Articles by Mark Hinchliffe

It was love at first sight."They were light years ahead of the opposition," says Geertsma, now 70."They were lighter, had four disc brakes, a wheel in each corner, independent suspension and a stiff chassis. Lotus was first in many areas with fibreglass bumpers, Formula 1 ground effects, monocoque chassis and the engine as part of the car itself."During the '50s and '60s, Geertsma saw Lotus founder and engineer Colin Chapman driving an Elise and legendary F1 driver Jim Clark in a Lotus 25 at the circuit. It's little wonder, then, that the Ipswich businessman got into racing Lotuses after he migrated to Australia."I had my leg amputated from cancer in 1957, so when I got into racing in 1994 I went looking for race car drivers," he says."We had a Lotus 18 Formula Junior with several different drivers, but the best was Jerry Perkins, brother of Larry. Terry and Larry raced in Europe. Larry won the Formula 3 championship and Terry had won the Copenhagen race. Terry always put in 10 out of 10 in performance whenever he got behind the wheel and they are both very good mechanics."The racing team folded in 2007, but Geertsma's love affair with Lotus has persisted off the track. He bought his first road-going Lotus, a 1960 Elite he picked up in Melbourne in 1985 for $19,000."I thought, 'What have you done, you idiot?'," he says.The original car with chassis number 1082 was a Lotus demonstrator with a Maxima body which was destroyed in June 1960 in north Wales when Lotus sales manager Ian McLeod drove head on into a bus. McLeod was severely injured while passenger and Canadian motoring journalist Tom Davenport died on impact.The current car uses the gearbox and a few other parts from the original but now has chassis number 1449 with a Bristol body. It is powered by a four-cylinder 1216cc engine with a lightweight alloy head and block.Lotus rated power at a tiny 56kW and torque at 104Nm, but because the fibreglass monocoque vehicle only weighed about 660kg, it was super-quick and nimble.It's now worth about $75,000 and Geertsma wouldn't part with it."I'd sell my family before I'd sell the Elite," he says. "The Elite is Chapman's first road-going car. It's virtually a race car for the road. You could just put a number on the side, race it and be a winner."He also had a 1977 Porsche 911 which he crashed and burnt. In 1990, he replaced the Porsche with a 1967 Lotus Elan SE he bought in Sydney for $17,500. It is now worth about $40,000."It was partly restored, but it wasn't a good job, so I had to start the restoration again from the beginning," he says.He replaced the gearbox with a four-speed box from an MG Magnette, but the rest is standard. It is powered by a 1558cc four-cylinder cast-iron block and alloy-head engine with 78kW and 146Nm.Geertsma says it's not only more powerful than the Elite, but smaller in every dimension and weighs only about 640kg."I'll be keeping these cars for the kids," he says.

This is where four-time Bathurst winner Craig Lowndes relaxes.  "I sometimes look across at Mountain Straight just so I can see what the weather's doing," he says. "Every time I get an opportunity to relax and look around I take it; even at Skyline."  But he says there won't be any casual waves out the window like his mentor Peter Brock on the last lap.  "Not unless I have a 50-second lead," he says. Driving Bathurst comes second nature to Lowndes who has driven there every year since 1996 and turned in more than 2000 laps in racing, practice and qualifying. "My favourite part of circuit is across the top where you allow the car to flow, particularly from Skyline to Forrest's Elbow," he says.  "It's also the most rewarding part of the track. "It's important to get a good flow of the vehicle across the top. You have to be confident in the car to hit all the apexes.  "There are no margins for error. You don't get away with a lot up the top." Although he's never crashed at The Cutting he names that corner as the scariest.  "You approach it in fourth and come back to third, then second and it's quite easy to carry too much speed and end up in the wall," he says. "I haven't done it, but I've crashed across the top and that's a gut-wrenching experience knowing you've put yourself out of the major race of the year.  But history has shown that The Cutting is where most accidents happen. That's where Murph and Ambrose had their accident.  A number of drivers have come to blows there." The best section for overtaking is at the Chase, he says.  "I like going around the outside on the kink. It's less bumpy, but you have to have confidence in your car to pull it up from almost 300km/h.  It's something I've got used to and now there are a couple of other drivers that go down the left, too." He says other passing opportunities are on turn one, two and the last corner.  "Basically the rest of the track you don't have much opportunity for passing, so you just keep it all together." So buckle up for a lap of the 6.213km anti-clockwise circuit with Lowndes as he "keeps it together" at speeds approaching 300km/h: "Turn one is an important corner to get right so you get maximum speed on the second longest straight. You need to get good drive out of an off-camber exit which is really hard.  You know you've had a good run up Mountain Straight if you hit the limiter in fifth and go to sixth. Turn two is faster than you think and starts the incline. I use third gear then grab fourth as you climb up the mountain.  The Cutting is quite a difficult corner to get right as you have a left foot brake in the kink, back to third and as you get into the actual turn you get really heavy on the brake and grab second gear. Coming out of The Cutting I short shift to third before the hump and fourth as I go under the tree.  I carry fourth all the way across through Reid Park into Skyline. You know you have Skyline right if you have it on the limiter just before braking.  Then you drop down the mountain in third gear and position the car for the Esses. Let it flow and drop back to second for The Dipper, one of the slowest points on the track.  Accelerate hard out of the Dipper up to third then quickly back to second for Forrest's Elbow, being careful on the brakes as you can easily lock the front right tyre. Hopefully you get a good exit and max out early on the throttle changing up on the limiter all the way to sixth down Conrod.  It's flat into The Chase at maximum terminal speed of almost 300km/h. Then it's hard braking back to second if qualifying and third in the race to conserve fuel.  A short burst of throttle and if I'm in second I grab third at the change of direction for the second-last turn. Up to fourth for the charge downhill to the last corner, shift to second and then on the gas and hopefully on to the chequered flag."

