Author: Jeff Zurschmeide

Jeff is a lifelong automobile enthusiast with a penchant for sports and racing cars. He has raced SCCA, local circle track, and stage rally as a co-driver. He makes his living as a freelance automotive journalist and is the author of six books on automotive topics. As a rule, he practices catch-and-release fishing when it comes to collectible automobiles, trying to leave each one in better condition than he found it. Enduring passions include his MGA and Austin Mini, and his 1969 Corvette. He recently purchased a 1920 Ford Model T Touring because “you just have to have one of these once in your life.”

The Pleasure and the Pain

You don’t have to dig around very much to find horror stories about the Lotus Europa. Colin Chapman’s strange mid-engine “bread van” design is known for major structural problems, dodgy fiberglass and the kind of mechanical troubles only Lotus enthusiasts can tolerate. The car’s reputation has kept prices low, but […]

Ignore Your Inner Chad

“Midgets suck. Get an MGB.” That was the considered opinion of my friend Chad when I expressed my intention to buy a rather crusty 1970 MG Midget back in the late 1980s. Luckily, I resisted peer pressure and bought the car. It turned out to be one of the best […]

1968 Challenger 2 Streamliner

Holds the fastest-ever certified speed-record run for a piston-driven vehicle Designed by Hall of Fame driver Mickey Thompson in collaboration with Kar Kraft in 1968 Driven by Danny Thompson to a new SCTA AA/FS record of 448.757 mph on August 12, 2018, at the Bonneville Salt Flats Chassis built by […]

The Amazing, Affordable Alfa Spider

The affordable European sports-car pantheon usually comes down to just four cars: the MGB, the Triumph Spitfire, the Fiat 124 Sport Spider, and the Alfa Romeo Spider. I can already hear the seismic rumble of readers jumping up to mention the MG/Austin-Healey Spridget, Triumph TR-series, Opel GT, Sunbeam Alpine, Volvo […]

A Fun Copycat

In 1958, Lotus Cars founder Colin Chapman came up with a design for a basic sports car that could be road-driven all week and then raced on the weekend. His previous (and very similar) design was called the Lotus Mark VI, so this new model was naturally called the Seven. […]

1978 Volkswagen Combi Type 2 Campmobile

Chassis number: 2382043540SCM Condition for this car: 1- A couple of years ago, I spotted an used vw transporter vans for sale with a big sticker across the back that read, “HILLS ARE HARD.” With a whopping 70 horsepower pushing that brick up a grade, the sticker was a bit […]

Back to the Future With the SR5

If you were a young man in the mid-1980s, you wanted a 4×4 Toyota SR5 pickup truck. By any name, these trucks embodied the virtues of the mid-1980s — they were stylish, a little bit boastful and a lot of fun. It’s no coincidence that young Marty McFly dreamed of […]