Articles by Mark Hinchliffe

Ronnie and Garry King now have two 1960s Mustangs."I had exotic cars like the E Type and Maserati but they cost a fortune to maintain and the Porsche was a fabulous car but almost boring because it did everything so well," he says."These (Mustangs) don't handle or stop, but they have character and you have fun driving them. Parts are also easy to get and cheaper. You can buy virtually any part for these cars."The conversion from Euro exotics to Yank Fords happened three years ago when they bought a 1965 Mustang Fastback, but the love of 'Stangs began decades ago when Garry watched Allan Moffatt and Ian Geoghegan racing them. "I loved their simplicity," Garry says.He bought the 1965 Mustang Fastback in 2008 for $US27,000 from a Las Vegas owner. "It didn't sell in an online auction because of the oversized wheels," he says.He's since changed the wheels to more stock items, replaced the gearbox to match the engine and touched up the paintwork. King says it's now worth as much as $70,000.It features a 289 cubic inch (4.7-litre) Hypo K Code V8 engine with 271hp (202kW), a four-speed manual top-loader gearbox, drum brakes and crossply tyres."They were set up for racing with the same engine and gearbox as the Shelby Cobra 289," he says. "This is what Shelby based the larger 350s on." He calls it Miss Kitty because of the K Code engine.But his pride and joy is "Carroll", the 1969 Shelby GT500 he bought a few months ago for $75,000 in New York. "We were actually looking for a GT350 and didn't think we could afford one of these," he says. "It's worth about $140,000 to $150,000 in Australia."The GT500 was a personal favourite of American racer and car designer Carroll Shelby and was the only Mustang he purpose-built, rather than modified. It features a 428 cubic-inch (seven-litre) Cobra jet engine, so called because the venturi air vent in the centre of the bonnet rams air directly into the air filter."It's quoted as being 335bhp (250kW) but it was in the days when they understated the power so it's probably more like 435bhp (324kW)," he says. "The Fastback is sweet, but this an animal."From the A pillar forward and at the tail it's made of fibreglass, it has taillights from the Thunderbird and an air scoop in the side to ventilate the rear brakes.A design fault in the original model had the fuel filler in the rear right above the dual exhaust pipes, so when owners advanced the timing, it would backfire and explode in flames. In this later model the fuel tank was ventilated forward of the exhaust.King has done little work to it except to replace the brake master cylinder, power steering hose and the tyres which had been on it since 1988.It features power front disc brakes and rear drums, three-speed auto, rear louvers and factory air-conditioning which makes it the summer drive choice of the Kings. They plan to take it to the first national Shelby rally in Dandenong, Victoria, next October.Meanwhile, the GT500 and the Fastback share the carpeted garage with an old Vespa scooter called Lola while their daily work vehicles are parked out in the street.

