History originally published in AutoWeek May 7, 1984 The thrill was back, they told us, and how right they were. Emissions controls, beginning in the 1968 model year, had gradually turned most new cars into performance eunuchs. But Mazda was different, and the power of its Wankel engine made the phrase “rotary rocket” part of […]
1999 BMW M Coupe: Warning: This coupe can be hazardous to Cougar drivers
Contemporary car review originally published in Road & Track Sports & GT Cars 1999 Good thing no one was coming the other way. The driver of the Cougar – old style, with the “formal roof” – spun his head around like a Linda Blair wannabe as he passed me and drifted into the oncoming lane. […]
Renault 8 Gordini: Semi-rhapsody in blue
History originally published in AutoWeek April 16, 1984 Saying “Gordini” in France is like saying “Shelby” in America. Not only do both names mean automotive performance, but if you don’t stretch the analogy too far, there are similarities between the careers of the men behind the names, Amedee Gordini and Carroll Shelby. Each had begun […]
Fairlane Fantasy: 1970 Ford Fairlane 429 Super Cobra Jet
Feature originally published in Popular Cars August 1983 One of the most persistent and surely universal automotive fantasies is the finding of some rare and highly desirable automobile tucked away in a barn or little old lady’s garage and requiring only the most minimal financial lubrication to free it from the owner’s grasp. Sometimes, however, […]
Ferrari Testa Rossa TR250: What but lust and desire can a redhead inspire?
History originally published in AutoWeek January 30, 1984 Let’s talk desire. Let’s talk lust. Let’s talk Testa Rossa. Ferrari Testa Rossa, of course, for no other maker has been so brazen as to borrow the name, as did Pontiac with the GTO. But more specifically, let’s talk 250TR, the V-12, not the four-cylinder which preceded […]
2009 Pontiac G8 GXP: Buy one now
Contemporary review originally published in Examiner.com April 22, 2009 Buy a 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP now. Then thirty years from now when everyone glides silently about in Chinese-built autonomous zero-emission transportation pods, you’ll be able to tell young people about Pontiac and something called a G8 GXP and how it had something called an LS3 […]
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