Articles by Gavin McGrath

That was as good an excuse as any to buy something different — something with flair. “I always liked the old EH,” Slater says of the 43-year-old car. “I'm not some sort of mad Holden fan. I just liked that shape.”The EH was launched in 1963 and quickly became the fastest-selling Australian car — more than 250,000 sales in just 18 months.This was a result of its striking new looks, not to mention the affordable price tag.It offered new features that included six-cylinder engines for the same price as the EJ, and was even cheaper than earlier 1950's models. The EH had a new-look roofline, a longer rear and more modern lines.“It's kind of square and tough, and it has those round headlights that are like nothing you can buy new,” Slater says. “I was in the position where I could buy something a bit out of the ordinary and I thought, why not?“I was looking around on the internet for an EH or something similar. I just enjoyed going out and test-driving a few. But this one was the first one I could see myself in.”Apart from the car's robust good looks and immaculate condition, there's another reason the blue Holden fits the bill. This Special is indeed a “special”. It has had a complete interior overhaul and, perhaps most importantly, a driveline transplant.According to Slater, the previous owner replaced the original engine and transmission with a far newer combination of a 202 3.3-litre inline six and three-speed Trimatic from an early model Commodore. For a bloke who spends every second weekend interstate and has no time to tinker with a car, it was perfect.“I'm away a lot of weekends during the season and I'm not in a position to buy an old car that needs a lot of work,” Slater says. “So I was able to buy it as is. It drives pretty well, especially on the highway. The only thing is, it's not the most fuel-efficient thing.”Despite the fuel-economy issue, Slater says the car is still a perfectly capable daily driver. “I do look after it a little bit more because, being a bit older, it needs more attention, but apart from that it's just like any other car,” he says. “I usually take the Magna to training, but if Nicole needs that car it gives me an excuse to drive the EH. It's pretty pointless to own a car like this and not drive it.”He is also happy for Nicole to drive the EH ... sometimes. “Probably not quite as often as she would like,” he says.As for any copycats at the Storm thinking about buying something similar, Slater says the EH might push one or two over the edge.“Most of the blokes are pretty impressed with it and some are into older cars,” he says.“Dallas Johnson is interested and Kingy (Matt King) wants to buy a Kombi van,” Slater says. “He's just that sort of a bloke.” Fast facts Vehicle: Holden EHPrice when new: $2102Price now: Special and Premier models $5000-$7000; rare Bathurst S4 version $20,000-$25,000Verdict: One of the old sought-after classics that is still available at an affordable price.

The explosive Civic Type R, which is a hit in Europe and has a completely different look to the familiar Civic sedan, will land here in about June. But that does not mean the rest of the Civic hatch range will come here, according to Honda spokesman Mark Higgins. “We have to have a business case for bringing the (standard) hatch here,” Higgins says. “It’s made in Britain which makes it a different proposition price-wise from the sedan, which comes from Thailand. It would have to be more expensive (than the sedan) and we have to be mindful of it being competitive in the segment. “But the Type R is something a bit different. It’s a high performance model that sells at a premium so it makes a different case. All its competitors are special cars and many come from Europe. But we still intend to bring it here at a very competitive price.” The three-door Type R hatchback is powered by a 2.0-litre with 148kW at 7800 revs paired with a six-speed manual transmission. Pricing won’t be announced until mid-year.

The Japanese carmaker has given its angry two-seater even more fizz with what is virtually a new engine, even if the only hint on the outside is a bulge in the bonnet and the new hue. Nissan spokesman Karl Gehling says the power bulge is not for show. It’s needed to fit the bigger powerplant. Capacity remains the same, but the 3.5-litre V6 is new from the bottom up, with 80 per cent of the engine’s major parts being re-designed. It’s taller, but weighs less than the old model. While the increase in performance is modest on paper, power is up 9kW to 230kW and torque up 5Nm to 358Nm, Nissan spokesman Karl Gehling says it’s a substantial step forward. “The numbers are better, but the big change is the engine is more refined, revs higher, and the power is far more usable,” Gehling says. Unlike the power figure, pricing has not risen, the coupe still from $62,990 and the roadster from $73,990.

