James Thurber’s short story “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” first published in The New Yorker in 1939, describes the main character as a regular guy with a rather mundane life. But Walter Mitty is not bound by the everyday reality that surrounds him physically. Instead, he escapes into daydreams of heroic adventure in which he envisions himself as a […]

I just attended my first Friday Night Lights car show, a fun little gathering hosted by the Dunwoody Driving Club. The event gave me my first opportunity to try out my new audio recorder. After spending far too much time learning to edit the sounds from the show, I’m ready to share a short clip. Here are the sounds of […]

Here’s a first look at the latest Ride of the Week, a 2012 Buick Verano. This is the first model year for the compact luxury four-door Verano. Pricing starts at $23,470, but the top-trim test car includes the 1SL package, also known as the leather group. It adds features like heated front seats and steering wheel, Bose audio, proximity key […]

Golf schmolf. That’s this car junkie’s humble opinion of the value of a country club membership. But joining an exclusive motorsports facility like Monticello Motor Club, which is just 90 miles from Manhattan and includes 4.1 miles of smooth tarmac? That’s more my speed. Sure, one must plunk down the $125,000 initiation fee, plus a bit over $10,000 per year […]

Established in 1911, Chevrolet has one of the richest histories in the automobile business. That’s given the company plenty of time to continuously improve its products for better performance, economy and reliability. Still, vintage Chevys stir passion among enthusiasts. I don’t recall ever visiting a classic car show that didn’t have at least a few Camaros and Vettes.

I have the good fortune to write about a variety of vehicle makes and models, including the current crop of new cars, trucks, minivans and SUVs, classic cars from decades past and concepts that show us a vision of the future. Much of my work is for AutoTrader.com, “the only website with more than 3 million vehicle listings from 40,000 […]

I previously posted about Audi’s hybrid prototype sports cars racing in this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. With the legendary endurance race just days away, Audi shared a video and technical specs of the R18 e-tron ultra it plans to race.  

Infiniti displayed the new 2013 Infiniti JX35, a 3-row, 7-passenger luxury crossover, at this month’s meeting of the Greater Atlanta Automotive Media Association (GAAMA). Kyle Bazemore, Infiniti’s Senior Manager for U.S. Communications, introduced the model. Key features on the JX are aimed at ease of use and safety. Sliding second-row seats allow third-row access without removing a child safety seat. The […]

Renault-Nissan just broke ground on a new engine manufacturing facility at their Decherd, Tennesee plant. Under a partnership with Daimler, the four-cylinder motors will power U.S.-built Mercedes-Benz C-Class vehicles in addition to Infiniti models. Beginning in 2014, the C-Class will be built at Daimler’s plant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

To my delight, I’ve been behind the wheel of a wide range of cars over the past six months or so, including everything from rare vintage sports cars to modern econoboxes. Variety being the spice of life, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to experience these many different automobiles and to share my impressions with readers. Along with others from Atlanta’s […]