Innholdsfortegnelse for #268 18-11 i Just Cars

With a commitment to bring an electric-powered version of the modern Mini to market next year, the German-owned Mini brand has kept interest in their upcoming zero emissions model ticking along by unveiling a classic Mini with an all-electric drivetrain. CLASSIC ELECTRIC Making its debut ahead of the New York Auto Show at the end of March, the one-off classic ‘Mini Electric’ was based on a late Rover-era Mini Cooper body, with driving lights, bonnet striping, wheelarch flares and Minilite-style wheels evoking the look of the competition model that was Mini’s rallying star in the 1960s. Blackout treatment of the bumpers, headlight rims and grille give the classic Mini Electric a point of difference over similar models, while the only clues to the EV drivetrain bare subtle ‘power plug’ logos…

A 1977 Holden LX Torana SL/R5000 sedan in the desirable A9X spec has set a new record for the model at a recent Lloyd’s Auctions and Valuers event. According to Lloyds, the auctioned vehicle was the very first Torana A9X sedan off the GM-H production line in 1977 and served as a press fleet car before going on display through New South Wales and Victoria, then to sale. The A9X came to auction from the family of the long-term enthusiast owner who passed away last year. The car was described by Lloyds as a treasured collector’s item. “This car is the Holy Grail of Toranas,” said Lloyd’s Lead Auctioneer Bill Freeman. “The very first Torana A9X sedan off the production line in 1977 and it’s got the paperwork to prove…

After announcing their interest in the Formula E electric race series last July, Porsche has now confirmed they’ll be joining the series for the 2019/2020 season. Porsche’s application to join the series as a manufacturer was announced on 10 April, meaning that the famous sports car brand will be alongside the likes of Audi, Jaguar, Renault, BMW and Mercedes-Benz on the Formula E grid in the future. While the chassis and battery technology in the racing Porsche will be the default elements provided by Formula E and their suppliers, the actual drivetrain will be developed in-house by Porsche. This, the carmaker says, will allow them to find bespoke solutions for key technologies like the electric motor, inverter, transmission, differential, driveshafts, cooling system and ECU, as well as the monocoque body,…

If you’ve ever admired the styling of the Mk1 Volkswagen Golf, Maserati Bora, the original Lotus Esprit, Alfa Romeo’s Aletta GTV, or even the De Lorean, the man you need to thank for those lines is Giorgetto Giugiaro. The cars mentioned above just skim the surface of what Giugiaro created after founding his own design and prototyping consultancy, Italdesign, in 1968 after stints at Fiat, Bertone and Ghia. However, when Giugiaro created Italdesign, the FIRST product of his talented hand was the car presented here – the Bizzarrini Manta – which turns 50 this year. The presentation of the Manta, along other Bizzarrini cars at this year’s Geneva International Motor Show, brought new-found interest to Giugiaro’s first creation under his own name. Here’s how it came about. BIZZARRINI BUST The…

DRIVE it to the track, enjoy a weekend of racing and then drive it home again. If you’re a classic car owner who enjoys a bit of motorsport, this is arguably the ideal scenario. There’s no trailer or tow vehicle to worry about and you get invaluable one-on-one time with your classic car on the drive there. Too many classic cars lay dormant in garages for too long, so driving somewhere with a purpose rather than just once a month to “give it a bit of a run” brings far greater satisfaction. But wait a minute. As much as most of us love seeing classic cars with a sporting bent doing what they were made for, is it really a wise thing to do? None of us, nor our classic…

A Formula 1 car with race-winning pedigree in the hands of our own Alan Jones was recently put up for auction in the UK. The 1979 Williams Formula One car - chassis FW07/01 - was driven to victory by Jones in the 1979 Dutch Grand Prix and put on the podium an additional two times by Clay Regazzoni. Powered by the ubiquitous Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0-litre V8 engine producing 345kW @ 8,000rpm and 275Nm @ 10,000rpm, #FW07/01 also featured a Hewland FGA-002 five-speed gearbox, dry-sump oil cooler and an ATL fuel cell. Weighing 575kg, the car’s construction was of 0.45-inch aviation honeycomb with aluminium outer skins and a fibreglass body with aluminium honeycomb sections in specific areas. Raced on eight occasions during the 1979 F1 season, the car is significant…

Mazda has refined the suspension, NVH levels and safety equipment on the MX-5 in what’s been described as the first major update to the fourth-generation version of the sports convertible since its launch in 2015. The suspensiob changes, applicable to both the regular soft top roadster and Retractable Fastback (RF) folding hardtop variants, start with a retuned rear that’s claimed to deliver a more comfortable ride. Mazda says the suspension changes, consisting of lower-placed bushings for the upper links and lengthened rear bump stops, came during the RF’s development and result in smoother on-road performance, whether braking, cornering or cruising. NVH improvements have been achieved by adding sound insulation over a wider area of the centre tunnel, while holes and gaps have been reduced in the dash insulator. Vibration-damping and…

