by gaukcars.com | Oct 1, 2024 | Blog
- Caterham to thrill the crowds and provide motorsport inspiration at The British Motor Show
- Passenger rides available in Caterham Drift Taxi
- TV star cars from Top Gear and The Grand Tour on the company’s stand
- Caterham Academy will form motorsport showcase
- Show takes place August 19-22, 2021
- Tickets cost just £18.50, or £37 for a family
Caterham Cars will be going bigger – and more sideways – than ever at The British Motor Show later this month.
The company will be in action with its Caterham Drift taxi experience, where customers can take a passenger ride in one of the company’s two-seaters and learn from their chauffeur the art of driving sideways, as well as get to prove their own abilities in a slightly calmer way with the Caterham Seven Simulator, with prizes on offer for the best times of the day.
Meanwhile, on its stand, the company will have the opportunity for guests to come and see the Caterham 7 driven by James May on The Grand Tour as well as the R-500 from Top Gear which beat the Bugatti Veyron to the top of the leader board after being driven by The Stig himself.
In the Motorsport area of the show, the company will also be demonstrating its commitment to British racing by displaying several race cars as well as provide more information about its Caterham Academy, more details of which can be found here: https://www.caterhamcars.com/en/motorsport/academy
This is a 26 year old academy helping provide all the tools needed for entry level motorsport racing, and supporting young drivers and their teams along the way.
The British Motor Show CEO, Andy Entwistle, said: “Caterham is a company with a rich heritage and a history of providing thrills and spills to drivers across all age groups and backgrounds. They’re great entertainers, stalwart supporters of grass roots motorsport and proper, genuine enthusiasts, so it’s an absolute delight to welcome them to a show that shares many of their core values. We’re sure they’ll be a huge draw for the crowds.”
The British Motor Show promises to be the brightest, most engaging and most interactive automotive event of 2021, and offers terrific value at just £18.50 a ticket, or £37 for a family of four.
To find out more about the show, book tickets or keep up with the latest news, visit www.thebritishmotorshow.live
by gaukcars.com | Oct 1, 2024 | Blog
- The electrically powered ID.5 GTX will be a near-production concept in disguise in Munich
- First electric SUV with elegant coupé silhouette from Volkswagen
- Four-wheel drive with two electric motor, up to 497 km range2
As elegant as a coupé, as strong as an SUV and all-electric to boot: The ID.5 GTX is set to make its international exhibition debut as of 07 September – as a disguised concept at the IAA Munich Motor Show. The first SUV coupé based on the Modular Electric Drive Matrix (MEB) wows with its elegant design and powerful dual motor four-wheel drive. And the ID.5 GTX is fully connected, can receive updates over-the-air and is fitted with Car2X technology.
The ID.5 GTX is the first all-electric powered SUV coupé from Volkswagen. With its fluid lines, the ID.5 GTX is elegant and sporty. Short overhangs and big wheels highlight its strong character.
Strong front, elegant body
In the high front, the IQ.Light LED matrix headlights, which generate an intelligently controlled high beam, give the front of the car a likeable look. The light strip that tapers towards the Volkswagen logo has been combined with three powerful, illuminated honeycomb elements on both the driver and passenger side. They complement the signature of the low beam and convey the athletic character even while stationary. The flat sloping A pillars positioned right near the front give the roof line an elegant flow – it stretches low over the body and tapers out in an integrated rear spoiler. At the rear, horizontal lines accentuate the width, with the light strip attracting the most attention. The LED rear lights with a 3D design complete the feeling of luxury.
GTX means new athleticism
The abbreviation GTX represents the Volkswagen brand’s new athleticism. It continues the tradition of the successful GTI, GTD and GTE models and transfers it to the world of electric mobility. There is an electric motor on both the front and rear axle of the ID.5 GTX – the dual motor four-wheel drive guarantees strong driving performance, superior traction and sporty handling. The large lithium-ion battery between the axles enables a projected range of up to 497 km2.
When the ID.5 GTX arrives at dealers next year, it will be the second model from the sporty GTX product brand, and will give the ACCELERATE strategy another boost.
Volkswagen aims to become the most popular brand when it comes to sustainable mobility. The goal is to increase the share of all-electric cars in Europe to 70 percent of Volkswagen‘s unit sales by 2030. Volkswagen is aiming to become net carbon neutral by 2050.
1 ID.5 GTX – The car is a near-production concept.
2 Projected WLTP range for the ID.5 GTX with 77 kWh net battery energy density with dual motor four-wheel drive. WLTP indicative values for production vehicles may vary depending on the spec.
