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Safety on the Slopes

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OUTthere Magazine Issue 74, August 2010

 
Winter is snow season and thousands of us will be heading to the Alps for a ski break at one of the NSW or Victorian resorts. Many of us will choose to drive to the slopes and some, unfortunately, will come unstuck on the treacherous roads. Snow driving is so completely foreign to most urban commuters that many will find themselves in trouble before they even knew they are in danger. If you intend to drive yourself or your family on a ski holiday, make sure your vehicle and yourself are ready for this alien environment. Here's a simple checklist before you set out;

• Make sure your airconditioner, anti-freeze, wipers, brakes, lights and tyres are in tip-top condition. You'll need your air-conditioner to clear a fogged windscreen, wipers to clear snow and frost, and tyres with good tread for slushy roads. Drive with your lights on, even if you think you don't need to.
• Drive to the conditions. Yeah, we've all heard that old chestnut, but snow driving is a condition few of us face regularly so our daily driving habits could be our downfall. Heavy snow is like the worst rainstorm with a film of oil on the road. Drive slowly and use brake and accelerator delicately. Turn the steering wheel gently, understeer is your enemy and will soon see you in a ditch or facing oncoming traffic.
• True, All-Wheel-Drive (AWD) and 4WD will make snow driving safer, but don't rely on electronic driving aids too much. They're not infallible. Imagine you don't have anti-lock brakes and traction control and drive accordingly. Don't use cruise control and select low gears for up- and downhill sections.
• Expect the unexpected. Imagine there is a rockfall or avalanche around every blind corner – or another stranded motorist. When passing oncoming traffic, slow right down and give heaps of space. Stop if you have to.
• If you are proceeding along an unfamiliar route and there is a fresh covering of snow, seriously consider whether you should be the first to explore this road. Wait for a local to go first.
• Diesel drivers should use 'Alpine Diesel' formulated for cold conditions. Normal diesel can 'wax' and clog you fuel system.
• Always carry some emergency gear. A small shovel, tow rope, high power torch and visibility vest is a good start.
• In extreme conditions you are required by National Park Regulations to carry snow chains. You will be notified where you must fit these and you should know how to do it. Some resorts offer chain fitting services, but don't rely on this. Always fit chains to your drive wheels ie front wheels on front-wheel-drive cars. Don't laugh, it's happened. 4WDs are exempt, but chains can still be fitted for extra safety.
• If you regularly travel to snowy regions, consider a spare set of wheels and tyres with special snow/ice tyres fitted.

There's nothing like good preparation, so even if your car is ready for the snow, what about you? Specialised 4WD training clinics are widely available and if you are an adventurous off-road driver, why not add some new skills to your portfolio? You'll be glad you did.

Unabashed Fun

OUTthere Magazine Issue 73, July 2010

Each year, hundreds of Australians head outback in 30 year old cars to raise funds for disadvantaged kids. It's a completely Australian – and totally wacky – motorised outdoor adventure. Roderick Eime recalls The Bash.

This August travellers on outback roads all around Australia will be taking second looks at some of the cars around them. Old bombs, lovingly and painstakingly restored, painted in lairy colours and with all manner of unusual accessories and attachments will take to the dusty tracks to raise money for Variety, the Childrens Charity in their annual 'Bash'.

Never backward in devising eye-catching stunts, entrepreneurial prankster, adventurer and philanthropist, Dick Smith, set off with a few mates in 1985 on the first Bash, from Bourke to Burketown, in a 1964 EH Holden.

Dick's celebrity cavalcade included John Newcombe, Len Evans, John and Belinda Singleton, Simon Townsend, Ron and Valerie Taylor, Gordon Elliott, Peter Ritchie of McDonalds and Kevin Weldon from Weldon's Publishing in 50 vehicles. The event raised $250,000 and Dick's original car continued in every event up to 2001 until its chassis finally collapsed. It now resides in the Powerhouse Museum.

The objective was never a 'race' or 'rally' but instead a fun tour through the country. Cheating, bribery and trickery were encouraged at every point, so long as each payment contributed to the Variety Club's donation tally. In 25 years, the many Bashes have raised over $100 million for ill and disadvantaged kids across Australia.

