Car connoisseurs' auction frenzy
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Spanning 2026, 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2009
A garage of Feezers, Lambos and Bentleys, all 'earned' on $60k a year
What would you and I do if we were the president of a country, or the vice-president because we're the president's sons?
Read moreFerrari 488, F430, Dino GT: how best to buy your supercar
Just imagine you had some good news. Ferrari Sydney boss Angelo Ruberto calls to say your new $500,000 Ferrari 488 GTB, which wasn't meant to turn up until 2017, is in the Alexandria showroom, ready to go.
Read moreSchumacher's car and not a wombat in sight
Up for sale at Bonhams in Bond Street is a tastefully painted yellow car. It's only had two previous drivers. Ross Brawn designed the car and plonked a nice Ford V8 in right behind the driver's seat. It was Michael Schumacher's Benetton.
Read moreJust bite the Bullitt
A Spanish person bought the 40 year old Ferrari 250GTO from serious Ferrari collector Paul Pappalardo five years ago for a lot less than the new owner paid last month — nearly $60 million. The original owner Jean Guichet paid around $18,000 for it.
Read moreIt's official: F1 is a Mickey Mouse organisation
Just when you thought Formula 1 and FIA couldn't become more of a parody of itself, Mickey Mouse shows up to help.
Read moreHow Ferrari saves lives
Dick Colton died in March. He made his money distributing shoes. A shy man, who I'm told was scared of the ocean, he also owned a serious collection of Ferraris and Jaguars.
Read moreFlashy Italian cars laced with nostalgia
Budget, schmudget — we have much more critical issues to discuss. Like whether you take the low-end suite at the Hotel Hermitage for $4,000 a night or just forget the persons on struggle street and take the $5,000 ones with Jacuzzis at the RM Monaco auction.
Read moreCure those motoring April blues
How is April working for you so far? Guess it started off with the (near April) Malaysia Grand Prix. On the podium were Seb Vettel, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.
Read moreWhat happened to Roger Baillon's car collection?
I know you've all been wondering what happened in Paris when they auctioned Roger Baillon's cars. You remember that late last year, the world found out Roger had been keeping 60 incredible cars in various barns around his farm in western France for the past 50 years.
Read moreFlog Fazzas if words fail you
John Collins worked as a photojournalist in Beirut, went broke in the 1987 crash and had to sell his Ferrari. Two months later he set up Talacrest. In his first year he sold 150 Ferraris. Since then he's sold more than $800 million worth.
Read moreSupercar tour for super rich
You and your friend join 58 other incredibly wealthy metal lovers in 29 supercars for a four-day, 1400km road trip from Brands Hatch to Monaco — with Michelin-starred lunches, champagne district hotels and a party on a superyacht.
Read moreHow to be a winner
Become President of Turkmenistan and win your country's first motor race. Or adopt the Mark Webber strategy and consistently come fourth. Or enter the 24 Hours of LeMons — endurance racing for cars that cost $500 or less.
Read moreGrumbles in F1 land and St Ayrton McLaren goes on sale
Danny Ricciardo fastest lap at Melbourne GP plus the 1993 McLaren-Ford MP4/8A Senna drove to his final Monaco win goes to auction for $11 million.
Read moreFerrari 488GTB, McLaren 650S, Lamborghini Huracan: why we pay more
Let's say you've got half a mill to spend on your next car. It's tough because you're spoilt for choice, you know the minute you drive out of the showroom you've already dropped $100k, and you're paying about double what your mates in the US are for the same car.
Read moreFerrari 250GT Berlinetta Competizione: hot metal, sinuous shape
Ferrari GT 250 SWB Berlinetta. You won't get any change out of $20 million at Pebble Beach. It's the first of the month, so let's get into the car porn.
Read moreMoney flows in Monterey
You're probably sick to death of me writing about Ferraris that sell for obscene amounts of money in rich locations. Oh you're not? OK then.
Read moreFrom Porsche to Toyota: The five best cars to buy in a tough market
Yes, it's here now. You didn't ask for it and we delivered. Direct from the Kensi Hotel in downtown Stepney, it's the announcement of the five best cars to buy now. The FBCTBN is an international award judged by a panel of two legends in their own lunchtimes.
Read moreSmall change for a beast
What can you buy for $300 million? Or you could have bought all 2,500 cars that sold at Scottsdale last month. For only $20 million you could have bought the top four: a 1967 Corvette L88, two 1958 Ferraris and a Ferrari 212 Berlinetta.
Read moreForget Ferraris and Lambos, look out for Toyota, Intermeccanica
I was on my second PBJ & Bacon Burger at Rehab Burger Therapy on 2nd Street in Scottsdale, Arizona, not far from Scottsdale Fashion Square where Dave Gooding is having his auction in a few weeks.
Read moreFerraris dominate list of world's most expensive sports cars
Money can't buy happiness but it can buy a really great car, which is pretty much the same thing. But you have to hurry because soon the only people owning cars will be collectors and country folk.
Read moreWhy Sargeant lost his F1 stripes at clog fest and other important issues
Try this quick quiz: How did Mercedes do last Sunday at the clog fest? Which F1 team did Dutch bailiffs lock up at Zandvoort because of $13m owed to a former sponsor? The answers to these and some other important questions in today's bumper edition.
Read moreFast Bentley amid sea of Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Audis and Porsches
It was just a normal day at Phillip Island for your correspondent from The Weekend Australian Motoring Confidential. There were millions of kamikaze and obviously deaf seagulls sunning themselves on the approach to Lukey Heights.
Read more$30m Spider man
The man with the gavel started the auction at $10 million. The first bid was $16 million. Eddie Smith's 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4S NART Spider — one of only four made — sold for around $35 million to Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll.
