Lets Do The Time Warp: Road and Track's Sports Car Issue, 1990

[YSSMAN]

Wow, my family has some strange stuff floating around in not only my Grandparent's basement, but mine as well. I was digging around an old pile of automotive magazines and I came across the Road and Track "Sports & GT Cars; 1990" issue in our basement, one that was on the shelves of the bookstores in Febuary, 1990 (I would have been four at the time...)

If you had to pick one car to drive untill the year 200, what would it be? A car that would drive you happily into the next century, I mussed as I toured in a bright red Porsche 944 S2 Cabriolet down Oregon's pristine coastline and through its emaerald mountains. A sensible consumer econobox? No. A kick-out-the-jams large and long 4-door Autobahn blitzer? Not really. a roll-in-the-hay fat-tired pickup truck? We said car, right? No, I'd likely buy a ticket into the 21st Century aboard one of the sports or GT cars covered in this magazine. But oh, which one? An all-wheel-drive sports coupe? A 2-place roadster? A 2+2 cabriolet? A thumpin' V-8 musclecar? Descisions, decisions.

All of which got me thinking about convertables, 11 exciting examples of which grace these pages. When you get right down to it, convertables are heavier, slower and handle less crisply than their sedan counterparts. And given a dumpy, bumpy stretch of road, some will twist and shake like a drippin' wet hound dog. Spend a day in a ragtop and you'll eat more than dust, smell more Greyhound busses a mile ahead and need more cream rinse than you would piloting a coupe. But you'll also smell more flowers, spot that soaring hawk or get a nice look at that elusive Forties-vintage diner (as I did along U.S. 101 nearSanta Barbara, California).

True, the relenless quest for more horsepower, bigger brakes, beefier rubber and friendlier ergonomics goes on, but more and more cars are reaching a synergy, a balance that satisfies. Witness the Mazda MX-5 Miata, wherein clutch, throttle, shifter and exhaust note play like a very tight jazz quartet. Somehow, 116 bhp never felt so right. Lest we forget some surprisingly capable sports coupes: The tenacious Eagle Talon and comeback-kid VW Corrado spring to mind.

Consider the following pages as the first step in selecting the car of your dreams. So here, in pecuniary order of how many simoleons it will take to fulfill your wish, is Road and Track's Sports and GT cars, 1990
-Ron Sessions, Editor

Cars in the issue included:
Acura Legend Coupe
Alfa Romeo Spider Quadrifoglio
Alfa Romeo Vivace Prototype
BMW 325i Convertable
BMW M3
Buick Reatta
Cadillac Allante (w/ special feature on then-new traction control)
Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z Convertable (w/ feature on 1LE coupe)
Chevrolet Corvette L98 Convertable
Eagle Talon TSi AWD
Ferrari Mondial t
Ferrari Testarossa
Ford Thunderbird Super Coupe
Ford Mustang GT Convertable
Honda Civic CRX Si
Infiniti M30
Jaguar XJ-S
Lotus Esprit Turbo SE
Maserati 228
Mazda MX-5 Miata (w/ special feature on Millen Turbo Miata)
Mazda RX-7 Turbo
Mercedes-Benz 500 SL
Morgan Plus 8
Nissan 300ZX Turbo
Pontiac Firebird Trans Am GTA
Porsche 911 Carrera 4
Porsche 928
Porsche 944 S2 Cabriolet
Toyota Celica All-Tac Turbo
Toyota Supra Turbo
Volkswagen Corrado

---

I suppose what I'm getting at is an attempt to draw a comparison between the "Sports and GT" cars of 1990 to the "Sports and GT" cars of 2006. Given that they felt that they were indeed at the pinnacle of high-performance cars for the everyday person, how do you see that today?

Reading the reviews and looking at the photos, it was like being four or five years old all over again. I just think it is funny how our cars used to look and how "well" they used to perform, especially when compared to cars to today. Funny enough however, most of the list still survives today in one way or another, or atleast for some models like the Corrado and Alfa Spider, are due for a revival any time now.

My oh my how times change...

