The next model in the JLR Reborn series has been released, the first generation Range Rover - STUNNING !!!!!

• Paris presentation of factory-restored 1978 three-door Range Rover Classic marks evolution of the successful Reborn programme by Land Rover Classic
• Land Rover Classic will comprehensively restore an initial ten examples of the luxury SUV at launch
• Jaguar Classic will also give a European debut to the ‘New Original’ XKSS at Salon Rétro-mobile
• First Series I Jaguar E-type Fixed Head Coupe restoration – a privately-owned ‘barn find’ completely reconditioned to original specification – will be available to view on the Jaguar Land Rover Classic stand

Salon Rétromobile 2017 will see the world debut presentation of the next in the ‘Reborn’ series of expertly sourced and comprehensively restored Classic Land Rovers. 

Range Rover Reborn is a new programme offering prospective customers the unique opportunity to purchase an original and highly collectible vintage Range Rover, direct from Land Rover Classic in the UK.  The launch of Range Rover Reborn builds on the successful introduction of Land Rover Series I Reborn last year.*

Another highlight for show visitors will be the European debut presentation of the ‘New Original’ Jaguar XKSS. Following its successful introduction to media at the Petersen Museum in Los Angeles in November 2016, this stunning XKSS finished in Sherwood Green is the engineering blueprint for nine cars destined for delivery to customers worldwide in 2017.**

Also showcased by Jaguar Land Rover Classic at Salon Rétromobile – held in Paris, France from 08-12 February 2017 – will be the first fully factory-restored original E-type Fixed Head Coupe.  This privately-owned, French-registered 1962 E-type, presented in Opalescent Gunmetal Grey, is presented complete with reverse-engineered body panels, manufactured in-house to ensure best fit and finish, and with its original 3.8-litre engine and transmission – also completely reconditioned.

Land Rover Classic’s expert team has drawn on decades of engineering and design expertise to complete the first Range Rover Reborn – a carefully selected 1978 Classic Range Rover. 

Specification overview

• Colour: Bahama Gold
• Engine: 3528cc V8 Petrol Carburettor Zenith-Stromberg 175CD type

- max. power 132bhp at 5000rpm

​- max torque: 186 lb ft (251 Nm) at 2500 rpm

• 4-speed manual transmission, lockable central differential

Every Range Rover Reborn will undergo a complete restoration according to the company’s original 1970s factory specification and using Land Rover Classic Parts to preserve and protect the vehicle’s authenticity.  

Land Rover’s experienced restoration team will advise customers of the best options for base vehicles – in terms of collectability, preferred chassis numbers and unique characteristics.  Prices for completed Range Rover Reborn restorations from Land Rover Classic will start from £135,000 GBP.

"Range Rover Reborn is another showcase of our dedicated in-house engineering expertise. It underscores our commitment to nurturing the rich heritage of Land Rover, and is a rare opportunity for customers to own a valuable and genuinely collectible automotive icon.

It is a wonderful way to preserve the much sought after three-door original Range Rover from the 1970s, from period-correct colour ways to interior trim and accessories."

Tim Hannig

Director, Jaguar Land Rover Classic

The Range Rover was launched in 1970, originally in two-door configuration only, up to 1981, when the first factory four-door was introduced, and remained popular right up to the end of the first generation’s production in 1996.  

So popular, in fact, that production of the first generation continued alongside the second generation for almost two years, and the name Classic Range Rover was introduced to distinguish this model from its more modern sibling.

Believed by many to have launched the SUV sector, the Range Rover certainly defined the genre of the luxury 4x4 vehicle, and has been the vehicle of choice for members of the Royal household, politicians and superstars across the world.  

It has maintained its most credible position as the ‘ultimate SUV’ to this day, with a number of world firsts and records in its long and distinguished heritage.  

During the 1970s, the Range Rover also became the first vehicle to be exhibited at the Louvre in Paris as an ‘exemplary work of industrial design’.

The once great marque of Alvis is back, and ready to build cars from a bygone era.

• 50 years after its demise, the ‘Red Triangle’ re-emerges
• Glorious Graber-bodied TF21 from 1966 reborn
• Pre-war Coachbuilt supercars take to The Grand Avenue
• Alvis Brooklands Special also stars on the indoor runway
• Date confirmed for The London Classic Car Show in 2018

Fifty years after Alvis stopped making cars, the company is back and its order book is open. And the company will have a significant presence at the London Classic Car Show (23-26 February, London ExCeL) to mark the occasion.

