The Motoring World Blog thanks you all ONE MILLION TIMES as we hit the milestone of page views.

Well we have done it, between us all The Motoring World Blog has hit the 1,000,000 page views yesterday, I never in my wildest dreams thought that this figure would be achieved, let alone in only Thirty nine months since I started the blog properly.

In that time I have gone from just posting a post here and there to going international, with reports from all over the world, Social Media has been a big part of this, with a Facebook account and a Twitter one too, and with Twitter, we have achieved some really big names that have followed the account.

Tom Coronel, WTCC driver, loads of car brands, and not just dealerships, but head office ones too, we have been invited to take part in numerous events, some of which include :

• A full private tour of Jaguar at Castle Bromwich where we were allowed to take pictures, unheard of these days.
• Ssangyong has invited us to a number of events, including an upcoming one (more of that later next month).
• We have been given cars to road test, from the MG6 and MG3, to Audi's, Citroen's, Vauxhall's, MINI, Range Rover, Mercedes, and more.
• An invite from SMMT to an event happening soon (again more on that shortly).
• Various other factory and insider visits.
• And so much more.

And at the heart of all this has been you guys, the best month had a figure of 54,000 hits, this month has hit a year low, mainly in part to being unwell, and not being around to do as much as I would have liked to do, all of this, is a one man band, just me.

We have had people from all over the globe read the blog, the USA and UK are the top two, followed by (and in no particular order)

• Germany
• France
• Russia
• Ukraine
• India
• Japan
• Canada
• Turkey
• Poland
• Ireland
• Spain
• Italy
• Portugal
• Saudi Arabia
• Thailand
• United Arab Emirates
• Belgium
• Bahrain

So, you can see we are international, and who knows, maybe even inter galactic, Tim Peake are you reading ? LOL.

As with most people we all have our favourite brands, cars from the British marques, Rover, MG, Austin etc, that made up BLMC through to MG-Rover before it went into receivership 11 years ago, and now Jaguar Land Rover, these are my brands of choice, and I dont apologise for that at all.

The post that has gained the biggest amount of interest ? well, thats the Jaguar XE you can read it here>>JAG<<, at the time of writing this the post has had a hit rate of 8169 views, which is way way ahead of second place.

So, I would just like to say thank you, no, a BIG THANK YOU, to each and everyone of you that has taken time out from your lives to spend a little piece if it with me and my little blog, I hope you have enjoyed it, I hope you continue to enjoy it, and if you have any questions, tips or, even if you feel like you would love to do a road test report on your car, let me know.

And lastly, Thank you to the brands, that have allowed me access to the cars, the events, the people, without which the site would not be as good as it is, modesty is not my strong point.. LOL..

THANK YOU ONE MILLION TIMES

Specially themed hall harks back to London Motor Shows of the past at the ExCeL

Specially themed hall harks back to London Motor Shows of the past

Whether it’s Berkeley, Leicester, Sloane or, indeed, good old Albert from the EastEnders soap opera, London is famous for its Squares. Now the capital’s premier classic car celebration – the eagerly anticipated 2016 London Classic Car Show – will, too, boast its very own special Square.

As a central part of a massive expansion following a hugely successful first show at ExCeL in Docklands 12 months ago, the second London Classic Car Show (18-21 February) is incorporating ‘Car Club Square’.

Located in a dedicated hall adjoining the main exhibition area, the new Car Club Square will be filled with the country’s best single-marque classic car clubs. Clubs already confirmed include Aston Martin Owners Club, BMW Car Club, Jensen Owners’ Club and Mercedes-Benz Owners Club with many more to be confirmed shortly. Porsche Club Great Britain is another to be out in force at the Show.

Harking back to evocative London Motor Shows from the past, Car Club Square will also feature stands from relevant classic car dealers. Adding further to the Square’s retro vibe, visitors will be treated to period entertainment in the retro bar and café.

“Everybody loved the first London Classic Car Show and wanted even more,” enthused Event Director, Bas Bungish. “Car Club Square is very much part of that expansion. What’s more, it not only will add yet another must-see dimension to a show that’s going to be nearly twice as big as the original but it will also provide visitors with a fabulous opportunity to buy affordable classics as well as the rare and valuable premium cars that proved so popular at the first show.”   

