Coupes under $50k
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- Best coupes under $50k
Whether you’re just starting to drive or heading into a mid-life crisis, coupes appeal to all of us. Luckily, these days you don’t need to spend big money to enjoy the thrills of the swept-back driving experience.
While you are able to buy a Subaru BRZ or Toyota 86 for less than $40,000, choices start to expand once you’re shopping under the $50,000 so let’s start there.
Toyota 86
It is getting a little long in the tooth, but the Toyota 86/Subaru BRZ combo still offers sports car thrills for an affordable price. Available in manual or automatic with a choice of specification levels, the Toyota 86 has stood the test of time despite external pressure to fill it with extra power.
Mazda MX-5
With the nameplate just celebrating its 30th birthday, there’s small wonder why so many flock to the Mazda MX-5 for an engaging top-down drive. Even if you’re more of a hard-top fan, Mazda now offers the RF version which includes a folding metal roof.
Hyundai i30 Fastback N
A relatively new player to the coupe game, Hyundai’s i30 N was transformed into a four-door coupe following the success of the hatchback. Sleeker styling marries with everything that made Hyundai’s first true hot hatch great
McLaren P1 powers up
McLaren has released details on the prodigious output of its new P1 hyper sports car, as well as pics of its carbon-rich interior.
Meet the world’s most fuel-efficient car
Volkswagen has confirmed it will build the world’s most fuel-efficient production car, the ultra-lightweight, two-seat XL1, that consumes just 0.9L/100km.
New Die Hard movie trashes 132 cars
John Moore, director of ‘A Good Day To Die Hard’, estimates 132 cars were wrecked in filming the main chase sequence of the Die Hard franchise’s lastest installment, with the damage bill coming in at approximately $11 million.
Bentley sniffs out a fragrance for men
What do you think the fragrance of Bentley is? For some, it will be the smell of fine leather trim and thick pile carpeting inside the latest Mulsanne or Continental GT. While others will imagine a whiff of gear oil from a classic 1920s Le Mans winning racer.
Lotus chief Colin Chapman enters Motorsport Hall of Fame
His engineering philosophy was to ‘add lightness’, and now 30 years after his untimely death, Colin Chapman CBE, one of motor racing’s greatest innovators, has been inducted into Motor Sport magazine’s prestigious Hall of Fame.
Rolls-Royce scores a record trifecta
For the third consecutive year Rolls-Royce has booked a record global sales result, with 3575 well-heeled customers slotting a sparkling new Roller in their garage during 2012.
Aston Martin scores a century in 2013
Aston Martin, the iconic and quintessentially British sports car maker, is celebrating 100 years in operation this year, and MOTOR has put together a highlights gallery of its amazing century.
Oh what a freezin’
A Toyota dealer in the Russian city of Perm has created any icy version of the Landcruiser 4WD, complete with very cool interior.
Holy auction block, Batman! Original Batmobile up for sale!
One of the world’s most famous film cars, the original Batmobile, built by legendary California customizer George Barris, for the 1960s TV series ‘Batman’, is being offered for sale for the first time this January.
Porsche 911 blazes to MOTOR award win
For the seventh time in the 17 year history of MOTOR magazine’s Performance Car Cup award, Porsche’s 911 has taken an emphatic victory.
Last chance to own the ‘real’ Big Red Car
The Wiggles and Volkswagen Australia are giving you the chance to own the ‘real’ Big Red Car in an auction raising funds for SIDS and Kids, and there are only three days left until bids close.
Jockeying for Australia’s fastest cup
While the nation waits for the Melbourne Cup, the fastest new cars of 2012 are jockeying for MOTOR Magazine’s 2012 Performance Car Cup
Holden’s 2013 VF Commodore revealed
The unveiling of Chevrolet’s 2013 NASCAR racer in Las Vegas at the weekend effectively pulled the wraps off Holden’s new VF Commodore, due for release in Australia in mid-2013.
Pulsar is Nissan’s new star
Nissan knows the value of a name and a great price tag. The Japanese car company has taken the wraps off its comeback kid – the Pulsar along with its sporty sibling the SSS hot hatch.
Mazda rotary to be born again
Just months after Mazda ceased production of its RX-8 sportscar, the Godfather of the unique pistonless rotary engine, Nobihiro Yamamoto, has confirmed the Japanese car maker is pressing ahead with a successor.
FORMULA ONE CHAMP ON-SONG
Current Formula One world champion Sebsatian Vettel is starring in a music video with double Grammy-winning R&B singer, Melanie Fiona
MERCEDES TEASES NEXT FLAGSHIP
A sculptural installation entitled ‘Aesthetics S’ offers an artistic preview of the next Mercedes-Benz S-Class flagship.
TOYOTA PULLS ABOVE ITS WEIGHT
Toyota in the United States has come up with a heavy-hauling publicity idea that’s literally come out of the clouds.
GM HOPES OPEL WILL SHINE IN AUSTRALIA
General Motors’ German subsidiary, Opel, has entered the already crowded Australian car market with a three model launch range, pitched at the premium end of the volume segment.
HONDA SHAKES A LEG
At the same time as Honda is trying to rebuild its image as a maker of exciting cars, with confirmation of a new NSX sports flagship for 2014, it’s sticking with some worthy, but relatively un-sexy developments, such as its Stride Management Assist (SMA) device.
MINI GETS MINI-ER FOR LONDON GAMES
As the name implies, MINI cars are compact, but the brand known for thinking laterally has come up with a cracker mini idea in London.
BIG BUCKS FOR THE BIG THREE
America’s ‘Big Three’ car manufacturers have released their second quarter financial results, and after the turmoil of the global financial crisis, and a soft recovery in the home market, each has remained in the black. But there’s bad news to go with the good.
OVER THE TOP OVERFINCH
Yorkshire, UK-based Range Rover tuner Overfinch has been transforming 4WD workhorses into high speed ‘Toorak Tractors’ for more than 35 years.
SUV HEAVYWEIGHT LIGHTENS UP
The new, fourth-gen Rangie features all aluminium monocoque construction that’s a claimed 39 percent lighter than the out-going model’s steel body, for an overall kerb weight reduction of up to 420kg.
