Innholdsfortegnelse for #306 21-10 i Just Cars

Morgan Motor Company have announced they will revive one of their classic nameplates – the V8-engined Plus 8 – in a “gloves off” special edition. The first in a series of special edition Morgans planned for 2021, the new Plus 8 ‘GTR’ will be based on the ‘aero chassis’ version of the original Plus 8 (that went out of production in 2018) and powered by the same BMW-sourced 4.8-litre engine. While still recognisably a Morgan, the Plus 8 GTR will feature numerous styling alterations, influenced by racing Morgans from the 1990s, including resculpted wings and wheelarch openings, a revised rear end, redesigned front splitter and the fitment of a hard top. The racing Morgans from this period were used to develop the carmaker’s first bonded aluminium chassis, the latest version…

Not only is Australia beginning to see a proliferation of electric cars land on its shores, but there are also now quite a few priced in the ‘affordable EV’ price point around $50,000. That’s cars like the Hyundai Ioniq – Australia’s cheapest EV – the Nissan leaf – one of Australia’s veteran EVs now in its second-generation – and this all-new Mini. Thing is, this Mini is a three-door and has the lowest driving range of the lot of them. It is, however, a very nicely constructed and quality feeling machine. And it will have plenty of brand appeal to some. It rolls down the line at Mini’s Oxford plant in the UK and is based on the Mini Cooper S. Rather than being a new electric platform car (like…

It’s not cheap, surpassing six figures and asking $125,900 plus on-road costs. That’s not far off the $139,990 M550i xDrive, which is a stonking bit of kit with its muscular V8 power and talented all-wheel drive. But as far as the original formula goes, the 530d retains rear-wheel drive with a straight six upfront, albeit an oiler. There’s also the M Sport package as standard with 19-inch wheels, adaptive dampers, M Sport brakes, painted callipers and unique sports seats and trim. Other standard equipment includes LED headlights, heated seats, electric boot, headup display, 12.3-inch infotainment system, DAB Radio and a 16-speaker Harman Kardon sound system. WHAT DOES IT COST TO OWN? BMW covers all models with a three-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty which falls short of competitors such as Mercedes-Benz offering a…

As Lotus begins a new chapter in its history with the upcoming Type 131 sports car series, it’s closing another, with production of the Elise and Exige to end this year. Both nameplates have been a staple in Lotus’s recent history, with the Elise in production for 25 years and its harder-edged Exige sibling in the lineup for 21 years. Lotus will farewell the pair with a series of five ‘Final Edition’ cars – two on the Elise platform, three on the Exige – that offer increased power, reduced weight, improved standard specification, new colours and unique design features. Announced in February and released for sale in the UK and selected European markets in the same month, each Final Edition variant will be built in limited numbers, but exactly how…

One of the automotive industry’s most original and innovative characters, Bruce Meyers, has died. A pioneer of the dune buggy movement in the 1960s and a force in the growth of American off-road racing in the same period, Meyers passed away on 19 February from a blood disorder called myelodysplastic syndrome. WATER, THEN WHEELS Born on 12 March, 1926 in Los Angeles, Bruce Meyers was introduced to the auto industry at a young age, as his mechanic father knew Henry Ford and helped establish Ford dealerships in California and other US states. It was surfing and the sea that held Meyers’s interest, though, leading him to drop out of school and enlist in the US Navy while still a teenager. Serving on the aircraft carrier USS Bunker Hill, Meyers survived…

Offered in both soft-top roadster and also retractable fastback (RF) bodystyles, the MX-5 GT RS models feature tuning tweaks to deliver a more engaging drive and a more rewarding track day experience. The Australia-specific GT RS updates add new Bilstein gas shock absorbers and strut brace to improve grip, feedback and steering response. Also added to the GT RS is a new Brembo brake package featuring aluminium calipers and a high-performance brake pad which Mazda says improves fade resistance by 26 per cent. Rounding out the sporty extras are lightweight forged BBS alloy wheels fitted with Bridgestone Potenza tyres. The GT RS models headline a light refresh for the entire MX-5 range representing the first updates to the ND MX-5 since 2018. HOW MUCH DOES IT COST? The addition of…

Shannons Summer Timed Online Auction saw strong sales results and a 97 per cent clearance rate, with the star of the auction being an early Porsche 356A cabriolet. While described as a ‘barn find,’ perhaps ‘church find’ would have been more accurate, as the Porsche was recovered from underneath a Brisbane church, where it had been stored for 25 years. One of 1,382 examples of the 356A 1600 Super Cabriolet built in 1958, this Porsche was delivered new to Australia, factory fitted with a rare Karmann removable hardtop and even-rarer 15x4-inch Rudge wheels, as well as ‘Ponto’ exterior mirrors, Bosch headlamps and “USA” bumpers. Sold new through Hamilton’s in Melbourne, the car is believed to have spent some time in Sydney before appearing in Queensland in 1970. There, it was…

If recent auction results are anything to go by, there’s no stopping the upward trend in prices for selected Aussie classics. It’s a relatively recent phenomenon, too, with a general increase in the past five to six years before last year’s big surge that’s continued into 2021. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Grays has continued to see demand outstripping supply, demonstrated by huge numbers of visitors and bidders, along with record prices for a variety of classic Australian cars. On top of that, the general used car market has also spiked during the pandemic, with Moody’s Analytics finding that prices for second-hand vehicles have jumped by up to 35 per cent in the past year. This surge is being driven by the limited supply of new vehicles, fewer…

The first two generations of the Mazda MX-5 delivered simple, fun and affordable open-top motoring to the masses. The third-generation was too porky and powerful to match its enthusiasm on the road and, for a moment, it looked as though the first two generations would be in high demand. But, thankfully, the fourth-generation MX-5 reverted back to the original formula. And that leaves the used car market in a good place: the second generation MX-5, which had improved nearly everything on the first generation, is as cheap as chips. Possibly as cheap as it will ever get. The MX-5 is often compared to older British roadsters, but unlike them it’s newer and more comfortable, and the engine is commonly referred to as bulletproof. As a driver’s car, the MX-5 excels,…