Auto Africa has been a magnet
for the country’s motorheads for the past week at the Nasrec
Exhibition Centre near Soweto.
This movable feast of technology and glamour was the most
ambitious yet.
And it was fitting that the Auto Africa 2006 show kicked off
with General Motors’ fantastically ambitious stand
showcasing its new Hummer.
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But the latest version of one of
Car Torque’s favourite GM products, the Chev Lumina, drew
more than its share of attention.
It’s amazing that amidst all the techno-wizardry and
audio-visual eye candy, an old school recipe of big V8, big
wheels and big wings can still do it for you.
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At Volvo’s stand the accent
was unsurprisingly not on speed but safety. The Swedish
company showed an impressive cutaway model detailing just how
much thought and manufacturing expertise goes into keeping you
and your loved ones in one piece.
The coloured sections of the car indicate all the built-in
passive safety items in the new C70 coupe cabriolet. These
include different steel strengths, automatic pop-up roll-over
bars, anti-sub-marining seat-structures and airbag protection.
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And all eyes will be on the new
C30 when it enters the competitive hatch market here.
This striking new Volvo is going to cause quite a stir, and
there’s nothing staid about the little chunky street
machine.
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At Volvo’s big-daddy, Ford
Motor Company, horsepower was clearly the flavour of
2006.
Ford was celebrating a high-profile return to the enthusiast
fold with recently launched models like the Focus ST, hot
versions of the Fiesta and some very special show cars.
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What we like about Mazda is that
you can never predict what they’ll do next. Definitely one
of the most free-thinking Japanese motor companies.
The direct-injection, 2,3 litre turbocharged Mazda
four-cylinder engine is one of the most powerful ever fitted
to a Mazda and appears in two new Mazda models, the Mazda 6
MPS and the Mazda 3 MPS.
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As for the much-loved and
highly-popular MX5, its reason for being – at Auto Africa at
least – is that it now boasts a retractable electric
hard-top.
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The 2006
rally-championship-winning BP Volkswagen Golf was in prime
position at Auto Africa, celebrating Enzo Kuun’s first SA
driver’s title.
Performance was a strong theme at the show for the makers of
The People’s Car.
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