History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek March 28, 1988, republished by the author The banjo-strung Blumel’s Brooklands steering wheel is close, good for huddling for warmth, but it still leaves my elbow in the chill autumn morning air and my upright posture would be more appropriate in a front row church pew than at the […]
Rock ‘n’ roll: Mazda MX-5 Miata versus Lotus Elan
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 […]
Berkeley: Tiny but not insignificant
History/driving impressions republished by the author, originally published in AutoWeek October 6, 1986 Well-known late-night comedian: “This car is really small.” Audience: “How small is it?” WKLNC: “This car is so small that if Santa brought you one for Christmas, he’d leave it in your stocking – while you were still wearing it. It’s so […]
1953 Bristol 404: Brit car is a rarity, and yet it’s a stereotype
History/driving impressions republished by the author; originally published in AutoWeek March 20, 1995 It helps to imagine a British movie of the early ‘50s, one in which an R.A.F. pilot retells the story of the Battle of Britain, smoking a lot of cigarettes while driving – really sitting in a car mockup with a highway […]
1953 Arnolt-Aston Martin: “Wacky” Arnolt’s wonderful roadster boasts looks, pedigree
History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek August 8, 1988. Republished by the author. One need not look any further for the origin of the Arnolt-Bristol shape than to the Arnolt-Aston Martin. Of course, that’s easier said than done because if the Arnolt-Bristol is obscure, known mostly to A-B enthusiasts, the Arnolt-AM is arcane. There were, […]
Rules-Royce “Silver Ghost”: R-R’s 40 – 50 HP: Before there was the name, there was quality
History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek March 14, 1988 What a name! It has magic to it, that certain…rightness. Righteousness, even as good as the car itself. Surely a tag like Silver Ghost sold many a Rolls-Royce. Sure. Except that Rolls-Royce never built a model called the Silver Ghost, never cataloged one, never sold one. […]
What They’re Saying