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Auto blog

What would you drive in 1985?

Bereft of live baseball games to watch, I've turned to the good ship YouTube to watch classic games. While watching the 1985 American League Championship Series last night, several of the broadcast's commercials made its way into the original VHS recording, including those for cars. "Only 8.8% financing on a 1985 Ford Tempo!" What a deal! That got me thinking: what would I drive in 1985?  It sure wouldn't be a Tempo. Or an IROC-Z, for that matter, despite what my Photoshopped 1980s self would indicate in the picture above. I posed this question to my fellow Autobloggists. Only one could actually drive back then, I was only 2 and a few editors weren't even close to being born. Here are our choices, which were simply made with the edict of "Come on, man, be realistic."  West Coast Editor James Riswick: OK, I started this, I'll go first. I like coupes today, so I'm pretty sure I'd drive one back then. I definitely don't see myself driving some badge-engineered GM thing from 1985, and although a Honda Prelude has a certain appeal, I must admit that something European would likely be in order. A BMW maybe? No, I'm too much a contrarian for that. The answer is therefore a 1985 Saab 900 Turbo 3-Door, which is not only a coupe but a hatchback, too. If I could scrounge up enough Reagan-era bucks for the ultra-cool SPG model, that would be rad. The 900 Turbo pictured, which was for auction on Bring a Trailer a few years ago, came with plum-colored Bokhara Red, and you're damn sure I would've had me one of those. Nevermind 1985, I'd probably drive this thing today.   Associate Editor Byron Hurd: I'm going to go with the 1985.5 Ford Mustang SVO, AKA the turbocharged Fox Body that everybody remembers but nobody drives. The mid-year update to the SVO bumped the power up from 175 ponies (yeah, yeah) to 205, making it almost as powerful (on paper, anyway) as the V8-powered GT models offered in the same time frame. I chose this particular car because it's a bit of a time capsule and, simultaneously, a reminder that all things are cyclical. Here we are, 35 years later, and 2.3-liter turbocharged Mustangs are a thing again. Who would have guessed?

2014 BMW 4 Series Convertible [w/video]

Here it is, the fifth generation of BMW's 3 Series Convertible - only this one begins with a "4," having been rechristened as a droptop version of the new 4 Series Coupe. With thirty years of work on this same recipe and having gotten it so right for much of that time, the Munich compact premium convertible has been a WYSIWYG affair for decades: once you saw its sedan paradigm, you knew what it was going to look like in roofless two-door form, and what you saw is exactly what you got.
It is ridiculous to think that BMW would choose this new model and its new nomenclature to muck things up. The new car has, though, gotten larger and roomier, and even though it's now part of the racier coupe division within the company's compact line, it has gotten more, shall we say, mature. Driving even further away from the days when handsomely tipped bartenders could work their way into one, The Ultimate Tanning Machine had shed even more elan, going instead for elegance and an attitude befitting its $49,675 starting price (including $925 for destination).
It strikes a few odd notes, but what it does best, it still does better than anything else out there in its price range.

BMW bringing two new concepts to Pebble Beach

BMW has announced that it will reveal not one, but two new concept cars during Monterey Car Week next month. The Bavarian automaker released this teaser image in conjunction with the announcement, showing what looks like a rather racy steering wheel to suggest that at least one of those concepts will be focused on performance. The signature red and blue stitching on the wheel and the participation of the M division's R&D chief in the press conference also hint at its nature. We're intrigued, though, by some of the buttons on the wheel with labels like "Flash," "Cool," and "PSL." The Roundel marque has been known to create concept cars to showcase at classic car concours, but they're more often presented at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este that BMW has supported for over a decade on the shores of Italy's picturesque Lake Como. That's where BMW revealed in recent years the 3.0 CSL Hommage, the Pininfarina Gran Lusso, and the Zagato Coupe concepts (to name just a few). It did, however, follow up on the latter with Zagato Roadster concept at Pebble Beach that same year. We might project that at least one of the concepts would represent another brand affiliated with BMW – like Mini, Rolls-Royce, or BMW Motorrad. However the announcement below seems to indicate fairly clearly that they'll both be "concept cars" (not bikes), and that they'll be presenting the BMW brand itself (not another from the group). The show cars are also likely to veer more toward the design-study end of the spectrum than previewing any specific upcoming production models, and we wouldn't be surprised if the two arrived as a matching pair of sorts. BMW's California-based Designworks studio is also likely to have played a key role in at least one of the projects. But to find out more, we'll have to wait for the press conference on August 13 in the BMW Villa at Pebble Beach. The concepts will subsequently make the rounds of key Monterey events, including The Quail, the Legends of the Autobahn Concours d'Elegance, the Rolex Monterey Motorsport Reunion, and of course the headline Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. BMW to Unveil Two World Premier Concept Cars During Monterey Car Week. Media Preview at The BMW Annual Press Conference on Thursday Evening. Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – July 17, 2015... BMW is pleased to invite credentialed media to the 'BMW at the 2015 Monterey Car Week' preview press conference on August 13th at 6:00pm.