Indholdsfortegnelse for February 1985 i MotorTrend

This is one powerfully built machine. On demand, a 5.0 liter High Output V-8 engine delivers 210 horse-power.* No brag. Just fact. Tumstyle: Equal parts of power and control. Mustang GT’s got what it takes to control the balance of power. Quick ratio rack and pinion steering for handling precision. Gas-filled shocks and struts on a Quadra-Shock performance suspension. Variable rate springs. Stiffer bushings and anti-sway bars for added stability in the straights, confidence in the curves. And on 15x7 alloy wheels, P225/60VR15 Goodyear Gator back. The same tires that broke the.95-g barrier in skidpad tests. Internal control. When a performance car changes directions, the car should move, not the driver. That’s why Mustang GT comes equipped with articulated driving seats. They adjust to fit a wide variety of bodystyles…

ANOTHER FIRST FROM BEL. This Compuheterodyne detector provides extra long range Police Radar detection front and rear, with equal sensitivity. Also around corners and over hills. The panoramic mirror eliminates those dangerous blind spots AND you won’t have to worry about the “Windshield Obstructions” law in many states. In June, 1982, BEL the leaders in radar detection technology became the first to incorporate computer technology in a radar detector. Some competitors followed a year later, claiming a “new” breakthrough, using ambiguous designations to describe a technology which we pioneered Compuheterodyne; the result of integrating signal processing and superheterodyne circuitry. SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE. Escort met its match with our first Compuheterodyne detector, as reported at the time in Autoweek. Our latest technological advances have made our original Compuheterodyne and all of our…

Consider front-wheel drive, rack and pinion steering, full carpeting, door glass defrosters, steel-belted radial tires, overtaking headlight flasher, power-assisted self-adjusting front disc brakes, trip odometer, torsion bar front suspension, trailing link rear suspension with nitrogen gas-filled shock absorbers, front air dam, remote-control outside mirror, a peppy 1342cc engine, a coin box, day/night rearview mirror, reclining front bucket seats with adjustable headrests and opening rear quarter windows. One final consideration: $5,399.* The Civic Hatchback *Manufacturer’s suggested retail price excluding freight, taxes, license, title, options and regionally required equipment. © 1984 American Honda Motor Co., Inc.…

With their coffers bulging and good friend Ronald Reagan promising four more years of the same, U.S. auto executives should be tickled pink. They are, but the celebration is reserved. The big win for the Gipper did not really extend to his party. In fact, the Democrats held their ground surprisingly well in the House of Representatives, which they control, and they picked up two seats in the Senate, where they now trail by a slim 52-48. If a very consistent political cycle continues, Democrats can expect to gain more strength in 1986, quite possibly recapturing the majority in the Senate. All of which means R.R.’s days of having his way with a divided, squabbling, ineffectual Congress may be limited. The years ahead may see a lot more struggle and…

Every morning, millons of people jam the Los Angeles freeway system on their way into the city. Far fewer go from the city outward, and we were among the lucky outbounders this beautiful fall morning, as we climbed out of the smog and haze into the sparkling air of the eastern Santa Susana mountain range. Our route took us north through the Angeles National Forest up the tortuous path of the Mystic Canyon (honest, that’s its name). The road was slick with early morning moisture as we wound our way under the tunnel of hanging trees and leftover shards of ground fog. Cresting the ridge, the asphalt dropped away down the northeastern slope of the Sierra Pelona, crossing the awesome San Andreas fault (very gently through here, please) where the…

Introducing the Peugeot 505 Turbo. It was designed in part for those who judge performance by acceleration—by how quickly they can be propelled from Point A to Point B. Such people should be impressed by the new 505 Turbo, seeing as it can get them from 0-50 in a commendable 6.5 seconds. But it was also intended for those who measure performance in other ways. Take Peugeot’s four-wheel independent suspension. Its shock absorbers with eight valves rather than two. And its full foam seating, instead of old-fashioned springs. All contribute to the 505 Turbo’s remarkably comfortable ride. And all are points worth considering if Points A and B are very far apart. For a brochure and the name of your nearest Peugeot dealer, call 1-800-447-2882. PEUGEOT…

