New car registrations may have fallen year-on-year in October 2018, but things are more positive for the British van sector, which experienced a 14.1 percent sales boost last month.
It was sales of larger, pricier vans in the 2.5-3.5-tonne category that drove the improvement, with growth of 27.6 percent. More than 7 in 10 new vans in Britain are from this large van sector.
In contrast, says the Society of Motor Manufactures and Traders (SMMT), small and medium-sized vans both declined, by 24.9 percent and 14.8 percent respectively.
Sales of pickups grew by a modest 3.2 percent, but new launches in the commercial 4×4 van sector caused registrations to skyrocket, from 20 last year to 137 this year – that’s 585 percent growth.
Overall, more than 28,000 new vans were registered last month, adding to a year-to-date total of 302.741. This is down slightly on 2017, with a drop of 1.6 percent, but it’s in line with SMMT predictions.
Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: “While it is positive to see a boost for new vans in October, the growth comes on the back of a turbulent 10 months, with ongoing fluctuations in demand.
“Although the sector remains strong, we expect this trend to play out over the remainder of the year, as ongoing political uncertainty affects business confidence and hence operator investment.”
UK new car registrations were down 2.9 percent in October as the car industry starts to overcome the significant supply issues caused by the new WLTP fuel economy test regulations.
153,599 new cars were delivered last month, although the SMMT says the flight away from diesel into petrol continues. Petrol registrations grew 7.1 percent – but diesel sales fell once again by 21.3 percent. At least alternative fuel vehicle (AFV) registrations (electric cars, hybrids and plug-ins) increased: they were up 30.7 percent.
Electric car deliveries rose by a hefty 86.9 percent compared to October 2017: that’s 584 extra EVs registered last month. Hybrids were up 31 percent and plug-in hybrids 19.1 percent.
61.2 percent of new cars sold last month had a petrol engine; less than 1 in 3 were diesel. AFVs took a strong 6.9 percent market share.
Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: “VED upheaval, regulatory changes and confusion over diesel have all made their mark on the market this year so it’s good to see plug-in registrations buck the trend.
“Demand is still far from the levels needed to offset losses elsewhere, however, and is making government’s decision to remove purchase incentives even more baffling.”
Hawes was pointing here to the government’s decision to remove the Plug-in Car Grant completely for plug-in hybrids and reduce the value of the grant for fully electric cars.
“We’ve always said that world-class ambitions require world-class incentives and, even before the cuts to the grant, those ambitions were challenging. We need policies that encourage rather than confuse.”
In the 2018 Budget last week, the chancellor indicated the government may review the impact of motoring taxes next year, something Hawes welcomed. It “must ensure that buyers of the latest, cleanest cars are not unfairly penalised else we will see older, more polluting cars remain on the road for longer.”
Top 10 best-selling cars – October 2018
The Ford Fiesta, as always, was Britain’s favourite car in October, but Volkswagen staged an impressive recovery with the Golf, Tiguan and Polo all appearing in the top 10 registrations list.
Deliveries of the new Ford Focus see it edging up the charts, while ninth place for the BMW 3 Series proves there’s life in in the old machine yet (same too for the Ford Kuga).
There was, however, not a single Vauxhall in the top 10 registrations – and there wasn’t an Audi there either, indicating Volkswagen Group hasn’t fully resolved its WLTP-related delivery issues.
The main confusion appears to be concerning the maximum age a child needs to be before they don’t need a seat – children must use a car seat until they aged 12, or 135cm tall, whichever comes first.
Until then, the law states that parents must choose a car seat based on the child’s height or weight.
Nick Ansley, head of motor insurance at Co-op, said: “When it comes to car seats, parents of children all ages are clearly confused by how to best keep their children safe in the car.
“We not only want to bring attention to this, but want to help parents become better informed and equipped to be the safest they can be on the road, especially when they have precious cargo in tow.”