The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand is present in more than 150 markets worldwide and produces vehicles at more than 30 locations in 13 countries. Volkswagen delivered around 5.3 million vehicles in 2020. These include bestsellers such as the Golf, Tiguan, Jetta or Passat as well as the fully electric successful models ID.3 and ID.4. Around 184,000 people currently work at Volkswagen worldwide. In addition, there are more than 10,000 trading companies and service partners with 86,000 employees. With its ACCELERATE strategy, Volkswagen is consistently advancing its further development into a software-oriented mobility provider.
by gaukcars.com | Oct 1, 2024 | Blog
- Some of the world’s finest Bentley motor cars will be gracing the pathways of Hampton Court Palace at the Concours of Elegance from 3-5 September
- An early 1926 6 ½-litre Sports Tourer, the original ‘Peaky Blinders’ Bentley 4 ½-litre, and a highly successful 1928 Bentley 4 ½-litre Le Mans Team Car will all be on display at the show
- In total, nearly 1,000 vehicles will be on display across the weekend as further features and cars are revealed in the coming months
- The Concours of Elegance remains the UK’s top concours d’elegance and among the top three in the world
- Tickets can be bought now from concoursofelegance.co.uk/tickets
The Concours of Elegance – famed for gathering together the rarest cars ever created – will showcase some of the world’s most extraordinary Bentleys at Hampton Court Palace in this year’s ‘Main Concours’ display.
Taking place from 3-5 September, the event is renowned as one of the top three concours d’elegance events in the world for the quality of cars it attracts; nowhere else in the UK can the public see such a high standard of rare historic vehicles.
Since it started manufacturing cars in 1919, Bentley has established itself as a pinnacle of both luxury and performance. Built upon the company’s racing pedigree – five victories at Le Mans in the 1920s, plus a sixth in 2003 – Bentley is known across the globe for creating cars with an unrivalled blend of speed and the finest craftsmanship and materials.
Among the earliest Bentleys on display is ‘YB 633’, a very original 1926 6 ½-litre Sports Tourer. The car is reputed to be the last 11 foot chassis with the original one-off aluminium body still on the car – a four-light drop head coupe with a dickey seat and wind-up windows, referred to as a “Simplex Coupe” by Coachbuilder H J Mulliner. In Bentley factory records the car is referred to as a “3/4 folding head coupe”. The car also features its originally installed engine.
Alongside it, is ‘YW 5758’ a 1928 Bentley 4 ½-litre Le Mans Team Car – the most decorated original-bodied car in existence – still featuring its original chassis number, engine number, body number and body. The car’s impeccable racing history includes second place in class at the 1928 Newtownards TT, fifth at the inaugural 1929 Irish International Grand Prix at Phoenix Park, and class winner and third overall, at the 1929 ‘Six Hour Race’ at Brooklands. The car also placed fourth at Le Mans in 1929. The car continued its successes into the 1930s, and is still used regularly at historic meetings today.
Also on display is another Bentley 4 ½-litre with a different kind of history. ‘GC 6002’ was originally delivered via Jack Olding & Co to a Mr Arthur Grout in 1930. Arthur was the landlord of The Southampton Arms which was at the centre of the ‘race track wars’ of the 1920s – recently made famous by the Netflix series ‘Peaky Blinders’. The car is a sports four seater by Vanden Plas with fully valanced wings finished in green. Unfortunately for Arthur, the car’s commanding looks would do nothing to ward off the creditors – his failure to keep up repayments meant the vehicle was returned to the factory in 1935, as denoted on the chassis record. The car has never been rebuilt, only maintained, and is in regular use today, having covered less than 100,000 miles in more than nine decades.
Also gracing the pathways of Hampton Court is an early example of a ‘blown’ Bentley – a 1931 Bentley 4 ½-litre supercharged. The addition of the supercharger was facilitated by then racing driver Tim Birkin who, in 1929, suddenly found himself hopelessly outclassed by the supercharged Mercedes cars that were running away on the straights. Birkin approached engineer, Charles Amherst Villiers, who had already made his name with Brescia Bugattis and the supercharged Villiers Vauxhall Special, and commissioned him to design a super-charger installation for the 4½-litre Bentley. Villiers also reworked the engine to cope with the strains imposed by the supercharger. The example on display at the Concours retains its original four-seater open sports body by Vanden Plas, and its original colour scheme of black with fine lining in red.
Rounding out the selection of 1930s Bentleys is ‘WD 4499’ which is a 1932 Bentley 8-litre, and the 64th of the 100 8-litre Bentleys built in 1930–31. The 8-litre was designed as a fast, powerful chassis capable of carrying heavy closed coachwork with sports car levels of performance. Indeed when the 8-litre was introduced at the 1930 Olympia Show it was the fastest production chassis in the world, capable of 103mph at 3,500rpm. This particular car is a long wheelbase model, with coachwork by H J Mulliner finished in black and green.
