Name: Frank Markus
Place of Birth: Chicago, IL
Age: 43
Occupation: Automotive Journalist for 15 years, 12 at Car and Driver, three at Motor Trend. I studied engineering in college (BS & MS in mechanical engineering), and helped design Neons, LH cars and 2nd-gen minivans at Chrysler for six years before that.
Employer: Motor Trend & Motor Trend Classic
Year, Make and Model of your first car/truck:
1966 Ford Mustang

What did you want to be when you grew up?

A car guy, and engineering seemed the surest way for me to achieve that.

How long have you worked in the auto industry?

21 Years

What do you drive now?

Something different every week, none of ’em mine. My classic cars include a 1967 Sunbeam Alpine and a 1967 Maserati Ghibli.

Are you out at work?

Yes

Was being gay ever an issue at any of your jobs?

Not that I’ve ever noticed.

If you had one piece of advice to give to a gay person wanting to work in the auto industry, what would it be?

You have to love cars first and foremost. There aren’t all that many job openings in the auto industry right now, so anyone hiring can be choosy. They’ll go for the folks with the greatest passion for the product.

Ok, here is the fun part; if you had $25,000 and had to buy a new car, what would it be and why?

I might go for the new Saturn Aura XR, especially if I could negotiate the price down a smidge so I could have the Morrocan leather for $25K. It’s probably the best new domestic mid-price sedan in a decade, and it looks and drives great.

Same question but bigger budget – $50,000:

Maybe a Dodge Magnum SRT-8 with everything on it. I’m a wagon guy (I’ve owned five), and the budget won’t allow a Mercedes E63 AMG wagon. This mean, menacing Hemi Dodge is the next best thing.

If money was no object and you had to drive it every day:

There’s just nothing in the world quite like the smooth rush of power provided by a twin-turbo V-12 Mercedes/AMG engine. Wrap mine in the gorgeous pillarless-hardtop coupe bodywork of a CL65 AMG for $180-large. Tractable, roomy, comfortable, and killer-fast. Hey, if it’s good enough for Lindsay Lohan…

What is your favorite car of all time and why?

Too many favorites, but let’s go with the Lamborghini Miura. Not only is it drop-dead gorgeous, but it was the first low-slung, slinky mid-engine car that tall people could comfortably drive. It’s a milestone car, albeit one with slightly half-baked engineering (it taught the world that engines and transmissions each like their own separate oil!).

If your car/truck could talk, what would it say about you?

“God bless him, he beats the s**t out of me every time he drives me, and that’s the way I like it!”

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