Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda has revealed he remains one of the automotive industry’s strongest advocates for internal combustion engines, saying he often feels isolated as manufacturers accelerate their shift towards electric vehicles.

Speaking to Carwow, Toyoda said the industry’s rapid embrace of battery-electric vehicles was one of his biggest concerns in recent years.

“Everybody shifting to EV, that was the biggest fear for me,” he told the outlet.

The former Toyota president said he had long argued there was still a place for traditional engines, both for driving enthusiasts and for the thousands of jobs linked to engine development and manufacturing.

“Only three or four years ago, I was the only one to say I love the smell, I love the sounds, I love engines and I want to keep the jobs for engine suppliers,” Toyoda said. “But it seems to me I’m the only one. I feel very alone.”

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While Toyota now offers a growing range of electric vehicles globally, the company has consistently pursued a broader strategy than many rivals, investing in hybrids, plug-in hybrids, hydrogen technology and conventional combustion engines alongside battery-electric models.

The comments come as Toyota continues developing performance-focused petrol-powered vehicles through its Gazoo Racing division, even as many competitors transition their sports cars towards electrified powertrains.

Toyoda told Carwow that maintaining a diverse approach to future mobility remains important, despite criticism from some quarters that Toyota has been slower than rivals to fully embrace electric vehicles.

“If they say to me, ‘Hey, you’re too late, you should have shifted to BEV’, well, we are people who love cars and those people and myself fight even within the companies,” he said.

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Toyoda was speaking during a round of Japan’s Super Taikyu endurance racing series at Fuji Speedway, where Toyota fielded several experimental vehicles, including a hydrogen-powered GR Yaris and a mid-engined GR Yaris development prototype.

The chairman has long championed motorsport as a key part of Toyota’s vehicle development process and remains closely involved with Gazoo Racing projects, including the GR Yaris and future high-performance models.

His latest comments reinforce Toyota’s commitment to maintaining multiple technology pathways rather than focusing exclusively on battery-electric vehicles.

Following a delay – it’s been on sale in South Korea for nearly two years – the updated Kia EV6 has arrived, with a larger battery, updated technology inclusions and a very mild price increase. EV6 is available in four model grades – Air RWD, GT-Line RWD, GT-Line AWD and GT AWD – with the entry-grade Air RWD the one we’re driving this time.

How much does the Kia EV6 Air RWD cost to buy?

With a starting price of $72,660 before on-road costs, it’s the most affordable way to park an EV6 in your driveway. And, with 168kW and 350Nm on tap, EV6 Air has more capability than you’ll need, justifying the entry-grade as the one to buy.

Within the four-model grade range, there’s RWD and AWD with standard equipment increasing as you step up through the range. Next step up from the Air RWD we’re testing is the GT-Line RWD price from $79,660, then there’s the GT-Line AWD priced from $87,660 and finally the GT AWD priced from $99,660. All prices are before on-road costs are factored in.

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On paper at least, as is often the case with expensive electric vehicles, the entry point to the range looks to be the smart purchase decision, doing everything you need it to do, without any of the extras you don’t really need. EV6 features a revised front end design, sharper, and more in keeping with current Kia design philosophy, while there are new wheel designs, a new LED tail light signature and redesigned rear bumpers. Subtle changes, certainly, but park the new EV6 next to the old model, and it’s obvious there’s a new kid in town.

Despite the high price tag, competition in this segment is strong, with the most obvious standout being the popular Tesla Model Y. Sibling Hyundai has the Ioniq 5 (riding on the same platform as the EV6, while there’s also a few left-field options including Polestar 4, BYD Sealion 7 and Toyota BZ4X. If you’re considering an EV6, you should definitely take the Model Y for a test drive.

How fast is the Kia EV6 Air RWD?

The key to the appeal of the Air RWD comes in the form of the larger (84kWh thanks to improved energy density) battery, which brings with it an increased driving range. Generating 168kW and 350Nm, the Air can now cover a claimed 560km, up from the previous model’s 528km claimed range. The single electric motor is situated at the rear axle, which is why RWD is the result.

Speaking of capability and functionality, the interior household power outlet also adds vehicle to load capability, something that’s becoming more and more common in EVs, and makes sense, too. Kia claims a 0-100km/h run of 7.7 seconds.

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Another factor in the Air’s favour is the fitment of 19-inch alloy wheels, rather than the 20 or 21-inch rims available further up the model line. Allowing the provision of chubbier 235/55R19 Nexen N Fera Sport tyres, the 19s assist the EV6 to iron out nasty road surfaces with ease, ensuring comfortable bump absorption on any road. It’s still firm, but with an emphasis on comfort, which is valuable when you’re negotiating the inner-city patchwork of dodgy road surfaces.

Make no mistake, the EV6 is a big car and initially, you’ll notice that physical size from the driver’s seat. Its less a fact that it feels heavy through the steering wheel and brakes, more so that it’s a large vehicle you have to move around and negotiate through tight streets. The payoff is the cabin space, but if you’re looking for something that feels compact, the EV6 isn’t the EV for you.

Only the GT variant gets an Australian-specific steering and suspension tune, but the Air RWD remains an excellent EV around town, with the response, composure and chassis control we expect of Kia product.

This facelift doesn’t transform the way the EV6 drives, and it wasn’t meant to. It was, however, meant to bring the styling in line with newer Kia models, and add technology that is now expected. A slightly longer range is a bonus. Therefore, it remains as competent to drive as it ever was without a huge price increase from the model it replaces. Key for mine with Kia EVs, is they don’t require a complete reset in the way you approach driving as some electric vehicles can. This is very much a Kia, it just happens to have an electric powertrain.

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How fast can the Kia EV6 Air RWD charge?

First up, efficiency. Against the 15.9kWh/100km claim, we achieved 15.8kWh/100km over 300km of testing, with approximately 20 percent of that testing on a 100km/h highway stretch. Impressive use of its available charge in other words.

Based on Hyundai and Kia’s global electric modular platform called E-GMP, the EV6 features the same 800-volt charging capacity, and can accept 240kW when connected to a 350kW charger. Plugged into a 150kW Ampol fast charger during our test, the EV6 zipped up to 120kW and stayed there until it tapered down toward the end of the charge session.

Kia claims 10 to 80 per cent charging in as little as 18 minutes, and it is ready for 11kW home charging if you have access to to three-phase power.

