerty.co.uk

News Additional Scramble date Tuesday, 15 February 2022 at 0:00:00 UTC By Al Suttie Bicester adds Saturday date to April Scramble The popularity of the Sunday Scramble at Bicester Heritage has prompted Bicester Heritage to add a Saturday event to accommodate unprecedented demand. The new date is 23 April in addition to the existing Sunday 24 April meeting. There will be 5000 tickets for the Saturday 23 April Scramble. Dan Geoghegan, CEO, Bicester Heritage, said: ‘The April Scramble fires the post-pandemic starting pistol for us all and we can’t wait to welcome enthusiasts to Bicester Heritage for this important weekend.’ https://bicesterheritage.co.uk/

News Veterans complete London to Brighton on sustainable fuel Friday, 18 November 2022 at 9:30:00 UTC By Al Suttie Two entrants in London to Brighton Run powered by sustainable fuel Sustainable fuel was used for the first time in two of the entrants for the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. A single-cylinder, 6.5bhp 1904 Covert ran using 100% fossil-free fuel developed by P1 and similar to the decarbonised fuel used officially in the FIA World Rally Championship. Ben Cussons, Chairman of the Royal Automobile Club, and Mark Roper, Managing Director of Hagerty International, shared a 1901 Mors powered by sustainable fuel. Cussons said: ‘It really could not have been any easier. We simply drained and refilled the tank, completed a short test drive and packed the Mors off to London for the dawn start on the next day. In what were truly testing conditions, the car performed superbly – if anything the engine ran better than ever. ‘While electric cars may be part of the solution, it’s so very important that we keep an open mind. If we can find affordable alternatives that do not require a complete overhaul of the infrastructure as well as environmentally costly replacement of existing vehicles, so much the better.’ http://www.veterancarrun.com

News Report shows classics produce 0.22% of transport emissions Monday, 17 October 2022 at 11:15:00 UTC By Al Suttie loop report shows low impact of classic cars on emissions A new report by the loop agency shows the UK’s entire classic car fleet emits just 0.22% of total transport carbon dioxide emissions. The report likens this to drinking three lattes a day or taking a return flight from London to New York as the average classic car in the UK produces a total of 614.6kg of CO2 per annum. Using data from the DVLA and Department for Transport, the report calculated the average annual emissions of classic cars in the UK. The report also looks at how fuel efficiency and car use have changed over time. Alex Kefford, author of the loop report, said: ‘Assigning a figure to the carbon footprint of the UK’s classic cars has long been a challenge. By taking a data-first approach that included developing our own software, delving into decades of dusty archives, and crunching our way through millions of datapoints, we’ve been able to shed some light on this particularly tricky topic. ‘Along the way, we’ve discovered that the humble MGB is the most popular classic with Brits, that there are more classic Ford Escorts and Volkswagen Golfs declared as SORN as there are registered on our roads, and that average passenger car fuel economy has doubled since 1956.’ http://www.loopagency.co.uk

News European icons from Thornley Kelham Wednesday, 2 March 2022 at 15:00:00 UTC By Al Suttie New range of uprated classics from Thornley Kelham Thornley Kelham has announced it will offer a range of uprated European classic cars. The line-up will include Alfa Romeo, Jaguar and Porsche models with improvements along the lines of the Lancia Aurelia B20 Outlaw coupe the company completed in 2021. The first cars to be restored by the company in this way have already been commissioned by customers. Each will have subtle improvements to engine, suspension, brakes and interior. It’s expected each car will take around 5000 hours to complete and cost from £250,000. Simon Thornley, co-founder of Thornley Kelham, said: ‘In the 1950s, Max Hoffman almost single-handedly turned the American market onto the beautiful agile sports cars of Europe, including Porsche, BMW and Alfa Romeo. The exotic allure of cars from this part of the world was so enticing that Porsche even sold a number of 356s to the American market badged as “European”. It was the first time many Americans had ever encountered these brands, broadening horizons with fresh, exciting new sports cars. ‘It’s this golden era that we want to recapture with the European programme, offering modern day buyers the same kind of thrill of finding something new, something beautiful and something exhilarating.’ https://www.thornleykelham.com/