THE Audi TT RS sits at the top of the Audi TT family tree and offers the compelling combination of a five-cylinder turbocharged engine and supercar-baiting performance. With 294kW on tap it outguns every obvious rival from the Cayman S to the BMW M2, but – as tends to be the way with hot Audis – it sometimes struggles to deliver an engaging driving experience.

1. The new RS is lighter and more powerful than the last version. It uses a new all-alloy five-cylinder engine that weighs 26kg less than the one used in the model this one replaces. It’s also been turned up to 294kW – a 29kW increase on the “Plus” version of the old model.
2. Only one transmission will be offered, the seven-speed S-Tronic dual-clutch system. This sends drive to all four corners through an all-wheel-drive system that diverts torque to the rear axle when needed, but which lacks the ability to sharpen up handling through the type of torque vectoring used for the Ford Focus RS.
3. With a claimed 3.7-sec 0-100km/h time the TT RS is just two-tenths slower across the acceleration benchmark than the Audi R8 V10 Coupe. In performance terms we guess that makes it a bargain.

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1. Audi acknowledges the RS will be a niche product in Australia, where it will go on sale next year for around $145,000. We only bought 174 of the old TT RS during its four-year lifespan, and the anticipation is that the new car will only sell at a rate of between five and 10 a month.
2. The RS has various dynamic modes including Comfort and Dynamic, with these altering the engine and gearbox characteristics and also altering the steering assistance, making it firmer in Dynamic.
3. Aussie specification hasn’t yet been finalised but we’re told to expect generous equipment levels including LED headlamps, side assist, the more advanced Navigation Plus system, Active electric seats and a rear-view camera. LED tail-lamps are likely to be an extra-cost option.
4. Audi engineers admit they could have got a similar output from a heavily boosted version of the 2.0-litre Volkswagen turbocharged engine, but chose instead to stick with the five-cylinder for the extra character it brings. Audi has been building cars using turbocharged five-pots since the original Quattro was launched in 1980.

If the rumours about police and speeding ticket quotas are true, cops in Colorado must have thought all their Christmases had come at once when they spotted three Ford GT prototypes barrelling through the Rockies at twice the speed limit.

The pre-production supercars caused such a stir through picturesque Eagle County that three different police departments joined in on the action.

The cars were spotted doing 101mph (162km/h) on their speedos, which was double the speed limit of the Glenwood Canyon highway.

According to the Vale Daily they were spotted by a Colorado state trooper who, for some inexplicable reason, radioed ahead rather than take the golden opportunity to give his patrol car a work out and get up close and personal to the GT’s wicked twin exhaust pipes.

They were intercepted 56 kilometres later near the town of Avon, where local and county cops joined in on the action.

But rather than ask for a joyride or taking selfies, Colorado’s finest instead, as the Vale Daily reported, “took a relaxed and slightly bemused attitude” before booking all three drivers. Apparently each ticket measured more than 30cm once they were ripped off the cops’ hand held printers

Eagle County spokeswoman Amber Barrett told Jalopnik a car clocked above 100 mph would definitely have a mandatory court date. However, because the drivers were from out of state they could be given a higher fine and more demerit points on their license in lieu of returning to attend court.

One would assume Ford’s marketing department will happily stump up the cash.

The GT mules were later filmed doing more socially acceptable speeds through the Rockies.

Mini has lopped the roof off its hottest hatchback to create the fast n’ funky John Cooper Works Convertible, with a turbo two-litre giving it the thrust to match its athletic exterior.

With 170kW of power it’s the most powerful Mini drop-top ever, and it also benefits from all of the practical improvements (such as a more liveable interior and improved refinement) that have been applied to regular variants of the Cooper Convertible range.

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TELL ME ABOUT THIS CAR

The JCW Convertible is based on the Mini Cooper three-door hatch, retaining that car’s four-seat configuration but replacing the steel turret with a power-folding fabric roof. Meanwhile, the engine bay is home to the 170kW/320Nm turbo 2.0-litre engine of the John Cooper Works Hatch, with power going to the front wheels via a six-speed automatic or six-speed manual transaxle.

Priced at $54,900 in either manual or automatic form, the Mini JCW Convertible is, according to Mini, the most affordable four-seater performance convertible on the market.

