Former Car and Driver editor-in-chief and Automobile founder David E. Davis Jr. has died near his home in Ann Arbor, Michigan, after complications from surgery related to bladder cancer.
Davis, 80 at the time of his passing, was considered the “dean of automobile journalism” by Time after founding Automobile in 1985 to much unexpected success.
Davis’ career began in the sales world, but a passion for automobiles led him to SCCA racing. That stage in his career was ended by a 1955 crash where the MG he was driving flipped upside down. From there, he took a job in ad sales at Road & Track before finding his true niche as a scribe writing ad copy for Chevrolet Corvette ads at Campbell-Ewald. His storied career would see him at Car and Driver on two separate occasions before he defied all expectations by creating a third, more irreverent “buff book,” Automobile
In recent years, Davis hardly slowed down. He helped found Winding Road and took an editor emeritus position at Car and Driver. Always a passionate car enthusiast, Davis was a regular at any major automotive event around the world, from vintage-oriented Concours d’Elegance shows to top tier races to new car salons in Detroit and Geneva.
Davis’ impact on the automotive journalism world is impossible to summarize, although he did his best in Thus Spake Davide E., his 1999 book. He will be sorely missed by all of us.
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