I had a hard time choosing my favorite stories Jalopnik published in 2017. That’s because between prison snitches, BMW addicts, doomed startups, car hoarders, secret Porsches and hurricanes, there was almost too much good to choose from.
Around these parts, 2016 was all about survival. At the outset I figured 2017 would be a rebuilding year. Instead, it ended up as the most successful year in Jalopnik’s entire history.
We nearly doubled our global audience of readers to 12 million a month. We launched a damn TV series. We rebuilt our video operation from the ground up and had our best showing ever for shows like Jason Drives. We did kickass live events like co-sponsoring Radwood 2 and our car show in Newark where you fine readers raised more than $20,000 for hurricane relief charities. (Good job!)
And we did all of that on the back of some excellent stories, many of which you will read below in my annual editor’s picks roundup. These represent, in my humble opinion, the best of what we do: the best features, exclusives, investigations, hot takes and shitposts that make Jalopnik stand out against the endlessly bland and indistiguishable landscape of automotive journalism.
We don’t plan on slowing down in 2018, and we don’t plan on changing much. We want to do more video. Car vs. America looks like it’s coming back for another go. On the site we’ll be broadening our coverage of car culture and technology, and away from it we’ll be doing more big events with you fine people. And as we address the topic of how autonomous cars are the future—or not!—we’ll figure out what that means for people who love to drive.
I’m excited, and I hope you are too. Onward and upward.
Quick Thinking And Garden Blocks Saved This Guy’s BMW X5 And E36 M3s From Harvey
I believe this ended up also being the most-read Jalopnik story of 2017. Houston enthusiast Cody W. Crochet didn’t let Hurricane Harvey push him around, and for that we salute him.
The Saga Of The Salvage Pikes Peak Corvette
Our tame racing driver Robb Holland actually went out and did the kind of thing car people come up with after having too many rounds of drinks: he bought a salvage title C7 Corvette Z06, built it into a race car and set it loose on Pikes Peak. Then he set a record on the famed course. You should read this series if you haven’t already.
What General Motors Did To Flint
The hell that Flint, Michigan went through with its water crisis is more complex than people think. Here, Ryan expertly documents how conditions that led to this disaster built up over decades through suburbanization, white flight, a crumbling tax base, poor infrastructure and terrible development decisions to keep General Motors happy.
The last line in the piece still haunts me personally when I think of Flint.
This Man Is The Four-Wheel Drive King Of The World And His Collection Will Blow Your Mind
When David went to Hong Kong, he spent time with one of the most interesting people in the entire car world. Get to know Victor Ma, perhaps China’s top authority on 4x4 vehicles, and meet his insane collection.
The BMW Addiction That Completely Destroyed This Man’s Life
Writer and essayist David Obuchowski had some strong stories here this year, starting with this one. What happened to Terrance here—what Terrance did—isn’t really about cars. It’s about something much darker and sadder, and I think that’s why it resonated with so many people.
The Nissan 300ZX Rebuild Saga
Peter Monshizadeh is an angel from heaven who drops into my inbox without warning and gives me an amazing new story about successful vehicle repair.
Many of us dream about owning one of the flagship 1990s Japanese sports cars, but his Nissan 300ZX rebuild series offers more than dreams. It’s a collection of longform, in-depth diaries on how to live with and fix these cars successfully. Expect more from him in 2018.
The Would-Be Auto Worker Caught Up In A Detroit Prison Snitch Scandal
When Ryan came to Jalopnik after covering politics and justice in the Midwest for The Guardian, he told me about an investigation he spent more than a year working on and asked me if Deadspin or Fusion (now Splinter) might want it. I said no, because even though it was outside of Jalopnik’s purview, I believed in it enough that I wanted it here.
It’s something very different from us but well worth the read.
Why This Job-Starved Town Thinks Car Startup Elio Motors Took It For A Ride
I feel like in a lot of ways, 2017 was the year of reckoning for many automotive and transportation startups after years of endless hype and easy VC money. We will see if Elio Motors makes it past 2018, but what happens to the Louisiana town where the new jobs were promised?
