News

The 'Spartan' is an all-new, limited-production, Australian-made sportscar, powered by a Ducati V-twin engine, that is set to make its public debut at the Sydney Motorcycle & Scooter Show from November 25-27.

The Tasmanian was heading in to the final stage trailing Tony Quinn in his Nissan GT-R by 4 seconds. White knew he needed to pull out all the tricks with his Lamborghini on the final run up Mt Buller. The spectators and fellow competitors were expecting him to light up the mountain on the final run of the day, but never expected to see the flames from the rear of the Gallardo!

Love it or hate it, the 1959 Cadillac is one of those cars everyone is familiar with. Seen through modern eyes, it's a prime example of styling excess. To an extent, the same sentiment was expressed when the Cadillac was new.

Looks, luxury and off-the-dial performance are the promise of Mercedes-Benz's new super-sports SLS AMG Roadster.

With the third Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo season finished, Lamborghini have announced next year's Asia and Europe event calendars.

The Subaru BRZ Concept-STI will be unveiled to the public later this month at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

The BMW Museum has opened a year-long temporary exhibition in Munich which documents the eighty-plus years of BMW 6 Series development.

Bob Malusa spends his day surrounded by big machines - trucks, that is, at Kenworth trucks at CMV Truck Sales in Cavan, SA. Away from the truck yard, he prefers a different form of horsepower in the form of a classic 1966 Mustang coupe. What started as a schoolboy's dream to own a Mustang finally became a reality for Bob in his fifties.

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.\n

In 2007, JUST Cars featured the last car circuit-raced by the late Peter Brock, in the form of the 'Goodwood FX'. Since then, that vehicle sold at auction for over $300K. Now, a 'lost' Brock racecar, believed to be the last created for the champion, has surfaced. Just as remarkable as the recent emergence of the car is what it was created for. Almost ten years ago, a throwaway comment in an interview set the wheels in motion for what would have been a Brock-lead Aussie assault on the world's toughest endurance racing event, the Dakar Rally.

Take your pleasure: the new C 63 AMG Coupe is ready for purchase, with the high-performance dream car rounding out Mercedes-Benz's C-Class AMG model range.

While there were many highlights to be seen and heard at RACV Motorclassica 2011, one of the most intriguing wasn't to be found within the halls of the Royal Exhibition Building.

The Ferrari 458 Italia has taken the title of "Performance Car of the Year" - for the second year running - as awarded by UK motoring magazine, Auto Express.

Calling for entrants: Citroen is seeking inspirational designers from across the world to take part in a creative design competition.

Lexus is set to reveal the all-new GS 350 F Sport next week at SEMA 2011 in Las Vegas. Pitched to pique the interest of driving enthusiasts, the latest Lexus blockbuster features driver-focused improvements to the chassis, suspension, brakes and steering.

Rolls-Royce entered the 1970s on very shaky ground. Development of a new jet engine by the company's Aero Division had gone over time and way over budget. Changes to the managerial and engineering staff to address the blowout came too late, and in February, 1971, the proud British company went bankrupt and was nationalised. The irony was that Rolls-Royce's perennially loss-making Motor Car Division had finally turned a profit in 1971, thanks to the popular Silver Shadow model.

Last year's inaugural Motorclassica attracted Australia-wide praise and international recognition. For 2011, a new selection of cars and big crowds ensured that the second RACV Motorclassica has been a success to match the first.

Australia's newest crop of rally champions will be on TV next Saturday when the Rallyschool.com.au Australian Junior Challenge final will be screened in a one-hour television special on Network Ten.

More than 10,000 attendees filled the floor of the Dallas Convention Centre in Dallas, Texas, for Mecum Auctions' first event in the Lone Star State, held on October 6-8. The big crowds were matched by big sales, with the top ten sellers all fetching six figure sums. A 1969 L88 Chevy Corvette was the top seller, fetching US$562,500.

At various times over the past century entrepreneurs have endeavoured to produce an Australian car that would appeal to the hearts of Australians. The number of attempts and failures runs into the hundreds. One of those was the Lightburn Zeta.

Never heard of a 'Matra' or a 'Djet'? You're not alone, as these rare machines are rarely seen outside their native France. The Djet was originally produced by Rene Bonnet, with manufacture continuing when the French aerospace company Matra (Mechanique Aviation TRAction) took over Rene Bonnet in 1965.

Valiant's Charger is an automotive icon of the 1970s, and for fans of the Chrysler muscle car, an E38 'big tank' version is the holy grail. A fully restored example of just such a car will be auctioned this weekend by Bonhams, in conjunction with the 2011 RACV Motorclassica event, held at Melbourne's Royal Exhibition Building.

Amongst the muscle, race, classic and modern vehicles consigned for this weekend's Motorclassica auction held by Bonhams, some outstanding vintage vehicles are also being offered, including a quartet of classic Vauxhalls.

When new, the 1957 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham was the last word in luxury American motoring. More than twice the price of a regular production Caddy, the Brougham was a limited edition created for the elite. This original, three-owner car will join a diverse range of new and old classics at Bonhams' October 23 auction, held in conjunction with Motorclassica.