Motoring March 13, 2020
Honda’s hot hatch is hitting all the right notes
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26 Ashburton Guardian
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Friday, March 13, 2020
Hot hatch the perfect balance
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o celebrate Kiwis’ love of Honda’s Hot Hatch – the Civic Type R – Honda New Zealand is launching a MUGEN Equipped Special Edition. Supporting enthusiasts being the goal, MUGEN’s full catalogue will be available for purchase, with parts being packaged together to give buyers the flexibility to create the MUGEN spec they prefer. In late 2017 the first Civic Type R to be sold new in New Zealand was launched. Since then over 200 have been sold, making it one of the the best sellers in the class and proving its sales performance is as strong as its on track performance. “Kiwis have shown they are still passionate about the joy of driving. The 5th Generation Type R, although solely offered with a manual transmission, has been a sales success, thanks to its perfect balance of Honda’s sporty, yet practical DNA,” says Matt Woodburn, Marketing & Product Manager at Honda New Zealand. MUGEN, which means Without Limits, is well known by Honda enthusiasts for their racing and parts production heritage. MUGEN was started by the son of Mr Soichiro Honda, in 1973 and has become hugely successful in motorsport internationally. Highlights include powering Formula 1 victories along with numerous other 2 & 4 wheel championships. Honda New Zealand has been a proud supplier of MUGEN parts and equipped models to Kiwis for over 15 years. MUGEN equipped Type Rs start from
$64,990 – including the Front Underspoiler, Side Underspoilers, Rear Underspoiler & Carbon Fibre / FRP Tailgate Spoiler with MUGEN emblem. This pricing is inclusive of all related costs to sourcing, painting & fitting the parts, making this one of the most afforda-
ble MUGEN packages globally. Additional enhancement packs including styling, handling and performance upgrades will be offered. These package start from $990 (MUGEN Interior) upto $11,990 (MUGEN Performance).
A complete MUGEN catalogue build is upwards of $38,000 under today’s exchange rate. “We aren’t expecting any buyers to choose a full catalogue build, but we will gladly support and facilitate such a request.” At the time of printing the RG20GT remains a concept car only.
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Friday, March 13, 2020
Ashburton Guardian 27
Quirky classic revisited Bernard Egan
MOTORING
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fter seeing photographs in our column two weeks ago many readers have told us they totally understand Graeme and Megan Wells describing their 1942 Terra Cruiser caravan – the classic van they’ve lovingly restored – as quirky, cute and cosy. It’s all those and a happy place as well for Graeme and Megan. Several readers said it must look great being towed by the Wells’ 1964 Ford Galaxy 500. It does and we’ve got the photo to prove it.
Of Fords, Holdens, and Nostradamus-like predictions
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ostradamus predicted things, people are quite correctly saying we’re living in a changing world, and Bob Dylan definitely got it right way back in 1963 when he composed The Times They Are A-Changin. Some say we never know what to expect next. And they’re correct, but it’s unlikely anyone who knows that to be true or philosophers like Nostradamus and Bob Dylan would ever have dreamed of what people at Ollie Hurst’s Ford day at Barrhill saw. In fact if we didn’t have a photo we would be hard pressed to believe it ourselves. Vintage Car Club President Trevor Begg, the owner of a classic Chevrolet and a Holden, is a General Motors man through and through. He certainly made people realise you Extremely rare footage of General never know what to expect. Motors man Trevor Begg actually Perhaps best to make sure you’re sitting wearing a hat with the Blue Oval on it. down when you read this next bit.
Trevor was wearing a Ford hat! It seems indeed The Times They Are A-Changin’. We would not be alone in saying we would never have predicted it. However we do have a prediction we’re positive will be proved correct. It’s a sight unlikely to be ever seen again. We predict that for Trevor The Times Will Be A-Changin’ – a’changin’ back that is – and he won’t been seen in a Ford cap ever again. hotos taken by Stuart Hart of Ollie Hurst’s Fords at Barrhill which featured in an earlier column intrigued Larry Dunn. Now retired, Larry and Heather are spending their days caravanning. It’s an idyllic lifestyle, one which has given them the chance to see and enjoy many of the fabulous places our wonderful country has to offer. Currently they’re staying locally. Larry has had a lifelong interest in, and
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has owned, some interesting Fords. He knows a fair bit about the marque, so it’s not surprising he was fascinated when he read about Ollie’s cars. But he had a question. Larry asked in which year were Ollie’s six cars made. Good question – easy answer. One answer fits all. They have various body styles, but they all have one thing in common – each of them is a 1932 model. Larry’s question prompted a visit to Ollie, and a wonderful chat. Ollie mentioned similar Fords which he has owned, and also spoke of a very interesting current restoration project which has special local significance. Ollie is restoring a pickup truck, which in its early life was the breakdown vehicle used by Bert Holmes, who had the Ford agency prior to the Gluyas family. No prizes for guessing the year of the breakdown truck or other Fords Ollie has parted with – yep that’s right all 1932. Ollie’s definitely a Ford man!
