Curbside Classic Archives
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American Brands: GM 
American Brands: Ford 
American Brands: Chrysler 
American Brands: AMC, Jeep and All Others 
Automotive Histories and Misc. 
Asian Brands 
UK Brands 
Australian Brands 
European Brands 
Cars Of A Lifetime & Auto-Biography 
Buses 
Trucks, Pickups and Vans 
Design 
Trains, Planes & Ships 
Motorcycles, Trikes, Bicycles 
Engines, Transmissions and other Tech 
Tractors, Lawn Mowers, Off-Road Equipment 
RVs, Motorhomes, Trailers, Campers Privacy
About Author: Michael Ionno
Posts by Michael Ionno
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COAL: 2015 Fiat 500L Urbana Trekking – I Bought One. That’s Got to be a Bad Omen For Fiat.
Posted on April 23, 2016 | 79 Comments6:00 am Saturday, last October. My son Josh and I are boarding a Southwest flight at Baltimore Washington International Airport for a one-way trip to Memphis via Dallas. I’m bleary-eyed […] -
COAL: 2001 Audi TT Quattro Coupe – Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury, Have You Reached a Verdict?
Posted on April 16, 2016 | 35 CommentsIn the fall of 2013 I began to think about expanding the family fleet. My younger son Peter was in college. Like his older brother he had initially been indifferent […] -
COAL: 2008 smart fortwo passion cabrio – A Small Car with a Passion for the Open Road
Posted on April 9, 2016 | 46 CommentsFrom there to here, and here to there, funny things are everywhere. – Dr. Seuss Of course I had a smart car – for seven years – and yes, it […] -
COAL: 2004 Subaru WRX Wagon – The Strange Case of Dr. Subie Wagon and Mr. WRX
Posted on April 2, 2016 | 28 Comments“I learned to recognize the thorough and primitive duality of man; I saw that, of the two natures that contended in the field of my consciousness, even if I […] -
COAL: 1995 Mazda MX-3 – Sometimes The Right Car Just Finds You, Meet Lillian I and Lillian II
Posted on March 26, 2016 | 26 CommentsWe don’t often think about it, but we’ve all benefited from the popping of economic bubbles. You may recall the internet bubble of the late 1990s that burst at the […] -
COAL: 2002 Mazda Protegé5 – Small Wagon Zoom-Zoom
Posted on March 19, 2016 | 30 CommentsMazda has always been one of those smaller car companies who, despite the fact they are selling mostly mainstream cars, strives to appeal to a specialized audience. In 2015 Toyota was […] -
COAL: 1968 Porsche 912 Soft-Window Targa – And The Number That Shall Never Be Spoken
Posted on March 12, 2016 | 48 CommentsIt was the year 2000 and I had the itch to get a vintage car of some sort. I had actually considered doing so for a few years. I remember […] -
COAL: 1993 Jaguar XJS – BRG, Biscuit and Bond
Posted on March 5, 2016 | 21 CommentsIt’s interesting how we form bonds. We pick colleges, sports teams and even lifetime mates using subtle and often mysterious criteria. It’s the same with cars. I remember my first […] -
COAL: 1989 Audi 200 Avant – A Kid Hauler That Hauled
Posted on February 27, 2016 | 25 CommentsIn the summer of 1992, about a year after I had acquired last week’s Audi Coupe, we decided to replace Audi 4000 that had been passed along to us by […] -
COAL: 1986 Audi Coupe GT – Influences and Perspectives
Posted on February 20, 2016 | 30 CommentsIn retrospect it was inevitable that I would gravitate to an Audi at some point. Audi AG’s modern era in the United States began with the Audi 100 in 1970 […] -
COAL: 1975 Saab 99 EMS And 1971 Saab 95 – Different Thinking From Sweden
Posted on February 13, 2016 | 62 CommentsLast week’s COAL on my Datsun 510 ended ignominiously in the Catskills when I borrowed my boss’s car and drove from Vermont to New York to retrieve my belongings from […] -
COAL: 1971 Datsun 510 – It Was The Best Of Times, It Was The Worst Of Times
Posted on February 6, 2016 | 33 CommentsIt was 1979. I was still in Vermont and after almost a year with last week’s Dodge Dart I was ready for something that could better scratch my driving itch. […] -
COAL: 1967 Dodge Dart Sedan Slant-6 – A School Teacher Car
Posted on January 30, 2016 | 64 CommentsIt’s the Summer of 1978 and I am enjoying life in Vermont. As mentioned in last week’s Fiat 124 Sport Spider COAL I traded the little convertible fearing its […] -
COAL: 1969 and 1979 Fiat 124 Sport Spider
Posted on January 23, 2016 | 37 CommentsThe Fiat 124 Sport Spider was Italian sensuality in automotive form at a price point the little guy could afford. Competing against the MGB and the Alfa Romeo Spider, the […] -
COAL: 1969 Subaru 360 – Really
Posted on January 16, 2016 | 60 CommentsMany of you might be familiar with the Subaru 360 primarily from seeing and reading about it online or in print but honestly, have you ever met someone who bought […]
![COAL: 2015 Fiat 500L Urbana Trekking – I Bought One. That’s Got to be a Bad Omen For Fiat. 6:00 am Saturday, last October. My son Josh and I are boarding a Southwest flight at Baltimore Washington International Airport for a one-way trip to Memphis via Dallas. I’m bleary-eyed […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/1-Fiat-500L.jpg?resize=115%2C115&quality=75&ssl=1)
