VW finally revealed the will-they-won’t-they diesel GTI at the Leipzig Motor Show in Germany last weekend.

As the name suggests, the GTD is essentially a Mk VI GTI with a high performance 2.0-litre turbodiesel replacing the 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine. The diesel develops 125kW and 352Nm – 30kW less than the new petrol GTI, but with 72Nm more twist.It is also only 2kW and 8Nm off the lovely RenaultSport Megane 175 dCi, which is priced at $39,990.Zero to 100km/h is a slightly sluggish eight seconds. No weights have been released, but it must be heavier, and 100km sprints are not a diesel’s strong point. The fact that you can keep it in third around town or tack, and dip into full torque at less than 2000rpm is one drawcard.Fuel consumption at a lean 5.3L/100km is another….Visual cues include chrome bordering the grille instead of the trademark GTI red, different spoked alloys, dual exhausts sitting to the left of the rear bumper instead of flanking each side, and grey stitching and trim on the inside.German sales begin in May, with the rest of Europe following in the third quarter, and hopefully Australia by year’s end.OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE: Key Aspects: The New Golf GTD – World Premiere in LeipzigWolfsburg / Leipzig, 27 March 2009 – After the Polo, the BlueMotion offensive and the Golf GTI, Volkswagen is pulling the next arrow out of its quiver: this time it is the Golf GTD. It is extremely fuel efficient yet exceedingly sporty, and it is debuting as a world premiere at the Auto Mobil International in Leipzig (March 28 to April 05). The GTD code letters carry on a tradition: the first Golf GTD appeared back in 1982 – it was the GTI among diesels. Now Volkswagen has perfected the various aspects of sportiness. The new Golf GTD with its 125 kW / 170 PS is aimed at all diesel fans who value a maximum in dynamic performance. This is where the GTD shows a clear affinity to the new GTI (155 kW / 210 PS). While the GTI is in its own league with an efficient turbo gasoline engine that offers the same performance as far more expensive sports cars, the Golf GTD is making its appearance with phenomenal fuel economy. Every 100 kilometers, just 5.3 liters of fuel flow through the piezo injection valves of the common rail engine that can hardly be pegged as a diesel. That is equivalent to CO2 emissions of just 139 g/km. This contrasts with a top speed of 222 km/h and 8.1 seconds for the sprint to 100 km/h.Range of about 1,000 kilometersAs on the GTI, the GTD’s 6-speed manual transmission may be swapped out for an optional 6-speed DSG – which in the eyes of many experts is the most efficient automatic of our times. The Golf GTD with DSG reaches a top speed of 220 km/h; it accelerates to 100 km/h in 8.1 seconds and consumes 5.6 liters diesel on average (147 g/km CO2). These low fuel consumption values take both GTD variants to distances of about 1,000 kilometers on one tank of fuel (55 liters).The GTD equipped with standard sport chassis and 17-inch alloy wheels (“Seattle” type) bears a close relationship to the GTI, in its highly agile handling properties as well as in its parallels in appearance and features.GTD exteriorThe exterior clearly indicates that this is the sportiest Golf with a diesel engine. Take the front end, for example: the bumper, radiator grille and headlights are a 1:1 match with the GTI. However, the red horizontal stripes in the radiator grille are styled in chrome on the GTD. At the rear, the turbo-diesel sports a modified diffuser. Even though no GTD emblem comes with the car purchase, the diesel version of the Golf can be recognized by its dual chrome tailpipes on the left side of the diffuser (the GTI has one tailpipe on the left and one on the right).GTD soundSound – sporty sound – has not traditionally been a particular strength of diesel engines. However, the GTD’s new common rail engine is different. Since it no longer has a superimposed “hammering” sound that was previously typical of diesels, engineers were able to fine tune its acoustics for the first time. This is accomplished by a special sound generator, which outputs a sonorous tone, especially in the lower engine speed range. The electromagnetic sound generator evaluates engine speed, momentary power demand and vehicle speed data obtained via the car’s CAN bus and tunes the engine sound that can be heard in the interior.GTD interiorVolkswagen’s GT philosophy is also reflected in the interior. It expresses itself in standard high-end sport seats, a 3-spoke leather steering wheel whose curvature flattens at the bottom (GTD signature in the center chrome badge), leather parking brake lever and leather gearshift boot with stitching in contrasting color. However, unlike in the GTI the color is not red but light gray. The same applies to the sport seats in “Jacky” pattern: The color chosen for the flat-felled seams are an elegant light gray (“Art Grey”) instead of red (“Flash Red”). The seats themselves are styled in a “Black-White” color combination.GTD safety and convenienceOther standard features of the Golf GTD include details such as a black roofliner and black roof pillar trim, special interior accents, seven airbags including knee airbag on the driver’s side, automatic climate control (“Climatronic”), front fog lights with chrome framing, daytime running lights, ESP, a winter package (with heated windshield washer nozzles, heated front seats, headlight cleaning system and low washer fluid indicator light) and the RCD 210 radio system. Nonetheless, the most important component of standard GTD equipment is still the Common Rail TDI with 170 PS being used in the Golf for the first time.TDI technology in detailThe 1,968 cm3 displacement engine is from a new TDI generation. It delivers its maximum power at 4,200 rpm. The engine – as sporty as it is fuel efficient – develops its 350 Newton-meter maximum torque between 1,750 and 2,500 rpm. Its specific torque is 177.8 Newton-meter per liter engine displacement. The upshot is that in practically any driving situation, the sixteen-valve four-cylinder engine offers power equivalent to that of a six-cylinder sports car engine.About the technology: Fuel induction is handled by a common rail system. Fuel injection pressures of up to 1,800 bar and special eight-hole injection nozzles achieve exceptionally fine atomization of the diesel fuel. The eight-hole injection nozzles are driven by what are known as piezo in-line injectors. In this process, electrically controlled piezo crystals – boosted by hydraulics – initiate injection in fractions of a second. Compared to conventional solenoid valves, piezo technology enables more flexible injection processes with smaller and more precisely metered quantities of fuel. The results are a very quiet and pleasantly soft running engine, exceptionally quick response and the excellent fuel economy and emissions values already mentioned.Another feature having a positive effect on the car’s acoustics is the maintenance-free toothed timing belt for the camshaft. The conversion to common rail technology and many other acoustic measures, such as a noise-damping film in the windshield, make the new Golf GTD one of the quietest diesel models in its class. In addition, the GTD will fulfill limits of the Euro-5 emissions standard. Advance sales of the Golf GTD in Germany will already begin in early May. And the prospects for a successful market launch look good. Because this sporty Volkswagen fits in perfectly with our times.Note: All data and equipment contained in this press release apply to models offered in Germany. They may differ in other countries. All information is subject to change or correction. TDI, TSI, DSG and Twincharger are registered trademarks of Volkswagen AG or other companies of the Volkswagen Group in Germany and other countries.

