Articles by Mark Hinchliffe

…at Lakeside flat out and went into a wild 360-degree spin in his 1965 Triumph Spitfire 4 Mk2. The British sportscar hit the wall under the bridge and ended Ezzy's club sprint day. "I had got it up to 101.01mph (162.6km/h) but I came unstuck and hit the wall. "But I could still drive it home." The 57-year-old Gold Coaster bought the car for just $50 from a local wrecking yard in 1978 for his sister. "She was about to get her licence and we needed a car for her to drive, so I bought it for her," he says. "Then she got married and didn't want it so I've kept it going all these years, building, building, building, spending and upgrading. "I once did a Harley custom show bike and I'd always wanted to do a car up." The Spitfire was a rusted wreck when Ezzy got it, so he bought another body from Melbourne and started cutting the rust and replacing panels until he had a complete car. He finally got it running and registered in 1982 and has been driving it ever since. The original Spitfire was painted white with red trim, had a four-speed gearbox and an 1147cc four-cylinder engine with about 47kW of power and a possible top speed of 96mph (155km/h). Ezzy painted the Spitfire his favourite blue, bored the engine out to almost 1300cc, reflowed and modified the heads, fitted a handmade stainless-steel straight-through exhaust system, bolted on South Australian Globe 13-inch wheels and converted to a five-speed gearbox after the original packed it in while competing in the Speed on Tweed timed sprints in 2009. "I do all my own work," he says. "It purs at 4000rpm, but I just want to take the diff down from 4.875 to 4.1." The paintwork is good, the badges aren't all original and he doesn't have all the Jaeger instruments. But, as Ezzy says, "all the money is underneath". Open up that massive one-piece front end and you discover an engine in gleaming chrome. "All the chrome looks good but it keeps the heat in so I have to get the cooling just right. I'll use more polished stainless steel parts rather than chrome in future," he says. "Chrome takes a lot to keep clean." There is also a massive air plate underneath that runs from front to back. "It's good for a show where they put it on a hoist as you don't see the gearbox and other mechanicals," he says. "It looks a lot cleaner." That hair-raising wild ride at Lakeside led to two other modifications after he fixed the dented panelwork; a fire extinguisher on the front floor and a roll bar. "It's about 99 per cent where I want it.," he says "I drive it as much as I can, weather permitting." When the weather does turn foul, he can deploy either a material tonneau cover or fibreglass hard top. "There have been a few times I've been tempted to sell it but where do I go to from here?" he asks. "I was offered $22,000 but I had already stopped keeping receipts at $30,0000." "It's a hobby and part of my life. I'm not married, I have no children, so it's my baby."

OFF-road motorhomes are becoming popular with grey nomads searching for the road less travelled. But some of these "monsters" are difficult to handle.Now compact motorhome manufacturer Horizon Motorhomes of Ballina, NSW, has moved into the market with an off-road motorhome they claim is more agile than most. The Acacia off-road motorhome will be available in the VW Crafter 35 van (109,000) or a range of Mercedes vans (from $115,00-$148,00): 4x4 Sprinter 516 or 519, or two-wheel-drive 316 or 319.There are now seven van options and five layouts available in the Horizon range. Marketing manager Helen Spurgeon says customers for this compact format are mostly couples.The launch of the new off-road motorhome also allowed Horizon to redesign its Acacia Motorhome developed in 2000, she says."Virtually everything from the previous Acacia model has changed; the possible exception being where the bed is," she says."A popular restaurant-style dining arrangement has been added."The kitchen has benefited from some significant enhancements with the inclusion of an extended kitchen counter to deliver additional working space, an in-counter waste unit and designing in the stove and sink as separate units."The fridge has been upsized to 136 litres, elevated off the floor and moved across the corridor to make it more accessible while the trademark wide internal corridor has been maintained to maximise the move-around space for couples travelling together."For those who are older, features that make accessibility easier are critical, thus the elevated fridge and wide corridors within the motorhome. "The off-road model has 100-litre water tanks and the two-wheel-drive model has 175 litres. Outside, there is a barbecue gas point added. Options include additional shelving and solar power, but customers are able to personalise their motorhomes, Spurgeon says."The market for these motorhomes means ... they are built to order to enable Horizon to personalise the construction with the inclusions and options that different customers require," she says.

