Bullet No. 2 Archives - America's Car Blog By John Matras

Is Today’s Jeep Still a Jeep? The 1991 Jeep Wrangler doesn’t forget 1941 Jeep MB war vet ancestor. That’s good and bad.

Contemporary review/history originally published in AutoWeek April 22, 1991 So the Jeep is 50 years old. For a motor vehicle, or for just about anything…

Matra-Simca Bagheera: Matra à trois

History originally published in AutoWeek March 19,1984 In the lexicon of animal names written upon the fenders and flanks of automobiles, rarely is there a…

1968 Alfa Romeo T33 Stradale: Dancing-in-the-street version of a prototype

History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek February 1, 1999; republished by the author Like a persistent back-seat driver, the 2.0-liter V8 yammers incessantly. Sucking air…

1992-1996 Mazda MX-3 GS: Do the math

History/driving impressions originally published in Sport Compact Car February 2002 Do the math. MX-5 plus RX-7 divided by two equals MX-3. Well, the Mazda MX-3…

1992-1994 Acura Vigor: Silent Running

History/driving impressions originally published in Sport Compact Car, October 2000; republished by the author It’s as if Acura had tossed a stone in a pond…

Dodge Diamante: “Chrysler Corvette” never got beyond Mopar show car

History originally published in AutoWeek September 11, 1989 To have worked for Dodge in the ‘60s and to have the Hemi, and then look at…

1912 Simplex 50 HP Tourabout: Quality construction, sporting luxury powered by 10 liters

History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek July 20, 1987 Rolling down the highway at 50 mph, the only sounds come from the wind as it…

1954 Volkswagen-Okrasa Cabrio: A rare survivor of the hot-rodded Beetles of the 50s

History originally published in AutoWeek June 19, 1989 We have become so accustomed to the radically modified VW – it approaches minor religion status in…

1967 Dodge Dart GT convertible: Piece of Americana goes grand touring and topless

History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek February 9, 1989 Certainly “turbo” was the most overused automotive term of the 1980s, misapplied to everything from computers…

MGA Coupe: A junior GT for road or track

History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek April 27, 1987 I never quite understood why Julius Caesar wanted to conquer the British Isles. It never seemed…

1929 Nash Model 461 Cabriolet: “The Car with the Twin-Ignition Motor”

History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek December 24, 2001 Harold Metzger gently chided me for having chirp the tires of his 29 – Cabriolet. “Well,…

Ginetta G4: Not a Car for the Dilettante

Originally published in AutoWeek, November 22, 1982 I look in the tiny dash-mounted rear view mirror and all I see is a grill-mounted Chevy bow-tie.…

Kermit the Bentley: It’s not easy being green

History originally published in AutoWeek December 10, 1984 “Back in the mid-1950s a young man in England named Collin Hiley was apprenticed to Rolls-Royce Aero…

Bahn-bound Buick: Bulgari takes on the Bavarians in a ’70 Skylark GS-455

Originally published in AutoWeek November 26, 2001 Warning: BMWs and Mercedes drivers on the autobahn, you’re about to experience “Detroit iron” in a way you…

Mercedes-Benz 300SL: The class of ‘54

History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek October 15, 1984 At 90 mph on the sparsely traveled two-lane highway, the big Mercedes is at ease, loping…

MGA Twin Cam: Perfect for the Perfectionist

Originally published in AutoWeek December 13, 1982 1959 MGA Twin Cam; photos by John Matras Pity the poor MGA Twin Cam. Imagine: four years, count…

1993 Jaguar XJR-S: Delicious decadence

Contemporary review originally published in Road & Track Sport and GT Cars 1993 The six-cylinder XJS makes sense, but I have to admit I was…

Kaz’s DAFs

Vintage Stuff feature originally published in Automobile August 1992 The electronic continuously variable transmission (ECVT) on today’s Subarus first appeared in the Sixties on Dutch…

Hot Foot at Talladega: Record setting in the Saab 900

Event report riginally published in Automobile Quarterly Volume 36, Number 3; May 1997 “For my next act, I will set myself on fire.” So said…

1903 Winton Bullet #2: Alexander Winton’s Great Red Hope

Originally published in AutoWeek February 1, 1982 Alexander Winton in the Winton Bullet No. 2; Contemporary photograph, public domain It was…unexpected. The hood is broad…

Bullet No. 2

1903 Winton Bullet #2: Alexander Winton’s Great Red Hope

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Is Today’s Jeep Still a Jeep? The 1991 Jeep Wrangler doesn’t forget 1941 Jeep MB war vet ancestor. That’s good and bad.

Matra-Simca Bagheera: Matra à trois

1968 Alfa Romeo T33 Stradale: Dancing-in-the-street version of a prototype

1992-1996 Mazda MX-3 GS: Do the math

1992-1994 Acura Vigor: Silent Running

Dodge Diamante: “Chrysler Corvette” never got beyond Mopar show car

1912 Simplex 50 HP Tourabout: Quality construction, sporting luxury powered by 10 liters

1954 Volkswagen-Okrasa Cabrio: A rare survivor of the hot-rodded Beetles of the 50s

1967 Dodge Dart GT convertible: Piece of Americana goes grand touring and topless

MGA Coupe: A junior GT for road or track

1929 Nash Model 461 Cabriolet: “The Car with the Twin-Ignition Motor”

Ginetta G4: Not a Car for the Dilettante

Kermit the Bentley: It’s not easy being green

Bahn-bound Buick: Bulgari takes on the Bavarians in a ’70 Skylark GS-455

Mercedes-Benz 300SL: The class of ‘54

MGA Twin Cam: Perfect for the Perfectionist

1993 Jaguar XJR-S: Delicious decadence

Kaz’s DAFs

Hot Foot at Talladega: Record setting in the Saab 900

1903 Winton Bullet #2: Alexander Winton’s Great Red Hope

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1992-1994 Acura Vigor: Silent Running