Measuring What We Can’t Do
Almost every new car I test drive - even the humblest hybrid - has a speedometer that reads to at least 120 mph.
140 is common; 160 not unusual. Some cars have...
The Most Expensive Traffic Ticket Ever?
Imagine a ticket for “failure to display a front license plate” - not even a moving violation - costing you almost six figures. Nathan Cox of Mechanicsville, VA doesn’t have to,...
Jaywalking and Other Escalation Inducers
A guy named Nandi Cain got badly beaten by a law enforcer over . . . jaywalking.
Yes, I know. Cain invited the brutal take-down and beating. Not for jaywalking - but because...
Demonized
Really, it’s surprising it took them so long.
But it is much more surprising that automotive journalists are leading the chorus ululating for the outlawing of the Dodge Demon muscle car. The automotive...
Is Slower “Safer”?
The mantra is that Slow is Safe. But Slow is often also oblivious - and sloppy.
Which tends to be dangerous, the opposite of safe.
The priests - and priestesses, more often -...
The 2 Percenters
Hell’s Angels refer to themselves as 1 percenters. Soon, those of us who prefer to drive ourselves - as opposed to the car driving itself - will be 2 percenters.
That’s right...
Caged Demon
Pity the starving man who gets to smell fresh bread - but never gets to taste it.
Dodge wafted some fresh-baked smells our way the other day. The Challenger SRT Demon was...
A Hellcat Ride and Anarcho Tyranny
The Constitution says that “cruel and unusual” punishment is not to be administered. One assumes that includes disproportionate punishment. For example, that a person who violates a traffic law not be...
Automotive Inanities
The other day, I was visiting my friend’s repair shop. He was working on a late 1980s Subaru wagon. I noticed it had 13-inch wheels and four-lug hubs.
You never see this...
How Uncle Killed Volvo
Volvo - the famously Swedish car company now owned by the Chinese - was famous once upon a time for the crashworthiness of its vehicles. You may recall. They were built heavy...