I have always hated the way certain arrogant motoring journos will mindlessly attack a car whose only real shortcoming seems to be that it doesn’t resonate with the Wally in question sent to test it. Yet I was at serious risk of committing that same journalistic crime as I jumped on the bomber to Darwin for the Panamera launch.Truth is, I have a long history as an Anglophile. My favourite episode of Fawlty Towers is ‘The Germans’ (“Whatever you do, don’t mention the war!”); until I reached puberty and fell in love with the entirely edible Barbara Bach in The Spy Who Loved Me, my favourite film was Sink the Bismarck. Are you beginning to get the picture?My first motor (see, I even say ‘motor’) was a Morris 850; my latest, a Bentley Continental GT. I’ve owned and loved some truly beautiful cars in my lucky lifetime but apart from a silver 904 ‘slotty’ that I bought when I was 14, Porsches have never numbered among them.Still, in some strange way I felt I could relate to the Panamera. After all, we have a lot in common: it’s unusual to look at, has a serious thirst when provoked and a bad-ass reputation to live up to. Objective assessment of the Panamera was going to be hard work for old ‘Bunty’ but hey, with the Turbo’s 368kW on tap and a top whack of over 300km/h, it was sure to be worth the effort, given the whole exercise was to take place on some of the world’s most iconic roads.I last drove the Stuart Highway in my mate Grahame Foster’s Jaguar XK120 coupe. It was a Jaguar club rally back in the 1990s, a commemoration of Les Taylor and Dick Rendle’s 1951 open-road world speed record – averaging 91.3mph (147km/h) over 900 miles (1448km) of dirt – set in a similar car. Legend has it that on arrival in The Alice they were cheered briefly by adoring townsfolk then locked up by the Plod for speeding. I was a tad concerned we might meet the same fate on our 2000 kilometre test, as the Northern Territory’s legendary ‘unrestricted’ open-road speed limit was cruelly reduced to 130km/h in 2007.
DAY 1, 255km: Darwin to Jabiru
Time to meet my road buddies for the next three days. The road manager for the Panamera’s entire lap of Oz is Warwick McKenzie; our ‘Akela’, or ‘Great Grey Lone Wolf’, who leads the pack by strength and cunning. Adam Storey is Michelin’s marketing manager and a road trip sponsor. ‘The Michelin Man’, as I like to call him, makes me feel better about my ‘fuller figure’.The official photographer is Peter Watkins, or ‘Kaptain Kangaroo’ as he became known after an unfortunate incident with our national symbol.Then there’s Jacqui Madellin: Kiwi motoring journo, enigma, and paid-up member of the sisterhood. Her email address begins jacmad@… Say no more…Finally, John Murray, Brand Manager of Porsche Cars Australia. He’s a man who can actually say ‘Doppelkupplungsgetriebe’ (German for double-clutch transmission, I’m told) five times in quick succession. Respect!I get to see the cars for the first time out front of the pub after breakfast; a blue Panamera S and the awesome silver Turbo. My first impression? Whatever else it is, or is not, the Panamera’s a big bastard. A long ‘briefing’ from the Akela is followed by a ‘brief longing’ to get on the road. It takes forever to get away as I see for the first time the impact this car has on people.While we’re being brought up to speed on the vast array of technology in the Panamera – the three-phase spoiler, diffuser, ventilated seats, six-pot calipers, four cupholders and Doppelkupplungsgetriebe – people are coming up to us in droves; they want to see and talk about the car. It has real presence; if you plan to drive one of these, you’d better enjoy being constantly noticed. Then again, show me a Porsche driver for whom that will be a deal-breaker.I’m surprised by the Panamera; like many other cars I’ve encountered over the years, it looks way better in the metal than in photographs. I remember seeing the first Ferrari 360 promotional shots 10 years back and thinking, “what have they done?” Then loving the car so much after seeing it, face to funny face, I bought one.The Panamera is a car of many perspectives and there’s no shortage of debate over its unusual shape. Here on our Darwin hotel driveway, online, in magazines all over the world and even among the Porsche faithful, it’s a hot topic.Most agree the frontal treatment is an homage to the venerable 911, some see echoes of classic four-door sedans from a gentler era, at least round the hindquarters. But Porsche hasn’t built a sedan, it’s built a sports car – one with four doors, four genuinely comfortable seats and heaps of leg room – and almost got away with it. It’s got a pretty face and nice ass, and the three-quarter perspectives, both front and rear, are genuinely appealing, but this fantastic piece of engineering remains clumsy when viewed directly from the side. No matter what prejudices you bring to the debate, it’s the inevitable price of compromise. I remember buying a fully reversible jacket when I was 18; it never looked quite right either way.After doing 15 minutes of free Porsche PR with the enthusiastic Darwin public, I go very close to selling a Panamera before I’ve even driven one. The Akela is pleased by my knowledge and easy manner and gives me a sales badge to sew onto my shirt.After taking deposits we draw straws to see who gets the Turbo. I’m on a roll and I stir the Turbo into life for our first short run to the Humpty Doo Hotel and lunch. Excellent. The blazing Territory sun is well and truly over the yard arm and although the Turbo’s four-zone air-conditioned cabin and ventilated seats are more than up to it, just knowing it’s 38 degrees outside has given me a deep and gorgeous thirst. I’ve long suffered a condition known as ‘alcoholic constipation’ – I can’t pass a pub, and I’m ‘Jonesing’ for my first NT Lager of the trip even if it means getting out of the car just half an hour after getting into it.Imagine my disappointment when the Akela suggests that it might be a good idea to wash down my barra-burger with lemon squash rather than beer, what with having 230km left to drive in Porsche’s brand-new 368kW, $365,000 car before sundown and all. I grudgingly agree with Akela’s irrefutable logic and he offers me a good citizen badge as compensation. It doesn’t help with my disappointment but manages to nicely cover the tomato sauce stain I now have on my promotional T-shirt. Turns out they do them in XXXL after all. The Michelin man and I are well pleased.Refreshed and sharp-witted, we win the first of many arguments with our Kiwi colleague and jump back into the Turbo for the run to Jabiru. I turn on the route guidance which, as is usual in the Territory, says, “Proceed along the motorway till you reach the horizon and fall off the end of the world.” We elect not to use the top-shelf Burmester 16-speaker audio system; instead we sing several rousing choruses of The Pub with No Beer because it makes us both feel better. The bonding is beginning between me and the Michelin Man, although there’s an unspoken understanding that there’ll be no ‘manhug’ at day’s end … not on the first day, anyway.
DAY 2, 567km: Jabiru to Daly Waters via Pine Creek
We start the day with a spectacular scenic flight over the timeless Kakadu landscape. The pilot balances the aircraft by seating me up front and the other five in the back. There is some tittering but I pretend not to hear.The next leg through to the old gold mining town of Pine Creek is a brilliant stretch of road with seemingly endless sweeping corners and the only serious twisties you’ll find up here not located in the hotel mini-bar.The ‘Who’s driving the Turbo?’ feud erupts again. I manage to convince my belligerent Kiwi colleague that letting me drive the Turbo today is the only way to keep me from referring to her as ‘Mad Jacqui’ in my piece for Wheels; she unwisely agrees and I celebrate by getting a shot of me standing in front of the Turbo pointing at a no-standing sign; a big S with a bold red line through it. Says it all, really.For such a big car the Panamera is fantastic through the bendy bits. Both variants qualify for the major league of Grand Touring cars. Predictably, the Turbo is a much more satisfying thing when exploring the car’s true potential. The ride/handling compromise is phenomenal, belying the car’s near two-tonne weight. The active air suspension and big Michelins deliver flat, secure, handling. The extra $100,000 for the Turbo will be money well spent for the well-heeled. We arrive at the legendary Daly Waters Pub right on dusk and the place is packed.
Actually the place seems packed even when there’s no-one about because there’s so much crap everywhere. It’s like standing in the middle of a Jolliffe cartoon. Signed – and sometimes soiled – undergarments of every size and description dangle from the rafters. There are student cards, licences, passport photos, number plates and even the odd autographed feminine hygiene product stuck to the autographed walls. Most importantly for this thirsty traveller, there’s a well-stocked bar with a similarly well-endowed German backpacker behind it who seems most impressed to learn that the new Porsche parked outside belongs to me. Sort of.