Legendary racers such as Dick Johnson, his Bathurst co-driver John French, "Big Rev" Kev Bartlett and "newcomers" Allan Moffat and Tony Longhurst will drive demonstration laps between races at the October 22-24 event. V8 Supercars Australia boss Tony Cochrane yesterday said the veteran racers were brought in at the 11th hour last year to help salvage the event after the A1GP pulled out, but were returning this year because they had proved popular with the crowd. French said it would be a great 80th birthday present for him to be able to race against his former competitors. "The most nervous bloke will be (Dan) Bowden. He doesn't know it but they won't be just touring around," he said referring to Bowden's Own car museum at the Sunshine Coast which has loaned nine of the 14 race cars for the event. Bowden said the cars were worth millions of dollars. "I'm not scared of them crashing the cars. All those drivers built their race careers on not crashing," he said. "I'm more scared to put an exact figure on their value." Johnson said he was looking forward to being reunited with his legendary Tru-Blu XD Flacon built with money received from well-wishers and the Ford Motor Company after Johnson famously hit a stray rock on the track and crashed out of the Bathurst lead in 1980. He scored a fairytale win the following year with French in the Tru-Blu Falcon. "You don't often get such an opportunity to drive these old cars," he said. "To drive the Tru-Blu Falcon today is a real education. They're not really slow; they're still pretty quick." Bartlett said his 1979 Camaro was also still capable of high speeds. "That old girl will still do 160 miles per hour (257km/h)," he said. Other famous racing cars in the Australian Legends category include Moffat's Mustang, Longhurst's Ford Sierra turbo, and the Bathurst-winning Nissan GT-R of Jim Richards.

NOTHING says "try hard" more than a supposed "sporty" car with fake carbonfibre trim.You won't find anything quite so gauche in the Volvo C30 T5 R-Design, the turbo version of the cute compact Swedish sports car.What you do find is tasteful brushed aluminium with interesting textured patterns, high-quality soft-touch plastics and cutting-edge interior design that reflects the radical exterior design.Introduced in 2007, the C30 still looks fresh and exciting and now comes with the efficient DRIVe diesel variant at one end of the spectrum and the T5 R-Design model at the other.VALUEThe C30 range starts at $36,150 for the diesel rising substantially to $47,150 for the six-speed manual T5 R-Design and $48,650 for the five-speed adaptive automatic Geartronic transmission. That's about $4000 more than the non-turbo five-cylinder models, so although you are not paying for cubes, you are paying for output.And it's not an inconsequential amount of power either. You will definitely notice the extra 44kW of go, even though torque is the same at 320Nm. There are also changes to the suspension and steering that make it a more dramatic drive and it's difficult for an enthusiastic driver to put a dollar figure on that.DESIGNThe C30 should be considered a motoring icon as progressive and stylish as Audi's TT. It looks like nothing else, it seems to be ageing quite well and it is immediately recognisable as a Volvo; even more so now that the Volvo emblem is bigger on the new honeycomb grille.There are also cosmetic changes to the bumpers, new headlights and some new exterior colours, including the dramatic "Orange Flame" metallic of this test car which drew approving looks and attention everywhere it went. The R-Design adds raunchy 17-inch Cratus alloy wheels that not only look great, but the five-spoke design is easy to clean, plus front and rear spoilers, side skirts and chrome-plated 90mm sports tailpipes.Inside, there are new trim colours and surfaces such as the aluminium in the test car, but also an "Oyster Burst Deco" texture in the centre stack and door panel inlays which Volvo claims replicates Swedish Hagstrom guitars made famous by performers such as Elvis Presley, Frank Zappa and Jimi Hendrix. There are also R-Design emblems embossed into the front seats, a leather-rim steering wheel, leather/aluminium gearshift knob, aluminium sports pedals and blue speedometer and tachometer.The floating centre stack echoes throughout the Volvo range and is designed to be a cross between a Nokia mobile phone and a Bang & Olufsen remote control. It works well visually and functionally, except for the fact that in the manual