Welcome to Must Read, where we single out the best stories from around the automotive universe and beyond. Today, we have reports from The Atlantic, The Truth About Cars and Hemmings.
Google's Self-Driving Cars Have Never Gotten a Ticket – The Atlantic
Working for the Mountain View, Calif. police department must be odd. What do you do if one of Google's cars breaks a traffic law? Yes, the DMV has held hearings. No, they don't know what to do.
"Right now the California Vehicle Code reads that the person seated in the driver's seat is responsible for the movement of the vehicle," Mountain View PD's Jaeger tole me in an email. "Exceptions being someone grabbing the steering wheel and forcing the car off the roadway, etc."
Perhaps the way the driverless car takes control of the vehicle is analogous to someone grabbing the wheel?
Google itself argues that the ticket should go to ... well, Google itself.
Capsule Review: Rabbit GTI Mk1 (USA Model) – The Truth About Cars
Jack Baruth drove a Mk1 GTI in a decidedly different manner than Damon did. So regret I was busy driving the new stuff.
Driving this old Rabbit simply makes you feel good. The reasons are easy to understand. After years spent in the dank black cave of the modern automobile, the 360-degree greenhouse, tremendous natural lighting, and bright red interior offer salvation for the enthusiast soul. Sit upright! Work a nonassisted steering wheel! Reach down and stir a shifter with just five gears! Even the three pedals work differently than you'd expect, being far more up-and-down than back-and-forth. It's involving, and brilliant, and tremendous fun.
Ghia-built 1956 Plymouth Plainsman concept returns to the auction block – Hemmings
Yeah, bold. Bold is a word to describe this.
Chrysler's press release on the Plainsman called it a "bold new experiment in station wagon design," and Exner himself expanded on this by stating that the car "reflects the colorful and casual way of life that typifies the nation's westward movement and is a bold expression of the suburban trend in American living." Bold it was, as the Plainsman attempted to blend elements of Western style (the longhorn emblems on the B-pillars, the "unborn calfskin hide" seating surfaces, its metallic bronze and ivory livery) with elements of Chrysler's "Flight Sweep" design (the faux turbine intakes running from front bumper to rear quarter panel, the rear fender tailfins, the shrouded headlamps and taillamps), all translated into three dimensions by an Italian coachbuilder.
Photo: AP Images