Jalopnik's Favorite Stories of 2022

By Erin Marquis

Seventeen Union Pacific train cars derailed last week along the same tracks experiencing mass looting in Los Angeles. Union Pacific recently blamed the staggering 160 percent increase in thefts since September 2020 on the Los Angeles district attorney, but the fault may lie, at least in part, with plain old short-sighted greed.

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By Adam Ismail

Back in November, Apple — one of the tech industry’s leading adversaries of the right-to-repair movement — finally caved to pressure from regulators and consumers and announced it would make parts and tools for its products available to the general public. Several months earlier, the Federal Trade Commission vowed to take manufacturers across all industries to task for unlawful repair restrictions, while encouraging the public to reach out and inform it of any shady practices. That followed the European Union’s own similar initiative, taking aim at companies that aren’t incentivized “to make more sustainable products” at the present.

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By Erin Marquis

A urine-drinking anti-COVID-19 activist is currently driving across the country with the intention of making a citizen’s arrest of every Democratic governor while warning Americans about the “bio-weapon” hiding in the vaccine. Are you ready for the really crazy part? He’s doing it without a driver’s license.

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By Steve DaSilva

So you’re interested in buying a Subaru. Maybe you want to stand out in a sea of same-looking commuter cars, or maybe you just appreciate the all-all-wheel-drive (BRZ aside) lineup. Either way, you’ve made an erudite choice. Before you buy, though, you should know about the single biggest Subaru uniquity: the company’s engines.

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By Owen Bellwood

It was 1992 and the brightest and best from the world of snow sports had gathered in Albertville, France, for the 16th Winter Olympic Games. Team USA had once again sent a squad of its top sliders to go for gold in the bobsled competitions. Once again, they came home without a whiff of a podium.

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By Erin Marquis

“There’s trouble ahead. Trouble that may or may not be a signal 30. What will we find? A minor mishap? Or will we look upon the stark face of death?” a deadpan narrator asks his audience. It’s a question you are forced to grapple with every time the scene changes in the first grim and bloody film from the Highway Safety Foundation, Signal 30 (1959)

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By Andy Kalmowitz

For Chris Shade, the Chevy Corvair is more than just a car or his business. It’s his family. I mean that literally. Without the Corvair, Shade’s family – and life – would be far different.

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By Lawrence Hodge

1999 was a notable year for gaming. Some of gaming’s most beloved titles were introduced that year, with many of these titles surviving well into the 2010s and today. Those future classics included Super Smash Bros, Marvel Vs. Street Fighter, Silent Hill, and Donkey Kong 64.

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By José Rodríguez Jr.

The 2022 Mint 400 is done. My first trip to America’s Playground is done, too, my journey undertaken for sole the purpose of covering my first real race. And what a race to cover first! The Mint 400 is steeped in infamy, is recovering from a decades-long hiatus, and is now growing through the use of modern tech that brings the race directly to a growing fanbase via streaming.

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By Lawrence Hodge

What appears to be a floating home in Miami’s Biscayne Bay, isn’t actually a house. At least that’s how lawyers representing the millionaire that owns it argues. County officials are trying to hit the houseboat with a property tax bill, however to the county, it’s not an actual boat.

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By Steve DaSilva

Next week, the New York International Auto Show rolls into a little town called, conveniently, New York. It promises thousands of square feet filled with brand-new cars, one-off concepts, and huge swaths of EV “manufacturers” that no one’s ever seen before trying to pass themselves off as real companies. This year, however, there’s an interesting twist: The 2022 Toyota GR Corolla is coming to New York.

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By José Rodríguez Jr.

If your town is anything like mine, there’s a main corridor connecting a handful of important places, and it’s almost always a highway. This stretch of road is a concrete spine, teeming with drivers that dart back and forth like signals in a nervous system. It’s very rushed and usually efficient but not very fun. That’s why I’m reminding you to drive on back roads when you can. Or more to the point, while you can, because back roads are constantly in danger of discovery.

