Sommaire pour June 2015 de Wheels

CHINA’S most popular SUV brand, Haval, hits Australia in June with a lofty ambition: it wants to be number one in SUVs. In Australia, and globally. Australia, along with SUVdominated markets Russia and Chile, have been confirmed as Haval’s first export destinations. And it’s not coming Down Under just to make up the numbers. “We’ve studied the Australian market, and we know it’s a one million unit business and SUVs make up 300,000 per year,” Great Wall CEO Wang Fengying told Australian media at the Shanghai motor show. “That makes it a very good SUV market for us.” To reach the top in Australia Haval will not only have to knock off established SUV brands like Mazda, Nissan, Ford and Holden, it will have to outsell current champion, Toyota, whose…

THE Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries has ridiculed a government-led push to allow parallel (‘grey’) imports of new or near-new cars. The FCAI, which represents car companies in Australia, says the government’s plan is “irresponsible and shortsighted” and shows a “complete disregard for the serious consequences that would flow”. FCAI chief executive Tony Weber said it would fly in the face of Australia’s highest level of consumer protection, leave buyers stranded without service support, introduce cars unsuited to Australia and not achieve the intention of reducing prices. The government’s proposal, part of a shakeup of the Motor Vehicle Standards Act, would allow buyers to bypass Australian showrooms and order a new right-hand-drive car (or one up to a year old) from anywhere in the world. On paper, it looks good…

ONE doesn’t just pop into a Rolls-Royce dealer, grab the keys for the new Series II Ghost and disappear in a cloud of cigar smoke. Oh no, it’s more like a high-end business conference. In hindsight, I shouldn’t have worn shorts. We heard a lot from the company about what makes a Rolls-Royce so special that people hand over $550K for this one, or considerably more than a million for a personalised Phantom. ‘Rollers’ are not like other cars; they have no competitors, you see, and the people who buy them shop them against yachts (or maybe just new sails for their yachts), works of art, gold bullion or the bubble that Michael Jackson used to sleep in. This, along with the price, is all very intimidating, but it gets…

THE latest Polo GTI proves that the manual gearbox ain’t dead yet. Thank the Fiesta ST because Ford’s dynamically brilliant, cheap-as-chips hot hatch has made Volkswagen stand up and take notice. So much so that the GTI now comes with a larger engine mated to a manual ’box. Until now, it was dual-clutch only. That’s not all that makes the updated Polo GTI better. Its $27,490 kick-off is more than $2K cheaper than before, while a subtle facelift makes it clearly a blood brother of the Golf GTI. It also comes with more safety gear, including collision warning, and is the first VW in Australia to offer LED headlights (an option, of course). Adaptive damping also joins the options list, a first for Polo buyers. Beside the leather-clad wheel, borrowed…

ENTERING middle age with nary a visible wrinkle sounds like an impossible dream, but Audi’s A7 Sportback has managed to pull it off. Broad and muscular, yet also svelte, this striking liftback-coupe still has the star power its more conservative A6 sedan sibling lacks. It’s such a goddamn looker we doubt its beauty will ever fade. Visual cues to the facelifted Audis are mild. New headlights and tail-lights – LED at both ends, with ‘dynamic’ indicators on most models, and super-tech Matrix LED units optional up front – are what people will notice first, followed by a standard S-Line exterior package, even on the entry-level A6. But it’s the fresh multimedia and mechanical reshuffle that legitimately sets the 2015 range apart. For $79,900, the base A6 gets a completely new…

MITSUBISHI has extensively revised its Outlander SUV and enhanced its value. But has enough been done to shake up the hotly competitive mid-size SUV market segment? Arguably more handsome on the outside, Outlander’s cabin also benefits from an upgrade in furnishings (including some pleasing soft-touch areas) and a new steering wheel, plus improvements to seat bolstering that guarantee your tush and torso stay happy on long trips. The base LS variant looks and feels smarter with its new headlining and a sunglasses holder, along with new trim materials and stitching. However, the infotainment system is confusing and frustrating; phone pairing and audio streaming should be simpler. Nicer though the interior now is, it’s not as premium as its Honda, Subaru and Mazda rivals. But Mitsubishi has been generous with the…

