One of the magazines Sean brought over was English
Motor Sport. I can remember avidly reading these in the early 50’s - and
the 2000 version was just as enthralling and information laden.
So you’d like to start your little collection of
historic motor vehicles, could I interest you in any of the following
racecars for sale in the pages of Motor Sport? Let’s begin with an
ex-works Bugatti T-35C. Only three owners since 1929 and has raced with
distinction in just about every European GP. Yours for a mere 750,000
Pounds! Sold to the gentleman in the bowler hat!
Now
if Sir would like something just a little more modern, there is number 20
of the run of only 20 lightweight Porsche 911 R’s built by the factory
in 1967. This one needs a little cosmetic and mechanical work so is
offered at the knock down price of only 300,000 USD. I’m so glad it
wasn’t immaculate!
But if Sir really has the bottle for it, there is on
offer Michael Schumacher’s 1997 Monaco and Spa winning F1 Ferrari. I kid
thee not. There it is, the F310-B. What’s more, it comes complete with a
spare engine and all necessary tools - and, wait for it, a test session
with factory mechanics in attendance will be provided for the new owner.
The price was not specified in the ad. There probably wasn’t enough room
on the line for all the noughts!
Mate in Oz, John Weinthal has been for a run in the new
RAV 4’s - the three door and the five door. Like all Toyota’s, it
seems bullet proof.
Here’s Words from Weinthal...
“It’s not always apparent, but there are some guys
high up in Toyota who really believe they can make impressive profits and
still have some fun. If that wasn’t true there would be no RAV 4.
“Clearly the stylists had a ball while deciding on
the new full-time 4WD’s three and five door shapes. It wasn’t
necessarily going to be easy to produce another pair of mini-wagons which
would offer successful new styling ideas, in the way the original RAVs did
way back in the early ’90s. But I reckon they’ve achieved that and
more - particularly in the larger 5-door model. Everybody liked that one.
Others, including me, were a bit less certain about the three doors lines.
“But they’re not just about styling. The engineers
got stuck in as well, and it shows in astonishingly refined, bump
absorbing ride and flat cornering. This is not the norm, even now, with
most 4WD’s.
“Of course, we’re still not talking the full down
and dirty off-roading variety of 4x4. Forget all the mini wagons for
serious bush driving apart from Subaru’s award-winning - but hardly
stylish - Foresters. There’s also the super-value and excellent Suzuki
Grand Vitara. LandRover Freelander qualifies in most sense, but it will
not be truly in the running for most until it gets a promised larger
engine soon.
“RAV4 started this game - although Toyota’s own
Tercel and 4x4 Corolla wagon had preceded it. Yes, there were earlier
Subarus but they were more blessed with function than around-town smarts.
And that’s what most of these are about really - cars like Honda’s
invigorating HRV and rather bland CRV, the RAVS and a couple of others
like Mitsubishi’s oddly named Pajero iO and the Spanish-built Nissan
Terrano. These small 4x4s - all of them - are satisfying a lot of people
who formerly accepted the awkwardness and running costs of a Cruiser,
Patrol or Pajero for their everyday motoring.
“Back to the new RAVs. All RAVS now have an advanced,
low emission, 110kW, 2 litre engine and full-time 4WD. There’s a five
speed manual or all-new four-speed auto. You can choose between Edge and
Cruiser spec levels. All RAVS have standard two air bags, remote entry,
power mirrors and windows, 16 inch wheels and a CD. The rear seats are
50/50 split and can be slid forward or back depending on your preference
for extra legroom or luggage space. They can be folded, tilted, tumbled or
removed completely. That’s great new functionality by earlier RAV
standards.
“The Cruiser pack adds anti-lock brakes, alloy
wheels, a cassette player, hard spare wheel cover, power moon roof which
tilts or slides according to your whim. There are other touches which help
with the appearance a bit, but do little in any practical way. In typical
Toyota fashion in Australia, air-conditioning is an expensive
dealer-fitted option on all RAVs.
“I had a week in a manual 3-door and an auto 5-door.
Loved the five-door; not so sure about the 3-door - and unusually for me I
preferred the auto to the 5-speed manual.
“That’s it. The new RAV 4s continue to lead in the
styling stakes while adding to their everyday practicality. They are
quieter, quicker and leaders in ride and handling in this compact 4x4
sector.
“They’re Toyotas, so resale values should be good.
But most of all they are fun. Toyota’s engineers and stylists clearly
enjoyed bringing these new RAVs to market - it’s hard to imagine the
owner won’t share the feeling.”
