MotorTrend May 1982

The 1982 Toyota Supra. The car that went head-to-head with competitors like Datsun Turbo ZX. BMW, and Mercedes Benz, and ran away with Motor Trend’s Import Car of the Year award! And Motor Trend said that Supra is more than just the best car in this year’s competition: “Supra is one of those cars that only comes around every ten years or so”. The 1982 Toyota Supra. Automotive experts agree—it’s the right stuff. Which led us to wonder, “What would another automotive expert—racing legend Dan Gurney—think of Supra? Especially if we asked him to pursue the question through the streets of Long Beach, California?” So we asked him. But we didn’t have to ask twice. With the Long Beach Police Department clearing the streets, Dan took off, Supra’s double over-head…

It’s 55; do you know where your congressman is? For over seven years now, those of us who still manage to enjoy driving have been inveighing against the absurdity of the national 55-mph speed limit. What began as a temporary and local (28 states) simplistic reaction to the oil embargo of 1973 became national law in January of 1975. It was amazingly easy for this to occur. With the Burnoose Bunch ecstatically creating huge foreign trade imbalances and new American institutions—specifically, the gas line—there was a ready climate of acceptance in this country for anything that held out hope of relief. The gas lines went away for a few years, but something else had happened in the interim. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration—those wonderful people you pay to worry…

Yellow Fever I thoroughly enjoyed T.C. Browne’s article on the Dino in the January ’82 MT. Of course, the first thing that caught my eye was the car—yellow, exciting, and racy. It certainly did credit to T.C.’s writing style. If you are ever in dire need of a person to road test a car like that, please let me know. I used to do wondrous things in my yellow 1970 MG! Barbara CollumWoodstock, Ga. In an MG? You must have had a great chiropractor.—Ed. Sticky Subject of the Month It is inconsistent with your usual objectivity to continue to perpetuate the myth that the P7 is the ultimate street tire (February ’82). At its introduction, and for a few years thereafter, it was. However, the Goodyear Wingfoot and NCT (both…

CONTINENTAL “CONCEPT 90” The winter car show circuit, starting with the New York show in February, saw a lot of this concept car from Lincoln-Mercury, which is actually what the 1984 Lincoln Mark VII will look like (See March ’82 Detroit Report and compare the sketch to the concept car). The Concept 90 is 16 in. shorter overall than the current Mark VI at 200 in., 6 in. shorter in wheelbase at 108.3 in., and 2.2 in. lower. The Concept 90 has a drag coefficient of .32, features electronically controlled ride height for futher drag improvement and thermostatically controlled louvers in the grille for even more improvement. One or both of these features can be expected to surface on the ’84 Mark VII, and there’s lots more technoflash inside. FORD…

BALANCE-OF-TRADE SPECIAL EDITION CAMAROS The Chevrolet Camaro Z28-E will make some news this year for General Motors. The specially equipped hatchback coupe is the first car produced by The Corporation exclusively for overseas export. The “Z-E” will be marketed with a single powertrain: a 4-bbl carbureted 5.0-liter V-8 with a 3-speed automatic gearbox. The rear-axle ratio is a rather leisurely 2.73:1. The engine is set up to operate on leaded fuel for all markets except Japan. Z28-Es destined for Europe will be fitted with engine oil coolers, indicating that The General is expecting to sell more than a few Camaros to the continental hot-shoe set. All Z-Es will use disc brakes on the four corners. Curiously, while the export Camaro is equipped with the same aluminum wheels and P215/65R15 Eagle…

We don’t have to tell you about the incredible new breed of automobiles from Detroit and Europe and Japan. You’re probably driving one right now. A sized-down, slimmed-down car An agile, fuel-efficient car with crisp, precise handling. Maybe one with front-wheel drive, all-around independent suspension, fuel injection. Maybe one with all three. That’s the kind of car Firestone built the new 721 Metrix for. The 721 Metrix is the newest addition to the famous line of 721 radials. It shares our proven steel cord construction—seven strands over two wrapped by one—with the original 721. From there on out, it’s a totally new design. Engineered, built and tuned for today’s new kind of car. Precise Metrix Handling. The 721 Metrix reacts to your commands with a decisiveness that’s almost uncanny. The…