Innholdsfortegnelse for #256 17-11 i Just Cars

David Brown Automotive, the small-volume coachbuilding company known for their Aston Martin-inspired Speedback GT, used the London Motor Show this past May to unveil their latest creation - the ‘Mini Remastered’. Taking the classic MkI shape, David Brown Automotive (DBA) adds a number of performance and appearance upgrades, including a luxurious interior, to bring the classic Mini into the 21st Century. BODY MODDED Described by DBA as “the ultimate modern classic for city driving”, the Mini Remastered combines a donor Mini (preferably a 1275cc-engined unit provided by the customer so the VIN and engine number can carry over), with a new British Motor Heritage MkI bodyshell, which is extensively modified. Take a closer look at the photos and you’ll notice the external seams, a signature feature of early Minis, have…

Honda’s new Civic Type R, which is due here later this year, has reset the Nurburgring lap record for a front-wheel-drive car. This past April, a “time-attack” assault on the famous 20.8km Nurburgring Nordschleife saw the 235kW/400Nm Type R set a lap time of 7m43.8s, beating the previous FWD record of 7m49.21s set by a Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport S. The VW in turn beat the previous generation Civic Type R, which had set a 7m50.63s lap time in 2015. Honda says the lap time was achieved in a “development car” with a roll cage and road- legal track-focussed tyres fitted, but Honda says these didn’t give any advantage over a production specification Type R. These production specs include the optimised and refined 2.0-litre VTEC fourcylinder turbo engine, matched to…

The annual MOONEYES Hot Rod and Custom Show is at the top of most people’s bucket list of custom shows to attend and why wouldn’t it be? After all, some of the best custom cars and motorcycles in the world are on show there - Shige Suganuma (owner of MOONEYES USA) and his crew work all year to ensure you will not be disappointed. Held at the Pacifico Exhibition Centre in Yokohama on the first Sunday in December, MOONEYES HRCS presents around 800 custom cars and bikes, with everything from bombs, lowriders, JDM and mini trucks to brats, bobbers, sports customs and old school choppers, all with one thing in common -a standard of craftsmanship and attention to detail that will make your eyes water. This year’s 26th MOONEYES HRCS…

After spinning out teaser videos in a series that seemed to go on forever, Dodge finally took the wraps off their Challenger SRT Demon at the New York International Auto Show in April. It was a long time coming, but a read through the Demon’s spec sheet shows that it’s been worth the wait, with some mighty performance figures from this dragstrip-focussed machine. HELLFIRE There are five key words you need to know when it comes to the Demon – Most Powerful Muscle Car Ever. This isn’t just a boast, as the Demon packs a 6.2-litre supercharged HEMI V8 engine that’s had the wick dialled up to produce a maximum 840hp (626kW) and 770lb/ft (1044Nm) when running on high octane fuel and with certain dragstrip-specific optional parts added. Even without…

What started as the All Chrysler Day; a one-day display of Australian and international Mopar vehicles hosted by the Chrysler Car Club of South Australia, has grown in recent years, with the first three-day event held in 2014 to mark the centenary of Dodge. This year, in recognition of a show that now includes cruises, meet and greets, and a full weekend of activities, we rebranded the event as the ‘Adelaide Chrysler Festival’. The 2017 Adelaide Chrysler Festival was held over three days from 24th to 26th March. Once again, we got lucky with the weather, and despite the threat of rain (or potentially hail!), the whole weekend ran very smoothly. FRIDAY FUN This years festival kicked off with the Friday cruise to the National Motor Museum at Birdwood, which…

Thanks to the boom in export markets like Australia, Ford says their new Mustang was the best-selling sports car on the planet in 2016. According to analysis of IHS Markit new vehicle registration data, Ford sold more than 150,000 Mustangs in 2016, with export markets like Australia (6,208 sales in 2016) accounting for 45,000 of that total. While total growth in Mustang sales was up 6 per cent in 2016, international market growth increased by a significant 101 per cent over the same period. Ford said that, last year, the key growth markets outside the US were Germany and China: in the latter, the Mustang has become the top-selling sports car since introduction in 2015, with sales up 74 per cent in 2016. “The legacy of Mustang continues to grow,…

A new entry-level version of Jaguar’s F-Type Sports coupe and convertible are due to arrive later this year, both powered by a four-cylinder version of Jaguar/Land Rover’s Ingenium family of engines. In this instance, the 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine will produce a claimed 221kW and 400Nm, resulting a claimed 0-100km/h time of 5.7 seconds and a top speed just shy of 250km/h. Driving the rear wheels, this engine will only be offered with the ‘Quickshift’ 8-speed automatic. No manual transmission option will be available. Obviously, the smaller engine is also lighter, with Jaguar claiming a 52kg weight reduction compared to the previously lightest V6 model. Chassis tuning has been recalibrated to suit the reduced weight, which Jaguar says results in more agile handling, steering response and ride comfort. To…

