History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek December 29, 1986 It shouldn’t have existed, the Daytona Spyder. At least it shouldn’t have been what it was. By tradition, Ferrari had usually differentiated between coupe and spyder versions of his cars. Spyders weren’t just topless versions of roofed models. They were completely different cars, sharing engine and […]
1929 Nash Model 461 Cabriolet: “The Car with the Twin-Ignition Motor”
History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek December 24, 2001 Harold Metzger gently chided me for having chirp the tires of his 29 – Cabriolet. “Well, we certainly know it has enough power to burn rubber!” I had halted on a hill having failed to negotiate a downshift on the non-synchronized gearbox. (One doesn’t get much […]
2006 Bentley Continental GT: W.O.’s long legs
Contemporary review originally published in CarBuzzard published March 9, 2006 One might think W.O. Bentley would be proud of the 2006 Bentley Continental GT. It has, to use the original company’s founder and namesake’s words, “long legs.” Seven league boots, perhaps, a great thumping way to put miles in the rearview mirror. That’s the Bentley […]
2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Edition: Diesel racer
Review originally published in Examiner.com May 2010 Race on Sunday, sell on Monday. That’s been the motto of many auto manufacturers since the dawn of the automotive age. In fact, the first car race in the United States, in 1895, was staged to encourage domestic manufacture of automobiles. It’s no surprise, then, that Volkswagen took […]
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 […]
1967 Jensen FF: American push, British pull
History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek August 9, 1982 Do something, I thought. But no, the Jensen FF belied its four-wheel-drive and behaved like a normal car. A very nice normal car, to be sure, but still a normal car. There is the subdued but omnipresent throb of the common Chrysler 383 V-8, barely audible […]
What They’re Saying