johna's automotive blog

Motor magazine driving around Australia records

2021-04-10T12:00:00+10:00

To celebrate Motor magazine's 50-year anniversary, they took two Holden Commodore's on a non-stop journey around Australia on Highway One, a total of just under 15,000 km.

They did the same journey 25 years before in a Ford XD Falcon and they hoped to beat that time and make the trip in less than seven days.

The article, titled "Far Lap", was published in the June 2004 issue.

The Commodores were VY generation V8 SS models and each included a few modifications for the trip: a bull bar, four large driving lights, a sump guard, smaller 17" wheels in place of the standard 18" wheels, three spare wheels, and an extra 65-litre fuel tank for a total of 140-litres. The expected fuel range was 1,100-1,200 km between refills.

The primary car comprised journalists Jesse Taylor and Dean Evans and photographer Thomas Wielecki. The second car, which followed as a support vehicle, was driven by Paul Cockburn, Marcus Hofmann and John Mahoney. Drivers would drive and sleep in shifts, with only scheduled stops for refuelling.

Against convention, it was decided to run anti-clockwise in hope of avoiding road closures due to a cyclone.

The cars set of on 25 April from the General Post Office in Sydney at 4 o'clock in the morning.

Drivers adhered to speed limits but there was 2,100 km of driving on the unrestricted highways of the Northern Territory. There they were able to drive at around 170 km/h during the daytime, with runs often over 200 km/h, and setting a top speed of 240 km/h.

There were few problems along the way and the cars proved to be reliable. At one point they took a wrong turn and had to turn around after a few kilometres but the biggest issue was that one of the roads in Western Australia was closed due to the cyclone.

They opted to spend a night in a hotel, rather than take a long detour and deviate from the planned route in hope that the road would reopen which it fortunately did early the next morning.

Coincidentally the 1979 run was also affected by a road closure due to a cyclone close to the same location.

During night time driving in some areas, their speeds were significantly limited by a large number of animals on and surrounding the road. This included the Nullarbor crossing, where they slowed to 90-100 km/h for safety.

One of the cars did hit a kangaroo but the car only suffered minor damage to the bull bar and spot lights.

Their final time was 6 days, 8 hours and 52 minutes, around 8 hours less than the 1979 run. They averaged 96.7 km/h over 14,800 km and use an average of 13.84 l/100 km of fuel.

The previous run was documented in Modern Motor's June 1979 issue. If I can get hold of a copy I will update this post with details of that journey.

Yet more magazine articles about driving across Australia

2020-07-01T12:00:00+10:00

Around the World in 13 Days - Wheels 1977

In 1977 Wheels magazine planned a 4,000 km trip from Sydney to Perth to see how quickly a pair of competent drivers in a good car could make the journey. They also wanted to test the car under these driving conditions and also to check the state of the roads. They estimate a time of 35-hours, an average speed of 115 km/h although they weren't planning it as a record attempt.

The drivers would be Peter Robinson, editor of Wheels and Steve Cropley.

For the trip, they used a Ford XC Falcon 500 GS pack that they had on loan from Ford that was specially equipped for the trip. It had a tall ratio limited-slip differential, 4.9-litre V8 engine, four-wheel discs, air conditioning, tape player, and a 125-litre fuel tank.

They take tools, some spare parts, the obligatory radar detector, and two 20-litre drums of petrol for where they think they won't have sufficient fuel range.

They estimate a fuel range of 550 km when cruising at 160 km/h.

At two o'clock on a Monday morning they depart from Terry Hills in the north of Sydney and head west, using Bells Line of Road to Lithgow.

Outside of Bathurst they up their cruising speed to 140 km/h and take a route through Nyngan to Broken Hill and then to Port Augusta.

In 1977 there was no open road speed limit IN NSW and they cruise at around 160 km/h.

The first stop for fuel is at Nyngan as the sun starts to rise, a distance of 581 km. Fuel consumption works out at just over 19 l/100km.

They then head towards Wilcannia and their speed increases to 170 - 180 km/h, the engine spinning at 4,000 rpm or so.

