Historic Vehicle Association Announces Highlights of Lineup for 'Cars at the Capital' Exhibition, Coming to Washington DC in April

1985 Modena Spyder California

The Fourth Annual Cars at the Capital Exhibition, organized by the Historic Vehicle Association (HVA) and scheduled for April 2018 in Washington, D.C., will feature the replica 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California from the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off, the Fifteen-Millionth Ford (a 1927 Ford Model T), the 1984 Plymouth Voyager Minivan, the 1968 Ford Mustang Fastback from the movie Bullitt, and the 1918 Cadillac Type 57.

These featured vehicles are, respectively, the 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 21st, and 4th vehicles to have been added to the National Historic Vehicle Register in recognition of their significance in American automotive history.

Kia Motors Invites Consumers to a Unique Test Drive Experience for the 2018 Kia Stinger

If  all the recent hype about the new Kia Stinger has captivated you, and if you  happen to live near Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix, or Washington, D.C., you just might have a chance to experience the new flagship model from Kia Motors in a unique test drive on a track with a professional driving instructor.

The Kia Stinger has been named "Vehicle of the Year" by CNET's Roadshow and "Best of the Year" by MotorWeek. Now, Kia Motors says they are ready to show consumers and enthusiasts what all the hype is about with the performance-oriented "Stinger Experience" test drive events in select cities.

Stinger Experience participants will take on several dynamic challenges in the Stinger GT, as well as in the Audi A5, BMW 640i Gran Coupe and Porsche Panamera, through various dynamic exercises, including a 0-60 MPH acceleration run, cornering tests and a slalom course.

Yes, We Really Like the 2018 Dodge Durango R/T and SRT

No one is more surprised than we are to find ourselves, well, gushing about Chrysler's current lineup.

If you're a Chrysler hater, sorry. Yes, we have biases of our own, but we're basically brand agnostic around here. We just like cool vehicles. And the 2018 Dodge Durango R/T and SRT models are just that: a cool vehicle, with clear Mopar performance design cues integrated with surprising smoothness into a three-row SUV platform.

5 Car Podcasts We Love

Photo: Riberto Federico. Posted to Wikimedia Commons.

Why do we love podcasts?

Easy—because they're a great way to keep your mind occupied and take in information on topics that interest you, while getting other things done.

And why do we love automotive podcasts?

Do you really have to ask?

Didn't think so.

Anyway, here in no particular order are some of our favorite podcasts on many things automotive—from classic cars to nuts-and-bolts repair information and advice.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Seeks High School Students with a "Drive for Design"

If you know any high schoolers with artistic talent and a passion for cars, the Drive for Design competition, organized by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), could be a door-opening opportunity.

The FCA US Product Design Office is looking for aspiring young artists with a passion for automotive design to participate in the 2018 Drive for Design contest.

Returning for the sixth consecutive year, the Drive for Design contest challenges all U.S. high school students in grades 10-12 to design a Jeep® Wrangler for the year 2030. The FCA design team also is continuing its partnership with EyesOn Design and Lawrence Technological University for this year’s contest.

“The Drive for Design contest is a unique competition designed to help expose young artists to the various career opportunities in automotive design,” said Mark Trostle, Head of Performance, Passenger Car and Utility Vehicle Design, FCA – North America. “This year, we are offering aspiring designers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet and work side-by-side with designers of some of the hottest vehicles on the road today.”

Today’s Automotive Design Aesthetics: All-Time High, or All-Time Low?

Left: 1954 Chrysler Ghia Thomas Special. Photo by "Mr. Choppers"
(posted to Wikipedia).  Right: 2018 Ford Fusion (Photo: Ford media website).

Are you excited by the car designs you’re seeing today?

Or are the lineups, by and large, getting tiresome—because everything seems more and more alike?

The sad truth is that, today, with some notable exceptions, many models within a given category—sedans, crossovers, SUVs, even sports coupes—are tending to look dishearteningly similar.

To those of us who appreciate the breathtaking looks from the heyday of car design (which, for us, was roughly from the 1950s through perhaps the mid-1970s), the current generation of look-alike fastback sedans, for example, is sad to behold.