Indholdsfortegnelse for July 1982 i MotorTrend

Dankeschön, Road & Track Magazine.* Rarely, if ever, has a car arrived from Europe with the acclaim as that bestowed upon this newest Audi. The 1983 Audi Quattro demonstrates how far enlightened technology can go when Bavaria’s great engineers are given the freedom to build a car like this. By any standard, the Quattro is one of the world’s most advanced high-performance GT Sports Coupes. The Quattro’s unique system of four-wheel drive, turbocharged five-cylinder engine, five-speed transmission, four-wheel independent suspension and low-drag aerodynamics establishes new parameters in automotive design. Audi’s revolutionary all-wheel drive represents the most significant breakthrough in recent automotive technology. To drive this truly exciting automobile today is to know what it may be like to drive the automobile of the coming decades. Ironically, the Quattro arrives in…

Ever since man began valuing some substances more than others, there has been continuous effort—scientific and not-so-scientific—expended toward the transmutation of the stuff nobody wants into the stuff everybody wants. In the Middle Ages it was lead into gold. With the dawn of the era of the automobile, it was water into gasoline. More recently it has been VW Beetles into Bugattis, Grand Prix Mercedes, and Bentleys. However, at least one of these dreams seems on the verge of becoming reality—the conversion of water into hydrogen fuel. IPs not gasoline, but it is a viable source of highway horsepower and it can be generated from an onboard system. Jim McFarland, former publisher and editor of HOT ROD, now with Edelbrock Equipment Company, has been following this project almost since its…

This is really Lani’s car. Oh, certainly it has been sold to The Grand Garage where it will become a bright star in that constellation, but it still remains Lani Straman’s car. Over the past few years it was seen most often at concours around California, usually surrounded by Lani and friends enjoying an elaborate picnic, drinking wine, smiling, sitting in the sun. Lani had owned the car for years before its days of glory. It was imported for her. Unlike many women who love automobiles, Lani Straman’s tastes run to large, grand cars. Her father dabbled in Rolls-Royces, and in her formative years she came to enjoy them. So when Major Workman’s gray Bentley drophead became available, she bought. Actually, though the car had been built for the good…

Introducing Quantum. Go ahead. Pinch yourself. But you’re not dreaming. This is a Volkswagen. Granted, it doesn’t look like anything else we’ve ever made before. But, then again, we’ve never applied all of our resources and engineering prowess to make anything quite like this. Until now. With Quantum. The roomiest, most elegant Volkswagen ever. And, one of the most technologically sophisticated. Outside, it displays the fine lines and subtle contours of traditional European tastes. All of which deftly conform to the latest in aerodynamic research for maximum driving efficiency. Inside, however, you enter a quiet world of superior comfort. Unlike anything you’ve ever experienced in a Volkswagen. Or, for that matter, any other car. It has such fine appointments as soft, luxurious velour upholstery. Anatomically contoured adjustable seats. And heavy…

Zero to fifty in 6 seconds. With mileage you don’t expect from anything that comes even close: 41 est. hwy. and [26] EPA est. mpg.** The 1982 Dodge Charger 2.2. $7,472† worth of dynamite that explodes with rocket launching quickness. So fast on green, that either Trans Am and Z28 are Emily Post polite and let Charger 2.2 go first, or Charger 2.2 is so fast that it simply blows them away.* Charger 2.2’s performance is incredible. While Trans Am and Z28 have V8’s from another era, Charger 2.2 is designed for the realities of the 80’s. Taking full advantage of sophisticated engineering and space age technology. Its torquey 2.2 liter overhead cam 4 cylinder engine comes in one of the slipperiest missiles ever shaped. The power to weight ratio…

Few men dominate a sport the way Richard Petty rules the world of stock car racing. 517 top-five finishes. 195 career victories—seven at Daytona alone. Riding on Goodyear for close to two decades, he’s made the NASCAR record book look like the Petty family album. But those big NASCAR slicks aren’t the only Goodyear Eagles in King Richard’s domain. When Richard rides home to Randleman, N.C., he rides on Goodyear street Eagles, the performance tires with real racing credentials. EAGLE GT, NCT AND STTAMED FOR THE STREET BUT FAR FROM TAME. Few companies dominate a sport the way Goodyear dominates motor racing. So race breeding just came naturally to our line of performance Eagles for the street. All three have an aggressive low-profile stance and a tread pattern derived straight…

