Remember Road

15/06/2024

Facebook allows advertising ILLEGAL products, items in violation of trademark law, and misrepresenting people with photoshopped images. 
It’s a scam. Don’t participate in it. Don’t give money Facebook scam advertising.

01/06/2024

Even Saab fanatics probably doesn't know this, unless of course they read the article when it was originally published in European Car. Ralph Millet, the first president of Saab's American subsidiary tells about how Saab came to America.

History/driving impressions of the Saab 93B and first Saab USA president's recollections of the beginings of Saab in America.

31/05/2024

The odd tale of an unusual sports car.

History/driving impressions of one-off Asardo sports coupe, originally published in AutoWeek republished by the author.

15/05/2024

The Volvo 1800 was an unlikely addition to Volvo's utilitarian lineup. Here's what it was like to buy one not all the way back in the day but after it had become a Swedish classic. As published in European Car.

Vintage istory and buyer's guide for Volvo P1800, Volvo 1800S and Volvo 1800ES, including photos. Vintage article replublshed by the author.

12/05/2024

DAF is a car most people, at least in the US, have never heard of. A few of the have made it Stateside. Here's an article about the DAF 55.

Republished hisstory/driving impressions of the 1967 DAF 55, a unique car from the Netherlands with an early continuously variable tranmission (CVT).

05/05/2024

There's something about saving everything, and then there's going out purposely getting more of it. I probably have some of that. Here's a guy who does it in spades. Does anyone know whether he's still at it?

Leonard "Mac" McGrady profiled about his collection of 63 Nash-Healeys in Automobile Magazine, republished by author John Matras.

02/04/2024

Where Maserati's road cars began. There were only race cars before the war. This is how the road cars began.

History/driving impressions of the first Maserati road car, the A6/1500,, by award-winning author John Matras, first published in AutoWeek.

15/03/2024

It's spelled "doozy" but it's really and truly "Deusy." Yeah, doozy works better. But you know where it comes from.

History/buyers guide of the 1928-36 Deusenberg Model J/SJ originally published in AutoWeek; republished by the author

26/02/2024

It was a car that fans of European cars lusted after...sorta.

History and buyer's guide for the Merkur XR4Ti published when the German Ford performance coupe was still an old car and not yet collectible.

21/02/2024

Quick, what was Mazda's first passenger vehicle? Here's a clue:

History of the Mazda R360 kei-class, Mazda's first production automobile in 1960, and its origins from Mazda's beginnings.

08/02/2024

If you think any Ferrari 250 GTO is special, this isn't any Ferrari 250 GTO.

History of the Ferrari 250 GTO 4.0-liter whose only Le Mans appearance as a Ferrari team car ended in the pits, via a sandbank.

26/01/2024

One of my favorite articles over the years was my "race report" on the first automobile race in America. Since that was published, there have been a number of articles on the 1895 Chicago Times-Herald race, no doubt some using my article as a source.

Well enough, but some have used sources of dubious merit, or at least sources that aren't as good as they might seem...including an interview of one of the participants fifty years after the event.

Memory, as we oldsters know, can be tricky, and I was able to work with original sources, including books published not may years afterwards. More importantly, I was able to use the original stories from the Chicago Times-Herald written at the time, using the actual newspapers in the Library of Congress. They were taken out of circulation (at my suggestion) after I used them. They were falling apart in my hands. And somewhere I have the slides I took of each page. The LoC presumably has microfiched them.

Anyway, I got to use my history major...

The story of the first automobile race in America, the 1895 Chicago Times-Herald Thanksgiving Day race in snowy Chicago.

10/01/2024

Behind the wheel of one of my teenage dream cars. Yes indeedy.

History/driving impressions of the mid-engined exotic De Tomaso (aka DeTomaso) Mangusta by award-winning writer John Matras.

10/01/2024

Fun at Lime Rock. Driving in front of thousands of vintage racing fans, trying to look good without looking bad.

History and driving impressions of BMW's famous "Batmobile" racer, driven at Lime Rock vintage race by author John Matras.

