It was a racing team that became famous in the 1960s for preparing — and winning championships with — fire-breathing Fords that beat even the Blue Oval’s works teams, but now Alan Mann Racing is taking a giant leap into the electric era with a new restomod EV based on the classic Ford Mustang. The first in a new line of “Alan Mann Legacy Edition” restomod models, the AMR ePower Mustang is heavily modified throughout to accommodate the new electric drivetrain, with uprated and lightweight suspension, brakes and other components to compensate for the extra weight of the battery. The overall pack ..read more

I realised I was taking it all too seriously around an hour after I started Googling “best shoes for pedal cars” and, perhaps more usefully, “karting shoes for children”. Before this point, the possibility of my nine-year-old daughter winning the Settrington Cup, Goodwood Revival’s world-famous pedal car race, hadn’t really entered my mind — we’d be there partly for a bit of fun, and partly for family reasons that I’ll come on to. But I’d been looking for the ultimate pedal car shoes for a whole hour. I put down my phone and had a little word with myself. I had sworn I wouldn’t become that guy ..read more

While the while idea of converting classic cars to electric power is not without its controversy, it’s difficult to disagree with when it has been done as well as this — British EV conversion specialist Lunaz has converted a 1960 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II to run on batteries. Quite apart from being a glamorous car in itself, this particular Silver Cloud II was once in celebrity hands — none other than Oscar-winning actress and Italian superstar, Sophia Loren. David Lorenz, founder of Lunaz said: “Every Rolls-Royce elevated by Lunaz has its own unique and fascinating story to tell, but few ca ..read more

The British company behind ultra-detailed scaled down versions of the Bugatti Type 35 and Aston Martin DB5 has revealed a new 85-per-cent-scale, pure-electric Blower Bentley that can be used on the road. Based on the 1929 4½-litre Supercharged No. 2 team car in Bentley’s own collection, the new shrunken “city car” from The Little Car Company is described as a “recreation of the most famous Bentley in the world.” With a 20bhp electric motor and a top speed of 45mph, the Blower Jnr will offer tandem seating for two and a dedicated luggage space. It’s also expected to cover around 65 miles on a s ..read more

Few cars have gained the cult status that’s been earned by the BMW M3. The original E30 generation’s combination of low weight, rear-wheel-drive handling and a high-revving four-cylinder engine meant it saw off all comers on the racetrack, and it won the World Touring Car Championship in 1987, the European title in 1987 and 1988, as well as 17 national titles during its racing career. But for some, BMW and its M cars are more associated with straight-six powerplants, originally found in cars such as the M1 and M5. Now German tuning firm Manhart has combined the two, by taking an E30 M3 and stu ..read more

What is the Silverstone Festival? The Silverstone Festival (formerly the Silverstone Classic) is the Northamptonshire circuit’s answer to both the Goodwood Festival of Speed and the Goodwood Revival, combined. It’s a weekend where you can watch incredible racing cars of all eras genuinely slugging it out — not just driving parade laps — on one of the UK’s most historic and famous racing circuits. The cars on track run the gamut from the 1920s all the way up to screaming modern Formula One cars, while in the paddock there’s a proper family-friendly atmosphere and even music provided by some of ..read more

The 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed is just around the corner and auction house Bonhams has announced the lots set to go under the hammer in its exclusive sale at year’s event. Leading the selection of cars is a unique Koenigsegg CCGT GT1 Competition Coupé, the only model made by the Swedish supercar manufacturer specifically for racing. The car was built as an after-hours project between 2003-2007 and was designed to meet the GT1 endurance racing regulations of the time, with eyes set on competition in the Le Mans 24 Hours. However, a change in regulations where manufacturers had to build 350 ..read more

A 1961 Aston Martin DB4GT once owned by the actor Peter Sellers is expected to sell for up to £2,600,000 when it goes under the hammer next month. Best known as the getaway car for Sellers’ character Pearly Gates in the 1963 comedy crime film The Wrong Arm of the Law, the Aston featured in a famous high-speed car chase through Uxbridge Moor, with a Wolseley 6/90 police car in pursuit. The Aston was driven by Sellers for the ‘hero shots’ while the more fast-paced action was filmed with Aston Martin dealer Ken Rudd — who appeared in the film as a gangster extra — behind the wheel. Rudd’s dealers ..read more

The Little Car Company, better known for its ‘junior’ versions of classic cars such as the Bugatti Type 45 and Aston Martin DB5, has released more details and images of something aimed at grown ups: a full-sized version of Tamiya’s famous Wild One radio-controlled (R/C) off-road racing toy. First released in 1985, the Wild One has become a firm favourite with enthusiasts of R/C cars, and those with deep enough pockets can now finally indulge their fantasy of sitting in one and driving it for real. Just 100 examples of the Tamiya Wild One Max Launch Editions will be made, although if you miss o ..read more

What did the squillionaires who own a Bugatti Type 35, Aston Martin DB5 or Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa get for Christmas? It could very well have been a smaller version of their multimillion-pound classic that they were unboxing. It sounds daft, but not to the 250 people who so far have bought one of the exquisite, handbuilt 75% scale reproductions produced by the Little Car Company. Based at Bicester Heritage, the fast-growing home of Britain’s historic motoring industry, the Little Car Company was launched in 2019 and has made startling progress since, doubling turnover each year. In 2023 it aim ..read more