Sajeev, I am a bit late to this party, but thank Jack for me finding this article via his Milan references! I drove a 2008, 2011 and 2014 Fusion - all SE models with the 2.5, before my company switched to Escapes - by far the best 'drivers' car of the bunch was the 2011. Perfect size (the 2014 just seemed big and your explanation of it was perfect) great seating position, nice steering wheel and shifter location, unbelievably fun to drive through the twisty highways here in British Columbia as I navigated the province for work. I outfitted the 2011 with V-rated Goodyear Comfort Treds and had a blast! Now, to be transparent, it wasn't a 6-spd., but it did have manual shifting capabilities with the Automatic. Diced around with an Audi A4 one day and as they turned off the highway, we acknowledged each other with smiles and waves. Even with Dunlop DZ-102's on the 2014, it never matched the handling of the 2011. Eagle F1 Asymmetrics on the Escape with the 1.5 turbo made that SUV fun, but again, not even close to the 2011 and the 2.5 (yes, I worked for a major tire company!). You should buy that Fusion!! Unless it is also sold by my late writing - surely there are others... 🙂 ... View more

Bdgr92, well said truth. Jack's articles are always great, but the replies to his articles are sometimes more poignant and/or entertaining (no offence meant, Jack_Hagerty) and always well thought out - this is one of them. ... View more

At one point he probably wanted it to succeed, however what happened to the $15,000,000 (in today's dollars) he raised? If he truly wanted it to be a success, he could have paid his workers at the start - surely the tooling of the plant (already built), engineering on a design he stole from Kurtis and start-up supplies wouldn't have cost $15 Million. Where did the money go? Be interesting to hear the rest of the story; did he live a comfortable life after jail? Were all his employees finally paid from the lawsuit? Seems based on his marketing and sales prowess he kept the ruse going as long as he could, bilked his investors and lived the highlife until he was caught. ... View more

As 'custom' cars, the shop was doing what a customer was paying handsomely for - likely not their choice. Attach big money and you'd do it too, whether you liked fluorescent green or not. Beautiful cars. ... View more

RIP Sir Frank - condolences to Claire and the whole Williams Clan. ... View more

Fantastic story! Thanks to you both - great juxtaposition from two points of view and, Uncle Aaron, I think you have your answer whether Lucas enjoyed the trip - his well written essay (future writer?) says it all! Well done, lads. ... View more

Matthew, another brilliant dispatch from Stuttgart! I laughed out loud after reading the description of the sign for the Pitve Tunnel! Nicely done. Appreciate your writing and humour. ... View more

Ah, comments from a Jack Baruth article - love it! Smart, witty, self-effacing - a joy to behold. 1975 930 Turbo in a pastel colour - that's cool. Crank windows, no A/C (not cool?) standard Fuchs and no slant. Cool. Thanks for making us both think and laugh Jack - enjoy all you do! ... View more

Hey Jack - great review of the Classic. I recently changed jobs and inherited a 2019 Classic, although in the VERY plain Tradesman (non-SLT). Although it still has power windows (auto up and down for the fronts), power locks, power, heated mirrors, cruise, tilt, A/C and that great stereo you talk about, it has rubber floors, vinyl seats and NO remote keyless - can't remember the last time I needed to use the key to unlock the doors! It has the 3.6 Pentastar, 4x4 and the 8 speed transmission. Like you, I am dually impressed! Quiet, capable, easy to drive and see out of, extremely comfortable seats, smooth operation, it is quite awesome! I have only owned/driven GM Silverado trucks, but am really taken-aback at how much I am learning to love this truck. If anyone is looking for 'just a truck' to do your bidding, this is way more than that and definitely worth saving a few thousand dollars. ... View more

Thanks for the great story - always enjoy your writing. When the TT arrived, like you, I immediately thought of the 356 and early 911's, even though the engine was forward, vs. aft. I then realized for 1/2 911 money, you could have something special. Haven't owned one due to our one vehicle needing to do many things the TT couldn't do, but certainly on my retirement radar! Oh, and even when new, I wasn't a fan of the Testa Rossa's styling - after the beautiful Dino's, 308/328's and early Ferrari 12's, it just didn't seem to fit the Ferrari mold. Stay safe everyone. ... View more

Really enjoy your writing sir - also, your subjects are character's in themselves, so great reading throughout! Having always loved the 635, 2002, first M5 and now the proud owner of an X1 (wanted to dip my toe in before jumping in completely), reading stories about the storied marque is fun! ... View more

