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At this time on motor week 89 borderline high with an all new Thunderbird at least a barrel under Germany in search of an auto trendsetter ad boss sets trends of his own with a collar and we look at the colorful new Corvette as they are one. So come drive with us next. Eighty nine TV's only MOTOS magazine with your host John Davis. Hello and welcome to motor week 18. We're glad to have you with us. It's been said you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Well I'm not sure it's true for

dogs and I know it's not true for cars. Case in point the Ford Thunderbird. While the T-Birds lineage can be traced back to the lonely Fairmont box chassis the current car style and performance shows the value of determined re-education. So good is this T-Bird that it's been one of our drivers choice award picks for six years running. But there comes a time when even the best teacher can improve on an old school. It just wasn't practical to try and teach the T-Bird to fly any higher. So Ford decided it was time to move on to a new category. But to their credit not to a new breed. Come December a new Thunderbird will take flight to your local Ford store. And yes even with an all new chassis it's still rear drive after all. But doesn't that mean it's old fashioned. Well no more so than a BMW or Mercedes.

Make no mistake that is where Ford is aiming the maximum performance level of the T-Bird and it's chopped roof sibling Mercury Cougar. Ford wanted to give the loyal American rear wheel drive car buyer something different fizzling alternative to the welcome front to try personal luck to recoup from General Motors and Chrysler that sizzle however comes in various stages. The new Thunderbird begins in standard trim then adds a host of luxury features for the elex series like the Mercury Cougar ls. Power is from Ford's venerable three point eight leader V-6. It includes new sequence reports fuel injection as well as the balance shaft and it last year. Output is pegged at 140 horsepower and 215 pound feet of torque coupled with the standard four speed automatic transmission. It's capable of a leisurely 0 to 60 run of eleven point seven. Second ball handling is confident the standard suspension and tires are tuned for the smoother ride that the majority of the luxury oriented T-Bird cougar buyers prefer. But for those that really want to cook. This is all all comes together and the T-Bird performance

model dubbed the super coupe super is short for Super Charger the first modern American at a patient of the drag racers blower comes attached to a heavily reworked three point eighty six the Eaton blower plus intercooler jumps out to a strong 210 horsepower and a whopping 315 pound feet of torque coupled to the super coupe standard Mazda design five speed manual transmission. We manage 0 to 60 runs of 7.5 seconds in this prototype and Ford's Dearborn proving ground. While the function of the super charger is much like a turbo charger its operation is different. Turbo chargers run off exhaust gases superchargers are turned by engine belts much like power steering pumps or air conditioners more reliable than turbos superchargers provide boost faster and allow maximum engine output at lower engine speeds. The super group has. The response of the big V-8 without the weight the result was a car that is not only fast in the sprint but has a top speed according to Ford of over 140

miles per hour. Pretty amazing for what is a big and yes heavy car. At thirty eight hundred pounds you never feel you're going as fast in the super hoop as you are that heft on 60 series tires However translates into glued down handling that is akin to Europe's best. All round towards Test Track We tried our best of course the super coupe and its counterpart Mercury Cougar X R7 to break composure typical American rear drive cars display lots of rear oversteer when you abruptly lift off the accelerator in tight fast turns. That in the SCIRI car 7 and the cars continue to track obediently it takes extra braking to push the car tighter than first intended. While some hot use will miss the fun of routinely hanging the rear end out in switchbacks. Most drivers will marvel at what we think are the safest handling American family cars yet Ford took great pains to design trailing throttle oversteer out of their new independent rear suspension. The massive stamped upper and lower arms used coil springs gas

tube shocks and a totalling that allow some rear wheel steering. Ford says the toe link is the secret to the car's benevolent handling character. Ford's move away from conventional strut suspensions continues at the front upper and lower control arms around a compact spring and shock assembly. It provides better ride and handling combinations than simpler struts on the super coupe and X are seven. The shocks are adjustable. There is automatic mode or driver selected for ARM setting like last year's Thunderbird turbo coupe. We found the automatic setting best for routine driving but welcome to being able to select the firm setting for more spirited routes. Steering is electronic variable assist on all but the standard Thunderbird steering feedback was good but at high speeds Peel was still a little too light. Also like last year anti-lock brakes are included as standard on the top models. However we applaud Ford for making this excellent safety feature an option on all Thunderbirds and cougars for 1989. A strong character

is most evident from the styling of the new Thunderbird and cougar inside and out over three inches shorter than last year. The new design is lower and wider with nine extra inches of wheel base. The overall shape is reminiscent of the BMW 6 series with the super coupe adding more aggressive bumper air and lots and lower body work. The fast sloping hood flows up to a sharply raked windscreen and down a fastback like that should work well in NASCAR stock car races. While the Mercury Cougar continues with its controversial upright roof pillars it too benefits from a new smoothness large tail lamps on all models leave no doubt what kind of car is in the lead with styling that is mostly American in flavor and performance that leans towards Europe. It was no surprise to find the interior to be a cross between cultures. The deeply hooded dash house is a clear set of needles and dials on the super coupe and X are seven while other models use either less informative idiot lights or a rather confusing digital gauge grouping.

