Makes and Models
This Is Not A Dinky Toy
There’s been a bit of trend towards downsizing for a lot of folks, especially given petrol prices, concerns about peak oil and attempts to reduce carbon footprints. Small cars are no longer the preserve of little old ladies but are often the choice of the smart commuter, with hatchbacks being seen as fun, zippy and classy. However, how small is too small?
It’s not a stupid question, as an American designer has come up with an extremely small commuter vehicle known as the Elio. It’s an attempt to keep the prices down, both of buying a car and of running a car. And, given the diminutive size of the vehicle, it’s probably going to keep the cost of parking down, too.
So what has the Elio got to offer (or, more correctly, what will it have to offer)? For a start off, it’s got a price tag to match its size, with the estimated starting price of US$6,800 for a new car. Not bad value, really, but what do you get for the money? It has a teeny weeny engine (0.9 L) with single overhead cams and three cylinders. Presumably that is one cylinder for each wheel, as this is going to be a three-wheeled vehicle. The maximum power is 55 kW so it’s not exactly going to be a heavy-duty workhorse, but that’s not what the designers had in mind. It’s supposed to be thrifty and thrifty it is: it has a fuel economy figure of 84 mpg (about 3 L/100 km) on the open road and 49 mpg (4.8 L/100 km) around town.
The Elio is going to be a three-wheeled vehicle and although it can seat two passengers, they’re sitting one behind the other, if the pics of the vehicle are anything to go by. Each of them will have an airbag, and the body style does have a reinforced roll cage for protection. Good to know, as this vehicle is knee-high to most other vehicles. Because of its three wheel designs, it’s also technically a motorbike, according to US law, which probably affects the licence you need to drive one.
Yes, you can fit something into the boot.
The Elio isn’t in production quite yet. Right now, orders are being taken and the maker is proposing to manufacture the Elio in an ex-MG plant in Louisiana.
Call me cynical, but I won’t be signing up for my Elio just yet, even if I was interested in importing one Down Under (which I’m not, as I’ve got teenagers to cart about the place). You see, this isn’t the first time that a three-wheeled car with amazing fuel economy has been trumpeted around and orders taken ahead of actual production. It happened about 40 years ago with the Dale (see my earlier post on the Dale Debacle). Now, it could well be that the makers of the Elio are above board and are genuinely trying to come up with a solution to the issues of congestion and pollution. The Elio could be something along the same lines as the Smart or, looking further back in history, the Ford Model T in the US or the VW Beetle in Germany. And good on them if this is the case. But personally, I’d like to see a bit more of the Elio in action, and not just on the manufacturer’s website. (OK, OK, I am cynical!)
However, you never know. It could prove to be a big hit and it might even make it over here. Maybe. Have a look at the official Elio website and see what you think.
This should give you an idea of the size of the Elio.
Classic Cars: Ford GT40
Born in Britain, raised in Britain, went to America. Sounds like Davy Jones from The Monkees but no, it’s the Ford GT40. It’s also a car with an Italian connection, being none other than Enzo Ferrari. However the connection is not a friendly one…
In 1963, Henry Ford (the second) received word that Ferrari was interested in selling parts to the Ford company. As you do, Ford spent a squillion on checking the viability of Ferrari and on legalities, only to have Ferrari cut short the discussions thanks to a dispute over racing rights. Enzo wanted to stay as the sole operator of the Ferrari motorsport division however he’d been told that ferrari couldn’t race at the Indianapolis 500 if the business transaction went ahead, as Ford raced cars at the event using, naturally, Ford engines and didn’t want the Ferrari competition. Understandably, Enzo pulled the pin on the deal, leaving Henry Ford somewhat miffed. In response to Ferrari’s move, Ford directed his racing division to find a car that would flatten Ferrari on the world stage.
After looking at proposals from three companies, including Lotus (in which Colin Chapman insisted any car be called the Lotus-Ford, a polite way of telling Ford he wan’t interested), an agreement with Lola was signed and thus began the genesis of the GT40. The name itself comes from a simple mix; GT for grand touring and 40, for the height in inches. Prototype and testing cars were called, simply, GT, the GT40 name came when the production models arrived.