And car companies and service stations are refusing to accept responsibility and blaming each other for what could be a growing and expensive mechanical problem. RACQ technical services manager Steve Spalding said they did not keep figures on misfuelling, but pointed out that in the UK last year there were 150,000 incidences. He said misfuelling must be on the increase here as our diesel market had increased markedly in the past few years. Private and non-private diesel cars, SUVs and light commercials now comprise 22.8 per cent of the market, up from just 11.2 per cent in 2005. So far this year 120,988 diesel vehicles have been sold, which is 10,000 more than in the whole of 2005. The biggest increase has been in passenger vehicles, up almost 300 per cent from 7071 in 2005 to 20,579 last year. "Misfuelling usually doesn't occur on the first refill but about the third or fourth refill when the owner goes back to their old habits," he said. Because petrol is a solvent and doesn't contain any lubricants, it can cause major metal-to-metal damage in a diesel engine. Spalding said misfuelling a petrol car with diesel would not cause as much damage and was more difficult to do as diesel nozzles were usually bigger than the filler neck on a petrol car. He said the best advice to motorists who have misfuelled a diesel car with petrol is to not start the car. "Even turning on the ignition can cause expensive damage," he said. He warned that motorists are not covered for misfuelling under their car warranty or most insurance policies. "The RACQ would like to see more differentiation between of pumps at service station and a standardisation of colours to signify diesel," he said. The RACQ is also considering endorsing a product which can be inserted in the filler neck of your vehicle to prevent anything but a diesel nozzle being inserted. The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries claim it is not the responsibility of the manufacturer to fit such devices as standard and points out that new cars have stickers inside the petrol filler flap that showed what fuel should be used. FCAI boss Andrew McKellar said service stations needed to respond to the growth in diesel passenger cars and "provide diesel customers with the same level of service as they do for those who drive petrol vehicles. Diesel customers should expect to have more than one bowser at a service station and that it will be clean, well-lit and under cover." Motor Trades Association of Queensland spokesman Richard Payne said a simpler and cheaper solution would be for car companies to fit a valve that would prevent a smaller petrol nozzle going into the diesel filler neck. "I wouldn't think they would be expensive especially on a volume basis, so I would like to see something like that," he said. He pointed out that a diesel nozzle was too big for a petrol neck and misfuelling didn't cause much damage, yet a petrol nozzle could easily fit into a wider diesel neck and cause extensive damage. "Whereas some of the old diesels were a bit tolerant of having some petrol in them, the modern common-rail types are intolerant to any mixture whatsoever," he said. "Our members tell us it is a reasonably common occurrence to misfuel diesel vehicles and it's mainly because the motorists have other things on their mind. They've been used to putting petrol in their cars all their lives and all of a sudden they have their first diesel car. Diesel cars are a relatively small volume at the moment, but it is on the increase as people look for cleaner emissions and better economy."

Subaru Forester X and Holden Captiva go head-to-head in this comparative review.