you keep hitting the buttons with your hand when you change into third or fifth gear.SAFETYIt's a Volvo, so it's packed with safe kit such as emergency brake lights which are standard right across the range. These activate over 60km/h flashing the stop lights five times a second if the brakes are applied forcefully in an emergency. When the vehicle slows to 10km/h, the stoplights stop flashing and the hazard lights come on.It also has stability and traction control, anti-lock brakes, electronic brake distribution, dual front and side airbags plus full-length curtain airbags, a whiplash protection system for front-seat passengers and a side impact protection system.DRIVINGWhile 169kW of power is not extreme, it must be remembered that this car weighs less than 1.5 tonne. So that power-to-weight ratio, together with almost no turbo lag, is quite effective in propelling the vehicle along smartly.Unfortunately, there is also massive torque steer that pulls and yanks the steering wheel from side to side.Volvo claims the T5 R-design should return fuel economy of 8.7L/100km for the manual. Over a week of driving on city roads and highways, it yielded 9.1L/100km which isn't far off the mark. All the same, Volvo has increased the tank by 10 litres to 62 to give an effective range of more than 650km.The faster-ratio electro-hydraulic steering feels great with just the right amount of sensitivity and feedback. It works brilliantly with the 30 per cent stiffer springs, firmer monotube dampers and stiffer stabiliser bars to improve change of direction and nimbleness. Fortunately, the ride is still reasonably compliant for a sporty car.The cabin is a pleasant and comfortable place to conduct the business of driving, although the rear two seats are a little cramped and difficult to access. Surprisingly the small cargo area works well and if you only have two on board you can fit a large amount of gear with the seats folded flat.VERDICTLove the styling and the driving is dynamic without being edgy and uncomfortable. However it is hard to go past the DRIVe diesel which is such great value while still being a dynamic city car.VOLVO C30 T5 R-DESIGNPrice: $47,150 ($48,650 auto)Engine: 5-cylinder, 20-valve, DOHC 2521cc turboPower: 169kW @ 5000rpmTorque: 320Nm from 1500-5000rpmTransmission: 6-speed manual (5-speed auto), FWDAcceleration: 0-100km/h in 7.1secsEconomy: 8.7L/100km (9.4 auto)CO2: 208g/km (224 auto)Fuel: 91-98RON, 62-litre tankSteering: electro-hydraulicSuspension: coilover strut (front); multi-link independent (rear)Brakes: ventilated discs (front), solid discs (rear)Safety: ABS, electronic brake distribution, stability and traction controlDimensions (mm): 4266 (l), 2039, (w), 1447 (h), 2640 (wheelbase)Turning circle: 10.6mKerb weight: 1469kg

RESALE value is one of the last things on private vehicle buyers' minds. However, a bit of homework on resale values could end up saving buyers thousands of dollars. A study of the used values of vehicles released in the Glass's Guide shows that the best performers are made in Japan, SUVs, performance vehicles and diesel Ford F trucks. Glass's Guide information services research manager Richard Plumb says the diesel-powered F truck performs so well because Ford discontinued importing the model in 2007. "The value of the diesels went up as soon as they announced they would discontinue importing them," he says. "When it was announced in 2007 they were actually fetching about 127 per cent of their new price for three- to four-year-old models. They've remained high because there is nothing with that six or seven-litre diesel engine and towing capacity in the market. But they're all diesels. No one wants to know the petrol models."Plumb, who owns a 1993 Commodore that's "still going strong", says resale value is a basic economic result of supply and demand. "A lot of people are paying a great deal more attention to resale these days especially government departments and fleet companies," he says. "For individuals there is a more emotional content in the purchase and the more emotional the less likely they are to look at the resale value." He says most governments and fleet companies replace their vehicles after 40,000km or two years, but private buyers hold them longer. "The depreciation is usually the greatest in the first two years, so the longer you can hold the car the better you'll do," he says. Resale values are low for light and small cars, dropping to around 50 per cent in four or five years. "With small