Italian cars are noted for stirring up emotions. An exotic like a Ferrari or Lamborghini howling down a boulevard can cause passers by to pull out their iPhones like old west gunslingers to snap a photo. A classic Alfa Romeo spider or new 4C parked on the street can easily gather a little crowd too. … Continue reading
“My father had one” is often what comes up when the Citroën GS / GSA is mentioned in a conversation. The quirky mid-size sedan is common in distant memories of family vacations but downright rare on the road today. It wasn’t always so: Between 1970 and 1986, approximately two and a half million GS and … Continue reading
When Pierre Dreyfus became the CEO of Renault in 1955, one of his goals was to forge an industrial union with Peugeot that would create a powerful French automaker capable of rivaling giants like Fiat in both size and market share. Dreyfus came close to his dream in April of 1966 when Peugeot and Renault … Continue reading
The 320i is part of the E21 family of BMWs, most commonly recognized as the first of the “3-Series” cars. The E21 was the replacement for the Neue Klasse series of cars, including the timeless“02” models such as the 1802 and 2002. The E21 saw to BMWs entry into the important yuppie sector of the … Continue reading
As some readers will recall, the silver ’74 Porsche 914 my father and I had been continuously restoring since 1999 was wrecked. After much consideration, my dad and I decided that repairing the car at this point wasn’t going to happen and the search began for another 914. Earlier this March, a very nice Marathon … Continue reading
> The venerable Volvo 200 series lived on for what seemed like forever. Even today they are not uncommon to see on the road, over 30 years after its introduction. This particular example is a 1981 model year “DL“. At that time, Volvo was not using the “200” series nomenclature on their cars and following … Continue reading
>Based on Fiat’s Grande Punto platform and designed with the exotic Alfa Romeo 8C in mind, the Alfa Romeo MiTo (for Milano and Torino) is the firm’s answer to the Mini. Only available only in a three-door, it’s also the first in a two-part replacement of the aging 147: a new five-door only car rumored … Continue reading
> The Porsche 944 is one of the more common models you’re likely to see on the road today. There were a lot made, they’re robust, fun to drive, and relatively inexpensive. What’s not so common however is the 944 S2. The car tested here is a 1991 944 S2. This was the last production … Continue reading
>The original smart car was met with both admiration and skepticism. Some called it too expensive, some called it ugly and some thought it was the best thing to hit the streets of big European cities. The smart ended up being a hit, enough so that they wanted to create a brand around it. The … Continue reading
Last December, I posted a road test of my old 1979 300D. The test ended along the lines of “if you want a daily driver, get one with a manual transmission or get one with a turbo.” After spending seven months driving a whole array of French cars and a Fiat throughout France, Italy and … Continue reading
