Author Archives: celebrationofthemotorcar

New car review – Leapmotor C10

We’re being bombarded by many new Chinese brands, vying for buyers’ attention. Most are relatively new names from the hundreds of start-ups supported by the Chinese government.

Lots of new Australian companies have been set up to distribute new Chinese brands, some with little experience, tantalized by how cheaply they can buy these vehicles…

The majority of Australian buyers have an approximate type of vehicle in mind – these days usually a 4-wheel-drive 4-door ute or an SUV… There’s plenty to choose from. An over-riding purchasing factor is price.

Long warranties sweeten the deals – to give buyers confidence. If you’re buying a Xpeng, Zeekr, Jaecoo, Skyworth, Farizon, GAC, or Leapmotor you want to know it’s more than the shape you had in mind and cheap. All cars have lots of tech these days to meet the ANCAP safety requirements, so if your last car was a few years old, any new car seems high tech. Don’t fall for the trap of buying the first new car you drive because “it’s got everything in it” – they all have.

Online ‘research’ will tell you any new car is “the best car I’ve ever owned”, often from a low bar.

But what happens as the market develops? Not every company importing new brands will succeed. Every month a new brand arrives. Discounting and even longer warranties get offered. Then other incentives and ultimately a discounting war… Not all importers have the experience, backing or product to survive.

If an importer fails, what happens with the cars they sold? The long warranty will be useless. Parts availability will dry up (and often was poor anyway). Values plummet. The cars head to the grave and the owner regrets the purchase.

The Leapmotor I tested for a week is from a brand half-owned by Stellantis (makers of Chrysler, Jeep, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Opel, Peugeot and more). In Australia the Fiat Chrysler distribution company handles the brand. Neither are fly-by-nighters likely to leave Leapmotor buyers high and dry.

So it deserves attention. How good is the C10? It looks pretty good, not aggressively ugly like so many of its competitors. Inside is sparse in a modern way and impressively spacious, with excellent back seat room. The test car was fully electric, with decent performance, handling and braking. The calibration of the electronic driving aids is pretty well-resolved. So far, so good.

On the downside, an ex-BMW engineer obviously designed the counter-intuitive indicator stalk. It’s an almost button-free car. You need to explore screens to make simple adjustments such as the external mirrors and direction of vent airflow. To get in, you tap a credit card size key on the driver’s mirror (only) and the car unlocks and awakens. Unless there’s rain on the mirror which you need to wipe off… Place the card flat in the centre console and it’s ready to go upon gear selection. When you leave the car, it’s all active until you tap the mirror. Trying to be a bit too clever hasn’t really worked.

The seats initially feel plush, but offer little support and all too quickly lead to a numb bum. I liked the huge panoramic glass roof.

At $45,888 for the fully electric and $49,888 for a more sensible hybrid, the pricing is competitive. However, to boost sales, lower pricing in drive-away deals for old stock are being offered.

For the money you could get a worse design, a worse driving car, one from a dodgy importer or a manufacturer which ultimately may not support the brand. Yes, you could do a lot worse – and there’s plenty worse out there.

1983 Mercedes-Benz 380SL – SOLD

Leave a reply

The R107 series of Mercedes Sports was the company’s longest ever running series. The 380SL had standard fitment of both hardtop and soft top, leather upholstery, polished woodwork inside, a new design of alloy wheels and more – the new 3.8-litre aluminium V8 engine produced 145kW (195hp) – which was similar to the old larger-engined 450SL.

This car was sold new by WA dealer Melville Star. The service book is stamped showing all the early servicing. In 1998 the car was sold by to an owner who kept the car until 2003 when purchased by the current owner. The car’s history file has all invoices for servicing and maintenance done through to today.

The owner advises that after 23 years of enjoying the car, as much as she’s always cherished the 380SL, it must go.

The soft top shows some splits in the side sections, but operates well. The windows are clear and the stowage cavity and frame are clean and tidy.

The car drives nicely, with smooth gearchanges and the nice torquey V8 providing good performance.

The bodywork is straight and tidy with no scratches. Inside, the car presents very nicely. As a late model, it has the full wood trim, not just the console. The lower section around the gear selector the woodwork would benefit from being re-polished. There are a few small splits in the dash top. The carpets are in good condition and the air conditioning works effectively.

