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Jaguar’s Late 20th Century Woes: From Failed Le Mans Bid to Management’s Missteps
The 1955 Le Mans race is grimly remembered for Mercedes driver Pierre Levegh’s horrific crash on the pit straight, which claimed the lives of more than 80 spectators. But it’s an event that also deeply affected Jaguar: The only son of company founder Sir William Lyons, John, was killed in a car crash en route to the race. John Lyons was just 25 years old when he died, and it is by no means certain he would have succeeded his father at the helm of Jaguar. But the lack of a successor is often cited as one of the reasons Sir William abruptly decided to merge Jaguar with the British Motor Corporation (BMC)—the company that owned Austin, Morris, MG, Riley, and Wolseley—in 1966. The delicate, six-month-long merger negotiations put the XJ13 program on hold, a fatal delay that meant it...
NASCAR at Le Mans: When a Dodge Charger and Ford Torino Raced in Europe
“They’re going to run what? Where? For how long?” This was likely a common reaction when it was announced that two full-figured NASCAR stockers were going to compete at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1976. Wasn’t that a race in a faraway land called France, contested only by funny little furrin’ cars? No, not since 1966, anyway, when Henry Ford II went there with his all-conquering GT program and the notion of trumping Enzo Ferrari at his own game. The result was the original four-peat: back-to-back factory wins in 1966 and 1967, plus two privateer victories by the Gulf-Wyer team in 1968 and 1969 (in the same car, no less). Sportsman/driver/car-builder Briggs Cunningham tried it a decade and a half before, with creditable results including a third overall. Goodnes...
Racer Andy Pilgrim Recalls His First 24 Hours of Le Mans
Even though this year’s race will look a little bit different, without the thousands of fans lining the stands, Le Mans itself is still the same 8.5 notorious miles of straights, chicanes, and flat-out corners. Just ask Andy Pilgrim, who has raced at the 24 hours of Le Mans six times in his career and knows the track as well as anyone. But his first memory of racing at the famed street circuit has nothing to do with racing at all. It has to do with bacon. It was 1996 and Pilgrim was behind the wheel for New Hardware Racing, a New Zealand-based team that was running a Porsche 911 GT2. Being his first appearance at Le Mans, Pilgrim wanted to get to the track nice and early—only he made the mistake of showing up a bit too early. MotorTrend is the EXCLUSIVE PLACE in the U.S. where v...
The Reissue Section: September 2020
The whole reissue concept didn’t come across my obsession desk until my first tour of duty at SPIN as an editorial intern in the fall of 1997. One of my tasks during my two days in the office — back when it was on 18th St. near Academy Records — was opening the editors’ mail. I’ll never forget ripping open Sealed Air envelopes for Charles Aaron and just being so amazed at all this cool stuff he’d get sent to him. Now, this was during the time when both Rhino Records and the Sony Music catalog division, Legacy Recordings, were really busting out the big guns: We’re talking the soundtrack to Zabriskie Point with a bonus disc of rarities from the Pink Floyd sessions, that gang of Miles Davis reissues that included Dark Magus and Live-Evil. Island Records released the legendary Lee ...
The Unlikely but Plausible Way the Suzuki Jimny Could Come to the U.S.
The Suzuki Jimny is the tiny four-wheel-drive SUV that we absolutely love, and maybe even more than we really should. Automotive writers and critics have gone wild about it, but by any dispassionate analysis, the little Jimny sales case—where it likely wears a high price in a niche segment—is marginal in this country. If the sales justified homologating it here, wouldn’t someone find a way to do it? Suzuki might be gone as a seller of passenger vehicles in America, but surely there’s a partnership possibility with a company that remains in our market. Hey, wait a minute, there is! Toyota owns a stake in Suzuki. A small one to be sure, but a real one. And with the introduction of the Ford Bronco and the subsequent elevation of the dearly departed FJ Cruiser into the realm of a m...
Scottish Musician Launches Record Label for Prison Inmates
Over the last decade, singer-songwriter Jill Brown has spent time hosting songwriting workshops at HMP Barlinnie, Scotland’s largest prison. Through her work, Brown took notice of the positive impact of music on the mental health and well-being of inmates in Scotland’s correctional system. The experience has now led her to develop a record label of her own, specifically geared toward recording ex-convicts and the incarcerated. Aptly titled Criminal Records, the label was born out of Brown’s desire to give inmates a voice. Brown posits that it’s difficult to lock someone up and expect them to come out changed without having introduced something positive while they are still in prison. She ultimately believes music could be the answer to help...