At Wilcannia they fill up again and the fuel consumption works out this time to 28 l/100km -the result of an average speed of 176 km/h for the section. They are now concerned about their range when they cross the Nullarbor.

They consider lowering their speed to improve fuel consumption but decide instead to keep moving at 160 km/h plus.

At Broken Hill, they take a quick lap of the town as Cropley shows Robinson around the place where he was born and grew up.

At Peterborough, they fill up again and record a slight improvement in fuel consumption. However, they only just made the last 490-odd kilometres, so they have concerns about a 707 km section from Eucla to Norseman that is coming up.

At Port Augusta, they take a wrong turn and travel an extra 60 km which costs them 40 minutes.

Robinson makes up time by travelling the next dirt section at 110 - 130 km/h. They don't find out until their return trip but they had damaged one of their tyres on this section. At the same time, they also discover that there is no jack in the car.

They run out of fuel and have to fill the car at the side of the road from the extra fuel drums they were carrying, but they struggle to get back on the road from soft sand on the verge. With the help of the LSD and Cropley pushing they finally ease it out.

The sun starts to set as they head towards Eucla, which makes it hard for the driver to see. As dusk approaches they drop their speed to 120 - 130km/h.

Both drivers start to run out of energy throughout the night, and instead of two-hour intervals, they switch drivers every hour or 30 minutes to stay awake.

Their slow progress through the night at least results in more acceptable fuel consumption, around 13.5 l/100km, and their overall average speed - 125 km/h - is still above their target.

They amble into Perth after 32 hours and 58 minutes, an average speed of 124 km/h. All they want to do is go to bed.

PS. Steve Cropley also wrote about this trip in Car (UK), August 1979.

More Magazine articles about driving across Australia

2020-06-26T12:00:00+10:00

This is a follow-up post to my original post: www.motortraders.net/posts/1479-magazine-articles-about-driving-across-or-around-australia?post=1486

Wings Across Australia - Wheels July 1981

In 1981 a team from Wheels magazine departed Adelaide hoping to reach Darwin within 30 hours, a distance of 3,262 km and an average speed of 110 km/h.

The team consisted of Bob Murray, Matt Whelan and photographer Warwick Kent.

At that time, some of the route was made up of unpaved dirt roads.

The car chosen for the journey was a Datsun Bluebird, with full support from Datsun. The model had not yet been released so the badges were taped over to hide its identity.

Datsun provided a top-of-the-line LX model, with 5-speed manual gearbox, and complete with electric everything (well as much was electric in 1981). They stocked the car with some spare parts, two spare wheels and tyres, and jerry cans. The car was fitted with a radiator and sump guards and driving lights. Datsun also made a local dealer workshop available to them at their half-way point, in Alice Springs.

They left Adelaide late in the afternoon and were able to average 120km/h for the first three hours until they reached Port Augusta for their first fuel stop.

Their schedule saw them hit the start of the dirt sections at nightfall. The reasoning was that they would be able to take advantage of daylight to drive faster, and they would be slow on the dirt roads anyway so they may as well drive them at night.

They saw plenty of Kangaroos, had to drive around a few, but fortunately didn't hit any.

At Coober Pedy, they had to wake a roadhouse owner for fuel at 2:30 in the morning.

They had their first flat tyre at Marla Bore, and the car was filled with red dust after a window was left open as a roadtrain went past.

At Kulgera they stopped for nearly half an hour and had drinks and played Space Invaders.

The dirt roads ran from Woomera to Kulgera, about 800km. Their average speed had fallen to under 100 km/h and their fuel consumption was close to 13 l/100km.

Back on bitumen, they were able to make more use of the Bluebird's maximum 160km/h. However, they were a little disappointed by their 159 km/h average between Kulgera and Alice Springs, 1 km/h less than they were hoping for.

The next 200 km was taken foot flat to the floor. Fuel consumption suffered, and they recorded their worst average of just over 15 l/100km.

They stopped at the Datsun dealer at Alice Springs but had no problems to report. The car was put up on a ramp but no significant damage or issues were found. They were sent on their way with a new set of wheels and tyres and with all fluids checked.

