Sports Cars Illustrated launched in 1955 with an emphasis on imported small sports cars. In 1961, editor Karl Ludvigsen changed the name to Car and Driver to signal a more general automotive scope. The magazine built its voice through columnists including Bruce McCall, Jean Shepherd, and Brock Yates, with P. J. O'Rourke as a frequent contributor. Former editors include William Jeanes and David E. Davis Jr., who in 1985 led a group of staff out of the magazine to found Automobile.
When CBS acquired Ziff Davis's consumer magazines in 1985, it retained both Car and Driver and Road & Track. Subsequent ownership changes preserved that arrangement. Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. eventually owned the title before selling it to Hearst Magazines in 2011. By 2006, total circulation stood at 1.23 million.
Car and Driver was among the first American automotive publications to publish openly critical assessments of domestic automakers while being quick to recognize genuine achievements such as the Ford Focus and Chevrolet Corvette. This stance placed the magazine at the center of several disputes.
In one of its most consequential acts of independent testing, Car and Driver's instrumented measurements revealed that both the 1999 SVT Mustang Cobra and the 2001 Mazda Miata failed to produce performance equivalent to their manufacturers' advertised power figures. In both cases, the findings proved correct and the manufacturers were compelled to issue buybacks and public apologies.
A 1968 review of the Opel Kadett LS 1.5L wagon, authored by Cook Neilson, delivered a harshly negative verdict that prompted General Motors to withdraw advertising from the magazine. Later assessments characterized the review as deliberately contrived, with editor Leon Mandel reportedly having requested a provocative piece to raise the magazine's profile.
In September 1990, Car and Driver reviewers operated a GM-EMD SD60 locomotive during a feature testing the machine ahead of its delivery to the Kansas City Southern Railway.
The magazine's most enduring contribution to motorsport culture was the Cannonball Run, conceived in the 1970s by reporter Brock Yates and editor Steve Smith. The event was conceived partly as a celebration of the Interstate Highway System and partly as a protest against national speed limits, drawing inspiration from Erwin George Baker's 1933 transcontinental drive of 53.5 hours.
The formal title of the event was the New York to Los Angeles Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash. It was staged in 1971, 1972, 1975, and 1979, attracting both amateur drivers and established professionals. Dan Gurney and Brock Yates won the inaugural 1971 edition in a Ferrari 365 GTB/4, covering the 2,860-mile route in under 36 hours. The event inspired a series of Hollywood films including The Gumball Rally, The Cannonball Run, and Cannonball Run II, and is often cited as a cultural antecedent of The Fast and the Furious franchise.
Rather than naming a single Car of the Year, Car and Driver publishes an annual 10Best list ranking the ten best vehicles available in the market. The magazine also hosts the Supercar Challenge, at which the John Lingenfelter Memorial Trophy is awarded each year.
Car and Driver Television aired on TNN and later SpikeTV's Powerblock weekend lineup from 1999 to 2005. The program was produced by RTM Productions and hosted initially by Jim Scoutten and later by Larry Webster, with Csaba Csere providing occasional commentary.
In 1993, Electronic Arts released a PC racing game licensed under the Car and Driver name. The game featured 3D courses including road circuits, an oval track, a dragstrip, and an autocross layout. Vehicles in the game included the Porsche 959, Ferrari F40, Lotus Esprit, Eagle Talon, and Ferrari 512.
Car and Driver is published in Germany, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Spain. A Chinese edition titled Quality Automotive Magazine Car and Driver operated for a period, and a Middle Eastern edition was issued through ITP Publishing in Dubai. The Spanish edition uses the Car and Driver name independently without shared editorial direction from the American title.