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Jerry Flint Posthumously Honored as Internet Automotive Journalist of the Year

Boston (Dec. 1, 2010)—The Internet Car and Truck of the Year website has announced the winners from the Internet Pros and Average Joes votes for their favorite new cars and trucks. Domestic brands swept all four categories.

The winners, announced from the New England International Auto Show today, are:

Internet Pros:

Car of the Year: 2011 Cadillac CTS-V

Truck of the Year: 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee

Average Joes:

Car of the Year: 2011 Ford Mustang GT

Truck of the Year: 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee

The Internet Pros are comprised of a select team of 15 online writers from some of the leading automotive Internet sites, while the Average Joes consisted of thousands of votes from the motoring public. Complete biographies of the jury members are available at www.internetcarandtruckoftheyear.com.

So while the Internet Pros and Average Joes agree on the Truck of the Year (for the second year in a row) they have slightly differing opinions when it comes to their favorite car. The Pros like their speed in the form of a luxury sports car with the Cadillac CTS-V while the Average Joes voted for classic American muscle with the Ford Mustang GT (with only a 1 percent margin of victory over the Cadillac CTS-V). However, both groups demonstrated their respect for the vastly improved Jeep Grand Cherokee by wide margins.

Internet Automotive Journalist of the Year

The Internet Automotive Journalist of the Year award was given to Jerry Flint for his long body of work in automotive journalism, most recently as a columnist for Forbes – both in print and online. It will be presented to his widow, automotive journalist Kate McLeod, at the Dec. 9 International Motor Press Association meeting in New York City.

A prolific award winner, including the Gerald Loeb Award for Distinguished Business and Financial Journalism in 2003, for his Forbes “Backseat Driver column,” Flint was not afraid to point out when the Emperor was wearing no clothing. That insight, and his grasp of the automotive industry, earned accolades that included his naming by Business News Reporter as one of the 100 most prominent business reporters of the 20th Century.

The 2010 Automotive Journalist of the Year was John Neff, editor of Autoblog.

The Internet Car and Truck of the Year awards were created by Keith Griffin, the Guide to Used Cars for About.com, a writer for TorqueNews.com, and the National Hyundai Examiner for Examiner.com, as well as a print automotive journalist and vice president of the New England Motor Press Association.

For more information on Internet Car and Truck of the Year, email Keith Griffin at keithmgriffin@comcast.net or call (860) 292-0618.

Kia Sportage

A compact-sized crossover, the Sportage is a continuation of the like-named outgoing model, but gosh, what a difference a day makes. Gone is the “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century” styling that plagued, er, characterized the earlier model. Originally introduced at the 2010 New York Auto Show, our example of the Kia Sportage EX AWD is the high-zoot model, the top of the heap.

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2011 Ford F-Series Super Duty

The 2011 F-Series initially came with a hefty 6.7-liter Power Stroke V-8 turbocharged diesel engine. This engine remains for the mid-year upgrade. However, a few tweaks have streamlined performance to maximize torque and reduce fuel consumption. Add it all up, and the new diesel Ford F-Series specifications come in at a best-in-class 800 lb-ft. of torque and 400 horsepower. Ford is also quick to point out that the upgrades help the Super Duty edge out the towing and payload capacities of the current segment leader – the Chevrolet Silverado 3500.

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2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee

Some might call the exterior design of the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee evolutionary but unless you look at its seven-slot grille head on it just doesn’t look like a Jeep from any angle. That’s a good thing.

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Ford Fiesta

“The Fiesta is powered by a 120 horsepower 1.6 liter engine that’s enthusiastic, if a bit noisy. It’s available with a 5-speed stick [and a] 6-speed automatic — a special type of gearbox called a twin-clutch. Twin-clutch automatics are used in sports cars like the Nissan GT-R, VW GTI, and Porsche 911 because they provide excellent power delivery and near-instant shifts. But they also provide outstanding fuel economy, which is why Ford chose a twin-clutch for the Fiesta. EPA estimates for the automatic Fiesta are 30 MPG city/40 MPG highway.”

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Cadillac CTSv Coupe

“The new CTS-V Coupe is powered by a 6.2-liter supercharged V-8 that produces a monstrous 556 horsepower and 551 lb-ft of torque. Cadillac claims that the CTS-V Coupe can go from zero to 60 miles per hour in just 3.9 seconds, but the more impressive aspect of this car is how it handles around the track. One element of the new CTS Coupe that improves handling abilities is the rear track, which has been widened by almost an inch on the CTS-V model to optimize cornering stability.”

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Ford Mustang GT

Ford has been quick to willingly put their new 5.0-powered 2011 Mustang GT head to head with the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS and in this video, courtesy of Ford Motor Company; we get a good look at the two legendary pony cars roasting their tires side by side. Make sure that your volume is up as this video also gives you a great sample of what the 2011 Mustang GT will sound like at wide open throttle when it is smoking the tires.

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The jury has spoken. The winners of the inaugural Internet Car and Truck of the Year Automotive Writing Contest have been announced. The winners include writers from United States and Canadian websites and were selected by a three-member jury. All winning entries can be found at the Internet Car & Truck of the Year website.

The Automotive Internet Journalist of the Year has also been selected but that award will be announced at the Chicago Auto Show on Wednesday, Feb. 10 at 4 p.m. on the Grand Concourse Media Stage during the presentation of the Internet Car and Truck of the Year.

Best Review Written for the Internet
The winner of “Best Review Written for the Internet” goes to Jeff Glucker, co-owner and editor of Hooniverse.com. His review of the Audi R8 “really captured the heart and soul of the car,” said one judge. As Glucker himself pointed out in the review, “[The R8] is a wonderful mash-up of form and function – style and substance – gracefulness and go-fast goodness.”

Best Feature Written for the Internet
The winner of “Best Feature Written for the Internet” goes to Lyndon Conrad Bell, editor-in-chief of On Wheels Media, for his feature “A fast road to manhood” that was published on Examiner.com, where Bell is the San Francisco sports car examiner. His story tells of the bonding between him and his son Julian at 6 a.m. while testing cars and how driving cars can be a metaphor for life.

Best Single Blog Written for the Internet
The winner of “Best Single Blog” Written for the Internet goes to Craig Hover, senior editor of the Automobile Red Book, and writer for other outlets, for his blog entry on the most mundane of topics: changing a flat tire. Titled, “The big flat. My apologies to Raymond Chandler,” the blog turns the changing of a flat tire into something out of a classic murder mystery.

Best Series of Blog Entries
An international flair is added with the selection of Jil McIntosh for “Best Series of Blog Entries.” As one judge said, “Jill has the voice of an educated neighbor who’s more than happy to tell you like it is.” McIntosh is a freelance writer and a member of the Automobile Journalists of Canada. Her regular outlets include new-car reviews and special-interest articles for The Toronto Star (Wheels section); new-car reviews and news reports for Canadian Driver, where she is also the assistant editor; and other outlets.
McIntosh submitted five blog entries for submission.