Indholdsfortegnelse for January 1982 i MotorTrend

NISSAN’S PREMIER HIGHPERFORMANCE CAR CHOOSES GOODYEAR’S HIGH-FLYING EAGLE TIRES. ON THE TRACK AND NOW ON THE ROAD. When the Bob Sharp Datsun Turbo takes to the racetrack it does so on Goodyear racing Eagles. And when Datsun’s new 280ZX T-top takes to the streets of America, it will do so on Goodyear Eagle GT street radials. Naturally enough, the engineers at Datsun wanted a radial that would complement the performance and handling capabilities of the 280ZX T-top. And with the Eagle GT, they have a radial that complements the handling and performance capabilities of the Datsun 280ZX T-top. The tread pattern of the steel-belted Eagle GT was derived from Goodyear’s Formula One racing rain tires. While the low profile and wide tread configuration is a direct result of Goodyear’s unequalled…

M-B BUILDS A CRUISE MISSILE Alongside the max-mpg runabouts many think we’ll have to drive eventually, this future-car research project looks gargantuan. But it’s from Mercedes-Benz, a company whose priorities usually are unconventional. Conception of the Auto 2000 assumes increasing specialization in automotive design, aiming a given car at a narrower range of operating duties. Tiny, ultra-efficient urban-mobiles will have their place, but so will big cars intended to transport four adults over great distances, at high speed, in maximum comfort and safety. M-B balanced numerous considerations in a careful and insightful manner. Fiber-weight of the car, but Mercedes researchers shunned extensive use of light alloys because their production consumes more energy than gas savings may be able to offset. The body shape involves similar trade-offs. In the interest of…

Generally speaking, the men who guide the fortunes of big corporations are not inclined to play long odds. Quite the contrary. When the stakes get into the billions, as is commonly the case for General Motors, you can reasonably expect the established players to stack their chips behind dead solid winners, and leave exotic longshots to someone else. It’s called the percentage play. Normally, automotive percentage plays tend to result in vanilla cars. You sell a whole lot of ‘em because they’re designed to appeal to such a broad spectrum. Which makes them about as exciting as an ice fishing contest. But every once in awhile the percentage-play committee comes up with something hot. They did it in 1967, when they came up with the original Camaro, a design and…

Had he been in any condition to notice it, Nelson Piquet would have been only too willing to agree that his first World Driver’s Championship made a fitting conclusion to a very strange season. But as a jubilant Parmalat Brabham crew hoisted Piquet out of his car, the young Brazilian was hardly ready to savor any ironies. Or anything else, for that matter. In fact, it’s safe to say that had the final event of the 1981 season—the parking lot Grand Prix at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas—gone one more lap, Piquet would have had nothing to savor at all, then or later. The 2.2-mile, 14-turn Caesars layout, meandering across some 75 acres of asphalt flatlands, proved to be an exceptionally punishing one for the drivers. At the conclusion, Piquet…

The front-drive folks from Highland Park have done it again. With the introduction of the Dodge Rampage, Chrysler becomes the first Detroit manufacturer to offer a front-wheel-drive sports pickup truck, based on the Omni 024 hatchback body shell. Chrysler, like its Japanese partner Mitsubishi, looked carefully at the available market niches, volumes, and competition (namely VW with the Rabbit front-drive pickup), looked to its own current lineup, and picked the 024 from which to start a truck program. The Rampage wheelbase is 7.6 in. longer than that of the 024 hatchback coupe at 104.2 in., 9.5 in. longer overall at 183.6 in. The cargo box measures 63.7x41.8 in. (maximum between rear wheelhouses) by 15.5 in. at the tailgate, and the truck carries a payload rating of 1140 lb. To make…

© 1981 VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA VWs have certain things in common with other cars. They have engines, transmissions and control systems. And, to operate them, you turn a key. Step on the gas. And go. Beyond that, the differences between VWs and other cars become more apparent than their similarities. Component position. Fig. 1 shows where the main components (i.e. engine, transmission, etc.) lie in a VW. They’re in the front so there is greater utilization of engine space. With all the main components forward, there is more useable passenger and cargo room in back. The engine is also tilted for greater road visibility and decreased wind resistance. Not to mention easier access to the engine by VW service technicians. VWs have front-wheel drive which means the wheels that steer…

