Australian Car Guide

The [front page] carries current 4WD articles. The 4wdnews index and archive is [here (click)].

30 June - 1 July 2001: Waddington International Air Show (UK). June 30th, July 1st. Waddington is 5km south of Lincoln, in Lincolnshire Includes Military Vehicles.

27 June 2001: Keep an eye out for cheap petrol - some (.au) independent stations are "threatening" to sell at a large discount in protest against the refineries' curious pricing policies. A protest worth supporting:-)

June 2001: Unusual Suzuki [Might Boy 4x4].

June 2001: THRUST SSC, the British supersonic jet car (driver Andy Green, team leader Richard Noble) that broke the sound barrier by reaching 763+mph in 1997, has been bought for £680,000, by the Museum of British Road Transport, Coventry.

June 2001: `James' sends news of an uncommon [VW 181] for sale.

24 June 2001: Michael Schumacher won the European F1 Grand-Prix at the Nurburgring, Germany.  1. M. Schumacher (Ferrari),   2. J. P. Montoya (Williams BMW),   3. D. Coulthard (McLaren Mercedes),   4. R. Schumacher (Williams BMW),   5. R. Barrichello (Ferrari),   6. M. Hakkinen (McLaren Mercedes).   M. and R. Schumacher started 1st and 2nd on the grid, but Ralf's challenge faded when he was given a 10-second stop-go penalty for crossing the lane line when leaving the pits. M. Schumacher leads the championship with 68pts from D. Coulthard with 44pts.

June 2001: The Rover 75 did well in European [NCAP] crash tests.

21 - 24 June 2001: National 4x4 Show, this weekend at Sydney Showground Homebush (with Fishing and Great Outdoor Expo') x-refs.

21 June 2001: Not much snow in the Victorian Alps-  10+cm at Falls Creek and 20+cm at Mt. Hotham, less elsewhere.

June 2001: The Red Book shows good resale values after 3-years for [Mercedes] cars and 4x4s.

June 2001: [Abdi Siregar] has offered Tatra 8x8, V12 diesel, ex Czech Army trucks [like this] for sale on the LRO emailing list.  (NB. 4wd.sofcom.com has none for sale!)

17 June 2001: Heavy rain caused problems in the early stages of the [Le Mans] 24-hour race. Frank Biela in Audi R8 #1 led at the 2-hour mark. 16 - 17 June 2001: Le Mans 24-hour race for sports cars and prototypes. This year a 45-minute race of historic (1949 - 1964) cars, many ex Le Mans racers, on Saturday morning precedes the start (4pm) of the main race.

16 June 2001: Mt. Baw Baw has the best of the recent snow: 35cm. Don't forget, even four wheel drives must carry [wheel chains] at snow resorts, and must fit them if directed. Note that some 4WDs with traction control require chains for all four wheels; read the owner's manual.

14 June 2001: Cold temperatures and southerly winds over S.E. Australia brought ~8cm of snow to the Alps overnight and during the day. It is not enough to ski on yet, but maybe soon.

14 June 2001 Le Mans preparations: Bentley is back (but under VW which is keen to emphasise B's sporting heritage before Rolls Royce goes to BMW) with two Exp Speed 8 coupes. The stable-mate Audi R8 Infineons must be favourites after claiming the top three times at the first qualifying session:  1st Tom Kristensen #1 3m32.458s, 2nd Rinaldo Capello 3m33.514s, 3rd Ralf Kelleners 3m34.349s. The Dome-Judd of Lammers/ Hillebrand/ Crevels was 4th fastest and the Chrysler of Beretta/ Wendlinger/ Lamy 5th fastest. Bentleys were 6th and 7th fastest. Final qualifying starts Saturday at 4pm.

13 June Melb': ULP 84.9c/L (Wed')

June 2001, Toyota:

"J. D. Power and Associates 2001 Initial Quality Study has placed Toyota Corolla, hybrid-powered Toyota Prius and Toyota Echo one-two-three in its compact car category."  . . .  "Lexus LS430 was the top performing model in the entire J.D. Power survey, and topped the Premium Luxury Car segment."

