Guus Docen

Guus Docen

Friday, 27 June 2014 00:00
Published in European Desk

Historic Trophy Nürburgring 30 May-1 June 2014

Three times three – it's the success formula of the three-hour race of the Historic Trophy Nürburgring. Three racing series start together on Saturday afternoon for a 180 minutes race on the Grand-Prix circuit and the Nordschleife of the Nürburgring. The equipes from approximately 150 historic touring cars and GT cars from the Dunlop FHR Long Distance Cup, Trophy and Triumph classic cars Competition & British GTs will not only compete against each-other in their own competition field but also against the cars the other two series. The pilots know that not only their lap times are critical - also with the right strategy and a good pitcrew are essential to finish this race. What is needed is the right mix of speed and consistency, so the combination of full commitment and gentle handling of the material is essential. A special highlight for the spectators is that they can visit the starting grid just before the start of the race.
Tuesday, 17 June 2014 18:42
Published in News

Vauxhall Viva returns to showrooms in the UK

General Motors' UK unit Vauxhall is reviving a famous nameplate - Viva - from next spring, using it on a Korean-built entry level hatchback. Vauxhall built the Viva in three series - HA, HB and HC - from 1964 to 1979 and it was also assembled overseas, proving popular in markets like New Zealand. It also formed the basis of the Holden Torana line in Australia. In Europe, it was eventually replaced by Opel's Astra once GM Germany and UK product lines were fully aligned. The Viva name has since been used for a Chevrolet version of an Astra saloon sold by Russian joint venture GM-AvtoVAZ from 2004-2008 and also in Australia by Holden which rebadged the Daewoo Lacetti for a time in the mid-2000s.
Tuesday, 03 June 2014 11:51
Published in News

Hindustan Motors stops production of the Ambassador

Production of the Ambassador, the first car to be made in India, has been halted. Based on the old Morris Oxford Series III, the production of the Ambassador began in 1957 and the overall design has changed little since it first went into production in 1957. The independent suspension and hydraulic telescopic double acting front shock absorbers made travelling on the rough Indian roads comfortable. The last years there were petrol, diesel and CNG versions available.
Thursday, 22 May 2014 19:30
Published in News

Jaguar to restart the lightweight racing E-type production

Jaguar to restart the lightweight racing E-type production Six new lightweight racing E-types will be built on the site of Jaguar's old Browns Lane factory in Coventry. The project is designed to launch Jaguar's new heritage company, which will offer a top-quality restoration service and could even include small-scale reconstructions of classics such as these. The heritage centre will be based at the Browns Lane, Coventry, site, where Jaguar traditionally made cars but hasn't since 2005 when it moved production to Castle Bromwich and Halewood (now a Land Rover production site). Brownse Lane was sold off and is now partly a housing estate, but Jaguar kept about 17 acres and although the Browns Lane Jaguar Heritage Museum was demolished in 2012, the area will now house the new Heritage centre where the E-type will be built.
Tuesday, 13 May 2014 18:46
Published in European Desk

Auto Union Museum Bergen opens again on Sunday

After the death of Henk Geerts , the owner of the Auto Union Museum in Bergen, the negotiations with Audi Germany took place but Henk’s wish to transfer the entire collection to the Audi museum, unfortunately, couldn’t be fulfilled. The last few months, there were many requests from car-enthusiasts to visit the museum. On Sunday the 29st of March, the doors opened again for those interested to see the complete collection. The museum attendants were enthusiastic and it was suggested to repeat this again the next few months. Provisional Sundays to visit the museum are: 18 and 25 May, 1 and 15 June , 6 and 20 July. Opening time from 12:00 h. to 16:00 h. In the spirit of the museum , where classic cars and changing art were always in harmony with each other , there are contacts with professional artists to exhibit their work. At the moment Henk’s inheritors are preparing themselves to find good destinations for all the cars, motorbikes, mopeds, parts, tools and DKW posters. The expectation is that there is still some time left to visit in the museum.
Friday, 13 December 2013 21:54
Published in European Desk

The Dutch Auto Union museum in Bergen

In the centre of the picturesque village Bergen in the Netherlands, resides the Dutch Auto Union museum. This small museum houses historic cars and motorbikes of the brands Auto Union, DKW and Tornax, which have been collected over a long period and restored by Mr. Henk Geerts. The vehicles from the collection of the museum are from the 1931 to 1965. It is the only museum that is recognized by Audi AG. Sadly, on the first of November 2013, Henk Geerts passed away, at age 82. What will happen with this unique collection of two stroke-engined motorcars?
Monday, 14 October 2013 18:12
Published in European Desk

21th Spa Six Hours - Francorchamps

With some 109 classic cars on the grid, the 2013 edition of the Spa Six Hours endurance race brought back memories of 1966 Le Mans 24 Hours. In that specific year 3 Ford GT40s finished first, second and third. Also in 2013 the GT40 was the favourite machine for drivers with winning ambitions for the 360-minute endurance race at Spa as 10 examples of this fine machine were entered. Eight of them qualified in the top ten of the grid.
Tuesday, 01 October 2013 21:30
Published in European Desk

Historic Grand Prix Zandvoort 2013

The first edition of the Historic Grand Prix Zandvoort last year, was a great success . As many as 31,500 spectators enjoyed themselves at Circuit Park Zandvoort. This event thus demanded an immediate permanent place on the historic racing calendar. During the second edition a total of 45,901 spectators passed the gates of Circuit Park Zandvoort. Enthusiasts from all over the country and even abroad celebrated the rich history of the Dutch circuit with races for historic single-seaters, GTs, touring cars and sportscars. Some well-known drivers were present at Zandvoort, German ex-Le Mans winner Jürgen Barth, Dutch drivers Arie Luijendijk, Jan Lammers, Michael Bleekemolen, Toine Hezemans and Tom Coronel and renowned car designers Adrian van Hooijdonk and Harm Lagaaij. Avid racer and car enthusiast Brian Johnson, lead singer of the hard rock band AC/DC, was behind the wheel of a Mini Cooper S.
Thursday, 29 August 2013 21:39
Published in European Desk

41st Oldtimer Grand Prix Nurburgring - Part 1

The 41st Oldtimer Grand Prix weekend combined all the ingredients for a world-class historic motorsport event. During this 3-day event the weather was terrific so no wonder that more than 50.000 spectators visited the Nürburgring. Entering the circuit grounds the journey begins in the historic paddock, where the sporting legends from the 20s and 30s like Bugattis, Talbots, Rileys, MGs and Alfa Romeos are parked. Walking from the historic paddock to the Grand Prix paddock the impressive Jaguar hospitality area is spotted on the right. Not only all new models are exposed but also some valuable historic cars. Jaguar Land Rover Germany is one of the main sponsors of this event. As stated by the CEO of Jaguar Land Rover Germany:  "We have been partners for over 10 years with the AVD Oldtimer Grand Prix. For us, this event is the perfect platform to bridge the gap of our classics to the latest models. Even the prototype hybrid-sportscar C-X 75 is displayed”. Sponsors BMW and Opel also presented their heritage cars. Porsche dedicated to the 50th Birthday of the legendary 911 a big parade.