BMW bets on carbon-fiber

Check out this interesting article about the future of automotive engineering- carbon fiber. Click here to read.

New Porsche Macan

Man survives 190MPH crash.

One Car Band

Sotheby's & RM Auctions New York Sale

These are some of the snaps from Sotheby's recent New York auction in association with RM Auctions. The final sum came to US$62.8m!

Below: 1938 Talbot-Lago T150-C SS Teardrop Cabriolet by Carrosserie Figoni et Falaschi sold for US$2,420,000. 

Below: 1955 Maserati A6G/2000 Spyder by Carrozzeria Zagato sold for $4,455,000.

Below: 1959 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Competizione Berlinetta Speciale by Carrozzeria Bertone sold for US$7,040,000. 

Below: 1956 Aston Martin DB2/4 MKII Supersonic by Carrozzeria Ghia sold for US$2,310,000.

Below: 1936 Delahaye Type 135 Competition Court Teardrop Coupe by Figoni et Falaschi sold for $US2,420,000.

Below: 1933 Duesenberg Model SJ Beverly by the Walter M Murphy Company sold for US$1,760,000.

Below: Ferrari 250 LM by Carrozzeria Scaglietti sold for US$14,300,000.

Below: 1959 Porsche 356 A Carrera 1600 GS "Sunroof" Coupe sold for US$605,000.  

Below: 1964 Chevrolet CERV II sold for US$1,100,000.

Below: 1955 Lincoln Indianapolis Exclusive Study by Carrozzeria Boano Torino; high bid of US$1,550,000.

Below: 1960 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster sold for US$1,650,000.

Telegraph

BMW Drifting

My talented friend Mike Bamford did the sound design on BMW's new 'BMW approved used cars' campaign in the UK. I would love to have a go at this! Naturally there'd be smashed Ming vases everywhere but it sure would be fun.

String and Tins

Tokyo Motor Show 2013

Trust the Tokyo Motor Show to unveil a new crop of automotive crazy...

Below: Daihatsu's Deca Deca where the interior converts to a bed. Park it in the back yard and you've got yourself a granny flat.

Below: Lexus's LF-NX SUV concept.

Below: Mitsubishi's AR: a 1.1L hybrid.

Mitsubishi's Pajero-sized GC-PHEV concept.

Below: Nissan's IDx Nismo (I quite like this one)!

The Suzuki Hustler. Hustler by name, hustler by nature. Can someone please explain the back? It is a tent? A changing facility? A tardis? 

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT Final Edition

All good things must come to an end, as is the case with AMG's last version of Benz's Gull-winged SLS. The final run will be limited to 350, painted in the red and black combo only, and feature a naturally aspirated 6.3litre 591hp V8 engine. Read on here.

1923 Ford T-Bucket Rod

Parkes, NSW is well known for its varied collection of classics, be they muscle, rods, vintage or European (Even Elvis's last ever car now lives in Parkes). Our customer Steve Shorten visited last week and I finally got to see his famous 1923 T Bucket hot-rod in the flesh (steel). It is certainly a well-cared for machine! Please note Charlie our 'shop dog' getting in on the action.

LED Tyre Valve Caps

Now you can star in your own suburban version of Tron or even Fast & the Furious with these blue LED tyre valve covers which, when the car is moving, give off the appearance of a blue glowing circle. They'd be fun (for a day). Read on here.

Nissan BladeGlider Concept

Not exactly a Navara I know but it's certainly an eye-catching design. I've included a picture along with a video from Nissan's publicity dept.

A.A.Blatch Radio Commercial Summer 2013

This is our latest radio commercial harking back to our origins in 1952. A.A.Blatch was founded in a time of cars with fins, black and white television and incredible customer service. We've moved with the times but have always kept that 1950s customer service.

Shannons Melbourne Summer Auction

I thought I'd share a few of my favourites for auction at Shannon's upcoming Melbourne summer auction:

Below: 1935 Packard Super 8 Sedan. Guide: $56K-$64K

Below: 1975 Ford XB 'GT Replica' Coupe. Guide: $32K-36K

Below: 1927 Packard 120C Coupe. Guide: $72K-$80K

Below: 1951 Ford F1 Pick-up. Guide: $30K-$34K

Below: Holden FJ Modified 'Street Machine'. Guide: $48k-$58k

Below: 1964 Ford Futura Convertible. Guide: $26k-32k

Click to view all the auction lots here.