Matchless adventures for the AJS buffs
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wo local AJS motorcycle enthusiasts took their really nice classic bikes to the AJS and Matchless Owners Club international Jampot Rally, staged recently in Golden Bay. Said riders were Gary Hawke and Roger Hart, who were accompanied by their wives Shirley and Rowena. Gary and Roger rode their bikes over the famous Takaka Hill. Both said it was challenging but great ride and in each case their bikes performed well. When we checked in with Rowena for a report, she said Roger had passed Gary once going up the Hill. Gary, who confirmed that was in fact correct, was quick to add “but I passed him twice on the way down!” How come Gary passed Roger twice you may well ask? Here’s Gary’s explanation. “How did I pass Roger twice on the downhill? I stopped at a lookout and he got in front again, so l
just had to hunt him down a second time. “Got up enough speed to splat a bug on my helmet. Gravity is a wonderful thing.” Rallies like the Jampot always provide great opportunities to compare bikes and performance, and during this year’s event Gary spoke with his friend Ross Hutchinson, who owns a bike which like Gary’s is a 1929 M9. Which, he goes on to say: “All 4.9 horsepower of it”. Gary feels his friend Mike’s bike performs a little better than his bike, so he sought a suggestion from Mike about how he could make his bike go faster. Mike Hutchison came up with an illustrated answer, albeit probably not one Gary was expecting – he suggested it would go faster if he put it on a trailer. Gary has shared the illustration. That of course is the sort of fun, banter and camaraderie shared by club members. Next year’s AJS Matchless Owners Club Jampot Rally will be staged here in Mid Canterbury.
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Friday, March 13, 2020
Ashburton Guardian 29
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ot one, but two models featuring the world’s most powerful turbocharged four-cylinder engine in series production are set to break cover in New
Zealand. The highly anticipated new-generation Mercedes-AMG A 45 S 4MATIC+ hatch and Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 S 4MATIC+ fourdoor coupé turn up the power, posture and performance, continuing to improve upon the legacy of the previous generation of these perennial favourites. “We have completely redesigned our 45 models – from the engine and transmission through the chassis, the elaborately constructed drivetrain to the body structure and of course the design itself – all with one goal: to raise vehicle dynamics and the sporty driving experience to a level previously unimaginable in the compact class,” said Tobias Moers, CEO of Mercedes-AMG GmbH. “With the presentation of this, our most powerful and most dynamic compact sports car, we are also reinforcing the significance of this segment for our growth strategy.” At the heart of the two new models sits a milestone achievement for Mercedes-AMG – a turbocharged four-cylinder engine generating an incredible 310 kW of power and 500 Nm of torque. In combination with a new AMG SPEEDSHIFT DCT-8G dual-clutch transmission with eight ratios and gearshifts measured in milliseconds, the A 45 S 4MATIC+ sprints from zero to
100km/h in just 3.9 seconds (CLA 45 S 4MATIC+: 4.0 seconds). With an output per litre of 155 kW, the turbo four even ranks ahead of many wellknown super-sports car engines. Active, fully variable AMG Performance 4MATIC+ all-wheel drive distributes power to rear axle wheels selectively by AMG TORQUE CONTROL, enabling top traction and creating the parameters for the spectacular new Drift mode. This is made possible by a new rear axle differential featuring two multidisc clutches – one for each rear wheel.
Constructed from the underpinnings of the latest-generation of the acclaimed Mercedes-Benz A-Class compact hatch and sedan, and building on the outstanding success of the newly-created A 35 4MATIC and CLA 35 4MATIC, the new Mercedes-AMG A 45 S 4MATIC+ hatch and CLA 45 S 4MATIC+ four-door coupé do much more than simply set new performance standards. An extensively reinforced bodyshell provides the basis for precise steering characteristics, as well as track and camber stability.
Supercar showtime
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appers and expensive cars go together like fish and chips, and if they aren’t destroying them like Jay-Z and Kanye with the Maybach, they’re modifying them like Kanye’s prosthetic leg-coloured Lamborghini. He might not be quite as popular (or controversial) as Kanye West, but Lil Uzi Vert has amassed quite the collection of cars during his time in the spotlight, and like any good car enthusiast, loves to show them off. First finding fame just a few years ago, the 25-yearold is known for his unique style of hip hop, and looks to have transferred this over to his fleet of multi-million dollar supercars. As you’d expect, you’ll find a Lamborghini Urus, Audi R8, and Bugatti Veyron in his collection, but the anime-inspired wraps on these vehicles will have the
internet divided on whether he’s ruined them or not. While the uber-rare Bugatti Veyron that he bought from Floyd Mayweather is the most expensive in the fleet, that massive armoured SUV covered in Girls & Panzer is arguably the most interesting. This USSV Rhino GX is based on a Ford F-450 chassis and utilises the 6.7-litre V8 Ford engine, but can withstand most forms of handheld weaponry. Inside, you’ll find Rolls-Royce-matching luxury and enough room to swing a cat. As you would expect, this bulletproof monster comes with a hefty price tag of around $530,000, and that’s before you even get it down to New Zealand. His taste in cars might not rival Kanye’s, but there’s no denying the unique nature of these extremely expensive machines.
The completely newly developed 2.0-litre engine is the world’s most powerful turbocharged four-cylinder manufactured for series production (310kW/500Nm), bettering the output of the engine used in the preceding models by 30kW and 25Nm. Also impressive is a carefully balanced torque curve with maximum torque available in a range of 5000 to 5250rpm, achieving power delivery akin to a naturally aspirated engine. The high maximum engine speed (up to 7200 rpm) further emphasises the engine’s sporty character.
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