Nine stars of the Melbourne International Motor Show took a quick spin from City Hall to Federation Square to rev the city up for tomorrow evening's big opening at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre.Led by a beefy Chrysler 300C police car, about $2 million worth of auto exotica cruised down Swanston St.Lord Mayor John So rode James Bond-style in a $360,000 Aston Martin DB9 Volante convertible.Immediately behind him was a Bentley Continental GTC convertible worth $400,000, but even that was trumped moments later by a Ferrari 599 GTB, costing $600,000.Others in the column included a Maserati Quattroporte, the new convertibles from Volkswagen and Volvo, and a top-of-the-range Lexus LS460.Most unusual was the Bonning B3 three-wheeler, the personal project of designer and artist Brad Bonning.But there would be plenty more to see at the show itself, said the extravaganza's director, Russ Tyrie."That's just to give people a taste of what they will see on Friday," Mr Tyrie said."The parade is a great way to bring the show to Melbourne and to give people an idea of what an exciting and dynamic thing the car industry is."The covers will come off quite a few new cars at the show."With some of them it's going to be as much a surprise to us as it will to everyone else."

Gorman says life could be tough for the new Falcon, codenamed Orion and scheduled to be launched in 2008, but all the company can do is try to make the best Falcon it can."The architecture, technology and the hard points are set. What we can adjust is minor bits of jewellery here and there," Gorman says. "The segment is smaller than when we devised the program but we are committed to the vehicle and intend to go ahead with it to the best of our ability, even if it's a lot harder than what we envisaged two years ago."People might say it is the wrong vehicle at the wrong time, but we always say to our people not to add `poorly executed' to that list of challenges. When I arrived here three years ago the large car market was 23 per cent of the Australian market."Now it is 13 per cent. That's 100,000 fewer large cars that get sold here each year. If you take that we're about 35 per cent of that, that's 35,000 fewer Falcons annually. Our strategic response was to come up with Territory and that has offset some of that loss."If we try to give it the perception of a medium-sized car, drop a 2.0-litre engine in it, then the thing won't get out of its own way. What you create then is a car that breaks its promise to the people who want the car."The promise we make with Falcon is to give them great performance and safety in a car you can be proud to have in your driveway. So let's not cut two inches off the back. Let's make it look like we're proud of it."With large car sales shrinking in Australia, rivals Holden and Toyota have looked to exports to keep the factories running. Earlier this month Holden announced a deal that will see it ship potentially more than 30,000 VE Commodores — rebadged as the Pontiac G8 — to the US each year.Gorman would not reveal what stage Ford Australia's efforts to export more of its locally made cars is at, but says exports are important for the future of local production."How we integrate global rear-wheel-drive initiatives with Ford Motor Company and what we do with exports are critical to us, but those aren't things we can do tomorrow," he says. Gorman says the signs are Falcon has hit its low point and sales should rebound in February as business buyers return, although consistent sales of 3000 or more Falcons each month are unlikely this year.He ruled out slashing prices to boost the numbers, though. "You have to be very careful with that because we have a brand new Falcon coming and you have to have a good value story with the transition to the new vehicle," he says.Hints at how the new Falcon is likely to look may lie in the design direction Ford used for its latest concept car, known as the Interceptor, which was unveiled at last month's Detroit Motor Show.Ford is adding more aggression to all of its future models, as shown in the Interceptor."This car shows what you can do with a strong rear-wheel drive architecture," executive director of Ford design in North America, Peter Horbury, said at the show. "Like the Falcon, it's tough. It makes a statement."Although no one is suggesting the Interceptor will be copied by Ford Australia, the same aggressive influences could be at work.

