By Ron Honig

WaytooFurious

There’s not a lot that I can say about Lotus. They make great cars, and if you are into pocket rockets, they are sure to have something that will give you a thrill. The Lotus stand at the Motor Show was great. I just wish I could have gotten closer as it was fenced up to keep people like me out. More pics after the jump.

Continue reading "Lotus at the Melbourne Motor Show" »

By Ron Honig

WaytooFurious

One thing that I always get a kick out of at the Melbourne Motor Show is the cut away concept. Usually some manufacturer will take a motor and cut it in half to reveal the internal workings. Subaru went the extra mile this year and had a cut away car on display. One more pic after the jump.

Continue reading "Half a Subaru at the Melbourne Motor Show" »

By Ron Honig

WaytooFurious

There were very few car makers at the Melbourne International Motor Show who did not have some sort of ‘green’ car. Toyota was promoting its Prius and new hybrid Camry. The Prius has been upgraded and improved, featuring new developments such as solar roof panels in the roof that supply power to the ventilation system. It has a more powerful 1.8 liter Atkinson-cycle engine which has increased the performance in fuel consumption and emissions. Personally I wouldn’t buy one, it still looks like a dustbuster on wheels.

Continue reading "The Dustbuster is Back" »

By Ron Honig

WaytooFurious

Once I got to the Lexus stand at the Motor Show, I was immediately drawn to this stunning looking roadster. It’s based on the LF-A coupe and uses a mixture of carbon fibre and aluminium to keep it light weight and sturdy. With a 5 liter V10 it shouldn’t be lacking in the power department when it hits the road. More pics after the jump.

Continue reading "Lexus LF-A Roadster at the Melbourne Motor Show" »

By Ron Honig

WaytooFurious

I am the first to admit that I am not excited by battery powered cars. However Subaru should be credited with coming up with a Stella car. Sorry, it’s a terrible pun but I couldn’t leave it alone. The Stella is a battery powered alternative for urbanites. It will carry four adults and is expected to be on the market by late 2009. What I really liked about this car is that the batteries will recharge to 80% in 15 minutes and that they have a ten year life span. With an 80km range and a top speed of 100km it should be great for those that need to travel short distances each day.

By Ron Honig

WaytooFurious

One of the coolest cars at the Melbourne International Motor Show had to be this FR1 Roadster. Designed as a training tool to develop talent in the motoring industry, the FR1 has been an ongoing project for the past seven years. However don’t be fooled by the time that it has taken to develop the FR1 because it is a real car and will be auctioned once completed. I was told that it is going to be powered by a Chevy V8 and the body and chassis is made from a combination of aluminum and carbon fibre. There are more pics after the jump. Check out the cool rear suspension set up.

Continue reading "Cool FR1 Roadster at the Melbourne Motor Show" »

By Ron Honig

WaytooFurious

I can remember attending the Melbourne International Motor Show when I was a kid. The great thing is that I would always come home with a few trophies. It would always be some plastic bag stuffed full of brochures, stickers and other nick knacks. It’s interesting to see how things have changed over the years. This year quite a few manufactures didn’t even have brochures available for some of their cars! I did however manage to score a packet of seeds on the Ford stand. No, it’s not what your thinking. Ford was promoting their ECOnetic range of cars. The little Fiesta they had on display is already being sold in Europe. It uses 3.7 litres of petrol per kilometer and I was told that they may be bringing in a Fiesta with a common rail diesel motor. Although it was an interesting car I think I would prefer the Ute or Ranger that they had on display. More pics after the jump.

Continue reading "Ford ECOnetic" »

By Ron Honig

WaytooFurious

I came across this nice looking truck at the Volkswagen stand. It was frustrating because no one was willing to spill the beans on the specifications until it is officially released. The one thing that I did learn is that it is called an RPU. More pics after the jump.

Continue reading "VW RPU" »

One of the great things about the Melbourne Motor Show is the classic car auction they have at the end each year. The auction cars are lined up outside the show for its duration so that everyone can see them. However, this year one of the lots on display just made me shake my head in exasperation. Would you buy a General Lee Dodge Charger for $220,000? According to the auction guide, it’s expected to sell for between $220,000 and $260,000. Lot 27 was converted to a General Lee in the early 1980’s by General Lee Enterprises, which built approximately 11 cars that were used by Warner brothers for promotional work and some close-ups in filming The Dukes of Hazzard. What this means is that they don’t even know the exact history of this car. Was it actually filmed? To be perfectly honest, my vision of a Dodge Charger is more Bullitt than General Lee. And if I wanted a General Lee, I’m pretty sure I could build it for less than $220,000. Do you think it has the pedigree to hit its reserve?

There have been a lot of surprises at the Melbourne Motor Show, and one of the biggest has been Holden’s Coupe 60 project. Holden has been in Australia for 60 years now and the car was unveiled at the show in celebration of the company’s anniversary. In keeping with the spirit of the occasion, Holden strove to get as many 60′s as it could into this concept: it’s 60 mm shorter than the current VE Commodore sedan it’s based on, its color is "Diamond Silver" in reference to the diamond anniversary, and it’s powered by a 6.0 litre V8. The flex-fuel powerplant can run on 85% ethanol and produce 300 kw (402 hp). Sporting 21" wheels, and a dual-tip side-dump exhaust, it’s a real head-turner of a performance car sure to draw away some of the attention from competitor Ford’s equally impressive domestic line-up. Go below the jump for a front view.