Volkswagen has replaced the aging Dasher. Its successor, the front-drive Quantum, is the biggest, plushest, and most technologically advanced VW ever. With an aero number of .39, EPA numbers of 28/41, and substantial increases in all critical interior dimensions, the Quantum stands as a shining testament to the combined efforts of Volkswagenwerk AG’s design and engineering staffs. It is offered in three model lines: the hatchback Coupe seen here, a 5-door station wagon, and, beginning next month, a classy little 4-door notchback sedan. Prices start at $10,250 for the most minimally outfitted Coupe and, fully loaded, will top out somewhere near $13,600. Standard equipment includes a cloth interior, full carpeting, reclining bucket seatbacks with the driver’s-side tilt adjustment, a ⅓-⅔ split rear seatback, power rack-and-pinion steering, power disc/drum brakes, halogen…

MAHOGANY MARVEL You’ve seen modern specials in the classic mold. But have you seen a cast aluminum frame, a BMW six for power, and genuine marinequality mahogany fenders? Meet the Martinique, from the Cumberford Corporation. This unique machine bristles with technical sophistication. Suspension is hydropneumatic using nitrogen-filled rubber spheres as springs. To minimize unsprung weight, the front uprights are aluminum with steering arms and even brake calipers cast integrally. A high-pressure hydraulic system operates power steering, power brakes and self-leveling suspension. Michelin has molded special 240/55-415 (16.3-in. diameter) TRX steel-belted radials. The frame that holds all this trickery together is cast in 356-T6 aluminum. Stiffness with light weight is the result. The 1 1 2-in.-wheelbase car weighs 2990 lb. at the curb, a mass that is easily moved by the…

You say you’ve seen your share of sword-swallowers but you’ve never watched a word-gulper at work? Watch this. Not three months ago, in a piece entitled “Can-Am Blues,” I predicted the end of the series and wrapped the prediction in Wagnerian sturm und drang forecasts for just about everyone involved. The night our editor-at-speed won the last Can-Am of the season at Las Vegas, Anheuser-Busch announced a three-year sponsorship of the series and Paul Newman was publicly hoping the full points fund might total $450,000 annually. Budweiser will focus its ads on upcoming races during the season and has committed a man full time to a Can-Am/Bud marketing program. New teams are coming into the series for next year—one widely predicted is John Paul Sr. entrant, and nascent superstar John…

The Honda Accord 4-Door Sedan has always had tremendous drawing power. Both in the way it attracts loyal owners. And draws favorable comparison between itself and cars costing much more. For 1982, the Accord draws ahead. We’ve upgraded the interior to make it even more elegant. It’s roomier inside and more comfortable. It’s quieter, too. The trunk has more interior space. And so does the gas tank. The mileage story is also drawn out this year. With the 5-speed, a gallon of gas takes you an EPA estimated 30 miles, and estimated 41 miles highway. Use 30 mpg for comparison. Your mileage may vary according to weather, speed or length of trip. And you can expect actual highway mileage to be less. California mileage will be lower. You can expect…

When the Burnoose Bunch pinched the hoses back in 1979, no division of General Motors felt it more than Pontiac. The long marketing campaign to establish Pontiac as GM’s Sports/Performance Central bore bitter fruit: In the galvanic public reaction that followed both the major fuel scares of the Seventies, Pontiac learned that buyers viewed performance and fuel economy as mutally incompatible concepts. And learned. And learned. These harsh lessons led Pontiac into a period of wilderness wandering, as the positioneers sought to put a fresh edge on the old image. Which, when you consider the hazards of intimating that there isn’t really any substance to your product’s suggestions of performance potential—or that the ability to light up the rear tires won’t necessarily result in us becoming slaves of the Saudis—adds…

“These people view themselves as creative, active, mobile and social. They are trend setters rather than followers. They project an image of being on the move rather than ‘I’ve made it.” ‘Thus BMW North America President John A. Cook defined the audience for the company’s 5-series sedans, and introduced the new 1982 528e. As BMW identifies it, the luxury-performance segment of the market is an active, high-growth area, one that already accounts for 8-9% of American car sales. In discussing this field, BMW personnel mention names like 280ZX, RX-7, Audi Coupe, Cressida, Maxima, Cimarron, Seville, Toronado and Riviera. Also in the fray are cars from Porsche, Peugeot, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar and Volvo. The clientele, if you haven’t guessed, thinks a food stamp is something the government inspector puts on a short…

