History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek October 22, 1990; republished by the author Growing up in the ‘60s, you were a Ford guy, a Chevy guy, or maybe – if you are real free thinker – a Chrysler guy. But nobody was an American Motors guy – or at least would admit to it very […]
Special Edition’s Shogun: Here’s to crazy ideas
History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek April 24, 2000; republished by the author “By the fifth Corona it seem like a bitchin’ idea,” Rick Titus chuckled. But the problem with bench racing Chuck Beck, he added, is that Beck has the skills to execute what most of us would just propose and forget. So with […]
1913 Zinn-Buick racer: Re-bodied Model 24 roadster lays claim to longevity
History originally published in AutoWeek March 13, 1989; republished by the author Zinn – Eugene “Huey” Zinn, that is – doesn’t exactly spring to mind when the great names of racing are mentioned. Nor does Buick, despite all the money Buick has spent in NASCAR and CART and IMSA lately. If anything, Buicks have been […]
1980 Dodge Omni 024 De Tomaso: Phony Label but Still Avant Garde
History originally published in Sport Compact Car June 1998; republished by the author It should have been no surprise that in 1978 when Chrysler introduced its first homegrown front-drive subcompacts – the Dodge Omni and Plymouth Horizon – it would follow later in the year with a pair of two-door coupes. Called the Dodge Omni […]
Hemi Under Glass: Sometimes a design mistake lives forever – if it’s spectacular enough to keep packin’ ’em in
Feature originally published in AutoWeek, July 15, 1985; republished by the author The two drivers are buckled in and helmeted. Each cranks the giant Chevy motor, mere inches behind his back, and it responds with the vigor and volume of a Midwestern thunderstorm, power that can be felt at 50 paces and sound that vibrates […]
Asardo 3500 GM-S: Dream car went from ’59 N.Y. show to GM V-8 power
History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek April 30, 1990; republished by the author Dreams are wisps of fantasy, but to the true believer they’re as tangible as steel. The Asardo was Helmut Schlosser’s dream and its name an acronym of American Special Automotive Research and Development Organization. Schlosser was a naturalized American of Austrian birth […]
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