Take a deep breath and repeat after me: turbocharged, intercooled, double-overhead cam, 16-valve, electronically fuel-injected, 3-door, 5-passenger, aerobodied, frontu)heel-drive, 130-mph sport sedan. That’s the new Saab 900 Turbo 16 SPG—the quickest, fastest, sweetestrunning, best-looking Saab yet, and the unofficial world record-holder for the “Most Standard Equipment Automotive Buzzwords” offered by a manufacturer, foreign or domestic. Widely recognized as the originator of the term driving ugly, Saab-Scania is to cars what Sony is to audio-visual and Pentax is to SLR cameras. It’s not the biggest or the most famous, but if it’s new and innovative, Saab will have it out in the marketplace first. Such is the case with Saab’s new 16-valve intercooled turbomotor, the most significant development in the 900 Turbo’s eight-year history and the first engine of its type…

The Mexican Road Race—Carrera Panamericana—was the Great Adventure. It ran the length of Mexico on the Pan American Highway—the road that was to link Tierra del Fuego with Alaska and bring Peace and Prosperity to the New World. The race ran five times (1950-54), and from the beginning it was Us against Them: Oldsmobiles against Alfas, hot-rods against Ferraris, Lincolns and Lancias and Italian-bodied Packards putting in hundreds of thousands of racing miles. It was Le Mans and Indianapolis, Daytona and the Mille Miglia. Six years after the last Carrera, 1960,1 moved from Ohio to California to attend Art Center School. It may not have been the best year in my life but it was, well, interesting. I had been in Los Angeles about two hours when I discovered Ernie…

Last April we introduced our Mazda 626 LX long-term test car and reported on its first 9829 miles. Other than the highspeed flattening of what could have been a medium-sized mammal or giant lizard, no problems had manifested themselves at the time of the first report. Now with an additional 12,538.8 miles on the odo, we’re happy to tell you the last 10 months of driving have been almost a repeat of the initial 10,000 miles. We had hoped the all-white 626 would be used for a couple of long trips by staffers to accrue some BIG miles, but the Mazda saw only office shuttle duty from 9828 to 13,521 miles. It was during this time the car turned in its worst fuel economy, 17.6 mpg. This compares with a…

Italian designer Giorgio Giugiaro’s mid-engine 2-seat sports car, the Maya, debuted last November at the Torino Motor Show, and unlike most show cars, the Maya could very easily be put into production quickly. Most of the necessary engineering has already been done by Ital Design, and the use of the new 3.0-liter Ford Taurus engine means this car could be on the road within four years—possibly sporting a Ford badge. The Etna, meanwhile, will definitely be wearing a Lotus badge, with production possible for 1988. The middie will be fitted with the new Tony Rudd-designed 4.0-liter 320hp v-8—and that’s the rub. The car needs this killer motor to be the supercar Lotus management wants, but the little company needs a major customer for the V-8 to justify the development and…

Few cars have undergone such extensive change, while retaining the same nameplate, as has the Ford Thunderbird. The T-Bird celebrated its 30th anniversary in 1984, though the current version is a far cry from its ancestor born in 1954. That model was a 2-seater fitted with a 160-hp V-8. The wheelbase was 102 in. and the car weighed 2833 lb. Today’s ‘Bird is powered by a 145-hp 4-cylinder engine, weighs 2982 lb, and is 104 in. long. Its current luxo-car status is perhaps the only theme that has been constant throughout the model’s life.…

