Articles by Mark Hinchliffe

The four-time Bathurst winner was hitting speeds up to 190km/h in his first hit-out in the vehicle before it all came unstuck.  "We went into a rut and hit a bank and gently rolled over on my side doing about 40km/h," Lowndes said as he surveyed the damaged vehicle at LandCruiser Mountain Park, Jimna, north-west of Brisbane. He and his navigator, 13-time Safari veteran Kees Weel, were not injured in the incident, but the vehicle was retired for the day.  Weel said Lowndes was quickly up to speed and was still one of the top chances to win the rally, even though it is his first off-road race. "It's good to get a roll out of the way before the event," he said.  "It's better than when we rolled out of the rally two years ago when we were leading it on the first day." Lowndes said he wanted to go one better than his mentor, Peter Brock, who scored three second places in the Safari.  With Weel's PWR Racing team now facing extensive repair work, Lowndes will now only get one more trial run in the car at Mildura, a couple of weeks before the rally starts in Perth on September 17. "Up until the roll, it was going strong and I was getting used to the big torque of the engine and using a taller gear to pull out of the corners," Lowndes said.  "So we got something accomplished today, but it's a shame it finished so early." Weel said Lowndes had the ability to read the terrain and was "up to speed straight away".  "In this event you don't win by seconds but by minutes and it comes down to preparation and who has the least amount of trouble out there," he said.

The Gold Coast racer announced today (WED JULY 28) that he is splitting from his JTG Daugherty Racing NASCAR team at the end of this year.  "I would like to continue in NASCAR and finish off what I started, but I have not discounted returning to Australia," Ambrose said in a press statement. His Australian media manager, Mark Walker, said there was a chance of Ambrose returning to V8 Supercars as well as options to stay on in the US.  "The hot tip is that he could sign with Richard Petty Motorsports replacing Kasey Kahne or Elliott Saddler," he said. "There are options over there and options over here, but nothing planned at the moment.  "We'll be talking about it in the next couple of weeks." Walker said that if the former Ford driver did return, he had several options with Ford and Holden teams that had not yet signed drivers for 2011.  "He's been driving a Toyota for the last couple of years so there's no magic allegiance there anymore," he said. Ambrose has been with JTG Daugherty Racing for five years, competing in the Truck Series, Busch Series, Nationwide Series and the premier division Sprint Cup the past two seasons.  His best result was an eighth in the Busch Series in 2007. He is currently 27th out of 72 competitors. Ambrose was the 2003/04 V8 Supercars champion driving a Ford for Stone Brothers Racing on the Gold Coast.  SBR manager Ross Stone said it was "highly unlikely" that Ambrose would return. "I believe he's close to signing with another team over there," he said.  "I think that's a real long shot (that he will return). "I'm going over in two weeks' time and I'm pretty sure that the next deal is done over there." Ambrose said he would complete this NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.  "I will do everything I can to help JTG Daugherty transition into next year with their new driver," he said.  "After five years, I personally felt it was time for a change.  "I have no firm plans of what will come next for me and my career."  Team owner Tad Geschickter said he was disappointed to see Ambrose leave.  "Marcos is a friend and he is a great talent, he will be an asset to his next team," he said.  "While we hate to see him move on at the end of the season, we will remain focused on winning races with Marcos." Launceston-born Ambrose has recorded four top-five and nine top-10 finishes with JTG Daugherty Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and won two Nationwide Series races.  His career-best Cup finish is a second-place finish at Watkins Glen International last season. Become a fan of Carsguide on Facebook

Following the release this month of the sub-compact ASX, Mitsubishi will have three model updates and a new Lancer variant before the end of the year.  Mitsubishi Motors Australia president and CEO Masahiko Takahashi says the model offensive comes after the brand recorded its best first half year on record for Lancer, Outlander Challenger and total imports, and the best first half since 2002 for their medium SUVs. The first model update to arrive will be the face-lifted Outlander 4x2 in August with a starting price of $30,000.  It will be followed in September by a Colt with a Japanese-sourced engine of the same capacity, rather than one from Europe. Takahashi says the new engine will have a floor shift auto and manual transmission rather than the current column shift.  Mitsubishi is reintroducing their Club Cab to the Triton range in November after a five-year hiatus. The Club Cab has an occasional-use second row of seats.  Takahashi says the Club Cab was deleted when it fell from popularity, but it was now popular again. "The market share (of this vehicle configuration) had fallen from 15 per cent to 5 per cent and now it's about 30 per cent," he says.  MMA sales vice-president Anthony Casey says they have to be cautious about introducing new variants to the crowded pick-up category. "It becomes a dog's breakfast for us and the dealers for ordering and how many you hold," he says. "It's a stock nightmare."  Mitsubishi will round out the year with a new Lancer variant in October.  Currently, Lancer comes in ES, VR and VRX specifications. The ES will become the fleet limited-spec model and the SX will be introduced as a private entry model with alloys, spoilers and a "few niceties inside ... the sort of stuff we've been running in marketing specials up to now".

