Innehållsförteckning för 50th Anniversary från MotorTrend

For the editors of Motor Trend, the best part of celebrating the magazine’s 50th Anniversary was comparing our own personal remembrances of how this publication has impacted our lives. Of course, each person has his own unique experiences, but we found a common thread among all our memories: The indelible impression MT made on young minds. Think back. Do you remember the first issue of Motor Trend you ever read? If you’re like most of us, you were pretty young when you got hooked. I picked up my first MT at age seven, and shortly thereafter began imagining myself as a road test driver for the magazine. Berne: able to identify the year and model of every car on the road expanded to wanting to know about engine Specifications and…

Without objective performance numbers, our road tests would read like a group session at a ’60s-era psychologist’s office: a bunch of ungrounded emoting of limited usefulness. Enthusiasts don’t care how fast the car feels. Since 1949, we’ve told you how fast it is. Starting with our second issue, performance testing has been a integral and defining component of Motor Trend. “We weren’t the first to road test cars, but we were the first to standardize our procedures and to use accurate, specialized equipment,” boasted Assistant Technical Editor Bob McVay way back in Nov. ’63. Now as then, quantifying maximum performance serves many purposes. First, it sheds light on the industry. Until car magazines started publishing performance data, those numbers were closely guarded secrets. Imagine not knowing fuel mileage, 0-60-mph acceleration,…

Hey guys, you’ll never believe what I just found!” That’s a shriek heard about every 10 minutes for the past month, as Chuck Schifsky, Bob Nagy, C. Van Tune, and I scoured our way through the (literally) million or so photos housed in the giant Petersen Publishing photo vault. Think of it as a 50-year treasure hunt, where the “gold” is actually silver-nitrate images on long-lost negatives, or color-shifted Ektachrome transparencies of wacky stuff from days gone by. Some of this stuff is priceless!…

Excerpts from our original Ford Thunaerbira test—Dec. 04 The accusation that American car manufacturers couldn’t build a sports car—even if they tried—is no longer valid. The first indication was the Chevrolet Corvette. And although Ford is the first one to deny it (Ford calls it a “Personal car”) they have a sports car in the Thunderbird, and it’s a good one. After pushing the car around the handling course a few times I soon got confident enough to begin taking the corners at 55-65 mph. With more practice, I felt sure that I could up the speed. That’s how the car impresses you. The ride is unlike that which the diehard sports car addict has come to expect from a sports car. Its firm enough to prevent too much bob…

Excerpts from, our original Mustang test—Aug. 64. We headed for Riverside International Raceway to see now wild the Mustang really was. We gave the Mustang its head and clocked 60 mph in 7.5 seconds. I he car ran through our measured quarter mile in a quick 15.7 seconds, showing 89 mph on our fifth-wheel electric speedometer. But performance in a straight line was only one of our Mustang’s good features—its adhesion, thanks mainly to the Firestone Super Sport tires, was amazing. Added to its good straight-line performance and excellent road manners was the Mustangs instant throttle response. Here’s one car we could actually steer with our right toot. Barreling over winding mountain roads was great fun with the car’s good road manners, precise steering, and instant throttle response. As an…

The forces that affected society during the ’60s, of course, affected the auto industry. Foremost among those was the rise of the Baby Boomer generation born after World War II, a generation not devoted to Detroit’s products, as were their parents, and demanding more choices. Volkswagen may have only sold two Beetles during ’49 in the United States, but sold 120,442 during ’59. That got Detroit’s attention. America’s initial response to the imports was the ’60 Chevrolet Corvair, Ford Falcon, and Ply-mouth Valiant compacts. While the Falcon and Valiant were essentially scaled-down versions of traditional Detroit iron, the Corvair dared to be more import-like with its rear-mounted, air-cooled flat-six engine and all-independent suspension. It was the uniqueness of the Corvair that would eventually make it—arguably the most important car of…

The auto industry’s technological investment during the ’80s paid off in the ’90s. Flexible production techniques have allowed manufacturers to derive everything from coupes to sedans, minivans, and SUVs from common component bundles. Toyota’s ’99 Solara coupe, Avalon large sedan, Sienna Minivan, Lexus ES 300 luxury sedan, and Lexus RX 300 SUV, for example, all trace their engineering heritage back to the mainstream Camry. But one is hard-pressed to find how any of those vehicles is seriously compromised by its genealogy. In fact, they’re better for it in many significant ways. Electronic engine controls have resulted in innovations like electronic-variable-valve timing, which can be tuned for either high performance or economy. Honda’s pioneering VTEC variable-timing system, for example, is used on both the near-exotic ’99 Acura NSX mid-engine sports car,…