23/12/2023

It took me long enough but I got my ‘90 Miata about 2015, about 25 years after the first time I drove a Miata.

In fact, when I drove it, it was one of two in the U.S. and I had it for a week. I had it as a press loan, and I wrote an article for a Motor Trend article comparing the new Miata to the Lotus Elan.

I wrote for various magazines for about 35 years and had the opportunity to drive thousands of cars, from ordinary. Because I kept the copyright, I’m able to republish them (here comes the selfish self promotion) on a website, Remember Road.

That Miata vs Elan story? Here’s a link. And oh, you can see what’s next by subscribing to just one email alert per week, on Thursday.

A 1990 comparsion review of a new 1990 Mazda MX-5 Miata vs a 1967 Lotus Elan, republished by the author.

20/12/2023

Have you driven a Model T Ford? At one time most American drivers had driven one. But it's different enough from other cars that in many states there was one driver's license for driving cars and one for driving a Model T. The story of living with a Model T and the story of the Model T:

History of the Ford Model T including how to start and drive one, the social impact on the country.

07/12/2023

"Bocce ball on the forecastle" is a phrase you've never used. I, on the other hand, have.

History/driving impression of the giant-sized 1973 Chrysler New Yorker Brougham by award-winning author John Matras

14/11/2023

"The Egg" was supercharged, not turbocharged.

Report/review of the Toyota Previa supercharged fior the 1994 model year; first published in Popular Science, republished by the author.

29/10/2023

The Homologator, and no Ahnold had nothing to do with it:

The BMW 3.0 CSiL was the homologation model for the racing BMW C.0 CLS.; history/driving impressions by John Matras, republished from AutoWeek

05/10/2023

What a hybrid used to be.

History/driving impressions of the Arnolt-Bristol, originally published in AutoWeek and republished by the author.

28/09/2023

The Volvo V70 was Volvo's first all-wheel drive car, and the Hunter was a European-only trim package. Why didn't we get it here?

Contemporary Arctic test of the new 1997 Volvo V70 Hunter, a European version of the 1998 V70 all-wheel drive wagon, republished by the author

13/09/2023

It was a new old car.

History/driving impessions of the English roadster, Morgan Plus-4, originally published in AutoWeek, republished by the author.

23/08/2023

Miata vs Elan? Here's the comparison review I wrote for Motor Trend's Sports Cars of the World back in 1990, when the Miata was brand new.

A 1990 comparsion review of a new 1990 Mazda MX-5 Miata vs a 1967 Lotus Elan, republished by the author.

12/08/2023

An editor to remain unnamed to me that Japanese cars would never be collectible. Mot so if this is any measure. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1997-acura-integra-type-r-22/

Bid for the chance to own a Original-Owner 1997 Acura Integra Type R at auction with Bring a Trailer, the home of the best vintage and classic cars online. Lot #116,749.

12/08/2023

Pickup truck vertical stacks done right.

History and driving impressions of another Adult Toy from Dodge, the 1978 Dodge Li'l Red Truck, smog-dodged andthe quickest car its year.

11/08/2023

One of the smallest cars I've ever driven.

History/driving impressions of the Berkeley sports car, republished by the author, originally published in AutoWeek.

10/08/2023

Miata vs Elan? One of these things is just (mostly) like the other. See how:

A 1990 comparsion review of a new 1990 Mazda MX-5 Miata vs a 1967 Lotus Elan, republished by the author.

01/07/2023

Remember the Eagle? Here’s what I thought about one model at the time.

Contemprory review in Road & Track Speical Sports & GT Cars of the Eagle-badged turbo all-wheel drive sport coupe.

22/06/2023

Quiet as a Rolls-Royce? Yes, definitely.

History/driving impressions of a Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost 40-50 hp Hooper-bodied tourer, republished by the author, originally in AutoWeek..

17/06/2023

If you've driven the Honda S2000, or even if you haven't but you're a sports car fan, you should drive the Honda S800. Here's why:

History and driving impressions of the tiny but exciting 1965-1968 Honda S800 coupe and roadster, Honda's first foray into carbuilding.