The London to Brighton run is back this Sunday (4 November), with veteran cars arriving at London’s Hyde Park before sunrise ready to set off. But how do vehicles gain entry to the longest-running motoring event in the world?
The London to Brighton has been going – on and off – since 1896. Wartime, periods of fuel rationing and other such historical blips have got in the way at points. It began as a celebration of the Locomotives on Highways Act of 1896, which increased the road speed limit to 14mph (from just 4mph). It was known at the time as ‘The Emancipation Run’.
The event has garnered worldwide acclaim ever since. There were just 37 starters in the 1927 run, compared with 605 this year.
But which cars are eligible for the 60-mile London to Brighton run? Simply, any car registered before January 1st, 1905, is eligible to do the run. And those registered after, generally, are not.
There are, however, two circumstances under which some vehicles made later than this date can take part. The first is for cars with ‘Grandfather Rights’. These will have a history of running in the event, but have latterly been found to have been registered later than 01/01/1905.
The second is invited entries. Cars of outstanding interest can get entries by invite, even if they’re too young. Extra points for those of you who spot them on the London to Brighton run this weekend.
The 2018 London to Brighton Veteran Car Run is the 122nd running of the event. It is, easily, the world’s longest-running motoring event. Only war and petrol rationing (in 1947) has stopped it running. It takes place every November and, since 1930, has been supported by the Veteran Car Club of Great Britain.
Now read:
The stars of the National Historic Vehicle Register
Meet the new Ducati MIG-RR, the marque’s first e-mtb or e-bike. Yes, a Ducati that swaps internal combustion punch for mountain bike pedals and electric power.
Ducati has partnered up with Thok Ebikes to create this boosted electric mountain bike. It promises to help you take on hills that you’d otherwise have to avoid on a pedal-only machine. They’re no cop-outs: some hardcore mountain bikers swear by e-mtbs, as it means they can run more downhills without getting exhausted climbing back up them…
When car brands build bicycles
The Ducati electric bicycle is a derivation of the Thok MIG series, but features a selection of unique features. Different diameter wheels and different degrees of suspension travel (29″ and 170 mm at the front, 27.5″ and 160 mm at the rear) make it a more versatile proposition.
Fox Factory Kashima suspension, carbon fibre handlebars, 4-caliper S brakes, an 11-speed gear set and Mavic wheels make for superb spec reading. The electric motor is the E8000 from Shimano, putting out 250 watts powered by a 504 Wh battery.
It’s to make its public debut on the Ducati stand at the EICMA (Milan Motorcycle Shows) from the 8th to the 11th of November. There’s no word on price yet but the MIG-RR should be available from Ducati dealerships throughout Europe from spring 2019.
The Manthey-Racing-tuned 911 GT2 RS MR achieved the lap time, with driver Lars Kern behind the wheel. Although the 700hp machine has been set up especially for the Nürburgring by Manthey-Racing, it’s still road legal, so it still counts.
So, sorry, Lamborghini, your Aventador LP 770-4 SuperVeloce Jota (6:44.97) is no longer the ‘Ring record holder. But then, you did steal the time from the factory-standard Porsche 911 GT2 RS (6:47.25), so fair game…
Porsche owns a 51 percent share in Nürburgring-based Manthey-Racing, which now offers the GT2 RS performance kit for sale (there are modifications to both chassis and aerodynamics, but the firm insists its engineers still focused on road driving, not just in mastering the Nürburgring).
“In this test drive,” said Porsche head of motorsport and GT cars Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser, “we simply wanted to assess the potential of the vehicle once more.”
It seems accidentally to have ended up with a new Nürburgring record. “The result is quite impressive,” said the understated Dr. Walliser. “It really is a fabulous time.”
Kern is a development engineer and VLN racing driver, and knows the Nürburgring well. “The drive was great fun. The balance of the car is very good with the new package. I did not have to take any great risks to be fast.”