CITROEN customers are clearly an odd bunch – “individualists” as the company likes to call them – but if any car in its quintessentially quirky line-up makes sense to the rest of us, it would be the DS3. Citroen Australia has just launched this “new look” version – with redesigned LED and xenon headlights and not much else that looks new, suggesting it’s more of an eyelift than a facelift – and has decided not to offer an entry-level variant because, apparently, its customers simply prefer to spend more and have all the extras. While the new DS3 DSport “warm-hatch” appears pricey – $33,990 ($36,590 for the Cabrio, pictured), which is a hefty $4250 more than the old car – Citroen claims there’s $5500 more spec. This includes an AEB…

PEUGEOT has given the 508 its first makeover, three years after it replaced the unmemorable 407 and 607. But, sadly, those updates don’t extend to its suspension. While the 508 remains on a petite list of recent Pugs capable of fairly supple motorway progress, the word ‘plush’ escapes this context once again. However, additional comfort can be found in other ways with the 2015 refresh. As part of a model range repositioning, extra equipment has been added that is worth more than the price increases introduced. The entry-level Active benefits the most, jumping $1000 to $37,990 but gaining features valued at $4000. Settling into the 508’s relaxing driver’s seat, you now look at a 7.0-inch touchscreen (rather than a small, monochromatic rectangle of Casio calculator fonts) that includes standard sat-nav…

LAUNCHING giant, overpowered, monstrous trucks into the air, or sand dunes, or each other, is an impressive feat of danger-neering. But finding a way to film them in the middle of all that chaos is a far bigger challenge, even before you throw in the dust storms. This is the job of key grips like Adam Kuiper, who’s been ‘gripping’ since 1999, after starting life as a factory-trained automotive engineer for Mazda. It’s a background that came in handy on his biggest film yet. You won’t see the vehicles he built for Mad Max: Fury Road on the big screen because they were behind, and underneath, the cameras, but they are impressive bits of engineering. “Basically, the job of the grip is to put the motion in the picture,” explains…

CHEAP cars are revolting. No, we’re not talking about bargain-basement downers like the Chery J1 or Mitsubishi Mirage, but a promising new wave of inexpensive urban runabouts that deliver a surprising amount of driving pleasure. Affordable fun without any nasty aftertaste, if you will. The brilliant Volkswagen Up may have left the building last year, but there’s still some life in the so-called Micro class, with two newcomers lobbing for our attention. Suzuki leads the charge with the Celerio while Nissan has finally introduced the facelifted Micra, almost two years after it surfaced abroad. Silly name aside, Suzuki’s Alto replacement hits the ground running with $12,990 drive-away pricing for the 1.0-litre three-cylinder five-speed manual. Not short on spec, it includes Bluetooth audio streaming, power windows, electric mirrors and a trip…

OH, HOW the mighty have fallen. I’m sitting in my driveway at the wheel of my new long term Mazda 2, grappling with what can only be called a reality check. Since joining Wheels two and a half years ago, I’ve enjoyed a golden run of long termers. Even as the office junior I managed to wangle a Toyota 86, then a Range Rover Evoque, and most recently a Volkswagen Golf GTI Performance. Lofty heights, you’ll agree, so the news that my next long termer would be a Mazda 2 – a budget city car – was difficult to swallow. Granted, this makes me sound like a massive snob. I shouldn’t have worried; this Mazda 2 is seriously impressive. The model I have here is the range-topping Genki, which, thanks…

MY ONE and only previous experience of a three-cylinder car was the rather obscure and curiously named Suzuki Mighty Boy back in the 1980s. And my abiding memory of that car – other than the fact it was incredibly impractical for a ute and incapable of carrying anything more than an attache case and a toothbrush – was that, while it sounded like a mighty flat-10 Porsche 917 hammering down the Mulsanne at Le Mans in 1970 as you snapped through the gears, it performed more like a strangled Beetle towing a horse float. It was certainly more boy than man, and not so mighty. So it was with some trepidation that I approached my new long-termer, Renault’s frankly girl-friendly Captur mini-SUV with its 898cc triple, even though it does…