DAY 3, 912km: Daly Waters to Alice Springs
After a hearty breakfast of bacon and what the pub menu describes as ‘bum-nuts’ we head to the disused WWII Daly Waters airstrip which fortunately seems to be in reasonable enough condition for a few high-speed passes. It’s a bit over a kilometre in length and I see nearly 260km/h in the Turbo on the final run before standing on the anchors. The Akela checks to see what we’ve done to the fuel consumption figures in the last 20 minutes, smells the brakes and decides that with thousands of kilometres left to run before the end of the tour, it might be a good time to get back on the road.So what do you buy the man who has everything? His own airstrip, obviously. We stop for lunch in Tennant Creek 405km later. The guy who fuels the car is excited, and not just by the Panamera; he thinks he recognises me and tips off the editor of the local paper. We’re halfway through lunch in a nice restaurant when Barry from The Tennant and District Times bursts in, camera in hand, looking for Ted Mulry. I point out that sadly Ted has been dead for eight years. He seems disappointed so I offer to sing a few bars of Jump in My Car. Barry wisely declines, checks the spelling of my name and takes a few shots anyway; it’s clearly another slow news day in Tennant Creek.The remaining 500 kays to The Alice is via one of the straightest roads you’ll ever see, stretching inexorably into Namatjira Country: unique, vast, shimmering and empty. It’s not the sort of place you expect to see a random breath test unit, but just before sunset there are the boys in brown. They seem pleased to see us; the Porsches a welcome change from the endless queue of Britz Campers, Toyota utes and road trains. We survive the breath test but there’s nearly an incident when, as a part of the ‘intervention’, the cop asks if we’re carrying any porn. “Sure,” I say. “What are you into?” I assume he’s lost his sense of humour when he claps me in handcuffs; it’s only when I start to shake involuntarily and he bursts out laughing that I may just have lost mine for a moment.We make Alice just after dark and head to the hotel for ‘the debrief’; a few well-chosen exaggerations, farewell drinks, manhugs and handshakes. It’s time to hand back the keys to one of the world’s great GT cars.This wasn’t so much a road test as a road trip; one of those ‘Kerouac’ experiences that’s left me smiling involuntarily like some poor demented bastard on lithium. Three dazzling days scything through the unforgettable red centre of this fantastic country in the latest, and quite possibly finest, expression of Teutonic technology and I’m feeling lucky again.More cynical people than your old uncle might suggest that if you have the money and you want a Porsche, you buy a 911. If you want a fast four-seater family car, buy a Jaguar XFR or a BMW M5; for the cost of the Panamera Turbo you can just about buy both.But with the sweet taste of this fantastic three-day motoring odyssey still in my mouth, if money weren’t an issue, and I could find four adults I could stand being with for substantial periods, in spite of any remaining niggling reservations about its appearance, I just might put my hand in my pocket. It’s quite simply that good a car … and it’s got a Doppelkupplungsgetriebe.
