Mary Chapman

Psst ... what do these Tesla Model 3 sedans sound like when on the move? In 2020, federal regulations mandate that they have a sound, for safety reasons.

If a hybrid or electric car rolls through the forest, does it make a sound? Well, it should

August 18, 2019 at 4:57 p.m.

It’s almost eerie, that sci-fi, sonar-like sound that hybrids and electric vehicles emit at low speeds. Because such vehicles have quiet powertrains, the sound is basically there to protect pedestrians....

Automakers put some thought into what a car's horn, such as the one on this 2020 Toyota Supra, is supposed to sound like.

Even if you probably didn’t think about what your car horn sounds like, someone did

August 18, 2019 at 4:57 p.m.

Eons before alert systems and even highways, motorists used a myriad of signaling choices including bells, whistles, chimes, buzzers and hand-squeezed horns, all competing with the sound of horse’s hooves....

The 1956 Ford Edsel is displayed at the Museum of Failure in Los Angeles on Dec. 7, 2017. Few flops are as monumental as the Edsel, which was suggested to be called Intelligent Whale by poet Marianne Moore.

What’s in a car name? Would you buy ‘Arteon’ or ‘Intelligent Whale’?

August 18, 2019 at 9:40 p.m.

From Camry to Velar, Impreza to Panamera, automakers have a history of relying on everything from portmanteaus to poets to turn invention into identity. Once upon a time, Ford Motor...

Controversial Ram truck Super Bowl ad might have gotten something right

August 18, 2019 at 9:41 p.m.

While debate continues to roil over a Ram Super Bowl commercial featuring a sermon by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the controversial ad was, in a way, groundbreaking. "It's...

O.J. Simpson's white Bronco is pursued on a freeway in Buena Park, Calif., in June 1994.

Ford Bronco poised for comeback as O.J. set to leave jail

June 1, 2019 at 7:03 a.m.

The connection seems almost mystical. When O.J. Simpson was making Heisman moves at the University of Southern California, Ford Broncos were racing nearby in the Baja 1000. Following Simpson's infamous...

Al Capone's 1928 Cadillac was painted green and white and is believed to be the first armored car.

Mob hits: Gangsters prized cars for reasons other than performance

June 1, 2019 at 6:58 a.m.

For mobsters like Al Capone, who ran the same Chicago streets that visitors will take to the 2017 Chicago Auto Show, car choice had less to do with horsepower and...

Jennifer Milligan and her mother Maureen check out SUVs at the Chicago Auto Show at McCormick Place on Feb. 17, 2015, in Chicago.

Female engineers drive auto industry forward

June 1, 2019 at 6:58 a.m.

Wednesday, February 15 is Women's Day at the 2017 Chicago Auto Show. In addition to women-oriented programming, tickets for women are $7, instead of $13. Women influence over 80 percent...

Thirty years after the third brake light mandate, the auto industry has come a long way in evolving rear-end crash avoidance and safety.

Third brake light: Have rear-end crashes lessened 30 years after mandate?

June 1, 2019 at 6:55 a.m.

Thirty years ago this year, the Reagan administration required that all cars be outfitted with high-mounted brake lamps, or third brake lights. Starting with 1986 models, the aim of the...

The 1974 Excalibur SS Phaeton purchased from Jackie Gleason at Klairmont Kollections' showroom in Chicago on Friday, June 17, 2016. Owner Larry Klairmont says Gleason sold it because he got too fat for the custom car.

Meet Larry Klairmont, a Chicago collector as interesting as his 319 cars

August 18, 2019 at 8:50 p.m.

Larry Klairmont's early interest in cars got him into a bit of hot water. It was during the Depression and 5-year-old Larry was a particularly small boy whose family was...

Most drivers are confused by new car technology, including senior drivers, who stand to benefit the most from advanced safety features.

Senior drivers confront proliferation of new car technology

August 18, 2019 at 8:47 p.m.

Before settling on a new 2014 Ford Edge SE, Cynthia Manson resisted sales pressure to move up to a trim level that had, along with a bigger price tag, more...

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