While many auto journalists will tell you they’re just trying to scratch a living out of whatever they can, it’s an undisputed fact that the job has some definite perks. Although we can’t live the life of the rich and famous every day, we do occasionally get invited to drive the cars we cover. For a couple of beautiful days in October, Monticello Motor Club—one of the most exclusive and impressive automotive country clubs in America—opens its doors for the International Motor Press Association‘s (IMPA) Test Days, where schlubs like us get asked to drive some of the best new cars in the world on both a technical race track and the back roads of the Catskill Mountains.
Scion FR-S
Rear-Wheel Drive and Manual Transmissions: Bye Bye, Babies
My favorite cars have rear-wheel drive and a manual transmission. Can anything be better for weight distribution and complete control around corners than the ultimate combination of power-delivering perfection?
I’d take that combo in any car over a hatchback with 300 hp and front-wheel drive.
Unfortunately for people like me, a pretty good case has been made that says rear-wheel drive (RWD) is heading out the door, probably even before the manual transmission bites the dust.