No comments

BUCCIALI

  By
1930 Bucciali TAV8

The Bucciali was a product of two young French brothers, Angelo and Paul-Albert Bucciali. Initially they became obsessed with the new sport of flying and Paul-Albert became a stunt pilot. When World War I started Paul-Albert joined one of France’s elite fighter squadrons and at the end of the war they became interested in making motor cars as did a number of other Frenchmen. The Bucciali brothers’ first cars were more like cyclecars with two-cylinder two-stroke engines. They carried the name Buc but as only around 120 cars were produced… Read more

No comments

MAZDA MX-5 1990-2017

  By ,

Normally in our used-car reviews we look at models covering about five to 12 years old, using a major series change to set the dates. However, in this feature we are looking at Mazda MX-5s going back 30 years as they are almost latter day classics. A warning though: though almost all MX-5s are looked after well, but some are not and could be at the stage where expensive repairs are close. Also, many are driven hard. Naturally! I hear you say, but that can also means money rapidly departing… Read more

No comments

FCAI EXPRESSES CONCERNS ON PROPOSALS TO MODIFY ATVs

  By

The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) has expressed concerns regarding current proposals to modify All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs). “A farm is a workplace, and according to Safe Work Australia, agriculture is Australia’s most dangerous industry,” said Tony Weber, chief executive of the FCAI. “An ATV is an important farming tool, which greatly aids the productivity of our agricultural sector. However, if not used correctly, it can pose risks. “The answer is to make three fundamental behavioural changes to how people work with ATVs – behaviours that are plain common… Read more

No comments

MAZDA3 SEDAN LAUNCHED

  By ,

The new Mazda3 sedan has arrived in Australia to join the hatch introduced in March. The sedan can be fitted with either 2.0-litre or 2.5-litre petrol engines. An interesting feature of the 2.5 is its ability to run on only two cylinders in light driving conditions to reduce emissions and fuel consumption. Unusually all models are offered with six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmissions – many other marques only give you a manual in the el-cheapo variant. There are seven body colour options including Mazda’s very popular Soul Red Crystal… Read more

No comments

TOYOTA SUPRA PRICING AND SALES PROCESS

  By ,

Toyota will launch its highly anticipated GR Supra sports car in Australia in early September. Powered by a 250kW twin-scroll turbo 3.0-litre straight six, the GR Supra will be offered in two grades – GT with a recommended retail of $84,900 and GTS priced from $94,900. Toyota Vice President Sales and Marketing, Sean Hanley said Toyota was delighted it could offer the Supra, with its very high level of performance specification, at a sub-$100,000 RRP price point. “With such sharp pricing and only approximately 300 cars available in the first… Read more

No comments

MINI CELEBRATES 60TH ANNIVERSARY WITH SPECIAL EDITIONS

  By ,

At the start of the year we ran a news piece on the MINI 60 Years Edition, but reported that it would possibly be sold only in the UK, with none coming to Australia. Thankfully that didn’t happen and they are definitely on their way Downunder. The complete range isn’t coming here, but the selections we do get are very much what Australian drivers are looking for. That is, 2.0-litre petrol powered MINI Cooper and Cooper S hatches in both three- and five-door body styles. The MINI 60 Years Edition… Read more

No comments

JAG ON THE PACE WITH COMPACT SUV

  By ,

Jaguar continues apace (pun intended) to cover all automotive bases with the recent addition of the E-Pace compact SUV to its vehicle roster. It seems the move downscale has paid off for, by all accounts, they are selling their socks off. In fact,E-Pace is well on its way to becoming the company’s best seller Down Under. So, what’s on offer? It comes in 38 variants thanks to what Jaguar calls its ‘Ultimate Customer Choice’, which allows you to build just about any kind of E-Pace you fancy. Specification runs through… Read more

No comments

MITSUBISHI CHALLENGER 2009 – 2015

  By ,

Back before SUVs became the flavour of the year and cars were king of the sales charts, Mitsubishi launched its Challenger in 1996. It was a seriously tough vehicle, virtually a Triton pickup with a wagon body it was very good off-road, though often on the harsh side in daily road driving. It became smoother as gradual changes were made. However, the virtually all-new Challenger of 2009 being reviewed here, while still based on the pickup, is more sophisticated and tuned to suit family SUV buyers. Testing and tuning of… Read more

No comments

PORSCHE CAYENNE S COUPE

  By ,

Porsche will launch another powerful Cayenne Coupe variant early next year, but has provided significant details to the Australian media on our imports. The Cayenne Coupe S has a 2.9-litre V6 engine with twin turbochargers to develop up to 440 horsepower (324 kW) and torque of a heady 550 Nm. The Coupe S accelerates from a standing start to 100 km/h in 5.0 seconds in combination with the standard Sport Chrono Package. This figure drops to 4.9 seconds with the optional lightweight sports packages. Cayenne Coupe remains a four-door but… Read more

No comments

DRIVING LIKE THERE’S NO TOMORROW

  By

The saying “He’s driving like there’s no tomorrow” has been around for many years. Referring to someone who feels their world is about to come to an end, so doesn’t care how they act behind the wheel, it paints a frightening picture in the minds of other road users. The driver’s ‘no tomorrow’ may be anything from a death in the family, to a relationship break-up, loss of a job, or a just diagnosed illness. All of which are extremely sad and destabilising – but are no excuse for driving… Read more