THE CAR YEARS AIRING ON ITV4 EVERY TUESDAY FROM 7TH MAY

THE CAR YEARS AIRING ON ITV4 EVERY TUESDAY FROM 7TH MAY

Brand-new car show sponsored by Footman James and fronted by Vicki Butler-Henderson and Alex Riley to air on ITV4 at 8pm and 8.30pm on Tuesdays from 7th May

The first episodes of The Car Years, presented by Vicki Butler-Henderson and Alex Riley, will hit screens on 7th May with a double bill on ITV4. Sponsored by Footman James, the new show for petrol heads celebrates some of the most important cars in automotive history.

Enjoying a prime evening slot, the first double-bill of The Car Years will air from 8pm and continues at 8.30pm. The first instalment of six challenges lead presenters Vicki and Alex to champion what in their opinion is the best car released in 1964, Vicki makes the case for the iconic Porsche 911 while Alex thinks American muscle should win and fights the corner of the Ford Mustang.

Only one car can win, and adjudication comes in the form of three expert judges. A panel of famous faces and industry experts join the show’s cast, each doubling up as an expert commentator and helping tell the stories and backgrounds behind the stand-out cars.  The first episode sees Quentin Willson, presenter and journalist; Chris Routledge, Managing Director of leading auction house Coys and ex-Top Gear and current The Grand Tour script editor Richard Porter make the big decision on whether the 911 or the Mustang win.

Episode two focuses on 1984 and the warring presenters are challenged to pick a supercar that born in 84 but best sums up the decade of decadence that was the Eighties.  Vicki opts for a turbo-powered Group B rally-ready Ford RS200 while Alex champions Miami Vice favourite the Ferrari Testarossa.  The winning car is chosen once again by Chris Routledge and Richard Porter this time joined by former F1 star, journalist and broadcaster Karun Chandhok on the expert panel.

A perfect fit for one of the leading classic vehicle insurance specialists, Footman James Managing Director, David Bond explained why The Car Years is a sure-fire hit, “Vicki, Alex and the rest of the presenting team make the show. The programme has the right balance of learning about what makes these iconic cars special and the stories behind how they came to life, delivered with beautiful photography and humour. I challenge everyone to watch the first episode and not head straight to the classifieds.”

After appearing on the Footman James stand at last month’s Practical Classics Classic Car & Restoration Show, co-presenter Alex Riley explained why car fans should tune to ITV4 at 8pm on Tuesday 7th May, “I can’t think of another show that’s so totally focused on the cars… because we’re not buying, selling, or restoring, we can really go to town telling their often surprising stories. Add in gorgeous photography and brilliant archive footage and it’s a feast for the eyes.”

For more information on The Car Years, please click here.

NEW CLASSIC CAR TV SHOW RACES TO ITV4

NEW CLASSIC CAR TV SHOW RACES TO ITV4

One of the UK’s leading classic vehicle insurance specialists, Footman James, is proud to announce that their sponsored show, The Car Years, will be aired on ITV4

Today, Footman James revealed at the Practical Classics Classic Car and Restoration Show, that the brand-new classic car TV show, The Car Years, will be hosted on ITV4.

ITV4 is a haven of sport, action and entertainment, now thanks to The Car Years, it’s adding to their classic car programmes too. Alongside some of the world’s most entertaining sporting action, with the likes of the French Open, Live Darts and Goodwood Revival, it’s now time to add another classic car show to the list.

Fronted by British racing driver and TV presenter, Vicki Butler-Henderson, alongside TV and radio presenter, Alex Riley; The Car Years will be a breath of fresh air to the classic car scene.

Each episode will focus on an important year in automotive history, where both Butler-Henderson and Riley will go head to head with each other to select a classic car from that year and pitch their reasons why they think they should win to some of the most cultivated experts in the classic vehicle industry. The judges include, presenter and journalist, Quentin Willson; ex-Top Gear and current The Grand Tour editor, Richard Porter; F1 star and F1 pundit, Karun Chandhok; and Managing Director of Coys auction house, Chris Routledge. With every episode based at the home of Footman James’ partners, the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu, enthusiasts will be sure to recognise some of the amazing backdrops too.

Footman James recently asked funny man himself, Alex Riley, in a Q&A session, why he thinks people should tune into The Car Years; Riley answered, ‘I can’t think of another show that’s so totally focussed on the cars… because we’re not buying, selling, or restoring, we can really go to town telling their often-surprising stories. Add in gorgeous photography and brilliant archive footage and it’s a feast for the eyes.’

