Articles by CarsGuide team

Two revered icons celebrate their 80th anniversary this year, both are world famous but are totally different; the Sydney Harbour Bridge needs no explanation and to many hot rodders around the world nor does the 1932 Ford the first mass produced Ford that was available with a V8 engine.  But it's not just the fact the '32 or Deuce as it is commonly known, could be had with a side-valve V8 when new that has made it the 'must have' car for restorers and hot rodders, it is its uncomplicated styling and wide variety of body styles (coupe, cabriolet, roadster, van, sedan and variations of them) that has made them so popular. Worldwide, Ford produced upwards of 850,000 cars and commercial vehicles for the 1932 model year and up until now hot rodders have pretty well stuck with either original or reproduction chassis that replicate the 80 year old design (parallel rails with front, centre and rear cross members) and reproduction bodies made in either fiberglass or metal. Now, an Australian-owned company, Voodoo Hot Rods, has launched the world's first Kevlar/carbon fiber bodied '32 roadster and fully engineered tubular space frame chassis onto the world market.  The Voodoo 32R ('R' for Revolution) made its debut at the legendary Grand National Roadster Show in Los Angeles earlier this year in the company of 100 of America's most historically significant examples of the 1932 Ford ever assembled in one location. One example at the show has been valued at US$1 million and its owner has another six in his collection.  The Voodoo 32R (www.voodoohotrods.com) is the brainchild of Australian Steve Walmsley and represents more than nine years development and $400,000 investment to create the most significant change to the overall design of a '32 Ford in eight decades.  The result is a body that's half the weight of steel or fibreglass and offers more advantages in its design than anyone could imagine. Walmsley has incorporated 21st century materials and design elements into a car that was conceived early in the last century. It features side impact protection, Watts linkage front and rear for vastly improved ride and handling, rack and pinion steering and an element of safety not found in reproduction '32 Fords currently on the market.  A technical officer for the Southern California Timing Association which runs the Bonneville Speed Trials gave it the thumbs up to run at speeds in excess of 200mph, something they will not allow a conventional chassis '32 Ford to do. There are a host of subtle changes to the Kevlar/carbon fibre body but you have to look close to spot them and some may even go unnoticed by the most dedicated hot rodder; for starters the body comprises three modules; the outer skin, the interior module and the boot module, the latter two are bonded in to the shell to provide superior strength and rigidity (read 'safety') to the car.  Then there is an extra 100mm in the interior length, there are raised wheel arches and the only steel in the body are small lengths of stainless steel to provide secure internal mounting points for the door hinges and door locks, and yes, flashes of carbon fibre to emphasise the use of the unique composite material are obvious. At its debut at the prestigious GNRS the crowds were in awe of what this former Sydney-based journalist and media specialist had presented and comments such as "simply awesome" "brilliant" and "fantastic" were overheard for the entire three days of the show. All agreed it was the most significant advancement in '32 Ford design for 80 years. For many hot rodders the lure of the '32 is irresistible and the availability of the Voodoo 32R will further tempt hot rodders around the world to build what they consider the ultimate hot rod.

JAC's first multi-purpose commercial vans, the Sunray and Refine made their debut at Melbourne International Truck Show. They will arrive to join a range of light duty rigid trucks from JAC expected on the market here within weeks. The JAC Sunray van and smaller JAC Refine were unveiled to intense interest from the truck trade. The company's new light duty trucks were also launched in Melbourne. The JAC Sunray tops the company's family of vans offering European styling, the latest emission compliant engines, advanced transmissions and international componentry. Sunray's Euro-styling was developed by JAC's international R&D resources with JAC's Italian Design centre creating the exterior look and JAC's Japanese Design centre handling the interior design. Sunray is the first Euro-style van to be engineered and developed by JAC in China and it has already gained an EU EEC certificate. The Sunray uses JAC's own four cylinder common rail direct injection 2.7-litre inter-cooled and turbocharged diesel engine which delivers 88kW of power at 3600rpm and 280Nm of torque at 2200rpm. This is coupled to JAC's own LCST 28 five-speed transmission while an automatic version will be available when it goes on sale in Australia.Sunray will also be offered with an optional Cummins ISF 2.8litre delivering power of 110kW at 3200rpm with maximum torque of 360Nm at 1800rpm. The Sunray has a wheelbase of 3570mm, a cubic capcity of 14 cubic metres and an agile 14 metre turning circle.It will also be available as a mini-bus/people mover with seating for up to 15 people in either standard or luxury versions making it suitable for a wide variety of operations from airport transfer, to personnel and school bus transport. Safety features in the Sunray will include ABS+EBD braking system and SRS Airbags. The smaller JAC Refine van also meets the latest emission standards with its two-litre twin overhead cam, electronically fuel injected, turbo charged petrol engine, mated to JAC's own six-speed manual transmission.An automatic transmission and a diesel engine are under development for the Refine and they are expected to be a part of the Australian line up when it goes on sale here. The turbo petrol engine delivers maximum power of 120kW at 4000rpm and torque of 235Nm between 3500-4500rpm. Refine will be available as either a cargo van with cubic capacity of up to nine cubic metres or as an 11 seat mini bus/people mover.