And at the Toyota Fishing Expo held at Orchid Beach on Fraser Island:

"Mr. Tudman became the winner [in a draw] of a new Toyota HiLux Turbo Diesel single cab four wheel drive fitted with a Flexiglass Challenge canopy."

13 June 2001: Snow forecast in the Victorian Alps on Thursday (.au).

10 June 2001: Larry Stanley tells us that Fiat is experimenting with a prototype Fiat Punto four wheel drive - with an electric motor in each wheel, power being supplied by an internal combustion engine driving a generator, buffered by batteries. Of course there is nothing new under the sun: Ferdinand Porsche had similar transmissions c1900 and the US Army has more recently experimented with diesel- electric hybrid propulsion in Hummers and in the RST-V.

10 June 2001: Ralf Schumacher (Williams- BMW) won the Canadian Formula One (F1) Grand Prix from his older brother Michael (Ferrari) with Mika Hakkinen (McLaren- Mercedes-Benz) third. The Williams was clearly the fastest car on the day and, once it got past Schumacher's Ferrari during pit-stops, was never challenged. David Coulthard (McLaren- M'B') had been circulating in third and/or fourth place until forced out with a mechanical failure. Rubens Barrichello (Ferrari) crashed while trying to avoid a Montoya (Williams) crash.

9 June 2001: Neil Linger tells us that Peugeot is planning to build an SUV 4x4 to compete with the likes of Renault's RX4 (and SUV offerings by just about every other car maker).
There are in fact 4x4 Peugeots - Dangel conversions (and the military G-wagen based P4).

8-11 June 2001: The annual Finke Desert Race consists of a prologue followed by two full days of racing from Alice Springs to Finke on the edge of the Simpson Desert and back again, 230km each way [www]. 100+ cars and 300+ motorbikes competed in 2000. Bike #106, Michael Vroom, was the 1st bike home in 2hrs 14mins 57secs for the last leg, car #168 David Fellows/ Tony Pinto the 1st car home in 2hrs 17mins 57secs.		F i n k e
Cars overall: 1. David Fellows (buggy), 2. Bruce Garland/ Harry Suzuki (Jackaroo 4x4), 3. Wayne Attard (buggy). [road conditions][15/'01]	Garland's 4x4

6 - 12 June 2001: National 4x4 Show, RNA Exhibition Grounds, Brisbane Qld., with Fishing Show in conjunction with Queensland Caravan and Camping Show. (See [4wd calendar].)

June 2001 right: A little reminder about the hazards of crossing [H₂O] (no great harm done).

June 2001: Ford has extended its recall (see 23 May) of Firestone tyres to Ford Explorers sold in Europe. The vehicle has been involved in a number of fatal roll-overs in the USA. Ford cites tread separation on some of the Firestone tyres; Firestone wants the stability of the Explorer to be investigated.

5 June 2001 by email: Lorry driver Brian France (55) is sentenced to six years in prison at York Crown Court for killing six people including top-ranking off-road event competitor Steve [Maddison] and his wife Wendy. The accident happened [last November] near Boroughbridge in North Yorkshire.
France drove his Sainsbury's artic at full speed into the scene of an existing accident on the hard shoulder of the A1(M), killing three passengers trapped within an overturned car, in addition to the three Good Samaritans who had stopped to help - Steve Maddison (43), Wendy Maddison (39), and van driver David Cooper (32).
Those killed in the car, all members of the same family, were returning from a funeral and were aged 37, 39 and 44.
One member of the emergency services described the carnage as "The most horrific accident seen in thirty plus years with the service."
Judge Paul Hoffman told the Court: "I conclude that you were reading from a piece of paper in one hand and steering with the other, and for a very significant time and distance abandoned effective control over a heavy lorry when driving at maximum speed, almost on auto-pilot, on a motorway. This was a grave offence in terms of the quality of your driving and in terms of its horrendous consequences. You careered at maximum speed into a stationary hazard, conspicuous and obvious."
Andrew Dallas, prosecuting, told the Court that France had the truck on cruise control at 55mph, and had been seen weaving from lane to lane for a considerable distance. "There was an obvious and conspicuous hazard which had been seen by other motorists but he (France), without the slightest deviation or braking before the impact, struck the protruding lorry and started a chain reaction." Witnesses reported seeing France reading paperwork in his cab shortly before the collision.
France, who pleaded guilty to all six counts of death by dangerous driving, was also banned from driving for eight years. Shaun Spencer, QC, for the defence, said: "Quite clearly he did not see anything. He wishes he himself had not survived the crash rather than bear the burden of guilt that will remain with him for the rest of his life." [-via Peter Bradley]