These are just some of the beautiful Bentleys that will be on display, with many more examples forming a line-up with the Bentley Drivers’ Club. This display is part of the additional content that makes up the near-1,000 cars on display during the Concours of Elegance, also including a collection of 95 British cars gathered to celebrate Her Majesty The Queen’s 95th birthday, and a 30UNDER30 Concours aimed at inspiring the next-generation of classic car enthusiast.
Special features for 2021 will also gather together a line-up of Future Classics, representing the potential concours d’elegance stars of the next 50 years, a celebration of 60 years of the Jaguar E-type and a Veteran Car Run display, gathering the pre-1905 motoring pioneers that each year make their pilgrimage from London to Brighton.
Away from the automotive displays, Concours of Elegance remains an occasion of pure luxury, with champagne provided by Charles Heidsieck, picnics by Fortnum & Mason, live stage interviews with Chubb Insurance, hosted by Jodie Kidd, and a collection of art, jewellery and fashion displays. Presenting Partner, A. Lange & Söhne, recently confirmed to support the event for a further three years, will continue to showcase some of its most intricate timepieces. New long-term partners joining the event in 2021 include The Peninsula London Hotel and Residences, Gooding & Co and McLaren.
Tickets to the Concours of Elegance 2021 are available now ranging from standard entry tickets to full three-course hospitality packages from £288. Tickets can be bought from concoursofelegance.co.uk/tickets
by gaukcars.com | Oct 1, 2024 | Blog
- New Bentley Mulliner Collections model to be launched at the Home of Bentley in Monterey on Thursday 12 August
- Bentley Mulliner Bacalar and Blower Continuation Series make global public debuts, with both “Car Zero” examples travelling from the UK
- All three Mulliner portfolios – Classic, Coachbuilt and Collections – appear together for the first time
- Global public debuts for four other Bentley models, including first showing of Bentley Hybrid range
- Beyond100 strategy brought to life across the week
- Bio-fuelled Continental GT3 Pikes Peak to be centrepiece of Bentley sustainability display
- The Unifying Spur, representing Bentley’s new diversity and inclusion strategy, on display throughout
Bentley is returning safely to live events with a suite of global debuts at this year’s Monterey Car Week, with a focus on the British luxury marque’s industry-leading bespoke and personalisation division, Bentley Mulliner.
With the cancellation of last year’s event, Bentley’s return to the Monterey Peninsula is the first since the honour of being the featured marque in its centenary year in 2019, when a 1931 Bentley 8-Litre also won Best of Show at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
A new Mulliner model launch, plus public debuts of the development prototypes for the Blower Continuation Series and Bentley Mulliner Bacalar projects, will bring all three Mulliner portfolios together for the first time.
Monterey Car Week will also see Bentley’s new hybrid range showcased for the first time, with the Bentayga Hybrid joined by the new Flying Spur Hybrid as Bentley’s sustainable journey of electrification continues. By 2024, the entire Bentley range will be hybridised ahead of the launch of the first fully electric Bentley in 2025. The range will make their debut on the Bentley stand at The Quail.
Other exciting new members of Bentley’s product range will also make public debuts over the course of the event, including the new driver-focused Bentayga S and the world’s ultimate luxury performance grand tourer – the Continental GT Speed Convertible. The pinnacle of the Continental family will also be featured in both coupé and convertible styles of the Continental GT Mulliner. Making regional debuts will be the fastest SUV in the world in the Bentayga Speed, and the Flying Spur V8.
Bentley’s presence at Monterey Car Week has been designed to be COVID-safe, and will be compliant to all CDC guidelines throughout the week.
A Bentley Mulliner Showcase
As part of a programme of nine model introductions this year, Monterey will see the launch of a new member of the exquisite Bentley Mulliner Collections portfolio, to take place at the Home of Bentley in Monterey on the afternoon of Thursday 12 August.
Alongside the new model, the engineering cars for two significant Bentley Mulliner programmes will appear together for the first time, both in their Americas debut. The Bentley Mulliner Bacalar – a completely bespoke and highly exclusive barchetta, and the first member of the Coachbuilt portfolio – will feature alongside the first example of the world’s first pre-war continuation project, the Blower Continuation Series.
Each project will be represented by its respective “Car Zero”, the engineering development cars which have each covered thousands of kilometres in testing. Bacalar Car Zero has been retrimmed especially for Monterey Car Week and is now resplendent in a newly commissioned colour – Scarab Green – and will appear at The Quail, on the roads around the Peninsula during the event, and on the Concept Lawn for the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on Sunday 15 August.
