Innholdsfortegnelse for #254 17-09 i Just Cars

Motor sport has lost one of its most significant champions in John Surtees, who passed away on 10 March, aged 83. A seven-time World Champion on two wheels, Surtees was also a Formula 1 World Champion, winning the 1964 Driver’s title with Ferrari – the only person to win the premier class in both two-wheel and four-wheel motor sport. Surtees had been admitted to hospital in late February with a respiratory condition and, following time in intensive care, passed away peacefully, surrounded by family. EARLY TALENT Born into a motor sport family in 1934, Surtees first taste of competition was on two wheels, making his motorcycle grand prix debut in 1952. Initially riding for Norton, Surtees switched to MV Agusta in 1956; the change bringing immediate results when he won…

KTM Australia and its partners have announced that the X-Bow sports roadster is now ADR compliant and street legal for Australian use. KTM Sportcar GmbH, a branch of the Austrian motorcycle manufacturer, confirmed on 9 March that “after a long and occasionally stony road” the X-Bow has finally been approved for road use in Australia. Sydney-based Simply Sports Cars hosted the local launch, which was attended by KTM Sportcar GmbH’s General Manager Michael Wolfling, plus 200 other special and invited guests. “I am very pleased with the level of interest in the KTM X-Bow. I am sure that Australia will be an important market for us!” Wolfling said. Simply Sports Cars and Motorland in Queensland are the two initial dealerships for the X-Bow, which comes to market with a price…

You’ll find that most car club members are community-minded, keen to give back to their region and its people, either directly, or by involving various citizen’s and volunteer organisations in their events. The Thunderbird Owners Club of Australia (TOCA) are no exception, but a little over two years ago, the Victorian TOCA branch decided they wanted to host an event in support of the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne. The result has become something truly exceptional. SHOWS, NOT RIDES A Victorian institution for the past 85 years, the Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal is vital in raising the funds needed to continue the care and treatment of the state’s most important people. The first fundraising event, consisting of a parade and sporting carnival, dates back to 1931, while the…

If you’re thinking of buying a classic car you’ll soon discover a muddy world full of option codes and intricacies which can make or break the originality and genuineness of a classic. It can go to such extremes that one owner we spoke to who owns a beautifully restored original R/T Charger had installed a sticker at the wrong angle and was called out for it at a car show. This guide will cover basics such as: Do the numbers match; are all the original options there; and/or, is this a fake or replica? This is not used car buying advice covering drivability and the condition of parts. At the affordable end of the classic car world are vehicles in poor condition that have lived a hard life and had…

The Giulia Quadrifoglio (translation: four-leaf clover – the little badge on the front guards) is a high-performance rear-wheel drive sedan based on Alfa Romeo’s new Giorgio platform and the car is aimed squarely as a competitor to the BMW M3 and Mercedes-AMG C63 S. The Giorgio project took 33 months to complete – a short time considering its complexity – and the Giulia is the first car we’ve seen built on the platform. Also based on the platform is the upcoming Stelvio SUV, a larger sedan, two sports cars and two more SUVs. The platform allows for both rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive as well as either a manual or automatic transmission, but locally we only receive an eight-speed automatic rear-wheel drive model. HOW’S IT STACK UP? On paper, the…

Ferrari used the Geneva Motor Show to unveil the next – and what may be the final – evolution of their F12 berlinetta in the form of the ‘812 Superfast’. The “Superfast” name, taken from a series of V12-engined Ferraris from the 1950s and ’60s, is appropriate for the new arrival, as it’s officially the fastest and most powerful series production model in Ferrari’s history. While limited-edition machines, like the LaFerrari, are restricted to those already on Ferrari’s Christmas card list, anyone with the right amount of cash (expected to be around AU$500,000) can walk into a showroom and buy an 812 Superfast. ALL POWER While based heavily on the F12 berlinetta from 2012, the 812 Superfast trumps that model in the power stakes, as well as 2015’s F12 tour…

A rare and largely unknown vehicle from Japan’s racing history made a rare journey outside its homeland this past March. The ‘Prince R380’ was specifically developed by Prince Motor Company in the early 1960s to take on the likes of Porsche’s 904, Lotus and Jaguar in sports cars competition. Underneath its fibreglass bodywork, the R380 featured a mid-mounted 2.0-litre straight six engine that would later power the first Skyline GT-R of 1969. There was also a bit of “Australia” in the Prince R380, as it was built around the chassis of a Ron Tauranacdesigned Brabham BT8 sports car. Four R380s were built, taking part in a number of land speed records in 1965, before all four were entered for the 1966 Japanese Grand Prix: this was before the event had…