Read moreHow racing to the Max takes all the fun out of F1
Max Verstappen has won 13 of the first 16 races of the 2023 season.
Read moreRush reveals the art of F1
My editor told me to stop writing about dissolute travels to car auctions, free booze and how much money friends spend on cars. So today we review Ron Howard's Rush, two books by famous authors you've never heard of, and the Adelaide Festival of Motoring Arts.
Read moreMad Max rises above the fear and loathing
Before we look at last week's US Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, we are going to talk about Australia's favourite topic, property! Porsche dealerships are moving faster than Chuck Leclerc in Texas.
Read moreAuctions leave me dazed and confused
Is any piece of metal, even a Ferrari GTO, worth nearly $60 million? Is a 1967 Toyota worth $1 million? Who in their right mind would pay $150 grand for a Goggomobil look alike? The combined Sotheby's/RM and Bonhams auctions have left me dazed and confused.
Read moreIs that a McLaren in a pear tree, or too much Applewood?
Adelaide Classic Rally Day 2: the WART BMW catches fire, a McLaren crashes on the last turn, and Craig Lowndes leads the Prima Tour in a Ferrari 488 Pista.
Read moreSainz preserve us: Max's fired-up brake smokes Albert Park chances
Look everyone makes mistakes. You're sitting there on the front of the grid and you've forgotten to let the handbrake off. Max's rear brake caught fire and Carlos Sainz took the lead.
Read moreMark Webber blasts Red Bull F1 in Aussie Grit book
First thing to do this morning is go and buy or download a copy of Mark Webber's book Aussie Grit (I paid $15 on Amazon). It's not Hemingway but it's a great read.
Read moreJimmy Dimmock aiming high at World Speedway Grand Prix
Forget F1, the Olympics, whatever the soccer cup is called and the grand finals — in October Melbourne gets to host the biggest event in the speedway universe.
Read moreDo Ferraris attract cows?
At great personal expense, a group of scientists drove a Ferrari 458 Italia, an Audi A4 and a vintage Roller to a farm 59 miles outside London to test whether the sound of a Ferrari attracts cows. The results were conclusive.
Read moreHow to make a fortune buying the car you love
Six golden rules to investing in a classic car, plus the Singapore Concours d'Elegance featuring the Sultan of Johor's 1972 Ferrari Daytona.
Read moreRobb Report
The Robb Report's 2009 car of the year competition tested in the Napa Valley — with multicourse, multi-vintage dinners at better vineyards. The Porsche 911 S only managed fourth. The winner? The Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4.
Read moreColumn 6 May 2009
How to save 30% on your new Porsche 911 and 20% on your new Bentley; how to look like Jay Gatsby and attract thousands of good-looking women or men, or both; and the winner of the Robb Report's 2009 car of the year award.
Read moreCarpark discrimination as Ferrari denies speedo fiddling
Westfield valet parking refuses a Ford ute while Ferrari faces lawsuits over dealers rolling back odometers of used cars.
Read moreAstley circus caused a buzz and so too are this month Paris auctions
RM Sotheby auctions in Paris feature a Ferrari 166MM, Iso Grifo and Maserati MC12 among the highlights.
Read moreFlying Ferdy stars and yes, Barbie really does get a Maserati
Fernando Alonso's drive of the season — crashing with Stroll, pitting for repairs, coming back from 17th to finish seventh — was the highlight of the US GP. Also: Maserati teams up with Barbie. Yes, really.
Read moreMcLaren disaster reboots F1 title race into three-way battle
Red Bull's Max Verstappen, middle, flanked McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.
Read moreFingers firmly on the tractors pulse as readers prefer agricultural fodder
You don't want to know about the Ferrari 550 GT1 Prodrive that sold for $6m at Monterey. You want to know about tractors.
Read moreChiko on a roll as Max puts the F into F1
Great news, Australia! The Chiko Roll is back on the Mountain. The Chiko Roll company will sponsor Betty Klimenko's Erebus Motorsport Camaro at Bathurst. Plus McLaren-gate, the FIA's rude words ban, and our car of the week — the 1954 Pegaso Z-102.
Read moreLewis Hamilton Hockenheim F1 adventure one for the ages
Hamilton starts 14th and wins at Hockenheim, Vettel crashes into a DHL sign, plus Bonhams sells the 1965 Aston Martin DB5 from GoldenEye for $3.4m.
Read moreWhy FIA president is a loose wheel on a difficult course
With barely a month to go before the start of the biggest-ever F1 season, with the biggest-ever side mirrors (always good to see what's happening behind you), the big question is not whether Hamo will sign his contract.
Read moreFerrari's profit machine: selling less creates $90bn powerhouse
The world's most profitable car company wants to be a handbag company.
Read moreExcuses with more twists than an F1 track
We all have lots of excuses for not winning in the game of life or on the racetrack. Our award for the worst excuse goes to Lando Norris: "One or two more laps and I think I would have had him."
Read moreEveryone has a terrible horrible no good very bad day in Hungary and Stuttgart
Everyone has a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day in Hungary and Stuttgart. Mad Max moaned, McLaren were appalling in strategy, and Porsche shares fell to a record low.
Read moreNo Stroll in the park for Sir Lance-a-lot
And the working model of the Hoke's Random Excuse Generator Machine goes to the Aston Martin team, for defending Lance Stroll after he ran up the back of Daniel Ricciardo at the Chinese Grand Prix.
Read morePorsche dealerships moving faster than Chuck Leclerc in Texas
Today we assess why Aussie Oscar is our next F1 campione del mondo and why you have a better chance of beating a Jeep in a foot race than extracting satisfactory repairs from Stellantis.
