Comparison review republished by the author; originally published in Motor Trend’s 1990 Sports Cars of the World They don’t make rock ‘n’ roll like they used to. My almost-a-teenager daughter disagrees with me, of course, because that’s her job. What does she know? The Sixtiess were the golden years of rock, just as they were […]
1983 Ferrari BB512i: “In the clearing stands a Boxer…” – A supercar champ
History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek October 19, 1992 Not for its tough guy mien was this heavyweight contender dubbed Boxer. It was for the horizontally opposed, flat 12-cylinder engine mounted beneath that rear deck, the double lumps for clearance of the upper engine bits. The official name was Ferrari BB512I, B for Berlinetta – […]
1990 Saab 9000 2.3: John Matras traveled to the deep South – Talladega – to test the new engine from the far north
Contemporary review originally published in VW & Porsche and European Automobiles in August 1990 Talladega’s Turn One rises ahead like a 40-footer at the Banzai Pipeline curling off to the left, a ramp of black asphalt with a concrete crest thundering in at 140 mph. It is a deliberate intellectual decision to hold the throttle […]
Volvos 480ES: The Immigrant that wasn’t
History originally published in Sport Compact Car, December 1997 Of all the “could’ve beens,” perhaps the saddest ever is the Volvo 480 Turbo. Volvo hadn’t built a sports car since the demise of the 1800ES after the 1973 model year. The five mph bumper rule that came into full effect in 1974 would have required […]
1994 Suzuki Samurai: The cute brute
Feature/review originally published in Road & Track Complete Sport-Utility, Pickup & Van Buyers Guide 1994 So it looks like an oversized Lego project. That’s half the attraction. The other half is that it’s the least expensive 4×4 on the market. It also has the best fuel economy of any sport-utility, which could be half of […]
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 through the skylights and the ceiling-high frosted glass windows and our voices and footsteps echo off 50-year-old whitewashed brick walls of what used to be the shop of a Chevrolet […]
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