Late at night they finally reached Darwin. Their time was 1 minute less than 30 hours.

Any doubts they had about the car before the trip had been shattered. The car had impressed them with its comfort, quietness and security. They mentioned some quibbles about the gutless engine and unrefined drivetrain but described it as a good car.

Straight Down the Middle - Wheels June 1987

In 1987 Wheels set about beating their own Adelaide to Darwin record that they set in 1981.

Their target was to beat 24 hours - an average speed of 125 km/h - which would knock six hours of their previous time. This target was chosen as the last sections of dirt road were now paved in bitumen.

Matt Whelan and photographer Warwick Kent would take turns driving. Both had also driven in 1981.

They again used a Japanese car for the trip, this time a 4-cylinder Toyota Camry. Not their first choice but the drive was supported by Toyota. Wheels asked for an extra fuel tank to be fitted but Toyota refused due to legal concerns.

This time the reversed their route and started at 5am one morning from Darwin. They were followed by police out of town but still managed to record 57km in the first half-hour.

Once on the open road, they were able to see speeds up to an indicated 194 km/h. But the high speeds meant high fuel consumption and they spotted the low fuel light come on under breaking much sooner than they expected. They limped to the next fuel opportunity at a lowly 160 km/h and recorded an average of over 18 l/100km.

Kent missed a fuel stop and they are forced to fill up with their jerry can, and an hour later Whelan does the same at Alice Springs and they are forced to use the jerry can again.

As they cross into South Australia they reach the section that was unpaved in 1981 that they were only able to average 100 km/h through. This time on the newly laid bitumen they average an impressive 174 km/h.

They reached Adelaide in the early hours of the morning having beaten both their 1981 time and their target time. The 3,032 km distance was dispatched in just under 21 hours, an average speed of 145 km/h. Fuel consumption works out at 17.4 l/100km - not a normal figure you would expect from a 4-cylinder Toyota but this was far from a normal drive.

They describe the Camry as bland but commend it for its comfort, spaciousness and instrumentation. Whelan only criticism is about its behaviour under heavy braking. The car had no reliability issues other than refusing to return one of the music tapes.

They put the 10-hour difference between their 1981 and 1987 runs down to the better roads and the advancement in cars.

UPDATE 1 Jul 2020

See my third post for another article on this topic:
www.motortraders.net/posts/1490-yet-more-magazine-articles-about-driving-across-or-around-australia

Magazine articles about driving across or around Australia

2020-06-24T12:00:00+10:00

A trip across or around Australia is the ultimate road test and several Australian car magazines have undertaken these journeys in various cars over the years.

Whiteline 15000 - Motor (1998)

In a two-part series in the November and December 1998 issues, Motor (Australia) magazine took the freshly released AU Ford Falcon and a VT Commodore on a trip around Australia on Highway One.

The journey was planned to be close to 15,000km over 19 days. They were not trying to break any records, just wanting to compare Australia's top two sporting sedans of the time in a massive endurance test. They had a planned overnight stop at the end of each day of driving, so as to avoid more dangerous nighttime driving, and a couple of rest days.

They chose an XR8 and an SS, both with manual transmissions. Preparation consisted of just adding an extra spare wheel and tyre and carrying a few spare parts, and the addition of cruise control to the Commodore - not usually an option for manual models.

They left Melbourne and headed clockwise around the country, first to South Australia.

They quickly found that the Falcon had gearing better suited to overtaking yet it used about half a litre less fuel per 100 km. But they found its front seats very uncomfortable.

Over the next two weeks of driving, they had travelled through Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland and New South Wales. The group of four drivers consisting of journalists and a photographer had concluded that the Falcon had better performance and handling, and superior fuel economy and equipment levels. The Commodore was also praised for better comfort and refinement.

Both cars had a few fairly minor issues along the way but nothing serious enough to stop either of them. The Commodore used a not-insignificant 2.5-litres of oil, and a Holden dealer along the way found the steering rack bolts were loose. The Falcon had an issue with a sticking window, CD player and developed many annoying interior rattles.

