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
There’s a lot of frustratingly bad drivers out there. We don’t need more, so prevent yourself from joining their ranks by being a better driver. There’s several techniques and methods, and some of them are even fun, so pick a few that work for you and commute in safety.
Pay attention
Stop updating your Facebook status, put down your iPhone, and just drive. This is a mental and ...
While at the dealership selecting your perfect car, you might be tempted to listen to the sales pro and go all in on the super luxury uber package. After all, you deserve it, right? But hold up a minute and think about how much those features will cost over the life of the loan, and how often you will use them. Odds are, you will never get your money’s worth, but the dealership sure will. ...
Uh oh. Now you’ve gone and done it. You’re bringing a little one into the world. Time to sell off all your fun toys and buy a minivan. Or is it? High performance is no longer the realm of just 2-seat sports cars. If you have a need for speed, and four doors to accommodate a child seat, get one of these.
Dodge Charger
Nothing says aggressive 4-door like the Charger. Police ...
Many car enthusiasts make fun of electric cars, calling them slow, boring, transportation appliances. Sure, some of them are, but electric vehicles are the most likely future method of personal transportation. Gearheads and hot-rodders worry about electric vehicles being the end of the road, but clean electric performance can bring on a new era of affordable high performance.
Let’s start ...
Salvage yards are all over the country, and can offer vehicles as different as ancient ‘20s iron, to last year’s hot new supercar. Whether you are looking to repair your daily driver, or just find good deals to resell on eBay, here are some tips on how to have a successful salvage yard run.
Prep
It’s usually good advice to follow the Boy Scout motto, “Be Prepared.” Before heading ...
Great roads can make something as boring as commuting into an adventure you look forward to, no matter how many times you take that stretch of road. From beautiful scenic routes to technically challenging twisty drives, here are America’s greatest roads.
Pacific Coast Highway
Technically California State Route 1, the Pacific Coast Highway covers 650 miles of California’s best ...
Concept cars are a great way for manufacturers to test public reaction to ideas, without risking the massive investment needed to start production. If new styling cues go unnoticed at a major show, that’s probably the last you’ll see of it. If the press and public rave over it, there’s a good chance it will make production. Sometimes. Here are a few concept cars that should have become street ...
Every time the gas prices increase, you see an ad or commercial for some new device claiming it will save you hundreds of dollars in gas every year, usually for just six easy payments of $29.95. Before you get your hopes up, let’s debunk the most common types.
Fuel savers tend to be divided into a few groups, separated by their own approaches to pseudo-science. First up are the magnets. ...
As an automotive enthusiast, there are some things you just have to do in your life. Whether doing it yourself, or just spectating, a lot of the items on this list are fun even for non-car people. Here are a few things you must do at some point in your lifetime.
Road Trip
Great road trips can be the epic stuff of legends. Be sure to properly prepare beforehand, as a poorly ...
Beige, gray, or white. How exciting. New cars offer tons of tech and options, but most offer only a few real colors. Rather than making a vehicle into just another household appliance or iThing, manufacturers should look through their history books and add some of these great colors and themes to their product lineup.
Plum Crazy
The 1970 Dodge Challenger had an awesome color of ...
