Ever wondered why car batteries are becoming more and more expensive? Well the, main reason behind the massive price hikes has been due to the increased price of lead, which is the main battery ingredient. Lead makes up a 60% chuck of what a car battery costs, so with the global price of lead rising over 300% over the last year alone, the consumer has been forced to bear the full effect of the cost. A spokesperson for Century Yuasa batteries has commented about the price increase, trying to justify to motorists that the increases aren’t going straight into their pockets. “The increasing price of lead is a world-wide problem that all manufacturers and resellers face. It doesn’t matter who makes the battery or where it comes from, all parts of the battery supply chain will inevitably need to pass on these price increases to motorists. Unfortunately everyone is in the same boat on this one,” said the spokesperson. Townsville’s Mayor as well as a large delegation will be heading to Canberra in their attempt to seal the deal on a new V8 Supercar round for the town. Mayor Tony Mooney has stated that plans included securing the funding and commitments from both sides of the federal politics in the lead up to the up-coming election. "We've been able to secure a meeting with a senior staff member from the Prime Minister's office in relation to the V8 Supercar event here in Townsville," Cr Mooney said.
Owner of the local Russian car maker GAZ and multi millionaire Oleg Deripaska has reportedly bought a 5% stake in the massive automotive empire, GM. What would a 5% stake in such a massive company cost you? Estimates put the bill would have been somewhere in the $900 million vicinity given that shares at the time were a pricey $32.45 per share, which really doesn’t seem much to a man with an estimated net worth of around $16.8 billion.
If you’re a true blue Aussie, you have to love your ute racing. Light rear ends teamed up with loads of grunt up-front make for some quality viewing in my books which is why I’m making sure the TV is free from 1:30pm tomorrow. Tune into Channel 7 for an hour coverage of the last V8 Ute round that tore up Queensland raceway in a haze of tyre smoke and dust. Beer in hand is optional, but in my case (no pun intended), it’s mandatory after the last two Cruise for Charities seemed robbed every ounce of spare time they could find. Oh, and don’t even get me started on those grid girls…
Once interesting email to circulate the office was once originating from a classic car sales dealership in Laramie, Wyoming in the good ol’ US of A. The email contained an offer to help them search for a suitable Commodore Station Wagon. That’s right, it seems somebody is pretty keen to get their hands on one of our locally build family haulers to sell over in the states.
In-car electronics are developing at a rate a knots which some new inventions proving useful, while others seem down right disturbing. Once such system being developed by Nissan has caught my eye as one being rather disturbing, and open to all sorts of system integrity issues. The concept being Nissans revolutionary based system is stopping drivers who have had too much to drink from getting behind the wheel. Sounds good you might think, but the way in which the system determines actually how blind the driver is makes me question just how smart it really is. Using micro sensors in the gear shift knob, seats and also cameras to monitor driver alertness, the system monitors alcohol released by the body and makes a guess as to whether you have been having a good night. How the car will actually determine how much you have actually had to drink, weather it be one light beer or 30 full strengths, is yet to be announced. So, if you think you are clever enough to fool these barriers, next you have to fool the on-board camera system and prove to it that you are in fact awake enough to drive. “We’ve placed odor detectors and a sweat sensor on the gear shift, but for example if the gear-shift sensor was bypassed by a passenger using it instead of the driver, the facial recognition system would be used,” said Nissan general manager Kazuhiro Doi . Just how accurate would the system remain over time? Is it possible for false readings locking the driver out of his own vehicle? If it was me personally, there is no way I’m trusting a car to tell me whether or not I’m capably of driving, lucky for me I was in fact born with what me humans call a brain.
In what looked like a standard VE Commodore driving around in East Melbourne actually turned out to be something quite different. Spotted by one hell of an eye to detail, the VE Commodore featured a shorter wheel base, reduced roof line and thinner C-pillars. The modifications to the VE could suggest only one thing, the 2008 Chevrolet Camaro is just around the corner! Being based on the Zeta platform, the Camaro will feature a much sportier base than the current VE, reflective with the shorter wheel base, lower roofline and two door body configurations. So while Holden have confirmed the Camaro’s on-shore development plans, what has been un-confirmed is weather a new Monaro could be based on the same shorter, sportier platform.
