
One of the dangers of automotive journalism is that you can become less enthralled by cars when you're working with them every day. You learn the hard way that some cars that sound great on paper turn out to be dissatisfying in person. Even after a week at work, I'm not viewing cars with the delirious excitement as I did back in 10th grade when I first subscribed to Motor Trend. However, today I was hit with a reminder of why I love cars.
On my way to work I saw an Acura NSX, a Tesla Roadster, and a Ferrari California--all within 5 minutes of each other. Naturally, I was most excited and surprised to see the Tesla, but the other two were very cool as well. Perhaps it was God reminding me that there are plenty of cool cars left to see and drive and that I shouldn't become cynical just because I had a bad experience with a Lincoln MKZ. It also reminded me that a lot of people in Northern Baltimore County have a lot of money.
Another cool car I saw actually belongs to some guys from MotorWeek. Two of the producers are sharing a 1960's Cadillac, and they take turns driving it in to work. It's a beautiful car from an age when General Motors ruled the automotive landscape. Everything about the car is massive, from the grille to the engine to the interior to the horizontal speedometer. While very different from the three supercars I saw this morning, it's another reminder of the awesomeness of the automotive industry.
At work we were winding down from a busy week. I took the Kia Forte and ran an errand to get some polo shirts embroidered with the MotorWeek logo for their newest full time reporter. This time I was invited to write my impressions on the little note pad they use to keep a record of people's thoughts on the test cars. I tried to be objective and succinct in my judgment.
The afternoon was divided between cleaning out the garage, doing automotive research, and helping film some GoPro footage of the Chevy Impala. John Davis received a viewer request to better display the visibility from the driver's seat. To accomplish this, I sat in the back seat and rotated a GoPro camera on its mount while another staffer drove the car. It took a lot of takes, but John Davis seemed pleased when we showed him the footage. I'm making it my personal mission this weekend to find a better way to get the shot. It never hurts to impress the boss, and I like having input on creative decisions as well.
On my way to work I saw an Acura NSX, a Tesla Roadster, and a Ferrari California--all within 5 minutes of each other. Naturally, I was most excited and surprised to see the Tesla, but the other two were very cool as well. Perhaps it was God reminding me that there are plenty of cool cars left to see and drive and that I shouldn't become cynical just because I had a bad experience with a Lincoln MKZ. It also reminded me that a lot of people in Northern Baltimore County have a lot of money.
Another cool car I saw actually belongs to some guys from MotorWeek. Two of the producers are sharing a 1960's Cadillac, and they take turns driving it in to work. It's a beautiful car from an age when General Motors ruled the automotive landscape. Everything about the car is massive, from the grille to the engine to the interior to the horizontal speedometer. While very different from the three supercars I saw this morning, it's another reminder of the awesomeness of the automotive industry.
At work we were winding down from a busy week. I took the Kia Forte and ran an errand to get some polo shirts embroidered with the MotorWeek logo for their newest full time reporter. This time I was invited to write my impressions on the little note pad they use to keep a record of people's thoughts on the test cars. I tried to be objective and succinct in my judgment.
The afternoon was divided between cleaning out the garage, doing automotive research, and helping film some GoPro footage of the Chevy Impala. John Davis received a viewer request to better display the visibility from the driver's seat. To accomplish this, I sat in the back seat and rotated a GoPro camera on its mount while another staffer drove the car. It took a lot of takes, but John Davis seemed pleased when we showed him the footage. I'm making it my personal mission this weekend to find a better way to get the shot. It never hurts to impress the boss, and I like having input on creative decisions as well.