THEGTR-50 PG. 3 TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2019 DRIVING PLEASURE 2 THE GISBORNE HERALD Road trip in a CX-8? Yes, please! by John Jones And the CX-8 is so quiet, the people who designed it must have been A RECENT excursion to the City of involved in producing the stealth nuclear Sails emphasised the qualities that make submarines. seven-seater turbo diesel Mazda CX-8 Even New Zealand’s heavy chip road the perfect vehicle for a road trip. seal could not make it surrender any road One of the first things that made a noise, something of an achievement to strong impression in the GSX model say the least. chosen for the trip was the fuel economy The traffic sign recognition system for a vehicle of this size. comes into its own, recognising stop, A full tank carried it all the way from no entry and speed limit signs, thanks Gisborne to Auckland and even with to the forward-sensing camera. The some travelling around the city there detected speed limit is shown in the was no need to refill the tank until active driving display that flashes when Matamata. the driver exceeds the limit before giving That worked out to about six litres per an audible alert. 100 kilometres and with cost of the refill, This is a plus when the road it was pretty encouraging to say the least. construction season is at its peak with And it was achieved despite the temporary limits everywhere. traditional Auckland gridlock that slows One small distraction is the lane traffic to a snail’s pace from about the departure warning system which will Bombay Hills north. start to pull you back if you are too Working against that and in favour of close to road markings. This is great in keeping the fuel economy low was the a three-lane motorway but not always i-stop feature, which switches the motor in sync with New Zealand drivers’ off when you are stopped. preference to use as much of the road as What also left a mark was the possible. ride quality, something that is really Pulling down the two rear seats gives a important for a longer trip. massive luggage space. Because of its slightly larger wheel ase Bags that would normally have to and ACTIV intelligent all-wheel drive find their way to a seat can be fully system, the CX-8 is a pleasure to drive. accommodated in the huge 775-litre Even at the end of a long and storage space at your disposal with the sometimes demanding trip, you can third row seats level. arrive at your destination without feeling The CX-8 proved ideal for a road trip so tired that all you want to do is find and showed it knows its way around the the nearest lounge chair. urban jungle, too. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2019 3 Limited GT-R50 simply BE FUTURE READY incredible NISSAN’S gamble to put the GT-R50 concept into production looks like it is paying off as “a significant” number of deposits have already been received for the car, and customers have started to spec them up. To match the extreme looks of the R50, Nissan had to step up to the plate. And that’s exactly what they have done. You will find the hand-built, 3.8-litre twin-turbo V6 from the NISMO GT-R sitting under the hood, which is good for 529kW and 720Nm of torque. One incredible aspect of the R50 is how well Nissan managed to turn Italdesign’s render into a reality. The only noticeable differences are the traditional rear-view mirrors, where the cameras once were. As you can imagine, an exclusive car like this comes with a hefty price tag. This R50 (above) starts from a whopping $1.7 million, or about five times more expensive than a NISMO GT-R. If you still want to get your hands on one of these extreme GT-Rs, you THE FIRST EVER MAZDA CX-8 better be quick. Because it’s celebrating the 50th anniversary, only 50 examples will be built and it sounds like they are selling like hotcakes. The first customer-built model will be Enjoy the versatility of either five or seven seats and the space to take on any Nissan’s drawcard at the Geneva Motor adventure with a state of the art SKYACTIV diesel engine to get you there. Show next year, and other buyers around Combine this with the cutting-edge design and technology you would expect the globe can expect a late 2020 delivery due to certification and homologation from a new generation Mazda and you have an SUV vehicle that’s future ready. (official approval) regulations. Book a test drive today at mazda.co.nz “Our customers have relished the personalised experience provided by Italdesign, who have a long tradition in the exclusive field of ultra-rare, bespoke high-performance vehicles,” said Bob Laishley, a Nissan executive. “Their experience with the GT-R50 has been incredible and I can say first- hand that each car will certainly be a GISBORNE MOTORS LTD standalone masterpiece.” — Driven