Forums » Off-topic discussion » David E. Davis dead at 80. 1 2

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  March 27, 2011 7:53 p.m. SyntheticBlinkerFluid Reader

  Just saw that over on Jalopnik. He died from complications from cancer surgery. He was a very good auto journalist. I usually enjoyed reading his articles.

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  March 27, 2011 8:11 p.m. Duke SuperDork

  Wowo, I don't know why not, but I didn't realize that he was that old. I grew up with him at the helm of C/D in the glory days.

  Junior Brown is my hero.

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  March 27, 2011 8:15 p.m. Woody SuperDork

  He could certainly be pompous and off-putting at times, but I read his book Thus Spake David E and I really enjoyed it. He was, without question, a Car Guy.

  I will miss reading his work.

  

  I lift things up and put them down.

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  March 27, 2011 8:27 p.m. Woody SuperDork

  “I sometimes dream of a FedEx flight on its way to Memphis flying over Parma where she lives and a grand piano falling out of the airplane and whistling down through the air, this enormous object, and lands on her and makes the damnedest chord anybody has ever heard; this sound of music that has never been heard by the human ear. And the next morning all they can find . . . [are] some shards of wood and a grease spot and no other trace of Mrs. Jennings.”

  I lift things up and put them down.

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  March 27, 2011 8:30 p.m. Giant Purple Snorklewacker SuperDork

  RIP. I enjoyed a lot of his work when I was growing up.

  Video Interview with the quote from Woddy's post

  Lord of drivel and harbinger of Floundering

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  March 27, 2011 8:52 p.m. Maroon92 SuperDork

  Truly an institution in the world of American Automotive journalism. I looked up to him, he will be missed.

  (I heard he was a bit of a curmudgeon, though i guess you are allowed certain tolerances when you have accomplished what he has.)

  XBL GamerTag: bcbrownell Racing is the process of turning money into noise.

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  March 27, 2011 8:58 p.m. Keith SuperDork

  Can't say I ever appreciated his writing at all, but he was one of the big guys.

  Square left in 50 caution ocean!

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  March 27, 2011 9:00 p.m. JFX001 SuperDork

  RIP David E.,

  Freedom and whisky...

  Easy like Sunday Morning.

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  March 27, 2011 11:49 p.m. friedgreencorrado SuperDork

  Just discovered this over on the hotlink thread, of all places..
  

  I liked him, but I'm old enough to remember when he took over Car and Driver from Stephan Williamson. He hired Don Sherman, Jean Lindamood, Csaba Csere, and was smart enough to retain Brock Yates & LJK Setright. He also discovered that PJ O'Rourke was a car guy, and got him to write some fantatstic stories about our common addiction. IIRC, PJ's latest book is a collection of the stuff he wrote for C/D.
  

  http://www.amazon.com/Driving-Like-Crazy-Hell-bending-Celebrating/dp/0802118836

  In the pre-internet era, (late 70s, early 80s) Car and Driver was (IMO) the best way to find honesty in the enthusiast community. If a car sucked, they said it sucked. If a car ruled, they actually decribed why-and told you about the few little things that would piss you off if you bought one.

  Road & Track was full of people trying to hold too closely to the past during the time of increasing smog controls, and Motor Trend was kissing corporate ass & following street car trends (the kinda stuff they printed back then was ".hey, buy a 912, put a 935 body kit on it, and the girls will love you!.."). IIRC, C/D didn't take many swings at R&T during that era, but had plenty of vitriol for "Toilet Trends" (as the editorial board called MT during that era).

  Apologies for the length of the post..before GRM & the internet came along, DED Jr's pack of crazies at Car and Driver were how I got my automotive "freak" on... Only reason I didn't get WTF he was trying to do when he started "Automobile" was that I wasn't old enough then to understand it.
  

  Should I have posted this on the CM board instead?

  How can it be a midlife crisis, when I've driven sportscars my entire life?

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  March 28, 2011 1:28 a.m. Mental SuperDork

  PJ O'Rouke's lates is a great book, in typical PJ fashion.

  I never realized that David E. Davis had such a deformaty after an accident. I remember when Automobile premiered, I was 15. I had every issue, bought at the news stand since issue 1. That was where I discovered both PJ O'Rouke and Bob Judd. After a week long vacation just before my Senior year my compulsive Momma decide to trash my collection of car mags (I never through any away). I lost them all.

  At least I still have GRMs from when I discovered them some years later.

  "Guns make you stupid. Duct tape makes you smart." - Micheal Weston

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  March 28, 2011 2:08 a.m. mtn SuperDork

  Never read any of his work, but am sorry to hear it nonetheless.

  I loved PJ's book, had me laughing out loud. If you are highly liberal, be sure to remember who it was written by so you can still laugh.

  On a semi-related note, I've been thinking of starting a subscription to C&D or R&T seeing as I found an offer for 2 years for $5.

  Anytime somebody tells you that vodka mixes well with anything, slide them a jar of mayonnaise and tell them to practice what they preach.

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  March 28, 2011 6:54 a.m. Klayfish Reader

  I haven't read his books, but having been a continuous subcriber to C&D since the early 80's, very sad to hear of his passing. Reading his columns was part of my childhood.

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  March 28, 2011 7:47 a.m. Maroon92 SuperDork

  mtn wrote: On a semi-related note, I've been thinking of starting a subscription to C&D or R&T seeing as I found an offer for 2 years for $5.