Look, it’s a Suzuki Cultus. No…make that a Chevrolet Sprint. What’s that name on the side? Firefly? What’s a Firefly? The Pontiac dealers of our Great Pal North of the Border, Canada, needed a mini-compact to be priced under the Acadian (Chevette or Pontiac 1000 in the U.S.). The solution was to quickly whip up some stripes and badges for the Suzuki-built 1.0-liter 3-cylinder econo-box GM has been selling as the Sprint. The folks at GM of Canada came up with the “cute” Firefly appellation for the vehicle. The Pontiac Firefly could become something of a collector’s piece, with projected sales this model year of only about 1400 units. We can see the ad line already: “Firefly, strictly limited production…by popular demand.”…

WE BUILD EXCITEMENT If you’re looking for a road machine with the following… Dramatic styling. Front-wheel-drive performance and outstanding roadability. Power rack and pinion steering and power front disc brakes. An advanced 2.5 liter engine with electronic fuel injection, roller valve lifters and swirl-port combustion chambers, standard. A precise 5-speed gearbox or available 3-speed automatic. An available 3.0 liter V-6 with multi-port fuel injection (requires auto, trans.). Instrumentation that’s properly functional and visually stimulating. Contoured, reclining front bucket seats that are both supportive and comfortable. Surprisingly affordable prices beginning at just $7,995† The Grand Am LE, as shown with optional equipment, $9,158.†…the new Pontiac Grand Am is looking for you. Your Pontiac dealer can arrange a meeting at your earliest convenience. †Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price including dealer prep. Taxes, license,…

Now, relive the golden age of the automobile with authentic scale model metal replicas. Duesenberg, Bugatti, Hispano Suiza, Rolls Royce—names that live on as legends. They’ve all been reproduced with exquisite care by RIO, the finest name in automotive miniatures. And you can be among the discerning collectors to acquire them—to capture the spirit and mystique of the world’s finest vintage automobiles through authentic cast metal replicas of their memorable namesakes. Rio cars are not toys. They are the most carefully detailed automotive collectables available. If you are already a collector, we need say no more. But if you are new to this rewarding hobby, we must ask you not to confuse Rio vintage automotive miniatures with any other replicas you may have seen or read about—anywhere. No other miniatures…

The newly crowned champion held court after the season’s final race at Estoril, Portugal, pointing out that it was the little things that made the difference between his title and teammate Alain Prost’s 2nd-place finish, a mere half point behind. In a season that saw the TAG/Marlboro McLaren team show a dominance unheard of in the history of Grand Prix racing, the driver’s title was decided in a stirring final race that contained all the elements of the dramatic 1984 competition: great driving, a bit of luck, and unreliable mechanicals. “I believe in luck, but I think you can control it more than you think.”—Niki Lauda, reflecting on the 1984 Formula One season Lauda needed to finish 2nd at Estoril to clinch his third world crown. Prost had to win,…

News of Ford’s upcoming Taurus front-wheel-drive sedan and wagon line has been leaking from the halls of Dearborn for nearly as long as the development program has been underway. Conceived as a replacement for FoMoCo’s jumbo LTD Crown Victoria, Mercury Grand Marquis and, eventually, the Lincoln Town Car, the recent resurgence of these traditionally full-sized cars in the sales charts means the Taurus series won’t be replacing anything…just yet. The Taurus was originally going to use a port-injected 2.5-liter version of the 2.3-liter OHV L-4 developed for the Tempo and Topaz. Current rumors indicate that particular port-injection system will likely be on hold for another year. As a result, the 105hp throttle-body-injected 2.5-liter HSC engine (to be added to the Tempo/Topaz series as an option for 1986), is the base…

Porsche builds emotional cars. You either love or hate ’em. The original “bathtubs” were ugly but quick and advanced for their time. The mid-engined 914s looked like picnic baskets and were shunned by purists, though the 6-cylinder versions gave a lot of bang for the buck. The front-engined 924s were pretty and sweet-handling but overpriced and less than “masculine” in image. Turbocharging made them faster but more overpriced. On the plus side of the ledger are the rear-engined 911s—the only real Porsches in the eyes of some—blessed with stunning performance and a racing heritage as thick as the Los Angeles phone book. Yet others see them as very fast, very expensive VW Beetles with their quirky, tail-heavy handling, limp-wristed shift linkage, antideluvian heating and ventilation, and generally dated design. Such…