Seats are deeply padded comfortable and supportive. The se x r Seven's articulated sport seats are excellent. Throw backs however include the ventilation controls while Ford's revolutionary Taurus uses European rotary controls. Thunderbird buyers are said to prefer chrome plated buttons. Oh well they are easy to operate as is the stereo that is mounted high in the dash. Big improvements to hip and shoulder room have been made in the rear seat. One that is now truly comfortable. However the Thunderbirds Fastback does cut into headroom. The squared roof X R7 was slightly better and we appreciated the optional fold down cushions but Chrome buttons and retreating rear headroom are about the most we could find to complain about during our initial outing with the totally new Ford Thunderbird and Mercury Cougar. Even the expected prices from $14000 for the standard T-Bird were just over 20000. As for the loaded super who are reasonable.

These are forward thinking luxury coops designed with little regard to the compromised me to ancestry of their competition. Ford has genetically engineered their affordable personal luxury coops into a class by themselves. This past summer Lisa Barrow enjoyed a diversion from her usual duties as r f y i reporter. She went to Germany in search of history and the first automobile. In Germany back in the late 200 address of the day and the talk of the town was turning on him and they were still very much in their experimental stages and those people were rather skeptical about the whole idea. But there was one particular individual that remained a staunch supporter of the new invention. Her name was there to Van's steely Verity ringer on May 3rd 1849. She later married Carl then in 1872.

An ingenious individual responsible for building the first workable automobile. A three wheeler. After much tinkering on the part of Karl's been there to decided the car was indeed ready for the rest of the world. So one be known Stewart husband she and her two sons don't know the car in the wee hours of an August morning and embark on an adventure spanning parts of southern Germany from Mannheim to Ford the name of the Bourbons noble run run. This is because the band's exactly a hundred years ago the first official excursion with a car and 200 years will celebrate this event and that's why we have about 60 veteran and vintage cars to have this menorah run today. Behind the wheel of this is there a rally driver and Denise MC

luggage. C.J. Hadley former managing editor of Car and Driver along with myself had the honor of navigating. We're starting this morning here in Mannheim. The route she took is very much the same except that the roads have been trying to elevate since the rally turned out to be a test of speed points were awarded for correct answers to historical questions and how well the area's games were played in some of the villagers and the flowers and the ladies with a prince. They were like they kissed on the car. Yes. The route continues to work. The place where Mr. and Mrs. Benz did live through their life after and then we continue

through Heidelberg. We'll have a store which is known as the place of the first gas station in the world. Actually it was a gas station as some of you might know. It was an apothecary and it was here that I purchased which was used as fuel back then as there to continued on her journey. Her onlookers were expressions of amazement. Hours were smiling. Sunbury and the others just lending a helping hand. We go and find it. Even if we didn't back in 88 we will remember a long time to. The Great Sports prizes just that break 440 pages in nearly 200 sports bar entry. This one is likely to bend the coffee

table. Best of all it gives a thoughtful appraisal of every sports car you can think of and even a few roses live later. Oh those are sharp and the only thing better than having this book is driving your favorite. And now here is Pat Goss to answer a viewer question. Maybe the same one that's been troubling you too. Pat. A lot of our viewers seem to be practical about cars John and plan to keep them for years. If you're one of them keep listening my letter is from Jean Casares of duns town Maryland. I have a 1982 Doug Ram Van with seventy two thousand miles. It's metallic blue paint is literally peeling off especially on the roof. I don't think I should have to pay a thousand dollars for new paint. Do you know any way I could get dogs to share the cost. Well unfortunately I don't know of any way that you're going to get dogs to share the cost on this. But what I can tell you is that next time you buy a new car and it applies to

