Here’s what MOTOR readers had to say this month

Have you got an opinion you are just itching to share? Then get on your soap box and send us a letter!

Each month we give the best letter a 12-month subscription to the magazine, while all of the honourable mentions get published for the world to read.

The magazine subscription for this month is going to be awarded to the reader who writes in and describes their most entertaining moment of mechanical ineptitude. We’ve all been there. We want consequences here. Best letter wins a MOTOR subscription for 12 months and bucketloads of heartfelt empathy from the team.

Go on, send us a rant (or something nice) at motor@aremedia.com.au, you know you want to.

Read on to digest what your fellow MOTOR fans have to say.

9

What’s the big idea?

It occurred to me the other day that here in Australia we have a penchant for building big things. There’s the Big Prawn in Ballina, the Big Stubbie in Tewantin, the big Rocking Horse in Gumeracha and the Big Banana in Coffs Harbour. Buffaloes, cassowaries, chooks, crocs, galahs and guitars, you name it, Aussies have built a strangely distorted giant representation of it.

Problem is, we haven’t ever built a Big Barra. No, I’m not talking about the fish, I’m talking the finest engine ever built on these shores. There could be no better cultural tribute to the fine men and women of Geelong than driving into town past a 20-metre tall Barra 325T which, in correct conditions could make 370kW on overboost.

So how about it? Let’s put Geelong on the map for something other than Barry Crocker and Gary bloody Ablett.

Shane Wilson, Waurn Ponds

This is simultaneously the dumbest and yet most magnificent idea that has ever been floated across my desk here at MOTOR. Now you’ve just got to hope the good folk of Fishermans Bend don’t beat you to the punch with a 30-metre Big Alloytec. – Ed

9

One track mind

On the subject of Kirby’s column on overrated race tracks, I’ve been waiting to be posed this question for ages. Historic or new, some tracks just don’t stand out as overly good. Watching races at these tracks isn’t always boring, but most of my opinion will be from driving them on sims. The one that immediately comes to mind is Silverstone. While standing out to many, I just can’t get engaged. Having been to Bathurst on non-race weekends and driving around in a commuter car, I find elevation change on race tracks fascinating. This doesn’t work in Monaco and I agree with Kirby, that Monaco is god awful for racing, But I feel there is another tight street circuit that is coincidentally scheduled directly after Monaco.

The Azerbaijan grand prix circuit is what Monaco wishes it could be. The straights and tight turns are balanced perfectly for actually engaging racing full of overtakes. The same can be said of the Highlands race circuit in New Zealand. I find the bridge and long, tree surrounded right hander fascinating, especially when going 250 km/h! I’m interested to see other peoples response to this question. Maybe top 10 favourite race tracks in the future? I’d read it!

Samuel Sporry, via email

Top 10 race tracks? I reckon that’d start a fight in this office – Ed

9

Smarts to spare

I have just received my new GLA 250 4Matic and as I live in Darwin and do trips to Adelaide and back I need a full-size spare. This is my fifth Mercedes Benz, and each time I purchase a wheel that fits (not original) and have a cover made. I was lucky as my previous Merc was a GLA 250 4Matic and the wheel fitted my new car, I only had to change the tyre profile. The wheel can be secured by running a strap through the D shackle in the rear corner and through the baby seat fixing point on the rear of the back seats. The only car that I needed to buy and original wheel for was my C43 Estate.

Ian Harlow, via email

Kirbs is now older and wiser, Ian, Many thanks for the tips - Ed

9

Classic fix?

I sympathise with Gordon Batt (Ripped off, Front End June 2021) as a fellow BMW E46 M3 owner which covers sub 3000 kms per year.

The “classic-car registration”, better known as historic or club permit registration under various names in different State and Territories, was devised to help keep our motoring heritage on the roads, legally. The basic deal is a greatly reduced annual fee for limited use (45 days per year, only on club sanctioned events or some similar restriction), the lower use poses a reduced third party insurance risk compounded, usually, by a higher desire to look after the car.

As with the federal relaxation on import safety rules (which is set at 25 years) there is a risk that some will flout the rules and use the car pretty well as a daily driver. The theory is that the older the car the less likely this will happen. Hence the 25 or 30 year limit. The internationally agreed “classic car” age is 30 years.

So, there is little chance of getting the age reduced. Quite the contrary, in fact. There are talks to push to 35 years or maybe even older.

There is, however, another option to cater for the multiple car owner - called single transferable plate.

One special registration plate is issued for use on up to 10 nominated cars all owned by the same person. One full registration fee is paid for the first car plus a modest admin fee for each of others.

With a special holding frame (with a index number which forms a part of the completed registration number) attached to each vehicle the special plate could be moved from vehicle to vehicle but only used on one at a time. It does away with age limits and all that and allows modern classics (even brand new ones) to be used economically without over-recovering the third party insurance costs.

Sounds doable but there is very little interest in such a scheme. Unless we all make a fuss!

Lawrence Glynn, via email

9

R90CK hard

Scott Newman’s video list has an omission: Mark Blundell’s 1990 lap of Le Mans in the Nissan R90CK.

I can’t find a decent quality version of it, but the wastegates had jammed on Blundell’s Nissan and he was wrestling with 1100bhp. He said that he thought the car was trying to kill him for half of the lap.

The icing on the cake for me is that the absurdly baby-faced chap removing his headphones and grinning broadly at the end is my mate Steve, who was the engine guy. He went on to manage the engine of the Skaife/Richards Skyline the following year.

Nick Short, via email

It’s truly astonishing. At most points of the lap it looks as if Blundell’s arms are about to be ripped out of their sockets and in some corners he’s catching about six separate slides. That year was the first year with chicanes on the Mulsanne Straight, and Blundell was still logging 383km/h between the two chicanes. Blundell said “for about 50 per cent of the lap, I felt on the verge of a massive accident.” - Ed

9

¿Por qué?

I am writing this email as I have been doing a lot of research on the VW Poraga kit car that was built by creative cars in South Australia.

Morley wrote an article in your magazine about the company in 2017 and I was just trying to find out if he has any more information or pictures etc. about the company.

I live in NZ and have spent the last 12 years bringing back to life one of their VW Poragas. I have also given it a six-inch windscreen chop so it has a far better profile and looks good.

Ian Harris, via email

It’s an interesting looking thing, isn’t it? I’ll let the readers Google it – Ed

9

Size matters

I’m really struggling with the whole trend to downsized engines. While I’m across the reasons that car makers are putting ever smaller engines into performance cars, I feel that there’s an element of ignoring the bloody obvious.

They’re just not as good. Call me old school but is there really any substitute for cubes? I even call into question whether, in the real world, and not in the lab of some gerrymandering Germans, a small turbo engine is as efficient as a bigger naturally aspirated one?

I could just about stomach Mercedes ditching the 6.2-litre V8 and going to the 4.0-litre twin-turbo engine, but in-inline four? Give me strength! People buy these cars for the emotional response that they create and you can’t get that with a small engine. Yes, it might be quick, but if the only way you can make your car feel as if it’s earning its keep is to drive the wheels off it, then I’d argue it’s not a very practical car, for Australia at the least.

Ian Sims, via email

9