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Is the Kia EV6 Air RWD practical?

Inside the cabin, EV6 now runs Kia’s latest ccNC infotainment software suite, which brings with it wireless smartphone connectivity and Kia Connect telematics. There are additional USB-C charging ports, updated lane-following assist and a new steering wheel – which is a two-spoke design in the Air we’re testing. Gone is the finger-print and grease-attracting gloss black material on the centre console, which to our way of thinking, is a smart change.

The other cabin change of note is the absence of cloth, now replaced with synthetic leather across the range. You do miss out on electric seat adjustment, for example, in the base grade, with the Air getting manual seats, although there is electric lumbar adjustment for the driver. Do you need electric seat adjustment? Wheels doesn’t think so. And it’s another reason this most affordable variant is a smart choice.

The EV6 cabin is a good one, even in base trim, with excellent visibility, a broad glasshouse and genuine comfort across all four major seating positions. The flat floor and legroom in the second row mean it’s a legitimate four-up adult cruiser, with long drives an option too, thanks both to the driving range, and the space on offer. Even with tall occupants up front, there’s comfort in the second row for tall adults. It’s a big crossover, but it actually is inside the cabin.

Even in its most affordable guise, EV6 features a big 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen, which is clear, responsive and easy to use, and while wireless CarPlay worked seamlessly for us on test, we preferred the cabled connection, which was also faultless. There’s a second 12.3-inch screen for the driver, and if you like tech gizmos, the EV6 won’t disappoint.

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What warranty covers the Kia EV6?

Kia covers the EV6 – as it does it’s whole range – with a seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty for private buyers. The battery pack is covered by an eight-year/150,000km warranty.

Service intervals are 12 months or 15,000km, and you can cap your servicing prices up to seven years, and also prepay if you wish to. Plans are available for three or five years, too, if you’d prefer a shorter prepaid plan. For seven years, then, the total servicing cost is $2055. The cost for three-years is $728 or five-years for $1391.

What’s the verdict on the Kia EV6?

This facelift doesn’t transform the way the EV6 drives, and it wasn’t meant to. It does bring the styling in line with newer Kia models, and add technology that is now expected. A slightly longer range is a bonus. It remains a good thing to drive, too, without a huge price increase from the model it replaces.

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Specs: Kia EV6 Air RWD

Forget the revisionist history. When the original Range Rover launched in 1970, it wasn’t a luxury vehicle. Not even close.

Vinyl seats, hard plastics, rubber floor mats, ladder-frame chassis, unassisted steering, live axles, and manual window winders aren’t the hallmarks of a luxury vehicle. Oh, and it only had two doors. And a manual transmission.

But what it did have was lusty V8 power, permanent all-wheel drive with a lockable centre-diff and coil spring suspension all round. That afforded the Range Rover a level of comfort on the road (as well as off) that broadened its appeal beyond British farm folk and serious four-wheel drive enthusiasts. And that was by design.

The brainchild of long-time Land Rover engineer Spencer ‘Spen’ King, who with a prescience decades ahead of his time, recognised that more and more people were looking for a vehicle that blended rugged abilities with on-road comfort and modern design.

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King, along with Gordon Bashford, and with some finessing of its final design by Rover cars designer David Bache, brought the humble four-wheel drive farm hack into a new era. Suddenly, in the words of Land Rover, the world had “a new kind of vehicle – one capable of going anywhere yet fitting in everywhere”.

Certainly, its functional form brought the 4WD into the modern age. No longer resembling an ex-military cast-off, as so many of its forebears did, the Range Rover brought a newfound modernity to the segment. Boxy yes, but there was something unmistakably futuristic about its design. A clamshell bonnet, split tailgate, low beltline and expansive glasshouse were not only practical, but lent the Range Rover a clean and contemporary profile.

Recognition of King’s design came early, and from an unlikely source – the Louvre Museum in Paris showcasing the Range Rover as part of its Idea and Form exhibition, feted as an “exemplary” piece of Industrial design.

Too large to fit inside the Louvre, a one-quarter scale model graced the Louvre’s halls while a full-size Range Rover was parked proudly in the Museum’s forecourt. It was the first ever vehicle exhibited at one of the world’s most prestigious museums.

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But more than just a showcase for modern design, the Range Rover was also a smash hit for the job it was intended. Banishing the “image of rough-and-ready transport for the farmer and his sheep” to the back paddock, the Range Rover made good use of its ex-Buick 3.5-litre light-alloy block V8, its 101kW and 251Nm mated to a four-speed manual transmission making light work of whatever challenges it faced.
As Wheels noted in our first drive in the May 1972 issue, “The engine is exceptionally smooth and quiet, giving tremendous low-down torque and yet revving quite happily. It will pull strongly from as low as 10mph in top and take-off from standstill in second as though it didn’t have a lower gear.”

But its reason for being was always going to be its off-road capabilities. And here its credentials were without compromise. Built on a ladder-frame chassis, the Range Rover featured live axles front and rear but did away with the leaf springs of Land Rovers of old. In their place, long-travel coil springs brought two-fold benefits – improved axle articulation for better off-road performance; and comfortable and composed manners on the road.

Its four-speed, dual-range transfer case mated to its permanent all-wheel drive system and lockable centre-diff effectively gave the Range Rover eight forward and two reverse gears, ensuring its off-road chops lived up to its Land Rover Series heritage.

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Launched in June 1970 with the clever and catchy slogan of ‘A Car for All Reasons’, buyers were soon clamouring for this most utilitarian of vehicles that blended off-road ruggedness with high-street appeal. Demand outstripped supply, something only enhanced with the Range Rover’s gruelling exploits on the world stage.

In 1971, a Range Rover became the first vehicle in history to drive the full length of the Americas – a 29,000km journey from Anchorage in Alaska in the north, to Tierra del Fuego at the southern tip of Argentina. To complete the expedition, its crew had to navigate the 400km-long Darién Gap, a gruelling roadless stretch of jungle bridging the border between Panama and Colombia that took 99 days to complete, over half of the six-month long journey. Progress at times slowed to as little as one to two kilometres per day. Legend status assured.