Read moreLuxury marques that won't make you look like a drug dealer
Five cars over $350,000 that don't make you look like a drug dealer: pre-war Bentley, Porsche Turbo S, McLaren 720S, and Jaguar E-Type.
Read moreYou can't always get what you want: like this silver beauty
Last Saturday night was the most exciting sporting event ever on telly since the 1959 world curling championship in Scotland.
Read moreF1 Mexico GP preview: Verstappen aims for sixth win at high altitude
Max Verstappen celebrates in Austin, Texas. Picture: Getty Images. Only in Formula One could a strip of sticky tape turn into an international incident...
Read moreVegas gamble elevates the fear and loathing
Why was the Las Vegas Grand Prix the best race of this season or maybe any season for a very long time? Weirdness, is the answer. There were loose man/woman/person hole covers that nearly destroyed Carlos Sainz's Ferrari and caused practice to be no more, expired and finished.
Read moreCheco Perez sparkles as F1s cheap wine goes flat
Sergio "Checo" Perez won the Saudi Grand Prix by five seconds from Mad Max; with Ferdy Alonso third then last then third again. The FIA stewards took five hours and 12 minutes to decide that Ferdy needed to be penalised, then decided they were wrong and everything should go back to the way it was.
Read moreA bumper to bumper edition of festive cheer
Welcome to the bumper Christmas, Hanukkah, Diwali, Kwanzaa, Las Posadas and Clog beating Soap Dodger edition of Weekend Australian Motoring in the business section. First up the worst car name of all time up until December 2021. The contenders are: the Great Wall Wingle, Mitsubishi Minica Lettuce, Mitsubishi Toppo Big Joy Guppy, Ford Probe, FSO Polonez and Lamborghini Urus.
Read moreRed Bull F1 players ponder pedal power as Honda pulls pin
Why is Honda pulling out of F1? And reader Lindsey Nielsen's Honda Type R has been off the road more than on it.
Read moreFormula E Lucas Di Grassi briefs judged too brief
Formula E driver Lucas di Grassi fined $15,000 for wearing unapproved knickers, plus Mazda CX-5 drive system disengagement scandal continues.
Read moreHamo and Mad Max go mano a mano as FWONK brings back the biffathon
FWONK has brought back the biff so expect fireworks and more on the Hungaroring at Mogyorod next weekend. On the first lap of the Brit GP, Hamo and Max came together at around 320km/h, putting Max into a tyre barrier. Max and Red Bull management believe Lou should have been sent to hell.
Read moreWhy mob mentality may be Mad Max's undoing on home soil
Yes readers, today there's even more of what you hate. It's all clog, all the time, with a clog favourite to take the 75th Dutch Grand Prix. Don't think there's less pressure on Mad Max on his home course.
Read moreSingapore slings an unexpected surprise at F1 fans
Don't let it be forgotten that once there was a spot, for one brief shining moment, that was known as the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix. For once, for once in a very, very long time, we saw an F1 race that was more exciting
Read moreSome Chrissy presents to rile up the reindeer
You don't want to be the lost sock in the laundromat of life this Christmas, so what passes for a team here have put together an early present list that is guaranteed to have your family enthusiastically looking for the next handout. The Sultan has two new books out.
Read moreFerrari's got the most oomph for Chalmers Future Fund
And it's welcome from us to King Chuck and Queen Gladys. We know, exclusively, where their real destination is – South Australia's most populous city, home to the Adelaide Rally and Cooper's Brewery.
Read moreF1 has a women problem and it's unacceptable
F1 has a women problem and it's unacceptable. No matter how hard the F1 management tries to spin it, the sport has a serious gender issue that goes to the very top.
Read moreWhat is $100m among friends for a Ferrari?
A rubber mat salesman pays $94m for a 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO in a private sale, and Jeff Thomson's Falcon GTHO Phase III brings $1 million at Bathurst.
Read moreThe name Ecclestone can still drive the headlines in high-society, as Petra proves
I didn't see any of you at Petra's wedding last Saturday. Petra Ecclestone, 33, daughter of Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone, married Sam Palmer, 38, former used car salesperson of Essex. The name Ecclestone can still drive the headlines in high-society.
Read moreHamo puts the Prancing Horse out for a spell
Hamilton wins Singapore GP equalling Vettel's four wins, plus Goodwood Revival and the 1990 Jaguar XJR-11 Group C sports prototype.
Read moreThe quickest road-legal EVs and why Targa Tasmania's return is bigger than electric hypercars
The only thing quicker than the Aspark Owl is the speed at which it will drain your bank account.
Read moreAllegations of kickbacks and framing 'ghost' drivers
NSW's ICAC is investigating an allegation that two Roads and Maritime Services public servants awarded in excess of $41m in RMS contracts to companies with which they were associated, in exchange for receiving benefits including Porsche 911 variants and Ferraris.
Read morePlaying chicken with the wrath of Mother Nature
It was bigger than a footy player's night out in Bali. A Melbourne Monsoon.
Read morePorn, cigs and gambling: who said F1's gone woke?
It's green light on and the bunny's away at 1pm next month on the bumpy streets of Aughtie and Lakeside Drives, Albert Park, the Logan City of Victoria.
Read moreThe Moke's no joke folks, especially when you're the bloke in the driver's seat
After 40 years and 380,000km, the Markster decided to shout his British death trap new front seats. Plus, Hamo wins in Spain by 24 seconds.