5 June 2001, by email:

Opposite Lock drops price on `Twin Tongue' Tyre Pump: Opposite Lock has reduced the price of its high-performance [Twin Tongue] tyre pump from $835 to just $695 [$au]. The drop in price is a direct result of strong consumer interest in the `double-headed' compressor. Built especially for Opposite Lock by Thomas in the USA, continued strong demand for the Twin Tongue has allowed Opposite Lock to increase volumes, amortise costs, reduce margins, and pass substantial savings on to pump buyers. The combination of price and performance make the Twin Tongue an absolutely unbeatable buy. With an output of 2.93 cfm (84.1 lpm) the Twin Tongue will inflate the average 4WD tyre from 15psi to 30psi (105-210 kpa) in under a minute! And because the Twin Tongue is continuous-rated it will keep on pumping tyre, after tyre, after tyre. Offered as a `bare' pump for $695, Twin Tongue is also available in fixed-mount configuration for under-bonnet mounting or with a portable carry case including air hose and battery leads. To contact your nearest Opposite Lock store freecall 1 800 62 4444

Look O.L. up in [4wd.sofcom.com/XX/Links].

June 2001 Saab reports: Saab Australia offers 24-Hour test drives and zero % finance for 12 months on a range of its Saab 9-5 Sedans and Estates over June and July.

4 June 2001: Colin McRae and Nicky Grist in a Ford Focus have won the Cyprus Rally [-Ford].

May 2001: Ford (.au) recall the Explorer 4x4 UQ and US ('99 & '01) with the sohc engine: The control module allows the vehicle to go "too fast" and exceed the tyres' speed rating!-) Also note, the UN model (1996 on) was recalled in Feb' over an anti-roll bar problem. See Choice magazine.)

May 2001: De Dion Bouton cars made up the first commercially viable shipment of cars to Australia, 100 years ago.

27 May 2001, Monaco Grand Prix: 1. Michael Schumacher (Ferrari), 2. Rubens Barrichello (Ferrari), 3. Eddie Irvine (Jaguar). David Coulthard's McLaren failed to start on the warm-up lap and he had to begin the race in last position, at the back of the grid; he managed to work up to 5th place by the end of the race.
26 May 2001: David Coulthard (McLaren) qualified fastest for Sunday's Monaco Formula One Grand Prix. Michael Schumacher (Ferrari) was second fastest.

May 2001: Sales of new vehicles in Australia in April are 8.2% up on April 2000 (which was in the in the pre-GST slump) [-ABS]

May 2001: The new Mini Cooper (1.6L, £11.6K), as in BMW Mini, has been launched in Europe amidst the wreck of the British Motor Industry. The base `Mini One' (£10.3K, 88hp) will go on sale in July, and the supercharged `Cooper S' (160hp) in 2002.

May 2001: Suzuki Australia has launched a "new roadside assistance program: Suzuki CustomerCare." This includes free 3-year roadside assistance on all new Suzuki vehicles registered after 1 March 2001. The benefits include "24-hour assistance, bogged vehicle recovery, emergency fuel service, over-the-phone diagnosis and driver assistance, towing, and even a free taxi ride to enable driver and occupants to reach their destination."

May 2001: Toyota (.au) releases a Landcruiser 50th anniversary special edition versions of the 78-series cab chassis and Prado GXL.
Also see 4WD History.

25 May 2001, by email:

Due to the continuing crisis of Foot & Mouth Disease, the Yorkshire Rover Owners Club have decided to cancel Langley Farm 2001.
It is not a decision that has been taken lightly. Indeed just over two weeks ago we were still hoping to hold the event. However since then FMD has taken a surge in Yorkshire. We have therefore had to take this action now, so that any people who would have made Langley Farm their first choice event for that weekend can seek alternative events. Hope to see you all next year.