Not only will Australia field its biggest contingent yet in January's Dakar Rally, but at least two competitors have strong chances to make an impact at the front of the field. Our most successful entrant, Bruce Garland of Sydney, is back again in a stronger Isuzu D-Max and confident of running in the top 10 of the auto section after finishing 11th outright two years ago and first in class. "We've got a new engine coming from Isuzu, so we'll drop that in the car and go into the Andes to test it," the privateer says. "One of the Isuzu engineers will come with us, because the new engine will need to be re-tuned to work more efficiently at high altitudes." He will be joined in the auto section by Cairns resort owner Geoffrey Olholm and Victorian Steve Riley who will share the driving duties in their UK Rally Raid car. Competing in their first Dakar, the pair are no strangers to off-road racing. Olholm is a former motocross and motorcycle enduro champion and Riley is a former enduro motorcycle champion and two-time winner of the Australian Safari. The best chance of running in the top 10 in the bike category is Jacob Smith, 22, who won the 2009 Australasian Safari. He is the spearhead of the four-bike Mittagong-based Glenn Hoffmann Racing team which also includes seven mechanics, heavily modified Honda CRF450X motorcycles and a support truck. The other riders who paid $120,000 each to compete are Safari top 10 finishers Warren Strange and Simon Harslett and Mark Davison who finished 29th this year. "They're not mugs. Realistically two of them can run top 20 if they have a good event," Hoffman says. "If Jacob doesn't have any penalties for getting lost, he'll run top five. He's fast, but we need to calm him down and remind him it's a two-week event. "We'd like to think that in a couple of years we'll get a front-running Aussie team with three A-level riders. Domestically the team has won everything in Australia - Hattah, Condo, Australian Off-Road Championship, Finke and six Safaris in a row. This is the last thing to do; the ultimate test. "Aussies have not had such a co-ordinated team in the past. We hope to do this for several years with the ultimate goal of putting Australia on top. Nothing short of winning the event eventually will do." Hoffman says they will run "a bit conservative" this year to get Jacob across the line. "We hope to generate some interest so we can go back there with an A level team and a big sponsor, turn the globe upside down and put Australia on top." The final Australian competitor is Dakar veteran Simon Pavey. He has competed six times and completed the rally four times. The ex-pat now lives in Wales where he runs a BMW off-road riding school and trained actors Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman before their Long Way Round global motorcycle adventure. He also trained Boorman to compete in the 2006 Dakar Rally for the TV series Race to Dakar. Another Australian entrant, Andrew Scott, has withdrawn. The ex-pat gold miner has been living in Canada but crashed in the Safari and kept riding not knowing he had broken his arm. He suffered complications and has had to pull out. He is expected to move back to Brisbane soon. French-born Sydney rider Christophe Barriere-Varju has also pulled out after last year becoming the first Australian to enter and complete the Dakar without assistance, finishing third in his category. "My next challenge will be to change category and compete in a single seater two-wheel-drive buggy.," he says. The buggy is currently being manufactured and will be ready in March. "I will use 2011 to race various FIA races and get ready to win the two-wheel-drive category in the 2012 Dakar Race."

In 32 years the rally has claimed the lives of 24 competitors, 16 of them bike riders, and 22 non-competitors, most of them African locals. There have been no spectator deaths in South America. The rally had been run in Europe and northern Africa for 30 years, but in 2008, it was cancelled at the 11th hour after a terrorist threat. The two-week rally was shifted to Argentina and Chile in 2009 but has kept the same name. Since moving to South America, the number of track spectators has grown to a massive four million. With 2.5 billion TV viewers it has become the largest sporting audience for an annual event and is screened for 18 hours over two weeks on SBS in Australia. The 2011 rally from January 1-16 includes bikes, quad bikes, four-wheel-drive and two-wheel-drive cars and trucks. Stephane Peterhansel is the most successful Dakar competitor and most successful bike competitor with six bike wins and three victories in a Mitsubishi car. Most successful car entrant is Ari Vatanen, of Finland, who has won the car category four times and Kamaz truck driver Vladimir Tchaguine has won the truck category five times. Mitsubishi is the most triumphant car brand in the Dakar with 12 victories, followed by Citroen and Peugeot on four, Volkswagen three, Porsche, Range Rover and Schlesser on two, and one each for Mercedes and Renault. Last year the event was won by Spaniard Carlos Sainz in a Volkswagen Touareg. In the bike category, Yamaha and KTM have won the Dakar nine times, BMW six and Honda five. However, KTM is not likely to win this year as the factory has pulled out after organisers restricted the engine capacity to 450cc for professional riders. Last year's event was won by Frenchman Cyril Despres on a KTM 690 Rally. Russian Vladimir Chagin won the truck section last year in a Kamaz, the brand's ninth Dakar victory. Tatra and Mercedes-Benz have each won it five times and Tatra four. Quad bikes have only competed in the past two events in South America. They were both won by Yamahas.

