The FIA Championship UK rounds take place in June and September and pit the cream of Europe’s fastest Top Fuel and ‘Nitro’ cars head to head in a blaze of power that sees the top entrants hitting 100mph in well under a second and covering a quarter mile in well under 5 seconds. Santa Pod will be inviting any students or apprentices who are part of the ‘1st Gear’ or ‘Accelerate’ schemes to come and enjoy the racing on either Friday 1st June or Thursday 6th September completely free of charge.

Commenting on the initiative, Santa Pod’s Marketing Manager Caroline Day said: “We’re always looking to give something back to the industry wherever possible – and this felt like a great way to encourage the industry’s future stars to get involved with the World’s fastest motorsport. Not only is it a great day out for these young people, but any Top Fuel meeting is a great way to network and meet industry people at the highest level. Who knows? Some may even find their true vocation here too!”

Passes need to be pre-booked at least a week before the event, groups should contact debbie@santapod.com quoting ‘IMI Schools Offer’ and individuals should contact Emily Hakansson at the IMI on emilyh@motor.org.uk

Original link: Free European Drag Racing Passes - Dep-O Magazine - The motoring mag for old cars, retro cars and classic cars

Harking back to Croft’s WWII role as a bomber base, on Saturday the skies over North Yorkshire will be filled with the Spitfire’s unmistakable supercharged burblesome song.

It’s enough to make a chap’s moustache bristle with excitement, what…

The Nostalgia Weekend is the third running of the event which celebrates four decades of historic motor racing from the Forties to the Seventies. The public is invited to dress in period attire, so that the people in the North East can also indulge in a step back in time.

This summer’s Nostalgia event will be FREE all weekend for children aged under 16. Tickets for adults are priced just £10 Saturday and £12 Sunday if booked in advance from the www.croftcircuit.co.uk website or by calling the circuit direct on 01325 721815.

Original link: Tally-ho Tally-ho - Dep-O Magazine - The motoring mag for old cars, retro cars and classic cars

Built with assistance from Ferrari, Arno XI set a world water speed record of over 150mph. The hydroplane comes with well-documented provenance, including just three owners from new.

ARNO XI was the brainchild of Achille Castoldi, who, wanting to establish a world water speed record, set about developing the ultimate powerboat.

During 1952 and 1953, Mr. Castoldi, a friend of the famous Ferrari Grand Prix drivers Alberto Ascari and Luigi Villoresi, succeeded in convincing Enzo Ferrari to provide knowledge and technical assistance to develop the boat.

Powered by a 4.5-litre V12 engine, based on the Ferrari 375 GP car, the engine was modified to run twin superchargers. This resulted in a spectacular power output of around 502bhp @ 6000rpm.

On 15th October, 1953, ARNO XI achieved 241.70 km/h (150.19 mph) on Lake Iseo in northern Italy, establishing a world speed record for an 800kg boat. The record, incredibly, still stands today.

The current owner acquired the racing boat over 20 years ago, restoring it to concours condition. ARNO XI has been in the water many times since and is not only an impressive sight when seen in action but also sounds magnificent. (Arno XI limbering up!)

This remarkable and unique machine is estimated to achieve between €1.000.000 – €1.500.000 when it crosses the auction podium in May.

Ahead of the auction, ARNO XI will be displayed at the Milano Autoclassica, 17-19 February. Please visit www.rmauctions.com or call + 44 (0) 20 7851 7070 for further information on the upcoming Monaco auction or to discuss consignment opportunities for RM’s Monaco sale.

Original link: Famous Ferrari Hydroplane For Sale - Dep-O Magazine - The motoring mag for old cars, retro cars and classic cars

Buoyed by this little success, I turned back to the Crab which had only been stirred from its slumbers a couple of hours earlier. The brakes have been giving trouble, and as they’re of the single cylinder variety, there’s no room for error. The master cylinder has been rebuilt (for the second time) and although now leak free, the pedal remained spongy. A marathon bleeding session was in order.

First, the rears. At first I thought the fluid was just milky from trapped air, but after leaving it to settle in the catch bottle for a couple of minutes it quickly began to separate. I’m guessing that the fluid has been topped up using whatever was to hand, so there’s a good chance I was seeing what happens when you mix silicone, synthetic and oil based brake fluid. No option but to change the fluid completely.