Details on BMW’s X1 have been released, revealing a wide range of predominantly diesel engines, choice of rear-wheel or all-wheel drive, and fuel saving tech.

BMW are claiming the best fuel economy in the segment with auto start-stop, brake regeneration and gear shift indicator for optimum fuel economy in manual models.The X1 will be released in Europe with a six-cylinder petrol engine and three four-cylinder diesel engines. The most economical will be the sDrive18d RWD claiming 5.2L/100km and 136g/CO2.Not forgetting its performance roots, the range claims sporting driving ability with composite material suspension with a sporty tune, performance brakes and tight steering. Safety is up there with front, side and curtain airbags with head bags for the front row, ABS/TC/DSC, adaptive brake lights, and five pre-tensioned seatbelts.The cargo area expands from 420 litres to 1,350 litres with the rear seats down, and it measures in at 4.45 metres in length.We can expect it here in the first quarter of 2010.EUROPEAN SPECBMW X1 xDrive28i: Straight-six gasoline engine with composite magnesium/aluminium crankcase, VALVETRONIC and dual-VANOS Capacity: 2,996 cc, max output: 190 kW at 6,600 rpm Max torque: 310 Nm from 2,600 – 3,000 rpm Acceleration 0-100 km/h: 6.8 sec Top speed: 205 km/h Average fuel consumption to the EU standard: 9.4 ltr/100 kilometres CO2 emissions to the EU standard: 219 g/km Emission standard: EU5.BMW X1 xDrive23d: Four-cylinder diesel engine with all-aluminium crankcase, BMW TwinPower Turbo and common rail direct fuel injection Capacity: 1,995 cc, max output: 150 kW at 4,400 rpm Max torque: 400 Nm from 2,000 – 2,250 rpm Acceleration 0-100 km/h: 7.3 sec Top speed: 205 km/h Average fuel consumption to the EU standard: 6.3 ltr/100 kilometres CO2 emissions to the EU standard: 167 g/km Emission standard: EU5.BMW X1 xDrive20d: Four-cylinder diesel engine with all-aluminium crankcase, turbocharger with variable intake geometry and common-rail direct fuel injection Capacity: 1,995 cc, max output: 130 kW at 4,000 rpm Max torque: 350 Nm from 1,750 – 3,000 rpm Acceleration 0-100 km/h: 8.4 sec Top speed: 205 km/h Average fuel consumption to the EU standard: 5.8 ltr/100 kilometres CO2 emissions to the EU standard: 153 g/km Emission standard: EU5.BMW X1 sDrive20d: Four-cylinder diesel engine with all-aluminium crankcase, turbocharger with variable intake geometry and common-rail direct fuel injection Capacity: 1,995 cc, max output: 130 kW at 4,000 rpm Max torque: 350 Nm from 1,750 – 3,000 rpm Acceleration 0-100 km/h: 8.1 sec Top speed: 205 km/h Average fuel consumption to the EU standard: 5.3 ltr/100 kilometres CO2 emissions to the EU standard: 139 g/km Emission standard: EU5.BMW X1 xDrive18d: Four-cylinder diesel engine with all-aluminium crankcase, turbocharger with variable intake geometry and common-rail direct fuel injection Capacity: 1,995 cc, max output: 105 kW at 4,000 rpm Max torque: 320 Nm from 1,750 – 3,000 rpm Acceleration 0-100 km/h: 10.1 sec Top speed: 195 km/h Average fuel consumption to the EU standard: 5.7 ltr/100 kilometres CO2 emissions to the EU standard: 150 g/km Emission standard: EU5.BMW X1 sDrive18d: Four-cylinder diesel engine with all-aluminium crankcase, turbocharger with variable intake geometry and common-rail direct fuel injection Capacity: 1,995 cc, max output: 105 kW at 4,000 rpm Max torque: 320 Nm from 1,750 – 3,000 rpm Acceleration 0-100 km/h: 9.6 sec Average fuel consumption to the EU standard: 5.2 ltr/100 kilometres CO2 emissions to the EU standard: 136 g/km Emission standard: EU5.

Mazda Australia has been putting runs on the board for a good time now. It is firmly entrenched in the country’s top five sellers, hasn’t nose-dived as much as most car companies in the recession and even produced Australia’s top selling car back in January.