Sadly the Falcon never completed the trip. On one of the last legs of the journey, between Brisbane and Sydney, the driver of the Falcon had a moment of fatigue and ran off the road totalling the car. It was a very disappointing end to what was a huge undertaking by Motor magazine but fortunately, no one was hurt.

One Hot Lap - Car Australia 1987

Car Australia documented a similar trip around Australia in the March 1987 issue.

The last section unpaved section of Highway One had been paved with bitumen in late 1986 and the magazine took a VL Holden Commodore SS on the 14,194 journey.

The freshly serviced Commodore was equipped with an extra spare wheel and tyre, some spare parts, plastic headlight protectors, jerry cans, some tools, a CB radio and a radar detector.

The two drivers, Assistant Editor Angus Mackenzie and photographer David Segal, started their trip in Melbourne and headed in a clockwise direction to Adelaide. On day two they crossed the Nullarbor and into Western Australia for day 3.

Although they had concerns about the 63-litre fuel tank not being adequate for the trip, they average 13.2 to 15.2 l/100km/h which is enough for them to make the large distances between petrol stations.

It wasn't until day 8 that they until they entered the Northern Territory, where they were able to increase their average speed thanks to the absence of an open road speed limit. In some sections, they cruise happily at 160km/h.

They have a close call near Katherine where the hit a pile of sand washed over the road by recent thunderstorms. The car is undamaged except for some scratches on the underside of the spoiler.

In Darwin, the Commodore gets a service at a Holden dealer. The LSD had become noisy so was also given a fluid change, and the idle speed was adjusted.

The Scheel seats proved to be comfortable, though they don't like the Momo steering wheel. They are impressed with the chassis and directional stability.

The cross into Queensland on day 10 where they reported that the highway deteriorated and became narrow and bumpy with sharp drop-offs.

The traffic picks up and on day 13, as they are travelling from Brisbane to Sydney, they are in the thick of it but using the torquey V8 to quickly and painlessly overtake slower traffic when the opportunity arises.

Day 14 is the last day of the trip and takes them from Sydney to Melbourne. They reach their destination having averaged 15 l/100 km and used 2,227 litres to cover the 14,814 km.

Seven Red Lights to Perth - Wheels 1980

In the November 1980 issue of Wheels (Australia) magazine, Peter Robinson and Steve Cropley detailed their "record-breaking" non-stop trip from Sydney to Perth.

They had done the same trip three years earlier in a 4.9-litre XC Ford Falcon (July 1977 issue), setting a time to beat of 32 hours and 56 minutes.

They had contemplated trying to beat their time and took advantage of an opportunity to do the trip in an Alfa Romeo Alfetta sedan, not Robinson's first choice, but he was convinced by a local Alfa dealer who wanted to move three cars to Perth and show that the distance could be done in a weekend.

The sedan was chosen rather than a coupe so as to avoid attention from the police. The car had already done 16,000 km and they fitted an extra 70-litre fuel tank in addition to the standard 49-litre tank. They also added driving lights, Koni suspension and a radar detector.

The two drivers departed Sydney (Terry Hills) early on a Sunday morning, at around 4:30 am.

Imagine their disappointment when they had to stop for several minutes at the first set of traffic lights that they came across!

That was the one and only light they would have to stop at for a long time, and they headed out of Sydney via Richmond and Bells Line of Road.

They reached the first driver change after 412 km, and Robinson handed the car over to Cropley who had not even driven the car yet. He accelerated up to 160 km/h but found the Alfa understeered excessively at the first corner, only narrowly succeeding in keeping the car in the road.

They stopped for fuel after 582 km, in Nyngan, where they took on 107 litres.

They believed the next section would be their fastest as they had fresh drivers, daylight and wide vacant roads ahead. Their cruising speed was stepped up to 170 km/h -- until they went over a crest and found a herd of sheep blocking the road. After this close call, the dropped their speed to a "safer" 150 km/h.

At Broken Hill, they had a prearranged meeting at their fuel stop with a dealer mechanic. They tell him about their concerns of low oil pressure at high speeds and some issues when they had when switching between fuel tanks. Having travelled 2,400 km to meet them, the mechanic tells them not to worry and they are on their way again in only 8 minutes.

