Autoart’s Pikes Peak racer a mountaintop experience ... Imagine, if you can, driving up a winding 12.42-mile long mountain road, mostly gravel and dirt with no guardrails and sheer drops sometimes thousands of feet straight down to certain death, should you slip over the edge. Then imagine doing it for time and with a 600... Continue Reading →
2021 Lexus LS 500 AWD
A high-lux sedan even a CEO could love, and afford ... Rarely do the options on a test car add up to even more than a modestly priced car or crossover itself, but that’s what happened with this week’s high-lux Lexus LS 500 AWD. The sumptuous near limo added roughly $30,000 in options (14... Continue Reading →
2022 Kia Carnival SX Prestige
Kia's renamed minivan a festival on wheels ... Minivans are about as popular these days as global warming. They, like sedans, have fallen victim to the SUV-ing of America. Chrysler, which basically invented the market for primo family movers, has stuck with its Pacifica, while Toyota has the Sienna and Honda the Odyssey. They are... Continue Reading →
2021 Land Rover Defender 90 First Edition
2-door Rover a retro rock star in looks, off-roading ... OK, I say Land Rover and what do you picture? Boxy, utilitarian off-roader running through tall elephant grass or African Savanna grass, a photographer’s head and camera poking from the open roof. Maybe an elephant, giraffe or even a lion wandering in the background? That’s... Continue Reading →
2022 Model Test Drive Previews
A little of this and that … It’s good to be good, but sometimes better to be lucky. How would you like to drive a $117,000 Maserati? I'm betting you'd like it! As a member of the Midwest Automotive Media Association (MAMA) I’m lucky enough to get a few invitations each year to test cars... Continue Reading →
2021 Mercedes-Benz GLA250 4Matic (AWD)
Mercedes delivers a sporty small crossover with its GLA250 ... Life is getting harder for premium brands. For instance the small crossover market is flooded with snazzy options, the Lexus UX, Volvo XC40 being two I’ve tested, while the pressure is coming from the likes of Mazda’s near perfect CX-30 along with Subaru’s Forester. Into... Continue Reading →
Die-cast: Autoart’s 2016-’17 Lamborghini CEntenario Roadster
Here's how you can afford a $2 million Lambo Roadster ... Not a Lamborghini tractor! Did you know Lamborghini makes tractors? Maybe not, unless your gentleman farmer acreage is considerable and located in Europe. I’ll bet you’re more familiar with Lambo’s supercars, like the sumptuous Centenario Roadster, of which just 20 were made and nine... Continue Reading →
The Piper CUB of EAA’s Automotive Fleet
By Paul Daniel If you've ever attended EAA's AirVenture, your eyes probably spent more time on things in the air than on the ground. Well, you've missed the event's unsung hero, the vehicle that gets the safety crews and staff all over the grounds, their staff of VWs. Here's the story of the Piper Cub... Continue Reading →
2021 Buick Envision Essence
Front-drive Envision the essence of entry-level luxury ... Buick has been evolving the last five years or so. It’s still a solid entry-level luxury vehicle maker, but it has been transitioning away from cars to crossovers and SUVS. Currently there are three models, the Encore and Envision that I’d classify as crossovers and the Enclave,... Continue Reading →
2021 BMW M440i Convertible
Gray Bimmer convertible easy on the eyes, not the wallet ... The M440i is sleek, sexy and fast, a primo luxury drop-top. Not much is certain these days, but for cars it is certain that gray is as hot today as a Kardashian bootie video. Dull gray leads the way, appearing on Toyota pickups and... Continue Reading →