Last of review; let’s look forward

LAST weekend’s Drivesouth editorial focused on my motoring highs and lows of last year. This week, we conclude our twopart picks of the year retrospective. However, that done, the Drivesouth team is now looking ahead.

This year has already generated a highlight: taking a brief drive in a friend’s Lotus Elise sports car. Another is in store for today, as I have been offered the chance to be a passenger in Otago’s first car — the recently restored 1901 Locomobile — on the annual Dunedin to Brighton veteran car run.

Several motoring events will help make this a special motoring year in the lower South Island.

One of these is the Burt Munro

Challenge in Invercargill from February 610. In recent years this event has replaced the Brass Monkey Rally as the largest annual motorcycle event in this part of the country, possibly the southern hemisphere.

Another is the Drivesouth Otago Rallyfest, which is set to run in midApril. The event has already attracted a bumper crop of entries, including 15 from

Australia, and those of Kiwi ace Hayden Paddon and Norwegian World Rally Championship star Mads Ostberg.

On the new car front, an increasing emphasis on electric cars is sure to be part of the year ahead.

In this vein, Jaguar’s exciting new

IPace electric is making a visit to Dunedin this weekend, and look out for a full road test of Hyundai’s transformative Kona EV, the Tesla S and Audi’s first allelectric machine, the etron SUV, in coming months.

Don’t think we have forgotten more oldschool forms of car either — I’ve a road test of the latest Ford Mustang Bullitt to run in the nottoodistant future.