Articles by Mark Hinchliffe

However, the 1962 Ford Fairlane 500 Compact is in pieces in Dinte's garage and he says he is running out of time to have it back on the road by January when he will have owned it 40 years. "I would like to have it back on the road by then but I don't think I can," he says.  "It had done 26 trips to Sydney in one year by the original owners, a Gold Coast real estate company, and I've had it around the odo a couple of times myself. "I've even taken photos of it going back to zero twice.  "It's done half a million miles (800,00km) easy and there's another half million miles in it." The 64-year-old retired computer store manager used to own a bodyshop years ago and has always been mechanically minded, so he has stripped the Fairlane back to a shell and its various parts for a much-needed complete restoration. It should be a perfect job, too, because his garage also plays host to an immaculate 1966 Ford Galaxie 500.  "I did everything except reconditioning the power steering, the upholstery and the diff," he says. His wife, Carole, points out that she helped: "I'm usually on the other end of the pulley block holding the engine."  Dinte joined the Queensland American Ford V8 Club in 1985 when there were just seven members, but he hasn't hasn't always been a Ford fan. "I had an FC Holden and rolled it in 1969 after hitting a lamp post," he explains.  "Three days later it was back on the road but it was dangerous to drive the wife and kids around, so I bought the '62 and I've had it now 40 years.  "It's been a brilliant car. Tough as blazes.  A Toyota Corolla ran into it and the Toyota was a write-off. We spent $28 to straighten out the Fairlane." The Fairlane came with a 221 cubic inch (3.6-litre) V8, but Dinte has replaced it with a 289 (4.7L) Windsor.  He has also updated the four-speed auto with an electronic gearbox and added cruise control and remote key entry. "It just idles along at 100km/h doing 2000rpm," he says.  "They talk about old cars being not very environmentally friendly but I used to get 26mpg (9L/1200km) and I'm hoping to get 28-29 (8.5L/100km) when it's done. "I just want to live long enough to get a bit of work out of it."  Meanwhile, he takes his Galaxie 500 on club runs every few weeks with his wife, Carole. Although it's called a 500, it features a 390 V8 big block with three-speed auto and a tall-ratio diff.  "They knew how to build them in those days," he says.  "It's a lazy old engine but by jeez they go." He bought it 16 years ago for about $9000 and has had it on the road since 2001.  "I had ordered a car from the US and it never turned up. The importer reckoned the container it was in `fell off the ship' on the way over," he explains. "I rang the police and they said you'd better go to Victoria to front the guy who was importing it, so I did and I put a bit of pressure on him and ended up with this car.  It was already converted to right-hand drive but I had to do a fair bit of work on it.  I stopped restoring it at about $32,000 but I could easily spend another $5000." Getting in the way of the Fairlane restoration is another resto project, a 1985 Chevy motorhome.  "You have to be careful with cross contamination with the Fords," he jokes.  "Parking these big Fords is easy after the motorhome."

The German manufacturer will debut its 911 Speedster at the Paris Motor Show next month.  Porsche Cars Australia spokesman Paul Ellis confirms a handful will make their way to Australia early next year at $519,800 plus on-road costs. "Less than five I would estimate," he says.  "No-one knows about it till now, so there's no interest yet." With its characteristic double-bubble hardcover for the soft top and low-slung looks, it resembles the original 1954 356 Speedster.  In a reference to its roots, only 356 of the new 911 Speedsters will be built.  It will be available only in two colours (blue or white) and one trim specification which includes most of the optional equipment of the 911 series. The low-slung two-seater has a 60mm lower and more steeply raked windscreen, although it is not removable like the 1950s models.  It features the 44mm wider rear body and is powered by the 300kW boxer 3.8-litre six-cylinder engine mated to Porsche's PDK (double clutch) gearbox. The Speedster will also have a limited-slip differential, Porsche Active Suspension Management and Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes.  

Red Bull Racing driver Sebastian Vettel claimed the record in a shakedown of a virtual car that features in the next generation of Gran Turismo 5.  The X1 Prototype car is a joint venture between the producers of the popular computer game and Aussie Mark Webber's Formula One team. The project threw out the F1 rule book to produce the fastest race car possible for its Gran Turismo 5 game which will be released in Australia on November 4.  The X1 features aerodynamics by Red Bull Racing chief technical officer Adrian Newey. "We all have a dream about pushing the boundaries, where the performance of the car and the experience of the driver take precedence over the rules," he says.  "This is the inspiration that brought Red Bull Racing and Polyphony together. And as a result the X1 Prototype is dynamite to drive." Kazunori Yamauchi, president of Gran Turismo producers Polyphony Digital, says the X1 is a "what-if" dream.  "We want to inspire racing fans and the industry alike by exploring the realm of possibilities for the future of motorsports," he says.  Gran Turismo has been used to launch the BMW 1 Series and it debuted the Nissan GT-R before the real version was made public.