MID CITY, GREY STREET, GISBORNE, PHONE 867 6759 www.gisbornemotors.co.nz 29686-07 4 THE GISBORNE HERALD Finance • MTF 152 Ormond Road ..................868 8490 Motorcycles • Gisborne Honda 368 Gladstone Road ...............868 9109 Panel Beaters Described as immortal, • Allan Kellett Panel & Paint introduced by Auburn 72 Disraeli Street ....................867 8088 Automobile Co in 1929 ‘IMMORTAL’ • Gisborne Motors Panel and Paint — Hayley Mid City - Grey Street..............867 6759 Parts Department • Eastland Toyota 62 Carnarvon Street ................867 9444 CORD AHEAD • Enterprise Auto One 329 Gladstone Road ..............867 8368 • Gisborne Motors AUTO ACTION Mid City - Grey Street..............867 6759 Spray Painters AROUND TOWN OF ITS TIME • Allan Kellett Panel & Paint 72 Disraeli Street ....................867 8088 • Gisborne Motors Panel and Paint Story, illustration by Doug Curtis Mid City - Grey Street..............867 6759 Saturday 21 December Tyre Dealers Eastland Group Raceway THE Cord was a car built by Errett Lycoming straight eight side valve engine • Goodyear Tyres BK Super Saloon Series, Labban Cord of the Auburn Automobile that developed 125bhp at 3400rpm. 125 Grey Street ......................868 1938 TQ Masters, Mini-stock 100, Co of Auburn, Indiana, USA. It used a single dry plate clutch and a Vehicle Servicing Gates open 5pm, racing 6pm The car was built to maintain a three-speed gearbox with a front-wheel sales position between Auburn and drive. • Eastland Toyota Duesenberg cars. The vehicle had a wheel base of 137 62 Carnarvon Street ................867 9444 Gas Guzzlers Breakfast The rakish but beautiful and ahead- inches and a height of just 61 inches • Enterprise Commercial Centre First Sunday of each month of-its-time Model L-29 featured a and the styling was similar to the more 310 Gladstone Road ...............868 4581 Behind the Courthouse, expensive Duesenberg. • Enterprise Service Centre 8am-11am. Rick 027 490 1373 There were four different body styles 342 Palmerston Road .............867 8368 available — a four-door sedan, Brougham, • Gisborne Motors East Coast Museum Phaeton and the Cabriolet that I have Mid City - Grey Street..............867 6759 of Technology drawn. • Goodyear Tyres Open Sun-Fri 10am-4pm, Auto ServiceTwo town carsCentre were also built as well as 125 Grey Street ......................868 1938 AutoAuto Service Service Centre Centre Sat 1pm-4pm Main Rd, Makaraka a few boat-tailed sports cars. Prices at the Wheel Alignments SpecialisingSpecialisingSpecialising in mags, in mags, tyres andin mags, tyres and servicing of all vehicle time ranged from $3095 to $3295. • Goodyear Tyres Gis. American Car Club tyres and servicingservicing of Theyof allwere popularvehicle with the elite but 125 Grey Street ......................868 1938 Various Events WOFsall and vehicle Mechanical WOFs and Repairs. production was under 4000 units in three AgentsWOFs for Cooper and Tyres Mechanical Repairs. WOF Colin 868 1454; Mechanical Repairs. years. • Eastland Toyota Rick 027 490 1373 Agents for solar panels.Agents for SleekCooper and aesthetically Tyres pleasing and 62 Carnarvon Street ................867 9444 Reduce power costs. powerful as the Cord L-29 was, it could • Enterprise Service Centre Tairawhiti Aviation Museum Go Solar.AuthorisedAgents Go Green. Cooperfor solar Dealer panels.not have been introduced at a worse time. 342 Palmerston Road .............867 8368 Open Tuesday 9am-4pm and Its introduction coincided with the Reduce power costs.stock market crash and sales, while • Gisborne Motors Sunday 9am-4pm Gisborne Airport Mid City, Grey Street ...............867 6759 Go Solar. Go Green. consistent, were small. • Goodyear Tyres Ulysses Motorcycle Club In 1931, their prices were reduced to $2395 but these cars were phased out of 20518-01 125 Grey Street ......................868 1938 Monthly meeting held on the first production in 1932 with just 4429 being Thursday of the month. Ph 06 868 1938 • Mob 027 451 7003built. FOR MORE INFO OR BOOKINGS 7.30pm at the Tatapouri Sports Fax 06 868Tyres 1910 Worth • [email protected] Owning In 1937, the name Cord came to CONTACT: Andy Searle Fishing Club the forefront with the now famous 1937 11773-01 Phone 869 0616 • Email: 125 Grey St, Gisborne Art Deco body design that even today is regarded a top American car. [email protected] Ph 06 868 1938 • Mob 027 451 7003 Personally I prefer the body styling of Leave message, name & phone no. and I will contact you. Fax 06 868 1910 • [email protected] 27981-12 Ph 06 868 1938 • Mobthe 1929 027 model. 451 7003 Fax 06 868 1910 • [email protected] TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2019 5 Mustang EV coupe? OUTLANDER HYBRID GETS AN UPGRADE ‘Never say never’ HAVE your cake and eat it.