The Cosmo might have done better with cleaner styling. I'm thinking mostly of the crease above the front wheel arches, and the split tail lights. The Toyota 2000GT had a smoother design. I think the Cosmo could also have done well as a convertible (full disclosure: I own a 1990 RX-7 convertible, and love its looks). So why do we value the Toyota more than the Mazda, even though the Mazda is more technically interesting? Because beauty still counts for something with collectible cars. And the Toyota 2000GT was and is drop-dead gorgeous. ... View more

My parents and grandparents met President Truman by chance when he was a sitting president in the early 1950’s. They had gone to Detroit for the afternoon, and were in one of its fancy hotels, looking for the coffee shop. They were lost, and had decided to take a service elevator to see if they could get back to the main part of the hotel. The elevator doors opened, and there was President Truman with two (yes two) secret service guards. No one had cleared the route for the President – that just wasn’t done in those days. The secret service guards stiffened, but relaxed when they realized my parents and grandparents were no threat to anyone. Then my grandmother spoke up, “Mr. Truman, I’ve always wanted to shake your hand.” Gracious and a gentleman, President Truman shook hands and took time to wish my parents and grandparents well. My mother was dazzled. She recalled him as a big, barrel-chested man with a glowing complexion and a big broad smile. “You could almost see the waves of charisma radiating out from him,” she told me, years later. From that moment she understood how he had won the whistle stop campaign in 1948. I’ve never been able to reconcile my mother’s description of him with the old black and white photos I see of him. They make him look like a little, grey washed-out man. But my mother’s recollection and description helps explain what his campaign managers must have known – put Harry Truman close to and in front of as many voters as possible and he’ll win. ... View more

Exactly right. Similar thing happened to me years ago, but I wasn't working with any power tools. I was disassembling an ignition cylinder when its retaining spring snapped. Part of the spring zinged off my glasses. Now I wear safety glasses when I'm doing any work with any tools around my car or house. ... View more

Great article on the 996. And I love the reference to Milton’s Paradise Lost. (Book IV, lines 262-263) But if you read Paradise Lost through to the end, you’ll find that Satan never really does “reign in Hell” or anywhere for that matter. Wherever he is, and especially at the end of the poem, Milton’s narrator makes it clear that Satan is always subject to God’s rule. In Book X Satan returns to Hell, having successfully tempted Eve (who in turn tempted Adam) to eat the forbidden fruit. He expects praise and ovations from his fellow devils. Instead, he receives “A dismal universal hiss, the sound / of Public scorn.” Book X, lines 508-509) Then he feels his legs intertwining, and his arms forced against his sides, as he and his fellow devils are transformed into serpents. (Book X, lines 509-521) They’re forced to slither on the ground, unable to speak except in hisses. (Book X, lines 517-520) They reach for an illusion of the sweet fruits of Eden, but when they eat they instead taste bitter ashes. (Book X, lines 547-566) As Satan resists his transformation Milton’s narrator makes it clear that Satan is no ruler in Hell: “Reluctant, but in vain: a greater power / Now rul’d him, punisht in the shape he sinned.” (Book X, lines 515-516) I too heard the 996’s siren song of an initially inexpensive entry into Porsche 911 ownership. Unlike Odysseus, though, I didn’t have to be tied to a mast to keep me from giving in. As you’ve noted, the cost of Porsche parts and maintenance was enough. ... View more

The DeLorean has a great story because the car had such great promise, little of which John Z. was able to realize. What if someone could do it again? Give it a proper motor. Make it mid-engined, the way Giugiaro’s initial design had intended. Build it like it should have been. Think of it this way. How would we regard the Corvette if Chevrolet had made the car for 1953 only (think Blue Flame 6 and Powerglide transmission) and had never made another one? I suspect we’d be thinking of the Corvette the same way we think of the DeLorean – a great idea, but never truly realized. ... View more

Hi Zephyr. If they had snow tires permanently installed the tires were probably made from a summer or all weather compound with a more robust tread. A winter tire has a softer compound than a summer or all-weather tire so that the rubber doesn't get as hard in the low temperatures. That way it can handle icy conditions better. If you keep a winter tire on your car in the summer you'll wear it out as fast as a race car driver wears out tires. I had a mechanic who said he did that during July (in southern Ontario), and he wore out his tires in a couple of weeks. Maybe a mechanic should have known better, but he also said that with the softer rubber compound his car handled better than it ever had before. ... View more

I think this car was way ahead of its time. I mean, nine years later didn’t the Batmobile have atomic batteries? (“Atomic batteries to power, turbines to speed.” “Roger, ready to move out.”) ... View more

I’m seeing lots of negative comments about this car. Even if you aren’t a fan, at least appreciate the creativity and work that has gone into this car. It’s a beautiful interpretation of what the Trans Am could have been if Pontiac had survived. ... View more

Quick question: which car looks to be in better condition – the one on the cover of Car and Driver, or Alan’s? I’d say Alan’s (looks like there's dirt accumulating on the rocker panel and under the bumper of the Car and Driver car). Congratulations sir, on keeping such a great car in such great shape! ... View more

I agree, but with one caveat: it depends on the car. Back in the 1980s my parents had a Chevrolet Chevette with a 4-speed manual. It could barely do 55 mph, and strained to get there, so it certainly qualified as slow. But it definitely wasn't fun. ... View more

I own a 1990 RX-7 convertible that I bought 17 years ago. It was in beautiful condition then, and still is today. I never bought it to make money, and I haven't. I bought it to enjoy, and I have. ... View more