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Run Your Car On Water (Part Two)
2008-06-08 12:05:00
 Finally we have some base fuel consumption figures to use for our ‘Run Your Car On Water Test’. If you have no idea what I am talking about it is all explained in Part One.  The Minister for Finance and War has travelled a total of 423.5 Kilometres (263.15 Miles) for the 55.9 litres (14.76 U.S. Gallons) that filled the tank on May 30 giving an average of 13.19 Litres per 100 kilometres (17.82 Miles per Gallon). We are using the first time the fuel light comes on as our guide for refilling and assuming that the Toyota’s gauge is reasonably accurate we should be pretty close to our first filling mark.   Unfortunately she was quite busy at work over these past 9 days and we didn’t get a chance to do as much highway driving as I would have liked. We will be sure to do the ‘water for gas’ test in the same driving conditions to make the test as accurate as possible.   All going well tomorrow will be spent putting the kit together and installi...

Run Your Car On Water - Money Saver or Scam?
2008-05-30 12:40:00
 Obviously one hot topic around the country and I’m sure around the rest of the world is the price of fuel. It doesn’t take Einstein to realise that with prices edging upwards of $1.50 a litre owning and driving a car is turning into an expensive hobby! Honestly I think that the amount of tax we pay on fuel in this great country of ours is simply daylight robbery but I guess that is another issue for another day.  So along with high fuel prices come people looking for ways to save themselves some money at the bowser. With that of course comes people and companies claiming that they have the answer for keeping more of your hard earned in your pocket.  If you spend any amount of time on the internet you may have come across these websites claiming that it is possible to run your car on water. The skeptic and motor mechanic in me said “Yeah, right!” the first time I saw one of these sites. When you look past all the hype of the salespage you see th...
More About: Money , Water , Scam

Auto Repair Advice Forum Launched!
2008-05-13 12:00:00
 To further extend the free auto repair advice that we have been offering for nearly two years now we have decided to launch the Auto fix Advice Forum .  Previously the advice we have been giving was through a contact form and subsequent emails back and forward, which was working well however I think the forum will offer more information from a wider range of people.  My aim with the forum is to have a number of knowledgeable people on board with us to help answer your questions and of course other forum members will be able to offer their thoughts and opinions as well.  One such person is Bret Youngs who is a motorcycle mechanic, 1st class welder and all round nice guy. Bret also has a back injury and is unable to work and as long as I can keep him interested he will be around to offer his expertise.  The forum is in it’s infancy and looking pretty bare but I will be adding more categories and boards as needed and any feedback you have is more than welcomed.  To post a qu...
More About: Launched , Repair

Dealership Service Centres - Are They Worth Paying The Extra For?
2008-05-06 14:34:00
An interesting piece was published in The Courier Mail last week regarding a survey conducted by Choice Magazine. The results of the survey state that nine out of ten car dealer’s service centres missed a planted fault in a car they were servicing. Believe it or not, even the so called ‘experts’ can get it wrong! I know you would have never thought it possible. Ford, Holden, Subaru and Toyota service dealers in Sydney were told by a driver she was about to travel interstate and wanted a minor service and safety check done on her car before she left. Only three out of twenty-eight service centres used in the survey picked up four deliberately planted faults including a blown reverse light, low brake fluid, right rear tyre pressure twenty percent below the manufacturer’s recommended standard and a spare tyre with pressure reduced to ten psi. Almost half of the service centres failed to notice the blown reverse light bulb, one in ten didn’t fill up th...
More About: Service , Worth , Extra

Looking For A New Car?
2008-05-02 09:08:00
We have a new sponsor onboard this month that specializes in taking the hassle out of buying a new car. Private Fleet.com.au provides a unique way of negotiating the best price without having to trudge around the caryards all weekend. Here is the latest news from Private Fleet - 2008 is turning out to be a great year for buying a new car with many updates to the cars we love, add the slow economy with dealers doing anything to make a sell and you have the best time to be a car buyer. The two newest cars that have caught my eye are also this years top choices on the forums. First we have the new BMW, changes for 2008 represent the most significant model-year update since the current 5 Series was launched in 2003. They include mild exterior revisions, improvements to the interior and a significant power boost for six-cylinder models. Next, the about-to-be-released Hyundai I30 is a Mazda 3 or VW Golf sized five-door hatchback. The new Hyundai I30 has a slightly different nose and tail ...

