History originally published in the Illustrated Volvo Buyer’s Guide, 1983, by John Matras; republished by the author The 1983 Volvo Limited Edition 240 Turbo is called the “Flat Hood” because it has a flat hood. If politics makes strange bedfellows – keep your prurient thoughts to yourself – then racing makes unusual variants available to […]
1970 Opel GT 1.9: Mini-Vette?
History/driving impressions originally published in Special Interest Autos, June 1997; republished by the author Compare the front clip of any production Opel GT with a ‘68 Chevrolet Corvette and you will understand why Car and Driver called the German sports car a “teeny-bopper Corvette.” The same blade bumper runs across the front edge of the […]
Supercharging to the Rescue: 1994 Toyota Previa S/C
Contemporary new product report/review originally published in Popular Science April 1994; republished by the author It seemed that Toyota had painted itself into a corner. The four-cylinder 2.4-liter 138-horsepower powerplant in its Previa minivan just didn’t have the guts for towing or hauling heavy loads. And the under-the-floor placement simply didn’t allow much room for […]
Dancing With Valves: Toyota Celica All-Trac Turbo versus Isuzu Impulse RS
Comparison review originally published in the Road & Track Performance Cars 1991; republished by author Some people might not consider the Isuzu Impulse RS versus the Toyota Celica All-Trac Turbo a fair match, putting a 160-bhp car up against a 200-bhp rival costing half again as much. But check the specifications: Both are sports coupes […]
1956 Morgan Plus-4: Old-fashioned at birth, it was a winner right out of the box
History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek March 28, 1988, republished by the author The banjo-strung Blumel’s Brooklands steering wheel is close, good for huddling for warmth, but it still leaves my elbow in the chill autumn morning air and my upright posture would be more appropriate in a front row church pew than at the […]
Vauxhall 30/98: The beginning of the end of an era of sportsters
Original history/driving impressions originally published in Motor Trend’s Sports Cars of the World-1990, republished by the author “Only $2,575,291.” That’s how much GM paid for all of Vauxhall in 1925, according to Alfred P. Sloan in his book, My Years With General Motors. Small stuff for GM, “only a kind of experiment in overseas manufacturing.” […]
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