They can continue on to Port Augusta, where they had taken a wrong turn back in 1977, but this time take the correct route. They had an arrangement with another dealer there in case they needed any assistance, but they had no new problems to report so only briefly stopped to say that the car was running perfectly.

Cropley took over as day turned to night and soon the windscreen was obscured by dead insects so they discussed stopping at a service station to clean it. A small disagreement took place, Cropley saying that they must purchase at least a little fuel and not expect to clean the windscreen for free. A compromise was reached where they would clean the windscreen themselves and hand over $1 in exchange. They stopped at a service station and a worker, confused by them rushing to clean their own windscreen and not wanting any fuel, asked if they had just committed a robbery but took the dollar.

Robinson went in and out of sleep until his turn to drive at the next stop at the Western Australia border. However, after only a short time at the wheel, he had to admit defeat and let Cropley -- now nicknamed Superman -- take over again. Robinson tries again later after Coolgardie and lets Cropley gets some much-deserved sleep.

Two hours out of Perth the engine starts losing power and their average speed starts to fall, but the problem soon fixes itself and returns to normal.

29 hours and 14 minutes had elapsed since they left Sydney as they reach their destination. As Robinson parks the Alfa he crashes the driving lights into a wall - the conclusion to a very long journey.

They averaged close to 140 km/h for the trip and published this and all of their hourly averages (some over 160 km/h), and wrote about driving at speeds of up to 190 km/h. Could you imagine a magazine publishing a story like this today?

PS. Steve Cropley wrote an article about the trip that was published in Car (UK), November 1980.

Other Articles

I hope to get my hands on the Wheels article from 1977 to read about how the trip in the XC Falcon went, and I'm sure there have been other similar articles. If you know of any others please let me know.

UPDATE 26 Jun 2020

I've found more articles. See my second post here: www.motortraders.net/posts/1484-more-magazine-articles-about-driving-across-or-around-australia

UPDATE 10 Apr 2021

Modern Motor/Motor magazine also did around Australia trips in 1979 and 2004. See my other post here: www.motortraders.net/posts/1769-motor-magazine-driving-around-australia-records

A couple of great articles in Evo magazine

2020-05-21T12:00:00+10:00

I've been selling off my issues of Evo (UK) magazine because I hadn't given them more than a cursory look over since I bought them many years ago.

As I was going through each issue recording contents I came across the December 2011 issue which I won't be selling.

First there was a lengthy article about all generations of the Ferrari V8 models from 308GTS to 458 Italia, complete with great photos.

Then a little further on I find an article where one of the writers was put in the driver's seat of a turbocharged Renault F1 car from the amazing turbocharged era in the 1970s.

What a great issue.

Magazine article comparing 1986 Toyota Celica and 1960's Toyota 2000GT

2020-02-19T12:00:00+10:00

Another one of my favourite magazine articles is from the February/March 1986 issue of Sports Car World (Australia).

For the introduction of the ST162 Toyota Celica, SCW compared the Celica to a 1960's 2000GT - Toyota's early (failed) attempt at competing with the exotic supercars of the time.

The article is titled "Twin-cam Treats" by Bob Murray.

The article has lots of information on the 2000GT and why it didn't succeed, and a description of how it drives today. The car they drove was a fully restored example owned by a local Toyota dealer.

There's also details of the newly launched Celica and how the driving experience compares to the 2000GT. They like the Celica and like most other reviews, think it one of the better front-wheel-drive sportscars, but say it's a bit too much like a Toyota.

Interestingly they mention they insured the 2000GT for $60,000 for their road test. These days, these cars are worth around a million dollars.

On The Move Australian VHS video car magazine from the early 1990s

2018-06-21T12:00:00+10:00

On the Move was an Australian video car magazine produced from 1991 to 1992.

The hosts were Wayne Cantell and James Laing-Peach, and also featured Jo Kelly.

Issues were 60 minutes long and were released every two months.

Individual issues were $19.95 or a 1-year subscription (6 issues) was available for $120. It was also available to rent from Video Ezy stores.