Read moreTime for a quick check of the review mirror
Get your brains on for a change! Today under the new boss's orders, we are doing book reviews. This week's book is Surviving to Drive by Gunther Steiner. Gunther, 58, born in Merano, South Tyrol, now resident of Mooresv
Read moreOscar's our next world champ as long as he's not driving a Jeep
Oscar Piastri is our next world champion — as long as he's not driving a Jeep. The 23-year-old from Melbourne is fast, composed, and getting better every race. Meanwhile, Jeep owners Helen and Jerry Chaberka can't get a response from Stellantis about their troubled Grand Cherokee.
Read moreDouble your F1 money in the land of the free
When "two much" fun is barely enough, you know you must be in septic land for not one but two F1 races. Yes, this weekend it's the United States Grand Prix in the city famous for absolutely nothing, but Circuit of the A
Read moreLong odds on anyone but the top two racers
When you're looking for a winner, go to the pollster with skin in the game. In Saturday's federal election, all the Australian bookies tell us it's no 2005 Recaredo Reserva Particular for ScoMo but a shoey full for Albo. Long odds on anyone but the top two racers.
Read moreFormula 1 descends into an 'EV hell' as electrical failures plague the top teams
McLaren can run but it can't hide from reality even though a crew member did his best to shield the car and Oscar after they had to retire. Picture: AP
Read moreHollywood's take on F1: a polished leap further than Drive to Survive
Yes, Brad Pitt is driving in F1, Danny Ricciardo is back and Melbourne chanteuse, Rosé, is warbling not driving.
Read moreWhen being of good cheer means shifting through the gears
The big question was how did it get in? In a rally and a race, the windows must be up. But it wasn't a terribly big bee. Probably a teddy bear bee. Or as we call them in Adelaide, Amegilla Asaropods.
Read moreFrom revheads to Alfa males, they're off to a flying start
<p>There's still 54 sleeps till the start of the F1 season but already the trackside confession booth has been busier than the High Court deciding who the Manchurian candidates are in our very own parliament.</p>
Read moreQuest for Holden Piazzas, enlightenment and Xmas gifts
<p>OK. I've stalled long enough. The editor is really cranky so here's the Xmas special with recommended gifts, motorcycles, funny Santa references and our car of the year.</p>
Read moreGetting Beemed up at Shannons Adelaide Rally
<p>Things were going extremely well until the engine caught fire. Well, that's not really true because within 10 minutes of the start of the first stage of the Shannons Adelaide Rally a Ferrari 360 removed its front end when it found an embankment.</p>
Read moreMove over champs, we're firing on all but one cylinder
<p>Bah humbug! Yes, it's Happy Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanza, Happy Day of the Return of the Wandering Goddess or, if you're an atheist, Happy Nothing at All. Not a very happy day for me.</p>
Read moreAt last, cars that handle the wet; some call them boats
<p>Haven't you heard enough about cars? I agree. So that's why today's photo is of a boat. But, of course, it's a boat designed by Porsche.</p>
Read moreFerrari caught between rocky track and a hard road
<p>Has Ferrari become the odd sock in the washing machine of (motoring) life? Consider this: Ferrari has already lost the 2017 F1 constructors championship to Mercedes.</p>
Read moreSeize the drive and spark a revolution
<p>Surprised to know your car still has spark plugs. Spark plugs are, well, so 60s, so last century. Like ashtrays, cassette players, chokes and your father putting a piece of plywood across the back seats.</p>
Read moreInto the valley of death . . .
<p>Buckle up. Hang on. It's going to be a very bumpy ride this morning as we roar through the weirdest F1 in modern history, Mazdagate, some great road trips, the world's best motor museum and skim through the pick of the US motor magazines.</p>
Read moreVan Gogh of Vincents restores a wheely great motorbike
<p>You are probably wondering what that thing is in today's photo. It's a motorbike. It's a means of transport for temporary Australians that was particularly popular in the late forties.</p>
Read moreAluminium Ferrari 1969 365 GTB/4 Daytona Berlinetta Alloy resurfaces
<p>Buongiorno lettori. Next Saturday is my birthday and I want you to join me for the party. It's at 43 Via Alfredo Dino Ferrari, Maranello at 4.30pm.</p>
Read moreFocus on speed cameras as government's Hoover sucks up cash
<p>Yes, that big tube you see coming out of the sky and going directly into your purse/wallet/pocket or all three is the giant Hoover connected to your state government and to their pals at the vehicle monitoring and enforcement services company Redflex.</p>
Read moreFair Trading should get fair dinkum about E10 fuel
<p>They're at again. How can the government spend our money to promote use of a product made by a small number of private companies? Easy.</p>
Read moreGetaways, gelignite, brown snakes and Kambala school corners
<p>Good morning, culture heads. Today we are going to ditch the grease, dirt and raucous noise of the plebeian world of the car for the loftier climes of the arts.</p>
Read moreIt's tough at the top, with canapes, carousing, cars
<p>You know we're hitting classic car auction season. That's the time of the year where I get to go to exotic locations to be sucked up to by the auction people, sit in million-dollar cars, drink expensive drinks and eat even more expensive hors d'oeuvre.</p>
Read moreMustang Super Snake attracts attention for all the best reasons
<p>Look, let's cut through all the crap. The only reason to choose one kind of a car over another is the way it makes you feel.</p>
Read moreD'oh! Honda fails as Fernando Alonso gives his McLaren Styk
<p>You know in Homer's Odyssey where Odysseus goes through all those tests before he wins through at the end? I particularly like the bit where Homer (Simpson, not the author), who plays Odysseus, crosses the River Styx.</p>
Read moreFrom Lake Como chocolates to Adelaide rally boiled lollies
<p>Do you know how tough it is here? Let me give you just one example. Next weekend I could be at Villa Erba on the shores of Lake Como hanging out with my besties George and Amal, Sting and Ms Sting and Dickie Branson.</p>
Read moreHow to save on car insurance, and make Mum happy
<p>Today: how to save $500 the next time you insure your car; how to make your mother not think you are an ungrateful son or daughter or both; how the government has blown its election chances by not introducing a first-car buyer's scheme.</p>
Read moreWe've gone mainstream: diet news, giveaways, car advice
<p>OK, I get it. Today the diet that will change your life — but first the news. As predicted, Ferrari won the Albert Lake Grand Prix from Mercedes.</p>
Read moreTinnie races and ice hockey will drive you to drink (coffee)
<p>What do you get when you combine and let loose the full creative forces of the F1, the Australian Grand Prix Corporation and Melbourne, the city of chromatic dissolution?</p>
Read moreTrump's old Ferrari goes on the block
<p>Say what you like about Donald Trump, but he sometimes has good taste … in cars. On show this weekend at The Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance in Florida is his old 365kw 2007 Ferrari F430.</p>
Read moreFerraris fetch millions at auction
This time of the year the snowbirds always fly south for the winter. They arrive in Scottsdale, Arizona with their Gucci, Pucci and Fiorucci plumage hungry for the Ferraris, Maseratis, Barchettas and Berrettas.
