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Holden

Holden Monaro GTS: Very American, very GM-like, yet very different as well

1961-1970 Australia Holden V-8

Holden Monaro GTS: Very American, very GM-like, yet very different as well

History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek October 26, 1987; republished by the author The blokes put Australia in the right place: On the other side…

JmatrasApril 3, 2025

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Home
The Car
The Make
- Abarth
  - AC
  - Acura
  - Alfa Romeo
  - Alvis
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The Motor
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Evans Series 1: A Georgia-built supercar takes on the world

Evans Series 1: A Georgia-built supercar takes on the world

Originally published in Road & Track’s Exotic Car Quarterly, Fall 1990 Evans Series 1; John Matras photos Is this how Colin Chapman started out? Did…

’54 Corvette: Chevrolet’s flawed fiberglass flyer

’54 Corvette: Chevrolet’s flawed fiberglass flyer

History originally published in AutoWeek May 2, 1983 Ah, the clarity of hindsight. The perfect 20/20, read-the-union-bug-at-the-bottom-of-the-eye-chart ability to see what should have been seen,…

1995 Toyota MR2

1995 Toyota MR2

Contemporary new-car review originally published in Road & Track 1995 Buyers Guide Following is a list of affordable mid-engine sports cars: Toyota MR2. Yes, that’s…

1998 Volvo C70 Coupe and Convertible

1998 Volvo C70 Coupe and Convertible

Preview originally published in European car, November 1996; republished by the author coup de main: a sudden action undertaken to surprise an enemy coupe from…

Tom Yeager’s Trans-Am Mustang had all the right stuff

Tom Yeager’s Trans-Am Mustang had all the right stuff

Originally published in AutoWeek on February 27, 1984. Wayne Conover bought the car for parts. As the proprietor of Conover’s Cobra Ranch, a restoration shop…

Jaguar SS 100: It takes a rare kind of loyalty

Jaguar SS 100: It takes a rare kind of loyalty

History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek February 11, 1985 In Syracuse, New York, halfway up the hill in a quiet neighborhood of older homes, is…

2005 Chevrolet Classic: You can’t buy a Classic day in paradise, but you can rent it.

2005 Chevrolet Classic: You can’t buy a Classic day in paradise, but you can rent it.

Contemporary review originally published in CarBuzzard August 6, 2005 You can’t buy a Classic day in paradise, but you can rent it. You can rent…

1958 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz: What the rich folks drove while you were at sports car races

1958 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz: What the rich folks drove while you were at sports car races

History originally published in AutoWeek September 19, 1988 It was the product of an era when the best the average man could hope for was…

Ferrari 250 GTO: Star-crossed racer’s day in the sun ends in the pits

Ferrari 250 GTO: Star-crossed racer’s day in the sun ends in the pits

History originally published in Road & Track Specials Ferrari 1990; republished by the author Embedded in a sandbank at the end of the Mulsanne straight…

1994 Suzuki Samurai: The cute brute

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…

1997 Acura NSX

1997 Acura NSX

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…

1963 Citroen ID-19: Smooth as cheese & crackers, but not our can of soup

1963 Citroen ID-19: Smooth as cheese & crackers, but not our can of soup

History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek October 17, 1994; republished by author “Je me suis inspire d’un oiseau aquatique.” Well, it does look a little…

1973 Fiat 124 Sport Coupe: What’s not to like

1973 Fiat 124 Sport Coupe: What’s not to like

Feature originally published in European Car July 1994 Double overhead cams, tidy handling, Italian style: what’s not to like? Well, how about emissions controls as…

1978 Dodge Li’l Red Truck: A red-hot hauler

1978 Dodge Li’l Red Truck: A red-hot hauler

History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek March 2, 1987 Overlap, overlap, overlap, the V-8 whispers, telling secrets about its camshaft, gently rocking the truck with…

Plymouth Prowler: Matinee’ Idol

Plymouth Prowler: Matinee’ Idol

Originally published in Road & Track Sport and GT Cars 2000 2000 Plymouth Prowler in Prowler Silver; Photograph DaimlerChrysler Corp. Celebrity status carries a terrible…

2016 Ford Shelby GT350R Mustang track drive review: Flat-plane geometry and monster brakes

2016 Ford Shelby GT350R Mustang track drive review: Flat-plane geometry and monster brakes

Car review originally published in CarBuzzard May 21, 2016 There’s a sort of chicane, and the 2016 Shelby GT350R Mustang tags the curbing on the…

1934 Brewster Ford: Beauty was more than skin deep, but not to the frame

1934 Brewster Ford: Beauty was more than skin deep, but not to the frame

History originally published in AutoWeek October 9, 1995 The Great Depression was no kinder to the makers of luxury automobiles than it was to most…

Matra-Simca Bagheera: Matra à trois

Matra-Simca Bagheera: Matra à trois

History originally published in AutoWeek March 19,1984 In the lexicon of animal names written upon the fenders and flanks of automobiles, rarely is there a…

1971-73 Plymouth Cricket: On a Sticky Wicket

1971-73 Plymouth Cricket: On a Sticky Wicket

Originally published in Sport Compact Car, September, 1996 1972 Plymouth Cricket; Chrysler Corp. photos The Plymouth Cricket is largely forgotten today, but in 1971, it…

1989 Mazda RX-7 Infini IV: The Orient Express

First published in the book, Sports Car Color History Mazda RX-7 (1994) by John Matras 1989 Mazda RX-7 Infini IV; photos by John Matras The…

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1956 Lancia Aurelia Spyder: Simple, golden

1956 Lancia Aurelia Spyder: Simple, golden

History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek, September 3, 2001; republished by the author When the roll is called up yonder for great cars that no…

1998 Volvo C70 Coupe and Convertible

1998 Volvo C70 Coupe and Convertible

Preview originally published in European car, November 1996; republished by the author coup de main: a sudden action undertaken to surprise an enemy coupe from…

1960 Plymouth Fury: The tale (fin) of the 1950s

1960 Plymouth Fury: The tale (fin) of the 1950s

History/driving impessions originally published AutoWeek September 27. 1999; republished by the author If there is a single icon for the automotive 1950s, it’s the tailfin.…

1992-1994 Acura Vigor: Silent Running

1992-1994 Acura Vigor: Silent Running

History/driving impressions originally published in Sport Compact Car, October 2000; republished by the author It’s as if Acura had tossed a stone in a pond…