Hit enter to search or ESC to close

Home
The Car
The Make
- Abarth
  - AC
  - Acura
  - Alfa Romeo
  - Alvis
  - American Motors
  - Arnolt
  - Asardo
  - Aston Martin
  - Audi
  - Austin
  - Bentley
  - Berkeley
  - BMW
  - Bristol
  - Bugatti
- Austin-Healey
  - Buick
  - Cadillac
  - Callaway
  - Chevrolet
  - Citroen
  - Cord
  - Crosley
  - Cunningham
  - DAF
  - Nash
  - Nissan-Datsun
  - NSU
  - Oldsmobile
  - Opel
  - Packard
- Chrysler
  - Daimler
  - Dellow
  - DeTomaso
  - Deutch-Bonnet
  - Dodge
  - Duesenberg
  - Eagle
  - Evans
  - Excalibur
  - Ferrari
  - Packard
  - Plymouth
  - Pontiac
  - Porsche
  - Fiat
- Dual-Ghia
  - Ford
  - Ginetta
  - Holden
  - Honda
  - Intermeccanica
  - Iso
  - Isuzu
  - Jaguar
  - Jeep
  - Renault
  - Rolls-Royce
  - Rotus
  - Saab
  - Saturn
  - Shelby
- Hyundai
  - Jensen
  - Kaiser
  - Kibler
  - Kurtis-Kraft
  - Land Rover
  - Lancia
  - Lincoln
  - Lola
  - Lotus
  - Maserati
  - Simca
  - Simplex
  - Singer
  - Special Editions
  - Subaru
- Lamborghini
  - Matra
  - Mazda
  - Mercedes-Benz
  - Mercury
  - Merkur
  - Mitsubishi
  - MG
  - Sunbeam
  - Suzuki
  - Toyota
  - Triumph
  - Vauxhall
  - Volkswagen
  - Volvo
  - Winton
  - Yugo
  - Subaru
The Motor
- 1-cyl
- I-2
- H-2
- I-4
- I-6
- V-8
- V-10
- V-12
- 2-stroke
- Rotary
The Year
- 1900-1920
- 1921-1940
- 1941-1950
- 1951-1960
- 1961-1970
- 1971-1980
- 1981-1990
- 1991-2000
- 2001-2010
- 2011-2020
The Country
- Australia
- England
- France
- Germany
- Italy
- Japan
- Korea
- Netherlands
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Yugoslavia
Other Stuff

NSU

NSU Ro80: A Car Ahead of its Time

1961-1970 1971-1980 Germany NSU Rotary

NSU Ro80: A Car Ahead of its Time

History originally published in AutoWeek March 12, 1984 How very frustrating, how maddeningly, fist-clinching frustrating it must have been to the men who were NSU…

JmatrasApril 3, 2025

What’s Hot
Random Picks
Discover More

Find A Make

The Cars
The Make
- Abarth
- AC
- Acura
- Alfa Romeo
- Alvis
- American Motors
- Arnolt
- Asardo
- Aston Martin
- Audi
- Austin
- Austin-Healey
- Bentley
- Berkeley
- BMW
- Bristol
- Bugatti
- Buick
- Cadillac
- Callaway
- Chevrolet
- Chrysler
- Citroen
- Cord
- Crosley
- Cunningham
- DAF
- Daimler
- Dellow
- DeTomaso
- Deutch-Bonnet
- Dodge
- Dual-Ghia
- Duesenberg
- Eagle
- Evans
- Excalibur
- Ferrari
- Fiat
- Ford
- Ginetta
- Holden
- Honda
- Hyundai
- Intermeccanica
- Iso
- Isuzu
- Jaguar
- Jeep
- Jensen
- Kaiser
- Kibler
- Kurtis-Kraft
- Land Rover
- Lamborghini
- Lancia
- Lincoln
- Lola
- Lotus
- Maserati
- Matra
- Mazda
- Mercedes-Benz
- Mercury
- Merkur
- Mitsubishi
- MG
- Nash
- Nissan-Datsun
- NSU
- Oldsmobile
- Opel
- Packard
- Peugeot
- Plymouth
- Pontiac
- Porsche
- Renault
- Rolls-Royce
- Rotus
- Saab
- Saturn
- Shelby
- Simca
- Simplex
- Singer
- Special Editions
- Subaru
- Sunbeam
- Suzuki
- Toyota
- Triumph
- Vauxhall
- Volkswagen
- Volvo
- Winton
- Yugo
The Country
- Australia
- England
- France
- Germany
- Italy
- Japan
- Korea
- Netherlands
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- USA
- Yugoslavia
The Year
- 1900-1920
- 1921-1940
- 1941-1950
- 1951-1960
- 1961-1970
- 1971-1980
- 1981-1990
- 1991-2000
- 2001-2010
- 2011-2020
The Motor
- 1-cyl
- I-2
- H-2
- I-4
- I-6
- V-8
- V-10
- V-12
- 2-stroke
- Rotary

Follow Me

Wanting More?