“We were turning the pages and I saw a picture of the XJ13 and said “what a magnificently proportioned car this is”, Cooke reminisces. He flippantly said, “Would you like one?” “I said yes, obviously.” He said, “Why don’t we make two of them?”. “I never thought much more about it, but he said “I’m serious, I’ve retired and I’ve got a house with a double garage. We’ll make two only, break the mould and never to make any more”. And that’s what happened. Over five years Bedford reconstructed the beautiful mid-engined XJ13 Le Mans sportscar with a “buck” (mould) made from 3000 pieces of craft timber. He took the measurements from unofficial drawings and an AUTOart 1:18 model. “Dennis proportioned it with a micrometer dial gauge used for measuring engineering parts,” Cooke says. “He basically multiplied all the measurements by 18 to bring it up to full size.” When it was finished, Cooke had the car painted Toyota Centre Red rather than the original British Racing Green. “I would never own or race a green car,” he says. “I like green in nature but not in cars. Green cars are recognised as one of the most dangerous colours as they blend in with the surroundings.” Coke also owns two other red cars: a 2001 V12 Ferrari Barchetta and a 2004 Porsche 911 GT3 that he uses for track cars as well as daily drivers. He uses the Jag up to nine times a year in various shows and motorsport events such as the Speed on Tweed. Instead of the original quad cam five-litre V12 Jaguar engine, Bedford put in a standard 5.3L twin overhead cam V12 from the E-Type with a Getrag five-speed manual gearbox. “It drives superbly, this thing,” says Cooke. “It pulls well. We gained quite a bit of horsepower out of the tuned exhaust links and 12 twin-throat Webber carburettors. “It’s fairly thirsty and a bit difficult to tune, but we’ve now got it right.” Bedford sold the other half-finished replica to Australian drag racer Ash Marshall who shipped it to the US where it remains unfinished. Cooke says there are two more replicas in Australia; one built by John Wilson in Canberra and the other by Frank and Michael Owen of Perth. Both are green. “But this is the only red one we know of,” he says. “Make me a large offer and you’d be surprised what would happen, but there is a certain amount of sentimentality about it. I might pass it on to my sons.” His wife, Gwen, is adamant the Jag won't be sold. “I love it because it was a dream of Digby”s to build something exotic,” she says. “He just comes alive when he’s out in it. When he’s looking at it, it’s like a lady looking at a beautiful piece of jewellery.”

The three-time Australian and four-time Asia-Pacific rally champion is out of a job in rallying at the moment but still competing and having fun in the new side-by-side all-terrain-vehicle class. "It's absolutely fantastic," he says at last week's (MAY 11) national press launch of the 2011 Polaris all-terrain vehicle range at the Holden driver training centre at Norwell on the Gold Coast hinterland. "The jumps are different as you don't go as far, but the landing is much softer. Even though you aren't going as fast the thrill factor is the same." Crocker has been joined by his best mate and former co-driver Greg Foletta in the side-by-side Polaris RZR XP, winning their first outing at the Thumb Pump 300, a desert race near Pinnaroo. "He does the pace notes and he's the winch bitch in the winching events," Crocker says. "It's amazing how it will get up a lot of steep hills the big trucks can't even get up." The 65kW, 875cc twin-cylinder RZR XP ($23,995) replaces the S model and is the "hero" model of the side-by-side range which is their biggest sector, according to Polaris national marketing manager Neil Anderson. "It has been designed as a pure sports machine, not a compromise of farm features and sport," he says. The new side-by-side range features the American company's first electric-powered Ranger and the re-introduction of a diesel side-by-side model. The AWD/2WD Ranger EV ($19,995-$20,995) has range up to 80km, recharges in less than eight hours and has a top speed of 40km/h, a 226kg tray and 567kg towing capacity. Anderson says the EV is popular with wineries as it can be used inside while the diesel should be "a hit" with farmers who prefer diesel power. The 904cc, three-cylinder Ranger Diesel ($20,995) has a 680kg payload, 907.2kg towing capacity and seats three people. The Polaris side-by-side Ranger models come with seats for two, three, four and six people. Polaris also had a prototype machine at the launch, but details are embargoed until August.

HENRY Ford would roll over in his grave. He once said about the Model T: "Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it is black." Today's customers for prestige cars can chose from so many trim options it is possible that no two cars of the same model would be the same. Maserati, for example, has nine million possible trim, colour and leather combinations, a figure that has doubled in the past three years. One Australian family is even reported to have chosen a bespoke Maserati Quattroporte with four different leather seat colours to match the favourite colour of each member of the family. Ferrari runs a Special Projects program where customers can create a one-off special. For example, New York Ferrari collector and enthusiast Peter Kalikow has taken delivery of this one-off Special Projects Ferrari  Superamerica 45 to celebrate 45 years since he first became a Ferrari client. It features a carbon-fibre rotating hard-top, a carbon-fibre boot, chromed front grille and special burnished aluminium A-pillars, wing mirrors and door handles. The Superamerica 45 is finished in Blu Antille to matches Kalikow's 1961 400 Superamerica cabriolet. The wheels are body-coloured with contrasting diamond-finish spokes. The roof and other carbon-fibre elements of the bodywork are in a special contrasting darker blue, a theme that is carried over to the cockpit which features dark blue carbon-fibre dash trim and driver zone. The interior features a combination of Cuoio leather trim and Blu Scuro carbon fibre details and a latest-generation touch-screen infotainment system. No Australian customer has yet ordered a car under Ferrari's Special Projects program. However, every Ferrari that comes into Australia is personalised to individual customer's particular requirements. And there is a lot to choose from. For a start there are three different types of seat: standard, carbon fibre racing and carbon fibre racing with electric adjustment. These then come in small, medium or large sizes. The standard seat may have the normal upholstery style, Daytona or Diamond pattern, then different parts of the seat may use differ types of leather in different colours or be combined with Alcantara. The stitching can be the same colour or different colours, in different stitching styles or piping may be used. But wait there's so much more. The seat belts come in different colours, the boot may be carpet or Alcantara and so on. And what about colours? There is a standard range, an historic range from Ferrari's history or customers can choose any colour they like. Even choosing a red Ferrari involves a choice - classic Rosa Corsa, Scuderia Red of the F1 team or three darker metallic and pearlescent reds. A Ferrari spokesman says it usually takes a customer three to four hours to work out the exact specification for their Ferrari.