Speaking from a production line view point, vehicle finishing is a very costly step in the production of a vehicle and it’s one that has quite a detrimental effect on the environment around us. Toxic paints not only cost the environment in energy used in application, but storage and disposal are also two key areas in which are in constant need of address. Ford over in the US has developed a new painting process which is said to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 15 per cent. The new painting process is currently being trailed on selected vehicles in the US for real-world durability testing. The technology combines an advanced chemical formulation of high-solids, solvent-born paint with an innovative three-wet application process that requires a smaller, less expensive and cleaner paint shop than traditional automotive paint facilities allowing substantial savings in all areas. Joe Hinrichs, vice president, North America Manufacturing, Ford Motor Company said “ Painting vehicles has traditionally been one of the auto industry's biggest environmental challenges," said Mary Ellen Rosenberger, paint manager of Ohio Assembly Plant where the new technology was launched. "Ford has found the solution. It's environmentally sound. It's cost-efficient. And it produces beautifully painted vehicles with long-term durability."
Another weekend saw us in a different state for Cruise for Charity, with ‘Perth’ stamped into the other end of our plane tickets. The Perth CFC has been talked up around the office, legendary for it’s awesome cars, fine weather, aesthetically enhanced hire cars, good brew and of course; Perth chicks. The ’07 event didn’t disappoint on any front, and was an awesome follow up to the Sydney cruise of the weekend just past.
I admit it. I’m a massive Gran Turismo addict having owned every incarnation of the series to ever hit the gaming store shelves. I instantly fell in love with the freedom to modify your vehicle, the in game vehicle dynamics and of course, the colossal selection of cars to thrash around the track. With videos like these to start surfacing , you could imagine my wallet would be getting a little scared with the price of the new PS3 console but I think the inevitable may be getting closer by the day. In this short YouTube preview, we can see GT5 will feature the same mountain of available cars while packing some of the world’s best racing circuits. The visuals are nothing short of breath taking, and one can only hope that this clip is a representation of the finished product. By the looks of the starting text, I’d say it’s a safe best to assume that the clip hosted will be the same video used in the GT5 start-up animation.
The idea of a smaller sized H3 Hummer was not welcomed by every four-wheel-drive enthusiast, and after all, the Hummer really did base its name on the perception of “Yep, I could run that over.” Well now the H3 Hummer looks to be pushed higher up on the food chain, making way for a new smaller brother creatively dubbed the H4. The Hummer has bee put through the wash yet again to come out even more compact, really soaking up every last bit left in the Hummer label.
To tell you the truth I’m still not 100% sure in what GM first saw in Daewoo, but GM is obviously standing by their decision to have purchased the troubled automaker and has furthered it’s bout of generosity by handing over an additional $6 billion. A Queensland based research company has been awarded the honour of receiving the prestigious DamilerChrysler Environmental Research Award for its excellence in researching the art of recycling old tyres. Molectra Technologies was awarded the $30,000 cash prize to continually research and refine its previous findings which allow tyres to be recycled costing zero emissions with no waste or residue. One step in the tyre recovery process is to use the hydrocarbon gas and oil extracted from the tyres and converts it to electricity which will be sufficient to power the entire recycling complex. An estimated 18 million wasted tyres are produced in Australia each year with 57% of those finding their way into landfill. A shocking 13% of all of Australia’s wasted tyres are illegally dumped by the side of the road and in waterways creating a major environmental concern.
If you have the keys to a Commodore and were anywhere other than on the Sydney leg of our Cruise for Charity on Saturday you missed one hell of a day. Six months of intense organisation, hundreds of man hours and but a few hours of sleep in the fortnight leading up to the big day culminated in the biggest CFC yet, with some 896 cars making it to the Blacktown drive-in cinema destination and donating over $36,000 for the Starlight foundation. The cruise is without a doubt the biggest event on the Calen-dore (that’s the Commodore calendar for the uninitiated) and is anticipated by Commodore owners for months in advance. Word of mouth seems to be our greatest promotional tool, with some 750 cars registered for the cruise transforming into the mammoth figure above.