Danica Patrick Makes Indy Car History
2008-04-20 18:34:00
Ok so I am not a real big Indy car fan, I much prefer our home grown V8 Supercar series however news this big requires a mention. Danica Patrick has become the first woman in history to win an Indy Car round, the Japan 300. As reported by the Telegraph, In her 50th start in the series, the American covered 200 laps at the 1.52-mile Twin Ring Motegi with a time of 1 hr 51:02m 6739 secs. She saw off competition from second place Helio Castroneves of Brazil and third place Scott Dixon of New Zealand. Victory: Patrick ends first in her 50th start Castroneves timed 1h 51:08.5333secs and Dixon 1h 51:12.7298secs ahead of Dan Wheldon of Britain and Tony Kanaan of Brazil. Patrick, 26, said:”Finally. This is a long time coming. It was a fuel strategy race, but my team called it perfectly for me.” “I know I was on the same strategy as Helio (Castroneves) and when I passed him for the lead, I couldn’t believe it. This is fabulous.” With six laps remaining, Dixon ...
More About: History

How To Repaint A Car - Part Two
2008-04-14 01:37:00
Finally! Part Two is here - The all important preparation. Between the camera taking an early holiday and my good ‘ole back injury flaring up again nothing much has been happening around here, and I apologize for that. Anyhoo, on with the show. Our ‘ guinea pig’ VN Commodore is for the most part a fairly straight and tidy car except for the left front guard which had met with a guide post after a corner was taken a tad too fast in the wet. Rather than repairing the guard we decided to source another one as VN parts are easy to come by and a nice straight one was picked up for less than the cost of a slab of beer. The first thing we had to do was remove the pin striping and protective mould. I have a scraper/spatula type thing for doing this. It is sharp enough to get under the edge and lift the striping but not sharp enough to dig into the paint. If you have access to a heat gun or hair dryer these can make the job easier by softening the glue. Too much heat and ...

Falcon Transmission Cooler Installation
2008-03-14 06:14:00
 As a follow up to the original post we have information on fitting a transmission cooler to ‘E’ series Falcon s. A big thankyou to Paul (Tinter) for these photos and write-up. Paul chooses to fit two coolers and bypass the original radiator cooler due to a common problem with the internals of the original cooler breaking down and finding their way back into the transmission. He has reported having no problems as long as the fluid is changed regularly (20,000km intervals is recommended). Here is a diagram he sent through of his setup -                      And here is how he put it all together: I removed the front bumper from chassis and other attached areas, top plastic cover, plastic on wheel arch fronts and behind indicators. This only took about 20mins. I purchased a transcooler from an ea at the wreckers for $35 (photo 1956).                         Attach that with cable ties to the power steer cooler pipe and a bracket supplied or make ...
More About: Cooler , Transmission

Could this be the next Holden Monaro?
2008-03-05 09:01:00
 General Motors Holden is celebrating it’s 60th year of local vehicle production by unveiling the ‘Coupe 60′ at the 2008 Melbourne Motor Show. Touted strictly as a concept car, Holden says the Coupe 60 is a “60th anniversary gift to the fans worldwide.”                     More images in the Photo Gallery. Holden has stopped short of calling this concept car a Monaro but admits that it may be a hint that the Monaro is set to make yet another comeback.  The coupe shares it’s wheelbase and underpinnings with the VE sedan and comes equipped with the Chevrolet sourced 6.0 litre V8 which is expected to put out somewhere in the vicinity of 300kw. This engine has been designed to run on up to 85 per cent ethanol and with Holden’s Active Fuel Management can run on only four cylinders during light throttle and cruising conditions.  The styling of the concept coupe is fairly radical with huge 21 inch wheels filling out the bulging wheel ...

