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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 27, 1996)
VEHICLES TOYOTA CAM RY XLE V-6 M ITSUBISHI DIAMANTE LS Power comes from a new 29Ohp 4.0L 32- valve V-8 -- the first production V-8 for this com pany — and launches XK8 to 60 m ph in under seven seconds; ably assisted by a 5-speed autom atic transm ission and four-wheel independent suspension. PO RSCH E Porsche dosen't miss a beat w ith the new BOXSTER: the com pany's new BM W Z3 and M-B SLK fighter. It will be priced about $40,000; possesses a superior per form ance level - at least on paper, thanks to a 201 hp opposed 2.5L six-cylinder placed in the car's mid-section. SAAB T he Saab 900, the com pany's staple prod uct, goes into '97 w ith few changes to its sedan, coupe and convertible models. For power, you can choose between a ISOhp 2.4L four; a 185hp turbocharged 2.0L four or a 170hp 2.5L V-6. In our view, the convertible with the turbo-four is the hot ticket for 'catchin' rays' while they last in the four-season regions.........9000 se dan only gets color changes, but gives you three great engine options to be had in CS, CSE and A ERO models. Base m o tor is a 170hp 2.3L turbo-tour w ith an optional 200/225hp version. Fhe stan dard 21 Ohp 3.0 V-6 for Aero is an option tor CSE. V O LK SW A 6 E H V W has come back strongly with a wide a rra v o f p le a sin g p r o d u c ts , m o st notably “the PASSAT sedan and w ag o n ." W hether ordered with the highly respon sive 172hp 2.81. V R-6 or the incredibly fuel efficient (about 4 lm p g hwv) 1.9L turbo-diesel, this is a great package. It utility, econom y and affordability are de sirable traits tor you, then G O LF works very w ell in th ese areas. For a b o u t $14,000, you can get a five-passenger hatchback that gets a w hopping 50 mpg around tow n w hen equipped w ith the 90hp 2.0L turbo-diesel. Standard engine is a gas powered 115hp 2.0L tour. 14 AFRICAN AMERICANS ON WHEELS IN FIN ITI Q45 THE A S IA M S M IT S U B IS H I For 1 9 9 7 , th e c o m p a n y ’s a ll-n e w D IA M A N T E flagship sedan, features a larger V 6engine (3.51. vs 3-0L) with more power (21 Ohp vs 200hp) than last year. Aerodvnamicallv refined, it offers a com p e titiv e a rra y o f c re a tu re -p le a s in g features....Also new is M IRAGE, a snappy sub-com pact that doesn't look like one in the traditional sense. Both sedan and coupe benefit trom increased interior spa ciousness, are a bit wider, and the sedan is taller than the 96. Power comes from a 92hp 1.51. four (DE model and a 111 hp 1.81. four (LS sedan and coupe). Choose between a standard 5-spd manual trans mission or an optional 4-spd autom atic that actually “learns then adapts to your driving technique, be it sedate or sporty. TO YO TA T he popularity ofTovota products among African-American car buyers is the envy o f the domestics; although G M , Ford and Chrysler seem relentless in their efforts to wrestle back market share. Ioyotas most popular car in the U.S., the CAMR5 sedan, is all new lor 97 and gets a more Lexus-like appearance. T h e wheelbase is longer, it is only offered as a four-door ACURA INTEGRA GS-R SPORTS SEDAN an d its tw o engines, a sta n d ard 2.21. four and optional (std. on XLE model) 3 .0 L V -6 have th e ir p o w er b u m p e d up to 133hp and I4 4 h p respectively....... Flagship AVALON gets a freshened appearance and a power increase for its 3.01. V-6 from 192 to 200hp. LEXU S T h e news for '97 is a redesigned and re fined E S300 sedan — just in tim e to counter a threat from Cadillac C atera — that is longer, roomier and more power ful. Wheelbase has been extended by two inches and horsepower from its 3.0L V-6 has increased Irom 188 to 200; 1 heres even a semi-active suspension system that can near-instantaneouslv adjust its shock settings in response to ch an g in g road surface...... the flagship LS400 is the first Lexus to receive side airbags, b ut follows Volvo’s leadership in terms of installing them in the seat rather than the door; w hich ensures that a deploying airbag w ill always be in the proper position, regard less o f how the car's body structure deforms in a crash. N ISS A N O th er than some exterior freshenings, not m u ch changes w ith th e 97 N issans. M AXIM A continues to wow us with its sta n d ard , silky sm o o th an d pow erful (190hp) 3.0LV -6. For the ultimate sport ing rush, order up the SE w ith the 5-spd LETTERS E-MAIL Loved the latest edition of the maga zine! N ot being a car buff or a mechanical . engineer, it contained a lot of inform ation • in language that I could understand and appreciate as a female car buyer and it was ever so entertaining to read. I am definitely not a (car) magazine reader and have found such publications . boring and much too technical for my level of interest. 1 also found your general format most • appealing. Your articles on our participa tion in the development of the automobile and in m otorsports have been greatly en lig h te n in g . 