Indholdsfortegnelse for October 1986 i MotorTrend

The Evolution of Design These two prototypes don’t look like versions of the same car, but they are. As the GM-10 (W-car) design evolves into a recognizable shape, the influence of cars already in the marketplace is evidently being felt. GM insiders identify these cars as protos of the GM-10 Pontiac Grand Prix, the Chevy bowtie hubcaps on the top picture notwithstanding. The bottom photograph shows the “Blue Potato,” a virtual exterior mock-up hammered together to provide shelter during chassis development and testing. The top photo is of the largely completed car. Note the door handles in the rear of the window frame. Aero is enhanced by covered headlamp openings, which the Blue Potato didn’t have. Every single line and detail in the mule has been changed in transformation to…

This isn’t the first speed contest between heavier-than-air craft and the land-locked motorcar. Once upon a time, there was a short-lived but intense competition between airplanes and automobiles to determine which was faster. In 1913, a Peugeot L76, powered by the forefather of all modern racing engines, was outfitted with a narrow, single-seat body. With the corpulent Jules Goux, winner-to-be of the upcoming 3rd Indianapolis 500, squeezed into the narrow cockpit, it put a little more than 106 miles into an hour at Brooklands, the world’s first purpose-built race course. Up to that time, the absolute speed record for any kind of vehicle had been a tad over 104 mph, established by a Deperdussin airplane. But with so much activity, such ferment and enthusiasm for mechanical toys in those glory…

Few sports cars would be as tough an act to follow as the Mazda RX-7. And few roads carve trails as tough to follow as those scaling Colorado’s Rockies. Combine the two and you’ve got a mighty challenge. Introducing the 1986 Mazda RX-7 GXL. An all-newchallenger to follow up the toughest act going and to carve those Rockies down to size. The 1986 RX-7 GXL represents a brand-new idea in sports cars. Only two ingredients remain from the original RX-7 concept: The legendary rotary engine, and an equally legendary spirit of exhilaration in sports car driving. Everything else is new, Everything. The sleekly aerodynamic, wind tunnel tuned exterior boasts a Cd of onl 0.31, with the style of flared fenders that cover, only barely, the muscle of low-profile, ultra-performance, unidirectional…

We’ve been fond of this honest American sports coupe ever since Ford Motor Company President (now Chairman) Donald E. Petersen showed us pictures of it nearly two years before its February 1983 introduction. It was a typically muggy Michigan June day in 1981, a box-lunch break under a tent during a typical magazine preview of Ford’s then typically boring new cars for 1982. Highly atypical, though, was the shirtsleeved and genuinely friendly top executive chewing his fat-fried chicken on the folding chair beside us. Following lunch and a get-acquainted chat, he reached into his ample briefcase and extracted a big, black loose-leaf notebook. He cleared an area, placed the notebook flat on the table and began thumbing through it. Peering over Petersen’s shoulder, we could see that it was full…

Station wagons are not designed to excite the senses. Originally conceived as people-and-luggage hauling contrivances, their purpose has changed little in the past 50 years. It is much more important that they accommodate 4x8 sheets of plywood than that they handle mountain roads with verve. It is much more important that they accept a teamload of Little Leaguers than that they provide neck-snapping acceleration. It is much more important that they host coolers and grills enough for a tailgate party than that their lines and contours elicit oooohs and aaaahs. There is something traditional about the plastic-wood-bedecked glandular-case barges of the past that is difficult to shake even in these Modern Times. But now we have the Mercury Sable wagon. Not a speck of ersatz woodgrain bespoils the exterior, and…

Don’t call it “Lincoln Continental.” That name belongs to the. graceful prewar carriage based on the Lincoln Zephyr. But exploring the Continental Mark II without mentioning its distinguished predecessor would be akin to discussing the Minutemen at Lexington and Concord without mentioning The Sons of Liberty. And speaking of the earlier Continental (don’t call it “Mark I”) without including Edsel Ford and Bob Gregorie would be like a history of the American Revolution that omitted George Washington and Patrick Henry. So, here was Edsel Ford, son and heir of the Ford Motor Company’s founder, at the height of his powers as company CEO, planning his spring vacation in Florida. And there were Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dancing “The Continental,” the vocal of which promised moonlight and romance. It seemed…

Spied! Future Ferraris Recently seen motoring around Ferrari’s Fiorano test track were three new models from Maranello. A heavily camouflaged replacement for the 328 will likely be designated the 408, and will probably not be seen until 1988. Ferrari’s latest philosophy is to launch new models concurrently in Europe and the U.S., which is why the debut has been delayed. The new 408 should look like the Testarossa. Notice the fins on the doors and air ducts. It will be powered by a new 32-valve 4.0-liter engine based on the unit in the 328, and power output is expected to increase from the current 270 hp to over 300 hp. Next is the new race version of the GTO. Already in final trim, the car was very quick In practice,…

