Indholdsfortegnelse for October 1985 i MotorTrend

European Accord on Emissions The breakthrough in agreeing the levels of emissions for European cars was finally reached after a 21-hour session by Common Market officials in July, but it doesn't seem to have satisfied anyone. The Germans and Scandinavians wanted nothing less than full American (49-state) controls with three-way catalyzers for all models, while the British, French, and Italians were plugging hard for lean-burn standards for engines below 2 liters. Tentative proposals thrashed out in March, after our Geneva Show report was prepared, seemed.to go against the Germans. Detailed proposals presented three months later, however, included a standard of 8 gm of hydrocarbon and nitrogen oxides in the European test cycle for engines between 1.4 and 2.0 liters. The Germans wanted only 4 gm, the British and French would…

General Motors will not have a watershed year in 1986, but it will be a good one—especially if you're talking new technology and we've-learned-from-our-mistakes refinements. The introduction of ABS braking and intercooled turbochargers, extensive use of rack-and-pinion steering and independent rear suspensions, composite halogen headlamps, and low-Cd aerobody styling, major improvements in climate control and onboard computerized monitoring systems bring GM current with leading edge automotive technology. Big, lumbering and slow to react, GM's mid-year introduction may prove more important than its traditional fall launch—with numerous all-new or redesigned cars (many of which are sports cars) aimed at a late spring unveiling. Chevrolet: USA No. 1 boasts a passenger car lineup that includes America's fastest car (Corvette), America's best-selling car (Cavalier), America's best-selling full-size car (Caprice) and mid-size car (Celebrity),…

We've seen this car before; 10 years ago to be exact. Fullsized, 6-passenger Detroit Iron. Decade-old styling with sloping roofline, big taillights, whitewalls with wire wheel hubcaps, three miles of chrome accent stripping, and that impressive double headlight grille. Plush interior with power everything, a massive, stratified dash where instruments don't look like instruments, column shifter, and wire-thin steering wheel. Sure we've seen this car before. But, wait. Something's wrong here. This car's rear suspension is fully independent. There's no rear differential. Holy hardware, this thing's a front-driver. We'd best check under the hood. Oh, terrific. Not only has the V-8 lost two cylinders, the damn thing's mounted sideways. Where's the carburetor? And those are struts, not shocks. A closer examination of the exterior reveals small touches, aerodynamic low-drag contouring.…

When anything truly new makes its appearance, the perception of things “as they are” changes. Look through the history of modern innovations for evidence of how deeply the “new” affects society and the individual and you can come up with dozens of case histories to make the point. Take, for instance, the case of Dr. Wallace Carothers, who stepped out of a lab one day holding a bottle of synthetic molecules called Nylon—from then on everything from axe handles to dashboards would never be the same. A little farther north, Dr. Shockley fiddled around with tiny bits of silicon and came up with something called a transistor, which recalibrated the future of communications. And, on the darker side of human enterprise, Hiram Maxim, ignored in his native America, went to…

The “New” Chrysler Corporation has been running for its life since it staggered on the precipice of doom in the late 1970s. From that low point, new model has followed new model in an impressive show of marketing acumen, capturing the attention—and dollars—of consumers. It began with the Aries/Reliant, moved on to the Laser/Daytona, Voyager/Caravan, and the LeBaron GTS/Lancer—quite an impressive list. Now, with hearty profits under its belt and a new long-term lease on life signed and notarized, Chrysler Corporation can stop running for a moment and take a well-earned breather. Waiting in the wings are exciting newcomers like the P-car—Chrysler's answer to the Honda Accord—and the Chrysler-Maserati convertible/coupe, but for the opening of the 1986 model year Mopar fans will have to content themselves with “refinements.” Sanding off…

NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National The Elliott Express retained its full head of steam as the Winston Cup series opened the second half of the schedule. Although they won only one race in three July starts, it was enough to keep Bill and Coors-Melling T-Bird comfortably atop the Winston Cup standings with an overall record of eight wins in 17 starts! NASCAR's attempts to slow the Thunderbird contingent, and especially Elliott's car, have proven largely inconsequential. The Dawsonville Flash claimed the pole in two of the three contests and proceeded to set a new GN absolute Q-mark of 207.578 mph at the Talladega 500. While Greg Sacks made headlines with his surprise win in the Firecracker 400 at Daytona, it was only made possible as the result of Elliott experiencing…

At Large Older Can Be Better The Hertz Corporation reported that the cost of owning and operating a used car dropped 1.1% in 1984 as America's drivers are buying younger older cars. A 5-year-old compact cost 23.2$ per mile versus 45.7c for a new compact, and the average cost of a used compact was $5406, up 50% since 1979, while the price for a new compact was $9113, up 78%. Good-bye, Town and Country? With sales of its Caravan/Voyager mini-vans going through the roof, Chrysler is considering the elimination of its station wagons by 1990. A look at its upcoming product plans shows no wagons currently on the drawing-board, although that could change by the time some of the new product—most notably the C-body replacement for Chrysler New Yorker and…

RICHARD M. LANGWORTH JAN PR. NORBYE Review: “The Complete History of Chrysler Corporation 1924-1985,” by Richard M. Langworth and Jan P. Norbye. Published by Beekman House/Crown Publishers, New York. Issued by Publications International, Ltd., 3831 W. Oakton St., Skokie, IL 60076, 312/676-3470; 384 pg, 32 4-color, 1000 photos, 9x11, hard, $14.98. When Consumer Guide says “Complete History,” they are quite sincere. This is the latest in a series of quality marque books from this house, and it is going to tell the reader all he will ever know about this youngest of the Big Three U.S. auto companies “From Walter P. Chrysler to Lee lacocca.” I had regarded Chrysler as a drab latecomer to the car biz, less worthy of historical probing than the two giants of our beloved domestic…

It's a little-known fact that the first Riviera began life as a Bill Mitchell styling exercise created behind closed doors in a small advanced studio at GM's Design (then called Styling) Staff. Mitchell, styling vice president at the time, wanted something to counter Ford's very successful Thunderbird, which had been upsized for 1958 into the industry's first “personal luxury” coupe. He turned Advanced Styling Chief Ned Nickles loose on the idea and soon he had a stunning concept in clay. It was intended to be a LaSalle, a small Cadillac, but Cadillac division turned it down. Then Mitchell staged a competition of sorts among Buick, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac. Each submitted marketing plans, and Buick General Manager Ed Rollert—who wanted it to buoy Buick's then-sagging image—emerged the winner. In the fall…

The Dearborn troops have the hammer down and are taking no prisoners. The newly minted design philosophy seems to be paying off with brisk sales and increased market share, mostly at the expense of The General. Until April 1985 the Cavalier was America's best-selling car. Then in May and June the Escort took over that top spot convincingly. Similar success stories can be found up and down the Ford car line. Undoubtedly the big news for 1986 is the introduction of the Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable. With these two cars, Ford's program of making its cars look and perform differently from everything else on the road now comes fully on line. The other major news is the introduction of the Aerostar minivan. Ford is the last of the big…

The GT stands for gran turismo, Italian for high style, speed, and comfort. Ford of Europe reserves the “XR” prefix for its really hot stuff—Escort XR3, Sierra XR4. Most Americans refer to luxury sport machines as “GT” cars—more refined and more comfortable than “sports” cars, yet plenty fast, agile, and enjoyable to drive. We associate the term with Ferraris, Porsches, modern Corvettes, and the like. American makers, right or wrong, often use it to indicate pure muscle and macho, as in Ford's hot Mustang GTs of recent times. But an Escort “GT"? A Mercury Lynx “XR3"? Three years ago, Ford matched a new port-injected version of the Escort's 1.6-liter CVH (Compound Valve Hemispherical) overhead cam four with a 5-speed manual box and added black trim, fog lamps, spoilers, sport seats,…