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STRENGTHS

• The Mini JCW Convertible is exceptionally agile, which is not what many would expect from a hot hatch that’s missing a key part of its structure. Removing the roof hasn’t had a major impact on the way the JCW handles, and it’s pleasing that Mini has gone to the effort of keeping the JCW’s chassis razor-sharp.
• You won’t need to delve too deep into Mini’s extensive options list with the JCW Convertible, for its standard specification is already generous enough. A big colour infotainment display with sat-nav is the centrepiece, with DAB+ digital radio and a 12-speaker Harman/Kardon audio system hooked up to it. There’s also keyless entry and ignition, front and rear parking sensors, a head-up display, LED headlamps and dual-zone climate control.
• With 170kW of power and 320Nm of torque, the Mini JCW Convertible packs a hefty punch for such a small car. It’s a willing and flexible engine, with peak torque on tap from between 1250-4800rpm and peak power coming on stream from 5200-6000rpm – there are few parts of the JCW’s rev range where you’ll find a lack of oomph.
• Performance is brisk. Equipped with the automatic, the JCW Convertible will reach 100km/h from a standing start in 6.5 seconds, on its way to a top speed of 240km/h. Add another tenth of a second for the manual, as well as an extra 2km/h to its top speed.
• The JCW Convertible’s four-piston front calipers and all-disc braking hardware generate some significant stopping power, which is reassuring in a performance car. Stomp on the polished alloy brake pedal, and the response is instant.
• Like a bit of aural dramal? The JCW won’t disappoint. Like its hatchback sibling the JCW Convertible makes plenty of pops and bangs on gearchanges and throttle lift-off, except they’re far more audible to the driver when the roof is down. Accompanying the exhaust’s percussion is the wheeze and snort of twin-scroll turbo up front, which only adds more depth to the JCW’s appealing soundtrack.
• Yes, you can actually fit four adults in it. It’ll be a bit squeezy (and entry/exit isn’t the easiest when the roof is up), but the rear seats aren’t there for decoration: they’re actually usable.

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WEAKNESSES

• Despite having dual-mode electronically-adjustable dampers, the JCW Convertible’s ride is never truly settled. It’s busy on choppy surfaces and harsh over bigger bumps. It’s a taut suspension that feels beautifully tied-down, but the compromise is a less-than-comfortable ride.
• The Cooper Convertible gets some additional under-body reinforcements to compensate for the loss of torsional rigidity that comes with the removal of the roof, but there’s still some steering column shimmy that can be felt with the roof down. Though it’s a performance car, the JCW Convertible doesn’t get any extra body bracing to help stiffen it up.
• Perhaps a small complaint, but we noticed a faint rattle from the rear cabin when the roof was up in multiple cars. Annoying, considering the rest of the car’s build quality appears to be tight as a drum.
• The JCW Convertible feels as pointy as the hatch – a great thing – but keen drivers may find the steering a touch uncommunicative and dull, especially compared to previous JCW generations.
• While the JCW Convertible is generally well-equipped, there are some curious omissions. Heated seats, for starters, should be standard on a car with a fabric roof; so should a buffet-reducing wind deflector for when you want to drive topless but don’t want to mess up your hair. Instead, Mini expects you to pay extra for these convertible must-haves.

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ANYTHING ELSE I SHOULD CONSIDER?

If you’re looking for a four-seater convertible with genuine performance credentials, there’s really not a whole lot else out there – at least, not at the JCW Convertible’s price point.

The closest rival is Audi’s A3 Cabriolet 1.8 TFSI, but it’s more suited to boulevard cruising than chasing winding roads. With just 132kW and 250Nm it can’t hold a candle to the JCW’s performance.

If the seat count is less important to you then there’s the Mazda MX-5 and the Abarth 124 twins to consider, both of which offer impressive handling and classic roadster styling for less than $50k, albeit in a much less versatile package.

THE most powerful and expensive Holden Commodore ever finally has a name, if a new report is on the money.

According to Motoring.com.au, HSV’s LS9-powered farewell to the locally-made will be called the GTS-R W1.

The GTS-R W1 halo model will sit at the top of HSV’s MY17 Commodore line-up, which is expected to hit roads by the middle of next year.

Starting the range will be the familiar HSV GTS, with an even-hotter GTS-R bridging the gap to the top-of-the-line GTS-R W1.

