Police defect cars in charity run

Traffic police recently defected cars in a charity event.

POLICE have issued 40 defect notices at a charity car cruise, but say they weren't blitzing the event.

Sunday's cruise from ETSA Park to Birdwood raised an estimated $20,000 for the Children's Hospital Foundation of Australia.

And Transport Department revenue will also receive a boost of almost $7000 if the car enthusiasts apply to have the notices removed with a vehicle inspection.

Organisers of the event, from Street Commodore magazine, yesterday said "we definitely didn't feel like we were targeted" even though police admit 22 vehicles were issued with defect notices as they arrived at ETSA Park.

Throughout the day, police responsible for traffic management of the event issued a total of 40 defect notices.

A total of 582 vehicles took part in the cruise and police said there were no serious traffic offences committed.

Inspector Stuart McLean from SA Police State Traffic Enforcement Section said there was no blitz of the cruise and police assisting with traffic management for the event were merely carrying out their duties.

"We worked with the organisers to support their event," Insp McLean said.

"We did monitor the arrival of vehicles to ensure a smooth flow of traffic and 22 cars were defected on their way to the cruise.

"We didn't go into the car park to defect vehicles. There was not an attempt to circle the (starting point). Once the event started, officers defected further vehicles when there was reason to."

Commodore Owners Car Club of SA president Paul Darcy said most of the defect notices issued were for "major defects", which require a vehicle inspection to remove them.

Mr Darcy said a "defect station" was set up at Gumeracha where many cars returning from the cruise were pulled over.

He said most cars defected were done so because police considered them too low.

"Police do not have to prove that the car is lower than legal ... if it looks low they can defect you and you cannot challenge it," he said.

Another participant said cars were not allowed to leave ETSA Park before police checked them.

Insp McLean said a breath-testing point was set up at Gumeracha and some cars were also defected there.

 

Targa High Country's Classic Cars

 

Excitement building for second round of the CAMS Australia Targa Championship

The hills of Victoria’s north eastern high country will come alive this week as the second round of the CAMS Australia Targa Championship gets under way with more than 160 cars vying for a win in any one of 10 Targa categories.

Now in its fourth year, the Targa High Country will open with a closed-road stage on the streets in the country town of Mansfield on Friday November 8. The field will head for the hills on Saturday, climbing to the event’s headquarters in Mount Buller, then passing through Tolmie, Whitlands and Whitfield before stopping for lunch at Pizzini Wines and then returning to Mount Buller over the same stages, but in the reverse direction.

On Sunday, competitors will follow eight stages to Eildon before retuning once again to Mount Buller for an afternoon Champagne finish.

Although the event will include 10 different Targa categories, a lot of interest will focus on the highly popular Classics class, which is made up of cars built before 1986. The category will represent nearly 60 of the cars making up the entire field and will culminate with the winning class competitor taking the coveted Classic Outright title.

At the top of the Classics class presently is South Australia’s Simon Hoff, who took his 1975 Ford Escort RS2000 to victory in the first round of the series in Adelaide. But he will be followed closely by drivers including South Australian Craig Haysman in his 1981 Triumph TR7 V8 and Roger Paterson in his 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera RS.

Former touring car star Andrew Miedecke will be in the mix, driving a 1970 Ford Capri Perana, while the Australian V8 touring car flag will be flown Greg Garwood in his Holden Torana A9X, which is replica of the car Peter Brock drove to a Bathurst victory in 1978.

The 10 Targa categories making up the 160-strong field will include the outright-contending Modern section, as well Classics, Showroom cars and Muscle Cars.

BMW and Toyota settle on joint supercar

Joint Supercar

 
Lexus LFA to be totally rethought and hybridized as part of BMW-Toyota joint venture

It's been nearly two years since Toyota and BMW announced an agreement to co-develop sports cars using state-of-the-art hybrid technologies, and now a source close to the two companies says the pair has decided on its first joint-venture.

Sorry folks, but it won't be anything like a souped-up Toyota 86. No siree.

In all their wisdom, executives citing the high cost of developing a high-performance sports car with lightweight materials have opted for a $300,000-plus Lexus LFA-style package, but with a hybrid twist.

This new two-door flagship will pick up where the LFA left off, or should we say, where the LFA never went. The LFA spent far too long on the development table (nearly 10 years) with its naturally aspirated V10 engine, while many other car-makers were fitting hybrid and electric powertrains in their high-performance models.

