Rally the troops

The New Zealand team for next month's London-to-Sahara Rally has been learning survival skills from the Army. Driver Keith Sharp and navigator Graham Sharp want to be prepared for the desert sections of the route. "We approached the Army and some of their instructors took us through a self-preservation and desert survival course," said Keith. "We also learned how to cope with heat and cold, fatigue and how to keep our muscles in good working order while spending long days in the driving seat." The New Zealanders are driving a four-wheel-drive Suzuki Jimny. Racing great Sir Stirling Moss will flag the 80-car field away from the old Brooklands circuit on September 30.

Telling porkies

A reader all set to plonk down a deposit on the Holden Monaro coupe was steered by a Holden salesman towards a Commodore SS. Our man protested: "I don't want an SS - I want a Monaro." The salesman replied that the Monaro would cost between $80,000 and $90,000 when it landed here later this year. The salesman was telling porkies. Two months ago, this column said Holden New Zealand would ideally like the Monaro to be similar in price to the Commodore SS, around $60,000. Two days ago, a spokesman for Holden said he expected the recommended retail price of the Monaro to be "in the low 60s".

Diamante loses sparkle

Mitsubishi Motors has told the Australian Government that it will jettison its plant in Adelaide unless it starts to turn a profit. The plant, which makes Diamante models for New Zealand, lost more than $NZ230 million last year. The parent company in Japan, now essentially controlled by its German partner DaimlerChrysler, has agreed to spend more than $NZ90 million on a substantial upgrade for the Diamante range, but has refused investment if the subsidiary remains in the red. Work on the facelifted Diamante will begin in 2003 and continue through to 2005. It is estimated that $625 million is needed to prepare the Adelaide plant for a new model beyond 2005.

Trim down, speed up

BMW is expected to show off a trimmed-down M3 at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month. It is called the M3 CSL after the lightweight 3.0 CSL of the 1970s. It weighs 150kg less than the standard car's 1570kg and is fitted with special high-performance tyres. Reports say it is a full second quicker to 160 km/h and has lapped the Nurburgring 10s faster than the standard car. Production is expected to be limited to 1000 cars.

Men just dreamers

Women are more likely to own their dream car than men because they are better with money, says a British survey. Marks and Spencer Financial Services found that men merely imagined owning an Aston Martin or a Jaguar, whereas women were more likely to drive away in a silver Mercedes-Benz SLK or BMW Z3.

We are the world

* Under the hammer in a web auction house the other day was the Chevrolet Suburban from the television series The Sopranos. It had a reserve of $NZ195,000.

* An anti-road rage mouthspray has gone on sale in the United States. Drivers spray it into their own mouths when they start getting angry. It contains soothing herbs that are supposed to have a calming effect.