"It has its own following," says McDonnell about the V8 ute.  "It's a hero for us. It's close to our hearts." The first Maloo was launched in October 1990 at the Sydney Motor Show as the first V8 sports ute.  It still holds the Guinness record for the fastest ute with a speed of 271.44km/h set in 2006. In its 20th year, HSV celebrates the Maloo's milestone with a special model limited to just 100.  The new ute goes on sale in October and will be a highlight at the Deniliquin Ute Muster (October 1-2). The new Maloo features large air scoops at the side, 20-inch black wheels from the GTS, matte black hood scoops and a bi-modal exhaust."It's more aggressive than in the past," says McDonnell.

THE homegrown V8 power war has been ceded to FPV.  Instead of increasing power for the new HSV E Series 3, the performance car company has chosen to fit a range of hi-tech electronic gadgetry to its E3 models, offer dual gas/petrol power, increase the price by up to $1000 and give it a facelift.So the HSV range stays with the 317kW/550Nm 6.2-litre V8 (GTS and Grange are 325kW), while FPV will this week release its new range with a 335kW/570Nm five-litre Coyote V8.  HSV boss Phil Harding says that while there is no increase in power and torque, fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are marginally down."We didn't have increased power and torque on our list of actions for this model year update," Harding says.  Engineering general manager Joel Stoddart admits the 6.2-litre V8 engine is "getting close to its maximum potential".  There is no talk yet of moving to the coming compact global GM V8.PRICING AND DRIVETRAINPrices have increased by $1000 on all but the Senator which is up $560. HSV justifies the price rise on the increased technology and inclusion of standard satnav and reversing camera.The E3 range also includes a 20th anniversary Maloo ute model which is limited to 100 vehicles. It costs $67,600 in manual which is $3000 more than the standard model and $69,600 for the auto.TECHNOLOGYHSV boss Phil Harding says the E3 is "more than just a facelift", pointing out three "firsts" for an Australian manufacturer.  They are an automatic liquid propane injection (LPi) system, side blind zone alert system (SBZA) and an enhanced driver interface (EDI) which is like a computer game for the performance car."There are more ideas generated internally than we can afford to make business decisions on," Harding says.  "We're never short of ideas on sales, product, marketing and manufacturing to make our business more efficient and exciting."HSV is proud of its LPi system that automatically and seamlessly switches between gas and petrol, even though they only expect about 5 per cent take-up. It is offered as a $5990 option ($6390 on Maloo) on all but the ClubSport R8 Tourer.Stoddart says it has the same performance as in petrol-only mode, although it does switch seamlessly back to petrol when the car operates above 4000rpm.The EDI is an elaborate graphic system displayed on Holden's new touch screen that provides a wealth of information from G forces to "race" information such as brake and throttle percentages and a stopwatch.The information system was developed in conjunction with race technology company MoTec and details can be downloaded on a USB stick and analysed on a laptop just as a race engineer would in Formula One or V8 Supercars.The Windows-based software can also work with the GPS satnav system to record lap times on major Australian racetracks which are loaded into the vehicle, or plot new tracks.SAFETY The $1990 optional blind spot warning system is similar to the one developed by Volvo. When selected it shows a blue light on the side of the dashboard which turns red when the ultrasonic sensors detect a vehicle in the blind spot. If the driver indicates and moves into that occupied spot, it flashes.There is no audible alarm. The system can be turned off and it defaults to how it was left when the car was last used.To overcome continued adverse comments about the dangerous lack of rear vision caused by the rear spoiler, all HSVs now come with a reverse camera with rear parking assist sensors and a lower spoiler.STYLINGInside are new trims colours and materials, more leather, restyled instruments and gauges, and a HSV welcome and build number displayed when the touch screen is switched on.Outside, there is more chrome, a "superflow" rear spoiler, chrome exhaust tips integrated into the rear bodywork like in the Honda Civic Type R, a new fascia and, for the first time, the Grange gets an engine power designation badge on the boot to mark the increase in power to match the GTS.DRIVINGWith no mechanical changes to the new models, driving dynamics are the same. But even though HSV engineers say there are no changes, the clutch felt a little lighter in the manual models.HSV's clever LPi system is seamless. The EDI will display when it is in petrol or gas mode, but you wouldn't feel any difference. Ride is firm but fair on the road, although the rear can be noisy over sharp hits.  Magnetic ride which is standard on the Grange, Senator and GTS has a "luxury" damper setting which takes the sting out of the bumps.The cars felt more at home in a short session at Broadford motorcycle race track north of Melbourne. Here the magnetic ride was switched to "performance"and the cars flowed through the tricky set of corners.Switch the traction control to "competitive" mode and you can play hero, allowing the back to drift out, but not far enough to cause alarm. Traction control can also be turned off totally.The extra width in the front tyres of the Grange give it more directional stability and turn-in, allowing quick change of direction on the Broadford esses.VERDICTThe addition of the EDI and data logging is a gimmick that some will find enticing, while the satnav is past its due date and should justify some of the price rise.  But it is unlikely that the data gimmick will be a key selling point for buyers of Senator and Grange.HSV E3Prices:ClubSport R8 $67,600 (manual) $69,600 (auto)ClubSport R8 Tourer $68,600 (m) $70,600 (a)Grange $88,900 (a)GTS $82,900 (m) $84,900 (a)Maloo R8 $64,600 (m) $66,600 (a)20 years of Maloo R8 $67,600 (m) $69,600 (a)Senator Signature $83,990 (m/a)Engine: 6.2-litre V8Power: 317kW (325kW GTS, Grange) @ 6000rpmTorque: 550Nm @ 4600rpmTransmissions: 6-speed manual and auto (Grange auto only)Options:SBZA $1990 (standard on Grange and Maloo 20th); LPi $5990 (ute $6390); Turismo Rosso leather $1490 (GTS and Senator)

