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BUGATTI TYPE 35

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After World War I much development took place in motor vehicles and, in particular, in sportscars. Every country was determined to showcase their engineering ability and frequently the racing track was used as the place to do this. The sportscars that emerged in the early twenties began to show substantial reductions in engine size and a far greater reliance on the gearbox to provide reasonable – and in some cases very rapid – acceleration. Prior to 1914 the gearbox was seen purely as a device to get the large-engined cars… Read more

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VISION MERCEDES-MAYBACH 6 CABRIOLET

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Pebble Beach, California, USA hosts an annual gathering of the most magnificent classic cars on the planet. The final event of this year’s Concours d’Elegance was the unveiling by Mercedes-Benz of its astonishingly beautiful concept car, the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 Cabriolet. Is this the most gorgeous car you’ve ever seen? That was the question that flashed around the world the moment the concept was unveiled. A huge car – it’s almost six metres long and over two metres wide – the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 Cabriolet is a reminder of the… Read more

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2017 BMW 430i COUPE REVIEW

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Two-door coupes have a certain allure that seem to transcend the tricky access to the back seat. They feel sporty and fun and suggest a freedom that many of us crave. BMW’s 430i Coupe is no different. A spin-off from the 3-Series as the Bavarian manufacturer looked to capture a market that was looking for more lifestyle options than the everyday 3-Series, it has the luxury and performance to add credence to the deal. Now it has been updated with new lights, infotainment unit and adjusted suspension making for an… Read more

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HOLDEN CRUZE 2011 – 2016

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2009 Holden Cruze

For what’s classified as a small car the Holden Cruze is quite large and has good leg and shoulder room for four adults. Three children in the back and parents in the front all have room to move. You get a lot for your money if you’re mainly seeking comfortable travel, but if you’re looking for a smaller sportier Commodore you won’t find it here Comfort is generally good and noise, vibration and harshness are well suppressed. Rough roads do challenge the suspension at times, but for its class Cruze… Read more

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2017 LEXUS LC 500 COUPE REVIEW

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Lexus has moved into yet another market segment, that of a luxury coupe. Once again the prestige Japanese car maker wants to challenge the big name Europeans at their own game. When the $750,000 Lexus LFA supercar was discontinued in 2012 the design team moved onto the Lexus LC project. Lexus LC 500 has recommended price of $190,000, to which on-road charges have to be added. A $15,000 enhancement pack is there for the person chasing even more in sporting performance. It has Lexus Dynamic Handling with four-wheel steering and… Read more

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INTERESTING: ‘PONY’ BUCKS THE TREND

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The Ford Mustang is a contrary car: beloved of Baby Boomers yearning for a re-run of a misspent youth; or 14-year-old schoolboys fuelled by raging hormones wishing they could own one. Wrong. Having spent time with a new ‘Pony 34’, (it’s rego number) most interesting was the appeal of the red GT Fastback shown by young adult females, snapping selfies and sitting behind the wheel, perhaps dreaming of cruising Rodeo Drive. Maybe I did not get it, but Ford certainly did. Here’s what one Blue Oval bloke thinks: “The visceral… Read more

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MAZDA CX-9 HAS SIGNIFICANT UPDATES

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Twelve months after its launch in Australia the Mazda CX-9 received important dynamic, safety and comfort upgrades. Noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) levels have been improved to provide a more relaxing experience, something that’s pretty important if you and six other are making a long trip. Changes include increasing the thickness of the noise-absorbing material on the underside of the headliner and adding some to the back of the boot side trim. Higher density fibre is used in the floor mats. The powered driver’s seat now has a tilt function… Read more

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NEW GENERATION COMMODORE: FIRST DRIVE

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Can a Holden Commodore made in Germany be as good as a Holden Commodore made in Australia? To save you the trouble of skipping to the end of this article, here’s our conclusion. A very definite Yes. Holden engineers began modifying German family cars, and renaming them ‘Commodore’ almost 45 years ago. The later models had an ever increasing Australian content, but there was still some interaction at an engineering level between Australia, Europe and the USA. Though the upcoming next generation NG Commodore will be built in Germany instead… Read more

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BMW ISETTA

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On first sighting most BMW owners would probably never believe that a car of this design carried the famous logo of this marque. Perhaps on reflection they may realise that BMW is also famous for its range of motorcycles and hence could understand that such a vehicle could have come from Bayerische Motoren Werke of Germany. Originally designed in Italy where the concept found little interest it later became one of the most successful mini-cars in postwar Germany. It was powered by a 247cc BMW motorcycle engine and first built… Read more

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BETTER LIGHT FROM LOWER POWER

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LED lights are becoming increasingly common in cars and SUVs because they provide significantly more light and consume a lot less power. Narva’s new range of LED Luminous Light Panels provides bright light coupled with a uniform output owners and of caravans, motorhomes, trucks, boats, even emergency service vehicles. Lighting specialist, Narva’s engineers have developed a multi-layer design that smoothly spreads and filters the light, avoiding any visible light centre thus providing something pretty close to comfortable natural light. This output is a requirement for Australian emergency services applications, particularly… Read more