Latest from Retro Rides Originals
Rear View: 1961 Lincoln Continental
With its trademark suicide doors and elegant slab-side body work, the 1961 Lincoln Continental was the pinnacle of the US automotive industry when released. Boasting a feast of luxury innovations, a mighty 7.0-litre V8 and an equally mighty 2300kg kerb weight, it set a benchmark for design elegance and innovation.
A Brief History of the Morris Minor
The humble Morris Minor built an unlikely Aussie fan base, with the Traveller wagon finding a particular audience in rural Australia.
How To Check Out and Buy a Classic Car, Sight Unseen
If you’ve ever looked at a classic car advertised on the other side of the country but baulked at the idea of how to get it to you, then Retro Rides’ market analyst Cliff Chambers has some helpful advice.
Extraordinary Engines: Ford Barra Turbo
How Ford’s adoption of turbocharging for its inline six-cylinder engine created one of the fastest four-doors on the planet. It may have ended up with an aquatic moniker, but Ford’s turbocharged 4.0-litre inline-six – colloquially known as the ‘Barra’ – initially carried a more avian title.
Unicorn: 2002 HRT 427
In the early-2000s the Australian car industry was riding the crest of a wave. Ford was bidding farewell to the AU error, sorry, era, with the launch of the BA Falcon and the revival of a dedicated performance division, Ford Performance Vehicles.
Top Five: Road Cars Peter Brock Built
Top Five: Road Cars Peter Brock Built
Extraordinary Engines: Why the Gen III V8 Engine was a performance hero
How the US-sourced Gen III V8 put a cracker under the bonnet of Holden’s mid-1999 VT2 Commodore. IN 2024, IT WILL BE 25 years since Holden unleashed its new all-alloy, 5.7-litre GM V8 onto the Australian market, immediately making the 5.0-litre V8 powering its arch-rival the Ford Falcon look old hat.
Top Tips for Buying a Used Chrysler VG Pacer
Chrysler’s budget-priced Pacer appeared in 1969 with bright colours, distinctive ‘Tombstone’ seats and a three-speed floor-shift. A year after the original VF model was launched came a restyled and more refined VG. This was the Adelaide-built car that Chrysler believed had the right combination of power, equipment and pricing to do battle with the rival Holden Torana and Ford Falcon V8.
Newly Classic - How Holden’s staunch EFI V8 received an extra serve of cubes for the 1994 VR HSV GTS
Holden’s EFI V8 received extra cubes for the 1994 VR HSV GTS For around a decade, GTS was the badge on Holden’s top-grade full-size sporting cars; first exclusively on the two-door HK Monaro and, from 1973 on two- and four-door HQ models.
Top 10: Ultimate Aussie Collector Cars
Market Analyst Cliff Chambers finds the key to the wishing well and with it a collection of Aussie-built performance machinery to make any enthusiast’s mouth water.
Extraordinary Engines: Holden's Iron Lion V8
The Iron Lion! How this mighty Australian-made V8 powered generations of high-performance Commodores and Statesmans. HOLDEN’S MID-1999 introduction of the alloy LS1/Gen III 5.7-litre V8 into the Commodore meant bye-byes for the Australian-made Holden V8. Dating back to 1969, the Holden V8 was available as a 253ci (4.2-litre) and 308ci (5.0-litre) and used thin-wall casting tech for relatively l…
Unicorn: 1969 Holden Hurricane
The Holden Hurricane, unveiled at the 1969 Melbourne Motor Show, was a futuristic concept car that pushed the boundaries of innovation and design. The Hurricane was a true masterpiece of Australian ingenuity, designed and built entirely in-house by a team of dedicated engineers and designers led by Phil Zmood.
Retro Rides Presents - Holden Commodore VT V8
Welcome to Retro Ride's showcase of the Holden VT Commodore, the first in our regular series of Australian and international classics and classics in waiting. The VT Commodore arrived with a bang in August 1997, setting the sales charts alight and carrying on the momentum established by its predecessor to retain the title of Australia’s best-selling car that year. The VT also secured the prestigi…