Historic Winton will celebrate its 42nd year in 2018, with Australia’s longest-running all-historic race meeting set to deliver a huge weekend of competition across several car and motorcycle categories. Scheduled for 26 and 27 May at Winton Motor Raceway, near Benalla in central Victoria, the 42nd Historic Winton will see more than 400 classic cars and bikes from the 1920s to the 1980s in action. RACING Covering the earliest Group Ja and Jb Vintage, right through to Group Sc Production Sports Cars, there’ll be true diversity on the track; everything from classic tin-tops to open wheelers and sports racers. Of course, the JUST CARS Historic Touring Cars will be part of the action, too, with a selection of Group Nb and Nc machinery, as featured in the regular HTCAV reports…

TYPE R HONDAS have always been cult cars, even in places where they’re not sold. That’s because Honda doesn’t just take a regular car and stuff in a bigger engine, fatter tyres and tauter springs. They engineer thousands of obsessively-detailed little tweaks. So Type Rs feel special from the get-go. WHAT IS THE HONDA CIVIC TYPE R? This new Honda Civic Type R builds on the all-new 10th-generation Civic. That’s a good place to start when building a sporty car, because compared with the previous generation it’s lower and wider. It also has a proper multi-link rear suspension rather than the simpler torsion beam of the ninth-generation car. It looks outrageous. Depending on your taste, that’s outrageous in a good or bad way. At least it’s not some ill-conceived bunch…

Wood is one of those things most of don’t think a hell of a lot about, unless we’re throwing it on the fire at the campsite! But in our homes, the floors we walk on, the skirting and trimming we decorate with, the decks and porches outside, and – most importantly - the “bones” underneath those bricks and mortar are usually timber, so it’s something we should give it a bit more thought to. Bill and Brent Trengrove don’t need to be prompted to think about timber - they do it daily! THREE DECADES OF TIMBER For more than 30 years, Geelong-based business Barwon Timber has been servicing the needs of the Geelong region and beyond with a range of timber products for domestic and commercial use. What was started…

FIVA, the International Federation of Historic Vehicles that’s devoted to the preservation of vintage and veteran vehicles worldwide, has announced a new program of support for lesser-known classic car events. Until recently, FIVA has been involved with premium shows like Villa d’Este and Pebble Beach (including the presentation of Best Preserved Vehicle awards at these events), but is now looking to support events that the French-based organisation says are “more aligned to the worldwide FIVA membership”. “In 2018, we are keen to help promote not just the very ‘top-end’ occasions, but also to recognise the passionate individuals who take part in events that are less well-known,” explained FIVA President Patrick Rollet. “[We are] hoping to encourage a wider spectrum of FIVA members to enjoy these valuable celebrations of historic vehicles.”…

After a 31-year absence, Volkswagen will return to the famous Pikes Peak hill climb in Colorado this year, using an all-electric prototype racer – the I.D. R Pikes Peak. A four-wheel-drive, high-performance sports prototype, the I.D. R Pikes Peak has been described by VW as an “ambassador” for their electric I.D. family, as well as a demonstration of the intensification of the company’s ‘R’ and ‘Motorsport’ divisions. "Competing in the most famous hill climb in the world with the I.D. R Pikes Peak not only has symbolic meaning, but is also a valuable test for the general development of electric cars," said Volkswagen’s Dr. Frank Welsch. Held near Colorado Springs in the Rocky Mountains, the Pikes Peak hill climb has been a test of man and machine since 1916, with…

While the usual suspects – Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, Aston Martin, Porsche – tend to get the limelight at premium auctions with ever-increasing record prices, it’s always interesting to see something a little bit different at a sale. This Fiat 1100 Coupe, offered at the recent Gooding & Company sale at Amelia Island in Florida, certainly meets that criteria. THIRD IN LINE When the third-generation Fiat 1100 arrived in 1953, it was continuing a lineage that went back to before World War II. The body on the Nuova 1100, or ‘1100/103’ as it was known, may have been an all-new monocoque with front subframe, but the mechanicals, including the 1.1-litre 40hp (30kW) four-cylinder engine, dated back to the 1930s. Like its predecessors, the new 1100 was solid, reliable family transport, but hardly…

The Bates name is synonymous with the Australian rally circus and the father-son team of Neal and Harry has shaken up the Australian rally championship by changing horses mid-stream. In a proper championship battle with good friend Molly Taylor, Harry Bates and the Toyota-backed Neal Bates Motorsport team has left the long-serving 2007-build S2000 Corolla in the transporter in favour of a brand-new left-hand-drive all-wheel drive turbocharged Yaris built to the new, less-restrictive AP4 regulations. The car started life delivering pathology parcels before its second owners in August last year, but it wasn’t until near Christmas that the serious work started of transforming the small Toyota from a suburban runabout into a rally weapon. Bates doesn’t want to think about the man-hours or costs involved, but believes the results by…

Barwon Timber’s Bill Trengrove knows more about what to do with wood than most. So when you see his racecars up on wooden blocks instead of jack stands in the Historic Touring Car pits, it fits the picture perfectly. Sure, it looks a little odd, but Bill knows exactly what he’s doing, he’s trusting his dedicated pit crew, Stuart Boyd, Darren Deren, Geoff Martinez, Syd McKay and his patient wife Devi to get him on the track, on time and ready as always. LIFE BEGINS AT 40 For more than 25 years, Bill has been a fierce and uncompromising competitor. In the car that he’s best known for, a red 289ci ’64 Mustang, Bill has always been up the pointy end and frequently ahead of the fire-breathing giant V8s. Despite…