Production is expected to be limited to just 250 GTS-R W1s due to limited availability of the LS9 engine. However, the GTS-R will remain available as long as Holden’s Elizabeth plant remains operational, and will sit between the W1 and the $96k, 430kW, 730Nm GTS in terms of performance and price.

Having the LS9 wedged under the bonnet should make the W1 the fastest production vehicle ever made in Australia, with a 0-100km/h sprint of four seconds (and quite possibly less), and a quarter-mile timeslip close to 12-seconds flat.

There will only be a manual transmission available, with the automatic allegedly too costly to integrate with the chassis properly..

The suspension will also be tweaked, with Motoring.com.au reporting Australian company Supashock will supply the GTS-R W1’s dampers. Braking in both the W1 and the GTS-R will be upgraded from the current six-piston 390mm front discs currently available for the GTS.

The previous most-expensive Commodore available was the W427, which was powered by a 7.0-litre LS7, and cost $150,000.

Australia’s premium performance car mag has partnered with our stable mates in Germany for Auto Trophy – World’s Best Cars competition.

That’s right folks, simply by lifting a finger and voting online in our Auto Trophy Global poll, you could win an Infiniti QX30. Okay, so the voting mechanism looks like it was cobbled together by three drunk blokes with some leftover fencing wire, but stay with us here because simply by plodding your way through all 7 of the voting categories you could be in with a red-hot chance at claiming the prize.

So get to it slackers, simply hit the link below and you’ll be taken to the global Auto Trophy website (yes, we’ve seen better designed SsangYong’s), then get voting on your favourite car in a bunch of categories,

Be sure to finish the job, too, as only fully completed voting forms will go into the draw.

So what are you waiting for? Get voting.

Good luck!

View the T&Cs.

A WEEK after showing the driver’s seat of the future, Lexus has done it again – this time showing what it wants you to see from the driver’s seat of the future.

The luxury spin-off of Toyota has teased a crystal-embedded dash that it will unveil as part of the Lexus UX, a concept compact SUV that will make its debut at next week’s Paris Motor show. It’s show-stopping feature? A three-dimensional hologram that replaces traditional switches used to control the air-conditioning and infotainment system.

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“The bold UX Concept design embodies imaginative and forward-thinking technologies to provide occupants with a fully immersive experience,” Lexus says.

“All on-board HMI technology has been designed to offer progressive customers who live and work in an ever-connected environment an innovative, three-dimensional driver experience.”

It says the driver’s instrument binnacle will feature “a transparent globe, floating in the manner of a hologram, in which a combination of analog and digital information express a functional yet unexpected user interface”.

“The center console features a prominent, faceted crystal structure within which a hologram-style display of air conditioning and infotainment system is clearly visible to both driver and front passenger.”

Other features to make their way into the concept car include electro-chromatic windows that darken at the press of a button, and cameras instead of side mirrors.

Lexus says the console’s switchgear is electrostatic and housed under transparent covers.

The fin-style design built into the A-pillar is repeated on the dash, but with a twist – it hides a removable sound bar built into the passenger side.

The Paris Motor Show runs from next Friday.

Although associated with sexy shapes and introducing disc brakes to Le Mans in the 1950s, a flick through Jaguar’s sports car back catalogue reveals only sporadic highlights involving a clutch pedal – and even these were largely out of reach for your everyday punter.

Early manuals were agricultural in shift operation and clutch heft, while your chance to emulate Walkinshaw’s 1985 Bathurst pole lap is limited by the fact that only 352 manual XJS V12s were built.

The next flicker was the incredible XJR-15 with its Le Mans-derived mechanicals and 53-strong production, followed by the even more powerful XJ220, which ceased production way back in 1994.

Opting for the semi-dry sump manual, also developed with ZF, saves you 10kg vehicle weight but adds 0.6sec to the claimed 0-100km/h sprint.

Despite the non-descript rubber pedal covers, initial impressions of the three-pedal F-Type are positive, the shifter position a natural fall for your left hand from the leather-trimmed, paddle-less steering wheel.

For the smoothest shift it’s a two-movement job, pausing ever-so-briefly through neutral before engaging the next slot, particularly on those cross-gate shifts. You can speed up, say, the three-four change, but doing so doesn’t seem to re-engage drive any faster, despite the ECU offering an upshift speed-matching function.

