The chief executive officer of the V8 Supercars, Wayne Cattach, held an extraordinary briefing with drivers yesterday and effectively urged them to behave more like other controversial sporting personalities. V8 officials have expressed concern that their drivers need to raise their public profiles no a new level, and not one that sees lengthy cues behind them in a public toilet either.
Sporting greats such as Mundine, Akermanis and Warne were all used as examples to base the driver’s public profiles on and help to a rest to boring V8 drivers that we have seen in the past.
After the last round race at Darwin’s Hidden Valley Raceway, Cattach had implied that the drivers were simply “Too boring”.
I’ll be very interested to see what all the drivers do to increase their public images, this could get rather interesting. Stay tuned!
28/06/07 Drift Australia slides into Eastern Creek
If there is one thing that is better than seeing fast cars drive in a straight line, is seeing fast cars getting messed up at every corner possible and what better place to watch it all happen than at Eastern Creek Raceway. That’s right! Round 3 of the Drift Australia series is coming to Eastern Creek on July 7 and 8.
Not only will you see tons of tyre smoking sideways action, but also there will be freestyle mini motocross, stunt bikes, show and shine, and even a Japanese D1 star ripping up the tarmac.
Entry on Saturday will cost $20, Sunday $30, and the whole weekend only $40. Kids under 12 get in free.
28/06/07 Ever wanted to ride shotgun in a V8 Supercar?
Most of us have all wondered what it would be like to drive a V8 Supercar, but unfortunately it’s one dream that’s just a little too far out of reach for the common car enthusiast. Something a little more cheaper however would be to ride shotgun with HRT’s Todd Kelly in a purpose built 3 seater 600hp V8 Supercar.
“Holden Special Vehicles new T2 rides program brings together the best of HRT and the Toll HSV Dealer Team”, Todd Kelly said. “And we’re coming to Queensland soon in our new car on July 25.
“This genuine V8 race car is built for speed, with a front and rear passenger seat - the T2 Ride is pure adrenalin.”
For $595 you score yourself two laps around Queensland Raceway, V8 Supercar X-Box game, refreshments provided as well as a T2 ride cap, signed certificate and T2 ride photo.
While being a passenger is never as good driving, it certainly costs a hell of a lot less that the associated costs in buying a V8 Supercar and running a full race team.
28/06/07 9,000 more Victorians losing their licence
It stands to reason that the more speed cameras on the road, the more people will be caught speeding. So using that logic, more people caught speeding, potentially could lead to an increased amount of drivers losing their licence, which can also lead to job loss and other nasty problems. It seems that it’s already happening in Victoria, with VicRoads announcing that 9,000 more drivers this year are on the verge of loosing their license than the same time in 2005, or a grand total of 45,000 drivers in hot water.
That’s a lot of drivers any which way you look it, but on the other end of the stick, the Victorian government is doing pretty well for the themselves posting a 6.2% increase in the total revenue collected in the 2007-2008 financial year. With road safety racing up so much funds, it’s not hard to see why there are over 150 speed cameras scattered throughout the state.
27/06/07 A few more steps back into time
Everybody knows about that poor old Belvedere that they dug up after 50 years in a ‘waterproof’ concrete tomb, well how much do you know about the various other times capsules that are buried around the place? The same city that buried the Belvedere 50 years ago had also prepared another time capsule to be unearthed in the future, but this one promises to be sealed using proper methods that should see the entombed vehicle withstand it’s time in isolation. So what vehicle are we expecting to pop out of this time? Try a 1998 pre-production Plymouth Prowler. The sleek looking modern hotrod was buried back in 1998 so it will be due to get a breath of free air sometime in the year 2048.
Also buried somewhere in Nebraska, Harold Keith Davisson has built what he claims to be the worlds largest time capsule placed a whole bunch of weird and wonderful things inside it such as a Kawasaki motorcycle, a bikini and of course who could forget a 1975 Datsun.
There are more easy ways to store a car, but I guess 50 years of storage fees would probably outweigh the cost of building any sort of underground time capsule. I just hope that the Prowler comes in better condition than that poor old Belvedere.
27/06/07 Don’t forget MotorEx!
What ever you do peoples, don’t forget the Meguiar’s MotorEx on all this weekend at the Main Exhibition Hall in Sydney Olympic Park. The show is going to be absolutely massive with the whole Street Commodores crew featuring a gigantic 600sq metre trade stand with some of Australia’s best Commodores on display for you to satisfy your Commodore hunger. Entry prices are just $18.00 for adults, $12.00 for children with a family of 2 adults and 3 children get in for only $55.00
So make sure the camera batteries are charged and be sure not to miss out on one of Australia’s largest car shows!
27/06/07 Aussie drag racer sued over US parade accident
The Aussie born drag racer who lost control of his pro drag car doing a demonstration burnout at a charity event in Tennessee is being sued by the father of a 15-year-old girl who was killed in the tragedy. The girl’s father, Mr. Replogle, is seeking damages from driver of the car, Troy Critchley, to the total sum of $US10 million. Critchley is accused of gross negligence by failing to maintain proper control of his vehicle during unauthorised demonstration burnouts in a populated area with Mr Replogle also accusing AMS Staff Leasing Inc, of negligence by failing to ensure the vehicle was in proper working order and also for letting Critchley drive the vehicle at the parade.
Critchley has not spoken publicly since the accident that took place during the Cars for Kids charity parade on June 16 that killed six people and injured and further 23.
27/06/07 NSW Roads Minister under fire
The NSW Roads Minister, Eric Roozendaal, has taken considerable fire over his idea to raise election funds by auctioning off a ride in a 500km/h drag car. The auction, which saw one labour supporter pay $4,500 for the opportunity, has been labelled as irresponsible and foolish by the opposition as many politicians continue to jump on the bandwagon to condemn the ‘out there’ idea.
The Chairman of the Pedestrian Council of Australia, Harold Scruby, has labelled the idea as “appalling”, insisting that the idea is sending the wrong message to P-plate drivers. How the hell this guy gets the message that a drag race on a sanctioned motorsport ground is sending the idea to younger drivers beats me, then again so do most of his other anti 60+km/h flights of fancy.
