1989 Yugo GVL Long-Term Road Test

1989 Yugo GVL: Monterey Car Week - Introduction

by Josh Sadlier, Senior Editor on August 28, 2015

Intro | Pt 1 | Pt 2 | Pt 3 | Pt 4 | Pt 5 | Pt 6 | Pt 7 | Pt 8 | Pt 9 | Pt 10

Our mission was as clear as it was terrifying:

Drive the long-term 1989 Yugo GVL to Monterey, loan it to Peter Valdes-Dapena of CNN for a segment on the Concours d'LeMons, win the Kommunist Kar class at said Concours, soak in the rest of the Monterey Car Week sights and drive back to Los Angeles, all without breaking down. Or, you know, perishing.

There were a few issues to resolve beforehand.

The Yugo's battery kept failing. The engine kept stalling at idle. Occasionally it would stumble at anything less than wide-open throttle, a condition first encountered at the end of our trip from Boise. The cabin reeked of gasoline.

Pondering these facts, I suggested to Editor-in-Chief Oldham that we trailer it to Monterey instead.

"Drive it," repeated the Chief.

Follow the links above for the rest of the story.

Josh Sadlier, Senior Editor