Bringing another popular London landmark to ExCeL, Car Club Square will also be home to one more of the Show’s new innovations. Speakers’ Corner will provide show-goers with an open forum where guest speakers and VIPs will talk about classic cars as investments, about the pleasure derived from classic car ownership and offer advice about buying and selling at auction.

One familiar face holding talks and discussions will be Chris Routledge of Coys Auctions. He was one of the presenters on the recent The Classic Car Show programme on Channel 5. Experts from insurance specialist Hagerty International will also be on the soap box forecasting the key cars to watch in 2016 and the next best buy.

Car Club Corner and Speakers’ Corner are just two of the major additions to a thriving show that’s nearly doubled in size since its introduction to rave reviews at the start of 2015.

Among the other key elements that are being enlarged in 2016 is the event’s centrepiece, ‘The Grand Avenue’, a highway running through the middle of the show and along which many iconic classics are driven.

No fewer than 60 legendary machines representing England, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States have been selected under the ‘Six Nations’ theme. They will all be paraded up and down The Grand Avenue, not only bringing the show to life but also allowing visitors to decide which of the six nations is the world’s greatest car building country.

Although the 2016 show is almost twice as big as before, ticket prices remain very affordable and give access to all areas, including Car Club Square. The standard adult entry ticket costs £23 (children £17) with family tickets available at £65. Premium access to the glittering premiere evening costs £65 each, for which tickets will be strictly limited.

BMIHT Re-Brands to become the British Motor Museum it opens in February with a new building, and 100's of new cars.

The Heritage Motor Centre, home to the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust, announced a number of exciting new changes on Friday 13th November. The world’s largest collection of historic British cars is re-branding the name of its venue at Gaydon to the British Motor Museum,and undertaking a major refurbishment of its Museum this winter as well as unveiling a new £4m Collections Centre.

The change of name to the British Motor Museum will more accurately reflect this Accredited Museum’s recently achieved Arts Council England ‘Designated’ status which confirms the national and international significance of its collections.

An investment of £1.1m by the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust will transform the Museum at Gaydon, which will close to the public from 30 November to allow the refurbishment to take place.  

The changes will result in a much more visually exciting and immersive display, designed to appeal to both current fans as well as new audiences yet to experience all that it has to offer.

An introductory gallery within the new visitor entrance will set the scene and flow into distinctive new themed zones, including ones for movie cars, prototypes and sports cars. 

The popular ethos of allowing visitors to get up close to the exhibits will not change, but there will be different ways to view the cars, with many on raised plinths and some at eye level.  

Families and enthusiasts alike will be able to stroll along the Time Road, look under more open bonnets, and enjoy new interactive content including sound, film and touch screens. Whether the visitor is 3 or 103 years of age, there will be something about each car and its history to fascinate.

The final element of the multi-million revamp is the new Collections Centre. Supported by Heritage Lottery Fund, Jaguar Land Rover and the Garfield Weston Foundation, as well as the two charitable Trusts involved, the £4m project will store around 250 vehicles from the reserve collections of the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust and the Jaguar Heritage Trust. 

Many of these vehicles are one of a kind and most have never been seen by the public. A new team of volunteers will take visitors on a ‘behind-the-scenes’ tour to view both the cars and the conservation work in progress in the historic vehicle workshops. Entry to the Collections Centre will be included within the Museum ticket price and tours can be booked on arrival. 

Julie Tew, Managing Director at the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust said: "We are delighted to announce these exciting new changes which will significantly enhance our status and appeal.  

The Museum refurbishment and the new Collections Centre will enrich our visitors’ experience and showcase our collections to their full potential.  Not only will our prized collection of 300 historic British cars be far more accessible, but our Museum will give people the chance to learn more about the past, present and future of the British motor industry, its technology and its people.” 

The transition to the new name begins once the Museum closes for its redevelopment from the 30 November and the venue will be officially known as the British Motor Museum when the Museum and Collections Centre re-open to the public on Saturday 13 February 2016.  

Barons Auction House, achieves new record for the uber rare 1954 Bentley Continental R-Type Fastback.

