Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2015 i Wheels

FORD MUSTANG GT Sharp pricing and retro-inspired looks have seen the Mustang off to a flying sales start, even before it gets here in December. 2000 deposits have already been taken, including 20 from a local rental company. CHRYSLER CHALLENGER/CHARGER The Challenger is in Fiat Chrysler’s crosshairs, but likely to wear the iconic Charger badge. The 527kW Hellcat will be the most potent V8 sold here. TOYOTA 86/SUBARU BRZ COTY-winning twins are smaller, lighter and cheaper than US muscle cars, but play in a similar space – affordable rear-drive performance – and can cost as much if their pace is wicked up to match.…

BETWEEN Ferrari’s production car sales and its merchandising activities nestles two lucrative vehicle-related revenue streams. Ferrari Classiche was founded in 2006 to maintain the originality of classic Ferraris. Inspection, then restoration or remedial work, generates an invaluable certificate of conformity, rubber-stamped by a committee chaired by vice-president Piero Ferrari. Based in Enzo’s old foundry building, restoration works employ original blueprints and even the same tooling used in period. Then there are the commissioned one-offs and ultra-low volume models like the recent Pininfarina Sergio delivered to the SBH Royal Auto Gallery in the UAE, and Eric Clapton’s SP12 EC (below), a 458 Italia-based homage to the 512 BB. The Sultan of Brunei was once a regular customer, his collection featuring convertible, wagon and sedan 456s, a 512 TR Spider and oddities…

HIGHLIGHTS Australians bought more cars in April 2015 than in April 2014, but the record results from March this year weren’t repeated. Private purchases were up 8.8% and government sales improved 1.7%, so it was hardly a grim result. Almost like a broken record, SUV sales were up by 4307 vehicles on April last year, almost the same number passenger car sales fell (4005). Two models soon to be refreshed, Toyota’s Corolla and Hilux, were the country’s top sellers. LOWLIGHTS The gloss may have worn off for the Mazda 3 – or has the new CX-3 (1398 sales) cannibalised its sales? Mazda suspected the small SUV might cannibalise 3 sales, yet the 3 still (barely) beat Hyundai’s i30. The Mazda 2 also fell, from 1357 in March to 926, sliding…

FADE TO GREY THE arguments of Tony Weber against grey importation in your last issue ran completely counter to my experiences. I’ve owned two grey imports in my time, brought in under the old rules. It gave me access to a quality of car that, at that time, I couldn’t otherwise afford. They were ‘special’ cars in my assessment and highly equipped. They were also the two most reliable cars I’ve owned, irrespective of the fact they were engineered for Japanese conditions and not those in Australia. I concede that there were sat-nav and infotainment inconveniences, but I worked around that, as does most of Asia, the Pacific and much of the former Soviet Union, who simply accept the grey automotive market as a way of life. The notion that…

Model Skoda Superb 2.0 TSI Engine 1984cc 4cyl, dohc, 16v, turbo Max power 162kW @ 4500-6200rpm Max torque 350Nm @ 1500-4400rpm Transmission 6-speed dual-clutch Weight 1505kg 0-100km/h 7.0sec (claimed) Economy 6.2L/100km Price $45,000 (estimated) On sale March 2016 WOLFSBURG, you have a problem. Skoda is deadly serious about its new-generation Superb. No longer the ugly duckling cousin of the overachieving Volkswagen Passat, the Czech-built large car will hit the ground running with value pricing, stacks of equipment, and a level of design and quality that will raise eyebrows among far more expensive luxury rivals. Mark our words, the new Superb punches above its weight. The 2001 original – also VW-derived – was a Europe-only test case, while the retina-searing second-generation oddball from 2009 has skulked along the outskirts of Australian…

