title: The Luminaries

text: Reading and researching the book took two years. Catton said of her process: "I started reading, beginning with gold-rush history, which led me to the nature of wealth, which led me to confidence tricks and scams, which led me to fortune telling, which led me to the stars." She also read as much nineteenth century fiction and crime fiction as she could. Towards the end of her research, she read "The Castle of Crossed Destinies" by Italo Calvino, and found the book's structural patterning made it difficult to read; she decided she wanted to write a book that was "structurally ornate and actively plotted at the same time". Most of the book was written in Christchurch while Catton was the Ursula Bethell Writer in Residence at the University of Canterbury. She said later: "I don't know what the book would have looked like without that residency. This idea of unstructured time — there's nothing like it."


title: The Luminaries

text: Catton returned to Hokitika in March 2014, and gave a question and answer session at the Regent Theatre with her British publisher, Max Porter, in front of a sell-out crowd. She revealed that she had used the Papers Past website of the National Library of New Zealand to find suitable names for her characters. For example, for the character Thomas Balfour, it appears that Catton adopted the surname of the marine engineer James Balfour who did an assessment of the possibility for a port in Hokitika during the gold rush. The ship captain James Raxworthy took his name from Raxworthy Panelbeaters in Christchurch, a business Catton cycled past each day on her way to the University of Canterbury. She deliberately chose Te Rau Tauwhare's surname based on its meaning "House of Years", which reflected the book's astrological themes.


title: The Luminaries

text: The book met with critical acclaim and was described as "a dazzling feat of a novel" by "The Observer."


title: The Luminaries

text: Bill Roorbach wrote in "The New York Times" that "The Luminaries" was "a lot of fun, like doing a Charlotte Brontë-themed crossword puzzle while playing chess and Dance Dance Revolution on a Bongo Board." Booker judge Stuart Kelly said the book "was more like a Kiwi "Twin Peaks" than any kind of novel I've read before". Julian Novitz, writing in the "Sydney Review of Books", commented that the novel "is not only set in the nineteenth century; it appears to be of the nineteenth century, or as close to it as possible", comparing its scope, length and style to that of a Victorian novel. He concluded that the novel "can be appreciated on many different levels, but ... builds into a consistent and harmonious whole".


title: The Luminaries

text: By contrast, New Zealand scholar and poet C. K. Stead wrote a critical review for the "Financial Times". Although he praised the novel's "exceptional detail and verisimilitude", he suggested that the story was "shamelessly implausible", and concluded "it doesn't allow me to forget, even for a moment, that this is fiction — the novel as game, played brilliantly, but at such length I couldn't entirely overcome that impatience". Michael Morrissey went further in a review that was later described by Ross Brighton as a "snide, derisive shrug" without "much in the way of actual critical content". Catton later said she had seen a difference in how her book was received in New Zealand compared to the United Kingdom: "I think all of the reviews I've had that have been big profile reviews from New Zealanders have been very cold, and the reviews I have had from the UK so far have been very warm. Even when the reviewers are talking about what they don't like about the book, they will say, 'there's still something exciting going on here', whereas I feel like the New Zealand ones have been more concerned with devaluing the book." In an interview with "The Guardian", Catton said the book was subject to a "bullying" reception from older male reviewers in New Zealand.


title: The Luminaries

text: By August 2014, a year after the book's publication, "The Luminaries" had sold 560,000 print and digital copies, of which 120,000 were sold in New Zealand (most New Zealand fiction sells 1000 to 2000 copies). "The Luminaries" was the top seller on the New Zealand adult fiction list for the entire year, and translation rights were sold in 26 languages. To be eligible for the Booker Prize the book needed a UK English publisher: it became the best-selling book in Granta's history.


title: The Luminaries

text: "The Luminaries" won the 2013 Booker Prize. It was the longest book (832 pages) and Catton the youngest author (28) ever to win the Booker. Robert Macfarlane, chair of the Booker judges, said of the book, "It’s a dazzling work. It's a luminous work. It is vast without being sprawling." Catton beat more established authors like Colm Tóibín and Ruth Ozeki for the award, and was the second New Zealander to win it after Keri Hulme for "The Bone People" in 1985, the year of Catton's birth.


title: The Luminaries

text: "The Luminaries" was cited in "The Wall Street Journal" "Best Fiction of 2013", "The Christian Science Monitor" 15 best fiction of 2013 and "The Economist" magazine's "Books of the Year" (2013). It won the Governor General's Award for English-language fiction in Canada, was shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize (2014), was longlisted for the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction (2014), and was longlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award (2015). In the 2014 New Zealand Post Book Awards, it received the top prize for fiction and the People's Choice Award.


title: The Luminaries

text: The "Luminaries" was adapted into a six-part television miniseries by Working Title Television and Southern Light Films for BBC Two in association with TVNZ, Fremantle, and Silver Reel. The series was produced by Lisa Chatfield and directed by Claire McCarthy. Production was funded by the New Zealand Film Commission. It premiered on TVNZ 1 on 17 May 2020 and was also available on TVNZ's streaming service TVNZ On Demand. The series was first broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom on 21 June 2020, and on Starz in the United States on 14 February 2021.


title: The Luminaries

text: Catton was the screenwriter for the series, and shifted the focus to make Anna Wetherell, a secondary character in the book, the protagonist of the series. Catton served as showrunner with director McCarthy during filming.


title: Smiley Face Killers (film)

text: Smiley Face Killers is a 2020 American slasher film directed by Tim Hunter and written by Bret Easton Ellis, loosely based on the Smiley face murder theory. The film stars Ronen Rubinstein, Mia Serafino, and Crispin Glover.


title: Smiley Face Killers (film)

text: The film opens with the abduction and murder of two unrelated victims by a hooded killer in a white van. The only clue linking the murders is the presence of smiley face graffiti near the body. The film then shows Jake, a university student who believes that someone is stalking him, as they have left him a map marking the locations of the prior smiley face murders along with creepy text messages and photos. His girlfriend Keren is concerned that he is off his psychiatric medication, particularly after he grows jealous of her talking to her ex-boyfriend Rob. Jake relates the strange events to his friend Adam, who theorizes that Rob may be doing them out of jealousy. He begins to investigate the map and messages with more earnest, all the time unaware that the stalker, a mysterious hooded figure, has murdered his roommate Devon.


title: Smiley Face Killers (film)

text: Jake discovers messages from Rob on Keren's phone and the two argue, causing her to further worry and assume that his concerns are due to non-compliance with his meds. He continues the fight later when he discovers Rob at a party, during which he pushes Keren. Upset, Jake leaves the party and is swiftly abducted by his stalker and two other hooded figures, one of whom begins to drain his blood. An attempt to free himself is only momentarily successful and results in the death of a gas station clerk and a group of teenagers who happened to drive up. Jake is then killed by the figures, who dump his body and graffiti a smiley face. Devon's death is eventually discovered and it's generally believed that Jake murdered him. The film ends with the hooded figures stalking their next victim.


title: Smiley Face Killers (film)

text: In October 2017, production was announced to have begun. Ronen Rubinstein was cast in the lead role and Crispin Glover in a supporting role, with Tim Hunter directing a screenplay by Bret Easton Ellis.


title: Smiley Face Killers (film)

text: On October 8, 2020, the official poster and trailer for the film were unveiled by Lionsgate. Ronen Rubinstein expressed his frustration towards the studio's approach to the marketing and apparent lack of support for the film. Following a month-long dispute with the studio, Trenton Ryder confirmed on Twitter the film's social marketing assets were back in his control after being removed ahead of the film's release.


title: Stereotypes of the British

text: Stereotypes of British people are found in several cultures. Some stereotypes relate to specific ethnic groups of Britain while others are directed at British nationals in general.


title: Stereotypes of the British

text: Both historically and in the present day, the British have often been associated with good manners by many people around the world, similar to Canadians.


title: Stereotypes of the British

text: British humour is well known for its use of sarcasm, dark comedy, and irony. Monty Python was a famous British comedic group and some of the most highly regarded comedies, such as "Fawlty Towers" and "Mr. Bean", are British.


title: Stereotypes of the British

text: Drinking tea - specifically the more oxidised black tea - is seen as a key part of British culture. Originally introduced as a luxury product in the 17th century, cheap imports from colonial India allowed its consumption to significantly increase during the second half of the 19th century.


title: Stereotypes of the British

text: Today it remains a popular beverage, with surveys from 2017 showing that the UK had the 12th largest tea consumption per capita in the world, and that almost 75% of British people who drank tea daily had at least two cups a day.


title: Stereotypes of the British

text: The British are often seen as reserved and unemotional. This perspective has been bolstered by popular British phrases such as "stiff upper lip", which means displaying an emotionless and determined exterior in the face of hardship; "keep calm and carry on", which was taken from a motivational poster produced by the UK government in preparation for World War II; and "always look on the bright side of life", which was lifted from a popular Monty Python comedy song about persevering in the direst situations.


title: Stereotypes of the British

text: Americans often joke about the British having bad teeth. This stereotype appears to stem from a particularly American view of dental health in which artificially straightened and whitened teeth (sometimes referred to as "Hollywood teeth") are the healthiest, but this primarily affects only the outer appearance of teeth and some evidence has shown that artificial whitening actually has a negative effect on dental health. In reality, British teeth have been ranked as the fifth healthiest in the world, with American teeth behind in ninth place.


title: Stereotypes of the British

text: Jokes about British teeth appear in American popular culture. In "The Simpsons" episode "Last Exit to Springfield", a strict dentist scares Ralph Wiggum into brushing his teeth by showing him a fictional book titled "The Big Book of British Smiles" that depicts a Queen's Guard member and Prince Charles with exaggeratedly crooked teeth. A Rimmel cosmetics television advertisement featuring Georgia May Jagger became an internet meme in 2014. In the advertisement, Jagger says "get the London look" and viewers ultimately associated the "London look" with the gap between her front teeth.


title: Stereotypes of the British

text: Jokes are often told about British food being either poor quality or inedible. Historically, British cuisine was generally fairly bland after the World War II period, but globalisation and mass immigration have caused it to become more diverse.


