Jean Marie Jennings, a trailblazing figure in automotive journalism and former Car and Driver editor, passed away on December 16 at age 70, after battling Alzheimer’s disease.
Jean broke into the boys club of automotive media with her bold wit and fearless determination. Born and raised in New Baltimore, Michigan, she was the only girl among six siblings. Her love of driving ignited at age 14 behind the wheel of a Toyota Land Cruiser while in the Andes. Before landing her first job in journalism, Jean drove a cab and worked as a mechanic at Chrysler Proving Grounds. There she crash-tested vehicles and first-hand expertise in the automotive industry.
In 1980, Jean joined Car and Driver, despite what she described as being “distinctly unqualified.” In truth, she had already run an award-winning union newsletter and was well equipped for the task ahead. Blessed with a distinct charisma that came through in her work, her dynamic storytelling quickly won over readers.
She became a standout, not just for her writing but for her adventurous spirit. She famously participated in demolition derbies and tackled Brock Yates’s One Lap of America in a beer-delivery van.
In 1985, Jean left Car and Driver when editor-publisher David E. Davis Jr. to launched Automobile Magazine. Rising to editor-in-chief in 2000, she helped shape the publication’s legacy, blending sharp editorial with her own irreverent style. She later launched Jean Knows Cars, an online extension of her passion for vehicles.
Those of us who grew up reading car magazines in the 1980s knew her as Jean Lindamood before she married her husband Tim. I came to meet Jean in the early 2000s when I started writing about cars for an online publisher. I’d run into her occasionally at press dinners or auto shows initially. Inevitably I would spot her at concours events wearing one of her countless signature hats.
While I never worked directly with Jean, I came to understand her best through colleagues and fellow employees who had worked with her at Automobile Magazine. Her audacity, humor, and magnetic personality earned her legendary status in the industry. As Davis once remarked, Jean “changed the nature of the readers’ response” to automotive journalism. Her indomitable spirit leaves a legacy of inspiration for women and car enthusiasts everywhere. God speed!
Loved her writing.
Rest in peace Jean Marie Jennings you will be missed. 😥😥😥😥👍🤟👋😀
Living at Peckins Road farm outside Chelsea with Miss Jean, her ex-Tommy and Earl the little hippie was a blast. Miss Jean worked for a genius who went by Villy the German. Villy was a man without visa but a man of many talents nonetheless. She would often catch a ride with me to work in Ann Arbor wearing a different hat each day. In her purse the size of a duffel bag, she kept a copious assortment of exotic pharmaceuticals.
Villy loved sampling Miss Jean’s goody bag. He would get on the intercom and ejaculate in his thick German accent, “Mees Jean, come heere at vonce, I need you.”
I loved Jean’s sardonic humor. She had a bit of George Carlin in her. Jean could look at common everyday matters, and see a side that would never even occur to “normal” people. Her colleagues would sometimes drop the “L” from her surname, and refer to her as “in-da-mood.”