Welcome to Must Read, where we single out the best stories from around the automotive universe and beyond. Today we've got reports from Scouting NY, Washington Post, and Car And Driver.
How A Beautiful 19th-Century Marble Archway In Manhattan Became An Auto Body Shop – Scouting NY
The always great Scouting NY found a body shop in the most unlikely place in NYC. It's up on Google Maps as well.
This archway is the last remaining structure from the Seaman-Drake estate, which used to sit atop the Inwood hills over 100 years ago. I noticed several historical pictures of the property in the window of the Inwood Hills Spirit & Wine Room beside the arch.
Doom-Doom? Why Mazda Needs a Savior – Car And Driver
The always thoughtful Jim Hall tackles a sad reality while much of the motoring corps goes out to review the new 2014 Mazda3.
Mazda’s future is wracked with uncertainty, a worrisome notion for those who love affordable fun cars. Mazda’s divorce from 30-year-plus partner Ford deprived the Japanese brand of critical economies of scale, greatly increasing its costs. And last year’s economic windfall was the product of a variable the company doesn’t control: currency fluctuation. Mazda made more money than expected in 2012 because of the weakening yen, which earned the company a greater return on the many vehicles it exports from Japan. If the yen’s value swings the other way, to the stronger position it has generally held the past four years, Mazda’s profits will suffer. Something has to change.
An urban redevelopment train wreck shows the peril of 1970s federal planning – Washington Post
You should read the full article but here's a taste of it.
The story in a nutshell: Big, complicated public land deals involving private investment, churches and mixed-up property records are really hard to pull off. When residents are moved out with the promise of returning to shiny new buildings, something nearly always goes awry.