title: Stereotypes of the British

text: There is a common stereotype that the British are only able to speak English. This has some truth to it, as (like in many English-speaking countries) levels of bilingualism are relatively low. Additionally, the number of people who speak a language other than English as their first language is reasonably low, especially among those who were born in the UKeven among those with immediate immigrant ancestry. However, most British schoolchildren receive at least a few years of compulsory French, German or Spanish lessons. This used to happen during the first years of secondary school, but teaching foreign languages at an earlier age has been viewed as increasingly important.


title: Stereotypes of the British

text: In some tourist-heavy European countries such as Cyprus, Greece, and Spain, British holidaymakers are closely associated with anti-social and violent behaviour, usually related to binge drinking. Similar to Americans, British tourists have also been stereotyped as preferring to shout and talk slower in English when interacting with foreigners instead of making an effort to use the local language (see "monolingualism" above).


title: United Airlines Holdings

text: United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (formerly known as United Continental Holdings, Inc., UAL Corporation, Allegis Corporation and founded originally as UAL, Inc.) is a publicly traded airline holding company headquartered in the Willis Tower in Chicago. UAH owns and operates United Airlines, Inc.


title: United Airlines Holdings

text: UAL Corporation agreed to change its name to United Continental Holdings in May 2010, when an agreement was reached between United and Continental Airlines where United would acquire Continental. To effect the acquisition, Continental shareholders received 1.05 shares of UAL stock for each Continental share; at the time of closing, it was estimated that United shareholders owned 55% of the merged entity and Continental shareholders owned 45%. The company or its subsidiary airlines also have several other subsidiaries. Once completely combined, United became the world's largest airline, as measured by revenue passenger miles. United is a founding member of the Star Alliance.


title: United Airlines Holdings

text: UAH has major operations at Chicago–O'Hare, Denver, Guam, Houston–Intercontinental, Los Angeles, Newark (New Jersey), San Francisco, and Washington–Dulles. Additionally, UAH's United is the largest U.S. carrier to the People's Republic of China and maintains a large operation throughout Asia.


title: United Airlines Holdings

text: UAH uses Continental's operating certificate and United's repair station certificate, having been approved by the FAA on November 30, 2011.


title: United Airlines Holdings

text: On June 27, 2019, the name of the parent company was changed from United Continental Holdings to United Airlines Holdings.


title: United Airlines Holdings

text: Early in February 2008, UAL Corporation and Continental Airlines began advanced stages of merger negotiations and were expected to announce their decision in the immediate aftermath of a definitive merger agreement between rival Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines. The timing of the events was notable because Northwest's golden shares in Continental (that gave Northwest veto authority against any merger involving Continental) could be redeemed, freeing Continental to pursue a marriage with United. On April 27, 2008, Continental broke off merger negotiations with United and stated it was going to stand alone. Despite ending merger talks, Continental announced that it would join United in the Star Alliance.


title: United Airlines Holdings

text: United and US Airways were in advanced merger talks in late April 2008, following the announcement that Continental had broken off talks with United. In June 2008, CEOs of both United Airlines and Continental Airlines signed an alliance pact presaging their eventual merger. The alliance is an agreement to link international networks and share technology and passenger perks. This agreement is basically a "virtual merger" that includes many of the benefits of a merger without the actual costs and restructuring involved. The alliance took effect about a year after Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines completed their merger, as that released Continental from the SkyTeam contract and allowed for the required nine-month notice. Additionally, Continental joined Star Alliance, as Delta and Northwest merged.


title: United Airlines Holdings

text: United Airlines was reported to be in serious merger discussion with US Airways in early April 2010. A "New York Times" report indicated that a deal was close. Union consent was cited as a major hurdle for negotiators to clear. On April 22, 2010, United announced that it would not pursue a merger with US Airways.


title: United Airlines Holdings

text: The Board of Directors at Continental and United Airlines approved a stock-swap deal that would combine them into the world's largest airline on Sunday, May 2, 2010. The airlines publicly announced the deal the next day. This would re-unite Walter Varney's airlines, which offspring includes Continental and United.


title: United Airlines Holdings

text: Both airlines have taken losses in the recession and expect the merger to generate savings of more than a year. Combined, they fly to some 370 destinations in 59 countries from their ten hubs, and carry passengers a year. Combined revenues will be about .


title: United Airlines Holdings

text: On August 27, 2010, the U.S. Department of Justice approved the $3 billion merger and shareholders of both the companies approved the merger on September 17, 2010. On October 1, 2010, UAL Corporation (the parent company of United Airlines) completed its acquisition of Continental Airlines and changed its name to United Continental Holdings, Inc. Although the two airlines remained separated until the operational integration was completed, as of this day both airlines are corporately controlled by the same leadership. Both carriers achieved a single operating certificate from the FAA on November 30, 2011 which allowed both airlines to operate under the name "United".


title: United Airlines Holdings

text: For the fiscal year 2017, United Continental Holdings reported earnings of US$2.131 billion, with an annual revenue of US$37.736 billion, an increase of 3.2% over the previous fiscal cycle. United Continental's shares traded at over $69 per share, and its market capitalization was valued at over US$23.1 billion in October 2018. The company ranked No. 81 in the 2018 Fortune 500 list of the largest United States corporations by total revenue.


title: United Airlines Holdings

text: When United Airlines and Continental Airlines announced their merger in May 2010 they introduced their new corporate branding. It featured the words "United Airlines" in the then-current Continental typeface, and Continental's globe-like logo. United updated their branding once again in August 2010, replacing the words "United Airlines" with the single word UNITED and changing the font to United's traditional upper-case sans-serif font. United's new CEO Jeff Smisek, who previously served as Continental's chairman, helped design the new font, integrating it with the existing Lippincott-designed Continental graphics. He has noted that he has received over 15,000 emails with suggestions for a new livery.


title: United Airlines Holdings

text: The first United 747 featuring the new livery was painted in February 2011. Re-painting and branding is said to be "accelerated" beginning mid-2011.


title: United Airlines Holdings

text: On March 1, 2011, United unveiled an "interim" marketing campaign replacing the previous "It's Time to Fly" campaign, which included fingerpaint ads and television spots created by Fallon. On the same date, United removed the iconic 38-year-old Saul Bass-designed "Tulip" logo from its website and all new advertisements will feature the former Continental globe logo. This new campaign was used until 2012, when United reconditioned a former slogan, "Fly the Friendly Skies".


title: United Airlines Holdings

text: United Airlines and United Express operated more than 4,500 flights a day to 339 destinations; 140 million customers were carried on 1.5 million flights in 2015.


title: Roskomnadzor

text: The Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media, abbreviated as Roskomnadzor (RKN) ( [РКН]), is the Russian federal executive agency responsible for monitoring, controlling and censoring Russian mass media. Its areas of responsibility include electronic media, mass communications, information technology and telecommunications, supervising compliance with the law, protecting the confidentiality of personal data being processed, and organizing the work of the radio-frequency service.


title: Roskomnadzor

text: In March 2007, the authority—then a subdivision of the Cultural Ministry of Russia called "Russian Federal Surveillance Service for Compliance with the Legislation in Mass Media and Cultural Heritage Protection" ("Rosokhrankultura")—warned the "Kommersant" newspaper that it should not mention the National Bolshevik Party on its pages, as the party had been denied official registration.


title: Roskomnadzor

text: The Federal Service for Supervision in the Sphere of Telecom, Information Technologies and Mass Communications was re-established in May 2008. Resolution number 419, "On Federal Service for Supervision in the Sphere of Telecom, Information Technologies and Mass Communications", was adopted on February 6, 2008.


title: Roskomnadzor

text: In December 2019, media criticized the service's choice of experts who are performing analysis of referred publications to assess their compliance with regulations. A number of experts recruited by "Roscomnadzor" are associated with pseudo-scientific and sectarian movements, including HIV/AIDS deniers, ultra-conservative, anti-vaccination and alternative medicine activists. Three such experts—Anna Volkova, Tatyana Simonova and Elena Shabalina—assessed lyrics of popular rapper Egor Kreed in which they found "mutagenic effect", "satanic influence" and "psychological warfare".


title: Roskomnadzor

text: Also in 2019, "Roskomnadzor" published the first iteration of the "list of information resources who had in the past been spreading unreliable information" including a number of social media groups and media websites accused mostly of incorrectly reporting on a single incident in Dzerzhinsk in June 2019.


title: Roskomnadzor

text: After nationwide pro-Navalny protests in 2021, "Roskomnadzor" fined seven social media companies for not removing pro-Navalny videos: "Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, VKontakte, Odnoklassniki and YouTube will be fined for non-compliance with requirements to prevent the dissemination of calls to minors to participate in unauthorized rallies" it said in a statement published on its website.


title: Roskomnadzor

text: On 10 March 2022, 820GB of Roskomnadzor data was leaked and published, with the hacking group Anonymous claiming responsibility. Anonymous engaged in several cyberattacks against Russian websites as the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine occurred.


title: Roskomnadzor

text: Because of its actions that supported the invasion of Ukraine, Roskomnadzor has been sanctioned by Canada and Ukraine as a result.


title: Roskomnadzor

text: "Roskomnadzor" is a federal executive body responsible for control, censorship, and supervision in the field of media, including electronic media and mass communications, information technology and communications functions control and supervision over the compliance of personal data processing requirements of the legislation of the Russian Federation in the field of personal data, and the role of co-ordinating the activities of radio frequency service. It's an authorized federal executive body for the protection of human subjects of personal data. It is also the body administering Russian Internet censorship filters. It also designs and implements procedures of Russian Autonomous Internet Subnetwork, like inventory of Russian Autonomous Systems, alternative DNS root servers in Russian National Domain Name System, controls local ISPs interconnect and Internet exchanges. The main goal is to provide access to Russian Autonomous Internet Subnetwork even after disconnect or isolation from the global Internet (Sovereign Internet Law)


title: Roskomnadzor

text: On 31 March 2013 "The New York Times" reported that Russia was "selectively blocking [the] Internet". In 2014, during the Crimea Crisis, "Roskomnadzor" had a number of websites criticising Russian policy in Ukraine blocked, including the blog of Alexei Navalny, Kasparov.ru and . Also, on 22 June 2016 Amazon Web Services was entirely blocked for a couple of hours because of a poker app.