Unlike some marque revivals, The Alvis Car Company isn’t simply attaching the famous ‘Red Triangle’ badge to the front of a modern supercar but instead is recreating genuine supercars from an earlier age.

Among the Alvis cars at the capital’s premier classic car show will be a stunning 1966 Graber-bodied TF21, made in the company’s penultimate year, and a wonderful 4.3 drophead coupé with Lancefield coachwork from 1937. The cars are originals but Alvis is offering hand-built facsimiles of both as part of a limited run of Continuation Models.

The Graber and Lancefield cars can be seen and heard in action as they will be taking part in one of the show’s major displays, The Perfect Ten. Sixty of the world’s greatest classic cars in ten categories – saloon, coupé, convertible, sports car, supercar, hatchback, shooting break, sports racer, streamliner and single-seater – will be paraded along The Grand Avenue, an automotive catwalk that runs through the centre of the show.

Another original that’s also now available as an Alvis Continuation Model, the head-turning Bertelli-bodied 4.3-litre Sports Coupé from 1935, will be shown on the company’s display stand.

A fourth Alvis, a unique Brooklands racer known as the Powys-Lybbe Special after its original creator, amateur racer Antony Powys-Lybbe, will be a further of The Perfect Ten entrants. Based on a 1931 Alvis 12/60 ‘Beetleback’, it had been given a lighter and narrower body and ran at over 90mph on the outer Brooklands circuit.

Richard Joyce, managing director of The Alvis Car Company, said: “Our Continuation Cars are as close to the originals as we can get. We have had to make some modifications to ensure they comply with current Individual Vehicle Approval regulations but essentially the idea is to give owners the same supercar driving experience that owners had when the cars were new. And when you bear in mind that the 4.3 Tourer had a 0-60mph time of 11.3 seconds back in 1938, there’s no denying these were the supercars of their day.”

Alvis is just one of the many grand marques that will be featured at the show. Another major display brings together twenty of the greatest Ferrari road cars, worth an estimated £120 million. This special showcase is being curated with the help of renowned London-based performance car expert Joe Macari.

New for this year is The Grand Avenue’s Open Paddock, allowing visitors to get even closer to the star cars while another innovation is the Beaulieu Pop-up Autojumble. Some top-class stalls will bring a flavour of the world-famous autojumble to London by selling classic car parts, books and magazines and motoring ephemera.

The Pop-up Autojumble will form part of Car Club Square where some of the country’s leading one-make clubs will be staging displays of their favourite machines and will have club members on hand to discuss the merits of their chosen marque or model.

Now in its third year, the London Classic Car Show is bigger than ever and will have more than 700 stunning classic cars on display, some for sale from leading dealers in the classic world. The show has always attracted star names and this year’s visitors will include Le Mans Legends Jacky Ickx and Derek Bell as guests of honour.

This year, the London Classic Car Show even incorporates a second show, Historic Motorsport International (HMI), which is devoted to historic racing and rallying.

As well as countless motor sport specialists, championship organisers, competition car dealers and race teams, special displays will celebrate 50 years of both Formula Ford and the all-conquering Ford DFV F1 engine. Also planned is a thrilling presentation underlining the breadth of historic machinery that will be taking part in the Silverstone Classic festival in July.

An open forum on Thursday and Friday, the Historic Motorsport Conference Programme – hosted in the show’s Supagard Theatre by motorsport broadcaster Henry Hope-Frost and with expert opinions from leading names in the historic motorsport world – will debate a wide variety of topics including Scrutineering and Eligibility, Driving Standards and Safety and the Promotion and Marketing of Historic Motorsport.

With The London Classic Car Show going from strength-to-strength and the instant success of its new HMI sister show, the organisers have already confirmed dates for both events in 2018. Bas Bungish, Group Event Director said: “HMI has been a fantastic addition to The London Classic Car Show and the two events complement each other superbly. We’re already in discussions with partners for next year’s events which again will combine at ExCeL London and run from 22 to 25 February, 2018.”

In the meantime, next month’s HMI will be officially opened by racing legend Jacky Ickx at 12 noon on Thursday, 23 February, with the London Classic Car Show opening its door later in the afternoon in readiness for a special, star-studded Gala Evening honouring Le Mans legends including six-time winner Ickx and five-time winners Derek Bell and Emanuele Pirro.

Tickets to the 2017 London Classic Car Show/HMI are now available from the show website – thelondonclassiccarshow.co.uk – and start at £24 for single adult entry (£27 on the door on the day). Gala evening standard entry costs £42 or for access to the Grand Avenue Club, where the interviews take place, tickets cost £70.

