The march of the SUV continued across Europe in February 2018, as the region enjoyed its best February performance in a decade. Overall sales were up 4.2 percent, despite declines in two key markets, the UK and Italy.
Diesel registrations plunged by a whopping 12.8 percent last month, taking the under-attack fuel’s share down to 39.5 percent of overall sales. In Germany, sales were down 19.2 percent, and they plummeted 23.5 percent in the UK.
Petrol sales, however, grew by 16 percent and alternative fuel vehicles outpaced even this with an 18.5 percent boost.
New SUV registrations were up nearly 25 percent, to an incredible 382,600 units. That accounts for one in three sales, although not all SUV sectors are on the up: full-size and luxury SUVs actually declined 12.6 percent last month.
Some brands are really benefitting from the SUV craze. Volkswagen has been on a launch spree, and its SUV sales shot up 37.7 percent, to almost 69,000 vehicles – it’s now behind only Renault-Nissan in terms of overall SUV and crossover volume.
Volkswagen Group also grew its overall European market share, to a commanding 24.3 percent.
City car sales were stable: Renault and Volkswagen registrations declined, but a stronger performance from Ford, Peugeot, Citroen and Skoda helped ensure superminis remained Europe’s second-favourite type of car, favoured by 1 in 5 buyers.
Despite the frenzy to buy an SUV, though, the Volkswagen Golf remained Europe’s best-selling car, with registrations actually growing a healthy 16 percent, to almost 37,000 units. The Renault Clio was second and the Peugeot 208 third. And the best-selling SUV in the EU? Nissan’s Qashqai – which uniquely, neither gained nor lost sales.
Jaguar Land Rover has demonstrated how self-driving cars can help cut traffic in Milton Keynes, with a public trial on open roads showing how autonomous vehicles can search for parking spots by themselves – and then automatically self-park within them.
The trial is part of a project JLR is running with self-driving consortium UK Autodrive.
Experts reckon autonomous cars could significantly cut city centre traffic, by slashing the number of cars driving round simply looking for spaces. Using information from ‘connected’ parking bays, the autonomous Jaguars and Land Rovers demonstrated how futuristic cars could instantly route to the nearest free bay at the end of your journey.
The ‘self-driving valet’ would then park your car for you in the bay.
Joerg Schlinkheider, JLR chief engineer for automated driving, said: “We’re investing heavily in automated technologies to make our customers’ lives safer and more convenient.
“Reducing the everyday stresses of driving – like squeezing into a tight parking place – means that we can all focus on the more enjoyable aspects of our cars.”
On the roads of Milton Keynes, JLR also showed two advanced driver aid features, called Emergency Vehicle Warning and Electronic Emergency Brake Light. Both of these connected car features involve vehicles ‘talking’ to one another, and to their surroundings.
Emergency Vehicle Warning can sense when a blue light emergency services vehicle, such as a police car or ambulance, is approaching – and which direction it is coming from.
Electronic Emergency Brake Light can detect when a connected car up ahead is braking heavily and instantly sound a warning in the car – “potentially giving drivers several additional seconds to avoid a possible collision”.
News of the JLR demonstration comes days after an autonomous Uber test vehicle hit and killed a pedestrian in Arizona. Uber has since paused all testing of its autonomous vehicles on public roads.
Ford has announced a partnership with Next that will see a showroom open inside a store in Manchester.
The five-car showroom will open in the refurbished Next store in the Arndale shopping centre. A team of 15 Ford product experts and support staff will be on hand to advise customers when the store opens in July. Test drives will also be available, while new cars can be collected from the Next store.
“We have the most extensive dealership network, which has already received significant investment in new FordStores, Transit Centres and Mobile Service Vans to offer customers specialist retail, van and service assistance,” said Ford of Britain MD Andy Barratt.
“These will remain to serve the many consumers wanting to visit a dealer. There is also a growing appetite to browse for cars in other retail environments and online, which we are meeting with these new 2018 ventures.”
At the same time, Ford plans to introduce an online car sales pilot for customers to finance and order cars online. Cars will be delivered for collection from participating dealers.
Revealed in a high-impact presentation at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show, the Range Rover SV Coupe is the fastest and most exclusive full-size Range Rover ever. Just 999 will be made, each priced from £240,000.