Impressively, he had just one lap to set the time – this truly was a one-shot run. “It was already getting dark,” he said. “It worked out first time, though.” Manthey-Racing CEO Nicolas Raeder said the company is very proud. “It was a great challenge to make the already tremendously fast Porsche 911 GT2 RS even faster.”
Porsche adds the record car is exactly the same as the one customers can now order in 911 GT2 RS MR guise, apart from one modification: a racing bucket seat, installed for safety. “The modification did not provide any weight benefits,” adds the firm, as if to stem the internet haters before they start quibbling…
BMW has dabbled with the idea of building an 8 Series Convertible before. In the early 1990s, it even built prototypes, one of which (pictured below) is now housed in its secret collection of what if’s. Now, after reviving the 8 Series Coupe, it’s going one better, and launching a BMW 8 Series Convertible at last.
It goes on sale in April 2019 with prices starting from £83,270. That buys you a 320hp 840d xDrive Convertible, which will do 45.6mpg and 0-62mph in 5.2 seconds. BMW also offers it in M850i xDrive Convertible guise, with a 530hp V8 that will do 0-62mph in 3.9 seconds – but that costs £107,045. This is an expensive car, then.
It’s a big one too, 4.843mm long and over 1.9 metres wide. The dimensions are almost identical to the 8 Series Coupe, says BMW, and because it’s been designed from scratch with convertible conversion in mind, “only a small number of additional convertible-specific weight-increasing measures were required”. We wonder what was involved in turning the original from coupe to convertible…
It has a soft-top roof, because these are upmarket and lead to uncompromised shapes. It also folds almost flat into the car when it’s down – BMW’s proud of how, roof down, “the rear end appears extremely flat and low to the road”. The roof lowers and raises in 15 seconds, at speeds of up to 31mph.
M Sport trim is standard, so the aero-aiding Air Breathes are finished in pearl-effect chrome, and the rear diffuser in Dark Shadow. Eight colours are offered, and an extended range of BMW Individual hues, including matt finish ones. The roof? Black as standard, Anthracite Silver as an option. Both models get 20-inch wheels as standard.
Inside, BMW says it’s a full four-seater, and the rear seats split 50:50 to open up the load bay. Roof up, it offers 350 litres’ space, although it does shrink with the roof down – but the through-load facility can still be used roof-down. If you’re travelling two-up, a standard wind deflector reduces turbulence; it folds up and can be stored in the boot. Neck warmers are standard too (but only for those in the front).
BMW has fitted Adaptative M suspension with electronic dampers as standard, along with BMW Integral Active Steering ‘rear-wheel steer’. For the ultimate in luxury four-seater open-top motoring, active anti-roll is offered on the BMW M850i xDrive Convertible, as part of the Adaptive M Professional suspension package.
Jenson Button’s old BMW M5 V10 could be yours
It will sound good too. A Harman Kardon surround sound audio system with 12 speakers is standard, with a Bowers & Wilkins Diamond Surround Sound setup optional. Apple CarPlay is standard, but only for a year: you have to subscribe to it after that. When a car is this expensive, you’d think they’d include it for life, wouldn’t you?
But we shouldn’t grumble. At last, we’re getting a BMW 8 Series Convertible, after enthusiasts yearned for years at the thought of what could’ve been. From April 2019, for upwards of £83,270, we’ll be able to see exactly that.
Aston Martin won the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1959. 60 years on, Aston Martin Cambridge has commissioned the firm’s bespoke Q division to create a run of 24 special editions: the DBS 59.
They’re derived from the DBS Superleggera, itself a name that first appeared in 1959, on the DB4 Superleggera. These days, the 715hp, 211mph machine is Aston’s fastest new car. The perfect base for a Le Mans-inspired edition.
Aston Martin actually finished 1-2 in the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans, with Carroll Shelby’s DBR1 taking the chequered flag ahead of the rest – a field that included works Ferrari and Porsche entries, plus the famous Ecurie Ecosse Jaguars.