Sign me up! Very cool - even today, an twelve/thirteen year old design looks fresh. ... View more

terryjudd, completely agree with your comments. That car (PUV - Performance Utility Vehicle) would sell today! ... View more

Cars and the car hobby are a fun place to hang out and no one should think less of you, nor should you apologize for your thougths and feelings about what makes you happy or excited when it comes to cars! As @MisterTorgue has tried to point out to a few opinionated posters, not everyone sees value in the same things. As noted, only 197 were produced and it would have been a VERY stylish, high performance car in that market, during that time. I think it is cool too, but wouldn't be in the running to buy it, whether I could afford it or not. Taste is personal. Tatoos aren't my 'thing' but my wife has two and I still love and adore her. Sometimes people need to keep their opinions to themselves and keep the conversation upbeat about a unique find. ... View more

Great story Conner - wonderful committment to your family and very respectful of your Grandmother and Grandfather. Glad you made it and stayed safe along the way. ALWAYS loved the Ford wagons, growing up in a 69 Ranch Wagon and then a 73 Country Squire. Wheel a 2017 Escape SE now. Interested to know why you swithched out the OE spokes for the T-Bird caps? Keep on truckin'! ... View more

Sam, I wholeheartedly agree on your Car Dealer analogy. I worked for Saturn back in the late 90's, early 2000's and Saturn had sales/marketing figured out and customers were happy with their purchase, more happy with the experience and very loyal to the brand. Everything manufacturers want, for which they can't aspire. I recently replaced my wife's 2010 Ford Escape (yes, we drive an SUV, mostly against our will) and visited 8 different brand's dealerships. Brands ranging from Lincoln, to Mazda, Honda, Nissan, Subaru, Audi and BMW. Ultimately, we bought from the sales person that treated us the best and that was at BMW. The rest were not willing to create a GREAT customer experience. Sales people simply need to think: 'How would I like to be treated' and better yet, ask the customers how THEY would like to be treated and then do it. Simple. Keep up the great work! ... View more

Great article Josh - really appreciated the content, which is a GREAT lesson for many, but also the descriptive, correct and proper use of English language - bravo!  Book author in your future? 🙂     Agreed on so much of your content and echo the comments from my Canadian brethren from Ontario, the signage needs updating. Most is the same as when I received my license 40 years ago, yet much has changed.  As one who grew up in Ontario, married to one that grew up in BC, when we returned to BC after a stint in and around the GTA, my wife exclaimed, 'Wow, I didn't realize how BAD BC drivers are!'  She did become a better driver racing along the 401, using the collectors to pass four lanes of clogged traffic.     It seems driver teaching of late does include the three lane merge to the fast lane, without any care of the many drivers cut off to carry out the maneuver.  When I used to cover 40,000+km per year, this really bothered me.  Now I cover less than half that distance, so it bothers me less.  However, I still find myself commenting on this poor excuse for following rules... normally using a few choice alliterative pejoratives....  ... View more

Brendan, I have been following your writing for years and have always loved your work; this story is right up there with your best!  As a fellow BC'er and living in Langley, this piece was awesome to see in Hagerty!  Wonderful history. ... View more

MajorTomB, I agree with you - seems those leading Cadillac forget where they started and what they became, along the way forgetting all budgets are driven by the Sales side of the business.  You start with sales goals based on previous years - talk to your loyal customer base and (with a Market-back approach) build what your customer's want.  Used to be Cadillac was only focused on what Ford (Lincoln) and Chrysler were doing, then their target was BMW(?) with the CTS-V, etc. Now they state customers don't want cars, they want SUVs.  Funny, Chrysler (and until recently Lincoln) is still making cars, along with BMW, Audi, Genesis, etc., so why not ask your loyal customers what they want and build it?  Accounting Fundamentals. ... View more

Very well said - I have a very good friend who lived through the first STS (three engines I believe?) a DTS (at least two engines in that one) and most recently, a CT6 (most reliable one yet, but uninspiring and the least "Cadillac like").  Interestingly, he now owns a 2020 Genesis G-90... I couldn't make this stuff up!  Great article and as I was involved in the 2009 GM debacle (from the Saturn side of things), I agree with everything you said.  Sad really. ... View more

Thanks for another great article Sam; I LOL when I read, '...2002 **bleep**...' Good luck, looking forward to the next chapter in this auto-biography! ... View more

What a SWEET car - as an 8 year old, I was enamored of all these Colonnade beauties.  Amazing to think this car was available with a 4 spd!  By that time, mid size cars for the most part were not considered performance oriented, so all these performance goodies - on a Buick no less - are amazing!  A keen eye and desire could still go wild with the factory order books.  Great job keeping this rare car top of mind - I am sure the owner smiles every time the key is turned. ... View more

