Articles by Rod Halligan

Celebrating its twentieth birthday this year the MX-5 is universally lauded for its design, performance and sales success.

While the first factory Alfa Spider joined the model line-up in 1966, the Spider body type goes back to the mid-1920s.Originally a designation of a light two seat sports car, the first Alfa Spiders were based on 6C and 8C models with body work by Carrozzeria Touring.Many Alfas by them of this style followed and they are highly desirable classics on the collectors market. Those with a joint race history with the Scuderia Ferrari, (the Factory Race Team through to the late thirties) are also extremely valuable.The first factory Alfa Spider was launched at the 1966 Geneva Show. It was based on the Guilia 105 chassis.The body was both styled and built by Pininfarina and was the last project Battista Pinin-Farina had personal involvement with. The body design and construction was quite advanced with crumple zones incorporated front and rear. The name Duetto was eventually given to the car after a public naming competition was held. This was not the only significant marketing coup for the Spider however it was also an early product placement in a big box office movie when Dustin Hoffman drove it in The Graduate.Production of this basic body style continued through until 1993, evolving through four significant updates from the Duetto round tail through to the big plastic bumpered final version for the US market.The second generation body design of the GTV period 1995-2006 saw the introduction of what can only be described as a controversial styling -- some would say the ugliest car ever produced from a Pininfarina design. The front-wheel drive layout did not lend itself to the sporting nature of the previous generation.The current production Spider launched at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show -- where is it was well received and praised as the Cabrio of the Year -- marked a return to classic style.While the V6 has been criticised as not being a true Alfa, as it utilises a Holden-sourced engine, the performance is definitely in a league of the best of the Spiders.The engine features a thorough make-over by  Alfa, including completely new heads.The Spider name has also be used on the current Alfa limited production supercar, the 8C.For images of examples from the original 1920’s cars by Touring  through to the new 8C, explore our gallery at right.Related links:Search for your own Alfa Romeo Spider

