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FERRARI DINO CELEBRATES 50 YEARS

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Saturday 30th June 2018: More than 150 Ferrari Dinos from all over the world flocked to Maranello, Italy for an event celebrating the 50th anniversary of the debut of the iconic Dino in 1968. On Saturday, the cars arrived in the forecourt of the Maranello Museum, then headed to the Fiorano track, where the cars paraded together. At midday, the Dinos drove into the factory where the customers were given a special tour. At the end of the afternoon the Dinos were driven one car at a time under the… Read more

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JAGUAR XE SV PROJECT 8

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Jaguar XE SV Project 8 is a limited-edition sports sedan that’s the most extreme performance Jaguar road car ever. The all-wheel drive 600 horsepower (441kW) 5.0-litre supercharged V8 petrol gives Project 8 a top speed of 200mph (320kmh) and set a four-door production car record around the Nurburgring Nordschleife with a best lap of 7 minutes 21.23 seconds. Zero to 100 km/h is 3.7 seconds. Jaguar XE SV Project 8 is available either as a four-seater or in lightweight two-seat Track Pack configuration. The Track Pack modifies the driveline and… Read more

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2018 NISSAN PATROL Ti-L REVIEW

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With each road test that we carry out it’s always interested to hear the first impressions the vehicle makes on relatives, friends and even passers-by. Responses generally vary depending on the interests of the viewer but not so with this week’s test, the Nissan Patrol Ti-L, where the reaction has been all-but unanimous …. “Isn’t it BIG!” The tale of the tape confirms that visual impression. It’s nearly 5.2 metres long and just under two metres wide and high, larger all round than its only real competitor the market leading… Read more

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MERCEDES-BENZ E-CLASS 2009 – 2017

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2009 Mercedes-Benz E-Class

For many decades Mercedes-Benz took a conservative approach with its E-Class, aiming it at buyers who were middle-aged and above. That all changed with the launch of the W212 Series that reached us Downunder in July 2009. Mercedes realised that moderately young, reasonably wealthy people wanted cars from the prestigious German marque, and also wanted stylish machines The W212 was facelifted in August 2013, receiving a large three-dimension grille centred around the iconic three-pointed star. Inside it retained the same overall design, but upgrading of materials increase the feeling of… Read more

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NEW TOPLINE NISSAN QASHQAI

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Nissan Australia has added a new topline model to its Qashqai range. The Qashqai Ti joins the ST, ST-L and features added infotainment, comfort and safety features. Qashqai Ti has a Nappa leather-accented seats, a 7.0 inch colour screen, Bluetooth, DAB+ digital radio, satellite navigation, a rear view camera, dual-zone climate control and an auto-dimming rearview mirror. Added to an already comprehensive list of safety items, the Qashqai Ti all has intelligent cruise control that maintaining the gap to the vehicle in front. There also Intelligent Lane Intervention that alerts… Read more

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NEW MAZDA CX-8 DIESEL

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Mazda Australia has plugged a hole in its SUV lineup by introducing the CX-8 Diesel. Potential buyers of the CX-9 seven seater had wanted a diesel engine, but it’s only offered with a petrol unit. Sometimes they settled for a CX-9 petrol – but others went to a different marque that could offer a turbo-diesel, which obviously didn’t please Mazda Australia. The CX-8 is sort of a combination of the Mazdas CX-5 and CX-9, sharing the wheelbase of the 9 and the width of the 5. It’s shorter than the… Read more

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AC ACE

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AC Cars re-entered the car market in 1947 with a rehash of the Thames Ditton, England pre-WW II model which was powered by a 2.0-litre overhead-cam straight-six engine. It was not, however, until 1953 when they released their new sports car that the company established its reputation as a sports car manufacturer. A design by John Tojeiro was selected which used a ladder-type tubular frame, all-independent transverse leaf-spring suspension and an extremely attractive open two-seater alloy body with classic lines. In appearance many people felt the design was inspired by… Read more

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HOLDEN ACADIA – FINAL TESTING IS UNDERWAY

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Holden Acadia seven-seat SUV isn’t due to go on sale until the final quarter of this year. But many are already on the road in Australia on their final stages of real world testing. Two years of Australian engineering input to the Acadia have already been carried out here and in the USA and a 30-car fleet will cover about 1.5 million kilometres as the final stages of development. The real-world test program is not only to check that Acadia drives well on our roads, but also to fine tune… Read more

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LATE DELIVERY GIVES RENAULT VAN AN AUTOMATIC SHIFT UP

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In danger of being left behind, the Renault Kangoo Maxi has finally joined the light van convoy of the likes of the Citroen Berlingo, Fiat Doblo and Volkswagen Caddy with the addition of an automatic transmission. This will be good news for the Kangoo driver, who until now has spent his or her time constantly shifting gear in heavy traffic or hilly going. I continue to take my hat off to the city van driver, who until now and the auto upgrade, deserved better. The Kangoo Maxi 1.5 turbo-diesel on… Read more

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STUNNING NEW BMW 8 SERIES COUPE

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Detailed official photographs of the new BMW 8 Series Coupe have finally been released. The big Coupe itself won’t be launched in Germany until November this year and is unlikely to reach us Downunder for several months after that. The most distinctive feature of the big Bimmer Coupe’s styling is the roofline flowing into the rear with a distinctive “double-bubble” tail. Slim headlights flank a very large kidney-grille. Slim is again the name of the game in the rear lights that sit in a large aerodynamic tail. The deep indentations… Read more