We liked the Dodge Lancer and Chrysler LeBaron GTS last year, evidenced by the Lancer Turbo's very close 2nd in our 1985 Car of the Year competition, and we like them even better for 1986. Two of the items we did complain about—the standard 5-speed's cable shifter and the low-line appearance of the standard instrumentation-have been substantially improved. Other '86 improvements include a new fast-burn combustion chamber and more efficient low-pressure fuel injection (single point) for all three available engines, plus addition of tinted glass, passenger-assist straps, child-proof rear locks, and (hot damn!) a 125-mph speedometer to the standard equipment list. Did we say three engines? Right. Last year's choice was limited to a 99-hp point-injected or a 146-hp port-injected turbo version of the same 2.2-liter OHC four. For 1986,…

Introduced in 1970, the Datsun/ Nissan “Z-car” has already assured itself a prominent spot in the annals of automotive history. The model line has always been geared to have its primary appeal to the U.S. market, which has historically accounted for over 90% of its annual sales volume. The current “third-generation” 300ZX variant, which debuted in 1984, is easily the most Americanized version ever produced. Powered by a new 3-liter OHC V-6 engine available in either injected or turbocharged form, and fitted with an improved suspension setup, the 300ZX is unquestionably the best all-around Z-car ever built. The present iteration has, however, shed a good deal of its overall sportiness in favor of becoming a consummate grand tourer. In traversing 15 years of evolutionary changes, it's gotten bigger, heavier, and…

Skill is unquestionably the most important element in the makeup of any successful race car driver. But luck, and the corollary ability to capitalize on any situation that presents itself, are frequently great equalizers. That fact was conclusively demonstrated at the Meadowlands and Cleveland CART contests by Al Unser Jr. During one eight-day span, the talented 22-year-old phenom wasted no time in opening the door on both occasions when opportunity came knocking. His back-to-back victories in Doug Shierson's Domino's Pizza Hot One March helped turn what had become a somewhat lopsided championship chase into a wide-open title joust. At least a bit of Little Al's good fortune also rubbed off on the senior member of the Unser Clan. Big Al made his first appearances of the year on the victory…

Chrysler's SVO No doubt relishing the publicity that Ford's Special Vehicle Operations has been getting over the last few years, Chrysler has established a similar group, dubbed the Special Vehicle Management Department. Under the leadership of General Manager Donald Morrissey, SVMD will oversee the design and construction of limited-edition luxury and performance models. First vehicle to get the treatment will be the 380 SLesque Chrysler-Maserati convertible coupe due in 1987, but even more interesting is the Maserati-built mid-engine high-performance model due a year or so later. SVMD will also work in concert with the Chrysler/ Shelby Performance Center in the development of projects like a 16-valve version of Chrysler's venerable 2.2-liter powerplant. At Large Lido Lashes Out When Chairman Lee laccoca talks, people listen. And lately he's been every bit…

In the beginning they were all convertibles. That was 1953. “The Doggie in the Window” (Patti Page, remember?) was this nation's favorite tune, and the Corvette was an exciting new roadster. It was only a roadster then—a little plastic-bodied 2-seater with an ugly canvas top, whitewall tires, crude chassis bits, the Blue Flame six, and Powerglide transmission. They were all Polo White with Sportsman Red interior. Retail price was $3250. Chevrolet's Great Experiment was a little slow to get up to speed—as were the cars themselves—and sales figures stumbled along through the first couple years. Meanwhile, GM was sorting out the hardware lineup, dealing with the mysteries of fiberglass construction, and figuring out just what the Corvette was anyway. By model year 1956, the 265cid V-8 and manual gearbox were…

