Articles by Mark Hinchliffe

"I always thought I'd like one of those cars one fine day," he says.  So when he went into semi-retirement about 15 years ago, he sought out an early model Roller just like the Galway vet's.  The 1938 Phantom III he bought at a deceased estate auction in Sydney originally cost less than $5000. Glynn paid $84,000, restored it to its original condition and it's now worth over $500,000.  "I don't think I'll ever sell it. It's part of the family," he says.  Phoebe the Phantom, as he calls it, comes with quite a history. The chassis was built in Crewe and the Sedanca de Ville town car coach was built by H.J. Mulliner in London.  It was a demo model for seven months before being bought by a French woman and shipped to Quebec. She died in 1952 and it was taken to a New York caryard until 1967 when it was bought for about $1200 by a London undertaker who returned it to Old Blighty.  The body was modified to add another row of seats so it could be used as a mourning car. Just two years later a Sydney solicitor bought it and drove it around London for a couple of years before shipping it out the colonies.  In 1975, a Sydney Volvo dealer swapped a new Volvo for the relic which was then in need of substantial restoration. The dealer restored the engine, but little else until Glynn came along and bought it.  Glynn smiles as he fires up the Roller's big black 7340cc twin-spark V12 engine and it purrs into life. "It's true what they say about it being so quiet inside the only thing you can hear is the clock,' he says.  "Sometimes you can hold the starter on for too long because you can't hear or feel when the engine has started. "But it can sit in the garage for three months without running and it starts first time."  The big 2630kg beast has 160 horsepower that will roll it up to 100km/h in 16.5 seconds and out to a top speed of 150km/h while guzzling fuel at 23.5L/100km. Mechanical highlights are a Bijur auto lubricating system with "miles" of copper tubing, hydraulic auto jacks, three-speed auto and four drum brakes.  Only 727 of these were made and they have been owned by lords, ladies, princes, maharajahs, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Field Marshal Montgomery. But as each model is purpose built to owner specifications, no two models are the same.  Glynn's features the extra seats, a cocktail cabinet, a rear picnic table, pull-out tool kit, one-way intercom from passenger to chauffeur and, as his wife, Ann, points out, an electrically controlled silk privacy screen. "There's plenty of room to do whatever you like in the back," she says.  Their other pride and joy is a 1960 Bentley Continental Flying Spur with a coach also made by Mulliner. It was originally owned by Hammer Films managing director Lt Col J. Carreras.  Only 70 were ever made and Glynn believes there are only six in Australia. He bought it for $60,000 from a Hong Kong doctor when the British colony was handed back to the Chinese in 2000.  "The doctor sold it because of the ill feeling toward the British at the time," he says. "But look at Hong Kong now and there are Rolls-Royces and Bentleys everywhere."  Glynn believes the V8 Spur is now worth about $200,000. "I won"t sell either of them. We've had them in the family a long time and every time I sit it them I feel good," he says. Become a fan of Carsguide of Facebook

SuperX organisers have announced that Reed's Kawasaki teammate, American Ryan Villopoto, will compete at the events.  Villopoto, 21, was leading the American supercross series with seven wins before he was forced out with a broken leg, while Reed last month pulled out of the American motocross series with glandular fever.  Both riders are expected to be fit for the SuperX series, starting in October.Villopoto will compete in the final two rounds at Parramatta Stadium, Sydney, on November 27 and Brisbane's on December 4. It will be the first time he has raced in Australia."The Sydney and Brisbane races are going to be the only major events I will race in before the 2011 AMA series so it's going to be great preparation for me and I'll be going for the win at both," Villopoto said.Other American supercross riders to compete in the series include Kevin Windham, Davi Millsaps, Mike Alessi and Justin Brayton. Kiwi Ben Townley, who is running third in the American motocross championship, will also compete.Super X seriesOctober 16: Newcastle, Energy Australia StadiumOctober 23: Canberra, Canberra StadiumOctober 30: Launceston, Aurora StadiumNovember 13: Auckland, North Harbour StadiumNovember 20: Dunedin, Carisbrook StadiumDecember 4: Brisbane, QSAC 