However, a return of the Pulsar brand is not guaranteed.  Nissan Australia boss Dan Thompson says they will conduct research to find an "appropriate name". "Pulsar has tremendous equity for Nissan but its equity is decreasing while Tiida is actually increasing," he says.  "Yet five years on Tiida still doesn't have as much equity as Pulsar. "I can assure you it (the new smal hatch and sedan) won't be called a Tiida.  "There will be multiple names available globally to pick from." The Nissan Australia managing director and CEO says the new vehicle will be one of the most important models - along with the new Micra - for stimulating sales growth. Thompson set a plan 18 months ago to become the number one full importer by the end of the 2012.  He says the new light car and coming small car will be pivotal to achieving those targets. "We have to get our dealers to start thinking about Nissan as being a light and small car company, not just SUVs and pick-ups," he says.  Apart from the new small car, next year will be a slow time for new Nissan product. "2011 will be mainly about product extension (new variants) and enhancements (facelifts and feature upgrades), particularly to Dualis and Navara," he says.  "However, the most significant extension next year will be the X-Trail 4x2."

... but you can't buy one. The Ocelot light armoured vehicle, one of three shortlisted vehicles for the Defence Forces, had its first Australian test run yesterday (NOV 12) ahead of the multi-million-dollar Land Warfare Conference at the Brisbane Convention Centre next week. (NOV 15-19) Designed and built by military suppliers Force Protection and Formula One-experienced Ricardo Engineering in the UK, the Ocelot features a steel spine chassis that protect the occupants, engine and drivetrain from mine explosions. Force Protection spokesman Max Pengelley says California Governor Arnie Schwarzenegger, who bought a military Humvee and spawned the Hummer civilian range, hasn't asked for one ... yet. "I doubt we will make a civilian version, but we have had requests for an amphibian version," he said yesterday at the Scenic Rim Adventure Park near Beaudesert where the vehicle went through its off-road paces. Company boss, ex-Marine chopper pilot and First Gulf War veteran Jim Cooney describes it as "a cutting-edge, next-generation protective vehicle" that will "saves heroes' lives". "If you get this in a tough combat area troops are going to survive and come back alive," he said. The ocelot is named after a small South American cat because it is smaller and lighter than other military patrol vehicles such as the Australian Army's Bushmaster. The gung-ho former Colonel says the vehicle has been designed specifically with Afghanistan in mind with narrow dimensions and a "light" weight of 5.5 tonne that will cross the country's rickety bridges and can be lifted by a chopper. Its V-shaped hull will also withstand and deflects direct mine blasts, but don't ask for any specifics about its construction. "That's classified information," says Pengelley. What we can tell you is it has a six-speed Falcon gearbox, ballistic-proof run-flat tyres, four-wheel drive with adjustable transfer box, two differentials and a 200kW six-cylinder Steyr turbodiesel engine from Austria that will run on just about any fuel including kerosene, bio-diesel and JP8 jet fighter fuel. Top speed can be varied according to the ratios selected in the totally adjustable transfer case, differentials and wheel hubs. It also has four ballistic-protected passenger pods that can quickly convert the vehicle from a six-person carrier to an open-top vehicle, utility and a command vehicle packed with communications equipment. So how does it drive? IT is enough to make any peace-loving hippy want to join the Army just to drive one. The Ocelot is easy to drive with its light steering and automatic gearbox and its two-tonne payload would make it the perfect vehicle for the weekly grocery shopping trip. Don't worry about a parking space, just park it on top of another car. A short test drive around the Scenic Rim Adventure Park yesterday revealed a vehicle that packs a macho whollop. It grunts and puffs with all the quiet grace of a Massey Ferguson tractor. Yet it tip-toes over boulders and through gullies with graceful ease thanks to its long-travel independent suspension. Although there is no airconditioning in the pre-production model, it will be supplied in the final version to keep the troops and hi-tech communications gear comfortable. It would also score a full five stars in a crash test, but would have to be marked down on safety for its lack of rear vision. Ocelot Tech Specs Price: classified Engine: 6-cylinder Steyr turbodiesel Power: 200kW Kerb weight: 5500kg Economy: classified CO2: classified Range: 600km Fuel tank: 245 litres Dimensions: 5.4m (length), 2.1m (width), 2.35m (height), 3.65m (wheelbase)

