Petrolicious have made this delicious video of a truly iconic car which Moss drove to victory in the Mille Miglia. We were there last year ans are so jealous not to be there again this year!
Author Archives: ibeastie
Pistonheads Sunday Service – Morgan Factory April 2015
Sunday the 19th April saw Pistonheads hold their Sunday Service at the Morgan factory here in Malvern. 2015 has been a slow year here for us at AuroBeast in terms of car events and one was long overdue so I gave my Son-in-Law Carl (Fandango) a shout and we took the Opel GT along to show his face.
This event really is a cracker, I went last year and loved it and was really keen to get Carl to take a look especially as a short factory tour is included in the event courtesy of Morgan. Again the event was a cracker. First there was a great turn out from Pistonheads which gave us a chance to look at the Auto porn that they had brought along. Secondly, Morgan bring in great caterers who charge very reasonable prices for their teas, coffees and food. Add to this a Morgan factory tour, a look round the Morgan Museum and the gift shop and for a tenner a chance to have a ride in a Morgan.
I took this opportunity myself and was duly whisked along the leafy lanes of Malvern by a very friendly Morgan employee in a super sexy Morgan 4/4 Sport. The bonnet seemed to stretch for about a mile in front of us and it truly is an awesome sight looking along that long bonnet as the car gets gunned along a long straight country road. I was smitten with Morgans before this but now…
In short then a brilliant event made perfect by the fine weather. The Pistonhead cars add something wonderful too and it gave us a chance to look at some rare and beautiful cars and secretly I was pleased to see that the Opel GT attracted his fair share of admirers too. Anyway here are a few cars that caught my eye.
I have always liked Muscle cars, American Mustangs, Chargers, Camaros or Japanese muscle cars for that matter. This Camaro in black then just jumped out and socked me in the mouth as I walked past. Loved it!
Next up was this beautiful Triumph GT6. I love classic cars – much of why we loved our weekend at the Mille Miglia. I am totally sucked into the whole nostalgia thing and grab my fix of the Classic Car Show every Thursday night without fail. This example epitomised all I love in them and to my eyes it is as cool a car to be seen stepping into as you could ever hope to find. Ok I know it is not a Bond car but I just know I’d start calling my wife Moneypenny as we drove along in this beauty!
Back to muscle cars and let’s give the Japanese a nod with this stunning Nissan GTR.. If I was 22 and female I’d say “OMG, OMG it’s Oh My God! ” but I’m not I’m 55 and sensible so I’d say, “OMG, OMG it’s Oh My God! “
And back to the Classics. Debadged but methinks a Porsche 911 Turbo whale tail. This is Mrs P’s dream car (well maybe in Guard’s Red) and yes firing one of these up in the morning I would be living the dream. So let’s be frank there were lots of gorgeous cars, gorgeous Morgans and I spent the morning in dreamland. To be honest I do all the time because it ain’t such a bad place to be and at the end of the morning when I cranked the Opel GT I didn’t feel hard done to at all! Thanks Pistonheads and Morgan for a smashing morning.
Car Of The Week – MINI Paceman JCW For Sale
This car was bought new by some friends of ours and when I first saw it, which you can read about here, it inspired us to buy our Paceman – a red SD with a white roof – which we have loved from day one. Now this car has come up for sale and I have to say what a cracker it is – a low mileage JCW with one extremely careful owner for new. This Paceman needs a good, loving home!
Here are the specs:-
Key facts
- 2013
- Petrol
- Hatchback
- Manual
- 6500 miles
Media pack, Chili Pack, absolute black exterior, leather lounge championship black/red interior, anthracite roof lining, rain sensor with auto headlight, sport decal stripe, sun protect glass, heated seats, Xenon headlights, full bluetooth, DAB digital radio, sat nav with voice control, sport suspension, 18″ burnished black alloys, heated mirrors & washer jets, thatcham 1 alarm, sport button, seal & protect, parking sensors, 2 remote keys, full history with manual, 1 lady owner from new, immaculate condition throughout, must be seen, very low miles, in daily use will go up slightly but not being used much, viewings welcome. Priced to sell., BLACK, 4 seats, £19,800
Running costs
| Urban mpg | 30.1 mpg | CO2 emissions | 172 g/km |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extra Urban mpg | 45.6 mpg | Annual Tax | £205 |
| Average mpg | 38.2 mpg |
Performance
| Engine power | 211 bhp | Engine size | 1598 cc |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceleration (0-60mph) | 6.9 seconds | Top speed | 140 mph |
| Wheel drive | Four Wheel Drive |
The car is currently for sale on AutoTrader I just wish I had the money!
And Sold in 1 day!
Car Of The Week – Porsche 911 Targa 4 GTS
Car Of the Week – New Peugeot GTI 30
Memory Lane – Opel GT Does The Dolomites
The Fiat 500X – A Few Thoughts
When I saw the Fiat 500X Crossover at the paris Motorshow last weekend I was a little underwhelmed and at the time I wrote the following on my Review of the Motorshow.