![COAL: 2001 Audi TT Quattro Coupe – Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury, Have You Reached a Verdict? In the fall of 2013 I began to think about expanding the family fleet. My younger son Peter was in college. Like his older brother he had initially been indifferent […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/1-Audi-TT.jpg?resize=115%2C115&quality=75&ssl=1)
![COAL: 2008 smart fortwo passion cabrio – A Small Car with a Passion for the Open Road From there to here, and here to there, funny things are everywhere. – Dr. Seuss Of course I had a smart car – for seven years – and yes, it […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/0-2008-smart-passion-cabrio.jpg?resize=115%2C115&quality=75&ssl=1)
![COAL: 2004 Subaru WRX Wagon – The Strange Case of Dr. Subie Wagon and Mr. WRX “I learned to recognize the thorough and primitive duality of man; I saw that, of the two natures that contended in the field of my consciousness, even if I […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/1-2004-Subaru-WRX-Wagon.jpg?resize=115%2C115&quality=75&ssl=1)
![COAL: 1995 Mazda MX-3 – Sometimes The Right Car Just Finds You, Meet Lillian I and Lillian II We don’t often think about it, but we’ve all benefited from the popping of economic bubbles. You may recall the internet bubble of the late 1990s that burst at the […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/0-1995-Mazda-MX-3-side-II.jpg?resize=115%2C115&quality=75&ssl=1)
![COAL: 2002 Mazda Protegé5 – Small Wagon Zoom-Zoom Mazda has always been one of those smaller car companies who, despite the fact they are selling mostly mainstream cars, strives to appeal to a specialized audience. In 2015 Toyota was […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/0-Mazda-Protege5.jpeg?resize=115%2C115&quality=75&ssl=1)
![COAL: 1968 Porsche 912 Soft-Window Targa – And The Number That Shall Never Be Spoken It was the year 2000 and I had the itch to get a vintage car of some sort. I had actually considered doing so for a few years. I remember […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/1-1968-Porsche-912.jpg?resize=115%2C115&quality=75&ssl=1)
![COAL: 1993 Jaguar XJS – BRG, Biscuit and Bond It’s interesting how we form bonds. We pick colleges, sports teams and even lifetime mates using subtle and often mysterious criteria. It’s the same with cars. I remember my first […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/0-Jaguar-XJS.jpg?resize=115%2C115&quality=75&ssl=1)
![COAL: 1989 Audi 200 Avant – A Kid Hauler That Hauled In the summer of 1992, about a year after I had acquired last week’s Audi Coupe, we decided to replace Audi 4000 that had been passed along to us by […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/1-Audi-200-Avant.jpg?resize=115%2C115&quality=75&ssl=1)
![COAL: 1986 Audi Coupe GT – Influences and Perspectives In retrospect it was inevitable that I would gravitate to an Audi at some point. Audi AG’s modern era in the United States began with the Audi 100 in 1970 […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/0-1986-Audi-Coupe-GT.jpg?resize=115%2C115&quality=75&ssl=1)
![COAL: 1975 Saab 99 EMS And 1971 Saab 95 – Different Thinking From Sweden Last week’s COAL on my Datsun 510 ended ignominiously in the Catskills when I borrowed my boss’s car and drove from Vermont to New York to retrieve my belongings from […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/1-Saab-1.jpg?resize=115%2C115&quality=75&ssl=1)
![COAL: 1971 Datsun 510 – It Was The Best Of Times, It Was The Worst Of Times It was 1979. I was still in Vermont and after almost a year with last week’s Dodge Dart I was ready for something that could better scratch my driving itch. […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/1-Datsun-510-e1454709329838.jpg?resize=115%2C115&quality=75&ssl=1)
![COAL: 1967 Dodge Dart Sedan Slant-6 – A School Teacher Car It’s the Summer of 1978 and I am enjoying life in Vermont. As mentioned in last week’s Fiat 124 Sport Spider COAL I traded the little convertible fearing its […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/1-1967-Dodge-Dart.jpg?resize=115%2C115&quality=75&ssl=1)
![COAL: 1969 and 1979 Fiat 124 Sport Spider The Fiat 124 Sport Spider was Italian sensuality in automotive form at a price point the little guy could afford. Competing against the MGB and the Alfa Romeo Spider, the […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/1-Fiat-124-Sport-Spider.jpg?resize=115%2C115&quality=75&ssl=1)
![COAL: 1969 Subaru 360 – Really Many of you might be familiar with the Subaru 360 primarily from seeing and reading about it online or in print but honestly, have you ever met someone who bought […]](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/97-Subaru-360-e1452831625142.jpg?resize=115%2C115&quality=75&ssl=1)