1 BMW M3/4 317kW Now sporting two turbos instead of the characteristic naturally aspirated howl of the previous M3 six (the E46), there’s no denying the high-revving thrust from BMW’s performance hero. 2 BMW X50 M50d 280kW The sole diesel offering in our shortlist, and a stump-puller thanks to three turbos and 740Nm. You will have relish that torque, though, because it doesn’t rev like classic BMW sixes. 3 FORD XR6 TURBO 270kW Since its inception in the BA of 2002, the XR6 Turbo has been a ripper. Grunt has edged up 30kW and 88Nm since that original, with better gearboxes, for what is a fantastic alternative to a V8. 4 VOLVO S60 258kW It may have the turning circle of a Manly ferry, but the soon-to-be-killed 3.0-litre in-line six,…

Wild Chev could be a Holden THE wild Chevrolet FNR (Find New Roads) may look over the top, but General Motors says that the technology-laden concept car’s attention-seeking styling will one day be the basis of a production sports car, meaning it could land here wearing a Holden badge. The gobsmacking concept was the clear star of the Shanghai motor show, with its super-angular silhouette, crystal headlights, ‘dragonfly’ doors and wild wheels. Chevrolet is looking to the FNR to provide an alternative to the old-school Camaro and Corvette models. Final Aussie Camry launched THE last Toyota Camry model to be made in Australia has started rolling off the carmaker’s Altona production line, marking the official start of the final chapter for the Japanese brand’s local manufacturing. Known as the ‘Big…

THE framework and production capacity are almost in place to launch the Haval and Great Wall brands to the world, says CEO Wang Fengying. Great Wall’s newest plant, Xushui, 170km south-west of Beijing, has the capacity to produce 2738 cars per day. That’s knocking on the door of the world’s largest car factory, VW’s Wolfsburg plant in Germany, which can build 3000 cars a day. Great Wall also has factories in Thailand and Bulgaria, and is increasing its R&D footprint at its Baoding HQ.…

FERDINAND Piech’s plot to remove Martin Winterkorn as CEO of Volkswagen has backfired, resulting in his replacement as VW Group chairman by the very man he tried to oust. In a stunning turn of events that quickly came to a head in April, Piech, the man whose drive and ambition propelled Volkswagen Group from a small European player to a global force second only to Toyota in less than two decades, has fallen victim to his own machinations. The former VW Group board chairman secretly plotted to replace Winterkorn with Porsche boss – and reported Piech ally – Matthias Mueller. However, the VW Group board instead threw its support behind Winterkorn, leaving Piech no choice but to resign, effective immediately. Piech’s reign may be over, but his legacy should not…

THERE aren’t many jobs for which a Porsche 911 Turbo and a 911 GT3 are considered too slow, but there is one – acting as the pace car for the blisteringly berserk 918 Spyder. One of these epochal super-hybrids came to Australia recently and the local Porsche people went all out to celebrate the occasion, which won’t come around very often seeing as they’re now all sold, not one of them to an Australian. A few billionaires were initially interested in the $1.5-million 918 ‘package’, until they calculated that some $300,000 of their outlay would go to the government in the form of luxury car tax. The GT3 and Turbo were at the track so we could “get up to speed” by hurling them around the hairy beast that is…

CALLING it an M X5 just wouldn’t do. Even if the iconic Mazda roadster never existed, the BMW SUV flagship is clearly an SUV first (albeit blisteringly fast) and an M car second. As with all the new-generation X5s, the M range-topper is essentially a rebodied version of what went before. It gets headlights from its X6 sibling, kidney grilles with M-signature double bars, and redesigned bumpers with 50 percent more voluminous air intakes. Side-on, the gills get chromed, twin-stalk mirrors mount the doors, and unique 21-inch alloys (on non-runflat rubber) result in a 10mm lower ride height. Out back, the reprofiled bumper’s body-coloured diffuser houses four exhaust pipes. Building on the X5’s usual space, comfort, practicality and functionality, the M version gains M-specific seats, steering wheel with paddle-shifters, gear…