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By Erin Marquis

In the midst of an American manufacturing collapse, Flint, Michigan, spent millions building a twisted monument to the very industry that was leaving its citizens high and dry. AutoWorld, the world’s first automotive theme park, was sold as the answer to Flint’s woes. It would turn around the city with the highest unemployment in the nation. It lasted all of six months.

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By José Rodríguez Jr.

When Revival Cycles invited me to the Handbuilt Motorcycle Show last year, I didn’t have the heart to admit I’m somewhat of a purist. I had to stop myself from blurting out that I think an amateur restoration pays homage to the spirit of a motorcycle better than even the best custom builds. Now, after getting a chance to see some of the best bikes at the 2022 Handbuilt Show, I’m glad I kept my mouth shut. Turns out I’m less of a purist than I thought.

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By Owen Bellwood

London is a funny old place, everywhere you turn seems to have some intriguing story about its past or a secret history you need to unearth. And while you might expect that this is reserved to the center of the city, where Parliament sits, the Queen lives and all those famous museums are, there are some pretty historic spots across the 30-mile-wide city.

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By Ryan Erik King

We’ve all had our fun laughing at the fake marina constructed for Formula 1's Miami Grand Prix. It’s been memed to death across social media. Sky Sports F1 reporter Craig Slater even dove in on live television and did a pretend backstroke atop the simulated water with microphone in hand. But what if I told you that, within our lifetimes, it’s highly likely that there will be water inundating the Miami circuit? That’s the future reality Sebastian Vettel acknowledged with his bold choice of T-shirt during Wednesday night’s Opening Party.

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By Ryan Erik King

Tomorrow’s Indianapolis 500 isn’t going to be held in the city of Indianapolis, Indiana. The iconic 500-mile race has never been run in Indiana’s state capital. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is located in Speedway, Indiana, a small incorporated town surrounded by Indianapolis. It is racing’s equivalent of the Las Vegas Strip not actually being in Las Vegas, Nevada. Like how Paradise, Nevada exists to further the interests of the casino industry, Speedway was created to further the interests of the automotive industry.

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By Adam Ismail

Lewis Bentley really started to question things when the show ended.

Bentley had won the Pro/Am race at the Salzburg round of the 2019 FIA-Certified Gran Turismo Championships (FIA GTC) — a competition that paired each top-tier Gran Turismo player with an influencer, media personality or celebrity for a two-driver mini-endurance esports competition. Bentley and his partner, streamer Steve Alvarez Brown a.k.a. SuperGT, stood on the top step of the podium, beaming. Bentley was handed a Thrustmaster T-GT, a high-end sim racing steering wheel, as a prize.

“I was thrilled with this and you can see that on camera,” Bentley said.

His enthusiasm didn’t last long.

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By Steve DaSilva

You may have seen a meme going around the internet this week, talking about how much it costs to charge an electric vehicle at a charging station. The meme in question goes so far as to claim that it’s cheaper to tow a fully loaded horse trailer with a Ford F-350 than it is to charge an everyday EV. This, as you may have guessed, is bullshit.

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By Kyle Hyatt

Over the past few years, especially since the beginning of the pandemic, we’ve become increasingly reliant on fast shipping for our online purchases. Still, there’s a human cost behind all those cardboard boxes showing up at your door every day, and with record-breaking heat waves around the globe, package delivery drivers are suffering through inhuman working conditions.

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By Lalita Chemello

Hidden away in a quiet, industrial area outside of downtown Phoenix is a custom car shop. Out front sits an old VW Beetle, a Nash Metropolitan and a Suzuki kei truck. The combination alone makes you ponder what lies behind the doors. Inside is an impressive collection: a couple of wild restomodded vintage Chevy trucks, built for SEMA’s annual Vegas blowout, and a variety of motorcycles. But this is not your typical restoration shop.

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By Lalita Chemello

My dearest Shelby,

I miss you.

