“Iconic: of, relating to, or having the characteristics of an icon [a thing widely admired especially for having great influence or significance in a particular sphere]” – Merriam-Webster Dictionary I try to limit the use of words like “iconic” in my writing. If every brand or model is iconic, none of them are. On the […]
Author: Chris Chasse
The Most Iconic Rally Cars of the Modern Era
Rally racing is an art form nearly as old as the automobile itself, dating back to around 1910. From the Pikes Peak hill climb to the long-distance Paris-Dakar rally, the sport challenges drivers’ skills at navigation, endurance driving, and carrying speed over terrain. Over the years, as technologies improved and television brought the sport to […]
The Toyota GR Supra: Real Deal or Pretender?
I love to celebrate a good anniversary, don’t you? It was such a shame that the A90 Supra was released just a hair too late to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the first Toyota Celica Supra, introduced in 1979, but at least next year provides the chance to celebrate 45 years of Supra! What was […]
The Ferrari 550 Barchetta Pininfarina: Ferrari’s Grandest Tourer?
A grand collection of supercars was dismantled back in November 2022, going for auction at RM Sotheby’s in London. On that momentous day, 18 of the most significant cars of the modern era were offered for sale, ending the Gran Turismo Collection’s 25-year run while sending me on an interminable journey to explore each of […]
The Land Cruiser Remains the Most Unstoppable Truck in the World
It’s been running roughshod on every surface nature could conceive for over 70 years, and soon it’ll be back on American shores. With over 10 million units sold, the Toyota Land Cruiser is one of the most significant vehicles in the history of the world. The first Toyota many markets received was not a Camry […]
Countach: The Coolest Car in the World
Where do I even begin? How does one approach the topic of the Lamborghini Countach, that quintessential icon of 1980s culture, arguably the most ridiculous, eye-catching supercar ever made, the car which continues to define the Lamborghini brand to this day? I feel like Jordan Belfort staring down at the car from atop a brick […]
Formula E: Not Your Daddy’s Tesla Drag Race
Almost as soon as it was invented, the horseless carriage was put to use for racing. The 24 Hours of Le Mans just celebrated its 100th anniversary, meaning that by 1923 enough rich playboys were racing each other to justify major organized events. Bentley, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, and Jaguar all have roots in racing, […]
The Toyota 4Runner Keeps Going, and Going, and Going…
Automotive adventuring may be far out of sight, but it’s rarely out of mind. Everywhere you look, even in the busiest downtown corridors, our streets are loaded with vehicles derived from intrepid thoroughbred overlanders. The crossover is, after all, a specialized derivative of the SUV. That said, few of the crossovers at your average local […]
Lamborghini Miura: The Original Supercar
A remarkable collection of vehicles was offered at auction by RM Sotheby’s of London on November 5, 2022, named the Gran Turismo Collection for its members. It Included legendary Group B racers, the fabled Ferrari hypercar quintet, and a number of production car top speed record holders. The owner was obviously a speed junkie, unafraid […]
Ferrari’s Past Ends, and Future Begins, with LaFerrari
It all led up to this. Thirty years of rediscovery, realization, succession and innovation, aggregated into a single package which creates a serious argument for itself as the greatest car on the planet. Seventeen years of meticulous cultivation, of both a collection and a relationship, to be granted the privilege of an opportunity to buy […]
Touring Car Racing: Taking Motorsport by Storm
If your exposure to motorsports is basically limited to ads on major cable networks, you might think that professional automotive racing is essentially represented by NASCAR and Formula One. These are, after all, the most famous and heavily-advertised leagues (with IndyCar being a credible third fiddle here in North America). But the truth is that […]
The 288 GTO: the Seminal Ferrari Supercar
In November of 2022, a collection of 18 cars was auctioned off by RM Sotheby’s of London. Although 18 vehicles are hardly impressive by the standards of the world’s great car collectors, this was no aggregation of garden-variety classics, muscle cars, and grand tourers; every one of the 18 carried significant clout in the automotive […]
Ranking NASA’s Best Spec Series Classes
If you love cars, there’s a good chance you like racing, too—whether it’s showcasing the best performance technology or just a thrilling display of competitive driving. Naturally, like any sport, there are many ways everyday folks can get involved that don’t include, A) becoming the main character of your own movie by getting dropped in […]
2023 GMC Canyon AT4X: the New King of the Hill
I’ve been waiting for this! The second generation of the GMC Canyon had a good run—even at eight years old, the Canyon and its more modest twin, the Chevy Colorado, ranked at or near best-in-class in so many categories that it was arguably the best mid-size truck on the market. But with a dated […]
Could the E-Ray be the True Purist Corvette?
It was a damp and dreary January day at the Milford Proving Grounds in southeast Michigan, where automotive journalists of every stripe were greeted for a first ride in the latest Corvette model. Surely, there was disappointment regarding the conditions. Forty degrees and drizzly has never been a driver-friendly forecast, but there they were. Fresh […]
Getting the Most Out of Your 2023 Camaro for Less Than $50K
It’s been more than half a century since the Chevy Camaro burst onto the scene with all the swagger, bravado, and ill intent of the villain in a superhero blockbuster. Ford had spoiled Chevy’s prevailing industry dominance with the revolutionary Mustang in 1964, but Chevy couldn’t let the blue oval have an entire market niche […]
The BMW iX: Reaching Warp Speed in Comfort
The year is 2023. Inventories are fluctuating. Prices are high. Wyoming wants to ban electric vehicles at the same time that California wants to ban internal combustion engines. The future is as muddled as that statement implies, but any BMW iX dealer might tell you otherwise. They’re selling the car of the future and that […]
Most Entertaining Car in the World?
“Miata,” from an Old High German word for “reward,” was Mazda’s answer to the question, “What if we had our engineering teams dogfight each other to develop a car?” That’s a hot take, I know, and more than a bit of a stretch–far from being its inception, that gritty chapter is actually the climax of […]
The Inspirational 2023 Chevy Corvette Stingray
In 1953 the world was a very different place. Khrushchev and Tito rose to power in eastern Europe at the same time that an armistice was signed in Korea. For the first time humans stood atop Mount Everest, and evidence linking lung cancer to smoking was discovered. Color TVs were introduced to the market, costing […]
Survival of the Boldest: The Maserati Story
From its inception, the automotive industry has been highly competitive. Dozens, if not hundreds, of car makers have closed their doors because they could not secure a large enough piece of the pie. Longevity is no insurance against such a failure, as evidenced by the fate of Oldsmobile and many others in the Great Recession, […]