More Motoring Muttering (the Ninja Car)

Ninja car. Note creases front and rear.

 Last week I drove a strange and wonderful vehicle about 1500km.

I finished up driving it a whole lot further than originally intended because of the geography of the rivers in the Maranoa – but I‘ll talk about that later.

The term “Ninja” applies for two reasons – this thing is both unorthodox and Japanese. Ninja are Japanese warriors who used unorthodox techniques, as opposed to the Samurai – much more conventional fighters.

It’s also a Toyota, which at first glance, doesn’t gel with the unorthodox description, but it is very different from the conventional household appliance (which is what Toyotas essentially are). In the first place, it has two motors, one miller-cycle petrol driven, and the other, electric.

It also has most of its ancillaries driven by electricity, including the power steering and the air conditioning. It has very low coefficient of drag, and very hard low rolling resistance tyres.

It is, of course, a Camry Hybrid. These things are now predominantly Australian made. They’re probably the most complex motor vehicle ever made in this country.

These things tend to get the climate change deniers collective knickers in a knot, as they claim that they are a wank – to put it crudely, pandering to fashion and alarmism.

Funny thing is – they are rapidly becoming a common feature of many taxi fleets. Taxi managers are notoriously hard headed when it comes to vehicle choice. They put efficiency and economics before politics.

This particular example was a pale blue, and had obviously been driven in the manner of most fleet cars. Only one corner wasn’t creased, and when I picked it up, it took me about 5 minutes to set the driver’s seat up so I could actually see out of it.

Perhaps there was a connection between the low seat and the creases on its flanks which were obviously earned in brushes with the support pillars in the underground fleet car park. The bloody seat was set so low that anyone within the normal range of physical dimensions was flat out seeing anything but blue sky.

It was actually very interesting to drive, and felt like no Camry I’ve driven, and I’ve driven plenty.

It was quiet, refined, a bit ponderous, and accelerated very well indeed. Overtaking was a breeze, as the torque of the electric motor is always there, and fairly hooks in when you need it. It has a very well sorted CVT instead of a gearbox, and this seamlessly encourages the two motors to cooperate in perfect harmony.

The ponderous feel reminds me of a Toyota Avalon I used to drive in the fleet. This isn't surprising, as the architecture of the Avalon is similar, if a model or two ahead .

The Camry handled very well, but was not all that responsive. The brakes felt funny, but stopped it very well. Overall, the controls had a disconnected feel about them, but performed the necessary functions with a minimum of fuss. It felt a bit like driving a simulation, rather than an actual car.

The big deal with these things is, of course, their fuel efficiency. This one returned litres per 100kms in the mid sixes, which is pretty good for a car of this size, weight and performance. This was in country cruising mode, at which, unlike conventional vehicles, hybrids are not most efficient. They return better figures in stop-start urban conditions. Hence the attraction for the taxi fleet buyers.

They are fuel efficient - 5.6lit/100kms

You’d get these figures in a good diesel on a long trip, but diesel prices are ridiculous in the bush. The Camry Hybrid is content to run on 91RON unleaded.

And the extra kilometres? You’d have to look at a map, but halfway through the week I ran into flooding down the Weir, Condamine and Balonne Rivers. These are all part of the Murray Darling system, flowing south in this neck of the woods, and I had to get from Roma to St George.

First option was the Carnarvon Highway, but the Balonne crossing at Surat was flooded. I turned north, to attempt to cross on the Leichhardt at Miles, but it was cut by the Condamine. In the end, I had to go all the way north to Dalby, and go along the Moonie Highway to get around the Weir River, which was also in flood.

The detour was about 350kms. A 220km journey became 543km by the time I got to Goondiwindi.

St George? Couldn’t get there. I’ll have to do that one next trip.

I wouldn’t mind if I was assigned a Camry Hybrid – no matter how creased.

Some kind of Mishap

I wish I could understand Swedish. It did, however stop, and the auto-brake also turned the wipers on. I'm not sure if the truck comes as part of the package.

My Beaut Ute

It’s been clear for some time now that I need a Ute.

