Yahoo News Editor's Letter: 'Twenty Years Now. Where'd They Go? Twenty Years, I Don't Know'
Michigan native Bob Seger's "Like a Rock" lyrics have taken on a special meaning for me as I hit 20 years at Car and Driver. As Seger sang, "I sit and I wonder sometimes where they've gone." Mostly, it turns out, behind the wheel of an interesting car.
2004: Dodge Ram SRT10. An 8.3-liter Viper V-10, 500 horsepower, and a Dodge Ram 1500. It's so juvenile that you wonder how it happened. Dodge made a Quad Cab version with a 140.5-inch wheelbase, and I can still see Dave VanderWerp drifting it around Turn 10 at Grattan Raceway in a slide unequaled to this day.
2005: Pontiac Solstice. A car created solely thanks to the determination of General Motors vice chairman Bob Lutz. I rode with him on the launch and pressed him on the lack of trunk space as I wrung it out on the roads outside Portland, Oregon. I loved the handling; the rest of the car fell short. Later versions were better.
2008: Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe. The office car sign-out board used to be first come, first served, and I got up early to secure a night with the ragtop Rolls, a louche expression of refinement, grace, and isolation—for over a half-million bucks. The seating position was about as high as a half-ton pickup—very regal. I haven't driven anything like it since.
2009: Audi R8 5.2. Picture it: a gated shifter clinking, a V-10 zinging past 8000 rpm, chasing a Ferrari 430 Scuderia on the roads outside Modena. The 430 won, but thinking back on that manual and V-10 combo sends me looking at R8 listings.
2010: Cadillac CTS-V. Cadillac sent one of its lovely CTS-V coupes to Europe, so we gathered it, a BMW M3, and an Audi RS5. Our man in Germany couldn't believe the Cadillac was the most stable above 170 mph. We stopped a lot to refuel it, but it was a world-beater.
2010: BMW M3. On the derestricted autobahn, chasing the CTS-V mentioned above, the M3's naturally aspirated V-8 made the most thrilling sound as it redlined fourth at nearly 140 mph. I can still hear it if I close my eyes.
2011: BMW 1-series M Coupe. Another comparison test (the 1-series won), this time on the Tail of the Dragon in Tennessee. Compact, flared, and just on the right side of anarchy, it's the easiest car I've ever drifted.
2012: Tesla Model S. An imperfect moon-shot. At times, it felt like a $45,000 car with a $45,000 battery. But from the jump, it changed the entire electric-car world while doing the market research that convinced the rest of the industry that EVs were a viable business.
2014: Ford Fiesta ST. The 10Best loop seems perfectly tuned for some cars, or maybe it's the other way around. The Fiesta ST's 197-hp engine wasn't that special, but the chassis tuning made it magic and a 10Best winner. All small cars should have great moves. This one could have taught modern dance at Juilliard.
2016: Ford Mustang Shelby GT350. On canyon roads, the Shelby GT350 had the push-me-harder attitude of a Porsche 911 GT3. At the test track, the engine made me smile, but mostly because it sounded like it might blow the car apart as it passed 7000 rpm in fourth gear.
2019: Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio. At Virginia International Raceway, there's a long, sweeping left called NASCAR that unsteadies every approaching car. The Stelvio was the first SUV I felt comfortable pushing hard here. Stable, with superb body control, it had big punch out of corners. And while it felt too big, it was also hugely capable—the Nissan GT-R of SUVs.
2019: Kia Telluride. I don't know how many I've sold, but I'm constantly recommending it. Perfectly conceived and executed, the Telluride looks expensive inside and out. It has refined moves and a no-fuss powertrain, and the price is right. It's the three-row SUV I'd buy. After five years, the competition is closing in, but it's still a winner in my book.
2020: Chevrolet Corvette. It didn't surprise me that the mid-engine Corvette could reel in just about any car in the canyons or on a race-track. What did surprise me was that it felt as good as a Cadillac on the broken cement pavement of I-94 heading into Detroit. Ride matters.
2022: Toyota GR Corolla. All the good vibes and handling you wish for in a hot hatch. A three-cylinder fountain of youth that's raw and alive. Sometimes, ride doesn't matter.
