Ditch this car any way you can. I did my best to DD the brother to this MG, an Austin-Healey Sprite, for about a year. These Brit sports cars break as fast as you fix them.

Great article with great pics, Kristen.

Mercedes made about 8,000 SL55 AMGs, so it’s kind of common. But, as a 2-seat, luxury, pillar-less coupe/convertible, muscle car, there’s nothing like it. Succeeding models were not very good-looking, and actually slower.

Every time I’m tempted to buy one of these, my wife reminds me of the three British sports cars I previously owned. I’m a slow learner and my memory tends to rose-color my cars. Even so, never again...

Age 16, living in Israel with our family for the year. We picked up a new Peugeot 404 wagon in Paris on our way south. The 4-speed stick on the column was a bit of a challenge.

I’m sure lots of folks here have seen this or done it... Decades ago, I replaced the timing belt on my Fiat 128 coupe. As soon as I tried to start it, I realized from the sound that the valves were hitting the pistons. I had not lined up the belt properly at TDC. Whoopsie! The only positive thing to come out of this…

For those of you not building cars or planes, note that the generic sheet metal pieces you buy at your local supplier for use in building construction and furnishings vary widely in quality. Be especially skeptical of “stainless” steel. I’ve found that Chinese stainless steel can be prone to speckled rusting because…

From 1990 through 1999, my daily driver was a California spec, fuel-injected 1980 Fiat Spider 2000. My typical commute was 20 miles, each way. In all those years, I only had to call for a tow once, when the clutch pedal bracket broke loose. Being an engineer, I kept up with maintenance. Costs were minimal. When the…

A close friend of mine just leased a V-12 DB11. I rode with him last Sunday. Nice car and good-looking, but surprisingly large. I drive an SL55 AMG, which I thought was big for a 2-seater. Comparatively, it seems way smaller, although heavier than the Aston.

Every pilot, including myself, is trained to make crosswind landings up to the limit of the specific aircraft’s rating. In this case, the maximum acceptable crosswind is 40 knots. The “crab” technique used here is perfectly acceptable, though it does cause some swerving upon runway contact. You’d know if it was wrong…

Sorry, Civic fans, the new R is just way too fugly. I don’t mind a little excess styling, but really, there’s a limit.

The closest I’ve been to a big problem running out of gas was in a brand new Cessna 152 light aircraft. My brother and I were flying from Lyndonville, Vermont to Elmira, New York in a plane I’d rented for the occasion. About 25 miles from Elmira, I noticed the gas gauge needle hadn’t moved off 1/4 tank for awhile.…

Randy’s explanation is obviously BS to anybody who knows some physics. Nonetheless, there is some “folk wisdom” in it. Many of us have experienced the torque vs horsepower argument in the seat of our pants on motorcycles; specifically, Harley vs Ninja. I’ve watched many a Hog beat a Kawi to the next light simply…

Best CL ad, ever.

Nice comparo, but rag top to rag top would be more useful.

The GT R sounds like it’s similar to my daily driver, an SL55 AMG, which I like very much. But, I’m always worried that I’ll lose my license due to the way it accelerates and very quietly exceeds speed limits.  

Poor H-D. Will they ever get to the 21st century? My first bike was a big Harley. I quickly got tired of spending one day a week keeping it from falling apart and sold it after one year. Even my ancient Ducati 250 was more reliable and comfortable. Mostly, I’ve owned Japanese bikes; vertical twins, V-twins and inline…

More than a few years back, when Hertz rented cars with an optional GPS mapping system, I picked up a Lincoln Town Car at Logan airport in Boston, MA. My wife and 3 kids were with me, trying to get to Cape Cod. The first thing the GPS did was take us through the very worst part of Roxbury, a scary slum. Then, when we…

I recently test drove both the new Mustang GT convertible and its Camaro SS equivalent. Having driven many older Mustangs and Camaros, my conclusion is that the new Camaro is the best of the bunch in terms of handling and power delivery. Unfortunately, it’s pretty ugly.

Some riders just have to learn the hard way, like me. Over 50 years ago, when I started motorcycling, I rode wearing sunglasses, cutoff jeans, a T-shirt and sandals. After my one and only crash on a gravel road, I bought a good helmet, boots and full leathers. Those items saved my ass more than a few times.