What does a Cloud-Connected Africa look like?
Sourced from ZDNet. With a region as large and as vast as Africa, it is difficult to imagine a fully connected continent where every individual across all demographics and every business across all sectors can harness the power of cloud computing. Yet as technology continues to drastically change how we conduct our lives and connect with the world around us, this notion of a cloud-connected Africa becomes far more plausible and realistic. In fact, many of us are already utilising cloud-enabled technologies on a daily basis. From cloud-based productivity apps to collaboration services like Microsoft Teams, the cloud is seamlessly integrating into our everyday lives. A future where a healthy cloud ecosystem is supported by integrated and innovative technologies is much closer than we t...
Shelby vs. The World: How Carroll and Co. Conquered Le Mans
After dominating Corvettes in the 1963 domestic series, Carroll Shelby set his sights on Ferrari and winning the World Manufacturers’ Championship. This was easier said than done. Shelby’s Cobra roadsters excelled on the road courses in North America, but weren’t aerodynamic enough for the long straights and sweeping curves of the European circuits. A coupe version of the Cobra was needed to compete with the sleek World Champion Ferrari 250 GTOs. Of all the projects undertaken at Shelby American, the creation of the Cobra Coupe was one of the most challenging. Starting in October 1963, the company had 90 days to design, engineer, build, and test the coupe prior to Daytona in February 1964. See all 16 photos Peter Brock (right) designed the Cobra Daytona Coupe. Here, he ch...
2023 Nissan Z: Everything We Know About the Supra-Fighting Sports Coupe
After more than a decade on the market, the Nissan 370Z is finally retiring. In its place comes the 400Z. Or at least that’s what we expect Nissan to christen the new Z. Unlike today’s sports car, the upcoming 2023 Z’s digits are not expected to represent the displacement of its engine but instead its outright horsepower. Don’t worry purists, the new Z won’t abandon its history of packing six cylinders under its hood. Nor will it lose its third pedal option. See all 11 photos 2023 Nissan Z: Powertrain and Performance Anticipated to pack a stable of 400 horses, the upcoming 400Z is sure to have the power needed to properly compete with the likes of the Toyota Supra and the Porsche 718 Cayman sports coupes. Look for the new Z to rely on a twin-turboc...
INTERVIEW: How Tech is Changing the Face of Fundraising
Charities in the ‘know’ have been using technology to boost their fundraising abilities for years – whether it’s through live-streaming, virtual auctions or crowdfunding. But it wasn’t truly until the COVID-19 pandemic that these organisations had to solely rely on the digital sphere. With this in mind, a non-profit fundraising platform founded by two South Africans, GivenGain, decided that any charity or fundraiser can use its technology free of charge, connecting them with a socially aware new generation of Generation Z charity supporters. ITNA’s Jenna Delport had the opportunity to chat to Jannie Smith, Operational Manager at GivenGain, about the platform and its mission to not just connect streaming and fundraising but simultaneously helping to level the playing field between large and...
Underground Vibes | 054
“Love Me” – Cafe Disko & She Is Jules Teaming up with She Is Jules, production duo Cafe Disko display immense artistic maturity on “Love Me,” a quirky electronic-R&B track with massive potential. “Can’t Help Myself” – Marin Hoxha & Beth De Bacci Coming to Lacuna for “I Can’t Help” myself, Marin Hohxa and Beth De Bacci are able to craft a guitar-driven electronic-pop ballad. “Used To Be” Ft. Eden Neville – Highlnd Out via Lowly, Highlnd’s latest gem makes up for one of his best works to date, seeing the producer combine tasteful sound design and organic percussion under Eden Neville’s captivating voice. “No Place To Hide” – Gidexen With “No Place To Hide,” Gidexen showcases his immense skills once again, bringing together a series of shiny synt...
In Photos: Cruisin’ the Coast Is Muscle Car Nirvana
Like all of us here at MotorTrend, you’re probably bummed that much of the summer’s car activities have been canceled. It seems like every day we hear about more events being canceled, but one event we’ve been watching very carefully is the 24th Annual Cruisin’ the Coast event, held each year on the Redneck Riviera—that’s the south coast of Mississippi for the uninitiated. According to the folks at Cruisin’ the Coast, this year’s 2020 event is still on for October 4-11, and if you feel like firing up your hot rod and coming down to join the party, registration will be on location. Early bird registration closed August 15, and it costs just $90 for the whole shebang, including a chance to win Cruisin’ the Coast’s customized 1932 For...
