Australian Muscle Car Issue 83

V8 Supercars does itself no favours sometimes with its ridiculous PR spin and awkward phrasing of public announcements. Such was the case with its latest Bathurst 12-Hour bombshell which, after the 2015 test day scheduling farce, again left many race fans questioning its motives. Exhibit A, your honour: the opening line of the announcement. “In a landmark agreement for GT Racing in Australia, Supercars Events, in partnership with Bathurst Regional Council, has acquired the rights to manage the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour Event at Mount Panorama from 2016, bringing its specialist major events expertise to the growing fixture.” Reading this had me wondering what “acquire the rights to manage” actually meant. This phrasing suggested the company’s events arm had merely won the contract to run a race owned by someone…

There is something uniquely Australian in the 2016 Shelby Mustang GT350R set for release in the USA. It’s carbon-fibre wheels made in Geelong by Carbon Revolution. The high-tech and high-cost rims are currently only set for the Shelby GT350R version of the Mustang, but there is nothing – beyond a hefty pricetag – to stop people updating their ’Stang with an aftermarket set. Ford says that the wheels cut more than twenty kilograms from the unsprung weight of the Mustang, which gives a measurable improvement to both the ride and cornering performance. Carbon Revolution has made big strides in less than five years, going from a top-end dream into a production reality. Predictably, it first showed its road-ready products on a Porsche 911 but is now moving to boost production…

An overdue and very welcome mechanical update has finally transformed the Chrysler 300C into a car that performance-focussed Falcon and Commodore drivers will be happy to look at driving New steering, rear-suspension changes and improvements to noise suppression mean the 2015 gangsta car drives better than ever before, even with the basic 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 engine turning the back wheels through an eight-speed automatic gearbox. Once the Hemi-powered SRT8 picks up the same chassis package in September it should transform the car. The 2015 update to the 300C includes, if its possible, an even bigger grille but the bad news is prices that are up – reflecting the fall in the Australian dollar over recent months – with a bottom line from $49,000. Predictably, the 300C’s infotainment system is even…

The first eight Ram trucks for Australia have landed. There has been a two-month delay in the program for large-scale semi-official imports of the iconic American workhorse, hatched by Ateco boss Neville Crichton in a production partnership with the Walkinshaw group in Melbourne, but the first pick-ups should still be in showrooms by late October. The project was delayed by some fallout from the legal action taken by Fiat Chrysler Automotive against its former Australian CEO Clyde Campbell, who was one of the prime movers in the RAM plan. But Crichton reports that things are now back on track without going into much detail. He is still refusing to outline prices, the dealers who will handle the Rams in Australia, or the sales volumes. But the first eight Rams have…

Holden has not given up on the Commodore despite the inevitable run-up to its factory closure in Adelaide in 2017. It’s still working to keep the car fresh, adding value and interest on a month-by-month plan that’s also keeping people interested in its V8-powered halo cars. It’s put the Storm pack onto the SV6 and SS – sedan, ute and wagon – and is pressing ahead with plans for a running series of upgrades, including a major final tweak in the first half of next year. Meanhwile, Holden Special Vehicles is also keeping up the pressure, using the 25th anniversary of the ClubSport to introduce a limited-edition R8 model. Only 100 cars were created for Australia – with another eight for New Zealand – and the most obvious change is…

The Holden Commodore will get a carbon-fibre tickle next year. Engine dress-up parts for the V8 hero cars are being produced for the car by Quickstep Holdings, an Australia company that is rapidly earning a global following for its products. More than 1000 pieces will be produced as carbon-fibre is used to replace an existing plastic component. The Holden deal is yet to be confirmed but is an open secret in the car industry, following some recent comments by Quickstep’s chief executive, David Marino. “When you open the bonnet you see valances, ducts and those sorts of elements. It will be in that range of products,” he says. “It is part of the mass-reduction process that the carmakers are implementing and, certainly, will give the vehicle some features that customers…