Articles by Rod Halligan

Lewis's new ride has just been launched and it's quite the stunner. The number 1 on its nose doesn’t hurt the look. Mercedes have perfected that fake metal finish on carbon-fibre which recalls images of the original Silver Arrows of the '30s and the 300SLRs of the '50s. And it shows off the primary sponsor’s colors to full effect. You know the one … it's the one they stole from Ferrari and for whom Ferrari changed their shade of red.Expectation was that this year the cars would be quite ugly -- an opinion formed predominately because of the change to regulations that called for a narrow rear wing. But it hasn't turned out that way. The cars that have been launched so far; the Toyota, the Ferrari and now the McLaren are all quite appealing. The tall small rear wing is strangely balanced with the big wide front one, but overall the effect is not too bad. This year the major unseen bits are the 18000rpm limit, KERS and the ECU that McLaren are supplying to the entire grid.McLaren have just been voted the world’s most popular F1 team – my vote mustn’t have counted for much as while I was a huge fan of New Zealander Bruce McLaren, and McLaren cars especially during the Can-Am period and am also a devoted Mercedes enthusiast, the pairing for me results in the sum being worth less than the parts. They are a team without soul.This year Ron Dennis has decided to hand over the reigns of the F1 team to Martin Whitmarsh to concentrate on the McLaren road car division and build supercars to steal market share away from Ferrari. Is there a pattern happening, there was also that other theft, but we won't mention it here. Rod Halligan

...a strategy in keeping with the current trend within the motor industry of not being seen to expend funds in unnecessarily lavish ways. Visually the car is quite appealing save for the mandatory narrow rear wing that the regulations call for this rear. Toyota’s interpretation of the best method of maximising down force within the boundaries of the new rules calls for; this includes a narrow, short raised nose, shapely front wing endplates and undercut side pods. We will see its first public outing next week during testing at Portimao and it is there we will get an impression of whether they can improve on the 5th place in the constructors championship from last year. A jump from 5th to being one of the top 3 runners is a big step and we can’t help but feel unless that happens in 2009 the funding situation may change for 2010 unless global sales improve.        

Like a stunned rabbit transfixed by oncoming headlights, you could see what was going to happen. So it was with the crash of 2008.But it’s time to look at the future and considering the cars at the Detroit Motor Show the future doesn’t seem too bad. Chrysler just roll over…. let us move on.It is simple maths really. There are hundreds of manufacturers; many with multiple brands and each of those brands make many models. The trouble is many look exactly the same. They have been designed by committee and have had focus groups (6 people with lives so boring they are happy to sit in a room with marketeers and useability experts discussing the name Aurion or the placement of the intermittent widescreen wiper speed controller).  The cars that result are packed with soul destroying usability and are so mind numbingly boring…. Do the opinions of these six really constitute a good cross section of what the broader buying public really care about in a car…. I like design by individual, Sergio knew so much more about what I would like than I ever did before he showed me.Except for the boutique and designer Marques, manufactures are all trying to build as many cars as possible and grab as much market share as possible. With the cycle that this puts in place there will be points in time where naturally occurring adjustments happen to re-balance the cycle and let it continue  So it was last year.Cars are not as disposable as other product lines such as TVs, MP3 players and computers. A car has a much longer life and people in most cases are happy not to replace it as regularly as they do their mobile phones. The other simple fact is that cars have a second paying market after their life with the original purchaser. Unlike the vast majority of mobiles, MP3 players, computers and TVs they get sold-on rather than handed down or put in a cupboard to be forgotten about until the next clean-up.So back to the simplicity of this problem. The big manufacturers have been building too many boring cars too well for too long. Simple.The second-hand market has started catching up with them. For many people a three-year -ld car is a great alternative to a new car. I for one would much rather buy a five-year-old Merc than a new Legend. (the likelihood of me buying a Legend is less than me winning Lotto. And if I were to win Lotto my Legend would be a true one in the form of a 250GTO).Again the maths is simple and obvious. How many used car lots are there in the world, how many do you yourself drive by daily. How many cars are in those lots. Now how many people do you know that are in a position to buy a car that haven’t already got a reasonably good car with a continuing life. That is without even the new cars being pumped in to the market place. I also catch a train past a new car dealership storage lot, literally football fields full of new white Camrys and Aurions.This whole problem was always eventually going to happen even without the financial sector issues. It boils down the type of CEOs being employed by the big manufacturers. A number have been run by Gordon Ghekos and what they have needed is a Steve Jobs or a Luca Di Montezemolo. Managers that know their market, know their brand and know the limits associated with both. Mulally though through this whole mess is gaining my respect with his management without hand outs and therefore keeping independence from the Car Tzar.Except for the personal cost to thousands of people whose income has been affected by the mess created by incompetent CEOs such as Wagoner, I am not overly unhappy about the situation. Holden looks OK, which is important to me. Ford globally looks pretty good and they have always consistently built the most interesting cars, they have kept the Mustang going continually. Chrysler is as good as dead, - oh well, As long as the Viper brand finds a good home I will be happy. Jeep can shrivel up and die as there are just too many SUVs.And I really don't care what happens with Toyota and Honda. Sorry however to all you Toyota factory workers that live in the Toyota-owned housing. Life on the street in Japan is going to be harsh for some time.Rod Halligan

