Name: John Voelcker

Place of Birth: London, England
Age: 40-something
Year, Make and Model of Your first car/truck: 1961 Morris Minor 1000 Traveller (woody wagon, which my family bought new in the UK and I still have)
Occupation: Auto technology journalist & digital media consultant
Employer: Self-employeed
What did you think you wanted to be when you grew up? An engineer and businessman.
How long have you worked in the auto industry? That’s sort of hard to answer. I sold my first freelance article to Old Cars Weekly at age 14, entirely by accident; I sent them a manuscript, and they sent me back a $15 check. But I didn’t write consistently until 2003, when IEEE Spectrum asked me to do the annual “Top 10 Tech Cars” feature—and I realized it was then or never. Five years later, I love it. I just wish I could do it full-time.
What do you drive now? 2000 Subaru Outback wagon (bought on eBay).
Are you out at work? I’m out everywhere.
Was being gay ever an issue at any of your jobs? No, although I came out later than many (in my late 20s). If anything, it’s the opposite; I try to disarm people by having a sense of humor about it. Plus, in the New York media world, it’s just not an issue! I mean, I had an editor who brought the whole magazine to watch me being arrested (at a non-violent civil disobedience protest 15 years ago) and cheer me on. I guess that’s New York for you, huh?

If you had one piece of advice to give to a gay person wanting to work in the auto industry, what would it be?
Accept yourself for who you are; use gentle humor to get through awkward moments; and never back down. No job, no relationship, no situation is worth compromising your honesty, your self-respect, and the things we all know to be true. At the same time, be respectful and acknowledge openly that some people are not as comfortable with it as we would hope.
Ok, here is the fun part; if you had $25,000 and had to buy a new car, what would it be and why? Joe, you gotta up these price ranges. $25K barely gets me the new Outback I’d like!

Same question but bigger budget; $50,000:
Hmmmmm. Would that get me an Audi S4? Or most of one?
If money was no object and you had to drive it every day:
Easy. It’s the Bentley Continental GT—one of the most beautiful new cars on the road and enormously practical (though I’d be wracked with guilt over the fuel economy).
What is your favorite car of all time and why?
Oh, god, that’s almost unanswerable. It’d be easier for me to write 2500 words on it than to give you a single one…sorry.
If your car/truck could talk, what would it say about you?
“Wash me!”
Finally, why do you want to be featured on Gaywheels.com?
You asked, and I’m a sucker for flattery, heh heh.
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