The NSW Opposition Road and Safety spokesman, Andrew Fraser, has also come to similar conclusion that holding such a race would be detrimental to the P-plate road toll.
“Eric Roozendaal is charged with responsibility to cut the road toll, reduce P-plate speeding and encouraging young drivers to obey the road rules. He should be focusing on ensuring our young drivers don’t do this on the streets of NSW, not being part of a promotion for it.”Mr Fraser said.
There it is. Proof that intelligence and politicians are much of a mix like oil and water.
27/06/07 The great sales race
Over the past few months it’s certainly no secret that HSV has been posting some record breaking sales figures with the introduction of the E-series HSV’s unfolding to be a massive success which appears to be displaying no immediate intention of even slowing down. With the constant rivalry between the two makes, Holden and Ford, what exactly is happening on the other side of the racing-striped fence?
Enter the world of FPV. As most of you all know, FPV is Ford’s performance vehicle division, much like as what HSV is to Holden, to so comparing FPV models to HSV models is like comparing apples with apples. Only whose apples are the hot sellers? With a lot the various marketing behind the FPV models which are aimed directly at attacking the thoroughbreds in the HSV stable, has all of the clever marketing paid off and resulted in boosted sales? Take a lot at the list below and decide for yourself.
HSV Sales FPV Sales October ’06 490 198 November ’06 515 199 December ’06 519 146 January ’07 362 135 February ’07 357 110 March ’07 491 184 April ’07 475 150
26/06/07 Police chase ends in circle work
With the weather outside here in Sydney looking pretty miserable, I thought I would post up this little snippet of news for a bit of a chuckle. I bet the cops there in Holland had no idea when they started chasing this driver that it would end with four damaged pursuit cars, a totalled corn field an a crashed escapee coked out of his brains. Upon pursuit of the mystery man, it’s said that the chase entered a near-by corn field which caused the Police attempt to try to close him in and stop him from returning to the public streets. Here is where it got ugly and it took for the mystery man to crash his car into a ditch to end the entire pursuit. The damage to the corn field is irreparable, and a view from above shows the extent of the damage the rampage cars made.
See? It doesn’t take alien life forms to create crop circles, just a drugged out driver with a horde of Police cars on his tail!
26/06/07 When a car flunks the crash test
Chinese vehicles have never been known for their fantastic build quality or their safety rating for that matter with this video quickly identifying why. The first video you see a BMW getting slammed into a wall at 64km/h, or 35mph. As the car impacts, you can see the cabin of the vehicle remains intact with the occupants suffering minimal injuries. Take one Chinese-built Jiangling Motor’s Landwind X6 SUV, build up to the same 64km/h and hit the very same wall. As you can see, the car instantly crumbles with the cabin sustaining massive structural damage with puts the occupants in the next line of impact. Amazingly, you can see the driver and passenger sustain life threatening injuries as result of low speed impact. Interestingly enough, both the driver’s side and passenger side airbags can be seen deploying upon impact but create very little protection as the entire firewall gets pushed forward.
So when venturing on a holiday to China in the future, insist on a rental car that you have actually heard of, rather than a Chinese Jiangling Landwind X6. I only shudder to think how the rest of the car fares up against the rest of its automotive competitors.
26/06/07 Hummer delayed until October
Those who are angling to get their mits on a new H3 Hummer are going to have to wait a few more months. The new Hummer H3, which will be wearing a Holden badge, is set to be released in October after the town-on-wheels has had difficulties satisfying some ADR requirements. ADR’s, or Australian Design Rules stipulate that a vehicle has to comply with all rules set down to ensure the vehicle is safe and meets all of the Australian conditions. Specific problem areas for the new H3 have been narrowed down to wiring looms, mudflaps and tow bar regulations.
The new Hummer will be on offer here is Oz with only one available engine, a 3.7-litre inline five-cylinder set to produce 180kW@5600rpm and 328Nm of torque at a rather hight 4600rpm. A V8 option is said to becoming available late ’08 early ’09 which will be displacing 5.3-litres and producing 224kW at 5200rpm and 438Nm at a more usable 4000rpm.
26/06/07 Canada joins the fight against ‘street racers’
It was only the other day that we bought you the story of the poor Civic owner who had his car crushed under tight new Californian legislation, now we have the Canadian government hopping onto the fight against ‘street racers’ bandwagon introducing tight new restrictions that see possible modified vehicles seized before even committing a traffic offence.
The latest legislation will see any modified vehicle featuring performance enhancing parts seized and could face a possible one-way sentence to the crushers. The whole idea is to stop these ‘supped’ up car owners committing traffic offences before they even get the opportunity to. I guess they figure that if a vehicle has been fitted with performance enhancing parts, that owner is going to unleash hell on the streets in busy traffic.
In an interview with the Canadian Press, Ontario’s Attorney General Michael Bryant said “If we can establish someone has parts and they’re juicing up their car – obviously for the purpose of street racing – then we can seize those vehicles… we will seize it and you will never see it again. We will crush your car, we will crush the parts.”
Mr. Bryant isn’t the most popular guy in the performance motoring community, and now people are furious that a basic right from the Charter of Rights and Freedoms has been denied which states: “Everyone has the right to be secure against unreasonable search or seizure.”
Such a harsh penalty begs the question, what is the difference between a factory Subaru WRX STi model and a factory WRX modified to STi specification? Does this see the owner of the poor STi copy get their pride and joy crushed? Is the guy down the street’s Civic with pod filter and cold air intake going to get their ride back in an ice-cream container? Thank god I live in Australia.
25/06/07 Monash Uni to host P-plate resource for parents
It seems the Monash University is also keen on curving the horrid P-plate road toll by hosting a major resource for parents of P-plate drivers. The resource, called Going Solo, contains tons of information for parents dealing with teenagers on the road and ways in which they can actively play a role in their education and driving experience building.