THE existence of BMW’s 6 Series is a mystery, much like the existence of Clive Palmer, KFC and cruise ships. This was brought even more starkly into relief at the local launch of the new 2 Series Convertible – replacement for the 1 Series Convertible that was so popular here we ended up being its fourth-largest market, after Germany, the UK and America – when we got stuck behind a 6 Series Convertible while steering a humble, four-cylinder 220i with 135kW and 270Nm. Even driven enthusiastically, the Clive-like 6 is no match for the short wheelbase and sharp handling of the 2 Series, which also wins by being far more attractive and hugely cheaper, starting at just $54,900. Sure, in a straight line the 220i would be humbled, with a…

AUSSIES love muscle cars. That’s what the doorman at our swanky San Francisco hotel tells me when I pull up alongside Bentleys, Escalades and S-Classes in Dodge’s facelifted Challenger. And yet he utters those words without turning his nose up at this retro slice of Detroit iron. The reborn Challenger isn’t new to this world – it launched in February 2008 – but it was refreshed for MY15 with a ’71 Challenger-inspired restyle, an eight-speed auto (replacing an old five-speeder), a new interior with a TFT centre display, and an 8.4-inch Uconnect touchscreen. Americans can’t seem to get enough of its menacing look and Coke-bottle hips. Since its ’08 rebirth, Challenger has increased sales every year, culminating in 51,611 last year, not far behind its 1970 record of 76,935. Available…

IT LOOKED like we had managed to get the Triton stuck. The 4WD section of the drive route Mitsubishi Australia had organised for the preview of its 2016 Triton was at the spectacular Eagle View 4WD track near Adelaide. As the name suggests, this is steep, rugged country and this particularly gnarly section had managed to thwart the best efforts of the electronic traction control. All forward progress had stopped. Thankfully we were driving the top-spec Exceed model, which comes standard with a rear diff lock, activated via a dashboard switch. Once the diff was locked, the Triton laboured for a second or two before extricating itself from the predicament. This is Mitsubishi’s long-awaited answer to a rash of recent all-new utes, including the Ford Ranger, Mazda BT-50, VW Amarok,…

BEAUTIFUL people will always get away with more than the rest of us. Sparkling eyes, a great smile, an athlete’s fitness and a model’s dress sense are an unbeatable combination, especially when you add charisma to the mix. So it is for the new Audi RS3 Sportback. Derived from the rather bland and slightly frumpy third-generation A3 Sportback, the RS3 has truly grown into its skin, fleshed out by meatier wheel tracks, menacing air intakes and guard-filling 19-inch wheels, not to mention Audi RS’s signature oval-shaped dual exhaust outlets. And it has one mission: to put Mercedes-Benz’s brutally effective and hugely successful A45 AMG in its place. Acoustic flaps open, cackling a deliciously amplified, hard-edged five-cylinder rasp, the RS3 sounds every inch the mega-hatch Audi wants it to be. Under…

POP QUIZ: what was the last brilliant Alfa to grace Aussie roads? No, not 2010’s appealingly Italianate Giulietta, likeable as it is, and certainly not the bloody Mito. Nothing for at least a generation, then, and by that we don’t mean 2005’s striking Brera. Clearly, patience is a virtue that would serve any Alfa Romeo enthusiast well because to uncover the gold, you have to dig much deeper into the brand’s back catalogue, at least three or four decades (we’re deliberately overlooking the ’89 Sprint Zagato and ’07 8C Competizione on the grounds of availability and relevance in Oz). For our money, the last real Alfa Romeo was the Alfetta/GTV, with its twin-cam four (and later V6), and rear transaxle with inboard brakes. That’s in terms of the ability to…

