History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek April 1, 1985 I really had no alternative. The only reasonable thing to do was to down shift to second gear, moving the lever through the notchy pattern that felt like it should be gated but really wasn’t, and hit the buttons to lower both the passenger and driver […]
MGA Coupe: A junior GT for road or track
History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek April 27, 1987 I never quite understood why Julius Caesar wanted to conquer the British Isles. It never seemed quite worth the effort, especially when home was sunny Italy and offered all the vino you could tote to the Forum. It also never made much sense to me that […]
Alfa Giulia Spider: Simpatico never was more Italian
History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek March 11, 1985 There is something there that loves an Alfa Romeo Giulia Spider. There is an aura, a certain magic, even in the words, that arouses emotion, a definable affection that can be spoken only in Italian: Simpatico. One not need speak Italian to know the meaning of […]
The First Off Roaders: Did these folks have the roughest of all off-road conditions?
History originally published in Pickup Van & 4WD September 1981 “it is particularly important that the tires be a very large section, generally much larger than the normal equipment… This being a secret of successfully traversing bad sand.” This sentence is (a) a sample from an off-roaders handbook, (b) a quote from one of Dick […]
Saab Sonett II: Different strokes from Swedish folks
History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek June 9, 1986 Bound in this white plastic projectile I dance on the offset pedals and coax the stubborn column shifter from gear to gear, surrounded by the peculiar note of the two-stroke triple. I brake early for the corners and then slither through the corners at full throttle, […]
1998 Honda Prelude Type SH: Pulling its weight in style
Road test originally published in Road & Track Sports & GT Cars 1998 “It is one thing to show a man that he is in error, and another to put him in possession of the truth.” – John Locke, Essay Concerning Human Understanding, 1690 The Big Lie: Front-wheel drive is better for handling because it […]
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