The guy in the late-model Targa shouted across the wind blast, “Is that the ’83?” Similar inquiries, including, “Where did you get it?” and “What did it cost?” had been tossed our way for days. If public reaction is any indication, clearly the automotive world has been starving for a full-convertible 911 Porsche. Porsche A.G. has detected those sentiments. Mere months from now (about the first of next year), Porsche will begin U.S. distribution of its first ragtop in 17 years, the 911 SC Cabriolet. But somebody is already capitalizing on the popularity of both 911-series Porsches and fold-down tops in this country. The Solaire Corporation (Santa Ana, California, 714/549-5269) is converting Porsche Targas into true convertibles, and doing it with the same quality and thoroughness of engineering that have…

RECYCLING HITS THE ROAD In everything from newsprint and aluminum cans to the Space Shuttle’s rocket boosters, the art of recycling has proved cost-efficient and materials-conservant. Now the concept has come to road surface repair, thanks to the efforts of a Nevada contractor, Bob Mendenhall. An April Reader’s Digest story by Edward Fales reports how Mendenhall discovered that old broken bits of asphalt pavement could be heated to liquification and relaid. This poses an attractive alternative to buying new petroleum-based asphalt, whose price has risen nearly 10 times in as many years. The key to Mendenhall’s process is an oily “freshener” solution that is added to the remelted asphalt. Early tests showed that prolonged expo-sure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays chemically affected a road surface. While the dull gray paving…

Silver-tipped spark plugs? An extravagance, to be sure, but for an utterly practical reason: in the Peugeot 505 S, they last 2 to 3 times longer than average spark plugs. Similarly, magnetic pulse ignition. Specified by Peugeot engineers, it has no points to be adjusted or replaced, ever. Precisely metered fuel Peugeot considers fuel injection a far more exact method of metering fuel to the engine than the more primitive carburetor. A control valve, manufactured to an accuracy of 4/10ths of one thousandth of an inch, directs a piecise amount of fuel to each cylinder. Result: more complete combustion, less wastage of fuel. Leaving nothing to chance, Peugeot engineers mount a sensor in the tailpipe to check the performance of the fuel injection. If it detects an imbalance in the…

PONTIAC 6000 STE Premiering this fall as an ‘83 model will be a new top of the line Pontiac 6000 sedan above the LE model. The STE version will be sold in one or two color schemes only, with dark lower and light upper two-toning, lots of blackout trim around the body, and a new 6-light grille treatment in corporating driving lights. The STE will have specific wheels with high-performance tires, special interior and instrument packages, and a factory-supplied road emergency kit in the trunk. The STE version of the 6000 is expected to be sold as a one-price, no-options car. FORD TRUCK ENGINE SWAPS The industrial engine division of Ford’s parts arm recently started a program that will supply 3.7-liter turbodiesel engines built for Ford by White Engines, Inc.,…

Exceptional handling is essential to a sports car, but it’s an elusive quality, hard to define. While engineers know the terminology for vehicle dynamics, on the road it’s more than numbers. A good sports car is responsive, smooth, agile. Yet giving a car these valued characteristics is not easy. To achieve the desired subjective results, engineers sort through thousands of objective choices for that optimal balance. The small number of good sports cars proves not all succeed. As one example of success, consider the Mazda RX-7. With it, Mazda engineers used a sound approach—simplicity and thorough attention to detail. The rear suspension is typical: a simple live axle is located by a sophisticated Watt’s link for precise geometry, a system found only on a very few other cars, and…

As automobile prices climb, there is a growing number of buyers willing to shell out additional cash just to infuse their purchases with a bit more individuality, This trend seems to show no signs of ebbing, either. In fact, the specialty market is growing at a rate fast enough to have caught the attention of each of Detroit’s Big Three. “Factory” convertibles, for example, will be offered by seven car companies by the end of this year. But jobbed-out ragtops are only part of the story. Buick and Ford (through its Special Vehicle Operations arm) plan to offer limited editions of regular production vehicles to those “interested in driving.” In both cases, limited production means about 5000-7500 units per year. Buick is planning a performance derivative of the front-wheel-drive Century…