A national Newspoll survey of 1101 drivers has found an astonishing 99 per cent have experienced unsafe driving behaviour.  The poll, commissioned by The Buzz Car Insurance, says 50 per cent of drivers feel stressed. The Buzz CEO Jacki Johnson says road rage, offensive gestures and general impatience are making motorists' lives miserable.  "The study shows there's a lot of bad behaviour on our roads. Whether it's dangerous or impatient behaviour, it's putting the safety of Australians in jeopardy," she said. The most commonly experienced bad driving behaviours are: drivers changing lanes without indicating (97 per cent); tailgating (96 per cent); talking on mobiles or listening to an iPod (96 per cent); cutting in on lanes (95 per cent); and motorists holding up traffic by driving too slow (95 per cent). Impatience is also rife on our roads. Of those surveyed, 88 per cent had seen drivers queue jumping, 87 per cent had spotted motorists running a red light, and the majority (91 per cent) had witnessed pedestrians crossing the road in a dangerous manner. "There's a lot of inexperienced drivers, families and elderly people on our roads and we need to modify our driving behaviour to ensure we are not placing any undue stress on drivers," Ms Johnson says. The study shows younger drivers suffer stress more often that older drivers with 60 per cent of respondents aged 18-34 feeling tense compared with 38 per cent aged 50-64.  Capital city dwellers are more likely to get nervous on the roads compared with regional drivers (58 and 41 per cent respectively). Road manners have gone out the window with 78 per cent of drivers, mainly women and older drivers, being sworn at or getting rude gestures from other drivers.  Nine out of 10 say they're sometimes not acknowledged when they do something nice like letting others into their lane or have not received an apology for driving errors. Ms Johnson says to combat stress drivers should calm down before getting behind the wheel, leave five minutes early to avoid feeling rushed, checking directions before leaving and turning the mobile phone to silent to avoid distractions.

The online survey, released by Brisbane consulting firm Engaged Marketing, shows the three Japanese companies "significantly outperformed" Australian companies Ford and General Motors Holden, according to company director Chris Roberts.  "I suspected the Toyota recalls would have had an effect, but they actually ranked well," he says. "Recommendations are impacted by media reports, but when you look at it it's more about what the product really does and how it performs.  Price is not as strong a recommendation as how the product performs. People want quality more than price." The company's first customer research to involve car companies listed Subaru at the top with 35 per cent of its customers likely to recommend the vehicle to friends and colleagues.  Roberts says their research also demonstrates the impact negative customer comments can have on an organisation. "Our research shows that for every one negative comment made about a particular car, it takes around five positive referrals to negate that damage," Roberts says.  He says that of the 12 million registered passenger vehicles in Australia, there may be as many as 17 million negative comments being made by customers about their car company every year. Three companies achieved negative scores.  "It seems certain that some car companies in particular have huge potential to grow simply by focusing on improving their customer experiences and value propositions," he says.  "In the highly competitive car sales industry, achieving a positive customer experience, first time, is more important than ever. "There has never been a more critical time to go back to basics and focus on the customer."  The survey asked 1720 vehicle owners to rate their experience and rank companies according to whether they would recommend them. It showed that recommendations from friends or family - particularly on social media networks such as Facebook - was the biggest influence on purchase decisions for 45 per cent of consumers.  "The continued strong utilisation of social media injects an additional element of urgency because everyone knows word of mouth is the most effective marketing channel available to customers," Roberts says. The survey included other non-automotive companies and only listed car companies mentioned by customers. Some of the comprehensive report's findings are confidential and available only to companies that purchase the information.Loyalty leaders 1 Subaru 35%2 Honda 19%3 Toyota 13%4 Mazda 12%5 Hyundai 3%6 Nissan 1%7 Holden -3%8 Ford -13%9 Mitsubishi -18%(Source: Engaged Marketing)* Percentages of customers who would recommend the brand