The information session is being held at the Monash University City Office on Level 11, 30 Collins Street, Melbourne on Wednesday 27 June from 10:30am onwards.
Further information can be obtained by calling Colin Vickery on +61 3 9905 or 0419 302 520.
25/06/07 Monday on YouTube
We love it when the guys and girls from Top Gear and Firth Gear get their hands on some local machinery, they seem to fail to come to grips that us Aussies love our power steer, and rather see it as a design flaw within the vehicles dynamics.
Either way, it seems Vicki from Fifth Gear was having a ball when she thrashed this Vauxhall VXR8 around a deserted airport, which I might happen to add has been a dream of mine for some time, just quietly.
It’s a great watch, even if she is quoted in saying “from Holden HSV” and “stops like a Murcia… legeogo”. Gotta love those accents!
25/06/07 67 years behind the wheel, without a license
Police must have had to try real hard to not burst out in laughter when they pulled over an 84 year-old man in Amsterdam last week. When the driver was asked to produce his licence and registration, the old man responded by stating that he hadn’t held a driving licence for the past 67 years, and his car was also uninsured and unregistered.
It appears the secret to his stealthiness was to drive within the law and never attract attention, therefore he was never issued with a speeding ticket or involved in a crash.
Reports state that the man offered to ditch the car upon his detection, which apparently had never been put through a vehicle safety test either.
25/06/07 ACCC holding inquiry into petrol prices
The ACCC are launching an inquiry to be handed to the treasurer investigating the divergence between petrol price movements between the domestic and international petrol markets. Parts of the inquiry are set to focus on key areas such as the current structure of the industry, the methodology behind wholesale pricing structure, the extent of competition at the refinery and current impediments to efficient petrol pricing.
The ACCC is to hand the its findings from the enquiry top the Treasurer no later than 15th of October, 2007. So does this mean the petrol prices at the bowsers are set to come down? Quite possibly, and more importantly, let’s see an end to the end of week price spike that mysteriously affects the price of crude oil around Australia on Thursdays.
25/06/07 Red Nose Fever strikes Commodore owners!
The cruise Gods were looking favourably upon Saturday the 23rd of June and instead of drenching the day with rain showers that marred the previous fortnight they eased up, cleared the skies and brought out the sun for the 2007 Red Nose Day cruise. The cruise is an annual event organised independent of Street Commodores, but one that both our forum members and we keenly support. The turnout is always good both numbers and quality wise and ’07 proved to be no different. The cruise stretched from Silverwater Bridge out to Sydney’s limits through the Hills district on the way to the Penrith Regatta Centre – a drive taking the best part of an hour. Upon arrival it was clear that this event wasn’t a slap together job, with a jumping castle for the kiddies, BBQ on hand and sectioned off parking ensuring that the assembled throng didn’t interfere with the general public’s use of the centre.
The clear skies and hassle free driving, as well as the general attitude exuded by cruisers made for an awesome day – driving along you felt like you were making a difference and with good reason; some serious cash was raised for an awesome cause.
We had a few still cameras capturing the magic of the day for the mag, and many of you would have seen Stoney with a video camera strapped to his shoulder getting the whole day on tape for our Live! DVDs. The day was an awesome test run for our Cruise for Charity, another awesome day raising money for crook kids. A review of the day can be found here, or to find out more about Cruise for Charity hit this link up.
22/06/07 US E85 station population grow 61%
Service stations featuring E85 fuel has risen over 61% in the last year to a total of over 1,200 sites. The fuel, which gets its name from using an 85% blend of ethanol with 15% gasoline, has increased in popularity in the US and more specifically within the performance motoring community. Not only is the US community fast to adapt to the new alternative to 100% gasoline fuels, the rest of the world is also starting to realise the benefits of an ethanol blend.
Power increases have been noted by switching to the ethanol rich fuel, with some engines receiving up to 9% more power which has made the performance conscious motorist sit up and take more notice. More and more motorsport organisations around the world are starting to adapt to the new fuel, with NHRA adding the fuel to the list of acceptable in most brackets, excluding pump fuels. From 2006 onwards, the Australian V8 Supercar Championship has switched to a new blend of fuel which contains a 5% ethanol blend called Shell Optimax Extreme.
Modifications to the vehicles fuelling system is needed to cope with the increased ethanol content such as alterative wider pulse injectors, stainless steel fuel lines (which are sometimes lined with plastic) and revised fuel pump internals.
22/06/07 EFIJY takes out North American Concept Award
Holden’s wild and massively popular 21st Century FJ incarnation has scored itself some big points over in the states to take out the 2007 North American Concept Car of the Year.
The EFIJY was announced the winner out of 33 other concept vehicles in the early hours of the morning (Australian time) at a special ceremony at the Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn, Michigan.
The Chevrolet Volt was also awarded for its outstanding technical breakthrough by being awarded the 2007 North American Specialty Concept Vehicle of the Year and the Most Significant Concept Vehicle of the Year.
GM Holden’s Director of Design Tony Stolfo, said, “It’s been amazing the way this car has been received wherever it has been shown.
“It was a real labor of love from all those involved in its creation and the end result is a testament to their dedication and creativity.
“This award is further recognition of that and a further advertisement for the talent and versatility of the designers we have here at GM Holden.”
SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES Dimensions
Length: 5162mm Width: 1999mm
Height – drive setting: 1386mm Height – show setting: 1274mm
Ground clearance - drive: 139mm Ground clearance - show: 27mm
Track front: 1640mm Track rear: 1660mm
Wheelbase: 2946mm Powertrain Engine: GM 6.0-litre, LS2 aluminium V8 with Roots-type supercharger
Bore and stroke: 101.6 mm x 92.0 mm
Compression ratio: 10.9:1
Power and torque: 480kW (645 bhp) @ 6400 rpm
Torque: 775Nm (560 ft/lb) @ 4200 rpm Exhaust: Custom designed, block hugger headers, stainless steel 2.5-inch dual system, billet aluminium exhaust tips Transaxle: GM four-speed electronic automatic transmission, push button electronic control, limited slip differential Exterior Body: Two door pillarless coupe, glass fibre bodyshell; remote door release and proximity sensor systems; polished billet aluminium brightwork Colour: “Soprano Purple” custom ‘kandy’ mix Head lamps: High intensity LED head lamps; LED park and turn-signal lamps Tail lamps: LED dual color stop/tail and turn signal lamps; LED single ’blue dot’; LED centre high mount stoplampChassis: Modified Chevrolet Corvette. Front mounted engine, torque tube driveline, rear mounted transaxle Suspension: Modified Chevrolet Corvette. Forged upper and lower control arms; height adjustable airbag suspension units with electronic control Steering: Variable ratio rack and pinion Wheels: Billet aluminium – 20 x 9-inch front, 22 x 10-inch rear Tyres: Dunlop SP Sport - 9090 255/35 ZR 20 front, 9000 285/30 ZR 22 rear Brakes: 381mm grooved and ventilated rotors; six-piston aluminium calipers (front), four-piston aluminium calipers (rear); electric park brake Interior Seats: Electric tombstone-style bucket, leather trimmed, integral seat belts Headliner: Leather trimmed Steering wheel: Billet aluminium and leather Flooring: Figured maple timber veneer with aluminium inserts Instruments: LCD screen display, drop-down touch control LCD screen Entertainment: Hard drive audio and video file system; 2000W amplifier, 1000W RMS subwoofer, two x 200W RMS mid-bass, two x 100W RMS split mid-range, two x 100W RMS directional tweeters Lighting: LED interior courtesy lamps; LED sill plate illumination lamps
21/06/07 Street racers face a crushing defeat
Californian street racers that get caught in the act will face a new type of penalty, one that is said to reduce the offender to tears. The offender’s vehicle is first seized, in which in then takes its last trip on the road, to the scrappers.
The car in question is then placed into a car crusher, and the switched is then flipped. That’s right, the owner has to sit there and watch their car being crushed into an ice-cream container while they think about what they have done. The state of California has made it quite clear that the new measures have already started to curve the amount of street racers caught, however some people believe that it only creates a more dangerous situation by enticing offenders not to pull over.
Click HERE to see a video of the first victim of these harsh new penalties.
20/06/07 Lukey launched new range of air filters
Lukey, who are mostly known more their range of performance exhaust systems, has just released a new range of performance high-flow air filters that utilises multiple layers of polyester fibres to form channels to guide the air through the filter. This process, called Ultra Flo Technology, is said to help increase performance as well as boost the vehicles fuel economy.
Whether or not the Lukey filter is as good as a K&N or Uni-filter is yet to be tested, but there is little doubt that these buggers will sell like hot cakes.
Tenneco’s Aftermarket Director Roger Lassen believes that Lukey’s have got what it takes.
“Due to the structure of the layers, the total filtration surface is significantly larger than traditional air filters.
“What’s more, as the polyester filter in a Lukey Performance Air Filter is stronger than a cotton filter, the filter is easier to clean by simply rinsing with water rather than oiling.”
In tests conducted by Adelaide performance experts Tilbrook Auto & Dyno, a 5.7 litre VY Commodore delivered an extra eight kilowatts at the rear wheels, simply through the addition of a Lukey Performance Air Filter. When hooked up to a Lukey Super System exhaust, that jumped further again to a huge 243kw – 30kw more than standard.
“There is no doubt that a Lukey Performance Air Filter will be a valuable new tool for those wanting to get the most out of their car,” Roger said.
20/06/07 Limited edition Lumina VE released
We all love getting something for nothing, so if you are on the look out to buy a new VE Commodore, now would be the best time. Holden have just released a special edition Lumina Edition Commodore that sees the buyer scam tons of free goodies over the Omega version, for no additional cost. The Lumina is equipped with air conditioning, 18” alloy wheels, rear parking sensors, Bluetooth phone connectivity, distinctive front grille, body colour door handles and mirrors with special Lumina badging.
The Lumina’s power plant is unchanged from the Omega, featuring 180kW on tap with 330Nm of torque arriving at just 2600rpm.
19/06/07 Powerplay hits this weekend!
The one day Powercruise Powerplay event is set to smash Queensland Raceway this weekend with non stop action planned from dawn to dusk. Even the event organizer, Gup is getting in on the action pitting his massive turbocharged HQ powerskid beast up against the Redcliffe Dyno twin turbo XR8 Ute that has been known to have reached power levels in excess of 1200rwhp!
There have been over 200 confirmed entries for the massive one day event so make sure you get down the and check it out. Adults are $35 with kids getting in for free, and if you rock up after 5pm, entry will only cost $20. The weather forecast is looking good, so make sure you don’t miss out!
19/06/07 Locals on par in crash ratings
The Toyota Aurion, Toyota Camry and Holden Commodore have all received a four-star safety rating after recent ANCAP testing proved the local models are on par with it’s over seas equivalent in the event of an accident.
The list joins the Ford Falcon and Mitsubishi 380, who already both had four-star crash ratings.
“Obviously our aim is to get all cars up to a five-star safety rating,” Haley says. “We'd like to see curtain airbags in all vehicles and we would also like to see stability control as standard,” Jack Haley, NRMA Motoring and Services Vehicle Safety Expert said.
On the other end of scale, the worse vehicle tested was the Mitsubishi Express van that earned itself only one single star.
19/06/07 ACCC choses not to appeal ruling
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission have decided not to appeal the courts decision regarding Geelong petrol price fixing claims.
“The ACCC has carefully considered the lengthy Federal Court judgement of 29 May 2007 in which Justice Gray dismissed the ACCC’s allegations of price-fixing in the Geelong petrol market during 1999 and 2000”, Mr Graeme Samuel said.
The case heard that competing petrol stations would often communicate about the price of petrol, but what was in dispute was if these communications resulted in any alterations of prices due to any agreements between the communicating parties.
“What was disputed was whether these communications amounted to an arrangement or understanding about how the parties would price their petrol.”
