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On March 23, 2025, The Autopian’s Corrections of the Day column showcases how sharp-eyed readers keep car journalism from veering off course. From a 1960s GM hybrid’s fuel mix-up to a Civic impersonator’s mislabeled gearbox, these catch-ups prove no detail is too small when you’ve got a community that cares about accuracy.
It’s a humbling reality: no matter how many times we double-check, a typo or assumption slips through. But our readers don’t just point out mistakes—they do it with style. This week’s batch is a perfect example.
The GM Stirling Engine: Helium vs. Kerosene
Antti wrote about GM’s bizarre 1960s hybrid that used a Stirling engine. Reader Maxzillian spotted a crucial error: the article said the engine “ran on helium,” which isn’t quite right. Helium is the working fluid—the gas that expands and contracts to drive the pistons—but the actual fuel was kerosene. As Maxzillian put it, “The working fluid was helium, but as stated later in the article the engine was powered by kerosene. Otherwise, what an interesting article! I knew GM had played with Stirling vehicles, but never knew they did a series electric like this.”
We fixed it fast. And reader 4jim added a punny take: “Thanks for the Noble correction. I was too inert and was confused on how something would run on Helium.” (Noble gas puns: always welcome.)
The Honda Civic “Lamborghini” That Fooled Me
I recently covered a Honda Civic dressed up as a Lamborghini—and somehow my eyes convinced me it had a manual transmission. A kind reader pointed out the shifter clearly belonged to an automatic. I went back, looked again, and yeah, totally wrong. That’s the thing about photos: angles lie, and your brain fills in what it expects. Lesson learned: always zoom in.
DARTZ Whale Leather: The Penetrating Journalism You Subscribe For
Jason dug into the infamous DARTZ “whale penis leather” story, and reader Spopepro dropped the perfect compliment: “This is the penetrating journalism I subscribe for. Thanks for doing the hard work Torch.” That’s the kind of feedback that makes you laugh and keep digging.
9/11 in Gander: Friendship That Befuddles Boundaries
September 11 remains a solemn day for the U.S. But Matt’s Morning Dump sparked a bright anecdote from reader Spikedlemon: “On this day, talking of historic friendship between Canada and the US, you can’t go without mentioning that on 9/11 Gander, Newfoundland—a town of less than 12,000—took into their homes over 6,000 stranded fliers.”
TheDrunkenWrench added, “Newfoundlanders perform hostile takeovers on