Corporate communications manager Piers Scott says the next few years for the German brand will be exciting. It all begins this month when BMW completes the Z4 upgrade with the addition of a fourth model. The Z4 351is will cost $129,900 but have "substantially more power" with an overboost function that places its output between the Z4 351i and a Z4M. However, Australia won't be getting a Z4M. Instead, the Z4 351is will get an M body kit. It will be followed in the next few weeks by special package updates for the M3. In the next month, the X1 finally gets two rear-wheel-drive (sDrive) models, plus another all-wheel-drive (xDrive) model and two new engine variants. The sDrive 180i will cost $45,700, the 20d sDrive $51,500 and the xDrive 25i is $56,500. In the last quarter of the year the updated 5 Series Touring adopts two new diesel siblings, the 520d and 535d. All 5 Series Touring models will also get the M Sport package. The big news for BMW is the new X3 arriving early next year. It will be the first BMW with auto transmission featuring auto stop-start technology. Scott says sales of the current X3 are still strong despite nearing the end of its model life. While not yielding sales figures as big as the X3, another major launch for BMW next year is the 1 Series M car.However, BMW will not call it an M1 for obvious reasons. At the moment, BMW is referring to the project as "Pyrat", but a final name has not yet been decided. Scott says the new M5 could arrive by the end of 2011 or more likely early 2012. BMW's Gran Coupe, revealed at the 2010 Beijing Motor Show, has been given the go-ahead for production. The four-door, four-seat "coupe" is designed to fill a gap in its line-up and take on the Mercedes CLS. "They haven't said yet whether it will be a 6 Series or a rejuvenated 8 Series," Scott says. "There is no timing yet for its release, but best guess is 2012." With the introduction of the Mini Countryman, industry rumours point to BMW developing smaller versions of its 1 Series and X1. "Will they be called the 0 Series or X0? I guess the possibility of those names you can't rule out and you can't rule in," Scott says. "All I can say is BMW shows enormous potential below the 1 Series level. Probably not for some time, though." He says such a move would probably follow the electric Megacity car which is a sub-1 Series size, yet as tall as an X3. It is slated for release in 2013. "There will be a lot more diversification in the Mini brand, than BMW," Scott says. "BMW will always have higher volume sales, but you are seeing a lot more concepts under the Mini brand, such as the Speedster or Roadster Coupe and the new Countryman."

The upgraded Freelander 2 will feature the technology that switches off the engine when stationary. Like most stop-start applications, it will only be available in the manual transmission, but Land Rover Australia public affairs manager Tim Krieger says they are working on an application for their automatic transmission. Land Rover claims it will be the first manual diesel SUV with stop-start technology when it arrives in Australia in December. The system controls throttle closing, ramps down fuelling and turns off the alternator to ensure the engine stops smoothly and has a bi-directional crank sensor and trigger wheel to quickly establish the crankshaft position, improving start-up time by 22 per cent. The new Freelander 2 will also feature new diesel engines with more torque, revised interior with new instrument dials, three new exterior colours, new alloy wheel options and a silver and green "Land Rover" logo replacing the traditional gold on green. The new diesel models have also been fitted with a fuel tank mis-fuelling device as standard to prevent drivers accidentally filling up with petrol. Krieger says the vehicle will have "significant appeal" in the market and that sales volume will "continue to build". Freelander is currently running sixth in the luxury