The BMW M5 is a very quick car, and I can’t see anybody arguing that fact anytime soon featuring 373kW on tap with plenty of torque to match. But how would it look going up against another type of BMW V10, one producing well over 500kW and capable to rev upwards of 18,000rpm. That’s right, the guys (and girls) over at Fifth Gear have pitted a new BMW M5 against the BMW Williams Team Formula 1 race car. No prizes to guess who reaches the chequered flag first, but I will say that Tiff fellow is one lucky bugger. Click the play button below to cue a whole new breed of envy.
It’s going to be a cold day in hell the day that GM and Ford come to an agreement, and it seems that nothing has changed when both questioned on the validity of harnessing diesel powerplants as the primary future internal combustion engine.
Let’s face it, when buying a second hand car who really thinks about how it would hold up in the event of a serious accident? To be totally honest, not me, and how would you really know how well a VN Commodore would hold up in when things start to go pear shaped? Thanks to the NRMA, there is now a list which contains many popular second hand models of car dating back to the early 80’s which rate these vehicles based on their safety score, which even identifies vehicles which are more likely to injure others in the event of an accident. Pretty handy stuff to know which one day could potentially save your life, don’t say we at Street Commodores don’t care. To check these ratings out, click this link.
Located on the Street Commodores home page is an opinion poll which is updated weekly with questions regarding out beloved Commodore and the Australian car scene. What grade of fuel does you Commodore Sip? Just good old regular for me 36% 84 votes What do you think of the RTAs latest Speeding, nobody thinks big of you TV advertisement? A positive step towards road safety awareness 14% 31 votes Is there an off-street drag/circuit facility in close proximity to where you live? Yes, sure is. 32% 74 votes What do you like best about car shows? Show and Shine 40% 117 votes What is your favorite generation of Commodore? First Generation (VB,VC,VH,VK,VL) 31% 166 votes
The VL Turbo scene is one that is fought out between a select few workshops who closely do battle for the ultimate bragging rights as Australia’s fastest VL Turbo workshop. All of the sub 9 second chariots are backed by their choice of slush boxes, leaving the manual record out there for the taking. One such workshop based in Sydney has just written their name in the record books, claiming the official record as Australia’s fastest manually shifted VL Turbo at WSID’s last Wicked Wednesday off street drag meet. Running a single cammed RB30 with GT35/40 turbo and XTM manifolds, the Maatouks Racing-prepped VL smashed down the strip in an incredible 10.27 seconds and recorded a blistering trap speed of 126MPH.
Do you ever loose sleep at night as you ponder the damages your modified Commodore is doing to the environment? Do rising sea levels and images drowning Polar Bears cloud your memory day in and day out? Until now, you may have felt guilty for driving say 308 odd cubic inches worth of carbureted Australian pride in a close to literal middle finger gesture in the direction of anything remotely green, however a new report has surfaced which will once again allow you to drive your rolling environmental disaster guilt-free through even the most luscious of forests and national parks. The Australian Greenhouse Office has released an official report claiming that motor vehicles are not the ecological nightmare they are so often cracked up to be, and that this old notion couldn’t in fact be further from the truth. It is written in the release that as far as Australia is concerned, cars count for just 7% of our total greenhouse emissions, even less than the contribution afforded to us via the flatulence of our cow and sheep population! Hooray! Screamer pipes for all? Perhaps not, however it is some pretty interesting food for thought. The AGO went on to detail that the biggest tree killer is in fact electricity, with 35% of our destructive emissions coming from the production of the rather handy form of energy. Further development of this topic returned the shocking information that should all 11 million of Australia’s registered passenger vehicles be converted to electricity, the effect upon our greenhouse emissions would in fact be a negative one! Although this sounds ridiculous, it is in fact true, due entirely to the buzzing little eyesores causing more damage through their use of electricity than even some SUVs cause through traditional fuel burning emissions! Many would consider the ultimate nail in the coffin as far ‘low emissions’ vehicles are concerned to be the fact that their money saving low fuel usage nature isn’t far from being a complete joke, with the report’s calculations proving that it would take 22 years and 10 months of driving at a pretty high rate of 20,000km per year for the Toyota Prius ($37,400) to pay itself off as far as fuel usage vs. initial purchase price is concerned when considered against the good old Toyota Corolla ($19,990), this is assuming that petrol floats around the $1.20 a litre mark. With all this, it’s no wonder GM dumped their electric car project, a choice that would have no doubt brought smiles to the faces of many of our readers, who would sooner vote for the Craig Campbell party than the Greens.