And each week it seems the fuel price sign goes up faster than a politician's pay packet. Australians use a vast amount of fuel in going about their daily business, be it getting the kids to school, travelling to and from work, or conducting the nation's business.Each year we import an ocean of petrol, diesel and LPG that's equivalent to 63,000 Olympic swimming pools. And we're not alone, as the vast populations of newly mobile countries such as India and China take to the roads in their Tatas, Great Walls and Cherys, the world's thirst for oil seems ever more insatiable.Overlay this with war and unrest in the Middle East, the source of 56 per cent of the world's oil, and the inevitable push-pull dynamics of supply and demand can lean to only one thing: higher fuel prices.Here in Australia motorists have been feeling the pinch of higher fuel prices since January when the latest spike in oil prices first began appearing on service station leader boards.The spiralling petrol prices mean fuelling a family car like a Commodore or Falcon now accounts for 2.6 per cent of average weekly earnings. But you don't have to sit back and take it in the hip pocket. There are ways to drive down your weekly fuel bills. Here are a few of them.DOWNSIZING According to VFACTS industry statistics, this seems the most popular choice. Large cars have gone from the top-selling passenger segment in 2000 with 198,766 to the smallest passenger segment last year with 98,583 and falling at 3.1 per cent.Meanwhile, sales of smaller cars are skyrocketing. In the past 10 years small car sales have almost doubled to 239,191 while light cars have increased about 44 per cent to 137,916. You can buy a small car from as little as $11,990 (plus on-road costs) for the Chinese-made Chery, right up $35,990 for a Citroen DS3.And you won't go without. Some of the cheapest little cars these days come with a swag of safety and creature features from multiple airbags to Bluetooth connectivity.PROS: Save on fuel; do the environment a favour; easier to park; nippier in traffic; little hatches can be cavernous if you fold down the rear seats.CONS: You get cramped on long journeys; they are noisier on the highway; they're bumpier over potholes; you could feel a little silly driving a Smurf car.Our Pick: Hyundai i20 (from $15,490) is set to take over from Getz as the segment leader with Euro styling and a high level of features and safety.Others to Consider: Suzuki Swift (from $15,990), Mazda2 (from $15,790) and Toyota Yaris (from $14,990).DIESEL Like smaller car categories, the growth in diesel-powered vehicles is exponential. Since the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries began collating separate figures for various fuel types in 2005, diesel cars and SUVs have more than doubled to 125,555 last year, which is almost one in every five new passenger cars or SUVs bought today.The reason is that modern diesel engines are not only up to twice as frugal as a petrol vehicle, but they often have lower emissions because they burn less fuel per kilometre and usually have an exhaust system that traps small carbon materials.Modern diesels are also quieter and smoother running. However, diesel engines have higher internal pressures and a complex fuel system so they are more expensive to build than a petrol engine. Some car companies charge up to $10,000 more for a diesel variant, although most charge around an extra $2000.Expensive diesels are often the result of low production volumes and highly technological designs and machining costs. To reap the economic benefits you have to drive big kilometres each year and hold on to the vehicle longer.An extreme example is the Holden CD Cruze auto diesel that costs $4000 more than the petrol model. Based on RACQ's fuel running costs of 9.36c/km for the petrol and 8.41c/km for the diesel, you would have to drive 25,000km for 16 years to recoup the extra cost.PROS: Fuel economy is anywhere between 10-50 per cent better than a petrol equivalent; more torque means quicker acceleration and easier driving around town; better towing capacity; marginally better resale value; lower CO2 emissions per kilometre; diesel engines often last longer because of the more robust