Innholdsfortegnelse for #273 19-03 i Just Cars

Shortly after a genuine Aston Martin DB5 used in the 1995 James Bond film GoldenEye sold for more than AU$3.4 million at auction, Aston Martin announced they’ll make every boy’s fantasy a reality by building a limited run of authentic replicas of the DB5 coupe from 1964’s Goldfinger – complete with Bond gadgets! Easily the most famous Aston Martin of all, the DB5 has appeared in no less than eight films in the James Bond franchise, starting with Goldfinger and followed by Thunderball, GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies and The World is Not Enough. Revived for the first of the Daniel Craig outings as 007, Casino Royale, a DB5 has also appeared in Skyfall and Spectre. The decision to reproduce the 007 DB5 follows the commitment to build 25 “continuation” examples…

A little over 54 years after the Mustang first went on sale to the public, America’s (and now the world’s) Pony Car has reached a major milestone, with the ten millionth Mustang rolling off the line at Ford’s Flat Rock Assembly Plant in Michigan this August. The milestone car was an MY19 GT V8 manual convertible, finished in Wimbledon White in homage to the first serial production Mustang, also a Wimbledon White V8 convertible, from 1964. That car, as Mustang lore has it, was sold ahead of the official on-sale date of 17 April, 1964, to Canadian airline pilot Stanley Tucker. After the Mustang’s popularity exploded, Ford persuaded Tucker to part with his significant car in exchange for the 1,000,001th Mustang built. Those first million sales were achieved in record…

In the same auction week that saw a new world record price of AU$65.87 million paid for a car sold at auction, a number of other auction records were set, too, including for a pre-war car in the form of a Duesenberg SSJ. The top seller at Gooding & Company’s 15th annual Pebble Beach Auction on 24 and 25 August, what made the Duesenberg so special was its rare status. The 1935 SSJ offered was one of only two built and the first to go to auction. Powered by a supercharged, twin-cam straight 8 engine fitted with a twin-carb intake that delivered almost 300kW (59kW more than the Duesenberg SJ), the SSJ was the most powerful Duesenberg available in 1935 and one of the fastest production cars of its day,…

Necessity, they say, is the mother of invention. But inventiveness isn’t always driven by ‘necessity’. Case in point being the vehicle shown here. There was no urgent need for a VB Commodore one-tonner, but this one was created anyway - to explore new ideas, showcase skills and techniques, and, quite possibly, just for the fun of it. TONNER HISTORY Debuting in November, 1971, on the HQ platform, the first Holden one-tonner was a clever bit of Aussie thinking. Essentially, the American pickup idea (ie. truck cabin on a separate chassis) scaled down to Aussie dimensions, the one-tonner’s strength lay in its ability to carry a full tonne payload thanks to upgraded rear suspension, while the separate chassis allowed any number of specialty bodies to be fitted. Continuing through the HJ,…

Thirty Historic Tourers descended on Winton for the second JUST CARS Cup in as many winter weeks as part of the Winton Festival of Speed. Seven New South Welshmen (and one from the ACT) bolstered the locals on the grid, some of whom were fresh from the first JUST CARS Cup for 2018 at Sandown, as reported last issue. The JUST CARS Cup winner at Sandown, HTCAV Club President Les Walmsley was looking to back it up big time in his silver Valiant Charger. However, after being caught out on the wrong tyres in a qualifying session that looked like it would be wet but wasn’t, Les had plenty to do from eighth on the 24-car-plus grid… RACE ONE – CAMARO CARNAGE The menacing black Camaro of NSW’s Dean Neville…