GRAFFITI-COVERED corners, familiar from countless spy shots, are coming at me fast. There’s no time to take in which year Hans or Franz was here with a spray can. The Lexus LFA, I’m told, can cut a lap of the Nurburgring’s famous Nordschleife in less than seven minutes and 30 seconds. With a real race driver at the wheel, of course.Obviously, this could all end in ugliness. Run-off room and clear sight-lines are not abundant, trees and Armco are. Not for nothing did Jackie Stewart call it the ‘Green Hell’ – a name that’s stuck. So even though I have a guide (Herwig Daenes, a 39-year-old Belgian pro-tester with maybe 1000 ’Ring laps under his belt is showing me the way round the 21km track in a blue Lexus IS F), I’m nervous. Even though I’m sitting, safe and sound, in Buddha’s hand…Last night, I questioned LFA chief engineer Haruhiko Tanahashi. Why had he chosen a front-engine, rear-drive layout for the LFA? For driving feel, he answered. Especially important was how the car behaved when pushed to, and through, its limit of grip. “I don’t want the car to give up,” he added. “It’s not just being safe; that is boring.” Then, to illustrate his point, Tanahashi holds out his right hand, cupped palm upward. He tips it fore and aft, rolls it side to side, miming rolling a small ball to and fro, never letting it fall. “Like being in Buddha’s hand…”Right now, in the present, a corner exit beckons. It’s time to squeeze the floor-hinged, forged-aluminium throttle pedal, and find out if the tubby, smiling deity is paying attention.The 412kW 4.8-litre V10 a few centimetres from my toes wails its approval at being asked to hit the high note. With more than 3000rpm showing on the tachometer, the valves to the uppermost pair of the car’s triple tailpipes are already fully open. Now the sound, so pure-pitched it’s downright musical, soars towards a 9000rpm crescendo.The tacho face flashes. Time to dab the right-hand paddle-shifter. In the six-speed gearbox, nestled between the rear wheels, powerful hydraulics slap third gear out of the way and fourth into place. The LFA’s small-diameter, single-plate clutch re-engages with a brutally efficient thump. For the track, the quickest of the computer-controlled transmission’s seven selectable shift speeds seems the smart choice…Even on the straighter bits of the Nurburgring, the steering talks to you. And there’s a lot to chat about. Photographs fail to convey the sheer uppity-downy nature of the place. The electrically assisted rack-and-pinion system is supernaturally direct and perfectly weighted, but it also transmits every nuance as the front tyres’ pressure on the bitumen constantly changes. Over the crests you can clearly sense grip becoming tenuous, through the bottoms of the hollows you can feel it intensify. There’s a rare and brilliant clarity to the LFA’s steering. Like a high-end audio system, it reveals every detail. And, at the same time, it makes almost everything else you’ve experienced seem like a discount-store all-in-one stereo.At wide-open throttle, through the upper half of its rev range, the LFA accelerates with stunning, ridiculous ease. It’s as though the normal laws of motion and aerodynamics have been temporarily suspended. When fourth gear tops out at 218km/h, a flick to fifth readies the LFA to haul to 277km/h. I don’t see more than 255 on the Lexus’s digital speedometer at the Nurburgring, but this is still well into aero-critical territory.While the active rear wing that extends automatically above 80km/h is impossible to miss, less noticeable airflow management measures are to be found all over the car. There’s a rear diffuser, naturally, and a perfectly flat underbody. Less obvious are the small, turbulence-quelling fins where the A-pillar meets the windscreen, the air-channelling synthetic rubber lip at the bottom of the front bumper, and the four ridges on the inside of each of the exterior mirrors which guide air to the black-meshed maws of the radiator inlets.Yes, the LFA’s radiators are hung on aluminium frames attached to the rear of the car’s carbon-composite central structure. While this accounts for its unique look, the front-engine, rear-cooling layout was chosen partly for reasons of weight distribution, partly for the aero attributes that come with a low nose. The LFA combines a reasonable 0.31 coefficient of drag (wing down), with strong downforce, sweetly apportioned front and rear.The LFA’s perfect high-speed stability is proof the Lexus guys aren’t making this up. Truth is, as the lap unfolds, there are few situations where it’s not stable. Although it turns in with synaptic precision, this isn’t because the Lexus is inherently inclined to deviate from the straight ahead. It’s just brilliantly responsive. Even ambitiously early throttle applications don’t much fluster the Lexus’s cornering composure. When the V10’s torque does overwhelm the grip of the big Bridgestones, the onset of oversteer is pleasantly progressive. Although the LFA is equipped with an electronic chassis stability system (and I left it switched on round the ’Ring), selecting the transmission’s ‘Sport’ mode apparently loosens its parameters. Unlike any other car wearing a Lexus badge, a little sideways-ness doesn’t invoke a distracting, doorbell-like