cars a large proportion are rental cars which tends to reduce the average used value," he says. "But that's in the early years. If you hold on to them they hold their value in later years." But the worst are people movers with a value drop in the first year of a third of the new price dropping under 50 per cent by five years. "The demand for people movers is reduced because of the increased availability these days of seven-seater SUVs," he says. Plumbs says he has never researched the worst resale models. "But towards the end of their lives the AU Falcon and Magnas were pretty terrible," he says. "Nothing is really atrocious apart from things that go off the market like Saabs." Saab dropped out of the market this year when GM sold out to Dutch sportscar company Spyker, but has announced plans to return next year. Plumb also points out that resale values are low for vehicles from companies that make a lot of changes to their model line-ups or offer too many variants. "There is no continuity in their range, so they tend to suffer in the public eye," he says. "The companies that are doing much better in the market are those that are trying to rationalise their ranges. The new Volvo range in 2011 is being rationalised from 47 to 32 models and VW is introducing new Golfs but have deleted all the diesel manuals to streamline the range. That sort of thing helps the companies." However, he points out that companies with new models often discount current models to get rid of stock and the saving on the discounted cost could outweigh the loss through depreciation in a few years. SUVs have good resale value because of the high proportion of private buyers, Plumb says. The Glass's Guide shows resale values are better for large SUVs with about 61-66 per cent of its new value after five years compared with about 45-50 per cent for compact SUVs, 56-62 per cent for medium SUVs and 50-52 per cent for luxury models. "One of the major differences are that the vast majority are private purchases as opposed to fleet so you don't get the number of cars coming back on the market in the first few years, so they return good value," Plumb says. Brands such as Subaru and Honda that have a low proportion of fleet sales also have strong resale values, yet performance cars and utes have a high proportion of business sales but retain their value. "Performance vehicles like Porsche, where there is an aura to the brand, they tend to be self-sustaining," he says. "Audi is also doing well because they have improved significantly in quality over the past five years. It's been quite a turnaround. They also offer a slight purchase price advantage and in a personal observation they are less ostentatious than the alternatives. "The car industry is all about perception of quality, durability and reliability. People are buying for that even if they only intend on keeping a car for a few years." He warns against choosing expensive options when buying a new car as the return on them is substantially lower than the resale value of the car. "It doesn't necessarily diminish their values, but a car that is more heavily optioned is more difficult to sell second hand because the optional equipment depreciates faster than the car itself," he says. "If you buy expensive options like a special metallic paint that might cost $5000, by the time it's five years old that option might only be worth about $500. The used car market doesn't tend to value colour as much as new car buyers. Personalising a car also reduces the number of potential customers. Unusual exterior paint colours can particularly adversely affect the value of the car." He also warns that the coming influx of Chinese vehicles could have low resale values. "I think Chinese vehicles are a big unknown and that could be a self-fulfilling prophesy in resale value in the short term," he says. "It will be a lot like Hyundai in the 1980s when it was new to the market." He says Australian-made cars suffer because of the high fleet content and over-supply. "In terms of quality though the locally made cars are fantastic." He says Japanese cars also have a high perception of quality. "The average Japanese car like a Mazda6 and Mazda3 do well," he says. "You could make the argument that Japanese is better than Korean, but with improving quality the gap is closing rapidly and will continue to close."Meanwhile, don't hold your breath waiting for a new Ford F truck. Ford Australia communications manager Sinead McAlary says they "have no thoughts