Innehållsförteckning för July 1984 från MotorTrend

ANOTHER EURO-FORD FOR U.S. Last month we reported that the long-awaited Ford Lugano (replacement for Granada) had been spotted undergoing final testing. This month our deep cover operatives managed to capture the car on film. Following in the tire prints of the very popular Sierra, the Lugano elaborates further on the aerodynamic themes established by its predecessor. The ultraslick 4-door hatchback will offer a 2.0-liter V-6 as the base engine with 2.3-liter four, 2.3-liter V-6, and a 2.8-liter injected V-6 as optional. Some time after its public introduction in the fall of 1984, Ford will offer a 2.3-liter Peugeot-built diesel in both normally aspirated and turbocharged versions. The car is expected to make its American debut in mid 1986 as an ’87 model and will probably be called the Merkur…

What you see here is probably the best Grand Touring car made in America today. Or maybe that should read, the best American Grand Touring car. Because it is American—in character, manner, style, and substance, as well as in origin. If someone were to remake the old “Route 66” TV series of the early ’60s—with a pair of decent, restless kids hitting the road in search of truth, adventure, and a salable hour of entertainment one night a week—this is the car they’d use. Of course, times have changed since Tod Stiles and Buz Murdock set off in Tod’s 1960 Corvette. We’ve all grown up a lot. Gasoline is no longer 25 ¢ a gallon, Route 66’s winding blacktop has all but disappeared beneath the concrete slab of Interstate 40,…

Elsewhere in this issue you will find a bevy of convertibles. Though they represent a broad variety of manufacturers and range in price from $11,000 to $66,000, they have a number of common features: air conditioning, AM/FM stereo, and roll-up windows. Wimpy stuff that wouldn’t even have been considered by the true sporting driver of two or three decades ago. State of the art of open-air motoring back then—and in all the decades that went before—sneered at all that foo-foo stuff. What you needed was a long, louvered bonnet, with a leather strap to hold it down, running boards, and a tolerance for weather. Make that a positive enthusiasm for weather. But can this be, in 1984? Yessir, Mr. Orwell, there is hope for the pure of heart. Thanks to…

Graphic Equalizers: Some are More Equal than Others There’s no doubt about it, equalizers are fun. If you like music and sound systems, then you are familiar with this refugee from a Hollywood sci-fi prop room, replete with 20 knobs and flashing lights to match. In the world of car audio, equalizers are among the most popular accessory components you can add to a basic radio and speaker package. And even though car units don’t have 20 knobs yet, they’re getting there. The growth in complexity of car stereo equalizers is partly due to marketing pressures—the need to field the fanciest rig on the block. But it’s not just flash. Technically, there are many ways a car stereo system can benefit from the proper use of an equalizer. The acoustic…

It’s still far too early to make any meaningful predictions on the outcome of the 1984 Formula One wars. But the opening rounds of action in Brazil and South Africa left no doubt that Team McLaren would be in the thick of things. Back in 1983, it was Gordon Murray’s brilliant Brabham BT52-BMW, driven by Nelson Piquet, that streaked to victory in its maiden outing in the Brazilian GP at Jacarapagua near Rio de Janeiro. This year, it was John Barnard’s new McLaren MP4/2 that bettered the Brabham feat. Powered by the Porsche-designed TAG V6 turbo engine, the new McLaren managed to claim back-to-back wins in its first two outings. Renault castoff Alain Prost bagged the initial victory in the new MP4/2, under a blazing hot Brazilian sun. Runningmate Niki…

Hooked Thank you! Your road test of the Colt Turbo was right on. I promptly tested one, got the giggles, and traded my disappointing ’83 Camaro the same day. The Colt is everything Grable said it was: a cure for the blahs, fast, and fun. Sure it’s a little short on interior refinement, but the early model 5.0-liter that I buzzed today sure didn’t notice. I wonder if he saw my grin? Robert BrunelleSt. Petersburg, Fla. He saw what you wanted him to see; your taillights.—Ed. 13B Rates an “A” I read the article on the Mazda RX-7 GSL-SE and liked it very much. I’ve always wanted an RX-7, but it’s just a dream car for me. The article explained a lot and told me just what I wanted to…