GOT A HOT PRODUCT FOR JUST CARS READERS? SEND DETAILS, ALONG WITH A SELECTION OF GOOD QUALITY, HIGH RESOLUTION PHOTOS, TO: EDITORIAL@JUSTAUTO.COM.AU AND PUT ‘JUST CARS WHAT’S HOT’ IN THE SUBJECT LINE. HARD-COPY PHOTOS AND PRODUCT DETAILS CAN BE POSTED TO: ‘JUST CARS WHAT’S HOT’, LOCKED BAG 34, GEELONG, VIC, 3220. NOTE: PROVIDED INFORMATION MUST INCLUDE RETAIL PRICE, AVAILABILITY/PURCHASE DETAILS, SIZING (WHERE RELEVANT), VEHICLE MAKE/MODEL SUITABILITY (WHERE RELEVANT) AND COMPANY CONTACT DETAILS (FULL BUSINESS NAME, CONTACT PHONE, EMAIL AND WEB ADDRESS). SUBMISSION OF PRODUCT DETAILS DOES NOT GUARANTEE PUBLICATION. 1 HDT ARCHIVES COLLECTION Iconic Treasures/HDT hdt.com.au A comprehensive history of the first five decades of HDT, the 50th Anniversary ‘HDT Archive Collection’ is a 350-page hardcover book, drawing a wealth of info and imagery from HDT archives, covering road car…

One of the best-known racing liveries of all time – Gulf Oil’s orange and blue – is set for an official revival, with Ford confirming that their GT supercar will be offered in the iconic colour scheme for 2019. Labelled as the ‘Ford GT Heritage Edition’, the 2019 limited-edition was released in August to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Ford winning the 1968 24 Hours of Le Mans with a GT40 wearing Gulf Oil livery. The same car, chassis #1075, also won at Le Mans in 1969. “Many view the Gulf Oil paint scheme as the most famous in motorsports,” said Joe Hinrichs, Ford president, global operations. “The 1968 GT40 quickly became a global sensation after beating its European competitors on the track, and in honour of the 50th Anniversary…

Described as “the modern interpretation of Bugatti’s coachbuilding tradition”, the Divo hypercar was unveiled at ‘The Quail: A Motorsports Gathering’ (part of Monterey Car Week) in the US this past August. Based on the Chiron, the Divo uses that model’s 1100kW 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16 and seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, but modifies the chassis, enhances aerodynamics and reduces weight for enhanced track performance. Thanks to these improvements, Bugatti claim the new model can lap the Nardo ‘handling circuit’ in Italy a full 8 seconds faster than the Chiron. INSPIRED BY THE PAST, ALTERED FOR THE FUTURE The Divo takes its name from Albert Eugene Diwo, who scored two wins for Bugatti in the Targa Florio in the 1920s. A fighter pilot with the Armee de l’Air Francaise (French Air Force) during World…

In addition to the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, Monterey Car Week in the US also features auctions from the major houses. There were plenty of multi-million-dollar consignments this year, with the usual suspects – early Ferraris, Mercedes and Aston Martins – amongst the star lots, but even before Monterey Car Week, there were predictions that a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO consigned with RM Sotheby’s may set a new world record price for a car sold at auction. The existing auction record of US$38.1 million (AU$40.9 million) had been set by another 250 GTO at a Bonhams sale in 2014, but even that pales compared to private sales of 250 GTOs that include US$53 million (AU$57 million approx.) paid for an example in 2013 and US$70 million (AU$87 million approx.)…

Say g’day to ‘Topless’. This custom Holden convertible is probably a familiar sight to some of you, having been on the show circuit for many years and a past feature car in other magazines. Topless may be getting on years, but she (make no mistake, this custom definitely is a ‘she’) still knows how to turn heads and make grown men drool with desire! That being said, Topless is no less attractive to the ladies, as evidenced by current owner Kerrin Hampstead, a long-term FX/FJ devotee who purchased the car in 2007. The story of Topless goes back much further than that, though; more than three decades, in fact. PLENTY TO SEE HERE It’s hard not to stare at Topless – and it’s got nothing to do with the name!…