The car has its original tool roll, books and a history file. The odometer shows just over 188,000km.

Built to Mercedes-Benz’s high quality, well equipped and very attractive, the formula was just right. This car is very realistically priced, and with good history, is sure to provide its next owner with much pleasure.

Please request an email with more details and photos from paul@classicrally.com.au

Paul Blank Classic Car Broker MD28143 1AGP570

Whilst every effort to ensure accuracy is made when preparing the description of a car, much of the information is provided by the owner and cannot be guaranteed to be accurate and complete.

Some errors and omissions occur occasionally and we cannot be held liable for any loss or damage arising from incorrect or incomplete information or any reliance which might be placed on information provided.

Any potential purchaser is advised to make his or her own independent investigations or inspections to determine title and whether a vehicle is suitable for purchase.

1982 Morgan 4/4 Roadster – SOLD

Leave a reply

Here’s a Morgan with a wonderful story. When the owner was a boy his interest in Morgans became a passion and when he got his first job at age 18, he put a deposit down to get his name on the waiting list for a new Morgan. At that time, the Morgan factory quoted a ten year waiting list for delivery of a new car. The 4/4 was the purest of Morgan designs, it had a modern Ford 1600cc engine and 5-speed gearbox, but retained the classic design.

Delivered in a striking shade of blue with alloy wheels it most certainly would have been a car to be extremely proud of. The car has several factory options.

The owner emigrated to Western Australia and imported the car 37 years ago.

Back in 2018 the engine was running rough, so a Morgan specialist undertook doing a few recommended upgrades (easier steering and bigger brakes) while at it. The owner then decided to give his beloved Morgan a major overhaul – what started with an engine rebuild ended up being an extensive series of upgrades and restoration, including new leather interior and seats and a bare-metal respray in the original colour. New wiring, EFI, lighting and many other minor items renewed in this lengthy process. The last item has been new tyres, fitted this year. The result is s spectacularly good Morgan.

However, for all this care and attention lavished on his car, the owner has some health issues which are now making it difficult to drive the car he first put a deposit on over 50 years ago…

So the car is to be sold and even though there’s been a tremendous amount of attention lavished on the care, the owner is realistic about the car and it is priced accordingly.

If sold to a Western Australian buyer the numberplates MOG 004 can go with the car.

Chances of finding a car with better history and in better condition would be most unlikely.

Please request an email with more details and photos from paul@classicrally.com.au

Paul Blank Classic Car Broker MD28143

Whilst every effort to ensure accuracy is made when preparing the description of a car, much of the information is provided by the owner and cannot be guaranteed to be accurate and complete.

Any potential purchaser is advised to make his or her own independent investigations or inspections to determine title and whether a vehicle is suitable for purchase.

1958 Jaguar XK150 Drophead Coupe – SOLD

Leave a reply

This lovely Jaguar was completed June 13 1958 and sold in Scotland. It was purchased in England in 1982 by a well-known Perth classic car dealer and imported in that year. In 1991 the car passed to Berryman Car Sales of West Perth, which often handled classic cars.

In 2005 the present owner bought the XK150. A new soft top lining was made as well as a new cover for the soft top. A past owner had fitted an inferior model engine so the new owner changed it to a correct big-valve type 3.4 motor, along with a correct overdrive gearbox. Respected engine builder Dave Sullivan Motors undertook the motor rebuild. The gearbox was also rebuilt at this time, with invoices for parts on file.

A lot of minor components were replaced as the car came together. Steering, suspension and brakes all received attention. New wheel spinners and a new larger radiator core installed.

The exterior of the car shows the age of the paintwork, but overall presents very well. The chrome and lights are excellent. Inside the car also presents very well. Seatbelts are fitted, including for the little rear seats. The soft top remains in excellent condition. The boot and engine bay also present very well.

The Jaguar drives beautifully, with the engine feeling strong and torquey. The exhaust note is especially sporty and quite appealing. The electric overdrive works as it should.

A set of new tyres with white sidewalls have recently been fitted and the car has just been serviced.

Unlike most XKs, this car has the benefit of being factory built right-hand-drive. In red, on chrome wire wheels it’s a very attractive example, in well-sorted condition offering excellent performance and tremendous style. The car is priced extremely attractively.

