Kirk Bell, Senior Editor

Kirk Bell avatar
The Senior Editor in charge of Motor Authority, Bell has oil in his blood. He grew up in the automotive culture, helping his father drag race a pair of Pontiacs, rather unsuccessfully, at Great Lakes Dragaway in Union Grove, Wisconsin. Bell has been reviewing cars and writing about the automotive industry since 2001, when he joined Consumer Guide Automotive. At Consumer Guide, Kirk wrote and edited several books, including the award-winning Hot Rod & Custom Chronicle and NASCAR Chronicle, which earned him gold and silver International Automotive Media awards. Most recently, he spent eight years as a freelance journalist, with such clients as the Chicago Tribune, the New York Daily News, and MSN Autos. In 2014, Bell was named to the North American Car and Truck of the Year jury, and he gave back by serving as Secretary-Treasurer. He was also Vice President and then President of the Midwest Automotive Media Association. Prior to his time in the automotive industry, Bell was editor of Scale Auto Enthusiast magazine, the leading magazine about the model car hobby after graduating from Marquette University. In his spare time, Bell imagines the Midwest has better roads on which to drive his 2006 Porsche 911 Carrera S.

Articles

  • We expected Lexus to introduce a concept version of the next-generation LS flagship sedan in Tokyo. We didn't expect that it would be a fuel cell vehicle.

    The Lexus LF-FC concept features a fuel...

  • Mazda RX-Vision concept hints at next rotary engine

    Mazda today unveiled the RX-Vision concept car at the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show and it points to the return of the rotary engine. The low-slung sports car is a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, two-seat coupe that showcases the latest version of Mazda's Kodo design language. CHECK OUT: Mercedes-Benz...

  • 2016 Cadillac ATS-V Excels On Track Day: Video

    Sometimes it pays to "know a guy." I know a guy who organizes occasional track days so he and his rowdy friends can spend a day thrashing their cars at extra-legal speeds. ALSO SEE: Corvette Chief Engineer Explains Motor Trend Z06 DNF: Video I also know a guy who knows another guy at Cadillac who...

  • 2016 Lexus GS F first drive review

    For going on a decade now, Lexus has been on a mission to convince enthusiast buyers who might gravitate toward European cars that it, too, can build world-class sports cars and sports sedans. It started with the 2008 IS F, a would-be BMW M3 competitor that showed promise but just couldn’t...

  • Range Rover Evoque Convertible Headed To L.A. Auto Show The Hard Way, Through Water: Video

    Land Rovers are capable off road. Period. It doesn't matter if it's a new convertible based on a stylish crossover, it still has to handle just about any terrain. Ahead of its debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November, Land Rover has released a video that highlights the all-terrain testing of...

  • So Long Evo: Mitsubishi Reveals Details Of Final Edition Model

    Mitsubishi today revealed details on the last of the Evos, and the compact sport sedan is a going out on a high note. Mitsubishi is releasing 1,600 examples of the 2015 Lancer Evolution Final Edition model, which gets a little more power, a unique look, and a few more performance features. ALSO...

  • How much will it cost you to buy a turn-key race car and begin your semi-professional racing career? If you want a 2016 Mazda Miata MX-5 Cup car, it will run $53,000.

    Mazda developed the car to race...

  • 2016 Tesla Model X EPA Ratings, Range Now Available

    The long-awaited Tesla Model X crossover is getting closer to reality. It's so close, in fact, that EPA ratings are now available. Head over to fueleconomy.gov and you can see the EPA ratings for the 2016 Model X. CHECK OUT: Watch The Tesla Model X SUV’s ‘Falcon’ Doors In Action...

  • North American Car And Truck/Utility Of The Year Short List Announced

    A total of 54 of the possible 57 member journalists from the United States and Canada have chosen the "Short List" of finalists for the 2016 North American Car and Truck/Utility of the Year awards. Each juror voted for as many as 15 cars in each of the two categories. The NACTOY awards, as they are...

  • Porsche Unveils Very Limited 911 Carerra GTS Rennsport Reunion Edition

    To coincide with the fifth annual Porsche Rennsport Reunion, held from the 25th to the 27th at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Porsche today unveiled a limited edition model inspired by the event. The 2016 Porsche 911 Carerra GTS Rennsport Reunion Edition is limited to just 25 examples, all of which...