That car was, of course, the Mazda 3. Despite its seemingly evergreen popularity, the new version is now on the streets. And while the ‘evolution, not revolution’ theme of the new car is a hackneyed phrase, it’s also pretty accurate. The body might be all-new, but it’s got a distinct Mazda family look from the curvaceous front guards to the angular tail-lights. Underneath, it uses revamped hardware from the old car including suspension and the 2.0-litre engine. Fortunately, after an introductory drive on home soil, it seems that everything new is very good indeed.Let’s stick with the price-leading Neo. It’s a sharp-looking device in either sedan or hatch body style, and if the low-slung and grinning grille looks confronting, it’s certainly more recognisable than some anodyne rivals and apparently sucks more air from that position.At $21,990 it’s about line-ball with the Toyota Corolla Ascent but looks way better, and ESP is standard instead of a $1500 option. You also get a fabulous new interior, beautifully crafted with a swooping dashboard replete with soft-touch plastics and a nicely integrated stereo. It all looks far better than a car this price should, but the good news is the seats are also supportive and grippy, the back seat is roomy (the hatch gives a little more head space than the sedan) and there’s lots of storage space. The boot is big, but then there’s a space-saver spare.The 2.0-litre engine gets a new air intake system but that’s about it. It still produces 108kW and 182Nm, but new six-speed manual and five-speed auto transmissions are said to contribute to a three percent reduction in fuel use. There’s no doubt they also marginally increase performance; this has always been a peppy powerplant and now with an improved ratio spread acceleration seems better than adequate. Only the steepest hills leave the driver wishing for a bit more, but then it works so smoothly at high rpm it’s likely to hit the rev-limiter in second before you realise an up-change is needed.And that’s the next ace in the Mazda 3’s hand. Refinement and NVH suppression are much better than before. There’s still some road noise but the engine seems more muted and the ride is no longer a little jiggly and uneasy. On the Neo’s relatively high profile tyres it’s actually remarkably comfortable. The body feels particularly rigid too, no doubt due to a doubling of the use of ultra-high-tensile steel in its construction.Despite being the least sporting in specification, the Neo isn’t left behind in the handling stakes. Granted, the skinnier front tyres give up in gentle understeer eventually but rear geometry changes have delivered more grip, and widening the mounts of the front anti-roll bar more roll resistance. The steering rack has another locating bolt added for rigidity, and with its electro-hydraulic power assistance the steering itself is communicative and well weighted. Class leading, you’d have to say, if you can accept a bit of mid-corner kickback.Good looks, apparent value, dynamic prowess and a popular size make the Mazda 3 a stronger package than ever; ironing out the rough edges of refinement are icing on the cake.

Mazda 3 Neo

Body steel, 5 doors, 5 seats Drivetrain front engine (east-west), front-drive Engine 1999cc in-line 4cyl, dohc, 16v Power 108kW @ 6500rpm Torque 182Nm @ 4500rpm Transmission 6-speed manual or 5-speed auto Size l/w/h 4460/1755/1470mm Wheelbase 2640mm Weight 1280kg (manual) 1306kg (auto) Fuel consumption 7.9L/100km (manual); 8.2L/100km (auto) Price $21,990 (man) $24,050 (auto) On sale Now

Not so long ago, it would have been inconceivable for a diesel engine to power the purist form of automotive transport, the traditional sports car.

Now Audi has adventurously launched the first series production diesel sports car, the TT Coupe 2.0 TDI quattro.If any brand was to be first in the world with such a concept, you could bet that it may be Audi, which successfully conquered the 24 Hours of Le Mans with diesel power.Audi suggests that a turbo diesel TT quattro offers consumers guilt-free performance motoring – with impressive and unbeatably low fuel efficiency in the sports car segment of just 5.3 litres/100km, zero-to-100 km/h acceleration times of 7.5 seconds and a top speed of 226 km/h. Okay, it’s not world-beating acceleration but it is pretty handy in light of the official fuel numbers. Driving it with reasonable aggression over a 200km test route, the TT diesel returned fuel consumption figures of 6.8L/100km.Audi says it’s the second most economical car in its full line-up.The beefy 2.0-litre TT TDI, with common-rail fuel injection and piezo injectors, is only with a six-speed manual, has 125kW of power and, importantly, 350Nm of torque which makes its presence felt even on light throttle. The turbo has variable vane geometry and, yes, there is a particulate filter.Part of the accelerative performance comes too from the low gearing – it is revving around 2000 at 100km/h in sixth. It’s relatively light weight due to the use of aluminium – 1370kg – is also a contributor.But under-bonnet noise levels are not intrusive other than at idle, and the pipes give off a pleasing sounds as it revs to the 5400rpm max.The rest of the TT is familiar – glorious steering, beautiful interior and appointments – standard auto air, mobile phone prep/Bluetooth, leather sports seats, leather multi-function sports steering wheel, six-disc CD player and cruise control.Automatic rear spoiler and 17-inch alloys are part of the standard offerings too.Wheels is curious about the type of buyer who will be attracted to the TT TDI quattro. Audi Australia suggests he will be someone looking for a sports car but who is also concerned about the hip-pocket impact, and the environment.“We see a market there,” said marketing boss Immo Buschmann. “The buyer will generally be technologically aware and understand the concept behind the diesel sports car.But Buschmann appreciates the pioneering technical package may need an educational process to get across the line.Its fuel efficiency means the new TT 2.0 TDI quattro is completely exempt from Luxury Car Tax, meaning the manufacturer’s recommended price, including GST, is just $70,900 (excluding dealer delivery and Government statutory charges.It’s interesting that the Europeans seem to be backing diesel as the fuel type of today and tomorrow, while the Japanese are gambling on hybrid technology. This said, Audi has indicated it has hybrid cars to produce in the future.Showing no fear, Audi is the first premium brand in Australia to introduce a TDI engine into every major model line. Audi now offers a range of 21-low consumption (7.0L/100 or less) vehicles in Australia.Audi’ diesel (TDI) share has increased from 3 percent of its total sales in 2004 to 36 percent at June 2009 YTD – or 2,030 TDI vehicle sales in just six months. Compared with Audi’s overall sales growth, which has tripled since 2004), its diesel share has jumped by 1,100 percent.

The right-hand drive world will become a little bigger when Samoa changes driving sides next month.

