One of the auto industry's most prominent journalists passed away on Sunday night, reports MSN Autos.
David E. Davis Jr., who was the editor of Car and Driver magazine two times, founded Automobile Magazine and became a true legend of the automobile industry.
Davis was an eccentric man, to say the least. He wore clothing more reminiscent of Victorian England than the 20th century, had a sincere fondness for guns and bourbon and ended up with an intimidating reputation.
The journalist was a huge fan of automobiles and a great writer, according to the present editor of Car and Driver. He could have written about anything, but he chose the industry because it was always changing.
His office was filled with unique auto memorabilia including a Mercedes-Benz 600 grille, photographs from the post-war Grand Prix phenomenon and always with a little bit of cigar smoke.
"In romanticizing and illuminating a way of life, he legitimized and reinvigorated a dead-eyed industry that had previously existed on the professional fringes," writes Sam Smith of MSN Autos. "Here was a man who single-handedly changed the course of a world, and did so in a way not seen before or since."