Read moreFerrari's clutch led Ferruccio Lamborghini to design glory
You know things never change, do they? What do carmakers do when their customers feel betrayed? Betray them again. But occasionally they pick the wrong person.
Read moreMonterey deals mid-range sellers a sobering dose of reality
After four days of moving $450 million worth of metal masterpieces in Monterey, what we now know is that realism has finally hit the middle range of the mega auction market.
Read moreCollectable cars: Porsches, Ferraris, even a Plymouth
In the past two months collectors have forked out $600 million for classic cars during America's annual Auto Auctionageddon in Arizona and Florida.
Read moreLionel Messi bought my Ferrari Spider Scaglietti for $50.5m: Alessandro Proto
This time last year a 1957 Ferrari 335 S Spider Scaglietti would have only cost you 583,400 barrels of oil. This year, at the Artcurial Motorcars Retromobile 2016 auction, you would have paid 1.17 million barrels.
Read moreTreasurer Jim says 'Thanks for going green, here's your bill'
A US-built Rivian R1S doesn't just look big but as an EV weighs more than its off-road fuelled counterparts. Picture: AP
Read moreAll your questions answered, and a stripped down Mini that can beat a Ferrari
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?
Read morePair gone too fast: vale world's quickest taxi driver; and Murrayisms supremo
Sabine Schmitz died a few days ago. She was only 51 and had a long and painful battle with cancer. F1 commentator Murray Walker also died this week, aged 97. Two legends of motorsport gone in the same week.
Read moreJust the ticket for a new round of Formula One shenanigans
Yes, it's only a little over a month until the first round of new, improved, 24-round, star-studded, sustainable, world's most prestigious motor racing competition, the 2024 F1.
Read moreShanghai F1's on track for a dodgy local victory
Don't place your bets yet! Late mail from the Shanghai International Circuit is that someone has painted the track with weirdo stuff that may cause chaos at the Chinese Grand Prix.
Read moreTarga Tasmania - The Finish
One car rolled, four found walls, the Lambo and a Ferrari were disqualified for cheating, but the WART BMW finished at Princess Wharf in Hobart.
Read moreMokes in Monte Carlo, flying electric bikes and a car worse than a Trabant
The Moke is back in Monaco. Plus Renault's Dacia Duster — can it make a worse car than the Trabant?
Read morePirelli adds Baku to F1 calendar of failures and PR spin
Not a petrol head? Then you probably know Pirelli as the publisher of an exclusive pictorial calendar. In F1 world, supplier doesn't mean you give the teams free tyres. No. Pirelli has paid over $500m for the privilege. And in Baku, Max and Lance Stroll's tyres blew out at 320km/h.
Read moreTarga Tasmania - Day 4
Indonesian entrants drive their Lamborghini through blackberry bushes into a cow paddock, a Ferrari hits a tree, and the WART BMW keeps going.
Read moreAround the world via Shanghai, Essen and Targa Tassie
Well they're here in our bumper Easter, Passover, autumnal equinox column.
Read moreLatest Hills Hoist technology and a Victa two-stroke to keep our subs shipshape
Good news about the subs in Adelaide. It should mean the Marshall state can afford to get Supercars back on the streets, restore the Classic Adelaide to its former glory and bring back carmaking. Michael McMichael has already come up with the kind of big ideas that have made the WART so successful.
Read moreCelebrity cars fetch millions as McQueen's motorcycle heads to auction
Julien's Auctions and Turner Classic Movies are flogging the ultimate celebrity garage — Steve McQueen's 1926 Excelsior Super X flat-tracker the King of Cool rode on local Santa Paula country roads ($250k).
Read moreHow a Ferrari smoked 80m in 20 minutes
On Wednesday, the Sultan and I were sedately driving up the quaintly called Eagle On The Hill stage of the Adelaide Rally 2023. The Sultan turned to me and said: "You know I dropped out at $61m on Monday night on the 1962 Ferrari 330 LM/250 GTO that went for close to $80m." The most expensive car ever sold at auction.
Read moreArise, Sir Hamo, above F1's last-lap scandal that robbed you of an eighth title
A couple of days ago Chuck Windsor hit Hamo, who had his left knee resting awkwardly on the knighting stool, on the left and right shoulder with a big knighting sword. Let's be clear. Last weekend's final and deciding race of the F1 season was a disgrace.