YOUNG urban couples and matured-aged empty nesters have a new model to choose from in the booming sub-compact SUV segment.  Mitsubishi has entered the market with the ASX, a funky crossover between a small hatch and a compact SUV.Mitsubishi Motor Australia Chris Maxted says it is the sub-compact SUV segment (Nissan Dualis, VW Tiguan and Hyundai ix35) that is the driving force behind a 33 per cent hike in compact SUV sales so far this year. "This sub-compact SUV blurs the lines between light passenger cars and SUVs," he says.  "This is an emerging market that's not yet established and mature."He says ASX stands for Active Smart Crossover, not Australian Stock Exchange, and that the choice of name came down to RVR, which is used in Japan, or ASX which is used in the rest of the world."We liked both names but went for ASX," he says.  Call it what you like, it is a sexy little urbanite that doesn't mind getting its fingernails dirty occasionally and has attractive features with competitive price tags.Engines and gearboxesIt arrives with a choice of MMA's first passenger car diesel engine, a 1.8-litre turbodiesel with fuel economy less than six litres per 100km, or the proven two-litre petrol from the Lancer.The petrol engine consumers 7.7 litres of fuel per 100km in manual and 7.9L/100km in CVT, while the manual diesel gets 5.8L/10km, which compares with the Colt's 5.6.  Maxted says the diesel engine is Euro 5 compliant with emissions of 145g/km."We won't be at that level in Australia until maybe 2013 yet this already meets those standards," he says.  The all-alloy diesel engine has the same 110kW of peak power as the petrol engine, but has more than 100Nm of extra torque.Maxted says a diesel auto - not CVT - is being engineered and will arrive in about 18 months. Styling and fit-outStyling is very similar to the Concept cX which debuted at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show. The ASX has the Mitsubishi face with that big "wow" mouth and Volvo-like arrow-shaped bonnet and a much more shapely rear end than on the Outlander.Maxted says they used a lot of noise suppression material in the construction to make the cabin quieter.  Inside, the vehicle is more car-like than SUV with plenty of soft touch plastics on the dashboard, armrests and doorsills."It gives a passenger-car feel," says Maxted.  "This market is coming out of passenger cars and used to that sort of feel."Thankfully, all models have telescopic steering, making it the only car in the Mitsubishi range with that facility.  The rear seats have a 60/40 split and fold down flat, while the cargo area has tie-down hooks and a space saver spare under the flat carpeted floor.Maxted says a full-size spare is available at about $200 but it lifts the cargo floor level.  "Our research shows these customers want space, but the option is there for a full-size spare; same as what we do with Lancer," he says.PricingWhile the ASX is not as cheap as the Nissan Dualis entry model ($24,990) it is cheaper than Hyundai ix35 ($26,990), but comes in three models, while the Nissan, Hyundai and VW have two models each.There are seven colours options, mainly from the Lancer palette, but with Titanium and the hero colour Kingfisher Blue.  MMA is limited in supply to about 350 a month because of demand from Europe.However, Maxted says they expect to sell about 500 a month next year when they get better supply.DrivingIt certainly looks young and funky. Inside, it's almost sexy with that dimpled rubbery soft-touch trim. The name almost spells SEX.Driving dynamics don't quite live up to that sexy image, but they aren't far off.  It is a lively handler that doesn't have the usual pitch and roll associated with top-heavy SUVs.There is only light understeer in two-wheel drive and even less in four-wheel-drive mode.  Spring rates are progressive with a plush initial stroke that absorbs sharp country road jolts.It doesn't bounce around and carry on after a big hit, but can be unsettled over a serious of complex road irregularities.  In AWD mode, it punts along quite nicely down a shady dirt lane, but the stability and traction controls are too heavy handed. You will have to switch them off, especially for hill ascents or you will be scrambling for momentum.The petrol engine is a proven unit from the Lancer, but it needs to be stirred with a manual gearbox. The CVT is too slow to kick down a step when needed.  First and second gears are a bit short in the diesel and the box is a bit graunchy.The diesel engine is a lusty beast with strong torque from 2500rpm, but it's raucous and clattery at idle and under acceleration. Not as bad as some Mitsubishi diesels and it does smooth out and quieten down on the highway.Steering is a little numb in the centre, but gains feel as you wind in turn. There is light torque steer in the 2WD, and even lighter in the 4WD or Aspire. For an urban vehicle, the turning circle is too wide.The car has a solid feel with no squeaks, rattles or bangs, even on crusty forest trails. However, cabin noise is louder than expected with plenty of buffeting on the windscreen, tyre howl and that clattery diesel engine.One final niggle is the reverse gear which is a bit of a reach for people with short arms and awkward to engage as you have to pull up a shaft sleeve.  It's ok for double-jointed gorillas, but difficult for young women who will form a large percentage of target buyers.