The ACCC was reported to have had witness statements, admissions by a number of respondents that they had breached Trade practices Act, and extensive petrol price movements and telephone call records.
“However, taking into account the oral evidence of the witnesses, the judge found that the parties were not sufficiently committed to increasing petrol prices to agreed amounts.”
19/06/07 Built Ford Tough
A bolt torque fault has caused the recall of 2516 Ford VM Transit Vans according to a Ford press release today. The bolt in question is the front shock absorber lower securing bolt, which in the event it can come loose, could possibly result in the tyre contacting the wheel arch, or if the van is Front Wheel Drive, contact the driveshaft.
Owners of the VM model of Transit built between May 2006 and June 2007 inclusive should contact their local Ford dealer or Ford Customer Relationship Centre on 1800 503 672.
18/06/07 Monday on YouTube
Those crazy Japanese guys are great value, always manage to out-do themselves for the rest of the world to sit back and enjoy. Well this video is definitely one I haven’t seen before. It involves a Silvia, a knife taped to the bonnet and a cucumber. Yeah we know, that’s one hell of a weird combination.
Knowing those Japanese guys, I’m sure they’ll make something interesting of it even if we can’t understand I word their saying
18/06/07 Holden posts $146 Million in losses
Despite the sales success the new VE range has had on the market, Holden has announced that the 2006 year saw the company post a massive $146 million loss. The announcement comes as no surprise with new releases of both Commodore and Falcon models causing profit recession within the companies.
Holden blames the 2006 results on the design and launch costs associated with the VE Commodore and WM Statesman, as well as the $140 million losses in 2005 year. 2007 will no doubt see profit figures improve as VE sales continue to grow and show further increasing potential.
Ford posted similar losses upon release of the BA/BF range, experiencing a $40.3 million loss ending the 2006 calendar year, and while $100 million behind Holden’s figure, the associated costs surround the VE were substantially higher that Fords equivalent build.
18/06/07 RTA announce new provisional conditions
The NSW Roads and Traffic Authority have announced new tight restrictions for L and P plate holders that will see any P1 speeding offence carry a minimum penalty of a three month loss of licence. Mobile phone use, hands free or otherwise, have also been banned with heavy passenger restrictions also now in place. No P1 holder is permitted to carry any more than one passenger over the age of 21 between the hours of 11pm and 5am.
The new driving restrictions come as no surprise with the RTA believing that the changes will have a positive step towards road safety. Driver training still obviously falls further down the list as usual despite increasing pubic pressure towards the idea.
Only one change was made to the learner driving system however, with all new drivers finding they now need to undertake 120 hours of log book driving, with a minium of 20 hours of night time experience.
18/06/07 Clubsport R8 spotted in US
With all the hype in the US in recent times about the Pontiac G8 hitting the market, it isn’t any wonder that a right hand drive HSV Clubsport has been spotted in Michigan bearing manufacturer plates. The car was complete with HSV badging, including the ‘I just want one’ rear window stickers.
The HSV sighting has created speculation that Pontiac may be introducing the Clubby as the range topping GXP model, adding a more performance orientated model to the line-up.
With an export deal such as this, one could only hope that HSV builds a new hi-po model worthy of some domestic and overseas collector status. Preferably nothing yellow with cartoon-style drift wing.
15/06/07 V8 Ute Racing hits the airwaves tomorrow
The Yokohama V8 Ute Racing Series is always a blast to watch with frequent powerslide action keeps the most die hard race fans on their toes. With the weather here in New South Wales proving to be a little dismal to say the least, why not grab hot chocolate ant nestle yourself in for a hour of V8 Ute racing that commences from 1:30pm tomorrow.
The telecast is a replay from last weekend’s round 3 of the series which saw the Ute’s take on a wet and windy Eastern Creak Raceway with spectacular results. For more V8 Ute Racing information, visit their website at www.v8utes.com.au
15/06/07 HRT celebrates Skaife milestone with lithograph
The Holden Racing Team is celebrating Skaife’s Brock beating 38th win achievement by releasing a special edition framed lithograph that features a actual swatch cut from Skaife’s winning driving suit.
The limited edition run is seeing only 250 of these being produced wearing a price tag of $595.00.
For ordering information, call the Holden Racing Team on 03 8545 9600 or visit their website at www.hrt.com.au.
15/06/07 Camera sacrificed for C6R Vette ride
The guys over at BADBOYVETTES.COM had strapped a Canon SD400 PowerShot cam to the front of a C6R Corvette to capture some of this awesome onboard video of a lap of Le Mans. The sound of the 7-litre symphony nothing short of awesome and I can only just sit in awe as I wish that was me piloting that mega dollar go-kart from corner to corner.
Well worth a watch, and to anybody that has never owned a V8, THIS is what your missing out on.
14/06/07 Buried car may be a little too damp
There has been a lot of hype as of late surrounding the 50-year-old time capsule buried in Tulsa, USA. The reason behind it all is that the particular time capsule in question just so happens to be a 1957 Plymouth Belvedere, buried in a concrete sarcophagus covered in several layers of plastic and canvas.
The Plymouth is set to debut in all its ancient glory this Friday, however when the concrete tomb was cracked open this week, witnesses report a giant pool of what looked like chocolate milk surrounding the wrapped-up car. The liquid looked that bad that the local hazmat was called to pump out the goo, fearing that it could contain toxic elements.
The local TV station, KOTV were first on hand to video the chocolaty discovery. Click HERE for the video.
14/06/07 Nathan Pretty joins HRT for enduros
The enduro race specialist, Nathan Pretty, has officially been confirmed as HRT’s fourth enduro team member to take on the Sandown and Bathurst rounds of the V8 Supercar Championship.
The 33-year-old Commodore veteran is no stranger to the top 10 podium, featuring five top 10 finishes in Holden Commodores and a first and second behind the wheel of the Holden Monaro at the classic Bathurst 24 Hour races in 2002/03.
“He’s a long time Holden man and we’re glad to have him on board to give us a full experienced, extra strong driver line up”, HRT boss Mark Skaife said.