Please request an email with more details and photos from paul@classicrally.com.au

8ZB114 Paul Blank Classic Car Broker MD28143

Whilst every effort to ensure accuracy is made when preparing the description of a car, much of the information is provided by the owner and cannot be guaranteed to be accurate and complete.

Any potential purchaser is advised to make his or her own independent investigations or inspections to determine title and whether a vehicle is suitable for purchase.

2014 Fiat 500 Abarth Essesse Manual – SOLD

Leave a reply

One owner from new
Full service history
Low 37,000km

One of the most characterful cars of recent times is the reborn Fiat 500, which captured the character of the original 1950s model but utilizing modern day technology. Its great style was added to when the performance version, the Abarth was added.

While based on the popular 500, the Abarth Essesse has a multitude of upgrades to make it a car with very different character. Strong acceleration from the turbocharged motor, tremendous handling with upgraded suspension, uprated brakes, wheels, exhaust and more go hand-in-hand with a more aggressive body kit, sportier interior and a higher equipment level.

This Perth delivered car was mainly used around town enjoying “an easy life” and made the occasional trip to Margaret River. Being one of several cars in the family, it has only notched up a mileage of 37,000km in ten years of one-owner use.

The car has a full service history with the bulk of servicing carried out by Barbagallo Fiat. It’s proved exceptionally reliable, with the only issue being the brake module needing replacing – a job just completed in November 2025.

The car has never been in an accident and it very original throughout.

These cars are a ball of fun to drive – the turbocharged engine packs a punch – yet they’re economical and easy to use. No longer available, there is good demand for low mileage, well-kept examples – and this car fits the bill better than most.

Please request an email with full description and more photos from paul@classicrally.com.au

Paul Blank Classic Car Broker MD28143

1ITJ 410 Whilst every effort to ensure accuracy is made when preparing the description of a car, much of the information is provided by the owner and cannot be guaranteed to be accurate and complete.

Any potential purchaser is advised to make his or her own independent investigations or inspections to determine title and whether a vehicle is suitable for purchase.

1985 Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit – SOLD

Leave a reply

The Silver Spirit model brought Rolls-Royce into the 1980s with its smooth 6750cc V8 engine, a very high level of engineering and Rolls-Royce’s famous build quality.

Luxury and comfort were the hallmarks of these cars. Beautifully finished, the interiors had lovely polished woodwork, comfortable, electrically-adjustable leather seats and plush carpet. The climate control system could be controlled by zone. Of course there were power windows, central locking, rear make-up mirrors and other comfort features.

This car was delivered new in Adelaide, finished in metallic Cotswald Beige. It moved to Melbourne and later the Gold Coast. The car can be traced by details in its service booklet – stamped through to when it moved to Perth.

Sadly about a year and a half ago the owner passed away. His family held on to the car, but it was not being used, so the decision has been made to sell. In preparation for sale quite a bit of work has been done on the car.

The car drives particularly well and exhibits notably good acceleration and smooth gearchanges. It starts immediately from cold.

A few items could be attended to, such as the air conditioning not working and some of the chromework on the car has deteriorated which would benefit from being refinished.

Inside the car presents very well, with good leather and hardware. The woodwork is in fine shape.

This Silver Spirit is not a car show queen, but a decent, Australian-delivered car with fine driving characteristics. Its realistic price takes into account some work a new owner may wish to do.

Please request an email with full description and more photos from paul@classicrally.com.au

Paul Blank Classic Car Broker MD28143

1GGN242. Whilst every effort to ensure accuracy is made when preparing the description of a car, much of the information is provided by the owner and cannot be guaranteed to be accurate and complete.

Any potential purchaser is advised to make his or her own independent investigations or inspections to determine title and whether a vehicle is suitable for purchase.

1968 Mercedes-Benz 280SL – SOLD

Leave a reply

Acknowledged as one of the great designs of its era, the Pagoda SL has a rare combination of style and substance.

This car has the rare, optional single, sideways facing seat, which allowed for the soft top and hardtop. This car is also fitted with automatic transmission and power steering.

It has been with the present owner for 38 years – a remarkable period. He purchased the car while he was living in England for a period, then shipped it out when he moved back to Australia.

