Hot Foot at Talladega: Record setting in the Saab 900
“For my next act, I will set myself on fire.” So said Craig Breedlove after one of his speed records went awry. That was what I did not want to do when Saab invited me – along with 119 other…
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1958 Volvo TP21 Sugga: A piggish hybrid
Swedish soldiers called it “sugga,” or “the sow,” but you always hurt the one you love, they say. The official Volvo designation for the four-wheel-drive radio and command car was Volvo TP21, and the Volvo TP21 Sugga nickname came not…
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1998 Volvo C70 Coupe and Convertible
coup de main: a sudden action undertaken to surprise an enemy coupe from Volvo, noun: a surprising action undertaken to please everyone but the competition After years – decades even – of utilitarian sedans and wagons, Volvo is cutting loose…
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Saab The Monster: Saab goes double or nothing
History originally published in AutoWeek July 19, 1999; republished by the author It looks so innocent, like any other Saab 93 there in the Saab Bilmuseum. But with its hood lifted off and set aside, something appears amiss. Saab aficionados…
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1967-73 Saab 96 Sport & Rally: Swedes maximize potency of “stunt plane for the road”
Eager and alert and minus only wings, tail structure and propeller, this Saab 96 resembles a stunt plane, striking in brilliant red paint, contours rounded and aerodynamic, fat tires stuffed into spat-like fenders. The analogy goes beyond external appearances: The…
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Saab 93B: The Saab America loved first
History/driving impressions originally published in European Car August 1995; republished by the author The first Saab to come to America, at least officially, was a 93. It was an unusual addition to the automotive landscape. To a continent rife with…
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The Great Volvo Sports Car: Buying the Volvo 1800 Series
History and buyer’s guide originally published in European Car in August 1993; republished by the author “What’s it like to own a $10,000 car?” Volvo asked the question in a magazine ad and answered it with “Find out for $3995”…
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1983 Volvo Limited Edition 240 Turbo, the “Flat Hood”
The 1983 Volvo Limited Edition 240 Turbo is called the “Flat Hood” because it has a flat hood. If politics makes strange bedfellows – keep your prurient thoughts to yourself – then racing makes unusual variants available to car buyers….
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Volvo V70 Hunter Arctic Tested
Review/driving impressions originally published in Road & Track’s Open Road, Spring 1997; republished by the author There isn’t much Norway north or east of here. We are so close to the Russian border that we can see a Red Army…
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1927 Volvo PV4: The first boxy Volvo
History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek April 1, 2002 Volvo’s first sedan was immediately disowned by Helmer MasOlle. The landscape and portrait painter – and car enthusiast – had indeed designed a prototype sedan and its touring car counterpart. He…