The SV Coupe is the latest project from Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) division: creators of the Range Rover Sport SVR, SVAutobiography and Discovery SVX concept. It’s a three-door, four-seat SUV with sleek styling and a 565hp supercharged V8.
There’s also a huge range of bespoke options, from 23-inch alloy wheels – the largest ever offered on a Range Rover – to more than 100 paint colours.
The SV Coupe is fractionally lower than the more familiar five-door, but overall dimensions are almost identical. Seen in the metal, though, it looks sportier and more compact – yet still recognisably a Range Rover.
Its most distinctive feature is a sleek, tapering glasshouse, with gloss-black pillars to give the impression of a ‘floating’ roof. The trad-RR vertical side vents have moved from the doors to the trailing edge of the front wings to visually lengthen the car. Plus, there’s the option of two-tone paint for the ‘Contour Graphic’, which wraps around the body-sides between the waistline and the sills, and also covers the tailgate.
On 06.03.18 we introduce the new Range Rover #SVCoupé. Hand-assembled by Special Vehicle Operations, this limited-edition will be a celebration of the Range Rover bloodline. pic.twitter.com/83kKBa8B96
Those 23-inch rims are actually Land Rover’s ‘recommended option’. The standard wheels are 22s, with 21s available for those mad enough to take their quarter-mill luxury SUV off-road.
The SV Coupe’s interior provides “accommodation comparable to private jets and yachts,” says Land Rover. It’s certainly plush, with lashings of diamond-quilted leather and wood veneer, plus tactile, ‘frosted aluminium’ finish for many of the controls. The two individual rear seats provide slightly less headroom than those in a regular Range Rover, but this is no ‘kids only’ 2+2: even tall adults should find sufficient space.
Infotainment comes via a 10-inch touchscreen and 23-speaker Meridian hi-fi. The colour head-up display (projected onto the windscreen) can be customised to offer sat nav directions or off-road driving info.
At the press conference, designer Gerry McGovern was visibly proud of the car. “This isn’t a vehicle for the shy,” he opined. “It’s a lady’s or gentleman’s chariot: imposing without too much fussiness.” Referencing the original three-door Range Rover, he said: “We respect the past, but we’re not going to be harnessed by it”.
Range Rover SV Coupe: performance
Technically, the most powerful Range Rover ever is the 575hp Sport SVR. It hits 62mph in 4.5 seconds and 176mph flat-out.
The 565hp SV Coupe falls slightly short: 5.3 seconds and 165mph. Still, with 516lb ft of torque on tap, nobody is likely to complain about a lack of oomph.
Drive goes (naturally) to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic gearbox with paddles for manual shifts. A low-range transfer ’box, locking rear differential and Land Rover’s six-mode Terrain Response 2 system guarantee impressive off-road ability.
On adjustable air suspension, the SV Coupe rides 8mm lower than a standard Range Rover. A “more driver-focused edge” is promised. Mark Stanton, Special Vehicle Operations Director, said: “This is a meticulously honed vehicle that’s designed for SV clients who love driving.”
The maximum towing weight for the SV Coupe is 900mm, with a towing capacity of 3.5 tonnes.
Range Rover SV Coupe: bespoke options
Each SVO project so far has each pushed boundaries in one specific area. The Range Rover Sport SVR had hitherto-unseen levels of performance, the Range Rover SVAutobiography raised the game in terms of luxury and the Discovery SVX concept is – potentially – Land Rover’s most capable off-roader yet.
With the SV Coupe, Land Rover aims to stretch the limits of personalisation. Indeed, the number of bespoke options makes it unlikely any of the 999 cars will be exactly the same.
For starters, there’s an almost unlimited palette of paint colours available, including new ‘Liquesence’ silver with aluminium flake, plus different shades for the Contour Graphic.
Inside, buyers can also choose contrasting colours. Land Rover suggests light-coloured leather in the front and a darker shade for the rear. “That’s the opposite of what we’d generally do with a chauffeur-driven car: the Range Rover built for the Queen, for example,” explains McGovern (pictured below). “But the SV Coupe is a driver’s car.”
