The final Ford Falcon sedan and Territory SUV has rolled off the production line in Melbourne, on the same day that rival Holden delivered the last of its Australian-built Cruze models. Ford on Friday closed its plant in Melbourne, ending 91 years of manufacturing in Australia. Hours later Holden took the first step towards shutting its Adelaide production factory later … [Read more...] about Made in Australia: Ford closes, Holden begins wind-down
Ford
Car sales strongest since year of Muldoon, Lange, and Queen St riot
New vehicle registrations last month totaled 13,884 units, the best September on record and the second-best month since the 13,983 in July 1984. That was when New Zealanders spent up large before the incoming Labour Government’s finance minister Roger Douglas devalued a considerably overvalued NZ dollar. History buffs will remember it as a constitutional crisis. At the … [Read more...] about Car sales strongest since year of Muldoon, Lange, and Queen St riot
Shelby’s personal Cobra in original condition …
The first Shelby Cobra fetched US$13.75 million (NZ$18.8m) at the annual Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance auction. The car, known as CSX 2000, is the original prototype, built in 1962 when Carroll Shelby shoehorned a 4.3-litre (260 cubic-inch) Ford V8 into the engine bay of a British-made AC Ace. It never left Shelby’s hands – it was his personal Cobra from day one until he … [Read more...] about Shelby’s personal Cobra in original condition …
Shelby’s original 1962 Cobra sells for record price
The first Shelby Cobra (above) has become the most expensive American car sold at auction, fetching US$13.75 million (NZ$18.8m) at the annual Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance. But the undoubted star of the auction scene was the 1956 Le Mans winner, a 1955 Jaguar D-Type which fetched US$21.780,000 (NZ$29.8m). Jaguar magazine said chassis number XKD501 was the first … [Read more...] about Shelby’s original 1962 Cobra sells for record price
Amon drives down memory lane … Shelby’s there, too
• NZ Autocar magazine pays tribute to Chris Amon in its next edition, due August 25. This story will be part of the special feature. Chris Amon laughed at the yarn about Carroll Shelby, the larger-than-life American motorsport legend, who helped Amon and fellow Kiwi Bruce McLaren win the 1966 Le Mans 24-hour race. Shelby was from Texas. He told Texas-big stories and … [Read more...] about Amon drives down memory lane … Shelby’s there, too