The MX5 is a great little jigger, but when it comes to moving house, carrying cleared vegetation away, or disposing of years of accumulated household clutter, it’s not a lot of use.

This was brought home a few weeks ago when I drove to the local hardware store to get a few bits and pieces, and realised that most of said bits and pieces weren’t portable in the Mazda.

Offspring in shared student accommodation seem to move house at least annually, and I got sick of hiring or borrowing Utes.

Having said that, anything I own has to be enjoyable to drive. I also prefer front engine, rear drive, and fully independent suspension. Once the decision was made to acquire a Ute, the next decision was which make.

Given my preferences above, it had to be a Commodore. I’ve owned Falcon sedans and driven Falcon Utes, and am familiar with the driving characteristics of the Henry*. They’re a great vehicle, but don’t drive as well as the Commodore.

The leaf spring rear end is also an anachronism these days. They’re OK when laden, but I’ll be driving the thing around empty most of the time.

The best value is had at auction, so that’s where I looked. I discovered a 2008 Omega with about 50000 on the clock, and ended up paying $3000 less for it than anything I’d found through a dealer of on private sale.

It’s ex Brisbane City Council, has been serviced regularly, and hasn’t copped a belting.

 The Mazda is sulking in the shed. It’s a lovely little thing, but life moves on.

I’ll make sure it goes to a good home.

*A Ford (as in Henry Ford).

Leyburn Sprints

I’ve been a petrol head ever since I was old enough to see over the dashboard of my father’s Standard Vanguard.

Our Vanguard was a sedan, and an earlier model than this one.

As a teenager, I’d contrive to get myself to circuits like Lowood and Lakeside to race meetings featuring amateurs who were in it for fun, not to make money. I must have been determined, as there was no way in a fit my father would take me, and I had to rely on older (and wealthier) friends and rellies to get me there.

MX5 club waiting to get in.

 I even did a stint as a flag marshal, overcoming the fear created by standing with my back to the direction of the cars as was necessary in some positions – usually those occupied by the most junior volunteers who had not established status on the pecking order.

There were some beautiful old cars displayed. This is a Healey 100/4.

 Later, when I had my licence and owned a car, I participated in the most rudimentary form of the sport – sprints.

And some ugly ones. This is a Bolwell Ikara.

At the time I owned a VW beetle. Sprinting in a 1200cc beetle? Enough said.

Still, it did teach me how to control oversteer.

Attending the Leyburn Sprints, therefore, is both an exercise in nostalgia and a return to the days when motor racing was a sport instead of a business.

A 1937 Ford Special.

To quote someone who learned about this a long time ago –

"The curse of commercialism is the ruin of every sport and the degeneracy of motor racing as a sport is due to the financial issues now involved in each race - the immense value of victory and the commercial disaster of defeat."

This was not written recently. It was penned by a pioneer British racing driver, Charles Jarrott (b.1877), who went on to say when writing his book Ten Years of Motors and Motor racing, 1896-1906 -

"I have raced because I love it, but a race of the present today would offer none of the charm which a race of five years ago afforded. It would have none of the sporting feeling or good comradeship between the fellow competitors".

Leyburn exudes charm. You can walk in amongst the cars and talk to the drivers.

MX5s were represented.

The format is simple – one car at a time in order of numbers. The circuit is tight which is a great leveller. Skill becomes as important as power.

I was 15 the last time I saw this racing (Lowood 1962).

A well-driven special is as likely to win as an expensive supercar.

Times are posted as the day goes on

This Cobra crossed the finish line sideways.

Sunday Drive - Flagstone Creek Road

Toowoomba Drivers

 I didn't need the Toowoomba Chronicle to tell me what I already know.

It may have something to do with the proportion of retired cow cockies living here, the enduring belief that the right-of-way rule applies on roundabouts, or the whimsical traffic engineering.

Maybe all three.

The most dangerous drivers are those wearing hats.

If you see a hat on a driver's head, be very afraid.

Mazda at Le Mans

It's worth remembering that Mazda won Le Mans in 1991.
I'd watch this just for the sound.

Be careful with your speaker volumes - it might make your ears bleed.