The Pacific nation, which inherited left-hand drive and right-side traffic from being a German colony in the early 20th century, will become the first territory to make the switch in 31 years after Okinawa reverted to right-hand drive in 1978.Until 6am on September 7, Samoan traffic will drive on the right-hand side of the road, usually with the steering wheel on the left-hand side of the car. After that, the country will switch to driving on the left, as in Australia and 75 other territories.The nearby islands of American Samoa will continue to drive on the right.RHD is the rule for 75 of the world’s 239 countries, 2 billion of its 6 billion people and 28 per cent of its road distance.Most former colonies drive on the same side of the road as their colonisers. This was a headache for Vanuatu, which was jointly administered by Britain and France until 1980. In the early 20th century the ruling powers agreed to standardise, based on whatever side the first vehicle unloaded from the next supply ship drove on. And the winner was … a horse and cart belonging to a French priest. Following his example, Vanuatu now drives on the right, or so the story goes.“It’s a nice story but there’s no telling of the truth of it,” says the editor of the Vanuatu Independent, Bob Makin. “All we know for sure is that this country has driven on the right for a long time.”It’s a turnaround for Samoa – which banned the sale of right-hand drive cars in 2003 for safety reasons – and a controversial move because left-hand-drive vehicles outnumber right-side steerers by more than five to one. The Samoa Observer says there are only 3000 RHD registered vehicles as opposed to more than 17,000 left-hookers in the country of 220,000 people. And the RHD legislation allows for left-hand drive cars owned or ordered before the change day to be driven indefinitely.However, Samoa’s New Zealand educated Prime Minister Tuilaepa Malielegaoi says the switch will lead to cheaper, more fuel-efficient cars and, by lining the country up with the country’s major expatriate destinations of Australia, New Zealand and most other Pacific Islands, will make it easier for Samoans to live and drive in these countries.Malielegaoi says the change will make it possible for expatriate Samoans, who outnumber the country’s residents by about 30,000 to send Australian and New Zealand registered cars back home.“The new law is to allow the outright majority of our people to acquire cars with the assistance of their relatives in New Zealand and Australia “, he says.He also pitches the switch as a tourism drawcard arguing that the RHD switch will make Samoa more attractive to the New Zealanders and Australians who form the bulk of its tourists by making driving hassle-free.And by favouring smaller Japanese and Asian cars over American left-steerers the change will help Samoa’s environment the Prime Minister says.Safety, the Prime Minister says is “a non-issue” with only six of 221 reported accidents between 2004 and 2007 involving right-hand drive vehicles.The big switch has become one of the biggest issues in Samoan politics, with rallies and a grass roots protest movement springing up, but seemingly with no effect.“Cars are going to crash, people are going to die, not to mention the huge expense to our small country,” the leader of protest group People Against Switching Sides (PASS) Tole’afoa Toa’iloa told The Samoa Observer.“It will be a nightmare and for very little benefit from what we can see.”The managing director of the country’s Hyundai importer, Ken Newton, says the changeover announcement has already cost an entire year of sales.“New car sale shave virtually ceased,” he says. “We went from about 250 sales in 2007 to effectively zero in 2008. We sold a couple of ’07 vehicles in January and nothing for the rest of the year.”Newton says the rationale that RHD will enable Samoans to obtain car bargains from Australia and New Zealand is undermined by sea freight charges of about $800, import duties and a 15 percent GST. And he worries about the safety implications, despite conceding that Samoans are generally courteous and safe drivers who rarely exceed the open road speed limit of 55km/h.“You’ll have school buses discharging passengers into the centre of the road,” he says.But he doesn’t let spoil his enjoyment of his adopted home: “When you’ve lived in Samoa for a while you don’t get too stressed out about anything – even this”.

Maybe if this was already the world’s most expensive car I’d be less nervous. If I crashed it after someone had paid €9 million (A$16m) for it, a repair bill for a few hundred thousand might not seem so bad, and the new owner would probably have plenty of other cars to drive in the months it would take to painstakingly restore. But this isn’t the world’s most expensive car, yet. In two days’ time, hundreds of millionaires and billionaires are flying in to Ferrari’s headquarters to see this 1957 250 Testa Rossa go under the hammer. One of them is expected to pay more for it than any car ever sold at auction. If it happens, it will make headlines around the world. It will make the car’s current owner even wealthier. This one car will make the auctioneers nearly A$1.5m in fees. And none of this will happen if I crash it. Yet here I am, driving it out through the gates of Ferrari and into insane Italian traffic.

