When the Volvo C30 arrived in America for the 2008 model year, it had been 36 years since production of the carmaker’s P1800 coupe ended. The new generation of sport coupe reflected the reality of its era, with an important nod to the past. The result was a 2-door hot […]
Author: Jeff Zurschmeide
2016 Ford Shelby Mustang GT-H Coupe “Executive Car”
The run of 2016 Shelby Mustang GT-Hs for Hertz included 140 examples delivered into the rental fleet for allocation day-by-day to mere mortals, and then 16 of the “Executive Cars,” a name that to the Hertz Shelby enthusiast has a special aura. These 16 cars were not rented but were […]
Everything You Need, Nothing You Don’t
If you’ve ever discussed cars with a Lotus owner, you’ve probably heard the phrase, “What you have to understand is…” That’s just the nature of a Lotus. There are always going to be the parts that fail, the welds that crack, and sometimes the door handles that come off in […]
One Impressive Impreza
Mention Subaru to most people and they’ll think of an Outback station wagon-cum-crossover. Tighten it up to Subaru sports cars and they will usually think of the WRX and WRX STI hot rods, or the strangely sci-fi SVX of the 1990s. But there was a brief period at the turn […]
Guest Blog: SCM Goes Gambling
The Gambler 500 Rally is in some ways the polar opposite of Sports Car Market. Where we mainly concern ourselves with highly collectible cars in top condition, the cars of the Gambler lean mightily towards the “disposable” end of the spectrum. While the event no longer has a $500 rule, […]
The Sweet Spot
BMW is well known for building performance cars, but it was the E30-generation 3 Series of the 1980s that really put the German automaker on the map for affordable performance. When the succeeding E36-generation 3 Series was unveiled, BMW fans expected something spectacular. What they got was not the lightweight, […]
Hot Hatch Fever
It takes some guts to walk away from everything that made your car company great, but that’s what Volkswagen did in the early 1970s. The 1974 Rabbit (or Golf, depending on your continent) was the replacement for the antiquated air-cooled Beetle. The all-new A1 platform was a complete departure for […]
Keith’s Blog: Jeff Zurschmeide’s Portland Swap Meet Report
The Portland Swap Meet has been on hiatus for the past two years, for obvious reasons. It’s been a long and boring pandemic, so this year’s event was highly anticipated, at least by me. The swap happens at the Portland Expo Center, with five large buildings and the entire parking […]
Depreciation, Italian Style
When Maserati returned to America in 2002, the company ended an 11-year absence from our market. A lot happened in those years, most notably an ownership transfer from Fiat to Ferrari. That change has been crucial to Maserati ever since. For one thing, it gave Maserati a ready-made dealership and […]
2012 Aston Martin One-77
This 2012 Aston Martin One-77 is the 25th of just 77 examples ever made. It was delivered to Switzerland in 2012. According to the accompanying Certificate of Authenticity, it was ordered in the subtly luxurious colors of Bronze Pearl over Bitter Chocolate leather with Cream Truffle trim, with brushed-metal exterior […]