Basem Wasef

Basem Wasef is the author of three books, a contributor to publications including Car & Driver and Robb Report, and a lifelong proponent for all things that go vroom, whoosh and boom.

Born in Cairo and raised in London and Los Angeles, his outlook on transportation is informed by equal parts wow factor and whimsy, as evidenced by a cavalcade of dubious personal choices which include an agricultural 1963 Land Rover Series 2A, a needy 1993 Mercedes-Benz 400 SEL, a tempestuous 1992 Land Rover Defender 110 and a thirsty 1994 Mercedes-Benz S600 Coupe.

All Articles From Basem Wasef

The Most Fun You Can Have on Three Wheels

After a memorable ride in 2009, our writer checks back in with Ural — the Soviet-born producer of sidecar motorcycles — aboard a much-improved model that’s unlike anything else on the market

Snow Drifts and Sacred Porsches at Aspen’s Inaugural F.A.T. Ice Race

Our correspondent spent the weekend among automotive and mechanical royalty at the first U.S. edition of Ferdi Porsche’s ice-racing spectacle

“Ferrari” Stunt Director Robert Nagle Shares His High-Speed Secrets

To do an Enzo Ferrari biopic justice, Nagle’s bag of tricks included hand-hammered aluminum cars, Nick Mason’s Maserati and Patrick Dempsey

Lucid’s Long-Awaited Gravity SUV Signals Hope for Ailing EV Company

At a preview event, the new SUV appeared sleek, spacious and advanced enough to breathe life into Lucid

High Speeds, Piazza Pit Stops and a $2M Jaguar: Welcome to Italy’s Modena Cento Ore

Our correspondent recounts his four-day drive behind the wheel of a D-type Continuation in the latest entrant into the pantheon of road rallies

Why Do Car Geeks Love Wagons?

The slavering over BMW’s Concept Touring Coupe, and other longroofs, may confound the casual driver. For gearheads, wagons are worth obsessing over.

A Day at Corso Pilota Classiche, Ferrari’s Classic Driving School

The instructional program, hosted at the Fiorano Circuit in Italy, grants access to some of the sexiest sports cars in their archive

Thanks to Mercedes-Benz, Sedans Are Cool Again

Here’s why the automaker chose a four-door car to preview its latest and greatest EV tech

Inside Villa d’Este, the Greatest Car Show You’ve Never Heard Of

Every year, motoring royalty — and their multi-million-dollar masterpieces — convene on the manicured shores of Lake Como

Old-School Driving, Refined: The Last Gas-Powered Lotus

With the Emira, Lotus has built a proper homage to its seven decades of motoring before the automaker goes electric

BMW’s Z4 Holds the Line on Open-Air Motoring

As convertibles lose out to EVs and SUVs, the Germans persist in offering a two-seat ragtop

Ducati's New Off-Road DesertX Takes On the Streets of LA

It's built for where there are no roads, but our reviewer liked the way this Italian bike felt in the city

What It’s Like to Drive a $400,000 Rolls-Royce Ghost in the Snow

Buttery smooth and sealed from the outside world, it was like "sitting in your living room wearing VR goggles"

A Real World Test of the Unreal Bentley Continental GT Speed

Two weeks in the most dynamic Bentley yet reveals extreme pros and cons

Is the Lucid Air Worth the Hype?

Our writer contemplates our EV future — while going 0 to 60 in 2.6 seconds