Latest news with #AstonMartins
Scottish Sun
5 hours ago
- Automotive
- Scottish Sun
I bought first car aged 11 – now I'm the ‘Duke' dealer with garage full of 90s Ferraris & iconic Bentleys worth millions
The collector got his nickname from a famous wartime prime minister WHEEL DEAL I bought first car aged 11 – now I'm the 'Duke' dealer with garage full of 90s Ferraris & iconic Bentleys worth millions Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A LUXURY car dealer known as the "Duke of London" has given fans a peek behind the scenes at his million-pound business. The star owns several iconic cars, including Bentleys and Ferraris, which he sells from his high-end facility in West London. 2 Merlin McCormack has a huge collection of vintage cars Credit: Instagram 2 The star is known for his eccentric approach to selling cars Credit: Instagram Merlin McCormack admitted to Top Gear that he had been lazy at school, before discovering that he had a gift for sales when he started selling tobacco. That spiralled into a love for cars, with the future collector buying his first before he could even drive - a Peugeot 205, which he bought for £32 at the age of 11. When he finally was able to drive a moped, he began selling cars. Now, the star shows off his incredible collection of cars on Instagram. His stock of vehicles includes 1990s Ferraris, Fiats, Aston Martins and even American classics from the 1960s - which have a collective worth of millions of pounds. One Aston Martin V12 Vantage retails for an eyewatering £54,995 on his website. A glamorous 1973 Fiat 124 Sport Coupe sells for £17,750 and car lovers could take the 1980 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow II home for £19,995. Previously, the car dealer has sold a sleek, red 1992 Ferarri 512 TR LHD and a 2011 Bentley Continental Supersports. Merlin stores his cars at a discreet location in West London, in an office he described as looking as though Terry Tibbs had decorated it. The collector is known as the Duke of London, in a reference to the title awarded to Churchill after he saw the capital through The Blitz in World War Two. Iconic British car brand to begin 'new era' with 'urban SUV' to be launched next year He added: 'Because he was humble and I guess haunted by war, he politely declined it. 'But I was arrogant enough to anoint myself as Duke of London.' The name became his Instagram handle too, when Merlin realised he needed something 'catchy'. He has now racked up a staggering number of followers, with 73,800 following him on the social media platform. However, he admitted that his friends find his love for selling cars 'weird' before he became successful. Merlin said: 'They thought it was weird. 'And they still do to be fair. 'But we were the weird kids at school anyway... we made a little bit of money but then we'd reinvest it and lose it or waste it – it wasn't until the market started picking up around 2012 we saw an opportunity, and that's become Duke of London.' Now, Merlin wants to expand his empire even further and is already refurbishing his storage space to accommodate a car meet-up venue and even a cafe and restaurant.
News18
4 days ago
- Automotive
- News18
Belgian Grand Prix 2025: Lando Norris Claims Pole, McLaren Lock-Out Front Row
It was the fourth pole this year for Lando Norris and the 13th of his career. Lando Norris fended off increasing pressure from his McLaren teammate and series leader Oscar Piastri on Saturday to secure pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix. The 25-year-old Briton, whose mother Cisca is Belgian, put aside his struggles from Friday to achieve a best lap of one minute and 40.562 seconds, narrowly beating Australian Piastri by 0.085 seconds as McLaren secured a convincing front-row lock-out. This marked Norris's fourth pole position of the year and the 13th of his career. Charles Leclerc qualified third with a late improved lap, enabling him to surpass defending world champion Max Verstappen's best effort for Red Bull. Alex Albon was fifth for Williams, ahead of Mercedes' George Russell, Yuki Tsunoda in the second Red Bull, Racing Bulls' rookies Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson, and Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton did not make it out of the Q1 session for Ferrari and will start Sunday's 44-lap race from 16th on the grid. He will be alongside Mercedes' rookie Kimi Antonelli, who was 18th, and two-time champion Fernando Alonso, who will start 19th for Aston Martin. 'It was a decent lap and I'm happy," said Norris. 'Everyone was a bit worried after yesterday, but I wasn't that far off. There were just a few little issues we had. I was confident that I could get back to the top." Piastri, who had been faster than Norris in Friday's action, said: 'It's a bit disappointing. The second lap was coming together well and then I made a mistake into turn 14 and lost a lot of time. The car was very good again, but it's about fine margins." Leclerc expressed surprise at his time. 