 

[JCE]

Wow, my family has some strange stuff floating around in not only my Grandparent's basement, but mine as well. I was digging around an old pile of automotive magazines and I came across the Road and Track "Sports & GT Cars; 1990" issue in our basement, one that was on the shelves of the bookstores in Febuary, 1990 (I would have been four at the time...)



Cars in the issue included:
Acura Legend Coupe
Alfa Romeo Spider Quadrifoglio
Alfa Romeo Vivace Prototype
BMW 325i Convertable
BMW M3
Buick Reatta
Cadillac Allante (w/ special feature on then-new traction control)
Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z Convertable (w/ feature on 1LE coupe)
Chevrolet Corvette L98 Convertable
Eagle Talon TSi AWD
Ferrari Mondial t
Ferrari Testarossa
Ford Thunderbird Super Coupe
Ford Mustang GT Convertable
Honda Civic CRX Si
Infiniti M30
Jaguar XJ-S
Lotus Esprit Turbo SE
Maserati 228
Mazda MX-5 Miata (w/ special feature on Millen Turbo Miata)
Mazda RX-7 Turbo
Mercedes-Benz 500 SL
Morgan Plus 8
Nissan 300ZX Turbo
Pontiac Firebird Trans Am GTA
Porsche 911 Carrera 4
Porsche 928
Porsche 944 S2 Cabriolet
Toyota Celica All-Tac Turbo
Toyota Supra Turbo
Volkswagen Corrado

---

I have a problem with the cars listed in bold. And the ones that are underlined are brilliant and I would choose. The ones not bold or underlined are on the fence to me personally.

 

[Wolfe]

I wish I had access to that issue -- I'd love to read the feature about the 1990 M3.

Anyway, pretty much every entry on that list that has a present-day equivalent has turned into a bigger, heavier, more civilized and luxurious "fat elvis" version of itself. Some have also gotten bigger engines and beefier suspensions, resulting in a car that is still just faster anyway.

As for the ones without present-day equivalents, I certainly do miss some of them -- specifically the 928, 944, RX-7, Supra, and Celica All-Trac...Porsche, Mazda, and Toyota need to wise up and bring those bad boys back.


The more I look at it, the more I realize that the '80s and early '90s must have been a very great time to be an automotive and motorsports enthusiast. Formula 1, touring car racing, rally, and the road-going sportscars and supercars of the era...all of it was just so much better (although not necessarily faster) than what we have today.

 

[Pupik]

Ah, 1990. The beginning of a new decade, and I was turning 16 soon. So many choices for a soon-to-be driver. Not that a sports-car was in the cards, but if a teenager doesn't dream about a sports car in an industrialized nation, then there's something worng with them...at least to a gearhead.

Anyway, pretty much every entry on that list that has a present-day equivalent has turned into a bigger, heavier, more civilized and luxurious "fat elvis" version of itself. Some have also gotten bigger engines and beefier suspensions, resulting in a car that is still just faster anyway.

In most cases, the requirements for airbags, restraints, and crash-protection have increased. Almost every car has an ABS option now, and other luxurious features such as automatic A/C, power seats, more sound deadening, and other options...they all add weight to these cars. To make them handle better to offset the added weight, there's been a lot chassis stiffening (around 1999-2000 or so, every car claimed to 198% more rigid than its predecessor).

Tastes have changed in the past 15 years. Secondly, car mags tend to test cars with every available option at the time, so weight and handling specs may vary from the entry-level offerings due to a lack of options.

 

[niky]

Hmmm... actually, except for the Thunderbird, Legend Coupe, and Reatta? Errh... front drive GM? Not very appealing to me, but I may be wrong as I've never seen this car in person... everything there probably deserves a mention, even now.

The CRX Si may not be the final word in handling, but given about as much weight as a Merc's trunk and a zingy motor, it was definitely a fun thing. The first I ever saw of one was going up a mountain late at night, as two guys passed us going balls out, throwing beer cans out the window. My bud tried to give chase (heck... they're just 1.6 Hondas, right?) but had to give up... we weren't that suicidally stupid... (karma dictates that at least one of those guys is dead by now... or, hopefully, reduced to janitorial duty at a local 7-11.)