Even with my car – not the transport one, the real one – off the road, my Christmas break was still predominantly about cars, and family, the two most important things in life.Not to say I don't like other things as well. They just need to have an engine... or in this rapidly changing era – a motor. The distinction between the two is driven home on all occasions by my father in-law, an electrical engineer.So what does a car nut do in a motor-deprived break? Sorts his magazine and book collection of course... re-organises the book shelves to better accommodate the year’s new additions while trying to allow room for the next. Not an easy job when you have been collecting for over thirty years. The outcome is inevitably hard decisions on what else to archive to the roof cavity. I worry about the weight up there sometimes.Reading the landmark 1000th issue of Motor Sport while enjoying a number of beers, Paul Newman’s obituary stands out, which reminds me that Phil Hill and Paul Frere also passed in 2008 - that’s three of my all time favourite car guys. Hill and Frere, besides being brilliant drivers were great writers.Flicking though a years worth of Motor Sport, F1 and Autosport re-enforced yet again what a soap opera Formula One is. There were literally hundreds of pages written on the wrap up of Stepneygate and the Mosley affair. It will be a good year when Mosley and Ecclestone finally move on. Unfortunately it doesn't look like it is going to happen in '09.Still on motor sport and here in Australia we saw the terrible situation of Mark Skaife and the inappropriate end to his illustrious career.And the motor industry imploded... In the US, GM sales for December where down 23% from the previous year. Honda down 34% and Toyota 15%.Here in Australia Holden was down 11%, Honda 13% and Toyota up 1%. .. I have asked this before... why do we, here in Australia continue to buy Aurions and Camrys instead of Commodores. Toyota - the builder of the world's most boring cars… why why why do you keep buying them. At least TRD disappeared this year and Toyota can now stop pretending they aren't boring. Honda though seem to be the biggest losers, cancelling their F1 program, the NSX, the S2000 replacement, their V8 development and their rear drive platform. Which makes an already boring car company even more boring.On a brighter note there were some highlights; Ford and Lowndes won Bathurst, the F1 season was actually pretty good and the classic car market faired very well with new record sales. Certainly a lot better than the share market anyway.Will 09 be a good one? No - it will just be a year of sorting things out. A quantum shift in the business model and strategy for car manufacturers, significant changes to F1 and who knows what for other races series - manufacturers are dropping support like hot potatoes.Here's to 2010 everyone should work towards making it a good one.

2008 marked the 50th anniversary Nissan’s win in the 1958 Mobilgas Around Australia Trial and this fact was celebrated at this year’s Nismo Festival in held at Fuji, Japan.Along with the original cars and memorabilia from the trial  we have a huge gallery of Nissan GT, Touring and Rally cars courtesy of Mark at Model Cars Too. Gallery link is on the right.