chime as the stability system takes control of the throttle and stabs the brakes like some panicked, telekinetic granny. In fact, the only way I could tell for sure that the LFA’s system was operating was occasional flashing of the orange warning icon in my peripheral vision.Only under fiercely hard braking is the LFA’s truly awesome dynamic repertoire found wanting. It’s the only circumstance in which Buddha’s hand seems a little shaky. Even though the car’s weight distribution is slightly rear-biased, hitting the brake pedal (which, like the throttle, is made from forged aluminium and floor-hinged) shifts the emphasis to the front. The unweighted rear end, especially when slowing downhill, can get a little wandery, though it never feels as coit-clenchingly spooky as some mid-engined cars I could mention. As you might have guessed, the brakes are plenty powerful. The discs are carbon ceramic whoppers squeezed by some serious hardware. Assistance is provided not by the usual source – engine vacuum – but by an electric pump generating hydraulic pressure. Although this last measure is designed to get rid of variations in the level of assist, LFA’s brake pedal feel doesn’t match the incredible intimacy of its steering or the fabulous precision of its throttle response.At the end of two Nordschleife laps I’m exhilarated, impressed (and sweaty), and aware that Lexus has created something special. Even if the Buddha’s hand stuff sounds to western ears a little, well, goofy, this is a car with distinctive character and immense ability.Later, I ask Tanahashi how he found the right people within Toyota and Lexus to work on the project, on which he’s been toiling since the beginning, back in 2000. Instead of the dull, detailed answer I expect, Tanahashi keeps it brief: “Birds of a feather stick together.”The colour of Tanahashi’s plumage becomes obvious when you learn what car he owns for weekend driving. While he’s got a Yaris company car for workday commuting, there’s a Porsche in his garage. His choice – a 993, last of the air-cooled 911s – makes it clear the man has great taste. No wonder the LFA feels the way it does…He also has an engineer’s scorn for the kind of technology that appeals to marketing departments. I ask why the LFA was kept relatively simple, with just four selectable transmission modes (also affecting engine and brake control logic), a choice of shift speeds, an on-off switch for the chassis stability system, and nothing to vary damping or the level of steering assist. With steering and suspension, Tanahashi says, dismissively, “there is only one right answer.” Those answers work pretty well on the road. While the low-speed ride is firm, it’s not punishing. The sharp impacts are nicely rounded off and softened. At high speed – and on a stretch of unrestricted autobahn we briefly see 285km/h – the ride is brilliantly secure and utterly stable, the steering perfectly calm.Less impressive is the occasional misbehaviour of the sequential transmission at low speeds. In ‘Normal’ mode – the setting for driver-initiated shifting on public road – occasional but very obvious clutch slip is apparent. The car is still more than a year from production (see below) and the Lexus engineers acknowledge there’s still work to do on the transmission control software. Otherwise, the transmission is pretty user-friendly. Start-up and gear selection are logical and simple and the lazybones ‘Auto’ mode is reasonably smooth. Unlike the Nordschleife cars, with their race seats, four-point harnesses and compulsory radio comms equipment, the road-driving LFAs are fitted with proper production interiors. And it is, as expected in a Lexus, a beautiful place; high-grade materials, design and craftsmanship everywhere you look.Like the interior, the LFA’s exterior was designed in-house. It’s the work of the Lexus studio in Toyota City and it’s a clean, subtle and restrained piece of work. Badges aside, everything has a function. While the cabin is not short of space, the tightness with which the Lexus’s mechanicals are clothed is apparent when you raise the glass liftback; the carpeted cargo compartment is quite small. It’s taken Lexus a long, long time to develop the LFA. By the time the first cars are ready for customers, Tanahashi and his team will have laboured for a decade to create it. And it shows. The Lexus LFA is genuinely exotic, expertly engineered. The LFA is also a significant car for other reasons. Lexus promises that the driver focus and dynamic satisfaction embodied in the LFA will serve as a template for future mainstream cars. After two decades carving itself a reputation for peerless quality and superb refinement, Lexus, at last, seems to have discovered the joy of driving…
