SEAT has fully restored a classic 600 as part of the model’s 60th anniversary. Launched in 1957, SEAT’s version of the original FIAT 600 offered many Spaniards the chance to finally take to the road, and went on to sell nearly 800,000 examples. Over 1,000 original parts had to be sourced, along with 50 metres of exclusive fabric and 15 litres of new paint - before a team of 30 people could painstakingly rebuild the car in time for the 2017 Automobile Barcelona show.
More than 60 years after the original Lister Knobbly first raced, a dedicated road-going version has been unveiled. Just 10 of the special Knobblys will be made, with notable changes for the road including roll over protection, indicators, the addition of number plates and a sunken fuel filler cap. Beneath its hand-beaten aluminium body is a Jaguar 3.8-litre engine almost identical to that in the D-Type. Despite the ‘old school’ technology the engine is still capable of 330bhp – for a top speed of 181mph and a 0-60 time of 4.3 seconds. Prices start at £225,000 OTR.
Jaguar Classic has revealed the first ‘Reborn’ E-type to leave its new purpose-built facility in Coventry. Each restoration starts with a base vehicle sourced by Jaguar before being completely stripped and rebuilt, with unique access to original build records and drawings. The donor vehicle here was originally exported to California in1965, where it amassed 78,000 miles before going into storage in 1983. As much of the original vehicle is retained or refurbished using authentic parts where needed. Prices for a Jaguar E-type Reborn start at £285k.
A special exhibition was held at the Paris Motor Show, celebrating the role of the car on the silver screen. ‘Engine! The Car at the Movies’ displayed historic film cars ranging from a 1977 ‘Transformers’ Chevrolet Camaro - albeit a replica - to the actual Porsche 908 driven by Steve McQueen in the 1971 ‘Le Mans’ film. A replica of the Ford Mustang from the 1968 film Bullitt - also starring McQueen - was on show alongside a Dukes of Hazard 1969 Dodge Charger, aka The General Lee.
Modern day film cars included James Bond’s new Aston Martin DB10 from the film ‘Spectre’ as well as the DBS which was heavily crashed in ‘Quantum of Solace’. No movie car collection would be complete without a ‘Back To The Future’ De Lorean - flux capacitor and all - which was joined by a fellow 80s icon - a recreation of the Ghostbusters converted Cadillac ambulance, also known of course as the Ectomobile.
American car giants Dodge has organised the first-ever legal street racing, in Michigan. The 1/8th-mile drag strip ran on Woodward Avenue, a listed highway on the Automotive Heritage Trail, and saw more than 350 street-legal cars compete in high-powered drag racing for a total cash prize of $19,000. Fans also had the chance to be thrown around a drift course with professional drivers in modern Dodge Challengers and Vipers at an event which saw many a tyre ruined.
BMW Classic has fully restored a 1957, 507 roadster that once belonged to Elvis Presley. Driven by King of Rock n Roll in the late 50s while he was carrying out military service in Germany, its was once thought that chassis number 70079 was lost for good.. until it turned up, in an old pumpkin warehouse in 2009 in California. The 507 was sprayed red at Elvis’s request to stop girls writing notes on the car in lipstick and was found minus its engine and gearbox. After a two year, true-to-original restoration no salvageable part was replaced - with the car now purring again to the sound of a 3.2 litre V8 rebuilt from spares.
Bristol has revealed an all-new sports car called the Bullet. The first new car from Bristol in over a decade comes five years after the brand was rescued from insolvency and will be powered by a 4.8-litre BMW V8. The roadster’s styling draws on the company’s historical roots as an aeroplane manufacturer and was inspired by a neglected speedster prototype found hidden under a dusty tarpaulin at the old factory. Only 70 examples of the Bullet will be made, with prices expected to be around the £250k mark.
Jaguar Land Rover’s ‘Classic’ division is moving its headquarters to a new £75m facility in Coventry, due to open early next year. JLR’s engineers have been demonstrating their skills with the restoration of a Series 1 Land Rover that returned home from Queensland, Australia after a hard life of farming. Retaining all original parts where possible, the show car was dismantled with all panels restored, the engine was stripped and rebuilt, before being finished in its original Bronze Green colour.
Fiat has confirmed its new 124 Spider will cost from £19,545. Reviving the historic nameplate, Fiat’s new roadster is powered by a 1.4-litre Turbo Petrol engine sending 140bhp to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox, for a 0-62mph time of 7.5 seconds. Available in three trim levels, the Lusso starts at £22,295 and adds 17-inch alloy wheels among other details while an extra £1000 will get you into the flagship Lusso Plus which adds LED headlights as well as a nine-speaker BOSE sound system.
Falken Tyres enlisted the help of a drift school to put its products through an extreme test. Among the souped-up Japanese imports, one 18-year-old car enthusiast brought along his heavily modified Morris Marina shod with Falken Sincera tyres. Underneath the fading Green paint of the 900kg car lies a Ford Mondeo Zetec engine, Sierra gearbox and uprated suspension. Drift champion and Falken team driver James Deane enjoyed a slide in the old Marina but may just stick with his 750 horsepower Nissan.
BMW has revealed a beefy ‘2002 Hommage' concept car - paying tribute to the classic 2002 model first seen 50 years ago. The one-off was conceived for this years concours event at Villa d’Este and features a low slung sporting silhouette and, like the original model, is distinguished by just two single headlight units. Aerodynamic details include large spoilers front and rear, while huge moulded wheel arches house 20-inch light-alloy wheels, as well as recalling the Trans Am race variants of the classic 2002 turbo.
Jaguar returned once more for the 2015 Mille Miglia four-day event in Italy. The official Heritage team, piloted by famous faces from the world of motorsport, TV and music, headed to the start in Brescia with 9 classic Jags - ranging from C-type and D-types to an XK140 driven by musician Example and an XK120 Roadster driven by model Jodie Kidd and male model David Gandy. All nine cars ran smoothly throughout the gruelling four-day event with the Jaguar Heritage team finishing strongly in the Mille Miglia’s regularity trial rankings.
Suzuki unveiled its iM-4 concept at the Geneva Motor Show. The new car is designed to be simple and clean 'with a hint of retro', and presents the company's vision for a new compact 4x4. With a high ground clearance and running on large-diameter tyres, the concept is powered by Suzuki's smart hybrid system with integrated starter generator said to deliver excellent fuel consumption with low CO2 emissions.
With a 1969 Ford GT40 Mk III on display in Geneva, we thought we'd take a comparative look between this classic, one of only seven built, and all-new 2015 Ford GT. Despite being 46 years apart there are some striking similarities.
BMW has opened a new Mini-themed exhibition at its museum in Munich. ‘The Mini Story’ spans the history of the much-loved little car, including some rather wacky variations along the way. The exhibition - which runs until January 2016 – covers everything from the 1959 Issigonis-designed original through to the 2001 reincarnation and finishes up with the modern day MINI and a few recent concepts, including a stretched limo and 2010's MINI Beachcomber.