What does Z24 mean? Perhaps a little arithmetic will help. Does a Z24 have 4 cylinders less than its Z28 big brother? No, that would make it a V-4, and we all know it's a V-6. Since we know it is a V-6, shouldn't it logically be called Z26? We're unsure, too, so we'll just have to refer all Z24 questions directly to Chevrolet Marketing. What we do know is that the Z24~is a long-awaited addition to the best-selling line of cars in America—the Chevrolet Cavalier. For 1986, the Cavalier has 13 models in its lineup. Cavalier variants include four base configurations of coupe, sedan, and wagon, the CS version of those, and the RS, which adds the notchback and convertible. All of these Cavaliers have the 2.0 4-cylinder EFI…

The race to be the best car stereo system is hotter than ever. On the aftermarket side, systems from Sony, Kenwood, Alpine, and others are fighting it out for top-drawer position at car stereo shops. On the OEM side, things haven't been so competitive. In fact, car makers have had little to offer that could compete with aftermarket sound—until 1983. That was the year the Delco-GM/Bose sound system debuted in the Cadillac and other GM luxury liners. It was the first true high-fidelity system offered by a major car manufacturer, and it employed design innovations never before seen in production autosound. One such feature was the independent equalization of front and rear loudspeakers, tailored for a specific car model. Another feature involved fading of front and rear loudspeakers via an…

With the introduction of the Ford Aerostar this year, the mini-van lineup is complete. Each of the big Detroit builders now has an entry in this field, and the competition in the showrooms for market dominance should be amusing to watch in the coming year. The Aerostar will be up against some pretty well-established and successful adversaries—Chevy Astro, Dodge Caravan/Plymouth Voyager, Toyota Van, and the familiar VW Vanagon. Undoubtedly, the stiffest contest will be among the three domestics. Like its competition, the Aerostar can be had as a utilitarian single-seat windowless van or in the 5 or 7-passenger wagon versions. Also similar to the other wagons, the seats are removable to accommodate a huge load of cargo. Based on a very brief orientation drive and hurry-up test session, the Aerostar…

It is a best of times/worst of times situation at AMC/Jeep/Renault these days. Three years after its French-designed, American-made Alliance garnered Motor Trend's Car of the Year honors, sales of the Alliance and the entire Renault division have slipped noticeably. Yet two years after its Jeep Cherokee ran away with all major “4x4 of the Year” awards, record sales of the entire Cherokee/Wagoneer line have pushed the downsized utility wagon to the top of the charts in its class, far outdistancing its Ford, Chevy, and Japanese competition. AMC has long been collared with a Jekyll and Hyde image of extreme highs and lows, offering classics (Jeep CJ) and clinkers (Pacer), with little in between. For 1986 the good times/bad times scenario will amplify in both directions by an entry list…

After the major points of the 1986 Celica introductory program had been completed, after we had driven the '86 Celicas on the Sears Point racetrack and around the Napa Valley hills, the Toyota folks asked what the assembled press thought of the car. There was talk about the marvelous twin-cam 16-valve engine, the slick and fresh styling, excellent handling, Toyota quality and reputation, yuppies and target markets, and all the rest. Then a Toyota guy (you won't get his name from me), standing at my side in the back of the group, whispered quiet enough so only I could hear. Not exactly word for word, but precisely point for point, he said, “This is all a bunch of crap. There are only two things that matter about this car. The…

As our 1985 import car of the year, the Toyota MR2 was a knatural candidate for enrollment in the Motor Trend long-term test fleet. The car made a big hit with us on our first encounter in Japan and an even bigger impression during the annual skid-mark and opposite-lock festival known as ICOY testing. It won that contest handily despite the very stiff competition from such worthy contenders as the Merkur XR4Ti and Mitsubishi Mirage Turbo, two cars that are gaining banner-waving cadres of devoted fans. If you recall the ICOY test issue (March '85), we had nothing but praise for the MR2. The car's overall balance, terrific 16-valve DOHC engine, spacious interior, and low sticker price won top vote from almost everybody. The only negative comments the car received…