So what might make this the world’s most expensive car? The record it was expected to beat was set last year by British TV and radio presenter Chris Evans, when he paid over A$12.4m for the 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder once owned by actor James Coburn. In very different times, that car made twice its estimate and had a lot of classic-car experts shaking their heads in disbelief. Nobody expects that kind of exuberance this time around. But although this particular Testa Rossa doesn’t have a stellar racing history – and isn’t even red – it does have everything else that can push a car’s price through the roof. It’s breathtakingly pretty. It’s rare; just 22 were made, those that survive are owned by collectors who never plan to sell, and it has been more than a decade since one was offered at auction. Worryingly, it’s exceptionally original, never having been seriously damaged. And although it’s a racing car, it has two seats and is street-legal; whoever buys this car for millions will almost certainly want to use it on the road.So how do you drive the €9 million car? Very bloody carefully, obviously. The tiny, flyweight half-doors unlatch from inside; you swing yours open, then plot how you’ll slide down into the driver’s seat without stumbling and denting the delicate bodywork with a flailing foot or knee, or scratching the paintwork with your watch. Once in, the view down the long bonnet is all rounded, sexy, feminine forms. There’s a huge, upright, gorgeous steering wheel with broad, flat alloy spokes and a thin wooden rim, and beyond it five elegant Jaeger dials, but no speedo. In fact, you don’t get much for your millions. There’s no air-con, sat-nav or electric windows; just some padding to stop your knees banging against the exposed chassis tubes. The electrics and battery are in plain view in the passenger footwell, and you can see the road through the gaps in the floor.Can you imagine going to the preview of a fine art sale, picking a Van Gogh from its stand and walking off with it down a busy street to see how it looks on the wall of your living room? No? That’s effectively what I’m about to do. But it’s only when you put the key in the ignition, twist it and push it in to start the 3.0-litre, 300-horsepower (224kW) V12 engine that you begin to understand why someone might want to pay this much for an odd jumble of metal, rubber and glass. A deep, rich, sonorous and very loud bellow erupts from the four conical tailpipes sprouting from the rear. The tarnished old ball of a gearknob selects first surprisingly easily for a ’50s race car. There’s so little space around the pedals that even driving shoes are too wide, but once in your socks they’re easy to work, and the Testa Rossa moves off with a snort and a surge.If you thought about how much it’s worth, or just how catastrophic a crash would be, you’d freeze and have one. The best policy is to drive it the way it was meant to be driven, and the way the other Italian road users do: fast, but always allowing for its terrible ’50s drum brakes. And it is fast; even allowing for the exaggerating effects of the roar from the exhausts and the blast of wind in your face, this remains a seriously rapid car, and the sweet, light, accurate steering and easy gearchange encourage you to drive it hard. It feels raw, lithe and alive; I’ve been thinking about it ever since. After a while, you forget about the value and just start to enjoy it, and enjoy the attention from onlookers who compliment your bella macchina and reach towards it with cameraphones from the pavement and passing cars. Thankfully, none was sufficiently distracted to steer into it, and we rolled back through the gates of Ferrari’s famous Fiorano test track with the car unbiffed. It felt sensational to drive, but even better to hand back in one piece.The auction weekend begins the next day with the world’s greatest test drive. Some of the really serious bidders want to try the cars before they buy them; not unreasonable given how much they’ll be spending. Unlike us, they’ll only get to drive them in the controlled conditions of a closed test track, but it’s still a pretty good way to spend an afternoon, with some of the world’s most expensive cars meeting the world’s richest collectors on one of the world’s most famous but least accessible circuits. Even Enzo Ferrari’s son Piero drops by, in dark shades and flanked by minders. Some of the buyers are easy to spot via their fat watches and thin third wives with fake boobs and real tans. But most go virtually incognito; you’d never guess that they had millions to blow on a car.The sale is held in a vast, futuristic-looking silver hangar built by the side of the track to house the Ferrari F1 team’s transporters. Today there are 800 seats inside facing the auctioneer’s podium and the stage; all the seats are taken, and the rest of the hall is packed. We spot some of the serious bidders from yesterday’s test session; you’d struggle to tell them apart from the ordinary millionaires, and some hang around the back of the hall, ready to make their bids as subtly as possible.Englishman Peter Bainbridge takes the podium for the main auction. He is not, by his own admission, a car expert. But he is a sensational auctioneer. In any other business it might take a team of lawyers months to close a €9 million deal. Bainbridge will do it in minutes. He has some help; a team of spotters scan the 800 seats and the crowd packed in behind them for subtle bids and shout them back to Bainbridge. He brings his massive, commanding presence, and the ability to talk for up to eight hours without needing to pee. His tricks? Drink only milk and honey for the voice, and if it’s too hot, do it trouserless behind the podium.“Oh, there’s lots going on alright,” he says before the sale starts. “There’s the seller, the guy we know wants to buy, the opportunist bidder, and the guy who needs his attention drawn to it, who’s going to bid but just doesn’t know it yet. Yeah, they all have nerves, it’s great. But I want them to be comfortable, and I have no compunction asking them to confirm a bid. And I’m not going to sell you a car just because you’ve raised an eyebrow. Not unless I know you very well already, anyway.”But does he feel nervous at the idea of selling the world’s most expensive car? “There’s no pressure from the fact that the car might break the record. The pressure is on from the start simply to conduct the sale properly, to keep the right pace, and keep everything clear. If we get the record it should guarantee champagne … later.”But when the auction starts, just getting the cars sold is an achievement. The first few all sell, but most go for the lower end of their estimate, and some for considerably less. Lot 13 is a 1962 California almost identical to the car Chris Evans paid A$12.4m for last year. With a guide price of between A$7.6m and A$9.7m this year, the bidding struggles up to just A$7.1m, and it doesn’t sell. It’s the first of five that fail to meet their reserve, including the Maserati 250F in which Sir Stirling Moss won the 1956 Monaco Grand Prix. If that car can’t meet an estimate of just A$3m, what chance does the Testa Rossa have of breaking the world record in a time of global economic gloom?“It’s terrible in there,” one Russian bidder tells us. “It’s very, very slow. The big cars just aren’t selling.” Has he bought anything? “Yes.” What? “Two Ferraris.” Okay. Thanks.The Testa Rossa is the last lot. It roars up onto the stage, and for the first time there is near silence in the hall as the bidding starts. I have the brilliant idea of putting in an early offer, just so I could say I’d bid on the world’s most expensive car. But when the screens flash up that it’s being sold with no reserve, and having seen how cheaply some of the other cars have sold for, there is the distinct possibility that I’d ruin the auction not by crashing the star lot, but by making a bid that nobody would beat – and I couldn’t hope to honour.But I’d have got away with it. There are three bidders in the room and one on the phone; the price leaps by a million with each bid. At €8m (A$14.1m) it breaks the record to cheers and applause. The action then slows sharply; there’s an extra A$177,000, then another A$133,000. For a while that looks to be enough, before the phone bidder, an American agent bidding on behalf of an anonymous client, offers another A$44,184; A$14.5m in total, A$16m when you add the buyer’s premium. The final bidder in the room must be in pain. He can’t match this; he shakes his head, the hammer comes down … and he’s lost the world’s most expensive car for the price of an SS Commodore Ute.

Ford Australia president Marin Burela says the call to abandon the planned local production of the Focus AND the decision to introduce a turbocharged four-cylinder Falcon from 2011 were not related.