all cars you have two choices. There were basically two types of paint that are available on most guys. One is what we have here this is a metallic paint. Then over here we have a non metallic paint. Now the big difference between these is the metallic paint. Oh it looks oh so good. The non metallic paint on the other hand doesn't look quite as good but it wears a lot longer. See the metallic doesn't wear as long it's harder to repair if you have a an accident and so on. Non-metallic that's not the case. Where is longer. Very easy to repair. Let's take a look at a couple of points here. Here we have a metallic paint and if we look at this closely we can see little reflective particles in it. These are what caused the problem for the metallic paints and will see why in a minute. Here we have nonmetallic of these. Of course we see that there are no reflective particles in it. Nothing but pure paint. OK now where does the problem come in. The problem is very simple those reflective particles that

make the metallic paint look so good. Well they reflect sunlight and this reflection of sunlight actually deteriorates the paint around the particles. So you find many times in just a couple of years you'll see a metallic colored car that oh the hood and the roof and everything is all dull and no shine left to it at all. This is because the paint is gone and what you're actually seeing are the little edges of the metallic particles. You don't have that problem with the non metallic paint here. We have two examples of both of these test panels. They were exposed to a year in the Florida sun. We look at the gold one over here and we can see that it has drastically changed color yet in the same conditions we look at the red on this side which is nonmetallic and it hasn't changed color at all. So that tells you that there is a big difference between metallic and nonmetallic colors. But which ones are best. If you want good colors for your car. White is the all time great one. SEE WHITE

That's the easiest to keep clean. It keeps the car cooler. It wears like iron and it's very easy to repair. If you have accident damage nonmetallic light blue is also good as a beige or any of the other non metallic colors they all wear real well. The bad ones. Silver is the all time worst then silver blue metallic and gold. And down through the metallic colors any of them. They don't last as long as the nonmetallic colors. And I've also mentioned repair ability. Here is a panel with several different colors on it. Now they really aren't different colors as a matter of fact all of the paint on this panel came out of the same can. This is where repair ability comes into play. The metallic paints you see little differences in spray technique as the painter is repainting your fender. That can change the color. The amount of air pressure at the spray gun that can change the color. The amount of thinner that was used to

reduce the pain. That can also change the color. And there are a lot of other things too so metallic paints can be a real problem when it comes time to repair them. Now. My cock. Oh Lord yes. I bought silver the worst color there is. Why. Well because I like the looks of it. But I went a step beyond what is normal. I have a base coat clear coat finish on this car. In other words the colors underneath and then there is clear paint over it that clear is what's exposed to the weather and it makes the metallic color last a lot longer. It also makes it easier to repair if the car is involved in an accident. OK so what are you going to do. Well if you must have a metallic color because you like the look of it like I do. Well then you make sure that the metallic color has clear coat over it. If not your best bet is to buy a light colored non metallic paint. And that way you will avoid the probability of

having paint peeling off of the upper surfaces of the car like the Dodge van in our letter. And if you have a problem with your car be it about the paint or any other parts. I'd like to hear from you. And if I select your letter to be answered I'll send you a motor week T-shirt. The address is Motor Week always Mills Maryland 2 1 1 1 7. That's Motor Week. Always Mills Maryland 2 1 1 1 7. The lead team at General Motors is of course Chevrolet and this pilot loads of hype from competitors more new models carry the Chevy bow tie than any other brand. Chevrolet as a man is this dominance by offering the widest array of cars and trucks possible. 1989 is no exception. With new models at both the peak and the run of their markets. But times have changed in the way Chevrolet maintains this dominance. Their newest Apple Pie products are not as red blooded all-American as they once were.

That's not necessarily a bad thing when Chevy decided to build its new car that we are one. It turns of the experience British super car builders that result of this collaboration is the Nobel to call this place in the same I point seven leaders as the standard for that engine. Point thirty two Balbi eight makes approximately 375 horsepower and 370 pound feet of torque. The keys to the LTE 5s power are the four of our cylinder heads which will be manufactured by Group Lotus and the rest of the LTE 5 comes from Mercury Marine of Stillwater Oklahoma. Experts and aluminum engine fabrication Z-R 1 will be made in limited numbers probably less than 2000 each year. This is just as well considering that the price will be in the $50000 range. And don't expect to see it in the showrooms before March of 89. Of course you get more for your

