As we head into autumn, many of you will now be thinking about storing your cars away for the colder months. Fittingly, we thought now would be the perfect time to remind you of some easy ways to keep your car safe. You can read more here.
The name's Bond…
After an eighteen-month delay, Daniel Craig returned to the screen for his final outing as the super spy. The film was well-received by both audiences and critics, but it also featured a stellar line-up of motor cars. We aren't spoiling too much by saying that Aston Martin features prominently, with DB5, V8 saloon, DBS and even the Valhalla all making appearances, together with the Land Rover Defender.
Discover some of Mr Bond's lesser-known motor cars throughout the years here.
If you are fortunate enough to own an Aston Martin, whether it's a DB5 or the very latest DBS, Lockton can help you protect it. As exclusive insurance brokers to the Aston Martin Owners Club, our policy is designed to provide the very best protection for your special car.
It's a Risky Business
Staying with our partner car clubs and the silver screen, we look next at a car that won the European Car of the Year award in 1978 and was originally designed to replace one of the most iconic sports cars ever made – Porsche's 911.
The 928 is a luxury Grand Tourer with a front-mounted V8, and could seat four adults. While the 911 outlived it (with production continuing today, some 26 years after the 928 was discontinued), it remains a milestone car for the German manufacturer.
It also played a starring role in one of Tom Cruise's early movies, Risky Business. The model used for most of filming was recently sold by US auctioneer Barrett-Jackson for a staggering $1,978,000 (USD).
The same car sold in 2011 for less than $50,000 and a concours condition 928 would be worth less than $100,000, so clearly the movie connection has a tangible impact on value.
You don't need to own a movie star Porsche to enjoy the benefits available to Porsche Club GB members under Lockton's exclusive scheme. Simply contact us for a quotation or further details.
Miami…Twice?
For readers of a certain age, the stars of the eighties' TV series Miami Vice were two Ferraris. Most notable of the pair was the white Testarossa driven by Don Johnson's character, Sonny Crockett (the Daytona Spider was in fact a replica, but that's a story for another time).
We were therefore intrigued to hear about a company called Officine Fioravanti and their restored and modernised interpretation of this iconic motor car. It also made some of us feel a little old, as this is not a Ferrari from the 1950's or 60's!
The Swiss-based firm left the styling almost unchanged, both inside and out. We think that's a good thing as the car has unmistakably 1980's characteristics, from the slim windscreen pillars to the side air intakes.
Power from the flat-12 engine has been increased, to more than 500bhp and the car has apparently passed 200mph in testing. Bespoke upgraded suspension and braking components aim to ensure that the car's increased performance doesn't come at the cost of safety.
Inside, the cabin is retrimmed and modern instrumentation and switches discreetly replace the originals. The audio system is similarly subtly integrated and provides Apple Car Play.
Lockton is the exclusive insurance partner to the Ferrari Owners' Club and our scheme can cater for the earliest car, right through to brand-new models.
Other motoring news
AMG Mercedes has announced that its long-awaited hypercar, the Project One, will finally enter production midway through 2022. We have reported previously on the challenges of creating a road car based quite literally around a Formula One car, but it does appear that the car will be one to watch next year. Motoring enthusiasts are likely to witness a mouth-watering battle as the Project One faces Aston Martin's Valkyrie and Gordon Murray Design's T.50, which itself was unveiled at the recent Goodwood Members' Meeting.
Speaking of the T.50, video was released of multiple Indy Car champion Dario Franchitti putting the engine through its paces at Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire, including runs up to the car's astonishing 12,100rpm maximum. The test mule, affectionately named “George” by Franchitti, is an Ultima kit car, which has been used to test the Cosworth-developed V12. You can watch the video here – we recommend turning up your volume!
The one place where you definitely won't see either car, however, is the 2022 Geneva motor show, as organisers have again cancelled the event (for the third successive year). Supply chain shortages, including the ongoing semiconductor chip issue, are blamed for manufacturers being unable to attend, but the organisers have stated that they intend to hold the famous event again in 2023.
Our next item has a broad James Bond link, with Rolls Royce announcing an all-new EV only model to enter production in 2023, ahead of the move to an all-electric range by 2030.
Details at this point are sketchy, but Rolls Royce is reported to have covered more than 1.5 million miles in testing and will base the new car on existing model base structure. Some photographs released by Rolls Royce show a large coupe, but they are yet to confirm whether this is close to the final production car.
The 007 link is in the name, which has been confirmed as the 'Rolls Royce Spectre'. We think it has a rather nice ring to it.
While the recently reported fuel shortages appear to have subsided as quickly as they began, new car production remains hampered by the ongoing global shortage of semiconductor chips, coupled with supply chain issues. UK production during August was down by 27% against the same period last year. EV sales at the same time, however, were reported at 27.6% of the 37,200 cars made – the highest percentage to date.
