Articles by CarsGuide team

...with Richard Hammond trying out a Hummer as the ultimate city car. Jeremy Clarkson thrashes the new BMW 1M, while James May has a run in the original Mini Cooper S - and then pits Mini’s new WRC contender against an Olympic bobsled champion. Rock star Alice Cooper tries his luck as the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car.

 This competition closed at 11.59pm Wednesday July 13.The winners will be announced on Carsguide.com.au on Monday July 18. Stay tuned… SMS codes have been revealed! Check out our online gallery here.Vote now for your favourite Carsguide Car of the Show and you could win a Lexus CT 200h in Vermillion red with a leather enhancement pack. There is also a runner up prize of a $1,000 prepaid gift card to be won in each region.If you're at the 2011 Australian International Motor Show in Melbourne, note the codeword on the yellow sign next to your choice for Carsguide Car of the Show and sms it to 199 888 00.If you're not attending the show, check out the Carsguide Car of the Show gallery in your local Carsguide lift-out, in the following papers:The Daily Telegraph - Saturday 2 July, Friday 8 July & Saturday 9 July 2011Herald Sun - Friday 1 July, Saturday 2 July, Friday 8 July & Saturday 9 July 2011Courier Mail - Saturday 2 July & Saturday 9 July 2011The Advertiser - Saturday 2 July & Saturday 9 July 2011Northern Territory News - Saturday 2 July & Saturday 9 July 2011The Mercury - Saturday 2 July & Saturday 9 July 2011The Sunday Times - Sunday 3 July & Sunday 10 July 2011.Then SMS your name and the codeword for the car you want to vote for. SMS cost 55c per entry. The SMS numbers for each state are:NSW/ACT: 197 467 67VIC: 199 888 00TAS: 197 036 63QLD: 197 197 22WA: 199 882 00SA/NT: 199 199 03We will be showing the full gallery and code words on carsguide.com.au from Monday, July 11.However ALL voting will be by SMS. To make sure the choice of winner is entirely by a legal random selection, we cannot enable voting by email, letter or phone call.MAJOR PRIZELexus CT200h in Vermillion red with the Leather enhancement Pack including all drive away costs valued at $47,254.71.You could own one of the world's first luxury hybrid hatch! The CT 200h reinforces Lexus' commitment to innovation. Lexus Hybrid Drive delivers an unmatched balance between performance and environmental sensitivity for a driving experience that is pure enjoyment.Introducing the Lexus CT 200hFind a Lexus dealerRequest a brochureRequest a test drive Enhancement Pack 1 includes:Ivory Leather-accented trim.17-inch alloy wheels.Front-seat heaters.Reversing Camera & self-dimming mirror with the reversing camera image shown in the mirrorStandard specifications:100kW hybrid powerplant.Electronically-controlled Continuously Variable Transmission (E-CVT).Drive Mode Select (EV, ECO, NORMAL and SPORT).Eight SRS airbags.6 speaker audio.Full active safety package of ABS, Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist (BA), Vehicle Stability Control and Traction Control.Emergency flashing brake lights.Daytime Running Lamps (DRL).Mood lighting around the Drive Mode Select dial and overhead illumination.Dual-zone climate control air conditioning.Hill-start Assist Control (HAC).Smart Start.Multi-Information Display (MID).Alloy wheels with Yokohama 'dB decibel E70' tyres.60/40-split fold rear seat with flat floor.Genuine leather steering wheel.Hydrophilic and heated exterior mirrors.Cruise control.Rear spoilerEngine immobiliser.RUNNER UP PRIZESSix lucky runner up winners will each receive a prepaid gift card to the value of $1,000 (one winner per the following regions will be drawn: NSW/ ACT, VIC, TAS, QLD, WA and SA/NT).Competition closes 23:59 (AEST) 13/07/2011. Competition is drawn at 14:00 (AEST) 14/07/2011 at Salmat Interactive, 100 Arthur Street,North Sydney, NSW 2060. Prize includes Lexus Hybrid CT200h Prestige in Vermillion Red with the Leather Enhancement Pack. For full terms and conditions click here. Authorised under NSW: LTPS/11/05505; ACT: TP 11/02335; VIC 11/1181; SA: T11/1180 *Call cost 55c (inc GST) per entry.