engineering.CONS: Fewer diesel pumps on servo forecourts means queuing at the servo; oily bowser pumps leave your hands smelly and dirty; the engines still clatter at idle and sound raucous at full revs; it takes a long time to reap the economic benefits; servicing charges can also be more expensive because of the more expensive oils required and the complicated fuel systems.Our Pick: Fiesta ECOnetic (from $24,990) is a hybrid beater even in stop-start commuting, yet it's a delight to drive.Others to Consider: Hyundai i30 (from $23,090), VW Golf (from $29,990), Subaru Forester (from $35,990).LPG It's almost worth it to convert your petrol or diesel vehicle to LPG just to get the $1500 Federal government subsidy. But you better be quick because the conversion rebate drops to $1250 from July 1 and decreases $250 annually. All rebates and subsidies are only for private vehicles.Conversions cost an average of $2800 for pre-2006 vehicles, but about $4000 for newer vehicles because of emissions regulations. If you buy a vehicle factory fitted for LPG before its first registration, you get a $2000 rebate from the Feds.However, choices of new vehicles with factory fitted LPG systems are limited. Ford has a new LPG Falcon coming in July and has factory-fitted systems for some of its utes. Holden has an Autogas dual-fuel injection system for its Commodore and will have a mono-fuel LPG Commodore later this year.Toyota has a direct injection LPG system for its 2.7-litre HiAce vans and Mitsubishi has an aftermarket sequential multi-port direct-injection system for its Challenger, Express Van, Pajero, Triton and the now defunct 380.PROS: Much cheaper fuel (about 60c compared with $140+ for ULP); government subsidies make conversion attractive; LPG prices are fairly static so you don't have to fill up on a Tuesday morning when servo prices are cheapest; lower emissions.CONS: Limited choice of new dual-fuel vehicles; only suitable for large vehicles; you lose boot space; even though they are safe they can develop minor smelly leaks; they add about 75kg (about the weight of two large suitcases) to the rear of the car effecting handling; it can be difficult finding servos with LPG in rural areas.HYBRID These are vehicles with petrol or diesel internal combustion engines paired with an electric motor or motors. The drivetrain and associated battery pack for the electric motor is more complex so therefore more costly. Like diesels, you need to do big kays before the savings at the bowser recoup the extra purchase price.For example, a Toyota Prius costs about $2500 more than a Corolla Ultima. Using RACQ's running costs, the fuel savings will take 4 years at 15,000km a year (or 2.5 years at 25,000km/year) to recoup the extra purchase price.Most hybrids switch off totally every time you stop and run on electric power only when you are driving slowly, so they are most economical in heavy traffic. The benefits are marginal on country roads and highways, although when both drive units are operating under heavy acceleration such as when overtaking, they do offer a tangible boost to acceleration.Despite the fact the technology has been around for 10 years, Hybrids are still relatively new. Today, there are 10 hybrid models on the market, but only the Toyota Prius, Camry, Honda Insight and Civic are affordable.Hybrids tend to be bought mainly by governments and big business to emphasise their green credentials. Taxi companies also like hybrids because of their fuel efficiency in urban environments. If you're open to the idea of a used vehicle, then a second-hand Prius or similar is a reasonable option.PROS: Cheaper to run in traffic; feel and be seen to be environmentally conscious; extra power under heavy acceleration; almost silent running when on electric only power.CONS: Higher purchase price; the number of models is limited but you can choose from a small Prius to a large Porsche Cayenne SUV; some look odd like the Prius and Insight.Our Pick: Toyota Prius (from $39,900) and the Honda Insight (from $29,990) at least look like futuristic hybrids, so your neighbours will know you are trying to be green.Others to consider: Honda Civic (from $34,490), Toyota Camry (from $36,990)ELECTRIC CARSThe only production