I never had someone, something, this special in my life. My first instinct is to apologize for this cliche, but I proudly stand by it. My love for you began at first sight. No. Wait. At first sound.

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By Andy Kalmowitz

Cadillac is in an interesting position right now. The company wants to launch a new brand identity, but its most iconic product doesn’t really mesh with that new direction. Cadillac has said many times that from here on out, all its new vehicles will be electric. That leaves its flagship, the Escalade, in a weird spot.

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By Lawrence Hodge

Being drivers in the 21st century, modern technology has allowed us to have tons of information at our disposal. From travel times with ETAs that are accurate down to the minute to real-time traffic information, many of us take these conveniences for granted. It wasn’t always this way, as those of us who used to print out Mapquest directions recall. But consider that, just over half a century ago, paper maps and travel guides existed to keep certain portions of the population safe while they were out driving. The Negro Traveler’s Green Book, sometimes known as The Negro Motorist Green Book, was that guide. For 30 years, it provided information to help Black drivers navigate America’s roads safely.

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By Collin Woodard

Are you a wealthy former Blackwater contractor who wants a full-size luxury SUV but think the Cadillac Escalade looks too feminine? Are you a member of the Three Percenters who fantasizes about running over BLM protesters and thinks Tucker Carlson’s rhetoric doesn’t go far enough? Do you have $250,000 to spend? Then, boy, does Rezvani have the SUV for you.

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By Owen Bellwood

Most electric bikes that you see on the street are set up for commuters and delivery riders. They’re heavy, with wide tires to soak up bumps, and come decked out with fenders and luggage racks. Bikes like this are great if you want to leave the car at home and take an electrically-assisted ride.

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By Collin Woodard

In general, it’s a bad idea to drive if your car is missing a tire. It’s bad for your wheel, and it tears up the road. If you’re missing two tires, it’s even worse. But what if you’ve been cursed and need to escape to safety? Surely, that’s a reasonable excuse, right? Turns out, at least in Florida, it’s not.

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By Collin Woodard

Yesterday, Road & Track published some disappointing news: Flyin’ Miata is officially out of the V8-swapped ND Miata game. Unless you can find a used one, you’ll have to look to other companies such as V8 Roadsters to satisfy your eight-cylinder Miata needs. But technically, this isn’t new news.

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By Owen Bellwood

Earlier this year, firefighters in Los Angeles proudly showed off their gleaming new truck. Like its predecessors, the truck was bright red and festooned with chrome accents and firefighting paraphernalia. But unlike the Los Angeles Fire Department’s other vehicles, this one had something special hiding underneath all those tools. This brand new truck, built by Austrian manufacturer Rosenbauer, wasn’t your traditional diesel-powered machine. Instead, this one was lauded as “America’s first electric fire truck” — though it’s equipped with a BMW-sourced diesel engine to top up the batteries if they run low.

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By Lalita Chemello

It all started with a phone call. Former race car driver, and current driving coach and mentor, Lyn St. James called up Victoria Thomas, co-owner of KellyMoss Road and Race, to ask her what program would be best for an up-and-coming woman driver. In the last 10 years there has been a noticeable increase in young women yearning to race in the bigger series, but finding it difficult to get there. Thomas, one of the few female team owners in the Porsche Carrera Cup North America paddock — or in racing in general — looked around and asked herself, “where are all the women?”

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By Adam Ismail

Sports cars are supposed to be light; electric cars are heavy. Changing regulations have chimed the slow death of exclusively internal-combustion engine-powered machines, and the first casualties are those marvels of engineering that prioritize performance above all else: supercars.

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By Andy Kalmowitz

There are honestly few things I enjoy more than a long drive. That’s why my girlfriend and I decided to do a roadtrip-based vacation a little while ago. We’d start in Los Angeles and then make our way up the coast to San Francisco, and damn did we have the right car for the job. Meet the 2022 Porsche Panamera 4 E-Hybrid Platinum Edition. It really could be the best long-distance cruiser and daily-driver on sale today.

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