The owner is especially proud of the car’s reliability over such a long period. Prior to his ownership, in the 1980s the previous owner had the engine replaced with a new unit from Mercedes-Benz. The car was repainted in the same colour some twenty years ago. More recent work has included rust repairs to inner and outer sills and floor sections with over $20,000 was spent on this thorough work.

The car has been regularly serviced and well maintained. A new set of tyres has just been fitted.

This car stands out in its bright Signal Red paintwork. The colour absolutely pops in the sunlight. There are a few small items, generally cosmetic, which could be attended to. Generally though, as you can see in the photos, it’s a good looking car. Inside, black leather upholstery has been protected for many years by lambswool seat covers.

In the correct triple layer Mercedes-Benz hood cloth material the soft top operates with ease.

The car starts easily and the engine runs smoothly. Under acceleration there’s that typical 280SL exhaust note. The automatic transmission changes gear smoothly.

These are wonderful cars, always in demand, for good reason. This example is not a restored trailer queen, and is priced realistically. It is a decent, good specification, factory RHD Pagoda SL of the desirable final model. It has a good service history and comes from very long term, enthusiastic ownership.

Please request an email with full description and more photos from paul@classicrally.com.au

Paul Blank Classic Car Broker MD28143

1EJQ329 0407 097 911 info@classicrally.com.au http://www.paulblank.com.au MD28143

Whilst every effort to ensure accuracy is made when preparing the description of a car, much of the information is provided by the owner and cannot be guaranteed to be accurate and complete.

Any potential purchaser is advised to make his or her own independent investigations or inspections to determine title and whether a vehicle is suitable for purchase.

New car review – Nissan 400Z

Leave a reply

One of the all-time great sports cars – and for a time, the biggest seller, was the original Datsun 240Z. Built from 1969 to 1973, the 240Z is still highly sought after by collectors today due to its tremendous combination of style and performance.

Datsun’s parent company Nissan steadily developed their sports model over the years, with a continuous series of models. The latest model, the 400Z sticks to the tried and true formula which pleases enthusiast drivers well. It’s front-engined, with a 6-cylinder motor, rear wheel drive and in strictly 2-seater configuration.

To look at, there are styling cues taken from the original Z, but reinterpreted in a modern way rather than clumsily copying the earlier style. The rear is reminiscent of the 300ZX. And it works well – the 400Z I had to review for a week got positive comments everywhere I went.

The engine is a highlight of the 400Z – a 3-litre twin-turbocharged V6, it provides plenty of grunt – 298kW (which equals 400 horsepower). In the relatively light body, this gives ample acceleration, even in the higher gears… of which it has six in the manual gearbox, or 9 in the automatic.

Inside is where the compromises of sports cars are most apparent. It’s just two seats with a small storage space behind. There are shallow central storage spots and the boot doesn’t hold a lot. Pretty much the story of most 2-seater sports cars…

The view out to the rear three quarters is very restricted, which many modern cars of all types suffer from. The answer car makers give is to fit cameras and a screen (which I find frustratingly inadequate for this form-over-function problem). However in the 400Z, the screen is angled out at the bottom, and not set back enough to be shaded – at many times of the day, the sun shines directly onto the screen making it virtually unreadable.

As a sports car the bar is set high for driving expectations and the 400Z doesn’t disappoint. While it’s an easy car to cruise around town in, when the Sports mode button is pressed, it takes on a more aggressive feel and provides very strong performance.

The low-set car handles very nicely, taking curves in its stride – and notably, the ride has finesse, compliance and comfort. The harshness in other cars can be wearing, especially on a long run, so the 400Zs suspension setup works very much in its favour.

In a time when SUVs dominate the catalogues of almost every car maker’s offerings, it is very pleasing that a car like the 400Z is available. Any sports car sells to a niche market, and uptake in Australia is traditionally smaller than many other parts of the world.

Nissan had a launch price for 400Z at $73,300 in manual or automatic form. Its natural competitors are the Toyota Supra ($87,000) and Ford Mustang 5.0 ($65,290), so it fits nicely in that range. As Nissan Australia’s only non SUV or 4WD model, the 400Z has a lot of appeal.