electric cars in Australia are the Tesla Roadster at $241,938 and the Mitsubishi i-MiEV which is available only on a lease of $1740 a month for three years for a total of $62,640. Then the car goes back to Mitsubishi. When it arrives it is expected to cost $70,000.However, prices will come crashing down in the next few years as more and more EVs become available in Australia. The first of these will be the Nissan Leaf and Holden Volt next year.The Volt is expected to cost less than $40,000 and Nissan is saying the Leaf will cost about the same to run as a Tiida, even though initial outlay will probably be close to the Volt. While tailpipe emissions are zero, most electricity in Australia comes from burning dirty coal, so the environmental advantage is reduced.Some critics say there is no advantage. Current limitations of battery technology mean range is also limited to about 160km according to the car companies, but in real life it's less, especially if you have a lead foot.PROS: Very cheap to run; no tailpipe emissions; almost silent running; aerodynamic body shapes.CONS: Expensive to buy - that's if you can find one to buy; silent running can be dangerous for pedestrians; battery disposal is an environmental issue; range is limited; long re-charging time (up to eight hours); most EVs are designed to look futuristic but just end up looking like golf carts.DRIVE ECONOMICALLYOf all the things you can do to drive down your fuel bill, this is the most pragmatic as it's the simplest and most affordable. It can be expensive to swap your trusted and much-loved family car or SUV for something smaller or with an alternative powertrain.Trade-in prices on family cars are down according to the Motor Trades Association and if you buy a new car, you are up for dealer delivery charges, stamp duty and registration. It may be cheaper to hang on to your vehicle, but modify your driving behaviour for more economical running.There are many simple things you can do: Plan trips better and make fewer trips; jettison excess weight from the car; correctly inflate your tyres and get your car serviced more frequently.Most importantly you can vary your driving behaviour by slowing down, changing up the gears sooner, avoiding heavy breaking and staying away from peak-hour traffic. You may have heard these all before, but here are five radical ideas to reducing your fuel expense burden that you may not have heard.1. Cool idea: Turning off the airconditioning will provide a slight increase in fuel economy. However, when travelling on the highway, it is more fuel efficient to have the windows up and aircon switched on than having the windows down creating aerodynamic drag. Don't leave the aircon off for long periods as bacteria will build up in the system.2. Light is right: So throw out not only the unnecessary baggage such as your golf clubs, but maybe also the spare tyre. It can weigh 15-20kg in the average car. The US Department of Energy quotes fuel use as 1-2 per cent for every 45.5kg, so that's at least 0.5 per cent saved. Conversely, NRMA tests show that loading a vehicle to its rated maximum increases fuel consumption 24 per cent. While you might be able to get away without a spare tyre around town, we recommend you always carry it on long trips, especially in the country.3. Turned off: Switch off the engine at long traffic light stops. Modern fuel-injected cars start quickly without the need for any throttle. Car makers with stop-start technology that automatically switches off the engine every time the car is stopped quote fuel savings in traffic of 4-5 per cent.4. Just cruising: Use cruise control more frequently. Most cruise control systems actually put the car's engine into an economy mode and will run more efficiently than most drivers can drive as it accelerates more evenly. It is best used on the open road and not hilly terrain or stop-start conditions. While we could not find any official figures, some sources claim fuel savings up to 14 per cent.5. Re-tyre: the next time you buy tyres, choose from the new range of "eco" tyres with low rolling resistance. A California Energy Commission study estimated low-rolling resistance tyres could save 1.5-4.5 per cent on fuel consumption.

