The BMW M3 is a high-performance version of the BMW 3 Series developed by BMW’s in-house motorsport division, BMW M GmbH. M3 models have been produced for every generation of 3 Series since the E30 M3 was introduced in 1986.
The initial model of the BMW M3 was available in a coupe body style, with a convertible body style added soon after. The M3’s biggest contribution to both driver safety and the performance industry is BMW’s continual development of their limited-slip differential, which mathematically maximizes torque and grip without compromising handling. The M3’s most notable implementation of technology came in 1992 when they fitted the E36 M3 was outfitted with the SMG-I gearbox. After this occurred, it officially took the title as the fastest shifting gear box in the world!
CoupeA massive thank you to our client Mr V for letting us showcase his incredible BMW M3 Coupe!
Give our friendly team a call for a quote on 02380 268 351!
We are delighted to welcome Brooke to AIB as Administrator & Customer Service Advisor.
Brooke joins us straight out of Barton Peverell College, where she also worked part-time at the Fox and Hounds public house in Fair Oak, Eastleigh.
Brooke is excited to bring her customer service skills to her new role at AIB and is keen to learn the many aspects of a busy insurance consultants. Including motor, property and home and insurance.
FAST FACTS:
Brooke loves to chill with a glass of white zinfandel
She has a French Bulldog called Diesel (Cool!)
FUN FACT:
All crisp packets go out of date on a Saturday! (We’re not sure how accurate this is?!)
WE SAY:
Director, Kirby De–Gray Birch: “It’s a pleasure to employ staff who are just beginning their career journeys. Brooke has many transferable skills that stand her in good stead in her new role at AIB. We hope that together with ongoing training, tools and resources. Brooke enjoys a rewarding career in a satisfying and friendly team environment. We are looking forward to seeing Brooke develop and progress at AIB.”
If you are interested in a career within the insurance sector and feel you have the skills or passion to deliver great customer service, please send your CV to info@aib.co.uk with a covering letter.
The Jensen GT is a British sports car. It was introduced by Jensen Motors in 1975 as the shooting-break version of the Jensen-Healey. During its short production run from September 1975 to May 1976, 511 Jensen GTs were built before Jensen Motors went into receivership.
The only estate-bodied Jensen car made, the GT represented, along with the Coupé, the company’s swansong. It remained in production right up until the last day the company was in operation before the liquidation in May 1976. Introduced alongside the Coupé at Earls Court in October 1975, the GT shared the dubious distinction of being a model introduced under the shadow of receivership with that car.
Although the GT was not unveiled until late 1975, ideas for something like it had been around for almost as long as the Healey. Drawings of an estate version can be discovered from as early as 1972.
From 1974 to 1976, only 511 GTs were made with 230 of them being sent to Mainland UK and 260 were sent to the USA. The first Jensen GT was made in 1974, the next 216 made in 1975 and the final 294 were made in 1976. This makes the oldest Jensen GT 48 years old. Had the cars continued in production for longer than circumstances allowed, GTs would probably have followed the Healey in finding their way to North America in larger numbers.
Thank you to our client, Mr C, for letting us show of his incredible Jensen GT!
Give our friendly team a call on 02380 268 351 we would be happy to help!
Last weekend the team headed down to The Concorde Club in Eastleigh, Hampshire. This is the first time that we have sponsored the event and it turned out to be an incredible day! Not only were we very lucky with the hot sun to be out all day but the event raised an astonishing amount of £15,246.56 for the amazing charity Naomi’s house Children’s Hospice. Naomi House first opened in 1997 to offer care and support to children who were not expected to live until adulthood.
Since then, they have cared for more than 1,000 children and families from across Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire, Berkshire, Isle of Wight, West Sussex, Surrey and beyond.
Naomi House nursing and medical staff provide individualised nursing care that helps to enhance short lives and allows local families to make the most of their precious time with their children.
Whilst wondering around the show you will see a great selection of cars, treasured by their owners all willing to chat about their cars and what they have and do to maintain them, whilst relaxing and enjoying the show themselves. The show has a Ferrari and Super Car section, often sporting the newest Super cars on display for visitors to see. At intervals during the show, you will hear the ‘Sound Off’ competition and this is great to hear the rumble of V8 and V12 engines.
