Silverstone Organisers Ask: What is the Best British Sports Car of All Time?

The fifteen finalists in the Silverstone Classic’s, “Best British Sports Car of All Time” vote-in have been announced, and boy is there some choice picks. Before we get to that though, can I just point out a misnomer in using the, “of All Time” qualifier?

This assumes (prophetically?) that Britain will not be making any more sports cars in the future, whereas, “Best British Sports Car So Far” would be a far more accurate description. But enough with semantics: who are our lucky finalists? Read on….

In the order that I would rate them (with 1 being the highest and 15 the lowest):

1. Jaguar XK 120
2. Lotus Elan
3. MG MGB
4. Jaguar E-Type
5. Aston Martin DB5
6. Lotus 7
7. Austin-Healey 3000
8. Triumph Spitfire
9. AC Cobra
10. MG MGA
11. Morgan
12. Austin-Healey “Frog Eye” Sprite
13. Triumph TR3
14. Triumph TR6
15. TVR Griffith

Event director Nick Wigley describes the competition thusly:

"Britain is famous for its sports cars but no one ever agrees which one is the best. That's a long-running debate we now want to put to rest and where better to settle the result than at the Silverstone Classic, where so many fine examples of these much-loved models will be on show?"

The three day event will feature some 7,000 classic automobiles from over 120 clubs across the United Kingdom. You can vote for your favourite online with the winner to be announced on the 7th of July. Feel free to state your favourite (or pick apart my listing) in the comments section below.

By Tristan Hankins

Link: Silverstone Classics Vote

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It Came From eBay Hell: Volkswagen Beetle Limousine...with a Soft Top!

Stretched Volkswagen Beetles are as commonplace on eBay as Pontiac Fiero-based fake Ferraris and Porsche 356 Speedster replicas. So what makes this example so special? Well for one it’s a convertible, and a real one at that, with a canvas roof that’s sure to sag and then collapse from the weight of the water on it when it rains.

It also has a bar made out of the same polished wood as the cheapest of community centre pianos and burgundy leather L-shaped bench seat. It also has burgundy and silver paintwork and a wide body kit, which is sure to make you stand out from the crowd.

The eBay seller is also keen to point out that this is a, “ONE OF A KIND,” car, but then stating in very next sentence that it’s, “ONE OF ONLY 3 IN THE WORLD”. So, um, not one of a kind then. It was also, “BUILT PROFESSIONALLY”, which the pedant in me would like to point out is different from being, “PROFESSIONALLY BUILT”.

And with a Buy It Now price of just US$39,999, you’re only paying like ten times the price you’d expect to pay for an ordinary Beetle of the same Vintage. Then again, nobody said that uniqueness comes cheap...

By Tristan Hankins

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