The memorable highs—and one unforgettable low—of my tenure at MotorTrend.

What’s the most disputed MotorTrend Car of the Year in its 75-year history? Without a doubt, it’s the Chevy Volt, the groundbreaking plug-in hybrid that won the Golden Calipers award in 2011. How can I be so sure? Well, I can confidently say that following the announcement of Citroën’s spaceship SM being named our COTY in 1972, I certainly didn’t receive any death threats.

The written threat is long gone, but I vividly recall the shocking language on that letter. What stood out was that the sender adhered to traditional letter-writing customs by including a return address. It turned out to be an empty piece of swamp land in Louisiana.

I have saved a number of the furious emails that flooded in after the Volt was crowned, stored on a backup disk labeled The Volt Files. Reviewing them now, 13 years later, it’s remarkable how some of those rants reflect the rise of conspiracy theories like QAnon. Initially, I was baffled by the extreme anger over a Chevy hatchback. But it soon became clear: this reaction was rooted in politics.

The political overtones were evident when I was asked to discuss the Volt on a Fox News segment. After some small talk, the host jumped straight to the heart of the matter: how could the Volt be deemed worthy when it came from a company that had relied on taxpayer bailouts (many still felt the sting of GM’s bankruptcy in 2009) and benefitted from government subsidies?

I responded that the Volt was chosen because it met our Car of the Year standards. (As automakers are now reconsidering an all-out shift to electric vehicles and investing in hybrids, the Volt seems increasingly ahead of its time.) While I acknowledged that subsidies weren’t ideal, I pointed out that if we were upset about those for automakers, shouldn’t we also be concerned about the $10 billion to $30 billion annually given to the agricultural sector? The host frowned in thought. “Hmm. Valid point.” The conversation wrapped up not long after that.

Reflecting on The Volt Files brings back memories of perhaps the strangest and most challenging experience during my leadership at MotorTrend. However, this was just a rare moment; generally, MotorTrend was a hub of excitement where fascinating things unfolded daily, not just from the myriad of vehicles I got to test drive each year. For instance, not everyone in my profession gets the chance to launch what felt like a complete automotive television channel, let alone create a TV advertisement.

One standout moment was producing Jaguar’s 30-second “Mark Your Territory” commercial, showcasing a red XFR-S sedan performing impressive drifts, ultimately revealing the jaguar logo outlined in tire tracks on the pavement. This remains a career highlight, especially since it utilized footage from another marketing effort our team was executing for the brand.

I conceived the idea, crafted the storyboard, and wrote the script. Our talented video team filmed the necessary additional scenes, and the CGI experts from our special projects division brought the ad to life with impressive effects. Bill Wadsworth directed the live-action shoot and produced the accompanying music. The entire project was completed internally, without Jaguar’s knowledge.

We revealed the ad at the conclusion of our pitch, after showcasing all the contracted projects to Jaguar. The executives opted to buy it at half the price compared to a similar ad from an agency, and it aired on American TV for approximately two years, without any edits made.

It was a time of both incredible highs and significant challenges.

The excitement surrounding the Chevy Volt aside, my time serving as the editor-in-chief of MotorTrend was certainly the highlight of my career.