… in the form of himself American freestyle motocross rider Brian Deegan wants to get his daredevil paws on a V8 Supercar in next year's Gold Coast 600. In Australia with the Crusty Demons Thirst 4 Destruction tour he says: "I think it would be cool to race in the V8 Supercars or maybe the development series under that. "I hear that (Australian) Chad Reed is also interested in V8s. He'd be good at it.” Deegan is no slouch on four wheels having won the American off-road truck series in his debut season last year and hoping to back it up this year before moving on to V8 trucks next year and possibly NASCAR like Australian Marcos Ambrose. "I've been on four wheels more than two lately," Deegan said. "There have been a lot of dirt bikes riders moving into four wheels lately like Ricky Carmichael and Travis Pastrana. "I think the foundation of riding on dirt is good, just look at (NASCAR champions) Robbie Gordon and Jimmie Johnson; they started on dirt bikes. I don't think there is any crazier racing than dirt bike riding. So once you get inside a roll cage on four wheels, anything is possible." Deegan said he had talked with "a few people" in Australia about lining up a test in a V8 Supercar.

A stripped-down and rebuilt 1964 EH Holden driven by Matthew Bryson, 38, and Gerry Crown, 78, scored an outright win in the 37-day trans-continental rally.  "It is remarkable how 37 days of rallying can make you work," says Bryson a veteran forest and endurance rally drivers. "We really had to work hard to win, there was some brilliant opposition but when things aren't easy, it makes the win more valuable."  The EH was competing against an exotic array of classic machinery including the oldest competitor, a 1907 Itala and the youngest, a 1972 Hillman Hunter-Peykan. Of the 96 vehicles that started the gruelling rally, only 83 finished.  "The EH Holden was fantastic. It was a tribute to Australian engineering," says Bryson. "We went through the whole rally with only a few small problems - we holed a radiator, a headlight stopped working and we got water in the fuel tank from bad fuel. "We didn't have one puncture while others had over 30 flats and had to have tyres flown in.  Some cars had massive problems and there were a lot of accidents with locals because anyone can drive there and it's pretty wild on the road." The Doric Racing-prepared EH was also campaigned in the 1997 rally by Matthew's father, John, co-driving with Crown. It won its classic category and finished second outright.  Bryson says Crown shared the driving with him until he hurt his hand and couldn't change gears. "Gerry's quite fit and he's still extremely competitive," he says.  "With him, age is just a number." There was a strong Australian contingent in the 2010 rally including Cecil Bird and Ross Oakman, also in a 1964 EH Holden; Pamela and Andrew Mykytowych in a 1968 Vauxhall Viva GT; American Steven Harris and Hayden Burvill, 1964 Porsche 356C; Gregory and Lesley Newton, 1952 FX Holden; Timothy Clemons and John Chalmers, 1939 Packard Six; Roger Allen and Maggie Gray, 1940 La Salle Cadillac Coupe; Rachel Vestey and Suzy Harvey (GB), 1938 Chrysler Plymouth Sloper; Reginald Toohey and Antoon Spanjers, 1935 Bentley; Michael Wilkinson and Anne Wilkinson, 1937 Alvis SA; Maurice Timms and John Hastie, 1936 MG; Harry and Catherine Hickling, 1937 MG; Norman Brice and Colin Ryan, 1954 Austin A135 Princess; and Maxwell Stephenson and Carl Watson who finished second in the pre-1921 Pioneer Cat egory with their Vauxhall. The original Peking to Paris Motor Challenge was run in 1907 as the first trans-Continental motor-rally. Only five cars set out from Peking and al but one completed the journey to Paris.  It was not held again until 1997. The 2010 event left Beijing on September 10, passing through China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Iran, Turkey, Greece, Italy and France before arriving in Paris last month.

Audi "acousticians" experimenting with artificial engine noises for their e-tron electric cars coming from 2012 have suggested using the sound from the Audi RSQ in the 2004 Will Smith science fiction, I Robot. Electric cars are so quiet at slow speeds they pose a risk to blind people and pedestrians.  The US government has already introduced the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act which stipulates a noise level to alert blind and other pedestrians. Japan is following suit. Nissan has produced a whirring sound for its coming Leaf electric car, but Audi wants something more "sporty".  Audi brand development boss Christian Schadiuller says the obvious approach would be to work on the familiar sound of a combustion engine. "On the other hand, we want to underscore that an electric or hybrid Audi is an innovative product," he says.  "We also want to make our Vorsprung durch Technik audible in the era of electric mobility." Audi acoustics boss Ralf Kunkel suggests science fiction sound effects.  "The sounds used for space ships in films are reminiscent of car sounds, yet are also very different, making this a rather interesting approach," he says. "The sound will be new and unusual. The Audi RSQ from the 2004 Hollywood film I, Robot, starring Will Smith, gives an indication of how an Audi might sound in the future."