"I just never sold anything," the 77-year-old Ipswich real estate proprietor says.  "You buy them to keep them. I have no interest in selling any of them."When I retire - if I ever do - I'd like to get them all restored.  My wife Margaret says I'd have to live to 120 to restore everything I have."His collection runs from a 1900s Orient, one of only four still working in the world, to a Brock VB Commodore and late-model Subaru Liberty GT he uses as a daily driver.Llewellyn also owns a 1968 340 Jaguar, a 1970s Vanguard Spacemaster, 1952 FX and 1953 FJ Holdens which need to be restored, 1970s Suzuki two-stroke 4WD, 1946 Royal Enfield motorcycle, 1976 V8 Triumph Stag, 1950s Vespa three-wheeler scooter and a 1950s Renown.But don't bother asking what they cost, what exact year model they are or when he bought them. "I should know the years and prices of my cars but I just acquire so many of them and you don't remember those things," he says.Llewellyn's wheel obsession started in the post-war years with cycling, winning an eight-mile Queensland premiership in 1949.  "I went from cycling to a BSA single-cylinder motorcycle when I just got my licence, then I got a Velocette in the early 1950s and several other bikes, but I kept them all upright."His first car was "a little Triumph" he got from a local backyard. He and his brother, Ross, restored it.  He "graduated" to a Morris Z utility with a little side-valve engine that the brothers also restored."In the meantime I got introduced to stock car racing at the Brisbane Exhibition grounds," he says.  "I won a few things in my '34 Ford coupe. It had a '42 side-valve engine prepared for a boat. It had six carbies and it really used to go."I remember I was leading the world championship (they had a world championship every few weeks) and I was in lap 19 of a 20-lap race when it got an air lock in it, overheated and cooked the engine.  I knew it was getting hot and I thought it would make it to the last lap, but it didn't."He also had a Triumph TR2 for circuit racing and hillclimbs.  "The worst thing I ever did was sell my TR2," he says.  "It had a Harry Firth cam in it. I co-drove with Harry in an economy run and I still ring him every few months."Llewellyn then moved into rallying and competed in the 1956 and '57 Mobil Round Australia rallies.  In 1956 he entered with a Holden FX 215 Series that got from Sydney to Winton before it hit a hump in the road and bent the front suspension and steering.At one stage in the rally he recalls being in a queue of competitors waiting to cross a creek when he saw a VW Beetle skip across the creek like a bouncing stone.  The next year he returned with a 1957 VW Beetle and completed the race in 40th out of 120 entries.Llewellyn also competed in 10 Mobil Economy Runs up to 1966 and four Variety Club bashes.  He worked as a real estate agent from 1959 to 1964 when he started his own agency, Action Realty, and work started taking over from motor racing.However, his passion for cars never abated and he has collected several over the years, either as outright purchases such as the Brock Commodore he bought from new in 1980 or as part of property deals such as the Orient.The Brock Commodore 308 V8 is number 387 of 500.  "It was stolen some years ago while I was at a Charlie Pride concert at Festival Hall," he says.  "It was used in a robbery of a chemist shop and I believe it outran the police."A man who was out walking his dog found it in bushland and got my $500 reward.  "It wasn't damaged but they took the toolbox and spare wheel and left the car.  It would have be worth about $50,000-$70,000 now but I have no interest in selling it. I just count my blessings I got it back."The Orient is one of only four still working in the world.  Made in the UK it has leaf springs, four bicycle tyres, tiller steering, direct cog drive, single-cylinder engine with a leather strap pull starter and weighs only 200kg."I've no idea what it's worth," says Llewellyn.  "It would have been worth a bit a few years ago, but I'm not interested in selling it.  I've had it on display at motorsport events and want to one day get it running again."He also hopes to one day get his 1946 Royal Enfield motorcycle running.  One of his registered and frequently used vehicles is his 1976 Triumph Stag with a 2997cc V8."Some people say they always see it with the bonnet up, but it's a beaut little engine that revs out so well," he says.  "It drives better with the hard top off. It takes two people to lift it off, it's that heavy, so it runs better without that extra weight."Plus you can hear the engine and I'm a great believer in listening to your engine because it changes.  If you listen to your engine you can hear it sweeten and when it goes off and needs some attention." Llewellyn says the impeccable little car has "never been bent" and never been restored, just well looked after.The first owner wanted a blue one with airconditioning and the only one available was in Melbourne, so they went down and got it and drove it back.  What better way to run a car in than a trip like that?"They have a history of overheating so when I bought it in 1980 that was the first thing I had fixed.  One day I hope to have them all working so I can take them out every couple of weeks."

