If you had to guess which Hollywood celebrity had a custom-built 1966 Mustang convertible extensively fitted with ex-NASCAR gear and a variety of other track-focused upgrades back in 2006 it would be a tough job. Sylvester Stallone perhaps or maybe even Steven Seagal but you probably wouldn’t have picked wild man Charlie Sheen, however that’s who is responsible for this automotive gem.

The Mustang is no longer owned by Sheen but is on sale in a charity auction and is expected to raise some serious coin. The auction page claims it would cost US$300,000 to build a car like this and while that seems high, the modifications (view below) are very extensive.

Under the bonnet lies a 358-cubic-inch Winston Cup engine, there’s huge Wilwood brakes and a fully upgraded suspension set-up. This Mustang is geared up for some winning. Read full story…

Dodge is flying to next week’s LA Auto show with a sting in its tail and a new special edition vehicle. The iconic American manufacturer will be debuting the 2012 Charger SRT8 Super Bee. The hardcore Charger has been created for enthusiasts and the muscle car faithful and has plenty to excite Mopar fans.

Inspired by the original Super Bee series that was first introduced in 1968 as a member of Dodge’s Scat Pack performance group, the nameplate was then revived with the limited-edition Charger SRT8 in 2007. This new edition brings exclusive content inside and out to the 2012 Charger SRT8.

In terms of power, the Super Bee keeps the 6.1-litre HEMI V8 and five-speed automatic transmission. Power figures haven’t increased, but 470 horsepower and 470 pound-feet are serious numbers. The Super Bee edition Charger will feature the 392 HEMI badge, which was brought back for the 2010 Challenger 392 model.

Two colour options are available: pitch black or stinger yellow with both featuring a graphics package on the exterior. Other visual treats include rear decklid spoilers and a special helmeted bee mascot badge. 20-inch alloys will pack the guards with black painted pockets. Read full story…

Has your classic car been in storage over the winter months? If so, it’s time to wake it up for another summer of motoring pleasure.

Every autumn, aware of the onset of another bitterly cold UK winter, my grandfather would carefully lay up his Sunbeam Alpine, placing it into storage until the following spring and restricting his driving to his second car – a MkI Cortina. He hated driving the Sunbeam on wet, icy roads and, unless you wore many layers of clothing, a top-down winter drive wasn’t always a pleasant experience.

Anyway, have you ever tried buttoning up a vinyl convertible top on a freezing day? It’s virtually impossible as the vinyl becomes stiff as a board.

For most North Islanders – unless they live around the Central Plateau – truly freezing winters shouldn’t be too much of an issue, but there are other places in New Zealand where the winter temperatures can be trying on a classic car.

So, if your classic car has been hibernating during the winter months – or has simply been in dry storage for an extended period – what are the steps required to get it up and running? Read full story…

Thousands turned out in England’s autumn sunshine greeted the glorious 2011 London to Brighton Veteran Car Run field, last Sunday (6 November), as participants concluded their historic journey at the ceremonial finish line on Brighton’s Madeira Drive.

The 115th anniversary Run was symbolically opened by Jutta Benz driving an 1880s Benz Patent-Motorwagen. The great granddaughter of Carl Benz, Jutta was in attendance as part of the celebrations surrounding the 125th anniversary of the first automobile while Mercedes-Benz, alongside Bosch, joined the event as partner sponsors.

Oliver Wright, aged just 17, led 496 pre-1905 vehicles away from the 75th anniversary start at Hyde Park at official sunrise, 07.02am, driving an 1894 Benz owned by the Ward Collection.

Matt Roberts astride the 1897 Marot Gardon Tricycle was the first to arrive in Brighton an impressive three hours and 25 minutes after leaving Hyde Park in the first sector group. Read full story…

While it doesn’t appeal to all tastes, Targa racing can be fairly exciting and when there is a flaming Lamborghini involved it’s simply awesome. During the recent Targa High Country in Victoria, Australia Lamborghini Gallardo team of Jason and John White struck some heated mechanical issues. The duo had spent the final day of the event battling for the top spot with the near unstoppable Nissan GT-R of Tony Quinn. But the Whites had battled hard and were sitting just four seconds behind Quinn leading into the final stage of the Targa and were determined to close the gap.

Disaster struck halfway through the stage when the team noticed a fireball shooting from the rear of their Lambo. There was two choices: either stop halfway through the course, attempt to extinguish the flames with theon-board extinguishers and give up the overall win or push on for victory and professional fire assistance at the finish line. They went for it. Read full story…

There’s no easing off the throttle for New Zealand’s champion rally driver Hayden Paddon who has two goals at this week’s World Rally Championship finale in the UK.

The 24-year-old gets to secure his record-making World Production Rally Championship title simply by starting the three-day Wales Rally GB on 10 November in a Subaru WRX STI with factory backing.

But Paddon is set on a top ten finish in the British event, where the Geraldine-based Kiwi will be partnered by co-driver John Kennard from Blenheim. They will be driving a brand-new R4-spec Subaru rally car that was completed only days ago.

“We are going to push for a top ten finish; it will not be easy, but we will push hard,” says Paddon from Wales where he tested the just-finished car on Sunday 7 November.

“However the main objective of the rally is to get an indication of the performance of the R4 as it is still in its early stages of development and, with more homologated parts being approved for next season, it has the potential to be even faster. It’s also about getting some data and information from the event to help STI [Subaru Tecnica International (STI), the motorsport arm of Japanese Subaru manufacturer Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd] and Symtech Racing [Paddon’s Belgium-based team] to continue developing the car.” Read full story…

Renault’s “hot hatch,” the Megane RS 250 in Cup Trophee form has impressed long time motor racing personality Ray Williams and thrilled the celebrity co-drivers he had during the recently completed five day Targa tarmac road rally.

“It was a big surprise,” said Williams, who had never driven any of Renault’s hot hatches before the Targa. “The handling was unbelievable. It was light and nimble and it carried the speed through corners really well.”

Williams has had a wide variety of experience competing in everything from Porsches to Escorts in several decades of motor racing.

Williams said the combination of the sophisticated limited slip differential for the front wheel drive and the equally “trick” rear suspension geometry provided the limpet like road holding. Read full story…

A car taking on a helicopter in a straight-up drag race is a bit of a no brainer. The helicopter will win every time. But what if the car is Steve Millen’s hardcore Stillen R-35 Nissan GT-R?

It was a question no one asked but still got answered during the second day of the Targa New Zealand race. Other competitors and spectators witnessed the spectacle when the competing cars were paused at a pit stop.

Steve Millen was behind the wheel of his car while acrobatic racing pilot, Leigh Hopper, controlled the Eurocopter named ‘Squirrel’. The results are somewhat inconclusive but the car/helicopter drag race made two runs down the runway with a turn at the end.

Check out the video of these Targa NZ sideshow shenanigans below. Read full story…