It was quite hard to miss us there with the big AIB marquee and colour matched Lotus Evora GT410 brought to the show by one of our clients! The team kept all the family happy with great value insurance for the adults and fun games for the kids with many prizes.
The show always attracts a lot of attention, and the show often gets celebrities attending to help support the show. This year Tiff Needell came to the show! Famous for his racing driving and many years on the hit motoring show ‘Fifth gear’. You will often see ‘The Stig’ at the show, although don’t expect him to talk to you, but he does enjoy sitting in people’s cars.
Whilst wondering around the show you will see a great selection of cars, treasured by their owners all willing to chat about their cars and what they have and do to maintain them, whilst relaxing and enjoying the show themselves. The show has a Ferrari and Super Car section, often sporting the newest Super cars on display for visitors to see. At intervals during the show, you will hear the ‘Sound Off’ competition and this is great to hear the rumble of V8 and V12 engines.
If you fancied a ride out in a car, then the show had Sporting Bears Charity running ‘dream rides’ for a donation to the show charity. You will be taken on a 10-mile drive to experience an array of different cars and is a must do for any visitor, so make sure you book your slot on the day next year as early as possible as places go quickly.
The Show Winners!
The ‘Richard Bailey Trophy’ is awarded each year to the car of the show. The trophy is in memory of Richard Bailey who has supported the show for many years!
This year’s winner of the trophy was awarded to the 1961 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud Drophead Coupe, the first Rolls Royce to ever get a V8 underneath the spirit of ecstasy!
The ‘Best Modern’ Winner went to the stunning Ferrari F12 Berlinetta
And the ‘Best Winner’ went to the car we all know and love from the James Bond movies, the 1964 Aston Martin DB5.
Enjoy some of our favourite cars of the show!
Lamborghini Diablo SV
Only fools and horse’s Reliant Robin
DeLorean DMC-12 from back to the future
Ford Capri 2.8 Injection
1989 BMW 325i
2004 Porsche 911 Carrera 2 Cabriolet
We want to thank all of you who came down and showed support for such a great cause and remember to give us a call on 02380268351 for any of your insurance needs!
In 1948, Colin Chapman CBE, founded one of the most iconic British racing car companies of all time. Lotus is profoundly known for, not only their Formula 1 team but for their 2 seater sports cars sold in the tens of thousands.
The Lotus Elan was the first Lotus road car to use a steel backbone chassis with a fiberglass body. This style of construction was to be repeated in subsequent Lotus models for nearly three decades.
In 1971 the Elan +2S was upgraded to include the Big Valve engine and then renamed to the +2S 130. This stunning example of the +2S is owned by one of our clients. The vehicle has undergone a full nut and bolt restoration and resprayed by a Lotus specialist in Lagoon Blue with a contrasting silver metal flake roof. Alongside the full restoration and paint job, the car has had a full interior re-trim, making this look as good as the day it rolled of the factory line in Norfolk. In fact, with under a thousand miles on the clock this may be one of the best examples of an Elan left in the country. Unfortunately, it’s not known how many rolled out the RAF based factory; however, it is estimated at roughly 3,300 with under 1,000 left on the roads today.
Give our fantastic Quotes team a call for quote on your classic car! Call us on 023 8026 8351!
The 1975 MG GT V8. A true British icon in the motoring world. Sporting a 3,258cc Rover V8 engine pushing the cars top speed at 125mph, impressive for the age!
The Rover V8 engine powering the MG first featured in the infamous Rover P5B. Widely known for being used by high-ranking government ministers and ex-prime ministers such as Harold Wilson, Edward Heath, James Callaghan and Margaret Thatcher. The engine even has royal roots with Queen Elizabeth the second, owning a P5B that also guest-featured on the BBC Motoring show “Top Gear”.