1 look forward to those kinds of fea tures in every edition. Since we buy cars all the tim e and usually get the short end o f many car deals — because we d o n t stop and learn about the business, i.e. leases and fi nancing, etc. -- your magazine is providing much needed education. I’m trying to decide w hether I w ant a Mercedes-Benz E50, since I’m really a sports car person, or if I should be more practical and get the E300 Diesel. But, since I’ll need a few' more dollars and the E50 won t be available stateside tor a while, 1 still have some tim e to think about it. Finally, the article “Waiting to Acceler ate” was too precious. C an’t wait for your next issue! Congratulations on an excellent publi cation. Khadijab Pope College Park, M D Your Sum m er ’96 issue was given to me by my m other after she returned trom a festival in Los Angeles. I think that this is a great publication. I w ish you growth and much success. M arty Evans E-Racing Los Angeles, CA I am impressed with your publication and enjoy reading it. I especially appreciate learning about tbe benefits of leasing. I operate a car wash in dow ntow n Bal tim ore and would like to suggest an article on the benefits of car washes. This is not a plug! Newer cars are far more susceptible to road dust, acid rain damage, bird droppings etc. than those o f yesteryear. And damage to clear coats, while easy to inflict, is hard to undo. In addition, regular washing and waxing have substantial benefits besides just making a car look better. Tony de Cinge WashWorks Baltimore, M D BLACKS IN M O T O R S P O R T S I wish to com m end you tor exposing m otorsports as one of the most racially bi ased sports in the world. It is truly appall ing that as we enter the 21st century, we still have no active African-American par ticipation in motorsports most elite forms. I feel very strongly that the summ er edition o f African Americans On Wheels, which featured the article on blacks in m otorsports, will help educate and stim u late corporate America to design programs sp e cific ally to c a te r to b o th e th n ic motorsports fans and participants alike. Kudos to your staff for a job well done! Chris Miles Starting Grid, Inc. Kissimmee, TL on your last cover. As for me, 1 hope to advance the baton first carried in the sport by Wendell Scott, by competing in the NASCAR for the first tim e and thus make a way for others to follow. Felix Giles “N ightH aw k” Anaheim. CA 1 must say, this is the first tim e in all of mv 44 vears that I’ve ever seen any interest in p rin tin g an y th in g about blacks in motorsports. I don t know about you guys, but I have been a loner in this sport ( both as a driver and a spectator) all of my life!!! I am a genuine car nut and have always been one. I raced Mazda cars professionally for 10 vears before 1 quit, and 1 must say, if it hadn't been for white people backing me and supporting me, I w ouldnt have been able to do so. T he only black people who supported my efforts were my relatives and only a few o f them at that! N one o f my crew was black (my wife excepted). And even in races in the South (Road Atlanta, Daytona) my crew was devoted to protecting me from the good old boys (this wasn't necessary, because the latter help me more than others and were glad to see me). Even now, some of my best friends are mv racing buddies. I still race at am ateur events and serve as a volunteer driving in structor tor some car clubs now and then. However, when I am around my brothers and I voice the fact that I like motorsports and not physical sports, I get labeled a weirdo. 1 know we weren't in the Indy car series or F 1 or NASCAR, but we always finished in the top five — we finished third twice and were consistently the highest finishing non-factors’ team (1 know how Mr. Ribbs I am an O ffroad race driver — one o f the most exciting sports in autoracing and will be graduating soon to the NASCAR Craftsm an Truck Series. So, 1 was happy feels). and very proud after I received a recent copy In conclusion, if you are looking for o f your magazine, to see that someone is .African Americans to support motorsports finally giving us some much deserved rec the way other nationalities do, don’t expect ognition. it in this millennium!!! My company, N ightH aw k Racing, be Bill Spencer a.k.a. WldWly lieves that we can make a positive differ ence in the Series and will in fact, be the 1 read about your publication in USA first African-American team to compete in TODA Y. I also read a New York limes story it. We are on a mission to be successful in recently relating to the surge in black ve this venture and provide our sponsors with hicle purchasing over the past year, espe- maximum exposure. Being the “Jackie Robinson of Offroad • ciallv o f cars and trucks. Congratulations on carving a solid pub- Racing,” you can imagine the dragons I m ust battle as I com pete. So, please con . lishing niche. Trish Whitcomb tinue to give us as much media attention as Robert Marston ¿'Associates possible. e-mail:dub-mail-svc- In closing, two friends of mine Willy T. 1 .(dcompiiserve.com Ribbs and C. J. Patterson (auto racer) were AFRICAN AMERICANS O N WHEELS
