Karen Moyers does not fit the mold, but, then again, maybe she does. My predominantly male adult school class, “Collectible automobiles as a passion” has for years attracted a broad spectrum of “Car Guys.” They display passions spanning the spectrum of collectible car enthusiasm. At first blush, it might seem counter intuitive that Karen, a pert bright eyed senior of retirement age, has been a respected class member for years. Any confusion disappears upon seeing how Karen leavens the class with her quick wit, infectious laugh and abiding love for driving Sally, her 1963 356B Porsche Super 90.

Meet Karen and Sally.

Karen and Sally, A Five-Decade Love Affair

Karen and Sally her 1963 356B Porsche Super 90

Mature and youthful, ready for fun on the open road while possessing a long history of black top adventures: for both Karen and Sally the description fits like a driving glove. Karen bestowed her 1963 356B Porsche Super 90 with the moniker “Sally” twenty years back after seeing Disney’s animated film “Cars.” Smitten with the animated Porsche’s persona, Karen appropriated the female lead’s name for her Porsche 356 automotive alter ego.

Karen’s relationship with Sally dates back to Karen’s marriage to her late husband Bill Moyers. Bill passed in 2015. Bill a Porsche executive and motoring enthusiast had originally purchased the Porsche in 1971. With Karen’s marriage to Bill in 1984 she gained a great husband and fellow motoring enthusiast. The Porsche provided just one more shared passion about which they could bond.

With Sally’s condition being all original save for a repaint in the 1970s, Karen, self confessed as “not the mechanical type,” marvels at how reliable Sally has been. This seems to reflect the more than 60-year old observations of Car and Driver in its October 1963 Review when it wrote “Porsche’s excitement is as much intellectual as visceral; the pride and pleasure of ownership comes not only from its characteristic comfort, controllability and roadability, but also its freedom from temperament. Its dependability can be taken for granted…It’s that kind of car.”

As to specifics, Sally features a lightweight design (roughly 2000 lbs.) matched with a high-revving 1.6-liter air-cooled 4-cylinder flat-four boxster engine. It puts out 90 horsepower and 89 lb.-ft. of torque. Car and Driver clocked its 0 – 60 mph time at 12.8 seconds. Its […]

Shiny and red as a ripe apple and half the width of a Smart Car, it silently split the lane between two SUVs and sailed off down the highway. Witnessing this, friend of Drivin’ News, Dr. Chuck Berg, fueled by a high octane “need to get a better look” took off in determined pursuit. Thanks to a stoplight, Chuck finally caught up to what can best be described as a high performance transportation pod for two. It was then that Chuck would meet the vehicle’s driver and creator Rick Woodbury.

Meet Rick Woodbury and his creation, the Tango high performance commuter electric microcar.

The Tango Electric Microcar – Little Tykes Cozy Coupe reborn as a Dodge Demon

While faster from 0 to 60 mph than a 2026 911 Carrera, Rick Woodbury’s Tango also protects occupants with a chrome-moly steel roll cage construction that exceeds FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) racecar standards. Not bad work for a man who quit high school to live in Mexico, retreated to a Zen Monastery, worked as the Sales Manager at Beverly Hills Porsche Audi, raced Porsches in IMPSA and SCCA events, worked as an electrical engineer for Northface garments, spent all his spare time in machine shops, considers himself a master fabricator and, oh yes, an accomplished ice dancer. In so many ways Rick Woodbury’s unique creation, the Tango electric microcar, not unlike his life, defies categorization. In the case of the Tango this confusion has proven to be both a blessing and a curse.

Rick Woodbury and the Tango

The Tango idea sprouted during conversations with his young son. A very passionate Rick says, “By the time my son was in 5^th grade around 1998 we had enjoyed many discussions about the future of highway travel.” Dating back to when he worked with Porsche Rick would be exasperated by commuting to work behind the wheel of a 911 and poking along in freeway traffic at 10 mph. Rick says, “It would drive me nuts. And I thought, you know, we need narrow cars just for commuting.” He envisioned a future with highways hosting a plenitude of narrow cars providing more efficient use of road space for expedited commuting. How narrow? Rick says, “You have to get a car less than 40 inches wide to solve the traffic […]