By late 1992 the publishers were advertising issue five together with issue two for $29.90 but were no longer offering subscriptions.

There were possibly only five issues produced.

Issue 1

• Colour Action - 1991 Sydney & Tokyo Motor Shows
• 4WD Action - International Trans Borneo Trek
• Women On Wheels - Jo Kelly reviews Toyota's Paseo
• Hot V8's - HSV Statesman and New Falcon XR8
• Rally Action - Wild Ride with World Champ Carlos Sainz
• Trucking Action - Tanker Safety - Inferno Protection
• 4WD Test - New Mitsubishi Pajero V6 Superwagon
• Road Tests - Holden Calibra & VP Commodore, Renault 19TXE, BMW 3, Mazda 121, New Fords, Magna & Camry
• Auction Action - Supercars under the hammer at Pickles
• Tyre Buyers Guide - We check the latest 4WD treads
• Plus lots, lots more.

youtu.be/sRwRUgoIPz8

Issue 2

• Magnificent RX7 - Twin Turbo Power in a Sleek New Body
• What's New for '92 - Glamour Cars Highlight The Melbourne International Motor Show
• International Competition - Paris to Capetown Rally Provides Thrills & Spills
• The 1992 Jaguars - Is the Price leader Cheap at $100,000-plus?
• Comparing the Coupes - Mazdas Sleek MX6 takes on the Honda Prelude
• New Australian Importer Combines MoMo and Recaro
• A Four Wheeler For The Girls - Jo Kelly takes a look at the Suzuki Vitara 4-door Wagon
• Car Of The Year - How Do the Magazines Make Their Choice?
• Targa Tasmania - Previewing the Greatest Collection of Road-going Classics Ever
• Road Tests - Hodlen's 5.0-litre Ute; V6s from Volvo, Ford & Toyota
• All this AND more in the Big, Bright Edition Two!

youtu.be/gEVZyOhAIOo

Issue 3 (around May 1992)

• Bathurst 12 Hour - Action at Australia's new endurance race
• Magna Wagons - A bright new star in the Mitsubishi range
• Advanced Driver Training - Is the investment worthwhile?
• Indy Race - Behind the scenes colour and action
• Landrover Defender - A vote for nostalgic traditions
• UltraTune - Understanding today's engine technology
• Dunlop Media Awards
• Falcon EB - A facelift offering affordable technology
• The Australian Concourse - A GoldCoast Car Spectacular
• Holden 6 cylinder LX Commodore - An economy breakthrough for Australia's favourite six!
• All this and more in the Big, Bright Edition Three

youtu.be/vCRQTCLJK9U

Issue 4 (around Jul 1992)

• All new Lexus ES 300
• Targa Tasmania - Classic competition continued
• The new Navara 4WD

Issue 5

• Ford EB Falcon GT
• New Eunos Luxury
• PIAA Australian Safari

My all-time favourite magazine article

2016-07-28T12:00:00+10:00

My all-time favourite magazine article is from Wheels (Australia) March 1990 issue and is "An old dog or a new trick" by Paul Cockburn.

It's a comparison test between the Mazda MX5 (just released at that time) and the original 1960's Lotus Elan.

Cockburn's writing style is very entertaining. My favourite quote from the article is an imaginary conversation that might have taken place between Lotus's Colin Chapman and one of his engineers...

"What's that?"
"Ah... That's the engine mount, Mister Chapman, Sir."
"It looks a bit... Solid."
"Oh, it is, Sir. Knowing you wanted everything light we started with your original idea, which, of course, broke. Well, sorry, when I say that, I mean it may have been the way we tested it, putting the engine in it and all, but then we added metal until it was strong enough. This is the fourth version."
"Hmm, fourth, eh? And it's strong enough?"
"Yes, Sir. Quite strong."
"Okay, put the third in production."

Cockburn drives both cars and likes the Mazda but loves the Lotus.

There are plenty of other classic quotes from the article, like "The owner gets to work putting various trim panels back on with such a casual air that one suspects he thinks that sort of disassembly normal in a car driven briskly for 20 miles." This is about the Lotus, not the Mazda, of course.