American Muscle to Sponsor ECTA Land Speed Record Attempt
2008-03-01 05:44:00
 One of our champion long-term site sponsors, American Muscle is helping to sponsor an attempt at the ECTA Land Speed Record for a Production Supercharged vehicle with a Stock Bottom End which is currently at 186.853MPH from a standing mile. Attempting this feat will be the car’s 73 year old owner Robert Self.  The attempt will be made April 5th & 6th, 2008 at the East Coast Timing Association (ECTA) in Maxton, North Carolina. On the ECTA’s 1mile x 30ft abandoned runway track, Robert is looking to hit a cool 200 - 210MPH and have room to stop.  A fully custom roll cage, Halon fire extinguishing system, and drag chute have been installed by S & W Racecars. All performance enhancements and custom SCT dynamometer tuning have been performed by Eric Swarr & his team at Swarr Auto Performance Center in Collegeville, Pennsylvania.  In addition to the $15,000 Whipple Industries Supercharger upgrade, Robert has an additional $30,000 over the car’s $170,000 b...
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Ashley Cooper - 11/07/80 – 25/02/08
2008-02-25 10:18:00
Unfortunately Ashley Cooper has succumbed to his injuries this afternoon. Here is the statement released today from his website, ashleycooper.com.au.  Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series driver Ashley Cooper passed away this afternoon, at 1.00pm Adelaide time. 27 year old Cooper failed to regain consciousness, and succumbed to brain injuries after a high speed racing accident at the Clipsal 500 meeting in Adelaide on Saturday morning.  At his bedside were partner, Casey; parents Alan and Maree, and siblings Rebecca, Rachel and Aaron. Ashley and Casey’s two young children, Ella, 5, and Bailey, 3, are being cared for at home in Ulladulla with family.  Ashley’s father, Alan Cooper, has praised everybody involved in caring for Ashley since the accident; including trackside officials, Royal Adelaide Hospital staff and V8 Supercars Australia officials.  Alan also acknowledged the amazing support the family and team members have received from both the motorsport community, and the general ...

Please say a prayer for Ashley Cooper
2008-02-24 19:13:00
 If you saw the lead up races to the Clipsal 500 V8 Supercar race in Adelaide on Saturday you will know what I am talking about. For our international readers and those that didn’t see the race, Ashley Cooper is a 27 year old driver in the Fujitsu series which is a support category to the V8 Supercars.  Ashley crashed on turn eight of the track, an area where the cars are doing in excess of 200 km/hr and suffered severe head and internal injuries and had to have an emergency tracheotomy at the track to help him breathe. As I write this he is still on life support in Royal Adelaide Hospital with his family at his bedside.  I’m sure that anyone involved in motorsport understands the risks involved every time they hit the track but to see an up and coming driver injured in this way must hit home pretty hard.  I can’t say that I am a particularly religious person but if you are please take a moment to say a prayer for Ashley and his family and hopefully we will ...
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‘Articles’ page added
2008-02-21 15:00:00
 With nearly one hundred articles on this blog now I thought it high-time I got some organization around here. Under the header you will see a link to our ‘Articles’ page and this page lists all the current categories and articles to make it easier to go straight to the article you are looking for.  It also made me realize how lacking this site is on certain subjects and I will be working hard over the next few weeks to expand on quite a few of the categories.  Remember also that if the help you need is not documented here you can submit a question on our ‘Advice’ page and we will do our best to help you out, free of charge. Thanks for stopping by! Craig
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How To Replace The Head Gasket On An E Series Ford Falcon
2008-02-18 16:10:00
 We had an email today from Mick asking if we could do a ‘how to’ on replacing a head gasket on the overhead cam six cylinder engines found in EA to EL Falcon s. I did have a Falcon engine here up until a few weeks ago that would have been perfect to photograph each step but with room in the garage at a premium we decided to send it to the scrap heap so I will do my best with the limited pictures I have.  First thing’s first, special tools required for the job. NEW SET OF HEAD BOLTS - DO NOT RE-USE THE HEADBOLTS. The head bolts used are what they call ‘torque to yield’ and basically stretch to a pre-determined length when first fitted and cannot be used again. We have had to replace more than one Falcon head gasket were someone had refitted the old bolts and you are lucky if it lasts more than a month or two with the old bolts put back in! Not a good result. A quality torque wrench. Torque angle gauge - not absolutely necessary but does help in tensio...
More About: Ford , Series , Head