'I didn't expect it. We thought we were a lot more behind. We thought we had something more in the car with the upgrade, but it was a good lap. It takes time to maximise those upgrades." After a masterclass from Verstappen in the sprint race earlier, Red Bull opted to change his 'skinny' rear wing to a larger high-downforce version, anticipating heavy rain on Sunday at the Ardennes circuit. Norris found his pace to clock 1:41.010, six-tenths better than the Ferrari, followed by Piastri two-tenths down in second, with the McLaren duo showcasing their intent under grey skies before a frantic finale. Hamilton found a late survival lap which was promptly deleted for exceeding track limits. That left Gabriel Bortoleto 15th for Sauber and eliminated the Ferrari driver along with Alpine's Franco Colapinto, Mercedes' rookie Antonelli, who replaced Hamilton, and the two Aston Martins of Alonso and Lance Stroll. Q2 began with everyone on softs and Verstappen fastest, trimming Norris's time, before Piastri and Norris took over for the opening runs. The Dutchman chose not to run again, leaving the usual suspects a clear run to the top-ten shootout while the Haas pair Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman exited along with Alpine's Pierre Gasly, Hulkenberg, and Sainz. Russell, who was stripped of victory last year due to an underweight car, was first out for Q3, but Verstappen once again topped the times before the McLarens showcased their strength, with Norris beating Piastri by 0.189 on their first runs. Verstappen's final run on fresh softs was not enough to resist an improved lap from Leclerc. Piastri also failed to improve, leaving Norris to claim pole position. 'Oh my god, that was really, really bad," said Verstappen, as a rise in track temperature beyond 40 degrees hampered his performance. view comments First Published: News sports Belgian Grand Prix 2025: Lando Norris Claims Pole, McLaren Lock-Out Front Row Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
The Citizen
4 days ago
- Automotive
- The Citizen
Classic cars, live music and family fun: All roads lead to Just Wheels tomorrow
Classic cars, live music and family fun: All roads lead to Just Wheels tomorrow Join the Just Wheels Club tomorrow (Sunday) in celebrating the excellence of British motoring. From the classic elegance of Jaguars to the thrilling power of Aston Martins, the club's British Day will honour the legacy of iconic British vehicles while also featuring a diverse showcase of classic, custom, muscle, street rod, truck, trike, and bike models. Enthusiasts are welcome to display their own vehicles. There will be plenty of entertainment including music by DJ Eugene, a flea market, food stalls, children's entertainment and pony rides. A collection in aid of the SPCA will also be held, and donations of blankets, new or old (clean and in a good condition), and pet food will be gratefully received. No outside food or refreshments/alcohol is allowed, as well as no open fires. The Just Wheels bar will be open. Gates open at 09:00 and entrance is free. The club is located at 169 Kitzinger Avenue in Dalview.
New Statesman
16-07-2025
- Business
- New Statesman
No 10 is scrambling for a Silicon Valley payday
Photo by Kevin Lamarque/Reuters It all turned on a decimal point.A shipping container of Aston Martins had been waiting off the American coast for the British government to strike a deal with the White House. The vehicle manufacturer was desperate for Keir Starmer to get Donald Trump to lower his 25 per cent tariff on British cars. In May, Trump finally agreed to drop the base tariff to 7.5 per cent. The only problem was that when the ship docked, a US customs official wrote down 75 per cent by mistake, leaving out the decimal point. The error was soon corrected, and British exporters have since smoothed over the chaos of getting their goods into the world's richest market. But other embassies up and down Massachusetts Avenue are anxiously waiting for a phone call from the White House. Trump put out a new deadline of 1 August for several countries to capitulate to fresh deals before those big tariffs from the package he announced on 2 April – 'Liberation Day' – hit. The cycle of threats and negotiations feels ceaseless. These pauses mean Trump is mocked by Wall Street with a teasing slogan coined by a Financial Times columnist: 'Trump Always Chickens Out', or Taco. Trump's penchant for cutting taxes on the rich and bombing the Middle East has led many commentators to muse he is 'Just Another Republican' (call them Jars, for short). But don't confuse Trump hitting pause with ditching protectionism. Few Jars would raise tariffs with the alacrity that Trump has. While Ronald Reagan deployed import quotas in some sectors, that Republican president believed the 'freer the flow of world trade, the stronger the tides of human progress and peace among nations'. Compare that to