HSV engineering general manager Joel Stoddart says it had been difficult enough for company management to overcome the "taxi mentality". "It was even harder to understand this and implement it in a performance car," he said. HSV boss Phil Harding says the decision was made two years ago when petrol was about $1.60 a litre and rising. "Fuel isn't that price now, but no one will be able to tell me what the price will be in future," he says. The HSV liquid propane injection (LPi) system was developed with Orbital Engineering. The LPI system features a multi-valve fuel delivery module, meaning that each one of the engine's eight cylinders has both an LPG injector and a petrol injector attached to it. Stoddart says they designed the system to look like original equipment, "not an afterthought". There is no loss in peak power or torque as the engine switches to petrol over 4000rpm. Stoddart says there is little change to the power and torque curves when running on gas, either. "Maintaining engine and handling performance was important. We didn't want to dilute the car," he says. The engine starts in petrol mode, then switches seamlessly between LPG and petrol as required. Running on LPG, CO2 emissions can be reduced by up to 15 per cent and fuel costs can be decreased by up to 50 per cent, depending on the price of LPG and driving styles. The boot loses about 165L of space and weight is increased by about 100kg when the LPG tank is full. LPi is a $5990 option available on all but the ClubSport R8 Tourer and costs $6390 on the Maloo ute as a new tub liner is required. It is also eligible for the government's $2000 gas rebate. The LPi system was tested over two years in five vehicles increasing to nine recently. Testing included one major hot trip to Darwin and several to Kununurra in Western Australia with cold and altitude testing in the Alps during the "bumper snow season this year". It also included marathon 450-hour endurance sessions on the factory dyno and simulated crash evaluation for the tanks.