Quite simply, PASSPORT is the smallest superheterodyne radar detector ever made—only ¾” tall, 2¾” wide, and 4½” long. It fits your pocket as easily as a cassette tape. SMD Technology This miniaturization is possible only with SMDs (Surface Mounted Devices), micro electronics common in satellites but unprecedented in radar detectors. In fact, PASSPORT is so new the magazine testers haven’t even had a chance to select their superlatives. Press Release When the magazines do catch up, they’ll report excellent performance. More than early warning, PASSPORT also provides a precise measure of radar range. Simply turn PASSPORT on and set the volume level. At radar contact, the alert lamp lights and the variable-pulse audio begins a slow warning: “beep” for X band radar, “brap” for K band. Simultaneously a bar graph…

If you thought you didn’t need more power—ride this bike The Honda VF1100S V65 Sabre is intended to fill a gap in Honda’s superbike lineup between the VF1100C V65 Magna and VF1000F Interceptor. Each of the three bikes is aimed at an entirely different market segment, and if the truth be known, riders from the three segments don’t even talk to each other. The V65 Magna is the Hollywood Boulevard cruiser and doesn’t get used in full attack mode very often. Magna owners are the 2-wheeled equivalents of low-riders, who spend their energies (and no small amount of money) on looks—not performance. Interceptor owners are the gonzo racers of the world, who appreciate handling and power and concern themselves with who has the most awesome asphalt burns on leathers and/or…

Even we were a little surprised. All we did was build the best radar detector we knew how. We shipped our first ESCORT in 1978, and since then we’ve shipped over 600,000. Along the way the ESCORT has earned quite a reputation—among its owners, and also in several automotive magazines. Credentials Over the past five years, Car and Driver magazine has performed four radar detector comparison tests. Escort has been rated number one in each. Their most recent test concluded The Escort radar detector is clearly the leader in the field in value, customer service, and performance…” We think that’s quite an endorsement. Our Responsibility One of the reasons for our reputation is our attention to detail. If we don’t feel we can do something very well, we simply won’t…

Obnoxious salesmen and white plastic belts keeping you out of the showrooms? Here’s some good news from Ford. A new system just starting its prototype exercises has been installed in four selected Ford dealerships. The interactive system uses a computer hooked up to a videodisc player and a printer. If you’re curious about anything Ford has for sale, just walk up to the screen and touch it. It will come on-line asking your name, what kind of car you’re interested in, and how much you want to spend; and then it leads you through a demonstration in both video and computer screen printouts. The nice thing is you don’t have to touch a keyboard. You issue all commands to the computer directly through the touch-sensitive screen. Among other things, the…

Built by Ghia under the direction of Ford of Europe’s racing division, the RS 200 is set to do battle next season with the likes of the Audi Quattro, Lancia 038, and Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 on the international rally circuit. The mid-engine 2-seat 4x4 RS 200 is powered by a turbocharged 1.8-liter DOHC four, intercooled, with four valves per cylinder, and produces 230 hp in street trim. As international regulations stipulate 200 must be built for homologation, look for this “street” beast at your local Gray Market.…

Just like a football team or the little Cabernet Sauvignon grape, America’s automobile industry has good years and bad years, great years and sad years. Model year 1985 will certainly not go down in Detroit’s history as a losing season, to be glossed over with optimistic looks toward “next year.” The health of the car market is far too good for that. But neither will the debutants of 1985 mark this as a vintage year, and be remembered and treasured like a full-bodied California Cabernet of 1978. Part of the reason has to do with the realities of time and effort, the simple ebb and flow of life, the very rhythms of the universe. No one, not even America, Inc., can do everything at once. And then do it all…