title: Roskomnadzor

text: In October 2014, GitHub was blocked for a short time. On December 2 GitHub was blocked again for some satiric notes, describing "methods of suicide", which caused major tensions among Russian software developers. It was unblocked on 4 December 2014 and GitHub had set up a special page dedicated to "Roskomnadzor"-related issues. All content was and remains available for non-Russian networks.


title: Roskomnadzor

text: On 5 April 2013, it was confirmed by a spokesperson for "Roskomnadzor" that Wikipedia had been blacklisted over the article "Cannabis smoking" () on the Russian Wikipedia.


title: Roskomnadzor

text: On 18 August 2015, an article in Russian Wikipedia about charas ( ) was blacklisted by "Roskomnadzor" as containing propaganda on narcotics. The article was then rewritten from scratch using UN materials and textbooks, but on 24 August it was included in the list of forbidden materials sent to Internet providers of Russia. As Wikipedia uses HTTPS protocol to encrypt traffic, effectively all of the site with all language versions of Wikipedia was blocked in Russia on the night of August 25.


title: Roskomnadzor

text: On 1 March 2022, "Roskomnadzor" threatened to block access to Russian Wikipedia over the article "" ("Russia's invasion of Ukraine (2022)"), claiming that the article contained "illegally distributed information" including "reports about numerous casualties among service personnel of the Russian Federation and also the civilian population of Ukraine, including children". "Roskomnadzor" made similar threats on 31 March, demanding that Wikipedia remove any information about the invasion that is "misinforming" Russians or it could face a fine of up to 4 million rubles (approximately US$49,000).


title: Roskomnadzor

text: In 2017, the neo-Nazi website "The Daily Stormer" was briefly moved to a Russian domain name, but Roskomnazdor subsequently acted to remove its access, and the site was subsequently moved to the dark web.


title: Roskomnadzor

text: On 16 April 2018, "Roskomnadzor" ordered Russian ISPs to block access to the instant messenger Telegram, as the company refused to hand over the encryption keys for users' chats to Russian authorities. The information watchdog applied the method of mass IP address blockings, hitting the major hosting providers, such as Amazon, and disrupting hundreds of Russian internet services. "Roskomnadzor" had to abandon this approach, but failed to implement any other means to stop Russian users from accessing Telegram. In the end, the Roskomnadzor and other government structures set up their own channels in the "outlawed" app. In mid-2020 Roskomnadzor officially gave up on trying to block Telegram.


title: Roskomnadzor

text: On 10 March 2021, "Roskomnadzor" started to "slow down" Twitter for users in Russia, attributing the decision to the platform's failure to remove content deemed illegal by the Russian government. This action occasionally caused Russia's key websites, including "Roskomnadzor" itself, to stop working. It also led to malfunctions of major commercial services, such as Qiwi payment system, and blocked some users from accessing Yandex, Google, and YouTube. In addition, along with Twitter, "Roskomnadzor" throttled access to numerous websites with domain names ending in "t.co" (t.co being among the Twitter domain), thus affecting no fewer than 48 thousand hosts, including GitHub, Russia Today, Reddit, Microsoft, Google, Dropbox, Steam.


title: Roskomnadzor

text: On 26 February 2022, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Twitter said that access to the platform was being restricted to some users in Russia. On 1 March, "Roskomnadzor" again slowed access to Twitter, accusing the company of failing to remove what it called "fake posts" about the "special operation".


title: Roskomnadzor

text: On 28 April 2022, Twitter was fined 3 million rubles (USD 41,000) after being sued by Roskomnadzor for not removing content that included instructions for how to prepare and use molotov cocktails against Russian armored vehicles.


title: Roskomnadzor

text: On 4 March 2022, Roskomnadzor said it was blocking access to Facebook over restrictions that were imposed on Russian state media outlets. On 21 March, further action was taken after a court ruled that Meta Platforms was guilty of "extremist activity", affecting access to Facebook and Instagram but not WhatsApp. The ruling came after a Reuters report stated that Meta would allow its users to post messages supporting violence against Russian soldiers and Russian president Vladimir Putin following the invasion of Ukraine, however Meta later narrowed its moderation policy to prohibit calls for the death of a head of state.


title: Roskomnadzor

text: In April 2022, Roskomnadzor fined Google more than 7 billion rubles (USD 94 million), for not removing what it claimed was illegal content from YouTube.


title: Roskomnadzor

text: In April 2022, Roskomnadzor drew up a protocol and a court in Moscow fined TikTok two million rubles (USD 27,000) for not removing content related to the LGBT community.


title: Roskomnadzor

text: On 23 April 2022, Roskomnadzor blocked the online chess website Chess.com in Russia because of two articles that were critical of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and their links replacing the flags of all Russian users on the website.


title: Brynn Thayer

text: Brynn Thayer is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for playing Jenny Wolek on the television soap opera "One Life to Live" from 1978 to 1986, which earned her a Daytime Emmy Award nomination.


title: Brynn Thayer

text: Thayer is best known for her work on television. From 1978-86, she played Jenny Wolek in the ABC daytime soap opera, "One Life to Live". Thayer assumed the role in August 1978 amid a contract dispute between Katherine Glass and ABC Daytime.


title: Brynn Thayer

text: In 1986, Thayer left "One Life to Live" and began a career on primetime television. She starred in two short-lived dramas for CBS: "TV 101" from 1988 to 1989, and "Island Son" (1989-1990). In 1992, she joined the cast of the ABC legal series "Matlock" portraying Matlock's daughter, Leanne MacIntyre, and was a regular cast member; she was previously a guest star in the 1991 episode "The Suspect". From 1997-98, she had a regular role in the "".


title: Brynn Thayer

text: She guest starred in a number of television shows, including "Moonlighting"; "Murder, She Wrote"; "7th Heaven"; ""; "JAG"; "Cold Case"; "Without a Trace"; "Castle"; "Suits"; and "How to Get Away with Murder". She had a recurring role in "General Hospital" as Kylie Quinlan in 1994. In 2011, she guest starred on "Days of Our Lives" as Susan Banks.


title: Brynn Thayer

text: Thayer was born in Dallas, Texas, the daughter of Margery (née Schwartz) and William Paul Thayer, a former naval officer and business executive who was Deputy Secretary of Defense (1983–84) in the Reagan Administration. She studied acting at the Beverly Hills Playhouse acting school.


title: Brynn Thayer

text: Thayer co-founded the charitable organization ZazAngels with actor Michael Zaslow and his wife, Susan Hufford, to generate funds for researching amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease). Zaslow died of ALS on December 6, 1998.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: The Mitsubishi Magna is a mid-size car that was produced over three generations between 1985 and 2005 by Mitsubishi Motors Australia Limited (MMAL). Developed as a replacement for the Mitsubishi Sigma, each Magna generation derived from Japanese platforms re-engineered for the Australian market and conditions. Initially, Magna offered inline-four engines in a mid-size sedan package—a station wagon debuted in 1987. Over the years, each new series grew in size, and with the second generation of 1991, the range was bolstered by a luxury variant called Mitsubishi Verada and a V6 engine. The Magna/Verada became the first Australian-made vehicle to be exported worldwide in large numbers, predominantly as the Mitsubishi Diamante. The third and final iteration Magna/Verada launched in 1996, adding all-wheel-drive (AWD) from 2002, and receiving a substantial styling update in 2003. They were replaced by the Mitsubishi 380 in 2005.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: MMAL manufactured the Magna/Verada at its Clovelly Park, South Australia plant. The majority of its engines—most notably, the original four-cylinder "Astron II" (codenamed 4G54) and subsequent "Cyclone" V6 engines (codenamed 6G72 and 6G74)—were manufactured at the Lonsdale, South Australia plant.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: Following a claimed million development cost, Mitsubishi introduced the Magna to Australia in April 1985, initially as a sedan only model, but with a station wagon added in June 1987. It was manufactured at Tonsley Park, South Australia. MMAL designated this first, 1985 Magna as the TM series, with the 1987 and 1989 updates known as the TN and TP series respectively.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: Mitsubishi developed the Magna as a replacement for the rear-wheel drive (RWD) Sigma. Previously, Mitsubishi had a larger family car in the form of the mainly six-cylinder Chrysler Valiant, inherited upon MMAL's takeover of Chrysler Australia's operations in 1980. Nevertheless, the Valiant was put out of production the following year, making the medium-sized Sigma MMAL's largest offering. When a replacement became due, MMAL opined that a car's width was a crucial factor to Australian buyers who have traditionally favoured large cars. As a result, to compete more effectively against the large RWD rivals, viz. the Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore, former Chrysler engineers now working for MMAL, developed a wider mid-sized car specific to the Australian market. This model derived from the fifth-generation Japanese Mitsubishi Galant Σ (Sigma), a front-wheel drive (FWD) vehicle released in August 1983. Engineers accomplished this by splicing an extra of width through the Galant's body and by strengthening it for Australian road conditions. Mitsubishi Motors codenamed these cars as "YF" and "YFW"—"W" for "wide". To emphasise the size advantage of the Mitsubishi over other medium cars, it was named Magna—deriving from the Latin word "magnus", meaning "big".


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: The only major aesthetic difference of the Magna relative to its Japanese donor was the wider body, as the general styling and side profile were similar also thanks to shared tooling for doors, guards and pillars. While still smaller and lighter than its then current RWD rivals, the Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore, the Magna trumped the latter for interior space due to the inherently superior packaging offered by the FWD layout. As the enlarging added minimal weight and the overall footprint remained smaller compared to rivals, the Magna could make do with a big-bore four-cylinder engine instead of the more traditional six-cylinder engines used by Holden and Ford. Even despite a , fuel efficiency was not significantly better. In particular, average fuel consumption was officially rated at in city driving and in highway driving.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: The widening approach proved successful for the Australian market, making the Magna a strong competitor against all original competitors envisaged by MMAL, being the Toyota Corona, Holden Camira, Nissan Bluebird, Ford Telstar, plus the larger Holden Commodore. The platform widening also helped influence Honda, Mazda, Nissan, and Toyota to do the same for their mid-size models in international markets, such as in the case of the "wide-bodied" Toyota Camry (XV10) of 1991.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: The engine of the Magna was the Australian-made 2.6-litre transversely-mounted inline-four cylinder engine. Codenamed 4G54 and marketed as "Astron II", it was a development of the "Astron" engine (codenamed 4G52) fitted to Sigma. It initially produced at 5000 rpm and at 3000 rpm. "Astron II" was an eight-valve single overhead cam (SOHC) design with advanced features for the time, such as hydraulic mounts and "Silent Shaft" counterbalancing technology, designed and licensed to other automakers by Mitsubishi Motors to reduce the vibrations inherent in large four-cylinder engines. In the TM series, these engines were carbureted, with Mitsubishi's "ECI Multi" electronic fuel injection (EFI) version launched with the TN series, boosting power to .


