Today we answer the big questions you didn't know you've been asking. Is the Pope Argentinian? Do angels have sex? Why wait for electric cars, why not go straight to hydrogen? Will Mad Max get a five-second penalty for pushing Lewis Hamilton off the track last Sunday? Why does the FIA hate Hamo and Mercedes? Is Alfa hiring Guanyu Zhou, China's first-ever full-time Formula 1 driver, bigger than Joe B doing climate change with Xi J? Was Volkswagen's $125m penalty for misleading customers about diesel emissions in its cars the highest ever imposed by the Federal Court for a breach of consumer laws? Is $1.1m too much to pay for a used 1971 Ford Falcon XY GT-HO Phase 3 Sedan? Can you buy a 1990 Mini that's faster than a Ferrari?
F1's own analyst, former F1 and F2 driver Jolyon Palmer, said that Mad Max's antics at turn 48 in Brazil last Sunday "was a fairly slam dunk forcing another driver off the track". Now if you watch the replay, it's clear that Maxie, the 24-year-old Belgian Virgo, had no chance of making the corner.
Two cars to think about this weekend. Shannons have "the ex-Al Turner/Allan Moffat car, a fabulous Track Red Phase III in superb condition, fully documented history from new, offered from long-term collector ownership" coming up for auction online for just $1.1m.
The real question is: is it worth it? There are a few tricks in valuing classic cars, especially Australian ones. Well, it has the optional twin exterior mirrors, 8 track tape player and delete side stripes and Super Roo decals. It has a full, documented history including a sale at $25k in 1981, a sale at around $85k in the 1990s and then the killer Bonhams & Goodmans auction where the Falcon went for $684k in March 2007. So, it's the goods. And it's a no-brainer if you are an Australian muscle car fan with a friendly SMSF.
Now you know the worst part of English classic cars is that they were built in England using English parts (I'm looking at you Lucas). Guess who fixed this problem? Yup, the would-be submarine builders. Head over to Adrien Harang's My Mini Revolution in Houdan about 70km from Paris. Adrien does to Minis what the factory should have and should be doing. Like making them super quick and super reliable. I'm talking to him about a 1990 Mini Cooper he has in the front window. Your original Mini Cooper came standard with a 1275cc engine that pumped out 45KW and could hit 148km/h. Adrien's Mini comes with a 150KW 4-cylinder Honda VTEC engine. "If your favourite weekend activity is making Ferrari owners sob onto their carbon fibre steering wheels, this is the tool for the job."