History/driving impressions republished by the author, originally published in AutoWeek October 6, 1986 Well-known late-night comedian: “This car is really small.” Audience: “How small is it?” WKLNC: “This car is so small that if Santa brought you one for Christmas, he’d leave it in your stocking – while you were still wearing it. It’s so […]
1953 Bristol 404: Brit car is a rarity, and yet it’s a stereotype
History/driving impressions republished by the author; originally published in AutoWeek March 20, 1995 It helps to imagine a British movie of the early ‘50s, one in which an R.A.F. pilot retells the story of the Battle of Britain, smoking a lot of cigarettes while driving – really sitting in a car mockup with a highway […]
1953 Arnolt-Aston Martin: “Wacky” Arnolt’s wonderful roadster boasts looks, pedigree
History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek August 8, 1988. Republished by the author. One need not look any further for the origin of the Arnolt-Bristol shape than to the Arnolt-Aston Martin. Of course, that’s easier said than done because if the Arnolt-Bristol is obscure, known mostly to A-B enthusiasts, the Arnolt-AM is arcane. There were, […]
Kurtis-Kraft: They stretch midgets, don’t they?
History originally published in AutoWeek May 19, 1986 Marty Himes tiptoes the red car around turns three and four of Williams Grove’s half-mile dirt track, not quite hanging the tail out. The flagman has been watching him and Marty has seen the official grasping the black flag like it has “Himes” written all over it. […]
A pair of Porsches: Super-90 and Carrera 2
History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek June 23, 1986 This isn’t a history of Porsche. It isn’t history of the 356 or even the 356B. That’s been done and done well elsewhere. What this is is simply a comparison of two Porsches, a 1962 356B Super-90 coupe and a 1963 Carrera 2 Cabriolet. It is […]
Ghia-Aigle Grand Sport Coupe: A bit of coachbuilding whimsy from the prosaic Swiss
History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek December 12. 1988 Every Italian with a hammer and a tree stump is a body man, and in Italy two tree stumps together is a carrozzeria turning out wild, wonderful and, sometimes, strange shapes. But in practical Switzerland, where one grows up making multijewel watches or pocket knives that […]
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