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1985 Rotus 7: Custer takes his last stand…

1981-1990 I-4 Rotus USA

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…

JmatrasApril 3, 2025

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Home
The Car
The Make
- Abarth
  - AC
  - Acura
  - Alfa Romeo
  - Alvis
  - American Motors
  - Arnolt
  - Asardo
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- Austin-Healey
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The Motor
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The Year
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- 1941-1950
- 1951-1960
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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

1954 Volkswagen-Okrasa Cabrio: A rare survivor of the hot-rodded Beetles of the 50s

1954 Volkswagen-Okrasa Cabrio: A rare survivor of the hot-rodded Beetles of the 50s

History originally published in AutoWeek June 19, 1989 We have become so accustomed to the radically modified VW – it approaches minor religion status in…

1988 Lincoln Mark VII LSC: American muscle man in a three-piece suit

1988 Lincoln Mark VII LSC: American muscle man in a three-piece suit

Contemporary review originally published in Corridor Today March 15, 1988 I believe that automobiles are something like nouns in romance languages: they have gender. Oh,…

Ginetta G4: Not a Car for the Dilettante

Ginetta G4: Not a Car for the Dilettante

Originally published in AutoWeek, November 22, 1982 I look in the tiny dash-mounted rear view mirror and all I see is a grill-mounted Chevy bow-tie.…

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…

2008 Chevrolet C4500 Kodiak Pickup: Big Bear

2008 Chevrolet C4500 Kodiak Pickup: Big Bear

Contemporary review originally published in CarBuzzard.com November 5, 2007 If the difference between men and boys is the size of their toys, well, we’re not…

Porsche Boxster: Highballing the trunk line

Porsche Boxster: Highballing the trunk line

Contemporary review originally published in Road & Track Sports & GT Cars 1998 I was on the way home from taking my 14-year-old daughter to…

1985 Maserati Quattroporte: Italian definition of a four-door makes a statement

1985 Maserati Quattroporte: Italian definition of a four-door makes a statement

History/driving impression originally published in AutoWeek November 12, 1990; republished by the author English is an efficient and purposeful language, but Italian is more exquisite…

1978 Dodge Warlock: Playing with Adult Toys

1978 Dodge Warlock: Playing with Adult Toys

History originally published in AutoWeek October 29, 1978 Dodge advertised “Adult Toys” in the late 70s. To Dodge dealers, this meant trucks: 4x4 Ramcharger SUVs…

What’s New… Dodge Omni GLH Turbo

What’s New… Dodge Omni GLH Turbo

Contemporary review originally published in AutoWeek February 11, 1985 When I was a boy, my grandfather would stop his Chevy pickup on East Texas prairie…

Ferrari Dino 206 GT, 246 GT and 246 GTS, scorned no more: Put down by purists when new, Ferrari Dinos are finally gaining respect – and value

Ferrari Dino 206 GT, 246 GT and 246 GTS, scorned no more: Put down by purists when new, Ferrari Dinos are finally gaining respect – and value

Feature originally published in AutoWeek November 24, 1986 The Dino, finally, has arrived. Criticized at the time of its introduction for being too slow, too…

BMW 3.0 CSiL: The Homologator

BMW 3.0 CSiL: The Homologator

History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek May 5, 1986; republished by the author. When the final history of the Nurburgring is written, when the last…

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…

Fulfilling Francophiles: Peugeot’s gone, but French eccentricity lives on in a Citroen XM gray market

Fulfilling Francophiles: Peugeot’s gone, but French eccentricity lives on in a Citroen XM gray market

Originally published in AutoWeek, October 26, 1992 Citroen XM; photos by John Matras Unique is an overworked and often improperly used word, so we won’t…

Hemi Under Glass: Sometimes a design mistake lives forever – if it’s spectacular enough to keep packin’ ’em in

Hemi Under Glass: Sometimes a design mistake lives forever – if it’s spectacular enough to keep packin’ ’em in

Feature originally published in AutoWeek, July 15, 1985; republished by the author The two drivers are buckled in and helmeted. Each cranks the giant Chevy…

Daimler SP250: One out of three wasn’t enough

Daimler SP250: One out of three wasn’t enough

Originally published in AutoWeek March 7, 1983 I may get some argument on this, but I believe automobiles can be – and are – evaluated…

The Beddors’ Ruf Carrera 4 turbo EKS Porsche live up to the description “Ultimate”: A Matter of-Fact

The Beddors’ Ruf Carrera 4 turbo EKS Porsche live up to the description “Ultimate”: A Matter of-Fact

Contemporary review/driving impressions originally published in European Car February 1993 Lettered on the rear of the white Porsche is the word “Ultimate.” Rather heady and,…

Excalibur SS Series 1: In the beginning, it was a sports car

Excalibur SS Series 1: In the beginning, it was a sports car

History originally published in AutoWeek, April 6, 1985 All right, let’s have a show of hands. Who thinks that Excalibur is a sports car? Ha,…

Callaway’s LM—as in “Le Mans”

Callaway’s LM—as in “Le Mans”

News report originally published in Car and Driver October 1995 Here’s the deal—bring an LT1 Corvette and at least $80,000 to Old Lyme, Connecticut, and…

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…

1975 Ferrari 308GT4: The new Ferrari designed for a new era

1975 Ferrari 308GT4: The new Ferrari designed for a new era

I have a secret, but I'll tell you because we're old friends and I know I can trust you. Ready? O.K. The Ferrari 308GT4…

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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…