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PONTIAC GTO

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1967 Pontiac GTO

The US muscle car craze was started by Pontiac when John DeLorean conceived the idea of putting the largest engine that Pontiac produced, the 7.45-litre V8 used in the large Grand Prix model, into the body of the smaller compact Tempest sedan. A compact car with this much power was considered by DeLorean to be just the thing to attract the young buyer in the early 1960s since Pontiac was losing market share and their model range was being perceived as most suitable for older drivers. The Pontiac GTO was… Read more

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KIA GRAND CARNIVAL 2006 – 2017

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Kia Grand Carnival first arrived in Australia in January 2006. The ‘Grand’ title is well deserved. It’s not only significantly larger than the older Carnivals (that stayed on sale alongside the Grand for a while), but also more sophisticated internally and in the way it rides and handles. The original Grand Carnival stayed on the market for nine years, perhaps a little too long as many competitors were becoming increasingly more modern than the 2006 Carnival. That all changed in January 2015 as the new model, so good is it… Read more

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MX-5 BACK ON TRACK TO MUCH-LOVED TRADITION

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Almost a year ago I accused the MX-5 of ‘going soft’, when I wrote, “the Mazda, born in 1989 in the tradition of the compact British cloth-top convertibles of the post-war era. “The latest (iteration) to appear is the MX-5 RF (for retractable fastback), a sleek fastback with a smooth line joining the roof to the rear of the car – a far cry from the pared-back proportions of the original MX-5.” Maybe someone back at Mazda HQ was listening because the latest version of the best-selling roadster has been… Read more

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2019 MITSUBISHI TRITON

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Mitsubishi Australia is on a roll at the moment, cleverly realising that pickup trucks are the flavour of the year. The company has virtually stopped all sales of sedans and is concentrating on pickups and SUVs. Hence this big makeover of the Triton ute / pickup. After a briefing on the latest Triton a few weeks back we have finally spent a solid day behind the wheel. More about this in a moment, suffice to say it involved plenty of genuine off-road work. Though not completely new Triton has received… Read more

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EVEREST MAKEOVER OFFERS MOUNTING CHALLENGE TO RIVALS

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Since the Ford Everest was introduced in 2015, the large SUV has held a steady, if unspectacular, course picking up several 4×4 awards on the way and gaining seven seats as well as five. Also introduced was a rear wheel-drive models for the High Street adventurer. Now the Everest is about to hit the big time with the MY19 version taking on a new-generation powertrain which includes a bi-turbo, four-cylinder diesel engine mated with a 10-speed automatic transmission; a raft of the latest safety systems and convenience features, as well… Read more

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JENSEN FF

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After joining the West Bromwich coachbuilding firm of W J Smith & Co in 1930, brothers Allan and Richard Jensen designed sports bodies for modified Standard, Wolseley and Ford chassis. Soon the brothers took charge of the firm, which in 1934 became Jensen Motors, a producer of sports cars based on Ford components. Several Jensen 3.0-litre cars we exported to the USA and one of these was ordered by Clark Gable in 1936. Their S series of 1937, powered by a 3.6-litre Ford V8, incorporated the American-built Columbia dual ratio… Read more

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JAGUAR CHEQUERED FLAG EDITIONS

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Jaguar has revealed new Chequered Flag special editions as part of the latest model year updates to the XF Saloon and Sportbrake. The Chequered Flag editions feature unique badging on the side vents, has a sport front bumper, Jaguar’s Black Pack, body-coloured side sills and a boot spoiler. It rides on 18-inch Chalice alloy wheels in Gloss Black Finish. Inside, the XF Saloon and Sportbrake Chequered Flag models feature handpicked elements including unique interior badging on the tread-plates, Dark Hex aluminium instrument panel finisher, R-Sport full leather interior, and a… Read more

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MASERATI GHIBLI SCATENATO LIMITED EDITION

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Maserati is importing just 20 limited-edition Ghibli Scatenato to Australia. Scatenato – Italian for Unleash – is powered by the Maserati designed, Ferrari built twin-turbo 3.0 litre V6 engine. This puts out 350 hp and drives the rear wheels via an eight speed automatic. This Ghibli can get from zero to 100 kmh in 5.5 seconds. Special features on the Scatenato are 21-inch Titano forged alloy wheels. Sitting inside the wheels are brake calipers in Maserati Blue. Inside, the standard seats have been up graded to wrap-around Sports Seats upholstered… Read more

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HYUNDAI IONIQ PLUG-IN HYBRID

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Hyundai Ioniq is the South Korean marque’s indication of the immediate future in clean running cars. It comes in three stages of technology: The 2019 Ioniq Hybrid is powered primarily by a petrol engine, with a battery-powered electric motor providing assistance as required. Regenerative braking allows the hybrid system to recover much of the kinetic energy that is lost in conventional vehicles, using it to charge the high-voltage battery. In this mechanical layout the Hyundai is similar to the Toyota Prius models we have seen in Australia for many years… Read more

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RANGE ROVER VELAR SVAUTOBIOGRAPHY DYNAMIC EDITION

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Land Rover has introduced a new limited run model with what is perhaps the longest title ever: “Range Rover Velar SVAutobiography Dynamic Edition”. Designed as the pinnacle of the Velar line-up, it has been developed by Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations and is powered by a 405 kW 5.0-litre V8 supercharged engine. It does the 0-100 km/h in 4.5 seconds on its way to 274 km/h where conditions permit. Calibrations for the AWD system, Active Rear Locking Differential, eight-speed transmission, steering and air suspension are bespoke to the SVAutobiography. The… Read more