MINI Australia has announced the return of its entry-level Ray variant, set to replace the MINI One in the lineup from this month onward. The MINI Ray comes powered by a 1.2-litre turbocharged three-cylinder powertrain, pushing out 75kW and 180Nm. Economy is rated at 4.9L/100km for the manual variant, while […]
Alexi Falson
Alexi is an automotive road tester and news editor at PerformanceDrive. He appreciates the complexity of modern vehicle engineering and loves to keep his hands greasy working on motorbikes and cars. He prefers wagons over SUVs, vans over utes and reads more news than your Grandma.
BAC develops graphene panels for Mono sports car
A team of British engineers at BAC has become the first manufacturer to produce body parts using a lightweight material known as graphene. Liverpool’s Briggs Automotive Company (BAC) has utilised graphene for the construction of the Mono’s rear wheel arches. According to BAC, this has eventuated in a weight reduction […]
2016 Volkswagen Golf GTI review (video)
There’s a wonderful juxtaposition with the Golf GTI. To those who are unfamiliar with the GTI moniker, it’s a Golf, nothing more to see here. Sitting inside the cockpit, the sporty yet subdued surroundings usher your passengers into a quiet and refined cabin; it’s a sophisticated, almost serious affair. Put […]
2016 Mazda MX-5 gets LS3 V8 conversion – the perfect car?
For as long as the Mazda MX-5 has been a motoring icon, the debate has been raging in regards to its, well… modest powertrain. We’re not here to pick sides in this battle, only report the fact that “Flyin’ Miata”, a Colarado-based auto house, has fitted one of the latest […]
Electric Chevrolet Corvette sets new speed record (video)
A custom-built all-electric 2006 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 has broken its own land speed record, laying down a verified top speed run of 330km/h. The Corvette in question is the result of a US electric powertrain company known as Genovation. Earlier in the year, Genovation set a new flying mile record […]
Honda NSX on sale in Australia from $420,000
Honda Australia has confirmed specifications, highly-competitive features list and pricing for the new NSX; the first hybrid supercar to be released by Honda. The Honda NSX has a retail price of $420,000 here in Australia, and is offered in one spec only, with all of the optional extra boxes already […]
2016 Mazda3 update on sale in Australia from $20,490
Mazda Australia is introducing the updated Mazda3 as revealed earlier this month complete with a styling refresh, improved handling and more safety equipment. In terms of powertrains, there’s the choice of Mazda’s 2.0-litre SKYACTIV-G petrol with 114kW/200Nm, and the more powerful 2.5-litre SKYACTIV-G petrol engine pushing out 138kW and 250Nm. […]
Lotus Elise Race 250; “most accomplished” Elise racer yet
Lotus has released its most hardcore track-only variant of the Elise, named the Elise Race 250. On the outset, sadly, this isn’t a road-legal car. It takes its platform from the Elise Cup 250 that made its first appearance at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year, and is purely […]