How To Re-Paint A Car - Part One
2008-02-17 16:22:00
 With Mechanical Repairs off my list of things to do for a while due to ongoing problems with my back I thought I would do a tutorial on what I know about Re-Paint ing a car. No, I am not talking about getting a tin of Mission Brown Enamel and the widest brush you can find like old Fred did down the road!  The real key to achieving a successful repaint is in the preparation. Sure it is hard, labour-some (is that even a word?) and you will feel like just skipping this part and throwing some paint on but trust me, if you take the time to prepare the car properly you will be rewarded with a good result.  The first thing to do is to decide on which type of paint you are going to use for your re spray. The most commonly used paints today are 2 Pack and Acrylic Lacquer. Acrylic is by far the easiest and safest for the ‘car handyman’ to use however here are some pro’s and con’s of each to help you decide. Acrylic Lacquer Pro’s Relatively easy to apply. Dri...
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Are You Paying Too Much For Your Auto Repairs?
2008-01-08 17:02:00
After touching on the subject of what is reasonable when it comes time for your vehicle to be repaired in The Workshop Owner versus The Consumer and recieving heaps of emails from people that felt they were being taken for a ride I decided to put together some sort of a practical guide for consumers. That was until I did a bit of research and found a great e-book called ‘A Mechanic comes clean - and you save thousands’. The book has all the points covered that I would have written about, so I can highly recommend it. Written by Austin Davis, an ex-workshop owner who has good ‘insider’ knowledge of how the Auto Repair industry works and the tricks-of-trade that are used to increase the owner’s profits. As much as I would love to say that all mechanics are honest, that statement just simply is not true and from what I have seen as a workshop owner and the constant emails we get from concerned consumers it seems that honest mechanics are few and far betwee...

2009 Camaro Prototype
2008-01-06 12:01:00
 The folks over at Autoblog have been busy using their creative talent (and Photoshop!) to add some spice to a 2009 Camaro Proto type image.  They have taken the bland white prototype and added some colour, well several colours actually, the ones that they expect will be offered when the car hits the showroom floors.  GM officials are saying that the 2009 Camaro is about 65% production ready and that the prototype images may not necessarily represent exactly what will be offered for sale with some design elements yet to be finalised.  For more information and to see the Camaro in a range of colours head on over to Autoblog.com.                  
More About: Amar

Automotive Spare Parts and Accessories
2008-01-02 12:23:00
 Welcome to the New Year and welcome to the Grand Opening of the Autofix Spare Parts and Accessories Store!  In our store we have a huge range of spare parts and accessories at discounted prices in the following categories; Car Care Exterior Accessories Interior Accessories Oils and Fluids Paint, Body and Trim Performance Parts and Accessories Replacement Parts Tires and Wheels Tools and Equipment  The store is powered by Amazon so you can buy knowing that your payment details are secure, delivery will be swift and should the product not meet your requirements you can send the item back for a full refund.  To access the store simply click on this link or see the Parts and Accessories Store link at the top of the page.  We would like to wish all of our readers a Happy New Year and all the best for 2008. Craig and Belinda
More About: Automotive , Pare , Tomo

Classic Car Heaven!
2007-12-30 11:16:00
           Now I know this story has done the rounds of the world wide web more times than a certain Paris Hilton home video, however I think it deserves a re-visit for our last blog post of 2007.  There where plenty of fanciful stories attached to these images. American man buys run down block of land in Portugal for next to nothing, finds huge barn with doors welded shut, cuts doors open and finds 180 classic cars stored there.  The only true part is that the ‘barn’ is in Portugal and there is 180 classic cars stored in the barn! From best acounts the real story is that the cars are owned by a car dealer that decided to collect the most interesting cars that came through his door in the 70’s and 80’s. Word is that the none of the cars are for sale either.  Fanciful theories aside, it is still an amazing story. 180 of the best, worst and in-between vehicles of many era’s. Take a look at the Classic Car Heaven Gallery for the rest of the 60-o...