One didn’t replace the other.The upbeat Geelong-raised trump proclaimed that Ford now “has got it right” and that the right business path has “not happened by accident”.He’s backing his hunch that Australians will continue to buy the Falcon, especially if Ford can offer tantalising fuel economy without a trade-off in performance.In a $230 million spend, the existing in-line six will be tweaked to meet new fuel efficiency and emissions targets, but the big news is the introduction of the new 2.0-litre turbo four which he insists will hit the spot with consumers and help give the Falcon longevity.The Falcon will become the first rear-drive application of the four-cylinder engine anywhere in the Ford world, signalling the blue oval’s intent not to give up its traditional large-car volumes without an almighty fight.More than this, the future engineering moves have the scope to broaden the Falcon’s appeal in the marketplace, opening a door to fleets and governments.“There are certain fleets that won’t entertain us without a four-cylinder Falcon. This will change.”Surprisingly, the green light to go with the four-cylinder was made before the powerplant had been tested in a Falcon. Burela dismisses any raised eyebrows with a dissertation on the ability of Ford’s virtual tools to accurately predict the outcome of the union.The Falcon sedan, Falcon utility and Territory SUV are built on the same platform with total volumes of around 220,000 vehicles annually.A powertrain director for Ford in a previous life between 1996-8, Burela says he knew the engine, the castings and the facilities well enough to make informed decisions.“It became obvious there was a way for the six to become Euro4 compliant,” he went on.Burela conceded that while the large car segment has lost volume in recent years, there are just three participants. “It’s a great segment to be playing in.”Helping extend the life of the six and the Falcon too, he suggested, was Australia’s move into alternative fuels, including E-gas/LPG.“We have sold 85,000 E-gas units and Ford is the leader in alternative fuel – with fleets and private buyers.Burela says that Ford customers have been clamouring for the Falcon not to be taken away. They want the size and the comfort and better fuel efficiency.“But our research tells us that people are divided between a preference for rear drive, all-wheel drive and front drive…”Maybe he is softening us for one or more alternatives to rear drive.“If anyone knows anything about building large cars efficiency, and with intent, it’s the Ford Motor Company,” he concluded his justification to concentrate on the traditional staple. “It’s done it for 85 years.”The move to shelve the Focus comes just two years after former president Tom Gorman’s drum-beating announcement in July 2007…“It made no sense to build a small car here in this [current] environment,” Burela declared as he vindicated the decision.“There are 24 different competitors fighting for 180,000 units in the [small] C segment in this country,” said Burela, proceeding to ask then answer his rhetorical question on how to make a locally produced small car such as the Focus viable. He explained the massive challenge of grabbing chunks of market share from the likes of Hyundai, Mazda and Toyota in this fiercely fought battleground, and turning a profit.He also anticipates the small car segment will soon be invaded by even cheaper Chinese cars.A next-gen Falcon – if it happens – would not come on stream until late 2014/early 2015.Burela says a decision on a future Falcon model doesn’t have to be made until the end of 2011. By then, the Ford boss says, he will have tested and verified the potential of another Falcon.And what of the V8 engine? “The V8 determines its own future. Right now, there are no plans to change it although more private buyers are choosing the turbo six.”

Woodend is a serene, sleepy little hamlet of some 3500 souls, snuggling Mount Macedon. Just a lazy hour’s drive from Melbourne, tray-top utes and small tractors trundle along its main street in harmony with MLs, X5s and Q7s. A sign on Woodend’s outskirts proclaims it a ‘pokie-free town’ which, in Victoria, must have amounted to secession from the state’s constitution.