When Brenton Hill took his 1964 XM Falcon coupe to a car show in 2004, little did he know he would meet his future wife, Katrina, owner of a 1965 XP Falcon coupe."They were very similar vehicles, just different colours," the 31-year-old electrician says. "I just got to talking to her and asked her about her car. It was lower than mine and I wanted to know how she managed to do that. A week later we were seeing each other and we were married in 2006."They now have a happy family of seven cars including 2006 Ford F250 and 1984 Ford F100 pick-ups which are their daily drivers and three-year-old daughter Prudence's vintage toy car. There are also a couple of future projects in the garage."We've got a 1950 Pontiac Silver Streak sedan which is a long way off getting on the road and a 1970 Mk I Escort drag car which my father-in-law last raced at Surfers Paradise in 1976," he says. "I bought it off my brother-in-law as he couldn't afford to keep it and I couldn't stand to see it leave the family."He plans to restore it to its original racing livery and enter it in nostalgia drag competitions "if Katrina will allow me". "It's a pretty dangerous motorsport," he says. "But first I'd have to spend quite a bit of money upgrading it to modern competition safety standards."Katrina is not surprised Brenton wants to go drag racing. "That's the household I was brought up in, so I spent my whole life in that so it doesn't surprise me at all," she says. "He's a sparkie so everything he does is dangerous, anyway."They also have a restored 1957 Cadillac of which they are very proud."My wife's had her XP for 21 years. It was her first car, but she was getting bored with it and I wouldn't let her sell it. It's a cool car," Brenton says."She always liked Caddys and big American cars so we hunted one down for $20,000 from Victoria a couple of years ago. We called it a 30-footer as it looks good from 30 feet away, but when you get close it has some imperfections. However, we haven't spent a lot on it. We drive it. It's not really a show car. We just lowered it, cleaned it up a little bit, a bit of TLC for the engine and that's pretty much it. If it ever wins an award I'll be shocked."Brenton bought his XM about eight years ago for $6000 and spent another $6000 rebuilding the engine, replacing the differential, fixing the front end and steering, lowering the suspension, fitting a new exhaust, adding some custom features and replacing the trim."The trim is not cheap nor easy to find," he says. "Ford only ever produced about 3500 and they only made about 5500 XPs, so finding parts is difficult."Katrina's car required a more comprehensive rebuild."That thing's been pulled apart and restored from scratch," she says. "It had a four-speed gearbox and 1985 XF Falcon 4.1 crossflow motor in it, so we pulled that out and put in the original 170 cubic inch six cylinder and three on the tree. It was also repainted, lowered and had pretty much everything done."Katrina bought it for $3000 from a Redcliffe surfer who carried his surfboards on the car. "It was a terrible pile of rubbish.There was plenty of rust through it," she says. "It's disappointing what some people do to cars. They don't respect what they've got."The couple will show their Caddy and XM at the annual GreazeFest Kustom Kulture Festival at the Rocklea Showground on August 1. Visit: www.greazefest.com.