50 grand than just a big engine. There's also a six speed manual transmission with a computerized fuel saver. If you're nervous about the valet parking attendant there's a key switch that cuts the LTA Five's power down to about 200 horses to keep all this firmly planted on the road Chevy added an adjustable suspension. They give the driver a choice of sport or competition settings. It all rides on some of the biggest tires around huge 315 35 Goodyear Eagle g t's anchor the rear while 275 for he's live up front to cover all that rubber the Z-R ones tail has been widened and given squared off lights. They'll be no mistaking this tale as it thunders by. And thunder it does 0 to 60 takes just over or so. Chevy may well have built a car capable of challenging your back no one is Chevy is quoting a top speed for the z r one. But the fact that they feel it to be 40 should tell one something

they are 40 is capable of 200 miles at one of the F-14 is priced. On an absolute bargain and puts the outer limits of automotive performance within reach of a lot more people on the other end of the Chevy spectrum. No pun intended. We find the Geo Tracker Geo is Chevy's new brand name for their captive import model. This compact four by four is built by Suzuki and will also be sold by Suzuki dealers under the name sidekick. It's a larger version of Suzuki's current four by four a sort of Samurai on steroids. Like it's smaller cousin the tracker gives buyers a choice of both hard and soft tops but it's not just larger. It's also more powerful with one point. And there is traffic as well as most compact cars and side the trackers both roomier and more comfortable than the samurai. Of course if you're looking for luxury you should probably look elsewhere.

And to answer the question that just about everyone will ask. Yes the tracker is much more stable than the camera and with prices between 10 and $12000 you can easily sell out at small 10000 tracker inventory which is after all what should be had in mind a bit of foreign blood can only make the breed stronger both on the road and in the marketplace. Our car of the week is a 1938 Packard Super 8 model 11 17. It belongs to Dave Black would have been no Beach Florida. If you have something special you'd like us to consider for part of the week send a good color photograph without dogs children or friends please let us suffer dressed for love to border we always know Marilyn. 2 1 1 1 7. We like to look at the photos even if we can't use them all. Lisa Barrow has a

few to show us now along with the motor news. Lisa. Thanks John Ford's now defunct plans to replace the venerable rear drive V-8 Mustang with what is now the pro and the Mustang say the backlash that resulted is pretty much common knowledge among car fans. What wasn't known until now was with the revamped 1992 Mustang would look like. Now we have a look at what their full blown ZT should look like in final production trim. As noted before the car will remain rear drive though the current sassy will not be replaced with a shortened version of the new Thunderbird cougar chassis. Power will be all new from a four point six leader the aid that is expected to produce 300 horsepower. The car will also get an adjustable suspension based on the Thunderbirds and 4 wheel antilock disc brakes. The new Mustang is expected to be a hot ticket item like a pro so we recommend that you get your order in early. John. When you're out on the high road as much as Craggs

you're bound to run into some police officers. But luckily Greg has managed to keep his driving record clean for an injury to progress. What comes to mind when you think of the dangers of police work. But unlike popular television with most police injuries occur due to simple traffic accidents a police officer is more likely to be killed by a drunken driver than by an Uzi. Police academy in the state of Vermont reports received 14 weeks of intensive training in the intricacies and disciplines of police work. Her mind requires all law enforcement officers both state municipal to graduate from this rigorous course in criminology including an intense course in

police oriented high performance defensive driving. The Academy is under the command of Commandant James Dans more courses. I had the privilege of joining these cadets for the two day driving portion of their course which they take very seriously. Thank people all we are standing here in our usual position of a guest on your new Miley room. What are the driving force itself is taught by instructors from the Stevens advanced driver training school owner Sandy Stevens who is also a professional race car driver stresses driver safety not speed. The cadet learns what the limit of the car and then look at learns to put his or her own limits.

And from there to develop the sense of judgment. The problem is number one the steering exercise I know it sounds pretty basic just to tell people how to operate a steering wheel but by going back to the basics. I did pick up both my speed and heard some good natured ribbing around a while this looks like fun this is serious business. These people are learning skills that may someday save a life. Why do you so far as streamlined and we'll see miles an hour wind direction. Why does that help you make decisions. That's the thing that this is a guy think so at times you're going to have to turn. Are you going to take out a kid that's going to run across the road. Yes these officers are here because they

want to have a good time sliding my cars around the runway because it's part of driving the dangerous part of the track and then move to boost the curb as they can be because they know that they need to learn the slim for a safe driver. My hat's off to them when they can do it successfully. Be sure to join us next time we'll take up behind the wall look at Buicks riata crafts center that goth will be here with maintenance advice regularly so be along too. I'm John Davis and we'll see you then. If you'd like a transcript of this program send $4 to Motor Week transcripts Owings Mills Maryland 2 1 1 1 St.. Residents of Maryland and 20 cents sales tax. Ask for show number 8 on 1. Motor Week. Here's a production of Maryland Public Television.