The company was established 21 years ago and held a party to celebrate the opening, with guests including Aston Martin CEO Dr Ulrich Bez and Director of Works Service and Parts Operations, Kingsley Riding-Felce.

Riding-Felce said: “Aston Martin takes its heritage very seriously, and it is crucial that current and prospective owners of our Heritage models are able to receive the kind of levels of service and specialist knowledge that is expected of the Aston Martin brand.

“Up until now our heritage network has not had such prominence in London and it is wonderful to see Nicholas and his team investing so heavily in the future of Aston Martin’s Heritage business.”

Nicholas Mee added: “It seems essential to us that Aston Martin Heritage has a dedicated showroom in the heart of London. These premises will be London’s focal point for showing and dealing in these beautiful, collectable cars. Perfectly located at a central point between Heathrow and Mayfair, our new high street showrooms offer collectors, buyers and sellers an ideal environment to showcase their cars.”

The Solihull-based 4×4 manufacturer sold 3,044 vehicles in October compared to 1,864 in October last year, an increase of more than 63 per cent, figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) showed.

The sales rise followed a bumper September for Land Rover, with the company selling 6,230 vehicles compared to 5,788 in the corresponding month in 2010. October’s sales jump followed the success of the Range Rover Evoque and a general increase in the purchase of SUVs amid predictions of another harsh winter.

Jaguar saw sales dip slightly last month, with the Big Cat selling 713 cars in October compared to 806 in October last year. SMMT figures also showed that Longbridge-based MG Motor UK sold 15 sports cars last month against 16 in October 2010.

Long-term MGB stalwart Barry Sidery-Smith and Julius Thurgood, founder and race director of the HRDC, hosted this special gathering at Goodwood, with the support of long-term HRDC sponsor CCK Historic. Guests included: works driver Alec Poole, BMC Competition Department guru Bill Price, BMC Competition Department Manager Peter Browning, BMC ‘Comps Shop’ Manager Basil Wales, BMC ‘Comps Shop’ mechanics Den Green and Brian Moylan, MG guru Malcolm Beer, veteran MGB racer Paul Campfield and MG historian John Baggott.

The Works MGB cars were not just on static display, but were put through their paces on the Goodwood circuit by Barry Sidery-Smith, Tony Dron and Paul Campfield, to the amazement of the many MG aficionados present, who all agreed that this was probably the first time that the four works cars had ever run together.

WORKS MGB COMPETITION CARS AT GOODWOOD:
  DRX255C – Le Mans car – Owner: Barry Sidery-Smith
  GRX307D – ‘Old Faithful’ Marathon de la Route car – Owner: Malcolm Beer
  BRX854B – Spa-Sophia-Liege rally car – Owner: Paul Campfield
  1964 #47 – Sebring car – Owner: Anthony Binnington

The HRDC MGB50 Series will consist of six rounds, each a 30-minute, single-driver race for pre-’66, FIA-specification MGB race cars, with an invitation class for historically important MGBs which do not comply to FIA Appendix ‘K’.

The first round of the series takes place at Castle Combe on 9 April 2012.

Further details and driver registrations can be obtained from either website:

www.hrdc.eu or www.mgb50.eu

Media & competition enquiries to:

JULIUS THURGOOD direct@juliusthurgood.co.uk

Tim Bryan and Stephen Laing from the Heritage Motor Centre are hoping to put more historic British cars on display.

Funding of £51,100 has been awarded to help the Trust progress their plans to apply for a full grant in 2012. If two more rounds are awarded building work on the new project could begin in 2013.

The Trust has a collection of almost 300 cars, telling the story of the motor industry in Britain from the 1890s to the present and although more than 160 of these vehicles can be seen on display at the Heritage Motor Centre, the rest of the collection remains hidden in store.

The project will allow people to see the whole collection for the first time in a purpose-built facility that will also include a vehicle restoration and conservation workshop.

In addition the Trust will launch a new volunteer programme allowing people to get more involved with the collection by helping with its conservation and interpretation and will also run a series of events and other activities as part of the project.

Tim Bryan, of the Heritage Motor Centre, said: “We are delighted that the Heritage Lottery Fund has pledged their support for our project which will help us make our collection far more accessible than before and enable people to learn more about the motor industry which has played such an important role in the West Midlands.”

The new grant will facilitate development of new powertrains so as to produce products to export to emerging export markets. Wolfgang Durheimer, the Chairman and Chief Executive of Bentley spoke about the grant by saying, “This is a real boost for Bentley which has one of the most highly skilled automotive workforces in the country and, uniquely, has now been awarded two RGF grants. It shows that the Government recognizes the importance of Bentley and the contribution we make to high value manufacturing and UK exports. Our customers expect the very best in terms of exclusivity, technology, quality and engineering excellence which requires significant ongoing investment in R&D. This is why we retain such a strong engineering capability exclusively for Bentley here in the UK. This grant will help safeguard those operations as we look to develop new powertrains which appeal to new markets and new customers.”

As slated, in July, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had opened a probe into these Lotus cars to investigate oil cooler leaks for the Elise and Exige models that were manufactured between June 1, 2004 and November 30, 2006. With 17 complaints from the owners of the vehicles reporting oil leaks onto the right rear tires, which resulted into handling problems and a fire incidence as well, the investigation finally triggered a recall announcement from the company.

As per the NHTSA official site, the owners of the affected vehicles may contact Lotus at 1-800-245-6887 and get their cars repaired. For any further information, they may also contact the NHTSA at 1-888-327-4236.