Sam, I very much enjoy your writing - mostly I can hear your joy.  Although this story was slightly different, the love you have for your Mom and Dad is very apparent - likely difficult, but there is joy in difficult memories too.  Please accept my condolences for the loss of your mom - may she rest in peace and may perpetual light shine upon her and your whole family. ... View more

Love me some Brendan McAleer writing... great tribute to a really good man, Brendan.  And if anyone wants to LOL, look up Brendan's Hyundai Pony story... pure gold!   ... View more

Used to be the Scion FRS and is still the Subaru BRZ.... ... View more

You are correct - Britannia Beach, BC - Sea to Sky Highway, between Vancouver and Whistler ... View more

Fantastic.  Congratulations Molly - condolences too; tough time for sure, but such wonderful memories.  With two parents struggling with dementia, but knowing they recognize me, your Grandfather knew you were following in his footsteps and that is really special. ... View more

I was so excited when this new model came out - what a looker!  A nice styling exercise that looked to the past. Alas, we need an SUV and when the Corsair came out, WOW, that was it!  And my wife and I were so excited to drive one and we had picked out colour, trim, etc.  Then after the poor experience (the dealer has a 'Lincoln Showroom' delineated by a change in flooring, but the t-shirt/jeans Ford sales people are the same) of the test drive (car had no gas and they knew we were coming), the adherence to a short test drive even after we were told we could take it overnight as part of the Lincoln prestige test drive option, and the unbelievably disappointing test drive 'once over' by the sales person (we had to open the manual to find out how to move the seat), then the noise!  What Lincoln could be this noisy on the road!  My company car Escape we drove over was quieter when we got back in.  Huge disappointment.  Sad really. ... View more

Hey Aaron, sorry you had to go through all that, but I agree it was worth it for a sweet truck!  What a neat model of Toyota; most are extended cab and this one just looks right! ... View more

After years of Saturn's, Fusion's and Escape's, and with some finally realized budget, we did lots of research and settled on an X1.  Interestingly, in Eco-Pro it gets amazing mileage, in Normal it zips through traffic and in Sport, when the gearing changes, the second exhaust pipe opens up and the dynamics change, WOW what fun!  But (with $80K CA), I would recommend a M340i xDrive $65,000, 382 hp, - GREAT 8-speed paddle shift-able trans and it can be 3, 3, 3 cars in 1!  Add those winter tires Jack mentions to have fun in the winter and keep the MazdaSpeed too!  Have fun! ... View more

My Dad was a car lover, and was keen to share with me and did his best with no budget to buy 'nice' cars.  Mom likely had something to do his budget... But, I dream that the 1965 Parisienne we had was equipped with a 421 Tri-Power, and our 1969 Country Sedan had the 4V 390; I know our 1972 Country Squire had a 400, but I am not sure it had a 4 barrel.  Unfortunately I did know his 76 Cutlass (company car) had the 260 V-8, along with the 79 Malibu; one bright spot was the 79 Parisienne, but it had the 2 barrel 305.  Once I was 17 however, I learned Dad had a '56 Olds Super 88 Holiday 2-door hardtop in '58 when he and Mom got married - I immediately started to look for one in the Auto Trader and, success!  I found a '56 Super 88 Holiday 4 door and, after a bit of arm twisting and negotiation with Mom, we went to the Original Owner's house and there in the basement garage was the car - not exactly like Dad's but close enough, with only 36,000 miles (this was 1982) and we made a deal and drove it home.  Wow. My Dad's dream car, that he used to beat '55 Chevy's in casual street races with, Rocket V-8, 4 barrel, oil-bath air cleaner - immaculately kept by the original owner and subsequently his son.  Our connection was solidified and every time Dad drove the car he smiled - and when Mom wasn't expecting it, he'd open up all four barrels and the Rocket would take off - pure joy.  Sadly, three years later, we carried Dad's ashes in the car, surrounded by family and he took his last ride in the '56, far too young to pass, at 56 - interesting, right?  Miss you Dad; missed you for the last 34 years.  Happy Father's Day, love you tonnes (metric tonnes - they're larger) and thank you for giving me the passion for cars that you had, but which was kept on a simmer until we found the '56. 🙂 ... View more

Brilliant - you had me at the start and I finished my whole coffee whilst I read it top to bottom. Thank you. 🙂 ... View more