The choice of (beautifully finished) wood veneers ranges from sporty Natural Black Ash to Nautica: a striped, sycamore and walnut blend that recalls the deck of a Riva speedboat.
Beyond this, you’re into the realms of individual personalisation. “We can offer engraved door handles, monogrammed kick-plates, rose-gold badges, family crests stitched into the headrests – anything the client wants, basically,” explains one Land Rover spokesman.
Fortunately, designers are available to guide each SV Coupe customer through ‘bespoking’ his or her car. The whole process takes two to three hours, aided by a computer programme that allows you to visualise the finished article. Want to see if lime green paint works with hot pink alloys? The answer is just a few clicks away…
Range Rover SV Coupe: first verdict
With the entry-level Range Rover costing £76,795 and the RR Sport SVR edging just under £100,000, the SV Coupe looks eye-wateringly expensive. You could buy a Rolls-Royce Ghost for less (although the forthcoming Rolls Cullinan SUV will probably be more).
Does the price tag matter? Probably not. This is a bespoke, luxury product, and aimed at people more worried about exclusivity than money. Finding 999 such ‘clients’ worldwide shouldn’t prove too difficult, especially when the car looks this good. Indeed, one LR insider tells me several pre-order SV Coupes have already exceeded £300k after options.
We’ve turned our noses up at SUV coupes in the past, but there’s something beguiling about this ultimate Range Rover. It’s a special machine, no doubt, and a surefire future classic. The lucky few will take delivery in autumn 2018.
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Vauxhall has released these pictures of its new Corsa GSi ahead of it going on sale later this year.
The sub-VXR follows the launch of the Insignia GSi, which the firm says takes a ‘performance through dynamics’ approach, concentrating on an upgraded chassis rather than outright performance.
As such, although Vauxhall hasn’t confirmed the engines on offer for the Corsa GSi, we expect it to use the 150hp 1.4-litre turbocharged unit available in the current range.
Based on the standard three-door Corsa, the GSi sits on 18-inch alloys with suspension and brakes from the hot VXR model. Aesthetic upgrades – red brake calipers aside – include large air intakes and a honeycomb grille to the front of the car, and a rear spoiler at the rear. Chrome tailpipes and carbon-trimmed features complete the sporty appearance.
Inside, there are leather Recaro sports seats, a leather steering wheel and aluminium pedals. There’s also Vauxhall’s Intellilink infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple Carplay connectivity.
Although developments from Vauxhall’s performance VXR brand seem to have slowed following the firm’s take over by PSA Group, bosses have hinted that the future could involve a more hardcore sports car, likely to use hybrid powertrains.
Prices for the Vauxhall Corsa GSi are yet to be announced – but expect some tempting finance packages in a bid to appeal to a younger market than the VXR.
I don’t do many of the media unveils at Motor Shows. Too much of a bun fight, with a thousand other journalists and wretched I-was-a-college-grad-last week-but-now-I-am-an-important-social-media-influencer types elbowing me.
But I did make the reveal of the Range Rover SV Coupe at Geneva this month. I was genuinely intrigued. This SUV coupe idea has largely been the preserve of the German luxury brands, started (and you are welcome to correct me if I am wrong) by BMW with its X5-derived X6, and then Mercedes with the GLE Coupe.
Both of these are as ugly as sin, but taste and plenty of disposable have never gone hand in hand, and both have sold well to the crowd who like to flash their credentials.
We knew that when Land Rover moved into the same game, it would bring both class and good judgement to the market. That’s what the ultimate Range Rover has always stood for, so much so that it’s hard to believe that all this loveliness goes hand-in-hand with stump pulling, mud-plugging off-road ability that is rarely surpassed, even by a tractor.
And so to the 88th Geneva International Motor Show. Finally the wraps are pulled of the quarter of million pounds Range Rover Coupe, and what do we see?
A three-door Range Rover.
No otherwise discernible changes to the bodywork. It seems like a trick, the automotive equivalent of Hans Christian Andersen’s fable of the emperor’s new clothes. And yes, everyone applauds.
Cruelly, it looks like design director Gerry McGovern spent as much time on his usual immaculate sartorial presentation as he did on this new Range Rover.
