Andy Jensen learned to love cars during the dark ages; the 1980s. Power and performance weren’t available, but questionable styling was everywhere, so of course his first love was a black Trans Am named KITT. His first ride mimicked his grade school days, when he purchased a 1991 Pontiac Firebird and jumped onto modding. From there, he never really grew up.
Educated as a reporter, he freelanced for a while, but luckily the economy wasn’t there, so he went on to other work. From Air Force aircrew, to sales, offset press, tele-work, freight, and social services, he found his most satisfying work in automotive writing. It allows truthful storytelling about an ever-changing and fascinating subject involving science and art. Outside Provectus Media websites, his experience covers everything from ghostwriting the Haynes Manuals blog to covering Volvo for Jalopnik.
Although raised on American performance, he enjoys a little bit of everything. A dream garage would have: 1992 Firehawk Comp R, Lancia Stratos HF, Mark III Mini, MK1 Supra with 2JZ swap, R34 Skyline GT-R Z-tune (needs a longer name), Aston Martin DB9, Saleen S7, Ultima GTR, RX7 FD with LS7 swap, 1971 GTO, 1969 Trans Am RAIV, Pagani Huayra, and a Lotus C-01. The warehouse garage would have more.
Dream Cars: Pagani Huayra, 1992 Firehawk Comp R, Aston Martin DB9, Saleen S7, Ultima GTR
Stick-shifts are great, but manual transmissions have been fading from manufacturer’s options list ever since the first automatic hit the streets about 70+ years ago. Sure, CVTs won the fuel efficiency game 20 years ago, and dual-clutch transmissions took over track cars about a decade ago, but there’s just something fun about rowing your own gears. If maximum fuel economy or minimum lap ...
Jaguar has a mixed history, creating some of the most beautiful cars on earth, and some of the most dreadful badge-engineered also-rans. For every gorgeous classic XK120 or charismatic E-Type, there’s an equal number of the poor quality XJ40 or dreadful X-Type models. For a prestige automaker first entering the fray of two hotly contested market segments, every single step has to be ...
The 1990s offered a lot of high tech gadgets, from the first Playstations, to those new and useful Palm Pilots. Cars were a similar story, and as the hangover from the ‘80s wore off, manufacturers jumped on new and daring designs. Dust off your copy of PaRappa The Rapper and put on your JNCOs, ‘cause it’s time to look at the most iconic cars of the 1990s.
Dodge Viper
While the ...
Supercar concepts offer manufacturers the chance to build excitement for the future of the brand. Sometimes that excitement is realized with amazing performance and an automotive legend, while other times the excitement is watered down a bit and blended into existing production vehicles. Sometimes, they simply disappear. Here are ten supercar concepts that the public loved, then watched as ...
It’s been a long time since vehicles were clapped out junk heaps at 50,000 miles, and every single car or truck sold today should easily see 100,000 miles without issues. Bad news for non-dealer service centers, but great for consumers. Still, some of our readers want a vehicle to last as long as possible. If you are looking for something to last a lifetime, check out our list of the longest ...
What’s up with speed limits?
In some states (and DC) they are absurdly low, seeming like just another way to give traffic citations and generate revenue for small towns. In other areas, they seem dangerously speedy for the condition of the highway and the volume of traffic. And then there is the real interesting question: why do we even have highway speed limits? Follow along as we try to ...
Not sure if you remember, but the 1980s were a mixed bag. The movies were either great or dreadful, the music mostly sucked, the hair and clothing styles were laughable even back then, and factory performance cars were almost nonexistent. Despite most V8s on the road making all of 150 horsepower, there were ‘80s cars that performed well or sold in serious numbers and became icons of the ...
Some of the most beautiful and badass vehicles on the road are the most difficult to get in and out of without looking like an idiot. The vehicle looks awesome, but you look like a moron. This happens due to a super tall ride height, or very low ceiling height. Sometimes the compact cars are too small for full-sized people, or require contortions that are hard for the arthritic. Here are our ...
If you, or someone you know, is obsessed with everything car culture, there are a ton of interesting gift options out there. Why spend hours surfing the ‘net, when all the coolest car related gift ideas are right here, starting from super cheap, to less so. In no particular order here are some great car-related Christmas gifts this year.
Die-casts ($1 and up)
Die-cast vehicles ...
When you see the words “plug-in hybrid,” you probably picture a Toyota Prius or Chevy Volt. You should also picture a Porsche 918. In addition to the 608 hp 4.6 liter V8 engine, it has two electric motors making an additional 279 horsepower for a combined output of 887 hp. It’s a blisteringly fast hypercar, and also a plug-in hybrid.
The hybrid hypercar is all the rage among the big ...
