Innholdsfortegnelse for #312 22-03 i Just Cars

With the Toyota 86 set to be replaced by the second-generation ‘GR 86’ later this year, Toyota has shown that all-new machine in action for the first time, taking to the famous hillclimb course at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this past July. With a larger, more powerful engine than the 86 it’s replacing, the GR 86 also offers a stiffer chassis, but retains the compact dimensions and front-engine, rear-wheel drive character that has been so popular. To date, more than 20,000 examples of the 86 have been sold locally, with close to 80,000 sales in the USA. The last new examples of the current 86 have sold out from local Toyota dealerships, with only a handful of demonstrators and certified pre-owned examples remaining Australia-wide. “Since it arrived in Australia,…

Midstate Mopars, the annual celebration of all things Chrysler and Mopar in central Victoria, has been cancelled for 2021. Lockdown 4.0 in Victoria forced a postponement of the Bendigo event, Lockdown 5.0 put that new date under threat and now Lockdown 6.0 has forced a cancellation. With this year’s Chryslers on the Murray cancelled back in July, losing Midstate Mopars is a double blow for the Mopar faithful and means Victoria will go without at least one major Chrysler show this year for the first time in almost three decades. When the week-long Lockdown 4.0 came into effect on 28 May, it meant the originally scheduled dates of 12-13 June were under threat, made even worse by that lockdown being extended a further seven days. Rather than cancel the event,…

AC Cars may be one of Britain’s oldest carmakers, but they’re not stuck in their ways. The 120-year-old company is heading full throttle into the new electric era with the release of an emissions-free variant of their well-known and long-running model. In June, 2020, AC Cars announced they were developing a ‘Series 1 electric’ Cobra, their first ever all-electric model. The Series 1 would be based on the original, first-generation AC Cobra from 1962 and limited to 58 units – to mark 58 years since the original Cobra’s debut. In August, 2021, after more than a year of teasing, the first pre-production car made its public debut at The British Motor Show. “This was our first chance to show off the car, and the positive response was overwhelming,” said Alan…

The ‘Chrysler by Chrysler’ never made a huge impression on the Aussie market when new, but for one Queensland-based enthusiast, Chrysler’s luxury sedan has a family connection that’s very special. We all know the Australian-made Fairlane and Statesman, but back when our new car market was dominated by ‘The Big Three,’ what was Chrysler’s contender in the luxury segment? Ask that question today and you’ll probably get some blank looks from more than a few car enthusiasts. Not so with the Mopar fraternity. They’ll be able to tell you that Chrysler Australia’s pitch for the top end of the local market started with the VE Valiant-based ‘VIP’ in 1967, followed by the smoothly-styled - and confusingly-named - ‘Chrysler by Chrysler’ in 1971. DOUBLE OFFERING Where the VE VIP was essentially…

The HTCAV was abuzz recently when club president Les Walmsley sold his magnificent race and championship-winning Valiant Charger. After the news broke, Les had to field hundreds of calls. ‘Why didn’t you sell it to me?’ was a common question, followed by who, why, how, etc. Was it a spur of the moment sale to some random? Far from it, it turns out. ‘BUILDING’ A RELATIONSHIP The story behind this sale goes back to 2008, when Les met Ben Dahlstrom. Both worked in the building trade back then, but the talk soon turned to race cars. Becoming young Ben’s motoring mentor, Les helped him and his father purchase a Valiant S Series from Michael Holloway in 2009. As told in a previous JUST CARS story, the impact of Black Saturday,…

After being announced back in January, the Abarth 595 Scorpioneoro arrived in Australia in August, bringing special exterior and interior trim, as a well as improved specification and a specific engine tune. While it’s based on the Fiat 500, inspiration for the Abarth 595 Scorpioneoro actually comes from an Autobianchi, specifically the Autobianchi A112 ‘Gold Ring’ from 1979, better known as the ‘Targa Oro’. That model was limited to just 150 units and the Abarth tribute will be limited, too, with only 2,000 examples to be built, 30 of which have been allocated to Australia. “Abarth collectors will relish the opportunity to get their hands on this attractive special edition Abarth 595 Scorpioneoro, an authentic representation of the brand’s racing heritage,” said Tom Noble, Director Marketing Communications for Abarth. “A…

The Repco Supercars Championship will return to the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit for the first time in more than two years this October, joined by the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship for the ‘Bass Coast Festival of Motorsport’. Hosted by the Australian Grand Prix Corporation (AGPC), the ‘Bunnings Trade Phillip Island SuperSprint’ will be the headline act at the festival, which is scheduled for 23-24 October. The Bass Coast Festival of Motorsport will be the first event the AGPC has run since the 2019 Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix. The 2020 Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix and 2020 Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix were scrapped and both this year’s F1 and MotoGP events were also cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Supercars confirmed on 5 August that it will…

A screwdriver may seem like a “blunt instrument” in that any idiot can use one. But it’s surprising how many people don’t use screwdrivers correctly and screw up simple jobs as a result. GET A SET The first step to effective screwdriver usage is having a variety of types, both slot and Phillips tip, in different shank lengths to suit different machine/sheetmetal screw types and different access requirements. If you don’t already have a good selection of conventional (ie. slot and Phillips) screwdrivers, invest in a multi-piece set. For automotive applications, look for a set with magnetic tips, as they can save you a lot of grief on fiddly jobs. With the increasing use of hex and torx head bolts, a compatible set of drivers for these fasteners should be…

