Articles by Mark Hinchliffe

Brisbane company EarthCruiser Overland Vehicles (EOV) has adapted a Mitsubishi Canter 4x4 to create a new dual-cab ute model to add to its range of short and long-wheelbase adventure trucks and utes. Spokesman Michael Gregson says the new vehicle is based on customer feedback. "There are many people out there, whether they be tradesman, hobbyist or leisure seekers who don't want a truck, but badly need a good quality seven-seat, four-wheel-drive dual cab utility with a huge tray and a quality finish, so we believe we will be offering a unique product to a keen audience," he says. "We have gone through the second-stage manufacturing process to deliver what potential customers of these great vehicles have been crying out for - long-travel, soft-ride suspension, single wheel, with real off road-tyres and a decent size tray with a mounting system that lets the chassis work. "Add to this the Australian made suspension seat and it compliments the package to deliver a comfortable and tough unit." EOV specialise in building vehicles capable of long-range sustainable world travel over almost any terrain and have tested their products on expeditions across many kilometres and continents. EOV boss Lance Gillies says they are attracting customers from around Australian and the world including a Swiss buyer who arrives next week to pick up their vehicle and clients from Egypt "in a month or so". EOV products are not classed as a modified truck but are registered as an EarthCruiser brand, recognised as fully legal in, and insurable in, all states of Australia. The new ute also weighs less than 4500kg, so it can be driven on a standard car licence like most EOV products. "With the whole vehicle being not much wider than a LandCruiser, they can tackle the same tracks and narrow river crossings as conventional four-wheel drives," Gregson says. EarthCruiser vehicles are powered by a 4.9-litre intercooled turbo-diesel with 117kW of power and, more importantly, 471Nm of torque. The new dual-cab ute is priced at $89,000 plus on-road costs and is available through ZUPPS Truck Centre, Rocklea. The short wheelbase EarthCruiser costs $195,000, the mid-wheelbase is $230,000 and the ute is $75,000. Visit www.earthcruiser.com.au.

According to Renault F1 chief designer Pat Symonds, ground-effects aerodynamics and turbocharging, both of which were banned in the 1980s, could return. Writing in F1 Racing magazine, Symonds sees the 2020 F1 car also having low-profile tyres on bigger wheels, Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS) that produce 185kW and a standard, non-downforce rear wing. His vision of a future F1 car takes into account the likelihood of future rules on fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. F1 teams have already been instructed to reduce fuel consumption by 35 per cent, while a more environmentally-friendly 1.6-litre turbo engine will be introduced in 2013. "Taking into consideration all the variant motivators that drive regulations, I expect that the F1 car of 2020 will demonstrate much more change than has been seen over the past 10 years," he says.

The first 4WD off-road style Alfa was the 1900M built from 1952-54 for the Italian army to replace their jeeps. However, the coming Alfa SUV will be a lot more luxurious and will not have a numerical identity. In keeping with Alfa's latest trend it will have a name. But it will not be called Kamal, the name given to the concept SUV that Alfa displayed in 2003. That name could be embarrassing in Australia for obvious reasons. Edward Rowe, spokesman for Alfa importers Ateco Automotive, says that whatever it is called, the SUV is an "absolutely definite" for Australia. "As a percentage share of the market 4WD/SUVs in Australia are very big," he says. "And the premium SUV market is disproportionately larger than in other markets so to have this vehicle is important for us. We have already put our hand up for it." However, the major intention of Alfa's drive into SUVs is to attack the US market. "The plan is to return Alfa to the US and obviously you just can't be a player of any significance in the US market without having an SUV," Rowe says. "Alfa can go in with traditional cars, but to have a profitable dealer network they need players in sizeable sectors and one of the most sizeable in the US is SUVs." Rowe says the Alfa SUV would have "a lot of luxury features". "It's too early to talk about specifics other than to say it would match the features and equipment of existing Alfas, so you can expect to see a lot of handcrafted leather, advanced telematics and a very distinct Alfa character inside and out," he says. The drive system will not come from the new Ferrari FF AWD, but will be an American system mated to Alfa's twin-clutch transmission which was originally designed not only for use in transverse front-wheel drives but also longitudinal 4WD installations. Alfa and Maserati will use the new Jeep Cherokee platform to create separate SUVs. The Alfa will have a combination of four-cylinder and V6 petrol and diesel engines while the Maserati - introduced as a Kubang concept in 2003 - will have a V8 and the six-litre V12 from the Ferrari 599. Rowe says the Alfa and Chrysler engines would be "high performance and high revving; suitable for the Alfa character". He believes the Alfa SUV will attract new buyers to the Italian marque.

