The Fastest Boat On The Road And Other Amphibians
Along with flying cars, amphibious vehicles would have to make the list of highly desirable vehicles from sci-fi movies, books and graphic novels. We are still waiting for the flying car but progress has been made in the amphibious vehicle department.
In fact, a lot of progress towards amphibious vehicles was made back in the World War 2 and Cold War era, with the two most successful being the Schwimmwagen and the Amphicar, being produced during WW2 and in the early 1960s respectively. Both were made in Germany.
Private Fleet Car Review: 2016 Audi A3 e-tron
Hybrid technology has come along in leaps and bounds in recent years, but more so in the integration of the electronics. Battery technology, except in the case, seemingly, of the product from Tesla, has pretty much stalled. For the time being, mainstream makers are using a petrol and battery powered engine combination and A Wheel Thing took to the roads in the new A3 e-tron from Audi.
There’s nothing really obvious that has the e-tron version stand out more than the standard, nicely rounded, A3, until you get up close. There’s the lower case e-tron badge and,more subtly, the plastic lock hidden in the four ringed badge in the grille. 
Twist that and, with a gentle nudge sometimes, it reveals the charging point for the battery pack. There’s 75 kW on offer and a fantastic 330 Nm of torque. That’s hooked up to “the generator”, a 1.4L TSFI petrol engine, with 110 kilowatts (5000 to 6000 rpm) and 250 torques between 1600 and 3500 revs.
That’s enough combined moombah to see the e-tron do the ton in a lick over seven and a half seconds, while consuming just 1.6L of unleaded go-go juice per 100 klicks. That’s using a six speed auto, a smooth changing unit with the now almost mandatory paddle shifts. Left to itself, the gearbox slurs through nicely and with the manualshift in operation is noticeably, but not by a huge amount, crisper.
Lamborghini Automobili Adds More Value To The Huracán.
Lamborghini has released a number of updates to the Huracán LP 610-4, yet has kept the price of Au$428,000 plus onroads. The car is now available for order with the updates for delivery in 2016.
What’s New: the naturally aspirated V10 is now available with cylinder deactivation, the first time this been provided for the engine. In normal driving, when not all cylinders are required, one cylinder bank is deactivated until the computer registers a change in throttle and then changes back to full cylinder mode instantly.
As a result, fuel consumption is decreased, as are emissions, to 283 grams per kilometre. Cruise Control is also now available as an option.
Private Fleet Car Review: 2015 Renault Clio R.S. Cup
A Wheel Thing has completed a French trifecta, with Renault now on board and supplying a Clio R.S. Cup. There was a week with the hot hatch, complete with dual clutch gearbox, licorice thin rubber and spine bending performance, coupled with a metallic soundtrack.
Compact is an apt word for the Clio, with just 4090 millimetres between the front and rear, 1448 mm from top to bottom and a not indecent 1732 mm side to side. Don’t go hunting for big speedbumps however, as ground clearance is a measly 118 mm…you can go hunting for other hatches though, with a rorty 1.6L turbo four up front, passing through 147 kW (6000 revs) and a very handy 240 torques at a very handy 1750 rpm through to the front wheels via a six speed dual clutch auto.
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