The Miata... c'mon... there's a reason why almost every single hardcore track addict in the world has a banged-up Miata in the back of the garage. And the great thing is that they don't stop making cool stuff for it. I've just seen the FM Butterfly brace for older Miatas. Wonderful piece of kit, gives a semi-flat undertray and stiffens up the body considerably... by something like a 100% or more (God knows how stiff, but it makes the Miata actually feel modern).

One of my dreams once I've got the house built and have shifted some of the older junk in the garage is to get an early 90's Miata, stick a crappy, crush-bent exhaust on it, seam-weld and strip the hell out of it, stick a roll-cage in, and go racing.

 

[IMADreamer]

That must have been a great issue. I look at that list and just smile as I remember back to 1990 when I was still a young pup and looked so fondly at most of those cars. I had posters of a lot of those cars (Testarossa, 500 SL, 911 Carerra 4, RX-7, Vette), I had hot wheels or micro machines of all of them I think. The first model car I ever put together was right around that time and was a 911. I did a Vette and Testarossa soon after.

I look back at those cars and think how great a time it was, but now is great too. Not only do we have a lot of cool cars today but we have access to all of those too. Many of those can be bought at real bargins and with a little care can be brought back to their 1990 glory. What's even better is I am old enough to drive now.

 

[YSSMAN]

The more I look at it, the more I realize that the '80s and early '90s must have been a very great time to be an automotive and motorsports enthusiast. Formula 1, touring car racing, rally, and the road-going sportscars and supercars of the era...all of it was just so much better (although not necessarily faster) than what we have today.

I completely agree there. I was young (as noted, four when this issue hit the shelves) by the time the 1990s hit, and although I do remember parts of the era when it comes to cars, most of my memories happened 1996+ when I was 10 and actually could process information about these vehicles a little better.

It seemed like everything in the 1980s and (early) 1990s had some kind of sports option available. From the Mazda 323 up to the Mercedes 300 E there was something for everyone who likes a little sport in their car, and it is rather unfortunate that in todays market, often times a "sport package" consists of a few special badges, a redone interior, and a louder exhaust.

There were so many icons of the industry in that issue, it is just unreal. Many of them were just getting their legs, others were die-hard veterans in the segments. I loved the Corrado and Toyota All-Trac at the time, and I still do for the most part today. The Trans AM GTA is still one of my favorite 3rd-gen F-Bodies, and the particular design generation of the Fox Body will be a favorite as well given that my father had one for a short period of time.

What a time it was, indeed. Its kinda sad that this new generation of car-kids didn't grow up with some of these cars, or atleast in a time period where everything was "sporty." They may never know what the Beretta GTZ was, or how awesome the origional Mazda MX-6 Turbo was.

...Maybe I should do some more digging. There are some old issues that I've looked through before that were quite funny and cool to flip through...

 

[Wolfe]

I'm only 2 months older than you, YSSMAN, so I'm in the same boat...

 

[YSSMAN]

One of the funniest parts of the issue are the performance specs on the 1990 Ferrari Testarossa:

- 0 to 60 MPH: 6.2 sec
- QTR Mile: 14.2 sec @ 101.0 MPH
- 60 to 0 MPH: 158 ft

EPA City/Highway: 10/15

Lateral G's: 0.87g

By comparison, cars like the Chevrolet Cobalt SS S/C could match it, and full-size sedans like the Dodge Charget SRT-8 could wipe it off the track.

...My oh my how times change...

 

[1X83Z]

The Celica All-Trac is on the same list as the Infiniti M30. Man.

 

[harrytuttle]

There were so many icons of the industry in that issue, it is just unreal.

I both agree and disagree with this view. There seems to be a bit of the belief that only certain points in time were "good" for cars. But it's like saying only the 60's and 70's had good music, and the 70's had the best movies. It's not true. There's always been good music, and there's always been crappy movies.

Likewise, there's always been good cars. What people perceive as "the golden age" is generally their youth, or whenever they became interested in cars. For the baby boom generation, it's usually 1964. For current teens, it's anything from Japan. If you were to display it graphically (number of "cool cars" per year), you'd see a pretty flat line.