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: Magna was fitted with either a five-speed manual or a four-speed "ELC" automatic transmission with electronic control and overdrive (a button on the shift lever providing the ability to switch between the default three-speed mode or overdrive four-speed). The Executive and luxury Elite models, however, were available only in automatic. In terms of suspension, Magna's front comprised MacPherson struts front design and, at the rear, a three-link torsion beam axle with coil springs (specifically, a torsion beam axle, located by two trailing arms and a Panhard rod). The wagons ran a four-link beam axle with coil springs.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: At launch in April 1985, the TM series included the following models: the base GLX, the mid-range SE and the high-end Elite. August 1986 saw the range expanded with a better-than-GLX equipped model known as the "Executive". Aimed at fleet buyers, this new variant added full plastic wheel coverings, standard power steering and manual or automatic transmission with air conditioning as the sole option. The luxury-oriented models—SE and Elite—featured higher equipment: seats were covered in velour trim with the driver's seat being seven-way adjustable (instead of four-way); lumbar support for driver and passenger; rear integrated headrests and folding centre armrest with boot access; map lights and remote boot release; power windows, central locking and alloy wheels (standard on Elite and optional on SE); metallic paint standard (two-tone standard on Elite and single-tone optional on Elite and SE); radio/cassette players (featuring a novel security system that would make the unit completely inoperable in the event that its power was disconnected) with the Elite also adding a rear quarter panel electric antenna, separate equaliser and steering wheel controls. In addition, instead of standard control steering stalks and ventilation panel on the centre console, both the SE and Elite had two steering side pods, thus bringing all major controls within a driver's fingertips and making them jointly height adjustable with the steering column. Elite also featured an LCD instrument panel, in line with the Japanese automotive trend in the late 1980s. Common to all models were a tilt adjustable steering and cable-operated fuel filler door release. Non-Elite models also had a roof mounted manual antenna above the right A-pillar and the following optional equipment: air conditioning (GLX, Executive and SE), power steering and automatic transmission (GLX and SE).


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: Sale prices were a key critical factor in Magna's market competitiveness, since for less money, MMAL was able to sell a more refined and economical package relative to its main rivals. This was especially reflected in the merits highlighted under the "value for money" category of the "Wheels" Car of the Year title won by Magna in 1985.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: The TM series was marred by various quality-control problems (chiefly, fragile engine heads and automatic transmissions), which were gradually rectified throughout the life of the first generation.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: April 1987 brought the first update to Magna, designated TN. Cosmetic changes included a new grille insert, the relocation of the rear license plate to the bumper and revised trim. Better seats, an optional EFI engine upgrade, revised automatic transmission, improved audio and more equipment marked the changes which kept sales strong.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: From June 1987, a station wagon body variant engineered and exclusively built in Australia, broadened Magna's appeal further, particularly with fleets thanks to a load capacity. In June 1988, a sporty Elante model (with EFI, sportier suspension tuning and bodykit) and an Elite wagon also arrived.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: In June 1989, a final update and facelift of the first generation Magna was launched, known as the TP series. Trimmings were again updated with a further revised grille insert and rear lights fascia (now featuring a grey row) as well as new wheels designs and paint colours. An improved four-speed automatic transmission, interior console and seats were also part of the update. Power steering became standard across the range during 1990, as did EFI except for the base GLX. Manual transmission was now available on the Executive. In September 1990, a Grand Tourer model of 1,000 sedans came to the market with bigger wheels, the Elante's tauter suspension set-up and EFI. Grand Tourers were offered in white (500 units), 250 in burgundy, 250 in "Riviera Blue", and also featured a full bodykit, gold striping and gold alloy wheels.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: The TP sedan remained in production until April 1991 whereas the station wagon continued to be sold alongside the new TR series Magna sedan until May 1992. Several limited edition were introduced to support sales. These included the GLX-based Encore sedan and wagon of May 1991 with air-conditioning as standard. Then in September 1991, 500 more Grand Tourers were released—this time as station wagons featuring silver striping and silver alloy wheels from the Elante. The Grand Tourer wagons all had EFI engines. The final run of production consisted of 500 units of the Executive Safari wagon in November 1991, all with EFI and automatic transmission.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: Magna was re engineered from the ground-up with the introduction of a larger sedan in April 1991, and station wagon in May 1992. This series was designated TR and carried over its powertrain from the previous generation. Unlike the first generation whose wide-body was designed and engineered in Australia, this second generation inherited the already wide-body Japanese Mitsubishi Sigma platform on which it was based, were created by splicing an extra down the middle of the platform of the sixth-generation Mitsubishi Galant, released in 1987. MMAL estimated that, between 1989 (when the project started) and the wagon's arrival in 1992, the total investment in the new Magna totalled some .


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: Though more aerodynamic with a , the TR series was also some heavier than the first. The venerable "Astron II" engine was upgraded to, and only available with, EFI. As a result, the engine outputs now increased to at 4750 rpm and at 3750 rpm on ULP 91 RON petrol, and at 4750 rpm and at 4000 rpm on PULP 95 RON fuel. Later in 1991, Mitsubishi reintroduced a GLX base model, which was only carbureted and was priced lower than the other models to make the new Magna more appealing to fleet buyers.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: In July 1991, MMAL introduced an upmarket derivative called the Mitsubishi Verada with a 3.0-litre V6 engine and codenamed KR series. Both Magna and Verada shared the same body, although the latter featured a unique grille and larger bumpers from the US export models as well as luxury fittings.<ref name = "Mitsubishi TR/TS Magna (1991–96)"></ref> The Australian-made 3.0-litre V6 was codenamed 6G72 and marketed as "Cyclone". Its outputs ranged from at 5500 rpm and at 4000 rpm on ULP 91, to at 5500 rpm and at 3000 rpm on PULP. The automatic transmissions used by both four- and six-cylinder models was marketed "INVECS".