Model Volkswagen Golf R wagon Engine 1984cc 4cyl, dohc, 16v, turbo Max power 206kW @ 5700-6200rpm Max torque 380Nm @ 1750-4600rpm Transmission 6-speed dual-clutch Kerb weight 1499kg 0-100km/h 5.1sec (claimed) Economy 7.0L/100km Price $58,000 (estimated) On sale October QUIZ time: How many wagons can hit 100km/h in 5.1 seconds or less? Answer: just seven: Audi’s S4, RS4 and RS6 Avants, the Ferrari FF, HSV Clubsport Tourer, Mercedes CLS500 and Volvo V60 Polestar. Only one – the HSV – costs less than $100K. Better make that two. VW is living up to its People’s Car claim with the first-ever Golf R Wagon, landing in October from an almost proletarian sub-$60K. In essence it’s an R hatch with a 332mm-longer tail, which results in up to 1620 litres of useful luggage capacity.…

Model Lamborghini Aventador LP 750-4 Superveloce Engine 6498cc V12 (60°), dohc, 48v Max power 552kW @ 8400rpm Max torque 690Nm @ 5500rpm Transmission 7-speed sequential Weight 1525kg 0-100km/h 2.8sec (claimed) Economy 16.0L/100km Price $882,650 On sale October YOU GET the feeling that if Lamborghini could make its cars actually explode, or at least shoot out fireworks – and possibly bullets – like in the movies, it would. But with this R-rated and highly violent version of the Aventador, the Superveloce LP750-4, it has made do with making the exhaust sound like a series of explosions. And what an exhaust it is, replacing the rubbish bin-sized central single hole with four mean-looking downpipes and tuning the sound for extra meanness. It’s not as if the original Aventador wasn’t loud, but this…

Model Holden Cascada Engine 1598cc 4cyl, dohc, 16v, turbo Max power 125kW @ 4750-6000rpm Max torque 260Nm @ 1650-4500rpm Transmission 6-speed automatic Kerb weight 1744kg 0-100km/h 9.9sec (claimed) Economy 7.5L/100km Price $41,990 On sale Now DRIVER appeal in the Holden Cascada comes from dropping the top on a nice day, rather than the drive experience itself, though that’s true of the small convertible class as a whole, including the ageing VW Golf and Renault Megane drop-tops. Like the Cascada, they’re heavier and slower than the hatches from which they’re derived, come only as autos, and ultimately place frills ahead of thrills. But this Astra-derived cabrio holds several aces. The Cascada offers more performance than the Megane CC, thanks to a new-gen 1.6-litre direct injection turbo four shared with the Astra…

Model Jaguar XE 2.0 Diesel Engine 1999cc 4cyl, dohc, 16v, TD Max power 132kW @ 4000rpm Max torque 430Nm @ 1750-2500rpm Transmission 8-speed automatic Kerb weight 1565kg 0-100km/h 7.8sec (claimed) Economy 4.2L/100km (EU) Price $63,000 (estimated) On sale September T’S BEEN a long wait for the most important new Jaguar of this century. There was the over-the-top official reveal of the XE in London last September. Then a drive of very early and obviously unfinished pre-production examples in Portugal in January. Now, at last, the moment of truth… The throttle of the red XE’s 250kW supercharged 3.0-litre V6 has been pinned wide open since exiting the tight right-hander onto the pit straight at Spain’s Circuito de Navarra. Now we’re in the upper end of fifth gear, heading for the 3.9km…

A SKY pregnant with rain makes climbing into the track-focused Caterham CSR175, with its semi-slick tyres, no ABS and no traction control, a daunting experience. I’m so preoccupied – maybe even a little scared – that I burn my right leg on its exposed side exhaust as I flop into the driver’s seat. My skin only kisses the hot metal for a millisecond, but it’s enough to blister. Never have I wanted to swap cars so much. And a Cayman GTS and Jag F-Type R coupe are parked tantalisingly close. This gathering of exotica couldn’t be more different. Red, white and green; huge, sleek and impossibly tiny – this trio’s aesthetic differences mirror the disparity of their oily bits. There’s a choice of four, six or eight cylinders, aspirated or…

THIS is the car we thought would never happen again; a Peugeot that strives to be a cut above not just mainstream competition, but also anything similar in size at any price. For about 15 years from the mid-1980s, models such as the 205, 306, 405 and 406 rose above the pack thanks to exciting dynamics married to exquisite design. Of course, greedy pricing and patchy tech – French automatics were always rubbish, for example – meant that their full impact in Australia was somewhat watered down. In the 2000s, Peugeots degenerated into dreary and at times ugly and unreliable dross, to the point of near bankruptcy a couple of years ago. Today’s billion-euro T9-series 308 is Peugeot’s last chance, and its greatest hope. We’re already fans. In base 96kW…

