Honda turned a generation of otherwise pragmatic buyers into driving fans when the Civic-based CRX hit showrooms in 1984. The 2-door, 2-seat hatchback was a smaller, livelier version of Honda’s compact commuter car while still maintaining a healthy dollop of practicality. Today, history most fondly remembers the second-generation CRX, which […]

The Supra made a name for itself as Toyota’s halo car, enough that the company brought back the nameplate to the U.S. after a 22-year absence. The fifth-generation 2020 Supra is mostly a BMW Z4 under the skin, but like any sports car that sticks around for multiple generations, some […]

It wasn’t terribly expensive. It didn’t sound exotic. And with the exception of its oversized rear wing, it was invisible to most. But Mitsubishi’s Lancer Evolution, born from World Rally Championship competition, was unquestionably a driver’s car. We’d even go so far as to call the “Evo” o ne of […]

There are certain words in a Porsche model name that give you a hint that something special is going on. “Speedster” is one, but also “Spyder.” The latter moniker harks back to the mythic mid-engined 550 Spyder, which James Dean made famous after dying in one on a California backroad […]

It’s official: Volkswagen will stop sales of its iconic hatchback, the Golf, in the American market this year. The Golf debuted in the United States as the econobox Rabbit in 1975 and has served as the base model for the higher-performance GTI since 1982. That the GTI and its even […]

As with most breakthrough products, the original variant is often the best. Such is the case with the first-generation 2007–15 Audi R8 4.2. While the R8 is not a supercar by today’s performance standards, it is incredibly well balanced and feels “just right,” especially with the 6-speed gated manual gearbox. […]

The Honda S2000 debuted in 1999, 10 years after Mazda’s Miata reinvigorated a sedentary roadster market in America. It offered more power than its topless German competitors (BMW Z3, Porsche Boxster, Mercedes-Benz SLK 320), along with a stiffer, more responsive chassis. It also undercut the competition with a $32,000 asking […]

Rip Van Winkle wasn’t a car guy, but if he had been, his longform napping would’ve put him in good stead as a collector. By most reckoning, new cars depreciate for the first decade or two of life, then after they’ve bottomed out for a while, they start to climb […]

The motoring press went wild when Jaguar brought out the F-type in 2013. Normally sober critics such as Car and Driver described it as “the car you want to be seen in.” Even my own spouse went a little starry-eyed over the F-type the first time I brought one home. […]

Sunday during a mildly cold California winter. An empty highway and a trip to San Diego. Legal issues had come up, and an attorney was going to come in handy. I arrived at the meeting in my Dodge Durango, only to be greeted by the coolest lawyer I have ever […]