March 17, 2021

Amphibious Assault Vehicle Up For Auction

Stuck between buying a boat or a car? Or maybe you fancy the idea of an all-encompassing road trip vehicle that’s up to any terrain? Well, if that’s so, this GMC DUKW is going up for auction.

The Motorious article explains it was “Originally designed by Rod Stephens Jr, a famous yacht designer from Sparkman & Stephens, along with Frank W. Speir of MIT and Dennis Puleston, a British deep-water sailor, the DUKW was created to be tough. It had to be capable of transporting over 2 tons of troops and supplies not only across the water but also over rough terrain. The tires had to negotiate soft, sandy beaches and muddy jungle floors without becoming stuck. Perhaps most critical and challenging, the DUKW had to be made in mass quickly, so the design had to be simple as well as effective.”

You can read more here.

Maybe you fancy something a little..smaller? You can always look for something like our charming Amphicar that we’re currently restoring for a customer.

Barn Finds Take Us Back To The Early 20th Century

We’ve come across a very interesting barn find that has provided us with a handful of interesting motors to gawk at! Photographed below are three ancient Fords; a Ford Popular and two Ford Model T’s, one being 1915 and the other a 1926 model. The 1915 Ford Model T may soon be coming in for a full restoration which we’re incredibly excited to start!

1926 Ford Model T:

1915 Ford Model T – likely to be restored with us soon:

Another Jensen On Its Way Home

We’re steadily starting to part ways with our beloved Jensen collection as each project is finished and finds its way back to its owner. The most recent departure is our 1961 Jensen 541S that was collected today.

Although we’ve recently said goodbye to a handful of our Jensen’s, we’ve still got plenty to be getting on with as our Peony Red is progressing well, our Grey 1957 541R is almost out the door and its partner car, the black 1960 541R awaits it up at Bentwaters.

1970 E-Type Engine Additions

Mauro has been continuing his work on our 1970 Green Jaguar E-Type Series 2 4.2 edition. He has recently replaced the Rocker cover gaskets due to an oil leak and has fitted some high performance Silicone spark leads.

Top Gear Presenters Test Out Their Dad’s Classics

On Sunday Top Gear Fans were treated to the return of the infamous BBC Car show, Top Gear and as ever, it did not disappoint. Chris Harris, Freddie Flintoff and Paddy McGuinness take on a course driving their dad’s cars.

Tune in next Sunday for a 007 themed episode!

Check out some photos from Sunday’s episode here.

You can watch the episode here.

Take a look at the rest of the Top Gear team’s dad cars: www.topgear.com/car-news/retro/memories-topgearcoms-parents-cars

Classic Car Spotting

Out and about at weekends and after work, we often see classics parked up around Suffolk and try to make a habit of taking a quick snap of these beloved classics. Some are seen regularly as someones daily drive and others seem to be weekend nip-around.

Lotus Elan +2 S:

1973 VW T2

1969 Morris Minor Convertible 1000

MGB GT

Lotus 7 (possibly a replica but unknown) and a Land Rover Series 1

Morgan (Possibly Plus 4)

1971 VW Beetle

1963 Ford Thames

A Closer Look At The Green Machine

We thought we’d give you a closer looked at this nippy little green machine that’s recently come in. This 1996 Almond Green Mini Cooper 35 arrived in the workshop today in perfect condition! We can’t wait to give it a drive around Bentwaters to show you more. Big things are on the horizon..

Remembering Sabine Schmitz: Queen of the Nurburgring

German racing star Sabine Schmitz has passed away aged 51 after a long battle with cancer. Schmitz was best known for her trailblazing career in motorsports and gained the nickname of the Queen of the Nurburgring. In more recent year shes worked on Top Gear and first appeared on the BBC show in 2004.

Following her withdrawal from a race, she said in a statement issued last July:

“Dear friends of professional motor sport.

“Many of you have probably wondered why I was on the list of participants on our Porsche in the NSL and then didn’t drive after all.

“I would like to provide enlightenment here, I think I owe it to my/our fans! Since the end of 2017, I have been fighting an extremely persistent cancer that has not been eliminated with the resources so far.

“It got a little better – but now it’s come back with full force.

“Now I have to draw all the strength and nerve to master the next powerful therapies … hoping something [good] will happen.

“So I say goodbye ‘probably’ for the first time this season. In addition, I would like to thank everyone for their help and support in my everyday life, and encouragement in writing!”

One of Schmitz’s legacies was becoming one of the two BMW M5 “ring taxi” drivers around the Nürburgring; where its estimated that she had completed more than 20,000 laps of the ring over the course of her career.

Her familiarity with the track allowed her to drive faster than other drivers, bringing a certain thrill ride for the daring fans in the passenger’s seat.

Credit: Alamy Stock Image