Ripping a nice burnout isn’t as easy as it looks. It takes skill, careful timing and above all, no mechanical sympathy. If you think you have what it takes, why not give it a shot at Drag Tag on Australia’s largest burnout pad while also giving yourself the chance to win over $8,500 is cash and prizes. All you need to do is give it a good go in any of the qualifying rounds on Thursday and Friday nights between now and Friday the 31st of August. First place will receive $3,000 in cash and over $2,000 worth of prizes while the second place holder will receive $1,000 in cash plus other prizes. Prize money and trophies will be handed out to all positions from first to tenth position.
Everybody wants to bag themselves a world record and when it’s all about going fast, who can blame them. Those crazy guys over at JCB Dieselmax have recently managed to do just that, and shaved over 100mph off the old record the process! The weapon of choice was a 30 feet long, 3.7 feet wide and 3.2 feet high streamliner fitted with two 5-litre diesel engines and utilizing twin compounded turbochargers and twin compounded intercoolers. The end result is an impressive 750 hp at 3,800rpm and an amazing 1500Nm of torque at a lazy 2,000rpm. This was enough to propel the 2,724Kg monster to 328.767 mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats, eclipsing the old record set back in 1973 by the Thermo King Streamliner. Anybody who is into cars has played a Gran Turismo video game once or twice, and truth be known, I have a few in the collection at home. The massive choice of cars and the sheer attention to detail have made them a winner amongst the lounge room motorsport community and with more and more screen shots being released of the new upcoming GT5, gamers couldn’t be more frantic to get their piece of the action.
What better way to showcase a performance exhaust companies products other than using a VZ SS ute for a demo vehicle? We wouldn’t have a clue either which is why we think it’s a great idea to unleash all of that aural LS1 goodness to show goers via a Lukey off the shelf system. Fitted out with some tasteful Lukey decals, the SS ute also features one of Lukey’s own performance air filter elements in place of the stock paper filter. The ute’s display case was put together by a group of students keen to learn a few extra tricks in their metalwork class. “It was something they were really keen to do and we knew the car would be something they could get a kick out of – they are teenage boys after all!”
When it comes to a name such as Tom Walkinshaw it really doesn’t need much of an introduction, and if it does you might have just stumbled across the wrong website.
As the V8 Supercars head into the next round over the coming weekend, HRT drivers Mark Skaife and Todd Kelly are not letting anything get in their way on their quest for top honours, which include their own team mates! “In the decade I’ve been at HRT the desire to win between our two drivers takes precedence over any team order scenarios,” Skaife said. “That’s been the case with myself and Lowndes, Bright and now Todd Kelly at HRT as evidence by some bumping activity in Race 2 at Darwin last month. “Todd and myself were looking for front position on the opening lap with both of us keen to beat the Toll Holden’s into the first corner. “This sort of thing is what V8 racing is all about and you wouldn’t have it any other way.” Fellow team mate Todd Kelly agrees, stating that “Mark and myself are sitting third and fifth on the points table and the only way we can catch the Toll cars is to finish in front of the regularly through the back half of the season. “That means winning races and quite a few of them. “Queensland Raceway would be a good start. Although it’s the test circuit for most of the Ford teams, Garth Tander won in a Holden last year and the reverse situation applied to Winton – the Holden test track, where for has won the last two years.”
Featured back in issue 121 was the customised VR Statesman of GRAMPS featuring an awesome eye-catching two tone respray and warmed over injected 5-litre. Now the low-riding 20” wearing luxo-barge is currently for sale and Ben is starting on a new project. After offers around the 22k mark, this Stato is defiantly one-of-a-kind and will prove to be a standout car where ever it goes.