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: While Australia continued to endure the early 1990s recession, MMAL's ambitions to compete more directly with Ford and Holden with a six-cylinder Magna remained on hold. Finally, in 1993, with the economy recovering and oil prices stabilised after the Gulf War, the Verada's V6 engine was offered on Magna for the first time—albeit as an option. This 3.0-litre V6 was only available on the Executive, which was also equipped with larger 15-inch wheels and different interior trim. A small "V6" badge on the boot lid distinguished the six- from the four-cylinder model.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: At launch, the TR series comprised the Magna Executive sedan, SE sedan, and the automatic sedan-only Elite. Of the V6-engined Verada range, the Ei version was equipped to about the same level as a Magna SE, with the exception that air-conditioning was standard. The top of the range Verada Xi also included alloy wheels, keyless door entry, climate control, cruise control, an upmarket sound system, steering wheel controls for cruise and sound system, power windows, electrically adjustable driver's seat, power antenna, and security system. Furthermore, the Xi featured an electronically controlled suspension with four-way adjustable shock absorbers (dampers) and adjustable pneumatic springs in addition to the standard coil springs. This system automatically adjusts spring and damper rates commensurate with road conditions, speed and driving style. An anti-lock braking system (ABS) and driver's airbag became available for the first time on both Veradas.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: The New Zealand export cars were badged Magna and V3000, depending on their respective fitment of four- and six-cylinder engines. The four-cylinder Magna model range comprised a GLX and Super Saloon, whereas the V3000 comprised an Executive, Super Saloon (renamed Elite for wagons) and SEi.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: The new Australian-made Mitsubishi was designed to be exported internationally and its build quality reflected this engineering intent, with planned initial station wagon volumes of 10,000 units per year to Japan, the US, UK and New Zealand for an eventual total of 40,000 units per year. The Verada station wagon formed the basis of MMAL's large export programme under the Diamante and Sigma names, with Australia the only source of these wagons worldwide.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: All models were facelifted in March 1994, with the arrival of the new TS and KS series. Their respective engines were further upgraded and, apart from revised wheel trims, the revised Magna sedans were also identifiable by a new colour-keyed boot garnish around the licence plate, instead of the previous grey. The revised Verada received additional equipment previously reserved for export markets. These included a more distinctive front grille, more expensive multi-parabola headlights relative to single units (the first Australian-built car to adopt these and a distinguishing figure for future luxury and sports Magna-derivatives) and greater cabin equipment to maintain a more premium status than the increasingly popular Magna V6. In December 1995, the export version of the V6 wagon was sold locally as the Verada Touring wagon, in a limited edition of only 81 manuals and 99 automatics.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: The successful introduction of the Verada as the luxury flagship and upmarket shift of the Magna SE, resulted in the demise of the Magna Elite. The TS and KS series were replaced by the all-new third generation TE and KE series in 1996, however, the wagons remained for sale up to 1997 pending the delayed arrival of a new generation wagon.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: In April and July 1996, MMAL respectively released a new generation Magna and Verada, which were broadly based on the pillar-less Japanese second generation Diamante.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: The cost of the Australian project was some and both cars won the 1996 Wheels Car of the Year award, with judges praising the car's value for money.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: As was the case with the second generation, the TE and KE series shared the same platform, which was codenamed "YR". Their bodies were bigger ( higher and longer than the TS series but close to the KS series) and stiffer (13 percent more) yet only marginally heavier (by less than ) than before thanks to its greater aluminium construction. The new Magna and Verada also had coupe-like frameless windows plus slim centre/B-pillars, with increased front and rear legroom and boot space. The Verada was again distinguished by more luxurious fittings and longer front and rear bumper bars to meet US safety standards. Inside, unlike the Verada, Magna's cabin was dominated by dark grey trim that, along with the high waistline, caused some criticisms about a claustrophobic "bunker" effect.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: The Magna's powerplants included, for the first time, a Japanese-imported 2.4-litre four-cylinder (codenamed 4G64-S4) with 90 percent new parts relative to the related engine fitted on the previous Magna. There were also new Australian-made V6 engines with a 3.0-litre capacity (codenamed 6G72) for the Magna and a 3.5-litre displacement for the Verada (codenamed 6G74). The V6 returned official city and highway fuel consumption figures of and , respectively.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: The initial models included the Executive and the Altera (previously, the SE), both available with a choice of either engine and four-speed automatic or five-speed manual transmissions. From October 1996, fully equipped Advance and Altera LS models (the latter, the equivalent of the previous Elite model) were added. The 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine produced and , while the 3.0-litre V6 produced and , claiming a markedly quicker sprint and improved acceleration times. The four-speed electronic "INVECS II" automatic transmission was new and could adapt to the driver's pattern of use and road conditions to select the optimum gear for any situation, thanks to "fuzzy-logic". Although the power-assisted rack and pinion mechanism had the same mounting points as the Diamante, the components were manufactured to MMAL's specifications in Australia, by TWR. Suspensions were independent (MacPherson struts) at the front, instead of the multi-link designs of the Diamante, which nevertheless donated its rear multi-link to the Australia sedan (while the wagon adopted a different and more compact design altogether). Brakes included discs all around (front ventilated) with the option of a Bosch 5.3 ABS. The braking system also included Australia's first "Banksia" parking brake (developed by PBR), some 10 to 20 percent lighter and cheaper than conventional systems at the time.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: The Verada was available as an Ei or Xi model, only available with the 3.5-litre V6 (which produced and ) mated to an automatic transmission. Its highest specification again formed the basis of MMAL's export programme, becoming the sole Diamante for all world markets except Japan, where a Japanese-built Diamante remained available. Mitsubishi planned to export 25,000 units per year to 18 countries. In its biggest market—the United States—the Diamante was positioned to compete in the "near luxury" segment. In New Zealand, the V3000 badge was retired and the new Diamante sold there consisted of rebadged Australian models of both the Magna and Verada, instead of Diamantes with exclusive specifications for all other world export markets.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: The Executive was the entry level model that featured: power steering, four-speaker sound system, power mirrors, remote boot and fuel filler release, central locking and an engine immobiliser. The Altera model, which was a mid-entry level model, added: air-conditioning, power windows and cruise control. Options included: airbags for driver and passenger, ABS, a CD player and alloy wheels. Subsequent additions to the model range included the Advance (safety-package) and the Altera LS (mid-luxury package), which featured ABS, airbags, CD player and alloy wheels as standard.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: The TE series was launched with an initial palette of eight colours. Four were carried over from the previous TS Magna (i.e. "Paris White", "Calypso Red", "Arctic Blue", and "Maderia" (maroon)) and another four were newly introduced (i.e. "Silverleaf" (silver), "Kashmir" (light beige), "Greenstone" and "Embassy" (charcoal grey)). A short-lived "Olive Green" colour was made available late production in the TE/KE production and "Atlantis Blue" (dark sapphire blue pearl) was unique to the Verada.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: The TE and KE series were the most aerodynamic car produced in Australia with a . This achievement was due to a sweeping roofline (which, however, compromised rear headroom) and such things as "flag" external rear-view mirrors, fixed to independent door posts instead of being more traditionally mounted directly on the front door A-pillar triangle.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: A wagon version was launched in March 1997, with a , but was quickly replaced by the TF series equivalent three months later.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: The TF/KF series was introduced in June 1997. Magna's range consisted of five models: Executive, Advance, Altera, Altera LS and Sports. The 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine was seen only in the Executive. These cars offered redesigned wheel covers, speed-limit alert and upgraded interior trims, which included cup holders. The Executive and Advance were identical in appearance but the Advance had a different interior trim and was fitted as standard with airbags and ABS. The full colour-coded Altera and Altera LS introduced power windows and several other options such as dual front airbags. Manual transmissions became only available on Executive, Advance, Solara and Sports. From June to August 1998, a limited edition Solara was introduced and it included all Advance features as standard, plus: alloy wheels, colour-coding, "Solara" badging on the rear doors and at the bottom right-hand side of the boot.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: The Magna Sports was available in only four colours: "Paris White", "Calypso Red", "Nautilus Blue" (deep blue), and "Frontier Green" (deep green), the latter two colours being new to the TF series. This new model carried all the standard features of the Executive model on which it was based, plus a deck lid spoiler, red side strip, 16-inch alloy wheels (same as the Verada Ei, but polished), and unique interior trims such as a metal-style instrument cluster fascia. Its V6 was standard as on all Magnas, however, only the Sports could be optioned with a manumatic "Tiptronic" four-speed automatic transmission featuring for the first time on an Australian-built car, a manual shifting function (via a second transmission gate plane to the right of standard gear positions, with "push-forward" upshifts and "push-back" downshifts). The Sports had improved handling characteristics thanks to the addition of an 18 mm rear swaybar (a rear bar swaybar was not fitted to the standard Magna), 11 percent firmer rear springs, firmer upper control arm and trailing arm bushes, and suspension height lowered by 10 mm. Options included dual airbags and ABS. This specific model represented MMAL's foray into the Australian sporty family passenger car sector, as well as an initial and long overdue departure from the more conservative Japanese product planning. The Sports' production ceased after September 1998.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: The 3.5-litre engine that powered the KF series Verada was identical to that fitted to the KE series. Its main changes, like the TF series Magna, included new wheel designs and cabin trim, revised colours and a specification adjustment – such as an over-speed warning device, cupholders and standard dual front airbags.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: Several new colours ("Cocoon White" (pearl white), "Astral Blue" (metallic blue), "Lugano Green" (pearl blue/green) and "Burra" (pearl dark red/bronze)) were introduced during the later production of the TF series and the final unit built came out in December 1998.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: The TH series was launched in March 1999 with the earliest examples built in December 1998. The cost of this upgrade (including Verada models) reached , which went towards increased availability of the 3.5-litre V6 engine and a matching manual transmission as well as specification and trim changes across the range.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: On the engine front, in fact, due to slow sales and growing consumer preference for more powerful engines, Magna's imported four-cylinder was dropped. At this time, the 3.0-litre V6 became standard and Verada's 3.5-litre engine also became a Magna option. The 3.0-litre V6 was fitted only to the Executive, while all other models could be powered by the previous Verada's 3.5-litre V6 (optional on Executive).


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: Cosmetic changes included revisions to the basic design of the car, such as a more aggressive front grille, redesigned rear, revised interiors, redesigned wheel covers and alloy wheels. Air conditioning was made standard across the range. A number of colour changes also occurred: "Calypso Red" was replaced with "Sienna Red", while "Sable Black" pearl (pearl black with green flakes) took the place of Embassy grey. "Riversand", a new strong beige metallic colour, was also introduced in April 1999 as were "Mawson White", a brighter more pure white (pictured right) and "Pewter" (metallic silver), which replaced "Silverleaf". "Island Blue" and "Glacier Green" (aqua blue/green) were two other new colours used on the TH but are rare.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: The TH and KH series claimed the honours of being the first Australian-made car with a four-channel ABS featuring an Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) system—a Bosch 5.3 module. Another new key feature was an 8-function trip computer and integrated anti-theft alarm system. The model range included: Executive (manual and auto); Advance (manual and auto); Altera LS (auto) and Sports (manual and "Sports Mode" automatic).


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: MMAL also became the first Australian manufacturer to offer a traction control system labelled "TCL" (meaning, Trace Control Logic), which was switchable and initially available only on Magna Sports. A limited edition Solara was reintroduced later in 1999 as well as the V6 Si in April 2000. Altera LS was discontinued at the end of 1999, due to its closeness to the Verada Ei. The 1999 models lacked V6 badges but the 2000 models often featured these on the back lower right end of the boot lid. The last TH series production between May and June 2000, were 1000 Executive LS units (automatic only), which were similar to the discontinued Altera LS but without power windows, dual airbags and less colour-coding (e.g. unpainted black mirrors).


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: A Magna Sports participated in the Australian GT Production Car Championship, with varying successes, driven by MMAL engineer and privateer, Robert Chadwick. The vehicle featured front limited slip differential (LSD) later brought to production on the TJ series Magna Ralliart.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: With the launch of the TJ series in July 2000, Magna offered revised styling. The car's overall shape remained the same as the previous TE to TH series, except for a raised central section for the bonnet ending with a beak splitting the front grille, making some journalists coin the phrase "bird of prey". Magna Sports and the new VR-X model featured the same one-unit turn-light/double parabolic headlights as Verada. At the back, the boot-lid featured a recessed centre section and new tail light lenses with new-trend circular lit chambers. The cost of this upgrade was some .


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: A new new-chromed Mitsubishi badge was also introduced, replacing the more traditional red triple diamonds. MMAL's proposal to use a black Mitsubishi badge to distinguish the Magna sports range was rejected by Japan's conservative management. Another external change in the TJ series was the replacement of the chrome-look window surround with a more modern black fitting (Verada sedans maintained the more luxurious chrome).


