Innholdsfortegnelse for #289 20-06 i Just Cars

After five months’ work by Holden and their partners, the ‘Project Monaro’ build has been completed. Revealed by Craig Lowndes at Holden headquarters in November, the ‘Project Monaro’ is the major prize in a competition that was announced in July and will be drawn in March, 2020. As the ambassador for Project Monaro, Lowndes presented a series of YouTube documentaries of the rebuild and took it for some of its first laps at the Holden Proving Ground at Lang Lang. “How awesome is this car – it is seriously something special and it sounds great! I’ve had an absolute ball driving this around,” said Lowndes. The finished Monaro is a long way from how it was received by Holden. The 2004-model VZ Monaro CV8 had 214,000km on the odometer and…

Ahead of a production start in 2020, Lotus has revealed more details on their upcoming Evija, which has been on a ‘global tour’ since it’s announcement in July. In November, that tour included a stop at the Guangzhou Auto Show in China, where Lotus revealed footage of engineering prototype #2 in action at a private circuit. What Lotus are claiming as the first all-electric British hypercar, the Evija has a target performance output of 1,470kW and almost 1,700Nm from its four electric motors (driving all four wheels), which will make it the most powerful series production road car in the world. Testing will continue at Lotus’s home base of Hethel, as well as several other high-speed and handling circuits throughout Europe. “Physical prototype testing at speed is a landmark moment…

While most people think that Japan didn’t start producing cars until after World War II, they actually started much earlier, and one of the earliest cars from Japan’s nascent auto industry was recently recognised by the Japan Automobile Hall of Fame (JAHFA) as an historic car. Designed in the Kobe shipyard of the Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Company (forerunner of the modern Mitsubishi Heavy Industries), the Mitsubishi ‘Model A’ was first produced in prototype form in 1917 and completed as a production model in November, 1918. Said to be inspired by the Fiat Tipo 3, the Model A was built almost entirely by hand. Powered by a 2.8-litre four-cylinder engine producing 35hp (26kW), the Model A featured a lacquered timber body and seat trim in wool cloth imported from England. Intended as…

There’s no shortage of attractions on the Gold Coast, but come June, there’s only one that car buffs car about - Cooly Rocks On. Born in 2011 from the roots of the Wintersun Festival, Cooly Rocks On has grown year on year, with new features added and existing ones refined or replaced as the show evolves. An event that takes over Coolangatta for five days, Cooly Rocks On is much, much more than just a car show: it’s a whole nostalgia festival, celebrating the ‘50s, ’60s and ’70s with rock ‘n’ roll, swing and rockabilly music, dance competitions, the Miss Rockabilly and Miss Cooly Rocks On pageants, pinball challenge and retro market stalls amongst the attractions – there’s even a ‘Poodles and Pugs’ dog parade! NEW FOR 2019 Held from…

To mark 50 years since the first ‘Pacer’ was produced by Chrysler on the VF Valiant, Chrysler Australia have produced a Pacer tribute car. Currently a one-off, the Pacer will go to production as a limited edition. “We’re excited to bring to life a modern interpretation of an Australian classic, the Chrysler 300 SRT Pacer tribute car,” said Guillaume Drelon, Director of Product, Chrysler Australia. “Highlighting the signature details of the original, the Pacer tribute takes inspiration from the iconic design cues of the celebrated 1969 Valiant Pacer.” Revealed in November, the modern Pacer tribute takes the current Chrysler 300 SRT Core and, on the one-off, adds a full vehicle ‘Wild Yellow’ wrap replicating one of three colours available on the original Pacer from 1969. Black side stripes and ‘Pacer…

The classic Morris J-type van has been reimagined, with a new British startup - carrying the name of Morris Commercial – to introduce a new, fully-electric ‘JE’ version of the classic light commercial vehicle (LCV) in 2021. “It is a delight to unveil the new Morris JE to the world and for us to show what we have been working so hard to achieve,” said CEO and founder of Morris Commercial, Dr Qu Li. “From the outset, our vision was to bring a new concept to the LCV market, not just in terms of the battery electric powertrain, but also to introduce a timeless design that takes the aesthetics and appeal of such a vehicle to a whole new level. What we have created is a beautiful, retro design that…