Read moreBit of a blow but it's OK, it will buff out
Did your mother, gestational or birthing parent used to say "never throw anything out"? She, they, zie was/were probably a petrol head and thinking of the 20 Ferraris, "a treasure trove of dormant stallions (and mares)
Read moreDreaming of a wet tent in an otherwise dry desert
Everyone have a cold shower. It's 14 sleeps to the Bahrain Grand Prix, so go back to sleep. Consumption of alcohol in the grandstands and all other general access areas is strictly prohibited.
Read moreToday was one of those days - Targa Tasmania Day 2
A Ferrari misses a left hand turn 50 metres from the start, a Lambo runs off the road, and communication problems plague the WART BMW team.
Read moreWho needs school when merely driving can make you millions?
Hamilton earns $68m a year, Vettel $1.6m a week, and Ricciardo is paid $4m less than Verstappen, plus classic car market prices flattening.
Read moreMad Max's monotonous monopoly on F1 success
Trust me, next weekend's F1 at the always pet-friendly Albert Park will be bigger than Moomba. The reality is, there is very little tarmac action for the global audience of 1.5 billion.
Read moreDull F1 needs a spark so bring back smoking in the pit-lane
Canada GP was a procession with Vettel leading from start to finish, plus the Cheap Car Challenge at Marulan and new racing circuits opening.
Read moreF1's Inspector Plod on pillow talk case briefly
For the off season there's a lot going on in F1. And it's not about cars. But it is about cars at Tesla. About two million of them that are stuffed. And while drug dealers' Lambos are being smashed up by the fun police,
Read moreDrivers' knickers in a knot as F1 officials clamp down on racing underwear
Of course, you want the insightful analysis into last Sunday's St Kilda road race. But we have more important issues to canvas here. Issues like knickers. F1 officials are clamping down on racing underwear and the drivers are not happy about it.
Read moreA formula for stupidity as wacky races continue
F1 officials penalised Pierre Gasly for nearly hitting a crane on the track in the rain at Suzuka — the same situation that killed Jules Bianchi in 2014. Seriously, who are these clowns?
Read moreHow the FIA's broken promises and gag orders threaten the sport's future
Behind the scenes of tomorrow's F1 season opener in the Albert Park Arena there's more drama playing out than in any episode of the Real Housewives of Azerbaijan.
Read moreF1 more snooze than snarl as results all too predictable
Today we're having a car racing colonoscopy into F1 where, as usual, there's more action off the track than there will be at next week's 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix (70 laps of the 4.381km Hungaroring in Budapest) where th
Read moreWe interrupt this F1 season to report on exploding seatbelts
You know what it's like when you get a new boss. "Stop writing about all that F1 gossip no one's interested in; go back to being the consumer's friend so you can attract some advertisers instead of driving them away." O
Read moreIf the Ferrari 488's out of reach, try a 240km/h Superkart
You probably woke up this morning thinking "forget global colding, child poverty, gender equality ... I want to buy a new Ferrari 488 Pista".
Read moreAmid falling sales and other economic woes, try Trataka
Things are pretty crook out there in motor land.
Read moreBest way to put some va-va-voom in your Zoom
Who said F1 was boring? Where else do you see drivers having a technicolour yawn into their helmets live and in 4K? Where else do you see drivers taking a nap at 310kmh? Where else can the kiddies hear a $12m-a-year ath
Read moreLou's jewellery and Seb's undies: the Miami stars
Last weekend's Miami Grand Prix was a JOKE! The track surface was a joke. The chicane was a joke. It was boring. It was dull. But the biggest stories of the Florida fiasco were knickers and jewellery — Lou's bling and Seb's undies were the real Miami stars.
Read moreWhy Oscar Piastri's crash is a bigger problem for McLaren than it seems
Oscar Piastri's damaged McLaren on the side of the track after he crashed in the formation lap of the Australian Grand Prix. Picture: Cameron Tandy
Read moreInadequacy in the motor department - try a sports car
Yes, F1 fans and residents of Albert Park, it's only seven weeks until the start of the 2023 season and 10 weeks till the Albert Park Lake, the Hare Krishna Temple and Cricket Victoria come alive to the 140 decibel sound
Read moreHow Ferrari's brand strategy makes its stock more valuable than its cars
The cabin of a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO. The world's most famous prancing horse has a dirty little secret: its shares have been a better bet than gold and its own classic cars.
Read moreDon't start barking up the wrong tree in your dogged pursuit of sex on wheels
I don't know about you but I've owned a few dogs. Most of them have been four-wheeled but I've had three four-legged ones. The four-legged have been much more satisfying despite no warranties, no extras and no trade ins. It turns out that dogs are also a better financial bet.
Read moreMonza madness: Verstappen breaks records while Piastri dream alive despite team orders
Max Verstappen and his Oracle Red Bull Racing team celebrate the F1 Grand Prix win at Monza. Picture: Getty Images.
Read moreF1 for Sydney, laps of George St with 31 watering holes, and all for $80m? A steal
You don't get much for $80m these days. Two houses in Melbourne, 200 in Adelaide, a block of flats in Manhattan, a night out in Sydney and if you're Lance Stroll, a drive in F1. But if you believe the rumours, that's what the NSW government might be prepared to pay to prise the annual race from Albert Park.
Read moreBattle of Britain sequel proves a real tear jerker
This is a scene from motoring's Battle of Britain, which opens in the Red Bull war office in Milton Keynes just before round 12 at Silverstone. Hamo won, Mad Max cried, and 148,000 soap dodgers got soaked.
Read moreNorris took the title but when it comes to obscene income Hamilton will always be king
Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton has won the income race against McLaren driver Lando Norris. Picture: AP
Read moreHow to tell if you're the favourite child
We completely skipped over Male Parent's Day last weekend. Plus the Gorge Rallysprint and Dave Gooding's Hampton Court auction.