Pretty shares the same level of enthusiasm and confidence surrounding the two endurance drives, and is glad to be back behind the wheel of a Commodore.
“Whoever I pair up with at HRT will work well because of the professionalism of the team. The cars are always completive and good results are on the cards,” Pretty commented.
Sandown 500 hits the Sandown International Raceway on 14-16 September, with the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 kicking off from 4-7 October. Tickets are available through Ticketek.
14/06/07 The scratch and win Captiva
Those crazy cats over at Chevrolet in the UK sure know how to come up with new and unique ways to market a car. Take one Chevrolet Captiva, cover it in scratch-off material and then place the car on nearly 17,000 pennies. Yep, told you it was unique.
In what took two months to organise, took only 14 hours of scratching. The objective was to uncover the winning section to claim victory. And what do you get for winning you ask? Well, a new Captiva of course! We’re just hoping they give a new one, because last time I checked scratching a vehicle with a coin can do some nasty damage.
13/06/07 Wild ride for Andrew Sutton
The SC film crew are everywhere these days, from dyno days to drag meets. Over the long weekend, the SC guys just happened to be at the 2007 Winternationals where Andrew Sutton was racing the ex-Fabietti Holden drag Monaro. After a hard launch the Monaro began to get unsettled, resulting in massive tyre shudder which turned the car hard to the right. The Monaro impacted the wall in a shower of sparks which at one stage had the drag car fully of the deck.
Driver Andrew Sutton was OK after the accident, not so much the beaten and battered Monaro which sustained heavy driver’s side damage.
Check out the YouTube video of the accident below.
13/06/07 Windscreen sticker of the year award goes to…
If there is one thing that I can’t stand on the road is drivers who hog the right lane when not overtaking. It’s a frustrating affair that often ends up in exchanging hand gestures and frequent coarse language.
It has seemed a few motorists over in the States also suffer the same level of frustration and have invented possibly the best ever windscreen sticker. The sticker simply contains the text ‘MOVE OVER -->” in nice, easy to read gigantic print. The whole idea behind these witty stickers is that when Mr. Roadhog eventually wakes up and decides to check his rear vision mirror, he gets confronted with a simple, straight to the point message to get the hell out of the right hand lane.
There is one major downside however. Americans obviously drive on the opposite side of the road, causing the sticker to point in the wrong direction, and we don’t want Mr. Roadhog to get the wrong idea and move into the brake down lane of the highway, consequently running into a pylon now do we?
12/06/07 Engine Stolen
Forum member ‘Deliverence’ has had complete 355 engine combo stolen from his own garage. Jumping the fence and cutting the padlocked gates, the low life scum them broke into the shed and made off with the Holden stroker combo and an engine crane.
The engine features a Harrop single plain manifold, Barry Grant carb, sheet alloy rocker covers, gilmer drive, MSD billet dizzy, injected heads and a two-pack black painted block. Engine number is VT436788.
If you hear anything or believe that you may have purchased any parts, contact Ben at the Street Commodores office on (02) 9741 3941.
12/06/07 Holden clean up V8 Supercar Round 5
It was an all Holden podium after this long weekends running of the V8 Supercar Championships held at Sydney’s Eastern Creek Raceway. Ford’s podium finish hopes were shattered when Jamie Whincups car was found in being breach of a technical specification rule which saw the #88 car being fitted with 2006 specification brake discs.
The penalty imposed by the stewards pushed Whincup back into 4th overall position for the weekend.
However, the spotlight was all on Mark Skaife. Driving well all weekend, the HRT VE Commodore displayed excellent speed which proved constant enough to walk away with a round victory, moving him up to 5th on the points table.
Revised V8 Supercar Round 5 Top Ten Results
1. Mark Skaife 65pts
2. Todd Kelly 52pts
3. Rick Kelly 52pts
4. Craig Lowndes 44pts
5. Jamie Whincup 37pts
6. Steven Richards 35pts
7. Mark Winterbottom 29pts
8. Garth Tander 28pts
9. Steven Johnson 27pts
10. Russell Ingall 22pts
Revised V8 Supercar Top Ten Championship Standings
1. Rick Kelly 274pts
2. Garth Tander 250pts
3. Todd Kelly 205pts
4. Jamie Whincup 205pts
5. Mark Skaife 159pts
6. Craig Lowndes 148pts
7. Steven Johnson 130pts
8. James Courtney 125pts
9. Russell Ingall 119pts
10. Mark Winterbottom 116pts
08/06/07 Diesel future shines over hybrid route
According to a recent press release by Ricardo, a strategic consulting firm for the automotive industry, diesels future could be one brighter that hybrid due to cost shortcomings. Ricardo states that the cost advantage of diesel over hybrid is significant with hybrid’s manufacturing costs only slightly reducing when put into mass production.
Diesel engine manufactures are confident that new exhaust system revisions will help push oil burning engines to the next level of emissions using complex after treatment methods, making them even more comparable with hybrid vehicles.
Diesel already dominates Europe with Ricardo reporting sales in North America are set to rise to a similar trend. Written in the same report, Ricardo states that the hybrid and diesel vehicle segment will soon read 15% of the total road population by 2012.
The sudden high demand could tip the price sales in favour of petrol some market analysts predict, unless production output can be matched to the steady rate of incline.
08/06/07 Team Kiwi Racing out of Eastern Creek round
The will be no Team Kiwi Racing black Falcon on the starting grid of this weekends round of the V8 Supercar Championships. The team struggled to get their new leased V8 Falcon Supercar up to AVESCO specification by the weekend with the team failing to meet the final deadline.
“We have to be at scrutineering this afternoon at Eastern Creek and we just can’t make that deadline now. We made the decision late last night that we could no finish the project in time,” said Team Kiwi Racing owner David John.
The team will now have to suffer penalties imposed by TEGA for the no show, with Mr John willing to accept any penalties that TEGA see fit the breach. TKR could have made the Eastern Creek if they had leased a race-ready Holden Commodore, something the team was not willing to do due to other commitments with Ford Racing.