In Aston Martin folklore, then, the DBR1 is a very special car. One that inspired someone to pay £17.5 million for one at auction in 2017, making it the most valuable British car in history.
While not quite as famous, the DBS 59 is special in its own right. It is painted in the same Aston Martin Racing Green paint, with carbon fibre roof, bonnet louvres and other details. Chestnut tan leather features inside, and so too does DBR1-style fabric on the seat backs and door inserts. Note also the use of bronze, both outside and in.
Not special enough? Then you’ll love the saddle leather helmet pods in the rear – which hold bespoke DBS 59 race helmets, suits and gloves.
Aston will also sell you period blue race overalls with DBS 59 Aston Martin logos, string-backed gloves similar to Shelby’s own, some bespoke luggage and an Aston Martin Racing Green car cover.
How can you tell which of the 24 DBS 59 you have? From a painted white roundel next to the side strakes. Choose the car cover and the same number will feature on it.
Aston Martin VP and chief marketing officer Simon Sproule said: “When Aston Martin Cambridge expressed a desire to create a limited run of DBS Superleggeras inspired by the DBR1’s famous Le Mans victory we knew it had to be something special.
“My favourite element on the ‘DBS 59’ are the seat backs that feature fabric inspired by the DBR1 seat material, but there are countless touches that will intrigue and delight”.
Aston reminds us this is the fourth Q by Aston Martin: Commission car. The previous three? They are:
Red Arrows Edition Vanquish S
V12 Vantage S Spitfire 80 Edition
Vantage S Blades Edition
Want to order a DBS 59? Email Aston Martin Cambridge’s Simon Lane at simon.lane@jardinemotors.co.uk.
November 2 is the 35th birthday of the minivan. On that day back in 1983, the first example rolled off the line in Windsor, Ontario. The lauded vehicle was championed through design and development by then-CEO Lee Iacocca (above), the “Man Who Saved Chrysler”.
The new vehicle was a sales smash. It had the economy of a small car, could carry an entire family and all their stuff with the seats removed, and would even haul a whole 4’ x 8’ sheet of plywood with the seats removed. It was an instant success, and the rest of the industry was forced to create models of their own.
For the pedandtic, the design was preceded by the Stout Scarab before WWII and the DKW Schnellaster after, along with the VW Van (a.k.a. Microbus, Type 2, Transporter, Kombi . . . Stop it, pedants!) the Dodge A100, Chevy Greenbriar, and others. The Chrysler version is the first true minivan as we know it, however.
So while we’recertainlynot pedantic when it comes to cars, there is a lot to love and celebrate about the minivan. Let’s take a closer look at the history and also at the most exciting examples of the breed. Yes, there are some. We promise.
The stars of the National Historic Vehicle Register
Chrysler began working on a small family van around 1972. The concept shared much with the previous rear-wheel drive A100 van and never progressed beyond sketches and models.
1972 Ford Carousel Concept
Before he moved across town to Chrysler, Iacocca was president of Ford. He approved a “garagable family van” project in 1972, slated to sit between the LTD Country Squire full-size station wagon and Club Wagon full-size van.
The Carousel had a roof height of approximately 6 feet, lower than the 6’4″ Volkswagen Microbus. A 460-cid/7.5-liter V8 from the Lincoln Continental was selected for power.
Then 1973 happened and, along with it, the OPEC oil embargo. The drivable prototype was garaged for good.
1984 Plymouth Voyager
Henry Ford II fired Lee Iacocca in 1978.
Around the same time, Chrysler was gasping its last breath, and hired Iacocca to turn the company around. He secured a $1.5 billion government bailout in late 1979 and invested in the creation of cars customers might actually want to buy.
Enter the K-Car. A common K-platform was used extensively across the brand range. Many parts were interchangeable, reducing the variety needed and saving much-needed cash. The company in turn passed the savings along to customers, and the new designs were a huge success. The company repaid the loan several years ahead of schedule and taxpayers realized a $350 million profit on the deal.
