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With 2021 coming to a close, I reflect back on so much that has - and continues to - change rapidly in the world. This set of changes has indeed affected all things automotive.  From a host of new EV models and companies coming online, to the sports and collector car market having a tremendous surge in sale prices, to an ongoing parts and supply shortage that has affected every make, model, and parts supplier in the industry, to the what-were-they-thinking grills of the new BMW M models , there has just been so, so much that has happened this past year that it's been hard to keep up. Let's pretend this is Long Beach. Only the containers are ships waiting in the harbor. The guys at Donut Media made a quick and entertaining video on how the shortage currently came to be. Its worth the watch.   As far as the automotive market in general, much like housing, it's a seller's market . Prices of new cars are virtually non-negotiable and in some markets with high demand model...

  Being on lock down and keeping eyes on the market leads to a lot of day-dreaming for auto enthusiasts. And while that certainly has been the case for me, it's also been a time of reflecting on past adventures and experiences - i.e. those cars from my past that I would like to have around again. Though I'm currently on a sports car hiatus, I do have my heart set on a couple of fun choices for the future.  For now though, something practical, timeless, and less expensive - that can still keep my interest - was higher on the list. Something low key to tool around town at night or on the weekend, and eventually, the office. There has been one sedan from my past that my mind always went back to.  It was an extraordinary car for it's time and it left an impression on me ever since I first drove one.  After which it became the benchmark with which I measured every single 4-door luxury car I've driven ever since, no matter how new a car it was up against.  It was my...

So 2020 has been off to a rough start.... to put it in the most gentle terms. We didn't even get into the Spring before we started dealing with a PANDEMIC, of all things.  Given the seriousness of the COVID-19 virus, much of the country, and the world, is in some stage of lock-down as our species tries to stay safe and wait out the storm. Because of the incredible toll this virus has taken on the way people are adjusting to it, the ripple effects of our adjustments are being felt in an incredibly strong way globally.  In relation to the automotive world, things have essentially come to a near standstill like they have with so many other industries.  Besides the obvious signs that sales and manufacturing have taken a nosedive, events and major shows have been cancelled altogether. However, not all is lost.  The Geneva auto show managed to go virtual and debut many important new European cars, which you can see here .  Many famous auto museums such as the ...

This week I bid adieux to another of my childhood favorites, my 1993 Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo.  I spent the last 3 years tweaking it, upgrading it, and making it better than what it was when I bought it (as I tend to do in this expensive hobby.) But the time - and the right buyer - had come along. A little background for context: Like a recurring dream , and because I can't seem to live for very long without a Japanese sports car from the '90s, I searched long and hard for my Z for nearly a year in 2016.  In fact, it was my second go around with the Z32 generation, as I had a 1995 Twin Turbo back in 2011.  The 1990-1996 300ZX (or "Fairlady" as it's known in Japan) was among the first of the golden era of Japanese sports cars that turned the automotive world on its head upon its debut. It is also among the last to have avoided the hyper inflation in market values that its rivals have enjoyed on the secondary market, namely because it outsold all of the ot...