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ELECTRIFYING NEW JAGUAR

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Jaguar has unveiled its first ever electric car at the Los Angeles Motor Show. California is exactly the right place to display the Jaguar I-Pace Concept given that the State is arguably the home of the most technologically advanced companies on Earth. Tesla is based there and is likely to be the company the Brits are aiming for. The Jaguar I-Pace Concept is a high-performance SUV with a stunning shape that’s more sportscar than family friendly wagon. Electric motors at the front and rear axles generate a combined power output… Read more

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CLASSY AUDI COMPACT DRIVES INTO SHARP FOCUS

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Audi A3 sedan

The car that kicked off the German premium ‘A’ segment 20 years ago has just been given a major makeover with a refreshed design, revised engine range, new technology and safety assistance systems, standard MMI satellite navigation and higher levels of equipment across the board. Available as a Sportback, sedan or cabriolet, in four new paint colours, powertrains on offer are a new 1.0-litre TFSI three-cylinder S-tronic and 2.0-litre four-cylinder S-tronic automatic, 2.0-litre TFSI manual and quattro, and the 1.4-litre four-cylinder-on-demand S-tronic. The breadth of models is impressive, with the… Read more

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MAZDA RX-8 2003 – 2013

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2008 Mazda RX-8

Mazda RX-8 is a four-door sports coupe powered by a silky smooth rotary engine that offers tremendous performance. The RX-8 engine is the latest development of the much-loved Mazda 13B. However, it’s been modified in so many ways it can almost be regarded as a different. It also has a different name – the Renesis rotary. The side-port Wankel engine had advanced electronic control for its time. The way the inlet tract is varied according to engine revs and throttle position is especially clever. Low down torque has always been… Read more

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SWIFT SWITCH A WAKE-UP FOR LITTLE SUZY

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Once upon a time, the Suzuki Swift was small car among many. Then an epiphany; the little hatchback took on a more aggressive stance with a hands-on-hip look-at-me style. The Swift took off. Meanwhile, the company’s Vitara, eschewing the funky refashioning of some rivals, trundled on as a comfy, albeit conservative, compact sports utility vehicle. This year the Vitara was reinvented, taking on an up-to-date chic urban spirit. Not satisfied, the Japanese maker, who pioneered the genre, has added all manner of modern accessories and engine turbocharging which takes the… Read more

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ALVIS SPEED 20 TOURER

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1932 Alvis Speed 20 Tourer

Alvis cars were produced by the Alvis Car and Engineering Company Limited of Coventry, UK, from 1919 to 1967. Initially the company, TG John & Co. Ltd was founded in 1919 and it produced stationary engines, carburettor bodies and motor scooters. Early in its life the company’s founder, TG John, was approached by Mr. Geoffrey de Freville with designs for a four-cylinder engine which was quite unusual for that time in that it used aluminium pistons and had pressure lubrication. It has been suggested by some that de Freville had… Read more

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HOLDEN SPARK IS CUTE AND COMPETENT

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Holden Spark replaces the company’s previous Barina Spark – and is significantly better thanks to having a considerable amount of Australian input. New Spark is built on an all-new, stronger platform. Engine size has increased from 1.2 to 1.4 litres; an efficient CVT automatic sits beside it, though there’s also a manual should you want one. The Holden Lang Lang proving ground south-east of Melbourne was used extensively during Spark’s design and testing stages. GM-Holden is keen to point out this facility will remain in operation as a key part… Read more

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NEW HOLDEN ASTRA HATCH ARRIVES

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Holden’s next step towards total importation is an all-new Astra hatchback which goes on sale in December. European designed, with a lot of input from Australian engineers, Astra is built in a GM factory in Gliwice, Poland. It features new-design engines and the latest in infotainment and safety technology. Styling of the Astra is neat and tidy, but doesn’t really break any new ground – until you get to the rear three-quarter panels where a clever rise of the waistline meets a swooping-down roof. The black colour further emphasises that… Read more

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BMW 440i CONVERTIBLE IS GREAT FUN

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Springtime, Gold Coast, Convertible – what a combination! To make life even better the convertible is a BMW powered by the most powerful engine in the range, the new 440i unit. Sometimes road testing can be a bit of a chore, it certainly wasn’t last week with the hot Bimmer sitting in the garage just asking to be fired up. And fired up it was, with several trips to the scenic hinterland behind the Coast during the week – to keep us away from the weekend roads crowded with wandering… Read more

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CITROEN TRACTION AVANT

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1934 Citroen 7CV Traction Avant

Andre Citroen was born in 1878 and studied engineering at technical school. His first job was with the Mors company, a car manufacturer, where he used his engineering skills to increase the company’s annual car production rate tenfold. While holidaying in Poland Citroen noticed a type of wooden gear in use in a blacksmith’s shop. Having also an entrepreneurial attitude he recognised the potential of this gear design and arranged to buy the rights to manufacture them for sale. The chevron emblem of the Citroen badge is derived from these… Read more

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HISTORY LESSONS FROM MAZDA MX-5

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Nobuhiro Yamamoto, the program manager of the ND series Mazda MX-5 third from the left, with me standing to his right

I got chatting to Nobuhiro Yamamoto, the program manager of the ND series Mazda MX-5, this morning, and discovered we share a lot of timeline history. We both began in the automotive industry within months of one another in 1973, he as an engineer with the Mazda rotary engine research department, me in the technical section of the NRMA. Keen on motor racing, Nobuhiro-san moved on to the Mazda RX-7 racing team in 1976 working as an engineer on cars that competed in major events, including Daytona, Spa and Le… Read more