Few things are more ubiquitous and common on American roads than power lines, gas stations and the Toyota RAV4. In fact, Toyota managed to sell just shy of half a million of them last year. Obviously, the car is doing something right. I wanted to find out what that was.

On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy made a speech to congress that asked what is likely the most audacious, improbable request ever recorded in the history of politics. That speech asked that Congress commit time, money and considerable resources to putting human beings on the surface of the moon—and returning…

I’ve got a little Friday afternoon mystery for you: the other day, I was in traffic, behind a 2004 or so Hyundai Santa Fe. Normally, not a terribly exciting vehicle to contemplate. But this one had a strange detail I don’t fully understand: for some reason, the rear wiper assembly seems to have aged at a rate that…

The fact that Kia is building a large seven/eight-seater SUV is about as surprising as discovering that the Twinkie you’ve just bitten into contains an interior chamber, filled with a white, sweet, creamery substance. It’s a move so safe that I’d tell it my bank card PIN, if it asked. People will buy these, because,…

Last week, a Michigan State Police officer was driving an unmarked Jeep Patriot when he ran a stop sign at an intersection in southwest Detroit. Running that stop sign put him into the path of a Honda Civic driving down the one-way street, which then crashed into the rear quarter of the Jeep, sending it spinning into…

Would someone please tell that kid that little kids drinking milk aren’t supposed to look that, um, tough? I’ve never seen a five or six year old that looks so likely to see you, do one of those upward nods, and say “sup, dummy.”

I’ve done roundups of the cars in Stranger Things for the past two seasons, so if you were hoping I’d just forget and you could slide by without scrutinizing the cars of the show, I have terrible news for you: we’re doing season three! And, even worse news: it’s the post your reading right now! So, get ready to ponder…

Once again, the legendary and iconic Volkswagen Beetle has gone out of production. I say once again, because, depending on how you qualify things, this will be the third or fourth time this has happened: first it ended in Germany in 1978, then in Brazil in 1986, where it restarted in 1993, and ended again in Brazil in…

I feel like when people are looking for a good, general-use, everyday practical car, they all too often forget to consider an Isdera. 

Just in case you’ve been doubting the powerful and prodigious hunger of Mother Earth, our planet, devourer of cars, please take a moment to inspect this video, shot on an ordinary street in Dale City, Virginia. That was a 2009 or so Dodge Grand Caravan minivan. Now it’s just a snack for hungry Mother Gaia.

Join me, friends, on a brain-journey back to 2011, when, for one brief, magical moment, Mini seemed to remember that, oh yeah, we’re supposed to be making cool small cars. Minis have been growing and growing every year, making their name more and more of a stretch, but in 2011 Mini showed their Rocketman concept,…

Volkswagen says today is the last day of Beetle production, even though we all know that really happened back in 2003. I’ll have more to say on this later, but for now, enjoy the strange, bulbous, slightly drug-trippy way they portrayed the Beetle in early ads.

First, I have to ask American Airlines employees a question: does this shit ever work out well for you? Has there ever been a time where a flight attendant has made some knee-jerk decision about how offended they were about what a woman was wearing and everyone thought, bravo, airline, you’re a hero? No. Of course…

Look, like most of you, I’m not happy at all that Jar-Jar Fucking Binks is trending on Twitter and social media right now. Like the rest of the population of sentient beings on Earth, I’ve been enjoying the 20 or so years of not having to remember that Jar-Jar Binks was ever a thing, at all, and now that reverie has…

The Giardini della Biennale is a parkland area of Venice, Italy, that was created by none other than Napoleon Bonaparte, and is known for the Venice Biennale Art Festival and the many cats that prowl around there. What it’s less known for are massive, city-block-sized cruise ships almost running into it, but that’s…

I was in Puebla, Mexico recently to help Volkswagen out building the last of the Beetles (more on that soon), and while I was there I finally found something I’d long suspected existed, but have never seen: Volkswagen of Mexico’s heritage collection. Over in Wolfsburg, VW has a massive automotive wonderland called the…

Happy Fourth of July, fellow Americans! And, everyone else, have a beer and a hot dog on me! By me, I mean the United States government, who I’m sure will reimburse you promptly. Today I’d like to celebrate an under-appreciated American hero, that least-American-seeming of American cars: the Chevrolet Corvair.…

There’s an interesting discussion happening over at the Grassroots Motorsports forum right now, and presumably at many other places off-line. It’s about laws in Sacramento County stating, essentially, that almost any auto repair you do on your property is illegal. Of course, this is deeply troubling to almost everyone…

Volkswagen’s California-based Electronic Research Laboratory has been re-named the Innovation and Engineering Center California (IECC), and has been given an expanded role in the company. So, to celebrate, they did the only rational thing they could do: they took a 1962 Type 2 11-window Microbus and re-worked it into…

“Is...is that K-Car still following us? I knew this sort of thing was possible in Dimension Brown, but it’s still unnerving.”