9 and 3

“ Are we there yet?” Four conspicuous words that, when strung together, instantly frames the feeling of frustrated and bored children in the backseat of the family hauler. But there were no little ones with us in our trek up California’s Pacific Coast Highway last Spring. These words simply came to mind as I peered over the morning horizon, anxiously searching for the start of PCH’s famous stretch of mountain roads that lined the rocky coastline.   I was piloting Lexus’ 2015 GS350 F-Sport as we began our road trip before dawn.  We had picked up the car just a couple of months prior and I had been anxious to stretch its legs ever since. When the latest generation GS first showed up as a 2013 model, Lexus’ new radical design language - essentially the aggressive trapezoidal front end - definitely raised some eyebrows.  However, after some time, it has started to grow on not just me but many in the enthusiast community. This feeling has probably been bolstered somewh...

Imagine a place where you could house all of your favorite cars that have ever come into your possession under one roof.  Make that roof the size of a warehouse with plenty of space to walk around, and have them on display for all of your friends and family to enjoy. Surround them with period-specific decor, and keep everything clean and spotless - not just the cars, but the floors too.  Throw in some background music and bam, it's a bonafide dream garage. What did I just walk into...and how long can I stay? The Marconi Automotive Museum & Foundation for Kids is such a place, and then some.  Founded by Dick Marconi in 1994, he combined two of his great passions - cars and community - to be able to give back to children's charities while giving everyone the opportunity to enjoy his rare and vintage collection. With more than 75 vehicles at a value adding up in the tens of millions of dollars, all the cars belong to the foundation, with the proceeds of admissions ...

The Orange County Auto Show has always been special to me for several reasons.  First, it happens to be one of the earliest car shows to hit the national circuit and thus signals that we are officially underway with the roll-out of the new model year.  Second, it serves itself up as a nice appetizer to the much more notable Los Angeles International Auto Show that arrives in December, which is about three times the size of the OC show and garners much fanfare.  But most importantly to me, the O.C. Auto show was the first car show I ever went to, when in my childhood my keenly aware father first took my sister and I back in 1994. Gathering up every make and model's brochure I could get my hands on for my collection, I was in heaven. Now over twenty years later I still get that feeling of anticipation and excitement when I enter those hall doors to this day. Auto shows give prospective buyers a chance to compare manufacturers' offerings side by side, all under one roo...

How do YOU hold the steering wheel when you drive?  Are both hands gripping the top half of the wheel?  Perhaps one gravitates up high and the other to the side?  Wait a sec- is one hand situated up top, while the other is resting on the armrest, fumbling with the radio, or, more likely, cycling through your smart phone? "So what if we're moving 95 feet per second, I need to refresh my Twitter feed!" Most of us have been guilty of this, but if you happen to take driving slightly more seriously than you do 'swiping right', you'll have placed your hands at the nine and three "clock" positions.   "Say what? Don't you mean 10 and 2, like I vaguely remember being told back in that driver's ed. class?" Nope.  I mean 9 and 3.  For most driving enthusiasts, the phrase is actually instantly recognizable. " Nine and three " is the ideal hand position one uses on the steering wheel and for a variety of different reaso...

Hello, and welcome to my (long overdue) automotive blog!    So, do we need another car blog to ad to the countless number of internet sites on the topic?  There are already plenty of good automotive blogs out there that are dedicated night and day to all things industry related and enthusiast minded. Not to mention the long-standing publications and research oriented forums of well informed car owners and prospects.  But in short, I'm not sure the world needs  another car blog, but perhaps, I do. After all, cars and car-related banter have been my number-one passion since I was barely out of diapers, so I figure its time to jot down my own thoughts on the matter.   When you grow up religiously reading Car & Driver magazine, watching Motor Week on PBS, and collecting all the automotive brochures you can get your hands on, the makings of an obsession and lifelong hobby are well established.  Couple that "research" with the substantive a...