HE’S JUST a dot way down in the valley with dust billowing out behind, but I can clearly hear that Steve Riley’s on the loud pedal and coming hard. His ‘Commodore’ VE ute – really a spaceframe off-road racer draped in composite panels – is powered by a supercharged 7.0-litre small-block Chevrolet V8 that punches out 550kW at the wheels. And it sound like Steve is using them all as he rips along the fastest part of this crazy course among the towering peaks of New Zealand’s southern isle, growl and whine mixing and ricocheting up the barren hillside. The green and blue two-door appears and disappears several times over the next few minutes as it climbs; bellowing, huffing, sideways and spitting gravel. A helicopter tracks Riley’s progress, giving me…

MOVING to a new suburb at the same time as getting a new long-termer broke a basic rule of any scientific experiment: I had changed two variables at once. The conclusion? Well, I’ve still got another month in the A3 cabrio, but so far my drive to the office isn’t as enjoyable as it used to be. While this is partly because I have to drive further, some of it in stop-start traffic, it also suggests the A3 is less agreeable than the Mazda 6 it replaced. Of course, no-one cares how a luxury convertible and a family wagon compare, but you’d expect a $52K premium car to be better than a $40K-odd one from a mainstream maker. In Audi’s defence, the cabrio is an exception to the rule that…

WHEELS’ resident lefty John Carey holds fast to the law of diminishing returns, which declares that value does not increase commensurately with price. JC wields this baton most effectively during our annual Car of the Year testing week. The argument goes that a $100K car is not twice a $50K car, therefore it should be judged less favourably on Value. Superficially, it makes sense: a $100K sedan cannot carry twice the people, nor will it accelerate twice as quickly, or cover twice the distance on the same fuel, or be twice as safe and have twice the features. There’s an obvious flaw here. Is 2m² twice the size of 1m²? No, it’s four times, because both length and width double. So, if only one measurable quality doubles – say, engine…

IF YOU’VE ever felt strangely and suddenly compelled on a summer Saturday night or early-October weekend to “get your backside trackside”, you’ve already had exposure to Mike Raymond. And if you’re a fan of the Bathurst 1000 and its innovations like in-car cameras and the qualifying shootout, then you also have this tireless 72-year-old Sydneysider to thank. For more than five decades, Raymond has been a prominent and recognisable voice in Australian motor sport. From cheeky beginnings in speedway racing to an executive chair at Channel Seven, Raymond has seen it all. Raymond got into the game as a 16-year-old spectator at Sydney’s Showground Speedway. Mike and younger brother Steve, later a top TV journalist and talk-show host, marched up to the owners and told them: “What this place needs…

LOOK out HSV, AMG and M: Dodge is about to bring America’s most potent performance car, the Dodge Challenger Hellcat, to Oz in 2016. Even better, the next-generation four-door Dodge Charger Hellcat could also arrive Down Under in 2018, making for a formidable two-pronged V8 line-up. The 527kW Challenger Hellcat, which could carry a price tag under $100K, is billed as the most powerful muscle car to roll off a US production line. It packs a bigger V8 punch than anything from Mercedes AMG and BMW M, and boasts almost 100kW more than HSV’s mighty 430kW GTS flagship, also powered by a 6.2-litre supercharged V8. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) Australia, which owns the Dodge brand, is building a case to import the mighty Challenger Hellcat. The V8 coupe would be…

SAFER cars could be more expensive to register and insure due to inconsistent and confusing crash ratings. ANCAP has successfully lobbied fleets, large companies and governments to only purchase cars with five-star ratings. The national marketing communications manager of LeasePlan Australia, Paul Scully, said the star ratings are “increasingly important to fleet buyers, governments in particular … the car is seen as part of the workplace and ANCAP is the rating they rely on”. However, such fleet purchasers could be missing out on the latest safety features because of ANCAP changing its requirements and entering a “transition period” culminating in the 2018 adoption of Euro NCAP protocols. The Suzuki Celerio, for example, is one of the few cars in its class to feature seatbelt reminders in the rear seats, something…

