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The tail ‘wagon’ the dog

23 November, 2015

Don’t tell your copier rep, but Mercedes-Benz’s latest version of the C63 AMG has arrived.

Moneyed Kiwis fell in love with the first-generation C63 thanks to its compact frame and rear-drive whimsy created by the seismic 6.2-litre V8. The newer car promises to be slightly more refined with a more emission-friendly four-litre twin-turbo V8, with the ability to still offer a very quick trip to the shops. Based on the success of its predecessor, the C63 will find plenty of garage space in New Zealand as a new car and a used import. 

The C63’s competitors are the creations of BMW and Audi — with the M3/M4 and RS4/5 on offer respectively. Problem is, these guys haven’t quite managed to tick all of the body-shape boxes. Mercedes-Benz have, and, let’s face it, if you’re in the market for a plush, relatively small German muscle car for around $150,000, it’ll be one of these three. 

But what if you want a choice of how many doors it has? First off, the BMW M3 is now only built as a sedan. The coupe version — the M4 — is the same car with two fewer doors. The Audi RS4 is only available as a wagon, so if you want a coupe, it’ll be the RS5, and if you want a sedan, you could have a look at the RS7 — although you’d be putting yourself in a different price bracket altogether. Whew, it seems Leonardo DiCaprio has fewer models to deal with.

The most obvious question to this ‘too many / not enough’ body-type argument is this: why has BMW steadfastly refused to build an M3 wagon to compete with the C63 and RS4? Word from the motorsport division at BMW is that there isn’t the market for it. If the internet is to be believed (but as we know, there’s always a reason to doubt what you read on the internet), they’re wrong — an M3 wagon would be a runaway success. Mere hours after the release of the first-to-be-seen picture of the M3/M4 in 2013, renderings of a wagon version had popped up online, and the BMW forum fanboys were demanding this car be built to accommodate their imaginary wife and kids.

You might think BMW would be scrambling to manufacture this car given the success of the RS4 and C63 five-doors, but it seems they may be a bit gun-shy when it comes to go-fast family haulers. The E60 M5 Tourer, whilst a magnificent beast, was a sales flop. Only 1000 units were ever produced of the 20,000 total E60 M5 run. While these big wagons now demand a premium in the used-car market, the figures just weren’t there to justify continuing production of a wagon with the F10 M5. Unfortunately, this trickles down to the smaller models, despite their competitors giving them successful case studies, proving their inevitable success.

Your only real alternative (other than sensibly going for the very viable oil-burning 335d) from the Bavarian manufacturer is the new 3.0 straight-six 340i Touring, which is due out later in the year. This car is being built to compete directly with the now long-in-the-tooth B8 Audi S4 Avant (due to be replaced next year), and Mercedes-Benz’s new twin-turbo V6 C450 Estate. The 340i will come packing 320 horses. Not bad, but still a fair way off the M3/4s equivalent 425hp. As with the previous generation of the 335i, it is rumoured that the 340i will be able to be pushed out significantly by way of a remap, which will unfortunately put the manufacturers warranty in jeopardy, scaring away most potential tinkerers.

So — unless you’ve got a donor car, a written-off M3, and a mountain of cash — ensuring you get the dog, the kids, and the golf clubs to the bach in a blaze of ‘Germaniacal’ noise and glory, you may well be forced to suckle at the teat of Audi and Mercedes-Benz for a bit longer yet.

Coaching from the bench: Casting plastic knobs and rubber parts

16 July, 2026

Casting rubber items is simple if you have a good original to work with. The item doesn’t have to be perfect. You can use plasticine to smooth out cracks, and you can even make whole prototypes out of low-fire modelling clay available from craft stores if you need to. Prototypes can also be made of wood or metal.
You will need mould dams to contain the liquid urethane moulding solution until it cures. You can build boxes out of strips of wood, but I have found that small plastic boxes and bowls such as those you would use for leftovers in your fridge work well if you spray them with a mould release agent.
Temperature is important to the chemical processes involved, so work in an area that can be maintained at around 20 degrees. You will also need adequate ventilation because the fumes can be dangerous to breathe. And you will want to wear latex gloves to protect your hands.

Fraser Cars – low flying into the fourth decade

10 July, 2026

With almost three and a half decades under its belt, Fraser Cars is one of New Zealand’s longest-surviving car manufacturers. The company first opened its doors for business in 1988, during the boom time for kit manufacturers. During the ’80s, around 40 different companies were building kits and turnkey cars for this niche market. Of those, only Fraser and Almac Cars (established 1981) are still in business today.
Most of the new kit car companies were killed off in the cradle by the threat of new legislation that never eventuated and definitively by the sudden availability of high-performance Japanese cars when the floodgates to second-hand imports were opened. The now long-retired founder of the company, Neil Fraser, first came across Lotus Seven replicas while racing Lotus Cortinas in the early ’80s. He regularly found himself racing against a little Caterham, a Lotus Seven–styled car built in England. He was very impressed by its simplicity and handling. In 1986 Fraser built his own Lotus Seven–type car, using the knowledge he had gained from several close looks at the Caterham.