Indholdsfortegnelse for December 1981 i MotorTrend

FORD CONVERTIBLE UPDATE Despite published reports to the contrary, it looks like Ford Motor Company will be able to offer customers genuine Mustang convertibles before 1983 after all. Sources in Detroit confirm that Cars & Concepts of Brighton, Michigan, the company that will build Chrysler LeBaron convertibles for early spring introduction, will be the contractor for a fleet of Mustang ragtops. Production startup is slated for April of next year. The full convertible versions of Ford’s EXP and LN7 for 1982 will not have factory blessings, although a number of Florida and California converters have these programs underway. Ford does plan a factory authorized “targa” version of the 2-seater front-drives for 1983, however. The ’83 EXP/LN7 line is also slated to get the 2.3-liter “Penta” engine as an option. CHRYSLER…

Okay, students, place your tongues against your upper central incisors and repeat the following: NEE sahn. No, no, no, not niss-ann. NEE sahn. Yes, we know there’s nothing wrong with the name Datsun. Yes, we know that 22 years and countless millions of bucks have gone into establishing the Datsun name on these shores. Yes, it’s true that this name—originally Datson—goes all the way back to 1930. But what the hell, it’s only money and the change will do you good. NEE sahn. Basically, what Nissan is after here—to the considerable dismay of its 1,100 U.S. dealers—is a more uniform international identity. And since the name of the firm really is Nissan, it seemed reasonable to president Takashi Ishihara and his colleagues on the company’s board of directors to bring…

We lit them off and rolled at dawn. Well, actually it wasn’t really dawn anymore, because we had to hit the car wash. Can’t have you guys looking at dirty exotics, right? So 10 o’clock then. Wait a minute, where’s the Corvette? At the airport? Okay, make that 10:30. Naturally, there was confusion about the route. But by noon we were all well clear of the visible atmosphere of Los Angeles, standing at a country crossroads talking cars, etc. Well, actually three of us were standing at a country crossroads talking cars, etc. This trio consisted of the drivers, of the Maserati Merak, Ferrari Mondial, and Porsche 928. But we knew the other two guys would be along any minute, right? Sure. And they were. The yellow Corvette popped out…

With the introduction of the 1982 Eldorado Touring Coupe, Cadillac has broken with nine decades of traditional American luxury car packaging ideas and taken aim at the new market and the new buyer. The new Eldo is the first Cadillac in history to wear a thoroughly coordinated highway handling package and a “something special” cosmetic package. The Eldorado TC will come only one way: in sterling silver metallic paint with a slate grey leather interior and a painted, not vinyl-covered, roof. Every TC version will also have ribbed rocker panel moldings, blackwall P225/70R15 steel-belted radial tires, aluminum wheels, and a trio of cloisonne medallions, one on the hood and two on the sail panels. All Touring Coupes will use the HT4100 system. This includes the new 4.1-liter digital-fuel-injection aluminum V-8…

Let’s roll the film back and stop it somewhere in the early ’70s when the American station wagon was at its peak. Remember the posh LTD Country Squire? Who could forget the wickedly consumptive Olds 98 Custom Cruiser? Supermarket chic in a splendidly huge wrapper. Considering its size, one hastened to think of the station wagon as being purely sedentary, as a way-station, an outpost, and a good, safe place to be. But whenever the leviathan moved, it was at its most graceful traveling in a straight line. Spaciousness coupled with a smooth, comfortable, pillowy ride was its forte; the ability to sweep through tight turns and provide afterburner acceleration was purely against the laws of nature. For decades the station wagon has been the unwitting bearer of runny-nosed kids,…

This year marked the end of one era and the start of another in the history of the California 500. When time finally ran out on the financially troubled Ontario Motor Speedway, CART officials decided to move the Los Angeles Times-sponsored Cal 500 from the Big O’s 2.5-mile high-speed oval to the challenging road course of nearby Riverside Raceway. It was the first time that Indy cars had appeared there since 1969. In deference to this grueling new venue, the race length was trimmed from 500 miles to 500 kilometers. But even with this reduction, insiders were predicting that 313.5 miles of racing around the 3.3-mile circuit would take the measure of most entrants. Temperatures that flirted with the century mark only added to the drama of the scenario. The…

PORSCHE 960: EVEN THE NHTSA CAN LOVE THIS ONE It looks like a 928 with a bad case of junkyard termites, but what you’re really looking at here is a Porsche research vehicle that was displayed at the recent Frankfurt show. Dubbed 960, the project embodies quite a number of technological advances in the area of’safety, weight savings, and improved fuel efficiency. Two of the more impressive safety touches—the twin tube frame members on either side of the engine and the glass-reinforced plastic bumper—are visible in section in the Porsche cutaway. The bumper, which is wrapped with glass fiber aligned in the direction of stress, is capable of absorbing two to three times the impact energy of a conventional system with about 10 lb. less weight. Porsche also calculates that…

Opel’s new front-drive J-car, the Ascona, is one more brick in the structure of GM’s world offensive. Though you won’t see the Ascona here in the States, it is an important part of what GM refers to as its World Car Concept. This is a plan based on the premise that no single car can possibly satisfy all the demands of car buyers worldwide. Thus, GM will meet the needs of particular markets by offering a broad range of interchangeable parts, which can be built into a modified package and aimed at a specific market. Just as Chevrolet, Pontiac and Cadillac have designed their J-cars to satisfy particular sectors of the U.S. market, the new Opel is the first of a variety of cars to be aimed at European and…