Although the short lived production line of the V8 variant only spanning 3 years, MG managed to produce 2591 models out of the factory in Abingdon, Oxford. The average price of the MG back then would only set you back £1,925! That’s a mere £16,901 in today’s money, not a bad price to pay for a lightweight, convertible, 2 seater sports car! Unfortunately, the fuel crisis following October 1973’s middle east war was the first domino to fall in the V8’s demise, as well as many other big engines of the time. The car was dropped in 1976 mainly due to the fuel crisis. However the legacy lives on as it is still the most popular modification of the MG, swapping it to the glorious Rover V8 engine.
A massive thank you to our client Mr B for letting us showcase his MG in the stunning Vermillion red paint.
Give our friendly team a call for a quote on 02380 268 351!
This is week is dedicated to showing off all the wonderful MG’s that we insure here at AIB Insurance!
First up 1974 MG B ROADSTER!
When you think of a classic sports car its a British convertible with 2 seats, more than likely an MG will spring to mind first!
First founded in the 1920’s, MG has a deep history. With roots going back to Morris, another British classic icon.
The MG B Roadster was the first of the MGB range to be produced. Manufactured for just shy of 20 years, it puts the MGB Roadster in the running for one of the greatest 2 seater sports cars to come from Britain.
When it comes to the engine powering the MGB, its heart is the 1.8 liter twin carburetor, producing 94 horsepower, it got the job done for the lightweight 1064kg curb weight. The B series engine they created turned into an excellent choice for commercial vans of the time, creating a diesel alternative featuring on the Leyland Sherpa van. The engine is so well built that it is still commonly used on narrowboats on the canals of the UK.
Thank you to our client, Mr N, for letting us show of his stunning MG B Roadster in the lovely Damask Red!
If you’ve got a MG yourself, please give our friendly team a call on 02380 268 351 we would be happy to help!
The land rover series are compact British off-road vehicles, produced by the rover company since 1948. Inspired by the World War 2 jeep, The Land Rover immediately distinguished itself from other cars.
The series 2a is considered the most hardy series model constructed and is quite possibly the most classic type of Land Rover that features strongly in the general public’s perception, from its many appearances in film and television.
The Series II Land Rover replaced Series I production in 1958, initially sporting the original two liter engine from the series I. Once supply ran dry, the 2286cc engine was introduced, which has proven to be a popular and reliable unit ever since. Designs changed over the following years, with the most significant being the moving of the headlights to the wings in 1969. Also introduced at this time was the razor style bonnet and Maltese grille; later to be followed by the plastic grille as used on the Series III.
Thankyou to your lovely client Mr L for letting us show off his Land Rover Series 2A!
We value every classic car, understanding the needs of each client, offering bespoke policies which cater to cover our clients needs! If you have a classic car of your own call one of our specialist consultants on 02380 268351 for your bespoke quotation.
The Volkswagen Westfalia camper has become something of an icon in European and American culture, a symbol of hippy and surf culture that grew into the mid to late 1960’s.
They epitomize outdoor adventure lifestyle, favoured by Campers, Surfers, Skiers and adventure travelers for the versatility and functionality of what the Westfalia can offer.
They have been one of the leading names in camper van conversions, constantly maintaining the comfort, style and dependability that is now synonymous with the brand.
The Westfalia camper was a conversion of the Type 2 and Type 2 T3, sold from the early 1950sto 2003.
Early models sported the iconic split windscreen before Volkswagen transitioned to the bay-window with large, single curved windshield and sliding side door, the Westfalia camper was modified to include an angled poptop. This design provided space for a large child’s cot overhead, and on later models, the poptop was further enlarged to fit a full bed large enough for two adults.
Westfalia Campers were available from Volkswagen dealers worldwide and were also delivered via the Tourist Delivery Program — where a customer would pick up their new van in Germany, drive it in Europe, then VW would ship it to the customer’s home. Many Volkswagen Campers were purchased by American servicemen and sent home in the 1950s and 1960s.
We value every classic car, understanding the needs of each client, offering bespoke policies which cater to cover our clients needs! If you have a classic car of your own call one of our specialist consultants on 02380 268351 for your bespoke quotation.
AIB Launch Classic Car Offering
AIB is proud to announce the launch of our non-standard per...
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