Kirk Seaman

Correspondent, AOL Autos

Kirk Seaman was born shortly after his mother had finished helping his father install a Hurst floor shifter in the familys 55 Chevy. He has been a lifelong enthusiast ever since -- and his past ownership of a 1967 …Triumph Spitfire proves it. He celebrated his matriculation from the University of Michigan by buying a 1989 Mazda 323 GTX new off the showroom floor. For the last twenty years, he has publicly documented his pathology in media outlets such as Automobile Magazine, Corvette Quarterly, The New York Times, Winding Road, and, in the United Kingdom, CAR magazine.

Every Car Is Now A Performance Car

Published Feb 11, 2011 By Kirk Seaman

Admit it: If you're a car enthusiast, you've daydreamed about living in another era, one when the cars were more stylish, faster, or more compelling to drive. For some of you, it might be the pre-war era, when motoring was still new and going for a drive was an adventure, rather than a traffic-plagued chore. For others, it might be the 1950's, when tailfins and chrome reigned supreme. And others ...

X-Ray Trucks Can See Inside Your Vehicle

Published Nov 08, 2010 By Kirk Seaman

It sounds like something straight out of George Orwell’s 1984: Government vans, equipped with full-body X-ray scanning machines, have been deployed on the streets of our cities, monitoring an unwitting populace for signs of illegal activity. You could simply be going about your daily activities, not even doing something that should invite the suspicions of the authorities, but it doesn&rsquo ...

Used Hybrid Car Deals: Go Green for Less Green

Published Oct 14, 2010 By Kirk Seaman

Shopping for a used hybrid? According to Kelley Blue Book, now may be the time to buy. During the past year, values of used hybrid vehicles have not kept pace with the rest of the market. As a result, buyers may have the perfect opportunity to purchase a used hybrid at significant savings compared to the recent past. The main reason for this situation is simple: Relatively stable gas prices are re ...

Seniors vs. Teens: Who Are the Safer Drivers?

Published May 17, 2010 By Kirk Seaman

Picture this: You're out on the road, driving in mixed traffic with your choice of drivers to follow. One is a gray-haired senior puttering along in the right lane and the other is a fresh-faced teenager moving briskly in the left lane. Statistically speaking, which driver is safer to follow? The older driver with the slower reflexes, poorer vision, and cautious driving style, or the younger drive ...

Putting the Sightless Behind the Wheel

Published Apr 10, 2010 By Kirk Seaman

Students at Virginia Tech University have succeeded in breaking down another barrier for the disabled: Building a vehicle that allows the blind to drive. Virginia Tech's Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory developed a driver-assist system that uses laser range finders, an instant voice-command interface and a host of other cutting-edge technologies to guide blind drivers as they steer, brake and ac ...

Is This The Weirdest Car Ever Made?

Published Mar 22, 2010 By Kirk Seaman

Maybe you've already seen it on YouTube: it looks like the love child of a pedal car and a rowing scull with four grinning people aboard, pumping away at giant levers, sliding back and forth on their seats as they ride through a series of rural and urban settings. They call it the HumanCar "FM-4," for "Fully Manual-4 people," the culmination of an idea that first came to its creator, Charley Green ...