It’s a rare thing for a modern-day car to excite me. Don’t get me wrong, most of the cars now on the market are fantastic machines—they do exactly what they aim to do, and they do it well. It’s just rare to find an everyday car that inspires any kind of excitement. The 2016 Volkswagen Golf R, however,…
First Drive: 2017 Audi A4 Allroad
The cowboy isn’t dead. In today’s postmodern, constantly connected world, he still rides through rain, sleet and snow, burnt forest and windy pass, yipping and yawping to his mottled black herd as they meander down Old Yellowstone Road through narrow Hoback Canyon just outside of Jackson, Wyoming. Skirting the edge of the swollen Snake River,…
Behind the Wheel of the New VW Alltrack
Are you a commitment-phobe? Afraid to settle down with just one vehicle that scratches the off-road-capable but dear-god-not-another-SUV itch? Fear not: VW has your back. It’s going after the wagon dominator, Subaru, with the 2017 Volkswagen Alltrack — the capable, spacious and enjoyable baby step between a wagon and full-on SUV. Read more about my…
Four Things You Need To Know About Volvo Today
I spent a gorgeous few days in Vail and the surrounding mountain area to get a peek at the new Volvo V90 Cross Country. It was a gorgeous day and a really breathtaking car. Check out the inside scoop I got from top execs on the future of the company and the beloved wagon, over…
Judgin’ at the Concours d’LeMons: Grease and Villiany
The fog hasn’t yet lifted on the Monterey Peninsula and I’m standing around what has affectionately been temporarily renamed “Goose Shit Park.” A collection of rusted out, Bondo bodied, barely running cars are still rolling in past our picnic table to find their allocated spot amongst the eight classes of amazingly terrible cars. Welcome…
The Coolest Cars at the Concorso Italiano in Pebble Beach
To the northeast of the city of Monterey is the Black Horse Golf Club. Here, on the Saturday before the uber-rare cars take to the 18th Hole of Pebble Beach, owners and fans gather in the presence of some of the most beautiful Italian-designed cars in the world. Instead of the “usual” Ferrari and Lamborghini…
A Visit with Some Ultra-Rare McLaren Race Cars at Pebble Beach
What started out as a race for historic cars and a small meet-up for collector cars has blossomed into a full-on supercar festival. McLaren, the newest player in the supercar world, is here to show off something new on the concept lawn on Sunday. Ahead of that unveiling, McLaren is continuing to drive home its…
Splitting the Hairs of Luxury in the Kia Cadenza
Splitting the difference in luxury is like splitting hairs. Does luxury maintain its appeal if it’s available to nearly everyone? Kia thinks so, and with the new 2017 Cadenza, the automaker is targeting anyone who has ever wanted lots of premium features and miles of ultra-quiet interior space. Want to know more? Check out…
Why I Really Want a Mercedes-Benz Adventure Van
In an unmarked warehouse just outside of Charleston, South Carolina, wooden crates and cardboard boxes are waiting. Hulking, nondescript masses sit on shelves and floors around the warehouse. When it’s time, the half-assembled shells glide smoothly out of their protective shipping containers and onto pallet jacks. From there, they’re suspended by wires and cranes…
Putting the Mercedes-Benz Vans to Work
I’m driving around historic Charleston, South Carolina, in a refrigerated commercial van looking for ice cream. The temperature gauge reads just 91 degrees Fahrenheit, but it feels like 106 outside. The air conditioning is cranked to the max, making an icy dent in the sweltering southern heat. I’m playing blue-collar worker for a day, and…
Fun with Physics in the Lamborghini’s Advanced Composite Laboratory
A young man wearing a black lab coat with “Prototipi” on the back and a raging bull over the heart is enthusiastically talking about the history of carbon fiber. Behind him a machine flexes a honeycomb panel almost 4 inches before the panel cracks like a gunshot, fracturing but not quite breaking in half. My…
The Jaguar F-Pace SUV: More Than Just a Pretty Face
Looks aren’t everything, but there’s no discounting that they matter, particularly in a place like tony Aspen, Colorado. This is the land where Hunter S. Thompson entertained Hollywood bigwigs and eventually shot himself, the place where women carry multiple Louis Vuitton handbags and brag to strangers about getting new ones every Christmas, and a place…
