Post by Kasey Kagawa

We here at Dubspeed Towers are big fans of Mr. Dan Neil of the Los Angeles Times. Not only is he a top-notch automotive journalist (Pulitzer-winning, even), but he manages to effectively communicate not only the technical features of the car and what it feels like to drive it, but be consistently funny while doing so. Also, he is in possession of an impeccable sense of style, as shown in the above photo and the Video of the Week. In this week’s installment, Mr. Neil reviews the 1886 Benz Patent Motorwagen, the first truly purpose-built automobile and one of the coolest things ever. As the article states, the only significant difference between the replica and the original prototype is the replacement of the old-school candlestick-sized spark plug with the modern equivalent.

In case you’re still clicking frantically at the picture on the top of this post and trying to figure out why it doesn’t play, this week’s installment of Video of the Week is behind the indicated link at the bottom of the page. Furthermore, the LA Times’ website doesn’t play nice with Firefox, and the video link has to be opened with Internet Explorer. You have been warned.

Before the Rumble Seat [LA Times]
Link to the video link (It’s the link called “Video” under the ad on the right hand side of the page)