EVEN before you turn a wheel in the Discovery Sport, there’s much to like. Not only is its $53,300 starting price cheaper than its rivals (Audi Q5 and BMW X3), but it’s prettier, stunningly practical with optional five-plus-two seating, and has Land Rover’s bulletproof off-road reputation. Disco Sport is the long-awaited replacement for the eight-year-old Freelander 2. It’s 89mm longer, but thanks to a faster version of Land Rover’s Terrain Response System, is more capable off-road. Think of it as a rugged, seven-seat Evoque, with which it shares its platform. Things only improve for the Disco Sport on the road. Its handling, even on slippery switchback tarmac, is surefooted and predictable, helped in part by all-new multi-link rear suspension design that improves ride quality and, due to its compact design,…

IT’S FUN to imagine that the Juke has its own, sealed-off section at Nissan HQ in Japan. It would have a closed door behind which jokes are told, whoopee cushions are sat on and eye-bending designs, like the freshly updated Juke you see here, are created. This facelift arrives three years after the original Juke landed Down Under and it only sharpens the visual impact of Nissan’s divisive small SUV. There’s a new front bumper, restyled head- and tail-lights, LED daytime running lights, new alloy wheels and the addition of five bold colours, including this Bumblebee Yellow, just in case you find the mad-hatter styling too subtle. It’s under the Juke’s tweaked skin where the real interest lies. A new, Renault-sourced 1.2-litre turbo four powers entry-level ST models and, mated…

WHEN it comes to exclusivity, you can forget the latest two-door Bentley or Lamborghinis. The Abarth 695 Biposto out-exclusives the lot. About 10 are destined for Australia, each with a price tag ranging from $65,000 to as much as $100,000, depending on which options you’ve decided to tack on to the fastest and most hyper Fiat 500 ever built. Like the Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari, the Biposto gets a feisty 1.4-litre turbo, but there’s a whisker more power than that former 500 range-topper, for a grand total of 140kW. Hardly explosive outputs, then. But it’s the work done on light-weighting the tiny three-door that has helped shave its 0-100km/h sprint by the best part of a second, to an impressive 5.9sec. Gone are the xenon headlights and fog lights. The…

WHEN it comes to breadth of talent, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class stretches itself wide. Volume-selling four-cylinder models kick off a range that has upped its luxury game over the past decade, while the C63 AMG thumps hard for anyone chasing Porsche performance for less money. Yet it’s taken until 2015 for Benz’s top seller to be offered as a plug-in hybrid, a drivetrain configuration that is getting increasing attention in the US while becoming more important in an era of intense CO2 scrutiny. With the imminent arrival of the C350e, Mercedes has trumped its Japanese and European rivals with a hybrid that can also be recharged for electric-only driving. Range is limited to a claimed 31km (our experience suggests you’ll get 20 percent less in regular driving), but for many, that’ll…

IT’S appropriate that the i30 is in the C segment because that letter also defines the South Korean hatchback’s middle-of-the-road standing. The face of the GD Series II range loses its odd braces for a more elegant, Genesis-style hexagonal grille treatment while redesigned alloys, updated multimedia, standard reversing camera and minor spec improvements further help the still-handsome i30 in its required mid-life makeover. Not much was wrong with the spacious, solid and smart cabin, defined by thoughtful control placement, perfectly clear dials, ample ventilation, supportive seating and a flawless driving position. Sure, the leather feels like pleather, it’s all a bit of a button-fest, and rear vision is hindered by the upswept window line, but the quality and ambience places the Hyundai somewhere between Japan and Germany. For showroom allure,…

HERE’S a question I never thought I’d ask in a car: “Where’s the fire extinguisher?” I’m sitting in the stripped-out, bare-bones cockpit of Australia’s newest open-wheeler – a cutting-edge Formula Four – and suddenly I’m feeling intimidated by its performance. This French Mygale is a car that, on certain tracks, can lap faster than a V8 Supercar and, thanks to its removable steering wheel, flappy-paddle gearbox, carbonfibre monocoque chassis and wings-and-slicks design, offers a serious taste of F1. It also signals the beginning of a new chapter for Australian motor sport. Run and promoted in-house by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS), F4 is designed to be the first rung on the ladder for youngsters stepping up from karts, which means it’s the category for the next generation of…