As usual it is interesting times in F1. Interesting in the way a soap opera is …. you know everything about it could be a lot better, but a lot of us still watch it anyway. 2008 was actually a good year except for the final result. No sport should ever put itself in a position where the person who wins the most comes second.  Massa won 6, Hamilton 5. Professional sport is all about winning - seconds should not be rewarded - it's a race. This year it went down to the wire but I am still skeptical about Glock’s sudden slow down. I'm with Jean Todt..... McLaren cannot be trusted. Max Mosley may feel the same.Good riddance Honda, I hope Toyota is next. The matching pair of the world’s most boring auto manufacturers.... I never got it anyway, marketing dull cars to cardigan-wearing, centre-lane hugging drivers via F1. I'd prefer Nissan and Mazda to be part of F1, at least they are building interesting sports cars.Reportedly the Honda team is up for sale for a little as 1 Euro. Lotus - please buy it - we need your creative innovation back in the sport. If not Lotus, Fiat - you buy it for either Alfa or Maserati and pay Ferrari to manage it as their B-team. If not Fiat then VW - for Audi or Bugatti. Bugatti need to be more than a one hit wonder.As we race towards The Singularity we may be entering our period of radical change, and in that vein I offer up two alternate plans for F1;Don't reduce the budget. Let the teams drop to 5 but let them have four cars. Get more money out of Bernie, the manufacturers should get the bulk - not him. Split all the money just five ways. Four Ferraris, four McLarens etc. Here in Australia we can make a better race out of it with just Commodores and Falcons.Don't reduce the budget  .... sort of. Keep the reductions for petrol engines but throw in a wild card rule. If you want to use electric motors you don't need to abide by any of the rules other than safety and size. There's a way to get our real slot cars quicker .. and sooner. Pit stops would become battery pack swaps.... and they can have as many as they need until the technology reaches the point where they don't need any. Oh ..... and get more money out of Bernie, the manufactures should get the bulk - not him.While I don't know what is going to happen, I do know a lot will change over the next five years. A Perfect Storm is forming, Max will be gone soon. Bernie can not last for ever. We are in a period of financial crisis where even Ferrari legend and Honda team leader Ross Brawn can be made redundant. We previously just had a silly season for drivers, we may be about to see a silly season for teams.So back to the question..... who will be next?Rod Halligan

No.. but we are closer than we have ever been.Even more than architecture, fashion and aircraft, cars are the most visually represented statement of our possible future. From Rust Heinz’ 1938 Phantom Corsair to Syd Mead's Spinner in Blade Runner, the car has been central to our dreams and the imaginations for our potential.The 1950's saw the emergence of a style of design exemplified by Nuccio Bertone, Virgil Exner and Harley Earl, that while it may be considered visually naive now still has profound influence on our perception of future possibilities. GMs Motorama of 1956 was the major showcase for this style of design that lasted into the early seventies, the over-riding feature being the human interpretation of function as driven by form.. The last truly great examples of this period; the Coke bottle Corvette of 67-73, the Ferrari Dino, Lamborghini Muira and E-Type Jag are now revered as works of art by car cognoscenti and their prices reflect their stature in the motoring world.. All of these cars display a human’s perception of the flow of air over metal; the mind as a virtual wind tunnel. Post these cars we saw a period of design that was quite - well...., square.The second coming of car design emerged around ten years ago and has been going from strength to strength. While the Futuristic period of the 50's set the visual benchmarks and boundaries for current designers, the designers of the period did not have the shackles of the oil, financial or environmental crisis to deal with. They also did not have the technology available that allowed them to add the function to the form efficiently. At the very heart of the current design period is the evolution of human possibilities that advancing technology and social dreams and responsibilities allow and dictate.. What we are seeing is art meeting and merging with technology to create form with function. If the 50’s were the golden era of car design we have now reached platinum. The Veyron, the 599, the DBS, 997, Murcielago and yes, still the Corvette – all are incredibly beautiful and also capable of 200 mph in relative safety.As exciting as car design presently is the Futurama period is hard to let go of, hence the number of Retro-future cars we continue to see. From the Mini to the Mustang good design should be celebrated, honored and mimicked. The re-interpretation of a classic design when made relevant to the current situation is not something to scorn as it just adds another variety, another choice - and there is nothing wrong with that.For a lot of current designers the benchmark for futuristic design was set in the 70's by Syd Mead  ...Visually we are there. Technologically we are close.We are at the dawn of the alternate propulsion era. We have broken through the political and financial barriers of the oil era. In many ways we can thank the current financial crisis for that. Electric is on the way, which will be an enthusiasts dream with its full size slot car performance and environmental friendliness.Let’s just not get to the point we ban petrol cars from our roads, let them naturally evolve out.With the future - we are almost there, but our past is continuing to remain with us longer. - Thankfully.The last turn of a V12 on a public road should be put off for as long as possible.Rod Halligan

