Articles by CarsGuide team

How do the professional stunt drivers get their cars driving on one side with such skill. The Stuntbusters team shows us how.

It explodes, it flips, it flies – and it rolls over and over in the air, shedding bits and pieces of body and parts as it goes. The Stuntbusters team gives us a spectacular taste of what happens in the perfect car explosion.

And this is how to destroy a television show set in just a few scootering seconds.

Starting out nearly fifty years ago with simple box trailers fitted with a canopy, it won over plenty of converts to the camper/trailer and many a happy holiday would have been enjoyed by owners.  Fast forward to 2011 and Cub Campers is a completely different beast - a specialist off road camper trailer manufacturer with a reputation for quality and toughness second to none.  And it's proudly Australian owned and uses Australian-made components and local suppliers for its campers. What's not to love? The company recently upped the ante with a multi-million dollar investment in new state-of-the-art production facility to ensure it remains competitive against imported product from competitors.  Cub Campers has gone against recent trends by investing in its local manufacturing to improve efficiency, quality and competitiveness rather than shipping production off shore- commonly to China.  Amidst numerous recent reports of manufacturers shutting down local production and laying off employees Cub stands out as a positive example of commitment and confidence in Australian manufacturing.  According to Cub Campers CEO of 43 years, Roger Fagan many of the company's competitors have shifted their manufacturing to countries such as China where cheaper production appears an attractive alternative but he cautions against this false economy and believes with the apparently cheaper production comes questions of quality, durability and longevity. "Cub believes that using quality Australian material, with the latest production techniques, using highly skilled Australian trades people and craftsmen is the one way to guarantee Australian customers can buy quality campers that are built to cope with our unique conditions," said Roger Fagan.  "Our success over the past 43 years has been built on testing and engineering our products here in Australia to cope with the corrugations, dust, pot holes and generally rough conditions. "That expertise and knowledge combined with the latest technology manufacturing machinery will allow us to remain competitive with imported campers."  The new Cub Camper's manufacturing facility occupies more than 12,000 square metres at North Rocks in Sydney and features the latest high technology, computer-controlled manufacturing equipment. Cub has installed the latest next-generation computer controlled brake presses, CNC routers, canvas-cutting tables as well as cutting and stitching equipment  to ensure absolute accuracy, close tolerances and fit for long lasting quality and maximum manufacturing quality. "Offshore Chinese production has enabled our competitors to sell inferior camper-trailer products into the Australian market at a much cheaper price for a quick buck, but the reality is we one of only a few Australian manufacturers making camper trailers that suit our rugged Australian conditions," said Roger.  "It may sound like a tired cliche, but the reality is you really do get what you pay for in life, and when it comes to other camper trailers some products may look like they can talk the talk when new, but soon enough it's the heat, dust, rust, vibrations, wind storms and torrential rains of the Australian landscape that quickly reveals the flaws," he said.  The full range of Cub Camper trailers is available for view at www.cubcampers.com.au

They can’t, because the only surviving car - in which the four-time V8 Champion won his first title - is in the Bowden museum collection in Queensland.But one Carsguide reader can win the next best thing: a $15,000 one-off car cover honouring the GTHO and used to launch the V8 Supercar livery Moffat’s son James will sport with Team Norton DJR this year.Not many people would spend that sum to make their car look nearly 40 years older. However that’s exactly what Team Norton DJR did to unveil their new V8 Supercar.They wanted a car cover that would look like the XY GTHO, but fit perfectly onto the highly modified XR6 race car.So leading theatrical company George Aviet Staging - better known for their sets for the Wiggles, Hi-5 and Tamworth Country Music Awards – flew a team to Queensland to measure every centimetre of the V8 Supercar. Or at least, every part that was already built.“The challenge was working out how to make a perfectly fitting car cover for a car still under construction,” Aviet says. “And then there was the technical aspect of making it fit a V8 Supercar but look like a 70s Falcon.”After all the measurements were calculated, Aviet’s team hired a stock XR6, created mock spoilers and bodykit to match the DJR car – and swaddled the result in 500 metres of cling wrap to protect its own duco.Over the next fortnight, the GTHO cover was shaped, sewn and painstakingly hand-painted on the dummy car, panel by panel. The effort paid off and the result was a perfect fit.The inspiration for the car cover unveiling was the team’s primary sponsor, internet security software Norton by Symantec, which follows their function in ‘protecting the stuff that matters’.James Moffat says Norton and V8 Supercars share a similar concern for safety and rules. “There are rules governing behaviour on the race track, and there are also rules we should all follow when online,” Moffat says.“I know that if I do something irresponsible during a race, or stray off track, I could get hurt or cause damage. The internet is the same: if you stray away from reputable sites, ignore safety rules or act irresponsibly, there could be serious consequences.”So if the Number 9 XY GTHO Phase III was in your driveway, what 'stuff that matters' would the neighbours think you were protecting with it?This competition has now closed and the judges are considering the entries. Stay tuned, as we will be announcing a winner soon.Seven runners-up - one in each state - will also each win one of the $1000 prize packages. The competition closes on March 30 at 11.59pm AEDST. For full terms and conditions click here.

Structural integrity - how a vehicle's shell withstands and channels external forces away from occupants in a crash - varies substantially from make to make and model to model. A sound structure is vital when it comes to saving lives. Built-in safety features such as airbags, antilock braking systems (ABS), electronic stability control (ESC) and set belt pre-tensioners help prevent or deal with the forces of impact. All are critical features. When it comes to safety, not all cars are equal. Choose a vehicle with features that protect drivers and passengers and increase driver control. If it's not a 4 or 5 star rated vehicle - cross it off your list! For more information on safety features, visit the ANCAP website.

New vehicles are awarded or deducted points based on a combination of test categories and scientific criteria. All vehicles are assessed under identical testing’s standards and conditions.In all tests, dummies are used to measure the various forces on the occupants in a crash. The data gathered is then assessed, using internationally recognized protocols and star-ratings are determined for each crash test.Observations are also made on the displacement of dummies during the crash, as well as the structural impact on the vehicle's occupant compartment.Points are also awarded if the vehicle is fitted with safety features such as Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and seat belt reminders.To achieve an ANCAP 5 Star rating, a vehicle must achieve the highest international recognized standards in all test categories.The more stars, the better.Occupants have twice the chance of being killed or seriously injured in an ANCAP 1 Star rated vehicle compared to an ANCAP 5 Star rated vehicle.The diagrams below show typical injuries to the drive and passenger for each ANCAP Star rating in Frontal Offset Testing, conducted at 64 km/h.In interpreting the colour results on the dummy diagrams for each star rating, it is important to note that a red and brown result (Poor & Weak respectively) on any limb or part of the body indicates that there is a high risk of serious injury or death resulting from that injury alone. Consumers should therefore not assume that an injury to the foot area - shown as red in both ANCAP 1 and 2 star rated vehicles - is necessarily less serious, or less life threatening, than the same crash result in other parts of the body.For more information on star ratings, visit the ANCAP website.