WRITE HARD. DIE FREE.

Editor's Note: This week, Peter reflects on the perilous time we find ourselves in and reinforces the absolute imperative of free speech. In On The Table, our AE Song of the Week is "Nobody Told Me" by John Lennon. In Fumes, we have Part III of Peter's series on his all-time favorite racing cars. And in The Line, we have F1 results from Baku and IMSA results from Indianapolis, as well as the 2026 INDYCAR schedule. We're on it! -WG

By Peter M. De Lorenzo

Detroit. Writing this column for 26+ years has been interesting to say the least. As WordGirl and I have often observed, we’re amazed at what some people take away from my writings, because at times it’s like they’ve read an entirely different column than what was posted. I attribute this “selective consumption” to the abbreviated copy bites that pass for reasoned discussion on the Internet these days. People actually being able to concentrate on a group of words longer than a paragraph is rapidly declining. And it is rampant everywhere.

In our case, people see certain words and they’re immediately triggered, and then they fire-off an email to us that borders on the nonsensical. The current miserable political climate doesn’t help this situation in the least, either. To wit, here are some sample emails, with the senders' names/initials left off:

 

“You’re just suffering from TDS. I’m tired of your left-leaning ramblings and so are a bunch of people I know. It’s not worth reading anymore. “

 

To that I said, “Here’s a suggestion: Don’t read it.”

 

And the response was predictable: “Oh, I won’t, and I know plenty of others who won’t either.”

 

And to that, I say: “Good riddance.”

 

(Yes, there are plenty of other emails that were either sent by drunks – we can tell by what time they arrive in our mailbox – or people so filled with hatred that their emails aren’t worthy of regurgitating.)

 

The other emails we get are from higher-ups in the industry who think they’re being clever by submitting a fake email address. One in particular, who has been a relentless target of mine for years, sent an email a while back and I’m paraphrasing:

 

“Nobody gives a shit what you have to say anymore anyway. You stopped being relevant years ago. Let the real people who actually know what’s going on conduct the business and shut the fuck up.”

 

The email’s origin was so obvious that I just laughed. It’s funny, but for someone who suggests that “nobody gives a shit what I have to say” obviously this person sure gives a shit what I have to say.

But then again as I’ve often said, when people agree with me, I’m outstanding and excellent. And when they don’t, I’m an asshole. Such is the lot of someone who is a national columnist commenting on the automobile industry, or any industry for that matter. It just comes with the territory.

 

It isn’t all negative, fortunately. There are people in and around the business who know and appreciate what my role has been over the years. They may not always agree with me – thank goodness, because that would be decidedly boring – but they duly note that my perspectives are uncannily accurate and definitely worth reading.

 

And judging from the response we’re getting on LinkedIn – and the eye-popping numbers – our audience is growing by the week.

 

Why am I writing about this subject this week? It’s clear we’re living in perilous times, where people who disagree with other people’s thoughts and perspectives are more than likely to, at the very least, spew hatred and even project threats. This is definitely Not Good by any measure.

 

No, I’m not a national figure, but I’m a national columnist who appreciates the idea and the practice of free speech.

 

That’s why we live here in America, even though a lot of people seem to be forgetting that fact these days.

 

To say that Autoextremist.com has been a labor of love doesn’t even begin to cover it. It has been my passion – and my life – for 26+ years. And I’m not going to say that the time flew by either, because it hasn’t. I have lived every single moment of it and every bit of it is seared in my memory. 

Suffice to say that you have no idea of the time, effort and energy that it has taken to deliver the Bare-Knuckled, Unvarnished, High-Octane Truth to you every week. It has been an up-at-dawn, pride-swallowing siege – as Cameron Crowe once famously wrote in Jerry McGuire – that few people can comprehend and even fewer will even begin to understand. (Actually, make that pre-dawn, as Peter starts writing at 3:00 a.m. most days. -WG)

It was our blood on these tracks. And it was our unwavering passion and unflinching standards amidst the torrent of mediocrity and just plain dismal behavior on the Internet that stood out. That’s not just us talking, that is the consistent refrain we hear from upper echelon auto executives, members of the media and a countless number of our readers out there, week in and week out.

The fact of the matter is that you can go anywhere and read anything about cars on the Internet, but we’re extremely grateful and proud to say that the best and the brightest came here.

 

In case you’re wondering, I’m going to keep calling things as I see them on this website for the foreseeable future, at least as long as my health allows me to. It won’t be an indefinite amount of time by any means, because I’m closer to The End every day, but I’m quite certain that as long as I’m able to, I will relish bringing you the High-Octane Truth every week.

 

Write Hard. Die Free.

 

Words to live by indeed.

 

And that’s the High-Octane Truth for this week.

 

Editor's Note: Click on "Next 1 Entries" at the bottom of this page to see previous issues. - WG