  Unfortunately, that is what it's worth these days. There may be one or two articles per issue that are worth looking at, then I trash them. I still get auto week (Auto Fortnight), if only to remind myself of the racing schedule for the next weekend.

  XBL GamerTag: bcbrownell Racing is the process of turning money into noise.

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  March 28, 2011 8:15 a.m. mtn SuperDork

  Maroon92 wrote:

  mtn wrote: On a semi-related note, I've been thinking of starting a subscription to C&D or R&T seeing as I found an offer for 2 years for $5.

  Unfortunately, that is what it's worth these days. There may be one or two articles per issue that are worth looking at, then I trash them. I still get auto week (Auto Fortnight), if only to remind myself of the racing schedule for the next weekend.

  Eh, might still do it for toilet material. How much is AW?

  Anytime somebody tells you that vodka mixes well with anything, slide them a jar of mayonnaise and tell them to practice what they preach.

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  March 28, 2011 8:37 a.m. Otto Maddox HalfDork

  TTAC's take

  Baruth mentions GRM in the article. I am not sure if it is a compliment or criticism.

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  March 28, 2011 9:09 a.m. slefain SuperDork

  I saw him at Amelia Island the other week. He was one of the people I always meant to track down and just have a few words. I enjoyed reading his work in Automobile, I guess I need to read his books now. Always sad to lose one of the big guys.

  Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.

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  March 28, 2011 9:11 a.m. T.J. SuperDork

  Simple gearhead silliness?

  "During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." George Orwell

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  March 28, 2011 9:33 a.m. Otto Maddox HalfDork

  In reply to T.J.:

  I like simplicity. I like being a gearhead. I like being silly.

  I conclude it is a complement.

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  March 28, 2011 11:21 a.m. Joe Gearin Associate Publisher

  I memorized every word in every issue of C/D from 1978 until 1990 or so. It was my bible as a kid. Back then it was a great magazine, with tons of humor, and wit. They even built project cars!

  Although I was never a big fan of his pomposity, he was the guy in charge for a long time, and had a massive influence on this industry.

  His hard work, and the people he put in place fed my car addiction, and helped steer my love of automobiles.

  Thanks Mr. Davis!

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  March 28, 2011 11:29 a.m. Appleseed SuperDork

  I hated his mustache.

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  March 28, 2011 11:46 a.m. Jay SuperDork

  I don't even remember what it was about anymore but years ago I cancelled my Automobile subscription because I was so angry at one of his columns I decided it was morally wrong for me to be giving him money. I was a very opinionated teenager back then. (I'm just as opinionated these days, but I have more tolerance for hearing others' opinions when they differ wildly from mine. They're still wrong though.)

  I do hope David E. personally read the letter I sent. I think he would have been delighted that something he wrote pissed someone off so much.

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  March 28, 2011 11:51 a.m. Lesley SuperDork

  He emceed the Carroll Shelby induction into the Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame last year... seemed far less pompous in person than in print.

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  March 28, 2011 12:46 p.m. spitfirebill SuperDork

  Jay wrote: I don't even remember what it was about anymore but years ago I cancelled my Automobile subscription because I was so angry at one of his columns I decided it was morally wrong for me to be giving him money. I was a very opinionated teenager back then. (I'm just as opinionated these days, but I have more tolerance for hearing others' opinions when they differ wildly from mine. They're still wrong though.) I do hope David E. personally read the letter I sent. I think he would have been delighted that something he wrote pissed someone off so much.

  We are pretty much of the same opinion. i quit reading C&D in the late 70 early 80s when the eidtor got so snooty with and teh letters from readers. A couple of week ago I picked up a new issue in a Dr. office and it hadn't changed a bit. And while it is a handsome publication, Automobile pissed me off so bad (Kitman and Jennings to be precise), I dropped it and won't even pick up a free issue to read now.
  

  But I never met DED.

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  March 28, 2011 4:21 p.m. shadetree30 Reader

  (Copy of my post on All Things GRM) Been a fan since 1965.

  Two Davis-isms I will always remember:

  "Turn in your hymnals to 2002" (in an article about a Guess What)

  and

  "Oh Rapture unbearable", (regarding an Alfa romeo 5-speed)

  And there are countless others. What a guy.

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  March 28, 2011 5:41 p.m. aeronca65t Dork

  David E was a character. I have to say I enjoyed most (but not all) of his writing. He lead a great magazine (C&D) back in the day. I wasn't as keen on Automobile.

  I actually started reading Sports Car Illustrated (which turned into Car & Driver). I will always remember their Jaguar E-type project car with the Pontiac OHC Six. And the excellent tractor-trailer testing they did at Bridgehampton.

  Back in the 60s through 80s, C&D was a neat magazine, with Jean Shepard, Warren Weith, Dick Smothers, LJK Setright, Gordon Jennings, PJ O'Rourke and of course, Brock Yates.

  It was an interesting magazine.

  These days, in my opinion, it's only fit for use at the bottom of a bird cage.

  By the way, I'm guessing many of you know that these days, Brock Yates writes a column in Vintage Motorsports magazine.

  In a recent column, he announced that he has Alzheimer's disease and would probably not be able to continue much longer

  Enjoy Every Sandwich ~ W.Z.

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