It was referred to as Sports Car Illustrated until the early-1960s, whenever editor Karl Ludvigsen renamed it to show a other general self-propelling focus. 2005 marks a L-month day of remembrance of Car & Driver.

Car & Driver when featured PJ O'Rourke, Bruce McCall, and Dick Smothers as writers. Previous editors include William Jeanes and David E. Davis, the latter of whom led some employees to defect in order to create Automobile Magazine. A todays magazine editor is Csaba Csere. More luminary staffer come Brock Yates (organizer of the notorious Cannonball Run outlaw road race & extra modern One Lap of America), and Patrick Bedard, who raced in the Indianapolis 500 in 1983 and 1984.

Like than electing the Car of the Year, Car and Driver picks ten "best" cars each year.

Car & Driver is house to the John Lingenfelter Memorial Trophy. This award is given annually at their Supercar/Superfour Challenge.

Editorial direction
A magazine when got an irreverent tone & habit of "telling it like it is", especially by using regard to underperforming auto, which endeared it to readers. Nevertheless, this has diminished within recent years, & a magazine's writing is no protracted dramatically different with an editorial from either more car magazines.

A magazine was one of a number 1 to exist as unabashedly critical of the U.s. automakers. All a same, it has been fast to praise noteworthy efforts rather the Ford Focus and Chevrolet Corvette.

A magazine has been at a center of two or three contestation according to this editorial counsel:

Their instrumented researching is considered by a bit of to exist as rigorous among self-propelling magazines. It has twice revealed treacherously power claims by manufacturers: Each a 1999 SVT Mustang Cobra and 2001 Mazda Miata tests showed these vehicles not producing performance equivalents to their claimed power output. Within each subjects, a manufacturers' claims were proven wrong, forcing buybacks & apologies.

Their tests of radar detectors has consistently shown a Valentine One detector, a major Car & Driver advertizer, trouncing completely competition. A magazine contends that their tests come precise, when occasionally wonder its objectiveness.

Car & Driver & Road & Track are sister publications at Hachette and have for many years shared the same publisher, advertising, sales, marketing, and circulation departments. Notwithstanding, their editorial operations come separate.