Long before Michael Schumacher, Ross Brawn, Jean Todt and Ferrari there was a period in motor sport history where total domination was even more impressive. Instead of Schumacher and company we had Alfred Neubauer, Rudolf Uhlenhaut, Ferdinand Porsche, Tazio Nuvolari and Stirling Moss.The 75th Anniversary of the Silver Arrows was celebrated this past weekend at the Amelia Island Concouse d'Elegance and auction. We will be bringing you the  results shortly and you can visit our previous story on Amelia Island by following the link at the end of this article. For a comprehensive gallery of the best of the Silver Arrows period, click the link at right.A brief history of the Silver ArrowsAfter the Wall Street Crash of 1929 a young, talented and ambitious engineer named Ferdinand Porsche found himself unemployed. Unable to find an employer to meet his requirements (from all reports he had quite an ego) he decided to set up his own company.Around the same time Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer were all struggling with the economic situation and Auto Union was formed as a merging of those manufacturers.Baron Klaus von Oertzen Chairman of the newly formed company decided they needed a high profile project to help launch the new brand.Porsche had done some work for Wanderer and was commissioned to design a new racing car. Von Oertzen brought on Hans Stuck as the first Auto Union driver. Stuck, was one of Germany's most famous and successful drivers and had met Adolf Hitler before he became Chancellor.Stuck, Baron Oertzen and Porsche met with Hitler after the Berlin Motor Show where Hitler had announced he would be financially supporting the German car industry. Hitler promised a new "Peoples Car" (a project Porsche would also become heavily involved in) and to support a high profile racing program via Mercedes. The three managed to convince Hitler to split the Mercedes racing program funding with them..In 1934 a new race formula was launched - the 750kg class. The weight referred to the maximum allowable, and was of the few restrictions in design. Nice and simple.Both Mercedes an Audi developed cars for what was essentially the World Championship class. Audi was first to get a car race ready and competed at the Avus track at Berlin in May of 1934 with a rear engined V16 - extremely adavnced engineering well ahead its time.Mercedes were not ready. At scrutineering for the next race the brilliantly painted white cars where overweight, but only just. Missing a second race was not an option as there was a certain political leader that did not handle failure.As there was no way of removing or further lightening any mechanical component, Alfred  Neubauer, the legendary Mercedes team manager through the Silver Arrows era had the mechancis completely strip the paint from the cars and buff  the bare metal. They passed the scales,  Manfred von Brauchitsch won the race and the Silver Arrows where born...... Well that is the story of legend anyway. There has been no shortage of debate and even an official Mercedes symposium to confirm the truth on the paint story.Before the introduction of sponsorship, each nation had its own race color. Germany started out as white. Italy was and still is red, British - British Racing Green, French blue and Begium - yellow. Other German companies, like Porsche and BMW, still favour mainly the traditional white, while Audi also uses silver to carry on the tradition of Auto Union.Two PeriodsThe Silver Arrows era was divided into two periods due to World War 2 and the rebuilding of Germany that followed. The first period lasted from 1934 to 1939 and the second 1954 to 1955. The second period was regrettably cut short due to the tragic accident of the 1955 Le Mans race and the subsequent withdrawal of Mercedes from racingThe engineering and design advances during the 1930's were incredible  The 1937 supercharged Mercedes-Benz W125 developed 475 kW a figure not matched in Formula One until until the 1980s with the introduction of turbo-charged engines. In 1937 the cars exceeded speeds of 300 km/h, and well over 400 km/h during land speed record runs.The Mercedes-Benz W 154 dominated the 1938 and 1939 Grand Prix seasons with consecutive European Championships won by Rudolf Caracciola (1938) and Hermann Lang (1939).The W 196 gained 8 pole positions in 12 Grand Prix races and in 1954 and 1955 helped Juan Manuel Fangio win back to back world championships.Bernd Rosemeyer, Rudolf Caracciola, Hermann Lang, Tazio Nuvolari, Stirling Moss and Juan Manuel Fangio are just a few of the legendary drivers of the Silver Arrows.1954-1955 dominanceMercedes-Benz rejoined International motor racing in 1954 into the relatively new Formula One class with W196. The car was campaigned in both open-wheel and streamliner form.. Juan Manuel Fangio was poached from Maserati mid-season and joined Mercedes-Benz for the French Grand Prix on 4th of  July. They scored a 1-2 victory with Fangio and Karl Kling, as well as having Hans Hermann obtain the fastest lap. Fangio won three more races and and the world championship..Fangio continued the success into 1955 with the same car and Stirling Moss joined the team. They won 6 of the 9 rounds between them and won the championship in with Fangio 1st place and Moss in 2nd.Moss and co-driver Dennis Jenkins famously won the 1955 Mille Miglia at an average speed of  157.65 km/h over 1,600 km, in a Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR wearing the number 722. That car is now considered the most valuable in existence.The 300 SLR went onto  further victories throughout Europe and  won the Targa Florio and the 1955 World Sportscar Championship season.However while leading the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mansthey withdrew after the horrific accident Pierre Levegh. accident that killed 82 spectators. An unfortunate end to one of the most incredible eras of motor sport. Rod Halligan  

Australian model car collectors are a lucky bunch. We have two incredibly good manufacturers physically documenting our automotive history --  in 1:18th scale it is Biante, in 1:43 (and now 1:24) it is Trax.Robert Hill has been responsible over the past 23 years for building accurate models of Australian transport history, from the 1948 FX Holden to the 1990s Falcons as well as a comprehensive history of our bus transport through that period.His latest book on his models -- the fourth on the subject -- covers every model and all colour variations in its comprehensive 280 pages, including 30 pages of images. The book is well produced for a small run low cost publication and works not only for Trax collectors but also for enthusiasts of Australian motoring history.The models are so broad in their diversity that the material covers ground you would probably not see in any other book … from old green rattler Leyland and Ansett Clipper buses to Repco Parts delivery vans, HQ One-Tonners complete with plumbers supplies and Bathurst Racers.While the layout is different to other books covering Matchbox and Hotwheels -- in that images are clustered in the centre -- the depth of information works well and makes up for the slight annoyance of having to keep referring to the centre to find the relevant image.If the stated current values are accurate (and I believe they would be) collecting Trax models over the years has proven to be not only a pleasurable pastime but also a reasonably good investment.Overall this is an excellent book.RRP: $34.95. Available from topgear.com.au