Woodend is, then, among the last places you might expect to clap eyes on the instantly familiar forms of perhaps motor racing’s fastest, brawniest and most brutally elegant creation: the 1970-’71 Porsche 917K.These are not real 917Ks, although WerkzCars’ ‘LMK 917’ claims to run the originals millimetrically close. But the similarities between real and replica do run a little deeper than their appearance. And Woodend 2009 may not look so different from Weissach, 1969.Currently, no other replicar constructor is taking on such a dauntingly complicated design as the 917. And with chassis number 25 on the jig, the father and sons team of Andrew, Anthony and Tim Keiller will soon match the original production figure from Porsche’s historic, 10-month homologation build.Theirs is an extraordinary story of quiet achievement, of export success – their 22 completed rolling chassis (now quoted at US$127,000 each) have gone to buyers on four continents, none yet in Australia – and of an underground, mutant car culture that simmers in the backyards and barns of genteel, rural villages.British-born Andrew Keiller, 67, took seven years to complete his first LMK 917 prototype, finishing it in 2003. While he’s had plenty of experience in building kit cars, including what was probably Australia’s first Cobra replica (an Arntz) in 1977, he came to the LMK 917 from his background as an aeronautical draftsman.“I started out as an apprentice toolmaker, then went to jig and tool drafting,” he says. “I ended up as a technical illustrator, doing cutaway drawings of things.”One of those ‘things’ happened to be Concorde, on which Keiller worked from 1969 until ’71. “They were all perspective drawings … I worked on the engine installation, the tail-cone and the tilt-nose section.” On relocating to Australia, he spent 12 years doing technical illustration for Ansett then freelanced for Ford, Holden and International.In the meantime, the garage hosted a range of trick and bizarre cars. “A Mk1 Jaguar saloon, then a ’64 E-Type, then I bought a ’67 Miura that needed restoration,” he says. “The Miura was traded in on a [De Tomaso] Pantera, and I sold the Pantera to get the money to move into this.”Throughout, however, he’s been a Porsche enthusiast who’s never quite owned a Porsche. “Well, I owned one [a non-running 930], but it never got finished! And these things [the LMKs] don’t count … all the running gear is Porsche, we build them from Porsche drawings … but they’re replicas, reproductions.”Keiller insists he’d never set out to do this commercially. At first, all he’d wanted was to do a drawing.“I’d started doing a big, cutaway perspective of a 917, just for my own interest,” he shrugs. “[Son] Anthony was working in England at the time, and he said, ‘Oh, there’s one being restored, I’ll see if I can go around and take some photos.’ It was [veteran 917 racer] David Piper’s car, and he let us take hundreds of photos.“I got the drawing done, and I thought, shit, we’ve got enough information to build a car … I built the body mock-up in foam and wood, covered it in plaster and then took the moulds off that.”Keiller got some generous and unexpected assistance from former Porsche importer Alan Hamilton, the only Australian to have owned a Porsche 917 (albeit, a 917/30 CanAm). “He turned out to be the nicest guy in the world,” beams Keiller, recounting how Hamilton gave him pedals, seats and wheels, which Keiller copied.In fact, he says Porsche people have continued to be at least accepting of the LMK 917. “Oh, [Porsche museum manager Klaus] Bischof is very nice, [engineer/racer] Jurgen Barth, everyone we’ve met has been really nice … I’ve got the transcript of a speech that was given by one of the Porsche top brass, and they said they’re not against replicas if they’re done correctly. That’s what they said. So they can hardly come after you and say, ‘You’re ripping us off’.”Interest in Keiller’s project went through the roof when he sent a photo of the mock-up to US magazine Kit Car. “And I got all these letters – about 30 of them! I had to write back and tell them nothing would be happening for at least 18 months. So then I had to do something – scope out all the chassis, get the jig made, castings organised.”Eventually, footage of the prototype running at Essendon Airport bagged the first, firm order, from San Diego. By that time, in mid-2000, he’d already set up the Woodend workshop. “Literally, we were down to our last $600, and ready to close the place, even though we’d only been here a few months. And then we got a deposit.”In quick succession came three more orders. Who were these people? “Well, a lot of them wanted to be Steve McQueen,” Keiller says, referring to the Gulf #20 colours of McQueen’s movie car (chassis 022, now owned by Jerry Seinfeld). All but three of the 22 cars completed so far have been Gulf-liveried.Beautiful and bucolic Woodend may be, but the Werkz works ain’t exactly the works. Following Keiller’s directions – “it’s the shittiest building in the shittiest street” – I pull up outside a white breeze-block building. The only external clue to what occurs inside is the racing-roundel street number, and a dodgy silhouette drawing of a 917K.It’s honest and effective inside, however. Keiller is delighted when I compare it with the original Elfin factory in Adelaide. A handful of chassis on jigs share space with a couple of 906 replicas (see sidebar p69), a Group C Lola chassis and a Giocattolo, being restored for its owner. Genuine Porsche 908 racing bodywork, a gift from one of Keiller’s many US contacts, sits atop the roof of the office area.Genuine Porsche bodywork also sits atop Keiller’s personal toy: a 917/10 CanAm replica. Alongside is a 3.8-litre 964 RSR engine waiting to go into it. Where’d he find that? “Oh, the guy who builds our gearboxes down in Ferntree Gully had it with a glass table-top on it.”Keiller, Anthony, 44, and Tim, 34 – the latter of whom recently joined from Ford’s technical illustration department – seem to potter from one task to the next, welding something here, milling something there. Occasionally, one will pore over the extensive library of 917 books, before strolling over to paint some interior detail. “It’s not only women who can multi-task,” dad smiles.The 917K was the very embodiment of obsessive and uncompromising German engineering. Its chassis was a precise tangle of spindly, round aluminium tube, the whole weighing just 42kg. The air-cooled ‘Type 912′ flat-12 engine (4.5 litres/403kW, and later 5.0 litres/470kW) made extensive use of magnesium and titanium, as did the rest of the car’s suspension and braking.Anthony Keiller has an aeronautical appreciation of the 917. “When you get into these old cars, you’re sort-of getting inside [the engineers’] brains,” he says. “They’re just really shit-hot [at their jobs], that’s all it comes down to. All the bolts on a 917 were titanium. And they were drilled down the middle. And the heads were machined to get them thinner.”But Keiller hasn’t tried to replicate all of that. Although, oddly enough, early in the project he befriended a backyard boffin from Bendigo who has made his own 12-cylinder Porsche engine, using two 911 engines back-to-back.The LMK’s chassis is steel, in square-section tube where it can’t be seen and round tube where it can. With no Porsche blueprints around, Keiller’s cars have been scaled up from copies of a Porsche drawing that shows the general arrangement and key dimensions of the 917LH. “You can go to a website in Argentina and get this stuff,” he chirps.Hamilton’s gift of an original, cast magnesium 917 wheel enabled Keiller to have correct-looking reproductions made in aluminium (by Dragway, in rural Kinglake).As for the gorgeous-looking suspension castings, Keiller fabricated patterns in wood, has them cast locally and machines them himself. The LMK 917 bristles with things like this, down to details like the door hinges and the centre-lock wheel hubs.“Oh, [the 917 is] quite difficult, if you want to do them nice,” Keiller says. “You’ve got to get a pattern for the windscreen, because it’s a laminated screen. You’ve got to have the correct wheels, and the centre-lock hubs … And all these things have to be engineered, they’ve got to look right.”The LMK is designed to be fitted with any air-cooled six-cylinder Porsche engine. It hooks up to either the early Type 915 gearbox or the late-1980s G50; both must be strengthened and modified to run in reverse direction.“Most guys have been putting a [993] 3.6 in them, because I’ve made a fuel-injection set-up that bolts straight onto the plastic manifold,” Keiller says. “We don’t install any engines here; there’s no point because they can get the engines in Europe and the US much cheaper.”A completed car, with six-cylinder drivetrain installed, weighs in at around 830kg. So they’re not a slow thing. Although, that didn’t stop a South African owner from installing a Le Mans 956 drivetrain he had lying around. With no space in the bodywork for radiators, let alone intercoolers, it proved an expensive exercise.“Most people want them as authentic as possible,” Keiller says. “They don’t seem to care if they’ve got 400 horsepower or 700 horsepower, because they’re still blindingly fast anyway.“They tend to be guys who’ve got big collections of cars, and they can’t get a real 917. Unless they’ve got US$3.5m like Jerry Seinfeld, this is the only way they’re gonna get one.”And how about Keiller himself? What would he splurge on?“I’d build myself a Martini long-tail,” he says, without needing to pause. “I wouldn’t buy anything. I’ve been through all that, I don’t wanna have lots of money tied up in cars. I haven’t got it anyway, but I’m not gonna go and drop $200K on a car. I’d sooner make my own.”

Delivering even more engine power, than any previous GT3 model – and weighing less, with shorter transmission ratios, and upgraded body and suspension components too – the tough, tarmac hugging RS competition-based variant will debut at the Frankfurt Show next month.

