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Curbside Classics Archives
1980s Archive
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Vintage Road Test: Pontiac Phoenix X-Car
Posted on November 29, 2021 | 93 CommentsThis road test will interest many of you, given the comments to the X-cars’ post. -
Vintage R&T Preview/Driving Impressions: Mercedes Benz S-Class W126 (European Version)
Posted on November 25, 2021 | 35 Comments(first posted 11/25/2015) With the exception of W124, this S-class is possibly the best car MB has ever produced. -
Vintage Review: 1980 Caprice versus 1980 LTD – Rematch!
Posted on November 20, 2021 | 94 Comments(first posted 11/20/2015) In their comparison test of the 1979 Ford LTD sedan versus the 1979 Chevrolet Caprice sedan, Motor Trend gave the victory to the Blue Oval. To say […] -
Vintage R&T Review: Chevrolet Citation X-11 and GM X-Bodies Technical Analysis – “This May Be The Best Car To Ever Come Out Of Detroit”
Posted on October 21, 2021 | 83 Comments(first posted 10/21/2015) This post is a combination of two articles from R&T’s May 1979 issue, featuring “the best ever car out of Detroit”. -
Vintage Review: 1980 Chevrolet Caprice – The Times They Are A-Changin’
Posted on October 16, 2021 | 76 Comments(first posted 10/16/2015) Though the downsized Caprice/Impala had been an enormous success since being introduced in 1977, market conditions were changing quickly as the 1970s came to a close. In […] -
Vintage R&T Review: Porsche 944 – “Worthy of the Marque”
Posted on July 2, 2021 | 23 CommentsAfter the somewhat lackluster 924, which was originally conceived as an Audi and was widely felt to not be worthy of the storied name it wore, Porsche nailed it with […] -
Classic Review – Bringing the Alfa Romeo 75 to London
Posted on May 31, 2021 | 12 CommentsYou may have seen the CC and appreciation of the Alfa Romeo 75 (or Milano) and preceding Alfetta Tipo 116 series of cars that came before and donated so much […] -
Vintage R&T Review: 1982 Mercedes 380SEC – You Get What You Pay For – Excellence
Posted on May 23, 2021 | 15 CommentsSince my recent 560SEC post was largely autobiographical, I though it might be good to augment that with a vintage R&T review. The only version they did was the early […] -
Vintage R&T Review: 1983 Toyota Cressida – The Proto-Lexus
Posted on May 13, 2021 | 23 CommentsToyota’s history with upscale cars in the US is fascinating. It really struggled for years to get a proper toe hold in a segment of the market that was booming, […] -
Vintage R&T Review: 1983 BMW 533i (E28) – The Proper Sporting 5 Series Is Back, With Refinements Under Its Too-Familiar Body
Posted on May 10, 2021 | 10 CommentsBMW’s “new” E28 5 Series arrived in the US in 1982 with a bit of a shocker under the hood: a decidedly low-rev, high-efficiency 2.7 L “Eta” six, making a […] -
Vintage R&T Review: 1983 VW Quantum GL5 and Turbo-Diesel – VW Goes Upmarket
Posted on May 5, 2021 | 17 CommentsThe VW Quantum (Passat B2) received two new engines in 1983: the 2.2 L five borrowed directly from Audi, and the brand new (and first) turbo-diesel four. The GL5 model, […] -
Vintage R&T Review: 1983 Toyota Camry – Toyota Joins The FWD Family Fray, And Comes To Dominate It
Posted on May 3, 2021 | 15 CommentsThe first Camry. Who would have thought in 1983 that this would come to dominate the passenger car best seller charts for so many years, only to be finally […] -
Vintage Road & Track Review: 1983 Honda Prelude – “Simply Terrific”
Posted on May 2, 2021 | 19 CommentsI have been woefully negligent in scanning and posting the hundreds of vintage R&T magazines Lee J. has been sending me, and there’s more on the way! It’s going to […] -
Vintage R&T Review: 1983 Dodge Shelby Charger – “Carroll Helps Chrysler Bring Back The Sixties” – Not Quite
Posted on March 11, 2021 | 38 CommentsThings were really starting to pop again in 1983, in terms of domestic performance cars. The Mustang found its mojo again, and the Camaro was starting to wake up too. […] -
Vintage Review: 1981 Ford Granada, Rover 2600, Vauxhall Viceroy and Volvo 244 Comparison, With Overdrive On Two Of Them
Posted on February 11, 2021 | 33 CommentsThis comparison test from 1981 contains a surprise double. Not only does the Volvo 244GLT have overdrive, but so does the Vauxhall Viceroy. And the other surprise – there was […]