Further expeditions only enhanced its reputation. In 1974, a Range Rover completed the 12,000km crossing of the Sahara Desert from west to east in just 100 days while in 1977, a modified Range Rover won its class in the longest-ever speed-based rally, the 30,000km London-Sydney Marathon. Then in 1979, a Range Rover driven by Frenchman Alain Génestier won the car category in the inaugural Paris-Dakar.

But while its off-road adventures highlighted its capabilities, the Range Rover had increasingly become the chariot of choice for the well-to-do.

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Land Rover knew it was onto something and in late 1980 tasked renowned British coachbuilders, Wood & Pickett, to create a one-off upmarket prototype to get a sense of buyers’ appetites for a more luxurious model.

The finished prototype was then lent to Vogue magazine where it formed the backdrop to one of the magazine’s fashion shoots. What happened next, changed the nameplate forever.

The magazines’ readers were enamoured of the light-blue metallic Range Rover, replete with air-conditioning, plush carpeting, a picnic hamper and a raft of other luxury appointments not seen in regular production models. Demand escalated and in 1981, Land Rover released the first ever Range Rover In Vogue, a limited edition of 1000 vehicles that redefined the nameplate.

All were finished in what became known as Vogue Blue metallic paint and fitted with luxury appointments that would not look out of place on the streets of Mayfair – polished wood trim, a fully carpeted load area with its signature picnic hamper, a central storage bin between the front seats, air-conditioning, black centre caps for the wheels, twin coachlines in two-tone grey, map pockets, and stainless steel tailgate capping.

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They were snapped up by hungry buyers, prompting Land Rover to release another batch the next year, this time finished in Nevada Gold or Sierra Silver. These too rolled out of showrooms faster than a galloping horse at Royal Ascot and in 1983, Land Rover released the final batch of its special In Vogue edition, 325 vehicles finished in Derwent Blue.

In 1984, the Range Rover Vogue (the ‘In’ was dropped) became a permanent addition to the line-up, the newly-annointed flagship completing the nameplate’s transition from utilitarian workhorse and capable off-roader to luxury four-wheel drive, the undisputed progenitor of a new category of vehicle.
The era of the luxury SUV had arrived.

Range Rover Vogue – Specs

Car thanks to Young Timers Garage

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This story first appeared in the June 2026 issue of Wheels magazine, now on sale. Subscribe here and gain access to 12 issues for $109 plus online access to every Wheels issue since 1953.

The NSX legend is well-established but it’s taken until 2026 for one online genius to add yet another compelling reason to the lengthy list as to why we all need an NSX in our life.

Now, prices have put the NSX out of reach of most of us of course, so we use that term with tongue in cheek, but the fact that another legendary Honda product works in such seamless harmony with the NSX was music to our ears.

That’s right, Honda’s ridiculously cool pocket-bike hero, the Motocompo, fits in the boot of the NSX. This is information those of us who love cars of all kinds need to know. Designed to be folded down and packed into the boot of the Kei-hero Honda City, the Motocompo was designed as an ingenious way of covering the last few kilometres of the commute, leaving your City parked in a more convenient place.

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In fact, you couldn’t just buy the Motocompo on its own, you had to buy it as an option packaged with the City tiny car. With 50cc of fury, Honda sold more than 50,000 as an option with the City, against more than 330,000 sales of the car. Launched in 1981, Honda claimed the Motocompo was the most compact folding motorcycle, and provided owners with an alternative to public transport for that last part of the commute.

It was genius then, and with our cities as choked as they are now, it remains a concept of simple genius in 2026. However, as cool as a Motocompo is standing up in the boot of a retro Honda City, it’s even cooler laying down in the boot of an NSX.

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As you can see in the photos, as reported by The Autopian, and discovered by British NSX enthusiast Chris Scott, it’s a snug fit, but the Motocompo fits nonetheless. So much so we’re left wondering, did Honda designers and engineers plan this all along?

As the Australian motoring landscape continues to evolve, we look back to the Aussie streets of the 1990s and the cars that occupied garages, driveways, and parking spots Down Under.

An era before SUVs took over, and when Chinese cars weren’t even known about, let alone spotted on Aussie streets.

Look around today, and you may be hard-pressed to spot any of the cars on this list, but rewind 30-odd years and you’d have never been far away from one of the following.

1. Toyota Tarago

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The Toyota Tarago did a lot of heavy lifting when it came to changing Australian perceptions. Shifting the idea of van-based multi-seaters from utilitarian minibuses to comfortable and convenient people movers

The second-generation Tarago, with its futuristic aero-smooth shape and innovative packaging, moved the game forward even further. Formerly a fixture of school runs and shopping centre carparks, and now rare to spot in the wild.

2 Hyundai Excel

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Hyundai swept into the Australian market on the back of sharp drive-away deals on the compact Excel. By the time the colourful third-gen Excel arrived in 1994, it was an unstoppable force in Australia’s new car market.

Three-door Excels were the default P-plater car of the late 1990s, but the availability of sensible four- and five-door versions also saw them pull duty with retirees or as a second car for urban families. An Excel racing series started in 2014 thinned the herd drastically, and continues to this day.

3 Ford Laser

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If the words ‘the average young family has 2.3 children’ has you returning serve with ‘yeah, and I’m the point three!’ then you’ll be familiar with the Laser.

Ford came out swinging when it first introduced the Laser, based on the front-wheel drive Mazda 323, in the early ‘80s. Australian production ceased in 1994, but the Laser persisted for two more generations until it was replaced by the European-designed Focus in 2002.

4 Toyota Camry

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Toyota started Camry production in Australia in the late 1980s, and by the time the ‘wide body’ Camry arrived in 1992, the bigger interior and excellent build quality pushed Camrys onto suburban streets as an unmissable fixture.

From fleet-spec sedans to the slightly odd-looking wagon with its twin rear wipers, all the way to the upscale Vienta models, it wasn’t hard to find a Camry in car parks around Australia.

5 Mitsubishi Pajero

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Despite being outsold by the likes of the Toyota LandCruiser and Nissan Patrol, the Mitsubishi Pajero was an inescapable fixture of Australian suburbia.

Maybe it was the way the Pajero blended on-road comfort and go-anywhere utility, or perhaps it was just the distinctive two-tone bodywork. Whatever the reason, the Pajero had well and truly cemented itself in the Australian psyche during the 1990s.