I ADMIT to being a Francophile. It’s a relationship that’s been tested over the years – nuclear testing in the Pacific comes to mind, and that pompous clown Jean-Marie Balestre who presided over the FIA in the 1980s – but nothing that a visit to Paris or the Loire Valley couldn’t overcome. The French have an admirable outlook on life, an effortless elegance, a love of food and drink, a beautiful language and a remarkable creativity that is reflected in their architecture and movies. But my love of things French has never extended to cars, even though that creativity has produced some of the most elegant designs in history, such as the Citroen DS. Also some of the most effective, from the incomparable Citroen 2CV to Peugeot’s iconic 205 GTi…

THE sale of my father-in-law’s vineyard (sob!), and the need to help with the pack-up and clean-out of a weekender steeped in 35 years of memories, has meant several hundred kilometres of country driving since our last update. This new driving environment has thrown up some interesting observations. For one, the V60 Luxury’s ride. In my view, it’s too firm for its family and urban orientation. While those handsome, diamond-cut 18-inch alloys look the part, they pick up every lump, bump and ridge to be found when driving in town. But the discipline of the Euro-spec suspension suddenly makes sense on lumpy back roads, paying dividends in terms of roadholding and dynamics. That’s not to say the V60 won’t still snot a sharp-edged pothole with all the gusto of an…

NOT much has changed with the look of Hyundai’s quirky three-and-a-half door Veloster hatchycoupe following a recent update; there’s a new bonnet, while the Turbo models get a new grille and 18s. Revised suspension and steering bring a slightly better drive while pricing has copped a kick south with the turbo models. Entry to the forced-induction version of the 1.6-litre direct-injection engine is now $29,990, bang on the price of its hottest rival, the COTY-winning Toyota 86. There’s also a new seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox and the addition of an SR Turbo + model.…

FORD is working on the hottest Falcon XR6 Turbo ever, using the hardware from its now defunct FPV F6, and it could be here by the end of this year. In a move not dissimilar to the XR8’s revival last year using excess FPV GT parts, the next – and last – XR6 Turbo will get FPV F6 drivetrain and suspension components, raising outputs from the current XR6T’s 270kW/533Nm to a thumping 310kW/565Nm. If the XR6T’s current kerb weight of 1728kg doesn’t balloon too close to the last F6 Typhoon’s 1805kg, it should easily hit 100km/h in less than five seconds. And, if our sources are on the money, a price tag of under $50K for the hot sedan will make this final fast Falcon a mighty performance bargain. As…

JLR is taking on not just the Germans, but also British tuning houses that feed on the brand to create the more luxury-laden or monstered versions of its products. Land Rover design boss Gerry McGovern said the company would target niche tuning houses such as Overfinch and Twisted that reap profit from its products. “We need to get tougher with them,” McGovern told us at the Paris motor show late last year. “I find it frustrating that these companies set themselves up, take our vehicles, use 99.9 percent of our creative intellect for their own profit, and take our badge off and put their badge on it ... they’re taking advantage of our brand equity. “I have a real issue with some of the companies we see ... taking our…

WANT a hypercar garage for the price of a pizza? Lego has the answer. The Danish toy company, loved by kids and adults alike, has added model kits of the McLaren P1, Porsche 918 and LaFerrari to its wonderfully geeky collection for just $20 each. If our maths is right, that’s a saving of $4.8 million over the real cars, which are sold out anyway. Lego hypercars $19.99 lego.com/speedchampions A RACING sim for hardcore gamers, by hardcore gamers, Project CARS started life as a crowd-funded project (the name stands for Community Assisted Racing Simulator). Think of it as a Gran Turismo for the people, complete with stunning graphics, exquisitely detailed cars and the largest track roster of any recent racing game. Project CARS $79.95 projectcarsgame.com BRIDGESTONE has released the third…

