THE FUTURE MEETS THE PAST AT THE 2018 LES GRANDES HEURES AUTOMOBILES (LGHA)

THE FUTURE MEETS THE PAST AT THE 2018 LES GRANDES HEURES AUTOMOBILES (LGHA)

LGHA 2018 Grid

The recent fourth edition of the annual Les Grandes Heures Automobiles (LGHA), held at the French temple of speed – the legendary banked Linas-Montlhéry Autodrome circuit just south of Paris – was unanimously declared to be the best yet by both the hundreds of participating competitors, plus the record number of enthusiastic spectators from all over Europe, all of which revealed in the glorious sunshine as they enjoyed spectacular vehicle demonstrations on the steeply banked Montlhéry track.

The famous record-breaking metallic-bronze Jaguar XK120 Fixed Head Coupe, registered LWK 707 and driven in early August 1952 by a quartet of British drivers - Stirling Moss, Leslie Johnson, Jack Fairman and Bert Hadley – to set an average speed record of 107.46 mph for seven days and nights non-stop at the Linas-Montlhéry Autodrome track, made a welcome and emotional return to the steeply racked circuit especially for the LGHA.

The Jaguar was joined by a Ferrari 156 F1 ‘Sharknose’ from the UK, driven by racing legend Arturo Merzario from Italy, along with the well-known BMW 3-Series Group 5 ‘Jägermeister’ from Switzerland, a selection of vintage competition Porsches from Germany, motorcycles from Belgium, plus naturally many exceptional models from France, including Matra, Alpine, Citroen, Bugatti, Peugeot, Voisin, Venturi and others, such as some rare racing Abarth SPs, Lancia Stratos, Ford GT40s and various Ferraris.

Members of the ex-works Alpine-Renault rally team gathered around Jacques Cheinisse and some of his ‘musketeers’ at LGHA to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the first WRC Constructors Title in the history of rallying. Other famous drivers present at the 2018 LGHA included Jean-Claude Andruet, François Chatriot, Emmanuel Collard, Erik Comas, Jean Pierre Jaussaud, Arturo Merzario, Philippe Monneret, Norman Nato, Bob Neyret, Nelson Panciatici and rallying legend Bruno Saby.

For the fourth LGHA, Europe converged on the Autodrome to put it back at the heart of the historic motorsports, but with the modern additions of a series of activities, including Formula E and a drift session and current trials bikers, using parts of the new Montlhéry infield construction site to jaw-dropping advantage. The Paris auction house Aguttes organised its second sale in the LGHA’s 1924 Pavilion, its star lots including a trio of important AC models, plus a number of modern classic hot hatches; all fetching healthy prices.

More than 50 exhibitors presented their latest products and expertise to the LGHA visitors, including Alpine, Alfa Romeo, Effeffe and new local passenger car producer MPM Motors, with its Erelis model making its dynamic world debut on the Montlhéry banking, with the LGHA visiting public able to drive the cars for themselves. There was fun for younger ages too with mini-quads, mini 4x4s, and mini-bikes to add to the passion for motoring from an early age.

Away from the historic competition machines at the LGHA, a huge display of around 1,000 vehicles from many classic cars and bikes clubs were also in attendance, as well as exotic special supercars and performance GTs, plus a special LGHA classic car tour to the event.

A video highlight of the 2017 LGHA can be viewed and shared from the following link;

http://lesgrandesheuresautomobiles.com/en/autodrome-linas-montlhery-france/(2017 LGHA aerial view summary; 06.48 runtime)

CARVAULT – DIGITALLY SECURING YOUR CAR’S HISTORY AND FUTURE VALUE

CARVAULT – DIGITALLY SECURING YOUR CAR’S HISTORY AND FUTURE VALUE

Helping the owners of classic and collector cars maintain provenance and maximise future value, carvault, a new UK-based start-up, has launched an innovative cloud service to safely store and manage the entirety of a vehicle’s documents and service history.

The web-based carvault subscription service can be quickly and easily accessed via a desktop or mobile-friendly web app, allowing both owners and dealers to upload a car’s paper-based history on a secure digital platform.

With a large portion of any car’s value tied up in its history, carvault and its founder Benjamin Willis understand that curating any car’s past and preserving it online is key to its future value. Preventing lost, stolen or destroyed documents, carvault ensures that any paper-based history is protected forever with a digital copy. What’s more, this portfolio of documents can even be validated through the company’s community of knowledgeable enthusiasts and specialists.

From old invoices, certificates, tax records and even historical V5s to prove provenance, carvault’s secure, blockchain-inspired solution digitally preserves a car’s history and protects the vehicle’s value. Should paper copies be lost, stolen, or destroyed, carvault has the secure, digital copy back-up that cannot be changed or deleted.

Understanding that preserving value also goes beyond a car’s digitally-secure history, carvault has another trick up its sleeve. Once signed up, all owners and members have a wealth of discounted ancillary services at their fingertips. From car storage to transportation and logistics, event insurance and even tickets to events, carvault is a one-stop solution for classic and collector cars to maintain provenance and maximise retained value.

The membership process to secure a car’s paper footprint is simple. All new users are invited to upload their car’s registration number to start the digital journey. While the DVLA will upload historical tax and MOT information to each car’s profile, carvault takes over by allowing users to store all of the vehicle’s important paperwork. Members can either upload directly from their mobile device using their smartphone’s camera or scanned files via the desktop site.

With a background in the automotive industry specialising in high-end sales and valuations, Willis, said, “A car’s history is key to getting the best valuation, but most people take little consideration to protect it. With carvault, classic car storage now moves beyond the physical and into the digital.”

All new members are invited to activate their free subscription and upload their car(s)’ vital paper information via www.carvault.io.

carvault demonstration with Alfa Romeo 8C and smartphone

RBW SECURES THE FUTURE OF CLASSIC MOTORING WITH NEW ELECTRIC RECREATIONS

CLASSIC TORQUE

FROM CLASSIC CHATTER

RBW SECURES THE FUTURE OF CLASSIC MOTORING WITH NEW ELECTRIC RECREATIONS

Midlands classic motoring specialist RBW Classic Electric Cars have joined forces with world leading names to secure the future of classic motoring with the launch of two limited edition electric recreations.

RBW is working closely with Zytek Automotive, part of Continental AG, who provides the world championship winning technology applied to Formula E racing cars. The aim is to create a stunning vehicle that has the aesthetic appeal of a classic car but with all the engineering of a modern electric vehicle.

Managing Director Peter Swain said: “Our aim is to make these great classic cars better for the modern age and to do that, we have been fortunate to be supported by great companies who share the same ethos.

The first of the electric designs is the RBW MGB recreation, which affords all the stylings of an MGB, with the second being the RBW XKSS recreation, based on the Jaguar model. Both cars preserve these iconic designs for the future classic motorist.

To ensure drivers comfortable driving and complete safety, rather than taking an old body shell with distressed and tired metal, RBW has partnered with British Motor Heritage and Gregson Polska to provide brand new body shells.

Swain added: “In our research and development, we put the cars through vigorous testing which showed just how much pressure is on the body as well as the components. Such is the power of the engine, we used new components wherever possible to ensure the best for owners to enjoy their classic electric sports car.

The limited-edition hand-built models, with an initial 30 examples created, launched to the motoring trade at Cenex, a showcase of low carbon vehicle technologies, on 12/13 September.

A public launch will follow at the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show from 9-11 November at Birmingham’s NEC where enthusiasts can reserve their vehicle with a small deposit.

For more information visit: www.rbwclassicelectriccars.co.uk