Ford Motor Company is back in racing after ten years. Challenging the highly sophisticated European and American cars that compete on tracks across America, from Connecticut to California. But we’re not going racing like we did in the sixties. This is a small team with a small budget. And a small car. A specially prepared and modified Ford Mustang with a modified 4-cylinder Ford Fiesta engine. Last season we won two races out of five, leading home 6 and 8-cylinder cars. Not through any outright power advantage, but through subtle, skillful engineering. For example, we used turbocharging and 4 valves per cylinder to produce a staggering 560 horsepower from the small 1.7 litre engine. Which gives the Mustang a top speed of 185 mph. And because we made the Mustang…

To paraphrase Chico Escuela, Scirocco been bery, bery good to Volkswagen. By taking its largest volume sedan (the Rabbit) and surrounding it with a swoopy Giugiaro-styled body, VW created a sexy, high-profit sports coupe that immediately had buyers lined up ‘round the block. To understate things a bit, the original Scirocco was an unqualified success. But nothing stays the same, and as its response to the world fuel crunch VW restyled the Scirocco for the ‘82 model year with the emphasis on aerodynamics. Although the second generation car came out larger and heavier than the original, VW had done its aero homework well enough—the Scirocco’s Cd is pegged at 0.39—to produce improved EPA ratings. While all this was going on in Germany, the men who guide the fortunes of Régie…

Your car may be getting older. But you’ll feel it’s getting better when you use Armor All® Protectant. Armor All is a scientific formula that took a polymer chemist 10 years to perfect. It helps keep dashboards, vinyl and leather seats, vinyl tops and tires looking new. And since beauty is more than skin deep, Armor All penetrates beneath the surface. It chemically protects against ultra-violet rays. And, it actually retards deterioration. So even though you can’t keep your car from getting old, you can keep it from looking old. With Armor All Protectant.…

The author is a veteran automotive journalist, with editorial staff credits that include all of America’s major enthusiast journals, this magazine among them. He joined the De Lorean Motor Company at the time of its highest promise and soldiered through its to collapse. His observations and impressions follow.—Ed. The De Lorean dream is over. No matter what magic he may be able to work, John Z. De Lorean’s car company will never be what it once was. Or almost was. If anyone can do it, they said, it’s John De Lorean. He couldn’t. But the man is remarkable. Give him that. His car company, if it survives in some final vestige into October, will be seven years old. In seven years De Lorean, starting with a dream and a reputation…

In these perilous automotive times, Oldsmobile’s Cutlass has amassed a most enviable record. For the past six seasons, this popular intermediate has maintained a virtual stranglehold on the top spot in the annual U.S. sales derby, earning the title of America’s sweetheart along the way. Olds has taken numerous steps to preserve its position of preeminence, not the least of which was adding diesel power to the option list in 1978. Despite new sheet metal in 1981, the Cutlass’ last major transformation took place in 1978. While still popular with the public, the grand old girl is starting to show signs of creeping obsolescence. Product planners at Olds responded to this inevitable aging process with a bold strategic move. The division debuted its all-new, front-drive, A-body Ciera as a nominal…

Ford’s commitment to the development of a wide range of alternate-fuel vehicles is well-known by now, but perhaps the best evidence of that commitment is that the company has become this country’s first to build propane-fueled vehicles and sell them directly to fleet buyers here and in Canada. For now, the propane fleet cars are limited to Granada or Cougar sedans with automatic transmissions and the converted 2.3-liter 4-cylinder engine. In the fall, the program will expand to individual as well as fleet buyers, and though the powertrains will remain the same, the cars using them will change. Since the Granada and Cougar will be phased out, the ‘83 Ford LTD and Mercury Marquis will be used as propane burners. Considered as a fuel for internal combustion engines, propane—or liquified…

Okay, dear. Load up the kids and we’ll get started down the mountain. I know it’s raining, but it isn’t very heavy and we do need to get home early tonight because of my meeting tomorrow … See, I told you it wouldn’t be too bad and… Oh my gosh, did you feel that? I guess this road is slicker than it looks, so I’m going to turn on the Stratofire Custom Ground-Effects Roadholder. There now, isn’t that much better? I’m sure glad we decided on this option because it does feel like the car is glued to the road—just like the salesman said it would. Seriously, folks, scenarios such as this will be quite possible for passenger cars in the future, as an outgrowth of today’s race car designers’…