If you know a little bit about Trans-Am, you may recognise the Mustang featured. If you know a little more, you’ll know it’s in the livery of Parnelli Jones. If you know even more then, you’ll know it comes from the year when Trans-Am racing peaked. But if you didn’t know any of the above, read on. . . KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES To give him his full name, “Parnelli” was actually Rufus Parnell Jones. Born in Arkansas, Jones started racing jalopies as a teenager, joined NASCAR soon after, then Indy cars. Despite his success on ovals, including winning the 1963 Indy 500, Jones’s main love was road racing, so when the offer came to race Trans-Am in 1967, he didn’t need to be asked twice. Joining the factory-backed…

ANYONE WITH EVEN a passing interest in muscle cars will know the name Carroll Shelby. The iconic Shelby was a car designer and racer, but his involvement with Shelby Mustangs was short-lived, Ford taking the design work in-house from 1968. From 1966, Shelby’s Mustangs were no longer called Mustang, just Shelby GT350. In 1967, the Shelby GT350 and GT500 were launched with a new, longer bonnet and changed front and rear bumper and grille to help differentiate them from the Mustang. The separate high-beam headlights were a neat touch and the horizontal tail-lights from a 1967 Cougar helped to further separate the Shelby models from their Mustang donor cars. The GT350 hit the street with a 4.7-litre V8 thumping out 306 horsepower with peak power arriving at the 6000rpm redline.…

Shannons first Melbourne auction for 2017, held in the company’s new headquarters in Heatherton, proved a big success, with a diverse range of consignments finding new owners, but a classic Monaro led the way. One of two early Monaros consigned for this auction, the top-seller was a 1968 Monaro GTS 327; the premium spec version on the HK platform and the basis for what Bruce McPhee and Barry Mulholland drove to victory at the 1968 Hardie-Ferodo 500. Finished in Warwick Yellow and fitted with all the GTS 327-spec features, like a close-ratio 4-speed manual transmission, limited slip diff, stiffer suspension and power-assisted front disc brakes, the auctioned car also carried the signature GTS stripes and a black vinyl interior. Prior to the auction, Shannons had tipped the genuine, restored and…

Amongst the more interesting new model debuts at this year’s Geneva Motor Show was the ‘Black Cuillin’ from UK automotive startup Eadon Green. Eadon Green’s founder and Managing Director, Felix Eaton, says the company is all about making a car that combines classic looks with modern reliability. Named after a mountain range on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, the Black Cuillin takes styling inspiration from Alfa Romeo’s 8C 2900 of the 1930s, as well as the much more recent Morgan Aero 8. A look at the back end of the car shows that Eadon Green designers may have also been influenced by Holden’s eFiJy concept! The result of collaborations with various partners, the Black Cuillin that debuted at Geneva features a coachbuilt aluminium body and is powered by a…

To the shock and consternation of motoring enthusiasts around the world, Porsche unveiled its first two-pedal 911 in 1967. Porsche insisted on calling it an automatic, but it wasn’t, Not technically, at least. Named the “sportomatic”, the manumaticstyle transmission option was devised by the Zuffenhausen manufacturer in a bid to increase sales. Purists and enthusiasts, of course, baulked at the idea of an automatic (or at least the removal of the clutch pedal) in a Porsche, but the market around the world swelled for potential customers who couldn’t be bothered, or couldn’t drive a manual, but who still wanted a 911, the sportomatic was the answer. And the plan worked, almost 25% of all 911’s sold in the United States were sportomatic equipped. Porsche’s 911 sportomatic also proved its performance…

Washing your car shouldn’t be a chore. It’s about preserving your investment. More than just being about a bucket and sponge, there are a whole heap of myths around car washing that need busting, like the one about using dishwashing liquid to wash your car… but the tips first. 1. It’s good practice to avoid washing your car in full sun if possible. Growing up in Bathurst, where the summers were/are scorching hot, I would leave my car parked in the shade before washing it in the afternoon, or get up early and wash it, or if it was being washed on a hot day I’d hose it down first to cool the surface and loosen any muck that had baked on. More than that, letting car wash (soap) dry…

The value listed in this value guide are indicative of prices that cars will sell for the current Australian market. It is the buyer’s responsibility to assess the condition and fair value of the particular car. CONDITION 1 The car is in very good condition throughout. A potential club/show car. Concours Cars As good or better than new. Can increase the ‘Condition 1’ price by 25-40% or more. CONDITION 2 The car is in good/average condition for its age. A potential daily driver. CONDITION 3 The car is in poor condition. A good basis for restoration. Availability: RARE • MODERATE  •• COMMON  •••  Data supplied by…