PONY EXPRESS: ‘18 MUSTANG GT 5.0!

Posted on April 5, 2018April 5, 2018 by MartynL

Ford's latest stallion packs an impressive 460-horsepower kick. Road Test Editor Howard Walker takes it for a ride. Come on, sing it after me: "Mustang Sally, think you better slow your Mustang down". Easier said than done. These days it's kinda tough to slow down Ford's latest Mustang GT 5.0. Not with a new, uprated 460-horse 5.0-liter V8 under its mile-long hood. Right now, sales of most fun-to-drive coupes are flatter than a Kansas parking lot. But the Mustang bucks the trend and continu...

’18 BMW 430i CAB: FUN IN THE FLORIDA SUN!

Posted on March 26, 2018 by MartynL

BMW sharpens-up its classic four-seat hardtop cabriolet; Road Test Editor Howard Walker breaks out the SPF30! You have to love a car that's painted an awesome shade of what BMW so creatively calls Snapper Rocks Blue Metallic. Snapper Rocks. I've wracked my brain to fathom just how the bluey-aqua color adorning the latest ‘18 BMW 430i convertible I've been driving, has anything to do with rocking snappers. But I'm at a loss. "Snapper Rocks down by the docks, just waiting for the hook. Snap...

ALFA ROMEO STELVIO: SUV FOR THE S-CURVES!

Posted on January 26, 2018 by MartynL

While Alfa's sporty Stelvio may be late to the SUV party, its lively performance and spirited handling has huge appeal, blogs Road Test Editor Howard Walker. Who doesn't adore Italy? All that pizza and pasta, the vino Chianti, the gelato. Ah, the gelato. I could live on Stracciatella. And all those swanky fashionista labels. Gucci and Armani, Fendi and Missoni. Want to sound more interesting in life? Just add an “i” to the end of your name. Walkeri? Maybe not! A huge part of the appeal of ow...

’17 PORSCHE 911 CARRERA S: THE EVERYDAY SUPERCAR!

Posted on April 4, 2017May 15, 2017 by MartynL

Porsche continues to evolve its iconic 911 with a new turbocharged engine that adds power and sophistication, blogs Road Test Editor Howard Walker. If you love cars, no really love cars; if you love the thrill of being swept forward on a tsunami of acceleration; love twirling a steering wheel so precise and responsive in its action it could be hard-wired into your gray-matter; love sitting in a driver’s seat that fits you tighter than a pair of Spanx, then you need to drive a Porsche 911. ...

‘17 FIAT 124 SPIDER: CLASSICAL GAS!

Posted on December 31, 2016May 15, 2017 by MartynL

It’s what happens when you take a Mazda Miata and add a little Italian brio, blogs Road Test Editor, Howard Walker. Ready for a little Italian conversation class? Start by repeating after me: Bella piccolo macchina. Now say it with feeling, and maybe with an Italian-style shrug of the shoulders and upturned palms. The literal translation is ‘beautiful little machine’. And it’s also exactly how you’d describe Fiat’s new magnifico 124 Spider two-seater. Bella indeed. You might have heard about...

SPEED RACER: PORSCHE BOXSTER SPYDER!

Posted on July 3, 2016May 15, 2017 by MartynL

Porsche’s glorious new hard-core Boxster Spyder is a 180-mph investment opportunity, blogs Road Test Editor Howard Walker. Maybe a decade from now, there’s an exceedingly good chance you’ll be lamenting the fact that you could have, no should have, bought a ‘16 Porsche Boxster Spyder. How come? Not only is this the most powerful version of Porsche’s much-loved mid-engined roadster ever, it’s the grand finale of the naturally-aspirated six-cylinder Boxsters. From now on, Boxsters will come...

LAMBORGHINI HURÁCAN SPYDER: RAGING BULL!

Posted on June 9, 2016May 15, 2017 by MartynL

Lamborghini replaces its best-selling Gallardo Spyder with a drop-top version of its 610-horsepower V10 Hurácan. Hang on, it’s a wild ride, blogs Road Test Editor Howard Walker. A McDonnell Douglas F/A-18E Super Hornet attack fighter being catapulted from the deck of the USS George Washington carrier, accelerates from zero to 165mph in roughly two seconds. That’s fast, insanely fast. But until the day Uncle Sam invites me to take the aptly-named joy stick of one of his Super Hornets, ...

‘16 MUSTANG GT CALIFORNIA SPECIAL: A LITTLE CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’

Posted on February 17, 2016May 15, 2017 by MartynL

Ford has brought back the 1960s California Special package for its latest 5.0-liter Mustang GT. Road Test Editor Howard Walker gets to grips with this drop-top pony express. We’re doing a little California Dreamin’ here, top down in a retro V8 Mustang California Special, Mamas & the Papas on the stereo. Life is good. And the Ponycar we’re riding here is a sweetheart; a ‘16 GT convertible with retina-searing Race Red paint, a throaty 5.0-liter 435-horsepower V8 under the hood an...

‘16 BUICK CASCADA: A REAL CONVERTIBLE ASSET!

Posted on January 27, 2016May 15, 2017 by MartynL

Buick re-ignites the memory of the stunning ’04 Velite concept convertible with its new Euro-built Cascada, below. Road Test Editor Howard Walker takes one for a spin from the Key West to Miami. Remember back at the 2004 New York Auto Show when Buick pulled the wraps off an exceedingly sexy-looking four-seat convertible called the Velite, above? At the time there were huge expectations that GM would green-light it to production of this gorgeous two-door luxury soft-top. Word was that it wou...

‘16 JAGUAR XF: THE CAT CLAWS BACK!

Posted on January 6, 2016May 15, 2017 by MartynL

It all happens for Jaguar in 2016. A new XE compact sedan. A stunning new F-Pace sports crossover. And it all kicks off with a transformed, aluminum-bodied XF, blogs road test editor Howard Walker You gotta love the lyrics. “On a morning from a Bogart movie, in a country where they turn back time, you go strolling through the crowd like Peter Lorre, contemplating crime.” And all together now: “In the year of the cat”. It was the soft-rock anthem of 1976 by that...