Articles by Graham Smith

Graham Smith
Contributing Journalist

With a passion for cars dating back to his childhood and having a qualification in mechanical engineering, Graham couldn’t believe his good fortune when he was offered a job in the Engineering Department at General Motors-Holden’s in the late-1960s when the Kingswood was king and Toyota was an upstart newcomer. It was a dream come true.

Over the next 20 years Graham worked in a range of test and development roles within GMH’s Experimental Engineering Department, at the Lang Lang Proving Ground, and the Engine Development Group where he predominantly worked on the six-cylinder and V8 engines.

If working for Holden wasn’t exciting enough he also spent two years studying General Motors Institute in America, with work stints with the Chassis Engineering section at Pontiac, and later took up the post of Holden’s liaison engineer at Opel in Germany.

But the lure of working in the media saw him become a fulltime motorsport reporter and photographer in the late-1980s following the Grand Prix trail around the world and covering major world motor racing events from bases first in Germany and then London.

After returning home to Australia in the late-1980s Graham worked on numerous motoring magazines and newspapers writing about new and used cars, and issues concerning car owners. These days, Graham is CarsGuide's longest standing contributor.

Used HSV Clubsport review: 1997-2000
By Graham Smith · 05 Aug 2014
Graham Smith road tests and reviews the used 1997-2000 HSV Clubsport VT/VT II.
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Used Volkswagen Touareg review: 2011-2012
By Graham Smith · 01 Aug 2014
NEW After the generously proportioned first-generation Touareg the second-generation model released in 2011 emerged lighter and much sleeker. Dramatic new curves gave the new model a more dynamic look. Gone was the pudginess of the old model, the new one's lines were taut and terrific. VW's stated aim was to build a
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Used Land Rover Range Rover Evoque review: 2011-2013
By Graham Smith · 18 Jul 2014
NEW In a sea of unrelenting sameness the Range Rover Evoque stands out with its super low roofline giving it a sporty style unlike any other SUV. But it's not just about the look of the Evoque, it's also a capable vehicle on and off road, as you would expect from such a respected brand in the off-road field. Like all
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Used Dodge Avenger review: 2007-2010
By Graham Smith · 16 Jul 2014
Graham Smith road tests and reviews the used 2007-2010 Dodge Avenger
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Used Mitsubishi Triton GLX-R review: 2009-2012
By Graham Smith · 11 Jul 2014
NEW The humble ute has long been a favourite of tradies, farmers and businesspeople and continues to be. It was born into a double life in which it was expected to be a workhorse as well as a daily driver with the comfort of a passenger car. For many years it was the locally made utes from Holden and Ford that ably
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Used Lexus IS200 review: 2001-2004
By Graham Smith · 10 Jul 2014
Graham Smith road tests and reviews the used 2001-2004 Lexus IS200.
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Used Holden Barina Spark review: 2010-2012
By Graham Smith · 07 Jul 2014
Graham Smith road tests and reviews the used 2010-2012 Holden Barina Spark.
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Used Lexus SC430 review: 2005-2010
By Graham Smith · 01 Jul 2014
Graham Smith road tests and reviews the used 2005-2010 Lexus SC430.
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Used Mazda 3 review: 2009-2011
By Graham Smith · 01 Jul 2014
Graham Smith road tests and reviews the used 2009-2011 Mazda 3 SP25.
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Used Volkswagen Tiguan review: 2011-2012
By Graham Smith · 11 Jun 2014
NEW Virtually every segment in the car market has become a hotbed of intense competition with rival carmakers doing everything in their power to win over car buyers with newer and better models, but none is more competitive than the SUV segment. Love 'em or loathe 'em there's no doubting the fact that the SUV has
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