http://magazine.windingroad.com/windingroad/200710web/?folio=8

It’s our sheer pleasure to drive and review a vehicle like the new 2008 Dodge Viper because it’s another example of a car that most likely shouldn’t exist. If, in fact, the Viper did not exist, we’d probably beg and plead for Dodge to build something as voracious as an 8.4-liter V-10 sports car. But with only 1500 or so selling per year, it isn’t born out of a business plan. Fortunately, we don’t judge cars solely on their business viability and we’d hope to see Vipers in the company’s portfolio through the Cerberus years and beyond. On the other end of the spectrum—both philosophically and dimensionally—our review of the new Fiat 500 is evidence of the sheer diversity of automotive enthusiasm that is breathing into the market right now. Should we get a crack at this little buzzer in two to three years’ time—as Matt Davis suggests in his story—we’ll be all the better for it.

You’ll notice that the look and feel of this magazine has changed. Our new platform, created by the good people at Texterity in Southborough, Massachusetts, is more readable and faster than the system we used in the past. You’ll also notice you can still download and archive each issue. Give us a few issues to get our bearings with the new platform and I’m sure you’ll be happy with the results.

On a personal note, I’m writing to you for the last time as the editor of this magazine. It has been my pleasure to work with David E. Davis, Jr., and the editorial staff in Ann Arbor over the past two years and I owe them all a great deal of thanks. With their hard work and your help as a loyal audience, we’ve grown WINDING ROAD from a beta project to a widely read voice in the automotive community. As I fade to black on the masthead of the editorial staff and join our corporate team at Nextscreen in Austin, Texas, I’d like you all to welcome our new editor, Chris Paukert. Knowing that the editor’s role will be taken up by Chris—who’s been at WINDING ROAD for more than a year as our online editor—brings me great joy. Let the new era begin!

Thanks for your time,
Reilly Brennan

Magazine Issue: Winding Road Issue 25