Meet The Die-Hard Enthusiasts Keeping The Nissan 200SX Dream Alive In A NORAD Bunker
Our Canadian friend William Clavey had a lot of great reviews and stories this year, but this one was my favorite and the most Jalopnik: unbridled, almost unreasonable enthusiasm for an obscure and somewhat unloved car.
Here’s What It Takes To Be A Kickass Car Designer At Just 23
Kristen’s profiles of women working in the car industry are extremely worth reading, but the first is my favorite, because Darby is rad and she’s working everyone’s dream job at a super young age. The car industry needs more young enthusiasts like her making things happen.
Why 2,000 Chicago Mechanics Are At War With Car Dealers
Alanis had a great first year as a full-time Jalopnik writer, and I loved this story because it shows the hidden, ugly underside to the economics of cars. The mechanics and dealers finally came to terms after seven weeks of striking.
The Hurricane Took Radar’s Car. Life Took The Rest
Another jam from Obuchowski that’s not really about cars, but about loss and how neighborhoods leave people behind when they change and gentrify. Radar’s still after his dream Charger, in case you’re curious. I hope he gets it someday.
Here’s What Happened When I Drove 500 Miles To Pick Up A Free Car
David is the hero that old Jeeps deserve. I mean, it didn’t end great, but he tried!
Growing Up With The Fiat Everyone Warns You About
“People who get it know there’s something satisfying about driving a car with pedigree, and the imminence of disaster is just part of the adventure.” I can’t think of a better way to summarize old car ownership than what Andrew wrote here.
Project Slow Devil
Every year David takes on a new car project and gets it in shape to run in the Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah. This year was his most ambitious attempt yet in a decrepit WWII-era Jeep, but it ended up doing pretty well out there. It just wasn’t very cheap.
Uber Is Doomed
It is incredible to me that the entire car industry is chasing after a money black hole that also happens to be horrible to women and drivers and often to its own customers. But hey, mobility!
I Went To An Underground Car Meet In America And It Was Ridiculous
A Car Nerd’s Guide To Japan was one of my favorite features of 2017, but this fish out of water look at an underground car meet in the U.S. stood out the most to me. We should bring Ken to H2Oi next year. If it happens.
The Cultural War Over ‘America’s Most Ticketed Car Show’
Speaking of, Kristen brought us a look at how car cultures change over time and even get subverted by newcomers. What does H2Oi mean anymore, and who gets to decide that? At least we got what was probably the best Car vs. America episode out of the event.
What If Autonomous Cars Just Never Happen?
It took me a while to figure out how we, a car enthusiast site, should approach the subject of autonomous cars. But the more we reported on the topic, the more we figured out that maybe buyers don’t want it, maybe it will screw over poor people, maybe the tech isn’t really ready for primetime yet, and maybe the thinkfluencers from Silicon Valley don’t really know what’s best for us.
A lot more skepticism is warranted here than what you get in the mainstream tech press, and that’s how we plan on facing this topic in 2018 and beyond. Human driving still matters, and it will for a long time.
This Disturbing Theory Explains Pixar’s Cars
It’s hard to pick the best Jason Torchinsky stories because everything he does is crazy and magical, but this may be his magnum opus. Prove us wrong, Pixar!
A Michigan Town Is Forcing This Man To Sell 20 Old Cars Off His Property Every Month
David and I respectfully disagree with one another over whether Ron Dauzet is a collector or a hoarder, but we both agree he’s been put in an impossible situation here.
The Best Nissan Z-Cars Happened Because Their Designers Broke The Rules
Stef had great interviews with the designers of the Nissan 240Z and Z32 300ZX this year, and they are united by one common thread: that anytime something cool happens at this conservative Japanese company, it’s because some young maverick pulled a fast one on management. I’d say Nissan could use more folks like that right now.
The World’s Most Secret Porsche And The Madmen Who Built It
A bizarre tale of madness, obsession and money that could only come from the Germans, expertly told by Raphael Orlove.
Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About The JD Power Awards
The Associates were his wife and kids! Everything in life is a lie.
What It Was Like Keeping The New Jeep Wrangler’s Juiciest Secrets Quiet For Two Years
Not a ton of people work in both the auto industry and auto journalism, but David has done both, and for him that meant keeping quiet about the 2018 Jeep Wrangler when the rest of us goons scrambled to find out everything we could about it. Here’s a fun story about being on both sides of the fence.
Tesla’s ‘Hell’ Threatens Its Future
Was 2017 the year the world’s collective honeymoon with Tesla came to an end? Maybe so. The automaker desperately needs to deliver on its ambitious promises with the Model 3, and soon, and new roadsters and semis and rockets aren’t going to fix the problem.
I Just Attended A Police Auction And My God Are The Cars Cheap
Ever wonder what happens at one of these things? Now you know.
And yes, I do worry about David. A lot.
The Mercedes-AMG GT C Roadster And Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster Both Hail From A Golden Age
It’s not often that a car review rises to something more, but Kristen’s take on the most iconic Mercedes-Benz ever and its current flagship convertible reveals a lot of greater truths. Also, the photos are gorgeous, and you’ll be jealous that she got seat time in both.
‘Accidental Billionaire’: How The Outlandish Ambition Of Faraday Future’s Financier Brought The Startup To Its Knees
Faraday Future has been weird and insane and incomprehensible since the beginning, and it may just be sticking around for at least some of 2018 now. Here, Ryan gives the best look anyone has ever done at the man behind it all. We can’t wait to see what happens next with the world’s most fascinating would-be carmaker.
The Tale Of Longhorn Speedway, The Forgotten Ghost Track In The Shadow Of Circuit Of The Americas
Alanis is passionate about finding and preserving America’s fading small town race track history. Here’s the tale of how one such track in the shadow of Circuit of the Americas came to a sad end.
What It Really Takes To Trade Your Day Job For Race Cars And Parties
Bill Caswell is a friend and a Jalopnik legend, but what’s it really like to live the Build Race Party life? You think you might be up for it, but you probably aren’t.
Andrew’s profile details how the man himself does it—or, sometimes, doesn’t. He’s human after all, even though he’ll be mad at me for revealing that secret to you.
Tesla’s Hurricane Irma Update Taps Into Our Deepest Fears Of 21st Century Driving
Whether autonomous cars happen or not, technology will soon enable a far greater deal of corporate (or perhaps even government) control over your car after it’s sold than we are used to. From Justin, in this thoughtful and scary piece: “We now face a reality where we know our vehicles may hold more potential than we have access to, and that gets complicated in life or death scenarios.”
The Honda S660 Is The Most Fun You Can Have At 25 MPH
In Japan, Ken drives one of my favorite forbidden fruit JDM cars of the moment and delivers gorgeous photos as well. When 2042 rolls around, I’m putting one of these in my garage. If I’m not dead. Which, more than likely, we all will be.
How Subprime Car Loans Are Ruining Lives And Repeating The Mistakes Of The Housing Crisis
As we all look forward to 2018, I’ll leave you with some thing to be not-optimistic about. Skyrocketing loan terms, booming crossover and SUV sales, rising new car prices, more defaults than we’ve seen in years, stagnant incomes and the lowest savings rate since the recession: the ingredients are all here for the auto industry to face another crisis soon. And it’s going to take a lot of people’s personal finances down with it.
Have Your Mind Blown By The Most Amazing Secret Car Collection In America
Okay, fine. We’ll end on a positive note. Down in Christiansburg, VA, a man named Gary Duncan has the greatest car collection you’ve never heard of—rooms and rooms full of Nissan Figaros and Toyota Seras and Japanese funeral cars, just to name a few.
At the office, as we watched the tour on Facebook Live, we all thought we had dropped acid by accident. But this place is real, and it is fantastic, a testament to one man’s wonderful obsessions and willingness to share it with the outside world.