Lola had already used a Ford engine, a V8, in the mid engined Mark 6, which had raced at Le Mans. Eric Broadley, Lola Cars’ chief designer and owner, agreed to help Ford out with an agreement that didn’t directly involve the company. Two Lola Mk 6 chassis were sold to Ford and manpower was found in the shape of John Wyer, former Aston Martin racing team manager and Roy Lunn, the designer of the Mark 1 Mustang concept car. Work commenced on the car at the Lola factory in Bromley, before moving to Slough, near the Heathrow airport. The 
first car, known as the GT 101, had a 4.2L V8 engine and a transaxle gearbox. It was unveiled in the UK on 1 April, 1965 and could be had for the princely sum of 5,200 pounds.
The GT40 first raced at Germany’s Nurburgring in May of 1964, running second for some time before withdrawing thanks to suspension failure. Three weeks later three entries ran at Le Mans, with one car leading until its first pitsop, however all three eventually retired. Due to the lack of results, the cars were given to noted American engineer, Carroll Shelby. Shelby entered a car for the Daytona 2000 in February of 1965, with immediate results, scoring the win. The Mk 1 was raced at Le Mans in ’68 and ’69, winning both events plus at Sebring in 1969. The Mk 1 was powered, in production trim, 
by 4.7L V8s, the same as used in the Mustang.
The Mark 2 GT40 was propelled by a 7.0L V8, as used in Ford’s Galaxie. Although looking like the Mk, there were differences enough under the skin in order to house both the bigger engine and a different gearbox, being a four speed from a company called Kar-Kraft. It was the Mk 2 that won Le Mans for four years, from 1966 through to ’69.
The Mk3 was a very limited run, with just seven examples built and for a road only usage. It had quad headlights, a fatter rear for luggage and a detuned 4.7L V8, with 250kW or 335 horsepower.
In 1966 racing regulations were changed to what was called Appendix J. A development model, called the J-Car was built with bonded aluminuim panels. This came under the auspices of John Wyer, after he’d bought the previous construction business, Ford Advanced Vehicles, and had the design and manufacture more or less in house with Ford. The tub was superb in its weight reduction, tipping the scales at just 39kg and the whole, finished, car weighed 1210 kilos. The Mk 4 GT40 was born from this work, with the 7.0L engine being used plus a 
specific chassis and bodywork combination. Due to a fatal crash with one of the development and racing drivers, steel tube roll cages were installed in the racing cars, negating any weight savings from the aluminuim tub. This same construction would be credited with saving the life of Mario Andretti, at the 1967 Le Mans 24 Hour race.
The GT40 has spawned copies and replicas, plus an offical Ford version that went into production in 2004, although it was wider and taller than the original. It is known as the Ford GT after a falling out between Ford and a small company that had purchased the rights from a continuation maker based in Britain. The orginal GT40s command high prices in the auction market and will always be remembered for the low height and ferocious 7.0L engine.
The Ford River Rouge Complex
Ford in Australia is, unfortunately, dying. It has received a mortal wound and is going through the process of twitching and groaning before ultimately giving up the ghost, more’s the pity. However, the same can’t be said of Ford in other parts of the world. So to cheer all my fellow Ford fans up, here’s a bit of info about one of the oldest and possibly largest Ford factories: the Ford River Rouge Complex in Detroit, founded in 1917, which started manufacturing Model Ts since the late 1920s and still at work churning out Fords today.
The Ford River Rouge Complex, often just known as “The Rouge”, has been called one of the wonders of the industrial world and “a city without residents”. It’s got its own transport system – right from the beginning, it had 100 miles of railroad track and its own internal bus system as well as its own electricity generators. It was a completely self-sufficient factory: raw materials came in at one end and finished cars came out of the other. Even the plastic parts originally came from soybean derived oils grown in Ford-owned fields and the rubber came from a Ford-owned plantation in Brazil. Today, it’s not quite as self-sufficient or as big, but it’s still pretty impressive. It covers 600 acres and employs over 6000 people.
