Cars

Opposites Attract. These two cars represent the extremes of Australia’s late-model VAG tuning scene. Similar in some ways but completely different in others, these two cars represent the extremes of Australia’s late-model VAG tuning scene. Words and photos: Chris Nicholls.

Japanese Juiced Ferrari. Wildcard Ferrari 348 Targa. Words and Photos: Ron Celestine. Celebrity juiced.  Hydraulic suspension on a Ferrari? Is it sacrilege or modifying awesomeness? This ‘stancing horse’ may hold the answer…  Wildcard - Japanese Ferrari. A big money Italian thoroughbred with hydraulic suspension? We’ve officially seen it all now. Only in Japan…

Rekord Breaker ‘70s Spotless Opel Rekord. Retro Ride Opel Rekord. Words: Dougie Rankine. Photos: Steve McCann This outstanding Rekord D nearly ended up on the scrapheap but, thanks to the dedication of Dennis Jensen, it’s now one of the best in the world!

‘80s rare R5 le car turbo French Slick. The engineers at Renault we’re once keen to slap a turbo on every one of their models in the 1980s. This little Le Car though, must be one of the rarest blown hatches ever… it could even be a sole survivor! British R5 Le Car 2 Turbo This has to be one of the rarest sights ever seen in Retro Cars. We’ll eat our berets if you can show us another that’s still on the road.Retro Ride Renault 5 Turbo. Words: Jarkle. Photos: Davy Lewis.

Driven Automotive Legends. Words: Daniel Bevis Spruce Goose Driven: SAAB 900. We’ve always loved the super-Swede here at RC, but now we finally get to drive a Goose! Go out and drive a Saab 900,” said Midge. “I’m going t o stay here and have a brew.” Well, he didn’t have to tell me twice. My dad had a 900 Turbo when I was a kid (VLX 993X – I suspect it went to the great scrapyard in the sky long ago) which taught the 7 year-old me all I needed to know about boost gauges and hooligan thrust. Time to make a long-held dream come true with perhaps the ultimate Euro box…

Retro Ride Lada Riva ‘90s Lush Lada Riva. WORDS: Daniel Bevis. PHOTOGRAPHY: Ade Brannan. AIR BRICK A Lada on air-ride, with copious VW styling cuesand more than a hint of modern Fiat? Oh, such Western decadence… Euro Mix Lada Riva. These have been the butt of many a joke over the years but they were certainly popular on the ‘Bloc’. Then again, we’re guessing the Soviets didn’t have much of a choice - it’s the Lada or the gulag! Still, at least this one is awesome.

F07 5 Series Gran Turismo Buying Guide If you need plenty of space and luxury there’s one standout candidate – the F07 5 Series GT. Not everyone loves its looks but with a host of interior space and a myriad of toys and gadgets the 5 Series GT makes a stunning used purchase. Words: Bob Harper and Andrew Everett Photography: BMW.

BMW E28 5 Series race car Gorgeous retro-racer packing a 360hp E34 M5 straight-six. The Turner Prize E28 RACE CAR. The Turner brothers had been yearning for an E28 racer ever since they used to see them pounding the circuits in period. And after a decade of practice in a Mini, this work-of-art race car is their reward… Words: Dan Bevis. Photography: Matt Woods.

An Unusual Suspect BMW E24 635CSi rally car. Think of a BMW rally car and it would be an ‘02 or an E30… but here’s a rallying 635CSi! BMW’s not generally a word that’s synonymous with rallying and if you do picture a BMW on a rally stage it’s probably a 2002 or an E30 M3… not an E24 6 Series! Words and photography: Robb Pritchard.

Schnitzer Group A E30 M3. The final Group A E30 M3 Schnitzer ever built was also one of its very best. We checked it out at its current home in Australia. Words and Photography: Chris Nicholls. The Last Hurrah Schnitzer’s very last Group A E30 M3 resides in Australia and is still a Touring Car to be reckoned with.

The Invincibles. Not one, but two M6s packing well over 700hp and some seriously tasty modifications make this brace virtually untouchable on the road. Words: Bob Harper. Photography: Matt Richardson.

One for The Boss. Richard Grimmond’s first job was at the legendary Coombs Garage, says Mick Walsh, who tells the story of how the former apprentice painstakingly rebuilt his late guv’nor’s souped-up Mk2 Jaguar. Photography Tony Baker.