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: Several new colours were introduced including a very bright "Island Blue" (aqua) and "Glacier Green" (green aqua, both used on some previous TH series in 1999), which were discontinued after only a few months of production. In May 2001, a new darker "Pacific Blue" colour was introduced to replace the just mentioned two colours and "Flame Red" was also reintroduced to the range, mostly as the hero colour for the subsequent Ralliart model. "Sapphire Blue" and "Daintree Green" were added too and proved popular. Grey and beige interior options were made available to any exterior colour in the Executive/Advance, with grey otherwise the default, becoming the only option on the Series 2 given its greater sales popularity. Equipment levels increased in the TJ series with a driver's airbag and CD player now standard across the range.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: The TJ series carried over the previous 3.0-litre V6 (6G72) for the Executive models, which could now be upgraded with the optional 3.5-litre V6 (6G74), otherwise fitted to all other models as standard. This resulted in Executive models with a 3.0-litre engines being extremely rare and, ultimately, dropped altogether in subsequent series.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: Unlike 6G74-based engine available in Japan, the Australian-built V6 still had 24 valves but used a single overhead camshaft (SOHC) design instead of a more complex and costly double overhead cams (DOHC) design.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: Sports and VR-X featured a larger 2.5-inch free flowing sports exhaust system, minor changes to the timing and duration of valve opening (both inlet and exhaust), which boosted power up to , resulting in a moderately sporty exhaust tone and class-leading performance amongst Australian-made sport sedans. Their engine was marketed as a "high output" unit to distinguish it from the mainstream version fitted on all other Magnas and Veradas.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: At launch, the model range of the TJ and KJ series comprised: the Magna Executive, Magna Advance sedan and wagon, Magna Sports sedan, Magna VR-X sedan, Verada Ei sedan and wagon, and Verada Xi sedan.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: The Magna Sports featured full exterior colour coding, six-spoke 16x6-inch alloy wheels, improved suspension and swaybars and a deck lid spoiler shared with the Magna VR-X. The mechanically similar VR-X shared these features, but also had aggressively styled front and rear bumper spoiler extensions, wheel arch extensions, side skirts and large diameter round chrome exhaust tip. Inside, the Sports and VR-X also shared white instrument cluster dials, sports fabric seat trim and front seat backrests embroidered with the respective models' name. The automatic VR-X also had a chrome gear gate inherited from the Verada. The subsequent and rare Magna Sports wagon (produced only with the TJ series) was fitted with a full bodykit featuring silver accents, unlike the Sports sedan that featured only had a deck lid spoiler.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: Automatic Sports and VR-X (as well as Verada) models were now fitted with a five-speed "Tiptronic" transmission with "TCL" traction control system, making Mitsubishi the first Australian manufacturer to go beyond the then common four-speeds. Meanwhile, manual transmissions were dropped from the wagons, which gained standard automatic transmissions.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: In October 2000, MMAL offered a limited-run Magna Solara, which was based on the Advance. Inside it featured a four-disc in-dash CD player, while externally it was distinguished by 15-inch "Manta" alloy wheels as standard, two-tone paint finish and body-coloured exterior mirrors, front grille and door side mouldings.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: The TJ series was the subject of a number of rolling updates, beginning in May 2001 spearheaded by an upgraded VR-X range, followed by that of September 2001 affecting all models including the Verada range (officially known as the MY02 series) and culminating with the TJ and KJ Series 2 in July 2002. In 2002 and 2003, the TJ series was also bolstered by the Magna Ralliart and by the Magna and Verada AWD range, respectively. With the KJ Series 2 update, MMAL launched the limited-run Verada GTV, which used drivetrain components of the Magna Sports and VR-X. This subsequently became a permanent model rebadged as the Verada GTVi from March 2003.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: Total production of the TJ and KJ series as at the end of 2001, reached 43,492 units with 19,215 exported to the US, New Zealand, Puerto Rico and the Middle East (where Magna also ended up served as an Iraqi police patrol cars). The most notable award won by this series was the Diamante's title of New Zealand's Car of the Year for "Best Large Car".


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: In 2001, a Magna TJ Sports won Class D of the GT Production Showroom Showdown Race at Bathurst and a V8-powered RWD Magna contested the V8 Future Touring class of the 2000–01 Australian Super Touring Championship. The Magna VR-X was voted the best-value performance car on the Australian market by a News Limited panel of motoring journalists.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: From May 2001, coinciding with the launch of the Magna VR-X Limited Edition, MMAL distanced all VR-X models from the Sports by equipping the former with unique five-spoke 17x7-inch alloy wheels shod with 225/50 Bridgestone performance tyres. Furthermore, the suspension was modified with higher rate springs, revised shock absorbers and a new front sway bar. Cosmetically, both the Magna Sports and VR-X were fitted with black brake callipers, black interior door handles, black inserts in the exterior door handles, and revised headlight units now featuring clear turn bezels (as opposed to the original amber).


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: With build and wholesale between May and June 2001, this vehicle was marketed as the "VRX-tra". It featured the above exterior upgrades plus interior upgrades that were part of a "Leather Pack" offered in two parts. The optional "Pack 1" included:


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: The optional "Pack 2" consisted of all "Pack 1" features plus the Verada's electric sunroof with front map and C-pillar lamps. In all, MMAL built 175 of these models, of which 54 were fitted with the five-speed automatic and a sunroof.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: As part of this update, officially known as the TJ MY02 series, side impact bars previously fitted only to export models were also introduced for Australian market cars, and the front doors now featured energy absorbing material. The Magna Executive received ABS and power windows as standard, while the Advance, Sports and VR-X were each fitted with a six speaker sound system (up from four), automatic climate control, front map lamps, glove box lamp and power antenna. The Verada Xi's electric sunroof with front map lamps and C pillar courtesy lamps was now optional on all models. The Sports was further distanced from the VR-X by no longer sharing the same boot lid spoiler, but a smaller version (which became another optional accessory across the Magna range, and was fitted as standard on subsequent limited-run models, the Verada GTV and Diamante VR-X). Power for the standard (non "high output") 3.5-litre V6 engine increased to thanks to a higher compression ratio and a Karman Vortex airflow meter. The instrument cluster now had an integrated odometer and trip meter, as opposed to the previous analogue setup. The above engine power increase also interested the Verada range. Moreover, the Ei was now fitted with a new chrome grille, while both the Ei and Xi received new design alloy-wheels and illuminated vanity mirrors. With this update all cars now had clear front turn bezels.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: A limited-run Magna V6 Si, based on the Executive sedan, launched in September 2001. Its main features included by 16-inch alloy wheels, cruise control and power windows as standard. Externally, it had the new Sports' boot lid spoiler and body-coloured grille, side mouldings, splash protectors, air dam and door mirrors.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: Finally, MMAL also released a further and final 95 leather packs for the VR-X, produced in November 2001.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: In March 2002, MMAL also launched the limited-run Magna Commonwealth Games edition. Based on the Executive sedan, it was further equipped with a front passenger airbag, six-disc CD player, cruise control, floor mats and power antenna. Externally, it has 16-inch alloy wheels, "Commonwealth Games" badging and body-coloured features as on V6 Si.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: MMAL's push to scroll off perceptions of conservatism lead to the showcasing of two prototypes at the 2001 Sydney Motor Show: a Magna Ralliart sedan and Magna Sports wagon. The latter was a Magna wagon with Sports/VR-X drivetrain, with a dark purple ChromaFlair exterior and interior centre console, full bodykit accented in silver, lowered suspension and aftermarket 17-inch ROH Adrenalin alloy wheels. It was launched two months later with a more conventional interior and standard 16-inch alloy wheels of the Magna Sports sedan.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: The Ralliart concept in sedan form only, was a further development of the VR-X and the most powerful Magna ever designed to leverage off Mitsubishi's World Rally Championship exploits. In fact, its overall styling was based on the legendary Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution range, in particular the front bumper bar (void of any fog lights) and its bi-plane deck lid spoiler inspired by the limited edition Lancer Evolution VI TME (the rest of the body kit included carry-over VR-X wheel arch extensions plus unique side skirts and squared-off chrome exhaust tip). Among other things, in prototype form, Magna Ralliart was said to feature AWD, Recaro front seats, MOMO steering wheel and gear levers as part of a loud black and bright red interior. 500 individually numbered Ralliart models had been planned.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: Due to budget constraints, however, the Ralliart (codenamed "TJ0R42") was brought to market in February 2002 still as an individually numbered vehicle, but only with a FWD platform and with less third party-sourced fittings. In fact, the front seats ended up being the standard Mitsubishi-designed Magna seats, but with revised side bolsters; the standard Magna's steering wheel and gear levers were retained, although the former was leather wrapped (black and red) in Italy by MOMO; the red-only instrument cluster dials (but with a "Ralliart" inscribed rev counter) and silver interior trims for the centre console and tunnel were sourced from the VR-X Limited Edition (without the Verada-sourced chrome gear plate for the automatic fitted to the VR-X). The sound system was a complete upgrade, however, being a 14-speaker Fujitsu Ten Eclipse tuner with CD player and remote control. This car also became the first local Mitsubishi product to offer datadot paint technology.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: Mechanically, the speed-limited Ralliart (compared to for the Sports/VR-X) featured 17x7-inch "Enkei" premium alloy wheels shod with Pirelli performance tyres (instead of locally sourced Bridgestone tyres), and Koni suspension dampers (tuned by Mitsubishi and optimised with the local Koni agent, Toperformance) with similar same spring rates and 22 mm front, 18 mm rear anti-roll bars as the Magna Sports/VR-X, new power steering pump to increase weight and feedback, upsized brake disks from the Mitsubishi Diamante AWD and revised fuel tank to prevent starvation during high speed manoeuvres. The 294 mm front ventilated discs and 284 mm rear ventilated discs featured harder material and were 18 mm and 26 mm bigger than other Magna models, which have solid rear discs. Front twin-piston and rear single-piston callipers provided 26 and 32 percent more pad area, front pads sourced from Japan and rear pads from Australia, featuring the same friction material as the VR-X.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: The engine was a reworked version of the 6G74 design fitted to Magna Sports and VR-X, but now generating 180 kW thanks to a more aggressive cam profile, modified head and combustion chamber (compression ratio from the Sports/VR-X's 9.0:1 to 9.4:1), remapped ECU and a modified Magna VR-X exhaust system – featuring stainless-steel extractors by HM Headers (the latter on their own contributing to a power boost of only 2–3 kW) and larger muffler in the centre pipe (to improve mid- and high-rev exhaust note). Ralliart was available with either a five-speed manual or five-speed automatic transmission. A sunroof was the only option. The hardware for the automatic transmission was effectively lifted from Sports/VR-X models, in that it featured the same "TCL" traction control unit (instead of the LSD exclusive to the manual Ralliart, from the Mitsubishi FTO GPX) but with altered shift patterns.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: Released in July 2002, these series (also known as TJ II and KJ II) comprised further and final incremental updates until the launch of the redesigned TL and KL series. "Tiptronic" was introduced to the four-speed automatic for the Executive and Advance models—making this function standard on all Magna automatics. Executive and Advance also gained new wheel trims, new grey-only interior trim and body-coloured grille surrounds. The 3.0-litre V6 engine for the Executive was dropped in favour of the 3.5-litre version.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: The KJ Series 2 Verada also saw the introduction of "Tiptronic" to their five-speed automatic transmissions, whereas inside, there were a new instrument cluster, two-tone black/slate or black/sandstone colour schemes and chrome gearshift surrounds. The Ei gained a power adjustable driver's seat, while the Xi also featured with a power adjustable front passenger seat and Nardi wood gearshift knob. The range was expanded with the arrival of the limited-edition GTV. Specifically, this Verada was powered by the 3.5-litre "high output" V6 engine of the Magna Sports and VR-X, the upgraded VR-X sports suspension and black brake callipers, new design 17-inch alloy wheels shod with 225/50 Bridgestone tyres, the Sports' boot lid spoiler and rear muffler, and unique interior fittings comprising an eight-speak sound system with a four-disc in-dash CD player, satellite navigation, black leather seats with perforated inserts, black leather door inserts and console lid, and a Nardi wood steering wheel and gear knob. This model became a permanent range fixture from March 2003, when it was rebadged GTVi.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: In December 2002, the TJ and KJ Series 2 range was further expanded by the AWD range, fitted with Mitsubishi's locally developed "Quadtec", as detailed below.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: In April 2003, MMAL also launched an Executive and Advance range with a dedicated LPG system, available only with an automatic transmission. These models became the very first Magnas with this factory-fitted option, powered by a modified 3.5-litre V6 engines delivering a decreased maximum power of at 5000 rpm and maximum torque of at 4000 rpm. Luggage capacity also decreased from 460 to 325 litres. The total development cost was .