The team is confident the car will return for the next round of competition at Darwin’s Hidden Valley Raceway.
08/06/07 Nevada approves replica law
The state of Nevada has just approved legislation that allows the registration of replicas under a special licence that will see these vehicles be exempt from all emission requirement tests. Written in the legislation, 100 vehicles a year will be allowed to use the replica registration which define a replica as any vehicle produced after 1968 that resembles a vehicle made before 1968.
It’s great to see governments out there that are actually catering for the needs of motoring enthusiasts, it seems our powers that be could learn a great deal from how these guys operate.
08/06/07 Carbon fibre prices skyrocket
Carbon fibre plays a pretty big role in the world of motorsport, and apparently also on passenger aircraft manufacture. Thanks to the increased carbon fibre content on the new Boeing 787 and Airbus A350, carbon fibre prices have risen dramatically as CF manufacturers struggle to keep up with demand. A couple of years back, a single kg of carbon fibre would have cost somewhere in the region of $20 Australian. Now, expect to be smashed with a $100 invoice for the same amount of gear. The rise has hit exotic car manufactures like a ton of bricks, with Supercar maker Saleen passing on the increased costs to the consumer. Their $580,000 S7 will now cost an extra $25,000 to have sitting in your driveway, and that’s all $US currency.
Look out Autobarn! Better start stocking up on the carbon fibre sticker kits, maybe the customers will never know the difference.
07/06/07 Martin Miller Motorsport Clubsport left stranded
The number 55 HSV VT Clubsport of Martin Miller Motorsport has today has announced its withdrawal from this weekends round of the Australian Performance Car series after failing to secure adequate funding after the repair of a previous accident. The damage was caused by an accident from the previous round held at Winton Raceway involving a Mitsubishi Evolution 8. The Clubsport suffered damage to the front drivers side and had to replace the door and guard of the stricken HSV.
Channel 10 is airing highlights from the Winton round this Sunday during the V8 telecast including the Martin Miller Clubsport crash from the beginning of race 2.
The #55 car will miss the next two rounds of competition, but the team is confident that the Clubsport will be making a comeback at the Oran Park round in August.
07/06/07 Ten under fire over V8 Supercar coverage
V8 Supercar Chairman Tony Cochrane has revealed his anger towards Network Ten and their coverage of the V8 Supercar rounds. Cochrane has also said that he is unsure whether the series will return to the Australian Grand Prix next year if Ten continues to block coverage of the sport.
A coverage deal between Network Ten and the AFL appear to be clashing, with Ten effusing to allow any give to make way for better V8 Supercar TV coverage.
"One can only wonder how Network Ten claims to be the home of motorsport yet behaves in this totally un-Australian way to deny the very fans of the sport,” Tony Cochrane said.
The V8 Supercars hit Sydney’s Eastern Creek Raceway this weekend for round five of the championship. Currently Rick Kelly is leading the championship points race while Garth Tander and Jamie Whincup follow closely behind.
07/06/07 Holden Drag Nats prize pool over $10k!
The 2007 Street Commodores Holden Drag Nationals has just had a prize boost that brings the total prize pool to over $10,000! The Street Commodores Drag Nationals is a massive drag racing event set to rock Heathcote Raceway on Saturday October 20, 2007. The event is open to all Holdens and not just restricted to Commodores, so whether you have a Torana, Monaro or a classic Brock Commodore, all is welcome to come along and tear up the Heathcote tarmac.
The entire event will be extensively covered by the Express Motoring Group and will appear over various titles such as Street Commodores, Xtreme Holdens and Aussie Brutes. An exclusive Holden Drag Nats DVD will also be available containing tons of non-stop drag racing action from the event.
Some of the countries biggest names in aftermarket performance accessories have come on board to sponsor the event, including Di Filippo Performance Exhausts, AVO Turboword, Royal Purple, G&D Performance, Rajab Racing Developments and Castle Hill Exhausts. The are still a few brackets left to be sponsored, so if you want the name of your business to be associated with such a massive motorsport event, then contact Ben Hosking at bhosking@expesspublications.com.au
06/06/07 Ian Luff speaks out about speed van plans
Just yesterday we had told you about the RTA’s plans to implement mobile speeding vans in a attempt to help reduce the states road toll, well it seems driver training veteran Ian Luff is also opposed to the idea and slams the RTA’s approach to road safety.
“Any vehicle in motion is speeding; it’s either legal speed or illegal,” said Mr. Luff. “It is nothing more than revenue raising and an easy way to hit motorists in the hip pocket.”
The RTA strongly believes that the implementation of the mobile speed vans will aid the reduction of the NSW road toll. The move follows the Victorian stance on speed detection with the state using a similar method that has proved to have little effect other than to inflate the state's bank balance.
Luff has been running his own driver training courses based out at Sydney’s Oran Park for the past 25 years and believes the key to reducing the states road toll is driver education.
“The current license test is little more than a lap around the block and doing a reverse park. As long as you renew your drivers license every 1-3 or 5 years the first time the RTA want to see you is when you are 80. Then at 85 it is time to show them you can still drive.”
“Our greatest resource is human life and the sooner the Minster Eric Roozendaal embraces driver education as a positive way forward instead of revenue raising speeding fines, then the safer NSW roads will be,” says Mr. Luff.
06/06/07 Chevy Volt concept kicks into next gear
Just when people thought that that Volt Concept had start losing momentum comes the official announcement today that that GM has awarded two advanced development contracts for the battery system suppliers to be used in the advanced BM E-Flex platform. The two contracts have been awarded to Continental Automotive Systems and Compact Power Inc. who will be both be supplying compact lithium ion battery systems to be used in real world working Volt prototypes.
The news has excited automotive blog-goers around the world with positive comments flooding in from all corners of the globe. Chevrolet is obviously sticking to their guns in relations to expected productions dates with GM Chairman and CEO, Rick Wagoner, keen to jump into the world of an advanced GM eco-friendly drive.
