Perhaps an ATCC, with production vehicles, production engines, etc. Modern safety features (cage, fire suppression, restraints, etc...) and weight penalties for more powerful engines.

NASCAR should go to these style cars. These are true stock cars. They need to go back to their roots but keep the V8's.

Because Mercedes, Toyota, and Porsche ruined it in the 90s with awesome loophole-abusing cars like the CLK-GTR, GT-ONE, and 911 GT1. The arms-race forced team to increase spending to develop one-off cars just to try and be competitive, eventually being too costly since companies couldn't re-cooperate costs selling…

Jesus would also drive on The Truth.

I love F1 but I don't quite understand how it sits above top-level rallying as the lauded "pinnacle of motorsport". There's the bling and the glamour in Bernie's world but the skill and stakes in WRC have no equal.

I don't think this is restricted just to the auto industry. I used to do a lot of trade shows and we had a fairly large percentage of journalists who were really only interested in what you were going to give them.

TL:DR - there is history to this idea of journos receiving expensive gifts.

Am I right in thinking that the only sensible people on that thread -present company excepted- were also the only women?

I would love to have the opportunity to be one of these materialistic jerks. I'm hoping that a few more years of writing stuff on forums like this and I might be in a position to even think about applying to do this kind of job.

I made this image, over two years ago, shortly after starting my blog and following a handful of automotive journalist on Twitter.

I agree though, it's good to go home with some good swag. Perhaps something like this amazing flame retardant and oil/fuel resistant leather tote for starters?

That reminds me of the first time I fired up my flathead....

I wouldn't call the Speciale the 'last Montezemolo Ferrari.' While it was among his final launches as Chairman, you can bet your ass he oversaw the development of the facelifted, turbocharged 458 successor coming in March 2015.

Screw minivans.