Iacocca had also secured the rights to the van concept from Ford, and took it with him to Chrysler. Designer Hal Sperlich (father of the Mustang) had worked on the design and soon followed Iacocca. Using the K-platform as a base, the modern minivan was born.
Renault Espace
As non-pedants, we must bring up the Renault Espace, released mere months after the Chrysler. It was the 1970s brainchild of Chrysler UK designer Fergus Pollock (we have no trouble believing he’s British with a name like that).
In 1978, Chrysler Europe was sold to PSA Peugeot Citroën for the princely sum of USD $1.00, arguably too much given Chrysler’s massive debt. The nascent Espace was deemed too risky a design and was handed off to Matra, who brought it to Renault.
The French minivan debuted July, 1984.
Ford Aerostar
Ford learned that Chrysler was developing a capacious family vehicle in the early 1980s and looked again at their “garageable van” concept. The oil crisis of the 1970s made the Carousel obsolete: it had been based on a full-size Econoline van and did not meet the economy needs of the time. The only thing that carried over to the new project was the six-foot height.
Ford mounted the powertrain from the rear-wheel drive Ranger compact pickup into a chassis designed solely for the new people mover, with model-distinct suspension. Plastic and aluminum were used extensively to save weight and improve efficiency.
The Ford Aerostar concept was unveiled in 1984 and went soon into production for 1985.
(Shown: 1991 Ford Aerostar Sport)
Toyota Van
“But, wait!” exclaims the pedant in a haughty tone. “What about the Toyota Van?”
Toyota’s entry into the minivan segment landed on our shores in 1984, the debut year of the Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager. It was originally designed as a cargo van for city use, and was lightweight, economical, and highly maneuverable.
In passenger guise, it never quite caught on with American tastes. It was too small to be passenger van and too van-like to be a minivan. It had a short wheelbase and the engine was under the passenger seat. The driver sat on top of the front wheels, and the whole driving experience was unfamiliar to most.
Quirks aside, the Van proved to be a charismatic and nearly indestructible companion. Like many Toyota trucks of the era, they are highly prized today.
Plymouth Voyager III Concept
Remember Plymouth? Even though the company disappeared in the early days of the new millennium, the storied marque left an indelible imprint on automotive history.
Chrysler designer Tom Gale of Dodge Viper and Plymouth Prowler fame is also credited with the 1989 Plymouth Voyager III concept vehicle. It’s actually two pieces: the front acts as a tractor and the rear as a trailer. When separated, the tiny front section drops two hidden rear wheels for easy in-town maneuverability. Connected, there’s plenty of room for the entire Kettle clan and all their kin, kith, and kit.
Each segment had an independent four-cylinder engine. When economy was needed, only one would operate. When power was needed, the units were electronically linked and all eight cylinders would rocker the Voyager down the road.
Renault Espace F1
You’d be forgiven for looking at this French bit of buffoonery and wondering, “Sacrebleu! What in the petites pommes de terre am I looking at?” It combines three of the most unpopular things in America and makes them cool: minivans, French cars, and Formula 1 racing (get off your high horse, F1 fans. There’s, like, eight of you and your cars sound like leaf blowers).
Back in 1994, Renault decided to celebrate the tenth birthday of its Espace minivan by stuffing a V-10 engine from its Formula 1 program into 1 . . . um, one. The result would hit 60 mph in under three seconds and rocket all the way to 194 mph.
As the French say, “Quand je t’ai vu pour la première fois, c’était le coup de foudre.”
Toyota Previa
Adding a supercharger and all-wheel drive is a recipe for prefromance that we can get behind, even when the upgrades are installed in something as decidedly unsexy as a shearling-lined pair of winter Crocs (really, Canada?).
The Previa’s midengine design didn’t leave a lot of room for, well, engine, so Toyota engineers added a forward-mounted roots-type supercharger. All dressed up and ready to go, the four-banger churned out an blistering 161 horsepower. That might not seem like much by today’s standards, but it was a full stable of rearing thoroughbreds back in 1954.