Most people have a story about when they were involved in an accident or a time when their car was stolen, but whether you were insured or not is another story. This week we speak to RateCity’s CEO, Damian Smith, about his American pride and joy and why it pays to have car insurance.What type of car do you own?I own a 1965 Ford Thunderbird and a 1999 Volkswagen Golf. The Golf is my everyday car, the Thunderbird is for weekends.Do you have comprehensive car insurance?Yes, both cars are fully covered which gives me peace of mind. The Thunderbird is always garaged and never parked on the street whereas the Golf is parked on the street continually. Parts for the Thunderbird are rare and expensive so I have to be insured.I use Shannons for my vintage Thunderbird because they are specialists in their field and they don’t haggle around valuations. Shannons are major players in such a specialised market that not many insurers are in.Have you ever been in strife with your car?A while ago I borrowed my partner’s mother’s car while she was overseas and it was stolen. The police later recovered it. Mechanically it was fine but the body was in bad condition and needed a lot of work.Were you insured?Yes we both were. My house was broken into, [which is] where they found the keys for the car which was parked out the front. Insurance covered it though, and took a lot of the stress out of the equation. And let me tell you: getting your mother-in-law’s car stolen is pretty much the textbook definition of stressful!Do you have any advice for fellow drivers out there?Unless you have a car that is literally worth less than $1000, there is no excuse not to have comprehensive insurance. Remember, third-party personal [insurance] is compulsory. And of course, even with the cheapest cars, third-party property protection is an absolute must-have.Despite the fact that we all think we’re better drivers than average, you have to assume that in your lifetime as a driver, the chances of being involved in an accident or theft are high. If your car is worth more than $1000 I just can’t think of any good argument not to compare comprehensive car insurance.What are your three main factors you consider when choosing car insurance?>Price: There is a lot of competition out there when it comes to car insurance, so comparing online at sites like RateCity.com.au or iSelect will help you find a low price to suit.>Claims experience: Ask the insurers about their claims experience. It might be an idea to also look at car insurance blogs and Choice.com.au for reviews.>Exclusions: The fine print matters with insurance. Make sure you always look at the fine print specifically for exclusions to find out exactly what you are covered for and what you aren’t.
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Ferrari has recorded a significant increase in both profits and sales during the second quarter of 2010, thanks to the Ferrari California and Ferrari 458, as well as demand for the new Ferrari 599 GTO.Over the first six months, Ferrari recorded revenues of 903 million Euros (compared to 891 in the same period of 2009). A total of 3,200 cars were delivered to dealers, 2% more than in the same period of 2009.As far as the markets are concerned, the U.S.A. has shown first good signs of recovery, with Ferrari seeing 10% growth. China has continued to grow at over 20%, a figure that is likely to rise further still in coming months.Even Ferrari’s social networking has seen positive growth, with the official Ferrari Group on Facebook recently registering over a million fans.
So your little baby is all grown up, they have their license and now all they need is a car. RateCity shows you tips on choosing the best second-hand car for your teenager.However much it scares you, this day was inevitable but look at it this way, having their own car has many benefits. Besides the fact that you won’t need to be their personal chauffer any longer, they will have the freedom to get from A to B as well as take on the responsibility involved in maintaining and looking after their first car.If you are thinking of purchasing a car for your child as a gift, or as a surprise, or even if they have will be purchasing one themselves with the money they have saved up over the years, you want to know that they aren’t buying a bucket. No matter what the situation, if you are in the market for a car for your teenager, here are some tips to help you make the right choice.
Log books
This is not imperative but may assist you in gaining an understanding about how well the previous owner/s looked after the vehicle. You can check whether the car has received all of its services and whether it was serviced regularly or not at all. It may also be an idea to ask for receipts for services, parts etc and this will assist you in knowing not only how much things cost for this type of vehicle but what has been done to the car.
REVS check
If you are purchasing a second-hand car, it is a good idea to do a REVS check to see if it is an encumbered vehicle to make sure that aren’t taking on someone else’s burden.
Safety
Before purchasing a second hand vehicle you want to know that it is safe and road worthy. Firstly check if it registered, and then organise for a local garage or NRMA (for NSW and QLD) to conduct a safety inspection so that you can rest assured that the vehicle is mechanically sound.
Inspect
When looking at the car, go around the car thoroughly checking for dents, rust, mismatching of paint colours (as this could mean it was involved in an accident), check that the tyres have enough tread or whether you are up for new tyres, check the oil, the air conditioning, that is has a spare tyre and check that all the electric items such as windows and mirrors work.