6 Nissan Pulsar

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As with its rivals, the Nissan Pulsar switched from Australian-assembled to fully imported in the mid 1990s, but the move, coupled with a healthy increase in size, only seemed to strengthen its ubiquity.

Conservative styling meant you never really noticed the Pulsar; it just quietly existed. Nissan tried to spice things up a bit with the SSS hot hatch, and these very quickly found their way into the hands of backwards cap-wearing JDM fans on a budget.

7 Ford Falcon ute

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Despite skipping a generation compared to the sedan and wagon, the Falcon ute’s proven reputation as reliable, affordable tradie transport kept it popular. Ford finally invested in a mid-90s makeover to give the angular ute that traced its original design back to 1979, a look that matched the contemporary EF Falcon.

The XH ute and panelvan wore the logos of builders, plumbers, and electricians before the rise of dual-cab utes changed the face of Australian suburbs.

8 Toyota Celica

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While never quite as commonplace as family cars of the era, the Toyota Celica made a huge impression on the motoring landscape of the 1990s thanks to its curvaceous styling that, believe it or not, was considered almost risqué for Toyota at the time.

While the Celica formed the basis of Toyota’s WRC efforts, the suburbs were filled with much tamer, non-turbo front-wheel drive versions. A surprising number of convertible versions, as grey market imports from Japan, also made their way here.

9 BMW E36 3 Series

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In the greener suburbs of Australia’s capital cities, the E36 BMW 3 Series could be found in almost plague proportions.

The 318i sedan, replete with unpainted bumpers, became the uniform of corporate ladder-climbers in the 1990s. Decent amounts of coupe, convertible, and later three-door compacts also appeared, but the grey-bumpered four-door is probably the one etched in your memory.

10 Holden Commodore 

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As the winner of Wheels Car of the Year in 1988, 1993, and 1997, it’s no wonder the Holden Commodore was a common sight on Australian roads.

From wagons loaded to the hilt for holiday adventures, to hard-working utes, and HSV’s hotted up specials, the Holden Commodore, although hardly a new nameplate by the ‘90s, was a firm fixture on Aussie roads.

While there are still plenty of later versions scattered about, the earliest cars of the 1980s and ‘90s are starting to reach alarming scarcity. No longer crowding every street and Macca’s drive-through the way they once did.

Lotus is preparing a new flagship supercar that could produce more than 745kW from a hybrid V8 powertrain, as the British marque moves away from its previously announced all-electric future.

Known internally as the Type 135 and widely expected to revive the Esprit name, the new model is being developed with support from parent company Geely and is set to become the most technologically advanced road car in Lotus’s history.

Lotus CEO Qingfeng Feng has confirmed the car will be powered by an all-new twin-turbocharged V8 engine derived from a recently unveiled 3.0-litre V6 developed through Horse Powertrain, a joint venture between Geely and Renault. The V6 is expected to produce up to 400kW and weighs just 160kg, with the V8 variant likely to deliver substantially more performance when paired with hybrid assistance.

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The move addresses a long-standing challenge for Lotus, which currently relies on externally sourced engines for the Emira sports car. According to Feng, developing an in-house powertrain solution will allow Lotus to achieve the performance targets it previously could not reach.

Rather than a plug-in hybrid setup, the Type 135 is expected to use a smaller battery and energy recovery system similar in principle to Formula 1’s kinetic energy harvesting technology. The system would capture braking energy and redeploy it to boost acceleration and performance.

All-wheel drive is also under consideration, with electric motors potentially powering the front axle while the V8 drives the rear wheels. Advanced torque-vectoring software would allow the system to vary power delivery depending on driving conditions, maximising traction under acceleration while maintaining rear-drive characteristics through corners.

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Lightweight construction remains a key focus. Lotus is expected to combine carbon-fibre and aluminium structures, drawing on lessons learned from the Evija electric hypercar.

The Type 135 will also introduce a new generation of electronic architecture capable of controlling active suspension, continuously variable dampers and active anti-roll systems in real time.

A recently released teaser image suggests the new supercar will adopt a cleaner and more restrained design language than the Evija, with a wide stance, minimalist rear lighting and subtle aerodynamic elements integrated into the bodywork.

Not sold on hybrids, plug-in hybrids or EVs? You’re not alone. While electrification dominates the new automotive landscape and discussions about fuel efficiency, there are still conventionally powered cars available that deliver impressive economy. We’ve rounded up the 10 most fuel efficient new petrol and diesel vehicles on sale in Australia for buyers who prefer to avoid the charging stations.

1. Fiat 500 Dolcevita: 4.8L/100km

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Price: From $28,900 plus on-road costs
Drivetrain: 1.2-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine, 51kW/102Nm, five-speed automated manual
Fuel type: 95 RON premium unleaded

It may have been around for almost 20 years in its current shape, but the Fiat 500 is actually the most fuel efficient new car you can buy today without electrification. Of course, its tiny shape helps achieve such low figures, but its 1.2-litre petrol engine helps too. Making just 51kW of power and 102Nm of torque, the 500 is no powerhouse, but offers more than enough performance for urban driving. Its 4.8L/100km combined fuel consumption rating is lower than any other pure internal combustion engined new car available. 

2. Mazda2 and Skoda Fabia 85TSI: 5.0L/100km

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Price: From $27,290 plus on-road costs (Mazda2), $29,990 driveaway (Fabia)
Drivetrain: 81kW/142Nm 1.5-litre four-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol with a six-speed automatic (Mazda2); 85kW/200Nm 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission (Fabia)
Fuel type: 91 RON regular unleaded (Mazda2), 95 RON premium unleaded (Fabia)

The second most fuel efficient new ICE cars in Australia are both the Mazda2 and the Skoda Fabia 85TSI, which are both rated to consume just 5.0L/100km of fuel. They take different paths in getting to that number, however, with the Mazda2 using a naturally aspirated 1.5-litre petrol engine, and the Fabia a smaller, turbocharged 1.0-litre unit. Both cars provide more than ample performance, with the Skoda a bit more refined thanks to low-end torque. The Mazda runs on 91 RON regular unleaded, which is cheaper to buy than the Skoda’s 95 RON premium unleaded, but the Fabia would likely be more efficient than the Mazda2 in real life. 