In contrast, Ford has announced plans to build a £4.1bn “Blue Oval City”, which will focus on EV production and development. The facility, in Stanton, Tennessee, is claimed to be the largest and most complex factory in the company's history and, Ford said, the largest investment by a US car maker in EV production history.
Back in the UK, one of the oldest manufacturers has announced what may be its final ICE-powered car. AC's Ace RS continuation is based on the car that led to the iconic Cobra and features a thoroughly modern 2.3 litre turbocharged 4-cylinder engine found in Ford's Mustang. Producing 350bhp and with a weight of around 1,000kg, the car promises equally impressive performance.
AC has committed future production to electric vehicles, so the Ace RS looks set to be one of the last petrol-powered vehicles that the firm will make.
Motorsport
As Formula One enters the final third of the 2022 season, Lewis Hamilton scored his hundredth win. He became the first driver to achieve this milestone at a rain-hit Russian GP weekend at the Sochi circuit. Land Norris was left to ponder what might have been after a late stop as the rain came, losing a potential win to the seven-time champion. Hamilton retained the title lead ahead of Max Verstappen, who charged through from last place, having taken a penalty following an engine change.
Turkey was the next stop, and this time it was Hamilton and Mercedes who fell foul of the same late pitstop dilemma during a damp race. Hamilton had taken an engine change-related grid penalty and started in eleventh after an impressively dominant qualifying session. His teammate Bottas won convincingly and, with Verstappen finishing second, the Red Bull driver retook the championship lead.
The US round saw one of the most absorbing races in recent seasons. Hamilton made a lightning start and Verstappen gave immediate chase. What followed was a true cat-and-mouse game combining both pitstop strategy with the two best drivers on the current grid battling for the lead. Hamilton managed to make up almost 7 seconds in the closing laps but finished second, with the Dutch driver extending his lead to thirteen points with five races remaining.BTCC saw the first outing for the next generation of touring car at the Silverstone round, with Andrew Jordan taking the Toyota Corolla to the track in practice. He posted a lap time seven-tenths off the fastest time set. To put this in perspective, the entire field was covered by 1.049 seconds. The 2022 car was being driven primarily for systems testing with lap times only recorded towards the end of the 40-minute session.
The series moved to Donington for its penultimate round and Gordon Shedden won two of the three races. Defending champion Ash Sutton left with his lead intact as BTCC headed to Brands Hatch for the final race weekend of 2021.
Sutton clinched his third championship in the second of three races and won the third in emphatic style in his Infiniti, with the customary no holds barred final race living up to expectation with plenty of action throughout the field. 2021 marks the final season using engines supplied by Swindon Powertrain, as the championship switches to hybrid power supplied by Malcom Wilson's M-Sport operation.
Moving to sportscar racing; the next generation of World Endurance Championship (WEC) cars have been revealed, with the latest contenders in the Le Mans Hyper Car (LMH) and LMDh series.
LMDh facilitates the use of a control chassis supplied by one of four manufacturers. This removes the cost of developing a bespoke base for the car. LMH cars have greater power, but rules are designed to ensure that racing stays close, as recent seasons have seen a single manufacturer dominate.
With the 2022 season almost upon us, contenders including Alpine, Peugeot, Toyota and Scuderia Glickenhaus have all revealed their cars. More are expected to be unveiled, including Ferrari and Porsche, the latter marking a return to endurance racing after a fifty year absence. Engines include both turbocharged and hybrid, while advances in aerodynamics see a number of cars lose large rear wings, with airflow management being controlled by the main body of the car.
LMDh is designed to allow a wider field of entrants to race as costs will be lower than LMH and the rules will allow cars to also race in the American IMSA series with minimal changes. Audi, BMW, Cadillac and Acura have all confirmed entry.
New cars for October
- Ford's Mustang Mach-1 is not to be confused with its Mach-E electrified SUV namesake. This is a V8 powered, 454bhp coupe with a manual gearbox and a sub-£55,000 price
- Lamborghini Ultimae – the last version of one of the ultimate bedroom wall poster cars of recent years. Featuring a 769bhp version of the V12 engine, the model will be replaced with a hybrid before the manufacturer switches to EV-only production
- Mercedes AMG GT73e – the first car to use a new plug-in hybrid system and developing 800bhp from its twin turbo V8 and electric motors. Claimed to be the most powerful 4-door car in production
- Porsche Macan – a midlife facelift and new engines for Porsche's junior SUV, all of which produce more power than the previous model
Glenmarch report
More auction news from Glenmarch can be found here.
So, the latest Bond movie has arrived at last, autumn is here and – almost unbelievably – our next roundup will include reference to Christmas. Last year, we managed to get an interview with a gentleman for whom December is a very busy month – what will this November bring, we wonder?