Despite not winning a Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship, the late Sir Stirling Moss remains one of the greatest drivers of all time. Moss was also one of the most versatile, succeeding in open wheelers, tin tops and rally cars across a diverse career that officially ended in 1962, but would continue for decades afterward. At the start of the 1990s, Moss had been officially retired from competition for close to three decades, but he certainly hadn’t stopped racing. First lured out of retirement for an ill-fated start at the 1976 Hardie-Ferodo 1000 at Bathurst (partnering Jack Brabham, no less), Moss then raced in the British Saloon Car Championship for two years at the start of the 1980s. Various one-off drives followed, mainly in historic events, either in his own…

GOT A HOT NEW PRODUCT FOR JUST CARS READERS? SEND DETAILS, ALONG WITH A SELECTION OF GOOD QUALITY, HIGH RESOLUTION PHOTOS, TO: EDITORIAL@JUSTAUTO.COM.AU AND PUT ‘JUST CARS WHAT’S HOT’ IN THE SUBJECT LINE. HARD-COPY PHOTOS AND PRODUCT DETAILS CAN BE POSTED TO: ‘JUST CARS WHAT’S HOT’, LOCKED BAG 34, GEELONG, VIC, 3220. NOTE: PROVIDED INFORMATION MUST INCLUDE RETAIL PRICE, AVAILABILITY/PURCHASE DETAILS, SIZING (WHERE RELEVANT), VEHICLE MAKE/MODEL SUITABILITY (WHERE RELEVANT) AND COMPANY CONTACT DETAILS (FULL BUSINESS NAME, CONTACT PHONE, EMAIL AND WEB ADDRESS). SUBMISSION OF PRODUCT DETAILS DOES NOT GUARANTEE PUBLICATION. 1 JACOB & CO. FAST & FURIOUS TWIN TURBO Jacob & Co. jacobandco.com A timepiece inspired by one of the most popular movie franchises of all time, the Fast & Furious Twin Turbo from Jacob & Co. features dual triple-axis…

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Shannons are giving you the chance to live out your ‘Smokey and the Bandit’ fantasies with their latest competition, where you could win a genuine Pontiac Firebird Trans Am. Also included in the prize pack is a new Indian Chief Dark Horse motorcycle, as well as 12 months insurance and roadside cover for both the car and the bike. The Firebird Trans Am on offer is a 1977 model that’s been sympathetically restored and features all the signature Special Edition Trans Am details made famous by the ‘Bandit,’ like the black and gold paint scheme, gold snowflake wheels and ‘Screaming Chicken’ bonnet decal. Under the bonnet, the restored car runs an authentic 6.6-litre (400ci) naturally aspirated V8 with shaker bonnet scoop, matched to a Turbo Hydra-Matic three-speed auto transmission. Only…

The ongoing COVID situation has forced the cancellation of this year’s Chryslers on the Murray. The 2020 event was one of the last major car shows held in Australia before COVID-19 forced the cancellation of events across the country. This year’s Chryslers on the Murray (CotM) had been scheduled for its usual timeslot in late March, but event organisers, the Albury Wodonga Chrysler Club, announced back in December that the dates would be pushed out to 29-31 October, 2021, in the expectation that Australia would be through the worst of the pandemic by that time. However, since that date change was made, there have been several developments with the pandemic, including fresh outbreaks, a slow vaccine rollout and the arrival of the more infectious Delta variant; all of which have…

Chevrolet are tempting quarter mile competitors in North America with the return of a Big Block engine for the competition-only COPO Camaro. The new engine option is a 572 cubic inch naturally aspirated Big Block V8, which Chevrolet says harks back to the original 1969 COPO Camaro ZL-1 – a purpose-built drag racer, powered by a 427ci V8, that was available to those in the know through Chevy’s Central Office Production Order (COPO) system. The new COPO 572 engine features a cast-iron block with four-bolt main caps, aluminium heads, a forged steel crankshaft and conrods, and forged aluminium pistons. Available on the 2022 COPO Camaro, the 572 joins two Small Block V8 engines already available for this model that include a supercharged 350ci rated at 580hp (432kW) and a naturally…

What better time to feature a Valiant Charger than in the iconic Aussie coupe’s 50th Anniversary? Yes, that’s right – the Charger turns 50 in 2021. Doesn’t that make you feel old? With Chryslers on the Murray – the major Mopar event in Australia – cancelled for 2021, that event’s planned birthday party for the Charger’s 50th has been put on hold. Thanks to the pandemic, the Chrysler faithful won’t be able to gather and mark the occasion in any other significant way, either – at least in Victoria or New South Wales at time of writing. What should have been a feast of XLs, R/Ts, White Knights, Sportsmans and 770s (and maybe even a Drifter or two) for Mopar-loving spectators is off the table for now, but those fortunate…

Porsche’s 911 is probably the world’s best-known sports car. So why were they classified as a Touring Car between 1968 and 70? Racing regulations have always been scrutinised for grey areas of interpretation, and it was Porsche that took the ‘four seats’ wording to the Federation Internationale d’Automobile (FIA). They had to admit that, even though only the smallest humans could fit in the vestigial rear seats of the 911, the tiny sports car did, by definition, qualify as a touring car. CANNY ALAN With the FIA setting the standard, CAMS in Australia had to follow suit, but they dug their toes in when the smart Alan Hamilton, son of Australian Porsche importer Norman, offered up the sharpest Porsche he could find, a 911TR with Perspex windows and lightweight panels.…