It bubbles just below the surface, especially in places like Detroit, Stuttgart and Tokyo: The nagging notion that somehow, sometime, driving cars stopped being relevant to today’s digitally driven lifestyle. From this viewpoint, I respectfully beg to differ. Even a guy like Henry Ford, who started out with nothing but a strong dose of good old common sense, understood innately that cars can set you free, make you independent, show you new horizons you’d never envisioned before. Now, a collection of essays from diverse automotive voices underscore that the joy of driving has never been more meaningful and precious.
Never Stop Driving, with the subtitle of “A Better Life Behind the Wheel,” gathers the sort of writing that you might expect to find in the Atlantic or The New Yorker. It’s ultimately a publication of Hagerty, the collector-vehicle insurance giant, edited in chief by the firm’s publications director, Larry Webster. But the voices inside tell the story of driving, and its rewards, from a kaleidoscope of perspectives. Among those who explain why cars are important are eloquent people I’ve gotten to know in this world: Sam Posey, Jay Leno, and David Hobbs, Amelia Island director Bill Warner, Bob Lutz, Mario Andretti, Patrick Dempsey, Peter Egan and Ed Welburn, among others. With 192 softcover, delightfully illustrated pages, it’s an easy read. The book retails from Motorbooks for $28.00.
Jim Donnelly On Wheels 