diatribe
Al Vinikour
Al Vinikour has worked in marketing, sales, public relations and journalism since 1968. The first two-thirds of his career centered on aviation, aerospace and defense, working on major weapons systems when funding battles emerged. At the time he was President of Derus Media Service, a …Read More
-
Diatribe: Let there be lights we can read
If there’s one thing I’m sure of it’s that as one gets older, one’s eyesight gets worse. And there’s nothing that taxes the ability to see more than red instrumentation on an automobile’s gauge cluster. While red lighting might help submarine crew members retain their …Read More
-
Diatribe: So where’s the gearshift?
I know what you’re thinking; you’ve read the headline and now you’re wondering what I’ve been smoking to cause me to write that. Of course, the gearshift lever is either on the steering column or on the floor (or even the dashboard). Truth be told, …Read More
-
Diatribe: Dream convertible created midlife nightmares
When I was growing up and began thinking of what kind of car I’d like to have, the No. 1 possibility always seemed to be a convertible. After all, isn’t a convertible the height of coolness? With a convertible you get all the hot babes …Read More
More Columns
Diatribe: It’s all a matter of placement
Car manufacturers throughout the world often develop great innovations to keep their customers happy. I’m not talking about massaging seats or even glove boxes with a cooling function to keep your pop cold (or “soda,” if you are an Eastern elite snob). I’m referring to …
Diatribe: We need jails for traffic-law breakers
A lot of things make me sick: rancid chili, Katie Couric, memories of my ex-wife and overt breakers of traffic laws. I’m equally sick of the excuse that “we don’t have enough jail space to house lawbreakers.” Apparently this no-space philosophy prevails because it’s alleged …
Diatribe: The road to purgatory is paved with cellphones
I know what you’re asking: Al, have you finally made peace with cellphone users who still drive while they’re holding conversations? I’ll answer in two words: “N and O!” If anything, my disdain for people who drive erratically because they’re engrossed in a phone conversation …
Diatribe: Monroney label and dealer mumbo jumbo
If you look at any Monroney label (the official name of the price sheet that’s taped to the window of brand-new vehicles), everything seems above board. There’s the usual listing of where the car is manufactured, what the U.S. content is, what major safety, convenience …
Diatribe: Texting while driving is volatile combination
There’s been talk recently about banning cellphone use in any moving vehicle. This would kill (pardon the pun) two birds with one stone: People wouldn’t be able to talk on the telephone while driving and it also would prevent text messaging — a plague worse …
Diatribe: Who needs all that horsepower? Me!
If you’re anything like me, you’re sick of somebody else always trying to tell you enough is enough. Who died and put them in charge? It seems to begin during childhood when you’re sitting at the dinner table and decide you want more potatoes. Your …
Diatribe: ‘Decontent’ cars in ways that make sense
One thing you can always count on when you see a new model car hit the showroom floor during its engineering and development stage: It contained a lot more content. However, when the bean counters/pencil pushers/purchasing departments have their say there are a lot of …
Diatribe: When it’s dark, shine your lights
As most of you know, drivers who do not use turn signals are one of my biggest gripes in life. If I had my way, anybody who does not use turn signals would be sent to Chernobyl to enjoy the facility’s famous warm baths and …
Diatribe: Allow me to introduce you to my car
When I was growing up in Indiana there were only so many times you could tip over a cow, make out at Bartz’ Woods or eat a “pig’s dinner” at Brownie’s Drive-In. So creative juices flowed and out came the trend of naming one’s car. …
Diatribe: Car industry bears brunt of government ‘interventions’
Pardon the redundancy, but I absolutely abhor bureaucrats who have no more idea than the man (or woman) in the moon what’s good for our country’s economy. I’m not talking about the rank-and-file government worker who goes to work each day and does what he’s …
Diatribe: Four-speed transmission once were rites of passage
I’ve written previously of my disdain for those who have a high-performance car like a Corvette or a Mustang GT and equip it with an automatic transmission. A performance car without a manual transmission is like a buffet without Jell-O. What a waste! People wax …
Diatribe: Winter’s here – break out the tire chains
With the bad economic times the world has faced for the past too many years it seems there’s a nostalgic yearning for traditions, rituals, habits, what have you. When it comes to auto-related traditions, few examples carry more nostalgia than tire chains. No, I’m not …
Diatribe: Optimism drives the auto industry
As an auto writer I’m invited to many programs that highlight future products. Some involve technology and some involve design. But the common thread is the excitement generated by the manufacturers over their new “things.” It doesn’t matter if the industry just came off its …
Diatribe: Bouncing down the highway like a rubber ball
Talk about being ahead of one’s time. There was a hit song in the 1950s by Bobby Rydell called “Rubber Ball.” The background singers would sing the words, “Bouncy, bouncy” during the chorus. Where am I going with this, you ask? I think of this …
Diatribe: Whatever happened to bona-fide seat covers?
Whenever the subject of new cars and new car accessories comes up, the first and probably most important topic is the vehicle’s audio system. It seems unless you have a decibel level that will cause your ear drums to explode and gush blood you might …
Diatribe: First snow always brings traffic to a stop
This is the time of year when peoples’ spirits are perhaps at their best – that period between Halloween and New Year’s. For all the hustle and bustle there still doesn’t seem to be the angst there usually is on the roads. However, this is …
Diatribe: In reality, seating capacity ends at two
It doesn’t make any difference if a car is a sedan, station wagon, coupe or convertible. If the seating capacity is listed as five, then deduct three. If it’s listed as six, you can deduct four. This has angered me for some time. You may …
Diatribe: Weighing in on truck skirts
Is there anything that California hasn’t had a hand in making ugly? The latest case in point is trailer wind deflectors. These winglike skirting devices are generally found at the bottom of over-the-road 53-foot-long truck trailers. The premise is that these things save thousands of …
Diatribe: Yesterday’s ‘radios’ are today’s ‘audio systems’
If you examine any promotional literature for new vehicles, a lot of verbiage is geared toward audio systems. It seems that in order to get the full impact of a song you have to have a 10,000-watt, 5-million amp, super double-tweeter system that will double …
Diatribe: Shine your light on me
I was sitting at a stoplight the other day looking at what only could have been a police car once upon a time. It was a ’70s Dodge Diplomat with the telltale wide tires and small hub caps. As I stared at the vehicle and …