Led by misguided government policy and screaming headlines rather than detailed facts, new car buyers are steering clear of diesels. If they drive mainly in the city, fair enough. An EV, plug-in hybrid or at least a regular petrol is better for them.
However, the vast majority of people in Britain don’t only drive in the city. All those people zipping up and down our motorways for one. EV’s won’t be for them. But by dodging diesel, they’re almost certainly moving into a car that’s worse on fuel economy and worse on emissions. (And, yes, this includes plug-in hybrids.)
But it’s even more alarming than that. Others are choosing not to buy a new car at all, and keeping their old ones. So, holding on to their aged Euro 5 or Euro 4 emissions-compliant motor, instead of buying a clean new Euro 6 vehicle.
Its emissions systems will be worn, its turbo past its best, its exhaust probably permanently smoky and let’s not even mention the emissions the naked eye can’t see – but hey, at least it’s not a dirty new diesel that, from April, the government will clobber with hefty tax hikes, right?
“The single worst thing that can happen is hold-off – it means the most polluting cars will stay on the road indefinitely,” Jaguar Land Rover UK MD Jeremy Hicks told me at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show recently. The monthly new car sales figures suggest people are doing exactly that.
Even the government, in its latest joint inquiry into air quality, agrees that fleet renewal is too slow.
Diesel still has a place. It’s better on CO2 and new diesels are virtually comparable with a modern petrol for all the stuff harming city centre emissions. (Upcoming ‘real world’ WLTP fuel economy tests will validate this.)
We currently don’t have much common sense, though. When a quarter of people think the very worst EU emissions standards are actually the very best, and thousands of people are rushing into cars that are going to cost them more and do less to clean up our air, you have to wonder if it’s even possible to overcome the hysteria.
It’s important we do, though. Because we can’t simply rip up the route map to better air quality and expect things to magically get better. How long will it continue to get worse before people realise this?
Jaguar Land Rover UK MD Jeremy Hicks may be worried about the weight of government-led opinion in the current debate on diesel, but he does not think the argument has been lost, “because there’s good reason and rationale behind it. Last year was the first on record that new car CO2 emissions went up – anyone who’s concerned about the environment has got to think ‘this isn’t good’.”
Hicks has been one of the few automotive industry leaders to publically speak out in favour of modern Euro 6-compliant diesels. Speaking to Motoring Research, he said he is worried that buyers are now so confused, they are choosing to keep their existing older cars rather than swap into new ones. “The single worst thing that can happen is hold-off – it means the most polluting cars will stay on the road indefinitely.”
Hicks blames current government policy that “seems to be to take all diesel cars off the road, rather than just the oldest and most polluting – and it is older diesels that are mainly contributing to air quality issues in cites”.
Describing changes announced by chancellor Philip Hammond (above) in the autumn 2017 budget as a “sledgehammer that will do nothing for CO2,” Hicks expresses frustration with government policy. “It makes no sense at all.” JLR spends a lot of time lobbying the government, he said: “I don’t know how we’ve got to this.”
JLR research has revealed the extent of the confusion. Buyers don’t know the difference between CO2, NOx (nitrogen oxides) and particulate matter (PM). “A quarter of people surveyed think that EU 1 is a higher standard than EU 6.”
It’s actually the exact opposite: EU 1 emissions standards date back to 1992, while the latest ultra-clean EU 6 regulations were mandatory from autumn 2015.
Diesel diligence
There is a glimmer of light on the horizon, though. Last year, said Hicks, it was hard for dealers to make an argument for diesel, such was the weight of public opinion. “Now, we are being more diligent and helping people make the right choice. We are equipping our dealers with tools to help explain this to buyers.” It is working, he added.
“If you live in the city, petrol is almost certainly the right choice. But if you live in a rural area, and cover higher mileages at motorway speeds, diesel still has a place.” Buyers who wrongly move into petrol will face higher fuel bills and emit 15-20 percent more CO2.
“Demonising is the wrong thing – because we are signing up to a future where CO2 levels will rise.
“This is the time to have the courage of our convictions. There are clear environmental and fiscal reasons why I don’t believe in demonising diesel. The route to fixing air quality is to take a balanced approach and ensure people are driving the right fuel for them – not to ban all diesels outright.
“This is penalising the very cars that are part of the solution.”