SUV class behind Volvo XC60, selling 127 last month (down 2 vehicles or 1.6 per cent) and 568 year to date which is up 5.1 per cent, while the segment up has increased 17.5 per cent. Krieger says those sales are strong considering an upgraded model is imminent. He is also not concerned about competition from the compact Land Rover LRX which has now been formally named the Evoque. "We feel that there is room in the market for both products," he says. "The Freelander 2 is a well-established Land Rover product that offers all-round capability, practicality and comfort to customers. The Range Rover Evoque opens the brand to a new set of customers. Our research shows that this smaller, more urban SUV will naturally expand the breadth of appeal of the Range Rover brand to a younger and more style conscious customer. The Evoque will offer a very different proposition to the Freelander 2." The updated Freelander 2 features a new 2.2-litre direct-injection turbo diesel engine, claimed to be quieter and more refined than its predecessor. It comes with either 110kW of output as the TD4 model with an updated manual transmission and stop-start as standard, or the 140kW SD4 with the six-speed auto only. The engine in both models has an increase of 20Nm of torque to 420Nm, while fuel economy (6.6L/100km for TD4) and CO2 emissions (174-185g/km) remain the same thanks to a water-cooled variable geometry turbocharger that can run at higher speeds. For the first time, the Freelander 2 diesel powertrains are compatible with 10 per cent biodiesel up from 5 per cent. The Freelander 2 also includes "mild hybrid" technology that uses kinetic energy from the brakes when slowing to help recharge the battery rather than sapping the engine's power. Freelander will continue with the 3.2-litre straight six which has been re-calibrated to meet tougher European emissions regulations with unchanged power and torque of 171kW and 317Nm. FREELANDER 2 TD4 and SD4 Engine: 2179cc 4-cylinder, 16-valve turbo diesel, common rail fuel injectionPower: 110kW (TD4), 140kW (SD4)Torque: 420nmEconomy (l/100km): 6.6 (manual), 7 (auto)CO2 Emissions (g/km) 174 (manual) 185 (auto)Transmission: 6-speed manual with stop-start (TD4), 6-speed auto (TD4 and SD4)Drive: 4WD with Haldex rear axle differentialFuel tank: 68 litres0-100km/h: 11.7secs (TD4 manual), 11.2secs (TD4 auto), 9.5 (SD4)Top speed: 181km/h (TD4), 190km/h (SD4)Suspension: Macpherson struts (front); strut assembly with lateral and longitudinal links (rear)Brakes: ventilated 300mm discs (front), solid 302mm discs (rear)Dimensions (mm): 4500 (l), 2195 (w), 1740 (h), 2660 (wheelbase)Turning circle: 11.3mWeight: 1785kg, 1805kg, 1805kg

While there are subtle interior and exterior design changes, there is also a host of extra features and some improvements in engine performance and economy.Price and positionPrices start from $65,600 and are up as much as $1440, but BMW Group Australia corporate communications manager Piers Scott says that is due to the extra features. Scott expects diesel uptake to increase "substantially" across the coupe/convertible range."Sports coupes and convertibles are the last bastion for diesels, but the exhaust note on this is so good, it will attract people," he says.MechanicalThe top-of-the range 335i coupe and convertible are the latest models to switch from bi-turbo to single twin-scroll technology, leaving the Z4 35is and 35i as the only BMWs still with bi-turbos. Power and torque remain the same at 225kW and 400Nm, but there is an eight per cent reduction in fuel consumption thanks to the twin-scroll turbo.The 335i models now get the M Sport package as standard equipment. It was previously a $2760 option. For those who don't like the hard suspension, it can be deleted at no extra cost. BMW Group Australia 3 Series product manager Alan Swanson says the coil spring dampers in the M Sport suspension package have been replaced by disc spring valve types for a more compliant ride. It makes a difference and overrides the harshness of the run-flat tyres that are standard across the range.Unfortunately, the new dampers don't come with the M Sport suspension package in the convertible, which is the body style that most needs a more compliant ride to reduce scuttle shake.The M sport package is also available in the 320d, 325i and 330d as before, with largely the same inclusions, but slightly different trims. The new 320d models are now available with a manual