Shortly after it was announced in the UK, Mini Australia confirmed the new MY20 Mini John Cooper Works GP will be coming to Australia. Unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November, the JCW GP is the fastest factory production Mini ever built for road use. Its turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine produces 225kW and 450Nm (55kW more than the Mini JCW) and is matched to an 8-speed Steptronic sports automatic transmission for a top speed of 265km/h and 0-100km/h acceleration in 5.2 seconds. The newly-developed turbocharger is one of many features created for or enhanced on the JCW GP. Others include a model-specific oil supply and race-developed cooling system, reinforced crankshaft, specific pistons and conrods, as well as a model-specific exhaust. Suspension is specific to the JCW GP, too;…

Every year since 1967, the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) has presented the latest products from the automotive aftermarket industry - products that enhance the performance, styling, comfort, convenience and safety of cars, trucks and SUVs. At that first show, held in Los Angeles, a grand total of 98 companies exhibited. Now there are close to 2,400 companies exhibiting and the show covers a massive 1.2 million square feet of the Las Vegas Convention Centre. The growth of the show reflects the automotive aftermarket industry that’s now worth an estimated US$44.6 billion. And while the SEMA Show is a trade show and not a public event, it’s become something that plenty of car enthusiasts want to get into. The reason they want to get in is not so much for…

If ever a single car moved the modern market place it was the Mitsubishi Magna that was released in early 1985. Until the Magna the local car market was divided into the small cars, medium cars and the traditional large typically Australian cars like the Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon plus the luxury models. The Magna created a completely new segment between the medium-sized cars and the traditional models and in so doing became an overnight sensation! It was a typical case of necessity being the mother of invention. The Sigma had reached the end of the line and the plan was to replace it with the new Japanese-designed Mitsubishi Sigma that featured front-wheel drive. However, once prototypes were brought to Tonsley Park it was clearly obvious that the Australian-built…

With production of the eighth-generation Corvette now underway, a piece of Corvette history – the last seventh-generation (aka ‘C7’) version built – has been delivered to the National Corvette Museum (NCM), next door to the factory in Bowling Green, Kentucky. While the NCM already owns several Stingrays, from early models to later generations, having this one as a ‘bookend’ to that collection was seen as important. “GM offered us the opportunity to purchase the car,” said NCM President and CEO Dr. Sean Preston. “The Corvette is an iconic car in and of itself, and the last Stingray Coupe with front engine and manual transmission is an iconic car itself as well.” Ivan Schrodt, NCM Lifetime Member and owner of a C7 Z06, funded the purchase of the car, which was…

After a break of two years, Caterhams will be available in Australia again from 2020. Caterham Cars Australia’s Chris van Wyk explained that, due to a combination of the typically long production lead times and the introduction of the new WLTP emissions regulations in Europe, it has taken some time to obtain Australian Compliance Approval. With this approval now achieved, Caterhams will be available for customers to order from next year. The 2020 lineup remains at three models, starting with the Seven 275 and including the Seven 485 S, with the Seven CSR returning as the premium model. With the discontinuation of the previously available Seven 355 for the European market, that model will no longer be available here, either. The Seven 275 is powered by a 1.6-litre Ford four-cylinder…

While it’s a car company first and foremost, Ford has a history in aviation, too. From a Model T engine in an experimental aircraft in 1909, to their well-known ‘Tri-Motor’ model of the 1920s, Ford was deeply involved in the aviation industry for a period, and would manufacture engines, gliders and complete aircraft in bewildering numbers during World War II, too. In 1984, Henry Ford was recognised by the National Aviation Hall of Fame in the US for his contribution to the industry, while more recently, Ford has supported the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), a community of pilots, aviation industry members and enthusiasts. CARS FOR FLIGHT Since 2008, Ford has increased their support of the EAA, by creating a one-off vehicle for auction at the organisation’s annual ‘AirVenture’ air show…