If you are a regular user of one of Australia’s three-lane freeways you will probably be aware of two things; Traffic flow is inconsistent for no good reason. Slow drivers sit in the island lane and refuse to move out of it. Obviously the two issues are connected and I have a theory on why it happens. I leave home before peak usage and join the tradies’ daily migration to the big smoke -- a 70km uninterrupted freeway trip. On at least one morning out of three the flow is barely moving at 90km/h. Sure enough, way up ahead there are three drivers sitting side by side at the same speed. Eventually after a few kilometres, the island lane driver -- who has actually been going at 91km/h -- has gained six car lengths and has enough room to move over and let the 1km snake behind pass. But of course he doesn't. He just continues to sit there. So the 1km snake threads through and overtakes on the inside. This itself can be fraught with danger as by the time we all reach the point where this can happen we have also arrived at the steep incline where the B-Doubles are starting to bank up. And of course inevitably one will pull out to overtake another and then we have two B-Doubles abreast. A third one that is carrying a light load and has no intention of waiting behind the others pulls into the island lane as he has a clear slot because that same original slow island lane driver has left him room to do so. Three B-Doubles abreast = chaos = 1km of cars slamming brakes. There are two long inclines on my route and the above scenario happens way too often. I have to ask; What do the 90kmph drivers think they are doing? Do they realise how selfish, inconsiderate and dangerous their actions are? Should they even be on the road - if they can take such a leisurely trip to work why don't they catch the train? Why are there so many B-Doubles on the road and....  between speeding, cutting in and ignoring most other road rules how do so many keep their licence? And the big one - it's a 70km freeway trip - 100k all up for me. I love to drive and won't stop for anything, but a considerable percentage of the other drivers don't. They should be catching a train. Why don't they? The answer is simple - the train service is a stinking heap of mess. Carriages are putrid with poorly-cleaned vomit - if you happen to sit in a seat that has had a migrating homeless person use it on the last trip there will be the usual stench of stale urine. I am not exaggerating - I use the service two days a week under sufferance. Back to my theory. The guy sitting at 90 is a gentle type and he doesn't like the stench of the trains. He sits in the island lane because he is frightened of getting squashed by two B-Doubles if he sits in the other two. There are so many B-Doubles on the road because in this big wide land of ours we have let truck transport become more cost effective and efficient than rail. So it's all the rail systems fault. Another pet hate of mine:  drivers who wait five seconds before moving on a green right arrow and leave six car length before following the one before. From a stream of 10, two get to turn right. And there are a few other per hates I could rant about. But what are yours? . Rod Halligan

Quite a long while ago I had a friend known as Spook. She drove an orange Fiat X1/9 - she drove it hard ... and well. I hate being driven, I always want to be in control and I simply love to drive, but I didn't mind being driven by Spook. One particular trip through a National Park became an opinion-forming moment for me. There should be more women in motorsport and they should be performing at the highest levels. Twenty years later .... it's still not happening. It may however be about to change with Danica Patrick.USF1, a team being formed in North Carolina with the goal of entering Formula One with American drivers have said they would be interested in providing a test spot for Danica.USF1 has some credible names behind it including F1 TV and print journalist and former Williams Team Manager, Peter Windsor. Windsor is highly connected and his involvement with an American Team with American Drivers, especially if one is female, sounds like a PR dream for Formula One and Bernie.To date there have been five female drivers in F1;Maria Teresa de Filippis – Italy – 5 races – 1 10th place – 2 retirements and 2 DNQsLella Lombardi – Italy – 12 races – finished 6th in one race 0.5 pts – 5 retirements and 4 DNQsDivina Galica – England – 3 DNQsDesiré Wilson – South Africa – 1 DNQGiovanna Amati – Italy – 3 DNQWith just Lella Lomabardi scoring half a point in the 1975 season the record is quite appalling.Danica Patrick has four years experience in Indy Car. A win in 2008 and five other places in the top six in the same year shows she is both improving and has what it takes to compete at the highest level of the sportBut the fact is that everything about F1 is hard … just ask the big car manufacturers such as Toyota and Honda. On paper a new team, especially an American one, does not bode well for success. However in an era of a Black American president – is it too big a stretch to think we may see a competitive female F1 driver?Rod Halligan

