Innholdsfortegnelse for Just Cars #326 23-04 i Just Cars

Only weeks after reaching the personal milestone of his 500th career race start in Supercars, Lee Holdsworth has announced he will retire from full-time driving in the category. With a resume that includes time with Rob Smith Racing, Garry Rogers Motorsport, Stone Brothers Racing, Erebus Motorsport, Team 18, Tickford Racing and, most recently, Grove Racing, Holdsworth has been a Supercars fixture almost every year since 2006. Despite offers to continue his full-time career into 2023, the 39-year-old has decided now is the right time to hang up the helmet, although he will see out the remainder of the 2022 Supercars season. From next year, Holdsworth aims to spend more time with family and continue his moves into the real estate business, while also making himself available for co-driver roles at…

The ‘Malaise Era’ in American automotive history, a period that ran roughly from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, is generally regarded as an industry low point, especially for performance cars. While the likes of Ford, Plymouth, Dodge, AMC and others had either transformed their pony cars and muscle cars into new animals or culled them entirely, one brand was almost singlehandedly keeping this sector of the industry alive – Pontiac. While Pontiac has now joined the list of deceased American automotive brands (Mercury, Plymouth, Oldsmobile, etc.), there was a period when it was the Number 3 brand in the US behind Chevy and Ford, selling some the hottest vehicles on four wheels, including the Firebird Trans Am. A NEW BOSS AND A NEW IMAGE Pontiac’s reinvention from a dowdy “dad…

Ford have unveiled images and details of the next generation Mustang, with the successor to the S-550 to go to market next year as a 2024 model. Australia has been locked in to receive the new Mustang, with a local launch in late 2023 to include a special edition ‘Dark Horse’ variant that features a tuned V8 engine and is said to be street and track capable. Ford are describing the seventh-generation Mustang as all new, with a fresh, but familiar exterior design applied to both the fastback coupe and convertible, while the interior is said to be inspired by the cockpit of fighter jets, with two large screens in place of a traditional instrument pod and console screen. Powertrains are also familiar, in the form of the 2.3-litre EcoBoost…

Audi has confirmed they will compete in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship from 2026, with the German brand to develop their own hybrid power unit for the premier class of motorsport. Announced on 26 August at the Belgian Grand Prix, the move into F1 is being described as a natural progression for the brand that has either previously or currently competed in Formula E, DTM and the WRC, as well as endurance events like the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Dakar Rally. The F1 programme will see the end of Audi’s Le Mans project, but development of the fully electric RS Q e-tron for Dakar will continue. “Motorsport is an integral part of Audi’s DNA,” said Markus Duesmann, Chairman of the Board of Management for Audi AG. “Formula…

Silverstone Auctions in the UK saw a concours condition, low mileage MkIII Ford Escort sell for a staggering amount at their 27 August auction, thanks to one of its previous owners. Being a MkIII Escort, the auction car wouldn’t be familiar to most Australians, as only the MkI and MkII versions were officially sold here. Introduced in 1980, the MkIII was the first front-wheel drive Escort and also the first to be offered as a hatchback, designed to challenge the VW Golf, which was dominating the new car market in Europe. Powered by a variety of four-cylinder engines, including a diesel and turbocharged petrol, the MkIII Escort was offered in a range of trim levels and a choice of body styles that included two- and four-door hatchbacks, a wagon, convertible…

If drifting is an art form, then Daniel Woolhouse is its PIcasso, not just for his ability behind the wheel, but in the way he’s pushed boundaries and challenged conventions in the sport, especally in his native New Zealand. If you follow drifting, the motorsport that was born in Japan and became a worldwide phenomenon in the 1990s, then you should be familiar with Daniel Woolhouse, who’s arguably the highest profile and most succcessful driver to come out of New Zealand. Woolhouse, known as ‘Fanga Dan’ due to his all-or-nothing driving style, was involved in drifting when the sport was in its infancy in New Zealand 20 years ago and he remains front and centre in the scene today. While his name and fame comes from drifting, it wasn’t where…