Volvo Australia is vigorously debating whether the local arm will take the next generation of the V70, which was revealed this week in Europe. However, the basic body shape will come to Australia regardless, as the underpinnings for the new XC70 crossover. Ironically it's the XC70's popularity that could kill off the V70 station wagon here, where it outsells the V70 five to one. "We are very sure what we're going to do with the XC70 in Australia, but about the V70 we're not so sure," Volvo Australia spokesman Todd Hallenbeck says. "The decision on the V70 is about 50/50 at the moment. We're looking at it from a very practical point of view. If we aren't going to sell enough of them we won't bring it here at all, because bringing the car means we'll also have to stock spare parts, do its advertising, and all those other costs. "The V70 is the most popular car sold in Sweden, so the Swedes are wondering why we're considering not having a car they regard as the heart of the Volvo brand. "To counter that we are one of the strongest countries for the XC70 and XC90, and they understand that the XC has been the key to Volvo's success here. That (station wagon) buyer has moved into the XC70 and XC90." "But we're not saying that traditional Volvo buyer no longer exists. That's what we're debating at the moment. A decision is expected within two months. The debate is between those who have seen the new V70 and think it could do well here and those who look at sales data for the present model. "The traditional argument is Volvo was always the family-oriented station wagon brand. We still are, but that family is seeing the practicality of XC rather than V70. "We are also aware that the smaller V50 is continuing to grow each year. Now we need to find out if the market still exists for a larger station wagon." The new V70 is 15 per cent stronger than the current model. It has slightly more room inside, particularly for rear passengers, and, according to Volvo, is safer than the older model. New safety measures include a dual-height, integrated child booster seat at the rear, and electronic stability control as standard. Styling cues borrow heavily from other new-generation Volvos, the front bearing a resemblance to the C70 coupe convertible and the tail lights modelled on the C30 hatch. If Australia chooses to take the V70 it will be available in front-wheel-drive only, so it won't cannibalise sales from the more expensive XC70 all-wheel-drive. Volvo is yet to reveal the XC70 cross-country version, but Hallenbeck says there will be greater differentiation between the basic wagon and the crossover version than with the existing model. "The XC70 won't just look like a V70 with extra plastic cladding and a higher ride height," he says. There will probably be a choice of two petrol engines for the new XC70. The entry-level model will probably be powered by a 3.2-litre inline six with 177kW and 320Nm, a step up from the current 2.5-litre inline five. The top-of-the-range model will have a turbocharged 3.0-litre in-line six with 212kW and 400Nm.

The waiting time to convert cars to run on liquid petroleum gas has dropped to three months for the first time since Federal Government announced its subsidy for LPG in October 2006.Owners of petrol cars have had to wait up to six months to have their vehicles modified after a flood of requests by drivers to change to the cheaper, cleaner fuel.But an increase in the number and efficiency of LPG installers, plus a dip in petrol prices, has allowed the industry to catch up with demand.LPG Australia development manager Phil Westlake says the industry was not fully geared up to cope with the increased demand for LPG, but has since doubled its conversion capacity."In August and September we were getting a lot of complaints about the delays," Westlake says. "We are not getting them any more."When the government scheme started, waiting times rose to an estimated 12 months. As of last December, that has dropped to a few months."The price differential with petrol has changed again, and there is a link between the price of petrol and interest in LPG. Demand has dropped slightly and that is allowing the industry to catch up."Many owners of small businesses would not take the risk of tooling up for gas conversion until the government scheme was announced, so once the scheme became official they needed time to set up, which led to a certain period of catch-up."Under the scheme, motorists get a $2000 grant to convert a petrol car to run on LPG, or $1000 to help buy a new LPG car.Since its introduction the number of LPG conversions has risen from about 4000 to 10,000 a month. More than 25,000 motorists have received grants totalling $50 million.Westlake predicts 105,000 cars will be converted this year.Warranties still validThe LPG industry has hit out at claims gas conversion voids new-car warranties.Westlake says that though LPG conversion can affect warranty conditions that relate to its installation, the rest of the car should still be covered.He says good installers cover any damage conversion causes."There are a few wives' tales out there about this," he says."The reality is LPG conversion can't simply void a warranty."The carmaker won't cover the LPG system, of course. It won't cover damage caused during fitment or damage that's proved to be caused by the system, but other things such as brakes are still covered by the warranty."However, it's still up to the buyer to check warranty conditions."

The South Korean carmaker revealed its Territory-sized Kue crossover concept at the show this month, a machine that is part design model and part wishlist for what the brand eventually wants to become. The all-wheel-drive two-door has a supercharged V8, and doesn't resemble anything that will be sold in Kia showrooms soon. It is bigger than the largest Kia, the Sorrento. That the Kue won't become a production model should not undersell its importance, Kia Australia spokesman Jonathan Fletcher says. It points Kia in a new direction. "What Kue represents is where Kia is going with design direction," he says. "As a brand we are looking to be more adventurous and more sporty, and appealing to a younger target. You can't make that kind of leap to the future overnight. The Kue is part of that process." The Kue was designed under the guidance of former Audi and Volkswagen designer Peter Schreyer, who's been employed by Kia to move the brand up the ladder in terms of prestige. Adding to the Kue's dream-machine flavour is Kue's supercharged 4.6-litre V8 engine with 300kW. Kia isn't revealing much about the engine's roots or what — if any — relevance it will have to future production models. Other features include an integrated system of touchpad and motion-sensors for audio and climate controls. The system is programmable so the same surface can be used by the driver to activate the sound system and by the passenger to adjust the temperature.