Instead of increasing power for the new HSV E Series 3, the performance car company has chosen to fit a range of hi-tech electronic gadgetry to its E3 models, offer dual gas/petrol power, increase the price by up to $1000 and give it a facelift. So the HSV range stays with the 317kW/550Nm 6.2-litre V8 (GTS and Grange are 325kW), while FPV will this week release its new range with a 335kW/570Nm five-litre Coyote V8.  HSV boss Phil Harding says that while there is no increase in power and torque, fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are marginally down.  “We didn’t have increased power and torque on our list of actions for this model year update,” Harding says. Engineering general manager Joel Stoddart admits the 6.2-litre V8 engine is “getting close to its maximum potential”.  There is no talk yet of moving to the coming compact global GM V8. VALUE Prices have increased by $1000 on all but the Senator which is up $560.  HSV justifies the price rise on the increased technology and inclusion of standard satnav and reversing camera. The E3 range also includes a 20th anniversary Maloo ute model which is limited to 100 vehicles. It costs $67,600 in manual which is $3000 more than the standard model and $69,600 for the auto. TECHNOLOGY HSV boss Phil Harding says the E3 is “more than just a facelift”, pointing out three “firsts” for an Australian manufacturer.  They are an automatic liquid propane injection (LPi) system, side blind zone alert system (SBZA) and an enhanced driver interface (EDI) which is like a computer game for the performance car. “There are more ideas generated internally than we can afford to make business decisions on,” Harding says.  “We’re never short of ideas on sales, product, marketing and manufacturing to make our business more efficient and exciting.” HSV is proud of its LPi system that automatically and seamlessly switches between gas and petrol, even though they only expect about 5 per cent take-up.  It is offered as a $5990 option ($6390 on Maloo) on all but the ClubSport R8 Tourer. Stoddart says it has the same performance as in petrol-only mode, although it does switch seamlessly back to petrol when the car operates above 4000rpm.  The EDI is an elaborate graphic system displayed on Holden’s new touch screen that provides a wealth of information from G forces to “race” information such as brake and throttle percentages and a stopwatch. The information system was developed in conjunction with race technology company MoTec and details can be downloaded on a USB stick and analysed on a laptop just as a race engineer would in Formula One or V8 Supercars. The Windows-based software can also work with the GPS satnav system to record lap times on major Australian racetracks which are loaded into the vehicle, or plot new tracks. SAFETY The $1990 optional blind spot warning system is similar to the one developed by Volvo.  When selected it shows a blue light on the side of the dashboard which turns red when the ultrasonic sensors detect a vehicle in the blind spot. If the driver indicates and moves into that occupied spot, it flashes. There is no audible alarm. The system can be turned off and it defaults to how it was left when the car was last used. To overcome continued adverse comments about the dangerous lack of rear vision caused by the rear spoiler, all HSVs now come with a reverse camera with rear parking assist sensors and a lower spoiler. STYLING Inside are new trims colours and materials, more leather, restyled instruments and gauges, and a HSV welcome and build number displayed when the touch screen is switched on. Outside, there is more chrome, a “superflow” rear spoiler, chrome exhaust tips integrated into the rear bodywork like in the Honda Civic Type R, a new fascia and, for the first time, the Grange gets an engine power designation badge on the boot to mark the increase in power to match the GTS.HSV E3 Prices: ClubSport R8 $67,600 (manual) $69,600 (auto),ClubSport R8 Tourer $68,600 (m) $70,600 (a)Grange $88,900 (a)GTS $82,900 (m) $84,900 (a)Maloo R8 $64,600 (m) $66,600 (a)20 years of Maloo R8 $67,600 (m) $69,600 (a)Senator Signature $83,990 (m/a)Engine: 6.2-litre V8Power: 317kW (325kW GTS, Grange) @ 6000rpmTorque: 550Nm @ 4600rpmTransmissions: 6-speed manual and auto (Grange auto only)Options: SBZA $1990 (standard on Grange and Maloo 20th);LPi $5990 (ute $6390)Turismo Rosso leather $1490 (GTS and Senator)

The car will debut at the Paris Motor Show next month and hit Australian showrooms in January at $270,100 for the six-speed manual coupe and an extra $6800 for the seven-speed Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) transmission. The Cabriolet will cost $288,700 in manual.Porsche Cars Australia spokesman Paul Ellis describes the GTS as a "stepping stone".  "It's a half way point between the Carrera S and GT3," he says."It's the top Carrera model. The sportiest.  There is a clear separation between the road-focussed Carreras and the more track-focussed GT2, GT2 RS, GT3 and GT3 RS.  That's not to say that customers won't take the GTS to the track. There are existing 911 customers that take their cars out on track days because they like to exploit the dynamics.""This will appeal to those who want the ultimate Carrera. It will look sportier, go faster and drive harder than today's Carrera S."The Carrera GTS 3.8-litre flat six-cylinder engine has 300kW of power compared with the 261kW of the Carrera S and 320kW of the GT3.  The extra power comes from having six vacuum-controlled tuning flaps in the intake manifold compared with one in the Carrera S.Maximum torque remains at 420Nm, but is available at 4200rpm, which is 200 revs earlier.  Top speed is up 4km/h to 306km/h while the Coupe with PDK and Sport Chrono Package Plus accelerates to 100km/h in 4.2 seconds which is 0.1 seconds faster.Porsche claims the manual and PDK versions have identical fuel economy figures to the Carrera S of 10.2L/100km.  The rear-wheel-drive Carrera GTS has the 44mm wider body and track of the Carrera 4 AWD model and sits on 19-inch centre-lock RS Spyder black wheels and 305/30 R 19 tyres at the rear.Black body highlights include a SportDesign spoiler, side skirts and between the twin tailpipes.  Inside, there is black Alcantara trim on the seats, three-spoke SportDesign steering wheel, gear shift and handbrake.Ellis says the GTS will be joined by a surprise exhibit at the Paris Motor Show.  "I can't talk about that, but there will be a bit of both model and engine variant," he says.Porsche has this year updated the 911 models, Cayenne, Boxster and Cayman.  "That's about it from us for now," Ellis says.

