Indholdsfortegnelse for April 1991 i MotorTrend

As you would expect, a publication as visible as Motor Trend gets heaps of reader mail every month. By and large, it’s favorable: warm, fuzzy notes of praise and encouragement, followed by well-considered questions about a particular make and model of car. We greatly appreciate the kind words and apologize for being unable to follow up on so many of those individual questions; we simply don’t have the manpower to get to the bottom of every reader query. We could, I suppose, but I doubt that the rest of the readers would be interested in receiving future issues composed entirely of blank paper. Please write if you think I’m wrong on this score. That same high visibility means we’re an irresistible target for those with less charitable comments. These range…

A REAL MASERATI For the first time in 15 years, Maserati has introduced a mid-engine sports car. At its recent annual meeting in Modena, the Italian company surprised visitors by unveiling this aggressively styled six-speed rear-drive two-seater, called Chubasco. Like previous Maseratis, it’s named after the wind (in this case, one that blasts across the Gulf of California). That’s what it’s expected to go like, with power from a modified version of the Shamal coupe’s 32-valve 3.2-liter twin-turbo V-8 that produces 430 horsepower. Maserati won’t reveal the Chubasco’s likely top speed or acceleration statistics, as these will depend much on its final weight. At 14 feet, 2 inches long and 6 feet, 7 inches wide, it’s not small. On top of a steel backbone chassis, the Chubasco wears steel body…

During his 28 years as a master spy, Hans Lehmann has lived dangerously. His handsome home in northern Germany, his sinister black Audi Quattro, his black Porsche 911 Speedster, black Jeep Cherokee, and black Volkswagen Golf, his impressive collections of model cars, model trains, and antique rifles and bayonets—all have been earned the hard way. As he hunts that elusive prey, the prototype automobile, Lehmann faces risks most of us would choose to avoid. From the deep freeze of the Arctic Circle to the relentless heat of the desert, on assignments through Scandinavia, Africa, Australia, and America, he gambles a small fortune—perhaps as much as $100,000 each year—in pursuit of a bigger one. But it isn’t just the big bucks that keep the 51-year-old Lehmann to his peripatetic lifestyle, to…

The sport sedan segment that BMW has so soundly dominated is expanding at an exponential rate, with a growing number of players entering the fray. In response to this widening market, Honda has called upon its upscale Acura division to offer a new model to fill the niche between its popular Integra and Legend automobiles. The result is Acura’s ’92 Vigor, a sporty and luxurious four-door sedan destined to go head-to-head with models like the BMW 325, Audi 90, and Lexus ES 250. Designed to exude a luxury feel comparable with that of the Legend, while offering a higher level of performance than that of the Integra, the Vigor is destined for the driver who wants it all. Honda designers penned a four-door sport sedan with a wide lower body,…

Anyone who’s ridden in the back seat of just about any sporty coupe knows painfully well what 2 + 2 seating really means. What the sales brochure describes as “individual rear seats” translates into real-world use as “padded contortion chambers”; leave your legs at home. The Geo Storm 2 + 2 Coupe was among the most guilty of this crime, but has since paid its dues and been upgraded to true four-passenger status. The welcome offering is known as the Storm Hatchback. Basically, the designers removed the sharply raked rear glass of the coupe and replaced it with a wagon-like extension of the roof panel. They also added large rear side windows (that pop open for ventilation) and a lift-up glass hatch. A neat styling trick is the use of…

Few who witnessed the rising tide of car-to-car contact that characterized the ’90 Formula One title shootout would argue it was the ideal way to conduct business in the most prestigious category of international motorsport competition. But in the end, few could quibble with the singular achievements of the man who ended up grabbing his second World Driving Championship. Ayrton Senna, fiery Brazilian maestro who spearheads the efforts of Team Marlboro McLaren, and Frenchman Alain Prost, the calculating “Little Professor” who heads up the Ferrari program, banged wheels and exchanged less-than-cordial off-track sentiments in a manner that could rightly be called less-then-gentlemanly. In any case, it was Senna who emerged with a 6-5 edge in races won, a 550-110 advantage in laps led, and a 10-0 blanking in pole positions…

In December 1989, I visited a newly opened border crossing in the wall that had separated East and West Germany for more than 30 years. The tiny village of Zicherei had been sliced in half, with one side prospering as part of a strong local economy supported by Volkswagen’s main assembly installation in Wolfsburg about 20 miles away, and the other side suspended in another era. East Germans were crossing the border in their off-white, smokey, slow Trabants, while West Germans watched through the windows of their BMWs, Porsches, Mercedes, Sciroccos, and Audis. It was insulting to West Germans, who had earned a worldwide reputation for excellence in automotive engineering and environmental concern, to see their countrymen in these inferior automobiles, clogging the autobahns and darkening the air. Until they…