Motorsport guru Tom Walkinshaw has opened a new aftermarket "fun factory" specialising in turning Commodores and Astras into fast track and street machines.Walkinshaw Performance was launched last week with a range of upgrades, including superchargers, sports exhausts, AP Brakes packages, and suspension and lowering kits.The new division is completely (and deliberately) separate from Walkinshaw's official Holden-based performance company HSV, operating from the same Braeside factory as the Elfin sports car company.Walkinshaw Performance CEO Chris Payne, formerly of HSV, says there is no clash between Walkinshaw's aftermarket add-on department and HSV. He says the new department is for more extreme modifications than a manufacturer such as HSV is allowed to do."You could say that HSV has created this thriving aftermarket industry of copy and replica high-performance Commodores."HSV customers, like Commodore customers, have been buying the extra stuff from hundreds of tuning shops, so Walkinshaw Performance is an alternative to those aftermarket shops."Modifications start from $590 for lowered sports springs to $11,690 for a supercharger kit fitted to a VE Commodore V8.All upgrades are supplied and fitted by the company rather than handed over to do-it-yourself home mechanics. Most of them are performance-related.GM Holden spokesman Jason Laird says people will have to consult the carmaker before fitting any aftermarket product."The warranty on the parts and quality of workmanship is 12 months, so we don't support any better warranty than the best aftermarket companies out there," he says."In a lot of cases, the customer is not overly concerned about that because they are just looking for ways to make their cars a little bit sweeter, look a bit more aggressive, to handle better and to have a better exhaust note," Payne says."Some of those things may not affect a new car warranty, while in some cases we are doing older cars close to warranty expiry anyway."Unlike some tuning shops, all products have been tested by Walkinshaw Performance and racing drivers Rick and Todd Kelly."Quite often in the backyard operations, the customer's car is actually the prototype. In our business we run development cars," Payne says."This is aftermarket but it is designed with a mind to OE (original equipment). It's not just about kiloWatts because we look at reliability, durability and the total car. With every product you have to own it for five years — still going to the track, but also down the street."

Jack Perkins, 20, will contest the V8 series alongside another 20-year-old in Shane Price, even though the boss concedes his rookie son lacks experience."No he's not ready, but when is anyone ready? You have to do something for the first time at some stage," Perkins Sr says."I believe another year in the development series would have been just marking time. To move up to the main series standard you have to practise, qualify and race with the best drivers."Perkins Sr chose to go with the youngsters after talks broke down with experienced drivers, and he warns that ballooning driver salaries are damaging the sport."The problem for the V8 Supercar teams is we can all hire top-shelf drivers, but only one of the 10 will win, and that makes nine losers."I tried top-shelf drivers last year and it didn't give me race wins even though the machinery was good enough to win."The V8 Supercar bubble is about to burst, but team managers are too stupid to realise it. The sport's two most important sponsors, Holden and Ford, are on their knees and cutting costs. You can't afford to spend huge salaries on racing-car drivers."There are, of course, some downsides with the lack of experience: the performance level and the potential for more crashes. But Shane and Jack will only get better, not worse."Perkins Jr says he is a bit apprehensive about the promotion. He had expected to contest the development series again after finishing third last year behind Adam Macrow and Price."I'm really excited because this has been my dream as a kid, and it's happened much quicker than I expected."But I'm nervous about it too because I don't want to make a fool of myself."Obviously (sponsor) Jack Daniel's would prefer some sort of lead driver, but they have said they are happy with me," Perkins Jr says.Perkins Sr received a belated Christmas present when he was able to buy a second licence to run as a two-car operation this year. But the delay means the Jack Daniel's team will struggle to complete two VE Commodores in time for the Clipsal Adelaide 500 in March, potentially forcing Jack to run the previous model VZ model at the season opener.