Bids were flying around Barons’ Sandown Park saleroom on April 21^st, when an extremely rare 1954 Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback ‘barn find’ restoration project went under the hammer. With an estimate of £200,000-£400,000, the car attracted frenzied bidding before it was finally secured by its new owner for £739,212*. 

This was the highest price Barons has ever achieved for a car – and other strong sales on the day brought the auction total to over £1 million, another company record for Barons.

It was not an easy bidding battle to win, with bids coming in from around the world. Barons’ staff were taking bids from 10 potential buyers over the telephone, 20 on the internet and a further 15 in the saleroom itself, as the bids began climbing in increments of £50,000 then tapering to increments of £25,000 before reaching the final, remarkable figure.

In the end the car went to a British owner, who will be adding this magnificent machine to his private collection. When restored his new acquisition – which has not been driven in 15 years - could be worth over £1,000,000.

Chassis BC52C was commissioned in 1954 by the Welsh racing driver R D Weatherall and was originally painted in his racing colour, Royal Purple. It still bears the registration number RDW 536. A subsequent owner, a doctor from Yorkshire, had the car re-sprayed in white, the colour it retains to this day.

Barons’ director Tony Cavell said, “This was an absolutely fantastic result. A ‘lost’ car always attracts collectors’ attention, and when it’s such a rare, iconic and valuable machine, that interest can lead to a frenetic bidding battle such as we saw yesterday. It will be fascinating to see the ‘journey’ the Bentley now takes, as its restoration commences.”

“This was the first sale that my fellow director Peter Gascoigne and I have fully assembled and presided over since we took the reins at Barons earlier in the year. 

We couldn’t have been more delighted with how things turned out, from the atmosphere in the saleroom to the final result. To top £1 million for the first time for Barons is a tremendous achievement, and it has been a privilege to play a role in finding a new home for a truly remarkable car.”

Other strong results achieved included the very beautiful 1934 Rolls-Royce 20/25, which drove past top estimate to sell for just under £41,000*, and a stately Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III, which sold for £23,500*.

Year	Make	Model	Sold @ Inc
1953	Bentley	R-Type Continental Fastback	£739,212
1934	Rolls-Royce	20/25 Saloon	£40,892
2001	Aston Martin	DB7 GTS Coupe	£25,772
1965	Rolls-Royce	Silver Cloud III	£23,532
1951	Chevrolet	Styleline Custom	£19,052
1974	Triumph	Stag	£14,292
1987	Mercedes	300SL Convertible	£10,876
1935	Austin	7 APD/E Military Tourer	£10,042
1963	Mercedes	Evocation 500K	£10,000
1968	Ford	Escort 1100 De Luxe	£9,756
2000	Rover	Mini Cooper 500LE	£8,132
1991	Peugeot	205 Cti	£7,964
1996	Alfa Romeo	V6 Spider	£7,852
1989	Bentley	Eight	£7,852
1966	Wolseley	Hornet Heinz 57 Crayford	£7,852
1987	Mercedes	300SL	£7,068
1987	Harley Davidson	1200 Custom	£6,732
1989	Alfa Romeo	Spider	£6,620
1989	Land Rover	Range Rover Vogue SE	£6,452
1986	Bentley	Eight	£6,172
1989	Citroen	CX 2500 Gti	£5,612
1977	Mercedes	200	£4,716
1972	Fiat	500	£4,604
1961	Mercedes	180 Ponton	£4,268
1998	Mercedes	SL320	£4,212
1996	Daimler	Six (X300)	£3,988
1995	Daimler	Double Six LWB	£3,752
1985	Austin	Rover Mini Hot Rod	£3,652
2002	Land Rover	Range Rover	£3,596
1979	Daihatsu	F20 Taft	£3,484
1991	Mercedes	300CE	£3,204
2000	Mercedes	CLK 320	£3,036
1974	Reliant	Scimitar GTE SE5A	£2,924
1999	Jaguar	XJ8 4.0 V8	£2,364
1990	Mitsubishi	3000 GTO V6	£2,364
1978	Rolls-Royce	Silver Shadow I	£2,252
1990	Mercedes	300SE	£1,916
2002	Vauxhall	Vectra	£1,142
1950s		Child's pedal car	£531
		Bologna Chronograph	£142
		Rim Chronograph	£130
	SALE TOTAL		£1,038,010