3. Audi A1 35 TFSI: 5.2L/100km

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Price: From $39,200 plus on-road costs
Drivetrain: 110kW/250Nm 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission
Fuel type: 95 RON premium unleaded

It’s officially no longer in production, but there is still stock around of the third most fuel efficient ICE car in Australia: the Audi A1 35 TFSI. It uses a refined and smooth turbocharged 1.5-litre petrol engine making 110kW of power and 250Nm of torque, while a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission is standard. The A1’s small dimensions make it nimble to drive, and the engine is quite punchy for its size. If you’re after an A1, you’d better get in quick as stock is limited.

4) Volkswagen Polo 85TSI, Volkswagen T-Cross 85TSI, Skoda Kamiq 85TSI, Skoda Scala 85TSI, Kia Picanto Sport manual: 5.4L/100km

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Price: From $19,190 plus on-road costs (Picanto Sport); $30,990 +ORC (Polo 85TSI); $33,990 driveaway (Kamiq 85TSI); $33,990 driveaway (Scala 85TSI); $34,990 +ORC (T-Cross)
Drivetrain: 62kW/122Nm 1.2-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder petrol with a five-speed manual (Picanto); 85kW/200Nm 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission (Polo, T-Cross, Kamiq and Scala)
Fuel type: 91 RON regular unleaded (Picanto); 95 RON premium unleaded (Polo, T-Cross, Kamiq and Scala)

Consuming just 5.4L/100km on the combined cycle, the fourth most fuel efficient cars available are the Kia Picanto Sport manual, Volkswagen Polo and T-Cross, and Skoda Kamiq and Scala, all with the same ‘85TSI’ engine. While the Picanto uses a naturally aspirated 1.2-litre engine mated to a five-speed manual, the Volkswagen Group products use the same 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. The Picanto is best suited to urban conditions where its 122Nm of torque will be fine, but the 200Nm of the Volkswagen Group cars makes them quite punchy from low revs and they can do highway duties easily. 

5) Volkswagen Caddy Maxi TDI320: 5.5L/100km

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Price: from $57,500 plus on-road costs
Drivetrain: 90kW/320Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel, seven-speed dual-clutch
Fuel type: Diesel

A bit of a surprise entrant into the most fuel efficient non-electrified cars in Australia, the seven-seat Volkswagen Caddy Maxi uses a smooth 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engine making 90kW of power and 320Nm of torque. Mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, the Caddy Maxi TDI320 is efficient and refined, and drives well. Diesel power is not at the top of everybody’s automotive shopping list these days, and as a result, many diesel cars are no longer available. But the Caddy Maxi proves that diesel passenger cars can be very fuel efficient, even without electrification. 

6) Nissan Juke, Honda HR-V and Mazda3 G20: 5.8L/100km

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Price: From $28,890 plus on-road costs (Juke); $31,610 +ORC (Mazda3); $32,900 driveaway (HR-V)
Drivetrain: 84kW/180Nm 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol with a seven-speed dual-clutch (Juke); 88kW/145Nm 1.5-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine with a CVT automatic; 114kW/200Nm (HR-V) 2.0-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder petrol with a six-speed automatic (Mazda3)
Fuel type: 95 RON premium unleaded (Juke); 91 RON regular unleaded (HR-V and Mazda3) 

It’s actually just gone off sale from Australia, and the next-generation model has already been revealed, but there’s still new stock available of the Nissan Juke available. Thankfully, the lovely Mazda3 isn’t going anywhere for now, same with the HR-V. The Juke uses a punchy turbocharged 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine that’s mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission as standard, which is torquier than the 88kW/145Nm 1.5-litre naturally aspirated engine in the HR-V but less powerful than the 114kW/200Nm 2.0-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine in the Mazda3. Their 5.8L/100km combined fuel consumption is low in the small SUV and small car segments, and both cars are good to drive as well. 

7) MG 3 and Mini Cooper: 6.0L/100km

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Price: From $20,990 driveaway (MG 3); $41,990 plus on-road costs (Cooper C Core)
Drivetrain: 81kW/142Nm 1.5-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder petrol with a CVT (MG); 115kW/230Nm 1.5-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol with a seven-speed dual-clutch (Mini)
Fuel type: 91 RON regular unleaded (MG); 95 RON premium unleaded (Mini)

Consuming just 6.0L/100km on the combined cycle are two light hatchbacks from brands with British heritage, though they’re actually quite different. The MG 3 starts from $20,990 driveaway and uses a naturally aspirated 1.5-litre petrol engine, whereas the Mini in Cooper C form uses a turbocharged 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine making much more grunt. The MG drives through a CVT automatic and the Mini a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, and both offer a nice feel from behind the wheel. 

8) Hyundai i30 Sedan, Kia K4 2.0L sedan, Skoda Octavia 110TSI liftback: 6.1L/100km

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Price: From $30,000 plus on-road costs (i30), $32,090 +ORC (K4); $41,990 driveway (Octavia)
Drivetrain: 110kW/180Nm 2.0-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder petrol with a CVT (i30 and K4); 110kW/250Nm 1.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol with an eight-speed automatic (Octavia)
Fuel type: 91 RON regular unleaded (i30 and K4); 95 RON premium unleaded (Octavia)

In a big win for small-medium sedans, the Hyundai i30 Sedan, Kia K4 sedan and Skoda Octavia liftback are all quite fuel efficient as they’re rated at just 6.1L/100km on the combined cycle. The i30 and K4 use the same 2.0-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine with a CVT automatic, whereas the Skoda goes the lower capacity but turbocharged route. They all make the same 110kW of power, but the Octavia makes 70Nm torque and uses an eight-speed transmission – though a new mild-hybrid version of the Octavia is also now available and it uses just 5.1L/100km on the combined cycle. 

9) Hyundai Kona 2.0L and Skoda Octavia 110TSI wagon 6.2L/100km

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Price: From $33,700 plus on-road costs (Kona); $43,990 driveaway (Octavia)
Drivetrain: 110kW/180Nm 2.0-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder petrol with a CVT (Kona); 110kW/250Nm 1.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol with an eight-speed automatic (Octavia)
Fuel type: 91 RON regular unleaded (Kona); 95 RON premium unleaded (Octavia)

Using the same drivetrains as the eighth-placed entrants (a naturally aspirated 2.0-litre engine in the Kona and a turbocharged 1.4-litre engine in the Octavia) are the Hyundai Kona and Skoda Octavia again, though this time in 110TSI wagon form. Both make the same 110kW of power but again, the Octavia makes 70Nm more torque at 250Nm, making it feel punchier from lower revs. On the flip side, the Hyundai can use 91 RON regular unleaded, but the Skoda must be filled with minimum 95 RON premium unleaded, increasing the cost of each fill.

