“Thirteen years this thing sat in our garage. But I just couldn't let it go.” This is Larry's Z. It's a Bimini Blue 1977 Datsun 280Z, delivered in September of 1976. It's original, it's immaculate, it's beautiful – but babied? Coddled? Kept indoors and polished? No. When the ultimatum came, Larry reached for his chequebook and bought the Z

When I called up to inquire if the ’81 Datsun 280ZX listed was still for sale, the kindly man with a British accent replied, “Yeah. The wife thinks I’m too old for it now.” I'd be lying if I said I didn’t detect a bit of reluctance in his voice. Dave, the current owner of this classic Z-car, invited me to come and see his beloved Datsun despit

It's often said that cars can bring people together, but that's something of a misnomer. In reality, it's the passion that people have for and invest in their cars that draws them not just to the collections of metal, glass, and gears that roll on down the highway, but to each other. Without that human spark, even the most gracefully designed class

Reopened in 2015 after extensive renovations totalling a staggering $125 million, The Petersen Automotive Museum boasts one of the finest collections of historic vehicles anywhere. Their underground Vault is crammed with rare beauties, and carefully curated exhibits spread out over three upper floors tell compelling stories. To think all this ro

What’s in a name? An awful lot when it comes to marketing, and cars are no exception. Some brands were simply named after the men who founded them, while others have some interesting tales to tell. We have a roundup of some familiar names and their sometimes-unfamiliar stories. Named for Their Founders Of course you know Henry Ford, but

The anniversary and special edition car is a hallowed tradition in the automotive industry; and by “hallowed,” I mean “hollow.” Most of these things are stripes-n'-decals tacky add-on packages that try to charge more just because the years happen to line up. A special colour? A little commemorative badge? Who cares. However, there are any number

He’s best known as “Bubbles” from the hit cult TV series, Trailer Park Boys . But now, actor Mike Smith is dumping his trademark Coke-bottle eyeglasses to play himself in the new flick, Swearnet , which chronicles his adventures with cohorts-in-crime Robb Wells and JP Tremblay – aka Ricky and Julian of the Trailer Park Boys – as they launch a p

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. It’s also the sincerest form of trying to horn in on somebody else’s profits. In the auto-manufacturing sphere, there are both innovations and imitations, and sometimes we shouldn’t be so harsh to judge the latter. After all, a little copycat flattery sometimes causes everyone to up their game. Here a

These days, manufacturers are exploring new niche-market vehicles you didn't even know you wanted. And, possibly, a few that you don't want. Choice in the market is huge (unless you're after a small, manual transmission wagon), with coupe-styled sedans, hybridized crossovers, diesel light pickup trucks, and almost anything else you could want. B

Photos courtesy of manufacturers and by Brendan McAleer When you shake things up, sometimes the consequences can be unintended. For most of the cars on this list, the future is bright, but some faded into obscurity and still others – while classic and collectible – withered on the vine. Here's a look at some of the best automotive gamechange

Nissan has just announced Canadian pricing for the 50th Anniversary Edition of the 370Z, along with the rest of the 2020 370Z coupe and convertible lineup. The 50th Anniversary Zed marks five decades since the 240Z made its North American debut. At the 1969 New York auto show. Since then, the car has seen many different engines and multiple ge

Wander upstairs at this year's Tokyo Motor Show, and the cars suddenly get a lot smaller. Sure, there are a lot of little kei-car boxes on display all over the show floor, but this is a different type of Japan-only unobtainium . It's even easy to smuggle one home – just slip it into your pocket. This is Tomica, the Japanese version of Hot

The success of Subaru in recent years can be traced to the company's clear, definable quirkiness. All Subarus (except the BRZ) come with both all-wheel drive and either a flat-four or flat-six engine. Does anybody else do horizontally opposed engines? Porsche does. Citroën used to. So did Toyota. Heck, Karl Benz first patented a horizontally oppose

In a dusty gravel parking lot, a guy in a green Dodge Dakota skids to a halt, doubles back around, and whips out an iPhone. I can read his mind: “What in the heck are those things?” He snaps a picture, shakes his head and grins, flips us a quick thumbs-up, and then scoots off down the road with a spin of the rear tires. “I guess that happens a l

It’s official. With BMW pulling the plug on manual-equipped, rear-wheel-drive 3 Series for North America in 2019, the sport sedan is dead. It was a good run: 50 years exactly, if you count the sport sedan’s opening bookend to be the 1968 introduction of BMW’s 2002. Sure, the Brits had a few “super saloons” before then, and BMW itself was already