Mark Skaife will again come out of retirement to partner Craig Lowndes in a pursuit of his seventh Bathurst victory.  Between them, they already have 11 Bathurst wins to their name. Lowndes said the early announcement of the enduro pairing would give them more time to prepare.  "This year we'll be much better prepared and with Skaifey at every round for his TV commentary duties, we'll be able to get him in the car much more often," he said. "That means we'll be able to keep him sharp and on the pace which is important because each year the competition gets tougher and tougher.  Also, Skaifey should be able to help us develop the car throughout the season." Lowndes and Skaife partnered for the first time in 10 years in 2010 and won the Philip Island and Bathurst enduro double.  Skaife described the pairing with Lowndes last year as "an absolute pleasure". "I could not have predicted that we would walk away with two enduro wins," he said.  "The team is extremely professional in every aspect and I feel privileged to be returning to the endurance race co-driver role in what is sure to be a very strong car come September." Skaife said he did not retire too soon and could not be tempted back to full-time racing. "I'm not in a position now with TV contracts and to be honest I wouldn't want to," he said.  "I'm not looking for a full-time gig, I'm happy having the best part-time gig." Lowndes said the problem with the pairing was that he would not be able to equal Skaife's Bathurst tally of wins.  "But hey, I wouldn't be too disappointed if after Bathurst this year I've got six and he's got seven," he said. Team Vodafone also announced that Andrew Thompson who finished 30th in the series last year will partner Jamie Whincup in the endurance races. "It's a huge opportunity for me and I feel extremely lucky to have been given this chance," Thompson said.  "I have a lot of work to do to repay the faith but I am really looking forward to getting the year underway and proving what I can do."

The Mini SUV will be launched in Australia next month and BMW Group Australia executive Piers Scott says there are rumours of a WRC kit being made available.  "We will be able to do things to build a replica," he says."I haven't seen the details of what the changes would be, but they would be more than just cosmetic.  There are also John Cooper Works kits in the pipeline but there is no conformation of an engine variant yet; but I wouldn't rule it out."The Countryman will start at $37,700 for the naturally aspirated 1.6-litre Cooper in two-wheel drive only.  The turbocharged Cooper S Countryman will start at $47,500 for the two-wheel-drive model and $50,400 for the "ALL4" four-wheel drive.A two-litre turbo diesel Cooper D will start at $40,950 and will also have a choice of two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive.  Scott says there may also be another diesel engine choice down the track.The Countryman will compete in six European rounds of the WRC starting in Sweden on February 13, but not Australia.  "However, we have been offered drives for Australian guests and journalists in the shake-down at some of these events," Scott says.He points out that the WRC vehicle bears few similarities to the X-Raid Countryman entry in the recent Dakar Rally in South America.  "That entry was at arm's length from BMW," he says.The X-Raid Mini was running a respectable ninth overall when driver Guerlain Chicherit rolled it three times during routine testing on a rest day.The Countryman was launched internationally in July last year."The lag in right-hand-drive production for Australia is because it has been extremely popular in the UK where there's a three-month waiting list.  But we should have enough supply here."The car has been anticipated for a long time so we have a lot of orders, mostly for the high spec.  There are a lot of aftersales accessories already on the market because it has been out so long."Piers also says Mini electric scooters - revealed at the Paris Motor Show last October -  are "still on the cards" and that the Mini Coupe two-seater will arrive in July.

Lexus has announced a new partnership with the global superstar to launch its new full hybrid luxury hatchback into the heart of a new market sector. The new relationship will see Kylie – one of the world’s most iconic performers – supporting the introduction of the new Lexus CT 200h through the cross-media “Quiet Revolution” marketing campaign and publicity. In addition to appearing in the upcoming TV commercial and print advertisements, Kylie will take delivery of her own personally specified Lexus CT 200h. At the same time, Lexus will be the lead sponsor of Kylie’s Aphrodite - Les Folies 2011 UK tour – destined to be one of the most visually spectacular and technically complex shows ever staged in the UK. Kylie, who has enjoyed huge success as an actor, singer, dancer, model and designer, said: “I am absolutely delighted to be working with Lexus on the launch of their new full hybrid CT 200h. I’ve been lucky enough to have a preview of the car which is both stylish and elegant and will definitely create a Quiet Revolution”.