To celebrate the Volvo Ocean Race and the fleet's recent arrival in Auckland at the end of leg four, Volvo Car Australia has announced a range of Volvo Ocean Race Limited Edition vehicles. The vehicles get a stack of equipment added to the Teknik models, dressing them up with special branding.  Based on the Volvo V60 T5 Teknik, XC60 D5 Teknik and XC70 D5 Teknik, the limited edition models add sport 18-inch alloy wheels, aluminium inlays to the centre stack, Volvo Ocean Race-branded tread plates and load covers.  There are also cross-stitched leather upholstery embossed with the Volvo Ocean Race logo, and a choice of Ocean Race Blue II or Electric Silver metallic paint finishes. V60 T5 Volvo Ocean Race is priced from $59,990, XC60 D5 Volvo Ocean Race from $65,990 and XC70 D5 Volvo Ocean Race from $68,450.  This is the fourth time Volvo's Special Vehicles Division has launched a specially-designed model range with a sail racing theme. The Volvo Ocean Race is the toughest 'blue water' yacht race in the world.  Covering more than 39,200 nautical miles in nine months, six crews will race across six continents and four oceans in innovative, high-performance carbon-fibre Volvo Open 70 yachts, coping with mountainous seas, extreme temperatures, icebergs - and the threat of pirates.

Video catches argument that results in biker being rammed and clinging to bonnet of SUV.

The synchronised spinning team put on the performance at the Infineon Raceway in California.

Chief executive Carlos Ghosn has outlined a strategy to target the revamped brand at emerging nations where the biggest growth is expected for affordable vehicles. The offerings will be tailored for each market, including price and engine size, targeting the burgeoning market of first-time car buyers in countries such as India, Indonesia and Russia, where Datsun will be introduced from 2014, he said. Executives gave away few details, including specifics of Datsun models they had in the works. Corporate vice president Vincent Cobee said the new Datsuns will be entry-level cars in each nation, aimed at "up and coming" successful people who are "optimistic about the future". He said two models will go on sale within the first year in the three nations, and an enhanced line-up of models will be offered within three years. Nissan Motor Co faces intense competition from rivals, including other Japanese players such as Toyota Motor Corp and Honda Motor Co, which all have their eyes on emerging markets that also include China, Mexico and Brazil. Growth has stagnated in recent years in more established markets such as Japan, the US and Europe. Ghosn announced on Tuesday in Indonesia that the Datsun will make a comeback, three decades after the shelving of a brand that helped define not only Nissan but Japanese carmaking in the US, as well as in Japan. It is a name that is synonymous with affordable and reliable small cars, according to Nissan. Datsun debuted in Japan in 1932, and hit American showrooms more than 50 years ago. It was discontinued globally starting in 1981 to unify the model line-up under the Nissan brand. Nissan also makes Infiniti luxury models. Tsuyoshi Mochimaru, auto analyst with Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities, said the Datsun name helps differentiate cheaper models targeting emerging markets from Nissan's other models. "Emerging markets are where the growth is but what will sell are cheaper cars, where profit margins will be lower," he said. "By separating the brand, you avoid hurting the value of the Nissan brand." The new blue Datsun logo was inspired by the old one, according to Nissan. Ghosn said Nissan has been preparing the Datsun brand for years and was already developing models. He was confident Nissan had not fallen behind rivals. "Datsun is part of the heritage of the company," Ghosn said. "Datsun is a good name."

In fact, it was hard to even narrow the entries down to a shortlist. Just about every story was amazing, and we were in awe of all of you.  A special mention to all those selfless volunteers who have worked so hard for charity; all those who lent somebody else a helping hand; all those incredible acts of bravery; those people who have had the courage to leave abusive relationships; and those who mentioned special adventures they’d been on - or special love they’ve been given. We salute you all.  In the end, we narrowed it to down to two finalist entries - and then (in tandem with Subaru) had an even tougher time deciding between those two. But after all that, the prize goes to Rose Powell of Queensland, who wrote: “The best thing would be my partner teaching me to read and write again after having a stroke.”  The judges were won over by Rose having cited her partner’s effort to teach her to read and write, and also by what we know would have been a huge effort on her part to regain those skills. Congratulations, Rose.

The ad campaign called 'House Arrest' plays on Sheen's reputation for fast cars, fast living, fast women and hot parties.  The advertisement also marks a return for Catrinel Menghia, the stunning model and actress who made such an impact, cappuccino foam and all, in 'Seduction' the first American Abarth TV commercial that became an internet sensation before becoming the hot advertisement during the Super Bowl. The advertisement shows Sheen blasting his Abarth 500 around the inside of a Hollywood mansion during a party full of glamorous women before exiting the Abarth wearing an ankle monitor bracelet and announcing that "I love being under house arrest," before turning to Catrinel Menghia and saying "What do I get for good behaviour?" "The Abarth 500 is the `small but wicked' personality of the Fiat family and this spot captures that attitude and spirit," said Olivier Francois, Head of Fiat Brand worldwide. "The Abarth 500 is the bad boy of the Fiat vehicle line up and Charlie Sheen personifies the edgy and fun attributes of the Abarth 500 in "House Arrest."'

Let's just call it the dumbest stuff on wheel.

Combining hot-hatch performance with exemplary fuel efficiency through the new two-litre, four cylinder TwinPower turbo engine, BMW claims the 125i extends the German brand’s on-road dominance of the luxury compact class as the only rear-wheel drive car in the segment.The engine delivers a peak output of 160kW at 5000 revs, quickly developing a maximum torque of 310Nm from as early as 1350 revs, which is enough to thrust it to 100 km/h in 6.4 seconds with the standard six-speed manual transmission.BMW has also announced the introduction of the M Sport package for the latest 1 Series model range.