Ben’s Car Blog

Over at AusRotary there’s a great thread with a few pictures of 1960s and 1970s Japanese cars, most of which never made it out of Japan. Go on, have a look.

A couple of the cars in that thread are what I’d call “big iron”. More than 4 cylinders, fast and, well, big. In Australian terms most of the cars that we didn’t get (or at least didn’t get the interesting versions of) would be XP Falcon or EH Holden sized and intended for the top-end of the market. Things like Toyota Crowns, various big Nissans and so on. In the US these would be classified as “compacts”, I think.

At the other end of the scale are the things like the Cosmo Sports, the various Celicas (probably running interesting engines like 2TGs and 18RGs), the Belletts and the Lancer GTOs.

Oh, yeah. Ignore the first picture of the Alpine as that’s French.

Photos from the recent, inagural, RX-8 Nationals are on-line and available for purchase.

I really like this one.

If you like your Yankee Iron big, badass and primered, Billetproof is the car show for you.

It calls itself the “worlds least important car show” (which I love) and it features pre-64 hot-rods and customs done the way they used to be. Of primary importance is the first rule of billetproof: no visible billet, especially wheels.

I have a thing at the moment for red primer so I really liked this (which might actually be satin instead of primer). And again. I don’t think I’m rockabilly enough to get away with this, though.

Many more pics at 50 Chevy.

There is a truly enormous lot of photos from the Fast Fours Jamboree in Queensland at HiOctane. Don’t look if you have work to do.

(HiOctane.com.au | Fast Fours Jamboree 2005)

Autoblog and Cheers and Gears (a GM enthusiast site) have spy shots of what they say are RHD Zeta platform cars. They’re saying that the shots show the 2007 VE Commodore. The cars are heavily disguised but there might be some resembalance to the Torana concept car.

I’m not 100% convinced that the shots are the 2007 Commodore as the car in the spy shots looks a little small, especially considering the size of the current VZ. Also, despite what Autoblog says, I can’t see the diff in the undercarriage shot.

(Autoblog Commodore Spy Shots part 1 and part 2; Cheers and Gears spy shots part 1 and part 2)

Via PF comes these photos from the Gold Coast Indy launch in Brisbane yesterday.

(Kevs Photos :: Indy Launch in Brisbane CBD)

Fullboost (free reg. req’d) has a story on the recent Ford Forums Club Night at Heathcote in Victoria. Adam Hargrave’s BA XR6 ran consistent 10.3 second passes with a best of 10.20 @ 135mph on a stock turbo and manifold! Now that’s fast!

(FullBOOST - Ford Forum Club Night)

Unique Cars magazine is giving away a 1965 Mustang Fastback done up as a Shelby replica. It’s worth about AUD$60,000 and comes with insurance and rego. Nice.

More pictures and details at Unique Cars

Fullboost has photographic coverage of the Toyo Drift Nationals in Adelaide (free registration required).

( TOYO Drift Nationals Round 3)

Pictures from the 2005 Queensland Challenge, a road rally held in QLD by the Brisbane Sporting Car Club.