One of the most interesting aspects of this magazine is the letters we receive from our readers. They’re filled with your direct emotional feed back to what you’ve seen in our pages. You’re obviously not shy about telling us exactly how you feel—where we were were right, where we screwed up, how you might do it better. Over a half century, some things never change. BAN THE BRITS [NOV. ’50] I agree with Mr. Coleman wholeheartedly. Your magazine is excellent, but when I received your Sept, issue I was a little disappointed. Those “Limey” cars and events are getting old. So please try to keep Motor Trend in [the] USA. Cpl. Mike Tbmeo Mildenhall, England ANENT “SOUR GRAPES” [NOV.’50] I wish to say in reply to reader Manual W. Cohen…

After flogging cars on test tracks for 50 years, we have a unique perspective on what’s hot and what’s not. You’ll notice there are some good machines missing from this list of the 50 best, fastest, and most outrageous cars we’ve ever tested. How about a ’64 GTO? It’s not until you look back at the old issues that you realize a ’64 Pontiac Catalina with the 421 H.O. was faster. Maybe the Catalina should be credited with inventing the musclecar craze. Even though that’s not likely, the fact is we could have done a Top 500 list because so many tire-smoking cars have graced these pages in the last 50 years. 1 -50 OLDSMOBILE 88 303-ciV-8/135hp, 0-6012.2,¼ mile 19.9 The ’50 Olds 88 has the distinction of being the…

Excerpts from our original Volkswagen test—Oct. ’53 The seating position is good, the wheel seems in the proper place and the four-speed lever is on top of the tunnel where your hand falls naturally on it. This is very important in this car because you must use the shift lever often. This frequent shifting is no trouble because of the positive action of the shift lever (the transmission is at the rear with the engine, but you wouldn’t guess it). Changing gears upward or downward means a quick flick without hesitation or double clutching, thanks to synchromesh like that in the Porsche (the Porsche costs twice as much as the Volkswagen). The brake and clutch pedals are a bit too close together for comfort. There is no gas gauge. If…

Excerpts from our original Shelby Cobra test—Sept, ’63 Our personal feelings about the Cobra are that its indeed a fun car and one that otters unmatched performance in the production car field. Our test roadster, with the exception of a few luxury extras, was the standard offering. Early Cobras were using the 260-cid Ford Fairlane V-8, but now the standard powerplant is the 289-cid version. A solid-lifter cam, four-barrel carburetor, and 11:1 compression help squeeze out 271 horses at 6000 rpm with 312 pound feet of torque at 3400 rpm. During our quarter-mile acceleration runs. we ’were bothered by excessive wheelspin in first gear and think that with more rubber on the rear, our 0-60-mph times could’ve been dropped from 5.8 seconds down to around 5 flat. We were very…

Excerpts from our original Chevrolet Camaro Test—Dec. 66 Enthusiasm for the Camaro comes easy. It invades the luxury kingdom or Cougar by offering more comfort options and the sporty area of the Mustang by having at least the same amount (.it not more) of enthusiast-oriented accessories. A Camaro exclusive is the 350-cubic-inch V-8 that comes as part of the SS-350 option. This engine is supplied with a four-barrel carb and is modestly rated at 295 horsepower. Torque is listed at 380 pound-feet at 3200 rpm. All engines are available with either a four-speed manual transmission or a rowerglide automatic. Our test cars were both coupes, each had disc brakes, deluxe interiors, special instrumentation, and the Rally-Sport option, which consists of “RS” emblems, all-red taillights with backup lights in the valance,…

Entering the ’70s, there seemed to be a feeling that things couldn’t continue the way they had with cars. Perhaps the most important single event indicating this was the passage of the Clean Air Act of 1970, which instituted a series of progressively more stringent emissions requirements on cars (and many other things). By ’71 moderated compression ratios reduced actual power outputs of the era’s enormous engines. For example, the biggest engine of them all, the 500-cubic-inch Cadillac V-8 used in the Eldorado, had a 10.0:1 compression ratio in 1970 and was rated at 400 horsepower by GM. In 1971, that same engine had 9.0:1 compression, and its maker rated it at 365 ponies. A switch from “gross” to SAE “net” horsepower ratings confuses the issue somewhat, but in the…