Sometimes obsession leads to something of wonder, other times it just leaves you wondering. This is an example of the wonderful.Pierre Scerri of Avigone, France has built a 1/3 scale replica of a Ferrari 312PB. In what can only be described as an obsession with detail that I don't think anyone has seen before, the skill required to reach this level of perfection is mind-boggling. With 20,000 hours of Pierre's time invested over a fifteen year period, the engine, an exact replica in every detail, is tuned to match the sound of the real car. You can hear the engine in the embedded video. It has run for 50 hours on its own dyno, started first and every time - I doubt a real 312PB engine has run for fifty hours over the past few years. The most amazing thing about this car is that virtually all the work was done by one man - he made the glass for the headlights, the rubber for the tyres and the exact scale battery. One of the very few parts he did not make is the gearbox which required specialised machinery for it's toughened cut gears. The gearbox was made by the builder of the original gearbox, Colleti and it is perfect in detail and function.Ferrari supplied drawings to Pierre which has turned out to be a great investment in PR and I would say Pierre must now be in the enviable position as being regarded as a friend of Ferrari. He has moved on to his next project - a Ferrari 330 P4, a car considered by most aficionados to be one of the most beautiful cars ever made. I personally can't wait to see the hand formed body panels.Some of the other amazing features include;working switches and gauges, including - speedo, tacho, oil pressure and temperature as well as water temperature.Exact replica radiator including core and pressurised cap.Complete electronic system.The spark plugs and fuel injection are functional as well as visually exact.The hydraulic brakes feature quick change pads.It raises a significant question for me; if I was to take the exact 1/3 scale key, shrink myself down to one third scale - how fast could I lap the 'Rng in - that would be one long lap....... Rod Halligan

UPDATED - The Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa (shown here) set a new world record for a car sold at auction on the 17th May 2009. 0714TR reached 12 million dollars US at RM Auctions Leggenda e Passione Ferrari auction in Maranello.  For me it’s the car in the photo gallery on the right. However the judgement of the most authoritative list of automotive experts ever assembled to make such a decision voted the Citroen DS21 to be the car. This panel included Gioretto Giugaro, Marcello Gandini and Gordon Murray, three of the most respected names in the industry and themselves responsible for such legendary cars as the Lamborghini Countach, Lancia Startos and McLaren F1.This past weekend at the Paris Retromobile, a Citroen DS Chapron Convertible sold at by auction by Bonhams  for just under A$650,000. The Chapron Convertible is the rarest and even more beautiful version of the DS21.Personally while I greatly admire the DS, it does not make my top ten list, which comprises;1.    1957 Ferrari 250 TR2.    Ferrari 250GT SWB California Spyder3.    1963 Ferrari 250GTO4.    Ferrari 246GT5.    Lamborghini Muira6.    Ferrari P47.    Ferrari 206SP8.    Mercedes 300SLR Coupe9.    Maserati 5000GT by Touring10.  Jaguar E-Type S111.  Ferrari 365GTB/4 DaytonaGiven my long term fascination with everything Ferrari I am interested to see how the auction of 0714TR will fare at Ferrari Leggenda e Passione in  Maranello, on 17 May 2009. This is the car that can (and should) break the current world sale record of $10.8m (currently A$16.6m) for the 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder (s/n 2377GT) set at last year’s Ferrari Leggenda e Passione on 18 May 2008.The 1957 Pontoon Fender 250TR is one of the true legends of the Ferrari marque and generally considered one of the most desirable models by Ferrari cognoscenti. This particular example is unique and beautifully restored in its original black color scheme. Delivered to Piero Drogo; himself a substantial character within the history of Ferrari and extensively campaigned in races North and South America this car has the potential even in the current economic climate to blow the current record away.We will update you with the result in May. Rod Halligan