Paul Blank

New car review – Jeep Avenger

Leave a reply

The new Avenger is a most unusual Jeep. First, it’s not available in the USA. Second, it’s not four-wheel-drive. Third, it’s electric.

The Avenger’s story is one of the complexity of the modern car industry. The huge Stellantis group is a merging of the Fiat Chrysler group of companies (Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Abarth, Maserati, Lancia, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and RAM) with the Peugeot group PSA (Peugeot, Citroen, DS, Opel and Vauxhall). Plus there’s a slice of some Chinese brands involved too – Dongfeng and Leapmotor…

The Fiat Chrysler group of companies were in enormous trouble, having had terrible management making poor decisions. Only Jeep was making money for the group. And very little of that was outside the US market.

A small Jeep Renegade model which shared its platform and Italian manufacture with a Fiat model had been moderately successful in Europe. So when the decision to replace it with a new electric model came about – it’s one that just about every one of the Stellantis brand names has a car based-on, a Jeep was obvious. So far, only Abarth, Maserati and RAM have not got a car on this platform.

Each has its own characteristics, styling inside and out, but shared technology and much of the structure and running gear. The Jeep model, built in the Polish factory which used to build the incredibly popular 500 (which unbelievably Fiat somehow managed not to have a direct replacement for), the Avenger is aimed primarily at the European market. There a Jeep doesn’t have to be as big as a truck or have the capability to climb Mt Rushmore.

So the electric Jeep is a compact, front wheel drive model – and Australia gets the Avenger as its smallest Jeep. It’s quite a tidy design, harnessing the Jeep look without appearing unnecessarily aggressive or utilitarian.

Inside, it’s clear some of the systems and tech are familiar from other Stellantis brands, it mostly comes together pretty well. It handles nicely, with sure-footedness, and has decent performance.

It’s just as well the Avenger isn’t aimed for rough work and long country drives, because that’s where electric vehicles are at their most inept. As an around town compact family car, it does quite well. Electronic aids are nicely calibrated and unobtrusive – other makers could learn from this…

There are three versions starting at $49,990 for the Longitude, but the base model is lacking in features. The Limited is set at $54,990 and the Summit $60,990. All are comfortable and fit five easily despite the compact exterior dimensions.

If we got the all-wheel-drive and engine-driven versions that Europeans car buy, sales of the Avenger would undoubtedly be stronger, given the Australian market for EVs has yet to get to ten percent.

Paul Blank

New Car Review – Hyundai Ioniq 9 Calligraphy

Leave a reply

This week I’m testing the Hyundai Ioniq 9 Calligraphy – a 7-seater luxury EV. It’s certainly big, plush, quiet and well equipped. At a smidge under $120,000, it’s pushing well into Genesis territory, but that can probably work for the company.

There’s strong acceleration – 0-100km/h in 5.2 seconds, with much less intrusive electronic nannying than many other recent models from Hyundai – seems they’ve been taking the feedback on board.

The Ioniq 9 feels well planted on the road, handles well for a 2.5 tonne SUV. The WLTP claim is a 600km range.

The top of the line Calligraphy has everything they can throw at it. Except Australia doesn’t get the option of swivelling centre row seats that other markets do. There are special finishes, heated and cooled front and rear seats, dozens of cup holders, 21-ich wheels (of a rather dated, fussy design), triple zone climate control, panoramic glass roof, lovely feeling suede-like roof lining and many more details.

But the $3000 option gimmick cameras and screens in place of door mirrors is frustrating at best – dangerous at worst. You have to focus on the screen, not using the depth of field as with a normal mirrors or looking through the windows. Loses a fraction of a second. Terrible for anyone who needs glasses. And hard to judge gaps (when reverse parking for example). The image doesn’t give the additional information a brain can take on board by moving your head a bit. I’ve used this in several cars now. More car makers will use this expensive gimmick to seem high tech. It’s a retrograde step.

The boot floor is crazy high, like almost every new SUV, especially EVs. And it’s not concealing a spare wheel. Boot space with seats up is not generous. There is a small frunk.

Space in the front two rows is excellent – almost limousine-like for the centre row passengers.

There’s an 8-year warranty – and unlike sone of the unknown new brands, Hyundai will still be around to honour it – while parts availability and servicing will be to their usual good standard.

And I don’t mind the styling, especially the back end.

Paul Blank