transmission and all manuals across the range feature stop/start technology as well as the M3 with double-clutch transmission.BMW claims the technology delivers fuel savings on the 320d manual coupe of 0.8 litres per 100km. That is despite the diesel engine pumping out an extra 5kW of power and 30Nm of torque (135kW and 380Nm).Scott says they were unsure how many customers would opt for manual transmission to get the stop-start feature. "It may be a surprisingly high proportion, but we don't have an exact target as yet," he says.Equipment and designStyling changes are minimal and only the BMW anorak will notice. And while there is the same number of models available as before, there is now an Innovations Package available for the 320d, 325i and 330d that 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.Swanson says savings on the package are greater than 25 per cent and he predicts more than 60 per cent of customers will take up the option. While Dakota oyster-coloured leather is now standard, there is a variety of options available to personalise the vehicle.There are now 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). There has been no change to the operation of the hard-top folding roof. It still goes up or down in about 22 seconds and will only operate when stationary. The only change to the M3 are redesigned rear lights, white metallic exterior paint, stop-start on the DCT, and slightly better economy and CO2 emissions.DrivingBMW supplied only the most altered models, the 320d and 335i, on the national launch through the Brisbane hinterland this week (August 4-5). There has been a slight performance boost in the 320d and I would be lying if I said it was noticeable.However, I can say it is a remarkably lusty performer at low revs which means a driver can hustle it along and still feel calm. I harassed the rear end of a 335i going up the twisty hotmix on the northern approach to Mt Mee and when we arrived at the next stop my nerves were at peace while the other driver got out of his high-revving 335i with his trousers on fire.The 320d rewards a lazy driver. The 335i mainlines caffeine into its pilot. The main difference to be felt on the test drive was in the new M Sport suspension.BMW's damper tweaking has been very effective, taking the harsh bang out of sudden jolts, while keeping the car sitting flat and unrattled. The cars felt composed over the craggy tar that runs around Somerset Dam and our kidneys and the fillings in our teeth were still in place at the end. While the four-cylinder diesel engine sounds less raucous, the real advantage in the manual convertible is that auto stop-start completely silences it when you are stopped at the lights.

But to appreciate the story of how restaurateur and part-time racer Terry Ashwood secured the cars, we need to go back to 1983."It all basically started when I belonged to the Porsche Club of NSW and had a fully imported car Porsche Ruf Turbo," says Ashwood, 62."It was similar to a Brock Commodore where it comes out of the production line and goes to another production line for additional motorsport modification, although it was perfectly street legal. The Porsche Club was very track oriented, but this was quite a valuable car ($200,000) so I never raced it.  I started to feel a little bit left out so I bought a Datsun 1600, modified it and got to the stage where it could beat most of the Porsches I was competing against."Ashwood owned several Porsches over the years and even competed in the Porsche Cup with a GT2 and ran in the top 10 from 1995 until the 1999 Gold Coast Indy. "It was just too just expensive," he says. "Unless you had a factory built race car you couldn't compete so I elected to bow out."By that time I had grown quite fond of Nissan owing to the respect I had for the 1600."  So he bought an ex-Nissan motorsport HR31 GTSR two-door coupe - the model before the GTR - and raced by Mark Skaife for Gibson Motorsport."During the ownership I got to know Fred Gibson very well because he used to help me with info on the car as it was so hi-tech.  It was over lunch with Fred that I asked him about his collection. He used to keep the last model of all the cars he raced from 1984 to 92. He had a collection of seven."Over a bottle of red wine at Cavellies Restaurant in Melbourne, which was a Lotus dealership as well, he said he needed to sell them because he was in association with Ford Motor Company and they weren't prepared to allow him do anything with them.  