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 […]
Merkur XR4Ti: The T-Bird’s continental cousin
History/buyer’s guide originally published in European Car, August 1996 Anyone partial to European mobiles was all the more frustrated by the new Ford Sierra XR-4i. The Sierra debuted in 1983, replacing the Cortina and Taunus , and the XR-4i was its high-performance variant. Reports filtered back to the states about the fast and funky new […]
Volkswagen Corrado G60 and SLC: The short run of a German sprinter
History/driving impressions originally published in Sport Compact Car, August 1999 Volkswagen called it the Corrado, allegedly from the Spanish correr, to sprint or run. And the new coupe, having its debut in the fall of 1989 as a 1990 model, had the no waste, and just put the leftovers in the trash bin. It followed […]
1992 Eagle Talon TSi AWD: Now all the grip with twice the grins
Contemporary review originally published in Road & Track Special Sports & GT Cars 1992 If two years seems like a short lifecycle, that only shows you how tough the competition is. Though major re-skins used to be an annual affair for American car builders, that was a long time ago. It’s almost a surprise, then, […]
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 […]
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 along, as comfortable as a Divine Right king in an election year and twice is safe. I am securely fastened in the passenger seat by the wide lap belt, and […]
What They’re Saying