About Bauer Drive

Some kids got bedtime stories. I got spy shots. My grandfather, Jim Dunne, more or less invented automotive spy photography. He spent decades hiding in the bushes outside proving grounds to catch cars no one was supposed to see yet. Cars and words are, apparently, the family business.

So here's my turn. Bauer Drive is where I write about cars the way I actually talk about them: honestly, with a point of view, and hopefully in a way that's worth your time. Reviews, the occasional strong opinion, and the stories behind the metal. No brochure-speak, and no pretending a bad car is fine because someone might be reading.

Windows down.

Start here

If you read one thing, read The 5 A.M. Auto Show. Cobo Hall in January, a grandfather who taught the underneath, a brother who shared the driver's seat, and the city that made cars matter. It is the reason this site exists.

Where else you can find me

X, @BauerDrivex
LinkedIn, JP Bauer
RSS

Elsewhere in print

Forbes, 2019: The Alfa-Romeo Stelvio Q4, Art Edges Science. My first appearance in car media, quoted on the Stelvio's center-stack controls: "I like the layout, but how to use the dial is not clear." Grading car tech against the iPhone since 2019.

Get in touch

Story ideas, feedback, a car you think I should drive, or the one physical button your car took away from you. Send it here or email jp@bauerdrive.com. Reader letters have a habit of becoming their own pieces.