about reintroducing the F-Series". "It's not produced in right-hand drive any more and the conversion costs are just too high," she says. "I'm not surprised their residuals are so strong though. They were hugely popular when we sold them here and it was a real disappointment for everyone, including us, when we couldn't make the business case work any more." She points out Ford is about to release a new Ranger. "We think this will go some way to filling the void left when F-Series stopped coming to Australia," she says. Gympie-based right-hand-drive conversion company Performax International is hoping to import F trucks for conversion. Marketing manager Maike Thiessen says they are currently "holding meetings in Canberra trying to get a licence to import them". "Our major seller here is the Chevy Silverado pick-up which is in that area. We sell mostly diesel," she says. "We are also bringing in the Toyota Tundra in petrol and diesel."Top resale performersFord F 4x4 trucks 102% after 3 yearsToyota LandCruiser (4x4) 80% after 3 years Toyota Prado (4x4) 79% after 3 years Lotus Elise 76% after 5 years Ford FPV GT Cobra BF MkII sedan 76% after 3 yearsRESALE PERFORMANCELight cars1 year: 72.2%-76%2 years: 72.5%-74.5%3 years: 65.1%-69.5%4 years: 55.6%-57.8%5 years: 49%-50.7%Small cars1 year: 72.1%-73.9%2 years: 69.6%-73.2%3 years: 65.1%-66%4 years: 59.8%-61.3%5 years: 53.4%-56.5%Medium cars1 year: 77.5%-79.8%2 years: 72.2%-73.6%3 years: 60.5%-66.4%4 years: 52.1%-54.5%5 years: 46.6 %-49.3%Large cars1 year: 73.1%-81.2%2 years: 65.6%-78.8%3 years: 56.6%-76.2%4 years: 47.9%-50.9%5 years: 42.2%-43.1%People movers1 year: 66.8%-69.1%2 years: 61.1%-64%3 years: 54%-57.4%4 years: 49.5%-52.8%5 years: 42.3%-45.7%Sports cars1 year: 77.4%-80%2 years: 71.4%-76.8%3 years: 64.8%-76.4%4 years: 57.3%-69.5%5 years: 54.2%-75.9%Upper large cars1 year: 70.9%-73.1%2 years: 64.1%-67.7%3 years: 55.6%-57.9%4 years: 49%-52.2%5 years: 40.4%-46%SUV compact1 year: 78.3%-83%2 years: 73.6%-75.4%3 years: 65.9%-70.2%4 years: 55.7%-61.7%5 years: 45.6%-50.7%SUV medium1 year: 81.4%-82.8%2 years: 76.4%-81.2%3 years: 74.1%-79.4%4 years: 63.8%-69%5 years: 56.1%-62.8%SUV large1 year: 79.4%-79.7%2 years: 81.8%-83.6%3 years: 78.7%-80.6%4 years: 64%-68.8%5 years: 61.1%-66.8%SUV luxury1 year: 80.4%-82.1%2 years: 74.1%-76.4%3 years: 68.3%-74%4 years: 58.3%-64.1%5 years: 50.3%-51.8%Pickup & Cab Chassis 4 x 21 year: 78.2%-81.4%2 years: 72.7%-92.5%3 years: 63.4%-93.1%4 years: 54.9%-87.1%5 years: 49.2%-77.5%Pickup & Cab Chassis 4 x 41 year: 81.7%-82.6%2 years: 74%-78.2%3 years: 64.5%-101.9%4 years: 57.9%-95.7%5 years: 54.7%-80.9%Vans1 year: 75.2%-76.2%2 years: 69.2%-72.3%3 years: 62.8%-66.5%4 years: 52.5%-66.1%5 years: 46.5%-49.4%

Both are up for auction at the Automobiles of London sale in London on October 27.  The most famous is the 1964 Aston Martin DB5 that starred in the James Bond epic Goldfinger in 1964, the third instalment from the 007 series. It was so popular it returned for Thunderball, GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies and Casino Royale. It featured revolving number plates, Browning machine guns, extending bumper overriders for ramming baddies, a smoke screen, an oil slick and nail spreaders, plus the infamous Martin-Baker fighter jet ejector seat, triggered by the little red button under the gear lever knob.  All these features remain on the car driven in the films by the first Bond, Sean Connery.  There is no estimate of its fetching price at auction.  The second Bond was Roger Moore who never drove an Aston Martin. Instead, he drove a Bentley, a Chevy Implala convertible and most famously an amphibious Lotus Esprit. In his Saint TV series, Moore as Simon Templar made the Volvo P1800 famous.  But the Moore car up for auction is a 1969 Lamborghini Islero GTS he drove in the obscure 1970 thriller, The Man Who Haunted Himself, Moore drives which will be auctioned The movie features Moore as a man who awakes from surgery after a car accident to find his life has been turned upside-down. He is frequently seen driving the rare Lamborghini Islero GTS in the movie, including a climatic chase scene.  Sir Roger Moore was recently reunited with the Islero in London where he autographed the sun visor, the original driver's handbook and a special plaque. Finished in silver and carrying the original movie registration number YRL 11G, this Islero is one of only five right-hand variants built.  The car is estimated to achieve between $154,000 and $220,000 at the auction.

