Wheels Australia - June 2018

@wheelsaustralia 37

“Could you

please point to

a component

these Mustangs

share?”

Credit where credit’s due, and that’s to Matthew Thomas

for his work developing the Brabham BT62 – as the Joss

supercar – if Bill Hemming’s conclusions are correct.

Thank you Bill for highlighting the Brabham’s back-story.

Enjoy the next 12 issues of Wheels on us.

Letter of the month winner

on, and idling for 10 minutes

from cold in winter for a two-

kilometre drive to school and

back, I shudder to think what

the famous ‘hole in the ozone

layer’ is now like.

But I’m fairly sure it’s affected

more by petrol emissions than

diesel; you don’t even seem to

have emissions testing over here.

I will claim the high ground and

say that my diesel Territory is a

damn sight cleaner than a lot of

petrol cars and utes out there,

and at 9.0L/100km it uses a lot

less fuel as well! Rant over.

John Norman, via email

OK COMPUTER

I can’t wait for connected cars

(Audi looks to fill drivers’

wheel time with money-making

services, WhichCar.com.au/

Wheels). Imagine driving to

work and knowing the car has

already found a parking space

for you and ordered you a

coffee? The car will become your

own virtual assistant.

Australian laws on privacy

mean that advertising will be

able to be turned off. No ads and

more assistance with day-to-day

stuff ... bring it on!

Julian Moore, via Facebook

FROM ZA TO ZD

I left my May issue on the

kitchen table while I went to

see the band Steel Panther (but

that’s another story). However,

Dad was quick to point out the

next morning that your mag is

wrong. He said that on page 75

of your feature covering the cars

that defined Australia (65 Big

“Enright writes about the

Skoda’s f lat, short squab, but

thecushioniswhatyousiton!”

Ideas That Shaped the Motoring

World, May) you list the ZA

Fairlane, but the picture is of a

ZC or ZD.

Scott Hunter, via email

Your dad knows his LWB Fords,

Scott. The available images of the

ZA/ZB weren’t of print quality,

so because the rear-ends are only

minimally different, we used a

better image of a later model – Ed

HORSE TRADING

Really? (Don’t Spare the Horses,

Redline, May) Could you please

point to a component, perhaps

a washer or even a body panel

that the Ford Mustang race car

will share with the roadgoing

version?

We expect a bit more from

Wheels than perpetuating

the myth there is some

relationship between road and

race cars, other than a passing

resemblance.

Brian Wood, via email

RESALE OF CENTURY

After much nagging from friends

I have recently bought a Toyota

Prado Kakadu. Their motivation,

besides the practical aspects of

the vehicle for young families,

is rock-solid resale value. It

certainly wasn’t ride comfort,

performance or dynamic ability.

When I went to trade our

three-year-old Land Rover

Discovery Sport (much to my

wife’s horror) I was told the

large number of variants and

configurations available in the

range made it difficult to put

a value on the car. Across four

Toyota dealers, there was a

$12K variance!

I wonder whether the

availability of a greater variety

of configurations, customisation

and personalisation options has

done owners a disservice when

we go to sell our cars.

Perhaps resale prices on a

Prado hold up because it appeals

to a wider audience. It only has

four models, one drivetrain, six

colours and three trim levels,

versus something like the Range

Rover Velar, with more than 40

variants and countless options.

Chris George, Gordon, NSW

BACK-SEAT BASH

I completely agree about the

need for manufacturers and

relevant bodies to look at how

we can better protect rear-seat

passengers (Inbox, April). It was

heartening to note ANCAP has

rated the new (and amazingly

popular) Ford Mustang so poorly

that it has a low two-star rating –

specifically for the risk of serious

head, chest and leg injury for

rear passengers (as well as the

insufficient inflation of driver

and front passenger airbags).

There’s a strong consumer

expectation for new vehicles to

have five-star safety ratings and

this expectation (and reality)

should extend to sports cars.

Jo Wilson-Ridley, via email

PIGEON PAIR

Andy Enright writes about the

Skoda Superb’s “rear bench

that’s flat, overly firm and short

in the squab” (Grip’n’Rip,

March), inferring that what you

sit on is the squab. This is wrong!

The squab is the padded back of

a car seat. The cushion is what

you sit on.

I used to work for Chrysler

when it made the complete

seats in its squab and cushion

department, so I know my

cushions from my squabs!

David Edyvean, via email