- Part 161

Commentary: The Story Continues…

February 4, 2012 by Randy Stern

Today is Super Bowl Sunday…for most of us.

For me, it is just another Sunday. Actually, this date is a historic one normally marked annually by some magical event that occurred at dawn on this date 48 years ago.

Somewhere along the Ventura Freeway at a hospital on Balboa Boulevard in Encino, California, a baby boy was born to a Barbara Jean Stern and her husband Sheldon. He was a healthy infant – a bit chubby, but no signs of immediate health issues. They brought him home…and the rest is, well, history.

There is a tinge of embarrassment in telling this story. I'm getting to an age where birthdays become somewhat meaningless. Don't get me wrong, I have no qualms about celebrating it. It's just that it doesn’t have the cache as it once had.

Of course, I'll say this now and my 50th comes up in two years…black balloons, coffin cakes and all.

I still believe in trying to do something special on this day.

Motorsport – Instead of Football?

January 30, 2012 by Randy Stern

Last weekend, we experienced what motorsport is all about.

The 50th running of the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona reaffirmed that true competition amongst drivers and machines can be achieved when it is engaging and exciting for everyone involved. When the fans are engaged, the drivers, the teams and the vehicles become an integral part of the experience – either at the track or away from it.

After the deaths of IndyCar star Dan Wheldon and superbike racer Marco Simoncelli, there was concern whether motorsport would recover and in what shape they will take in the coming season. Add the sometimes moronic behavior of some of stars of the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit, and even the most fickle fan would be spurned away.

Some of the behavior seen in and around the top tier of NASCAR is not unlike what I've witnessed on the same level of the sports I used to enjoy. For every Busch brother, there's a Miguel Cabrera, Chad Johnson and Jean-Francois Jacques making a mockery of the world of sport. It was to the point where I no longer have respect for the game my mother raised me to love – thanks to the likes of Bud Selig, Ozzie Guillen and Nyjer Morgan.

Mopar at 75

August 31, 2021 by Randy Stern

Seventy-five years ago, a company called Chrysler decided to join General Motors and Ford to offer a distinct brand of maintenance parts along with accessories to customize your vehicle.

The Coming of Better Transit in L.A.

March 24, 2021 by Randy Stern

In the years after World War II, the way Americans viewed transportation shifted to reflect an overall lifestyle migration from an urban society to metropolitan sprawl. Places that were once agrarian and bucolic became paved with new family housing units and expanding businesses supporting the new suburbs.

Five Favorites for a Pigskin Party

January 22, 2012 by Randy Stern

If this was any other year, I'd be happy to celebrate my birthday on Super Bowl Sunday.

Not this year, I'm afraid. It is not because the Minnesota Vikings went into complete retrograde. Just my interest in the National Football League waned severely this year, thanks to the Collective Bargaining Agreement and the constant frustration with the state of cultural relations with most major professional sports leagues.

Frankly, I could care less who is playing in this year's Super Bowl. If it is your team that will be on the field inside Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis – good luck!

Still, football was one of sports for the longest time. I recalled some memories from the game – in attendance, of course. In some cases, they involved automobiles.

On this special Super Bowl/birthday edition of Five Favorites, let me log back into time to see what crazy automobile-related events transpired around the pigskin and the 100-yard field.

The Speculator: Chevrolet's Next Small Coupe

January 17, 2012 by Randy Stern

To be up front here, I'm not a fan of concept vehicles.

I understand why they were created. Either a company wants to play around with a design language that will eventually appear on production models, or to tease us with a production vehicle in disguise. Still, I rather have a sense of reality when I see a "concept" than some Gene Roddenberry/George Lucas-inspired look into the future.

While watching the insanity that is the North American International Auto Show, it dawned on me that there were some concepts that would need further examination. They had some form of value tied into the potential for production of these fantasies in metal, rubber, plastic and upholstery.

Amid the hoopla of the Cadillac ATS, Buick Encore and Chevrolet Sonic RS, General Motors trotted out two concepts for the bowtie badge. The idea was to create vehicles for the upcoming generation of drivers to enjoy. What made the Code 130R and Tru 140S quite interesting were the simple fact that both concepts were two-door coupes.

Coupes? For Millennials? I must be getting old…

(more…)

Your Turn: An SRT Dream Fulfilled

December 26, 2021 by Randy Stern

TweetWe, automotive writers and journalists, love getting asked consumer questions. For example: If it were our money, what would we get for a certain vehicle class you're considering? We don’t mind at all…though our perspective would be somewhat different than the average consumer. Then again, we could be wrong completely… The subject of this "Your …

Detroit 2012: Quandaries from Afar

January 18, 2012 by Randy Stern

It was tough picking just nine from a plethora of debuts from the North American International Auto Show. Detroit yielded plenty of excitement, tempered with some criticism. I, for one, had my share of concerns and quandaries.

It was also tough to stay balanced here.

Detroit 2012: The View from Afar

January 18, 2012 by Randy Stern

No, I was not there this year.

If you read my Twitter, you'd probably wondered if I were to show up at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Unfortunately, the stars did not align properly. Yet, I was asked by fellow journalists, media relations people and other industry support people whether I would make the trek to the Motor City for this very important exhibition of the automobile. Not this year. I will someday.

Because of the speed of information available online and the ability to see video and images from the show readily, I was able to ascertain the big debuts and the most curious appearances at Cobo Hall. This helped in my coverage last year from my home in the Twin Cities.

Of course, there's nothing like being there. You get to see and touch these new products ahead of consumer sale. You get to see whether you'd feel comfortable behind the wheel of one. That’s why we go to auto shows, right?

Without further ado, here are my picks from NAIAS…

A Teutonic Tussle…To The End

January 17, 2012 by Randy Stern

At the top of the automotive heap, it ended with a 2,715 unit advantage. In political terms – someone would probably want to call a recount.

The luxury car market in the USA saw some extraordinary changes inside finance offices at their respective dealerships. Since 2000, Lexus was the top selling luxury automobile brand in the USA. A double whammy of the fallout from the corporate-wide recalls and natural disasters affecting Japan and key parts of Asia toppled the once mighty luxury arm of Toyota. In 2007, Lexus sold over 329,000 units – a record number of deliveries recorded by a luxury brand since 1990.

However, there were two luxury brands at the top of the heap: BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Both brands took advantage of the issues over at Lexus by wooing luxury car buyers with a diverse range of products and an air of confidence in everything from pre-sales engagement to post sales support.