Innholdsfortegnelse for #339 24-04 i Just Cars

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The NTI Townsville 500 Supercars round saw National Transport Insurance (NTI) draw the winner of their latest fundraising raffle for Motor Neurone Disease (MND) research, with the winner receiving ‘Daphne’; a customised classic Chevrolet COE truck with a new engine and other modern touches. The latest in a series of annual raffle vehicles provided by NTI, Daphne combines a 1954 Chev 5700 COE cabin with a 1969 Chev C20 pickup chassis and reproduction pickup tub. A Chevrolet Performance LT1 crate engine, producing 343kW and 881Nm, was fitted, along with a Chevy Camaro six-speed automatic transmission and Ford 9-inch diff. Other upgrades included four-wheel disc brakes, LED lighting and 18-inch alloy wheels. The COE was repainted in Toyota ‘Hot Lava’ metallic orange, with the original grille and bumpers re-chromed. In the…

One of the most popular events on the calendar for Victorian Chrysler owners and enthusiasts, Midstate Mopars was one of many events that suffered under COVID. In 2023, the event was back to its best. For those unfamiliar with Midstate Mopars, it’s a two-day, all-Chrysler event, hosted by the Central Victorian Chrysler Club Inc. and held annually on the Queen’s Birthday (now King’s Birthday!) long weekend in Bendigo. Day 1 sees registered entrants partake in a cruise, followed by a dinner, live music and entertainment upon return to Bendigo. Day 2 is the popular Show ‘n’ Shine that takes over the Town Hall Precinct in the centre of Bendigo. Filling the streets around the town hall with Chryslers, the Show ‘n’ Shine is open to the public and draws thousands…

When Holden introduced the Sandman – and it was a success – it was only a matter of time before Ford and Chrysler responded with their own ‘lifestyle’ panel van. Chrysler’s response, the Drifter, actually beat Ford’s Sundowner to market by a few months, despite offering no panel van of any type until the CL Series Valiant of 1977. Applying a similar formula that Holden had done with the Sandman, the Drifter came in a choice of bright colours and combined distinctive exterior decals with sports wheels, a special trim piece aft of the windows, the grille from a Charger grille from a Charger and colour-coded bumpers. A 265 Hemi six and four-speed manual was the standard driveline, with a 318 V8 optional. Inside, bucket seats, a floor shifter and sports…

The last Triumph car was sold almost forty years ago, but a British company recently revived the famous badge for a concept dubbed the ‘TR25’. The two-seat concept comes from Makkina, a London-based studio that has worked with many in the automotive industry. Established in 1998, Makkina’s work has consisted mostly of confidential commissions and behind-the-scenes design projects. They’ve never publicly presented a concept of their own until now. ANNIVERSARY PLUS The unveiling of the TR25 concept coincides with the 100th Anniversary of Triumph’s first production automobile (after years’ building bicycles and motorcycles) in 1923, the 70th Anniversary of the TR2’s public release in 1953 and Triumph’s achieving a production car class speed record in the same year using a lightly modified TR2. That record setter, variously known as the…

Caterham, the British brand best known for their ‘Seven’ range of performance roadsters, may soon be entering the coupe space following the presentation of an all-new concept – Project V. Aside from aftermarket hardtop conversions and the aborted C120 collaboration with Alpine, all Caterhams up to this point have been open-top vehicles. Project V changes that, with Caterham touting the fixed-roof concept as a future production model, potentially arriving as early as 2025. Project V is also fully-electric, reflecting work Caterham have already undertaken in the EV space. Power comes from a 200kW electric motor on the rear axle, while the battery is a two-piece 55kWh lithium-ion unit that’s capable of up to 80 per cent charge in 15 minutes using a DC fast charger. Created by Caterham’s Chief Designer…

This ’56 DeSoto Firedome stood out at Midstate Mopars, not least for its ‘Shell Pink’ paint, which is a factory colour from the period, complemented by a white roof and fill in the ‘Flight Sweep’ sidespear. The Seville trim on this car was one of three available on the Firedome in 1956, while the pricier Fireflite model offered a ‘Pacesetter’ convertible and ‘Adventurer’ hardtop. The former referenced DeSoto’s role as pace car provider for that year’s Indianapolis 500, while the latter was an all-new performance model. The Adventurer was offered exclusively with a 341ci Hemi V8, while all other DeSotos for 1956 came with a 330ci Hemi V8 in one of two power outputs, matched to a PowerFlite two-speed automatic transmission. This particular DeSoto Firedome came to Australia in 1991 and…

By the late 1970s, Dodge’s Power Wagon was a long way removed from the model that had been introduced in 1945 as a civilian version of the WC series of military trucks. Dodge pickups had become ‘lifestyle’ vehicles by this period, as evidenced by the special edition ‘Warlock’ and ‘Li’l Red Express’ that packed the kind of performance and features found on muscle cars a decade earlier. A loophole in emissions regulations back then allowed some commercial vehicles to run V8 engines without the catalytic convertors that strangled performance. Dodge exploited this, offering the Warlock with a 318 or 360 V8 and fitting the Li’l Red Express with an unrestricted 360 V8 as standard. This offered around 40 per cent more power than the same engine with a catalytic convertor. The…

Ahead of its Australian arrival later this year, pricing and further details for the 2024 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 have been announced, with the upcoming addition to the GM Specialty Vehicles lineup to be the priciest and most exclusive offering yet. Currently, the C8 Corvette Stingray 3LT convertible is the most expensive version of the mid-engined American sportscar available in Australia, priced from $190,000 plus ORCs (a $10K premium over the similar spec coupe), but the Corvette Z06 will exceed that by more than $100,000. Z06 EXCLUSIVES Defining the Z06 against the “regular” Corvette Stingray is its 5.5-litre LT6 V8 instead of the 6.2-litre LT2 V8. While both engines are naturally aspirated, the LT6 features a flat-plane crankshaft that allows it to rev higher - 8,600rpm, instead of 6,500rpm. Despite its…

When you’re one of Ferrari’s best customers and your pockets are deep, you can request the team at Maranello build just about anything you want. Three years ago, one of the marque’s “most prominent collectors” made just such a request and a bespoke creation dubbed the ‘KC23’ is the result. Making its public debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July, the KC23 follows in the wheeltracks of other one-off vehicles from Special Projects, like theSP12 EC commissioned by Eric Clapton, the SP 275 RW Competizione, Monza SP1 and SP2 duo, the F40-inspired SP38, SP48 Unica and SP51, to name a few. While it is unique, the KC23 has a connection to another SP car; the P80/C from 2019. Both have been based on Ferrari race cars, not road…

Dodge’s Coronet went through several styling changes between its introduction in 1949 and discontinuation in 1976, but few were as distinctive as the restyle made for 1970. Exclusive to that model year, the ‘double loop’ front end design was reflected in the tail light treatment. The Coronet was available in a range of variants during this period, including the 440, 500 and Deluxe. Performance versions included the Super Bee and R/T. Introduced for the 1967 model year, the R/T version of the Coronet came with a 440 V8 (that was exclusive to this variant), but it could be optioned with a 426 Hemi, matched to either a four-speed manual or heavy-duty TorqueFlite three-speed auto. The Coronet R/T also came with heavy-duty suspension, wider tyres and larger brakes as standard. Available as…