Maharaja Cars

You've got to hand it to the Maharajas of the late 19th and early 20th Century India- they certainly spared no expense on fine cars. Here are some pics from the recent Cartier Concours D'Elegance held in Mumbai. You can read the article from The Telegraph here.

Want more on Maharaja motors?

Click here for the Elephant hunting Rolls Royce (with cannon).

Chevrolet SS 6.2L

The humble commodore is making a huge splash stateside where it's rebadged as the Chevrolet SS with a whopping 6.2L engine under the bonnet to keep the muscle mad motorists in the US happy. Read the full story here courtesy of the Sydney Morning Herald.

Jaguar C-X17 Concept

What are your thoughts on Jag's new SUV? Feel free to leave a comment below. Click here to read more about it.

I'd have one if someone gave it to me. Just sayin'.

The A.A.Blatch Xtreme Mint Grit Hand Cleaner

I couldn't resist posting a pic of our brand new A.A.Blatch Xtreme Mint Grit Hand Cleaner with macadamia oil and vitamin E for rev-heads (or farmers or industrial types) who like to get their hands really dirty, then really clean again. The fine particles of grit will get off the toughest grease and the macadamia nut oil will keep your hands soft and moisturised. It's 100% Australian made in sunny Queensland by our good friends at Koala Kare Australia.

Petrolicious: BMW Alpinas

Here are some classic euro sports for you, courtesy of the classiest of petrol-heads, Petrolicious.

New Mercedes-Benz AMG S63

The S63 is the top-spec example of the S-Class from Benz's high-performance arm AMG. I enjoyed reading this article from The Telegraph covering the mind-blowing technology under the bonnet and in the cabin but, unlike the journalist, I for one would be more than happy with the 'full executive experience'. Read on here to find out what that is!

Salon Prive Gallery

Salon Prive is an exclusive motor show and concours d'elegance. Here are some of my favourites from a recent London show or you can click on The Telegraph's gallery here.

Below: One of the most coveted classics of all time: the Lamborghini Miura

Below: The Aston Martin "One-77": a £1.2million supercar with a 7.3 V12 engine

Below: A custom-built Bentley Continental Flying Star Superleggera (super light) by Italian master coachbuilder Carrozzeria Touring

Below: The interior of a Mercedes-Benz 300SL 'Gullwing'

Fly SkyRunner: getaway post-apocalypic doomsday prep car

As the title suggests, this new car called the SkyRunner is the ultimate vehicle for a Mad Max, Living Dead zombie World or post-apocalyptic environment. I am sure a couple of US-based 'preppers' (people preparing for an imminent doomsday, 'end-of-the-World' scenario) will buy one.

You can buy one here.

New Holden WN Caprice

I've said it before and I'll say it again- this is the best Australian-made car available today in terms of looks, tech, price and overall package. I do mourn the loss of the Fairlane/LTD in Australia but ever since Holden's previous WM Statesman/Caprice line-up was launched in the mid-2000s, Holden has made an impressive leap onto the World stage. The WN looks the same basically but has lots of new tech but if you were in the market for a long wheelbase car, this is an impressive package. And guess what? It's a whopping $10,000 cheaper than the previous model. This will be hard for the slightly-trashy looking Chrysler 300 'Mafia Staff Car' to compete. This limousine is badged as a Buick Park Avenue in the US, a Chevrolet Caprice in the Middle East, a Daewoo Veritas in Asia and until last year as a Bitter Vero in Europe. I will live in hope that Ford will one day be in a position to relaunch the Fairlane. I won't hold my breath.

Read the review on the brand new WN Caprice here.

2014 Range Rover Long Wheelbase

Wow. This is Land Rover's first long wheelbase Range Rover in 20 years. Among other impressive details are the reclining individual bucket seats in the rear. The new top-end Rangie will debut at the LA and Guangzhou motor shows this year and will go on sale from next year. There's no price listed yet but I think we can safely say the price will be eye-watering. Read on here.

Land Rover