Techzle has been in existence for 30 years, which is why we look back every week on this week’s edition in 1990. Techzle 50 will be in the shops from today, but what exactly was in number 50 thirty years ago?
News
Just like today, December in 1990 was by no means the busiest month when it came to interesting car news. The only significant novelty that we see on the Techzle 50 news page of that year was the arrival of a ‘small and more affordable’ Lamborghini. A model under the Diablo, with a targa roof, the successor to the Jalpa. The Italian brand was owned by Chrysler at that time and that saw something in a new ‘volume model’. It had to be unveiled in 1992. Unfortunately nothing came and 1992 was even a dramatic year in terms of sales for Lamborghini. Chrysler sold the brand in 1994. The successor to the Diablo – which we also expected within a few years in 1990 – also had to wait until 2001.
We cannot really place it under the heading ‘news’, but it is too nice not to highlight: ‘Refueling at night’. Because in 1990 it could still be quite complicated to refuel somewhere at night, Techzle mapped out where that was possible. Many 24-hour filling stations had only recently opened at that time and it was often not possible to pay with a debit card at an unmanned pump. Handy to know exactly where you could go. Even with a map that you could cut out and take with you in the car, handy!
Tests
In 1990, with the Christmas season approaching, you were already looking at which new car had to be put on the driveway in 1991, then the comparative test in Techzle 50 was probably very useful to you, when we put all the major players in the C-segment opposite to each other. The reason was the arrival of a new generation Ford Escort. It took on the Opel Kadett, Renault 19, Fiat Tipo and Volkswagen Golf. The conclusion: although the Escort was a big step forward compared to a generation earlier, it did not make a ministry of its considerably older biggest competitors, the Golf and the Kadett. Their successors would soon appear, so the Escort was faced with a heavy task.
Anyone who now had a family that was too big for one of the compact cars above, was also featured in Techzle 50 of 1990. Two colossi of MPVs were subjected to a comparative test: the Toyota Previa and Pontiac Trans Sport. Both cars that were not specially designed for the European market, but nevertheless we expected a lot from these space giants. The Pontiac turned out to offer the most possibilities, the Previa drove better and was a bit smarter. They both liked quite a sip. The Previa would eventually become the more successful of the two in the Netherlands, although you still saw the Trans Sport regularly at the time.
Report
Unfortunately, alcohol consumption in traffic remains a theme of all times. In 1990 it was at least as much of a problem as it is today, so the police occasionally carried out large-scale checks. Techzle was allowed to spend a night at the time to see how that went. A few ran into the lamp. The fines were as follows: up to 0.8 per mille you had to pay 250 guilders, 0.81 to 1 per mil resulted in a fine of 500 guilders and up to 1.3 per mil you had to pay 750 guilders. Above 1.3 per mille, you lost 1,000 guilders and you were denied driving for 6 months. The most severe penalty was 1 year of driving disqualification and 2 weeks of unconditional imprisonment. Nowadays you can also lose your driving license for several years and community service orders are also issued.
Advertisement
Those who did not yet know why Fiat thought the name Tempra was well chosen for its mid-sized car in 1990, was pointed out with love in the ad below. 65 hp to 113 hp was apparently enough in 1990 to speak of a middle class with temperament. Nowadays we often do not settle for such capabilities in a B-segmenter. Let’s just say times are changing!
