First, the agony: average temperature during my stay in Detroit was 18 degrees. My face is chapped from the cold, and my legs ache from walking/standing for 4-5 hours straight two days in a row. Boo hoo. Now, the ecstasy: Detroit Auto Show, baby! I just spent Monday and Tuesday treating the Detroit Auto Show (or, […]
Tag Archives: Detroit
January
13
Detroit or Bust!
posted by Motorista
It’s official…Motorista is taking the 2016 North American International Auto Show by storm! As I have every year since 2012 (with the sad exception of last year), I am headed to Detroit for two full days (Monday and Tuesday) of auto show goodness. The press days took place earlier this week, so there’s already a […]
September
02
GM Recall: the Ignition Switch
posted by Motorista
Ignition switch. The two words that cause heart palpitations and cold sweats among GM management, engineers and lawyers. The one small part that will ultimately cost GM over $9 billion. What is it, and what went wrong? The Valukas Report begins with the following sentence: “In the fall of 2002, General Motors personnel made a […]
August
30
GM Recall: My Article in Texas Lawyer
posted by Motorista
Excited to have been published in the most recent issue of Texas Lawyer, a weekly legal newspaper, on the topic of the General Motors recall and the Valukas report. My article is geared to an attorney audience and has some legalese, but it is mostly an overview of the findings in the Valukas report, so […]
August
24
GM Recall: the Valukas Report – What It Is (and What It Isn’t)
posted by Motorista
The “Valukas Report,” otherwise known as “Report to Board of Directors of General Motors Company Regarding Ignition Switch Recalls,” is a 325-page document (including the Table of Contents), with 1,356 footnotes and seven appendices. It has been mentioned fairly frequently on the news and in Congressional hearings. As I wrote previously, I have read the […]
August
18
GM Recall: Cast of Characters
posted by Motorista
As promised, I am kicking off a series of posts on the General Motors ignition switch recall. You may have heard about that little recall – it’s been in the news just a bit. I’m skeptical of the news, myself, so when I heard GM had hired an outside attorney to conduct an internal investigation […]
July
29
MotoristaVille
posted by Motorista
I have found the perfect Motorista abode and, as luck would have it, it’s in Detroit! Well, Hamtramck, anyway. Behold, a vintage service station, the Portage Garage, with attached duplex. All for the fine low price of $99,000. If those rusty old cars convey with the property, you’ve automatically got three restoration projects at your […]
July
04
‘Merica!
posted by Motorista
Happy Fourth of July, America, and thanks for all the great cars!
June
02
Detroit GP! Sunday
posted by Motorista
More Detroit, more racing, more delight! Sunday, the second day of the “Dual in Detroit,” brought a warmer sun and a track devoid of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship cars (although they were still in the paddock!), but the Pirelli World Challenge and IndyCar races were every bit as fun as they had been the […]
May
31
Detroit GP! Saturday
posted by Motorista
Greetings from beautiful Detroit! The skies are blue, the foliage is green, and the air is filled with the sound of race engines and the smell of exhaust fumes. Belle Isle, the beautiful (newly christened) state park located on the Detroit River between Detroit and Canada, played host today to the Pirelli World Challenge, TUDOR […]
March
09
Seen in Detroit: BMW M4
posted by Motorista
M3. For BMW fans – or, indeed, car fans in general – that name connotes everything we love about cars: power, speed, handling, balance, the perfect companion for the road ahead. At least, it used to. As the high-performance version of BMW’s venerable 3-series, the M3 has appeared variously as a sedan, coupe or convertible […]
February
21
Audi TT Inspiration: the Allroad Shooting Brake Concept
posted by Motorista
As promised, here is the vehicle that allegedly foreshadows many design cues for the 2015 Audi TT: the Audi Allroad Shooting Brake Concept, shown at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show. The distinctive Audi grille Do those headlights look a little familiar? (Hint: check the TT sketches.) The details are amazing – look […]
February
19
Seen in Detroit – Wheels
posted by Motorista
I seem to have a thing for wheels. And shifters, gauges and headlights. I always end up with a bunch of photos of car bits and pieces, rather than, oh, you know, the whole car! But what can I say? I like the artsy bits. Here’s a collection of the wheels I saw at the […]
February
10
Seen in Detroit – Race Cars!