Test drive
Take the car for a test drive and see how it handles. If you can, try and take it out in an area with a speed limit of 80 or above so that you can see if it wobbles and how it feels. Also listen out for strange noises and check that the radio and everything works. By taking the car for a test drive you can get a feel of whether the car is in good condition or not.
Price range
Set yourself a budget and stick to it, if the asking price is a bit higher negotiate and get down the price. Shop around and see what the current market price is for the vehicle you are interested in and don’t pay a cent more than you need to.
Maintenance costs
Before purchasing the vehicle check with your local mechanic on approximate prices for repairs and services. It is a known fact that European cars do cost more to service and repair, so keep these extra costs in mind before making that deal.
Insurance
And finally, once you have the right car ensure that your teenager is covered in the event of an accident or theft and for your peace of mind, Compare car insurance quotes online at financial comparison sites like RateCity to find the best cover for them.
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The all new Dagger GT is a limited edition supercar that promises a staggering 480km/h speed limit from an aluminum 572 Twin Turbo engine that churns out 2000hp and 2,710Nm torque.Each car will be hand-made from carbon fiber and high-strength 4130 Chromoly Steel chassis. Three models will be rolled-out: “a hard-core racer, a street-legal sport version and a soft-riding luxurious GT-X that combines both speed and comfort”. Only five will be made in 2011 starting from US$450,000 and two of them have already been booked. Source: Automoto
Gone are the days when new cars came straight off the showroom floor with a cassette player, a radio system and if you were lucky, automatic windows and power steering. Most new cars these days come with a range of standard accessories that are that will blow your grandparents away.Some of the accessories that are fitted as standard to your vehicle by the manufacturer may include:> Airbags > Engine immobilizer > Power mirrors > Power steering > Cruise control > Central Locking > Satellite/Cellular tracking systems > CD players with CD stacker > Parking distance control > DVD player with TV screens > Power sunroofThe good news is that when it comes to insuring your new car all of the accessories that come standard with your particular car model will be automatically included in your car insurance at no extra cost.When filling out your car insurance form online most car insurance companies will list all of the manufacturers standard accessories, so if for some reason not all items are listed as a standard item, make sure that you add them so that they are included in your policy. The same goes for any manufacturer optional extras as well as after-market modifications that you do to your car, ensure that these are listed too. However, any extra ad-ons may come at an extra cost to your premium.Including each individual item on your policy will mean that should something happen, you will be covered. Just say for instance that you car is broken into and the CD player and the stacker is stolen, when you call to make a claim it will show on your policy that the item was included and therefore will most likely be covered. Whereas if a particular item was not listed on your policy, you would not be covered and will have to replace it with money out of your own pocket.When it comes to getting the best car insurance, here are some tips:> Shop around and compare car insurance quotes online to find the lowest premium.> Be honest in your application as even though it may cost you less in the short term, if you make a claim this may affect what you will actually be covered for.> Ensure that all of the standard accessories as well as optional extras and after market modification are listed on your policy. Not only will you be covered but it will save you more in the long term.> If you add any accessories after you purchase the car and after you organise your premium, give your insurance provider a call and let them know to add it to your car details.> Read the product disclosure statement before signing on the dotted line so that you are 100 percent sure of what you are covered for and what you are not.
