Originally published in The Complete Road & Track ’97 Car Buyer’s Guide; republished by the author Back in the mid-60’s, a serious sports car had to have its engine in the middle. Lots of reasons were cited for this, things like weight distribution and polar moment of inertia. Mostly it was because race cars were […]
1913 Zinn-Buick racer: Re-bodied Model 24 roadster lays claim to longevity
History originally published in AutoWeek March 13, 1989; republished by the author Zinn – Eugene “Huey” Zinn, that is – doesn’t exactly spring to mind when the great names of racing are mentioned. Nor does Buick, despite all the money Buick has spent in NASCAR and CART and IMSA lately. If anything, Buicks have been […]
1980 Dodge Omni 024 De Tomaso: Phony Label but Still Avant Garde
History originally published in Sport Compact Car June 1998; republished by the author It should have been no surprise that in 1978 when Chrysler introduced its first homegrown front-drive subcompacts – the Dodge Omni and Plymouth Horizon – it would follow later in the year with a pair of two-door coupes. Called the Dodge Omni […]
1951 Dellow Mk I: Sports car evolved from traditional British “trials” racers
History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek December 13, 1993; republished by the author If you can think of history as waves of rising and falling situations, sentiments and circumstances, then the story of the Dellow makes sense. It was the peculiar juxtaposition of people, the times and events that led to the production and competition […]
2017 Fiat 124 Spider Lusso quick drive review: Mostly familiar but different
Contemporary first drive review originally published in CarBuzzard, Nov. 1. 2016 There were two things we were worried about with the new 2017 Fiat 124 Spider. One was that it would be too much like the Mazda MX-5 Miata. The other was that it wouldn’t be enough. The Miata and the 124 Spider were, […]
Hemi Under Glass: Sometimes a design mistake lives forever – if it’s spectacular enough to keep packin’ ’em in
Feature originally published in AutoWeek, July 15, 1985; republished by the author The two drivers are buckled in and helmeted. Each cranks the giant Chevy motor, mere inches behind his back, and it responds with the vigor and volume of a Midwestern thunderstorm, power that can be felt at 50 paces and sound that vibrates […]
What They’re Saying