History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek August 10, 1986 “Henry, this is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen,” gushed Henry Kaiser’s new bride. She was speaking to the Hoover-Dam-building, Liberty-ship-making, self-made millionaire who, with Joe Frazer of Maxwell-Chalmers/Chrysler/Willys-Overland/Graham-Paige fame, went automobile manufacturing after the war. What she was speaking about was Howard “Dutch” […]
Alfa Romeo Giulietta by Bertone: Driving the Bertone-Alfa that never was
History/driving impression originally published in AutoWeek February 13, 1986 Condensation gathered on the windshield, but the soggy mist was not enough to justify wipers. Even so, the droplets, propelled by the wind of the Alfa’s forward progress, crept up and over the topmost edge of the unframed windshield glass. In the lower elevations nearby they […]
Abarth Scorpione SS: It carries a sting behind it
History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek September 16, 1985 Tim Ritter was right. The interior does not suffer gladly the intrusion of large adults. It’s large adults who suffer. Those of us with more modest proportions are merely constrained to one position. There is no room to shift about, to spread out. Leaning forward – […]
Volvos 480ES: The Immigrant that wasn’t
History originally published in Sport Compact Car, December 1997 Of all the “could’ve beens,” perhaps the saddest ever is the Volvo 480 Turbo. Volvo hadn’t built a sports car since the demise of the 1800ES after the 1973 model year. The five mph bumper rule that came into full effect in 1974 would have required […]
Alfa Romeo GTA: Less is more
History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek April 14, 1986 There is not much to the interior of an Alfa Romeo GTA. Memory fails all but the most important details, things like highly legible gauges, the Alfa-typical dogleg shifter, the Connelly-leather covered bucket that holds the occupant like a miser holds his ledger. There is the […]
Triumph 2000 roadster: It was anything but a Triumph
History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek June 17, 1985 If ever there was an automobile company with a death wish, it was Triumph. Seldom has a manufacturer so eagerly snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, run headlong into blunders, or persevered in an incorrect course and survived to fumble yet again. But this is […]
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