Interestingly, Toyota was the first to commercialise hybrids with the original Prius in 1997, but it took many more years for it to apply that technology to V8s. Ironically, therefore, Toyota is now playing catch-up in the hybrid hyper-car segment.

Supercar makers are more conscious of CO2 emissions than ever before while at the same time delivering more power and performance, and powertrain electrification is the key to realising these opposing goals in the same vehicle.

Take for example the electrically assisted Ferrari La Ferrari and McLaren P1, for example, or the purely battery-powered Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Electric Drive – the most powerful AMG ever made.

Porsche has its Panamera plug-in hybrid too, as well as the million-dollar 918 Spyder super-hybrid that recently set a new production car lap record at the Nurburgring of 6:57.

We weren't surprised when, during a recent trip to Toyota's proving ground near Mt Fuji, we saw a BMW i8 plug-in hybrid super-coupe sitting in the carpark. Our source tells us that in addition to emissions trials, Toyota is conducting durability testing of the i8's carbon-fibre frame in relation to the pair's jointly developed sports car.

So the obvious question is what will each company bring to the R&D table in this challenging collaboration? It goes without saying that Toyota will supply its hybrid technology, having already experimented with high-performance hybrid powertrains for the V8-powered Lexus LS 600h.

The Japanese car-maker can also offer more than a decade of carbon-fibre body and chassis lessons learned from the LFA, which also benefits from V10 engine expertise.


Toyota spent billions developing the LFA and its V10, just 500 examples of which were produced, so Toyota wants to leverage that technology to recoup some of those costs.

BMW, on the other hand, is an engine-producing powerhouse that may no longer have a V10 in its range, but the M5's 412kW 4.4-litre turbo V8 develops the same amount of power as the LFA's 4.8-litre V10 while consuming far less fuel and emitting less CO2.

So it doesn't take a rocket scientist to deduct that a BMW 4.4-litre turbo V8 married to a Toyota hybrid system may be the best powertrain solution for a joint-venture sportster.

Less clear are the origins of the co-developed supercar's chassis. Toyota has carbon-fibre expertise from its LFA journey, while BMW has perfected carbon-fibre reinforced plastic production on a mass scale, as evidenced by the launch of the i3.

There are other questions too, such as how the powertrain will transfer its performance to the road, and how good it will look doing it.

While BMW has a reputation for building "the ultimate driving machine" and its own brand of unique design, Toyota – through Lexus – must up its game in the sheetmetal department and perhaps borrow some on-road mastery from BMW in order to deliver a supercar that handles like a $300,000 car should.

Images by Carsales 

Holden to cease production within four years, say ministers: report

Gone!

Senior ministers reportedly believe Holden will end its manufacturing operations within three or four years regardless of whether the Federal Government offers it financial assistance for the future.

The Fairfax report says the ministers’ perceived view of Holden’s supposed planned exit has created divisions within the government, with some opposed to giving the embattled car maker further funding.

One minister reportedly revealed Holden is pushing the government for “in excess of $200 million” per year from 2015 after the expiry of the current funding agreement, flaming further resistance among economic decision-makers.

Holden today refused to comment on the report, offering only that it is “continuing talks with the government and won’t speculate on any deadlines or future production plans”.

Comments from former industry minister Kim Carr flamed the fire yesterday, with the influential figure calling on the government to reach a co-investment deal with Holden before the release of the Productivity Commission’s preliminary report on December 20.

Carr said inactivity from the government before Holden parent company General Motors’ board meeting in Detroit next month could prove fatal for the local car maker.

“It may well be that as soon as the December meeting, a decision is taken to actually wind down manufacturing facilities in this country,” Carr said.

The decision of Holden chairman and managing director Mike Devereux to leave the company at the end of this year for a new role in China has also reportedly made some ministers sceptical of the car maker’s commitment to Australian manufacturing.

The news comes just hours after Toyota Australia announced that it is taking “urgent action” in seeking a variation of the terms and conditions of its workplace agreement in its attempts to cut $3800 from the cost of every car it builds to increase its global competitiveness and improve the long-term viability of its local operations.

Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union assistant federal secretary David Smith told CarAdvice yesterday Toyota has expressed it would be tough for it to continue building cars in Australia if Holden ceased production, insisting that government support is the key to the industry’s future.