Already you’re sighing, “Here they go again, teasing me with another tantalizing European car that we can’t get over here.” Oye of little faith. Yes, the 323i Cabriolet examined here seduces all who drive it with its free-spirited Continental flair. And true, Bayerische Motoren Werke AG considers it a Europe-only commodity. But this time the story does not end there. A quiet program is taking shape that will bring together a few fortunate U.S. enthusiasts and this covetable streaker—a car that looks like the 320i that everyone is buying in this country, but that is obviously very, very special. America’s busiest BMW outlet, Century Motor Sales of Alhambra, California, is the protagonist, as it was for last month’s introduction of the 50-state-legal 320i Turbo. The groundwork has been completed for…

SHOOTING ACTION In the opening chapter of Cars & Cameras, we looked at some common tools of the trade and got acquainted with the basic elements involved in photographing automobiles. In this, the second of three installments, we’ll deal with specific applications and present some widely used techniques to give your photos that professional look and feel. Emphasis will be placed on both action and static photography. We’ll also explore the world of creative filters and offer advice on a number of other practical concerns likely to confront an automotive photographer. Photographing cars in motion involves striking a delicate balance among several elements. Whether on the street or the track, cars tend to take on a far different appearance when their tires and suspensions are performing at, or near, their…

Economist John Kenneth Galbraith wrote, “People are the common denominator of progress.” Well, for automotive critics, enthusiasts, and consumers, Mr. Galbraith’s own field of economics is the common denominator of progress. Specifically, the economics of energy. For efficiency has become the Holy Grail of auto makers the world over. Although the technology they employ in its pursuit can appear frightfully complex and expensive, those of us buying and driving the products benefit from their efforts. In September, Motor Trend previewed the new-year developments from America’s automotive industry and found high technology the persistent theme. This month we look across the waters to introduce the new offerings from import manufacturers for 1982. And once again technological progress is the story’s headline. Microprocessor electronics play a vital and ever-widening role in imported…

DOT CONTINUES CRASH TESTS In its first action to stir displeasure among auto makers, the Reagan Transportation Department has reopened a can of worms left behind by Joan Claybrook, and reluctantly released the latest results of new car crash tests. Even though DOT Secretary Drew Lewis condemned and canceled Claybrook’s hotly requested consumer guide, “The Car Book,” for its anti-industry stance and inaccuracies in the crash tests, there apparently was never any intention to end the tests themselves. What the agency had wanted, and did not get, was time to improve and thoroughly validate the fests. Automotive News and The Washington Post forced the issue when they published preliminary test results obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests. The test results officially issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration…

In 1977, Chevrolet, barometer and banner carrier for GM, brought a new word into the vocabulary: downsizing. The ’77 full-size Chevrolet was 600 lb. lighter and 10 in. shorter than the car it replaced. In 1978, the intermediate Malibu got the same treatment, losing more than 800 lb. and a foot of length. Again in 1979, the Nova was downsized and changed to front-wheel-drive in the process. It came out 20 in. shorter and several hundred pounds lighter, and became the Citation. In the spring of 1981, the Monza series was downsized and converted to front-drive as the Cavalier. The new car was some 7.1 in. shorter and a couple of hundred pounds lighter. Next month, when the Celebrity bows in as a replacement for the Malibu, last downsized in…

It doesn’t figure that David Thieme, American oil hustler (Essex Petroleum) and all-around Lotus sponsor, was truly thrilled to be picked up by the Swiss police the other day on charges of messing with the account books. But you have to give him this. At the same time they busted David, the Swiss federales snaffled his $750,000, tripledecker, paddock bus-cum-bedroom-cumbar. Whatever else they have to say about David’s behavior at the upcoming trial, they can’t accuse him of blowing his money on The Wrong Stuff. David Thieme gets an “A” in Right Stuff. Old time racing photographer Edwin Ingalls, who likes to look the part of a down-at-the-mule Comstock prospector when he drives to Mo-sport or Daytona in his ’51 Jimmy pickup, gets another “A.” Garvin Brown, a confirmed member…

Of the three GM divisions that compete for the middle and upper segments of the domestic car market—Buick, Oldsmobile and Cadillac—Buick has been by far the most aggressive in attempting to change its image in the minds of younger buyers. In years past, Buick was the symbol of older, traditional affluence, a car for families that were comfortable but had no desire for the even-more-symbolic Cadillac. But in the last half-decade, that image has changed radically. Buick body shells have become a NASCAR mainstay. Buicks have been the pace cars for three of the last six Indianapolis 500 races. Buick has become the leading producer of high-technology V-6 engines, and the undisputed leader in the production of turbocharged engines, the notice of the automotive and the hot rodding community, as…

The BMW people have had mixed fortunes with their Ml super car. First their high-priced 400 homologation units sold as slowly as tours to Iran. Then, when the price was slashed and they got onto the European Pro Car racing circuit, the company couldn’t build them fast enough to keep pace with the destruction. But the car was nevertheless short of its twin goals: ending Porsche’s long domination, and meeting the rising challenge of the new turbo Capris. One concerned observer of the Ml’s continuing struggle was long-time BMW racer Herbert Schnitzer. Against growing evidence to the contrary, he believed an Ml could be built that would compete on a par with the ever more successful Zak-speed Capri. And he was at least partly correct; his car, the subject of…

The name is all but forgotten now, having vanished like a scene of pastoral serenity. But to aficionados and connoisseurs of classic automobiles, the name Packard still evokes visions of grandeur, elegance and luxury. Their perspectives may be distorted; their image of the marque has never been focused by a view of the road rushing, at previously unheard-of speeds, toward a long hood which enclosed a mighty V-12 engine. Nor have they experienced the excitement of the President of the United States traveling to his inauguration in a Packard Twin-Six. Nor has the sight of celebrities, royalty, gangsters and business tycoons venturing about in chauffer-driven dual-cowl phaetons been impressed in their memories. Once the most successful of the American luxury cars, Packard has come to symbolize the automobile as experienced,…