Read moreOK sport which party gets your motor running
Got a Mini Cooper EV? Perhaps park it outside a neighbour's house and run fast. BMW is recalling 140,000 electric Mini Coopers because the car might catch fire – or as the mini meisters call it, "cause a thermal event".
Read moreSchuey's prancing horse drives a pretty penny
Michael Schumacher's 2003 Ferrari sold for a record $22m at Sotheby's Geneva — doubling the previous world record and making it the most valuable Formula One car of the modern era ever sold.
Read moreWhat to get the politician who has everything: a Mayhem-making monster
Breakdancing is now an Olympic sport, vertical drinking is now legal in Tassie and Nikita Mazepin is now officially an F1 driver. We've crossed into the Twilight Zone.
Read moreGet your hands off the joystick and onto this beauty
You know you have landed in Queensland when you open the door of the Ford Wildtrak in the Hertz parking lot and the radio integrated into the new coast-to-coast instrument panel is playing the Queensland national anthem.
Read moreLamborghini Super Trofeo series: a grand day out for ordinary billionaires
Just when you thought the party was over, the orange clown walked back in and turned the music back on.
Read moreMax masterclass in the art of poetry in motion
Max Verstappen is so good he can make onions cry. Watching Mad Max spend an hour and fifty driving around the Suzuka Circuit was like watching Leonardo da Vinci paint the Mona Lisa.
Read moreHow to improve flat sales in classic cars? Try a disco ball
I bet you woke up this morning thinking "forget global colding, child poverty, gender equality ... I want to buy a new Ferrari 488 Pista".
Read moreLessons of the month, dodgy car radios and classic Yellowstone park buses
What have we learnt from August? NASCAR wants to race inside a football stadium; Red Bull has made their cars faster than Merc; Charlie Watts was a serious petrol head despite not driving; absolute proof the world is stuffed when the biggest sale at a RM Sotheby auction is a 1936 bus.
Read moreIn the beginning there was rain which didn't stop Max either
Well, you got your money's worth last Sunday. It was all action all the time at the Formula 1 Grande Premio de Sao Paulo 2023 at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace which, of course, also hosts the Lollapalooza music and drug fe
Read moreWhen truth's a fraction stranger than fiction
It was every child gets a prize day last weekend at the Miami International Autodrome. It was 110th time lucky for McLaren's Lando Norris who came first, Mad Max came first of the losers.
Read moreF1 drivers veer out of UAE human rights lane
The global boss of the FIA has gotten stuck into F1 drivers for speaking out on LGBT, BLM and mental health — while representing a country where homosexuality is punishable by death. The storylines are becoming so outrageous they have to be reported.
Read moreThem's the brakes for Piastri as Red Bull reels
Let's start where it ended: Oscar Piastri got robbed – or penalised, depending on how charitable you're feeling towards the FIA this week.
Read moreFIA president trying to avoid being sent to the pits
As predicted, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, 61, who owns a very large house on a very nice block between Al Khaleej and 4th Streets near the fish market in Dubai, and has a lovely collection of over 50 supercars and is current p
Read moreNews revs up as Supercars take to the mountain and F1 heads to final showdown
Right now too much news is barely enough to fit in between Terry, Johnny and Gottie. Brad Pitt and Hamo are teaming up for a movie produced by Top Gun and Gone in Sixty Seconds helmer Jerry Bruckheimer. And the biggest global motor racing event of the year was last weekend's Bathurst 1000.
Read moreThe curse of Jimmy Dean … and other jinxed motors
It's not unpleasant particularly when you're at the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa.
Read moreIt's a mad mad, mad, mad F1 reality TV world series
How good are the show runners at F1? They've changed the format to reality comedy. Yuki Tsunoda's pit stop pantomime had everyone in stitches, Toto Wolff cried conspiracy, and the Hamster delivered his most colourful radio message of the season. It's a mad mad, mad, mad F1 reality TV world series.
Read moreJack Doohan dumped by Alpine F1 team but Oscar Piastri is flying
F1's Soap Opera: Jack Gets the (Temporary) Sack, Oscar Packs the Silverware.
Read moreParis, sportscars, wind in your hair - you get the idea
Prices were down at Paris auctions but the McLaren Senna at $1.3m with 800kg of downforce is the most powerful McLaren ever built.
Read moreFerraris fetch serious money
RM Sotheby sells the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO for $67m at Monterey, plus Belgian GP drama with Hamilton passing Vettel at 355km/h.
Read moreRed faces, bulldust and racy affairs: the pits for F1
Now we know what the result of the 2024 FIA Formula One World Championship will be - Mad Max by a mile, let's move on to the really racy stuff. F1 has it with Red Bull team boss Christian Horner allegedly sending text messages.
Read moreLove and danger at the Soapdodger Grand Prix
Yes readers, the 2022 Soapdodger Grand Prix last Sunday was way better than the season one finale of Love Island. Zhou Guanyu survived a 200kmh bump that put his Alfa on its roof, and seven Just Stop Oil protesters jumped the fence and sat on the main straight. Love and danger at the Soapdodger Grand Prix.
Read moreThe road to better roads: Paving the way to success in St Kilda By The Sea GP
There's one way to get your suburban road fixed and that's to ask your government to host a race on it. To prepare for the St Kilda By The Sea GP, the socialist government of Victoria has spent $15m upgrading the tarmac around Melbourne's favourite beachside suburb.
Read moreGavel meets GOATs: three of the greatest cars ever go to auction
Moths out of the wallet. Sell the kiddies and mortgage the marina: in Abu Dhabi on 5 December RM Sotheby's is selling three of the greatest cars ever built.