Mindful of London’s poor inner-city air quality, the Metropolitan Police Service has chosen its new fleet of cars carefully – picking 11 new Toyotas whose only ‘tailpipe’ emission is water that’s clean enough to drink.
The 11 Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell cars have just been delivered to the Met, which now plans to use them in both marked and unmarked guise, for overt and covert responses.
Taking on so many Mirais means the Met will actually be running the world’s largest fleet of hydrogen fuel cell cop cars.
The Met’s Commander, Neil Jerome, said the Toyotas are the service’s first zero-emissions vehicles and is the result of work first started back in late 2015 to hybridise and electrify the police car fleet.
And it’s only the start of things, he added. “This is enabling us to make great strides towards our ambition of procuring 550 vehicles as zero or ultra-low emission by 2020.”
Police offers shouldn’t have too many challenges in refuelling them with hydrogen, either. There are now five hydrogen filling stations across London, with more planned for coming months. It’s part of the Mayor’s Hydrogen London partnership that’s charged with making fuel cell cars viable in the capital.
And unlike many electric cars, police driving the Met’s Mirais shouldn’t suffer too much range anxiety, either – a tankful is good for around 300 miles, comparable with a regular car and in excess of most mainstream electric cars.
All of which has pleased Toyota GB director of operations Mark Roden. “The distinctive livery of the Met’s marked cars means even more public visibility for hydrogen powered cars in and around London.
“This is proof that organisations are seeing the future of hydrogen power for zero emission fleets.”
Aston Martin unveiled the Lagonda Vision Concept at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show, which sees a famous old name making a return to the luxury car segment. Which got us thinking: which defunct car brands would we like to see raised from the dead?
Here’s a good selection of former greats, plus a few that have risen or are rising like a phoenix from the flames. Which carmakers would you add to the list?
A brief history of the vinyl car roof
Lagonda
Before we embark on a tour of dead brands, we’ll begin with Lagonda, which, following a decade of promises, is being revived by Aston Martin to create a zero-emissions luxury brand. Unveiled at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show, the Lagonda Vision Concept is a self-driving luxury car, with front seats that rotate 180 degrees. So, if Lagonda can rise from the ashes, what about the other brands?
AMC
When you can list the likes of the Gremlin, Pacer and Eagle in your back catalogue, your place in motoring history is secured. OK, so the Gremlin and Pacer might be memorable for all the wrong reasons, but for 34 great years, the light of the American Motors Corporation (AMC) shone brightly. AMC played the role of underdog, daring to go where Ford, Chrysler and General Motors dare not tread. We miss AMC.
Austin
Austin was the quintessential British car manufacturer, founded by the brilliantly British sounding Herbert Austin in Longbridge, the former heart of Britain’s car industry. It merged with Morris in 1952, creating the British Motor Corporation (BMC), but once it was swallowed by British Leyland, the writing was on the wall. The Seven, Mini and Metro are high points, the Maxi and Allegro are two of the lows.
The Austin Atlantic pictured here? An attempt at wooing North America that sadly didn’t quite work – it should have been a high but quickly became a low…
Autobianchi
Autobianchi could trace its roots back as far as 1885, when Edoardo Bianchi founded a bicycle manufacturer bearing his name. After the death of Edoardo in 1946, the company passed to his son, Giuseppe. Cutting a long story short, Autobianchi was formed in 1955, with more than a little help from Fiat and Pirelli. The Bianchina was its first car, but the A112 and Y10 are the most notable. The Y10 became a Lancia and, in 1995, Autobianchi was put out to pasture.
Auto Union
OK, so Auto Union essentially became Audi, so the company hasn’t really gone away, but it’s ironic that it was effectively an earlier version of the Volkswagen Group, which would go on to swallow Audi in 1965. Auto Union AG was formed in 1932, with the merger of Audiwerke, Horchwerke and Zschopauer Motorenwerke/DKW. The Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer brand names were retained. Auto Union GmbH was founded in 1949.