XY GT Falcon - borrowed and then… broken!
2007-12-21 08:21:00
 While we were on the subject of the mighty Blue Oval I thought I would add a link to a story that would bring a grown man to tears.  The (unconfirmed) story goes - guy owns original XY GT, a friend of the owners friend is getting married, owner lends Falcon to the friend of his friend for the wedding, friend of the friend smashes Falcon!  If the story holds true I would say all friendships would be a tad strained at the moment. Check out the article here, and have a box of Kleenex close by!   
More About: Broken , Then

Countdown begins to the release of the 2008 Falcon
2007-12-19 14:58:00
 The countdown to the launch of the 2008 Ford Falcon has begun with Ford stating that they will reveal engineering details of the new Falcon in February of next year, ahead of the May launch of the new model, codenamed the Orion.  The complete line-up of new Falcons, including the ute, wagon and high performance versions will be available before the end of June 2008.  Just how ‘new’ will this Falcon be? The current model has been around since 2002 and that model shares some underpinnings with the AU Falcon which was launched in 1998.  Ford insiders say that the new Falcon will remain fundamentally unchanged under the sheetmetal, except for new front suspension which has been revised with input from Ford’s just-retired handling expert, Richard Parry Jones.  On the driveline side, Ford is unlikely to make any drastic changes to the current 4.0 six cylinder engine as a replacement V6 is due in 2010. The 4.0 straight six is already more powerful and fuel efficie...
More About: Release , Countdown

DIY Vehicle Safety Check
2007-12-13 13:22:00
 With the holiday season fast approaching I thought we should take a look at the basic items on a vehicle safety check. I strongly suggest having a qualified mechanic carry out a full service and tune-up before contemplating any long trips and that combined with these few basic tips should see you get to your destination without any mechanical dramas. The first item on the list is a check of the lights - headlight, both high and low beam, the indicators front and rear, parking lights front and rear, number plate lights and with the help of an assistant check your brake lights including the eye-level brake light if fitted. Number Two is your wiper blades. There is nothing worse than getting caught in a rain shower with crappy wiper blades and usually they get overlooked until this happens! Throw a bit of water on the windscreen, operate the wipers and look for a nice streak-free finish. A handy tip that I allways use is get yourself a bottle of Rain-X and periodically wipe ...
More About: Safety , Vehicle , Check

Merry Christmas Y’all
2007-12-12 14:32:00
   I would like to take this opportunity to wish all our readers a Merry Christmas and above all a safe and happy holiday season.  Please be safe on the roads and if you are driving to your holiday destination remember to take plenty of breaks and please have a safety inspection carried out on your vehicle before heading off, better to be safe than sorry.  I would also like to thank you, the reader, for making 2007 a very successful year for Autofix.com.au. We look forward to helping out another 4,000 or so car owners in 2008 and if you have any suggestions to improve our site please send us an email to autofix@aapt.net.au. Thanks again and take care. Craig, Belinda, Joseph, Mikaela and Jordon.   
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Mum Caught Racing With Toddler In Car
2007-12-11 06:16:00
 In the latest round of stupid driver behaviour a woman in her twenty’s was racing another driver, with her toddler of 22 months on the back seat. With brains like that she should have been sterilized at birth. As reported by news.com.au ; A YOUNG mother has shocked police by allegedly drag-racing another woman in the northern suburbs of Adelaide while her toddler was in the car. Police said an unmarked car saw two cars allegedly racing each other from traffic lights in Elizabeth North about 7pm on Friday. When police pulled the pair over they found were “horrified” to find the 22-month-old on the back seat of one of the cars, a spokesperson said. Two women, aged 30 and 28, have been charged with speeding, hoon driving and have had their cars seized.
More About: Racing , Caught , Toddler

The BMW 1 Series
2007-12-06 18:13:00
 When I was a fit, young-ish person and was still on the tools we looked after a car that was one of the most enjoyable cars to drive. Now don’t laugh but it was actually a compact BMW 120i. Yeah I know, two litres two doors not exactly inspiring stuff but believe me it stood out as one of the best cars I have driven. Perhaps that says something about the rest of the cars we had in the shop, I dont know!  Anyway, I decided to setup a website devoted to the baby beemer and ever so slowly it is taking shape. If my health was good it could have been finished months ago but that is another story that no-one wants to hear. If little BMW’s take your fancy or you have absolutely no idea what I could find appealing about these cars please go on over and check out the website, TheBMW1Series .com. I can’t guarantee that you will be inspired by it but I am proud of it never-the-less. Craig