Their task is made even harder by the history involved here.

The messy demise of the previous company cost the brand a lot of the goodwill and then there was the, perhaps understandable, scepticism as the Far Eastern conglomerates stepped in to pick over the wreckage.

However, the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation seem to be taking the right steps to woo the army of MG followers back. They have set up their UK headquarters in what is retained of the Longbridge plant, which had become the marque’s home before its collapse.

The Birmingham site now also features a recently opened showroom where you can buy the new breed of anglo-oriental MGs. Currently that means just the MG6, although more models are in the pipeline, and the naming of this sports saloon version should strike another positive chord, doffing its cap as it does to MG’s proud history.

The Magnette is a name that is steeped in the brand’s tradition, and its four-door saloons in particular, having been used initially on the K Type in the 1930s and then re-introduced on the MG ZA and ZB in the 1950s and 60s. This latest incarnation is basically the same car as the GT hatchback, the first version of the 6 to hit the roads, but with a boot.

It is a very big boot for a compact saloon though and the fact that the MG publicity blurb makes much of its ability to swallow not one, but two sets of golf clubs tells you something about where they are heading with this motor.

Although not setting over ambitious sales targets, they are hoping the MG6 Magnette will catch the eye of executives and company car drivers who might otherwise be looking at German alternatives – clearly hoping to plug into some jingoistic buy British spirit. However, although the 6 is the baby of the Birmingham-based design team it is, strictly speaking, made in China and then bolted together at Longbridge after it is shipped over in kit form.

Powered by the same 1.8 litre turbocharged petrol power train as the GT and boasting the same chassis and suspension means that you get good mid-range pace and some very sharp handling. The set-up is definitely on the sporty side and makes for a fun and engaging drive while the ride manages to stay on the comfortable side of firm.

Fuel economy and emissions figures could be better, and may put off some business users, but there is a diesel version due next year which should address some of these concerns. The cabin, though, is spacious and comfortable with more than enough room for the whole family and plenty of storage options, drinks holders, etc, dotted about the place too.

Equipment levels are very impressive in all three trim levels but little or nothing is missing in this range-topping TSE which includes a stereo with aux-in, USB and Bluetooth connectivity, satnav, climate control, front and rear parking sensors, rear parking camera, cruise control, leather upholstery, electric windows all round and an electric sunroof.

It is a shame that all this kit is let down by some low end materials on the dash and some quirky design features – such as the fiddly hand brake arrangement which led to me painfully cracking my thumb more than once!

On balance, though, there is enough good stuff here to outweigh these niggles and the MG6, while not the finished article, does show some serious promise for the reborn MG brand.

Specifications
Price: £19,995
Mechanical: 158bhp, 1,796cc petrol engine driving front wheels via a 5-speed manual transmission
Max Speed: 120mph
0-60mph: 8.4 seconds
Combined mpg: 35.6
Insurance Group: 14
CO2 emissions: 184g/km
Bik rating: 26%
Warranty: 3 year/60,000 miles

The MG SV-R was supposed to be a sort of halo car to fill the bedroom walls of kids and empty the pockets of the gentlemen wanting a bit of ‘ugly but brutish’ in their driveway. With the chassis from another car you’ve never heard of, the Qvale Mangusta, and the 4.6-liter and 5-liter V8 engines from a Ford Mustang, this cocktail of all world was good for either 320 hp or 385 hp.

With strange looks and lack-luster performance figures, it’s no wonder that only 82 were ever sold, of which 42 were the SV-R version with 385 hp, like the one in the picture. However, that doesn’t mean that this particular one, which will go under the hammer early next month, isn’t worth your time.

Expected to fetch somewhere in the region of $55,000 (about €44,000), this example is a left-hand drive model that should make some lucky owner happy if he decided to buy it at the upcoming Silverstone Auctions on November 4, 2011.

It’s got lots of quills on the side, a badge few people will know outside Britain and track car looks, so there’s plenty of reasons to like it.

The UK car manufacturer, which was relaunched in 2008 with the backing of Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation, wants to establish showrooms in the following eight locations in England: Birmingham, Derby, Leeds, Liverpool, Nottingham, Northampton, Swindon and South London.

The firm, which has recently launched a new range of models that have been designed and engineered at its 69-acre site in Longbridge, Birmingham, also wants to establish outlets in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

MG’s list of potential dealership locations also includes more than 20 medium-priority locations, including Brighton, Exeter and Guildford in the south of England, and Blackpool, Burnley and Carlisle further north.

And at the bottom of the list are six low-priority spots, including in England, Barnstaple; in Wales, Swansea; and in Scotland, Inverness.

MG recently opened a new sales centre onsite at the famous ‘Elephant House’ at Longbridge. Customers are able to test-drive vehicles from the new MG6 range there and can also buy vehicle from the home of MG.

In a statement, the Shanghai-listed firm said its revenue reached CNY 97.41 billion up by 19.4%YoY from CNY 81.61 billion. Earnings per share were CNY 0.51. In the first three quarters of 2011, the vehicle maker reaped CNY 13.29 billion in net profit reflecting increase of 38.69%YoY and its revenue grew 22.71%YoY to CNY 281.28 billion.

Total vehicle sales for the nine-month period increased 11.77%YoY to 2.98 million units including 722,000 units sold in the third quarter of 2011 up by 6.1%QoQ.

Of the total sales, 65,000 units were SAIC Motor self-branded models, which comprise the MG and the Roewe reflecting a YoY jump of 186%.