CARS IN ART ART IN CARS Finding fun things to do in Smoggy-town is never difficult, but here’s one more must-do for any car (or art) enthusiast’s list. Beginning July 21 and running through December, the Museum of Contemporary Art in downtown Los Angeles will be featuring a unique and fascinating exhibit of historic cars and automotive art called, “Automobile and Culture.” Funded largely by The Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee, Ford Motor Company, Fiat, and Renault, the display interweaves more than 30 classic and technically significant cars with some 200 works of art. “This exhibition,” says Pontus Hulten, its director, “will be provocative, educational, and—we hope—involving and entertaining, demonstrating the profound extent to which the car has affected our very dreams and lifestyles.” This is no lightweight shopping center…

Why would we travel all the way to East Liberty, Ohio (somewhere between Marysville and Bellefontaine, which even the locals downgrade to “Bell-fountain”), to use the state-built Transportation Research Center? Because it is there, some might say. And that would not be a facetious answer. There is no other facility quite like TRC anywhere in the western hemisphere, and if you need what it offers, you go where it is. And we needed what it offers: a fast oval track, with flat straights and high-banked curves, 7.5 miles around, where any land-bound vehicle this side of the Spirit of America will generate all the speed it can ever hope to. The vast facility’s history starts in 1962 with the establishment of a center at Ohio State University’s College of Engineering…

A funny thing happened on the way A to the H-body ultralong lead. Even before officially unveiling its version of the new sedan, Chrysler division types advised us that a name change on the car was imminent. Chrysler had originally been granted the “Commander” name for its version of the 4-door hatchback. But at a very late date, which happened to coincide with our very early evaluation, the corporate powers that be suddenly decided to hold off on committing to that tag. Unfortunately, they offered no alternative in return (notice the absence of name badges in the photos?). Two weeks later, word arrived that the new nom de vehicle would be LeBaron GTS. The new GTS will be incorporated into the existing LeBaron line, but with a separate personality and…

The Aero-Look introduced by FoMo-Co for its ’83 product line received mixed reviews, for most car lines. The exception remains the Thunderbird, which was given universal praise for its timely aerodynamic look. As usual, there were comments about how much better it would look if it were a “little lower, with a bigger tire/wheel package,” and we knew the aftermarket would quickly fill that need. One of the first to do it, and do it right, is Creative Car Products of Hawthorne, California. CCP not only addressed the exterior cosmetics, there’s also a well-engineered intercooler kit for underhood improvements, and a full range of suspension pieces intended to improve the ‘Bird’s handling characteristics. The body pieces (front air dam, side skirts, rear valance, and rear spoiler), were designed with Ford…

This is not an easy car to love. It isn’t what you’d call pretty. It certainly isn’t docile. It has no distinguished racing record. Its name is hard to pronounce: ee-SO-ta frah-SKI-nee. It isn’t even a member of a dying breed. It’s a member of a dead breed. Which is why we are showing it to you. The genre of giant race cars, of which the Tipo KM is a quite modest example, didn’t last very long. In the century’s first decade, automotive technology was rushing outward from its center (Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz, if you like), much as solid-state technology is doing today. Britain and the industrialized nations of Europe were building cars in some variety-big bangers for export and for sale to the local aristocracy, little tiddlers…

The number of 4-wheel-drive passenger cars has increased dramatically over the past two years, and many manufacturers are rushing designs to the marketplace. This poses a question: Is all-wheel drive (awd) yet another marketing gimmick, or is it a valuable feature every consumer needs in personal transportation? The answer lies in the individual usage and demands on the vehicle. Residents of Palm Springs, California, commuting between the country club and winter villa, couldn’t care less about 4wd. Winter construction workers in Green Bay, Wisconsin, could not function without it. Conventional 2wd cars with open differentials (no limited slip or locking function) are unable to move if only one wheel loses traction. In addition, when the car is in motion and one wheel passes over a slick surface, directional stability can…