The 1939 Daimler DB18 Drophead Coupe ace was used by the British Prime Minister during the 1944 and 1949 election campaigns and is expected to fetch up to $400,000 at auction at Brooklands on December 4.Owing to World War II, only eight of the proposed 23 DB18 Drophead Coupe aces due for 1939 were built, with four completely destroyed during the Blitz, a fifth so badly damaged it was scrapped and the whereabouts of two unknown.  Chassis 49531 remains the only discovered surviving 1939 model.After Churchill, the Daimler has been to the US, Germany, UK and was even owned by an Iranian Prince for a time.  German restorer E. Thiesen of Hamburg has spent $192,000 restoring the car with silver and black coachwork, three-position cabriolet hood, green leather seats, wooden dashboard and Jaeger instruments.Rolling off the production line in the same year motor racing ceased at Brooklands, the DB18 was capable of a top speed of 122km/h and a 0-80km/h acceleration time of 17.9 seconds.Although the DB18 has manual transmission, the car uses a four-speed Wilson Pre-selector gearbox in tandem with the Daimler Fluid Flywheel, allowing the driver to select the next available gear by hand before using the "change pedal" to shift gears.

The anniversary model was unveiled at the Bathurst 1000 in October and costs from $115,000 – and $13,000 more if you want a supercharger.  HDT owner Peter Champion, who also owns a Yeppoon, Central Queensland, museum dedicated to legendary racer Peter Brock, says they have sold 16 of the cars."How good is that?" he says. "We're attracting a younger breed of people in their 20s to 40s, which I found a little bit interesting. They want something different.""I think the new generation is looking for something that we had back in the '80s that is more of a muscle car than what you get today. Today's muscle cars have too much European in them.  "These look like an American-style muscle car with a big Chevy engine."Champion says the first anniversary model numbered 001 had been sold to a West Australian collector and would never be registered.  "Most of the cars have gone to Perth, but there are some on the Gold Coast, Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.The anniversary model joins three Heritage Retro series models that HDT Special Vehicles have produced since Champion bought the company in 2007.It has the same performance package as the current series Blue Meanie with a 350kW 6-litre V8 that can be optioned up with a supercharger and a seven-litre V8 engine, bringing peak power to as much as 800kW. By comparison the HSV Clubsport produces 325kW.The cars come with HDT custom style body kit including bonnet scoop, custom leather seats, carbon fibre dash and triple gauge cluster, HDT engine covers, HDT billet caps and a HDT build plate (1 of 30).  "We've got nearly 100 new generation HDT cars on the road now," says Champion.  "That's not too bad in these economic times."The Blue Meanie has been a good one, but this has also been met with a lot of enthsuaism.  "It's a beautiful little car and is as tasteful as possible with a lot of HDT heritage in it."The Holden Dealer Team was Holden's unofficial racing team from 1969 until 1987. In the 1980s, Brock produced modified high-performance Commodores under the HDT name until his break with Holden. The brand had been dormant since then - with two different owners producing parts, but not cars - until it was bought by Champion, a mining equipment millionaire.Vehicles are produced in the company's Smeaton Grange workshops in western Sydney. The cars are based on the VE Holden Commodore SV6, SS and the SSV models.HDT 30th Anniversary Prices: $115,000 and $128,000 (supercharged)Model: based on VE SS or SSV V8 CommodoreEngine: 6-litre V8 (plus optional supercharger)Power: 350kW (400kW bigger cam, 450kW supercharger)Suspension: HDT-modified Bilstein packageBrakes: HarropWheels: Custom Irmscher-look 19-inchColour: "firethorn red"Visit: hdt.com.au