Innholdsfortegnelse for #267 18-10 i Just Cars

After some subtle and not-so-subtle hinting for the past few years, Toyota finally confirmed that the Supra sports coupe will return, following the unveiling of the ‘GR Supra Racing Concept’ at the Geneva International Motor Show in March. The ‘GR’ in the name comes from Toyota GAZOO Racing; the international umbrella organisation for Toyota’s global racing operations and producer of performance-focused GR-branded cars. Underneath all its racing paraphernalia, like the rear wing and diffuser, front spoiler, flared guards, ventilated bonnet and various other aero add-ons, Toyota says the concept presented at Geneva will remain true to the Supra ethos of two-door, front-engined, rear-wheel drive performance. “Supra is one of the most beloved Toyota cars of all time and its nameplate continues to command enormous respect,” said Toyota Australia’s vice-president sales…

Following in the wheeltracks of BMW, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, Aston Martin and others, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) has created their own heritage sales division. Dubbed ‘Reloaded by Creators’, the new retail initiative follows FCA Heritage’s already existing restoration and certification services for Italian brands. The initial offerings, which made their debut at the Retromobile classic car show in Paris this past February, cover Lancia and Alfa Romeo, with selected Fiat and Abarth models to be added in the future. However, extending the service to American makes and models under the FCA umbrella (Dodge, Chrysler, Plymouth, DeSoto, etc.) seems unlikely. The first units offered for sale included a 1959 Lancia Appia coupe, 1973 Lancia Fulvia Montecarlo, 1989 Alfa Romeo SZ, 1981 Pininfarina Spidereuropa (aka Fiat 124 Spider) and a 1991 Alfa Romeo…

Hyundai’s new entry into the “hot hatch” arena, the i30N Performance, has been confirmed for the Australian market and will be offered here in a single specification, but with the choice of two option packs. “The Hyundai i30 N has been developed for no other purpose than to deliver maximum driving fun to our customers in an accessible high-performance package,” said Albert Biermann, Executive Vice President Performance Development and High Performance Vehicle Division. “With the high-performance N models, we will enhance our brand’s appeal with emotional products that cater to the needs of people who love to have a smile on their face when they drive their car.” Priced from $39,990 (+ ORCs), the i30N Performance due here in April will be similar to the i30N with the ‘Performance Package’…

Described as a user-friendly hypercar, Rimac’s ‘C_Two’ follows the Concept_One that Richard Hammond famously barbecued an example of. In a motor show that featured cars with some truly mental performance numbers, the C_Two was the most mental of them all: this fully electric hypercar claims 1408kW and 2300Nm combined output from its four electric motors, as well as a top speed of 412km/h, 0-100km/h time of 1.97 seconds, 0-300km/h time of 11.8 seconds and the ability – theoretically – to dispatch a quarter mile in 9.1 seconds. By the way, all those figures are an improvement on the already epic Concept_One. Range anxiety’s also a thing of the past with this Croatian creation, as the C_Two claims a driving range of 650km and the ability to ‘fast charge’ to 80…

What is it with drummers and flash cars? Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason is a well-known revhead with a passion for Ferraris, Ringo Starr liked a lux Mini and also had a Facel Vega, while Keith Moon was partial to a few quality rides, too, even if they ended up in swimming pools. You can also add Nicko McBrain to that list, as the Iron Maiden drummer is a long-term fan of Jaguars and unveiled the latest expression of that passion in the form of the ‘Greatest Hits’ XJ6 sedan. Based on a Series 3 XJ6 from 1984, Greatest Hits was comprehensively redesigned, updated and modernised by Wayne Burgess, director of the Jaguar Design studio, with work done by Jaguar Land Rover Classic Works to McBrain’s commission. While the body is…

The simple brief behind the Senna GTR was to take the road-legal, 720S-based Senna and make it a track-only machine. Mission accomplished then, based on what was presented at Geneva. With the massive front splitter and equally oversized rear diffuser, the GTR has all the aero needed to make it limpet-like on a racetrack, with listed downforce of 1,000kg – 200kg more than the existing Senna - but that’s only part of its story. The bodywork front and rear has been pushed out to allow for a wider track, there are active aero blades at the front, while louvres at the rear are designed to maximise engine cooling and airflow over the massive rear wing. Suspension has been altered, with a new and lower double wishbone design, while the wheels…

THE REFRESHED Subaru WRX and WRX STI line-up lobbed Down Under in July last year, boasting a raft of key improvements to the front-end, safety (EyeSight added to CVT-equipped WRX) and comfort… as well as tweaks to the suspension (for WRX STI). WHAT IS THE WRX STI? Subaru’s design hits and misses with the WRX and WRX STI are well documented, but I’m glad to say the tweaked snout on the refreshed WRX STI is not a miss. Like the bulldog swallowing a bee face from the early 1990s WRX, this refreshed model features a similarly aggressive looking front end. And, don’t worry, as you can see in the images, it’s still got a ridiculously large rear wing, but the bonnet scoop, which for a long time was getting bigger…