10) Mazda CX-30 2.0L, Mazda CX-3, Isuzu D-Max 2.2L 4×2, Volkswagen T-Roc 110TSI and Volkswagen Golf 110TSI: 6.3L/100km

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Price: From $34,360 plus on-road costs (CX-30); $38,990 +ORC (T-Roc); $39,290 +ORC (Golf); $44,200 (D-Max)
Drivetrain: 110kW/195Nm (CX-3)/114kW/200Nm (CX-30) 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol with a six-speed automatic; 110kW/250Nm 1.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine with an eight-speed automatic (Golf, T-Roc); 120kW/400Nm 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel with an eight-speed automatic (D-Max)
Fuel type: 91 RON regular unleaded (CX-30); 95 RON premium unleaded (T-Roc and Golf); diesel (D-Max)

In yet another example of how different new cars can be in achieving the same fuel consumption result without electrification, two small SUVs (one naturally aspirated and one turbocharged), a small hatchback and even a ute can all be rated at 6.3L/100km on the combined cycle. The CX-3 and CX-30 share the same 2.0-litre engine and six-speed auto but the CX-3 makes 110kW/195Nm and the CX-30 114kW/200Nm. The Golf and T-Roc make 110kW/250Nm from their smaller but turbocharged engine and eight-speed auto. Meanwhile the new 2.2-litre turbo-diesel in the D-Max uses a new eight-speed automatic that makes it the most fuel efficient non-electrified new ute available today.

First published in the March 1986 issue of Wheels magazine, Australia’s best car mag since 1953. Subscribe here and gain access to 12 issues for $109 plus online access to every Wheels issue since 1953.

The speedo read 155mph. Two-and-a-half miles a minute, 249km/h in a five-seater two-litre Ford Sierra sedan! The day before, we had clocked exactly 14.9 seconds, 241.7 km/h, over a flying kilometre in an identical car. So Ford was not kidding. The Sierra RS Cosworth, to give the new European barnstormer its full title, really is as sensationally quick as Ford says it is.

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And this is the tame one, the road car, the 5000-off homologation special that will eventually qualify the racers for serious Group A competition and really high speed, something over 320km/h. It seems only yesterday that the 150mph (240km/h) test run was a furtive dash-at-dawn affair, not the sort of speed you dialled up half a dozen times during the course of a routine car launch. Nor was it one achieved with so little sense of drama.

We were in southern Spain, in the Jerez country which gave sherry its name, where Ford had mustered a dazzling squadron of all-white Cosworth RSs for us to drive, well ahead of the start of regular production., scheduled for the end of March. It was not too late, we were told, for Ford to incorporate changes to the final specification, so our suggestions would be very welcome.

At the heart of the new car is a two-litre turbocharged engine, the 47th that Cosworth has developed in conjunction with Ford (out of a total of 52 engines Cosworth has created), but the first officially to carry the Cosworth name on a Ford. This new engine is based on a standard T88 Ford block, topped by a light-alloy cylinder head cast at Cosworth’s new Worcester foundry, which is claimed to be the most advanced in the world.

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Two five-bearing camshafts, driven by a Uniroyal toothed rubber belt, open four valves per cylinder through inverted bucket tappets with hydraulic lash adjustment. Exhaust valves are sodium filled and angled at 45 degrees to the slightly larger 35mm inlets. The floors of the pentroof combustion chambers are recessed bowls in the fully skirted forged-aluminium 8:1 Mahle pistons.

Conrods and crankshaft are heat-treated steel forgings and the flywheel is attached by nine bolts instead of the usual six. The water-cooled turbo, a Garret T3 pumping through an air-to-air intercooler, is driven from a compact cast nickel-iron exhaust manifold of optimised length and gaspipe diameter. Maximum boost is set at 0.55 bar (8psi) by a wastegate controlled by the engine’s electronic control unit (ECU), integrated with multi-point Weber fuel injection and fully programmed Marelli electronic ignition.

This state-of-the-art Italian engine management system, dependent on accurate air intake and engine speed measurements, precisely controls fuel-air ratio and ignition timing. Although torque peaks at 4500rpm, with 272Nm, 80 per cent or more of the maximum available is developed between 2300 and 6300rpm.

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Maximum power of 150kW is achieved at 6000rpm, and it was suggested that competition versions of the same engine, running with much bigger intercoolers and higher boost pressures, will be capable of yielding over twice as much.

Power is transmitted to the rear wheels through a five-speed Borg Warner gearbox (also used, with different ratios, in the 2.3 Ford Mustang and Thunderbird) and a two-piece rubber-damped propshaft. Ratios are fairly normal in their spacing but on the short side for such a powerful car, top being geared to give only 36.7km/h /1000rpm when it could obviously pull something nearer 50. Major re-engineering would be needed to give the car four-wheel drive, which is deemed unnecessary – undesirable in fact – for circuit racing, which is what this car is ultimately all about.

Suspension is conceptually like that of other Sierras, with MacPherson front struts and independent semi-trailing arms behind. Ford’s British-based Special Vehicle Engineering (the group responsible for the Capri 2.8i, XR2, XR3i, RS Turbo, XR4x4 and others) made many detail changes, though.

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More positive wheel control was achieved by introducing solid plastic inner pivot bushes for the front and rear links, sacrificing some harshness suppression for sharper response. Springs and dampers were uprated, the front anti-roll bar thickened and the rear wheels given slight negative camber to ensure a flat contact patch for the new steel-belted 205/50 Dunlop SP Sport D40 tyres. Wheels are 15×7 cross-spoked light alloys, accommodating the largest possible brakes – 280mm ventilated discs up front, with four-pot Teves calipers, solid 250mm discs behind. Electronic anti-lock mechanism like that used on the new Scorpio and Sierra XR4x4 is standard. So is variable-rate power steering, as used on other production Sierras.

