Americans in British driving seats

BASKETBALL legend Michael Jordan drives an Aston Martin. Actor Kevin Spacey has just bought a new Mini Cooper. Fellow thespian Brad Pitt prefers a Land Rover while his equally famous wife, Jennifer Aniston, pops around town in a Jaguar.

Not since US servicemen returned home from the Second World War raving about the ingenuity and durability of British-built driving machines has the British motoring industry been so revved up in America.

Very little of the UK car industry remains in British hands, having long ago been absorbed by Ford Motor, BMW and Volkswagen, but US buyers do not seem to mind. In an otherwise sagging North American market, the fastest moving cars are those rolling off assembly lines in Newport Pagnell and Coventry.

Ford's premier motor group - -home to three prestige UK brands, Land Rover, Aston Martin and Jaguar - is the one division of the giant Detroit carmaker that is not struggling. In fact, it is thriving.

Sales of custom-made Aston Martins took a slight dip after the terror attacks of last September but roared back to record a 149% sales gain in March compared with the year-ago period. Last month, the company sold 60 of the sizzling Aston Martin DB7 series - starting price $140,000 (£100,000). Michael Jordan reportedly has two Aston Martins in his garage in Washington DC.

Land Rover and Jaguar, both of which have introduced new, less expensive models to broaden appeal, are recording double-digit growth. Jaguar sales jumped 87% in March and Land Rover 37%.

The Mini Cooper, recently reintroduced by BMW to the US after a 35-year absence, is in such demand there is a waiting list at most of the 70 dealers nationwide, according to company officials. On sale since March, with cars arriving daily from England, the Mini sold 787 vehicles in nine days, wildly surpassing estimates. The $17,000 Mini is arguably in a class by itself in the land of sports utility vehicles and four-wheel drive trucks as there are no other 'premium' small cars sold in America.

Actor Kevin Spacey bought his at a charity auction. Budget Rent a Car of Beverly Hills said the Mini is the most popular vehicle in its luxury-padded stable of hot cars for Hollywood stars.

Car enthusiasts credit the UK craze to revitalised products. The Mini Cooper has received smashing Press reviews and generated the sort of buzz marketing executives dream of. USA Today's James Healey called the Mini 'a total gas' and the story of how the car got its tailpipe - an early engineering team attached a Budweiser can to a full-sized clay model of their futuristic design - has been told and retold.

Jaguar and Land Rover successfully broadened their markets by offering a quality vehicle at a lower price than typically available. Giving consumers a less expensive alternative sometimes dilutes a brand image but in the case of these two, that does not appear to have happened.

The Jaguar X series starts at $30,000, much less than the $44,000 commanded by its fancier sister, the Jaguar S series. Both are posting sales gains.

Jeremy Barnes, Los Angeles-based communications manager for Ford's premier cars, said America's love affair with British vehicles is an extension of a deeper cultural craze. 'London is the birthplace of style again,' said Barnes. 'Some of the greatest restaurants are in London, the financial centre, great art collections. Some of Broadway's biggest shows originate there. What's cool about England is in everyone's heart and they can get a little bit of it by buying a British car.'

In the Mini's case, the Anglo-appreciation society extends even to the accessories. The most popular are wheel and tyre upgrades with a Union Jack roof graphic.

There is also a rekindled reputation for quality - almost lost when British car companies floundered in the 1980s and 1990s. 'Even if all you do is pick your kids up at school, if you do it in a Land Rover, you know you can cross a flooded river if you have to,' said Barnes. 'It's the reputation.'