And his main driver, Jason Richards, has scored three seconds in the past five Bathursts, including last year.  The teams drivers at Bathurst are Richards and Jones's nephew, Andrew Jones, with Jason Bright and Matthew Halliday in the other car. "Both Jasons had good speed at Phillip Island and even though we had a wheel problem we came back and got on the podium,'' Jones said.  "We're definitely the dark horse in this race.  There's not a lot of fanfare around us.  The two-time touring car champion said his driver combinations had enough experience to win.  "We just need a little bit of luck,'' he said. "I used to think you make your own luck but thats not true. We've had the fastest car there (Bathurst) but that doesn't always win.'' Jones said that despite the team "flying under the radar'' among race tipsters, it didn't take the pressure off.  "You put the pressure on from within,'' he said. "And we put pressure on ourselves because we believe we can win.  "I'd be surprised if we're in any one's top five, but we're in my top three.'' Jones retired from racing last year, but has ruled out a return despite Mark Skaife coming back from retirement to win at Phillip Island with Craig Lowndes this month. "Look, you're never happy when you are a race car driver and you are out of a race car but I can see I add more value to the team now in this role. I have 38 full-time staff to look after. "I think Id still go well but you need to be in a car all the time to have the pace.  Last year I hit the wall at Bathurst for first time since 1990 and I dont want to do that again.'' Jones said his friend and a previous Bathurst partner, John Bowe, had ``tried for ages'' to get him to drive historic race cars.  "It doesn't appeal to me. The Bathurst 12-hour would be good, but not historics.'' Apart from his race team, Jones these days lends his expertise to his kart-racing son, Macauley, 15, who has scored three podiums in three years at national level. "He may move up to Formula Ford next year and Ill help him,'' he said.  "He wants to eventually drive V8s and I think hell do well.'' He may even one day break the Jones Bathurst drought.  

Fuji Heavy Industries, the maker of Subaru cars, has launched its third-generation boxer engine in 1995cc and 2498cc naturally aspirated versions with lower CO2 emissions and 10 per cent better fuel economy. Subaru Australia managing director Nick Senior says the first all-new petrol boxer since 1989 will arrive early next year in the 2.5-litre Forester. "This is an exciting engineering development from FHI," says Senior who is in Japan for the announcement.  They're renowned for the durability of their engines and this new unit will take the sophistication to a whole new level." Subaru Australia corporate affairs manager David Rowley says changing emission regulations is "one factor in the development" of the new engine. "Several aspects of technology have moved on considerably in the last two decades, including lighter weight, high-strength materials, so it's logical to bring together many of these advances and apply them to a single all-new engine." Rowley says the goals for the new engine were "the incorporation of new technologies and materials, emission and fuel efficiency gains, lighter weight and a completely modern platform on which to apply further enhancements as they become available". There will be no effect on the turbo boxer engines "at this stage" and no plans for a smaller boxer petrol engine, he says.  "FHI advise the 2.0 and 2.5 account for their largest percentage of sales, hence the focus on these rather than (smaller engines)," he says. The engines feature different bore and stroke configurations that increase displacement in the 2.0-litre model by a mere 1cc from 1994cc to 1995cc and in the 2.5-litre model from 2457cc to 2498cc.  The new engines also use a chain-driven cam instead of belt, which has longer life, but should make it slightly noisier. Other changes include a longer stroke, compact combustion chamber, lighter moving parts, cooled exhaust gas recirculation system, intake/exhaust Active Valve Control System, tumble generator valve and a compact oil pump. Subaru claims power in the Japanese domestic market version of the 2.0-litre boxer is down 1kW to 109kW but torque has been improved by 5Nm to 196Nm.  There are no power or torque figures available for the 2.5-litre version. Rowley says the specification of the engines to be used in Australian vehicles will be announced when 2011 model Foresters are released.  FHI has built a new factory at its Gunma Oizumi Plant in Japan to produce the new engine. Subaru has not released any plans for updates to its new boxer diesel engine, which Rowley describes as "going gangbusters".  