Bedford
Do you remember the days when things were a lot simpler? With Bedford, Brits knew where they stood. It built honest commercial vehicles, such as the CA van, Dormobile, OB bus and Beagle. Those of a certain age will also remember the Bedford SB mobile cinema. By the time GM closed the Dunstable, England plant in 1986, the Bedford name had been reduced to badge-engineering, rolling out products such as the Suzuki-based Rascal and Isuzu-based Midi. A sad end for a company that kept Britain working for over 50 years.
Bond
Sharp’s Commercials was founded after the Second World War, changing its name to Bond Cars Ltd in 1963. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Britain’s Bond produced the three-wheeled Minicar, before building its first four-wheel car, the Equipe, in 1963. It was based on the Triumph Herald and powered by a choice of Triumph Spitfire engines.
But its most famous car was the vibrant orange Bond Bug, developed by Reliant to appeal to a younger audience. It’s the reason we’d like to see Bond rise from the ashes.
Daewoo
Wait, before you skip to the next slide, there’s a good reason for us wanting to see the return of Daewoo. The Korean giant might not have produced the world’s most desirable motors, but in its 1990s heyday, it took an innovative approach to the selling of new cars. What’s more, the Matiz was based on the Lucciola, a stillborn Giugiaro concept rejected by Fiat. We miss Daewoo and its reasonably-priced cars.
DAF
Yes, we know the DAF Trucks business is still very much alive and kicking, but we still mourn the passing of its car business. The Dutch firm started making cars in 1958 and became famous for the use of a continuously variable transmission (CVT), known as the Variomatic. Notable cars included the 66, which became the Volvo 66, along with the 55, which enjoyed success on world rally circuits. Volvo took full control in 1975, leaving the DAF name to a commercial future.
De Tomaso
The De Tomaso Mangusta (pictured), Pantera and Longchamp are three of the most masculine sounding car names ever created. The Argentinean Alejandro De Tomaso started building cars in the 1960s, using Ford power and Ghia styling. Later, it would own Maserati, producing the likes of the Biturbo, Kyalami and Quattroporte III.
The company died in 2004 and subsequent attempts to kick-start the firm ended in failure. That said, at the end of 2017, Modena-based ARES Design announced plans to recreate the De Tomaso Pantera using the Lamborghini Huracan. The ARES Project Panther is due to go on sale in autumn 2018.
Duesenberg / Auburn / Cord
Today, your only real chance of seeing a Duesenberg, Auburn or Cord would be at a concours event or a motor museum. In their heyday, these cars represented the pinnacle of American luxury motoring, but were victims of the Great Depression.
Facel Vega
The Facel in Facel Vega was short for Forges et Ateliers de Constructions d’Eure-et-Loir, so you can understand the wish to shorten it. Through the 1950 and 1960s, the French-based company could hold its own alongside the world’s most exclusive cars and were must-have fashion accessories for the rich and famous.
We’d love to see the name return, with a modern-day version of the FV/FVS or HK500 at the top of the list. A new Facel Vega HK500 based on a Chrysler 300?
FSO
At the opposite end of the spectrum is FSO, the company set up by the Polish government in 1951. In the same way Lada built an organisation around the Fiat 124, FSO turned to the Fiat 125. Nearly 1.5 million Polski Fiat 125Ps were built between 1967 and 1991, with the Polski Fiat badge dropped when the license agreement was terminated.
The Polonez was a rebodied 125P, which enjoyed some success in Western European countries such as the UK. We’d like to see FSO return as a budget-led Dacia competitor.
Gilbern
Soon, Aston Martin will start building its new DBX crossover in South Wales, but Gilbern got there first. The Welsh company was founded in 1959 by butcher Giles Smith and Bernard Friese, a German engineer. Until 1973, Gilbern produced a series of pretty, GRP-bodied sports cars, including the wonderfully-named and achingly good looking Invader (pictured). Sadly, the cars were too expensive, not least because of the VAT added to the price of kit cars.
Gordon-Keeble
Goodness, the Gordon-Keeble GT was a handsome machine. Penned by Giugiaro, built by Bertone and powered by a Corvette V8 engine – a dream team. Not only is Gordon-Keeble the most British-sounding company name in the history of Great Britain, it also had one of the greatest badges of all-time. It features a tortoise, chosen for its sense of irony. These are the kind of details that make us yearn for the good old days.