... or face a long wait for a more expensive replacement car.Motor Trades Association of Queensland spokesman Richard Payne predicts about 7500 vehicles will be written off by insurers in the Queensland floods, alone."Those vehicles will have to be replaced, but insurance companies corrall the vehicles and inspect them en masse which will take time," he said.  "It's suggested that you get in early, because there may be shortages when the demand on new and used cars hit, although I don't think it will come in a burst," he said.Motor Trades Association of Australia spokesman Colin Duckworth said there were no reports of dealers in Queensland, NSW or Victoria losing much stock in the floods.  He said the slowly rising floodwaters gave dealers enough notice to move their vehicles out.Payne said he did not expect price rises on new cars in the wake of the floods.  "The strong dollar and the competition will keep prices competitive, particularly with new vehicles, but there may be some increase in the price of used vehicles."Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries chief executive Andrew McKellar was reluctant to speculate on whether the demand for replacements for flood-damaged vehicles would be good for the industry."We haven't made an assessment yet. We acknowledge there are other urgent matters that people are dealing with first," he said.  "It's in the hands of the insurers at the moment, and we would be hopeful that the assessmment process would move forward quickly."The enterprising Lancaster Motor Group of Newcastle has offered to fly Queensland flood victims for free to pick up their second-hand or new car, or provide discounts to have their vehicle transported home.  They will also donate $100 for each vehicles sold under the offer to the Lifeline Queensland Flood Appeal.McKellar said there would "clearly" be a longer-term impact from the floods on the economy.  "We would hope it wouldn't impact on interest rates and we'll wait and see what the impact will be on inflation," he said."The recent CPI shows inflationary pressures are not excessive at the moment and we would hope there are not unnecessary price pressures emerging as a result of the flood impact."McKellar said they would not review annual sales targets "at this stage.  Obviously we'll be making a fuller assessment of the impact a little bit further down the track," he said.CarsGuide does not operate under an Australian financial services licence and relies on the exemption available under section 911A(2)(eb) of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) in respect of any advice given. Any advice on this site is general in nature and does not take into consideration your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making a decision please consider these and the relevant Product Disclosure Statement.

The FF (Ferrari Four) all-wheel driver is a gran turismo four-seater with a "shooting brake" rear end which is basically a big hatchback.  Initial thoughts when viewed side-on is that it looks like the 1970s Jenson Interceptor or even the Porsche 928. While there's no harm in borrowing styles from yesteryear - especially ones that are so iconic - and developing them, for a modern world, the FF also imitates some of its contemporaries.  Most interestingly, its side profile bears a stunning resemblance to the BMW M Coupe, albeit the earlier bulbous models. Who would have thought the Italians would look to Germany for styling cues?  Of course, the biggest problem with a shooting brake design is trying to make that big rear end look sleek - like J Lo, rather than Oprah.