- Muck Moses, Membership Secretary, Yorkshire Rover Owners Club

24 May 2001: The climb up Uluru (Ayers Rock) in central Australia reopens. The climb was closed for 11 days as a mark of respect following the death of a traditional owner. The traditional owners prefer visitors not to climb the rock at any time and, it must be said, the walk around the base of the rock is more varied and more interesting.

May 2001: News of Ballarat 2002, 23 March.

May 2001 by email:

GreenLeaf is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ford Motor Company. We have stock on late, and sometimes early, model drive train and sheet metal parts. This inventory is not considered "new" but termed as ROE (Recycled Original Equipment). Most of it has never been installed into a vehicle and comes as an assembly. Such as a rear axle, this would be complete bolt in unit with gears, shafts, and housing. This inventory comes from the assembly plants as overruns and excess. GreenLeaf was established as an avenue to sell off this inventory through the salvage industry. Currently we have over 40 facilities in the US and Canada. I am looking for single orders or in bulk. Upon request I can furnish exact parts and prices. I can supply Ford OEM part numbers or the Hollander interchange number. If you are interested please contact me directly via e-mail or phone.
email: [Paul Cochran], GreenLeaf Massachusetts, USA 978.537.0928 x.258

21 May 2001: PSA Peugeot Citroen and Ford Motor Company have shown a direct injection diesel engine that they have jointly developed. The 1398cc engine is known as the HDi 1.4 by PSA Peugeot Citroen and Duratorq TDCi 1.4 by Ford, and ranges from 43 to 66kW and 150 to 200Nm. The engine will be built at the PSA Peugeot Citroen plant at Douvrin, France. The companies are also working on 1.6, 2.0 and V6 2.7 litre engines. [-Peugeot]

May 2001 Daimler Chrysler: "Chrysler and the U.S. Army Tank Automotive & Armaments Command (TACOM) - National Automotive Centre (NAC) will develop a military version of the environmentally friendly Dodge Ram HEV hybrid electric pickup truck."
Dodge already has plans to put a (civilian) hybrid Durango into production. The new army prototype will be based on the 2002 Ram 2500 fitted with a diesel electric hybrid power system, including a 55kW electric motor. The attraction is not just improved economy but the vehicle's ability to provide 20kW of continuous electric power (30kW peak for 1 minute) to operate electrical equipment.
US see [Rubicon].

May 2001: Opposite Lock Footscray (Victoria) reopened at new premises (right) in Geelong Road, Brooklyn after a fire destroyed the old building in March. The new building has a two storey showroom and a workshop at the rear. tel: (03) 9314 0414. [-O.L.]

May 2001: Land Rover Australia tells us that "The official launch for the new Range Rover will be the Melbourne Motor Show in [Feb/March] 2002."

May 2001: Honda showed its new fuel efficient i-series petrol engine in Tokyo. From November Honda will also fit a 1.7 litre Isuzu diesel to European Honda Civics to be built at Swindon, England. And Honda is "developing a 2.0-litre turbo diesel engine" for the next Honda Accord, due 2003.

20 May 2001, via Ateco Auto':

"The car Manufacturers being Members of ACEA, Association of European Carmakers (Ford, DaimlerChrysler, Renault, Fiat and BMW), have signed today an agreement under which they have approved the principles and scope of the company which will set up the new premier global open wheel single seat motor racing series which will start operating not later than on January 1st, 2008."

The manufacturer's are unhappy with certain directions that Formula One may go in, particularly a possible move from free-to-air TV onto pay-TV. Basically they are threatening a break-away series should this happen. One imagines that some negotiated compromise is likely by 2008.

19, 20 May 2001: The Richard Seaman Vintage & Historic Race Weekend, Donnington Park UK, features restored Auto Union grand prix cars of the 1930s, tel:0870-4000699.

19 May 2001: NRMA insurance will not increase premiums in the wake of the HIH collapse. (There have been suggestions that some premiums could rise by $150.) [-sofcom news]

18 - 25 May: ARB Warn Outback Challenge 2001.

