By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Most of these vehicles should never have disappeared in the first place, but all of them need to come back. Now. Let me know what you think of my list. What did I miss?

Ford Bronco

I really don’t know what Ford is waiting for. Seems like a no brainer to me.

See the rest after the jump!

Continue reading "Top Ten Vehicles That Need to Come Back" »

One day back in 2002 I found myself riding along in the 1967 Lamborghini Miura that was fresh off winning three awards at the prestigious Concorso Italiano, including the coveted Best In Show trophy.  Just being in the presence of such an automotive icon was overwhelming–after all, the word “supercar” was invented specifically to describe the Miura’s extreme performance and head-turning looks.

My Nixon-era childhood dreams about driving one became reality when the owner decided that I simply could not properly write about a Miura without grabbing its reigns. Doing a Chinese fire-drill around the waist-high car, I slid into the driver’s seat and assumed the traditional Italian driving position, which with knees up at my ears and arms extended was more of a porn pose than an ergonomic arrangement.  The fact that the car was designed for short guys in size-seven Ferragamos rather than Nike-wearing 6′ 4" fellas didn’t help. Continue reading…

Continue reading "Driving the Original Supercar" »

Automotive design is a very subjective thing, with people having some pretty individual ideas about does and doesn’t appeal to the human eye. Still and all, how do some companies get it so right, while others get it soooo wrong?  It got me thinking about the extremes of design: what car might be considered the ultimate masterpiece, and what’s the ultimate abomination? I’ll be interested to see if there’s any consensus on what’s obviously a subjective topic.

My personal worst is the Pontiac Aztec. I know that by now it’s kind of a cheap shot to pick on this hideous thing, but hey, there’s a reason everyone hates its guts. I find it totally unbelievable that some bunch of suits sitting around a conference table at GM were able to reach the conclusion, "Yep, we’ve got a winner here!" I mean, honestly: the rear of the Aztec looks as though someone simply sliced it off where the tailgate was supposed to go. And the mangled dog’s-breakfast that passes for a front clip?  WOOF!  Simply amazing that this thing ever got off the drawing board.

My pick for best design ever has to be the Lamborghini Miura. WOW, and in a good way! The Miura is, in my humble opinion, one of the most beautiful machines ever crafted by human hands. Even the typical design risks like air scoops, louvers, and bulges become miniature works of art on this masterpiece of a car. Every detail is sculpted in pure emotion, and the end result is all-over sexy—like holy cow, momma mia sexy!

I suppose if one is to walk away with anything from this comparison it should be this: one car was designed by committee, the other by emotion. Too bad so many companies have yet to figure out how to merge the two.

So what’re your best and worst vehicle designs?  Lemmie know.

Years ago a tree fell on the garage where this Miura was parked, and the back half of the car was crushed. It’s been stored ever since. Pros: the car is fairly rust and fire damage free. Cons: it needs extensive roof repair and rear body reconstruction, and it’s not complete (good luck chasing down parts!). Interested? It’s on eBay with a Buy It Now of $145k.