The Subaru Motorsport Network (SMN) is a new initiative from Subaru Australia, created to service the needs of the local motorsport community. Made up of selected Subaru dealerships that show a high level of expertise in motorsport, the network allows motorsport enthusiasts to purchase genuine motorsport parts directly from dealerships – rather than the aftermarket - with confidence and run their vehicle at the highest performance. Subaru says that all the genuine motorsport parts sold through the SMN are motorsport compliant and graded as high quality, high durability and high reliability. SMN dealerships currently include Maximum Motorsport, Kewdale, Western Australia and Neil Buckby Motors, Launceston, Tasmania, but the network will expand, according to Subaru Australia. Subaru Australia Managing Director, Colin Christie, said: “We recognise that motorsport enthusiasts rely heavily on…

The Susie Harris Memorial Fund Classic Car Show was held at St Leonard’s College in Brighton, Victoria at the end of April to help raise both awareness and money to fight motor neurone disease. Cars came and went across the day with around 200 cars on show at any one time. Spots were at a premium. Around the edge of the show were a variety of coffee and food vendors, with a live band adding extra atmosphere. Highlights of the day, as far as the cars were concerned, were a Rolls Royce Wraith, Lamborghini Aventador, Corvette C7 Sting Ray, still in left-hand drive and a clean 997 Porsche 911 GT2. At the ‘classic’ end of the show there was an unrestored Austin Healey, immaculate Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing, early 1960s Ford…

A Chevrolet Corvette served as pace car for this year’s Indianapolis 500: the 101st running of the iconic American oval race and the 14th time that a Corvette has fulfilled the pace car role. The specific variant given the honour was a 2017-model Grand Sport coupe, which is powered by a 343kW LT1 V8, matched to an eight-speed auto transmission with paddle shifters, electronic LSD, asymmetric wheels (19-inch front, 20-inch rear) and magnetic ride control suspension, but fitted with specific stabiliser bars and springs for pace car duty. Corvette options fitted to the pace car included the carbon fibre ground effects package and Z07 package, which consists of carbon ceramic-matrix brake rotors and highperformance tyres. Chevrolet says that Grand Sports equipped with the Z07 package can accelerate from 0-100km/h in…

April saw the opening of what’s claimed to be the largest Lamborghini dealership in the world – Dubai Automobili Lamborghini. The Lamborghini dealership in the capital of the UAE covers 1,800 square metres over three floors and also includes a service centre and merchandise outlet. Lamborghini says such a large space is required – particularly in this region – as the company plans to double its annual sales with an expanded model lineup, including the Urus SUV due for release in 2018.…

Fifty-seven years ago at the Gnoo Blas circuit near Orange in New South Wales, the dapper doyen of Australian motoring journalists, David McKay, crossed the line to win the inaugural Australian Touring Car Championship, starting something very big. That one-race Cup marked the first time that hotted-up family cars were legitimized with their own championship. That 1960 race also started a tradition that would capture the imagination of a nation and begin the tribal rivalry that now drives the Australian Supercar Championship. PRE HISTORICS Sedans had been raced since the early ’50s, often in “run what yer brung” butcher’s picnic events, or lumped in with sports cars in GT and Production races, and increasingly, in hotly contested races of their own. The most popular mounts in those early days were…

Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) was born in 1987 when Tom Walkinshaw, a Pom, won a world-wide tender to establish a performance arm for General Motors Holden. And the guy had cred, a former racing driver, he launched Tom Walkinshaw Racing in 1976, building a motorsport and road car business that continues to this day. Indeed, his racing teams have competed in everything from Formula One, to NASCAR, to V8 Supercars, and the British Touring Car Championships. While the 1988 VL SS Group A SV was, technically, a Walkinshaw contract build for Holden, it’s widely regarded as the car that launched HSV. There were initially only 500 built to comply with Group A racing rules, but a further 250 were built due to demand. The VL SS Group A SV ran…

Dirty or discoloured headlights can ruin the look of your car, as well as make driving at night or in reduced visibility conditions dangerous. Headlight covers can become dirty through driving, via mud or bugs splattering onto them, or through age and general wear and tear. Keeping your car headlights clean and clear is the way to go. Unless your headlight covers have yellowed right through, keeping them clean and clear is pretty simple. And by following a few of our simple DIY hacks you'll be able to keep your headlight covers bright and shiny, without breaking the bank. SO, WHY DO YOU NEED TO CLEAN YOUR HEADLIGHTS? This is just common sense. A dirty or cloudy headlight will reduce and diffuse the amount of light that shines out, no…