Senior reported at the recent WRX/STI launch that diesel represents 28 per cent of Outback sales and 29 per cent of Forester since launch. "Given that Outback sales are up 135 per cent year to date and Forester remains segment leader, it appears the manual-only diesel is kicking goals for us," Rowley says. While Subaru is believed to be working on an automatic transmission for the boxer diesel, there is no timing yet.  "It's not even on the horizon at the moment," Rowley says.  "An automatic transmission might do better (in sales), but it isn't an option at the moment anyway." Subaru 2.0L boxer Engine: horizontally opposed 4-cylinder DOHCDisplacement: 1995ccCompression ratio: 10.5Bore x stroke: 84 x 90mmPower: 109 kWTorque: 196Nm

The expression "less is more" is never truer than with two-door coupe and convertible versions of a sedan such as BMW's new 3 Series models. You lose two doors and a roof, but you end up paying more. In the coupe you also lose passenger space, while in the convertible you not only lose passenger space, but also chassis rigidity, cargo space, handling ability, self-respect...What you get more of in the convertible is weight and stares from other road users who might tell you you're a tosser, but secretly are envious. At least with BMW's metal folding roof you get more rigidity, security and sound proofing than with fabric roofs, and when they are up it looks more like a coupe, so people won't think you are too soft to put the top down. What you get more of in the coupe is simply sex appeal.VALUENo one who buys a coupe or convertible really thinks of value, otherwise they'd never pay more for less. Prices for the coupe and convertible versions of the updated 3 Series have risen as much as $1440, but there is a host of new gear on board.The premium over the sedan has always been big. Now you pay nearly $10,000 more for the coupe and more than $22,000 extra for the convertible. This compares with, say Audi, where it's about $6000 more for the coupe and about $20,000 extra for the convertible although it's not exactly comparing apples with apples because of spec differences, but you get the idea. Coupes and convertibles are decisions of the heart, not the head.It should be noted that the 335i models now come standard with the M Sport package which was previously a $2760 option. For those who don't like the firm suspension, it can be deleted at no extra cost. That's big of them!While options can often be expensive when chosen separately, BMW offers packages that make it cheaper. You can save more than 25 per cent with the Innovations Package for the 320d, 325i and 330d which includes a range of LED light features, adaptive headlights and satellite navigation, while the 325i and 330d also get voice control anti-dazzle mirrors and a better audio system.TECHNOLOGYBMW wants your heartfelt coupe/convertible decision to be as practical as can be, so the seat belt is handed to you by an automatic robotic arm so you don't have to reach a mile behind you to grab it because of the longer doors.This is just one of the many technological marvels of these cars, not the least of which is the clever folding metal roof that deploys in 20-odd seconds. There is also a vast array of driver aids available to keep the car in control.The new 320d models are available with a manual transmission with stop-start technology that switches the engine off when stationary to save fuel.BMW claims it delivers fuel savings on the 320d manual coupe of 0.8 litres per 100km, despite an extra 5kW of power and 30Nm of torque (135kW and 380Nm).The top-of-the range 335i gets the new single twin-scroll turbo replacing the previous two separate turbos. While power and torque remain the same at 225kW and 400Nm, fuel economy is 8 per cent better.STYLINGThe coupe has a certain grace that the convertible with its top up just can't match because the rear part of the roof is slightly truncated, abruptly ending the flowing lines. Styling changes over the previous model are minimal but inside Dakota oyster-coloured leather is now standard.There are three new metallic paint options lifting the choices to 15, an extra interior trim choice (bamboo grain anthracite) making it six options and nine wheel designs - four of them new - across three wheel sizes (17, 18 and 19-inch).DRIVINGOver a couple of weeks I drove the 320d manual coupe and the 335i seven-speed auto convertible. While the driver and passenger can expect the usual features and comforts, the rear seat passengers will feel like second-class citizens. Adults will have difficulty getting in, for a start, and when they do they'll feel cramped and claustrophobic.And while more compliant dampers have been