I said I'd buy them all and display them in my restaurant and we did the deal on a paper napkin that day over a handshake." Ashwood promised not to divulge the amount he paid.  "It was a lot of money and people consider I was stupid spending so much on the cars, but I've since sold three and got my money back three-fold."He opened his TrackSide restaurant in West Gosford in 2003 and has been rotating his collection through it ever since.  The only car he still races is the original 1992 R32 Skyline GTR nicknamed "Godzilla" and considered by Nissan as a "globally significant car".Skaife won the 1992 Australian Touring Car Championship in the car and won Bathurst that year with Jim Richards.  Ashwood now runs it in the historic racing class only at flowing circuits such as Phillip Island, Eastern Creek, Sandown, Lakeside and possibly Morgan Park, in Warwick, now that the circuit has been extended."It has to run with the same livery and mechanicals it had back in its days, so no modification in any way, shape or form is allowed," he says.  "It costs about $100,000 to run a four-race series and you might end up with a little plastic trophy at the end."The car was recently valued by Wheels magazine at $1.3m, but cost $700,000 to build in 1992.  It is powered by a 2.6-litre 24-valve DOHC twin turbo straight six rated at 640hp, but was detuned under the original CAMS regulations to 450hp to keep it competitive."It was too good in its day for the others so CAMS tried to nobble it with restricted power and extra weight," Ashwood says.  The four-wheel-drive car now weighs 1500kg. "It's certainly different to drive. It understeers heavily which I quickly found out at Lakeside last year at the Carousel. I went off and it took the oil cooler off."  Ashwood will return to Lakeside this weekend (AUGUST 7-8) for the Lakeside Classic Speed Fest.The Gisbon race car inventory1984 Bluebird driven by George Fury. It held the Bathurst lap record for eight years. Now for sale for $220,000.1987 Gazelle in which Mark Skaife won the two-litre championship, his first title-winning Nissan.1992 Nissan Winfield GTR driven by Skaife in which he won the Australian Touring Car Championship and claimed a controversial Bathurst win with Jim Richards when the race was stopped.1992 Formula Holden open wheeler in Winfield livery in which Skaife won the Drivers' Championship and Gold star Championship.1986 DR30 4-cylinder Skyline driven by Fury and Terry Shields. Sold to another racer.1990 HR31 Skyline 2L 6-cylinder single turbo driven by Jim Richards in which he won the ATCC.1984 Nissan Pulsar EXA driven by Christine Gibson, Fred's wife, and Glen Seton. Sold.

Not only does it include 18 beautifully restored Holdens from the '50s to '70s, but also motoring paraphernalia such as parking meters, petrol bowsers, fuel and oil advertising signs and lights, a collection of four Victa "toe-cutter" mowers and, of course, a well-stocked bar with a fridge made from a Golden Fleece petrol pump. "We've still got a few finishing touches to make," says Monement, 71, a semi-retired businessman.  It all began about 18 years ago when Monement began restoring a 1950 FX Holden like the 1951 model he owned in 1958. "I always said it was the best car I ever had," he said.  He bought the one-owner car for $4000 from the side of the road in northern NSW. "I drove it home, but it needed a lot of restoring."  The restoration passion grew over the years until he had cars scattered over three sheds on different properties he owned. Monement began consolidating it all in his shed six months ago and now plans to use it to host the occasional meeting of the FX and FJ Holden Car Club of Queensland. His inventory of cars reads like a Holden fan's wish list from the '50s through to the '70s and all are in perfect running order.  He has five utes (1951, '52, 2 x '53, '56), three FX sedans ('49 and 2 x '50), two FJ vans ('55 and '56 which is the former Lightning Ridge PMG van), one '56 FJ sedan, three Monaros ('70, '71 and '74), one '59 FC panel van, two Sandman panel vans ('75 and '79) and a highly modified 1954 FJ racer.  There is also a '52 ute that he bought as a wreck for $200 and has converted into a campervan. Like many of his collection, the FJ racer has a name. It's called "Jigsaw" because it's made of many pieces including bits of Commodores and even Audis.  