Ford have dipped into their Mustang heritage once again, confirming in March that a new version of the California Special will be released. To be available in the North American market later this year (as a limited-edition 2019 model), the latest California Special carries appearance and styling features inspired by the 1968 original. Available on all MY19 Mustang variants (coupe and convertible, GT and Ecoboost), the California Special package includes unique five-spoke painted & machined wheels, a front splitter from the Mustang Performance Pack and a blackout grille with old-style ‘Pony and Tri-Bar’ badge. Features inspired by the original California Special include a bodyside stripe with ‘GT/CS’ identification that fades from the front guards to a faux scoop on the rear quarter panel, as well as a ‘California Special’ tail…

After achieving the top sale at the Arizona auction week in January, Gooding & Company did it again at the ‘Amelia Concours Week’ in March. The top seller was another Ferrari 275 GTB, but unlike the immaculate and one-off Speciale that sold for AU$9.69 million at Scottsdale, the unit consigned for Amelia Island was more down at heel. The 1966 275 GTB Long Nose Alloy was one of a pair of classics (the other being a genuine 1967 Shelby 427 Cobra) unearthed from a North Carolina garage earlier this year. Both vehicles had been untouched since 1991 and came to the Gooding & Co. auction in ‘barn find’ condition. One of only 80 alloy-bodied 275 GTBs built by Scaglietti, the example auctioned was sold new in Italy, but came to…

The inaugural ‘Shannons Survivor Car & Barn Find Show Spectacular’, held on the 3rd and 4th of March, 2018, saw thousands of car enthusiasts flock to the sensational Shannons Showroom in Heatherton, VIC, to see the biggest assembly of Survivor cars ever put on show. There truly was something for everyone: the showroom floor was loaded with a huge array of colour and chrome, with plenty to see for those who both follow the Survivor car movement and understand the importance of preserving these incredible original cars. The show also offered the chance for enthusiasts to take a trip down memory lane, walking through an incredible assembly from the golden era of classic cars. There were cars from the ‘Big Three’ Australian manufacturers (Holden, Ford and Chrysler), including highly desirable…

One of the most left-field cars at Geneva this year, in that virtually no-one had heard of it before they saw it, was the ‘Missile’ from Corbellati. Before this debut venture into cars, its Italian creators had a background in jewellery design, fine art and, more recently, entrepreneurship. While the unit on show at Geneva was unfinished (like, really unfinished), the styling and overall proportions looked impressive, with hints of TVR, Corvette and, more specifically, Alfa Romeo’s classic Tipo 33 Stradale in the design. Even more impressive were the bold predictions made by Corbellati that their car will produce a top speed in excess of 500km/h. If it delivers on that claim, the Missile will take the “world’s fastest production car” record currently held by the Koenigsegg Agera RS. To…

If the latest 911 GT3 RS on the Porsche stand was a little too “new” for you, RUF had their ‘SCR’ to tempt classic enthusiasts; the production version appearing at Geneva after making its debut as a prototype there two years ago. Styled along the lines of the 964-era 911 (ie. 1989-1994 and the last of the air-cooled 911s), the SCR may look like an early-1990s Porsche, but it’s a thoroughly modern machine. RUF manufacture their own chassis and body panels for the SCR, both of which are carbon fibre, supplemented by a bespoke internal roll cage. The result is a total weight of 1,250kg - that’s more than 200kg lighter than the latest 911 Carrera manual and even 130-odd kilos lighter than a hardcore, PDK-only GT3 RS. The SCR…

Eight years after German billionaire entrepreneur Michael Stoschek’s modern Lancia Stratos concept was revealed, this Pininfarina-designed take on the iconic Italian rally champion will see production. Finally! To be built by Manifattura Automobili Torino (MAT), the ‘New Stratos’ will be strictly limited to just 25 examples, with the first unit making its debut at Geneva. Pricing is expected to be close to AU$750,000 each and MAT say they will build the New Stratos in RHD. MAT also say that the basic platform and body structure of the New Stratos can be used to create a GT racer, Safari racer (ie. rally car) and a “competent supercar for daily use”. On top of a full aluminium chassis and FIA-approved roll cage, the body panels are all carbon fibre, but even with…

Fans of historic touring cars and classic cars in general usually don’t need much prompting to make their way to Phillip Island for the annual Phillip Island Classic Festival of Motorsport. When this event says ‘Festival of Motorsport’, it absolutely means it! The HTCAV crew and their interstate contemporaries were one of a dozen categories in action across the three days of the huge classic motorsport event this past 9, 10 and 11 March. With solid fields in both Under 3 Litres and Over 3 Litres, there was plenty to see and hear from the Historic Tourers – here’s how it all panned out. UNDER 3 LITRES The smaller capacity Historic Tourers often provide some of this meeting’s best racing and 2018 was no exception - huge battles erupted right…