the fact that since Trump took office in January, the average tariff rate has soared from 2.5 per cent to 16.6 per cent. Those fixated on the constant delays and reversals forget that the general thrust of the policy is that tariffs are going up. Protectionism, like mass deportation, is one area in which this administration is ruthlessly consistent. All of which means the UK's deal from June grows more attractive by the day. It sparkles when compared to Vietnam's 20 per cent base rate, or the 30 per cent Trump has said he wants the European Union to pay. The Business Secretary and President of the Board of Trade, Jonathan Reynolds, is hoping to visit Washington soon for further negotiations, or at least to court American business. Photo ops to one side, Reynolds would likely be overshadowed by Ambassador Peter Mandelson and Starmer's éminence grise with business, Varun Chandra, the mysterious former Hakluyt chief who is frequently in town. All the politicking is leaving the Americans fed up of taking calls from British negotiators who are under pressure from No 10 to finalise awkward areas such as steel. Avoiding a cliff-edge for trade with other countries now takes precedence. Hadn't the Brits already got a deal, anyway? Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe The problem is that there is still much to thrash out. I understand the Trump administration is pushing for the NHS to charge UK providers more – for pharmaceuticals, for instance – in order to make American firms more competitive. Then there is the crowning deal on technology: the one part of these negotiations that isn't just mitigation but could actually advance Labour's governing agenda. Starmer and Rachel Reeves see an open invitation to Silicon Valley's tech companies as the ladder out of the country's terminal decline. Britain's saviour, in their mind, will arrive in robotic form. And if the options are either Chinese and American, then Labour will look west. Nonetheless, the deal is proving tricky to reach. I hear the hold-up is end-to-end encryption. The Washington Post reported in February that the UK government was trying to force Apple to open up users' encrypted data, including that of non-British citizens. But JD Vance, the US vice-president, who is negotiating with Mandelson, has resisted, backing the tech companies, ever keen to protect his old Valley buddies. Vance's position denudes the argument that these firms are apolitical, as if there is no cost to letting foreign companies become gatekeepers for the digital systems on which the UK operates. Vance clearly views these companies as American – does Labour? Remember it was Vance who refused to sign the communiqué at the Paris AI summit in February to protest against over-regulation. The UK dutifully followed suit. The government's claim that this had nothing to do with the American position should elicit a small chuckle. Look also to the tech-optimist, Innovation Secretary, Peter Kyle welcoming Google into the civil service last week. Much as the software company Palantir did during the pandemic, Google said it would provide its services to the UK for free, which meant the deal did not go out for tender. A marriage between Whitehall and Silicon Valley has become the mission by which this government wants to define itself. But a comprehensive tech deal with Washington remains elusive. The specific content is confused and ambiguous. The pressure on the ambassador, who always has one eye on the growing fissures back in Westminster, is mounting. On technology, the Brits are still circling off the coast, waiting for an agreement to be struck. [See more: Trump is serious about getting tough on Putin] Related
The Citizen
13-07-2025
- Automotive
- The Citizen
British beauties and more await Springs locals at Just Wheels open day
British beauties and more await Springs locals at Just Wheels open day Residents of Springs are invited to join the Just Wheels Club for a celebration of British motoring excellence at their open day on July 27. From the timeless elegance of classic Jaguars to the fierce roar of Aston Martins, the club's British Car Show will honour everything that makes these cars legendary. As always, the event will also showcase different vehicles – classic, custom, muscle, street rod, trucks and even trikes and bikes, and enthusiasts are invited to bring their own. There will be plenty of entertainment including music by DJ Eugene, a flea market, food stalls, children's entertainment and pony rides. A collection in aid of the SPCA will also be held, and donations of blankets, new or old (clean and in a good condition), and pet food will be gratefully received. No outside food or refreshments/alcohol is allowed, as well as no open fires. The Just Wheels bar will be open. Gates open at 09:00 and entrance is free. The club is located at 169 Kitzinger Avenue in Dalview. Call 082 263 7567 for more information. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
