Decade of the Driver

If you Love cars, hold on to your helmets. The Nineties are about to explode with the greatest array of exciting models we've seen in years. It's going to be a far cry from the stumbling late Sixties, when crude first attempts at adding safety and pollution-control devices begat ponderous cars burdened with bulky bumpers and gutless engines strangled by primitive antipollution devices. For a while, it looked as though we were doomed to drive what Playboy's late and great auto writer Ken W. Purdy described as turgid, jelly-bodied clunkers.

But as the Eighties progressed, car companies developed more effective safety measures. With the help of improved fuels, auto makers found ways to make engines run cleanly without sacrificing power. European marques set a fast pace; the Americans and the Japanese quickly followed. Handling and electronics improved and, best of all, from an enthusiast's standpoint, horsepower galloped back into fashion. Driving became fun again.

For buyers shopping for new wheels today, there's an almost overwhelming set of choices: nearly 50 makes and more than 300 models. To make matters even more confusing, many car brands repeat themselves with alternative name plates in different showrooms. Not surprisingly, due to their extremely low prices, the largest-selling "cars" in America today are pickup trucks; and off-road vehicles are enjoying new-found popularity.

While the biggest auto makers (and a few of the smaller, more innovative ones) are locked in a global struggle for survival, we, the customers, are continuing to be the winners. Competition inevitably forces bad players out while raising the quality of every survivor's products. Despite squabbles over emission standards, gas-guzzler awards and the seat-belt-vs.-the-air-bag wrangle, Playboy believes this decade will be the best in automotive history. And to get you off and rolling, we've invited five top automotive journalists, along with race-car driver and Playboy Products spokesperson Kevin Cogan (see below), to give opinions on the 1990 models they like in a variety of categories, from Hottest Sports GTs Under $20,000 to the Most Boring Cars. Gentlemen, start your opinions.

•

Car for Your Girlfriend to Buy: The Miata is too obvious a choice here. That's because all our panelists who voted for the Miata secretly wanted one. Said David Stevens, "Get a Miata for your girlfriend and get a location beeper, too, or you'll never see her again." John Lamm, Kevin Cogan and Len Frank agreed. Lamm: "Show me a woman with a Miata and I'll show you a woman who knows how to smile." Cogan: "Especially if she lives on the West Coast, where this has become a very 'in' car." Frank: "In some parts of Los Angeles, it used to be illegal for anyone other than somebody's girlfriend to (text concluded on page 159)Decade of the Driver(continued from page 119) drive VW Cabriolets. If the Miata weren't so much fun to drive, it would be in the same danger. It's just so cute." Ken Gross and Brock Yates picked Nissan's stylish and slick 240SX. Said Yates, "A great value, good fun and just a bit practical." Gross added, "It's quick, delicate, it won't upset your insurance company and it's an all-weather charmer that handles surprisingly well. Now, if it only had a little more power...."

•

Finest-Handling Cars: "This is a tough call," said Lamm. "For general conditions, I'd take the Nissan 300ZX for its combination of steering, brakes and handling. If it even looks like rain, the Porsche 911 Carrera 4 wins. But if you have kids and a budget, how can you beat the Honda Prelude Si four-wheel steering?" Gross agreed on the 300ZX, saying, "The Z's multilink rear suspension and Super HICAS four-wheel steering lend a great feeling of confidence in high-speed maneuvers." Yates declared a tie among the Carrera 4, the Talon TSi AWD and the Celica All-Trac: "Four-wheel drive is a definite winner in real-world performance driving." Stevens gave the nod to the Carrera: "Handling doesn't get better than this, but the Talon AWD is a close second for a lot less money." Cogan also liked the Carrera and Frank loved the ZR-1: "Handling has to do with how fast a car will get around a corner. Corvettes rule."

•

Niftiest New Features: Never mind how complicated it is or how much it costs, the Mercedes-Benz 300/500SL's one-button automatic softtop is truly remarkable. Frank: "Just watching the top fold and unfold is enough to send the Bolshoi back to the practice bar." Stevens commented that he "popped the top on Rodeo Drive and even a guy in a Testarossa pulled over to gape. And if you somehow manage to upend the car, a spring-loaded roll bar rises in a split second for protection." Yates gave a nod to the Lexus LS 400 Air Suspension: "More perfection in the perfect car." Frank liked the Cadillac Allanté traction control and Gross voted for Porsche's new Tiptronic automatic transmission. "The clutch pedal is gone. To upshift, you push forward on the gear lever; to downshift, pull the lever back an inch. The computer does the rest." Lamm's vote went to the Infiniti Q45 Super HICAS steering: "It's not as much fun as the other four-wheel-steering systems, because it doesn't turn as sharply, but as part of the suspension, with all it adds in terms of stability, it's very nice."

•

Most Boring Cars: The Yugo took some heavy flak in this category. Stevens: "My ex-wife was Yugoslavian. And I haven't forgiven that country yet." Lamm: "Haven't these people gone out of business? Cogan kindly called the Hyundai "the Beetle of the future." Frank voted for "any cars powered by the G.M. 'Iron Duke' 2.5, the Ford 2.3 push rod and the 2.2/2.5-liter Chrysler engines." Yates thought the Cadillac Eldorado was "a great way to get to the nursing home." And Gross agreed, calling it "the Elvis Presley memorial mobile with a Sealy Posturepedic ride, rubber steering and spongy brakes all wrapped up in velour."