The latest survey shows that as much as 60 per cent of drivers in some states are hitting the road each day with fewer than seven hours' sleep and about 40 per cent admit to being tired at the wheel most mornings.The NRMA Insurance research of 2500 Australian households this month has found more than two thirds were staying up later than 10pm most nights.More than 55 per cent said they were glued to TV shows or DVDs late at night while a quarter said they were surfing the net, one in 10 was on social networking sites, such as Facebook or Twitter, about the same number were catching up on housework or chores and 1 per cent were talking on the phone or texting.National road toll statistics show that fatigue is one of the top four killers, along with speed, drink-driving and not wearing a seat belt.NRMA Insurance spokesperson Sue Hawkins said driving while sleep deprived increased stress levels and the risk of losing focus at the wheel or having a microsleep, where the driver actually nodded off."Too many of us are driving while tired each day which means were increasing our chances of having a collision," she said."A lot of us lead busy lives so it makes sense were trying to make the most of our waking hours, but we need to make sure we get enough sleep each night so were alert on the road the next morning. We also need to be aware that lack of sleep can build up over a number of days, making it harder to concentrate on the road. We should all be making sure were well rested before we get behind the wheel." 

The current champion will have more surgery on his left arm so he can continue his world title defence at the Scandinavian Grand Prix on August 18, but will miss the July 24-31 World Cup tournament in which Australia finished second last year behind Poland. Crump, who has been a member of the Australian team since the World Cup began in 2001, said he was "bitterly disappointed" to miss the tournament. He injured his bicep in a race last September, but still claimed his third world title a month later. "The reality is that my arm should have been a little further along in its recovery process by now," he said. "My preference was to wait until the end of the season but my doctors would prefer to check and see if there is an issue sooner rather than later." Crump is currently third in the world title chase.

The Murano dCI has a 2.5-litre turbo-diesel, four-cylinder engine also featured here in Navara D40 ST-X Dual Cab and Pathfinder. However, Nissan Australia corporate affairs manager Jeff Fisher says there are no plans as yet for Murano diesel. "We see Murano being more appealing to the current prestige boutique crossover market such as Lexus RX and offer diesels in our traditional 4WDs (Patrol, Pathfinder, X-Trail)," he says. "New Murano went on sale here just 18 months ago and we also tweaked spec a couple of months ago." Murano last month dropped 6.7 per cent in sales in Australia while the segment increased 17.6 per cent and so far this year its sales are up 8.7 per cent to 1368 while the segment has boomed 33.2 per cent. Most of the mid-sized SUVs that have kept pace with or exceeded segment sales have diesel options, including Hyundai Santa Fe up 131.8 per cent so far this year, Jeep Wrangler (85.6 per cent), Holden Captiva (67 per cent), Mitsubishi Pajero (57.4 per cent) and Kia Sorento (42.8 per cent). The Murano dCI has a six-speed auto and Nissan claims the diesel achieves fuel economy of eight litres per 100km while developing 11 per cent more power and torque with 141kW and 450Nm at just 2000rpm. It also meets tough Euro5 emissions standards with CO2 emissions of 210g/km. These figures are achieved by improved aerodynamics and Murano's first electric power regeneration system. While the cabin is unchanged, the Murano dCI is made quieter with extra sound absorbing material in the engine bay, belt drive for the power steering pump instead of chain and a fifth engine mounting point. The need for cool air to the diesel engine and radiators means a new-look grille and bumper.

The 918 Spyder concept car was debuted at the Geneva Motor Show in March. Porsche Cars Australia boss Michael Winkler says a decision on production of the 918 will be made in the next two weeks. "If it does go into production it would be a very limited run; say 800 to 1000," he says. Industry experts tip it would be the most expensive Porsche produced with cost estimates of more than $700,000. Winkler says the hybrid system from the 918 concept car and the new Cayenne S Hybrid, which was developed jointly with VW, would be extended to the Panamera next year. He said a decision on a smaller Cayenne would depend on discussions with VW. However, he quashed media speculation of a two-door Panamera that some are calling a return to the 928. "It's the same as speculation of an all-wheel-drive Panamera. It doesn't fit with this car," he says. "There is no market for it. How many 6 Series are being sold? Why would we go into that area? When the 928 was built it was an engineering exercise. They made the car and then tried to sell it. Now we look at what the market wants first before building a car." He would also not confirm timing for the Cayman and Boxster, although updates must be imminent given the full range of 911 variants have now been released. Become a fan of Carsguide on Facebook