COLIN Gibson, production designer of the new homage to car-nage, Mad Max: Fury Road, had a great time not making George Miller’s new ‘armageddon-out-of-here’ movie, and kept it up for years. This film, which finally opens this month, has been in production since 2003, so long that it lost Mel Gibson to madness along the way and had to replace him with the not much less bonkers Tom Hardy. It was all our fault, of course, or our country’s, because nowhere looked shitty enough, not like Silverton in outback NSW did when the original was made, back in 1977 (at a budget of $400,000; estimates for the new one rise as high as $250 million). “Yep, we had some problems in 2003, but on the plus side I got to…

GRIP is good. Personally, I like it almost as much as speed, because one without the other generally leads to twisted flesh, screaming metal and ambulance rides. Rally drivers, on the other hand, aren’t that fussed about grip, and are quite happy to dance along its edges, thumbing their noses at physics and probability and somehow enjoying the ride. I was more than a little apprehensive, then, when I was told I’d be driving a Citroen DS3 R3 rally car far more so than if I’d been tasked with tackling Supercar, or even a rocket ship. My wussiness about driving hard on dirt can thankfully remain a secret because we ended up at kart track on the Gold Coast, the idea being to turn into a Ken Blockhead so I…

A CAR is more than nuts, bolts, plastic, metal and oil. If you’ve ever built your own street machine, you’ll know it’s bucket loads of blood, sweat, tears and emotion (not to mention rolls of cash). That’s what the Clubsport is to me: a rolling tribute to our motoring history. It has links to my childhood hero, Peter Brock. I have memories of V8 Commodores with my big brother, some of my best mates, and my dad when I was a kid. He reckons I was taken home from the hospital in a VH – unfortunately a VH Valiant, whereas I’d have preferred a VH Commodore but that was only launched four months after I was born. So it’s with a heavy heart that I drive what will probably be…

THE eternal battle with inner-city living isn’t just trying to afford even the tiniest slice of real estate; it’s finding somewhere to park. And not just any old street park, mixed with all the perils of busted mirrors, kerbed wheels, tree grit and bird dirt. I mean something clean and dry, with room to open doors, pack a bar fridge, unfold a chair and crank a set of speakers. Since I flew the parental nest more than two decades ago, I’ve never really had a proper garage. So you’ll understand my jubilation at being invited to join a bunch of car nuts housing their classics in a graffiti-covered warehouse just 10 minutes from my house, for little more than the price of a couple of pints. Cue gleeful girly yelps…

Lightning McQueen Keeping it real THE great thing about Lightning McQueen is that he’s really a bit of an asshole. Hollywood has a habit of anthropomorphising things by pouring sugar on them, thus Woody is a nice toy, Nemo is a friendly fish and even Sulley is a good monster. Lightning, though, is exactly what you’d expect a Nascar racer to be like if it had a personality – loud, arrogant and slightly dim. Underneath it all, of course, is a typically Disney heart of gold, and his thirst for victory at all costs is eventually beaten out of him, as he loses his ‘Stickers’ and ends up looking more like a Corvette than a mean-spirited race car. The people who penned McQueen were apparently inspired not only by Nascars…

IF YOU wanted variety in your motoring in the 1950s, you needn’t have looked much farther than your Ford dealer. During that decade, prior to the arrival of the Falcon in 1960, Ford was assembling the little Pommy-designed Prefect, the mid-size Zephyr, the bruising big Customline and, from 1959, the flagship V8-engined Fairlane in its brand new Broadmeadows plant. That full-sized model was replaced in 1962 by a downsized model (the FB/C/D, destined to be known as the ‘compact’ Fairlanes), again sourced in kit form from the USA. These were augmented in 1964 by the Galaxie, but Ford Australia was by now a manufacturer gaining ground with its Car of the Year-winning XP Falcon. What it really wanted was a locally built flagship. The springboard was the substantially new XR…