1985 Car Magazine Top Ten Cars Winner

I love it!!!

I would LOVE to see more articles like this.....

Thank you for posting it!


PDG

 

http://www.lotusespritworld.com/roadtests.html

Above is a site that has cataloged numerous articles for Lotus Esprits. The good news is that there several articles where the Esprit is compared to a 308/328. Enjoy!

 

thanks for the magazine scan.

LEW is a great website. I also own a 98 lotus esprit V8.
the driving test between the 4cyl turbo and the 328 a great read.
I have a recent magazine somewhere with a modern driving test between the 308 and 4cyl turbo. I'll post a scan if I can find it.

 

Interesting read. Although these days those TRX tires will grip your wallet more than the road.

It is true that the 308/328 and descendants outlived them all: Ferrari now has the F430 16M as their top of the line sports car. The Silhouette, Jalpa and Urracco are nothing more than footnotes. The Countach is still a piece of art (in LP400 form -- the later ones became embarrassing) that you can't really drive, and the love-it-or-hate-it Testarossa is now priced somewhere between the 308 and 328.

As far as "esteemed at the time", remember it was only a few years ago that a 360 was the "it" car. Now you can buy them all day for the price of a loaded up Merc E-Class. The new car halo is fleeting.

I do think the 308/328 will hold their own over time. Not sure about the investment angle, though they are fun and probably will outperform most Bernie Madoff accounts.

 

Of the cars pictured on the cover, I would say the Ferrari is the most collectible, then the Porsche. After that, maybe the Audi Quattro? Audi was so hot in 1985, and the pictured Quattro was going to be my daily driver, but after taking home a test car from the dealer for 3 days (remember doing that back then?), I realized it was too uncomfortable. The Range Rover in the background hasn't changed much by way of style, but has become Numero Uno in the Hip Hop world, but they are rated as the worst car to own - by their owners. The X1-9s have mostly all rusted away, the 85 Jag didn't change much in styling, but finally got better in the reliability department., and I am not sure what the rest of those cars are (maybe a Citroen?).

The 3x8s are steadily increasing in value, and later models are dropping. From purely an economic standpoint, it is more advisable to hang on to the 3x8 increasing valued collectible, than to purchase a value-declining later model.

28,000.00 GBP = 45,721.38 USD It was appropriate of CAR Magazine to show these cars on the docks, because the shipping price to the states increased the value to $60,000. Ferrari federalized (American Version) their 3x8s at the factory and made more of them (due to high US demand) than the Euro Versions. To federalize a Euro Version shipped to America cost an additional $8,000 (on top of the $15,000 shipping cost), which is why the rarity and difference make a Euro more collectible.

Great article! Thanks.

 

Defintely the quattro followed by the GTI. Quite a line up of cars actually.

 

Fiat Uno doesn't ring any bells. Honda "City" I remember seeing those in the Philippines, but we don't have them here in the states. Also, here we have either Honda or Acura (with Acura being the elite division of Honda). Here we have a Honda Accord, but I remember seeing an Acura Accord in the Cayman Islands. Let's see... in America, we have the Mitsubishi Montero, but in the Philippines, it's the Mitsubishi Pajero. Anyway, I should have recognized the GTI in the photo.

I enjoy these old magazine articles!

 

I could be wrong but from looking at the picture I believe that the Honda 'City' was sold here in the states, or a very close incarnation as the Civic wagon.

 

great read, thanks!

 

Bingo.
You made me dig out my copy and the Honda is referred to as the Civic Shuttle not the City which was a different car. It was sold in the US as the Honda Civic Wagon and was available with 4wd.
I had a 91 and it was the best snow car I've ever owned.
BTW We were showing our dogs back then and the plate on the wagon read "WAGGIN".
Happy 4th all.

 

I may stand corrected here, but I thought the City was smaller than the Civic. It was 10 years ago when I saw it in the Philippines, so I'll just accept being senile and wrong

Anyway, the current August 2009 issue of Car & Driver has an article on BMW's "City" which will be available in the US in 2012, but may be badged by Mini. It will be an all-electric vehicle capable of reaching 100 miles before re-charging. There is speculation the name, "City" may be different as well.