One of the many things wrong with the motor industry here in Australia is the abundance of boring imported cars…... It is however all your fault, you continue to buy them. For a country that produces two of the best affordable family sedans in the world you seem to be obsessed with buying boring white front wheel drive Honda's and Toyota's, those of you that don't buy SUV's that is..... I just don't get it. I guess we can divide car buyers into two categories; enthusiasts and those that buy a car for transport. If you are of the second variety, what possible reason could you have for buying a Camry, Aurion, Accord or Legend over a Commodore or Falcon? Justify yourself, it's in our national interest. I am not saying all of you should,... it's just that more of you should. Then there are the SUV buyers..... just try to justify yourselves. If you like your cars and are in the market for a smaller family 4dr  it is even more unlikely you will buy Australian. The choice is between the Lancer or Impreza. The Australian brand alternatives just don't cut it. They haven't cut it since the Torana, Escort, Cortina and Capri. The Mondeo and Astra may be OK for Europe, but obviously we don't like them here. We'd rather buy a Camry..... and a white one at that. We are a nation with a reputation for building affordable performance family sedans.  and utes. It is our niche. So Ford and Holden the solution is obvious, ...new mid-size RWD platforms for the both of you. Your Product Managers and Marketeers may be crap but your Product Engineers are superb. The current Commodore and Falcon are great cars. Transfer that expertise to a new Torana and Cortina. I just bet it would sell globally. Engineered for the hybrid era of course. Back to those of you that are just after transport and won't buy a Commodore or Falcon. At least start looking at the second hand market. You can get a few years old, feature set comparative Merc or Audi for the same price as a new Aurion or Legend. Cars, like us are living longer, healthier lives and the second time round is always better and less costly. Do a comparison of service costs of a Merc through a specialist against a Honda dealership service for your logbook, I think you will be surprised. Whatever..... don't buy another Aurion or Legend, it's un-Australian in oh so many ways.

