Letters.

Nostalgia vs. reliability

As in Cory Farley's Dec. 27 "Many Hot New Trends Aren't'' column, I, too, lament many recent automotive developments. I'll use my Wrangler

with a five-speed and inline six to teach my son what engines used to look like. He'll also learn to drive it, even if he may never again see another clutch pedal. My '72 Beetle and I achieved a complete rebuild. My '82 Ford Econoline got me home on a frigid day when the heater core died and I bypassed it. Yes, newer engines are nearly impossible to service yourself, but you rarely need to. The bottom line is I'll take reliability over serviceability.

Rob Balton, via e-mail

Don't forget Monza and Jetfire

The Dec. 27 Escape Roads story refers to the 1979 Porsche 930 and 1974-75 BMW 2002 as seminal turbocharged production sports cars. The 1964 Chevy Corvair Monza may not be in the same class, but it did feature a rear-mounted, turbocharged air-cooled flat six making 150 hp. Also included were a four-speed manual and a power convertible top.

Rich Anderson, West Hartford, Conn.