18 - 21 May 2001: Friday 18th to Monday 21st, Blinman Land Rover Jamboree, Land Rover Register of South Australia.

May 2001: We learn that Automotive Technik Limited (UK), which recently took over manufacture of the Pinzgauer 4x4 and 6x6 from Steyr, has won a contract to export 6x6 Recovery Vehicles to the Oman Army, which already has over 1200 Pinzgauers!

14 May 2001: Corkwood Press announces its latest publication, a new edition of Charles Sturt's `Narrative of an Expedition into Central Australia', 1844-1846. In leather $90 (50 only), hardback $55, softback $39.95, p+p $5 ($au).
- Corkwood Press, P.O. Box 237, North Adelaide, South Australia, 5006.
Also see the [book] pages.

13 may 2001: The climb up Uluru (Ayers Rock) in central Australia was closed following the death of a senior traditional owner.
(It reopened 24 May).

13 May 2001: David Coulthard (McLaren Mercedes) won the Austrian F1 Grand Prix from Michael Schumacher (Ferrari) and Rubens Barrichello (Ferrari). Four cars, including that of Mika Hakkinen (McLaren), stalled at the start as launch control systems continued to give trouble. Juan Pablo Montoya (Williams BMW) took an early lead until his (Michelin) tyres suddenly faded. Schumacher (42pts) still leads the championship from Coulthard (38pts).

May 2001: The Australian Freight Congress Transport & Logistics Expo, Melbourne, 12-15 September 2001, will have the 2000 Australian Championship (racing Supertruck) truck - the Cat powered Volvo Aero. Also present will be a new Mercedes Supertruck Racing Simulator for enthusiasts to try their skill against truck racers.

May 2001: Firefly's six wheel drive (6x6) [Firebex] fire tender demonstrator is for sale at £81,000 - under 7000 miles on the clock - Mike Eastman

12-13 May 2001: "Honda Australia and its dealers are aiming to send records tumbling at the Honda Once a Year Day Sale this weekend." [-Honda]
(This is probably the only way prices are going to fall in the near future given the weak au$.)

11 May 2001: "The Board of General Motors has approved the takeover of [Daewoo Motor], according to news agency and Korean media reports. General Motors is expected to make a formal proposal as early as next week and a formal agreement could be reached as early as mid June." [GM]

May 2001, right: The Winnebago Freeway camper (3 or 4 berth) on a Mazda E Series chassis, as at the Caravan, Camping & 4WD Supershow, Rosehill, 21st -29th April 2001. price from au$49,990 - [contact].

May 2001: Kia Spectra and Optima prices.

8 May 2001: Pre-practice times for the Le Mans 24-hour race 16-17 June. 1 Capello/Kristensen (Infineon Audi R8) 3m 32.742s;  2 Herbert/Kelleners/Theys (Audi R8) 3m 33.205s;  3 Brundle/Ortelli/Smith (Bentley) 3m 34.050s;  4 Lammers/Hillebrand/Crevels (Dome-Judd) 3m 34.883s;  5 Biela/Pirro (Infineon Audi R8) 3m 34.915s;  6 Johansson/Gounon (Audi R8) 3m 35.124s;  7 Wallace/Smith/McCarthy (Bentley) 3m 36.329s;  8 Dalmas/Montagny/Simon (Chrylser) 3m 36.988s;  9 Bourdais/Boullion/Redon (Courage-Peugeot) 3m 37.542s;  10 Lupberger/Collins (Ascari-Judd) 3m 38.399s   [-Audi]

May 2001: Daewoo Musso 4x4 cheaper than ever.

7 May 2001: Mitsubishi is to produce a special edition Pajero to celebrate Jutta Kleinschmidt's win of the 2001 Paris Dakar Offroad Rally in January. Don't get too excited, it is a long wheel base, and it is NOT going to be a full-on racing Pajero, rather based on the Pajero GLX and fitted with "alloy wheels, body-coloured bumpers and wheel-arch flares, a rear roof spoiler, a Dakar-labelled spare wheel cover, in-dash CD stacker and unique DAKAR badging." The extras are said to be worth $3.5K, but are fitted at no extra cost. On sale: May and June 2001 from au$44K.

