Articles by Mike Ryan

Spectacular, original and famous, the "Pink Panther" car is going under the hammer in an internet auction.

From 2012, the popular Classic Rally Car category may have its own national championship, as the Australian Rally Championship takes control of the category's promotion and marketing.

Sunday, September 25 will see some of the finest machinery to emerge from the land of the rising sun go on show - and go into action - at Lakeside Park in south eastern Queensland for the second annual Japanese Nationals.

As featured, albeit briefly, in the iconic 1971 racing film, 'Le Mans', the Porsche 911S owned and driven by Steve McQueen recently sold at the RM Auctions Monterey sale for an incredible US$1,375,000.

Australia's legendary Outback mailman Tom Kruse has passed away aged 96.

Not to be outdone, specialist South African car tuner LupiniPower has launched a Chevrolet superUte following a year of testing and development.

The new Australian importer of iconic UK sports car brand, Lotus, has finalised the details of its latest range down under. The Lotus brand will be repositioned for Australia, with new models, lower prices and boosted equipment offerings.

A supercharged Mercedes-Benz 540K 'Spezial' roadster was the top seller at RM Auctions' recent Monterey sale, attracting US$9,680,000, a new world record for a Mercedes sold at auction. One of Mercedes finest cars, this particular vehicle also has an Aussie connection.

Mark Webber has extended his contract with Red Bull Racing for another year, meaning the Australian will continue to drive for the team in 2012. \n

Faster than a speeding M3 sedan, BMW have built what they say is the world's first high-performance pickup. I think FPV and HSV might disagree, but that's another story.

Fans of classic tintop racers will be in their element at the 2012 Formula 1_ Australian Grand Prix, as classic Touring Car races have been confirmed for the support program. The announcement follows the appointment of the Victorian Historic Racing Register (VHRR) to run a Group C & Group A Touring Car support event in 2012 and builds on the successful collaboration between both organisations in staging Formula 5000 races at the Grand Prix in 2009, 2010 and 2011.

The covers are off the most powerful Mercedes-Benz SLK 55 AMG ever.