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CITROEN DS19

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The DS 19 Citroen was in production without fundamental change from 1955 to 1975 and was as far ahead of its time when introduced as the 7CV Traction Avant before it. One of the principal features of this car was the unique hydro-pneumatic suspension system which had the interesting effect of flattening rough roads and enabling ground clearance to be varied from 16.5 cm to 29.5 cm. This same hydro-pneumatic also controlled the DS’s brakes and transmission. After a year the DS19 was joined by the less expensive ID models… Read more

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2016 MINI JOHN COOPER WORKS REVIEW

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Mini’s rebirth has brought some great things to our roads. The garagiste name, John Cooper Works, is certainly one of those things. With the new range from the British-based maker well and truly out, BMW-owned Mini has brought out the last-but-one of its big guns – the JCW. VALUE Based on the current Mini hatch – more commonly seen with a three-cylinder – the 2.0-litre turbo kicks off at $47,400 for the six-speed manual. With this sobering figure, you’ll be buying plenty of good stuff; body kit, 18-inch JCW wheels,… Read more

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FALCON SPRINT SPRINTING IN NEXT YEAR

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After months of waiting and gossip Ford fans have the good news they’ve been waiting for. Ford Australia has confirmed it will release a limited-edition Falcon XR Series sedan sometime in 2016. Continuing the waiting game is obviously part of Ford’s marketing plan. May we suggest that if you are halfway serious about buying the latest limited-edition a call to your local dealer should be made sooner than later. “There has been a lot of speculation around what our plans are for Falcon in 2016 and today we’re happy to… Read more

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2016 BMW M5 NIGHTHAWK REVIEW

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BMW’s M5 is an automotive icon in its own right – the big fast Bavarian autobahn-crusher is the consummate all-rounder, blending a high level of luxury with astounding performance. The twin-turbo monster isn’t what you’d call cheap, though – the standard car used to cost a fair bit more than the Audi competition. Now with the stripped out M5 Pure landing at $185,000, BMW whipped out the spreadsheets and had some fun with the specification to produce the Nighthawk and White Shadow editions while at the same time cutting the… Read more

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FRESH HOT HATCH LEAVES ICON STANDING

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The human condition of growing old has been described as ‘the mind making a promise the body can’t keep’. This could apply equally to automobiles, a fact well illustrated recently when Peugeot previewed its new 308 GTi in Australia. The Peugeot people wanted to give the media the chance to compare the new, which will go on sale in February, with the old, in this case the iconic 205 GTI, which as far as hot hatches go holds a special place in the lexicon. After a decade of stellar performance,… Read more

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MAZDA MX-5: BRILLIANT LITTLE SPORTS MACHINE

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At last we’ve had a chance to spend a week in a Mazda MX-5. We were a bit slow at putting up our hands to borrow one to drive on our home territory after the successful media launch drives early in the year. When we say slow, we are talking about being a few seconds late off the mark. The tiny Mazda roadster has proven as popular with the motoring press as it has with owners. Close to 200 MX-5s with the ‘big’ 2.0-litre engine were sold before the first… Read more

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VOLKSWAGEN TRANSPORTER: SIXTH GENERATION FINALLY HERE

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The introduction of a new Volkswagen ‘Kombi’ is a rare event. As the six in T6 suggests this is only the sixth model in 65 years. The first one was simply a VW Beetle floorpan with a boxy body and lower gearing to help the 36 horsepower (a mere 27 kW) engine haul it along without holding the traffic up too much. Okay, we know that the name Kombi is no longer used, and in any case was only used for the people-mover models, but many people still use that… Read more

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A-CLASS OF 2016 CARRIES HOPES OF HAPPY NEW YEAR

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More than ever, it seems, ‘thirsty for Merc’ youngsters are being wooed by Mercedes-Benz, with a revamped A-Class compact car, due Down Under early next year, high on the hit parade. “The progressive new A-Class continues the success story of our compact car range,” says Horst von Sanden, CEO and Managing Director, Mercedes-Benz Cars Australia/Pacific. “Since 2013, the A-Class model range has enhanced the youthful appeal of our brand, and been one of the real highlights in our product offensive. This latest generation delivers even greater comfort and value to… Read more

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BUICK RIVIERA

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1975 Buick Riviera Coupe

The Buick Riviera could be considered as America’s answer to the Bentley Continental. At the time of its introduction Ford’s Thunderbird was one of the best selling cars and General Motors needed a response. General Motors design chief at the time told his staff that GM needed a car which was a cross between a Ferrari and a Rolls Royce. When it went into production the Riviera had all the chrome and accessories of its contemporaries but was blessed with some of the finest Detroit styling of the 1960s. In… Read more

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HYUNDAI TWINS TAKE LEAD IN NEW SERIES

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The popular Hyundai mid-size twins, the i40 Sedan and Tourer, have had a mid-life spruce-up and it’s much more than a once-over with a damp face cloth. Not only have the pair smartened up, they have a few new technological tricks up their sleeve. Hyundai Series II i40 comes in sedan or Tourer (station wagon) form, with the choice of either petrol or diesel power and in a couple of specification levels – Active and Premium. We tried out the Hyundai i40 1.7-litre CRDi turbo-diesel automatic Active Tourer, which comes… Read more