RENAULT’S NEW SPORTS CAR Alpine sports cars have ‘always been the prestige vehicles of the Renault range. The current offering, the A 310 V6, has built quite a reputation on a string of race and rally victories. Introduced in the spring of 1971, the A 310 has gone through a series of mechanical changes to keep it new during its 11-year production life. But the Regie has decided it’s time for a more contemporary flagship, something more in line with the auto market of the ‘80s. Enter the Alpine A-XX, the third-generation Renault sports car scheduled to be introduced at next year’s Geneva Motor Show using the same 2.7-liter PRV V-6 as the current A 310. The engine, mounted in back of the rear wheels, produces 151 hp in European…

When we introduced the Honda Accord, we thought it was the perfect car for the time. Others must have thought so, too. Because everyone has tried to improve on it. Finally somebody has improved on it. We have. For 1982, Honda introduces the new Accord. Still simply a Honda, but also a newly styled car. The new Accord is roomier inside and longer outside. It rides smoother and handles better. The gas mileage is better, too. With the 5speed, a gallon of gas takes you an EPA estimated [30] miles, an estimated 41 miles highway. Use 30 mpg for comparison. Your mileage may vary according to weather, speed or length of trip. California figures will be a few miles per gallon lower. And you can expect actual highway mileage to…

Elsewhere in this issue you can read about the Audi Quattro in all its wonderfulness. Certainly it is a car that any enthusiast might covet, might consider adding to his stable—something amusing to drive when Alf is servicing the Camargue, or while Dieter is ministering to the 930, or while you await Luigi’s pleasure in ordering the bit for the 512BB so that Sergio can install it. Something to drive when the weather is most foul, when family and friends are a consideration, but without forgetting one’s personal taste, élan, or panache… Still, what of those of us who have, we like to think, the taste, etc., but who reside in the lower crust of our particular wedge of the demographic pie? Are we forever doomed to buy our lookalikes…

Anyone who has used a conventional passive radar detector knows that they don’t work over hills, around corners, or from behind. The ESCORT® radar warning receiver does. Its uncanny sensitivity enables it to pick up radar traps 3 to 5 times farther than common detectors. It detects the thinly scattered residue of a radar beam like the glow of headlights on a dark, foggy road. You don’t need to be in the direct beam. Conventional detectors do. Plus, ESCORT’S extraordinary range doesn’t come at the expense of more false alarms. In fact, ESCORT has fewer types and sources of false alarms than do the lower technology units. Here’s how we do it. The unfair advantage ESCORT’S secret weapon is its superheterodyne receiving circuitry. The technique was discovered by Signal Corps…

If you buy an ordinary diesel car, you could end up with a headache. Because the diesel’s reputation for dependability and getting a lot of miles per gallon, is only exceeded by the noise they make along the way. Which is the beauty of the new Isuzu. The Isuzu diesel is not only among the highest mileage”’ diesel cars in the country, it’s also engineered to be a quiet diesel car in the city. With Isuzu’s ingenious rubber drive belt, instead of conventional steel. With special Isuzu noise reducing engine mounts. And extensive soundproofing. So while an Isuzu can give you all the advantages of owning an economical diesel, it gives you all the comforts of owning a luxurious car. Like fast acceleration. Smooth, even shifts. Responsive handling. But most…

According to Niki Lauda, coming back was mostly a matter of desire. Who are we mere mortals to kargue with the logic of a two-time former World Driving Champion who ended his voluntary two-year retirement to vie for a third Formula One crown? Especially when the prodigal made the process of winning the first Grand Prix of his second career look so easy. When “Super Rat” pulled the plug on his initial F1 foray in late 1979, everyone involved figured he was finished for good. After practicing for the Canadian GP, Niki the Quick told Brabham boss Bernie Ecclestone he had simply lost the desire to continue driving a car around in circles. But within months, rumors about a comeback began circulating. The fledgling Lauda Air Transport service proved to…

The North American Formula Atlantic Championship series is destined to rank high on the list of all-time motorsport orphans. Since being spawned from Formula B back in 1974, F/A has produced innumerable instances of no-holdsbarred, wheel-to-wheel action in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. But as the status of the series increased, so did its problems with sponsors and promotion. Atlantic cars are technically the province of the Canadian Automobile Sport Clubs (CASC). While some events enjoy the benefit of separate sponsorship deals, the series continues to draw only half of its prize monies from promoters. The other half comes directly from participating teams in the form of entry fees. As one might imagine, the bottom line remains grossly unbalanced. A top team may spend in excess of $200,000 annually…