Based on the three-door shell used for the XR4i and some lesser short-lived variants, the Sierra RS Cosworth’s striking sedan body incorporates 92 detail sheet-metal changes. A single body-coloured polyurethane moulding embraces the front bumper, grille and lower spoiler, carrying intakes for the hungry engine and front brakes. Hood louvres help release engine bay heat. At the sides, wheel-arch extensions and side-sill skirting protrude far enough to accommodate 10-inch racing wheels. The impact-resistant polycarbonate rear bumper is also colour-keyed, as is the giant rear wing, extending well back from the sides of the tailgate and supported by a single central strut. High mounted to catch the wind, it is alleged not merely to reduce lift but actually to generate downforce, 20kg of it at speed, for the first time on a production car.

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Inside, the RS Cosworth is much like that of other top-range Sierras, except for hip-hugging Recaro seats and a single-piece rear backrest. Instrumentation is normal apart from a boost gauge on the tacho dial. Other giveaways are a leather-trimmed gear lever knob and a blanked-off facia cubby used to house the car’s ECU, which you can hear ticking.

On the road, the RS Cosworth stands out like a thoroughbred in a pony field. Okay, so the rear wing is aesthetically way over the top. Never mind. The car has striking style rather than ostentatious vulgarity. It looks great.

You don’t sit on the Recaros so much as lever yourself into them. Firm and prominent bolsters embrace your hips and thighs with such unusual intimacy that it’s necessary to fine-tune the seat’s position with particular care. That done, the driving position is first class, even if the aft view isn’t. The rear wing cuts right across the middle of the screen, badly restricting visibility, though you can see the rooftops of following cars (and thus also see any flashing blue lamps!).

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The first agreeable surprise is the tone and timbre of the engine. As expected, it is hard edged and slightly tingly at rest through the gearshift and pedals. Mildly boomy at the top end, too. But in the main, refinement is first class for an in-line four, never mind one yielding 75kW/litre. It’s this combination of sweetness and vigour that makes the engine so impressive.

Performance is terrific, and not just beyond midrange revs, either. This is not an all-or-nothing turbo. There is no sudden kick-point in the wide rev band. The power comes in fluidly, with a progressive surge, as the revs rise. Ford claims a 0-100km/h time of 6.8 seconds; we doubted it until we timed the car, verifying the claimed 240km/h top speed. It felt too relaxed, too steady, too undramatic for that, but it was for real.

With 6500rpm on the tacho, the engine certainly booms quite noisily, even sounds a bit strained. Back off to relative tranquillity and the speedo is still registering 210km/h, despite gearing biased more for sprint acceleration than long-legged cruising. Two miles a minute – 190km/h – is a very comfortable cruising gait.

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Shift quality of the Borg Warner box is excellent, crisper and more precise than the normal Sierra’s, with little synchro obstruction to baulk swift movements. Despite the clutch’s rather mushy takeup from rest, it handles fast shifts positively and smoothly; all that’s needed is a sharp stab on the pedal. Although gearchanging is an indulgence to savour, the engine is quite willing to slog it out at low revs.

Handling, less impressive than drivetrain performance, is marred by steering nervousness, a characteristic of many Ford SVE products. Pressing on, the RS tends to dart round corners rather than flow through them. It is often necessary fractionally to back off lock immediately after entry to stabilise the car, to get it to point where you want. Even with deft, light-fingered pressure on the wheel, which is the technique SVE advocates, transient flick-turn behaviour denies the car pin-sharp accuracy.

Such edgy-turn-in also gives you the (false) impression that the tail is about to let go into massive oversteer. ln fact, the new Dunlops are impressively adhesive, the cornering powers very high once the car is g-settled.

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Otherwise, there’s little but more praise to lavish on this car. The ride is firm but well controlled, braking powerful (but over-assisted), noise levels very modest. There’s little disturbing roar or thump from the tyres, nor much aggravating wind whoosh at speed. At A$34,250 or thereabouts in the UK – the price won’t be announced until next year – there is no other roomy, comfortable, five-seater to compete with this car dynamically. Ford’s party line is still that they will make 5000 for homologation purposes, and no more. We shall see.

A symbol of success, one with all the bells and whistles, the kind of car you buy when things are going your way. Range-topping models carry a certain air, a distinction, that sets them apart from their pleb-spec counterparts.

There are, of course, notable Australian range-toppers, fused in our collective memories, like the Holden Caprice and Ford LTD. Then there are the others. Range toppers that either faded out quickly, or simply weren’t worth revisiting – until now

Nissan Pintara Ti 

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Two-tone paint. Luxury cars have to have two-tone paint. And alloy wheels. And puffy velour trim. The Pintara Ti came with all of that, giving it a very different look to other Pintara models.

Nissan’s mid-sizer managed to look almost handsome in the process, and its aero styling came across as more modern than the rival Camry at the time. Cruise control and climate control came standard, and Nissan loaded the Ti version with equipment to rival full-size family cars.

The 19080s Button Plan for rationalising Australia’s carmaking industry led to some unusual tie-ups, and the Pintara was one of them, available as the Ford Corsair, but even the Corsair Ghia couldn’t match the glitz of a top-spec Pintara.

HSV Jackaroo

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Before HSV fully locked in on its role as Holden’s performance arm, it tried a few unusual avenues first, like the HSV Jackaroo.

Changes were limited to standard alloy wheels, different lower body cladding, and plenty of HSV branding. The usual HSV elements, like an uprated engine or tweaked suspension, didn’t make the cut.

After a brief production run of 313 units, most of which wore Holden, rather than HSV badging, the model was wrapped into the regular Jackaroo range while HSV concentrated on its Commodore-based V8 models.

Toyota Lexcen Newport

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Another product of the Button Plan, the Toyota Lexcen became Toyota’s Holden-supplied large car, with Holden getting Nova and Apollo versions of the Corolla and Camry in return.

At the top of the Lexcen line-up sat the Newport. Introduced in 1991 on the T2 Lexcen, otherwise known as the VP Commodore.

The name? Unimaginatively taken from the suburb across the road from Toyota’s Altona assembly site – despite production being entirely handled 750km away at Holden’s Elizabeth factory in South Australia.

Ford Landau

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The success of the ‘personal luxury car’ in North America led Ford Australia to conclude that local buyers might also like their upscale luxury delivered in a more hedonistic two-door body.