At the front, mixed fluid was spiced up with the remains of the failed master cylinder seals. It’s a bit shocking to see this much black debris in the catch bottle, but fingers crossed, that’s the last of it.

With a firm pedal and the car pulling up square and even, I started to think that the Crab that I was considering to be fit for little more than spares a couple of weeks ago must be getting close to taking a trip to the MoT station. So I took the offside rear passenger door off – well, what else is an engine crane for…?

Original link: The Danger Within - Dep-O Magazine - The motoring mag for old cars, retro cars and classic cars

Christian Skelton will still be involved, so really, the only change is the name. Think of it as a bit like when Marathon became Snickers – it will still be the same tasty rewarding tit-bit with perhaps a few extra nuts…

Here you go: www.dep-o.co.uk/motor-club/

Original link: Dep-O Motor Club is Launched - Dep-O Magazine - The motoring mag for old cars, retro cars and classic cars

Sir George, whose great grandfather founded the Bristol Aeroplane Company from which the car company stems, will also work closely alongside Julian Ramshaw, who joins Bristol Cars as General Manager from the Sytner Group, where he was Business Manager.

Based at the marque’s famous Kensington showroom, Mr Ramshaw will focus initially on revitalising the sales and servicing divisions, in which there has been much investment following the takeover by Frazer-Nash Research in April 2011.

Mr Ramshaw said he was looking forward to the new role and has been “excited and inspired” by the messages of support from Bristol owners and enthusiasts.

“Bristol Cars has a bright future ahead of it and I feel incredibly excited and privileged to be a part of the plans. There are some challenges ahead but we have a strong and loyal team and I feel confident that with the additional energy and ideas Frazer-Nash bring, and my experience with brands like Ferrari and Maserati, we can put Bristol back where it belongs,” he said.

“While a sensitive refurbishment of the Kensington showroom is imminent, and I am busy working with Frazer-Nash and Sir George to draw up a business plan for the company, one of my priorities at the moment is to regularise and improve the manufacture and supply of spare parts. A substantial amount of money is being invested in our service division, which is still managed by Brian Marelli after more than fifty years, and Brian and his team are busier than they have ever been.”

Meanwhile Sir George, who is Patron of the Bristol Owners Club and BOC Trust, will be joined as a consultant on Bristol’s Advisory Board by Lady White, a successful artist and designer. Already the pair have helped to shape designs for a new showroom.

“The revival of a famous company after it has passed through the hands of the administrators is never an easy task,” said Sir George. “As far as Bristol Cars is concerned, the challenge has fallen into two halves. The first is to design and manufacture a new car, capable of equalling the quality and exceeding the performance of the cars that built the marque’s reputation. Giant steps are being made in this respect, but naturally in great secrecy. The second is to preserve Bristol’s glorious past. My role, and that of my wife Joanna, will be to assist in every way possible in exploiting the company’s history for the benefit of its uniquely exciting future.”

Original link: A Familiar Name Returns to Bristol Cars - Dep-O Magazine - The motoring mag for old cars, retro cars and classic cars

On Saturday, 3^rd March 2012, Kruse will offer this exceptional 1913 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Town Car. Originally owned by the Cornelius Vanderbilt II family and used by his wife, Alice Claypoole Gwynne). Vanderbilt, the American entrepreneur, who built his great wealth in shipping and railroads, and was the patriarch of the family.

The ultimate in luxury, the definition of style, the deep maroon car was personally ordered by the billionaire family from the factory in England. Kruse’s most recent research indicates that Mrs Cornelius Vanderbilt II owned and used the vehicle, fulfilling her husband, Cornelius’ wish to always surround the family with the finer things. The Vanderbilt Rolls-Royce is part of the Dick Burdick collection being offered and is presently on display at the Central Texas Museum of Automotive History in Smithville, Texas.

Cornelius Vanderbilt II was known as the favorite grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt who left him $5 million and the eldest son of William Henry Vanderbilt who left him close to $70 million. In his turn, he succeeded them as the head of the New York Central and related railroad lines. He had a reputation as something of a workaholic. He also had five children although he disinherited his second son who bore his namesake for marrying without his approval.  The fabulous Fifth Avenue mansions, he, his brothers, and his sons lived in have been demolished but the Newport, Rhode Island vacation home he built, The Breakers, still stands in memory of the extravagant lifestyle of the Vanderbilt family. It is likely that Mrs. Vanderbilt took ownership of this car after his death.

