Innholdsfortegnelse for #285 20-02 i Just Cars

A head of its arrival in November, Ford has released details on the Mustang GT for 2020. Given styling and specification upgrades were added in 2019, there are no major additions for the 2020 Mustang, but there are new colour choices, a special appearance package and an expansion of the factory service programme. “Customers have been asking for more ways to customise and individualise their vehicle, so we’re pleased to offer more ways of doing that,” said Ford Australia President and CEO, Kay Hart. “These new offerings help make the 2020 Mustang really stand out, and for the first time, our Ford Service Benefits program, with our Service Price Promise, is part of Mustang ownership, too.” SERVICE PLUS Including the Mustang in the Ford Service Benefits programme means that purchasers…

It may surprise some to know that British marque Alvis is not only still in operation, but still producing cars on a limited basis. Under the control of parent company, Red Triangle, the manufacture of replacement parts, servicing and restoration of original Alvis cars by ‘The Alvis Car Company’ has been going on for many years. More recently, a ‘Continuation Series’ of new Alvis cars, hand-built in the style of the original models, was added. That programme has now been expanded, with The Alvis Car Company offering two different chassis and six different body derivatives, based on those originally produced by the likes of Park Ward, Graber and Vanden Plas. A choice of 3.0-litre and 4.3-litre six-cylinder engines will be available, based on original Works designs, but with modern fuel…

After a year away, the Classic Outback Trial will return to New South Wales in 2020. The 21st Century equivalent of the classic Round Australia trials was held in the Northern Territory in 2016 and 2018, but a return to NSW for this year’s 7th Classic Outback Trial will see the event go back to its roots, according to Event Director Philip Bernadou. “The 6-day round journey to Alice Springs from the major Eastern State cities robbed the event of competition time and added to expenses,” Bernadou explained. “As another plus, there are more competitive rally roads available in a more compact area in New South Wales.” To rally people, the spirit of the old Round Australia trials that began with the REDeX Trial in 1953, lives on, but the…

Prior to the release of the C8 Corvette, the last C7 Corvette built by Chevrolet was auctioned by Barrett-Jackson in Connecticut. Listed for Barrett-Jackson’s ‘4th Annual Northeast Auction’ on 26-29 June, the last C7 is actually yet to be built (an identical model was present at the auction), but will be a Z06 in black with a supercharged 6.2 V8, 7-speed manual and the 3LZ interior package of Adrenaline Red leather trim, a Performance Data Recorder and satnav. Donated by Chevrolet, the Z06 was being auctioned to raise money for the Stephen Siller Tunnels to Towers Foundation Smart Home Program that supports first responders and severely injured US military veterans by building homes compatible with their disabilities. The Foundation is named after a New York City firefighter killed in the September…

This ’27 Model T coupe looks like something that rolled out George Barris’s workshop in the ‘60s, but it’s a much newer creation. The major mods on this rod include a Model A frame with a Z section that drops the body a full 16 inches! The body itself has been channelled and had 4 inches taken out of the roof, but doesn’t look it, thanks to that wild chassis mod. Owner/builder Mark Rudolf has gone for a deliberately old-school look and feel with this rod, so instead of the typical SBC, there’s a Ford Zephyr engine providing the drive, which at 2.6-litres (156ci) was slightly larger than the 2.4-litre (144ci) inline six powering the first XK Falcon. This relatively rare engine has been fitted with twin carbies, copper lines and…

Lotus has gone electric in a serious way, announcing an all-new model – the Evija – which is due for release in 2020. Pronounced ‘e-vy-yah’, the upcoming model is claimed by Lotus to be the first all-electric British hypercar, while its projected 1,400kW maximum power and 1,700Nm maximum torque will also make it the world’s most powerful series production road car. While Lotus says ‘series production’, the Evija won’t be an ongoing model, with production limited to 130 units, reflecting the vehicle’s internal code – Type 130. A halo model for the existing Elise, Exiga and Evora range, the Evija will also preview a range of new Lotus performance models, according to the carmaker’s CEO, Phil Popham. “The Lotus Evija is a car like no other. It will re-establish our…

Motorclassica, Australia’s premier automobile concours event, turns ten in 2019, and the tenth anniversary event this 11 – 13 October is set to be something special. Since the first Motorclassica was held in 2010, the show and its main drawcard, the Australian International Concours d’Elegance, has grown and evolved, but more importantly, it’s also been embraced by the car enthusiast community within Victoria and beyond. Held in the heritage-listed Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton, Motorclassica is much more than just a car show, with interactive features and crowd-and enthusiast-friendly elements added since that first event including the ‘Club Sandwich’ outdoor car club display, the ‘After Five’ ticketing initiative for CBD workers and the ‘Live Restoration Theatre’ with demonstrations of different aspects of vehicle restoration. SPECIAL CELEBRATIONS Themed displays at the…

While the Aussie arrival of the C8 Corvette is still a long way off, there are plenty of earlier Corvettes you can buy here right now, including these two from Road Rage Industries in Queensland. The older of the two is a 1961 C1 convertible, offered with the standard soft top and removable hard top. Finished in red with white coves and a black interior, this Corvette currently wears standard steel wheels, but modern alloys are included in the sale. Fitted with the 327ci V8 and 3-speed manual transmission, this restored example is priced at $95,000. The second Corvette is a 1968 Stingray convertible in Le Mans Blue with a white top and black interior. Fitted with period-correct Rally wheels, this ‘Vette carries a drivetrain upgrade in the form of…