"The signing of these battery development contracts is an important next step on the path to bring the Volt closer to reality," said GM Chairman and CEO, Rick Wagoner. "Given the huge potential that the Volt and its E-Flex system offers to lower oil consumption, lower oil imports, and reduce carbon emissions, this is a top priority program for GM."
05/06/07 Undercover speeding van plan rejected
The plan to infect NSW with undercover speed vans has been killed off by opposing pressure from the State Government and the Opposition.
The NSW Roads and Traffic Authority have been pushing for plans to use covert speed surveillance vans as a way to reduce the amount of speeding motorists on the road, a theory which the RTA believes will help save lives. While most motorists believe that automated speeding enforcement is not a step in the right direction, is seems finally the government is catching on to the beat of the opposing motorists drum.
Roads Minister Eric Roozendaal has today said that be prefers the use of high visibility measures to slow speeding drivers down, rather than to catch them in the act and then having them realise they were speeding a few weeks down the track.
The Opposition were quick to slam the idea by claiming more highway patrol officers were the answer, with these sneaky revenue tactics being a profitable band-aid fix.
Despite all the negative pressure from the RTA’s proposed sneak tactics, the Pedestrian Council of Australia has backed the idea stating that the idea was revenue raising, but life-saving.
With speed deterrent tactics copping massive pressure everyday of the week by parties claiming all the methods chosen are based upon revenue raising, it seems a more logical approach would be to eliminate the concept of a fine all together and concentrate more on the demerit form of punishment system.
05/06/07 Engine conversion of the week
A few months ago we had bought you pics of a Jeep that had an LS1 stuffed into its already cramped engine bay and this time, it’s another Jeep but with 2 more cylinders. That’s right, some mad American bugger has ripped the guts out a Dodge Viper and built up the rest of the Jeep around the motor. Just in case you were not too familiar with the specs of the torque monster Viper motor, displacing a massive 8 litres, the 10 cylinder behemoth pumps out a massive 679Nm of chassis twisting torque.
So basically what you have here is arguably one of the most fun vehicles you could ever want to take off road, and when teamed up with other goodies such as 33” tyres, Detroit locker with 4.11:1 gearing and a $12k paint job, this would be one awesome package. The starting price is a wallet assaulting $75,000, but the seller assures us he has spent well over $100k in parts alone.
Click HERE to find out how you can run over anything you want.
05/06/07 Aussie Muscle Cars fetching a premium
The price of rare Aussie muscle just keeps on rising with a recent Shannon’s auction confirming that the Falcon GT is still one of Australia’s most sought after muscle examples. The clear highlight of the entire auction was the stunning Ultra White XY GT HO Phase III featuring the matching HOXY-71 numberplates. After a fierce bidding battle, the hammer dropped to the monstrous sound of $525,000. Parked next to its white bigger brother, a 1971 XY GT was expected to sell for around the $150,000 mark but eclipsed that prediction by recording an impressive $211,500.
It wasn’t all about the Blue Oval, however only a few Holden examples were on offer with prices falling well short of offers made on their arch Ford rivals. A clean 1988 VL Group A SS ‘Walkinshaw’ went under the hammer to fetch a rather tame $57,000 while an immaculate LX Torana SS Hatchback managed to sell for an impressive $30,000
The collectable choices for the Holden stable have now been reserved for anything wearing a HDT build plate, with prices immediately skyrocketing after the tragic death of HDT front man Peter Brock. One such Brock Commodore owner has been spotted trying his luck on the online auction site eBay, attempting to auction off his VK Group 3 for an astronomical $120,000. These cars could have been had for anything from $10,000 to $15,000 before the death of the racing legend, but as supply starts to outweigh demand, owners are now refusing to part with their collectables, inflating prices even further.
04/06/07 An air powered car now a reality
We have all wished at some stage that our cars ran on air. Think of the running costs that you would save in a single year not having to spend your hard earned on fuel. Well it just so happens that a substantial leap has been made into that particular direction thanks to a new invention called the CityCAT. Fuelled by a series of carbon fibre air tanks capable of holding 52 gallons of compresses air at around 4,300psi, the ultra light weight road warrior is able to cover 125 miles without the need for re-fuelling. Not to bad at all considering a complete re-fuel would cost around $2.
As with anything that sounds too good to be true, there is a downside. The little CityCAT will probably never see the likes of Australian roads, and believe it or not, this is because of the vehicles construction and how it holds up in the event of an accident. You see fibreglass and foam have a shocking tenancy to give way in a high speed accident involving heavy immovable objects, causing any occupants to bear the brunt of the impact.
01/06/07 HSV look towards the Epica…
That’s right, it’s true. HSV had taken a good hard look at the new Korean built Holden Epica and politely said “no thanks”. HSV chairman John Crennan was recently asked whether or not HSV were enticed with the Korean range from Holden. The HSV top dog replied by stating the costs involved versus demand would make the project financially unviable. So there you have it, you can all collectively breathe a sigh of relief.
The Korean car image is anything but performance orientated, but it seems things may be changing in the near future, causing HSV to rethink their vehicle development strategy.
New comers such as the XR performance range from Kia (Yes, that’s right! A performance Kia. Who would have thought?) and a new rear-wheel driven turbocharged Hyundai Tiburon have proven the demand for a hot Korean four-banger might be stronger than HSV is estimating, or Crennan simply believes the Epica is not HSV worthy.
01/06/07 En-gauging entertainment
Ever wanted to make that car game on your computer or gaming console more realistic? Well, one clever chap decided to give it a go and add a full set of functioning gauges to the new Live for Speed car racing simulator. The gauges feature all the usual tachometer and speedometer dials as well as a cool boost gauge and what looks like a fuel gauge. Not just content with having analogue gauges, this clever cookie decided to incorporate a fully customisable LCD display including gear shift display and other programmable readouts.
It’s just as well I don’t have anything like this hooked up to my computer, I could see how addictive having a setup like this guy would be. Have a look for yourself in this cool YouTube vid.