Meanwhile, Blower Car Zero – the launch member of the Classic portfolio – has deliberately retained the patination from its durability programme, proudly wearing its development mileage. Finished in gloss black with Oxblood red leather, the Blower will be display at The Quail, and the Home of Bentley, and can also be seen driving in the area throughout Monterey Car Week.
Customer-ordered Bacalars and Blowers are now in build, with both series strictly limited to 12 examples and both entirely sold out. The attendance of these special Bentley Mulliner models mean that all three Mulliner portfolios – Classic, Coachbuilt and Collections – will appear together for the first time.
The Home of Bentley
The Home of Bentley in Monterey – just 200 metres from The Lodge at Pebble Beach – will again be the hub of Bentley’s activities on the peninsula. A display of the current model range will be refreshed every day, and sit alongside a stunning visual exhibition of Bentley’s sustainability strategy with the bio-fuelled Continental GT3 Pikes Peak race car at its centre.
The Unifying Spur – Bentley’s physical representation of its ground-breaking diversity and inclusion strategy as part of Beyond100 – will also be featured throughout the event. Wrapped in artwork by designer Rich Morris, the car is a celebration of diversity of all types, and a physical representation of Bentley’s target to have 30 per cent diversity in management roles by 2025.
New Bentley partner, The Macallan will also be present, serving tastings of exceptional whiskies for those guests not driving. Naim Focal, Luxury Living and a dedicated Bentley Boutique offering the finest gifts and accessories will also feature at the Home, along with a dedicated Commissioning Suite for customers to specify any car from the Bentley range. Customers and guests can also enjoy a test drive in a comprehensive selection of Bentleys, available from the Home.
by gaukcars.com | Oct 1, 2024 | Blog
- 2021 marks 70 years since the Festival of Britain and the foundation of the National Hot Rod Association
- To celebrate, the Goodwood Trophy has been renamed the Festival of Britain Trophy
- A miniature Festival of Britain will be recreated at Gate 2
- With over 60 Hot Rods due to attend, Revival will host the largest gathering of 1932 Fords in the UK
This year, Goodwood Revival (17 – 19 September) will mark 70 years since two momentous events which took place in 1951, one in the UK and the other across the Pond. Each was emblematic of the nation in which it took place; the Festival of Britain and the founding of the National Hot Rod Association.
The summer of 1951 saw millions of visitors flock to the Festival of Britain on London’s South Bank, a national showcase of British manufacturing and design, six years after the end of World War II and one hundred years since the Great Exhibition of 1851. Promoting British science, technology, industrial design, architecture and the arts, the Festival proved immensely popular as a “beacon for change” that helped reshape British arts, crafts, designs and sports for a generation.
To celebrate the occasion, Goodwood will be recreating a slice of that festival atmosphere at Gate 2 of the Motor Circuit. There will be nods to the vibrant colours of the Festival of Britain with colourful ‘lollipops’ throughout the trees and geometric patterns on the buildings, while the famous Hans Tisdall Cockerel mural will also be recreated. The area will be a hub of colour and entertainment and a helter skelter and Punch and Judy stage will provide entertainment throughout the day.
Goodwood will also be reviving the Festival of Britain Trophy which first made an appearance at the Whitsun meeting at the Goodwood Motor Circuit in 1951, inspired by the events taking place on London’s South Bank and across the UK. This year, the Goodwood Trophy has been renamed to celebrate 70 years since the Festival of Britain and will be contested by some of the finest Grand Prix and Voiturette cars of the 1930s and ‘40s, recapturing the derring-do atmosphere of inter-war racing as English Racing Automobiles take on the likes of Maseratis, Alfa Romeos and Talbots.
2021 also marks 70 years since Wally Parks founded the National Hot Rod Association in America and Goodwood is hoping to host one of the largest ever gatherings of the mean machines in Europe with the aim of there being one car for every year of the NHRA’s age. This iconic slice of Americana will be celebrated at a relocated Gasoline Alley which will feature bleachers, a mock drag strip, performance stage and dancing.
In addition, 16 of the infamous Rolling Bones cars are confirmed to attend. The Rolling Bones Hot Rod Shop in Greenfield Centre, New York is a renowned hub of automotive craftsmanship run by Ken Schmidt and Keith Cornell for over 20 years. The Rolling Bones will be joined at Revival’s colourful display by a number of their UK cousins, with representatives from key Hot Rod groups such as the Low Fliers, the Detonators (of which American F1 legend Dan Gurney was a member), the Originals and the Vultures.
There will also be the UK’s biggest gathering of 1932 Fords; the ‘Deuce Coupe’ of hot rod legend made famous by the Beach Boys.
Image credit: Jayson Fong