Model Jaguar F-Type R AWD coupe Engine 5000cc V8 (90°), dohc, 32v, S/C Max power 405kW @ 6500rpm Max torque 680Nm @ 3500rpm Transmission 8-speed automatic Weight 1730kg 0-100km/h 3.9sec (claimed) Economy 11.3L/100km Price $242,670 On sale Now THE Jaguar F-Type is not your shy, unassuming sports coupe. It looks great from all angles and has one of the sweetest coupe profiles in the automotive kingdom. It also has a range of V6 and V8 engines, all supercharged, that deliver performance – and soundtracks – guaranteed to grab attention. Importantly, 2013’s original F-Type backed up its style and sound; dynamically, the coupe and convertible delivered everything expected of a rear-drive sports car. So does the 2015 arrival of a new all-wheel-drive system spoil things by diluting the F-Type’s acclaimed handling,…

Model Holden Astra GTC Sport Engine 1598cc 4cyl, dohc, 16v, turbo Max power 147kW @ 5500rpm Max torque 280Nm @ 1650-5000rpm Transmission 6-speed manual Kerb weight 1498kg 0-100km/h 7.9sec (claimed) Economy 6.9L/100km Price $29,990 On sale Now THE Astra is back. Again. Just like in 2012, when the Opel Astra spearheaded a short-lived revival of the European brand in Australia. Or the time before, in 1996, when the Opel-sourced but Holden-branded Astra revived a name carried by various badge-engineered Pulsars in the 1980s. That feeling of deja vu is heightened by the fact the new Holden Astra is an updated version of the same fourth-gen J-series Astra that made its global debut in 2009 and arrived here in hatch, wagon and (2011) coupe form less than three years ago. With…

BMW X6M Niche within niche is a peculiarly German phenomenon, as the BMW X6M hammerhead proves. Now in its second generation, the SUV flagship offers more power and greater efficiency. But the point of it is no clearer. WheelsMag.com.au/bmwx6m Nissan Navara Nissan’s D23 Navara offers single-, extra- and dual-cab models with 4x2 and 4x4. The 2.3L diesel offers up to 140kW in twin-turbo spec. Top spec Navara carries coils under the tub. WheelsMag.com.au/nissannavara Skoda Fabia Combi Skoda is trying again with the third-gen Fabia Combi, a pert, practical compact wagon that exorcises the clumsiness of its predecessor. Australia’s cheapest wagon, but plenty to like. WheelsMag.com.au/fabiacombi Hyundai i40 New Hyundai i40 range is “less confusing”. That’s handy, because we were wondering why it exists when the company already has a Camry…

THINK you know about speed? Yeah, I used to think I knew something about it, too. Then my whole idea of speed – at least the core program of sensations in my brain and body and butt – suddenly required recalibrating. And I was desperately slow to reboot. Let me tell you about speed. A V8 Supercar, with about 485kW and weighing 1350kg, tops 280km/h at Phillip Island and completes a lap in 1min 31sec. An Audi R8 LMS, with let’s say 410kW – it depends on the air restrictor size, under prevailing GT3 racing rules – only gets to about 265km/h on Gardner Straight. But the Audi is faster by four seconds per lap. Those four seconds mainly come down to one word: aerodynamics. And it’s something that even…

WHO would’ve thought that the traditional station wagon would become an anti-fashion statement? Once upon a time, that ignominy belonged to families lumped with a 55- or 60-series Landcruiser, but today the aspirational vehicle of the working and middle classes appears to be an SUV of some kind, in all its rapidly expanding forms. Which leaves the mid-size wagon where exactly? On the shopping lists of the clever folk, that’s where. Lighter, faster, thriftier, more space-efficient, easier to park and more fun to drive than their jacked-up nemeses, about the only area where the traditional wagon apparently doesn’t score is in the kid-loading department. Or does it? The beauty of indulging in a medium wagon from a bourgeois brand is what you get for the money. Close to 50 thousand…