May 2001: Colin McRae and Nicky Grist have won the Rally Argentina in their Ford Focus.

May 2001: Toyota has a won a large Defence Department order to supply vehicles, from mini buses to cars to 4x4s.

3 May 2001: Land Rover and Ford have created `Land Rover & Ford Project Vehicles' (LFPV) as their main distributor of vehicles for Aid, Relief and Development programmes. LFPV is based in the UK. "It is anticipated that models such as the Land Rover Defender and Discovery, and the Ford Explorer, Ranger and F Series, will continue to prove especially popular among the agencies and other organisations active in the Aid, Relief and Development sector." [-LR/Ford]

1 May 2001: New on europatrucktrial:

MKS fodert Opfer auch von Truck Trial: Lauf in den Niederlanden wegen Tierseuche abgesagt! Foot-and-Mouth takes tribute to TruckTrial: Due to desease heat in the Netherlands cancelled! Hier die Läufe im einzelnen: All heats in detail: 26./27. Mai Alcarras / E 02./03. Juni Montalieu-Vercieu / F 30.Juni./01.Juli Roppen / A 07./08. Juli Pécs / H 28./29. Juli Absage / Cancelled! 04./05. Aug. Osnabrück / D 25./26. Aug. Mohelnice / CZ
[4wd calendar]

May 2001: [Del Albright] [www] emails us about

"Friends of the Rubicon (FOTR)" -- "Friends of the Rubicon are well underway and making progress with placer county and the local water board. We're pretty sure there will be no gate as was rumored."

So if interested in this region contact Del. US see Gee prices

30 April 2001: A nine year old boy was killed by dingoes on Fraser Island, Queensland. The island is a popular 4wd destination. Dingoes are naturally timid, but some on the island have been fed by tourists with the result that a number have lost their natural fear of people and have even become aggressive.

30 April 2001: "Phyllis Jones is the 2001 Freightliner Road Transport Woman of the Year. Phyllis was presented with her Award by Australian Trucking Association Chairperson Kathy Williams at the ATA Convention in Canberra on April 21. [...] Phyllis and husband Nev have operated NJ & NP Jones since 1969. The Hay (NSW) based company operates seven trucks including road-trains on livestock, general, wool and grain. [...]" [-daimlerchrysler].

April 2001: The Land Rover Supertrek 2001 final at Tahloona Station near Goulburn NSW was contested by seven four-wheel driving teams from Australia and New Zealand. The event includes laser skeet shooting, mountain biking, orienteering and canoeing as well as four wheel driving. The Southern Cross Land Rover team from Queensland won (again) and get to compete in the international Supertrek event in the USA, 2002 [-LR].

29 April 2001: Michael Schumacher won the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix after Mika Hakkinen's clutch failed on the last lap, while he was in the lead.

27 April 2001: There does not seem to be any obvious reason for the sudden jump in city petrol prices to well over the dollar per litre, except that it is the end of the week.

April 2001: The Kidney Kar Rally 2001, 16-22 April, results are:
Outright placings, 1. Kar 072 - The Pensioners, Grahame McKay, Henry Viana, 2. Kar 66 - Star Kar, Warren Quinn, Paul Regan, 3. Kar 39 - Heartbreaker, Peter and Rodney Hogno.
Wacko Placings, 1. Kar 5 - Wombat, Doug Woodcock, Paul Fenech, 2. Kar 57 - The Shaguar, Jason and Joanne Sharam, Stuart Jackson, 3. Kar 151 - Sly Fox, Graeme Diamond, Brian Cini, Jerry Vandenbosch.
Highest fundraisers, 1. Kar 151 - Sly Fox (Graeme Diamond, Brian Cini, Jerry Vandenbosch) 2. Kar 940 - Australia All Over (Bob Rowlands, Bill Gibbs, Peter Mills) 3. Kar 90 - Ain't Misbehavin (Les and Lea Leisfield).

25 April 2001, Anzac Day: The heavy rain of recent days stopped and the sun shone on a large crowd come to watch the Anzac Day parade in Melbourne.