  • 700+ Horsepower Hyundai Tucson To Debut At SEMA Show

    For the fourth straight year, Hyundai has partnered with Bisimoto Engineering--an Ontario, California, tuning shop and engineering company--to create a downright crazy show vehicle for the annual Specialty Equipment Manufacturer's Association (SEMA) show. This year it's a pimped out 2016 Tucson...

  • 2016 GMC Sierra Elevation Edition Revealed

    GMC today revealed the 2016 Sierra Elevation Edition. A follow up to the "sport" truck GMC introduced for 2015, this one gets some additional equipment and styling tweaks but keeps the dark, sinister look. MUST SEE: Hear The Bugatti Vision GT Concept’s Engine Start Up And Rev: Video New this...

  • For almost every vehicle on the market, product cycles typically last six to eight years. At the end of that run, the vehicle gets a redesign with either a new or significantly improved structure....

  • 2015 Goodwood Revival: A Gallery Of Living History

    Imagine a magical place where Ferrari 250 GTOs race against Jaguar E-Types, where legendary drivers pilot vintage cars they’ve never driven before, where cars that belong in museums swap paint with equally valuable rivals, and, for a touch of class, where the vast majority of spectators dress...

  • Tackling A Hillclimb In The 2015 Subaru WRX STI

    Give a car guy a stretch of road and he’ll find a way to race on it. He might turn it into a road course, a dragstrip, a dirt track, or, if he only has a hill at his disposal, a hillclimb. Thanks to Subaru, I got the chance to drive a hillclimb for the first time. The site was the Gurston...

  • Mercedes-Benz Intelligent Aerodynamic Automobile concept revealed

    Like most automakers, Mercedes-Benz is studying the future of the automobile and building concept cars to predict that future. The night before the 2015 Frankfurt Auto Show, Mercedes-Benz unveiled its latest concept, the Intelligent Aerodynamic Automobile (IAA), to a gathering of journalists. ALSO...

  • Jaguar Adding EliteCare To Help Boost Sales

    Jaguar's sales were up six percent last year, but that isn't enough for the British brand. You see, that accounted for only 81,570 total sales worldwide, while corporate partner Land Rover moved 381,108 vehicles. ALSO SEE: Jaguar Sharpens Prices Across Lineup, 2017 XE To Start At $35,895 Given that...

  • Notes From The Driveway: 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata

    It was only a month ago that I drove the fourth-generation (ND) Mazda Miata on the canyon roads of Southern California and wrote a First Drive review for Motor Authority. In that review I concluded that the Miata is an absolutely fabulous car with plenty of power, brilliant handling, and a ride...

  • If voice commands, touchscreen controls, a central dial, and steering wheel buttons aren't enough, BMW will soon have a new way to control the features of your infotainment system. With the release...

  • 2016 BMW 7-Series first drive review

    The Monticello Motor Club is a country club with a racetrack instead of a golf course. Performance car owners in the New York metropolitan area join to take advantage of the reconfigurable road course that features up to 3.6 miles of track, as many as 22 turns, and 450 feet of elevation changes...

  • 2017 Mercedes-AMG C63 Coupe Details Released Ahead Of Frankfurt Debut: Video

    Mercedes today released details, pictures, and a cool video of the 2017 Mercedes-AMG C63 Coupe, and it appears to be a finely tuned beast. As expected, the hot compact coupe, which will be released next summer, will be offered in standard and S models. The Mercedes-AMG twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter...

  • Report: Mustang to get Mach 1 model and 10-Speed auto for 2018

    Shelby, Boss, Mach 1, Bullitt. No model on the market celebrates its history more than the Ford Mustang. The Ford Motor Company [NYSE:F] is about to release the Shelby GT350 and GT350R Mustangs, promising that the R will be the best Mustang track car ever. And if a report from Automotive News...

  • Aston Martin CEO Says 800-HP Electric Rapide Coming In Two Years

    At the Shanghai Auto Show in April, Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer alluded to a possible all-electric version of the Rapide four-door and last week he confirmed it to Automotive News (subscription required). Speaking at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance this past weekend, Palmer said the car would...

  • Steve McQueen's 1952 Chevy Pickup Listed On eBay

    Steve McQueen was the "King of Cool" in the 1960s and early '70s. Men wanted to be him, women wanted to be with him, and cars wanted to be driven by him. McQueen's style went beyond his acting. He made being a car guy mainstream, and many of us love him for that alone. ALSO SEE: 2016 Dodge Hellcats...

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