Most of the others are named according to their colours, such as Custard, Yellow Devil and Banana.  There's also Dave, named after the person who began restoring it before selling it to Monement. His favourite is the 1950 FX, although his '49 won grand champion at the national FX and FJ titles in 2008 out of more than 200 cars.  The '49 FX is all original with a 6 volt electrical system, rag tyres, fabric wiring, tin spark plug ends and no blinkers. "It's better than they came off the Holden assembly line," he says.  In front of his wife, Cavil, he says he has lost track of how much he paid to buy the cars or how much it cost to have them restored, although he says it costs about $3000 just to re-chrome an FX or FJ grille. His annual bill for discounted concessional registration, alone, is more than $3700.  "The hard-to-get bits are quite expensive. An original radio for a HQ is worth $1000 if you can even find one." He also won't comment on what his collection is worth, but he has been told his 1970 HG Monaro 350 is worth the most at around $100,000.  "But I don't sell them," he says.  "I haven't made a habit of doing them up just to sell them.  I see it as my super fund." Monement says his shed is now full and he will stop collecting and restoring when he has finished making a dual-cab ute out of an FJ.  "It's never been done before," he says. "I hope to show it at the Gold Coast hot rod show in November.  "I'm not a trophy hunter. I'd sooner take them down the park and let the kids look at them."

Only one was ever made and it's sitting in a shed at Mt Tamborine on the Gold Coast hinterland. Owner Brian Telfer, a car lover who has owned a variety of exotic machinery, came across the JSR in a terrible state with a blown engine. "I bought it under the condition that the owner find another motor," the 64-year-old semi-retired businessman says. But when he received the replacement engine, it was also in need of major mechanical repairs. Telfer bought the car for $6000, but estimates he has spent more than $45,000 restoring it to its full former glory. He has learnt the history of the car from Peter Seeliger, the son of the builder. The chassis was built in 1951 in Melbourne's Commonwealth Aircraft Factory by the manager, Ern Seeliger, who had built several other special race cars for personal racing use. "It would seem that a fair bit of free labour went into it," Telfer says. Seeliger's biggest claim to fame was in the 1958 Australian Grand Prix when he scored a second place in one of his specials behind a Ferrari driven by Lex Davison. The initials JSR stand for Seeliger's friends, John and Sylvia Rees, and while it was a prototype for a production racer, it was deemed too expensive, so it was the only one made. The body is steel, the brakes are finned drums, the tyres are special Michelin Englebert racing rubber, the instruments are Jaeger, the three-speed gearbox is Ford, the transverse leaf spring front suspension comes from the American Ford Mercury, it has revolutionary torsion bar rear suspension and the four-litre, side-valve V8 engine is from a Mercury, with Offenhauser heads, inlet twin manifold and twin Stromberg carbies. It was repainted the original French racing blue whcih was used to resemble the French Grand Prix Talbot Lago cars of the late 1940s. "I thought I'd go into historic motorsport but I don't have the patience to wait around all day for a run," Telfer says. "I also don't want to be competitive and end up bashing the car around. My cars don't get used much but they get loved." Telfer also owns a 1951 AC made in Surrey, England, which features the famous all-alloy, two-litre, six-cylinder engine designed in 1918 with crossflow heads, triple carbies and overhead cams. The aluminium body and wood frame AC later became famous when Carroll Shelby shoehorned V8 engines into them. Telfer bought his AC in 2001 for $6000 from a vintage car broker and spent six years rebuilding it at a cost of about $40,000. "I did the fiddly bits like brackets, but the serious work gets done by someone else," he says. Telfer says the car is light and has plenty of go and plenty of whoa, featuring the unusual combination of hydraulic front brakes and mechanical rear brakes. Telfer also owns a 19790 V8 Aston Martin soft top and has owned an Aston DB6, three Jaguar XJs and a 1973 Maserati Ghibli. "It has one of the prettiest bodies on any car, but I only had it for a year. It is big car and not very practical on these roads."