24 April 2001, Mitsubishi: The Pajero of Townsville Mitsubishi dealer Geoff Pickering finished second in Class 7 (stock standard vehicles), and 11th overall, in the Ipswich 300. The Nissan patrol of Les Siviour won Class 7. Only 15 out of 50 entrants finished. The event is the first round of the 2001 Australian Off Road Championship.

April 2001: Suzuki has announed lower prices across the Grand Vitara Wagon range. The Suzuki Grand Vitara four cylinder Wagon Sports starts from $27,990 for the manual and $29,890 for the automatic. The Grand Vitara V6 Wagon Sports starts from $29,990 for the manual and $31,890 for the automatic. ($au 4/2001).

April 2001: Britain's "What Car" magazine has awarded its annual prize for security to Lexus for its IS200 model and Toyota for its range as a whole. [-Toyota]

24 April 2001: Jim Richards (Porsche) has won the 2001 Targa Tasmania.

24 April 2001: The Melbourne - Geelong freeway was closed by flooding in the early morning; the Melbourne bound carriageway remained closed all day.

23 April 2001: After three days of rain, a flood warning for Traralgon and for the Barwon River, Victoria .au.

23 April 2001, Neil Linger tells us that the Sunday Times (22/4/01) reports that Land Rover is working on a "baby Range Rover" to compete with the BMW X5 4x4.
It is certainly true that a new Range Rover series-III is due out ~2002; that is the four wheel drive seen as the BMW X5 competitor by most writers. The big question is what will (Ford-) Landrover do with the Defender which has incredible tough-appeal (and Lara Croft) but is very expensive to build and difficult to bring up to modern safety standards. There would definitely be room for a light-weight, fun version of the Discovery which has become the form's school-run wagon. Ford wants to make money out of the Landrover name, hopefully without emasculating the marque.

22 April 2001, email from the USA:

Mercedes-Benz USA now has full distribution rights for the G-Class and the price of a G500 5dr in the US has been cut from US$140,00 to $72,500! Jeep's new Liberty (Cherokee in international markets) has also started popping up in dealer showrooms. The Audi S6 Avant wagon goes on sale in the US in the fall. Audi will not be selling an S6 sedan in the US. Also in the works is a 4MOTION version of the US-market Jetta (Bora) Wagon. The new Subaru Impreza Sedan, Sport Wagon, and WRX have gone on sale in the US to a lot of fanfare; so has the US-only Isuzu Axiom, the "SUV of the future" - carorvan.
Also see [N.Y. Show].

21-22 April 2001: Yarraman Midnight Pursuit 2001 (Vic, .au)

April 2001: News of a Chinese 4WD.

April 2001: Julio Florez points out an excellent web site on travel in Africa, although your German will have to be good.

April 2001: The `Australian Dictionary of Motoring' has been updated and released - see [books] under Pedr Davis.

19 April 2001: T. C. Alistair is 200km north of Broome, W.A..

18 April 2001: A bit late in the season, but Tropical Cyclone Alistair lurks off the north coast of Western Australia.

18 - 24 April 2001: Targa Tasmania - 2200km on tarmac roads, of which 500km is divided into 54 timed competitive stages.

April 2001: Volkswagen reports that was the "top selling European automotive brand" in Australia, in March 2001, topping BMW and Mercedes Benz. A new GP model Passat goes on sale in 1st May. The new Bora featuring a 150kW V6 and 4motion (four wheel drive) goes on sale ~1st July.

17 April 2001: Anyone who went away from a large city this Easter holiday probably had the unusual experience of the price of petrol falling(!) from 98c to 99.9c per litre (ULP) in the city, to perhaps 95c per litre about 100km from Melbourne, say, then rising again to 99c per litre at country centres 200km away from the capital.

April 2001: Volvo [prices].

