thurc&y, tlxcxbcr 2, 1073
third cl;r,:r!cn
Vera 6T
DU you say, gssp, gh&ack, t VEGA CT?? Yes. It's a
fun-to-drive, handsome, economical car, very p!erdn,
except ...
. . , Except that cider Verbs' engines self-destruct. Yen
have to be EXTRA extra careful shopping for a Vegi, Get
a mechtric who knows and hites thtra to check your
prospect thoroughly.
This bad engine reputation is why you pay so little for
a car that goes so well. The steering is firm and the shift is
heavy and the clutch is better than Charles Atlas, but you
can shoot a Vega GT dov,jn a twisting road like a wild
man. Forget the dismal back seat. Just keep one eye on
the temperature gauge (any overheating is death to a Vega
engine) and fee other on the road and enjoy your Vega
while it lasts. :
"A
The original 1 ,600-cc Capri was fee first "super coupe"
a collection of economy sedan parts designed into a
machine of disciplined road manners.
The engine is the same as in the first Pinto and isn't
very strong, but it's as complicated as a cement block and
not much harder to fix. Power-mongers should seek out
later Capris with the 2,000-cc engine. .
But who cares about acceleration when you've got a
crisp, four-speed, rack-and-pinion steering that tells you
all about the road, and superbly balanced brakes? The ,
front seats are comfortable and the rears much better than
a Pinto's or Vega's. Four six-footers can take a long trip
not in opulence but not in agony either. The main
problem is that in a Capri, they 2 all want to drive.
Story by Jim WOIams and Nlmk Young
Photos by. Jim Wtl
:ms end Stovo Bosmor
a n
w torn o Dscover me dig
kup truck
By h'zf Ycung
Over the honson a cloud of dust appears. Moving over to the
side of the read, you watch while a big, blue Ford pickup slides
by sending up a shower f gravel. You have just met the pickup
ca its native surface, the gravel road. .
Today the pickup prowls not only the country lane, but the
highspeed freeway as well Clothed in decorator colors and
sporting the accoutrements of civilized driving, the pickup hxs
- ved on the trendy autornotice scene. Urban teenagers and
;; their parents lust after them, and all the light car magazines ssig
their praises.
The trend has its roots in the last decade, with the coming of
" the pickup camper. No more fussing with tents, no more lootel
bills. Now Ma and Pa could load up then- brood and see the world,
liYirg in the same vehicle in which they travelled.
The roads west suddenly were covered with campers w&a
Vest or East coast license plates, crawling toward the perfect
vacation.
Back home, thepr oud campers discovered the utility of fee
big open box. Everything from motorcycles to mothers-in-law
could go into the spacious rear end and travel with a minimum of
driving discomfort. Eesides, the pickup was fun to drive.
The height of the cab and the wraparound windshield allowed
good visibility for drivers trying to get through heavy traffic
With options like power steering, power brakes and even
automatic transmissionsj the pickup could be tamed into a sedate
pseuro-car. Aid conditioning, AM-FJd radios. . -the new pickups
offered all the comforst of home in a kinky form.
During an era which hungered for "countrified" entertain
ment lixe the Er-Ies and the fc'sltons, the picks? was seen as
anciherway of getting back to the farm. As ens observer put it,
""Marry corporate executives spend their first 3D years trying
to t to the city and their next 30 trying to get out,- ,
; Today the pickup has an added attraction-power. Pickups
wsA a gross vehicle weight rating over 6 03 lbs. are safe from the
Esvirosscalsl rrctecn Agsncy light-duty emissions regula
tions. This ccsvesient feminity aScs the thxS seeker to order
issmmsth crises v. tu-ii tJnee powered a3 sspercus.
-. One such picks? is the Chevy C-19 Siepsde. Vh2s the .short "
bed won toll msch -think of it as cpea track-flic .
cr4ioryd 454 ca.4n. 250 hp enmeshes this near pickup the .
"xaost powerful fcastard since T.Vl'.iaTri the Conqueror. la this er
satz fcrra the pickup hzs become the n&m darling cf the van cite ..
in CEUf craii. Humor has it tha cne f amcas rock star has ordered
a Spsde &-h s hlory cf Western erection since Rome
pictured ca the side. .
The picto probably w2 continue to new cntonsl
mgtrmt. Alar?e part cf its present appeal comes from the
pickr-rt tizxSz'Lty. Unlie most cars which, have been stylized
IrJ c-crawindovrd to death, the pickup stZTcsa be molded to
Tcrhz
hzps you'd like a nice $ 12JD00 Far;; Rover that can
rd your explorer fantasies except calling yon scrub. Thei
cf course.yoa couid buy a aw,-i.s,h..i t
Studcbaker pickirp and paint bhuk fists ca the sides. I don t
triwuhat kind of fantary this fuhs-arJ it's prcbi!y
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