The spiralling petrol prices mean fuelling a family car like a Commodore or Falcon now accounts for 2.6 per cent of average weekly earnings. But you don't have to sit back and take it in the hip pocket. These families have all taken different approaches to reducing their fuel bills.DOWNSIZINGTheir 2000 Falcon was costing the Andrew family of Brisbane a small fortune to keep running, so they decided to downsize.However, instead of buying one vehicle, they went for two Suzukis, the cutesy Swift and the three-cylinder ultra-frugal Alto.Warren, 47, says the Falcon had a 65-litre tank while the combined tanks of the Swift and Alto are 77 litres. "We now get twice as many kilometres from the same expenditure on fuel," he says. Though it has to be noted that the additional cost of registering and maintaining a second car would probably offset any real cost advantage.His wife, Karen, 43, says having two small cars is more versatile for transporting their children Jess, 12, and Emily, 10, to and from primary and secondary schools. We don't miss the Falcon in the least; maybe we will when we go on holidays," she says."It's been great. Having the two cars means we can take a child separately - one to primary and one at high school. The Swift is really cool. The Alto is a good little runabout but I enjoy driving the Swift. We drive whoever's car is at the back. Warren tends to take the Swift. I think he deliberately leaves it at the back."We fill them with petrol every couple of weeks and we can squeeze into smaller parking places. "Jess and Emily love the cars more than the Falcon. They say it's my car'."LPG Retirees John and Lesley Braggs planned to become grey nomads so they bought a 2003 BMW X5 V8 petrol a few years ago. "You wouldn't get much change out of $120 when you filled it up," he says.About eight months ago they converted it to a dual-fuel petrol/LPG system. "We were travelling around a lot going down to Melbourne and back and have plans to travel to Adelaide and Alice Springs," he says."We only put about 20 bucks a month of petrol into it because it starts up on petrol and then a few seconds later the gas kicks in. "The petrol also kicks in if you run low onLPG but we never run low and need to use it. I only ever have about a quarter of a tank of petrol, otherwise it's excess weight we don't need."He says he hasn't noticed any change in performance. "It seems to have the same amount of power as when it's running on petrol I reckon," he says. They had a 70-litre LPG tank installed where the spare tyre was located under the cargo floor so they didn't lose any luggage space. "I carry around a pressure pack in case we have a puncture," he says.The LPG installation cost about $4500 with the government rebate. "I'm really wrapped with it. There is nothing different with the performance and it's cheap," he says."LPG is currently about 70c a litre. When we first got it, it was about 40c a litre, but it's still cheap."HYBRID The Knights have discovered another benefit of their fuel-efficient Toyota Prius with the recent birth of their son, Thomas."Now that we have the baby we don't have the radio on and we can tell how quiet it is," Tanya says. "It's a bit disconcerting sometimes when it kicks into electric." Tanya and husband Stephen bought the Prius two years ago."We were in the market for a new car and wanted to be as fuel efficient and environmentally conscious as possible," she says. "We came from a Falcon with LPG so I didn't want to go to a petrol car and pay X number of hundred dollars to fill it."We found the LPG wasn't particularly fuel efficient. It guzzled the fuel, but it was half the price. "Now I fill up maybe once every three to four weeks on a 60km daily round trip to school and home. "With highway driving, I can get over 1000km on one 40-litre tank of fuel which is amazing. We're really happy with it and wouldn't go to a petrol-only car ever."Mrs Knight says the Prius is a bit quirky in design and function. "But once you get used to it, it's interesting," she says. "People are astonished. They say the car has turned off."She also defends the Prius as a family car. "It's actually a reasonable size car. We get the baby capsule in and there is plenty of space for other people, she says. "My dad used to run taxis and many in the industry are going to hybrid cars."DIESEL The Webbs were a bit skeptical about diesels when they went to test the Hyundai i30cw CRDi wagon. But Adam and Katie Webb of Brisbane were pleasantly surprised. "My only experience of a diesel was my mate's old diesel HiLux which chugs and smokes," says Adam. "I had done some research and knew a bit about the new turbo diesels but my wife was especially concerned about the noise and smoke of them."However, when I took it for a test drive I was surprised. For a 1.6 (litre engine) when you put your foot down it really takes off. "It's really quiet. Especially on the highway you hardly notice you are driving a diesel. "There's still a bit of noise when you start it up. You know it's a diesel, but it's a lot smoother and quieter than we thought."The Webbs traded in their 1996 Magna wagon three months ago. "We pretty much downgraded in size, but there is still plenty of space," he says. "Me, my wife and the two kids all fit in quite well and when you have a couple of kids their stuff takes up a lot of boot space."The burning question is fuel economy. "We bought it just for the fuel efficiency," he says. "I'm not too sure on the actual economy figures but we drove about 600km to Rainbow Beach and back last weekend and there's still about a quarter of a tank left."He rejected concerns about limited and dirty diesel bowsers. "My wife drives it more than I do and she hasn't had any problems finding a boswer," he says. "Hyundai supply 10 disposable gloves with the car to use when filling up, but we've never used them."