April 2001, New York Motor Show: Audi A4 2002 m.y. crosses the Atlantic. Chevrolet showed off new versions of its Avalanche, including the 2500 Series. Priced slighly under $30,000, the Avalanche is now arriving at dealers in Miami, Los Angeles, Houston, and Dallas, and goes on sale in the rest of American in late June. The Chrysler PT Cruiser has had the chop, the roof chop that is, creating a convertible (does anyone "get" the PT Cruiser?). General Motors' Hummer SUT 4x4 "lite" gets nearer and nearer to production. The Jaguar X-type all wheel drive comes to USA. Subaru Outback H6 sedan is new, the wagon has been seen elsewhere. Suzuki shows the `SX' or `Sport Crossover' concept vehicle (right) - a four door hatchback with a 2-litre supercharged engine (220hp), and all wheel drive. - DaimlerChrysler, Suzuki, Neil Linger, CarorVan, & others.

14-15 April 2001: Ramsay Winch Pursuit.

13-16 April 2001: 4WD Jamboree 2001, Howes Valley, NSW Jamboree 2001, c/o GSRC, PO Box 243, Kingswood, NSW 2747.

12 April 2001: Petrol prices jumped by 10c/litre as Easter (13-16/4) drew close, prompting allegations of profiteering from motoring organizations.

12-22 April 2001: Kidney 4WD Adventure, Tamworth to Broken Hill via the Simpson Desert Australian Kidney Foundation on (02)9299-4599.

April 2001: Toyota Avalon CSX sports pack tries to boost sales.

April 2001: This unusual "glass" roofed CLK-Class Cabriolet (right) is being used by Mercedes Benz researchers to study where drivers look and how obstructions, such as A- and B-pillars affect driving performance. Different pillar shapes and positions can be taped onto the plexiglass dome roof. Eye tracking computers record what the driver is looking at.

And left, following its support for Australian Fashion Week, Mercedes Benz launched the `Mercedes Start Up' scheme to support up and coming, local fashion designers.

April 2001: Kia prices for 2001 ($au).

April 2001, via Neil Linger: There are stories in circulation about General Motors and Fuji Heavy Industries (Subaru) having discussions on building a sport wagon, possibly based on the Chevrolet Borrego show car.

April 2001: The Red Cross is appealing for blood donations as it prepares for Easter (we could all drive very carefully as well).

3 April 2001: Land Rover Australia is running a "competition", the prize being a Queensland holiday for two at Port Douglas valued at over $12,000: log on to the [website][*] and book a test drive of the new Freelander (V6/Td4) for a chance to win.
The Freelander is a good car, worth a look, but it is one of the most expensive in its class.
[*] Beware: Flash heavy site.

April 2001: FT.com reports that Rover is having initial talks with General Motors and its ally Fiat about using their engines and gearboxes. Rover is now a small independent car maker free of, or is cast adrift from, BMW. It has some appealing plans to make the most of the MG name but is caught in a sort of no-man's land between small specialist makers and the big firms.

1 April 2001: Honda CR-V is available with au$2.5K of dress-up goodies for "a reduced cost".

April 2001: Toyota has shown its first Formula One car (right) at the Paul Ricard circuit, France. It is powered by a 3-litre 90° V10. The test drivers are Mika Salo (Finland) and Allan McNish (Scotland). 2001 is for development and testing only; Toyota plans to enter F1 competition in 2002.

April 2001, Toyota (au): A pilot group of 35+ Toyota dealers has started giving customers a service pricing guide when buying a new car. It sets out in advance the cost of each recommended scheduled service.

April 2001: Launceston, Tasmania based ACL Bearings has won the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) award for supplier of the year for the 2nd year running.

31 March 2001 by email: Dominion Va power crews responded to a broken pole on North Enon Church Rd in Chester Virginia on March 31 2001 around 13:15. When crews arrived on the scene they found that a 40' wooden pole had been broken due to a vehicle accident. The white Jeep was traveling at a high speed when they apparently lost control of the vehicle and hit the pole. The Jeep ended up over in the trees on the front bumper. The 12,500 volt power line remained hot and still in service until the Va power crews had to de-energized the lines to remove the person from the vehicle and to repair the power line safely. The driver was transported by ambulance to the local hospital. The person driving his Jeep ended up with a broken leg - Garry Butler [1/4/01]

Go to the 1-3/2001 and 4wdnews archive pages