Reborn initiative from Land Rover Classic offers customers the opportunity to buy one of 25 factory restored Series I models

• Reborn initiative from Land Rover Classic offers unique proposition for customers to buy one of 25 factory restored Series I models
• Each of the 25 examples are hand-picked by Land Rover Classic’s team of experts for authenticity
• Series I perfectly restored according to original specification and using genuine Land Rover Classic Parts
• Land Rover Classic continues to nurture the passion for the Land Rover brand through the provision cars, services, parts and experiences

Land Rover Classic is underscoring its commitment to providing the very best cars, services, parts and experiences to passionate Land Rover customers with the launch of the ‘Reborn’ initiative for the iconic Series I at Techno-Classica in Essen, Germany.

Reborn offers 25 prospective customers the unique opportunity to purchase an original and highly collectable Land Rover Series I directly from Land Rover Classic.

Land Rover Classic’s expert team has drawn on decades of experience to hand-pick 25 Series I chassis from Land Rover’s global network. Each model will undergo a complete restoration according to the brand’s original 1948 factory specification and using Land Rover Classic Parts to preserve authenticity. This includes the choice of five period finishes including Light Green, Bronze Green, RAF Blue, Dove Grey and Poppy Red.

Customers will be able to select their preferred base vehicle with the help and guidance of Land Rover Classic’s experienced restoration team, and they will be able to follow the restoration of their cherished Series I from start to finish at Land Rover’s new Classic workshop located within the original Defender production centre at Solihull. 

Tim Hannig, Director, Jaguar Land Rover Classic, said: “The launch of the Reborn initiative represents a fantastic opportunity for customers to own a valuable and collectable automotive icon. Reborn showcases Land Rover Classic’s expertise in restoring and maintaining our loyal customers’ prized Land Rovers. It also demonstrates the business’ commitment to supporting customers with original and genuine parts for Land Rover models that have been out for production for longer than 10 years.”

Brilliant news - Lister cars is back in business.

In an historic announcement today, Lister Cars, one the greatest names in British sports car manufacturing, has stated it will return to its Cambridge roots to once again reinstate production of an exciting new Lister car.

After a gap of almost 25 years since the last Lister rolled off the production line, the three Lister companies of George Lister Engineering of Cambridge, Brian Lister Light Engineering and Lister Storm, have been reunited into one organisation that will herald the return of one of the greatest sports racing cars of the 1950's - the fabulous Lister 'Knobbly' Jaguar.

In an exciting move that will ensure the return of the Lister name to new car production, the three companies have been consolidated within a new business called Lister Motor Company Limited, after a significant investment by Warrantywise, one of the UK’s most successful aftermarket used car warranty providers.

Lister Motor Company Limited has invested in a new, state-of-the-art facility in Cambridge, which includes CNC machining, 3D scanning and Catia design, all of which will enable George Lister Engineering to develop and deliver an exciting and near identical development of the historic, race-winning, competition and track car.

Brian Lister’s original working drawings and manufacturing jigs have all been re-commissioned, and many of the team involved in the original 1950’s project with Lister Cars have been called back into service, including Martin Murray, Colin (Chippy) Crisp, Graham (Curley) Hutton, Laurence Pearce and even Brian Lister himself.  Heading up the manufacturing project is Mark Hallam, technical director at George Lister Engineering and Jerry Booen of D Type Developments will also be assisting with the project. The cars will be built to be identical to those of 1958, and will be race-ready 'out of the box' to race with BHL-C (C for Continuation) chassis insignia and up to FIA/HTP Appendix K specification.

Lawrence Whittaker, CEO of Warranty Wise and the investor in the project, said: “Anyone with a fondness for British sports car manufacturing and with an understanding of Lister’s remarkable heritage should rightly be excited by this news. The Lister ‘Knobbly’ was a powerful, giant-killing racing car in its heyday, and with all the expertise we have brought together for this project, I can promise that the new Lister will be a fabulously exciting and desirable car. This is a passionate undertaking for us and we also have some very exciting plans for the future.”

Race proven, Jaguar D Type-specification engines and D Type gearboxes will be supplied by world-renowned experts, Crosthwaite & Gardener, and all race preparation and track commissioning will be undertaken by Chris Keith-Lucas of CKL Developments, another leading specialist in historic Jaguar restoration and preparation. Last but not least, that fantastic streamlined Knobbly body will be re-created using the original Shapecraft body bucks by the immensely skilled artisan craftsmen, Clive Smart and Adrian Breeze.

A series of Lister sponsored historic race meetings are planned for 2015, in time for the Lister 125th year anniversary.