Wheels Australia — August 2016

@wheelsaustralia 31

We’re happy to help you save up for that five-door

Toyota 86, Mitch, with a free one-year subscription

to your favourite motoring magazine. Now you just

have to convince Tada-san to build it for you.

Write & win

Letter of the month prize

its seven-seat capabilities and

surprisingly keen dynamics, and

A4 Allroad, which loses nothing

in the transition by using the

handsome A4 as its foundation.

John Carusi, via Facebook

WHEELS FOR LIFE

It’s been almost three decades

of drooling over your magazine.

Since I saw the white Nissan

Exa grace the covers way back

in March 1987, I was drawn to

metal on four bits of rubber.

Today, finally, with a Porsche

Boxster GTS snug in our garage,

I say thank you for blessing

me with a somewhat corrupt

ideology of happiness.

With the top down, the sun

out and a flat-six belting the

exhausts, Putty Road has never

felt so alive and sensual. And

neither has the road to Cottage

Point, Bells Line Of Road, the

’Gong via the Royal National

Park and Sea Cliff Bridge – or,

come to think of it, just about

any tunnel in Sydney.

So now my wife and I truly

live the joy of motoring.

Yet I would never have known

such a sublime state had I not

starved through lunch for two

weeks to save up those three

dollars back in primary school...

Muchos Gracias.

Shookie Basu Roy, Strathfield, NSW

Wheels to consider in the future.

Or is that what your rivals’

awards are for?

Ron Glanville, Woodend, Vic

That’s exactly what our annual

Gold Star Value Awards aims to

provide, Ron – Ed

LIFE IMITATES ART

Even as a young car enthusiast,

long-time reader of Wheels, and

with a large book collection

on cars, I still see things that

completely baffle me. One was a

strange blue car pulled up across

from my house.

After getting a pic and posting

it on Facebook, I learned it was

a Giocattolo Group B, incredibly

rare and unique. It’s why my eyes

lit up at last month’sRetro.

I’m happy to say I’ve seen this

car once more recently and it

sounds amazing.

Aiden Kearney, Moffat Beach, Qld

REAL ESTATE

I definitely prefer an estate-style

car with genuine comfort, space

and pace that can tackle mild

off-road conditions, rather than

the ‘look at me’ SUVs with lousy

dynamics and dubious packaging

(Audi A4 Allroad Quattro Review,

WheelsMag.com.au).

The exceptions are Audi’s Q7,

perhaps the only car of its kind

worthy of consideration due to

BULLY FO

Loved the June

the cover story (

Finish). As a 201

(red, manual), I’

a few road trips

intend to hold o

piece of history.

But what real

me write in was

repeat cameo (p

of Ged Bulmer’s

Keep up the su

long live the Fal

James Fl

Well done, James

first reader to wr

Bully’s Bonce! N

him in this issue.

IDLE CH

I was initially su

reading Mazda

compression-driven idle-stop

system, that it was switched

off in the long-term CX-3 (Our

Garage, May).

The same edition also

highlights the heartfelt demise

of the manual gearbox. What’s

the connection?

Total control over your idle-

stop system, that’s what. Stop,

slide the car into neutral, release

the clutch and the engine is

deactivated when you command

it. Having just driven a DSG

Volkswagen Golf, and manual,

I can now see why you gave

up on Mazda’s idle-stop, which

turned off the engine when

momentarily halting. Not an

issue with a manual.

Andrew Robinson, via email

ADVENTURE TIME

I want to congratulate you on

the quality of the June and other

recent editions.

I come from the perspective of

an older reader who has always

appreciated the fact that Wheels

is not necessarily directed only

at people with short attention

spans. And I’ve always marvelled

that Wheels has always been

as much about Australia and

its people as about the cars we

drive. The recent road trips and

back-blocks adventures have

been fantastic.

Fraser Faithfull, Warburton, Vic

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COUNTRY STYLE

You called into the Sealey Ford

garage in Condobolin (Sprint to

the Finish, June), where my Dad

purchased a new Dodge from

Jim Sealey himself in 1951. They

were Chrysler dealers back then.

Good to see you spotted Dave

Johnstone’s Coolah Kustom

Cars and the NSU. This was not

a pretty sight when Dave got it

from SA. It will be a gem when

he finishes the restoration.

Ah, so you upset the Berlei

man at Weetaliba; what a shame

as you missed the 200-odd cars

on the property, including a shed

with several MkV Jaguars and

a row of Fiat 850 Coupes (which

seem out of place in that area).

There are also Falcon Hardtops

and Citroens in the collection.

Hal Moloney, via email

Loved the Ged

Bulmer mask.

Keep up the

surprises!