MotorTrend July 1978

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been the target of much controversy over its published fuel economy figures. This criticism of the estimated mileage numbers is based on the widespread feeling that the estimates are unrealistically high. The EPA began providing potential new-car buyers with estimated mileage figures back in 1973, but in 1976 Congress made new-car mileage labels mandatory, and this, more than likely, is where the major problem lies. It is safe to assume the uninformed motorist would expect his vehicle to match the EPA numbers. When it doesn’t, he becomes confused and begins bellowing, beginning with his dealer. Of course, the degree to which one becomes irate over this issue pretty much determines the lengths to which he will go to find out what the EPA figures…

Because auto makers have constantly complained that they never know what the government has up its sleeve next, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has helped sharpen their crystal balls by issuing a new plan which details all the safety and fuel economy standards expected to be issued in the next five years. Not suprisihgly, the four areas accorded the highest priority are more side impact protection, extending passenger car safety standards to light trucks and vans, reducing pedestrian fatalities, and improving brakes on both cars and trucks. According to the agency’s estimate, 20,000 lives a year are lost in these areas. In establishing priorities, NHTSA says it considered the number of deaths and injuries, availability of practical solutions, research and engineering data, anticipated cost to consumers and industry,…

There is big, and there is big. So you may not think the Honda Accord® is a big car. After all, it’s only 162.8 inches long. And that’s a good deal shorter than the Chevrolet Monza’s 178.6 inches. But the outside dimensions of a car don’t always tell you how big it is inside. And that’s where the Accord may surprise you. Like all Hondas, the Accord has a transverse-mounted engine with front-wheel drive. This means the engine is tucked away up front, out of the way, and there is no drive shaft to the rear wheels. The space we save by this configuration is turned over to our passengers in the form of roominess and comfort. With the rear seat folded down, the Accord converts to a roomy cargo…

FEEDBACK Carl Ludvigsen’s article on the Billy Mitchell Phantom (March) said, “There’s no chance that Pontiac or GM will produce anything like Billy Mitchell’s Phantom.” Why not? Money could not buy the publicity this car would create for GM. If the founding fathers of Lake Havasu City could move the London Bridge to the Arizona desert and put it back together, surely any GM vice president could orchestrate the Phantom with little more than a secretary and two office boys. The volume of foreign cars sold in this country indicates how hungry we are for something different from standard Detroit boxes. Why, in this time of famine, can’t the world’s biggest car manufacturer afford to throw this juicy bone to the marketplace? Myron MooreLake Havasu City, Ariz. Easy for you…

Ford appears to be backing up the use of V-8 engines in future domestic passenger cars and has allocated millions to increase production of small V-8s over the next few years. FORD BACKS THE V-8 Despite the fact that federal fuel economy standards in the 1980s will favor 6- and 4-cylinder engines, Ford’s philosophy seems to be: “The public wants V-8s; therefore, we should try to make them available.” The fact that the public does, indeed, still appreciate the power and performance of V-8s is exemplified by the popularity of Ford’s 8-cylinder-engine-equipped Mercury Z-7 sports coupe. We understand that 35-40% of Z-7 buyers are ordering the car with the optional V-8. Plans for ‘79 are to supply its new shrunken standard-size cars with V-8 engines as standard equipment. These new…

FIRST PHOTO: PORSCHE 924 TURBO A casual glance could allow this to slip by as just another Porsche 924, but a discerning eye will detect the telltale air vents along the nose and the scoop on the hood which reveal this to be the long-rumored turbocharged 924. Porsche still won’t admit to its existence, but our spy in Europe who shot this little beauty claimed there were several running about the Porsche Research and Development Center at Weisach. Informed sources say the turbocharged version will have 15-inch wheels and will develop somewhere in the vicinity of 160 hp in U.S. federal trim. Introduction expected in 1979. VOLVO RETURNS OFFICIALLY TO RACING AB Volvo of Gothenburg, Sweden, has returned to active motorsports competition after an absence of more than 10 years.…