Green cars are fast becoming a popular choice in Australia, and with the announcement of an electric car charge station in Sydney, hybrid cars are obviously the smarter, cleaner choice over conventional cars.Basically a hybrid car is one that combines electric energy with petrol energy. They have two motors, an electric motor which is used for driving at low speeds and a small petrol powered motor which switches over when you are on the open road or driving at faster speeds.Currently there are six hybrid cars available in Australia including:> Toyota Camry Hybrid – $36,990 RRP > Toyota Prius Hybrid – $39,990 RRP > Honda Civic Hybrid – $38,800 RRP > Lexus RX450h Prestige 4D wagon CVT – $89,900 RRP > Lexus GS 450h 4D sedan CVT – $126800 RRP > Lexus LS600hL 5 seat CVT Hybrid – $243,900 RRPBenefits of hybrid cars over petrol only cars Current hybrid models are best suited to city dwellers that mostly do short trips due to the low running costs; however they can suit most people depending on their driving needs. More hybrid cars are due to be released over the next year or so that are currently available overseas, including 4WD versions for more economical off-road driving.A hybrid car offers many advantages over conventional petrol-only cars including:> Reduces your environmental impact by emitting fewer gases into the atmosphere, to keep our planet cleaner for the next generations > As you use less or sometimes no fuel, saving you thousands of dollars in petrol costs > More efficient with more mileage to the gallon > Quieter to runTips to greener motoring Regardless of whether you purchase a hybrid car or a regular car, you can still do your part for the environment. Here are some tips that will ensure that you not only reduce carbon emissions but help you save money in the long-term.When buying a new car be aware of its green vehicle rating and fuel efficiency. The higher the rating the better it is for the environment, the more fuel efficient the more you mileage you get and ultimately the more bang for your buck.Look at whether you can modify your driving habits to reduce fuel consumption, such as keep to the speed limit and lighten up on the accelerator.Offset carbon emissions produced by your car, there are companies such as www.greenfleet.com.auwhich can assist you in doing this.When insuring your car look at choosing greener car insurance. Compare car insurance online to find an insurance company that offers the lowest premium but also helps the environment by offering carbon neutral car insurance such as ibuyeco, which has partnered with Greening Australia to assist in a number of tree replenishing projects to 100 percent offset the estimated carbon emissions from your vehicle.
What was the world’s first rotary-engined production car? Poindexter-points for naming the NSU Wankel Spider of 1964-’67.The pretty, tail-finned two-seat roadster had a 498cc single-rotor engine that required inordinate attention and vibrated horribly at low revs.As for the world’s first production two-rotor car – NSU nerds, sit down. With its May 30 1967 launch, the Mazda Cosmo Sport beat the NSU Ro80 sedan to market by just over three months. Indeed, NSU’s rush to be first contributed to the costly engine failures that killed the company.NSU had signed a technical agreement with Dr Felix Wankel in 1951; the KKM (kreiskolbenmotor) rotary engine, forerunner of today’s design, appeared in 1958. Two years later, Mazda president (and son of the company’s founder) Tsuneji Matsuda received a letter from a German engineer friend, urging him to look into this “epoch-making invention”.Matsuda soon learned that more than 100 other companies were already knocking on NSU’s door; 34 of them Japanese. High-level schmoozing from Germany’s ambassador to Japan got Mazda to the contract table.Mazda soon ditched the “unstable” single-rotor and by July 1963, had running prototypes of a 798cc, two-rotor L8A engine. Twelve months later, this had evolved into a prototype side/peripheral-port 10A (982cc). And a sexy little concept coupe in which to show it at the September 1964 Tokyo motor show.Company president Matsuda personally drove the glass-roofed Cosmo Sport prototype (aka Project L402A) home from the show.Mazda’s development would now embrace not only the production ‘0810’ 10A rotary engine, but its host coupe. Matsuda presciently had 80 examples built in 1965-’66, specifically for real-world testing. Sixty of them went through the hands of more than 1000 customers.The 10A engine had a four-barrel, two-stage Zenith-Stromberg carburettor and claimed 82kW at a lofty 7000rpm and 130Nm at 3500rpm. Weighing 940kg, and powering through a four-speed gearbox, the Cosmo Sport would get from 0-100km/h in 8.8 seconds and cover the standing 400m in 16.3 seconds; figures that put it on a par with another famous Mazda two-seater that would follow two decades later.A Series 2 Cosmo (L10B) was introduced in July 1968. It sat on 15-inch wheels and a 150mm longer wheelbase and, in Japan, offered the 95kW/140Nm ‘0813’ 10A and a five-speed ’box. It could do the standing 400m in a claimed 15.8sec. However, the ‘110S’ sent to right-hook export markets retained the earlier L10A (110bhp) model’s mechanicals.Mazda built only 343 examples of the L10A in 1967-’68, and 1176 of the L10B before production ended in September 1972.
Check out some of the best character/car couplings to ever grace our screens in Motoring’s latest slideshow
