Paul Frère: 1917-2008

It is with great admiration and respect that we report the passing of Paul Frère, veteran race car driver and reknowned automotive journalist.

For those unfamiliar with him, Frère was perhaps the quintissential "gentleman racer". Born in Belgium in 1917, he went on to a very successful career as a racing driver, competing in sports cars, motorcycles, and even Formula One. As a driver, Frère competed in a wildly diverse selection of vehicles: everything from a pre-war MG PB, to a 1953 Chrysler (with which he won his class at the 1953 Mille Miglia), on to the more elite ranks of Porsche, Jaguar, Aston Martin, and Ferrari.

Perhaps his greatest accomplishment as a driver was his win at the 1960 24 Hours of Le Mans in a Ferrari, co-driving with fellow endurance racing legend Olivier Gendebien.

During his racing career Mr. Frère also became well-known as a motoring journalist, drawing from his wide array of personal experience driving and racing the world's finest (and not so fine) automobiles. His wit and wisdom was known to everyone who followed his "Letters from Europe" which appeared for years on the pages of Road & Track. His legacy lives on in the many books he published, most notably his famous Sports Car and Competition Driving and his later autobiography, My Life Full of Cars. In his later years, he gushed about his admiration for his Honda CR-X; clearly, he was a man who appreciated a vast spectrum of automobiles as any true car enthusiast should.

Though he is no longer with us, he lived a truly wonderful 91 years and had a very fulfilling life "full of cars". May we all be so lucky.

Bentley Publishers' Biography
David E. Davis on Paul Frère
Paul Frère: Wikipedia

New CR-X to Steal Market Once Dominated by Toyota? We Hope So...

Once upon a time, Toyota made some pretty cool "hot hatches" and even...*gasp*...sports cars! There were, of course, the legendary "AE86" Corolla GT-S models, the later front-wheel-drive FX 16s, and all manner of cool Celicas, MR2s, and Supras. Honda had their CR-X, a tuner favorite, which gave way to the softer, less desirable (by our standards) del Sol.

But those days are long gone. Toyota's current lineup is pleasant enough, and the cars are selling like hotcakes...but really...walk into a Toyota showroom, and they may as well have signs saying "Welcome to Dullsville!". And those Prius drivers are a real bother, always driving slow in the left lane and whatnot. Oh well, it ain't the good ol' days anymore.


Toyota's lack of sports cars in the current lineup has opened the door for other companies to attract the enthusiasts that Toyota has essentially abandoned. Nissan is offering tasty cars like the new Altima Coupe and their revival of the Z; Mazda is definitely in the mix with its Miata, RX-8, and MAZDASPEED products. And it's time for Honda to step into the fray with their recently unveiled CR-Z, which harkens back to the original and much-loved CR-X.


The CR-Z is larger than the old CR-X, according to our buddies at Winding Road, who leaked news about the CR-Z concept onto the web on Tuesday. It's likely to be a gas-electric hybrid.

To quote from Honda's press release on their presence at the Tokyo Motor Show:

"'CR-Z' stands for 'Compact Renaissance Zero'-an expression intended to capture the idea of a renaissance in the design of compact cars that begins anew from fundamentals.

This design research model of a lightweight hybrid sports car features advanced technologies that deliver enjoyable driving for all while reducing the vehicle's environmental footprint."



We say, emphatically, build it! The renaissance of the Japanese sports car can't come soon enough for us.