Innocenti
Another former Italian great that didn’t deserve to die, Innocenti started out making Lambretta scooters, before building its first car in 1961. The Innocenti versions of the Austin A40 ‘Farina’ and Austin-Healey Sprite were better than their British counterparts, as was the Mini. The Bertone-styled Mini 90 was a delightful machine, with the later Innocenti Mini de Tomaso taking things a notch further. The less said about the Regent (Allegro – see the Austin ‘lows’…), the better.
Iso
The Iso story is one that is tinged with a sense of what might have been. The ingredients were good – American V8 engines and Italian styling – but the finished product wasn’t quite up to scratch. So while the Italian firm may have harboured ambitions to take on Lamborghini and Ferrari, it couldn’t quite reach these dizzy heights. That said, the Rivolta, Fidia, Grifo and Lele remain objects of real beauty.
Matra
Matra, or Mécanique Aviation Traction was a French aerospace company that ventured into the automotive world in the 1960s. The Djet V and 530 are worthy, but it was the Bagheera and Murena, developed in partnership with Simca, that really caught the eye. The Rancho was a misunderstood forerunner to the modern SUV crossover, while Matra also deserves credit and recognition for the original Renault Espace and Avantime. Sadly, the Matra name died in 2003.
Mercury
The Mercury name was born in 1938, with Ford pitching it somewhere between mainstream Ford products and high-end Lincoln vehicles. By the time of its demise in 2011, Mercury’s share of the market had shrunk to just 1 percent, so you could hardly blame Ford for pulling the plug.
NSU
NSU was established in 1873 as a company producing knitting machines, before moving into bicycle manufacturer under the ‘Germania’ brand name. Motorcycles soon followed, with automobiles the natural progression. Highlights included the Prinz and the much-maligned but innovative Ro80. This rotary-engined car could have been the making of NSU, but it was ultimately the firm’s undoing. In 1969, NSU was taken over by Volkswagen and the name disappeared.
Packard
“Ask the man who owns one,” said the advertising material. For the first half of the last century, Packard was one of America’s most revered automobile brands, producing luxurious coach-built cars, with one eye on innovation. The modern steering wheel, the 12-cylinder engine and air conditioning can all be traced back to Packard.
The decline started in the 1940s, when Packard decided to enter the taxi and fleet markets. It soon found it couldn’t compete with the ‘Big Three’, while at the same time it was losing its high-end customers. The end came in 1958, after a disastrous attempt to rescue Studebaker.
Panhard
Not to be confused with Packard, Panhard was a French company formed in 1887. Like the aforementioned DAF, the Panhard name lives on, this time under the ownership of Renault Trucks Defense, but in its day, the automobile side of the business was wonderfully innovative.
Its range of two-cylinder cars were there at the birth of the industry, but the final Panhard – the 24 – was the best of the breed. Citroen purchased Panhard in the 1960s, but falling sales led to its demise.
Plymouth
Although the Plymouth badge featured the Mayflower ship, which had landed at Plymouth Rock, the name was actually taken from Plymouth binder twine, which was popular with American farmers. This was to be Chrysler’s low-cost brand, something that would help the company ride the Great Depression. By the end, Plymouth was reduced to rolling out badge-engineered Dodge and Mitsubishi models, before fading to grey in 2001. It deserved better.
Pontiac
Few American car brands sound as evocative as Pontiac. Pontiac conjures up images of Smokey and the Bandit, of Knight Rider and of the American dream. The once great name was laid to rest in 2009 and the likes of the Trans Am and GTO make us long for its return.
The Solstice, also known as the Saturn Sky and Opel GT, was one of the final cars to wear the Pontiac badge, but we should also mention the much-maligned Aztek, given a new lease of life by its appearance in Breaking Bad.
Rover
In Rover, Britain had a company that could take on the world. And win. Once independent, Rover was later part of the fifth-largest corporation in the world in the 1970s, but the Honda, British Aerospace and BMW years left this once proud brand looking dazed and confused. The P4, P5, P6 and SDI were true greats, but today, only the Land Rover brand survives. Rover was as British as the BBC, so it’s rather apt that its P4 and P5 models earned it the ‘Auntie’ nickname.