posted by Motorista
Proof that you can take a car girl off the racetrack, but you can’t take the racetrack out of her heart: hundreds of cars to see in Detroit, and my favorites were still the race cars. Like the new Corvette C7.R. Hot, no? It drives the regular Corvette Stingray up the wall. Mazda’s 2014 […]
February
04
Magic Tricks: Porsche 911 Targa
posted by Motorista
Porsche continued the rollout of all 5 million iterations of its new 991 series 911 model with the premiere of the new 911 Targa 4 at Detroit. The Targa is distinctive from other 911 models because of its movable roof section – a unique cross between coupe and cabriolet. I snapped a few photos to […]
January
28
Seen in Detroit – Crashing the Mercedes-Benz Stand
posted by Motorista
It occurred to me that if I keep posting about individual cars, you’ll still be hearing about Detroit in August. So I decided to speed things up. A little. Each manufacturer has its own stand at the show, and each stand has its own personality. Having been to three shows in a row, I have […]
January
25
Seen in Detroit – SRT Viper
posted by Motorista
THIS was a favorite, hands down: the beautiful SRT Viper, shown below in Stryker Green and the new Anodized Carbon Special Edition Package. You may remember that Viper used to belong to the Dodge brand, where it was a rough-and-tough sports car hooligan. Gone for a few years, it returned in 2013 as part of […]
January
22
Seen in Detroit – Porsche Macan
posted by Motorista
Yes, I found an SUV I kind of like. To my eye, the newly introduced Porsche Macan (revealed for the first time at the L.A. Auto Show in November) looks much more like the SUV Porsche should have built all along, rather than the bulbous monster Cayenne. I know it’s not tall enough for most […]
January
21
Do the Job You’re Doing
posted by Motorista
A little insight into GM’s new CEO, Mary Barra. And a useful perspective for all of us, no? P.S. If, for any reason, you can’t see the embedded video above, click here.
January
17
Seen in Detroit – Nissan GT-R NISMO
posted by Motorista
I’ve seen Godzilla before, but never looking this good. Can’t believe I almost missed it! Isn’t it beautimous? I’d like one, to go, please.
January
16
Seen in Detroit – Porsche 918 Spyder
posted by Motorista
Remember this? This is the car with the $1,800 striped seatbelt option. Over the base price of $845,000… Oh well, who cares. It’s hot. Look at that coy face. Saying no is not an option. This beast had its own room at the Detroit Auto Show. Sort of like a temple, really. Ain’t no 911. […]
January
15
Detroit Day 2 – Published!
posted by Motorista
I left Detroit today in a snow flurry, and returned to a big Texas full moon. Sometimes the best part of leaving is coming home. But enough sappiness. More importantly, my second story is up on Jean Knows Cars, along with a photo gallery! See it all here. I will be posting more on the […]
January
14
Detroit Auto Show – Day 2
posted by Motorista
Well, the Detroit Auto Show has been conquered. Or it conquered me. I admit, I’m pretty tired right about now. I took 814 photos, heard at least five different languages spoken and walked an untold number of miles, back and forth and up and down. It was fabulous. Hopefully, you have read my account of […]
January
14
Detroit Day 1 – Published!
posted by Motorista
Click here to read my published article on my first day at the Detroit Auto Show. Many thanks to Jean Knows Cars for giving me this opportunity and featuring my work. There are more reveals today, and opportunities for more extensive photography. Can’t wait to see what happens !
January
12
Howdy from Detroit
posted by Motorista
Greetings from the Motor City! I knew I was in the right place when the “Caution – Wet Floors” sign outside the airport ladies room was in English and German. This bodes well, thought I. I had a good experience with Uber, the new hipster taxi service. After I got my bag, I reserved a […]
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