Holden to re-establish the Cadillac brand in Australia
2007-12-06 13:56:00
 After a 20 year absence from our shores Holden has announced plans to import Cadillac s into Australia . The plan involves the importing to start in the fourth quarter of 2008 and initially involves one model, the CTS.  Dealers will be appointed next year although GM officials remain non-comittal about the location and number of outlets across the country. The company also remains tight-lipped about the pricing and sales expectations of the car.  The decision follows the continued strengthening of the Australian dollar although GM Holden chairman and managing director Chris Gubbey said the exchange rate was not the only factor in the move. “A strong Aussie currency is just one part of the jigsaw,” Mr Gubbey said.  Revealing more details of the move at a briefing on December 3rd, GM Holden premium brands director Parveen Batish said Cadillac was no longer just a US brand but a global brand.  ”Cadillac is now taking advantage of its right-hand drive portfolio la...
More About: Brand , Dill

Roadside Drug Tests for Queensland Drivers - Update No. 2
2007-12-04 16:12:00
 If you haven’t read any of my previous posts on this subject, my gripe with these drug tests is that as a cronic back pain sufferer I rely heavily on prescribed pain killers, namely Panadeine Forte. I have been taking these for nearly two years and I can say that I don’t feel any affects from them other than slightly less back pain.  From the small amount of information I can find it seems like I am committing an offence everytime I get behind the wheel but this latest snippet of information I found only adds to the confusion. From this information I understand that the saliva test will not record a positive reading from presciption drugs BUT if the Police officer doing the test suspects that I am under the influence of something I can be made to have a blood test which will show positive for my prescribed drug.  In the Queensland Government Drug Driving Fact Sheet they say that the saliva test tests for the presence of several active ingredients found both in ill...
More About: Drivers , Update , Tests

BA Falcon Drivebelt Replacement
2007-12-04 03:31:00
 Today we are taking a look at what is involved in replacing the serpentine belt on a 4.0 BA Falcon .                          These first two steps are not compulsory, I do these to get better access to the belt and tensioner however you can replace the belt without doing them. I start by removing the two phillips-head screws that attach the air intake to the radiator support panel and removing the air intake. Then remove the top two 10mm bolts that hold the electric fans in place, seperate the electrical connection to the fans which is located on the drivers side not far from the fan housing. A gentle pull on the top of the fan housing and a little bit of manouvering and the fan housing will come out. Note the fitment of the coolant resevior hose between the fan housing and the top of the radiator.                         Using a 3/8 drive ratchet fiited into the slot in the tensioner, push down on the tensioner and remove the belt from the waterpump pu...

Roadside Drug Tests for Queensland Drivers - Update No.1 (of many I’m
2007-12-01 16:05:00
 Ok, now I’m getting worried. Having just read the Queensland Government’s Drug Driving Factsheet it seems that there is no provision at all for people taking prescription drugs. I am a cronic back pain sufferer, hence this blog instead of our beloved workshop, and I take the maximum dose I can of pain killers just to keep what’s left of my sanity. I should have researched this topic a little further before forming an opinion. If Panadeine Forte is going to get us convicted of ‘drug driving’ then maybe they should set-up thier van outside the pain clinic I go to. Plenty of ‘drug drivers’ there!  My initial thoughts were that this could only be a good thing, get the drivers off the road that are high as a kite on speed, ecstasy and the like. Certainly these types of drugs would have a significant affect on your reaction time and concentration levels, however I fail to see how they can class Panadeine, Nurofen Plus and Actifed in the same ...
More About: Drivers , Update , Tests

$1 Million paid for pair of classic Fords
2007-11-22 12:37:00
   Two Melbourne businessmen have paid a record $1 million for a pair of rare Ford Falcon GT sedans.  Friends and business associates Leo Khouri and Steve Dellidis this week took delivery of a 1967 XR GT Falcon in original condition with 34,000 genuine miles on the clock and a restored 1970 GT Falcon that had travelled just 72,000 miles. The $400,000 and $600,000 paid for the respective cars are believed to be records for those models.  The 1967 GT is regarded as the best example of its type, having won three concourse events, and the 1970 model is also a multiple trophy winner.  In recent years baby boomers (those born before 1960) have been pushing the prices of muscle cars to record highs. But now younger collectors are joining in the craze and many others are using their personal superannuation funds as a tool to buy muscle cars.  Among a collection of bikes and other rare cars Khouri, 42, and Dellidis, 34, now have a total of 16 immaculate GT Falcons, said to be the large...
More About: Classic , Paid , Pair , Million