But you have to take things in the proper perspective. The Rocket 88 was no GTO, but it was the shiznick at the time.👍

 

[LeadSlead#2]

For current teens, it's anything from Japan.

I completely agreed with your entire post, other than this.
No knowledgeable car enthusiast thinks only Japan makes good sports cars. Anyone equipped with knowledge, understands that some very good sports cars come out of all 3 major car markets, and Austrailia too.
That is only true for "posers" who want to look cool, but don't have much knowledge about cars in general.

 

[1X83Z]

I completely agreed with your entire post, other than this.
No knowledgeable car enthusiast thinks only Japan makes good sports cars. Anyone equipped with knowledge, understands that some very good sports cars come out of all 3 major car markets, and Austrailia too.
That is only true for "posers" who want to look cool, but don't have much knowledge about cars in general.

I caught that too. I also have a problem with him making a parallel between the muscle car era idolized by sixties youth and the Japanese cars of today. These days, youth have many more choices of car to enjoy (not so in the 60s) and very few of them devote themselves to Japanese cars like people did with muscle cars in the 60s. Not only was that a gross generalization, it wasn't accurate.

 

[IMADreamer]

I completely agreed with your entire post, other than this.
No knowledgeable car enthusiast thinks only Japan makes good sports cars. Anyone equipped with knowledge, understands that some very good sports cars come out of all 3 major car markets, and Austrailia too.
That is only true for "posers" who want to look cool, but don't have much knowledge about cars in general.

I think you are taking what he said the wrong way. He isn't say car enthusiast think that only Japanese cars are great but that todays teens are really into those cars and when they get older it will be the Japanese cars they look back at so fondly as the "golden age" of cars. Everyone knows a true car guy will appreciate cars from all walks of life.

 

[YSSMAN]

I certainly won't be looking back at the Japanese explosion of the 1980s as my golden years for automobiles. Granted, I grew up with them and they were indeed cool, but I take them for what they were... Cheap sports cars that were fun to drive for people who couldn't afford American or European models.

The golden years for most American folks depends greatly on what kind of car you like. Although my brother is a gearhead, he usually considers the post-war years up untill about 1960 as the golden years for American automobiles. I on the other hand put mine in the muscle car/pony car era, 1964-1973, given my taste for lean American high-performance cars.

I completely agree with the posts above, as there are simply too many posers out there today. Everyone wants a Civic with a 3-foot wing and a Foldgers coffee can exhaust, what is so unique about that? The whole import scene is just boring these days, everyone copying everyone else to the point where everything looks the same.

Granted, a good numer of these kids didn't grow up at the time where American and European automakers were still unquestionably the top-makes worldwide. As die-hard car fans born in the 1970s and 1980s as most of us are still loyal to the automotive superpowers of the time. Kids these days won't have it like that, and it is really too bad.

If you want to talk about a generation gap, ask any of these kiddes what a "whale tail" or Pantera is, and they may stare at you blankly for some time.

 

[IMADreamer]

I certainly won't be looking back at the Japanese explosion of the 1980s as my golden years for automobiles. Granted, I grew up with them and they were indeed cool, but I take them for what they were... Cheap sports cars that were fun to drive for people who couldn't afford American or European models.

The golden years for most American folks depends greatly on what kind of car you like. Although my brother is a gearhead, he usually considers the post-war years up untill about 1960 as the golden years for American automobiles. I on the other hand put mine in the muscle car/pony car era, 1964-1973, given my taste for lean American high-performance cars.

I completely agree with the posts above, as there are simply too many posers out there today. Everyone wants a Civic with a 3-foot wing and a Foldgers coffee can exhaust, what is so unique about that? The whole import scene is just boring these days, everyone copying everyone else to the point where everything looks the same.

Granted, a good numer of these kids didn't grow up at the time where American and European automakers were still unquestionably the top-makes worldwide. As die-hard car fans born in the 1970s and 1980s as most of us are still loyal to the automotive superpowers of the time. Kids these days won't have it like that, and it is really too bad.

If you want to talk about a generation gap, ask any of these kiddes what a "whale tail" or Pantera is, and they may stare at you blankly for some time.