It is not surprising given the amount of labour, plus the care and precision, taken in crafting the 1913 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Town Car, that these cars were only available to the wealthiest of customers.

The car is presently in mostly original condition, a salute to the outstanding craftsmanship that went into its construction.

Specs of the vehicle include: manual gearbox, burgundy exterior finish and a 7,428cc side-valve straight six-cylinder engine.

AUCTION PREVIEW: Friday, 17th February through 2^nd March, 2012; 10am – 5pm (Sundays 12pm – 5pm CST).

AUCTION DATE:
Saturday, 3^rd March, 2012 at 10am PST

LOCATION: Central Texas Museum of Automotive History
2502 Highway 304 in Smithville, Texas

Original link: Vanderbilt Rolls-Royce For Sale - Dep-O Magazine - The motoring mag for old cars, retro cars and classic cars

To celebrate the 90th anniversary of the foundation of the Swallow Sidecar Company, Sir William Lyons’ first business and the forerunner of today’s Jaguar Cars Limited, a unique event is being organised by Jaguar Heritage.

Building on the success of the E-type 50th Anniversary Tour from Coventry to Geneva that Jaguar Heritage organised in March 2011, this year’s event will be UK based and will take place from September 2nd to 9th to encompass the exact 90th anniversary date.

Commencing in Coventry, the Tour will circle round through Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Yorkshire and the Lake District before culminating with two nights in Blackpool where a number of special events and activities are planned.

Running from Sunday 2^nd September to breakfast on Sunday 9^th September, prices start from £2,300 (for a car with one person) and go to £2,900 (for a car with two people).

The Tour will accommodate 90 vehicles and is open to owners of Swallow, SS, Jaguar, Daimler or Lanchester cars of any age. If you would like to participate, please complete and return the official application form:

90th Anniversary Application Form

Original link: Swallow to Jaguar: 90th Anniversary Tour - Dep-O Magazine - The motoring mag for old cars, retro cars and classic cars

With an impressive entry list of over 40 cars that included several MkII Escorts, a 4.2-litre Rover SD1, Triumph TR7 V8, MkI Suzuki Swift GTi and a Saab 96 V4, we had big expectations for the one-day tarmac rally.

Bracing ourselves for the ice-age-esque temperatures, we ventured out into the cold with essential rally must-haves; you know the stuff: a collection of period Eighties Thermos flasks, uncomfortable woolly bobble hats, doubled-up socks, etc. Luckily the South Downs Stages Rally didn’t disappoint.

The competitor turnout was impressive, as too was the sheer volume of public support despite the sub-zero temperatures, although it did make us ponder how successful the event would be a little later in the year. Thankfully, as always with these club-organised events at Goodwood, the day had a friendly, BS-free and informal atmosphere – as well as enough retro metal and sideways rally-car action to keep the most experience addict happy.

South Downs Stages Rally 2012

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As the sun came down over the famous Goodwood gantry, the 2012 South Downs Stages winning entry was the red and blue MkII Escort of Mark Spencer and Geoff Skillen with an overall time of just 0:36:53, followed a close second by Adrian Brown and Chris Jarman in their Ford Escort RS with a total time of 0:37:33. I was also very pleased to see the Saab 96 V4 of Hugh Myers and Debby Myers finish as class winners with a respectable time of 0:47:57 on their very first outing in the car!

So it was a good day with lots of sideways action, the obligatory symphony of Ford BDAs and Vauxhall XEs at full-chat, and unrestricted access to the competitor paddock. What more do you need on a cold Saturday in February?

For a full run down of competitors and final results see: www.southdownsstages.co.uk

UPDATE: Official event report here: http://southdownsstages.co.uk/2012report.pdf

Original link: South Downs Stages Rally - Dep-O Magazine - The motoring mag for old cars, retro cars and classic cars

UP FOR A

It was only bashed out in a split second, so we thought it would be pretty easy to guess but it isn’t! This clearly is the work of a sadist, so we’ve given you a bit more to look at.

Original link: Guess The Old Car, Part II - Dep-O Magazine - The motoring mag for old cars, retro cars and classic cars

BMH’s Managing Director John Yea said: “The world is cottoning on to what incredible value MGFs represent in the current market, which in turn is fuelling interest in replacement parts for these pretty mid-engined, two-seaters. We are very keen to support the model and were concerned that replacement sills had been unavailable for the past year or so, so decided to take action.”