“We did speak to [Toyota] about what happens if Holden left. They’ve indicated that if that was the case they would probably find it very difficult to continue to operate in this country,” Smith said.

“But certainly they’ve made it quite clear that if there wasn’t government support available like there is in every other country in the world that has a vehicle manufacturing industry that would lead to the closure.”

~ Australia's Toughes Cars

This Right Hand Drive King Kong Cuda is Mind Blowing

Mopars are the love of many enthusiasts from every direction, Challengers and Cudas along Chargers made it’s fame along muscle cars history even across oceans, this time across the pacific where an Australian Tuner named Graeme Cowin built an awesome one with right hand drive configuration.
Behind the scenes, Graeme Cowin is one of the Leaders of the car community; an extremely influential figure in the sports of drag racing and sprint karts. So, it’s no surprise his King Kong Cuda is a big deal… a very big deal.
Graeme Cowin is the owner and founder of Rocket Industries, the parts warehouse that distributes some of the biggest brands in the aftermarket automotive sector — over 250 world-renowned brands in total — and whose name is synonymous with high performance.
The Plymouth Barracuda, in all its glory, serves as Rocket Industries’ promotional vehicle, paraded at events around the nation.
While watching an episode of the American TV series Rides, where they built a 1970 Barracuda for Joe Rogan (commentator for the Ultimate Fighting Championship) Graeme and his wife Wendy both fell in love with it and were inspired to build a similar car for themselves.
The original plan was to build a ‘street-able’ Hemi-powered version but as the build unfolded, the car required some serious surgery to achieve the desired finish. So, what was supposed to take a year to complete blew out to five years and six times the budget.
Graeme learned that car builders in Australia needed greater access to accessories for these types of builds. As such, Rocket Industries tailored its business to enable Aussies access to all the latest performance parts from around the world.
When it came to building the Cuda, owning Rocket Industries was somewhat of a double-edged sword for Graeme
There were plenty of people that offered Graeme and his crew support throughout the Cuda build but the greatest encouragement came from his wife Wendy.
The Cuda has won a string of awards. In 2010, readers of Street Machine magazine voted it ‘Street Machine of the Year’. It was also a massive hit on debut at Summernats 2011, winning ‘People’s Choice’ and ‘Top Judged’.
The Cuda’s ‘King Kong’ theme harks back to drag racing of yesteryear when the 426 Hemi engine was known as an ‘elephant motor’. When you got bored and stroked one out, though, it was then referred to as a ‘King Kong Hemi’. Despite the chest-thumping engine, the Barracuda has never been on a race track: “It would never get grip, so what’s the use?” Graeme muses. “We have serious race cars for that.”

VEHICLE
1970 Plymouth Barracuda

OWNER
Graeme Cowin

ENGINE
528 Indy Hemi

TRANSMISSION
727 B&M transmission; Strange 9-inch diff

SUSPENSION
Custom independent front suspension; four-bar rear; Air Ride Technologies ShockWave airbags

BRAKES
Baer six-spot callipers and rotors

WHEELS
Billet Specialties Stiletto wheels (18×7-inch front and 20×10-inch rear); Pirelli P Zero tyres

PAINT & BODY
House of Kolor Metallic Silver and Charcoal; billet ‘King Kong Cuda’ badges

INTERIOR
Leather and suede re-trim; Mercedes Roadster front seats; custom-made rear seats; metal interior panels; custom billet dash panel; Auto Meter C2 gauges; B&M shifter; Pioneer sound system with DVD and reverse camera; Vintage Air air con system
 

How to change a fan belt in 5 seconds!

The Original Fast Volkswagen Belt Change.

FIRST AND FOREMOST, DO NOT TRY THIS TECHNIQUE.....PERIOD!

I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR COPY CATS AND INJURIES!

Don't be fooled by copies. This is my hands, in my shop, with my tool, with my 67 car. I am the original fast belt changing VOLKSWAGNUT.

How to change a Volkswagen Generator belt in about 5 seconds. I was shown this trick a few years back, by Reece Kelso. Kelso was the "VW" man around the Gaston County N.C. area in the 70's. Kelso is gone but the memory is still strong. Here is my go at it ENJOY.

Home made mods

Some times thinking that you can repair the body on your vehicle or make a cool accessory that will match it is not always the best idea.