IT’S taken seven tortuous hours, a screeching bird, a huge dress and the blare of a truck’s horn to do it, but I finally say the words that have been haunting me for months: “Getting married sucks!” The words ricochet around the Mazda 2’s cabin like a bouncy ball, but mercifully don’t wake my beautiful wife-to-be, who’s doing her best impersonation of a sleeping zombie in the passenger seat. We’re en route from Melbourne to Sydney to get hitched, an overnight road trip that’s been 18 months in the planning, and one I now realise is a mistake. The road trip part, not the married bit. It’s 10pm, I’m tired after a full day at work and the little 2 is so crammed with wedding paraphernalia it feels like a…

DESPITE our image differences, the longterm Audi cabrio and I do have one thing in common. You see, I’m not a morning person. It takes time and a strong cup of tea before I can function. Similarly, the A3 often stumbles and clunks through the shift into second just after it has been cold-started. You have to go easy on it until it warms up, which takes about half a minute. I need about half an hour. The Audi is otherwise switched-on when it’s fully awake (though I can make no guarantees about its driver), and I’ve been impressed by the driver interface lately. I’m particularly taken by its ability to take a letter of the alphabet scrawled on the centre console MMI dial and look up a name in…

UP UNTIL the age of 24, four months was my record for a relationship. It’s that point where you really start to get to know someone and discover it ain’t gonna work. Or they stumble across your collection of Cabbage Patch dolls and take off like the Concorde... So, just a week past the four-month mark, the M4 and I departed ways. Not because it caught me vacuuming in a mankini or hated my tuna pasta but because BMW wanted it back. At which point I discovered that a press car with 10,925km on the clock doesn’t just get a polish and a service before being sold off, it gets returned to ‘as it left the factory’ condition. Unlike some of my car-journo colleagues, I loathe a dirty car, so…

1 KIA OPTIMA 148kW Torque isn’t as forthcoming as the free-revving power, but this fast-spinning 2.4 makes for decent fun on the right road. Dynamics can’t match the pace of the engine, though. 2 TOYOTA 86/ SUBARU BRZ 147kW Turbo rumours abound but Subaru boxer with Toyota direct injection looks set to remain a natural breather for a while yet, making the 2.0 a willing, if wanting, performer. 3 HYUNDAI SANTA FE 141kW Lower tune of the Optima’s 2.4 and in the heavier Santa Fe body. Gruntier turbo-diesel makes more sense in this seven-seater, but zingy atmo four keeps the price more attractive. 4 HONDA CR-V 140kW The 2.4 formerly employed in the Accord Euro is now reserved for the family life of the CR-V. Its high power peak isn’t…

THE Jaguar XK120 Super Sports, sensationally launched at the 1948 Earls Court Motor Show, was a watershed model for the Coventry cat. It stamped the brand’s design language and introduced a double overhead-cam, six-cylinder engine that would serve the company almost to the end of the century. Proving its bold 120mph credentials (hence the name) in a speed-record run on a Belgian motorway on May 30, 1949, the XK120 became the fastest production car in the world. Jaguar had signalled its performance intentions before WWII with the 2.5- and 3.5-litre SS100. That sports car’s iconic status encouraged company chief Sir William Lyons to initiate the clean-sheet development of a pair of experimental (‘X’) dohc engines: an economy four-cylinder (XF) and a high-performance in-line six (XK). The iron-block, alloy-head designs were…

IT’S the leanest and meanest Chevrolet Camaro ever conceived – and its Australian future hinges on building a global case for right-hand drive. While Holden has a Detroit commitment to get a “true Holden sports car” in our showrooms, at this stage it’s not the new 2016 Chevrolet Camaro. The all-new sixth-generation model, built on GM’s new Alpha platform, was revealed at a unique launch event on May 16 at Belle Isle in Detroit. It’s smaller, lighter and more potent than ever, with a 339kW 6.2-litre V8 the headline act. Yet there’s no guarantee we’ll see it on Aussie roads. “Right-hand drive is not in the current program,” Holden director of communications Sean Poppitt told Wheels. “If that situation were to change you can be sure we’d take a very…

