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Around the tracks: An Aussie Evo II, a Lexus throwback and a Tesla TV cameo

Plus, some dual drift action and clocks that copy car instruments.


When we’re not creating it ourselves, the CarAdvice team spends a lot of time finding and consuming motoring content from all over the world.

Here’s a handful of the photos, articles, videos or social media posts that most caught our eye last week. Some of them are brand new, others have been online for a while.

Enjoy them – just not too much, okay?


1. Lexus recreating its memorable 'champagne' ad

To celebrate its 30th anniversary, Lexus went back to its roots to recreate the LS400 ad that launched the brand in the US.

The first iteration showed the car hitting "145 miles per hour" without toppling a tower of champagne glasses on its bonnet. The tagline was: "Designed to stir the soul and not much else." Watch the original below...

The 2020 version, however, is slightly more playful, starring none other than Toyota president Akio Toyoda, who repeats the same experiment and gleefully declares, "It still works!". Watch it below.


2. This video of two Toyota Chasers drifting in tandem

The mesmerising clip was posted to Instagram by precision driver and counter terrorism driving trainer Kev Flynn.


3. This Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16 Evolution II lurking in Melbourne's CBD

Possibly the only one of its kind in Australia, this Evo II spent the week at the Mercedes me store in Melbourne, a full 30 years after it made its world premiere at the 1990 Geneva Motor Show.

Once museums are back up and running, this car makes a regular appearance at the Fox Museum in Docklands.


Eagle-eyed viewers watching the third season of Westworld on HBO might have spotted Tesla's distinctive Model X seats used in the hover plane featured in the premiere episode.

Fun fact: Westworld stars British actress Talulah Riley, who just so happens to be Elon Musk's on-again, off-again ex-wife.

Riley and Musk first married in 2010, before divorcing after two years of marriage. But 18 months after their first divorce, the pair married again... only to file for divorce again in 2014.


5. These car-instrument-inspired clocks

Ever sit down on your couch and wish you were still sitting in your car? Now you can create that behind-the-wheel feeling in your lounge room thanks to a father-and-son duo from Nebraska.

The pair run an Etsy shop called Heritage Racing, where they sell handmade clocks based on the speedometer dials of popular cars, selling each one for just over AU$60 plus shipping.

This one is based on the speedo of the Volkswagen Golf GTI, but there are plenty of options to match any car enthusiast's tastes.

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Susannah Guthrie

Susannah Guthrie has been a journalist for over a decade, covering everything from world news to fashion, entertainment, health and now cars. Having previously worked across titles like The New Daily, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, People Magazine and Cosmopolitan, Susannah now relishes testing family cars with the help of her husband and two-year-old son.

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