Read moreTest of wills as Aussies clock up the wins
While you've been "working" from home (at the beach) and whingeing about your mortgage, power bills, food prices, tollway prices, house prices, rent prices, schooners at $12, motoring authorities trying to kill tarmac ra
Read moreF1: just high-octane reality TV
Were you at the Yarra River Delta track or did you watch it on Kayo? Bet you're still wondering what happened. So are most of the drivers and their teams. It's simple really. F1 is a reality TV show much like top-ratin
Read moreDid you watch Bathurst 1000, Qatar Grand Prix or the Darts World Grand Prix?
Did you watch the 60th anniversary Bathurst 1000 where two brands (neither of them Holden, but I'm on the waiting list for a new Corvette so I'm not going to complain or talk about Ford pulling out of Supercars which is
Read moreHit the road for some real car fun when you are fed up with zooming at home
When you can't get tyres ($780 each) for your McLaren ($480k, no more to pay) you know things are tough. Here's what to do instead.
Read moreWelcome to the brave new world of 'battery babysitting' racing brought to you by Disney
A young fan holds a mask featuring Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton during Friday's practice session. Picture: AP
Read moreMercedes-Benz and Ferrari dominate list of most expensive cars ever sold at auction
How much would you pay for a used car you really wanted?
Read moreIgnore Lewis bling and get some snarl into snore-fest
You know as well as I do that many sporting associations, like many other organisations that appear to have a social purpose, have as their operating principle that the world will end soon and dinosaurs will come back an
Read moreF1 brings back the biff even if NRL couldn't
At last, F1 has found the answer. F1 brought back the biff and is a must watch again. Mad Max and Leaping Lando went at it hard at the Austrian Grand Prix in a race that had everything.
Read moreNorris, Verstappen and Piastri face off in three-way F1 title decider but the Aussie's a long shot
Oscar Piastri talks with McLaren team owner Andrea Stella and chief executive Zak Brown. Picture: Getty Images
Read moreAlpine's spot of bother in F1's musical chairs
No better description of F1 than this: it has elevated trash to an art. Alpine's spot of bother in F1's musical chairs — the croissant-eating team announced Oscar Piastri's promotion without his agreement, and now they've lost both Ferdy Alonso and Oscar in one press release.
Read moreOur Dan deserves better
Logan Sargeant got the flick from Williams F1 after a disastrous Zandvoort weekend. Dutch bailiffs locked up the Haas team trucks over $13m owed to Russian fertiliser firm Uralkali. Leaping Lando won by 20 seconds.
Read moreTwo laps behind safety car 'isn't racing': Hamo on the money with Spa blast
Imagine you've paid your $450 and you've just settled in alongside 59,999 of your fellow fans when the festivities begin. Then the cars line up in single file behind the safety car and drive (not race) for three laps, then come back in and award half marks as though the charade was real.
Read moreFormula 1 returns to Bahrain but will Lewis Hamilton speak out about human rights abuses
The green light's on and the bunny's away in the 2023 F1 World Championship here at the Bahrain Grand Prix in the heart of the Sakhir desert and Mad Max Verstappen is best away in his Red Bull, Chucky Leclerc's Ferrari i
Read moreThe corner that gives you the good oil on Monaco
Look, I know most of you head to the verandas of the three-starred Le Louise XV-Alain Ducasse restaurant at the Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo or the Salle Empire or to the gardens of the famous Bar Americain to watch the Monte Carlo Grand Prix.
Read moreNothing like a bit of controversy to get publicity: Bernie knows the Formula
I didn't see any of you at Petra's wedding last Saturday. Petra Ecclestone, 33, daughter of Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone, married Sam Palmer, 38, former used car salesperson of Essex. The name Ecclestone can still drive the headlines in high-society.
Read moreTrue EV's collapse serves as a stark warning for buyers of new electric brands
Xpeng vice-chairman and president Brian Gu unveils on the maker's EVs in 2025. Picture: AFP
Read moreMonaco's transcendental track laps enough to send you loopy
The great part about Monaco is that evading tax is the moral responsibility of every citizen. Last weekend there were only two cars in the race. Mad Max in the Red Bull and Fred Alonso, 41. While Fred was over 27 seconds behind the clog at the finish, during the race they were neck and neck. Bored with F1? Then head over to Le Mans for the Centenaire des 24 Heures du Mans.
Read moreAs plague passes, classic auctions emerge from lockdown
Will F1 really start again on July 3, in Austria? Will the 25th annual historic Leyburn Sprints be up and running? And what's happening to classic car values?
Read moreRed Bull reign in Bahrain stays mainly in the pain
Verstappen won the Bahrain opener by nearly twelve seconds. The RB20 is unfair.
Read moreSouth Australia and Tasmania vie for this country's most important title
Next December, Covid-19 permitting, you can spend Xmas eve in downtown Bethlehem. South Australia and Tasmania vie for this country's most important title: Australia's most fanatical petrol heads.
Read moreMinimum shock to the Max-imum outcome
What an end to the 2023 F1 season. In an absolute surprise, Max Verstappen, 26, clog, officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau and 2023 winner of the most (wins in a season, wins in a month, wins from pole, most wins not from pole, most magic words in the one radio call during a race, etc, etc) won the last race of the season by 18 seconds.
Read moreMonaco the F1 fan's favourite tranquilliser
Before we move on to more important matters, let's take a very brief look at last Sunday's parade of F1 cars in Monte Carlo. Mad Max: "Fudge me, Johnny, this is really boring. Should have brought my pillow."
Read moreDemon F1 times ahead on the Yarra River Delta
You're right, it was mega in Melbourne on Sunday. The Demons taking on South Melbourne at the 'G and of course the Bollywood Tamasha Party at Revel Nightclub down on Albert Rd, which is at the centre of Bleak City's int
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