If it wasn't for the fact that our environment and financial institutions are falling apart, and the current big 3 CEO’s can’t manage their way out of a paper bag, we car enthusiasts would currently be in 7th heaven.Every car manufacturer and model type that matters is currently available, or about to be. For the first time since the 70's the Chev Camaro, Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger are in the showrooms at the same time. For those of us that grew up watching Moffat and Geoghan race against Bob Jane, the potential of another race series such as the re-introduction of Trans Am is just too good to be true.Staying with the American theme, we also have the Viper, Corvette and Ford GT. Actually the GT has just ceased production and who knows what's in store for the Viper, but they were recently all available. What a missed opportunity for the big two and a half to do a three way GT race series. Forget the GT3 and GT2 series, what we needed was an original 1950's style "Drive the car to the track series". It only requires three rules, the race driver has to drive the car to the track from the registered base, the engine should be sealed from the time it leaves the workshop until the end of the race and the car must be able to be registered in California. Imagine the dealer show rooms with the Shelby, Saleen, Yenko and Callaway derivatives for sale the day after the race. But as usual the big two and half’s CEO’s did not have the foresight to push for anything as exciting as this. Forget that NASCAR rubbish the manufacturers support, it’s just so not relevant.Moving to Europe we have Ferrari, Bugatti, Maserati and Lamborghini all building their best cars ever. Spyker is staying afloat, Bizzarini is on the way back and Alfa has just built the 8c, a worthy successor to the original, which itself was one of the most beautiful cars ever produced. McLaren has a new car coming. Morgan is strangely getting better and better and Rolls and Bentley are more appealing than ever. Aston is back starring alongside Bond, and Jaguar stands a chance of succeeding. Lotus has just delivered their cleverest car yet, which is saying something….Just don't mention MG.There have never been so many specialty manufacturers, and the cars they built have never been so good. We have Zonda, Koenigsegg, Ascari and a dozen others and most are viable competitors to the establishment.The Tuner sector remains strong with many companies such as 9ff becoming manufacturers in their own right. High-end Tuners such as Brabus and AMG are diversifying into hybrids and electrics.Japan has built a car to compete with Porsche. Here in Australia we have the best affordable performance sedans in the world, and Elfin and Bolwell are back....To cap all this off Mercedes is about to launch a new Gullwing.It just doesn’t get much better.It's such a shame we all know we are watching the start of the end. We are going to see regular knee jerk management decisions and we will all end up driving electric Smarts. Or Dumbs as my kids like to call them.What we need is responsible management of the evolutionary period we are in. Us car enthusiast care about the environment and realise things have to change, however I don't believe we trust any of the current senior management teams to be capable of managing the transition.Lets sack the current CEO's and CFO’s (who flew into Washington yesterday in their private jets begging for hand-outs from the US government to fix the mess they created) and put some realistic staged global emission targets in place. Hand management on to the current crop of Project Engineers, who are obviously delivering.Let's enjoy things while we can. Buy, buy, buy – now – you have plenty to choose from. If you don’t there might not be anything worth buying in 5 years.

While the big two are in serious peril and likely to go through mind warping change, Australia’s legendary marques appear to be entering a renaissance. Elfin's future looks bright under the directorship of Tom Walkinshaw, Bolwell started taking orders again last week and recently Brabham announced it is going to launch a new range of highly tuned and modified BMW's.Three models are in development, the BT92, based on an M3 and the BT60 and BT70 using the M5 and X6 as their base. Initially the re-emergence of Brabham as a tuner company might seem a bit odd but the tie in with BMW makes sense. BMW was one of the major engine partners in Brabham's illustrious history. The other significant suppliers being Coventry Climax,  Alfa and Repco.The cars are not your run of the mill bolt-on tuner packaging, they comprise extensive body and mechanical changes including new panels manufactured to race car specs in an autoclave. There has been no word of future plans past the initial three models. Nor has there been an announcement from BMW, which already has a plethora of tuning companies enhancing or degrading its cars. However while there are a few high profile names such as Schnitzer and the internal M-sport division doing their bit to Bimmer's, they have started loosing ground recently to the surging Mercedes tuner market. Mercedes, with its AMG division and partnerships with Brabus and McLaren is grabbing all the limelight.It is unfortunate that the road car side of the McLaren Mercedes partnership is waning as a new MacMerc supercar up against a Brabham-BMW supercar would be just so much fun. Given that Gordon Murray was the principal designer for Brabham in the 70's and 80’s and used the BMW engine for the F1 supercar while at McLaren, the tie ins are just so tantalising. Imagine if a BMW Brabham partnership could entice Murray to come on board and develop a true successor to the F1.Whether Brabham ties itself with BMW completely, or operates as an independent tuning/manufacturing company, the possibilities are exciting. No matter what the future plans are for Brabham, having such a fantastic Australian name back in the mix of performance cars is fantastic.Rod Halligan