By combining the front styling of Ford’s P5 LTD sedan with the svelte body of the XA Falcon Hardtop, albeit with a modified glasshouse to really emphasise its padded vinyl roof, the Landau was born.

The heavily chrome-trimmed, softly suspended appeal of the Landau was, however, misjudged. When the P6 LTD came along, an updated Landau was nowhere to be seen, although prototypes were assessed. Just 1385 Landaus were built. 

HDT Magnum

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Peter Brock’s Holden Dealer Team Road cars weren’t just a way to get a road-going racing Commodore in your driveway. For the well-heeled, the Magnum wrapped hard-hitting performance in a premium luxury package based on the WB Statesman and Caprice.

Unlike other HDT models, owners could choose which HDT bits made the cut, so the fully-colour-keyed poster car with aero wheels wasn’t indicative of every Magnum out there.

Power jumped from 126kW to a reported 188kW thanks to the HDT tune-up. Suspension and handling also received attention to give the softly-sprung Statesman greater agility, should you ever decide to take to the track. 

Mitsubishi Verada

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Mimicking how Ford and Holden dropped the Falcon and Commodore names from their upscale models, Mitsubishi spun the fleet-friendly Magna into the Verada with the launch of the second-generation Magna.

When the Verada launched in 1991, it was the first Magna variant with a V6, two years ahead of mainstream models. A styling makeover, thanks to bigger US-spec bumpers, alloy wheels, and full-width taillights, gave it a more premium look.

The Verada also introduced ‘multi-parabola headlights’ to the Australian lexicon, and benefited from some of the luxury features from Mitsubishi’s global portfolio to give it a boost against the Fairmont and Calais.

Toyota Avalon Grande

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After the Cressida was retired in 1993 and the Lexcen never quite hit the mark, Toyota looked to North America for its next large car, the Avalon.

Debuting in 2000, the Avalon was already a generation old by the time Australians got access to it, and the range-topping Grande managed to look even older, with out-of-style two-tone paint and undersized 15-inch alloy wheels.

Unsurprisingly, the audience for the Avalon Grande skewed towards older buyers, and the Avalon never quite held the same gravitas as a Calais or Fairmont Ghia of the era.

Chrysler by Chrysler

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Chrysler attempted its own version of the local long-wheelbase luxury recipe with the Chrysler by Chrysler.

The name itself had some issues, right off the bat, but the features didn’t disappoint. Despite a close relationship to the VH Valiant, the Chrysler by Chrysler rode on a longer wheelbase and came with a chrome-heavy wrap-around front bumper encircling the grille and headlights.

Sedan and coupe versions were initially offered, along with a choice of 4.3-litre inline six, or 5.2 and 5.9 litre V8 power, with sedans spanning from 1971 until 1976, but the coupe only lasting until 1973.

Holden Suburban

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Holden’s pitch for market supremacy in the late 1990s left no stone unturned, resulting in the massive Chevrolet Suburban arriving here adorned with Holden badges.

A factory-built right-hand drive program for GMC ambulances made the project possible, but also meant the Holden Suburban got a lower-spec pick-up dash compared to its US equivalent.

A choice of 5.7-litre petrol or 6.5-litre turbo diesel V8 engines was offered. By the time the Suburban was pulled in 2000, its almost $83,000 price for a fully-loaded petrol V8 was over $16,217 more than a V8 Caprice.

Ford TL50

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Ford went after HSV in a big way with the AU Falcon and Fairlane, establishing FTE – Ford Tickford Experience – to overhaul the performance and handling for Ford Australia’s mainstream models.

Launched in 1999, the TL50 was exactly what its acronym suggested, a Tickford long-wheelbase with a 5.0-litre engine, although technically its V8 rounded down to 4.9L, as with other AU Falcons.

By the time the third iteration T3 TL50 arrived, its 250kW 5.6-litre stroker engine rivalled HSV’s 255kW 5.7-litre Grange, and its long, low styling over massive wheels and huge brakes looked suitably sinister. Buyers didn’t fully agree, however, and when Ford launched the next-gen BA-based FPV range, no Fairlane-based model made it past concept stage.

What could be one of the wildest-looking Porsche 911 GT3’s to ever leave Stuttgart has been revealed. And it’s a fully factory-built creation.

To celebrate the 15th anniversary of Porsche’s official distribution in the Eastern European country of Moldova, Porsche’s Sonderwunsch individualisation program created a ‘Tree of Life’ 911 GT3.

The gradient-painted exterior, complete with hand-painted Tree of Life graphics, is attention-grabbing on its own, but the interior goes even further. Individual tastes may vary, but it’s unlikely the bold interior combination of the 911 GT3 Tree of Life will be repeated in a hurry.

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The car is designed to demonstrate the extremes of what’s possible via Sonderwunsch customisations, but the aesthetic applied here features strong ties to Moldovan culture.

The interior is trimmed in Lina purple leather, with highlights in Ruby Star Neo pink, mirroring the hand-painted Violapurplemetallic to Chromaflair Magic Magenta exterior that references Moldova’s wine-growing heritage.

Porsche’s legendary Pasha chequered interior fabric is also used in the seats, doors, and luggage area in eye-catching pink and white. Woof finishes for the gear knob and seat backrests are used to “symbolise Moldova’s natural roots and traditional craftsmanship”, according to Porsche.

Pasha first arrived as an option for the Porsche 928 in 1977, and was reintroduced by Porsche, for restorations – and custom-build creations like this one – in late 2025.

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The Tree of Life exterior details are finished in Neodyme Porsche Gold, adding another hand-painted element to go with the gradient paintwork, taking a reported 400 hours for the exterior finishes. A Tree of Life ‘M’ graphic, for Moldova, has been integrated into the front lower intake grille.

Even the wheels score a Sonderwunsch (German for special request) once-over, with the 20-inch front, and 21-inch rear magnesium wheels, colour-coded to their respective position on the vehicle.

The unique 911 GT3 Touring was commissioned by Porsche Moldova, and will form the basis of a customer event and subsequent exhibitions at the National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History in the Moldovan capital of Chișinău. From there, the 911 GT3 ‘Tree of Life’ will take pride of place at Porsche Centre Moldova.

Mechanically, the Tree of Life 911 retains the same 375kW 4.0-litre naturally aspirated six-cylinder engine and six-speed manual as found on regular production GT3s.

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