Just over a week to go before the big departure down under. Well at least the weather will be better than what's coming London's way this winter.

I'm looking forward to some Aussie 'exotica', maybe a Holden ute or two, that Leyland barge from the 70's and of course one of those cherished XB Falcons.

The rebadged GM powerhouses from Oz that Vauxhall market in the UK whets the appetite for a bit of American inspired beef (RIP Pontiac by the way). That Monaro was a bit of a guilty pleasure and the sheer grunt of a Vauxhall VXR8 is what makes it that bit more exciting than an M5 .... did I just say that?

Time to consider my drive down under as well of course, though I have been looking at ebay.com.au for a few months now, just to get an idea you understand. Mrs B. insists she's getting herself a new Focus but it's got to be old timer for me and given I'm not one for too much change (moving the other side of the world is enough for now methinks), the old MB W123 CE still holds dear. That or an original Saab 900, convertible please.