Wait, this was 1995?
The Year 2000
Minivan sales peaked in 2000 with 1.25 million units sold. Buyers loved the undeniable utility and ease of use of the one box design. Every major manufactuer offered an example, and the segment made up 7.2 percent of the total market.
Industry analysts usually blame the demise of the minivan on the rise of the SUV. Though often using more fuel and offering less room that a minivan, American families flocked to the rugged image and feeling of imminent adventure.
Ford ceased minivan prodcution in 2006, and GM followed in 2008. The Hyundai Entourage disappeared in 2009.
By 2010, total minivan sales had dropped to just 415,00.
In 2017, the entire segment was outsold by just one SUV: the Nissan Rogue.
Honda Odyssey
The Honda Odyssey was all-new for 2005 and good enough to contend for Motor Trend’s prestigious Car of the Year award, as well as Consumer Reports top minivan pick for the year. While other manufactuers were leaving the segment in droves, Honda redefined what we now expect from a modern vehicle.
All models had side-curtain airbags and elecronic stability control, upping the segment’s safety game. Windows rolled down in the second row and there were sunshades in the rear doors. The straight second row bench was gone, replaced by a *gasp* 60/40 split folding design.
The 3.5-liter V6 under the hood made 255 horsepower and used active cylinder deactivation for economy.
By 2008, the Odyssey was the best-selling minivan in the U.S.
Kia KV7 Concept
Kia fought back agaisnt the minivan’s “soccer taxi” image with the KV7 concept vehicle in 2011. Debuting at the Detroit Auto Show, the design took a heaping helping of funk from its Soul stablemate, looking utterly unique and downright cool.
Inside, the Kia’s new minivan was aimed at “ringleaders,” people who organize activies and outings for their friends. In essence, the company defined the influencer before the advent of sociel media (Instagram was only founded in October, 2010).
The interior was open and loungey, with integrated Wi-Fi, internet connectivity, a multi-use display interface, and plenty of LED lighting. This was heady stuff in 2011, and Kia completely nailed the future.
Toyota Ultimate Utility Vehicle
“That’s not a true minivan!” shouts the pedant. “That’s a Toyota Sienna body on a Tacoma pickup chassis!”
“Quiet, you!” say we. “Toyota’s Ultimate Utility Vehicle has all the features of a minivan with the added capability of a truck,” we continue. “It’s made to conquer the heat of Death Valley and the endless winter of Alaska. It’ll climb Pike’s Peak and can still maneuver through Manhattan.”
It actually did most of that, too. The vehicle was used as part of Toyota’s “Ever Better” iniative, a program to help Toyota team members gather new insights into the vehices, better understand performance, and connect with customers.
The vehicle was showcased at SEMA 2015, and we’re still talking about it.
Toyota Extreme Sienna
Not to be outdone by themselves, for SEMA 2016 Toyota gave a Sienna to Real Time Automotive’s hot rod builder, Rick Leos. A wide body was added, performance wheels, a splitter, rear diffuser, dual exhaust, and acres of carbon fiber.
The interior was extremed, as well, with a home theatre system, custom upholstery, a refrigerator, Wi-Fi connectivity, and Bluetooth speakers.
The whole vehicle is controlled by an iPad, for ultimate Millennial connecivity.
Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid
Fast forward to the year 2018 and Chrysler (Fiat-Chrysler) is still king of the minivan game. The company has many excellent rivals, but still manages to outsell them all. As of September, the Chrysler Pacifica and Dodge Grand Caravan control two-thirds of the American market.
The Pacifica has another neat trick up its sleeve: its the first and only plug-in hybrid minivan on the market. There’s a full electric drive mode that allows families to take advantage of cheap electric power for personal transportation, and overall range is exended to 566 miles.
