History originally published in Sport Compact Car December 1996 The Datsun 240Z is famous for its design, but nothing comes out of nowhere and that’s as true for the Z-car as it is anything else. The obvious predecessor to the Z is the 1500/1600/2000 Datsun roadster (read more about the 2000 roadster here) series, and […]
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 horizontally opposed, flat 12-cylinder engine mounted beneath that rear deck, the double lumps for clearance of the upper engine bits. The official name was Ferrari BB512I, B for Berlinetta – […]
Shelby GT350H: Let Hertz put you in the (race) driver’s seat
History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek January 25, 1988. “Business travelers who want a change in pace in motoring… Sports car owners away from home… Vacationers who consider driving an enjoyable holiday sport.” Lace up your stringback gloves, gentlemen. The Hertz Sports Car Club puts you in the driver’s seat of a GT 350 H […]
A pair of Porsches: Super-90 and Carrera 2
History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek June 23, 1986 This isn’t a history of Porsche. It isn’t history of the 356 or even the 356B. That’s been done and done well elsewhere. What this is is simply a comparison of two Porsches, a 1962 356B Super-90 coupe and a 1963 Carrera 2 Cabriolet. It is […]
Ghia-Aigle Grand Sport Coupe: A bit of coachbuilding whimsy from the prosaic Swiss
History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek December 12. 1988 Every Italian with a hammer and a tree stump is a body man, and in Italy two tree stumps together is a carrozzeria turning out wild, wonderful and, sometimes, strange shapes. But in practical Switzerland, where one grows up making multijewel watches or pocket knives that […]
Oldsmobile XP-888GT: Oldsmobile’s stillborn sports car
History originally published in Automobile Quarterly Volume 36, Number 2; February 1997 Carmakers usually keep a shroud of secrecy over future products, as it’s unwise to tip your hand in the poker game of the automobile market. Why let the other guy know what you have in hand? Whether smashingly bold or more of the […]
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