At best, it was anti-climactic as the curtain drew back to reveal the ’87 Ford Mustang GT. The gathered national and international automotive journalists took just a tiny pause from their polite conversation, not exactly an auspicious welcome for a new edition of America’s pony-car. Indeed, even in its revamped ’87 form, the Mustang’s current external design is getting a little long in the tooth. But put yourself in Ford’s shoes. In 1965, Ford introduced what was to become the hottest-selling new model in automotive history. Every other manufacturer was knocked silly as the Mustang packed Ford dealer showrooms with new-car buyers while the others were left clamoring to catch up. By 1968, Chevrolet had introduced the Camaro, Chrysler the Barracuda, American Motors the Javelin, and Pontiac the Firebird. Ford’s…

Sometimes one knows from the start whether or not a car is going to be good. There’s a preamble to the process of evaluation that begins with the first impression, a sizing up of the car as one approaches it for the first time. How does the light hit it? Where are the character lines that define its quarters? Does it immediately project a personality? This is a first date, a blind one at that, and first impressions count. Walking up to the ’87 Pontiac Bonneville SE for the first time was no different from the only blind date I had in college. I wasn’t sure I’d like it, I wasn’t sure it would be fun, but I knew I was locked into the experience, good or bad. I’d rather…

The Ford people are coming off a good year. In 1986, Ford saw its capable, good-looking Taurus walk off with honors as Car of the Year, garnering accolades from virtually every automotive publication and customer who drove one. The Mercury Sable, Taurus’ sister car, generated similar kudos for its unique styling treatment. The Dearborn company also introduced the Aerostar mini-van, and took continued acclaim for the beauty, technical sophistication, and performance of its Continental Mark VII LSC, which we chose as one of the year’s Best Buys (Aug. ’86). Certainly every model year has its share of hits and misses (the Escort EXP, for example, was a “miss”), but, yes, 1986 was a good year for Ford. Some of the creative magic that sustained Ford last year carries over to…

The Porsche motor car is an automotive implement that most of us covet. Just like a 5-lb hammer is used for watch repair, the Porsche is used for everyday driving. It’s a car that, like even the rattiest Ferrari, God save us, every true car person must own once in a mobile lifetime. This is not to say most of us can afford one. The exact relationship between Porsche price thresholds and Porsche performance thresholds has always been unclear, becoming, in the process, a significant aspect of the Porsche mystique. However one seeks to justify the purchase of a Porsche, though, one thing remains dramatically clear. These cars are pure enjoyment to drive. Cost-effectiveness here must be measured in terms of bang for the buck, quotients of speed over controllability—those…

Q I saw a Ferrari 512 at the last New York Auto Show. The show people ignored my request for information, as has the N.Y. Ferrari dealer. I liked its looks and am seriously thinking of a purchase. Can you supply any information? Dr. Howard J. Sosis Hackensack, N.J. A For shame, doc. I assume, first, that jt’s the Testarossa to which you refer. Ferrari of North America never imported the BB512 (Boxer). Motor Trend (July ’85) has the full story on the TR, which briefly goes: 0-60—5.29 sec, quarter mile—13.41/110.7 mph, flat 12 engine, 4 valves/cylinder, Bosch KE Jetronic injection, 380 hp at 5800 rpm. Price since our story has risen to $103,470, plus $910 for metallic paint. Dealer charges, tax, and license extra, of course. Ferrari says that…

New M-B Sports Car Mercedes-Benz remains tight-lipped about the project, but there have been whispers of a new 560SL open-top sports car. Here it is. Spies confirm the accuracy of our illustration, and say the new model is faithful to the sharp, wedge-shaped lines of existing 190/300E and W201 series cars. This latest beauty is the work of Mercedes’ own in-house design department, headed by Italian Bruno Sacco, the man who molded the 500 SEC coupe and sedan. Power for the 560SL will come from a 24-valve 5.6-liter V-8, good for more than 200 hp. Mercedes is also hard at work on a 32-valve V-8. Standard equipment on the 560SL will include an ASD anti-slip differential and the ASR anti-skid system. There are no plans as yet to grant the…