Yesterday, 6000 was just the number that came after 5999. Today, it’s a brand-new Pontiac intermediate sedan series with success written all over it. For a lot of subtle—and some not so subtle—reasons, it seems to have turned out better overall than the Chevrolet Celebrity, Buick Century, and Olds Ciera, the other members of the new front-drive intermediate family that will hit the showrooms this month, shared componentry notwithstanding. The 6000 (originally called the A6000, to line up with the T1000 and J2000 and the still-to-come P3000 sports car in Pontiac’s alphanumeric name game) shares basic dimensions with the rest of the family: 104.9-in. wheelbase, 189.2-in. length, 58.7/57.0-in. front and rear treads, along with most interior volume specifications and a 16.1-cu.-ft. trunk capacity. It also shares powertrains with the other…

Driving a Dino up and down the highways of California is much more a test of the driver, the spectators, and the highway patrol than it is of the car. And even though it could be called crude by contemporary standards, particularly in the area of amenities, it is nevertheless a true sports machine and the progenitor of the current Ferrari 308s and Mondials. Which brings us directly to the Dino Controversy. While the Dino 206GT was the first production Ferrari with the engine behind the driver, it wasn’t a Ferrari. The engine was built by Fiat to a Ferrari factory (Franco Roccio) design, originally created for Formula 2 competition. Fiat got into the act because of the 1967 F2 rule that specified stock-block engines. There was no way that…

To the casual eye, the distinctions between small cars—a classification that will surely embrace 90% of autodom before the decade is out—is steadily becoming more difficult to perceive. Yet, month after month we fill these pages with such distinctions. How can this be? Have we become merchants of minutiae, like baseball record-keepers? Most home runs against Cleveland on a weeknight game before fewer than 5000 without popcorn? Most robotic spot welds per square inch in a front-engine, front-drive car with less than 90 hp and MacPherson strut rear suspension? No. Like sane men everywhere (presuming there still are sane men everywhere; there are grounds for doubt), you don’t care about stuff like that. Neither do we. But still there’s this question. How can a given set of manufacturers start with…

Accelerating off the line as hard as it can, this family car needs 15 seconds to reach a speed the Highway Patrol will even notice. But we’re going to use the word “sport” in discussing it. Absurd? Not really. Consider the sports wagon concept: a taut and responsive chassis that delivers a decent level of driving pleasure, combined with the family-type flexibility and workability of a station wagon. Sure there are compromises involved. But for the young enthusiast with a budding family to cart around—and no room in the budget for automotive toys—a sports wagon looks mighty appealing, compromises and all. General Motors’ fledgling J-cars come in a station wagon body style; and as our subject Cavalier demonstrates, these cars are on the sports wagon track. They’re not quite home…

Woodstock, Illinois, is a sleepy little hamlet nestled deep in the heart of Agriland, U.S.A. But from time to time, its neo-Wilderesque serenity is shattered. The individual responsible for disturbing the peace is John Guanci. His partner in crime is a car. Not just any car, mind you, but his car: the Guanci SJJ1. Guanci is a bona fide maverick. At age 41 he heads up his own successful industrial manufacturing and fabricating business. However, at the moment, his primary desire is to supplant Mr. J.Z. De Lorean as the ultimate Johnny-come-lately of the exoticar set. Once upon a time in the not-too-distant past, Guanci was an ardent devotee of the biggest land yachts that Detroit had to offer. All that changed one evening when he slipped behind the wheel…

TOPAZ: TEMPO Ford Division’s new front-drive intermediate replacement for the Futura/Zephyr line, up to now referred to as the Topaz program, will be called Tempo in production. The coupe and sedan series will be stretched 4 in. in wheelbase, with more overhang front and rear than the Escort platform on which it is based. Both 1.6-liter CVH engines and 2.3-liter Penta 4-cylinders will be used. The Ford version shown here uses an extra side window that the Mercury version won’t have. The coupe versions will be first to get 5-speeds, EFI, and TRX suspension packages. SVO TACKLES EXP/LN7 Ford’s Special Vehicles Operations (SVO) group was originally to have engineered Mustang and Capri specialty models for introduction in mid-1983, using fuel-injected 2.3-liter 4-cylinder engines and special suspension packages. But it now…

