Feature originally published in Popular Science August at 2002, republished by author To listen to automakers snipe about tightening fuel economy standards, you’d think it impossible to squeeze more miles from a barrel of Extract of Arabia. This, of course, is not the case, particularly if you design a vehicle expressly to drive far and […]
1956 Morgan Plus-4: Old-fashioned at birth, it was a winner right out of the box
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 […]
1978 Dodge Li’l Red Truck: A red-hot hauler
History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek March 2, 1987 Overlap, overlap, overlap, the V-8 whispers, telling secrets about its camshaft, gently rocking the truck with the merest suggestion of motion. The column shift lever is at D, forward movement prevented by my right foot on the brake pedal. As light turns green I release the […]
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 […]
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