November 2006
Consumer Reports Autos Staff Bio
GABRIEL SHENHAR
Senior Engineer, Consumer Reports Auto Test Division
Hometown: Haifa, Israel
All-time favorite car:
Porsche 968. "It's the underdog of the Porsche family, but the best handling car I've ever driven. You can drive safely and still have fun with it."
Off the track:
Shenhar and his wife have two boys. In the past he was known to strap a windsurfer to the top of any vehicle and take off in search of wind and water. Even now, he loves taking road trips with his family with absolutely no reservations or plans on where they’re going to stay. He participates twice a week in a Masters swim team workout for competitive swimmers. He has also coached kindergarten soccer.
How he got into auto testing:
“My mother likes to tell a story that at the age of 3 I was able to identify every car on the street from our third-story apartment. I remember asking my father what country each car came from, what size engine it had, and whether it was front- or rear-wheel drive.”
The vehicle that altered Shenhar’s life was actually an ambulance. He drove one after his mandatory service in the Israeli Army where he served as a medic. Shenhar assumed he’d go on to medical school after his army service. But “when I worked as an ambulance driver and paramedic, I enjoyed the urgency of the job and helping others, as well as breaking records in getting to destinations. It was then that I realized my purpose in life was somehow connected to cars.”
He traveled to the U.S. to study mechanical engineering at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, worked his way up to instructor at a BMW Car Club of America high-performance driving school, and signed on as the U.S. correspondent for the then-prominent Auto magazine in Israel.
“I tested cars all by myself, taking them to race tracks and driving them at autocross events, leaving my race-prepared VW Golf GTI at home. Then I saw an ad for a position at Consumer Reports, and within a week I had the job.” That was 1992.
Work at Consumer Reports: Shenhar participates fully in the testing program, but also does much of the test planning. “I look to the future and research which cars we should test and when. It’s on my mind constantly, even driving to work,” he says. “Consumer Reports tests about 70 cars a year, and we need to choose those that are interesting for our readers, represent the major choices in the market, and keep our leadership in the car-testing business.”
He also oversees the purchasing of test vehicles. I used to buy many of the test vehicles, but at some point my face became too well known among dealers. “Now several of our Auto Test employees anonymously buy the test vehicles from dealerships, negotiating the purchases just as other buyers do. A dealership doesn’t know a car is for Consumer Reports until delivery.”
Shenhar also writes most of ATD’s 35-page technical reports, which are the basis for the magazine’s monthly auto-test stories. He is also heavily involved in CR’s other automotive publications, including the April Annual Autos Issue, the New Car Preview, Used Car Buying Guide, and more.
"To me this is true journalism. We get to tell readers the way things are, without self-censorship or pulling punches," says Shenhar.
"It's our privilege to tell educated, savvy consumers what's the best vehicle to buy. Friends call for advice and apologize for taking up my time. I tell them it is my pleasure. I take CR's influential position very seriously and enjoy turning information into knowledge. It's a very satisfying feeling to empower the consumer."
Senior Engineer, Consumer Reports Auto Test Division
Hometown: Haifa, Israel
All-time favorite car:
Porsche 968. "It's the underdog of the Porsche family, but the best handling car I've ever driven. You can drive safely and still have fun with it."
Off the track:
Shenhar and his wife have two boys. In the past he was known to strap a windsurfer to the top of any vehicle and take off in search of wind and water. Even now, he loves taking road trips with his family with absolutely no reservations or plans on where they’re going to stay. He participates twice a week in a Masters swim team workout for competitive swimmers. He has also coached kindergarten soccer.
How he got into auto testing:
“My mother likes to tell a story that at the age of 3 I was able to identify every car on the street from our third-story apartment. I remember asking my father what country each car came from, what size engine it had, and whether it was front- or rear-wheel drive.”
The vehicle that altered Shenhar’s life was actually an ambulance. He drove one after his mandatory service in the Israeli Army where he served as a medic. Shenhar assumed he’d go on to medical school after his army service. But “when I worked as an ambulance driver and paramedic, I enjoyed the urgency of the job and helping others, as well as breaking records in getting to destinations. It was then that I realized my purpose in life was somehow connected to cars.”
He traveled to the U.S. to study mechanical engineering at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, worked his way up to instructor at a BMW Car Club of America high-performance driving school, and signed on as the U.S. correspondent for the then-prominent Auto magazine in Israel.
“I tested cars all by myself, taking them to race tracks and driving them at autocross events, leaving my race-prepared VW Golf GTI at home. Then I saw an ad for a position at Consumer Reports, and within a week I had the job.” That was 1992.
Work at Consumer Reports: Shenhar participates fully in the testing program, but also does much of the test planning. “I look to the future and research which cars we should test and when. It’s on my mind constantly, even driving to work,” he says. “Consumer Reports tests about 70 cars a year, and we need to choose those that are interesting for our readers, represent the major choices in the market, and keep our leadership in the car-testing business.”
He also oversees the purchasing of test vehicles. I used to buy many of the test vehicles, but at some point my face became too well known among dealers. “Now several of our Auto Test employees anonymously buy the test vehicles from dealerships, negotiating the purchases just as other buyers do. A dealership doesn’t know a car is for Consumer Reports until delivery.”
Shenhar also writes most of ATD’s 35-page technical reports, which are the basis for the magazine’s monthly auto-test stories. He is also heavily involved in CR’s other automotive publications, including the April Annual Autos Issue, the New Car Preview, Used Car Buying Guide, and more.
"To me this is true journalism. We get to tell readers the way things are, without self-censorship or pulling punches," says Shenhar.
"It's our privilege to tell educated, savvy consumers what's the best vehicle to buy. Friends call for advice and apologize for taking up my time. I tell them it is my pleasure. I take CR's influential position very seriously and enjoy turning information into knowledge. It's a very satisfying feeling to empower the consumer."