used in the M Sport suspension top provide a less aggressive ride up front, rear seat passengers bear the brunt of the pain over rough roads. It's even worse in the convertible as it doesn't get the new compliant dampers. The convertible needs them most to reduce the vicious scuttle shake.The 320d engine is a lusty performer at low revs which allows driver to hustle along quite smartly and still feel calm at the end of the journey.However, it's the bristling and fizzy excitement of the 335i engine that will attract most buyers. Surely you don't buy a coupe or convertible and then turn all practical and opt for the diesel.BMW 320d convertible and 335i coupePrice: $78,500 (320d convertible); $116,700 (335i M Sport coupe + $3500 7-spd double-clutch)Engines: 1995cc 4-cyl. turbo diesel (320d); 2993cc straight 6 petrol (335i)Transmissions: 6-spd man. w auto stop-start (320d), 7-spd DCT (335i)

HALF a day of driving through sand dunes stands between Craig Lowndes and victory in his first off-road race.  The V8 Supercars driver extended his lead to about an hour in the penultimate leg of the Australasian Safari in Western Australia yesterday."We had a great day," he said.  "That is how I expected to the Safari to be; open and fast roads through forestry."Today, Lowndes and co-driver Kees Weel of the Gold Coast tackle two tough stages in the coastal sand dunes near Esperance with their Holden Colorado.  "There's only one more day to go, but apart from the first bit which is rocky, it's all sand," Lowndes said."There are three small stints and we have to navigate right and keep our momentum.  The bikes set off first and will set a rough course and I think we will be the first car off, so navigation will be the ultimate component tomorrow."We've been lost and found our way back before. Kees is pretty experienced at this; it's his 13th Safari."  Lowndes said he wasn't thinking about how they would celebrate if they won tomorrow."We'll celebrate by getting back on the plane and thinking about Bathurst," he said.  Lowndes and Weel were followed by Victorians Darren Green and Wayne Smith in their Nissan Patrol and Bruce Garland and Harry Suzuki in their Isuzu D-Max, the first diesel-powered vehicle.The order changed in the bike section yesterday when third-placed rider Rod Faggotter of Longreach pulled out after the first leg suffering with a broken thumb from a fall the previous day.That leaves a trifecta of KTM riders at the front lead by Bathurst rider Ben Grabham heading for his third victory.  He is followed by Todd Smith of Condobolin, NSW, and Matthew Fish of Kyneton, Victoria.RESULTSPos Veh Crew Vehicle Cat/ SS15 SS16 SS17 SS18 Pen Total No Class1 100 LOWNDES - WEEL 2003 Holden Colorado A5.2 25:00 03:06 02:57 24:38 30:54:592 122 GREEN - SMITH 1999 nissan Patrol A2.2 30:12 03:31 03:18 27:47 32:11:383 102 GARLAND - SUZUKI 2010 Isuzu DMAX A5.4 23:36 02:55 02:58 23:33 32:42:424 105 TURLEY - TILLETT 1996 Nissan Patrol A5.3 25:16 04:48 02:58 25:46 33:41:135 101 FLOOD - VAN KANN 1992 Mitsubishi Pajero A5.1 27:07 05:35 03:53 30:24 34:35:466 177 DI LALLO - MASI 1999 Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution A1.1 30:11 03:43 03:18 31:48 38:18:387 106 MULDREW - EARLE 2004 Mitsubishi Pajero A1.2 31:47 03:40 03:32 36:31 39:02:378 112 MUIR - WALKER 1998 Mitsubishi Pajero EVO A1.1 39:44 03:42 03:17 31:26 41:52:179 110 KNOWLES - VILLANOVA 2008 Hummer H2 SUT A5.2 25:11 03:55 03:01 29:30 43:30:59 10 109 WALKDEN - LONG 1998 Mitsubishi Pajero EVO A2.1 28:13 03:18 03:17 27:21 43:35:3111 137 YUAN DE - TAIGUANG 2005 Quang Qi Chang Feng CFA2 T2.1 47:15 03:42 03:39 34:37 45:09:3912 103 TWADDLE - TWADDLE 2000 Mitsubishi Pajero A0.2 01:01:44 05:00 04:54 MCf 01:30:00 45:44:5113 115 OWEN - CAIRNS 2004 NISSAN GU PATROL A5.3 27:39 03:03 03:03 26:05 47:35:0214 127 YOUNG - MCBEAN 2002 Mitsubishi Pajero A1.5 52:14 03:48 03:31 32:41 47:41:3315 136 WEI YU - MIN 2005 Guang Qi Chang Feng CFA2 T1.2 44:46 03:25 03:19 25:54 47:59:11104 HARRINGTON - HARRINGTON 2007 Nissan Patrol A5.3 24:45 03:01 03:03 DNF DNF107 DENHAM - DENHAM 2003 Mitsubishi Triton A5.2 DNF DNF DNF DNF DNF108 OLHOLM - DOBLE 2004 Mitsubishi NM Pajero A5.2 DNF DNF DNF DNF DNF111 DUNN - DUNN 1998 Nissan GU A5.3 DNF DNF DNF DNF DNF113 WATMAN - WATMAN 1998 Mitsubishi Pajero EVO A1.1 DNF DNF DNF DNF DNF129 QUINN - FEAVER 1995 Mitsubishi Pajero A5.2 DNF DNF DNF DNF DNF142 HOFFMANN, Glenn 2010 Dirt-Buggies Superlite A4.4 DNF DNF DNF DNF DNF 150 PINSON - DENBRINKER 2002 Ford ba rtv A3.4 DNF DNF DNF DNF DNF155 MONKHOUSE - MONKHOUSE 2006 suzuki vitara A5.1 DNF DNF DNF DNF DNFMCx2 - Missed Start and Finish Controls, MCf - Missed Finish Control, - Time recorded but Out of Late Time Date 9/25/2010 22:10:50.145 Form No:205 Page 1