Tag: britain

Ford Model T convoy to revisit Britain’s highest mountain

Filed under: Classics, Ford, UK

Ford Model T convoy

Having a Ford Model T ascend a mountain might sound like a crazy idea, but in 1911 it was a marketing coup. Ford had just arrived in Britain and to prove its worth, a corporate sales agent named Henry Alexander drove a Model T to the top of Ben Nevis in Scotland – Britain’s highest mountain. The 4,406-foot ascent took five days, and he Alexander was greeted at the peak by the motor press pool of the day. Then he drove back down in just three hours.

A hundred years later, Ford of Britain is celebrating its centenary and will commemorate the Ben Nevis ascent with a convoy of over 60 Model Ts driving back to the mountain. Among them the very last unit to roll off the revolutionary assembly line. Unfortunately, environmental conservation prohibits driving up the mountain these days, but a group of volunteers will disassemble a replica Model T, carry it up the mountain and put it back together at its peak in celebration of the original feat. Now that’s dedication. Follow the jump for the full press release.

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Ford Model T convoy to revisit Britain’s highest mountain originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 14 May 2011 14:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gooding brings the Best of Britain to Amelia Island

Filed under: Classics, Auctions, Jaguar, Lotus, Rolls-Royce

1949 Jaguar XK120 Alloy – Click above for high-res image gallery

Amelia Island is the place to be this coming March for collectors and lovers of classic British sportscars. Last year Gooding & Company auctioned off over $16 million in classic automobiles at the annual event, including a $2.75 million 1931 Voisin and a $1.7 million ’61 Porsche RS61 Spyder formerly owned by Sir Stirling Moss.

This year’s consignments have already begun coming in, starting off with a rare 1949 Jaguar XK120. The alloy-bodied roadster – the only one made in Blue Sheen paint – was the first XK120 to come to the United States, and is expected to fetch as much as half a million at auction. Next up is one of only four ’33 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental Sedanca Drop Head Coupes (got all that?) with Gurney Nutting coachwork, likewise estimated around the half-million mark. Finally Gooding has a ’62 Lotus 23B on the docket with considerable racing pedigree projected at around $200k.

The auction will take place on Friday, March 11, 2011 at the Omni Amelia Island Plantation. Details in the press release after the jump, with high-res images in the gallery below.

Gallery: Gooding & Co.’s Best of Britain – Amelia Island 2011

[Source: Gooding & Company | Image: Scott Nidermaier/Gooding]

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Gooding brings the Best of Britain to Amelia Island originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 16 Dec 2010 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New study suggests that women drive dirtier than men – at least in Britain [w/poll]

Filed under: Etc., UK

We’ll be the first to admit that we’re not the most fastidious folks when it comes to a clean vehicle. It’s not that we don’t pride ourselves in having a clean-as-can-be car, it’s just that there are more pressing things on our schedule most days. The good news is, we’re not alone. According to research worked up by Autoquake – an online vehicle retailer in the UK – nearly half of drivers surveyed clean their vehicle in intervals of six months or more. Hey, even we aren’t that bad. Even more interestingly, the poll found that women are more likely to leave their ride dirty than men.

Around 56 percent of the women in the study said that they leave their vehicle unwashed for six months or more while 44 percent of men said the same. Granted, leaving half a year’s worth of grime to eat away at your vehicle’s bodywork is bad, but it gets worse: Four percent of those surveyed said that they never clean their vehicle.

This lead us to wonder – how often do give your vehicle the once-over? Come clean in our poll below, and don’t forget to check out the full press release from Autoquake after the jump.

View Poll

[Source: Autoquake]

Continue reading New study suggests that women drive dirtier than men – at least in Britain [w/poll]

New study suggests that women drive dirtier than men – at least in Britain [w/poll] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 Jul 2010 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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