Innholdsfortegnelse for #318 22-09 i Just Cars

The Corvette reaches a major milestone in 2023 when the all-American sports car turns 70. To mark the occasion, Chevrolet will release a special ‘70th Anniversary Edition’ package with exclusive colours, badging and details. “Passion for Corvette runs deep at Chevrolet and this anniversary is extra special because of the excitement and sales success we’ve achieved with the eighth generation of America’s iconic sports car,” said Steve Majoros, vice president, Chevrolet marketing. To be offered on both the Stingray and Z06 variants and coupe and convertible bodies, the 70th Anniversary Edition will be available in a choice of all-new White Pearl Metallic Tri-coat or Carbon Flash Metallic, both of which will only be available on the anniversary models. Body stripes in complementing colours – Satin Gray for the White Pearl…

Planning and hosting any event has been tough in the past two years, even moreso when the event’s completely new. As such, the organisers of the first Rare Spare Rockynats deserve a huge round of applause for not only getting an event done under the cloud of COVID-19, but getting it done successfully. So successfully, in fact, that it’s coming back to Rockhampton this Easter… After the Red CentreNATS in Alice Springs, it made perfect sense to look north to Queensland for the next step in the Summernats expansion plans. “There are so many passionate car enthusiasts in Queensland but there was nothing like the Summernats experience close to them,” explained Summernats coowner, Andy Lopez. “While we see hundreds of Queenslanders and their cars at our other events around the…

You’ve got a classic but want to customise it and make it more your own. Where do you start? For most people, the first step of individualisation is a set of aftermarket wheels, maybe with low-profile rubber, too. Next? Some window tinting, sports seats or a stereo upgrade. Lowered suspension and an engine tune or aftermarket exhaust are also on most to-do lists. The deeper you go into customisation, the more expensive it can become, but there is an affordable modification that can absolutely modernise and personalise the look of your classic. It’s also practical and can be done by any DIYer. We’re talking about a headlight swap. Specifically, upgrading your classic’s factory sealed beam lamps with LED equivalents. SEEING THE LIGHT With LED lighting applied to just about every…

With 75 cars entered at time of writing, the JUST CARS Historic Touring Car line-up at this year’s Island Classic on 11-13 March will be the largest seen at the event in years, with big names from across the continent – in both capacity grids – locked in. A NEW RACE DIVISION This year, a new capacity split - Under 2 Litres plus Invited Cars and Over 2 Litres - is being trialled to encourage closer racing. A bumper crop of smaller cars has taken up the challenge and the screaming four-cylinder brigade will really turn it on. From Sydney comes Spencer Rice in the super rapid Alfa, flanked by David Noakes and Mark Lenstra in BDA Escorts. Locals David Brown (Datsun 1600 SSS), Rob Burns (Alfa), Peter van Summeren…

Gordon Murray Automotive (GMA) has unveiled their new ‘T.33’ supercar, with claims it’s the most accomplished two-seat supercar of all time. The second new product from GMA, following on from the T.50 that was released in 2020, the T.33 is pitched as a more versatile sibling to that model. “[The T.33] has been designed and engineered to the same exacting standards as our T.50, with the same emphasis on driver focus, performance, lightweight and superlative, pure design, but the outcome is a very different motor car,” says Gordon Murray, CBE. “This is a car where comfort, effortless performance and day to day usability are even more front and centre in its character.” While they share the same engine, the T.50 and T.33 differ in terms of tuning and performance, as…

Burns & Co. Auctions saw some solid results from their first classic car auction for 2022, with an 84 per cent clearance and healthy six-figure sums for several consignments. Topping the 6 February auction was a 1972 Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1 that Burns & Co. described as one of the best they’ve seen. Finished in Royal Purple with factory black vinyl and houndstooth cloth interior trim, this genuine GTR XU-1 had been restored by SA-based Crispen Classic Car Restoration and Rodney Plowman Restorations. With the consignor for the past 13 years and coming to auction with an extensive photo file and other paperwork documenting the restoration, strong bidding saw the car ultimately reach $265,000, which was the top sale on the day. Coming a close second was a 1955…

Ask anyone who’s spent years working on cars, either professionally or recreationally, and they’ll tell you it’s no good for your back. Carmakers do plenty the ensure the comfort of occupants in their vehicles, but that doesn’t extend to those who service them! If you work on cars a lot, you’ve probably already got a wheeled creeper and if you work in a garage or service centre, you’ll most likely have a hoist as well. They’re both great and make working under cars so much easier, but what about when you need to work OVER cars? Flatout Lifting has the answer in the form of ‘The Elevated Creeper’. A CREEPER – BUT TALLER While it’s not a new idea, The Elevated Creeper works on the same sort of principle as…

When Chevrolet officially returned to Australia in 2018, it re-established a connection between the all-American carmaker and this country that goes back more than a century. For close to forty years, including interruptions caused by the First and Second World Wars, Chevrolets were either imported or assembled here in volume, including uniquely Australian variants like the Chevrolet utility. Chevrolet’s history in Australia is believed to go back to 1915 when the first units were imported. At that time, the carmaker had been in existence less than four years and wasn’t even part of the General Motors empire – that would come three years later. Before it came under GM ownership (and the resources that came with it), Chevrolet actually had no real impact on the Australian market. It’s estimated that…

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 LOTUS ELITE – COLIN CHAPMAN’S FIRST GT CAR Veloce UK Veloce.co.uk The Elite marked an important chapter in Lotus’s history as the British marque’s first true road car, rather than a roadgoing race car. Matthew Vale tells the story…

As part of their future strategy that will see all new models electric-powered from 2025, Mini are now offering a factory EV conversion service for owners of classic Minis. Only available in the UK, the ‘Mini Recharged’ programme will see EV conversions of pre-BMW era Minis carried out by a dedicated team at the Mini factory in Oxford. According to Mini, the programme was inspired by the positive reaction to a one-off classic Mini EV concept created in 2018 as a taster for Mini’s first series production electric model. Under Mini Recharged, the original-shape (1959-2000) Mini’s internal combustion engine is replaced with a “modern electric motor” producing up to 90kW and 0-100km/h acceleration of around 9 seconds. This EV motor is matched to a “high-voltage battery” of unknown capacity, but…

In a decision that will reinforce the importance of driver skills, the Gen 3 Mustang and Camaro in the Repco Supercars Championship will retain sequential manual gear shifting when they arrive in 2023. Talk of switching from a traditional gear stick to paddle-shifters for Gen 3 resulted in a backlash from the fans and drivers almost immediately after it was proposed. On 6 February, Supercars officially confirmed that paddle shifters will not be a part of Gen 3, with the current six-speed sequential manuals continuing as is on the new Mustang and all-new Camaro. “Following the early rounds of testing in the prototypes, and unanimous support from the Gen3 Steering Committee, I can confirm the Camaro and Mustang will race using the current fully manual gear shift for 2023 and…

When laid-back surfer Pete Meuleman decided to go Historic Touring Car racing, he never thought he’d ride a break to be an almost-rookie HTCAV Champion! “Mate, I am so embarrassed,” laughs the sandyhaired welder. “A participation award maybe, but how did I end up with this?” A CHAMPIONSHIP IS A LONG HAUL Motor racing stories everywhere are full of unlikely outcomes. So many aspects in the mix have to work together - one slip, one component failure and it can all fall apart. Was it good luck or good management in Pete Meuleman’s case? Let’s find out the whole story… Peter was a surfer, and still is. If the property he has on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula was any closer to the pounding back beach surf he’d be living on the…