All the excitement of racing from a bygone era returns to Sandown this November when the Historic Touring Cars join the Formula 5000s, Formula Fords, MGs, Group S, sports sedans and other categories for the 27th Historic Sandown. Organised by the Victorian Historic Racing Register (VHRR), Historic Sandown will see competitors come from all corners of Australia and even overseas to the suburban Melbourne circuit, while the racing machinery will range from the 1920s to the ‘80s. For the HTCAV boys, those interstate interlopers always make for a dynamic meeting and last year’s hitout was no exception, with Tasmania’s Darren Pearce muscling his big, bold Camaro to victory in the first of the meeting’s three races, while HTCAV Prez, Les Walmsley, restored state pride in the other two. With its…

In its 70th Anniversary year, Lotus has built its 100,000th car. Hazel Chapman, the widow of Lotus founder Colin Chapman, was on hand to approve the milestone car, an Evora GT410 Sport, which will be up for grabs in an online competition in the UK. “Seventy years ago, I never dreamt that there would have been a 100,000th Lotus. I’m immensely proud of the company and Colin’s legacy,” Hazel Chapman said. “Today, Lotus still builds such fantastic sports cars and I’m touched to be able to see the 100,000th car.” More than just Colin Chapman’s partner when he built his first competition car – the Mark I - in 1948, Hazel was also the first investor in the company, loaning Colin £50 to establish Lotus Engineering. Hazel also lent a…

After producing a one-off E-type concept with electric power last year (see JUST CARS #261), Jaguar say they will now produce zero-emission versions of their classic sports car on an ongoing basis. Unveiled at the Jaguar Land Rover Tech Fest last September, the ‘E-type Zero’ was built by Jaguar Classic using technology developed on the I-PACE electric SUV. While it looked the same as its conventionally-powered namesake outside, the E-type Zero featured a lithium-ion battery pack under the bonnet, with an electric motor replacing the 4-speed gearbox. The inverter and other electric componentry was placed under the boot floor, while an electric socket was fitted to the fuel-filler nozzle. The electrification reduced overall weight by a claimed 46kg without affecting front-rear balance, while range from the 40kWh battery pack was…

A pre-war Alfa Romeo has won – for the second time – at this year’s 68th Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in the US. The 1937 8C 2900B, with a Berlinetta body by Carrozzeria Touring, first won its class – Most Elegant Closed Car - at Pebble Beach in 2001. Seventeen years later, following changes in ownership and a thorough restoration by the current custodian, the Alfa not only won the Most Elegant Closed Car award again, but also picked up the Charles A. Chayne Trophy and the coveted Best of Show award. In claiming the top trophy, the Alfa Romeo beat out a 1929 Duesenberg J Murphy Town Limousine and a 1948 Talbot-Lago Grand Sport with a fastback coupe body by Figoni. PRESTIGE PLUS One of the most elite concours…

A udi has gone and got the band back together by rolling out the latest-generation (fourth-generation) Audi RS4 Avant. Now on sale in Australia, the RS4 Avant sits in a segment of just two, it and the Mercedes-AMG C63 wagon. For me, a fast wagon is close to automotive perfection in that it’s properly practical, thanks to the wagon shape and properly quick (and grippy), thanks to the grunty twin-turbo V6 under the bonnet and all-wheel drive. You can keep your fancy pants supercars. Wagons just make sense full stop, but the world seemed to have skipped them on its way to the SUV craze. Half the vehicles people buy for ‘practicality reasons’ are way less practical than station wagons, but I digress. WHAT IS THE AUDI RS4 AVANT? Well,…

Peter Brock. No other name in Australian tin-top motorsport is as recognised or revered as much as the nine-time Bathurst winner who was colloquially known as the “King of the Mountain”. Brock’s determination is echoed in Lloyds Auctions upcoming sale of ‘The Brock Collection’, a showcase of Peter Brock’s racing history put together and curated by Brock’s mate Peter Champion who made his museum in Yeppoon, QLD a showcase of all things Brock. Cars from the very beginning of Brock’s driving life appear with everything from a creation of his Austin 7 ‘paddock bomb’ to the last car Brock campaigned full time in 1997, along with several Targa cars and other notable highlights from a career that seemingly contained nothing but. Brock livery cars spanning his formative years from the…