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David E. Davis
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David E. Davis
David Evan Davis Jr. (November 7, 1930 – March 27, 2011) was an American automotive journalist and magazine publisher widely known as a contributing writer, editor and publisher at Car and Driver magazine and as the founder of Automobile magazine.
Davis influenced the format of automotive journalism by introducing premium publishing features and he influenced the profession by mentoring a gamut of automotive photographers, illustrators, designers and journalists – including Jean Lindamood Jennings, Robert Cumberford, Bruce McCall, P. J. O'Rourke, Jim Harrison and David Halberstam – as well as younger colleagues and journalism students.
Known for his own straightforward writing style and his colorful personality – at six-foot-three inches tall, bearded, portly and always immaculately dressed – Davis had once been featured in The New York Times On the Street fashion section. Automotive writer Todd Lassa called him "a raconteur, an impresario, a bon vivant in a tweed, three-piece suit." As an editor he maintained an "atmosphere of creative turbulence."The New York Times described him as "a combative swashbuckler who encouraged criticism of the cars it tested, even at the risk of losing advertising."
His collected writings were published in 1999 "Thus Spake David E.: The Collected Wit and Wisdom of the Most Influential Automotive Journalist of Our Time".
Davis said his success in automotive journalism came from "his ability to marry southern storytelling to big-city presentation." The Truth About Cars said "automotive journalism in the post-Vietnam-War era was entirely and singlehandedly defined by David E. Davis Jr." Time magazine called Davis the "dean of automotive journalists."
Davis was born in Burnside, Kentucky, on November 7, 1930 – in a house without running water, on a hill called Tyree's Knob. His aunt was Harriette Arnow, author of the best-selling novel, The Dollmaker. Davis graduated from high school in Royal Oak, Michigan, having failed his journalism class. He later briefly attended Olivet College. He worked in a series of jobs: as a race car driver, Volkswagen salesman, men's clothing salesman, ad salesman with Road & Track, and assembly line worker in a car factory. He would develop his "simple, declarative [writing] style" working on aviation technical manuals.
Davis overturned while racing his sports car (an MG TF 1500) at age 25 in Sacramento – badly damaging his face. He lost his left eyelid, the bridge of his nose, the roof of his mouth and most of his teeth. In addition to the accident essentially scraping off half his face, the ambulance attendant had thrown away pieces of his nose. Davis required extensive plastic surgery – and was later able to hide his disfigurement under his full beard. He described the crash and its aftermath as pivotal:
I suddenly understood with great clarity that nothing in life — except death itself — was ever going to kill me. No meeting could ever go that badly. No client would ever be that angry. No business error would ever bring me as close to the brink as I had already been.
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David E. Davis
David Evan Davis Jr. (November 7, 1930 – March 27, 2011) was an American automotive journalist and magazine publisher widely known as a contributing writer, editor and publisher at Car and Driver magazine and as the founder of Automobile magazine.
Davis influenced the format of automotive journalism by introducing premium publishing features and he influenced the profession by mentoring a gamut of automotive photographers, illustrators, designers and journalists – including Jean Lindamood Jennings, Robert Cumberford, Bruce McCall, P. J. O'Rourke, Jim Harrison and David Halberstam – as well as younger colleagues and journalism students.
Known for his own straightforward writing style and his colorful personality – at six-foot-three inches tall, bearded, portly and always immaculately dressed – Davis had once been featured in The New York Times On the Street fashion section. Automotive writer Todd Lassa called him "a raconteur, an impresario, a bon vivant in a tweed, three-piece suit." As an editor he maintained an "atmosphere of creative turbulence."The New York Times described him as "a combative swashbuckler who encouraged criticism of the cars it tested, even at the risk of losing advertising."
His collected writings were published in 1999 "Thus Spake David E.: The Collected Wit and Wisdom of the Most Influential Automotive Journalist of Our Time".
Davis said his success in automotive journalism came from "his ability to marry southern storytelling to big-city presentation." The Truth About Cars said "automotive journalism in the post-Vietnam-War era was entirely and singlehandedly defined by David E. Davis Jr." Time magazine called Davis the "dean of automotive journalists."
Davis was born in Burnside, Kentucky, on November 7, 1930 – in a house without running water, on a hill called Tyree's Knob. His aunt was Harriette Arnow, author of the best-selling novel, The Dollmaker. Davis graduated from high school in Royal Oak, Michigan, having failed his journalism class. He later briefly attended Olivet College. He worked in a series of jobs: as a race car driver, Volkswagen salesman, men's clothing salesman, ad salesman with Road & Track, and assembly line worker in a car factory. He would develop his "simple, declarative [writing] style" working on aviation technical manuals.
Davis overturned while racing his sports car (an MG TF 1500) at age 25 in Sacramento – badly damaging his face. He lost his left eyelid, the bridge of his nose, the roof of his mouth and most of his teeth. In addition to the accident essentially scraping off half his face, the ambulance attendant had thrown away pieces of his nose. Davis required extensive plastic surgery – and was later able to hide his disfigurement under his full beard. He described the crash and its aftermath as pivotal:
I suddenly understood with great clarity that nothing in life — except death itself — was ever going to kill me. No meeting could ever go that badly. No client would ever be that angry. No business error would ever bring me as close to the brink as I had already been.