Footman James Managing Director, David Bond, added, ‘it’s great that we can finally reveal the channel that The Car Years will be featured on. It is a completely new direction for us at Footman James to sponsor a TV show, as we have never done anything like this before and the fact that it is on ITV4 is all that more exciting. I want to thank Alex and Vicki for supporting the show as their comedic chemistry, mixed with their love for classic cars, really makes The Car Years a classic car TV show not to be missed.’

The Car Year’s Producer, Jim Wiseman, commented, ‘Wiser Film are very proud of what we’ve managed to achieve producing this new and exciting car series. We feel privileged to have Footman James as our sponsor.’

The date of when The Car Years will be aired is yet to be confirmed, but you can be first in the know by following Footman James on Facebook or by signing up to their newsletter by visiting footmanjames.co.uk/newsletter.

FINDING THE VERY FIRST HELP LOCATE THE LOTUS MARK I

FINDING THE VERY FIRST 

HELP LOCATE THE LOTUS MARK I

Hazel Chapman in the Lotus Mark I. Copyright the Colin Chapman Foundation

• The campaign to find founder Colin Chapman’s first car
• Lotus Mark, I built in London in 1948
• Whereabouts unknown for over 60 years
• The inception of Lotus’ performance-orientated approach
• Search marks 70 years since Chapman’s founding principles

Calling on enthusiasts, collectors and car hunters worldwide, Lotus needs your help in tracking down the long-lost Lotus Mark I, the first car built by company founder Colin Chapman

As the British marque continues its 70th celebrations, it wants fans from around the world to pick up the trail of the most elusive Lotus ever – the competition car that the young engineer hand-built in a small London garage owned by his then girlfriend’s parents. Overcoming the standard car’s limitation Chapman applied innovative approaches to improve its performance in challenging trials competitions.

Despite its existence being well documented, the current whereabouts of the Mark I remain a mystery. Built by Chapman, with the help of friends and his girlfriend (who later became his wife), Hazel, he entered a number of events in 1948 with immediate success. However, Colin was constantly innovating, and was soon hard at work on the Mark II. The first car was sold in November 1950 but, from there, the car’s trail goes cold. Despite much research over the years, its whereabouts have never been established.

Joining Lotus in the hunt for the origin of its species is the son of the company’s founder, and director of Classic Team Lotus, Clive Chapman. “The Mark I is the holy grail of Lotus’ history,” explains Clive. “It’s the first time that my father was able to put his theories for improved performance into practice when designing and building a car. To locate this landmark Lotus, as we celebrate the 70th anniversary, would be a monumental achievement. We want fans to take this opportunity to look in every garage, shed, barn and lock up they’re allowed to. It’s even possible that the Mark I was shipped from the UK, and we’d love to know if it survives in another country.”

Caption: Colin Chapman competing in the Lotus Mark I. Copyright the Colin Chapman Foundation

The birth of the Lotus legend

In 1948 Colin Chapman built his first competition car, following his own theories for improved performance. Chapman’s way of thinking and his principles remain as relevant today as they were 70 years ago and his ethos still allows the company to optimise mass and aerodynamics in order to maximise performance and handling.

Covering everything from suspension configuration and layout, making sure that ground clearance was not compromised, improvements included reinforcing the chassis, cladding the body in lightweight bespoke panels and ensuring that components frequently damaged in competition could be quickly reattached. Applying theories learnt from this formal training as an engineer, Colin was already developing the principles that would go on to define Lotus cars of the future. One notable decision was to extend the rear of the car, and include two spare wheels. This allowed for the better allocation of ballast, distributing weight within the car to maximise traction for each event.

In a lock-up borrowed from Hazel’s parents, Colin re-imagined and re-engineered the Austin Seven to create the first Lotus. Built by hand, and with Hazel (his then-girlfriend) helping where needed, he completed the car in the spring of 1948 and immediately entered it in competitive trials. With Hazel in the passenger seat and Colin behind the wheel, they picked up two class awards in the car’s first events.

Originally finished in bare, unpolished alloy, the car was then painted white, before repainted in red. A restless engineer, Chapman was soon working on the next car, the Mark II, designed using the lessons learned from his first and the experience gain through the competitions he’d entered. As a result, an advert placed in Motor Sport magazine, describing an Austin Seven Special four-seater sports-cum-trials car saw the Mark I sold in November 1950. Chapman received £135 for the car, but the only thing now known about the new owner was that they were based in the north of England.