... , the increasingly popular motorsport in which cars skid sideways."I didn't get my licence first time around because I didn't see the 40km/h zone," he said.  Now, with just one round to go and 15 points on offer, Coulson, 17, holds a substantial 12-point lead in the top amateur class of the national Stadium Drift titles.The youngest competitor yet in the series started drifting when he was 15. His father, Martin, a used car dealer, had to drive the car in and out of the pits for him.  "I'd driven about three times around dad's car yard before I had my first drift," he said."It felt just like the Playstation game LFS (Live for Speed). The steering wheel felt exactly the same just the feeling of the G forces was different."In just his second season in the sideways motorsport, Coulson has blitzed the much more mature and experienced field with two firsts, a third and a fourth.  In drifting, competitors are marked on proximity to the car they are "racing", their speed, the angle of the car and the amount of smoke they generate from drifting the car on its tyres at speeds up to 160km/h."I like racing against other people, especially the pros because you can trust that they won't spin out and hit you," he said.  "I don't have any fear. It's just fun."The Forest Lake College senior student hopes to go professional next year or venture into other motorsport disciplines such as V8 Supercars. Meanwhile, he will help out at his father's Moorooka used car yard."We're not concerned about him hooning on the streets," his father said.  "You'll find most people will do it only on the track if they have the opportunity. Unfortunately the opportunities are so limited."Coulson has spent about $50,000 developing his son's 1989 Nissan Skyline with its RB25 2.5-litre turbocharged engine pumping out 258kW of power, which is about 100kW more than a Holden Commodore.  While the young Coulson can unleash the full potential of his Skyline's blown engine on a race track, as a P plate driver he is not allowed to drive the turbocharged car on a public road.For the road, he drives a non-turbo Skyline.  "Drifting should only be done on a track," he said."And if any competitor is seen leaving the venue spinning their wheels or doing anything they shouldn't do on the street, they are not allowed back."

The V8 will have 40 per cent lower CO2 emissions than the 384g/km of the W12, but both engines will be capable of running on 85 per cent ethanol.  Bentley has committed to having E85 compatibility in all its cars by 2012 with the first being the Supersports launched here last December. While performance details are not yet available for the V8, the 12-cylinder, twin-turbocharged powertrain will have 12kW more power with 423kW and 700Nm of torque. It will be mated to a new Quickshift transmission which enables double downshifts. Bentley claims this combination of engine and transmission drops the 0-100km/h time from 4.6 to 4.4 seconds.  Australia's Bentley spokesman, Ian Churchill, says they will be taking orders for the new four-seater coupe later this year with a local launch in the second quarter of next year. "The W12 engine is available at launch with the V8 derivative to be communicated late 2011," he says.  "Both will ultimately be available to the Australian market. "The key point to note with these two engine configurations is our overall commitment to producing engaging vehicles for the market while still making clear our intention to embrace a combination of flex-fuel and engine improvements to reduce Bentley's environment impact."Pricing will be announced soon, he says. "In terms of sales we expect strong interest from owners of the current Continental coupe, of which we have sold 23,000 since launch in 2003," Churchill says.  "The blend of supercar performance with everyday practicality has meant the new GT is attracting many new clients to the Bentley stable." The car will also feature "super formed" aluminium front wings and boot lid that allow for a more sculpted body.  Super forming heats the aluminium panels to nearly 500 degrees Celsius before shaping them by air pressure. By using a single sheet of aluminium, no seams or welding are required. The process was first used on the Mulsanne and it allows a weight reduction in the coupe of 65kg.  The exterior now features jewelled headlamps with LED daytime-running lights, a more upright matrix radiator grille and new double horseshoe rear profile first shown on the flagship Bentley Mulsanne. Inside is a new sweeping dashboard and instrument panel finished in premium, soft-touch leather hides, cobra-design seats, more rear cabin space and a new touchscreen, 30GB infotainment system with satellite navigation.