Benny Kirk
1,644 ARTICLES
Besides Being Great at Almost Everything, the C-130 Hercules Is a Pretty Decent Bomber
29 Jun 2022, 02:41 UTC · By: Benny Kirk / News flash, the C-130 Hercules and its variants and descendants can do just about anything. Obnoxious quips aside, there's seemingly no limit to what you can shove into the rear cargo bay of one of America's longest-serving transport airf...
War Thunder vs Ace Combat 7: Whose F-14 Tomcat Is More Fun To Fly?
28 Jun 2022, 22:05 UTC · By: Benny Kirk / Top Gun: Maverick is a blockbuster movie that made us fall back in love with the Grumman F-14 Tomcat all over again. So much so that any military flight video game worth talking about suddenly introduced new variants of the Tomcat as if to celebrat...
I-90: An Interstate of Broken Dreams, Shattered Lives, and Little Hope
28 Jun 2022, 16:12 UTC · By: Benny Kirk / What feels like ages ago, we showcased to you the engineering marvel that is America's Interstate 80, a highway that can whisk you from New York City to San Francisco in one sitting with enough stimulants and a big enough gas tank. But there i...
No Money and No Public Transport for Miles? This 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix Gets the Job Done
27 Jun 2022, 20:21 UTC · By: Benny Kirk / In the words of the great Broadway and Hollywood actor Zero Mostel in Fiddler on the Roof, it's really no great shame to be poor (in 2022 especially, it's no great honor either). But if you live in an area where public trains, busses, and...
Northrop Grumman's Cygnus Re-Boosts the International Space Station, Keeps Its Orbit Safe
27 Jun 2022, 19:37 UTC · By: Benny Kirk / As most space junkies already know, the International Space Station is slated to slap headfirst into the Earth's atmosphere sometime in the early 2030s. But we're still a pretty long way away from this day coming. Periodically, the statio...
Fresh Off Massive Lawsuit Scandal, Hertz Sponsors 2023 Porsche FIA Endurance Race Car
27 Jun 2022, 17:32 UTC · By: Benny Kirk / The Hertz rent-a-car company's been in some real hot water these last few months. After settling dozens of class-action lawsuits claiming the company filed false theft reports and had their customers thrown in jail, it looks like none of it af...
Italian Supercar Makers are Struggling to Adapt to Electric Cars, Shocks No One
27 Jun 2022, 16:34 UTC · By: Benny Kirk / When I see the latest news regarding Italian supercar makers struggling mightily to adapt to a rapidly electrifying global auto industry, I'm reminded of a conversation I once had with an old colleague of mine and a total Lambo aficionado, Ste...
Want a Private Jet With More Flair Than a Cessna? This BAC Strikemaster Will Do Nicely
27 Jun 2022, 15:59 UTC · By: Benny Kirk / Most private jets these days all look the same, at least to an untrained eye. But if you're a strapping young millionaire aviator with a flair for being different, you may feel obligated to check out the used military jet market instead. If yo...
Team Acura Sweeps 1-2 Finish at IMSA Watkins Glen, Here's Why It's Big News
27 Jun 2022, 14:43 UTC · By: Benny Kirk / The Watkins Glen International Raceway may not have held a Formula One race in decades. But that doesn't mean race cars in other disciplines can't put on a good show for the Central New York faithful. Such was the display put on by Filipe...
Two Equally Priced Drop-Tops Are at the Same Dealership, Which Are You Taking Home?
27 Jun 2022, 03:50 UTC · By: Benny Kirk / Let's play a little game, shall we? In the spirit of Open Top Month here at autoevolution, we've often thought about what we would personally buy if we had to browse the Internet for a convertible drop-top of our own. There are more choic...
High Mileage Audi A4 Cabriolet May Play Games With Your Wallet, It Might Also Be Awesome
27 Jun 2022, 02:39 UTC · By: Benny Kirk / Cheap Audis are a dangerous game for your sanity and your wallet. That said, the prospects of a German luxury convertible for the cost of a 15-year-old Honda Civic might sure sound enticing. No matter how much of a minefield it may very well become...
First and Second-Gen Chrysler Sebring Drop-Tops Need More Love, but the Third Was a Dud
27 Jun 2022, 01:38 UTC · By: Benny Kirk / Here on Open Top Month at autoevolution, we looked at an innovative limited-production dual cowl Chrysler convertible from the late 1940s that represented the arguable technological peak of the company. Never again would Chrysler stand alone as bui...
The Range Rover Evoque Convertible Was a Lesson in Making Drop-Top SUVs Properly
26 Jun 2022, 19:55 UTC · By: Benny Kirk / It's been said that Sir Charles Spencer King, designer of the original Range Rover, grew to categorically despise the super luxurious "bad-n-bougie" SUV it grew to become today. That being the case, we can only assume the Range...
Chrysler Newport Phaeton: An Open-Top Special Edition From Back When Chrysler Was Awesome
26 Jun 2022, 06:12 UTC · By: Benny Kirk / You wouldn't know it from their ancient and wholly outclassed lineup today, but Chrysler used to be a quality American automaker. Before the pencil pushers, accountants, and later international collaborators robbed them of their intellect and ...
Toyota Paseo, a Forgotten Convertible "Sports Car" That Deserves Your Respect
26 Jun 2022, 02:32 UTC · By: Benny Kirk / The Toyota Paseo is a sports car. You wouldn't figure that with just a passing glance, nor would you believe it if you saw the spec sheet. But Brian of Regular Car Reviews (RCR) took one for a spin some time ago and proved it before our very e...
Riva 86 Open, a Drop-Top Luxury Yacht With the Spirit of a Convertible Sports Car
25 Jun 2022, 20:49 UTC · By: Benny Kirk / A good many of us here at autoevolution love luxury yachts. Whether or not we all just envy those who can afford them is another matter entirely. But...
Geo Metro Convertible: An Awful But Adorable Drop-Top You Can't Help But Love
25 Jun 2022, 15:18 UTC · By: Benny Kirk / Convertible cars are built to serve several secondary functions besides having a top that flops up and down. The first of these functions is to bring the driver closer to the outside elements. But the lesser third function is to convey an air of po...
Not All Convertibles Are Destined for Greatness, This 1985 Cavalier Is Classic Proof
24 Jun 2022, 03:49 UTC · By: Benny Kirk / Not every drop-top convertible is bound to be a classic of its generation. Some convertibles throughout history have even managed to be downright forgettable. Just take this 1985 Chevrolet Cavalier Type 10 Convertible we found for sale. For thos...
Grumman Biplanes, the Predecessors of the American Navy's Flying Cats
24 Jun 2022, 02:10 UTC · By: Benny Kirk / The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is history's most iconic naval jet fighter. There, we said it. But there would be no Tomcat, and no Top Gun, if not for an airplane type that staked Grumman's claim as the U.S. Navy top choice: bi-plane fighters. ...
Nissan Wouldn't Let Doug DeMuro Test The Murano CC, He Found One Anyway and Roasted It
23 Jun 2022, 19:21 UTC · By: Benny Kirk / We love convertibles, spyders, and open-tops of all kinds here at autoevolution. That's why we dedicated the entire month of June to highlighting some of the landmark convertibles that throughout history made real impacts on their market segme...