WHAT THE L IS THIS? It’s the next-generation Chevy Citation, as a matter of fact. Developed under the GM-25 designation, the 5-passsenger front-drive sedan will be Chevy’s next all-new car. Forget the N and C-cars, the L-body (code name for the GM-25 program) is the true barometer of future GM products. Stiff uppers and bloated window lines have been dumped, replaced by flush glazing and a wind-cheating semi-demi-fast-back. The L will sport a chromeless aero nose with two intake slots above the bumper surface and three below. Homofocal flush headlamps will flank the upper cooling ports. The roofline flows back into the tall, short trunkette and should contribute to a drag coefficient in the 0.24 to 0.27 range. Additional aero improvements have been made by extending. the front valance panel…

It’s hard to report the deaths of 43,028 people on our nation’s highways as good news. But that 1983 figure represents the lowest traffic death toll in 20 years. It also represents a continuing downward trend over the past three years. In addition, preliminary statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show the fatality rate for 1983, 2.6 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles of travel, to be the lowest ever recorded—a 22% improvement over the 3.3 fatality rate in 1980. “The three-year fatality drop is particularly encouraging because it has come about even while the actual number of miles driven has been increasing,” said Transportation Secretary Elizabeth Dole. Dole could not pinpoint the reasons for the decline, but she credited the groundswell of public support for programs…

As a rule, swedes are a party people. They like to have a good time. In fact, any reasonable excuse to pop open a couple of friendly bottles can quite rapidly take the extra step into serious celebration. They seem to celebrate anything. The Dances of Cheese? Hey, why not? The Annual Festival of Socks? Ya, shoor, it’s party time in the Arctic Circle. Well, it stays cold and dark a large part of the year up there, and people have to do something with their time. If you’ve ever done any serious revelry, especially in the colder climes, you know full well what a comfort it is to step out into a frozen landscape and climb into a substantial automobile for the ride home. I have a suspicion, and…

Admit it. You’ve watched the “Dukes of Hazzard.” Maybe you don’t arrange your TV evenings around that hour of good ol’ boy shenanigans by the brothers Bo and Luke Duke, their philosophical Uncle Jessie, and their voluptuous cousin Daisy, but you know who they are. And you must know that one of the most popular characters on the show isn’t even human. It’s a car; the General Lee, a Dodge with the uncanny ability to outrun the ever-pursuing law by leaping everything from manure spreaders to young mountains. Always lands on its wheels, then races to freedom spewing great roostertails of dust and dirt. Sumbitch. What a car. But what you may not know is that the General Lee, like Bo and Luke and Daisy and Jessie, is based on…

Let’s see, after Monaco there’s Montreal, Detroit, Dallas, Brands Hatch, Hockenheim…Wait a minute! Dallas? Land of Tex-Mex, Ewing Ranch, pickemups, cowboys, and The Cowboys? Dallas? Sure. Why not? Dallas is America’s seventh largest city, the third leading convention and trade-show center, and among the top three in big-buck business, fashion, film, and video. Its airport, shared with neighbor (and competitor) Fort Worth, is the world’s fourth busiest and occupies an area larger than Manhattan. Located in the fertile farmlands of northeast Texas (not, as you might think, surrounded by sand, cactus, and rattlesnakes), Dallas is chock full of hotels, nightclubs, amusement complexes, museums, shopping centers, parks, golf courses, you name it, and boasts “more restaurants per capita than any other American city.” In many ways, it’s really an Eastern metropolis—sophisticated,…

Long before Motor Trend was even a glimmer in the eye of Robert E. Petersen, Hollywood had discovered the romance of the ragtop. In addition to the ethereal appeal of open-air motoring, convertibles made photography of the vehicle occupants much, much easier. Practical reasons aside, can you imagine Joe Mannix chasing criminal types in a Chevy II 4-door? The certain flash that only comes with a folding top makes open cars ideally suited to dashing men of action and cinematic hero-style individuals. We’ve put together a collection of some roadsters from films out of the recent—and not so recent—past. What you get to do is name the convertible, and the movie it’s from. That’s easy enough, isn’t it? Answers to “Convertibles on Camera” Quiz 1. The car: a Ford Model-T…

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