When putting on a good solid burnout it’s getting harder and harder to separate yourself out from the rest, especially at an event like Summernats where there could be up to 150 cars entering the pad. Well, you wouldn’t believe it but Kumho has invented themselves a scented tyre that puts on a lovely aroma event when fried up. Currently available in lavender, jasmine and orange scents are soon to flood the market which is squarely aimed at the feminine motorist who stacks rows upon rows of tyres in their living room.
This weekend the Shannons Nationals returns to Eastern Creek for the first time in 2007 and features a bumper to bumper program consisting of some of the best racing categories in the country. If you like your racing close and down to the wire featuring plenty of thrills and spills, the Shannons Nationals doesn’t get much better! The packed out event is being ran over the Saturday and Sunday of July 14 and 15 and features racing from categories such as the Australian Formula 3 Championships, the Supaloc Saloon Car Championships, the Australian Production Car Championships, Commodore Cup, Sports Sedans and the SX Australian Superkarts. Entry is free on Saturday whilst admission on Sunday is just $20 for Adults, $15 for concession with kids under 13 get in free. More information, as well as a full program of events can be found at the official Shannons Nationals website at www.thenationals.com.au
Electric vehicles are not something that is going to pop into your brain when asked about circuit racing. There are good reasons for this however, with the track being the least likely place to spot a current sipping silent purpose built racer. As time goes on it seems that there is nothing racers want more than to pioneer new areas, and upset the competition by pushing new boundaries and re-writing the manual on how to go fast. Meet the KillaCycle team. Even though these guys do it using two wheels instead of four, they’re not afraid to upset the competition using a little brains and technical know-how. Late last year at the All Harley Drag Racing Associations season finale in Las Vegas, the team propelled their electric KillaCycle to an incredible 8.760@152MPH, also setting a new world record in the process. The bike has since run quicker netting the team an 8.16 ET over the standing quarter. Powered by two 6.7” advanced DC L-91 electric motors, the bike’s estimated power output equates to roughly 350hp, or about 260,000 watts of electricity. Taking around 15 minutes to fully charge, the bike is able to make six full power runs in which cost the team an estimated 7 cents a run.
Turbosmart has expanded its operations even further in the US by opening the doors to its brand new USA office solely dedicated to servicing the North American market. Turbosmart’s President, Nicolas Cooper, is dedicated in providing the US market with a quality performance range as it does with the rest of the world.
Anyone who made it to MotorEx in Sydney last weekend would have seen the massive trade stand the Express Motoring Group had setup with 30 feature cars on display with tons of merchandise and giveaways. For those who entered to win one of three Peoples Choice prize packs by voting for your favourite car, the big moment is here! The V8 Ute series is easily one of the most exciting forms of Australian Motorsport you can watch as it’s laden with power slides, panel rubbing and dead-set door to door racing. If you can’t tell by now, I love my V8 Ute racing so this Saturday you can guess where I’m going to be. That’s right, sitting in front of the telly from 1:30pm on channel 7 for all the highlights from Round Four at Darwin’s Hidden Valley Raceway.
We love rumours here in the office, and when you think about who doesn’t, unless of course the rumour is centered around them and what they did at the last work christmas party. Anyway, moving right along, this latest rumour has been not confirmed or denied, sparking whispers that thanks the massive success of the new Transformers flick, car movies are a sure road to box office success. What are we on about you might ask yourself? Well, to put it quite simply, we are on about the remake of the Steve McQueen classic ‘Bullitt’. If anybody hasn’t seen this movie, for god’s sake get down to the local video store and demand a copy! The whole movie is centred on a police chase with McQueen driving a 68 Mustang through the streets of San Francisco, chasing a cop killer while letting nothing get in his path. It’s all about action, and who needs a plot when you such a sweet sounding car on full noise sliding around every corner in an attempt to catch the baddies. It’s been rumoured that Brad Pitt is the new Lt. Frank Bullitt, but as we said early, this is all just speculation and wishful thinking. Keep your eye out for this one!