Volkswagen I.D. Buzz
This delightful take on the original Volkswagen Microbus is the I.D. Buzz concept vehicle. It showcases the VW group’s electric vehicle program and new modular electric drive architecture (MEB).
The Buzz was desinged from a clean sheet as an electric vehicle and makes the most of its arcitecture, with wheels far out to the corners and short overhangs. The result is a larger and more versatile interior.
Volkswagen announced in October that the company will be moving ahead with its I.D. program. Designs are said to be virtually complete and contracts with battery suppliers have been signed.
Target sales are 100,000 I.D. vehicles in the first year, and a total of one million by 2025.
Chrysler Portal Concept
Perhaps seeking to change the dowdy reputation of the family truckster, Chrysler has invented a new descriptive language for their Portal concept. Rather than being a visually stunning minivan designed for active Millennial families on the go, the Portal is described as a “third space,” and “an alternative environment between work and home.”
Whatever you call it, it’s all-electric and expected to go 250 miles on a single charge. There are color-changing luminescent accents and trim on the exterior that can be animated, if desired. It will be capable of semi-autonomous operation. There’s facial recognition software installed so the infotainment system knows who the driver is and will acess favorite programming.
Even better, the runmor mill indicates that it is actually going into production. It’s expected to arrive in 2020, taking the place of the 300 sedan.
An important collection of drawings and documents belonging to the prolific designer and inventor Ron Hickman has been donated to the National Motor Museum Trust at Beaulieu.
Hickman was born in South Africa in 1932 but left the country in 1954, sailing to England with dreams of working as an automotive designer.
Having spent three years as a styling modeller with Ford, Hickman joined Lotus in the mid-1950s after a meeting with company founder Colin Chapman. It was here that the designer made a name for himself, firstly as part of the team responsible for the Elite, but later for his work on the Elan.
Having worked on the Elan 2+2 and Europa, he left the company in 1967, later achieving worldwide recognition for the design of the Workmate.
At the time of his death in 2011, nearly 70 million of the folding workbenches had been sold since Black & Decker put Hickman’s design into mass production in 1973.
Now, more than 100 automotive sketches and concept drawings, as well as supporting photographs and documents have been donated to the Trust by Hickman’s widow, Helen. There’s even a complete project showing his proposed redesign of the Caterham Seven.
‘A fascinating insight’
National Motor Museum Trust director of collections, Andrea Bishop, said: “We extend grateful thanks to Mrs Hickman for this generous and important donation.
“Ron Hickman’s significant contribution to automotive design adds a fascinating insight into the development of Lotus Cars to our motoring archive. We are looking forward to exploring this large collection and sharing some of its content on our website next year.”
World of Top Gear relaunched at Beaulieu
Hickman moved to Jersey in 1977 and retired a wealthy man in 1982, earning 3 percent royalties on every Workmate sold. He never lost his love of cars, assembling a collection including an Elan Sprint and a Cadillac V-16 drophead coupe built for a maharaja.
New car registrations may have fallen year-on-year in October 2018, but things are more positive for the British van sector, which experienced a 14.1 percent sales boost last month.
UK new car registrations were down 2.9 percent in October as the car industry starts to overcome the significant supply issues caused by the 
The London to Brighton run is back this Sunday (4 November), with veteran cars arriving at London’s Hyde Park before sunrise ready to set off. But how do vehicles gain entry to the longest-running motoring event in the world? 
Porsche has reclaimed the title of 
BMW has dabbled with the idea of building an 8 Series Convertible before. In the early 1990s, it even built prototypes, one of which (pictured below) is now housed in its secret collection of what if’s. Now, after reviving the 8 Series Coupe, it’s going one better, and launching a BMW 8 Series Convertible at last.
November 2 is the 35th birthday of the minivan. On that day back in 1983, the first example rolled off the line in Windsor, Ontario. The lauded vehicle was championed through design and development by then-CEO Lee Iacocca (above), the “Man Who Saved Chrysler”.
