History originally published in Sport Compact Car in September 1999 Hyundai already had made a name for itself selling cars, the penny-squeezing Excel and the luxury-stuff-on-a-budget Sonata. So it was no surprise the Korean manufacturer’s sport coupe, introduced in the…
History originally published in AutoWeek September 11, 1989 To have worked for Dodge in the ‘60s and to have the Hemi, and then look at the Corvette and just know that given half the chance—a quarter of the chance—that you…
History originally published in AutoWeek, February 2, 1987 For the large automobile manufacturer, the launching of each new model represents a risk of manageable proportions. Even a Vega or Edsel can be survived. Not so the smaller manufacture. On the…
History originally published in AutoWeek March 12, 1984 How very frustrating, how maddeningly, fist-clinching frustrating it must have been to the men who were NSU to look back upon the Ro 80 and realize how close the car and the…
History originally published in AutoWeek September 19, 1983 You can have it either way with the Alfa Romeo Montreal: you can hate it for what it isn’t, or you can love it for what it isn’t. There are people who…
History originally published in Sport Compact Car, October 1998 The Fiat Strada arrived in the United States with considerable fanfare and a lot of press coverage. And why not? Fiat had been in this country for a long time. It’s…
Originally published in AutoWeek, August 7, 1989 If longevity has anything to say about virtue, as it does with, say, the VW Beetle or Citroen 2CV, then the De Tomaso Pantera is pure as the Vestal Virgin’s dormitory and more…
Originally published in European Car, August 1994 1976 Lancia Beta Scorpion, photos by John Matras What a concept. The country that gave us the Fiat X1/9 – which Road & Track magazine called “the best handling car in the world”…
Originally published in AutoWeek, August 30, 1982 1971 Alfa Romeo Junior Zagato; photos by John Matras Lippity clip. Lip. Clip. The Alfa Romeo Junior Zagato skips down Penny Grove Road, an ancient wooded path paved only as an afterthought. It’s…
Originally published in AutoWeek, July 11, 1983 1971 Plymouth Barracuda Hemi ‘Cuda; Photos by John Matras Paranoid. That’s what a 1971 Plymouth Barracuda Hemi’ Cuda makes you. Paranoid. You carefully scan the road ahead, alert for the telltale roof-mounted light…