Articles by Iain Kelly

Iain Kelly
Contributing Journalist

A love of classic American and European cars drove Iain Kelly to motoring journalism straight out of high school, via the ownership of a tired 1975 HJ Holden Monaro. 

For nearly 20 years he has worked on magazines and websites catering to modified late model high-performance Japanese and European tuner cars, as well as traditional hot rods, muscle cars and street machines. Some of these titles include Auto Salon, LSX Tuner, MOTOR, Forged, Freestyle Rides, Roadkill, SPEED, and Street Machine. He counts his trip to the USA to help build Mighty Car Mods’ “Subarute” along with co-authoring their recent book, The Cars of Mighty Car Mods, among his career highlights. 

Iain lends his expertise to CarsGuide for a variety of advice projects, along with legitimising his automotive obsession with regular OverSteer contributions.

Although his practical skills working on cars is nearly all self-taught, he still loves nothing more than spending quality time in the shed working on his project car, a 1964 Pontiac. He also admits to also having an addiction to E30 BMWs and Subaru Liberty RS Turbos, both of which he has had multiple examples of. With car choices like that, at least his mum thinks he is cool.

Is it illegal to drive with a cracked windscreen?
By Iain Kelly · 04 Jun 2018
Yes, it's illegal and, depending on where the crack is and how deep the crack is, the police can pick you up for having a windscreen that's defective.  There are actually several reasons why it is illegal to drive with a cracked or smashed windscreen, starting with the crack potentially obscuring your vision. If
Read the article
Is it illegal to drive one-handed?
By Iain Kelly · 04 Jun 2018
Quite simply, yes. The police can fine you for not having both hands on the steering wheel at all practical times.
Read the article
There are $92.5 million reasons why this vintage Ferrari is the most expensive car on earth
By Iain Kelly · 04 Jun 2018
One of only 36 ever built, this vintage 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO just sold for a record $92.5 million making it the most expensive car sold (on record).
Read the article
The ultimate guide to wiring a car, by Turbo Yoda
By Iain Kelly · 31 May 2018
Our cars wouldn't be able to run without them, but the mass of wires used in modern cars is able to confuse even proficient car enthusiasts. Thankfully there are guys like Alan Butler, who you may know as Turbo Yoda from the Mighty Car Mods YouTube channel.
Read the article
Top 5 most unlikely cars guaranteed to become collectable
By Iain Kelly · 31 May 2018
You don't need to be a chronic car enthusiast to know just about any exotic car will eventually become a collector's item, but there are plenty of other ordinary cars out there that will find a passionate following through the passage of time.
Read the article
These '90s cars are only collectable because of video games
By Iain Kelly · 30 May 2018
The 1990s was a time of dubious fashion, syrupy pop hits, and working out who shot Mr Burns. It was also a boom era for computer driving simulator games, on both PC and consoles as the new-fangled Sony PlayStation started to reinvigorate that market.
Read the article
Unique Jaguar wreck sells for over €350,000, 7-times more than expected
By Iain Kelly · 23 May 2018
A 1955 Jaguar XK140 SE featuring a custom aluminium body by renowned designer Giovanni Michelotti has sold at auction for 7-times the expected price.
Read the article
Chevy unveils replacement for displacement
By Iain Kelly · 23 May 2018
Chevy's Silverado pick-up truck is has been as American as apple pie, with a lineage dating back to the 1950s all powered by thumping great pushrod V8s.
Read the article
Master versus apprentice - does the 86 beat the OG AE86?
By Iain Kelly · 23 May 2018
The new-age Toyota 86 was inspired (and named after) the original rear-drive AE86 Sprinter model which is to drifting what the Ford Escort is to rallying, or the Ford Falcon is to touring cars. So, which is better at drifting?
Read the article
NSW Police unveil the cars you'll love to hate
By Iain Kelly · 22 May 2018
Say g'day to the cars you'll be getting booked by on NSW roads from July this year.
Read the article