Up at highway speeds, it comes as a surprise that the gap between fourth and fifth gear is almost rally-car-short, a registered 3000rpm in fourth dropping only to 2600rpm in the higher cog.

As familiarity builds, it becomes ironic that the manual is at its best is when you hold it in a single gear to enjoy the engine’s developing crescendo and torque reserves. Out of a tight uphill left, using third reveals a rotary-edged exhaust buzz that swells through the rev-range into an E-Type 3.8-aping howl that sounds even better from outside. Sure, the supercharged V6 lacks the ballistic top-end of its auto-only V8 sibling, but it remains characterful and responsive in a way turbocharged cars still cannot match.

Does the manual make the F-Type a better car?

That’s not to say the manual is a total waste, but more that the slick torque converter self-shifter is a better fit for the F-Type vibe, capable of dual-clutch-matching shift speed when pressing on but also able to cruise when the mood takes you. The overrun crackle also remains.

You’d never pick the manual’s weight advantage and the auto is both more accelerative and fuel efficient with a ratio for any occasion. It also allows you to keep both hands on the wheel, a key advantage when tackling bumpy road sequences that can excite the F-Type’s electric steering, manifested in the wheel jiggling around between your fingers and sapping cornering confidence.

Jaguar F-Type: Coventry’s sex kitten

For reasons only it knows, Jaguar has decided to spend a decent whack of money developing a six-speed manual ’box for the F-Type – hoorah! It’s available on the V6 models and will save you $5000.

SPECS Body: 2-door, 2-seat coupé Drive: rear-wheel Engine: 2995cc V6, DOHC, 24v, supercharger Bore/Stroke: 84.9 x 89.0mm Compression: 10.5:1 Power: 280kW @ 6500rpm Torque: 460Nm @ 3500-5000rpm Power/weight: 177kW/tonne Transmission: 6-speed manual Weight: 1584kg Suspension(F): A-arms, coil springs, anti-roll bar Suspension(R): A-arms, coil springs, anti-roll bar L/W/H: 4470/1923/1309mm Wheelbase: 2622mm Tracks: 1597/1649mm (f/r) Steering: electrically-assisted rack-and-pinion Brakes(F): 380mm ventilated discs, 2-piston calipers Brakes(R): 325mm ventilated discs, single-piston calipers Wheels: 20.0 x 9.0-inch, 20.0 x 10.5-inch (f/r) Tyre sizes: 255/35 ZR20 (f); 295/30 ZR20 (r) Tyres: Pirelli P Zero Price as tested: $151,770 Pros: Exhaust rasp; sexy looks; agile handling Cons: Not that quick; impractical Star rating: 3.5/5

Let’s not needlessly complicate things here – this is a road test of a gearbox.

We’ve dedicated plenty of ink to the XR8 Sprint in automatic guise, but it’s important for the manual to get its moment in the sun, as 50 per cent of buyers have opted to change gears themselves. Bizarrely, this DIY desire is exclusively a V8 thing, as manual take-up on the turbo six is only around five per cent, hence why there is no manual XR6 Sprint.

To save you the suspense, the addition of an extra pedal doesn’t suddenly transform Ford’s final bent-eight brawler into a Ferrari 488, but the need to select your own cogs does have quite a large effect on the driving experience. The shift itself is… okay. It’s quite heavy and doesn’t like to be rushed, but if you get yourself in sync with how it wants to be driven shifts will slot home cleanly.

Of greater annoyance is the way revs hang when you lift off the accelerator pedal. At first you think it’s your imagination, but lift off the throttle and dip the clutch and, sure enough, the revs will flare slightly.

None of this is the end of world; every car has its own rhythm and once you become attuned to it smooth progress can be made, but it must be said the XR8 does make life harder than it needs to be.

On track the manual works well, offering greater certainty that you’ll have the gear you want when you want it, plus the ability to rev-match downshifts which the ZF slusher can’t do. Third and fourth gears are also much shorter in the manual (3rd: 156km/h, 4th: 203km/h) than the auto (3rd: 182km/h, 4th: 243km/h) so it feels feistier between corners, too.

So which is better, auto or manual?

3.5 OUT OF 5 STARSLIKE: Greater control over the massive power DISLIKE: Not the world’s slickest shift

SPECS: Engine: 4951cc V8, DOHC, 32v, supercharger Power: 345kW @ 5750rpm Torque: 575Nm @ 2200rpm Weight: 1872kg 0-100km/h 4.6sec (claimed) Price: $59,990

First published in the December 2002 issue of Wheels magazine, Australia’s best car mag since 1953.