There are undeniable facts that certain parts of our society do not want to admit to - one of these facts is that the majority of drivers speed. I know this as I regularly slot into the tradies 5am conga line on one of Australia’s major freeways. If you don't maintain the minimum (roughly 15km/ph above the signed speed limit) you will end up with a Double-B blocking the view of everything else in your mirror.I can propose many reasons for this;We are simply in a hurry - let's face it, for most of us our two major issues relate to time and money.With current car technology, 110kph can feel like you are standing still. In many cars it is so boring and rhythmic it could induce sleep.Most importantly, many people (both male and female) simply like to go fast. Its human nature and the Olympic creed. Higher, Faster, Stronger.....The trouble is for responsible people who want to indulge their passion, their sport; there is little opportunity to do so. As of the end of this year there will be one less place available. Oran Park closes with the final round of the 2009 V8 Supercar Series. One less place to speed responsibly. The state government has purchased it for housing development. Land is so scarce out west they have to pick Oran Park for this. If you have Google Earth indulge me fo a minute and type in Oran Park NSW - it will fly you straight there. Now zoom out - you will see there is no other land available until you reach Broken Hill.If Oran Park was in America it would be re-developed as a residential sports complex where the purchase of a block gives membership to the clubhouse as well as track time. Why is that concept socially unacceptable to us here in Australia. Like Luna Park people will buy into the area and then try to shut it down using the noise lobbyists. Skaters have council run, Rotary and Lions sponsored skate parks, Golfers have a course almost in every suburb, surfers are living in Nirvana - what do we have - not much, and at the end of this year a high percentage less. Cricket and Tennis have professionally run junior development programs with competitions every weekend in every area.. Motorsport has as many if not more enthusiasts, what do we have? - Sweet you know what.So here is what I want; let's save Oran Park - I know you think it's too late - but I say we have an opportunity. There is 42 Billion floating around at the moment...... I was with Malcom Turnbull, block the 300-950 dollars for the 12.7 million eligible to receive it. Take that 42 billion and let’s get wiser and more imaginative. Lets do the American style complex - I bet the project could make money and employ quite a few people. Take a few million out of that 42 Billion.Don't laugh; it's better than the current proposal. $950 if you earn less than 80k. We all know where that is going to end up;50% will find its' way into the urinary, pulmonary and/or respiratory tracts. Which will result in;extra stress on our ambulance, hospital, DOCS and jail systems - and they are just coping soooo well now.Needn't worry about the digestive track - it's fully stuffed without additional inputs, And then again there is probably a percentage of familles that can go from 5 to 6 McDonalds dinners a week with the handout.25% will go to companies with names like Crown, Star, Jupiter’s, Aristocrat or the strange one, Totalizator Agency Board. This will result in;Extra stress on St Vincent DePaul and the Red Cross - so instead of our Government giving them a helping hand, it will end up costing them, and ultimately us..20% to JB, Harvey or Clive for that 50" plasma, trouble is the average price is $1750 which means 20% of the 12.7m eligible for the $300 to $950 will put and additional $800 to $1400 on their credit card to get that plasma they always wanted5% may stimulate the economy, but as the other 95% have probably had a costly and detrimental effect of physical & mental health of society - big deal.So here is my proposal. Give each of the eligible 12.7 million people a lottery ticket. The prize up for grabs is 42,000 chances to be a millionaire. What would you really rather, $950 or a 1 in 3300 chance of a million dollars. Those odds are massively better than Lotto and you are all paying for those tickets.Why do this? Forty two thousand instant millionaires. 42000 home purchases, a percentage of which will go to people who had no hope of ever owning their own home, another percentage will become available as rental properties. Forty two thousand holidays, forty two thousand proper shopping sprees and the big one - forty two Thousand new cars - which is close to enough to fix our car industry - and keep several thousand people in work.And don't forget we still need to save Oran Park this year.Rod Halligan

In what looks like factory released spy shots, we are seeing either the second test mule of the Enzo successor or significant changes to the first mule.It appears we are going to see a return to Ferrari Supercar roots, with visual clues to layout, form factor and drive train harking back to the original limited run supercar; the 288GTO. The appendages on F430 body panels on the mule point to twin turbos, as can be seen with the scoops on tope of the hood. The larger rear wheel arches have also been moved back a touch indicating a wheelbase just slightly longer than a 430. The tacked on small flares at rear and cut-out at the top of the front arches indicate a slightly wider track overall.My money is on a Twin Turbo V8 of just under 4 litre capacity in a car smaller and much lighter than the Enzo. This is in keeping with the Millechili design concept we saw last year but somewhat at odds with the SuperEnzo development program.I will be following the complete development in this blog and there is a refresher to the lineage below.Modern Ferrari Supercars288GTO: - The “Supercar” was added to the Ferrari line up in 1984 with the 288GTO, a 2.85 litre twin turbo V8.  Bucking the trend of the day it forewent driving aids and 4 wheel drive in favour of a purists driving experience. Porsche retorted with the 959, which was the most technically advanced vehicle for quite sometime. While they are both considered classics the GTO has now reached legendary status. 272 where made.F40: - In 1987 Ferrari followed up with the F40, another twin turbo V8, this time at 3litres. It was the first road car to break the 200mph mark. Around 400 where built and they are now coverted as one of the all time greats. It was the last car directly commissioned by Enzo before his death.F50: - The F50 followed in 1995 – a naturally aspirated 4.7 V12 with more controversial body styling.  While a great car reviews were mixed at it’s launch, time though has been kind to the F50 and some collectors are now rating it up there with the F40. 349 where built.ENZO: - The Enzo was introduced in 2003 – a 6 litre naturally aspirated V12 with even more controversial body styling – again a design that is aging well. The Enzo is considered one of the greatest Ferraris of all time. 401 produced with the last being specifically built to be auction to aid the Tsunami victims. Rod Halligan