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Cars, Bikes & Boats

Today

Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray.

Want to turn heads? This hybrid sports machine is for you

Few vehicles on the road are as extrovert, or garner as much attention as Chevrolet’s first all-wheel Corvette, the fastest-accelerating model yet.

  • Tony Davis

This Month

Sea-Doo GTR X 300 RS.

Swap the open road for the sea on this powerful watercraft

It’s a strange experience driving so fast on an ever-changing surface, and with so many variables at play there’s rarely a shortage of adrenalin.

  • Tony Davis
Smart #3 Brabus.

The Smart car is back, but not as you know it

The German-designed cars, now built in China, are fun and funky, yet still manage to carry a strong Mercedes-Benz flavour.

  • Tony Davis
Words

Rolls-Royce smooths ride for what might be last petrol Ghost

Nobody wants a standard Rolls-Royce, and the company is only too happy to oblige with an almost unlimited list of options on the Ghost Series II.

  • Tony Davis

December 2024

Sailor Nick Smith died on board the yacht Bowline.

Two deaths and a remarkable survival in Sydney to Hobart yacht race

Two men died in similar circumstances while another was forced to unclip himself from a safety line and drifted more than a kilometre in cold water.

  • James Hall
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Riviera’s Stephen Milne said demand for big, luxury boats has continued to rise.

For the rich, working from home has morphed into working from boat

Boomers and those without a mortgage are spending up to $8 million, but they want space to work and technology that won’t make them look like a novice.

  • James Hall
The Bowline Yacht, which was hit by tragedy.

Two dead as wild weather hits Sydney to Hobart yacht race

One sailor each on Flying Fish Arctos and Bowline were killed after being struck by the boom, a large horizontal pole at the bottom of the sail.

  • Jasper Bruce

7 great gift ideas for drive enthusiasts

Our motoring writer’s line-up this year ranges from top-of-the range machines to fun merch.

  • Tony Davis

This year’s highs and lows in motoring

We farewelled the Audi TT – and a car driven only by maths professors and architects – but there were good times too.

  • Tony Davis
The weight for the new two-seater coupe is a comparatively low 1399 kg.

The only car you’ll ever need (if you have a spare $3.8m)

McLaren’s fastest road car ever, the new W1, also has a reasonable amount of luggage space. Everything you’d want in a car, surely?

  • Tony Davis
Jaguar has released Type 00.

Jaguar unveils its radical new look

Nobody has talked this much about Jaguar since it launched the spectacular E-Type coupe in the early 1960s. The put up or shut up moment has arrived with the release of the Type 00.

  • Tony Davis

November 2024

A big electric SUV with sporty intent

The Lotus Eletre is mechanically similar to the Emeya sedan and shares many interior parts and much of the tech.

  • Tony Davis

More classic muscle car than tech warrior

The Audi RS4 Avant may have the least fashionable body type in the modern automotive world, but it’s still damn stylish.

  • Tony Davis

Benz hits the Goldilocks spot with its new AMG SUV

The middle child in the GLC car family delivers an experience that’s just right.

  • Tony Davis
The DiM250 DYNAMIC Driving Simulator at the Goodyear Simulation Centre in Luxembourg.

This multimillion-dollar simulator is fully sick, in the best way

Machines such as the DiM250 Dynamic Driving Simulator are increasingly where engineers find the hundreds or even thousands of a second that can deliver pole position.

  • Tony Davis
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The Ferrari 12Cilindri is the perfect grand tourer for a place with no speed limits.

This Ferrari is tough to pronounce, but impressive to drive

The 12Cilindri, a 6.5-litre V12 engine coupe, is one of the few road-going V12s left, and it’s arriving here early next year.

  • Tony Davis

Annoyed by all those driver alerts? Volvo’s working on it

Too many warnings can actually be a turn-off. The brand known for safety is looking at ways to reduce those ‘beeping’ beeps.

  • Tony Davis
Volkswagen Touareg R.

Family SUV or powerful sports machine? Meet the new VW

The hybrid Touareg R is impressive on many levels, just don’t believe its official fuel economy figures.

  • Tony Davis
eFuel in Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup in Silverstone, UK earlier this year.

This sustainable car fuel has ‘no performance deficit’

Porsche is making R75 eFuels, which can be used with any petrol engine without modifications.

  • Tony Davis

October 2024

This all-electric BMW has an enticing price point

The iX3 sneaks in under the luxury car tax threshold for fuel-efficient vehicles – and it’s been built to a very high standard.

  • Tony Davis
Bentley Continental GT Speed.

Bentley puts forward its new face of luxury with a V8 hybrid

The range-topping Continental GT Speed smoothly handles the twisting hairpins of the Swiss Alps. Next stop: Australia.

  • Tony Davis
Lotus Emeya S

The Lotus Emeya is a big, dreamy electric sedan

It might be among the most British of marques, but this vehicle is made in Wuhan, China. And there are plenty more breaks with tradition, too.

  • Tony Davis
There are two seats inside Tesla’s futuristic Cybercab but neither is designed for a driver.

Are you ready for a driverless taxi?

No steering wheel, no brake, no accelerator, no door handles: Musk says Tesla’s Cybercab will be in production before 2027 – and to cost less than $US30,000.

  • Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson

Wellness on wheels: the cars that read your mood

Expect a massage, soothing music, pleasant fragrances and comforting colours while you drive. If you nod off, these cars have your back.

  • Tony Davis

What it’s like to drive a hot lap in a $1m Ferrari

Daunting, nerve-racking and exhilarating. Behind the wheel of a $1m Ferrari for a course that mimics the most challenging racetrack corners.

  • Tony Davis

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/life-and-luxury/cars-bikes-and-boats