Ford’s history with the Wheels Car of the Year awards was always a bit up and down. But in 2002, it reached new heights.

Wheels Car of the Year 2002 is the BA Falcon, the most eloquent ever expression of Australia’s unique automotive identity. While the basics of the traditional formula remain unaltered – broad bodies, big engines, rear-drive, an emphasis on strength and toughness – the new Ford also reflects a more sophisticated and worldly outlook.

European influence is clear in the Falcon’s interior design and in the flavour of its dynamics. Lift the bonnet and you’ll find American drivetrain know-how and hardware. The care so obviously lavished on making many of the car’s details pleasing to the senses points to Japanese-inspired notions of craftsmanship.

In four of the five Wheels COTY criteria, the BA Falcon rates superbly. Value is one of them. Nowhere else in the world can such a blend of size, safety, performance, handling, equipment, comfort and class be bought for equivalent money.

Standard Falcon equipment levels, especially in the least expensive models, are impressive for the price. And Falcon’s running costs won’t break the bank, either. It’s almost impossible to fault the car’s performance in the role for which it was designed. Spacious and refined, with excellent engines, handling, ride, steering, and brakes, BA sedans are dynamically superior to imported cars costing two, three or more times as much.

The Falcon feels right at home on all types of Australian roads, as it should. A fine, and finely adjustable, driving position makes covering long distances a pleasure rather than a pain. Sound cabin ergonomics make it a truly user-friendly car, too.

While Ford engineers will not predict how the Falcon will perform in independent Australian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) crash testing, it is certain that it will do better than its predecessor. The previous model came very close to earning the same fouor-star rating as models from Mercedes, Saab and Volvo. With BA, Ford has addressed key areas of concern.

High-technology played an important part in the BA Falcon’s development process, but there’s plenty of technology for customers to appreciate. The vastly improved -4.0-litre six and the superb independent rear suspension of the sedan are the the most obvious examples. It’s startling to realise that the updated Falcon engine packs features, such as electronic throttle control and dual variable cam phasing not found in the engines of the other finalists.

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Equally high-tech is the solution Ford will use· to solve the XR6 Turbo engine shutdown experienced in hard, high-speed driving during the COTY test program. Having established the problem was due to a lack of foresight during development of the engine oil over-temperature protection strategy software written for the car’s management computer, in the month following the incident, Ford engineers developed and validated an update. XR6 Turbos already in the hands of customers will have the fresh code flashed into their engine-management computers at the 3000km dealer service.

Efficiency is the only one of the COTY criteria where the BA Falcon is less than excellent. The Ford is a heavy car, and there’s a price to be paid at the pumps. Official federal government fuel-consumption figures indicate a six-cylinder automatic Falcon uses 4.5 percent more fuel than a similar Holden Commodore, while the turbo six and V8 Fords deliver competitive figures. Weekly fuel costs for a Falcon will obviously be higher, but only by a negligible amount. Of greater concern is the environmental effect of the Ford’s consumption. Every litre of petrol burned produces about 2.4kg of carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas.

No car, and no Wheels Car of the Year, is perfect. The new Falcon is no exception. But it is a Brilliant Achievement. And a very worthy winner of Australia’s most coveted automotive award.

Opportunity shock

Ask Robbo what he thinks of the BA Falcon and he’ll tell you straight. “It’s just blown me away.”

Even after 40 years as a motoring journalist and a couple of million road-test miles, Peter Robinson’s enthusiasm for cars shows no sign of waning. Now 58, Wheels‘ longest serving editor (February 1971 to August 1987) lives in Italy and spends his busy year globetrotting around the automotive world.

But even though he is constantly surrounded by the glamour and clamour of the international motoring industry, COTY is still the most important date on his calendar – and he’s only missed one since ’71.

Here’s Robbo’s impassioned speech to the judges on the final night of COTY …

“It occurs to me, having driven the BA Falcon and having been to Falcon press launches since 1963, that, with the exception of the XR, this is the first time Ford has not adopted a cynical, cost-driven model development program. Previously they would concentrate primarily on design, sometimes achieving a very high level, but to the detriment of mechanical refinement.

