Archive for 2021
Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast
Whether you drive a car, need a car, or just occasionally bum a ride with friends, you’ve come to the right place. Join the editors of Consumer Guide Automotive as they break down everything that’s going on in the auto world. New-car reviews, shopping tips, driving green, electric cars, classic cars, and plenty of great guests. This is the Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast.
1939 Delage D8-120S Aerosport Coupe
Note: The following story was excerpted from the December 2018 issue of Collectible Automobile magazine
In the late Thirties, the French excelled at building streamlined fastback coupes. Makes such as Bugatti, Talbot-Lago, and Delahaye displayed fine examples of the coachbuilder’s art with glamorous art deco designs.
1963 Ford Thunderbird Italien
Note: The following story was excerpted from the December 2018 issue of Collectible Automobile magazine
Ford dabbled in semifastbacks in the early Sixties with its Galaxie Starliner hardtop coupes, and the more aerodynamic roofs gave good results on NASCAR tracks. Although the Thunderbird was famous for its formal notchback roof, Ford designers decided to experiment with a fastback treatment for a T-Bird—perhaps inspired by the NASCAR Fords—that turned into a show car.
1936 GMC T-14 Panel Truck
Note: The following story was excerpted from the October 2018 issue of Collectible Automobile magazine
Truck makers rushed to join the high-volume light-truck market in the mid Thirties. International brought out a Willys-sourced 1⁄2-ton for 1933; in ’36 Mack introduced a Reo-built Mack Junior, and GMC also jumped on the 1⁄2-ton bandwagon.
1994 Buick Regal GS
Note: The following story was excerpted from the December 2020 issue of Collectible Automobile magazine.
Some of the hottest cars out of Detroit in 1987 were Buick Regals. The Grand National and limited-production GNX were seriously fast and commanded respect on the street and at the strip. It was also the end of an era, because a new front-wheel-drive Regal was being readied for 1988 and turbocharged muscle was not part of its equation. The sportiest new Regal was the Gran Sport coupe, and its 1992-96 iteration can make for some fun cheap wheels.
Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast
Whether you drive a car, need a car, or just occasionally bum a ride with friends, you’ve come to the right place. Join the editors of Consumer Guide Automotive as they break down everything that’s going on in the auto world. New-car reviews, shopping tips, driving green, electric cars, classic cars, and plenty of great guests. This is the Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast.
Photo Feature: 1960 Studebaker Hawk
1960 Studebaker Hawk
Note: The following story was excerpted from the October 2016 issue of Collectible Automobile magazine
Says owner Malcolm Stinson Jr. of the Studebaker Hawk featured here, it “is just as you would have seen it in a showroom in 1960.” Stinson, of Show Low, Arizona, should know. He was a service manager at a Studebaker dealership. It’s experience that has served him well while restoring many Studebakers, including the Hawk, which was in poor but mostly rust-free condition when he acquired it.
2022 Genesis GV70 2.5T AWD Advanced in Cardiff Green (A $500 option)
2022 Genesis GV70 2.5T AWD Advanced
Class: Premium Compact SUV
Miles driven: 447
Fuel used: 21.5 gallons
Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 400 (top) vs Infiniti Q60 Red Sport 400
Let’s face it… the luxury-brand midsize sport-sedan and sporty-coupe segments aren’t exactly on fire these days. Even when it comes to performance-focused premium vehicles, the majority of American shoppers prefer crossover SUVs over traditional passenger cars. Infiniti knows this as well as any brand; all of its most-recent product launches—the redesigned-for-2019 QX50, the new-for-2022 QX55, and the redesigned-for-2022 QX60—are crossover SUVs. The Q50 sedan and its Q60 two-door coupe counterpart are the only traditional passenger cars in Infiniti’s model roster, and even within their respective classes (we categorize the Q50 as a premium midsize car and the Q60 as a premium sporty/performance car), they are pretty elderly players. The Q50 dates back to the 2014 model year and has not seen any major revisions other than updated powertrain offerings. The Q60 coupe debuted for 2017, on Q50-based architecture, and likewise has not seen significant updates since.
First Spin: 2022 Subaru WRX
2022 Subaru WRX Limited
Among hot-rod compact cars, the all-new, redesigned-for-2022 Subaru WRX doesn’t really have any direct competitors. This rally-racing-bred, all-wheel-drive sport compact’s closest historical rival, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, has already been gone for seven years–it was discontinued after the 2015 model year. At the moment, the WRX’s nearest competitor from an engineering standpoint is the redesigned-for-2022 Volkswagen Golf R, though that German-built AWD hatchback is significantly pricier to start and not rally-terrain focused like the WRX. Subaru identifies two equally new front-drive-only performance compacts as the WRX’s main competition: the 200-horsepower Honda Civic Si and the 241-horsepower Volkswagen GTI hatchback, both of which are also redesigned for ’22. Likewise in the ballpark (and also front-drive-only) are the 276-hp Hyundai Elantra N and Veloster N hatchback, and the Honda Civic Type R (we don’t know yet how powerful the soon-to-be-revealed new-generation Type R will be, but the previous-gen car made 306 hp).
