Hi, I’m John Matras
What’s This About?
Remember Road is a collection of articles about cars and automotive topics written over my 35-year career. I compiled this website for car enthusiasts to be able to enjoy reading these articles in one place. This site contains “reprints” of articles about classic and collector cars from Auto Week, Automobile Quarterly, Automobile, Road & Track Specials, Motor Trend special editions, European Car, Collectible Automobile, Sport Compact Car, and others.
What’s New?
If you’ve read Auto Week, Road & Track Specials, Motor Trend Special Editions, or other leading automotive magazines, you may have already come across my work. My articles only existed there, until now. I will be releasing these stories periodically, and below you’ll find the latest ones.
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1987 Renault GTA: Franco-American from the land of cheese
The Renault Alliance was dull. Born in France as the Renault 9 in 1981 and built beginning in 1982 in Kenosha, Wis. by American Motors during that company’s, well, alliance with the French automaker, the Alliance was powered by a…
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1956 Lancia Aurelia Spyder: Simple, golden
When the roll is called up yonder for great cars that no one ever thinks about anymore, surely the Lancia Aurelia Spyder’s name will be written in gold. No one really thought very much about it in 1956 when it…
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1998 Volvo C70 Coupe and Convertible
coup de main: a sudden action undertaken to surprise an enemy coupe from Volvo, noun: a surprising action undertaken to please everyone but the competition After years – decades even – of utilitarian sedans and wagons, Volvo is cutting loose…
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1960 Plymouth Fury: The tale (fin) of the 1950s
If there is a single icon for the automotive 1950s, it’s the tailfin. And although Cadillac in 1959 is usually cited for the ultimate fins, the case can be made for the 1960 Plymouth line. The Plymouth’s fins were just…
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1992-1994 Acura Vigor: Silent Running
It’s as if Acura had tossed a stone in a pond and saw it enter not only without a splash, it also without even causing a ripple on the surface of the water. Such was the impact of the Acura…
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1991-2000 | England | Land Rover | V-8
Land Rover Defender 110: No doubt, the redoubtable Brit
No doubt, from the bottom of its 16-in. Michelin mud-and-snow tires to the top of its Paris-Moscow-Beijing Rally externally mounted rollbar, the Land Rover Defender 110 looks like a prop for a Banana Republic window display. It has that same…
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1984 Audi Sport Quattro: Ingolstad’s civilized rally car proves a “Thriller B”
Audi excised 12.6 inches from the wheelbase of the standard Quattro coupe to make the Sport Quattro. Drastic surgery perhaps, but nothing like what Peugeot would do to make the 205 Turbo 16, which was eating Audi’s lunch in international…
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1961-1970 | American Motors | USA | V-8
1969 AMC Javelin SST 290: American Motors fields pony car-era bruiser-cruiser
Growing up in the ‘60s, you were a Ford guy, a Chevy guy, or maybe – if you are real free thinker – a Chrysler guy. But nobody was an American Motors guy – or at least would admit to…
