Cobra 289 Archives - America's Car Blog By John Matras

2007 Audi RS4: Outrunning noise

New car review originally published in CarBuzzard.com December 5, 2006 To the teenager with the slammed and primered Honda at the Sheetz gas station in…

Ferrari 330 GTC: A sexy, sophisticated 12-cylinder grand touring car

History originally published in AutoWeek December 21, 1987 In the early autumn when the wind begins to blow and the leaves began to scurry before…

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.…

The First Off Roaders: Did these folks have the roughest of all off-road conditions?

History originally published in Pickup Van & 4WD September 1981 “it is particularly important that the tires be a very large section, generally much larger…

Ferrari Mondial t Cabriolet Valeo: Now available with the Valeo electronic clutch

Originally published in the 1991 Road & Track Ferrari Special. Suspicion in Maranello is that, with no automatic transmission in the Ferrari line, the market…

Armed and Crazy

Feature originally published in Truckin’ March 1983 The energy crisis, while also affecting things like the price of home heating oil, along with the dual…

1997 Acura NSX

Originally published in The Complete Road & Track ’97 Car Buyer’s Guide; republished by the author Back in the mid-60’s, a serious sports car had…

Volvo 122-S and 123GT, Sporty Volvos: Did You Say Peppy, or Preppy?

History originally published in AutoWeek, January 9, 1984 By some strange twist of circumstances, the automobiles produced by one Swedish manufacturer have come to represent…

1983 Ferrari BB512i: “In the clearing stands a Boxer…” – A supercar champ

History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek October 19, 1992 Not for its tough guy mien was this heavyweight contender dubbed Boxer. It was for the…

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…

Rules-Royce “Silver Ghost”: R-R’s 40 – 50 HP: Before there was the name, there was quality

History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek March 14, 1988 What a name! It has magic to it, that certain…rightness. Righteousness, even as good as the…

Ferrari 250GT Spyder California: A Ferrari for the Club, even if the Club is LeMans

Originally published in AutoWeek August 12, 1985 They don’t build elegant race cars anymore. Sophisticated lines don’t mesh with the crunch and thrust of modern…

1951 Mercedes-Benz 170S Cabriolet: Playing survivor

History originally published in AutoWeek September 24, 2001 Allied bombing had done its best to destroy the ability of the Third Reich to wage war.…

The Arnolt-Bristol: an all-American sports car, via Bristol and Bertone

History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek, on May 23, 1988; republished by the author There probably never was in Arnolt-Bristol like Dave Hans’s back in…

1993 Ford Bronco: The big-selling, big ute

Review originally published in Road & Track Sport-Utilities Pickups & Vans Buyer’s Guide 1993; republished by the author. With all the hoopla surrounding Ford’s Explorer…

Review: 1994 Toyota Supra

Review originally published in Road and Track Specials 1994 Buyers Guide You can see it in their eyes, from the round-eyed wonder of little boys,…

1976-1983 Renault 5 Le Car

History originally published in Sport Compact Car November 1998; republished by the author Shakespeare said, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”…

Kibler Aircar

Originally published in Automobile, February 1988 Behind John Kibler’s head is a 400-cubic-inch V-8 rescued from a 1971 Chevy Kingswood station wagon. Its roar, however,…

1983 Volvo Limited Edition 240 Turbo, the “Flat Hood”

History originally published in the Illustrated Volvo Buyer’s Guide, 1983, by John Matras; republished by the author The 1983 Volvo Limited Edition 240 Turbo is…

Saab Sonett II: Different strokes from Swedish folks

History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek June 9, 1986 Bound in this white plastic projectile I dance on the offset pedals and coax the stubborn…

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2007 Audi RS4: Outrunning noise

Ferrari 330 GTC: A sexy, sophisticated 12-cylinder grand touring car

Volvo V70 Hunter Arctic Tested

The First Off Roaders: Did these folks have the roughest of all off-road conditions?

Ferrari Mondial t Cabriolet Valeo: Now available with the Valeo electronic clutch

Armed and Crazy

1997 Acura NSX

Volvo 122-S and 123GT, Sporty Volvos: Did You Say Peppy, or Preppy?

1983 Ferrari BB512i: “In the clearing stands a Boxer…” – A supercar champ

Hot Foot at Talladega: Record setting in the Saab 900

Rules-Royce “Silver Ghost”: R-R’s 40 – 50 HP: Before there was the name, there was quality

Ferrari 250GT Spyder California: A Ferrari for the Club, even if the Club is LeMans

1951 Mercedes-Benz 170S Cabriolet: Playing survivor

The Arnolt-Bristol: an all-American sports car, via Bristol and Bertone

1993 Ford Bronco: The big-selling, big ute

Review: 1994 Toyota Supra

1976-1983 Renault 5 Le Car

Kibler Aircar

1983 Volvo Limited Edition 240 Turbo, the “Flat Hood”

Saab Sonett II: Different strokes from Swedish folks

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1956 Lancia Aurelia Spyder: Simple, golden

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