Innholdsfortegnelse for #305 21-09 i Just Cars

One of Renault’s most significant and popular models, the 5, has been reborn, with the ‘Renault 5 Prototype’ unveiled as part of Groupe Renault’s ‘Renaulution’ five-year plan. Under Renaulution, fourteen new vehicles will be launched by 2025, all of which will come with an electric or hybrid drivetrain option and seven of which will be exclusively electric. More broadly, Renaulution will see Renault move from a car brand to a “tech, service and clean energy brand”. Referencing the French ‘Nouvelle Vague’ (New Wave) arthouse film movement of the 1950s, Groupe Renault CEO Luca de Meo says the next five years will see Renault create its own New Wave, but one that’s inspired by the brand’s history. “It’s about bringing modernity to the automotive industry. This vision of modernity, we anchor…

Seven-time Supercars champion Jamie Whincup has announced that the 2021 season will be his last as a full-time driver in the category. The most successful driver in the history of Australian Touring Car competition, Whincup will move into a team management role at Triple Eight Race Engineering next year, taking over from current Managing Director and Team Principal Roland Dane. “I’ve always said that after I retire from full-time driving, I want to keep going racing and in 2018 I made the commitment for that to be with Triple Eight by becoming a shareholder,” the 38-year-old said. “I’m honoured that Roland trusts me to lead the family that he’s built here in Australia. I’ll certainly maximise every opportunity this year and beyond to learn from him.” While he is stepping…

Porsche has joined the electric revolution with the Taycan, their first all-electric car. Following the template set by Tesla, the four-door Taycan teams extreme performance with a relatively normal four-door body. And if the 390kW/650Nm and 4.0 second 0-100km/h performance from the Taycan 4S isn’t extreme enough, you can step up to the Taycan Turbo and Turbo S. STYLE, SPACE AND SCREENS GALORE There are obvious styling similarities between the Taycan and Porsche’s other four-door car, the Panamera. But the Taycan is slightly smaller, in turn reducing rear seat space. That said, Porsche has been innovative in reducing the compromises that often hurt electric vehicles. While the batteries are assembled along the floor of the car, there are two “foot garages” for those in the rear seats to allow a…

Where does the Jarama sit in the Lamborghini canon? It’s an interesting question, as it wasn’t the most high-profile model in Lamborghini’s history, nor was it produced in the greatest numbers. It was, however, a turning point in the company’s evolution. GT PURITY To understand the Jarama, you have to understand its predecessor, the Islero. Released in 1968, the Islero was a 2+2 Grand Tourer that was true to Ferruccio Lamborghini’s vision of an ideal GT car that had spawned the 350 GTV five years earlier. Like the 350 GTV, the Islero was a “sports” car for the mature businessman, with engineering, appointments and appearance as refined as the men who drove it. Lacking the flair and futurism of contemporary Lamborghinis like the Miura and Espada meant the Islero was…

While Jaguar will be celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the E-type in 2021, this year also marks the 70th Anniversary for the C-type. To acknowledge that milestone, Jaguar Classic will produce a strictly limited run of ‘C-type Continuation’ cars. Following on from Lightweight E-type, XKSS and D-type recreations, the new addition to the Jaguar Classic Continuation programme will be based on the car that was a two-time Le Mans winner and victorious in innumerable other road and circuit competition events. “Driven by some of the most-admired racing drivers in history, the C-type laid the foundations for Jaguar’s success in endurance racing and is synonymous with design and engineering innovation,” said Dan Pink, Director of Jaguar Classic. “Seventy years on, Jaguar Classic is proud to be able to utilise the latest…

After a postponement due to COVID-19, the Targa High Country tarmac rally was finally held in February and Dean Lillie won in what was his tarmac rallying debut. While a newcomer to Targa, Lillie is an experienced driver in circuit competition, including Production Cars, Improved Production, GT, V8 Brutes, Sports Sedans and Touring Car Masters. For his Targa debut, Lillie partnered with Steve Glenney, a 20-year veteran of tarmac and gravel rallies, with two Targa Tasmania wins as a driver. For Targa High Country, Glenney switched to the navigator’s seat of Lillie’s 2007 Mitsubishi Evo X, entered in the Dutton Garage Early Modern 4 category. The rescheduled three-day rally encompassed 16 competitive stages around the Mt Buller and Mansfield regions of Victoria from 5 to 7 February. Despite treacherous weather…

