AMC Javelin a winner in Donohue or Follmer trim ... Muscle car lovers appreciate the AMC Javelin because American Motors Corp. was much like The Little Engine That Could, and to beat all the Javelin was handsomely styled too. Once AMC decided to take it racing in the Trans Am series in 1970, the company... Continue Reading →
2020 Chrysler Pacifica Limited hybrid
New Pacifica hybrid a refined people hauler ... Chrysler has been making minivans since the 1984 model year, but its latest, the 2020 Pacifica, is easily the best of the bunch. Chrysler minivans have nearly always been comfortable and easy to drive. The company’s Stow N Go seats were a brilliant addition, as were its... Continue Reading →
Die-cast: NEO’s 1957 Ford Fairlane 500 Hardtop
Ford Fairlane 500 exudes bad boy attitude … My brother Steve owned a black 1957 Ford Fairlane 500 Hardtop with gold accent trim down the side in the late 1960s, so when I saw NEO’s 1/43 scale version, I wanted to give it a closer look. This one is black and white, with the upper... Continue Reading →
Die-cast: Johnny Lightning themed 2-packs
Barn Finds lead the way for JL's themed 2-packs ... I’m a sucker for 1/64 scale die-cast cars because I grew up garaging Matchbox and Hot Wheels in shoe boxes and plastic carrying cases. Just entering my teens when Johnny Lightning debuted 50 years ago, I was impressed with its castings’ quality and realism... Continue Reading →
2020 Zoomie Awards
Savage names his top 14 vehicles of the year ... After a four year hiatus (I should be well rested), Zoomie is back. What’s a Zoomie? It’s my annual (at least for 26 straight years) award of the top vehicle I’ve driven in the past year. I name one top dog and a lot of... Continue Reading →
What are Zoomies?
Everyman’s Car of the Year, where style and value still matter ... Nothing lasts forever I’m told, so my Zoomie Car of the Year awards appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for 25 years, then got kicked to the curb. I wrapped up my Zoomies on the Savageonwheels.com website and on WUWM in 2015, and... Continue Reading →
2020 Dodge Durango SRT 392
Durango SRT rocks the SUV world ... Dodge’s Durango SRT is the truck version of a NASCAR stocker. SRT is all about power, muscle and grunt with an engine grumble that sounds like a stock car ready to bust out of the pits and head up the banking at Daytona. Otherwise, it’s a fine, luxurious... Continue Reading →
2020 Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro
4Runner TRD Pro a muscular drive ... My wife calls Toyota’s 4Runner a manly man’s truck, and it certainly is. Tall, muscular looking, big tires and wheels, a hood scoop, a husky luggage rack on the roof and an engine that growls along with knobby tires that rumble on the road. Yes, manly and a... Continue Reading →
Die-cast:1986 March 86C, Indy 500 winner
Rahal's 1986 Bud/Red Roof racer looks a winner in 1/18 scale ... Not to namedrop, but as a young newspaper reporter I was in Bobby Rahal’s garage at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway just after driver Gordon Smiley was killed in a horrific qualification day crash in 1982. It was Rahal’s rookie season and the young... Continue Reading →
2020 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport 2.4GT AWC
New Outlander Sport a simple, effective, high-value crossover ... Mitsubishi’s new Outlander Sport crossover is simple, yet effective. By that I mean it’s nothing fancy, but it’s a solid family hauler with four-wheel-drive, enough safety equipment to satisfy most folks and a sporty new nose to refresh its looks so it doesn’t look like... Continue Reading →