The Fiat 500X Crossover is here. Pretty and cute like it’s more petite Mum and with good reviews from the press. But for me the pretty and cute is great on a size 10 but harder to do on a size 16 so to be honest this missed the mark for me really. It is perfectly fine but it didn’t give me that must have feel that the MINI Paceman we now have in our stable did when that was launched.
However, I have been thinking about this all week and on consideration, I think Fiat have done a brilliant job of upsizing the Fiat 500 to this model. MINI upsized to create aCountryman and a Paceman and while they are unmistakeably MINIs, they have captured the MINI look in essence only and the actual cars are a million miles from the normal MINI. Here though the new Crossover really does look like a pill has been put in the tank to make it bigger. The official Fiat video below explains this perfectly. As such, on consideration I am now a much bigger fan of this model than I was on first sight and I am convinced it will be a huge seller. This works in a way that the Fiat 500L never did for me. Good luck with the sales you deserve them if only for the video below.
Car Events 2014 – The Paris Motorshow
This is our third time at the Paris Motorshow for us. We did it back in 2006 where we first saw our Opel GT and in 2012 just before we took delivery of our MINI Coupé JCW. This time we were there purely for fun with no new car purchase in mind. We concentrated on cars that we could afford or aspire to in the main and yes we checked out the Ferraris and so on but did not linger on those. What follows then is a few cars that caught our eyes in various car sectors and for different reasons. It is not a comprehensive review of the show but the cars we liked that we would probably add to the virtual want list.
Car Events 2014 – Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb 20th September
Shelsley Walsh – Autumn Speed Finale
Even though the season is drawing to a close, there has been a capacity entry received for the final two meetings of the year at Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb this weekend. (20/21st SEPT)
Entitled ‘Autumn Speed Finale’ the two separate one-day events saw the usual mix of sports, classic, saloons and racing cars taking part, as well as nearly 30 motorcycles, with several championships reaching their final crucial stages.
Saturday hosted the BARC SBD Speed Championship, The HSA Speed Championship, the SSCC Championship, the Revington TVR Championship, the Service Hydraulics Speed Championship and the Classic Marques Handicap Challenge, while Sunday saw extra classes for an entry of 11 Morgans, 13 Austin Healeys and a dozen Ferraris.
We had the opportunity to go as press photographers courtesy of our local camera club Beacon Camera Club in Great Malvern. This gave us free entry to the event and access to the areas the press can use to photograph the event, so it really was an opportunity not to be missed.
Goodwood Revival 2014
Goodwood Revival
This day out at Goodwood revival was another event we had promised ourselves we would do, so today was the day. We set off early as it is quite a long drive, but Peanut had planned an alternative route as we anticipated heavy traffic and queues as we approached Chichester. It turned out that we only queued on the approach road to the racetrack but we will never know what we missed.
It wasn’t a very long walk from the car park to the show and by then it was already a lovely day, a great improvement on the fog we had driven down in. We walked into a variety of stalls selling all manner of things, vintage being the overall theme rather than cars, so lots of retro style clothing which appealed to Peanut enormously. Shortly after we arrived we were treated to a fly by of Classic World War Two fighters – Spitfire, Hurricane, ME 109 and Mustang. In truth this was a very stirring sight and probably the stand out highlight of the day for us.
I was hungry almost as soon as we arrived, so we stopped for a burger and a drink. The burger was delicious which indeed it should have been for £7. Shortly after we bumped into Beggsie and Jayne which was a nice surprise and the second time we have run into them at a show, the other being at Santa Pod, which was a very different day, pouring with rain until we left.
They told us that the main show was over the bridge and we duly set off to explore.
To anyone who is thinking of going I must stress that it is definitely a dressing up affair and you will not be overdressed. In fact you would feel very odd there dressed in the normal scruffs that people wear on days out. It was quite a pastime in itself just looking at how people were turned out, some even with vintage prams for their children. We meandered around until we found ourselves near the paddock area where all the preparation was going on for the racing and grabbed a few photographs here. We soon stopped for a sandwich and a drink then walked some more right around the track and back to the main entrance. By this time we were both getting footsore and weary so we decided to head back to the car park taking in some of the things we had not already seen, and having an ice cream as well.
It was a lovely day, both weather-wise and enjoyment-wise and we were very glad we went, but it is a very expensive day out with high entrance fees, burgers at over £7 each, sandwiches at almost £6, and a lot of memorabilia stalls that were also a million miles away from resembling a pound shop! But it was a very nice treat for us and if classic cars are your thing then you have to go. Inevitably, we made comparisons with the Le Mans Classic which is every two years and which we went to in 2012 and 2014. The Revival is as much about the dressing up as it is about the cars and it really is a spectacle to see but Le Mans is more of a pilgrimage for people to take their classics to. The dressing up hasn’t caught on yet at Le Mans and it has a feel of a breakfast club meet with knobs on and it is all about the cars. My revival highlight was a Spitfire, my Le Mans highlight was the plethora of car clubs to see, I’m not sure if that says anything or not. Put simply then – you have to do both!
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