Studebaker
The Studebaker name sounds as American as mom’s apple pie and for over 100 years, it was part of the automotive furniture. Amazingly, the firm was founded in 1852, later incorporated in 1868 as the Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company. Back then, it was producing wagons for farmers, miners and the military, entering the automotive industry in 1902. It built some spectacular cars, including the delightful Avanti, but the brand died in 1967.
Triumph
Of all the defunct British car brands, Triumph is the one you’d think would stand the greatest chance of a successful comeback. Even today, the names of its sports cars conjure up images of the British countryside, an empty B-road and a jolly good drive. The TR4, the TR6, the Vitesse, Spitfire and Stag. And we haven’t even mentioned the 2000 and Dolomite. Like so many British car companies, Triumph was a victim of the British Leyland debacle.
Vanden Plas
Carrosserie Van den Plas was a Belgian coachbuilder, established in 1898. A British subsidiary was created in 1913, before it became part of the British Motor Corporation (BMC). Its cars were high-end Austin-Morris products, stuffed with leather, real wood and special paint finishes. In many ways, Vanden Plas was the ‘mainstream premium’ sub-brand of yesterday and although the VDP versions of the Allegro, Maestro and Metro were questionable, we have a huge soft spot for faux luxury. Not to mention fold-down picnic tables.
Allard
But what of the brands that have risen from the ashes? Allard Motor Company was incorporated in 1945 by Sydney Allard, with the cars powered by American V8 engines. He had built cars before, but production of Allard cars didn’t start until 1946. Sydney raced and rallied many of his cars and the photo shows him ahead of Alberto Ascari’s Ferrari at the 1953 Le Mans race. A fire destroyed the Allard factory in 1966, with Sydney Allard passing away at his home on the same night. In 2012, a new Allard Sports Car Company was formed.
Alpine
In 2016, Renault launched the Alpine Vision concept, breathing new life into a once great French brand. Societe des Automobiles Alpine was founded by Jean Rédélé in 1955, after he had enjoyed motorsport success at the wheel of a Renault 4CV. Its first car was the A106, but it was the A110 rally car that put the Alpine name on the map. Other greats included the A310 and GTA, with Alpine’s Dieppe factory later used to build Renaultsport cars and the Espace.
Alpine is taking deposits on the new A110, which will be available in the second quarter of 2018.
Bristol
Founded as the Bristol Aeroplane Company at the end of the Second World War, Bristol built cars at Filton, England. It soon developed a reputation for assembling exquisite cars using the best craftsmanship, for the most discerning of customers. Highlights included the Britannia, the Beaufighter and the Brigand, not to mention the wild 210mph Fighter.
Bristol fell into receivership in 2011, before being rescued by Kamkorp/Frazer-Nash. Things have gone a bit quiet since Bristol unveiled the $350,000 Bullet speedster in the summer of 2016.
Bugatti
Look, if you’re going to make a comeback, you really ought to do something memorable. In its early days, Bugatti was a force to be reckoned with, powering its way to numerous race wins and offering the last word in speed, luxury and excess. The famous French marque was declared bankrupt in the 1990s, before Volkswagen parachuted in to complete a famous rescue mission. First came the Veyron, then the Chiron.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Datsun
Readers of a certain age will remember Datsun for being one of the first Japanese carmakers to enter overseas markets. Nissan re-launched the historic brand in 2013, with its website saying: “For the young risers, mobility is both physical and social access to opportunities. They deserve nothing but a brand of their own. That’s why Datsun is returning and rising as the badge for the risers.”
DeLorean Motor Company
The company that owns the rights to the original DeLorean DMC-12 has been granted permission to start building new models and selling them in the United States. It’s early days, but given the company purchased all the assets from the failed Belfast factory, there’s no reason why a new DMC-12 wouldn’t be a success. Don’t bank on it being powered by a Renault V6…
Saab
And so to Saab, the once brilliant and eccentric, or brilliantly eccentric Swedish company that died in 2011. Since then, it has been a constant tale of will they, won’t they, but nobody is quite sure whether Saab will indeed be ‘bjorn’ again.
Last year, National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS), the company that bought the assets of bankrupt Saab, claimed it would build five new Saabs by 2018. It has since been told it will be unable to use the name, the rights of which still belong to Saab AB (the Swedish aerospace company).
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