Firebird Trans Am changes for 1982 go well beneath the slickest exterior offered in America. Independent front suspension gets camber-adjustable struts with ball bearings at the top mount. Coil springs mount on the control arms, rather than concentric with the strut, to help keep the hood profile low. The front anti-roll bar in the high-performance WS6 suspension package shown here is a hefty 32 mm. The torque arm links the transmission and the live rear axle; it mounts parallel to the driveshaft and serves as the primary axle locater. The trailing arm rear suspension employs coils and shocks, and a sturdy track bar completes the job of keeping the rear wheels from contributing too much to steering. The WS6 rear anti-roll bar is 21 mm, and the differential is limited…

All Caesars is divided into three parts: guests, gambling, and gall. Gall is sometimes called marketing, which also goes by the name of Connors-Borg or Leonard-Hearns, and its object is to churn up more guests and more gambling. On October 17, 1981, gall was a Grand Prix for tiny little automobiles that screamed through the thin Nevada air like toy MX missiles. A GP is what the Caesars Palace marketing department pretended to the world it was staging, but it was not the object of the exercise at all. The Caesars Palace Grand Prix was, in fact, run on green baize, $100,000 lines of credit, king-sized beds, roulette wheels, and chutzpah. It was also run in the most outrageously booboisie town in the nation: sleaze-seeping-into-garishness-covered-with-excess-iced-with-money Las Vegas. Somewhere hidden in…

The first two chapters of Cars & Cameras provided a basic overview of photographic fundamentals as they apply to the automobile. In this final installment, we are showcasing a number of successful pros whose works have previously graced the pages of Motor Trend Magazine. These individuals, William Claxton, Richard Davies, Bob D’Olivo, John Gates, Ron Hussey, Bill Jennaro, Rick McBride, Roy Query, Don Rockhey, and Henry Thomas, each employed a different approach to create these personalized visual statements. The following gallery is a potpourri of action and motorsport photos, beauty shots, mood pieces, and special effects. It was compiled in an attempt to help you start thinking in a more creative manner, no matter what your current level of proficiency. Besides supplying memorable photographs, several of our contributors commented on…

One might reasonably expect that any entity springing from British-French origins would travel a tortuous route. Talbot more than fulfills such expectations. The original Talbot company was founded in October 1902 on the money of an Englishman, the Earl of Shrewsbury and Talbot, and the auto building expertise of a Frenchman, M. Adolphe Clement. The company’s genesis was to be a new factory on Barlby Road in Ladbroke Grove, North Kensington. The principals, however, saw no need to wait until the factory’s completion before going to market, so Clement cars built in France were imported and sold under the Clement-Talbot banner. By the time the factory began production in 1905, the Clement name had been dropped, belying the cars’ French design. (Although the cars were sold as Talbots, the Clement-Talbot…

What we have here, ye enemies of the spark plug, may just be the best automotive diesel ever made. And if it’s not the flat-out best, then it’s certainly a leading candidate for most civilized-a quiet, responsive V-6 that almost makes you forget all those bad words you used to associate with diesel engines, like “clatter” and “sluggish” and “smoky.” Already in control of 32% of the U.S. automotive diesel market, Oldsmobile developed the new powerplant to coincide with GM’s new front-wheel-drive A-body sedans, and all divisions will offer this powerplant as optional equipment. This is in keeping with GM’s new corporate family engine policy, which is undoubtedly rooted in that embarrassing flap over Chevy engines in cars other than Chevies a couple years back. And the net result will…

Last spring in California, the top management of Chrysler Corporation and the top management of Mitsubishi Motor Co., Ltd. of Japan met to hammer out a new agreement for their second decade of cooperation. As a result of that meeting, Mitsubishi will set up its own dealership and distribution network in the United States, and Chrysler Corporation will get more units of the cars it currently sells and more new Mitsubishi cars and trucks to sell side-by-side with domestic Chrysler products. The first fruits of the new agreement for Chrysler are a 4x4 version of the Mitsubishi mini-truck and 5-door hatchback sedan versions of the Plymouth Champ and Dodge Colt. The 5-door Colt will be sold here in base and Custom trim levels, the latter adding velour cloth seats, full…

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