Innholdsfortegnelse for #270 18-13 i Just Cars

This year’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este saw the latest bespoke Ferrari unveiled in the form of the ‘SP38’. The product of the Italian carmaker’s Special Projects division, the SP38 is based on the current 488 GTB, but bears almost no resemblance to that model, thanks to substantial bodywork modifications. The SP38 follows past Ferrari Special Projects creations, like the 458 MM Speciale from 2016, the SP FXX from 2014 and SP12 EC that was commissioned by Eric Clapton in 2012. Limited edition and short-run models created in a similar vein to these one-offs include the Pininfarina ‘Sergio’ from 2015 and last year’s ‘J50’ special created exclusively for Japanese customers. Exactly who commissioned the SP38 and what they plan to do with it has not been revealed, with Ferrari only saying…

In their 70th Anniversary year, Porsche has built a replica of the first car to wear their now-famous badge – the 356 roadster prototype – that they’re claiming is better and more authentic than the original. The actual 356 ‘No.1’ is still in Porsche’s possession, but was subject to a number of repairs, modifications, mechanical and body changes in its early history (including one owner who rearranged the PORSCHE bonnet letters to spell PESCO!), to the point where Porsche decided it could no longer be restored to its original appearance and specification. Then and Now Porsche records show that tinsmith Friedrich Weber spent two months handbeating the aluminium body that would adorn the tubular space-frame chassis of the first Porsche. That body was different from the generally-accepted notion of a…

It created a buzz when it was unveiled last November (see JUST CARS #263), but the Lamborghini Huracan presented to Pope Francis made even bigger headlines when it sold for more than AU$1.2 million at RM Sothebys’ Monaco sale on 12 May. In what was described as a frantic bidding war at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco, the one-off, 2018-model Huracán LP580-2 (the RWD companion to the AWD LP610-4) quickly sailed past its pre-auction estimate of 250k - 350k before the hammer fell at a staggering 809,375 (AU$1,281,621). To put that price into perspective, it’s more than three times the AU$390,000 list price of a regular Huracan LP580-2 coupe in this country. While it wasn’t the top seller at the Monaco auction, the Huracan created unprecedented interest both prior to…

MINI CREATE A ONE-OFF CAR TO CELEBRATE “THAT” ROYAL WEDDING. Unless you were on another planet this past May, you would have been aware there was a wedding on – and not just any old wedding. In the unlikely event you missed it, Prince Harry tied the knot with Meghan Markle on 19 May. At the time, it felt like the photos, stories, analysis and gossip from the wedding were going fill not just the women’s mags, but our newspapers, TV screens and news feeds for months. If you’re thinking there’s no reason to mention this occasion in a car magazine, normally you’d be right, but when that very British car brand Mini (even if it is owned by Germans nowadays) decided to do their bit in acknowledging a very…

On the eve of May’s round 6 of the 2018 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship at Winton, Nissan Australia announced that they would be leaving the series at the end of this season, and thus also withdrawing their support of Kelly Racing. “Nissan has decided to exit the Supercars Championship in order to concentrate on the interests and needs of our current and future customers,” explained Stephen Lester, Nissan Australia’s managing director. “I’d like to thank Todd and Rick Kelly, Michael Caruso, Simona de Silvestro and everyone at Nissan Motorsport for all of their hard work in the time that Nissan Australia has been involved in Supercars. “I’d also like to thank Nissan Motorsport fans, we truly appreciate your support and will continue to work hard to achieve the best possible…

Entries for the 38th Bay to Birdwood (B2B) run opened on 4 June, but potential starters need to be aware of a change to this year’s event. To be held on Sunday, 30 September, the 2018 B2B still welcomes all vintage, veteran and early-classic vehicles built before 1960 (31 December, 1959, to be precise), but there is now an optional assembly and start point specifically for veteran and military vehicles. The second start point has been added at Civic Park, Modbury, exclusively for pre-1919 Veteran vehicles and military vehicles built before December, 1959. Event organisers have stated that this second start point is not compulsory and that veteran and military vehicle entrants can still commence the run from the usual start point at Barratt Reserve, if they wish. The new…

In what could be seen as the answer to a question no-one asked, members of the Product Engineering team at Honda UK’s Swindon factory have created a ute out of the latest Civic Type R hot hatch. The ‘Civic Type R Pickup Truck’ concept was based on a pre-production prototype of the new Civic Type R, using that model’s high-performance engine, gearbox, suspension and brakes, but gives the body a major makeover aft of the B-pillar. To retain the body stiffness, a rollbar has been incorporated into the platform, with the bodysides and SRS also altered to suit the new project’s purpose. At the rear, the bottom half of the hatch tailgate has been retained and actually hinges up from just above the tail lights, while the Type R’s rear…

