History originally published in AutoWeek April 16, 1984 Saying “Gordini” in France is like saying “Shelby” in America. Not only do both names mean automotive performance, but if you don’t stretch the analogy too far, there are similarities between the careers of the men behind the names, Amedee Gordini and Carroll Shelby. Each had begun […]
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 highly desirable automobile tucked away in a barn or little old lady’s garage and requiring only the most minimal financial lubrication to free it from the owner’s grasp. Sometimes, however, […]
Porsche 904/6: Don’t call it a conversion
History originally published in AutoWeek December 31, 1984 Henry Payne’s Lincolnesque frame slouches in the fiberglass driver’s seat, the steering wheel down between his knees, his big hands on either side of the wood-rimmed circle. It’s odd that he should look-– or even be – so comfortable in the 904’s small and Spartan cockpit. Outside […]
Intermeccanica Italia: Italian-American with an identity crisis
History originally published in AutoWeek April 2, 1984 I was skirting the Virginia shore of the Potomac River on the downstream side of Washington, DC, the Italia’s chino-creased fenders framing the asphalt and vintage geometry of the George Washington Parkway, when the Mustang appeared in my peripheral vision, coming in from an entrance on the […]
Sunbeam Tiger: An overpowered cat just ready to pounce
History originally published in AutoWeek October 10, 1983 Christopher Columbus, as every schoolboy knows, discovered America by accident. He was actually trying to prove a point, that the earth was round and that China could be reached by sailing west as well as East. Columbus didn’t reach the Orient, but at least people stopped worrying […]
BMW 2000Tilux: A sports car for sharing
History originally published in AutoWeek April 11, 1983 Find the roughest road you know: 40-year-old concrete, cracked, broken and rudely patched. Knife-edge ridges and holes. A road that rattles and shakes the torque out of every nut and bolt of a normal car. Loctite and all. Drive the BMW 2000 Tilux there first. The ride […]
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