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: In November 2002, a Magna Limited Edition (also known as the "LE") was the final special edition model launched to boost sales of the TJ series. It was, essentially, a 4-speed automatic transmission Executive that featured the Verada Ei's full leather trim (seats, door inserts and steering wheel), front parabolic headlights (of the original KJ series with amber turning lights), cruise control, 16-inch alloy wheels, fog lights as well as a passenger-side airbag. As with other non-sports limited editions, externally, it was distinguished by its body-coloured mirrors, side protection mouldings and side air dams.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: By far the biggest highlight of the TJ Series 2 was the introduction of the sedan-only Magna/Verada AWD range, whose mechanicals remained available to the market until 2005, when the new, FWD-only, Mitsubishi 380 was launched.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: Marketed as "Quadtec", the AWD system sought to leverage off Mitsubishi's international rally heritage and carried a development cost of $10 million. With its introduction, MMAL could claim the title of being the first Australian mass-built AWD passenger car (excluding the XY Falcon-based commercial utility produced and sold by Ford Australia in the 1970s). The range comprised only three sedans available only with the five-speed automatic transmissions: Magna AWD, Magna Sport AWD and Verada AWD.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: With Magna now competing well in terms of overall size, the AWD development was an attempt by MMAL to counter Australians' long held perception that its perennial RWD rivals – the market-dominant Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore – offered better handling. This led to a advertising campaign including on television, which portrayed a high speed sprint involving a Magna AWD, Holden Commodore (VY) and Ford Falcon (BA), with the latter RWD cars oversteering wildly out of control on a dirt bend. The television advertisement became the subject of complaints alleging that it promoted unsafe driving. This resulted in MMAL being forced to make changes following the intervention of the Advertising Standards Board finding the company to be in breach of a then new national code for car advertising.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: Overall, the Magna and Verada AWD failed to provide any noticeable boost in sales. The drivetrain proved to be mechanically reliable with improved handling compared to the FWD version, albeit at the cost of lower performance and official fuel consumption figures. Specifically, Magna AWD and Verada AWD shared the / engine, while the Sports AWD had a / version. Those power and torque outputs – and overall performance – were down on equivalent FWD Magna's due to structural revisions (chiefly, a revised firewall developed in Australia by ROH) restricting the Sports' free flowing exhaust system, and the extra weight of the AWD hardware (up to depending on model and equipment levels). Due to budget and development constraints, the subsequent TL series Magna VR-X AWD was limited to 16-inch alloy wheels instead of the FWD's 17-inch wheels.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: Original AWD sales projections were for 300 sales per month, but actual sales by August 2003 showed that only 150 AWDs were being sold each month. Fleets and rental agencies are attributed as the biggest buyers of the initial production. The AWD system was available only on sedans and only with the five-speed automatic transmission of the FWD Magna Sports/VR-X and Verada.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: Despite its competitive pricing relative to the key rival products from Holden, Ford, and Toyota, ongoing speculation of the Adelaide plant's closure forced MMAL to launch extensive marketing campaigns and promotions, such as free servicing and cash-back offers. Another initiative included the TJ Magna, spearheaded by the Magna VR-X and Magna wagon models, becoming the official vehicles of the 2002 Tour Down Under international cycling event held in Adelaide. Following the Magna Ralliart and Sports wagon a year prior, in October 2002, MMAL also displayed at the Sydney Motor Show a Ralliart painted in the same yellow paint as the Lancer Evolution of the time, to renew interest in its performance range. The colour was marketed as "Wasp Yellow" and thus made available on the Magna VR-X, Ralliart and Verada GTVi. Prototypes painted in various ChromaFlair paints (bearing the experimental "XX" paint code) were also displayed over time, but never officially marketed.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: In April 2003, an Australian-made vehicle was previewed internationally for the first time, thanks to the new KL series Diamante (based on the new Verada) being displayed at that year's New York Motor Show. Australia had to wait for the launch of the TL and KL series (codenamed "XR") until July 2003. The new series featured restyled front and rear ends, and mildly revised mechanicals and interior trims.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: The project was said to have cost over (including alone for the radical new headlights) and the range no longer featured Executive, Altera or Sports models, which had been replaced by ES, LS and VR, respectively. The only carryover badge remained VR-X. A limited edition "Solara" was reoffered, carrying electric windows, alloy wheels and deck lid spoiler. Full leather trim became an option on the VR-X and the export Diamante went on sale in Canada for the first time.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: A Ralliart-accessorised VR and VR-X Limited Edition from March 2004 was marketed with the aid of Mitsubishi rally driver, Ed Ordynski. These models featured the TJ series Magna Ralliart's Koni suspension components and Enkei alloy wheels but no upgraded engine or brakes relative to the rest of the range. Other distinctive features included full colour-coding especially of the headlight surrounds, which was later adopted across the whole TW series.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: Although mechanically the new TL and KL series remained the same as the preceding TJ, stylistically, it had been radically facelifted by French designer Olivier Boulay. Gone were the somewhat angular lines featured since the first TE series, which were instead replaced by what Mitsubishi's new global head of design envisioned as the new Mitsubishi corporate face (a style that would eventually be grafted onto other Mitsubishi vehicles, beginning with the Lancer Evolution and Colt/Mirage). The frontal appearance of the TL/KL series had a distinctive grille, which was again divided in the middle like on the TJ series, but this time by an extension of the bumper bar and not the bonnet. Larger chrome Mitsubishi triple diamonds logo adorned the front bumper, whereas the front guards now had a swoopy appearance with triangular headlamp assemblies. On its sides, new design, colour-coded plastic door handles, rocker panels and skirts were introduced. At the rear, a rounded boot lid and bumper bar were fitted to continue the swoopy front theme, but the rear tail lights remained effectively unchanged from those of the TJ series (except for VR-X and Verada Xi AWD which featured darkened lenses). The new car's styling was controversial and not well received by Australian buyers; sales slowed dramatically.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: Three new colours were added to the TL and KL series: "Tanami" (metallic gold), "Grange" and—from September 2003 production—"Starlight" (a pearl white, which replaced "Cocoon White").


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: Both the facelifted Magna and Verada benefited from a number of safety upgrades, as proven by the fact that all models met the then latest offset deformable barrier (ODB) and dynamic side impact requirements. In addition, front driver and passenger airbags became standard along with side airbags contained in the front seat bolsters. While the wheelbase of the new series had not changed, rear legroom was claimed to have been increased by reshaping the rear cushion of the front seats, the rear seat and by re-arranging the rear seat hip points and squabs. Other interior revisions included rear air vents for the first time on Magna as well as electric driver's seat height adjustment. For the first time, a factory-fitted GPS system was also offered as an option whereas most cars gained a rotary climate control panel, without the previous digital display. Systematic cost-cutting measures included the relocation of the front power window controls on the lesser Magna models from the door panels to the centre console, plus the removal of the individual battery cover compartment in the engine bay.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: The drivetrains of the TL/KL series for all models remained the same as that of the respective TJ/KJ Series 2 models, including those of the AWD and dedicated LPG models. The only difference consisted of rear stabiliser bars now fitted to all sedans.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: In terms of the AWD range, by 2003 sales extended to private buyers following the initial uptake by fleets (such as the NSW and New Zealand Police) and rental agencies. In TL guise, Sports models were now renamed as VR and, apart from AWD-specific driving and handling characteristics, MMAL relied on minimal badging to differentiate this range from FWD models. On the competition front, the TL Magna AWD entered in the Australian Cup class of the Australian Rally Championship in 2004, winning on debut—albeit as the only car entered in its class.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: In June 2004, VR models were discontinued, leaving the VR-X 2WD as the sporty model in the Magna range. A new VR-X AWD model was also announced at this time, going on sale 1 August (with the update for both models labelled MY04) but only offering 16-inch wheels as opposed to the 17-inch version fitted to the 2WD. VR-Xs were now distinguished by body coloured headlight bezels, a body coloured upper grille, silver mesh lower grille, a platinum coloured rear bumper insert (except for "Platinum" coloured cars, which received a "Sable" insert), and an extended chrome exhaust outlet. Mitsubishi also revised badging, with the "AWD" badge no longer on the front fender, and the "Magna" badge removed from the rear decklid. A "VR-X" badge is located on the right-hand side of the decklid, with an "AWD" badge situated on the left-hand side on AWD models. A "QuadTec" badge is located immediately underneath the "AWD" decklid badge, and an "AWD" decal is located on the lower rear doors of the all-wheel drive variants. Inside, a revised black cloth upholstery is standard, with black leather trim now extending to the steering wheel, transmission lever and handbrake. Colours were revised for the MY04 VR-Xs, with the release of "Platinum" metallic (replacing "Pewter"), "Zen" pearlescent (replacing "Pacific Blue"), and "Fusion".