Yet another manufacturer has hopped aboard the convertible caravan, and this one, Toyota, will likely be the first of many Japanese auto makers to discover the invigorating sales and prestige that only a ragtop can bring. The image and sales boosting characteristics of open cars have been well documented, and it was only a matter of time before one of the makers from the land of the Rising Sun prepared a high-profile high-profit roadster for the American market. Toyota, Japan’s largest auto maker, had been looking at the 100,000-plus ragtop sales for a couple years when the decision was made to proceed with the decapitation of the Celica notch coupe. With projected sales of 5000 cars per year, Toyota wasn’t ready to build a chopped-top Celica on the regular production…

In the fall of 1983, Pontiac finally made good on its promise to market a low-cost, mass-produced, mid-engined 2-seater. Although the division was allowed to endow its radical Fiero with a rakish appearance and even threw in a genuine sportycar, fiberglass-reinforced-plastic body, the General’s overall gameplan specifically prohibited the newcomer from being even remotely construed as a Corvette challenger. Given these sizeable limitations, a number of critics, including several internal foes, expressed grave doubts regarding the first-year sales estimates of 85,000. As it turned out, the gloom and doom-mongers were wrong in a big way. The Fiero hit the showrooms rolling and became a major automotive success story of 1984. Not only did the car exceed original expectations, the newest Pontiac came within a few hundred units of cracking the…

You might find yourself in a chopper, cruising the treetops at 90 miles per hour. Or doing something more down to earth, like repairing an electronic circuit. What you won’t find yourself doing is getting bored. Because this isn’t ordinary part-time work. It’s the Army Reserve. You’ll get valuable skill training. Then one weekend a month, and two weeks each summer, you’ll put that training to good use, while receiving good pay and benefits. But maybe most importantly, you’ll come away with a feeling deep down that you were challenged and came through. And that doesn’t disappear when Monday rolls around. See your local Army Reserve recruiter about serving near your home. Or call toll free 1-800-USA-ARMY. ARMY RESERVE. BEALLYOUCANBE.…

Audi believes that a car needn’t be excessive to be exclusive. That elegance need not be synonymous with extravagance. And that substance is far more useful than style. The new 4000S forgoes the veneer of high technology in favor of the essence of it. Take the new European headlights. Incorporated not because they’re so alluring. But because they’re so illuminating. Take the refined, four-cylinder, fuel-injected power plant. Audi increased its horsepower 16% to 102 hp. More important, this was accomplished through the application of innovation. For Audi achieved the increase without augmenting engine size or weight. The 4000S is extremely nimble. Its ride, simultaneously firm and comfortable. And like every Audi it is a beneficiary of over five decades of front-wheel drive technology. The 4000S is protected by a 2-year…

Read on…then send for your FREE PACKET now! YOURS FREE! Rush your name and address back today and get ready for a surprise in your mailbox. In just a few days you’ll find a packet of exciting newsplus page after page of photographs of guys with builds that won’t quit. You’ll see how you too can enjoy rippling muscles and a super build the kind that makes women look twice! Let’s face it. There’s not a guy alive who doesn’t want a great build. Trouble is, it’s easy to get busy with a job or school and think, “i’ll go to the gym next week.” But it’s trouble to take time out. You’ve got to set aside X amount of timeand you’re busy. BUILD YOUR BODY AT HOME THIS EASY…

Tom Gloy has been threatening to become a major American motorsport figure ever since he won the North American Formula Atlantic championship back in 1979. But a chronic lack of adequate funding, coupled with regular doses of bad luck, prevented him from making any other serious runs at the limelight—until this year. In 1984, thanks to the patronage of 7-Eleven, the support of Ford SVO, and the phenomenal dedication of his own Gloy Sports organization, the 37-year-old Californian finally became the man of the hour in the SCCA’s Budweiser Trans-Am series. In addition to clinching his first Trans-Am title, Gloy was responsible for spearheading the surprising domination by Mercury Capris. Reliability was the key to the Mercury juggernaut. Although frequently not the fastest, the quicksilver contingent regularly managed to go…