Individual states now hold their own event, usually around August, with a national event uniting them all every four years. The next one is scheduled for 2014.

NSW's 2010 event is called the BShed to Byron Bay Bash and travels over 3500kms from Sydney to Byron Bay between the 22nd and 30th of August. The expected 100 cars will travel via Cobar, Bourke, Moree, Lismore and good ol' Goondiwindi over nine days. Competitors bunk in anything from swags, tents and motels en route but will culminate at the swank Byron at Byron Resort for a well-earned pampering.

So if you see some outrageous old types, including vehicles, touring your local roads next month, why not flag one down and chip in for a good cause? You'll probably get a good laugh in the bargain!

For entry information on Variety Bashes, contact your local Variety state office. These are listed on the website www.varietyaustralia.org.au or phone (02) 9819 1016.

What is a Bash car?

A Bash car must be a roadworthy 2-wheel-drive vehicle at least 30 years old and must be registered and insured. Performance modifications such as extractors, headers and multiple carburettors are not allowed. All vehicles carry a 40 channel UHF CB radio, are fitted with laminated windscreens with tow bars front and rear. Teams are usually between two and four members and are largely self sufficient with cars carrying extra tyres, fuel, fire extinguisher, 20 litres of drinking/radiator water and five litres of oil. Spare parts including radiator hoses, fan belts, oil filters, air and fuel filters, spark plugs, 10-gauge wire and fencing pliers are also stowed.

A Matter of Taste: Style or Bile

OUTthere Issue 72

Style or Bile?

Car styling, like all fashion comes and goes in waves. The 1930s produced some of the most magnificent lines, while the fifties became ‘blocky’. The ‘60s stand out as the most daring while the ‘70s and ‘80s slumped into the hideous doldrums.

Just as art can split opinions, so can cars. Some might say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but car fans are predictably unanimous in their verdicts. Roderick Eime wades into the argument with his own opinion.

The World’s Most Beautiful Car

A jury of the world’s great car designers ruminated long and hard, but one car that keeps appearing in every list of gorgeous automotive creations is the Mark 1 E-Type Jaguar.

Conceived in the brash 1960s, when style still meant something, it survived until 1975 when the infectious design malaise finally struck even this most beautiful of cars.

Available in both coupe (FHC) and convertible (DHC), lovers of the marque are split over which is most visually pleasing, but both camps are delighted to disagree over such a pleasant argument. Even Enzo Ferrari called it "The most beautiful car ever made".

Powerful, glamorous and reasonably priced, the E-Type took the US market by storm in March 1961 and immediately spawned a domestic UK market four months later. More Mark 1s (38,000) were made than both the Mark 2 and 3 together.

Originally fitted with the successful and sweet-revving 3.8 litre DOHC straight six, it was uprated to the 4.2 litre version in 1964. The Mark 3 was fitted with a massive V12 which many purists saw as a vulgar expression.

Designer, Malcolm Sayer, saw himself more as an aerodynamicist than an automotive stylist. He had previously worked in aircraft design during the war and was instrumental in some of Jaguar’s most enduring models, including the similarly pleasing C and D Type racing cars.

Other short-listed: Italian triumph, Ferrari 275GTB; Lightweight English looker, Lotus Elan.

Ferrari 275GTB

The World’s Ugliest Car

Yes, this is a real ad.

Universally reviled by glamour car enthusiasts worldwide, the 1975 AMC Pacer stands alone. Remarkably, the US-built 2-door coupe designed and sold by the folks who brought us a string of automotive travesties like Rambler, Nash and Humvee manufactured this “hat full” for five years. 280,000 of them were produced in both hatchback and wagon before Chrysler put the world out of its misery in 1987 by buying the brand and renaming it Eagle.

There’s no accounting for taste and the Dick Teague-designed car made the transition to UK and European markets, producing perhaps the world’s ultimate bad taste car advertisement for the “racy” French market.

Ironically the car reached a level of cult status when it starred in the 1992 nerd movie “Wayne’s World” and is now an icon of ‘70s bad taste and cringe fashion. There was even a Levi’s version complete with denim seats and brass buttons. What were they thinking?

Other short-listed: Yugoslavian fiasco, Yugo; the Great Aussie eyesore, P76.