The difference between you and most people your age is you are a car enthusiast where a lot of these kids are just trying to fit in and be cool with their cars. I think the sport compact scene is ok. It's an entry way into cars really. It's a very cheap starting point and if we have to put up with a million ricers to get a few great car guys then that's ok. Somewhere right now on the streets in a civic with a retarded wing is the next Carrol Shelby. No one knows it yet though.

I still argue though that this is the golden years because not only do we have nice cars today that have been fueled by the current horsepower war but we also have all those cool cars of yesteryear still around. It really is possible to have a huge amount of fun on any budget any more and that's what makes now so great. Hell I just spent almost 10k less on buying a new car then I planned because this car is truely a blast to drive, and it's cheap! Fart canned civics, and my Cobalt aside, there are so many great cars on the road today it's nuts. I always love going to the big cities because in one day I will see anything from a 440 Cuda, 300sl, to a well done import, or a Ferrari. At no time in the past was this great variety available.

 

[YSSMAN]

Good points, indeed.

But everyone gets a bit nestalgic I suppose... We will always tell our kids that it was better when WE were kids, thats just how time works.

 

[harrytuttle]

I think you are taking what he said the wrong way. He isn't say car enthusiast think that only Japanese cars are great but that todays teens are really into those cars and when they get older it will be the Japanese cars they look back at so fondly as the "golden age" of cars. Everyone knows a true car guy will appreciate cars from all walks of life.

Well, someone got the point. They were generalizations, but that's because it's generally true. Most people's impressions of the 60's auto industry bring back memories of muscle cars. In the 90's, it was the Playstation generation that "discovered" the JDM cars (hence, the reason we're all posting here as opposed to MSN...).

But in fact the whole thing is kind of oxymoronic: on a day-to-day basis, most people couldn't give a rat's anal fissure about cars. The car loving community is a bit of a minority. A happier, more well-informed minority, though.

I actually don't have a favorite era. Like I said, there's good stuff everywhere. I see cars two ways: technical acheivements, and rolling sculpture. Most are one more than the other (many are sadly neither), but it's the precious few that hit both. Look through any brand's history and you'll see this very clearly.

 

[YSSMAN]

Good post!

I would have to say that most people's "golden years" are going to be defined by the tipes of cars that person likes. I being one who enjoys high power and muscular looks, I prefer the American cars of the 1950s and 1960s. But to some extent, the cars of my childhood still play an important role in my life, and the sportscars of the 1980s will always be special in one way or another.

To quote Adult Swim, "Kids these days, whats wrong with them?"

Lotsa things I say, mostly the part where they didn't grow up at the same time as I did.

 

[Pupik]

If the mid-1980's heralded a golden age of automobiles, then we're in a platinum age right now. Even accounting for nostalgia, and the influx of SUVs, you have so many more choices than ever before.

Cars last longer, they're faster than 10 years ago, safer, and generally more reliable than ever before. People wouldn't go near used, multi-owner, 100,000-mile cars; now people aren't as worried, because the machinery of 5-20 years ago was much better than a generation ago.

I know people who gre up in the American muscle-car era, and they say how great those cars were to look at, sit in, to show off, and to drive...in a straightline! If you wanted handling, you found a small European sports-car, like an MG, a Triumph, or towards the early-1970's, a Datsun 240Z. Those muscle cars required plenty of maintenance, rusted, parts fell off inside and out...nobody wanted one with lots of miles unless they had patience, loads of cash, and the skill of a mechanic. Great for nostalgia and holidays, wickedly fast acceleration for all that heft, but they aren't refined enough compared to daily drivers of today.

The only caveat is that today's cars are quite expensive compared to the finances of today's youth, but thats where the 2nd-hand market comes in, as there's lots of good choices. Oh, just realized the Eagle Talon TSi was in there. Wished I could afford to keep it at the time...

I'm not worried about "sport-compact tuner culture" or "today's generation" ruining things...eventually their tastes will change and/or horizons will expand, it happens to all of us.

 

[YSSMAN]

Hopefully, yes, they may one day realise how silly it all is...