MOW MONEY THE howls of Tony Weber are falling on deaf ears here, that’s for sure. Of course the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries would hate to see their stronghold of imports undermined, but the reasons listed by Weber are laughable. We constantly get the rough end of the stick when it comes to vehicle pricing and options for our poor little colony. I’ve seen the work of so-called dealer technicians in the last four years from three major brands and now wouldn’t trust them with my lawnmower. I’m so sick of poor quality that I’m building my next dual-cab myself; twice as strong, with three times the power for the same price. We are a country born on innovation and don’t have to settle for second-rate products and service.…

SPECS Model Porsche 911 GT3 RS Engine 3996cc flat 6, dohc, 24v Max power 368kW @ 8250rpm Max torque 460Nm @ 6250rpm Transmission 7-speed dual-clutch Weight 1420kg 0-100km/h 3.3sec (claimed) Economy 12.7L/100km Price $387,700 On sale August The 911 GT3 RS is a car with a behind of eye-popping prominence. Massive rear tyres fill almost to bursting the broad curves of its 911 Turbo-derived haunches. Remove that impossible-to-ignore wing and you’re looking at the automotive equivalent of Kim Kardashian in tight jeans. But this is a cruel and unkind metaphor. The Porsche, of course, has talent. We’ve come to Bilster Berg, a private racetrack in Germany’s north, to find out what it can do. This circuit packs a lot of rise and fall into its 4.2km length. There are slithery…

Model Volkswagen Golf Alltrack 132TSI Engine 1798cc 4cyl, dohc, 16v, turbo Max power 132kW @ 4500-6200rpm Max torque 280Nm @ 1350-4500rpm Transmission 6-speed dual-clutch Kerb weight 1465kg 0-100km/h 7.8sec (claimed) Economy 6.6L/100km Price $38,000 (estimated) On sale October SOCIAL-climbing is about to become cheaper and dirtier, thanks to a jacked-up, go-anywhere(ish) version of everybody’s favourite hatchback, the Volkswagen Golf. Come October, our 2013 COTY winner’s dowdier wagon sister will literally cross over into Subaru Outback territory like fräulein Helga in hiking gear, thanks to a 20mm ride-height lift (the limit before driveshaft and associated hardware changes are needed), 4Motion all-wheel drive, butched-up body cladding, roof bars and an adventure-evoking suffix unheard of in the English lexicon before 2012: Alltrack. And why not? The Passat Alltrack’s popularity has prompted a repeat…

Model Ford Focus ST Engine 1999cc 4cyl, dohc, 16v, turbo Max power 184kW @ 5500rpm Max torque 360Nm @ 2000-4500rpm Transmission 6-speed manual Kerb weight 1389kg 0-100km/h 6.5sec (claimed) Economy 7.3L/100km Price $38,990 On sale Now FORD must have felt quietly confident when its current-generation Focus launched in 2011, backed up by the lairy 184kW ST in 2012. Then VW’s Mk7 Golf photo-bombed its way onto centre stage and, well, things changed. There’s nothing like a smarter, better-dressed, more aspirational competitor to rain on your parade. But Ford has tried hard with this mid-life refresh to give the Focus a solid shot in the arm without simply copying what Volkswagen does. And nowhere is that more obvious than in the stove-hot ST. Imperfect as it may be, it’s the Focus…

Model Audi A6 Allroad TDI quattro Engine 2967cc V6 (90°), dohc, 24v, TD Max power 160kW @ 3250-4500rpm Max torque 500Nm @ 1250-3000rpm Transmission 7-speed dual-clutch Weight 1890kg 0-100km/h 7.3sec (claimed) Economy 5.6L/100km Price $111,900 On sale Now YOU don’t need an SUV, you really don’t. You just think you do. All you really need is something like an Audi A4 Allroad quattro or, if you’re oversupplied with money, the facelifted A6 version. Audi launched its 2015 Allroad range in the Northern Territory to show just how capable its car-like, SUV-lite, rough-and-tough wagon offerings are. The NT is an intimidating yet fabulous place to drive, but you still don’t need an SUV. Both Allroads cope effortlessly with high-speed road blasting – the A4 finds the imperial ton a doddle, despite…

