Mercedes was prepared to take two unique vehicles to the 2010 Australian International Motor Show and they have delivered the first one in the form of a special SLS AMG. Among the added features of the vehicle, the most notable is the designo magno Night Black exterior paint job that makes this SLS AMG the first and only (so far) to carry it. Add the red highlights and this car is sure to attract some serious attention.
There aren’t tons of modifications made to the car, but what they have done is enough to show the Australian public what a fantastic car this is. Alongside the unique exterior paint, Mercedes has added its Performance Package Plus which will now be available to every mate down under for the first time since its debut. The package consists of the red AMG branded brake calipers adding to the color scheme of the vehicle and a subtle carbon fiber spoiler, as well as a little engine modification. Merc doesn’t say to what the power found in the car is boosted to, but we can imagine it to be about 30hp more than the standard 571hp.
"Australia is one of our favorite markets," said Mario Spitzner, Director Branding, Marketing & Sales Mercedes-AMG. "We were asked to create two unique AMG vehicles for the Australian International Motor Show. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did building them," said Spitzner.
Not everyone is turning to electric vehicles, and we are pretty psyched about it. Ford Performance Vehicles Australia is stepping it up a bit by putting together their very first supercharged V8-engined GT in their history. This sports car is being rocked by a new 5.0 liter V8 engine and a custom Eaton supercharger that will be offered in all GT, GT-P, and GT E models.
Fitted with an all-aluminum design with double overhead cams and 32 valves configuration, the new V8 engine can deliver 450 HP and 570Nm of torque. This translates into a pretty good slap in the face for the recently unveiled HSV E-Series 3 whose engine line tops out at 442hp. Looks like they are getting some competition now. And as an added bonus, FPV’s new V8 engine will be individually hand-built for each car and will be more powerful, more fuel efficient, and cleaner than the previous 5.4-liter engine.
Next to the new engine, the GT gets 19in five-spoke alloys with a machined face and Dark Argent accents. The GT-P gets 19in five-spoke alloys with a machined face and Sparkle Silver accents and the GT E gets 19in 10-spoke alloys finished in Alpine Silver. The GT and GT-P will be available in 11 colors matched with a three stripe combination and the GT E has eight exterior colors with two interior trim combinations.
For being the very first GT supplied by Australia’s Ford, the new GT is not half bad. We are curious to see what the next generation will bring.
What is it with auto mechanics that makes them think that they can toy around with other people’s cars, especially one as high-end and expensive as an Aston Martin Vanquish?
For the life of us, we can’t tell you, other than maybe they’ve lost their minds and can’t seem to scratch that itch for the thrill so they take the next sports car they see and go balls out on it. Unfortunately, their driving skills aren’t as good as their mechanical skills, otherwise they wouldn’t have crashed this beautiful Aston Martin Vanquish in Rose Hill, Australia.
Now, we don’t mind mechanics test driving our cars after they’ve worked on it. It’s the only way they can test the car to make sure that everything’s where it’s supposed to be and that it’s running in good condition, but when these mechanics go overboard with their test driving, then that’s where it becomes a problem.
We don’t know what the owner did when he found out that his precious Vanquish had been crashed, but we’re venturing a guess that he wasn’t all too pleased about it.
While drivers in the United States still love their larger vehicles, the rest of the world is driving around in hatchbacks and wagons. Chevrolet might be attempting to capitalize on this with the Cruze five-door in the land of vegemite and kangaroos, Australia.
The base Cruze will likely feature a few four-cylinder petrols and diesels, but there is a chance that Holden’s in-house tuning company, HSV, will kick it up a notch with a high-performance four-pot, although this has not been confirmed. This will mean that the Volkswagen GTI and the Ford Focus ST will have some competition from GM.
We don’t expect to see or hear anything from HSV for quite some time, as the company is busy making sure its V8-powered vehicles will be able to survive in the future. We hope to hear something soon on the Cruze HSV, although Americans won’t ever be able to drive it.
Mitsubishi in Australia has announced some updates for the 2011 Lancer, including the addition of a new SX model. This model will slide between the ES and the VR. There have been other changes to the overall lineup as well.
The car will get improved sound insulation, a USB port, color LCD display and welcome lights have been fitted on every model. If you opt for the VR, VRX, or Ralliart it will now come with Bluetooth.
The new SX model will come with a standard leather steering wheel with audio controls, a rear spoiler, and 16-inch wheels. The SX, ES, and VR will get the 2.0-liter MIVEC engine that will put out 152 horsepower and 198 Nm of torque.
The VRX and the Aspire sedan will get a 2.4-liter motor with 168 horsepower and the Ralliart will feature the Evolution’s inter-cooled and turbocharged 2.0-liter MIVEC motor with 237 horsepower.
Available color choices across the range include Champagne, Cool Silver, Mystic Blue, Lightning Blue, Effect Grey, Red, Black, and White in the ES, VR, and VRX models, with the Aspire available in Champagne, White, Red, Cool silver, Effect Grey, and Black. The Lancer Ralliart models are available in Red, Black, Cool Silver, White, and Lightning Blue.