In the 1920s, the American automobile industry advanced in leaps and bounds. To feed a market that was insatiable, new marques and new models seemed to arrive almost weekly, while engineering advancements, the establishment of a national highway system and feats of speed and endurance were making the automobile not only commonplace but essential to American life. At the start of the 1920s, Ford still ruled the roost with their Model T, but by the end of the decade, the T was gone and Ford faced a broad field of challengers. And as tastes changed, so too did aspirations; buyers were no longer satisfied with mere “transportation”, they wanted speed, style, luxury and more appointments in their cars. One of the new marques that arrived to feed the American motorist’s…

HARD TO BELIEVE that the Subaru BRZ has been knocking around in Australia since 2012 and while Subaru has resisted loud calls for the thing to be given more power, it has, every-so-often, tweaked the BRZ to keep it fresh. The arrival of the BRZ tS, an homage to the BRZ STi Sport which is a Japan-only model, mirrors recent tweaks to the twin-under-the-skin Toyota 86, only the BRZ tS gets STi gear. The 86 doesn’t. WHAT IS THE SUBARU BRZ tS? Put simply, it’s Subaru’s version of the recently upgraded Toyota 86 which for an additional $2200-$2900 adds a ‘performance kit’ including Brembo brakes and Sachs dampers, wheels, new rear wing and red accents. The BRZ tS takes the tweak a little further, adding Sachs dampers, STi springs, Brembo…

Ferrari’s twin-turbocharged V8 engine has scored again at the International Engine of the Year (IEotY) awards, making 2018 the third year in succession that their V8 has taken out the major award. In addition to the overall International Engine of the Year trophy, the latest version of the 3.9-litre V8, as used in the current 488 GTB, 488 Spider and 488 Pista, also took out the award in the ‘3-litre to 4-litre’ class, the ‘Performance Engine’ class and a special nomination for the ‘Best of the Best’ category, in which judges were asked to nominate the best engine from the last 20 years. “In the 488 GTB, the 3.9-litre eightcylinder was a near-perfect example of a high-performance turbocharged engine, setting the bar so high that it swept aside rival powertrains,”…

The latest bespoke commission from McLaren Special Operations (MSO) is a 675LT that’s been modified in tribute to the McLaren F1 GTR ‘Longtail’ racers from the 1990s. It’s an appropriate commission, really, as McLaren themselves took inspiration from the F1 GTR racers when creating the 675LT. More specifically, this latest one-off from MSO was inspired by F1 GTR chassis #20R: a car that was campaigned by Gulf-Davidoff GTC Racing and scored a class win and second overall at the 1997 Le Mans 24 Hour race. That car was painted in the instantlyrecognisable Gulf Oil livery of blue and orange that has also graced iconic endurance racers like Ford’s GT40 and the Porsche 917. Originally, that colour combination was Gulf Powder Blue and Marigold, but it has been subject to numerous…

A 30-strong grid of JUST CARS Historic Touring Cars rolled up to the 42nd Historic Winton this past May, all ready to give it their all for the annual whizz-around on the Winton short track. With no rain falling since the Supercars round the preceding weekend, many expected the track to be grippy with plenty of rubber laid down during that meeting. This proved not to be the case: lap times didn’t get near any existing records. A stroll around the pits may have given a clue as to why – ah yes, the old ‘Historic Winton factor’ - pools of oil quietly forming underneath some magnificent old racing bikes and cars! Historic Winton has always provided a wonderfully diverse assortment of racing machinery and this year was no exception. SATURDAY…

For most Australians, the Ford Sierra story starts and ends with the flamespitting touring cars that terrorised our racetracks in the late 1980s. Steered by greats such as Brock, Moffat, Johnson and Bowe, these European Ford imposters dominated two Australian Touring Car Championships in 1988 and 1989, including Bathurst titles in both of these years. On the Sierra street car front, Ford and performance aficionados should be familiar with Europe’s turbocharged RS Cosworth of 1986, while the 1987 RS500 version – built for Group A homologation purposes – have become icons of huge value. The fact just 500 RS500s were built adds to its legendary status, and a small number of these 165kW hero Sierra road cars have found their way to Australia over the years. But these be-winged performance…