Both left (ALG460050) and righthand (ALG460040) sills are available with immediate effect from all BMH’s MG specialists – see www.bmh-ltd.com for details. They are manufactured on the original tooling in the same zinc-coated steel as the original panels and, in common with all BMH products, finished in industry-standard electrophoretic paint. The suggested retail price is the same as when the items were last available – £72.60 per sill, including VAT.

For details of all BMH products, log on to www.bmh-ltd.com. Information regarding the company’s Motoring Classics retail range of car parts, accessories, personal items and quarterly magazine can be found at www.motoringclassics.co.uk.

Original link: BMH Launch MGF Sills - Dep-O Magazine - The motoring mag for old cars, retro cars and classic cars

It worked perfectly well for the pix, but for me I wanted real roads free of ambling slow-witted traffic and unfortunately, it was lunch time so I was restricted to short spurts which barely disturbed the supercharger. Every overtaking opportunity seemed to be almost deliberately foiled. Understandably, the air in my full-face helmet was heavy with uncouth four-lettered language.

Surprisingly, I did manage to learn quite a few things from this initial low-calorie, caffeine-free 45mph test ‘potter’. The biggest notable being how light, even compared with the rest of the Lotus range, the 2-Eleven feels. Looking as sensational as it does, you expect something special, but such is the reluctance of manufacturers to accept Chapman’s ‘just add lightness’ principle, that its ride quality comes as a genuine surprise. It looks like a road-legal racer, yet its ride quality doesn’t jar nor pummel – it almost feels like it skims across brutalised tarmac.

Built around the bonded aluminium chassis of the Series I Elise (the one with the deeper chassis sill members) its name reflects one of Chapman’s earlier successful sports-racing designs, the Eleven, which is rather suitable given the car’s target customer-base: hardcore trackday enthusiasts.

Accordingly, its suspension geometry has been tuned like a fine instrument to include Ohlins two-way adjustable dampers, Lotus Sport adjustable anti-toll bar and rear double shear track control arm brace. The supercharged and intercooled Toyota 2ZZ-GE VVTL-i engine is similar to the Exige S unit, but at 252bhp, it has 34bhp more. The brakes are cross-drilled and ventilated discs with Pagid RS14 sports pads, stainless steel braided brake hoses and track-tuned ABS; and while we’re talking about electronic trickery, the 2-Eleven comes with variable traction control.The finishing touch is an extremely lightweight composite body which gives this car a power to weight ratio of 380bhp per tonne, which is similar to that of a Sixties Formula 1 car.

Go back to the first time I drove a 2-Eleven and whilst Gez was busy snapping the jazzily liveried Launch Edition car, I was kicking my heels and getting a bit frustrated – time was ticking and soon the light would knocking off and going home. Thankfully though, I was offered a way out of this purgatorial loitering by the 2-Eleven’s father, Nick Adams, and the all-white prototype was awoken from its slumber.

Add more speed and I dabble in a bit of investigative buggering about. Noticing for instance, how easily it will pull in sixth gear from just 2500rpm – and how it’s possible to do an all-third gear lap due to the 2-Eleven’s lack of flab and 197lb.ft of torque. Racing line established, braking and turning-in points sorted, now the fast bit can start.

Stamp onto the superbly connected and easy to modulate throttle and the somewhat bonkers and peaky engine comes into its own. The familiar Lotus exhaust and supercharger scream dissipate as your helmet is engulfed in a breaking tidal wave of wind roar. The gearchange light winks at 8000rpm, prompting you to grab another gear on the slightly mechanical six-speed gearchange.

Bends can be taken at Royal Air Force speeds. The blend of steering feedback, body control, ride and front end grip is dazzling and just when you think you might have been a touch overambitious, the rear suspension’s geometry automatically lends a hand. Such is its balance that it feels as if the rear suspension is bolted directly to your pelvis; immersing you more and more into the sense of connection – it feels like you’re being absorbed into the Lotus’s very aluminium being. Trust in it completely and resist the temptation to add a dab of corrective lock and you will be amazed at the 2-Eleven’s gluttonous appetite for corners.

It might have looked slightly scuffed around the edges – it bore the unmistakable aura of an old campaigner – but thanks to its white paint and its development crow’s feet, to me, its resemblance to real racer was even closer. I wasted little time jumping in and wedging my lid on.