Originally, the factory buildings were designed to be reasonably pleasant to work in, with lots of glass all over the show so that it felt light and spacious for the workers inside. Today, it’s still doing the architectural design for living thing, with the largest “living roof” in the world to tackle stormwater, and has lots of green space all around the place as well as other eco-friendly features to minimise pollution.
However, all has not been rosy for the Rouge over the years and this massive complex did nearly close its doors in the early 1990s when they decided to stop making the Mustang there. Sure, they were still churning out Dearborn trucks from The Rouge (and still do), but there were howls of protest. People wanted to save the Mustang and keep the Rouge in production. Happily, both the Mustang and the Rouge stayed – although the Mustangs are being made elsewhere. The Rouge is still being redeveloped, with the Henry Ford Museum being closely linked with the Rouge and sharing the site, as well as running tours through the plant. (Hmmm… Ford Australia, take note.) They’re still in the redevelopment process, so it will be interesting to see what happens.
One of the few actual Ford vehicles made at this heritage factory is the Ford F150. We don’t get this over here, as the Powers That Be at Ford have said that the Aussie-made Ford Ranger does the job for this part of the world and they won’t be making the F150 with right-hand-drive. The F150 is, however, one of the best-selling vehicles in the USA (and has been for over 30 years) and is a tough, stylish ute (or “pickup truck”, as our American friends call it). With any luck – and I’m guessing here – this will change, given that (a) Ford Australia is shutting its doors, (b) Ford USA is coming out with a new F150 soon and (c) we like our utes over here. Fingers crossed, everybody.
Welcome Back!
Hello everyone, Private Fleet, its staff and contributors hope you all had a great Christmas/New Year’s period and the scales haven’t groaned too much!
Sadly, our roads were not trouble free, with too many losing their lives needlessly over the last couple of weeks with perhaps the most tragic the story of the four year old that apparently ran out in front of a vehicle. Without knowing the full details it seems that a situation such as this was utterly unavoidable in regards to the person driving the vehicle. Our sympathies and thoughts are with both families.
So, what did YOU end up doing for your Christmas break? With two sub seven year old children and retail work it was a pretty quiet one for our household. Christmas Day at home, Boxing Day drive in Holden’s wonderful SV6 six speed manual down to just north of Wollongong with a stop 
at Stanwell Tops to watch the para- and hang gliders whilst New Year’s Day was a drive down to Botany Bay. A little bit of ham, a little bit of vege, a bit of wine….was a nice break. The roads were quiet, unsurprisingly but what was surprising was the relative lack of a police presence seen. I think we saw more on the road leading into the Royal National Park from the south than at any other time.
As we all know by now, Holden has confirmed its cessation of manufacturing here; what isn’t known is where Toyota stand on the matter but it’s fair to say they’d be hard pressed to stay as a viable manufacturing entity in their own right and that leads to another whole set of issues. It’s not just about the workers directly involved, it’s the suppliers, their staff, courier driver and truck drivers and parts of the railway network that will all have some sort of impact upon their roles, even down to local shops and lunch bars. But with 68 brands available in Australia compared with 38 for North America and 42 in the UK, we have to question, with a population of under thirty million, why so many?
On the other side of the coin was the sales numbers; well over a million for 2013 with the Toyota Corolla 
snaring first place. The Commodore came fifth on the back of increased sales from the VF range after a runout of the VE series 2, but of some concern in some quarters was the number of SUVs delivered, over 333, 000. Adding to the fragmentation and confusion though, is that not one SUV made the top ten sales list. For the record: 43,498 for the Corolla, 42,082 sales for the Mazda 3, 39,931 sales of Toyota’s HiLux, 30,582 for Hyundai’s award winning i30 , 27,766 for the VF/VE Holden Commodore , 24,860 with the Toyota Camry, 24,512 for Mitsubishi’s capable but aging Triton , 24,421 sales for Holden’s Cruze (due for an update in 2015 apparently), 24,108 for the Nissan Navara (new model available) and 21,752 for the Ford Ranger.
With 2014 underway and the FBT situation seemingly buried; repeat, seemingly and with predictions for sales this year to be in excess of the 2013 numbers, come have a chat to Private Fleet about your next vehicle. Again, hope you all had a great festive break and thanks for being part of the Private Fleet family.
Level 2, 9 Help Street