History originally published in Sport Compact Car October 1996; republished by the author. No matter how fine you hone your products, if the market has moved on to something else, you’re dead. The best widgets in the world are useless if they been replaced by framuses. That was the dilemma facing Toyo Kogyo , as […]
Ferrari 250 GTO: Star-crossed racer’s day in the sun ends in the pits
History originally published in Road & Track Specials Ferrari 1990; republished by the author Embedded in a sandbank at the end of the Mulsanne straight is a hell of a way to start a 24-hour race, particularly a Ferrari team car with the second-fastest time in qualifying and a real chance at an overall win. […]
1969 Dodge Dart GTS 383: A high-water mark of straight-line performance
History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek January 15, 1990; republished by the author Crank the steering wheel around at least a couple of times, gingerly let out the heavy clutch and edge up the revs just a bit. The big V-8 chuffles and the car edges forward and around, out onto the narrow two-lane blacktop […]
The First Automobile Race in America: Chicago, November 28, 1895
Originally published in Automobile, February, 1991; republished by the author “As impassable as the alleys of Stamboul; as filthy and mucky as the roads of the province of Nagpur.” Everywhere there were “pools of yellow slime.” The streets were paved, but the mud and slush lay in furloughs and windows. It was Chicago, and the […]
The De Tomaso Mangusta: The best car in the world, the worst car in the world
History/driving impressions originally published AutoWeek October 26, 1988; republished by the author The De Tomaso Mangusta. All the visual impact of the wrong end of Dirty Harry’s gun. Organic as a cat, fluid as a crayon on the sidewalk on August 15. Slick in the dorsal region and thick in the haunches. Colored Revlon’s best […]
BMW “Batmobile” 3.0 CSL: Lapping Lime Rock in a LeMans-winning race car
History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek June 22, 1987; republished by the author. BMW “Batmobile” 3.0 CSL driven by Richard Conway, photo by John Matras The public address system blares as Richard Conway finishes strapping me into his car. I am about to drive a few laps at the BMW Vintage Fall Festival at Lime […]
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