History originally published in AutoWeek July 19, 1999; republished by the author It looks so innocent, like any other Saab 93 there in the Saab Bilmuseum. But with its hood lifted off and set aside, something appears amiss. Saab aficionados recognize that the engine is not longitudinal but transverse. And more: Six spark plugs are […]
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 like a duck. For a car, that is. A sculptor name Bertoni – no relation to the Italian coachbuilder Bertone – penned the shape for Citroen’s revolutionary DS-19, saying a […]
1957 Simca Vedette Versailles: Nee Ford, Simca’s star of the 1950s
History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek March 27, 1995; republished by the author Two of the least frequently noted developments regarding automobiles in France were (a) it becoming illegal to honk one’s horn in Paris except in extreme emergency and (B) Simca’s purchase of Ford of France lock, stock and manufacturing plant in 1955. Simca […]
1951 Dellow Mk I: Sports car evolved from traditional British “trials” racers
History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek December 13, 1993; republished by the author If you can think of history as waves of rising and falling situations, sentiments and circumstances, then the story of the Dellow makes sense. It was the peculiar juxtaposition of people, the times and events that led to the production and competition […]
Saab 93B: The Saab America loved first
History/driving impressions originally published in European Car August 1995; republished by the author The first Saab to come to America, at least officially, was a 93. It was an unusual addition to the automotive landscape. To a continent rife with aircraft-inspired automobiles came a truly aerodynamic automobile, and one made by an aircraft manufacturer, no […]
Asardo 3500 GM-S: Dream car went from ’59 N.Y. show to GM V-8 power
History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek April 30, 1990; republished by the author Dreams are wisps of fantasy, but to the true believer they’re as tangible as steel. The Asardo was Helmut Schlosser’s dream and its name an acronym of American Special Automotive Research and Development Organization. Schlosser was a naturalized American of Austrian birth […]
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