The McLaren MP4-12C features technology banned by Formula One for being "unfair". The 330km/h McLaren MP4-12C will hit the Trivett Sydney showroom at about $500,000 in October. Trivett, which also deals in Rolls Royce, Aston and Bentley, will open a showroom in Melbourne next year and other capital cities "as the need arises", says boss Greg Duncan. "We're still negotiating the exact price. McLaren is yet to determine a price for this region," he says. The lightweight carbon-chassis supercar comes from the same garage that produces the McLaren F1 team race cars and fairly bristles with F1 technology and DNA. The 12C is powered by McLaren's 3.8-litre, V8 twin-turbo engine producing 441kW of power and 600Nm of torque. It features "Brake Steer" technology which is a variation on McLaren's electronic driver aid used successfully in Formula 1 on the 1997 McLaren MP4-12. It was later banned as giving an unfair advantage. Basically it assists a brave or over-confident driver who has entered a corner too fast or has a lead foot and applies too much throttle on corner exit. The system applies brakes to the inside rear wheel on entering a corner to prevent understeer and reduces wheel spin on the inside rear so the driver can put power down more quickly when exiting a corner. McLaren regional director Ian Gorusch says the 12C is more "exclusive" than its main rivals, the Ferrari 458 (from $526,500) and Lamborghini Gallardo LP560 (from $475,000). "We want to produce less cars than our competitors," he says. "We will not be pushing volume. We will always have too few cars to meet demand." The 12C was launched to the world in January as McLaren announced it would begin production of road cars with a separate plant opening last month and more road models to come. "We plan to be around for many decades and for a viable business model we can't do it with one model," Gorusch says. "The other models will use the core element, but there will be no four seaters and no SUVs. We will stick at what we're good at." And what McLaren is good at is making fast cars. Their first car, the legendary McLaren F1 from 1992-98, was powered by a 468kW, 6.1-litre BMW V12 and was the world's fastest production car for many years. Mr Bean star Rowan Atkinson copped several speeding fines in his F1 which had a top speed of 386km/h and would launch to 100km/h in just 3 seconds. The new C12 is no slouch either, being only 0.3 seconds slower to highway speed. But McLaren's road car is not just about uncompromised speed and power. There is luxury and refinement inside the two-seater with a host of leather and suede. This is no pretend Le Mans car like the McLaren F1 with a central driving position and race-based interior. It doesn't even come with a manual gearbox. The C12 features an F1-style seven-speed, dual clutch transmission with different settings for normal driving, sport driving and track days. It has a nifty trick of blipping the throttle like a racing driver as it automatically changes down gears under heavy braking. As with the transmission, drivers can also select the ride and handling to match their mood. Gorusch says "usability" is the key to the supercar. "On the open road it's just fantastic and engaging; on the circuit the `oomph' is awesome and when you are in Sydney traffic jam it's totally relaxed with a new suspension system that's actually comfortable," he says. Duncan confirms they will have a demo model available at their Alexandria showroom from October with deliveries starting in late November. "We will build some in advance to what we think will be customer spec, but more often than not they will arrive 'specced' up to customer requirements," he says. "We won't need to fly people from interstate like casinos do with high-stakes gamblers. We have Rolls customers in Perth who are in Sydney from time to time and will have a look at a car and organise a test drive." He says they will be allocated 10-15 cars this year. "We're hoping for 40 next year as there's quite a lot of demand for the car." MCLAREN MP4-12C Price: about $500,000Engine: 441kW/600Nm, 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8Transmission: 7-speed, dual-clutchWeight: 1434kgEconomy: 11.7 l/100kmCO2: 279g/kmMaximum speed: 330km/hAcceleration: 0-100 km/h 3.3 secsBraking: 100-0km/h in 30.3m MCLAREN F1 Price: over $1mEngine: 468kW 6.1-litre V12Transmission: 6-speed manualWeight: 1138kgAcceleration: 0-100 km/h 3 secsMaximum speed: 386km/h