Perspective is everything. As road testers, we fight to maintain proper perspective of every vehicle we drive. Believe me, it’s not easy to jump from a Ferrari 550 Maranello into a Daewoo Lanos and maintain perspective on just what the Korean econocar’s mission in life truly is. The same goes for old cars. Our fantasies of fast classic sports machines like the ’56 Corvette dual-four-barrel V-8 and two-seat Thunderbird are actually quite out of whack with their real-world performance. Sure they still look stunning, but drive one today and its acceleration will leave you scratching your head wondering what all the fuss was about. In fact, Mom’s new Honda minivan can blow the doors off most of the big-name legends of the ’50s. A lot has happened in automotive engineering…

There are few things that can be said with certainty about the automotive industry. Prime on the extremely short list of truisms is one unfailing axiom: It’s always unpredictable. Over the past 50 years, in particular, this business has become increasingly more volatile as development costs have skyrocketed, competitive pressures have risen, and time windows have been relentlessly compressed. On the following pages, we’ve compiled a cross-section of memorable cases in point: highlights, lowlights, and in some instances, no-lights, drawn from throughout the annals of modern autodom. They reflect the fact that, in life, there are no sure bets. 70 DATSUN 240Z Its timeless shape, classic powertrain layout, solid performance, and affordable price proved an unbeatable combo for the gang who now markets its hardware under the Nissan name. Back…

In the 50-year lifespan of Motor Trend, no more widely recognizeable symbol has emerged from its pages than the words “Car of the Year.” Since its first appearance in 1949, Motor Trend’s Car of the Year award has become the longest-running award program in the automotive publishing world. It’s inspired countless clones, yet remains the most prestigious and coveted prize in the industry. In fact, platform teams charged with creating new car models have often motivated themselves by setting their sights on the Car of the Year trophy right from the drawing board. As the automotive industry has evolved, so has the award program, spinning off related competitions, including Import Car of the Year, Truck of the Year, and new for-’99 Sport/Utility of the Year, to honor important new segments…

Excerpts from our original Corvette test—Nov. ’53. Having driven snorts cars that could meet the purist’s conception of a sports car without batting a headlight, and having looked at the Chevrolet Corvette as one that would be blinking all over the place, I’ve been pleasantly surprised. The Corvette not only has “go” from a traffic light, punch at high speeds, an uncanny ability to stay Hat through sharp turns and a solid ride, but has eye-appeal as well. Even though the car has a Power glide, Chevrolet was clever enough to put the selector lever of this automatic transmission next to the driveshaft tunnel. This not only gives you the impression of a standard gear box, but you will find you can get plenty of performance out of it in…

Excerpts from our original Pontiac Tempest GTO Road Test Jan. 64 Last year, the Tempest offered a big. 326-cubic-inch V-8 for. its performance-minded customers. and it was an immediate hit—both on the street and dragstrips. this year, thevve gone one better. The G10 has the same beefy 389 V-8 used in the Grand Prix, except that’ the GTO uses the heads from Pontiac’s big “421 H.O.” V-8 to give it a rating of 325 horsepower at 4800 rpm with one four-barrel Carter Carburetor (the engine our test car had) or a whopping 348 horsepower at 4900 rpm when set up with three Rochester two-barrel carbs. GTO Tempests use a special camshaft and valve lifters, while the 10.75:1 compression ratio makes premium fuel a must. The “389” engine isn’t the only…

Motor Trend’s first issue wore the promise that it was “the magazine for a motoring world” and a September 1949 date on its cover. What it shared with the rest of that world was a passion for the new, an absolute enthusiasm for a future that seemed limitless and exciting. And no place was more enthralled with the future or with cars than Los Angeles, California, the town that has always been Motor Trend’s home. With Editor Walt Woron at the helm, Motor Trend’s first issues were devoted more to the world of custom cars and the emerging racing world than the road tests that would eventually become the magazine’s most definitive feature. Articles were devoted to “Restyling a ’41 Buick” or showcasing the forward-looking illustrations of Col. Alexis de…

The business-as-usual assumptions that had proved so nearly disastrous during the ’70s were overturned in the ’80s. Everything that could be questioned was being questioned. GM and Toyota building cars together? Unimaginable during the ’70s, and a reality in the ’80s. International cooperation, once anathema to the Big Three way of doing business, was now eagerly pursued. Along-with that cooperation came new technology, computer-controlled robots automated more and more production processes during the ’80s, resulting in both more consistent quality and a vastly improved plant flexibility. And much the same computer technology that was revolutionizing manufacturing was changing the vehicles themselves. GM’s ’80 X-Cars—the Chevrolet Citation, Buick Skylark, Pontiac Phoenix, and Oldsmobile Omega—represented that corporation’s first indication of what an ’80s car would be. They were smaller than their predecessors,…