A private collection of Ford, Chevrolet and Plymouth muscle cars seized by the US Government as the proceeds of crime has sold at auction for NZ$3.2 million. Topping the sale was a 1970 Plymouth Hemi Superbird coupe (above) knocked down for $US575,000 ($NZ727,000). It had a 7.0-litre 317kW (425bhp) Hemi V8 under the bonnet, 102,000km on the clock, was one of only 58 built … [Read more...] about Muscle car auction ‘most ever horsepower in one room’
Premium segment shows up shift to petrol power over diesel
BMW is about to roll out its most fuel-efficient diesel engine, a 2.0-litre four-cylinder unit it claims is good for town-and-around use of 3.8-litres/100km (75mpg) when mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission in the 2-Series coupe. It is likely to be available in New Zealand from next year, firstly in the 2-Series Active Tourer. But it comes at a time when sales of … [Read more...] about Premium segment shows up shift to petrol power over diesel
New Toyota Hilux is bigger inside and out – and beefier
This is the new Toyota Hilux dual cab, pictured in the south of Spain by photographers from spy agency Automedia. The light truck has also been testing in Australia, where pictures of two- and four-wheel drive variants, camouflaged and dusty from Victorian bush tracks, have been published online. In Spain, the Hilux was accompanied by a convoy of Toyotas, including a … [Read more...] about New Toyota Hilux is bigger inside and out – and beefier
Lotus ‘restructuring’ another round of blood-letting
News that Lotus is going though yet another rebuild, this time with the potential loss of more than 300 jobs, brings to mind the blood-letting after the British brand hired former Ferrari executive Dany Bahar in 2009. The restructuring before the latest round of restructuring came at the Paris motor show in 2010. I was at the Lotus stand, waiting for the press conference to … [Read more...] about Lotus ‘restructuring’ another round of blood-letting
Mazda CX-5 gets facelift to welcome in the new and smaller CX-3
Mazda is giving its popular CX-5 SUV a mild facelift to pretty much coincide with the upcoming official appearance of the smaller CX-3. The changes only target a few elements, like the headlights, tail-lights and grille as seen in these spy photos from European agency Automedia. All seem to fall in line with the latest evolution of the Kodo design language seen on the new … [Read more...] about Mazda CX-5 gets facelift to welcome in the new and smaller CX-3