
HOTEL WINDOW THE VIEW OUT MY EIGHTH-FLOOR in Warsaw hit the Cold War kid in me. Barren trees lining the empty street, yellow sodium lights and LEDs illuminating the early-spring snow-it looked like something out of a spy film. I was there waiting for a phone call that would be my signal to drive boxes of mysterious goods into a country at war. I could almost feel the ghost of Robert Ludlum.
I wasn't supposed to be in Poland; I was supposed to be on vacation in Provincetown, Massachusetts. But en route, I was diverted by a text from my friend Krista Barnes, who asked: "Can you go to Poland for three days to drop donations, all paid?"
That unusual message makes a bit more sense if you know that Krista runs a humanitarian nonprofit. The Reel Project's work typically concentrates on eastern Africa, but the Russian invasion of Ukraine found her partnering with Ukraine United Association, run by Nick Zaiets, a Ukrainian in L.A., and Fly for Good, a group specializing in booking inexpensive airfares for humanitarian missions.
Which is how I found myself at the KLM counter at LAX on a Friday in April, checking in for a flight to Warsaw. I'd be playing Krista's wingman, helping her deliver donations to Ukrainian refugees.
I'd intended to look through all the supplies I'd be carrying to ensure that I wouldn't be starring in an episode of Locked Up Abroad, but the Ukrainian chap standing next to a baggage cart had already shrink-wrapped the numerous boxes and suitcases. He said three things to me: "How many boxes can you take?" Followed by, "Each box is about 22 or 23 kilograms." Then, when it was clear that we could take the whole cart, "I'll get more boxes." He did, then disappeared.
Esta historia es de la edición July - August 2022 de Car and Driver.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición July - August 2022 de Car and Driver.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar

AN AMERICAN TOURING SCOTLAND IN AN ENGLISH CAR BUILT IN CHINA
In Dornbach, Scotland, Kitman walks past a modern MG and a Morris Minor, its distant relative. From left: Motoring through the Scottish Highlands; lobster traps in Dunbeath; taking on electrons at Gridserve; traversing the North Sea coast.

THE MAD SCRAMBLE
AN 814-HP V-12 THAT SCREAMS TO 9400 RPM IS JUST THE START OF THE INTENSE EXPERIENCE THAT IS THE LAMBORGHINI REVUELTO.

2022 Rivian R1T
This EV pickup proves to be E-Z to live with.

Spite Defender
Ineos Grenadier HIGHS: Dapper off-road style meets genuine off-road capability, wonderfully smooth powertrain, built like a brick outhouse. LOWS: Incessant warnings, sloppy and slow steering, noisy on the highway.

The Revivalist
The Nissan Murano emerges fresh-faced and revitalized from a long-overdue redo.

ELECTRICAL CONNECTION
The Toyota Camry, the Honda Accord, and the Hyundai Sonata all take different approaches to hybridization, but which one does it best?

The Achilles Kneel
Mercedes-Benz W123 wagons doing the Carolina Squat can get their droopy self-leveling rear suspension back up to snuff courtesy of a Californian.

Dollars to Donuts
Despite the high cost, automakers are still drawn to racing.

G to the Power of E
Mercedes-Benz G580 with EQ Technology HIGHS: Quicker than the old G550, improved handling, better braking. LOWS: Cubist shape torpedoes highway range, cramped inside, dorky name.

The Best Odds
The cars I recall most fondly were neither the prettiest nor the quickest. Certainly not the most expensive. They were machines that emerged willfully peculiar and intractably idiosyncratic.