Hot Rod shows in Sydney date back to the 1960s but after years of great shows and great cars, enthusiasm in the Harbour City for these events began to falter in the new millennium. It wasn’t for lack of cars, though, as plenty of impressive metal has been rolling out of NSW workshops in the past couple of decades. Custom car builders and industry specialists, along with hot rod clubs and fans, were all keen for a quality hot rod show to return to Sydney, but it seemed that no-one had the drive and passion to bring one back – until Andy and Donna Minas came along! Andy and Donna run Andy’s Restorations in Kurnell and are also stalwarts of the rodding scene in Sydney. Deciding that NSW had gone…

Glenn Starr’s LH Torana sedan had all the tuff stuff, including a 308 stroked to 333, dual 450cfm carbies, tunnel ram, L34 heads and a solid Crow Cam. A Trimatic with 3500 torque convertor, 9-inch and 31-spline billet axles complete the driveline. Keeping everything in check are Wilwood brakes and adjustable McDonald Bros. Racing suspension at each end, with Boyd Coddington ‘Harm’ alloys for the rolling stock. Custom sheetmetal inside, outside and underneath, including a custom undercarriage and shaved engine bay, make this Torana look oh-so-smooth and explains its name – ‘Metal As’. Coating it all is DuPont Papaya paint that has an almost-luminous effect due to being applied over a white base. Inside, the lack of carpets and all-metal finish to everything except the dash pad and seats give…

After more than seven years and 500,000 cars built, production of the modern Volkswagen Beetle has ended. The final car, a coupe in Stonewashed Blue, was built on 10 July at Volkswagen de Mexico’s Puebla plant and will go into the factory’s adjacent museum as production switches to a compact SUV. The two cars built immediately before the last, finished in Kings Red and fitted with quilted seats, a custom dash and special keys, will go into Volkswagen of America’s collection in the USA. The last Beetles built were actually the third generation to wear the Beetle name. The first, as most know, was conceived by Ferdinand Porsche in Nazi Germany, but only a handful were produced at a purpose-built factory in Wolfsburg before World War II started. Production recommenced…

Shannons Melbourne Winter Classic Auction on 15 July saw no major surprises amongst the vehicles consigned, with an XA Falcon GT hardtop the top-seller, followed by a Dodge Charger. Finished in iconic Red Pepper, the Inverell, NSW-delivered 351 V8 and four-speed manual-equipped car was one of just 891 2-door examples made of Ford’s first truly Australian Falcon GT. The auctioned example was ordered with several factory options, including a black bonnet paint-out, tint-band laminated windscreen and Super Fringe Deluxe push-button radio. Restored 18 years ago, with the black vinyl interior trim refreshed five years ago, the GT still looked tight and came to auction with a $150,000 high estimate, which it exceeded to sell for $153,000. Another Aussie classic to exceed its estimate was a 1976 LX Torana SL/R 3300…

After a long wait, a lot of teasing and a reveal involving a lot of all-American razzle dazzle, the eighth-generation Chevrolet Corvette has arrived. The all-new ‘C8’ Corvette made its debut in California on 18 July in a presentation that involved GM heavyweights, like Mark Reuss (GM President and former MD of Holden), Mike Simcoe (VP of Global Design at GM and also ex-Holden) and Tadge Juechter (Corvette executive chief engineer). Of course, the main talking point with the new Corvette – and major point of difference from all previous ‘Vette generations – is the relocation of the engine from the front to the middle. MIDDLE… FOR AGES A mid-engined Corvette had been toyed with by Chevrolet since the early 1960s, but was taken more seriously when a series of…

‘Make Do and Mend’ was a slogan used during World War II in Britain, encouraging citizens to use what was already available, make it well and make it last. More than 60 years later, it’s a slogan that could equally be applied to Tony Webster’s 1936 Ford pickup. HOT ROD LEGEND For those in the hot rod fraternity, Tony ‘Webby’ Webster needs no introduction. Based in Newcastle in NSW (the Newcastle suburb of Carrington, to be specific), Tony’s been rolling quality rods and custom projects out the doors of Webby’s Speed Shop for decades, including trophy winners at ASRF shows and other events. Beyond countless builds for customers, Tony’s also been involved in engine upgrades, race car projects and general mechanical and repair work. Tony’s built himself a number of…

A VERY modern take on the T-Bucket hot rod, this creation from Elie Hannoun is like nothing else doing the rounds of hot rod shows. The whoppingly wide and tall Forgiato alloys with liquorice-strap Pirelli tyres are the first things that grab your attention on this build, followed by the abundance of gold plating in place of chrome. That starts with the custom radiator and its surround, and includes the headers on the supercharged V8, ‘crowns’ on the air filters, gold plating on the steering and suspension - even the diff. Inside, the steering wheel and column, pedals and shifter also get the golden touch. The smooth Candy Apple Red finish to the outside of the body is contrasted by bare metal trim inside with a proliferation of gold rivets, while…