History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek June 22, 1987; republished by the author. BMW “Batmobile” 3.0 CSL driven by Richard Conway, photo by John Matras The public address system blares as Richard Conway finishes strapping me into his car. I am about to drive a few laps at the BMW Vintage Fall Festival at Lime […]
Volkswagen Corrado G60 and SLC: The short run of a German sprinter
History/driving impressions originally published in Sport Compact Car, August 1999 Volkswagen called it the Corrado, allegedly from the Spanish correr, to sprint or run. And the new coupe, having its debut in the fall of 1989 as a 1990 model, had the no waste, and just put the leftovers in the trash bin. It followed […]
Henry’s Revolution: The Model T put the nation on wheels and changed it forever
Originally published in Motor Trend Presents 100 years of the Automobile in America (1995); republished by the author Henry Ford stands with the Model T Set the handbrake, open the throttle lever slightly, set the ignition timing lever at “full retard,” and close the carburetor choke by pulling a wire protruding through the radiator. Then, […]
1954 Cunningham C3 Cabrio: Rocky’s roadster combines race heritage, backyard ingenuity
History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek July 25, 1988; republished by the author wealth, Cunningham was able to indulge in a number of interesting cars in the ‘30s. After cutting his racing teeth on MGs, for the 1940 New York World’s Fair Grand Prix he built the BuMerc, a modified 1939 Buick Century with a […]
1973 Chrysler New Yorker Brougham: Gas crisis! What gas crisis?
History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek December 3, 2001; republished by the author You could play tennis on the poop deck of this thing. And bocce ball on the forecastle. This boat measures 230.1 inches stem to stern with a wheelbase of 124 inches. An uncommon two-door hardtop, this 1973 Chrysler New Yorker Brougham, by […]
1983 Volvo Limited Edition 240 Turbo, the “Flat Hood”
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 […]
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