The concept for this story grew out of a casual conversation with Bob Bondurant. We were all standing around after a Showroom Stock race at Sears Point in Sonoma, California, engaged in some low-key cocktail racing, when Bob said something to the effect that he could get his helicopter around the racetrack faster than most cars. Everyone said, sure Bob. But we couldn’t entirely forget the idea. Races between planes and cars go back to the dawn of flight, so pitting a helicopter against a car, especially around a road racing course, sounded just too good not to try. A helicopter’s stock in trade is agility, so it should be well-suited to the demands of a serpentine road course like Sears Point, even to the extent of being able to…

First, let’s put to rest a couple rumors: (1) It is not true that every new Chrysler-brand car introduced this decade will be called LeBaron. We know it’s seemed that way lately, but Chrysler marketers promise they’ll come up with a new name soon. Anyway, if they want to keep slapping that same old name on every new car they come up with, it’s nobody’s business but their own. Lord knows, it’s certainly worked for GM’s Cutlass motor car division. (2) It is not true that every new Chrysler Corporation passenger vehicle engineered in our adult lifetimes will be a derivation of the venerable K-car platform. It’s only been that way since the 1981 original (Plymouth Reliant and Dodge Aries), though it seems much longer. Hey, if these guys can…

Picture this: Large conference room. Projectors and screens on the wall… thick carpeting … dark, rich wood paneling … round table. Group of Chrysler executives with their sleeves rolled up and ties loosened … a thick layer of cigarette smoke. This is a meeting to pick names for a new Chrysler car line. Small cars, positioned to do battle in the compact arena. High stakes here—and names are important. “Well, we’ve already used up racetrack names.” “Yeah, and animals. “ “Hey, I know, how about names from movies?” “Could be, but remember, we need two names that are associated with each other. “ “How about Starsky and Hutch?” “Shut up, stupid. “ “Thunderbolt and Lightfoot?” “Not bad, but which one would be Lightfoot?” “I’ve got it… how about one of…

The organizers of the Long Beach Grand Prix would like to convince you that the soul-sister of their event is the Grand Prix of Monaco. Don’t you believe it! That looming behemoth, filled with cotton candy and toy balloons, that used to be the R.M.5. Queen Mary wouldn’t even fit inside the harbor at Monte Carlo. What one finds tied up there is the world’s slickest Diesel yacht, the Nabila, owned by the world’s richest man, Adnan Kashoggi. And you can still find a parking space in horizontal Long Beach, while there are insufficient spaces in vertical Monte Carlo for the cars of the permanent residents, never mind the visitors. The only things the two venues have in common are noise, congestion, sleazy souvenir stands, and fun. But Monte Carlo…

The new-car model year officially kicks off with press introductions of the products. At Chrysler, the “long lead” function is made more fun by being held at the company’s Chelsea Proving Grounds, about an hour and a half outside Detroit. Long, wide, and sprawling, the Chelsea facility is a fine place to wring out cars and trucks. It has generous room to roam, a wide variety of road surfaces available, and there’s always plenty of time to get acquainted with the vehicles. This year, Chrysler had a lot of interesting offerings: new cars, new trucks, and new Shelbys, in an interesting mix of go-fast, look-fast, and merely look-good Yuppie Puppies. Here’s what you’ll be seeing in your local dealer showroom during the coming weeks. Probably the best-looking new item in…

Nobody buys a station wagon unless he has to. And who could blame him? Most are dull, over-priced, ugly, and loaded with stigma. No self-respecting automotive enthusiast would want to be seen in one. That is, up until now. In every category but looks (it is still a bit homely), the Peugeot 505 Turbo Wagon redefines the term station wagon. It’s fun to drive—quick, responsive, good-handling, something of a prestige car, and nowhere near as expensive as the Mercedes wagon or even the Audi 5000. If you must have a wagon, or think you could use a ton of carrying space, this could be the car for you. In our May ’86 issue, we tested the Peugeot 505 Turbo sedan, a car that, frankly, caught us all by surprise. And…

For America, this year’s running of the 24 hours of LeMans should have been a day to savor: Al Holbert, of Warrington, Pennsylvania, codrove the victorious works Rothmans Porsche 962C, and George Follmer/John Morton/Kenper Miller brought Joest Racing’s colorful Spirit of America 962C home 3rd. But, in truth, there was little joy for anyone at the 54th edition of the world’s toughest auto race. Once again, the Sarthe circuit’s 4-mile Mulsanne Straight claimed a driver’s life. The accident, which happened in the darkness of early Sunday morning, cast a deep gloom over the remainder of the event. Jo Gartner, the talented 32-year-old Austrian driver, had just negotiated the right-hander that sweeps onto the start of the main straight at about 150 mph. He would have just snatched 5th gear, his…