“I truly think, with BA, that Ford has been much more ambitious. They have had the people who fulfilled that ambition, and it’s just blown me away in terms of the really fundamental engineering that has gone into the car. They haven’t started with a clean sheet of paper, but they may as well have. I’m really impressed.

“And part of this revolves around COTY because Ford expected to win COTY with the XA in 1972, they expected to win with the XC in 1976, they were devastated when the XD did not win and there was a lemon on the cover of Wheels in 1979, and they were appalled when the EA didn’t win. But none of them deserved to win. Then the AU came along and the same thing happened.

“The BA is an exception to all of those cars and I applaud Ford. It’s about bloody time; I think they’ve done a splendid job with it. If you want to know how I’m going to vote, that’s what I’m going to vote for because I’ve just told you! [Much laughter] I feel passionate about BA. At that price, it’s a world-class car.”

Carey pipes in: “Its only competitors exist in America, and BA shits on them.”

“It kills them!” exclaims Robbo, with the fervour of a Baptist preacher. “In England, BA Falcon money could only get you into a 2.0-litre Focus!” Hallelujah!

Motor racing’s go-to man for an engineering advantage.

IN 2014, Ron Harrop received a call from CAMS. The caller explained that he’d won the Phil Irving Award, recognising achievements in motor sport engineering. “I thought it was a joke at first,” Harrop recalls.

The only joke is that it took so long to acknowledge an engineer who was inspired by Irving himself, and whose intuition and passion took Harrop Engineering from a small family business to a 60-strong team supplying precision components to Formula 1.

Harrop was no less handy at the wheel, whether in his own V8 Sports Sedan or racing (and engineering) HDT Torana A9Xs.

In 1955 Ron’s father Len established Harrop Engineering in Brunswick, doing general engineering and fabrication. Ron qualified as a boilermaker and joined the business in the mid-1960s. “I was making low-loaders, truck trays, food mixers and all sorts of things.”

Leading racers Norm Beechey and Bob Jane had their workshops nearby and found that Ron had the intuition, skill and passion to make parts on race-tight deadlines.

A friend suggested he try drag racing and by 1972, with a custom, 12-counterweight crank made by Ron, his famed six-cylinder ‘Harrop’s Howler’ FJ had turned an 11.8sec quarter.

Similar story when Harrop went circuit racing, initially in a six-pot EH; later converted to a Sports Sedan using a Repco-Holden V8 borrowed from Jane.

Harrop caught the attention of HDT boss Harry Firth. “I started doing work for Harry and next thing he offered me a drive at Bathurst.” Harrop shared an A9X with Charlie O’Brien, finishing fifth, and did endurance races semi-regularly until 1986.

Throughout, Harrop was an unstinting innovator, putting his mind to improving every aspect of a car’s performance – whether brakes, clutches, gearboxes, suspensions or engines.

“I love a challenge. In my mind the easiest thing is the cure – it’s identifying the problem that’s sometimes the hardest part.”

In 1993 HRT enlisted him to shake up its engineering, a “full-time part-time” role he did for six years. “HRT suited me down to the ground because I had the opportunity to release things I had in my head.”

The motor sport industry by now knew that Harrop could turn his hand to anything.

“I was doing quite a lot of work for McLaren, especially when they came to Melbourne. Even from the UK, they’d email their drawings – they couldn’t believe they could generally get things made quicker than they could in their own workshop. During the race weekend we’d helicopter things to Albert Park from the helipad at the end of our street.”

Harrop remembers working such long hours he’d start hallucinating. “I have never done it for the money. I like to get paid, but there isn’t a waking moment where you’re not thinking about a problem you’ve got to surmount, or the next job you’ve got to do.”

Ron sold Harrop Engineering in 2008 and finally left it in 2013. The Phil Irving Award meant a lot because Irving helped shape who he is. “I was working with Norm Beechey and we had a problem with torsional vibrations in the crankshaft. And Norm said, ‘Well, ring Phil Irving’. And I thought, ‘You can’t just ring Phil Irving’. Norm said, ‘Nah, you’ll be okay.’

“Today, people can ring me up and ask a question if they think I can help, and that’s probably because of that.”

Harrop still delights in doing bespoke engineering work. He’s currently relocating to rural Kilmore from suburban Templestowe. “No room here for a shed.” ’Nuff said.