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Articles by James Cleary

James Cleary

James Cleary

Deputy Editor

As a small boy James often sat on a lounge with three shoes in front of him, a ruler between the cushions, and a circular drinks tray in his hands. He would then play ‘drivings’, happily heading to destinations unknown for hours on end. He’s since owned many cars, raced a few, and driven (literally) thousands of them at all points of the globe.

He’s steered around and across Australia multiple times, spent time as an advanced driving instructor, and had the opportunity to experience rare and valuable classics here and overseas.

His time in motoring journalism has included stints at national and international titles including Motor, Wheels and TopGear, and when asked to nominate a career highlight, James says interviewing industry legend Gordon Murray, in the paddock at the 1989 Australian Formula One Grand Prix was amazing, especially as Murray waived away a hovering Ayrton Senna to complete the conversation.

As Deputy Editor, James manages everything from sub-editing to back-end content, while creating written and video product reviews, as well as the weekly 'Tools in the Shed' podcast.'

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Over a hundred years’ worth of sports cars, racing cars… sports cars that are racing cars; Alfa Romeo has captured the beauty and excitement of automotive design and engineering. But… in Australia, the famous Italian brand’s production car line-up currently consists of a sedan , and now, two SUVs...Read more

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As a kid I loved playing with slot cars. Little electric machines with a power-to-weight ratio capable of sling-shotting them around the track with smile-inducing force. Truth-be known, I still like playing with them, however my current favourites are at risk of being knocked off by a new 1:1 scale...Read more
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Your family’s grown to the point where a five-seat SUV is fine… most of the time. But on the odd occasion some of the kids’ friends are tagging along or nan and pop are in the mix. Two extra seats is the answer, but a full-blown three-row SUV , and the imposing size that usually comes with it, is a...Read more
You want a full-size, five-seat family SUV, but you want one with genuine off-road ability up its sleeve. More than occasional all-wheel drive, you’re after a real deal 4x4. Enter the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited . Big and roomy, it wears its four-wheel-drive heart on its sleeve. But what does...Read more

As it prepares to roll into Australian showrooms from the first week of...Read more

Volvo has upgraded its XC40 compact SUV and C40 hatch with greater...Read more

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