Do you enjoy reading these articles about exotic, unusual and/or important automobiles? Then sign up for my weekly email newsletter to be notified when new articles are published!

I’m John Matras, and during a career of freelance auto writing, I’d heard that request too many times to ignore.

Quick Link

Home
About
Legal Disclaimers
Contact

Useful links

Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions

Close Menu

Home
The Car
The Make
- Abarth
  - AC
  - Acura
  - Alfa Romeo
  - Alvis
  - American Motors
  - Arnolt
  - Asardo
  - Aston Martin
  - Audi
  - Austin
  - Bentley
  - Berkeley
  - BMW
  - Bristol
  - Bugatti
- Austin-Healey
  - Buick
  - Cadillac
  - Callaway
  - Chevrolet
  - Citroen
  - Cord
  - Crosley
  - Cunningham
  - DAF
  - Nash
  - Nissan-Datsun
  - NSU
  - Oldsmobile
  - Opel
  - Packard
- Chrysler
  - Daimler
  - Dellow
  - DeTomaso
  - Deutch-Bonnet
  - Dodge
  - Duesenberg
  - Eagle
  - Evans
  - Excalibur
  - Ferrari
  - Packard
  - Plymouth
  - Pontiac
  - Porsche
  - Fiat
- Dual-Ghia
  - Ford
  - Ginetta
  - Holden
  - Honda
  - Intermeccanica
  - Iso
  - Isuzu
  - Jaguar
  - Jeep
  - Renault
  - Rolls-Royce
  - Rotus
  - Saab
  - Saturn
  - Shelby
- Hyundai
  - Jensen
  - Kaiser
  - Kibler
  - Kurtis-Kraft
  - Land Rover
  - Lancia
  - Lincoln
  - Lola
  - Lotus
  - Maserati
  - Simca
  - Simplex
  - Singer
  - Special Editions
  - Subaru
- Lamborghini
  - Matra
  - Mazda
  - Mercedes-Benz
  - Mercury
  - Merkur
  - Mitsubishi
  - MG
  - Sunbeam
  - Suzuki
  - Toyota
  - Triumph
  - Vauxhall
  - Volkswagen
  - Volvo
  - Winton
  - Yugo
  - Subaru
The Motor
- 1-cyl
- I-2
- H-2
- I-4
- I-6
- V-8
- V-10
- V-12
- 2-stroke
- Rotary
The Year
- 1900-1920
- 1921-1940
- 1941-1950
- 1951-1960
- 1961-1970
- 1971-1980
- 1981-1990
- 1991-2000
- 2001-2010
- 2011-2020
The Country
- Australia
- England
- France
- Germany
- Italy
- Japan
- Korea
- Netherlands
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Yugoslavia
Other Stuff

Random Picks

All 1-3 2-stroke 1-cyl 1900-1920 1921-1940 1941-1950 1951-1960 1961-1970 1971-1980 1981-1990 1991-2000 2-stroke 2001-2010 2011-2020 4-inline Abarth AC Acura Alfa Romeo Allard Alvis American Motors Arnolt Asardo Aston Martin Audi Austin Austin-Healey Australia Bentley Berkeley BMW Brewster Bristol Bugatti Buick Cadillac Callaway Chevrolet Chrysler Citroen Cord Crosley Cunningham Curtis-Wright DAF Daimler Dellow DeTomaso Deutch-Bonnet Dodge Dual-Ghia Duesenberg Eagle England Evans Excalibur Ferrari Fiat Ford France Germany Ghia-Aigle Ginetta H-12 H-2 H-4 H-6 Holden Honda Hyundai I-2 I-3 I-4 I-4 diesel I-5 I-6 I-8 Intermeccanica Iso Isuzu Italy Jaguar Japan Jeep Jensen Kaiser Kibler Korea Kurtis-Kraft Lamborghini Lancia Land Rover Lincoln Lola Lotus Maserati Matra Mazda Mercedes-Benz Mercury Merkur Meskowski MG Mitsubishi Morgan Nash Netherlands newpost Nissan-Datsun NSU Oldsmobile Opel Packard Peugeot Plymouth Pontiac Porsche Renault Rolls-Royce Rotary Rotus Saab Saturn Shelby Simca Simplex Singer Special Editions Subaru Sunbeam Suzuki Sweden Switzerland Talbot Toyota Triumph Turner Uncategorized USA V-10 V-12 V-2 V-4 V-6 V-8 Vauxhall Volkswagen Volvo W-12 Whatever Winton Yugo Yugoslavia

Ferrari Testa Rossa TR250: What but lust and desire can a redhead inspire?