That's it for Playboy Cars 1990. The open road awaits. And don't forget, guys, to honk as you go by.

five top automotive journalists join race-car driver kevin cogan to pick this year's hottest wheels

A Sneak Preview of 1991 and Beyond

sooner than you think, here's how you'll be easing on down the road

The Japanese have emerged as the premiere innovators, just as they have conquered the market place with their motorcycles, watches, cameras and audio/video equipment. Honda, the undisputed winner on the Formula I racing circuit, will lead the way in 1991 with its flashy Acura NS-X--a Ferrari type of mid-engined coupe that can top 150 miles per hour but costs less than $60,000. Once-conservative Toyota has let a 185-mph cat out of the bag, silencing critics of copycat Japanese styling in the process. It's the 4500GT: a 40-valve, 4.5-liter, aerodynamic Toyota prototype. Arriving from Lexus: the extended-wheel-base L5500 limousine, featuring a powerful five-liter engine that still beats the gas-guzzler tax. Lexus is also considering bringing out an ES300 sedan in mid-1991 to do battle with the Mercedes-Benz 300E. That's just the beginning. As the Tokyo Motor Show, with its high complement of concept cars, closed out the decade, Mazda dazzled showgoers with its 300-hp Cosmo three-rotor Wankel-engined GT, which boasts a CRT display featuring integral navigation, climate and audio controls. Along with a 3000GT prototype (see box), Mitsubishi previewed the Diamante, a BMW-look-alike luxury sedan that offers full-time four-wheel drive and four-wheel steering. Back in the States, American manufacturers also have some pretty slick tricks up their sleeves for 1991 and beyond. Coming in the mid-Nineties from Chevrolet, we've been told, will be an impressive 200-mph Corvette with a virtually all-glass roof. Under its hood will be a megahorsepower 48-valve, four-cam V8. Semi-active suspension and computerized steering are just two of the next Corvette's promised refinements. Chevy's futuristic mid-Nineties Camaro boasts a sharklike profile made from lightweight composite panels tacked to a steel frame. Tomorrow's Camaro and its traveling companion, the Pontiac Banshee, will feature independent multilink suspension, six-speed manual gearboxes and ground-pounding V8 engines. From Buick comes word of a sexy Lucerne convertible with such electronic innovations as one-touch entry, separate climate and entertainment controls for each seat, a Navicar computer-navigation system and electronically activated automatic transmission. "The Lucerne is our expression of the Buick feeling," Charles M. Jordan, General Motors Design vice-president, said. "It is substantial, distinctive, powerful, mature and, at the same time, dashing and graceful, with a lot of flair. We call it 'muscular grace.'" Using the U.S. mainland as a base, the Japanese will export more cars across the Atlantic, battling the Europeans on their very own motorways. The Continentals won't give up easily. Mercedes blasted back into racing again by winning last year's coveted Le Mans 24-hour classic. As if its new 500SL roadster's 322-hp V8 weren't enough, there'll be a 48-valve, six-liter, 400-hp V12 powering the 600SL and future S-class sedans. Innovations include 4Matic, Mercedes' unique all-wheel-drive system, plus clever adaptive suspension. BMW just unveiled its own luxury coupe. New 850i's will feature a five-liter V12 engine, a six-speed manual gearbox, four-wheel steering, traction control, active suspension and a highly sophisticated climate-control system. Don't even ask the price! The redesigned 3-series, slated for late 1992, will be longer, lower and wider, with engines ranging from feisty fours all the way up to a 155-mph pocket rocket with a 230-hp power plant. Audi is promising an exciting cabriolet that carries open-air traction to new heights, thanks to a choice of front-wheel or four-wheel drive. With fresh infusions of cash from new owner Ford, Jaguar plans to shoehorn its powerful V12 into the recently upgraded XJ sedan, building a mid-sized competitor for BMW's (concluded on page 150)1991 and Beyond(continued from page 124) 5-series, and promises to speed up the presentation of the long-awaited F-type sports car. And England's Lotus will soon be importing a pricey Miata competitor, the $30,000 fiberglass-composite Elan roadster. Its pocket-sized front-wheel-drive, 16-valve engine and five-speed transaxle are courtesy of Isuzu. Porsche's striking prototype, the Panamericana, offers fresh styling. Meanwhile, the greatly improved Carrera 2 and the wonderfully stable Carrera 4 carry the flag. Porsche's new Tiptronic is surely the best sporty automatic transmission ever. Look for copies as soon as competitors figure it out.

Ferrari will retain its sports-car crown with the 348ts, a 300-hp, 170-mph speedster that's shorter, wider and considerably faster than the 328 it replaces. New ideas include a transverse gearbox. Heavily disguised V12 convertibles have been photographed testing on the autostradas. Clues for the shape of things to come at Ferrari are evident in Pininfarina's dramatic Testarossa-engined Mythos, which will appear in the mid-Nineties, very likely with a $200,000 price tag. Finally, flash-and-dash fanatics can look forward to the Lamborghini Countach's slippery successor--the aptly named 200-mph Diablo. The next decade's competition will surely produce the most exciting line-up of cars the world has ever seen. Start saving up.

Whispers of the Stealth

For 1991 (on sale this coming fall), Dodge is betting heavily on its flashy Stealth sports coupe. Partner Mitsubishi's even sportier version will be called the 3000GT. Said to rival the 300ZX, this jointly developed "baby Ferrari's" tentative specs feature a 300-hp, twin-turbo, 24-valve V6 engine, ABS brakes, four-wheel steering, electronically controlled suspension and all-wheel drive. Chrysler and Mitsubishi's coproduced Eclipse, Laser and Talon have been runaway successes, so their 1991 collaboration--with the Stealth and the 3000GT--promises even more good things. The Americans provide imaginative styling as well as distribution assistance. Quicker engineering timetables, efficient manufacturing and terrific quality control are Japan's contributions. Coming (we hope) is the V10 Viper roadster that's a powder keg of a two-seater.