PEOPLE love to mock the Toyota Camry. Born from an obsession with conservatism and ease of operation, the Camry is both Toyota’s touchstone and something of a noose around its neck. It sells like gangbusters in the US, to the tune of more than 400,000 a year, and it has been Australia’s biggest-selling mid-sizer (by a massive margin) for 21 years straight, yet the Camry is so straight-laced it would blush at the love scenes in Frozen . It simultaneously represents everything that’s great about owning a Toyota – an Australian-built one, for the time being at least – and the stifling conformity in not wanting to stand out from the crowd. Yet it’s that very aspect that prompted Toyota’s most comprehensive mid-life facelift ever. Customer clinics revealed that…

Model Mercedes-AMG C63 Black Engine 6208cc V8 (90°), dohc, 32v Max power 380kW @ 6800rpm Max torque 620Nm @ 5200rpm Transmission 7-speed automatic Kerb weight 1655kg 0-100km/h 4.2sec (claimed) Economy 12.1L/100km Price $245,000 On sale Never again I HAVE seen the walls, and I can barely comprehend how the motorcycles average 213km/h for an entire lap, let alone nudge 300km/h through here. This is a town, with hedgerows and houses lining the road. And the English build their houses very, very close to the road. It has telegraph poles and gutters and intersections, yet the bikes hit 300 on this downhill stretch, threading the needle through town at an astonishing 90 metres per second. I have touched the walls, and they do not yield. They’re made of big bluestone rocks,…

IT’S clear that the Clubsport R8 is not just a fast and glorified taxi. It’s a hero car for bogans, a thin slice of the performance car wedge. It’s part of a cult, a religion, an addiction, where emotion and wallets meet, with emotion usually winning. We’re at the annual All Holden Day in Dandenong, and we feel a little out of place in our brand-spankers and completely stock R8. Yet all the 400 cars here – chrome-bumpered sedans, panel vans and utes, large and small alike, fours, sixes and eights, turbo and supercharged – have one thing in common; they wear the Lion emblem on their bonnets and in their owners’ hearts. And so the Clubbie R8 is welcomed into the tribe with open arms, the faithful admiring the…

IT’S been five months since my last 911 report and I’m surprised to see that we’ve done only 1400 kays. That included an enjoyable solo weekend at the Bathurst 12 Hour, where I did the full day on Sunday, getting to the track at 5:15am. It was stinking hot at Bathurst. While my heart went out to the guys actually racing, my mind was on my car’s dashboard and rear parcel shelf, sitting for 12 hours under the blazing Bathurst sun. If a Porsche implies things about my manhood, that’s more than negated by my willingness to cover the interior with my kids’ travel blankies. Fast-forward a few months and Sydney was freezing, in a week of rain storms that uprooted trees and flooded suburbs. I drove across town for…

Brocky’s Daytona Coupe The rear-drive V8 that killed an Aussie legend BEFORE it actually happened, the idea of Peter Brock dying in a car seemed as absurd as Bjorn Borg being killed by a tennis racquet. Peter Perfect and cars were simply simpatico and he looked more at home moving at great speed than he did sitting still. There were possibly times when some red-blooded Holden fans wished he might be damaged while dallying with Fords, or even Volvos, but in the end he died, tragically and inexplicably, in a car made up largely of Commodore SS bits. The Daytona Coupe he was driving when he hit a tree while competing in the Targa West rally on September 8, 2006, was, as Brock put it himself in an interview the…

“WITH a million-dollar car, you remember every sale,” grins Bevin Clayton. During his nine years with Rolls-Royce in Australia, Clayton has sold 122 of them. Having reached what many, including Clayton, consider the pinnacle of automotive peddling, three years ago the Sydneysider established pre-owned luxury emporium Clayton Bespoke. The business recently turned over its 450th car. Given Clayton’s to-die-for database of blue-chip customers – accumulated in a career that also spans Mercedes-Benz and Ferrari – there’s always a drool-worthy gallery of Aston Martins, Bentleys, Ferraris, American muscle cars and sometimes even luxury boats on his books. “We’re running around $9m of stock, constantly,” he says. It’s all on-consignment. “We started the business with the knowledge that people were getting trade-in prices [from dealers] that weren’t what they were looking for.…