Ferrari Testa Rossa TR250: What but lust and desire can a redhead inspire?

History originally published in AutoWeek January 30, 1984 Let’s talk desire. Let’s talk lust. Let’s talk Testa Rossa. Ferrari Testa Rossa, of course, for no…

1929 Nash Model 461 Cabriolet: “The Car with the Twin-Ignition Motor”

1929 Nash Model 461 Cabriolet: “The Car with the Twin-Ignition Motor”

History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek December 24, 2001 Harold Metzger gently chided me for having chirp the tires of his 29 – Cabriolet. “Well,…

The Big Three-0: Range Rover has [30th] birthday, and Brits celebrate en masse

The Big Three-0: Range Rover has [30th] birthday, and Brits celebrate en masse

Event report originally published in AutoWeek on October 16, 2000; republished by the author Thirty years to the day, Range Rover enthusiasts gathered at the…

America’s first rotary: Curtis-Wright Mustang

America’s first rotary: Curtis-Wright Mustang

History originally published in AutoWeek June 4, 1984 A little-known chapter in American automotive history began in 1958 in a small white building on the…

The First Off Roaders: Did these folks have the roughest of all off-road conditions?

The First Off Roaders: Did these folks have the roughest of all off-road conditions?

History originally published in Pickup Van & 4WD September 1981 “it is particularly important that the tires be a very large section, generally much larger…

1971 Plymouth Barracuda Hemi ‘Cuda: Inspiration to Paranoia

1971 Plymouth Barracuda Hemi ‘Cuda: Inspiration to Paranoia

Originally published in AutoWeek, July 11, 1983 1971 Plymouth Barracuda Hemi 'Cuda; Photos by John Matras Paranoid. That’s what a 1971 Plymouth Barracuda Hemi’ Cuda…

1973 Chrysler New Yorker Brougham: Gas crisis! What gas crisis?

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…

Pure and potent: Two Nash-Healeys

Pure and potent: Two Nash-Healeys

History originally published in AutoWeek July 21, 1986 “We usually start it in second gear. There is a chatter in first that you can adjust…

Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint Speciale: Special Indeed

Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint Speciale: Special Indeed

Originally published in Autoweek, September 13, 1982 Walk around the car. Watch the light work on it, cascade over the body like the ripples of…

2006 Bentley Continental GT: W.O.’s long legs

2006 Bentley Continental GT: W.O.’s long legs

Contemporary review originally published in CarBuzzard published March 9, 2006 One might think W.O. Bentley would be proud of the 2006 Bentley Continental GT. It…

1992 Eagle Talon TSi AWD: Now all the grip with twice the grins

1992 Eagle Talon TSi AWD: Now all the grip with twice the grins

Contemporary review originally published in Road & Track Special Sports & GT Cars 1992 If two years seems like a short lifecycle, that only shows…

Maserati Bora: Manly, yes, but she’ll like it, too

Maserati Bora: Manly, yes, but she’ll like it, too

History originally published in AutoWeek August 29, 1983 It’s a bullet, big bore and Magnum-packed, a missile, ICBM for the Interstate, pregnant with malice. It…

1991-’92 Dodge Spirit R/T: Delightfully Wicked

1991-’92 Dodge Spirit R/T: Delightfully Wicked

Originally published in Examiner.com January 5, 2010 1991 Dodge Spirit R/T; Dodge photo There's something delightfully wicked about a mundane four-door family sedan being muscled…

Suzuki X-90: Don’t ask Y

Suzuki X-90: Don’t ask Y

Review originally published in Road & Track Truck & Van ’98 Buyer’s Guide; republished by the author It doesn’t take more than one look the…

1993 Ford Bronco: The big-selling, big ute

1993 Ford Bronco: The big-selling, big ute

Review originally published in Road & Track Sport-Utilities Pickups & Vans Buyer’s Guide 1993; republished by the author. With all the hoopla surrounding Ford’s Explorer…

The Great Volvo Sports Car: Buying the Volvo 1800 Series

The Great Volvo Sports Car: Buying the Volvo 1800 Series

History and buyer’s guide originally published in European Car in August 1993; republished by the author “What’s it like to own a $10,000 car?” Volvo…

Vauxhall 30/98: The beginning of the end of an era of sportsters

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…

Fairlane Fantasy: 1970 Ford Fairlane 429 Super Cobra Jet

Fairlane Fantasy: 1970 Ford Fairlane 429 Super Cobra Jet

Feature originally published in Popular Cars August 1983 One of the most persistent and surely universal automotive fantasies is the finding of some rare and…

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…

Review: 1994 Toyota Supra

Review: 1994 Toyota Supra

Review originally published in Road and Track Specials 1994 Buyers Guide You can see it in their eyes, from the round-eyed wonder of little boys,…

Our Spring Sale Has Started

What’s Hot

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…