Over the years many enthusiasts have looked for the car, but to no avail. Lotus has previously called on experts to help locate the lost vehicle but, as the company gears up for the highpoint of its anniversary celebrations at the end of September, it’s hoped that a renewed search, on a global scale, will help track down the landmark car

Source:Lotus Cars

ROYAL AUTOMOBILE CLUB ANNOUNCES SHORTLIST FOR ITS 2018 MOTORING BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARDS

ROYAL AUTOMOBILE CLUB ANNOUNCES SHORTLIST FOR ITS 2018 MOTORING BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARDS

Now in its fifth year, the Royal Automobile Club Motoring Book Awards are recognised as the most prestigious awards to be bestowed in the automotive publishing industry. The annual awards, hosted by respected broadcaster and journalist Simon Taylor, will take place on Wednesday 31 October at a special evening held at the Club’s historic Pall Mall clubhouse, amongst many distinguished industry guests.

Two awards will be presented - the main Motoring Book of the Year Award for a book with a wide appeal at an affordable price, and a Specialist Book of the Year Award which, in the opinions of the judges, is an impressive feat of research and endeavour regardless of its retail cost.

“We never fail to be amazed at the quality and variety of titles that our experienced judges propose for the Awards, and this year is no exception,” said Peter Read, the Club’s Motoring Committee Chairman.

 “The Royal Automobile Club possesses one of the world’s finest motoring libraries in the world, one we add to constantly. The history of the Club spans that of the car itself, and it is our duty to stoke enthusiasm in all aspects of motoring history including literature” said Peter Read.

The award committee consists of six expert judges who are totally independent of the Royal Automobile Club, that represent the UK’s most informed motoring literary critics. Tom Wiltshire, book reviewer for leading weekly magazine Auto Express, and Mark Dixon, the respected deputy editor of Octane magazine. They are joined by Christian Whitehead from the motoring department of London bookstore Foyles, leading independent motoring bookseller Ben Horton of Hortons Books, Gordon Cruickshank from Motor Sport magazine and Mick Walsh international editor of Classic & Sports Car magazine.

2018 shortlist of contenders includes works on racing driver biographies, marque histories and general motoring to legends in engineering and vehicle design.

Motoring Book of the Year Contenders

The six titles shortlisted for Motoring Book of the Year Award are:

• Pironi: The Champion That Never Was by David Sedgwick, published by Pitch Publishing
• Enzo Ferrari: Power, Politics and the Making of an Automotive Empire by Luca Dal Monte, published by David Bull Publishing
• Donald Healey’s 8C Triumph Dolomite, by Jonathan Wood, published by Jonathan Wood
• Drive: The Definitive History of Motoring by Giles Chapman, published by Dorling Kindersley
• Adrian Newey: How to Build a Car, by Adrian Newey, published by Harper Collins
• Hobbo: Motor-Racer, Motor-Mouth, The autobiography of David Hobbs by David Hobbs with Andrew Marriott, published by Evro Publishing

Specialist Motoring Book of the Year Contenders

The six titles shortlisted for Specialist Motoring Book of the Year Award are:

• Daimler Days Volume 3 - More Than a Celebration of 100 Years of Daimler Motor Cars by Brian E. Smith, published by Daimler Days Publishing
• Inside Track: Phil Hill, Ferrari's American World Champion - His Story, His Photography. Volume 1 1927 – 1967 by Phil Hill with Doug Nye, published by The GP Library Ltd
• Reid Railton: Man of Speed by Karl Ludvigsen, published by Evro Publishing
• Jim Clark: The Best of the Best by David Tremayne, published by Evro Publishing
• Gaston Grümmer The Art of Carrosserie by Philippe Gaston Grümmer and Laurent Friry, published by Dalton Watson Fine Books
• Turbo 3.0: Porsche's First Turbocharged Supercar, by Ryan Snodgrass, published by Parabolica Press

The Royal Automobile Club Motoring Book of the Year Awards is one of the one of the most important events during the Club’s annual London Motor Week during which the Club hosts an array of high-profile motoring events, including the Art of Motoring exhibition, Motoring Lectures, the Motoring Forum, a dinner with former BMW Board Member, Dr Ian Roberston and the Dewar and Simms Trophy presentations awarded for British engineering excellence. The week culminates with the free-to-view Regent Street Motor Show on Saturday 3 November and the world-famous Bonhams London to Brighton Veteran Car Run supported by Hiscox on Sunday 4 November.