After two years in Vodafone livery, the Ford Mustang GT Safety Car for the Repco Supercars Championship will run bp Ultimate branding in 2021 and 2022. The two-year deal coincides with bp being the category’s official fuel supplier. As well as the Safety Car, bp Ultimate branding will feature on the Race Control 1 car, which is also a Mustang GT and acts as a reserve Safety Car. The Ranger Raptor Recovery Vehicle will be unchanged this year, but the Race Control 2 and Medical Cars will be new, with the former now a Fiesta ST and the latter a Focus ST. Both will carry similar bp Ultimate branding to the Safety Car and Race Control 1 vehicles. “To have the opportunity to support the bp Ultimate Safety Car is…

It’s the 60th Anniversary of Jaguar’s E-type in 2021, so expect to see a LOT of the legendary sports car this year. Pre-empting the anniversary, an early E-type went to auction in the UK last October. This was no ordinary Series I 3.8 Fixed Head Coupe, though, as it played a significant part in both the development and early promotion of Jaguar’s most famous model. MADE FOR WORK On the surface, this 1961 E-type coupe, finished in Opalescent Dark Green, bearing the chassis number 860010 and UK (Coventry) registration 6162 RW, appears no different from any other early Series I. It’s an E-type, so of course it’s attractive, but to understand the significance of this car, you have to look a bit deeper, both inside the car and into its…

Just a fortnight before Jaguar Classic announced the C-type Continuation, Scottish racing team Ecurie Ecosse announced their own C-type recreation. Established in 1951, Ecurie Ecosse was a privateer team based in Edinburgh, but became Scotland’s “national team” in motorsport. Starting with XK 120s, they progressed to run C-types from 1952. Supported by Jaguar and fielding as many as seven C-types, Ecurie Ecosse achieved 59 podiums, but their most notable competition successes were the back-to-back wins they took at Le Mans in 1956 and ’57 with the Jaguar D-type. “The seven priceless chassis raced in period still exist today, coveted by their lucky owners,” said Ecurie Ecosse patron Alasdair McCaig. “We are paying homage to these cars by creating a numbered sister car to each one, meticulous in their detail, like…

The COVID-19 pandemic that forced the cancellation of last year’s Motorclassica concours has also impacted this year’s event, with the Australian International Concours d’Elegance officially postponed to 2022. In a press release from concours organisers, Exhibitions and Trade Fairs P/L (ETF) on 28 January, Motorclassica’s Event Director, Jon Perry, said the ongoing uncertainty over the pandemic makes it impossible to present a concours of the standard that public and participants alike expect. “Unfortunately, it’s still a very uncertain climate and given the current circumstances we don’t believe we can host and create the experience you are accustomed to,” Perry stated. “Whilst we know how disappointing this is, the Curatorial Board and myself are looking at some new opportunities to bring to the show that will make it worth the wait.…

Burns & Co. Auctioneers and Valuers have secured a real treasure trove of collectables for a special Collectors’ Auction scheduled for 21 March. From petrol bowsers to oil bottle racks, vintage tin signs, neon signs, dodgem cars, vintage telephones, bakelite radios, scale models, vending machines and even a telephone box, there’s everything you need to fit out the ultimate man cave-all at the one auction! SIGNS OLD AND NEW For tin sign afficionados, there are Castrol, Mobil and Shell on offer, some painted, some enamelled, while the neon signs are a mix of original and reproduction, including some very cool ‘Americana’ neons for the likes of Sinclair, Texaco, Red Crown, Philips 66 and Polly gasoline. For Chrysler enthusiasts, a particular highlight amongst the neons is a genuine Mopar sign, while…

For the most part, Lamborghinis have been expensive and exclusive. But in the late 1960s, the Italian carmaker started to develop a car that would offer a more affordable entry into Lamborghini ownership. EARLY IDEAS, LOCAL COMPETITION The idea of a junior model from Lamborghini goes back to 1963, the same year that the very first car rolled out of the Sant’Agata Bolognese factory. Lamborghini’s large and expensive Grand Tourers, like the 350 GTV and 400 GT had their merits, but there were far from mass market vehicles. Company founder Ferruccio Lamborghini recognised that, for a niche carmaker, an increase in production volume was essential to survival. Noting the success of Porsche’s then-new 911 in the mid-1960s, Ferruccio reasoned that his company’s bottom line could benefit from the addition of…