... of classic and collectable cars for 2011. Over $3 million worth of auction items will go under the hammer when Shannons appears at its 15th consecutive Melbourne show since its first appearance in 1996. The highlight of this year’s auction, especially for motorsport fans, will be the last Holden race car driven by Australian sports legend, Peter Brock. Shannons expects that the 1953 Holden FX developed specially for Brock will achieve bids in the $300,000 to $350,000 range. Conceived by Brock fan Phil Munday and built to Revival rules by former Holden Dealer Team engine guru Ian Tate, the car was built for the nine-time Bathurst winner to race at the 2006 Goodwood Revival in England. While Munday’s 'ultimate FX' finished just off the podium at Goodwood – Brock qualified fifth and finished fourth in the main St. Mary’s Trophy on the Saturday – his performance in the FX saw him awarded the event’s prestigious ‘Spirit of Goodwood’ trophy. The most unusual auction items at the motor show come in the form of two armoured vehicles: the Ferret Armoured Reconnaissance Vehicle, and the Saracen Armoured Personnel Carrier – both formerly used by the British Army. The Ferret was designed by Daimler and utilises a six-cylinder Rolls-Royce engine, while the Saracen FV 603’s Rolls-Royce engine has eight cylinders and carries up to eight troops. If you are wondering how much an armoured vehicle that has seen active duty is worth, Shannons is expecting bids of approximately $40,000 to $50,000. Perhaps the best represented marque for classic car collectors in the Shannons auction is Jaguar, with no shortage of automotive exotica from the “leaping cat”. The star of the Jaguar presence is expected to be a stunning restored 1934 SS1 Tourer, for which Shannons expects bids of between $120,000 and $150,000. A beautiful 1958 example of a Jaguar XK150S 3.4 Roadster is expected to fetch a price just below that of the SS1, while a magnificent 1950 Mk V 3.5 Drophead Coupe, a D-Type replica and a 1970 E-Type coupe in British Racing Green will all tempt lovers of the British brand. There will be no shortage of Aussie muscle at the auction, with an unreserved 1970 Ford Falcon XY GT sedan likely to receive considerable interest. A 1964 EH race car sedan built to return to Goodwood with Peter Brock in 2007, a 1974 LH Torana L34 SLR 5000 sedan, and a 1968 HK Monaro GTS Coupe will all ensure that Holden gets its share of attention at the show. The prevalence of classics from General Motors extends to Holden’s American brothers, with two remarkable examples of a Chevrolet Corvette C1 roadster, a Corvette C2 Stingray 427/425hp coupe, and a Corvette C2 Stingray convertible. Ever-present in classic car circles, the famed Ferrari and Mercedes-Benz marques both feature in the auction. Shannons expects a beautiful black 1972 Ferrari Dino 246 GT to fetch bids between $170,000 and $190,000, while the romantically styled red 1968 Mercedes-Benz 280SL Pagoda-roof convertible is expected to fetch between $80,000 and $95,000. Australian International Motor Show event director Russ Tyrie says the Shannons displays add a lot to the motor show. "The display of unusual and classic cars by Shannons always creates a great atmosphere," said Mr Tyrie. "It is important that a motor show represents the past, the present and the future of the motor vehicle, or even armoured vehicles, in the case of this year’s show. Shannons creates that link and, with the amount of quality auction items this year, the auction should provide a real highlight of the show." The Shannons Australian International Motor Show Auction will be held on the last Sunday of the event, 10 July, at 2:30pm.

Check out Lightning McQueen, Tow Mater and a bunch of the new characters set to star in Cars II.

After being alerted by a series of 911 calls, police pursued and managed to stop the young driver.

They recently used less than 2.5 tankfuls to drive 3,452km from Melbourne to Cairns in an Isuzu D-MAX crew ute loaded with 260kg of camping gear. The normally tearaway twosome throttled back and drove for economy, using just 189.67 litres of diesel to average 5.49 litres/100km in Isuzu Ute's 2011 Max Run Challenge fuel economy competition.The competition winner was Rex Momus from Perth, who alone among over 54,000 entries guessed precisely how many litres the D-MAX rallyists used on their trip. Rex wins a new D-MAX X-Runner 4x2 manual priced at $37,790 drive away, plus the $10,000 worth of BCF camping gear carried by the Max Run D-MAX plus a year's supply of Mother Energy Drink.The Max Run drive had elements of real world driving in that the D-MAX mostly mixed with main highway traffic at or close to posted speed limits, the drivers threaded through about 20 provincial towns large and small and they stopping at many as well as at roadside cafes, museums, giant telescopes, farms, fishing spots, BCF stores, Isuzu Ute dealers and SatNav dead-ends.Their refuels, odometer readings and load were verified and security-sealed on-site by RACV, NRMA and RACQ representatives.Their D-MAX was a 4x2 manual X-Runner, an LS-based limited edition with extra features including sports bar, slimline side steps and leather seats. It was also fitted with an accessory hard tonneau under which was locked the BCF camping gear and cans of Mother Energy Drink.

Sweden's Environmental Affairs Minister Andreas Carlgren officially closed the "One Tonne Life" project in Hasselby just outside Stockholm. Over a period of six months, the Lindell family have lived climate-smart with their sights firmly set on reducing their emissions from the normal 7.3 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year to the minimal figure of just one tonne.Following an impressive final sprint, the Lindells finished at 1.5 tonnes. This means the family have succeeded in cutting their emissions by almost 80 percent compared with their start back in January. Over a period of six months, the Lindells have switched from their normal 1970s villa and 10-year-old cars to a brand-new, climate-smart wooden house from A-hus and a battery-powered Volvo C30 Electric.Vattenfall has provided renewable electricity, new energy technology and energy coaching. ICA and Siemens are the project's partners in the areas of food and household appliances.Transport and electricity consumption are the areas where the family made the most progress. Emissions from transport dropped by more than 90 percent, not least thanks to the fact that the family's Volvo C30 Electric was recharged using electricity from hydro-power.The family's house, built by A-hus, produces its own electricity and with supplementary renewable electricity from hydro-power, carbon dioxide emissions from purchased electricity are almost zero. All told, carbon dioxide emissions from the family's home have been more than halved.Food is the third area in which the family made immense progress. By not throwing away food and by choosing wisely, emissions were significantly reduced. By varying the choice of meat and eating more vegetables, anyone can reduce carbon dioxide emissions from food.Towards the end of the trial period, the Lindells ate only vegetarian dishes, and dairy produce was replaced with soya and oats-based alternatives.