voupr Archives - A Career of Great Car Articles by John Matras

1956 Chrysler New Yorker: Styled in a flight of fancy, but the power was very real

History originally published in AutoWeek October 31, 1988 Chrysler called it “Flightswept” and although 1956 didn’t bring the ultimate in befinned automotive extravaganzas from Chrysler…

Mazda RX-7 convertible conversion, 1979-1987: Pacific Avatar and the Topless Californians

Originally included in Mazda RX-7 Sports Car Color History, by John Matras, published by Motorbooks International, 1994; republished by the author Just looking at the…

1955 Packard 400: A very nice place to be

History originally published in AutoWeek August 5, 2002 By 1955, Packard was on the ropes. Like a champ who had seen better days, the company…

Maserati 3500GTI: Six for the road

History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek April 1, 1985 I really had no alternative. The only reasonable thing to do was to down shift to…

Cord 810 Westchester: Wurlitzer on wheels

History originally published September 7, 1984 America was a different place in the Thirties. It was a land of coal and coke, iron and steel.…

‘57 Ford Stocker: NASCAR veteran runs again

History/track driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek November 13, 1986; republished by the author I pulled a knob on the dash turn on the ignition…

1994 Suzuki Samurai: The cute brute

Feature/review originally published in Road & Track Complete Sport-Utility, Pickup & Van Buyers Guide 1994 So it looks like an oversized Lego project. That’s half…

1959 Deutsch-Bonnet HBR5: Frenchmen team for Panhard-powered bulbous bullet

History originally published in AutoWeek October 15, 1990 Charles Deutsch was the designer and Rene Bonnet made the engines go faster, together these two Frenchmen…

Ferrari Testa Rossa TR250: What but lust and desire can a redhead inspire?

History originally published in AutoWeek January 30, 1984 Let’s talk desire. Let’s talk lust. Let’s talk Testa Rossa. Ferrari Testa Rossa, of course, for no…

1984 Audi Sport Quattro: Ingolstad’s civilized rally car proves a “Thriller B”

History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek April 26, 1993; republished by the author Audi excised 12.6 inches from the wheelbase of the standard Quattro coupe…

1973 Fiat 124 Sport Coupe: What’s not to like

Feature originally published in European Car July 1994 Double overhead cams, tidy handling, Italian style: what’s not to like? Well, how about emissions controls as…

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…

Meskowski dirt car: AJ Foyt’s training wheels

History originally published in AutoWeek July 30, 1984 Highway 51 rides the backbone of America. The southern end is anchored at New Orleans, the other…

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.…

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…

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…

1975 Toyota Corolla Deluxe: The first “new Beetle”

History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek April 24, 1999; republished by the author Something amazing happened in 1975. For the first time in two decades,…

Alfa Romeo GTA: Less is more

History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek April 14, 1986 There is not much to the interior of an Alfa Romeo GTA. Memory fails all but…

Saab 93B: The Saab America loved first

History/driving impressions originally published in European Car August 1995; republished by the author The first Saab to come to America, at least officially, was a…

Sixty-Three and Counting (Mac McGrady’s Nash-Healeys)

His addiction began in 1953, explains Leonard Nelson “Mac” McGrady. As a son of an automobile dealer, McGrady had seen many cars, but when he…

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