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: Overall, the TL Magna was hampered by its old architecture and design, which was not more heavily redeveloped or replaced altogether due to the ever-increasing financial crisis that hit Mitsubishi's North American operations, plus a notorious recall scandal that tarnished Mitsubishi of Japan at the time (and caused its then partner, Daimler-Chrysler, to eventually sever its commercial links).


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: A minor facelift, coded as the TW series Magna and KW Verada, launched in October 2004 and can be differentiated by "Series II" badging and colour-coded headlight bezels for the Magna ES and LS and larger US-spec bumpers for Verada models. Mitsubishi adjusted the model range, with the Magna LS sedan (but not wagon) disappearing from the range, the base Magna AWD becoming the Magna LS AWD sedan, and the addition of the Verada GTVi AWD sedan, a combination of the former KL Verada GTVi and Verada AWD. The "Platinum", "Zen", and "Fusion" paint colours added to the KL MY04 VR-X in June were now available on most models.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: With slowing sales, MMAL launched an extended warranty campaign applicable to all cars sold from 1 December 2004. The new market leading warranty programme extended full manufacturer's coverage from three to five years or , whichever came first, and gave a further five years or of coverage on the driveline components to the original owner only. In addition, MMAL launched an advertising campaign that starred MMAL's then CEO Tom Phillips stating to potential customers "If you can find a better built car—buy it!". This approach recycled the advertising used by Chrysler in the US in the early 1980s, when Lee Iacocca used a similar slogan. Both strategies helped reduce the number of stockpiled vehicles from 5,500 in September 2004 down to 800 by June 2005—an important requirement in the lead-up to the launch of the Mitsubishi 380 replacement in October.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: Given its long-serving architecture and slow sales from circa 2000, MMAL management specifically excluded the Magna as a name for its replacement—the eventual 380. However, TL and TW Magnas became popular in the second hand market given their sound engineering, reliability and low resale values—the latter due in part to heavy discounting when new and also of its 380 successor.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: Note: manuals always five-speed only and all non-limited edition models offered in sedan and wagon with manual or automatic transmissions unless specifically noted (TE to TW series).


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: Note: May 2001 and September 2001 updates bear no revised badging, unlike "Series 2"; transition from 150 kW to 155 kW for 3.5-litre V6 engine from September 2001 update; manual transmission not available in wagons, dedicated LPG or AWD models; all 5-speed automatic transmissions "Tiptronic", as on 4-speed automatics from TJ MY02 series, with former transmission only on all AWD range and on Verada from KJ Series 2 upgrade; AWD range fitted only with 16-inch wheels; VR-X sedan only (TJ to TW series).


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: Throughout the Magna and Verada's time on sale, Mitsubishi Australia exported the model to a variety different countries. The Northern American market saw the luxurious Verada range imported as the Diamante. It was also sold in the United Kingdom, where they imported the Magna Wagon and Diamante Sedan (from Japan) to be collectively sold under the Sigma Nameplate.


title: Mitsubishi Magna

text: Mitsubishi also imported the Verada Wagon, (as the Diamante), into Japan to complement their own Diamante Sedan.


title: Andros, Bahamas

text: Andros Island is an archipelago within the Bahamas, the largest of the Bahamian Islands. Politically considered a single island, Andros in total has an area greater than all the other 700 Bahamian islands combined. The land area of Andros consists of hundreds of small islets and cays connected by mangrove estuaries and tidal swamplands, together with three major islands: North Andros, Mangrove Cay, and South Andros. The three main islands are separated by bights, estuaries that trifurcate the island from east to west. It is long by wide at the widest point.


title: Andros, Bahamas

text: The indigenous Lucayan people called the island "Habacoa" (or "Babucca") meaning "large upper outer land".


title: Andros, Bahamas

text: Originally named "Espiritu Santu" by the Spanish, Andros Island was given its present name sometime early during the period of British colonial rule. Several eighteenth-century British documents refer to it as Andrews Island. A 1782 map refers to the island as San Andreas.


title: Andros, Bahamas

text: The modern name is believed to be in honour of Sir Edmund Andros, Commander of His Majesty's Forces in Barbados in 1672 and governor successively of New York, Massachusetts, and New England. Andros was notable for his role in the collapse of the Dominion of New England, after which he was removed from office and jailed.


title: Andros, Bahamas

text: Secondary and tertiary sources indicate that the island may have been named after the inhabitants of St Andro Island (also called St Andrew or San Andrés) off the Mosquito Coast of Honduras, because 1,400 migrants reportedly settled in Andros in 1787. Contemporary records, including official Bahamian census figures from 1788 and 1807, indicate that the number of inhabitants of Andros in that period was fewer than 400, and the original source of this report remains obscure. Only 2,650 individuals were evacuated from the Mosquito Coast in 1787, including individuals evacuated from St. Andrews Island, and 2,214 are known to have settled in Belize. The misconception appears to stem from a misreading of the Royal Geographical Society account of the transfer of the inhabitants from St. Andrews to Andros. The 1879 report states that the descendants of the migrants living in northern Andros numbered 1,400 as of 1879, as opposed to their ancestors comprising that number in 1787 when the original migration took place.


title: Andros, Bahamas

text: Another theory suggests that the island was named after the Greek isle of Andros, by Greek sponge fishermen.


title: Andros, Bahamas

text: The Lucayans, a subgroup of the Taíno people, were indigenous to the Bahamas at the time of European encounter. Archeological artefacts and remains have been found in both Morgan's Cave on North Andros, and in the Stargate Blue Hole on South Andros. The population of the Bahamas is estimated to have been approximately 40,000 Lucayan-Taínos when the Spanish arrived in the region.


title: Andros, Bahamas

text: Spain claimed the Bahamas after Columbus' discovery of the islands —his first landfall in the Western Hemisphere may have been on the Bahamian island of San Salvador. The Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci, for whom the Americas are named, came on a Spanish charter and spent four months exploring the Bahamas in 1499–1500. He mapped a portion of the eastern shore of Andros Island.


title: Andros, Bahamas

text: A 1520 expedition by the Spanish discovered only 11 people in the Bahamas; the Lucayans were effectively eradicated from these islands. After this it is often said there were no known permanent settlements in the Bahamas, including Andros Island, for approximately 130 years. The Bahamas passed back and forth between Spanish and British rule for 150 years. Britain gained control following the American Revolutionary War by treaty in 1783, when it exchanged East Florida with Spain for the Bahamas.


title: Andros, Bahamas

text: In 1648 English settlers from Bermuda established a colony on Eleuthera. In 1666 the English founded Charles Town—later renamed Nassau— on New Providence.


title: Andros, Bahamas

text: During the late 1600s and 1700s, various pirates and buccaneers frequented Andros Island. In 1713 the Bahama Islands were declared a Republic of Pirates. Morgan's Bluff and Morgan's Cave on North Andros are named after the famous privateer-pirate, Henry Morgan, for whom Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum is named. It is said that the Andros settlement of Small Hope Bay was so named because Morgan claimed there would be "small hope" of anybody finding the treasure he had hidden there. Pirates raiding the Spanish treasure galleons out of Cuba maintained a settlement on South Andros.


title: Andros, Bahamas

text: Loyalists fleeing the United States during and after the American Revolution settled on various Bahama Islands including Andros, bringing their slaves with them. In addition, Andros was the destination of many families who were squeezed out of the Belize logwood industry following the relocation of Mosquito Coast settlers to British Honduras in 1787. By 1788 the population of all the Bahamas was reported as 3,000 whites and 8,000 blacks. The 1788 census for Andros reported 22 white heads of families, with a total of 132 slaves; they cultivated of land.


title: Andros, Bahamas

text: After the United States acquired Florida from Spain in 1821, some Seminoles and black American slaves escaped and sailed to the west coast of Andros by the wrecking sloop "Steerwater," where they established the settlement of Red Bays. Hundreds of Black Seminoles and slaves travelling in 1823 by canoe and 27 sloops across the Gulf Stream joined them, with more arriving in later years. While sometimes called "Black Indians", the descendants of Black Seminoles identify as Bahamians, while acknowledging their connections to the American South.


title: Andros, Bahamas

text: In 1807, the British Empire had banned the international slave trade in its colonies through the Slave Trade Act. At times U.S. ships in its domestic coastwise slave trade were wrecked on Bahama islands or reefs. Even before 1834, when Britain abolished slavery in its colonies, the colonial governments in the Caribbean freed the slaves from such American ships as the "Comet" and "Encomium", and later the "Hermosa".


title: Andros, Bahamas

text: In addition, Bahamian mariners raided passing illegal slave ships and liberated Africans. Such freed Africans entered a system of apprenticeship or indentured servitude in the Bahamas. Later, many of these freed Africans and their offspring migrated to the Out Islands, including Andros, resulting in an indigenous culture that is closer to those in West Africa than most other black cultures in the Western Hemisphere.


title: Andros, Bahamas

text: In the 19th and early 20th centuries (1841–1938), Greek spongers immigrated to Andros for the rich sponge fishing on the Great Bahama Bank off Andros' west coast. For a period of years, Andros sponging was the Bahamas' largest industry. In the 1930s, the sponges were wiped out by a Red Tide infestation. The sponging industry died, and the spongers left the island for Key West, and Tarpon Springs, Florida. Thousands of unemployed Bahamians moved to the village of Coconut Grove near Miami.


title: Andros, Bahamas

text: From the 1950s through the 1970s, the Owens Lumber company, a US-owned company, deforested much of the indigenous pineyards that grew on North Andros. As a result of poor planning for sustainable harvests, the island today has overcrowded forests of mainly young trees.


title: Andros, Bahamas

text: In the 1960s and 1970s the Bahamas, led by Sir Lynden Pindling, the Member of Parliament for Kemps Bay on South Andros, negotiated independence from the British. Self-rule was granted in 1964, and one-man one-vote Majority Rule in 1967.