Car of the Year Rebuttal At a time when front-wheel drive and V-6 engines seem the rage, it’s nice to know I can still find a stylish, full-size car with rear drive and a substantial V-8. That it’s American-made and offers respectable fuel economy makes this package even sweeter. I’m pleased to see GM recognized for producing a great new car. Steven NorwoodSan Clemente, Calif. I enjoyed your article on the ’91 Car of the Year. I was, however, somewhat surprised by the number of styling points the Caprice was awarded. There was another car about 42 years ago that closely resembled this car. It was the ’50 Nash. If there are any great differences in design, they have escaped me. Richard EverettSan Marcos, Calif. What can I say. A…

FIRST TRANS AM CONVERTIBLE IN 20 YEARS Pontiac has returned the ragtop to its Firebird lineup for the first time in 20 years. The ’91 F-convertibles were announced at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit and are on sale now. Like the Chevrolet Camaro before it, the Firebird will conceal the lowered soft-top beneath a rigid full-width boot. The rear seats are retained. Pontiac said it can produce up to 2000 units of the ’91 convertible conversion in base Firebird and Trans Am models. Base Firebirds are powered by a GM multipoint fuel-injected 3.1-liter V-6 providing 140 horsepower. A four-speed automatic is the standard transmission. The Firebird’s optional drivetrain is a throttle-body-injected 5-liter V-8 offering 170 horsepower, with a five-speed manual transmission. The four-speed automatic is optional. The…

The mission of a personal luxury car is twofold: It must offer enough quality, uptown amenities to blip the needle on the coddle meter, and whatever anyone says, it’s still gotta have some get up and go. Mercury changed the role of the Cougar XR7 once again in the ’91 model year by replacing the supercharged 3.8-liter V-6 (and an available five-speed stick) with a 5-liter high-output V-8 and automatic transmission. The swap changes the car’s character and mission for the better. Marketeers slot the “personal luxury” category as a comfort-oriented segment farther down the luxury chain than Cadillacs and Lincolns. They’re most often sporty, well-equipped cars at prices considerably lower than a Caddy or Lincoln, too, so we workin’ guys can afford high-zoot for small(ish) loot. Even though the…

They say talk is cheap. However, when it comes to Saturn, GM’s Great American Import-Bashing Hope, it’s been anything but. With over $3 billion and eight years of corporate effort invested in the program to date, it stands as one of the most highly publicized and eagerly anticipated new product launches in U.S. automotive history. Although the past year has provided several opportunities to drive early pilot versions, at long last, we’ve gotten our hands on a real production Saturn, in this case, an uplevel SL2 sedan. To properly celebrate this auspicious occasion, we decided to subject it to a baptism by fire. What better way to test its mettle than to pit it against a brace of cars widely recognized as the most dominant competitors from Japan’s Big Three?…

They don’t build ’em like Mosport anymore. No way, Jose. Caterwauling through a Canadian forest over plunging hills and valleys, Mosport Raceway is one tough, mean ride. It’s bad enough in any circumstances. Try a 24-hour endurance race on Mosport’s mettle tester, which means you’re out there at night, and you can have stories for your grandkids—assuming you find your way back to tell ’em. It’s up and down hills, around mountains, through the trees. The rampage from Turns One to Five includes something like two loops, three barrel rolls, one flat spin, four strafing runs, and three full-throttle power dives into the abyss. It’s hard to decide which is more terrifying; daylight, when you can see only part of it, or night, when you can’t see any of it…

World politics played a major role in the happenings at the ’91 season opener of collector-car auctions in Scottsdale, Arizona. With the U.N.-imposed deadline for Iraq to leave Kuwait falling right in the middle of the annual Scottsdale automobile auction week, things were a little slow and thoughts somewhere far away. When the situation erupted into conflict midweek, an already reserved event became even more somber. The big domestic collectors, as well as most international collectible buyers, were understandably absent. Likewise, the cream of the available collector-car field was held back by their owners. This latest crisis combined with the existing state of the economy helped keep the field in its slump. Nonetheless, the shows did carry on with cars and cash exchanging hands. Kruse International 20th Annual Dates: Jan.…

The annual national auto show season began in January in Los Angeles and Detroit. This year, the two shows were consecutive weeks instead of overlapping, and for car makers, this may have served to enhance the appeal of each, since the array of concept and show cars could be better spread around. The best of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit and the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show follow here, validating their reputation as the showcases of America’s dreams. CALLAWAY TWIN-TURBO CORVETTE SPEEDSTER Reeves Callaway’s latest creation made its debut in Los Angeles, decked out in outrageous Old Lyme paint, Connolly leather upholstery, and a new 450-horsepower version of the firm’s T-charged 5.7-liter V-8 engine. To protect its investment potential, the revised production plans call for just 50…