The SX, ES, VR, VRX, and Ralliart models can come in either sedan or Sportback variants, with the Aspire only being offered in a sedan.
How can a car that’s stripped down to everything except a tube-frame carbon fiber body and a 170 horsepower Ducati 1198’s engine be something worth the $85,000 price tag attached to it?
Well, normally cars like that aren’t worth even half of what this car is worth, but there’s something uniquely intoxicating about the Spartan V. Sure, it’s got no wipers, no doors, no turn signals, and even no headlights. But what it does have is a lightweight carbon fiber body that weighs around 660 pounds. It’s got a top speed of 280 kmh and it can blast off the starting block and reach 100 kmh in just three seconds. On top of that, the Spartan V, aptly named, if you asked us, has one mean looking, albeit headlight-less, mug.
Sure, you won’t be able to show this car off to your friends because the lack of just about every road-required feature makes this car illegal to the drive on the road. But take them to a nearby track and you can show them how this Spartan takes a back seat to absolutely no one.
Australia’s favorite sports car is getting some updates for 2011, but not much has changed aesthetically, or mechanically for that matter. What HSV has done is added a slew of technological updates to the E-series to come up with the new E-Series 3. The sports car will go on sale at the end of this month.
The most impressive technological advancement for the E-Series 3 is the new Enhanced Driver Interface. This interface allows vehicle performance data to get pushed to the car’s touch screen display, something we are sure everyone would find amazing and helpful. Adding to the technology is also HSV’s new Side Blind Alert which is optional on all models in the 3 range and the Liquid Propane Injection which comes on all of the models except the Clubsport R8 Tourer. The interior will receive a new ‘Oracle’ dash, a new model specific stainless steel ID plate on the center console, new twin-stitch seat trims on GTS and Senator Signature, as well as a new leather color in Turismo Rosso and a Piano black trim on the center console and steering wheel.
The list of standard equipment includes the Enhanced Driver Interface, reverse camera with rear park assist, satellite navigation, and touchscreen radio with iPod connectivity.
Since nothing was mentioned of the engine options, we are going to assume that the E-Series 3 will be powered by the same heart stopping V8 engine that was found on the previous model. This engine allows the Australian sports car to produce 431hp with the top of the line GTS models getting 442hp.
The Holden E-Series 3 is definitely not a bad gig for the Land Down Under. We only wish we could get our hands on one of these in the States. It looks like something that would be right up our alley.
It seems that BMW is really into developing special editions lately. After the M3 GTS for Europe, the M3 Frozen Gray for the US market and the M3 Tiger for China, Australia is also receiving a limited edition M3. It is called M3 Pure and will be limited to only 50 units. Deliveries will begin in early 2011 with prices starting at $135,000 for the sedan and $148,300 for the coupe.
The M3 Pure will be distinguished by 19" M Double-spoke light alloy wheels finished exclusively in Black High-Gloss, bonnet air intake in Black High-Gloss, BMW Individual kidney grille in Dark Chrome, BMW Individual side gills in Dark Chrome, and BMW Individual exhaust tips in Dark Chrome. It will be offered in either Alpine White or Black.
The interior will get distinctive Anthracite cloth with Black leather combination and headrests crafted with black Novillo leather and embossed with the BMW M symbol.
Here in the US, we know this car as the Honda Fit, but in other parts of the world, it goes by another moniker; ‘the Honda Jazz’.
In Australia, the Jazz is currently in the middle of a hilarious promotional campaign called ‘Jazz Packing’. It’ hilarious because we watched the set of videos the campaign has released and we couldn’t stop our eyes from getting teary-eyed from all the hysterical laughing.
Basically, the ads were made to show exactly how versatile the Jazz really is. It’s got loads of room on the interior, it’s got 10 cup holders – that’s right, 10! – and it’s a practical ride for just about anybody, even if you’re a bodybuilder, a rapper, a hipster, and, of course, a ninja.
Check out these four hilarious ads and be sure to adhere our warnings that there will be massive loads of skimpy Speedos, “mystical” windows, tied-up pirates, and a reference to Haruki Murakami. We’re not making this stuff up.
After 14 years of history, Holden Commodore is entering the 2011 model year with new smart multimedia technology, improved fuel economy, and the capacity to run on environmentally friendly bio-ethanol.
The new Commodore Series II is powered by a choice of three engines: a 3.0-liter SIDI V6 engine, 3.6 liter SIDI V6, and Holden’s Gen IV V8 for the luxury and performance models. All engines offer the flex-fuel technology which is what allows them to be powered by bio-ethanol.
The biggest technology upgrade for the Commodore Series 2 is the Holden iQ. This system is comprised of music, telephone, and satellite navigation in the form of a fully integrated, 6.5-inch full color multifunction LCD touch screen, a touch screen keyboard and supports CDDA, CD-R, CD-RW, MP3, and WMA playback. Take music right from your iPod, memory stick, CD, or your phone ti listen to all of your favorite jams in your car. Not the music type? The new system also provides the driver with live traffic alerts, speed advisory, and point of interest functions.