Following the new Mustang Bullitt’s unveiling in January (see JUST CARS #265) comes confirmation that the specially-trimmed, high-performance variant will be coming to Australia. Ford Australia confirmed in March that the Bullitt will be added to the local Mustang range, with first deliveries expected later this year, but in very limited numbers. Available only on the GT fastback, the MY19 Mustang Bullitt is finished in Dark Highland Green paint, complemented with black 19-inch alloys, red-painted brake calipers and other touches designed to evoke the spirit of the original Bullitt Mustang – a GT 390 fastback – from 1968. Full specs have yet to be revealed, but locally-delivered Bullitts will likely carry the same 5.0-litre V8, with numerous modifications and a retuned exhaust as the North American models, matched to a…

In what’s been a rolling series of national debuts for Ferrari’s new Portofino V8 GT convertible, Australia’s turn came in late February, held in Byron Bay at the ‘Elements of Byron Resort & Spa’. Unveiled on the sand at Belongil Beach, the waterfront launch was appropriate, as the replacement for the “entry level” California T takes its name from an Italian seaside village. Airfreighted from Dubai for the Australian launch, the silver LHD unit presented at Byron Bay shows the new styling that defines the Portofino against the California T it replaces, and while it shares a number of components and general dimensions with that model, Ferrari claim the Portofino is essentially an all-new car. NEW STYLE, MORE POWER Compared to the first-generation California from 2008 and even the California…

For car nuts, March in Australia usually means the start of the Supercar racing season and the F1 Grand Prix at Albert Park, but in Europe, March means Geneva, specifically the Geneva International Motor Show. This year’s 88th presentation of all things new and upcoming in the automotive world saw the debut of new models from Toyota, Audi, Mercedes-Benz and Skoda, just to name a few, but what makes Geneva special isn’t the “everyday” cars, but the concepts, supercars and other automotive exotica that usually break cover at the event. THE WILD ONES At Geneva this year, there was a seemingly endless parade of new or near-new supercars and hypercars from the sorts of manufacturers and specialty tuners we rarely hear about at any other time. Those names include W…

Flying cars are here! Well, sort of. Boldly – and falsely – described as “the world’s first flying car” by its creators, the PAL-V Liberty is the work of a Dutch company who produced the similar PAL-V ONE back in 2012. While that unit was a one-off, PAL-V claim the Liberty, which was making its public debut at Geneva, is production-ready and commercially-viable, with initial plans to build 90 units. The company actually started taking orders more than a year ago, but the first deliveries aren’t expected until sometime this year. More a drivable gyrocopter than a true flying car, the PAL-V Liberty features two engines; one for use on land and the other to power the rotor blades and ‘pusher’ rear propeller. Conversion from land to air mode takes…

‘Show-stopping’ and ‘jaw-dropping’ would be two terms to describe this wild, racetrack-ready hypercar from Aston Martin. A track-only derivation of the road-legal Valkyrie that was released last year, the AMR Pro deletes niceties like a heater and demister, comfy-ish seats and the cabin infotainment system. The bodywork uses a thinner grade of carbon fibre, and there’s also carbon fibre components in the suspension, while the glass has been replaced with plastic to achieve a total weight of 1000kg. Claiming the performance capabilities of a current Formula 1 or Le Mans Prototype car, the AMR Pro takes the Valkyrie’s 6.5-litre, naturally-aspirated V12 and tweaks both it and the hybrid-assist battery system to deliver combined output of more than 1100hp (820kW) – around 82kW more than the Valkyrie road car and exceeding…

A ‘Mini’ made ‘Maxi’, this Swiss creation looked like a stock Mini on the outside, but under the skin, it was very, very different. How different? Well, for starters, the rear seats have been removed and the engine now resides in the back, driving the rear wheels. That engine is a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder, producing 164kW and 340Nm, with a claimed sub-4.0-second 0-100km/h time and top speed of 200km/h. A 6-speed manual transmission is matched to the turbo four, with braking handled by 260mm discs at all corners, with four-piston calipers up front and single-piston calipers at the rear. Suspension consists of double wishbones at the front with adjustable coilover shocks, as well as adjustable, camber, caster and toe. Trailing arms are used at the rear, with similar adjustable coilover…

1 THE MAGNIFICENT 7 Quiller Print quillerprint.co.uk The fourth edition of this book, celebrating 60 years of the Lotus and Caterham Seven, sees author Chris Rees detailing the 90 different variations of the Seven produced to date, from Lotus’s 1957 original to the 2018 Supersprint, as well as special editions, prototypes and concepts. Covering identifying features, specs, production numbers and even driving impressions for each model, there are also details on engineering developments, race and kit car variants, a listing of clubs and Seven specialists, plus tips on buying, tuning and restoration. This fully-illustrated 256-page hardcover is available from specialty motoring booksellers, priced at $90.00 RRP. ISBN: 978-0992665111 2 RECYCLED MUSTANG WRISTWATCHES REC Watches recwatches.com Finding a new use for Mustangs that are too far gone to restore, Danish company…