This was in todays
Sydney newspaper....
"4WD Lobbyist flouting law with monster truck"
The editor of Australia's biggest selling 4wd magazinehas been driving around
Sydney in a modified monster truck that his own publication braned "Illegal".
Publisher Pat Callinan has been regularly commuting to work in Silverwater from his Blue Mountains home in a Toyota landcruiser that he kitted out with raised
suspension and over $27.000.00 worth of modifications.
The vehicle dubbed the "camel cruiser" was featured in a front page story in 4wd Monthly in June 2005. The story documented a 72 hour operation to turn an average factory edition landcruiser into a "dessert eating beast" that sits above toyota's specifications.
But having given the modified vehicle a big thumbs up for its offraod potential,4WD Monthly's automotive engineer John Varirtidimis warned itw as unsuitable to be driven on NSW roads.
"As it stands, with the 35-inch tyres and the 4-inch lift, the cruiser is a whisker too high to be lagal in NSW. THe law states that the headlights cannot be more than 1200mm above ground level". HE was quoted as telling the magazine. :so I'll have to investigate the possibility of some33-inch tyres or lower the springs"
Haven ridden "rough shot" over the law for nearly 6 months Mr Callinan admitted yesterday that he had NOT made a single alteration to the vehilce. He conceded the
suspension was still illegal but said the natural "settings" of
the springs had probably dropped the height back to within appropriate parameters.
Details of the truck raised the ire of the growing lobby against modified 4wds yesterday.
"Once you start fiddling with raising the cars above what manufaturers specify, you turn them into death machines". Pedestrian council president HArold Scruby said.
Australasian College of roade safety president Raphael Grizebieta said raising a vehicle lifted its centre of gravity, making it more suseptible to a roll over in a crash.
Pictures of the cruiser and Pat Callinan were included in the article but i dont see the need to post them here.
Personally i cant believe they took my money for that article,
Well i cantell you they wont be taking any more money off me.
Knowing full
well the vehicle was illegal at the time and continuing to drive it on public streest is even worse. Especially from someone in the know.
I was discusted when i read it today. I am glad he didnt kill anyone..imagien if he had an accident with your 4wd....try getting his insurance company to pay for your damages after they found out it was illegally driven.
This is why i get so annoyed when people in the know try and get away with this stuff.