(MONEY Magazine) – Call me a geek, but I've never been much of a car guy. The stock market? I love it. Mutual funds? I'm fascinated. But for some reason cars never really made my blood churn. Until I met Lawrence Ulrich.

Ulrich definitely is a car guy--a passionate, articulate expert on everything from ABS brakes to turbocharged acceleration. And when he gets going about cars, I can't help but pay attention.

He rarely drives his own car. But that's because he drives two or three different cars each week--and has for several years. Until recently the auto critic for the Detroit Free Press, Ulrich makes his debut this month as a staff writer for MONEY. His vehicle: our 2003 Car Guide (page 104), which combines style, verve and straight-out expertise. No doubt my gushing will make Ulrich blush. No matter. For the past two years (since the retirement of MONEY's longtime car guy Jerry Edgerton), we have been auditioning a steady stream of auto writers. In Ulrich we found the intense reporting ethic, energetic writing style and service sensibility we were looking for. He's truly plugged into the auto business and, as you'll find, has no trouble sharing his unvarnished opinions. As the automakers might say, enjoy the ride.

Enjoy also Jon Gertner's captivating "The Lost World" beginning on page 96. Gertner tells the story of his hometown's leading company, a little business called Bell Labs that, as Gertner explains, became a shrine to the potential of technology. The birthplace of thousands of innovations--from the transistor to the transcontinental phone system--the Labs became the heart of Lucent Technologies. But in the boom and bust of the telecom industry, the Labs have been indelibly changed. Gertner takes us inside this dramatic transformation, visiting with childhood friends who pledged their careers to Bell Labs, Nobel laureates who worked there and top Lucent executives who will define the company's future. It is a must-read for anyone who truly wants to understand how the telecom business--and, indeed, American business in general--has changed in the 21st century.

Naturally, this issue features much more--including an in-depth analysis of President Bush's new tax plan (page 76). Our focus: the likely impact on the markets, the economy and your personal pocketbook.

Thanks as always for choosing MONEY. Please let us know if we are meeting your expectations. E-mail me at managing_editor@moneymail.com or write to me at MONEY, Time & Life Building, Rockefeller Center, New York, N.Y. 10020.

ROBERT SAFIAN Managing Editor