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AMILCAR COMPOUND

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1938 Amilcar Compound

This front wheel drive car with its unitary body/chassis was first produced in 1938 by Amilcar not long after this company was taken over by Hotchkiss. Designed by famed French engineer Jean-Albert Gregoire, it was introduced to the motoring world at the 1937 Paris Motor Show. Amilcar Compound was powered by a four-cylinder, side valve 1185cc engine with a fully synchromesh four-speed gearbox mounted in front of it with gear selection by cables. Drive was taken to the front wheels via short shafts and constant velocity joints. For all its… Read more

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FIAT 130

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The 3.2-litre version of the Fiat 130 appeared in 1971. Fiat’s ultimate saloon, engineered with little thought to cost, was pretty well sorted out by this time. The 130 had one of Europe’s most sophisticated drive trains that featured such niceties as vented discs all round and passive rear-wheel steering. It had a three-speed Borg Warner automatic transmission but could also be ordered with a five-speed ZF manual option. The 130 felt lusty and torquey to drive, with a responsive kickdown and a surprising sense of urgency but against the… Read more

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VITARA ON ROAD TO SWIFT ACTION

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Suzuki still gets it. The company that turned the Swift, an inconsequential small hatchback, into a raging sales success, worn as a good taste badge of honour by males and females of all ages, may have done it again. Its popular sports utility vehicle, the Vitara, has been given a makeover that blends the best of its solid SUV looks with modern, edgy styling to produce a head-turning yet practical crossover. The fifth-generation Vitara comes in two-wheel and four-wheel drive in two specification levels – RT-S and RT-X – the… Read more

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BENZ SUV PLUNGES INTO THICK OF THE ACTION

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The hunt for the missing link is over; that’s the hope of the folk at Mercedes-Benz Australia. With sales of mid-size luxury SUVs roaring like a summer bush blaze, the German auto giant had, for some time, been missing in action due to the lack of a right-hand drive model Down Under. Now the Mercedes GLC has landed and it was hard to take the smiles off the faces of Aussie execs at the recent launch of the SUV, for it’s not been achieved without some serious chivvying at Benz… Read more

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2016 JAGUAR F-TYPE COUPE

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Jaguar is a company that probably shouldn’t still be around. For almost four decades, the leaping cat traded on the long-faded glories of the E-Type and Mk II, the marque’s styling becoming progressively more timid under Ford’s stewardship when Jaguar was part of the ill-fated Premier Automotive Group. When Indian giant Tata bought in, many were aghast that one of the icons of British motoring was now in the hands of a former colony. Clearly, these people needn’t have worried (or, better still, checked their prejudice at the door). Because… Read more

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FIAT EXPANDS RANGE WITH 500X CROSSOVER

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Fiat has expanded its popular 500 range with the introduction of a crossover SUV called the 500X. The ‘X’ sort of stands for crossover and joins the 500L, a model not imported to Australia at this stage, in providing added interior space and the handiness of back doors. Incidentally, while the 500L may not come downunder you may have seen one on the TV news a few weeks back. Fiat 500L is the vehicle of choice of Pope Francis, so he took his on a trip to the USA. It… Read more

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TOYOTA CAMRY GOES TRENDY

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Toyota Camry has been unfairly put down by too many people when they comment on its conservative looks. Now the Japanese giant has given it a radical reworking in its shape. With most of the work being done in its Californian design centre, Calty, where I’m not sure they understand the concept of ‘conservative’. Camry, and its brother Aurion (which is a Camry with a V6 engine) are still being built in Altona, west of Melbourne, but only until 2017 when, sadly, local car manufacturing in Australia becomes nothing but… Read more

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SKODA SUPERB 2009 – 2015

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2014 Skoda Superb sedan

By EWAN KENNEDY CAPTION: A. B. C. 2014 Skoda Superb wagon BODY COPY Skoda Superb is a large family car; longer than the Australian family sixes, indeed more in line with the Holden Caprice and Ford LTD than the standard Commodores and Falcons. However, the Czech car is not as wide as the Aussie cars. The Superb has limousine-size rear legroom and appeals to families consisting of Mum, Dad and a couple of hulking teenage sons. Three adults in the rear work without too much shoulder rubbing, but two makes… Read more

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CHRYSLER 300 IS BIG, BOLD AND INTIMIDATING

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Back in the 1960s and ‘70s the competition in the Australian family car market was dominated by the so-called Big Three. Always given in the order ‘Holden, Falcon and Valiant’, the big six-cylinder and V8 cars dominated the local market and put on a right royal battle. Chrysler Valiant fell by the wayside in 1980 when the company was taken over by Mitsubishi, leaving the field to the other two. Now the position has been reversed with the imminent demise of the Falcon and Commodore leaving a big Chrysler by… Read more

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2016 MASERATI QUATTROPORTE 330BHP REVIEW

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Maserati’s Quattroporte is part of a dying breed. A decade or so ago, the European manufacturers took a huge amount of pride in their range-topping big luxury sedans, cars you can either drive or be driven in, bristling with the latest technology. In 2015, all we hear about are the range-topping SUVs from those makers, with cars like the S-Class and 7 Series fading slowly into irrelevance. While by no means low-tech, the Maserati Quattroporte takes the high style route, focussing on a luxurious interior with that handmade feel. VALUE… Read more