Welcome to Must Read, where we single out the best stories from around the automotive universe and beyond. Today, we have reports from Forbes, Vanity Fair and Mental Floss.
Why It's Time For The Auto Industry To Create A New Model T – Forbes
An excerpt from Jalopnik contributor Micheline Maynard from her eBook Curbing Cars.
There's an opportunity for some smart company to build the next car for the masses. There is certainly a precedent for doing so. The original Model T put the car within the reach of the American middle class for the first time, and as cheaper used versions became available, the demographic got pushed down even further to the working class.
Celebrating Spring—and Officiating a Wedding—in a Corvette Stingray Convertible – Vanity Fair
From Brett Berk. And with the quote that makes me glad I don't live in the midwest.
"In Detroit, we leave the snow tires on until May," a Chevy rep told us.
This Is What the First 1040 Tax Forms Looked Like – Mental Floss
Because it's Tax Day and things could be worse.
Nothing in life is certain except for death and taxes, but that wasn't always the case. (Well, the death part was, obviously.) The United States didn't impose a personal income tax until 1861 in an effort to help fund the Civil War. It was a flat tax of 3% on anyone making over $800 annually. This was repealed and replaced a year later with a scaled tax of 3% on incomes between $600 and $10,000, and 5% on all incomes higher than $10,000. It also had a built-in termination date: 1866.
Photo via Getty Images