If this small taste of these cars isn't enough—and it shouldn't be—check out the original tests and more at caranddriver.com/reviews.
From the May/June issue of Car and Driver.
Above (from left): Larry Webster, Dave VanderWerp, and Tony Quiroga, in the August 2004 issue of Car and Driver.
2004: Dodge Ram SRT10
An 8.3-liter Viper V-10, 500 horsepower, and a Dodge Ram 1500. It's so juvenile that you wonder how it happened. Dodge made a Quad Cab version with a 140.5-inch wheelbase, and I can still see Dave VanderWerp drifting it around Turn 10 at Grattan Raceway in a slide unequaled to this day.
2005: Pontiac Solstice
A car created solely thanks to the determination of General Motors vice chairman Bob Lutz. I rode with him on the launch and pressed him on the lack of trunk space as I wrung it out on the roads outside Portland, Oregon. I loved the handling; the rest of the car fell short. Later versions were better.
2008: Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe
The office car sign-out board used to be first come, first served, and I got up early to secure a night with the ragtop Rolls, a louche expression of refinement, grace, and isolation—for over a half-million bucks. The seating position was about as high as a half-ton pickup—very regal. I haven't driven anything like it since.
2009: Audi R8 5.2
Picture it: a gated shifter clinking, a V-10 zinging past 8000 rpm, chasing a Ferrari 430 Scuderia on the roads outside Modena. The 430 won, but thinking back on that manual and V-10 combo sends me looking at R8 listings.
2010: Cadillac CTS-V
Cadillac sent one of its lovely CTS-V coupes to Europe, so we gathered it, a BMW M3, and an Audi RS5. Our man in Germany couldn't believe the Cadillac was the most stable above 170 mph. We stopped a lot to refuel it, but it was a world-beater.
2010: BMW M3
On the derestricted autobahn, chasing the CTS-V mentioned above, the M3's naturally aspirated V-8 made the most thrilling sound as it redlined fourth at nearly 140 mph. I can still hear it if I close my eyes.
2011: BMW 1-Series M Coupe
Another comparison test (the 1-series won), this time on the Tail of the Dragon in Tennessee. Compact, flared, and just on the right side of anarchy, it's the easiest car I've ever drifted.
2012: Tesla Model S
An imperfect moon-shot. At times, it felt like a $45,000 car with a $45,000 battery. But from the jump, it changed the entire electric-car world while doing the market research that convinced the rest of the industry that EVs were a viable business.
2014: Ford Fiesta ST
The 10Best loop seems perfectly tuned for some cars, or maybe it's the other way around. The Fiesta ST's 197-hp engine wasn't that special, but the chassis tuning made it magic and a 10Best winner. All small cars should have great moves. This one could have taught modern dance at Juilliard.
2016: Ford Mustang Shelby GT350
On canyon roads, the Shelby GT350 had the push-me-harder attitude of a Porsche 911 GT3. At the test track, the engine made me smile, but mostly because it sounded like it might blow the car apart as it passed 7000 rpm in fourth gear.
2019: Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio
At Virginia International Raceway, there's a long, sweeping left called NASCAR that unsteadies every approaching car. The Stelvio was the first SUV I felt comfortable pushing hard here. Stable, with superb body control, it had big punch out of corners. And while it felt too big, it was also hugely capable—the Nissan GT-R of SUVs.
2019: Kia Telluride
I don't know how many I've sold, but I'm constantly recommending it. Perfectly conceived and executed, the Telluride looks expensive inside and out. It has refined moves and a no-fuss powertrain, and the price is right. It's the three-row SUV I'd buy. After five years, the competition is closing in, but it's still a winner in my book.
2020: Chevrolet Corvette
It didn't surprise me that the mid-engine Corvette could reel in just about any car in the canyons or on a racetrack. What did surprise me was that it felt as good as a Cadillac on the broken cement pavement of I-94 heading into Detroit. Ride matters.
2022: Toyota GR Corolla
All the good vibes and handling you wish for in a hot hatch. A three-cylinder fountain of youth that's raw and alive. Sometimes, ride doesn't matter.
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