History/owner’s guide (CollectorFILE) originally published in AutoWeek April 18, 1994; republished by the author “It’s a doozy.” The phrases entered the American lexicon to the extent that most don’t know its origin. We, of course, know it came from “It’s a Deusie,” short for Duesenberg, a symbol of grand extravagance. The Duesenberg Brothers racer’s and […]
Merkur XR4Ti: The T-Bird’s continental cousin
History/buyer’s guide originally published in European Car, August 1996 Anyone partial to European mobiles was all the more frustrated by the new Ford Sierra XR-4i. The Sierra debuted in 1983, replacing the Cortina and Taunus , and the XR-4i was its high-performance variant. Reports filtered back to the states about the fast and funky new […]
2007 Saturn Sky Red Line: Raisins in the Sky
Contemporary review originally published in CarBuzzard September 9, 2007; republished by the author Do you know what it’s like to sit down to a warm wedge of homemade apple pie like grandma used to make, if grandma was the kind of grandma that frozen pies picture on the outside of box without matching grandma’s best […]
1960 Mazda R360
History originally published in Sport Compact Car October 1996; republished by the author. No matter how fine you hone your products, if the market has moved on to something else, you’re dead. The best widgets in the world are useless if they been replaced by framuses. That was the dilemma facing Toyo Kogyo , as […]
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 is a hell of a way to start a 24-hour race, particularly a Ferrari team car with the second-fastest time in qualifying and a real chance at an overall win. […]
1969 Dodge Dart GTS 383: A high-water mark of straight-line performance
History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek January 15, 1990; republished by the author Crank the steering wheel around at least a couple of times, gingerly let out the heavy clutch and edge up the revs just a bit. The big V-8 chuffles and the car edges forward and around, out onto the narrow two-lane blacktop […]
What They’re Saying