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 […]
1912 Simplex 50 HP Tourabout: Quality construction, sporting luxury powered by 10 liters
History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek July 20, 1987 Rolling down the highway at 50 mph, the only sounds come from the wind as it whistles around the windshield and the gentle shushing of the drive chains, that and good conversation. Ahead, under the doghouse -shaped hood, four 5 ¼ inch pistons glide through a […]
1994 Suzuki Samurai: The cute brute
Feature/review originally published in Road & Track Complete Sport-Utility, Pickup & Van Buyers Guide 1994 So it looks like an oversized Lego project. That’s half the attraction. The other half is that it’s the least expensive 4×4 on the market. It also has the best fuel economy of any sport-utility, which could be half of […]
1985 Rotus 7: Custer takes his last stand…
Contemporary review/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek March 11, 1985 The big room is quiet on a Saturday afternoon as the December sun slants in through the skylights and the ceiling-high frosted glass windows and our voices and footsteps echo off 50-year-old whitewashed brick walls of what used to be the shop of a Chevrolet […]
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