In the rush to pass a new Clean-Air Act last year, Congress, with the blitzkrieg lobbing efforts of the auto industry, rejected an amendment by Nevada Democrat Sen. Richard Bryan’s to establish a 40-mpg corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standard for cars. But lo and behold, as the 102nd Congress assembled in January, Bryan’s CAFE bill was reawakening like Dracula at dusk. This time, Bryan will team with Sen. Tim Wirth (D-Colo.), a fellow environmentalist and auto industry antagonist, to reintroduce a stand-alone bill calling for a 20-percent increase in CAFE standards by 1995 and another 20-percent increase by 2001, which amounts to a 40-mpg CAFE. And the senators have the support of 16 major environmental groups that met recently in Washington and announced energy conservation and fuel economy would…

Although nine different errors have been documented for traffic radar, the most common source of wrongful tickets is mistaken identity. It’s hard to believe, but traffic radar does not identify which vehicle is responsible for the speed being displayed. It shows a number and nothing else. The radar operator must decide who is to blame. Traffic Radar Is Blind Traffic radar works differently from military, air-traffic-control, and weather radars. The others use rotating dish antennas in order to track many objects simultaneously. Traffic radar uses a far smaller, far cheaper, antenna. This requires traffic radar to ignore all reflections but the strongest. The number displayed is the speed calculated from the strongest reflection. The Best Guess Remember, these reflections are invisible. Truck reflections can be ten times stronger then car…

You know you’re jaded when a new 189-horsepower 2.5-liter engine fails to make you ooh and aah. It certainly does when it’s fitted to the all-new BMW 3-series due this spring. But in the 3484-pound 525i, this innovative 24-valve DOHC inline six is more a praiseworthy compromise to the conflicting demands of performance, fuel economy, and emissions control. You might call it the perfect answer for the affluent, socially responsible driving enthusiast. But that’s the world we live in today, car fans. A mean, old world prickly with uncertainty, particularly for luxury car makers. Aside from the spectre of recession and war, the marketplace is mined with meddlesome politicians and assiduous competitors eager to upset the status quo. And that’s got us worried. If Carl Gerlinger, the smiling president of…

Until now, high performance radar detection required a messy power cord. Plugged into your car’s lighter. Dangling across your dashboard. And tangling in your pocket. Now, there is a better way. No Power Cord SOLO is a totally new concept in long-range radar detection. All you do is clip SOLO to your visor or windshield, and switch it on. It’s that simple. You’ll never need a power cord. Unlike any other radar detector, SOLO has its own power source—inside its compact magnesium housing (SOLO is ¾” × 2¼” × 4½”—just 5½ ounces). SOLO comes complete with all accessories, including visor and windshield mounts that instantly conform to any car, but fold flat for convenient carrying. Both designs are patented. How It Works After years of research, our engineers (who also…

The Mercedes-Benz 300E has long been regarded as one of the world’s finest luxury sedans. Although competent to a fault, it’s never been known for its ability to excite hard-core enthusiasts—until now. This year, the venerable W124 platform is getting a big boost in the form of a potent 5-liter V8 engine and a suspension upgrade designed to keep it more than competitive with the current strain of front-line supersedans. Designated the 500E, the car goes on sale in Europe early this year. While it won’t arrive here until early September as a ’92 model, we recently had a chance to check out a Euro-spec variant in Germany. Don’t be fooled by its understated appearance. Deep down in-side lurks the heart and soul of a purebred sports car. The concept…

In the ’60s, when muscle-car mania was upon us, the factories did their best to satisfy the speed and power cravings of their customers. There were the Buick GSX, Dodge Hemi (in Coronet, Challenger, and Charger), Ford 427 (Fairlane and Torino), Olds (W30), Plymouth Hemi (GTX, ‘Cuda, Roadrunner), and of course, Pontiac GTO—perhaps the car that started it all. The pony-cars, Mustang, Camaro, Cougar, Firebird, Barracuda, Challenger, and Javelin, eventually had big-block stump-pullers available as a powertrain option. In spite of the profusion of factory-built muscle, a few customers always wanted something else. Something more. Something the factories couldn’t, or wouldn’t, produce. After all, the automobile industry is based on mass production, which gets cars built faster, keeps the prices within reason, and simplifies parts department stocks. Cottage-industry suppliers immediately…