The view is really evocative – the interior is all stripped out and doorless. There’s a low-fat dashboard with the most meagre tally of buttons and dials. Looming over me from behind is a padded six-point FIA rollcage and I’m gripped in situ by a four-point harness and bucket seat. The edge of the interior is demarcated by a shallow perspex wind deflector and the ambience finished by a periscope rear-view and wing mirrors that are filled with inlets, the large rear wing and roll bar.

Engine running, I join the Hethel track in the middle of the first hairpin. It then straighens out briefly before a left-right complex. The right-hander then straightens out for the longest ‘straight’ which packs a hump, a right-hand kink and a change of tarmac surface – this then hurls you into the grip of the return loop. Negotiate the loop and it’s onto the slalom-filled back straight down to that first hairpin – and that’s your first sighting lap completed.

As the front and rear wings do their bit for downforce, the 2-Eleven feels hugely planted and visceral. Even the hump marking the change of tarmac surface at the end of the straight, right near the braking zone doesn’t distract it. The variable traction control is almost mood responsive – even when fully activated, it’s utterly unobtrusive, yet it turns the 2-Leven into something which corners like a Winter Olympic luge with absolute middle-ear bending, neck muscle and lateral oblique teasing G-forces generated by its grip. It’s fantastic and once again I sense a Lotus superlative shortage crisis about to strike – especially when launch control is activated. Holy. Atom. Heart. Mother.

Turn the system off and its transformed into a speed skater – the responsiveness of the chassis, the way the demands of your right foot are so wilfully translated into understeer, oversteer or perfectly mannered neutrality. The 2-Eleven is a happy and dexterous all-rounder.

This car is such a flatterer that you can’t help but push it harder and harder through the right left complex or go faster and faster through the back straight slalom, which goes from being taken in third to fourth gear. Ultimately, the car isn’t what’s being tested here – it’s the warm dollop of organic squidgy stuff strapped into the driving seat…

Only after a lock-up at the end of the back straight did I reluctantly decide to call it a day. I had an immensely enjoyable time in that car pushing it to my limits and I refused to fall victim to tired eyes and encroaching darkness. As it turned out, my estimated 30 minute test drive turned out to have exceeded 90 minutes and I was in danger of taking the mick, hogging and possibly damaging someone else’s toy.

That the 2-Eleven managed to enchant me for so long despite an early start and a six-hour cross-country slog to Norfolk, wasn’t its biggest accomplishment. Neither are its excellent dynamics or its impressive performance statistics – 0-60mph in 3.8 seconds, 30-50mph in 3.1 seconds, 0-100mph in 8.9 seconds with a top whack of 150mph. No, what really makes the 2-Eleven such a special achievement is that it manages to conveys these feats without detached disdain and instead, it does so with plenty of approachability, involvement and charisma.

Yes, it is not a cheap car, but this does depend on how you regard this Lotus. Be misguided and dismiss it as a modified Elise and you will miss out. If like me though, you regard its poise, handling and performance as something truly magnificent – regardless of price – then it appears to be thoroughly reasonable.

What else can I say? To this day, the Lotus 2-Eleven remains the closest thing I’ve driven to anything resembling the perfect sports car.

It’s hard to fault this car because every major control is so accomplished. The speed and feedback from the steering (2.8 turns lock to lock) is excellent with the chunky leather-bound wheel nestling perfectly in my hands. The positioning and weighting of the pedals is faultess, requiring just enough effort to be involving; and allowing heel and toe downchanges which rid the gearchange of its slight clunkiness and turn it into a model of positivity and sharpness. Naturally, this means that the brake isn’t overly sensitive and works with minimal travel, maximum feel. Haul them into action and the Lotus just stops – once again demonstrating how brilliantly calibrated are both the suspension and body control.

The sun’s patience has now been exhausted. The instruments glow and the headlight beams reach out into the dusk – heightening the pseudo endurance racer experience.

NB – Regular readers will note that this Future Retro does not feature tips on scrapyard pickings. This is not because we couldn’t be arsed but because ‘Dep-O’ condemns the scrapping of Lotus 2-Elevens and advises that if you are thinking of doing such a beastly act, to get in touch with us prior to seeking medical attention.

Original link: Future Retro – Lotus 2-Eleven - Dep-O Magazine - The motoring mag for old cars, retro cars and classic cars