The purest of all the 911s, the new Porsche 911 GT3 RS is the platform for the homologated race version which competes in Porsche Carrera Cup and Supercup series all over the globe.The regular 911 GT3 is a powerful, lighning-fast car. This limited edition RS track runner uses the same new 3.8-litre naturally-aspirated engine, but with 331kW of power – 11kW more than the standard GT3 and 26kW more than the previous generation GT3 RS.The new 911 GT3 RS’s specific output of 87kW per litre from the boxer six-cylinder engine is a stunner for an atmo.Uniquely, too, this high-performance engine has amazing versatility and remains comfortable toddling down to the shops.The new 911 GT3 RS gets a six-speed manual gearbox optimised for short gearshift travel, low weight and high efficiency.Ratios are shorter than in the base GT3, trading high-speed touring for wicked track urge.The RS’s aerodynamics are also taken to next level with even more downforce than on the standard GT3.The attention to detail is impressive. Dynamic engine mounts are standard. Depending on driving conditions, the mounts change in their stiffness and damping effect, improving the connection between the engine and the body when driving under very lively conditions, yet they allow for more comfortable conditions during street use.With an eye to weight saving, Porsche is introducing a lithium-ion battery which, when replacing the conventional lead-acid battery, eliminates more than 10 kg.The 2010 911 GT3 RS comes with a purpose-built Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) suspension, a wider front and rear track and corresponding bodywork.The front axle comes with nine-inch-wide wheels running on 245/35 ZR 19 sports rubber while the rear axle features 12-inch-wide wheels incorporating 325/30 ZR 19 tyres..Its striking paintwork, low ride height, oversized carbon-fibre rear wing with specifically designed aluminium wing supports, and titanium sports exhaust system are also exclusive to this model.Local pricing for the new 911 GT3 RS will be announced closer to the car’s on-sale date in April next year.Porsche Cars Australia is again predicting this limited-edition RS will sell out either in advance or soon after local sales start.The previous-generation 911 GT3 RS sold out well before the first cars landed, and PCA is already holding 20 orders for the new car.

Skoda’s history dates back a long way, even before the brand was a twinkle in the eye of a young Tomas Mezera, then living in post-war communist Czechoslovakia.

Two Czech designers Laurin and Klement began the škoda journey way back in 1895…starting bith cycles, moving to motorcycles and then finally to cars. War, and then the numbing impact of communism on creativity and productivity took a toll on Skoda.Australians of a certain vintage will recall some very ordinary Skodas imported from behind the Iron Curtain between 1965 and 1983.Re-introduced to Australia two years ago and now a subsidiary of the VW Group, Skoda is a very different animal these days with the technology and quality of levels seen from Volkswagen and Seat.We’ve been a fan of the small range on sale here, which is slowly being expanded and refreshed.The latest move from Skoda is to rush its facelifted Octavia RS performance model (liftback and wagon) into local showrooms, available with either a cracking new turbo petrol or unchanged turbo diesel – mated to either a six-speed manual or six-speed DSG.The Volkswagen Group’s latest star powerplant has touched down in the form of a new-generation 2.0-litre TSI turbo-petrol four cylinder which has a new block offering better NVH and refinement.Happily, this 147kW 2.0 TSI engine, the grunter of the two engine choices, can run on 95 RON premium unleaded petrol, rather than be limited to the pricier 98 RON. Torque isn’t massive on paper, with its 280Nm peaking from 1800-5000rpm but you don’t really notice any deficiency.On track and road, it feels more than enthusiastic. The official acceleration claim is 0-100km/h in 7.3 seconds for the liftback and 7.5 seconds for the wagon.Moreover, in a drive from Camden back to the Sydney Airport, we returned a very useful fuel figure of 5.6 litres/100kmThe each-way bet – offering excellent fuel efficiency and a fair degree of oomph – is the most powerful diesel engine in the škoda range, the 125kW/350kW 2.0 (1968cc) TDI four.The group’s latest common-rail diesel technology extends to a particulate filter, Piezo injectors and a separate catalyst.The RS TDI’s manual version is good for 8.4 seconds from rest-100km/h with the DSG one-tenth slower. But with an official fuel claim of 5.9L/100km (or 6.0L for the DSG) the performance diesel will appeal to those paying for their own fuel. We extracted a figure of 5.1L/100km on the easy drive from the city to Camden.Pricing for the new Octavia RS is up a little on the outgoing Series I, starting at $37,990 for the liftback and $39,990 for the wagon. The optional DSG gearbox is an additional $2300.The extra value is evident. The RS upgrade is most obvious visually with a bolder new face along with some striking new lighting elements. The new headlamps, which extend to optional xenon lights and dynamic angle control with integrated headlight washers, are now larger and more obvious. There’s a wider and more prominent air intake in the front bumper, and optional cornering fog lamps and, for the first time, LED daytime driving lights are fitted.The new Octavia RS comes standard with 18-inch Neptune alloy wheels and upgraded dual-zone air conditioning.We got the chance to fling the new RS Octavia around a temporary course between runways and link roads at Camden airport. The petrol turbo in particular doesn’t lack urge.The DSG transmission can be used in two modes – fully automatic or Tiptronic manual changing. The driver can also select between economy or sports mode. In sports mode the transmission shifts gear at higher engine speeds, while in economy mode the transmission changes at lower engine speeds, resulting in fuel saving.Having a go around the pretend race track, Wheels let the DSG (in sport mode) do its own thing on the upshifts, but used the paddles for moving to lower cogs.The Octavia’s platform, borrowed from the Golf V, with struts at the front and multi-link rear, is competent but not without body roll when pushed hard.Impressively, the brakes on all the cars being hammered by a succession of cruel motoring journos, never once wilted.Stability control intervention can be minimised but not banished altogether. Further active safety items include anti-lock brakes and good 40-profile tyres. Shame about the space saver…Passive safety is notable with six airbags including curtains, tyre pressure monitors and lap-sash seatbelts for all five occupants.Skoda Australia is pushing hard to get the message out there that the current generation cars are good jiggers and carry the VW genes.The Octavia RS has few direct rivals due to its size and pricing, but it does overlap the hot hatch segment. It will fight with its sibling, the Golf GTi, as well as other performance cars including Honda’s Civic Type R, Mazda’s SP25 and Ford’s Focus XR5 Turbo.