It's the age-old question many car owners face.  While few motoring fans ever make money on cars, a successful classic car fanatic once told me he became a collector simply by never selling anything. But what is an old bomb and what is a future classic worth holding on to?  The classics that are fetching good money at auction in Australia these days are muscle cars.  That's probably because the people who can afford them are now near retirement and they were the cars they dreamed of in their youth in the 1970s.  Therefore, tomorrow's classics could be the cars the next generation will value. So does that mean early WRXs and other rice burners will be collector cars, or will Aussie-built cars remain top value?  British Car Auctions recently named the British version of the Aussie-built Holden Commodore, the Vauxhall Omega V6, as one of five current-model future classics worth holding on to.  Among the others are three new "retro" models - Mini, Fiat 500 and VW Beetle. The BCA says convertible models of these will be highly desirable as well as the new Mini Clubman wagon and coming Mini Countryman SUV.  Others listed by the BCA include the affordable and quirky Mazda RX8 with its rotary engine and suicide doors, the even quirkier Citroen C3 Pluriel and the now-defunct Honda S2000 sportscar. The BCA reckons two-seater sportscars such as the Mazda MX5 are always a good bet for future classic status as well as special-edition cars such as RS-badged Fords, Fiat Abarth, Renault-Sport, BMW-M series, WRX Subaru and VW R32 models. In Australia, Shannons Insurance state business development manager Phil Ross says a lot of collectors are putting a variety of cars in their garages "for a rainy day". "If we look at the reasons why some cars become more collectable than others, I can say without a doubt it's the low numbers manufactured combined with the general popularity of that car at some point," he says.  If you take Aussie muscle cars we know they made only low numbers of Phase 1, 2, and 3 GT Falcons. "Team that with the fact that it won Bathurst, means it has real street cred, rather than a Brock Lada. They made only a handful and no-one really wants one and they aren't worth much. "So I guess that adds up to being not collectable except in the eyes of maybe a Brock collector. I noticed one of these at the Brock museum, so Peter Champion may think it's a collector car." Supercars are also high on the list for collectors, but sadly beyond the reach of most car lovers.  Ross believes the $3 million Bugatti Veyron is a "dead certainty" to become a collector classic, along with a string of other supercars made in small numbers such as the McLaren and GT1 Porsche road-going versions. "In Australia, we have seen the re-release of the GT Falcon Cobra and many people put them away in the garage," he says.  "I think they will be a collector car when they're 30 years old, so it's a future classic. "Also the last Monaro was bought by many collectors and put away in garages. We know this because we insured them on laid-up cover. They were not even registered and that type of policy does not cover road use." So has the value of the Monaro increased?  "Yes and no," Ross says. "Some have been sold for more than they were purchased but history tells us the real gains don't happen until it's about 30 years old." Ross has been at Shannons for 10 years and has always been interested in cars having raced a 1966 Mustang coupe at one stage and owning about 30 cars such as Monaro V8s, "Yank tanks" and small sports cars. "I've been able to advise a lot of people about what to buy before the market went up and some have done well with the resale but we don't really have an expert at Shannons that has all the answers," he says.Shannons auction manager Chris Boribon says they are sometimes taken by surprise with a vehicle that becomes a popular collector item."Sometimes it's not the prettiest of vehicles but they do have a reasonable market," he says. Shannons reports that classic Japanese cars are becoming hot among collectors.  They include early model Mazda RX7s (series 1 1979-80) and the last model (series 6 1992-95), the Australian-released 1992 R32 Nissan Skyline and Mazda RX2 and RX3. Ross says vintage motocross bikes are a surprise collector item.  He says a Yamaha 1975  TT 500 could be bought for $1000 in good running order five years ago and is now worth up to $5000 restored. Other popular models are the first Honda SL trail bikes, pre-75 Bultaco Pursangs, Honda Elsinores, Suzuki RMs up to mid-80s.  Classic road bikes are also making a comeback.FUTURE CLASSICS Bugatti Veyron, Citroen C3 Pluriel, Corvette ZR6, Fiat 500, Fiat Abarth, Ford BA Falcon (2002-TS 50), Ford Focus RS, Ford BF Cobra (2007), FPV F6 Typhoon ute, Holden 2006 CV8Z Monaro, Honda S2000, Mazda RX8, Mazda MX5, McLaren, Mini, Porsche GT1, Renault-Sport, Subaru WRX, VW BeetleCURRENTLY HOT AUSSIES Holden: A9X Torana, XU1 Torana, HK 327 V8 Bathurst Monaro to HQ 350v8 Monaro coupe, Walkinshaw Commodores (including W427), Blue Meanie Group A CommodoreFord: XY & XW GT FalconValiant: All Australian Chargers, especially Bathurst models AMERICANS Camaros: The '69 model is very hot.Corvettes: Up to the '80s but mainly late '50s to late '60s and '70s big block roadsters.Mustangs: Mainly fastbacks and Shelby from 1965-1968. The '67 Shelby GT500 is very hot. GERMANS BMW: M seriesPorsche: All small-bumper models (1973 911T); RS models, 993 RSCS or RS Touring (1995); 930 Turbo ('70s-'80s Australian Delivered)VW: '60s Khombi vans, Golf R32

"I'm just taking the old Henry down the servo to get some juice before I go bush bashing."  It wouldn't mean much to foreigners, but this motoring slang is as Australian as Holden cars. Motoring slang is an endearing, sometimes derogatory, always colourful way of referring to man and machinery.  Most of the slang we