CLASSIC MGB JOINS SUPERCAR ELITE
ONE of Britain’s best loved sportscars, the MGB tourer, has claimed supercar status after being sold at auction for £141,922.
The 1964 model is one of 387,000 MGB tourers produced in the 18 years from 1962, its sale price a staggering 167 times greater than its cost at the time of manufacture, and well above its auction estimate.
The secret of its astounding value – which was sealed at the auction by classic car specialist, Historics at Brooklands – lies in its unique history.
Confirmed as the last-known genuine works MGB rally car, it competed in major international competition until being consigned to a garage in 1975.
Plucked from obscurity, the car was restored with no expense spared, before returning to the public gaze in 2008. Bought at the Historics’ auction by an enthusiast, it will continue to be seen at major motoring events.
SALON PRIVE RACES TOWARDS SELL-OUT
LUXURY car show Salon Privé is enjoying its most successful year ever for advance tickets sales, exhibitor and hospitality bookings, with two of the three days close to sell-out.
Said co-founder, David Bagley: “We’ve been determined to grown Salon Privé every year, but without losing the fundamental exclusivity and sense of occasion that makes it so popular. It is now firmly an event in both the motoring and London summer society calendars.”
Tickets sales have been encouraged by Europe’s largest collection of classic and modern super and luxury cars, which will grace the lawns of London’s Hurlingham Club from July 21-23.
Major brands, such as Audi and Lexus, are displaying cars at Salon Privé for the first time, joining long-standing event supporters like Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Maserati and Aston Martin.
GERRARD’S ALREADY A WORLD CUP WINNER
ENGLAND captain Steven Gerrard has topped a poll of players in the 2010 FIFA World Cup squad who motorists would most like to have to change a tyre on their car.
The Liverpool midfielder beat team mates Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard, Peter Crouch and John Terry in the survey carried out for independent tyre distribution network Protyre.
Goalkeeper David James was sixth in the poll with eight per cent of the vote – but the hapless Robert Green only got one per cent.
Whilst more than a quarter of respondents cited the reason that they thought the player would be the one most able to do it, 10 per cent said that they were not a fan of the squad member’s club, so they would enjoy making them work.
HONDA DEALERS TO SELL MUGEN PARTS
EIGHT Honda dealers across the UK have launched the MUGEN Original Parts Programme, to supply Honda owners with a range of tuning parts, accessories and merchandise from the company’s long-standing engine tuning partner.
The programme launches with special authorised MUGEN parts for the current Civic Type R, including forged aluminium wheels, performance brake pads, quick shift kits and sports suspension. The range also includes body styling kits for the Civic.
The dealers involved in the programme are Avonvale Honda in the Midlands, Two Mills near Chester, Bristol Honda (South West), Inchcape Honda (South East), Brayley (Home Counties), Phoenix (Scotland & Borders), Ewens of Cornhill (Highlands) and Donnelly & Taggart (Northern Ireland).
NEW TRIBUTE TO SCRAPPAGE SCHEME
THE scrappage scheme should be viewed as one of the most successful ever collaborations between car manufacturers and government, according to industry analyst Glass’s.
In a major new study of the UK car market, Glass’s states that the scheme not only stimulated new car sales at the lowest point in the recession, but is likely to have done so without any significant ‘pull-forward’ of future new-car sales – unlike certain other European schemes.
The findings, which draw on information gathered from car manufacturers after the scrappage scheme closed, reveal that fewer than 10 per cent of customers who bought under the scheme planned to buy a new car in future years.
Without the £2,000 incentive, the vast majority of buyers would instead have chosen to purchase used cars when the time came to change their vehicles.