With the price of petrol costing an arm and a leg it’s no wonder that people are cashing in whenever they can. Hundreds of devices are showing up everyday in various online market places claiming to increase fuel economy running off nothing more than hopes and dreams. The shocking reality about this situation is that these devices are actually being purchased by motorists on the pretences that they actually work.
While our SS Commodores are set to make their US debut re-badged as a Pontiac, the VE Omega has similar plans with GM announcing its planned arrival in Brazil later this year. The Chevrolet Omega’s drive line will remained unchanged, with the 3.6-litre Alloytec power plant providing the required momentum to the tune of around 250Hp.
The guys and girls over at the Holden Vehicle Operations in Elizabeth were celebrating today as the first Pontiac G8 engineering prototype rolled off the line. The G8 is set to go on sale in the US early next year with many US residents already clearing out a space the shed to be filled by the Commodore in disguise. The introduction of the G8 to the production line in Elizabeth will max-out the plants manufacturing capacity to an astonishing 620 cars per day. Holden’s Executive Director of Manufacturing, Rod Keane, is pleased with the export moves and is proud to use the Zeta platform behind the Pontiac. “The Pontiac G8 Highlights Holden’s rear-wheel drive expertise. It shows that international borders pose no limits on the creativity and expertise demonstrated by a global based here in Australia. Holden still holds Australia’s longest running and largest automotive export program which has delivered more than 772,000 vehicles over the last 50 years.
In a recent Top 100 Australian driver’s poll conducted by Auto Action magazine, four out of the top 10 positions were held by past and present Holden drivers while a fifth, Craig Lowndes, made it into the top 10 despite having most of his carer highlights behind the wheel of a Holden. Coming in at first position, Sir Jack Brabham picked Peter Brock at the finish line with ‘Brocky’ finishing up in second place. ‘Peter Perfect’ as known by many of his fans despite his discontent for the nickname, had racked up an impressive nine Bathurst victories three Australian Touring Car Championships. The next Holden placing on the list was Jim Richards in fourth position with Mark Skaife and Larry Perkins ranking in fifth and sixth places respectively. Holdens Motorsport’s Simon McNamara said: “These sorts of statistics are pleasing in that they support Holden’s ongoing contribution to our touring cars and V8 Supercar teams over the last four decades.”
Cruising for charity is a great idea that benefits not only charities and keeps car owners happy, it also helps show the general motoring community that car owners actually do care. So whatever you do, make sure you are at Homebush Bay car park 5 from 9am on 26th August and take part in the 2007 Live Life Cruz that is all about raising money for the Leukaemia Foundation. Entry is only $10 per car with all proceeds going straight to the Leukaemia Foundation, so feel free to dig deep and donate even more. There will also be a raffle on the day giving all entrants the chance to win some fantastic donated prizes as well as greatly helping a charity out. More information can be found on their MySpace page by clicking HERE.
As most of you guys would know, the Meguiar’s MotorEx was held at Sydney Olympic Park over the weekend and contained some of Australia’s best show cars all held under the one roof. The Express Motoring Group, responsible for Street Commodores, Street Fords and many other motoring publications, held a huge trade stand which saw hundreds of show goer’s pop in to visit and check out the large range of magazines and stacks of merchandise. On display were over 30 ex-feature vehicles from the Express Motoring Groups library such as Gary Pope’s awesome BLO-402 and Shane Dunn’s stunning 1TUFXF which attracted a massive crowd all weekend. Held through out the weekend was the EMG People’s Choice awards which enabled punters to choose their favourite Street Commodore, Street Ford and Hot4 from the event with Zoltan Bodo’s HSV Senator taking out best Street Commodore, AGROGT for Street Fords and BUZDBY took out the Hot4’s Peoples Choice Award. Stay tuned and keep checking our ONLINE GALLERY for photos from the event.
|
Street Commodores Cruise for Charity 4 - QLD Street Commodores Cruise for Charity 4 - SA Street Commodores Cruise for Charity 4 - VIC All Commodore Day - SA
|
.jpg)
.jpg)
