Automobile USA – June 2019

LETTERS

34

I RECENTLY renewed my

subscription for three more

years—that’s how much I enjoy

Automobile’s content. I enjoy

reading articles about cars I would

likely never own, too, so thank you

for keeping your content diverse.

If your content focused only on

the new cars readers buy most

frequently, those same readers

would likely grow tired.

I had an idea when reading your

January article on the new Toyota

Supra. It struck me that it would

be interesting to see a head-to-head

comparison of this new Supra and

my 2001 manual Corvette (very

close in terms of power and weight).

It might be that the automobile

has come a long way in the last 20

years—or maybe not as far as we

are led to believe.

DOUG CRAIG

Carol Stream, Illinois

GO, YOU

I read with great interest Georg

Kacher’s adventure in an ’84 Yugo

(February). The car was not only

polarizing but also the punchline

of many an automotive enthusiast’s

humor. Here’s another unique and

unlikely footnote in the annals

of car history. I was living on the

Straits of Mackinac in northern

Michigan when a Yugo driven by a

young woman was literally picked

up by a high wind and tossed over

the side of the Mackinac Bridge.

The poor woman, who was heading

to St. Ignace to visit her boyfriend,

never made it. The tragedy resulted

from the combination of the

lightweight Yugo and the unique

design of The Mighty Mac—built in

the 1950s when cars were very heavy

and with an open-grate roadway

between the suspension span. Her

name was Leslie Ann Pluhar. I had

driven a truck across the bridge that

day, and my knuckles were bleach

white and frozen to the wheel when I

finally made it safely across.

JEFFREY C. EBERWEIN

Coos Bay, Oregon

I offer as a contender for the Yugo’s

presumptive “Worst Car” crown

the used 1959 Renault Dauphine I

purchased as a 19-year-old university

student in 1966. Among its less

endearing qualities:

Rust: You could almost hear

the metal corroding as the car sat

parked. You could have cut the body

off the floorpan with a butter knife.

Shift linkage: The three-on-the-

floor shifter had 12 to 18 inches

of play. First gear was somewhere

near the driver’s hip pocket, second

required banging your knuckles on

the glove compartment door, and

third landed your hand in the crotch

of whoever was in the shotgun seat.

Engine: Hopelessly gutless by any

measure, it burned oil like a two-

stroke. The car left a reeking blue

cloud in its wake, and the back third

was coated in a thin oily film.

Comfort, fit, and finish: Using a

pressure washer wand at a coin-

operated car wash, I managed to

strip some paint off a back fender.

My next car was a used Citroën

DS-19; apparently I had learned

nothing.

NORMAN McDOUGALL

Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada

Thanks for a fun reminder of my

light blue ’91 Yugo. I bought it new

for less than $4,000, trading in

a decrepit old Buick wagon with

tapping lifters for $300. That Yugo

was actually a really decent, basic

little car. It would rev smoothly and

enthusiastically to make the best of

its limited power. The ergonomics

were weird, the materials were

BACK,

WITH AN

IDEA

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rudimentary, but it never broke down

or failed to start. I only got rid of it

because the U.S. dealer network went

out of business and made future

availability of parts and service dicey.

I still miss that Yugo, and it would be

quite the attention-getter today.

MICHAEL MELTON

Hobbs, New Mexico

MIURA MEMORY

The Lamborghini Miura article

(March/April) brought back some

really great memories. In 1972 during

math class at the American School

of Madrid, we heard this rumble in

the parking lot. One of my friends

stood up and shouted, “S***! That’s

a Lamborghini Miura!” Three of us,

total car freaks, stood up, left the class,

and went outside. It was a Miura, in

traditional orange with honey-colored

leather seats, owned by one of the

Trujillo family (of Dominican dictator

fame) driven by one of our classmates.

We got in, one by one, and he gave us a

short ride around the school. Then he

took off, and we heard him shift into

second gear, finally, about a kilometer

away. Truly extraordinary and one of

the most beautiful designs ever.

MARCELO SALUP

Miami, Florida

McLAREN MUSINGS

When my February issue of Automobile

arrived, I was thrilled to see a photo of

a pristine 1986 Corvette Indy Concept

vehicle emblazoned across the cover!

Could it be that Chevrolet decided

to dust off its sleek, forward-looking

concept from 33 years ago? Hold on

a minute. McLaren Speedtail? Say

what? I quickly read Automobile’s

considerable praise of McLaren’s

design and then proceeded to read

Robert Cumberford’s review of the

Speedtail’s “astonishing” form. With

his vast knowledge of automotive

design and history, I was disappointed

Cumberford failed to mention the

exterior design similarities or throw

a compliment to Chevrolet for its

innovative 1986 design concept that

obviously continues to inspire.

RON LORDO

Fort Mill, South Carolina