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Auto writer David Gluckman

Brett Berk, author of "Stick Shift:The Gay Car Blog," in his 1972 Suburban

Friday, Jan. 20, for families. The day will
feature musical performances, giveaways
and opportunities to meet Channel 7 on-
air personalities.

DAVID GLUCKMAN

Groves High School grad David Gluck-
man followed his passion for all things
wheeled at his "Crusin' with David"-
themed bar mitzvah — the cake was
sculpted into a Plymouth Prowler — to the
University of Michigan School of Engi-
neering before he "decided that maybe
I wanted to write about cars instead of
designing door handles."
The 27-year-old pursued a master's
degree in journalism at the University of
Colorado in Boulder, where he also got
his commercial driver's license and drove
a bus.
His taste in cars? "I like the big stuff for
no real useful reason!'
In a recent "Rental Car Olympics"
comparison for Car and Drivel; Gluckman
chose a Lincoln Town Car.
"I think they're huge and old and com-
pletely hilarious."
A lap in reverse established the Lin-

16 Janaury 2012

I RED THREAD

coin's genetic line as the same as the
Crown Victoria police car, which, unlike
your average automobile, does not have
a speed limiter in reverse. The delighted
Gluckman discovered that the Lincoln
could do 63 mph backward. "That was a
lot of fun. We didn't break the car, but we
definitely broke the rental agreement."
In his free time, Gluckman reads, listens
to music, and "I try to meet nice Jewish
girls and fail, to my bubbie's dismay."
And he rides a bicycle "because
even when I'm exercising, I need to be
wheeled:'
"For the hometown crowd," Gluckman's
auto show must-sees are Cadillac's new
ATS compact luxury sedan, and he casts
a second vote for Ford's 2012 Mustang
Shelby GT500, which will, he says, be the
"most powerful American car on the mar-
ket when it goes on sale this year."

DAVID ZENLEA

David Zenlea, 26, is the assistant
editor of Automobile magazine. He's also
still looking for the patient woman who
wouldn't mind a carpet of car parapherna-
lia on her garage floor — there's currently

a Pontiac in bits on his.
"I like sitting on my butt in front of a
brake rotor," said Zenlea.
He advises against taking a date to the
auto show.
"I've taken dates to an auto show — not
a good thing to do. Unless they're really
invested in youf
When they find out he's an automotive
writer, "they're interested for a second and
then their eyes sort of glaze over."
Automotive writers can generally be
found tooling around in one press car or
another, but Zenlea laments, "You never
have the Porsche 911 when it's time for
date night. It's usually a Nissan Cube."
His ideal car is the Mazda Miata.
"It's very much an automobile journal-
ist's car. This car is so right:'
Applying the Berk standard, what does
that car say about him?
"It probably says that you're an auto
journalist!" laughed Zenlea.
The Boston native says he was definitely
one of those kids who played with cars.
"When I wasn't quite verbal, I would
point at hubcaps. I would be able to point
at a Chevy."
Zenlea graduated from the University
of Maryland with a background in Jewish
studies and journalism.
"I was always going to write," he said.
"It's something to write about," he says
about cars. "I like almost everything about
it. I really love driving."
In college he covered Washington, D.C.,
and developed a taste for automotive busi-
ness news.
"All that little intrigue. I find it interest-
ing because at the end of the day, they're
producing something that everybody
recognizes."
It's a little tough to be an observant

Jew in the jet-setting world of automotive
journalism where a kosher meal is "a little
thing in cardboard" (in addition to visiting
a globe full of auto shows, auto writers
generally stalk exotic vehicles in their
natural habitat).
"I'll just tell them I'm
a vegetarian because
it's easier:' But, he
said, that doesn't play
in some parts of the
world. Once, after
being assured that the
cook had him covered,
he was served a plate of
prawns that were "still
David Zenlea
squirming."
His tack at the auto show is to "start at
one side — very methodical. I walk the
whole floor and commit to the fact that my
feet are going to hurt."
He starts with the domestics because
"it's still their show. This is their town.
"It's a very good choice out there for
consumers. Everybody's raised their game
a lot. There really are no real lemons out
there:'
Zenlea credits the influx of Japanese
cars with raising the bar across the board.
"A lot of companies are fighting to get
your money:'
The Insider: Rohatynski's advice for
visitors: "Look for the new technology
because it's really, really fascinating how
cars have changed, especially in the last
five years. Come and expect to learn. Ask
as many questions as you can:' Rohatynski
also notes that today's auto show mod-
els, far from being just pretty faces, are
product specialists who attend classes to
prepare for a show. "They're like walking,
talking Wikipedias. In some cases they're
bilingual; in some cases, they sign." hriT

The 2012 North American International Auto Show

The show opens to the press Jan. 9-10, to the industry Jan. 11-12 and to the public at its

annual Charity Preview on Friday, Jan. 13.
Preview tickets are $250, $240 of which is tax deductible. The Charity Preview has
raised $33 million over the last seven years for Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern
Michigan, Boys Hope Girls Hope of Detroit, the Children's Center, Judson Center and the
Detroit Institute for Children, Think Detroit PAL, March of Dimes, Children's Hospital of
Michigan Foundation and the DADA Charitable Foundation Fund.
The public show runs Jan. 14-22. Adult tickets are $12, children and seniors are $6 and
children under 6 are free. For more information, visit www.naias.com .

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