I’m not what you’d call a car guy. I enjoy driving a good car, but at the top of my automotive hierarchy of needs tends to be a decent radio and enough trunk space for all my daughter’s fast-pitch softball gear. When people start talking about engine particulars, my eyes glaze over. If my life depended on me being able to explain the concept of torque, I’d be in trouble.
And yet there’s something about a cool car that can catch the eye and capture the imagination of even the most auto-agnostic sort – particularly if it’s got interesting and important new technology. We’ve got proof of that in this magazine.
This is our annual Fashion Issue, or as I like to think of it, The Issue That Erik Tries To Have As Little To Do With As Possible. I’m not a fashion guy any more than I’m a car guy.
We’ve got a fun tradition in the Fashion Issue; in addition to the upcoming year’s hot looks, we preview some of its coolest cars. The majority of the cars in this year’s spread have something in common – they plug in.
Now, I’m not claiming to understand what’s hot about, say, the hybrid Ferrari SF90 any more than I claim knowledge of a traditional gas-only car. But man, it sounds cool. Even I get the car’s four driving modes – EV Only, Hybrid, Performance and Qualify. (I’m not sure, but from the way they make that last one sound, I’m pretty sure the thing you’re qualifying for is the much higher insurance that will come with the tickets you get.)
Reading about cars like that or the Tesla S Plaid tends to capture the imagination, even if not everybody’s going to rush to the dealership to buy one. At the moment I drive a car with a few years and more than a few miles on it; before too long, I will be in the market for something new. And granted, it probably won’t be one of the ones featured in this magazine. But reading about these new technologies does get a person thinking about never going to the gas station again unless you need beer or breath mints. Not to mention thoughts of being a responsible citizen in a world rendered more and more unsustainable by the fuel we burn.
I’m not a Ferrari guy just yet, but I have to admit I like what Ford is doing in 2022 with electric and hybrid cars. I’ve never been a truck guy – but a truck that plugs in could turn me around. I mean, it’s already got the room for softball gear. I just need to see the radio.
