Philbert J Thrombockle is the Carbuzzard. Thrombockle is very uncommunicative regarding his background and no longer makes public appearances, but some details about his personal history have been uncovered. Some are rumors, possibly totally false, but it’s the best we have: Although Thrombockle started out as a javelina rustler on the LBJ ranch he was able to parlay the gains from shady short-selling before the bottom fell out of beer can collecting by investing in an infamous Arkansas land deal. However, Thrombockle sank millions into a scheme to build a massive flying mechanical buzzard nicknamed the Concrete Condor after its unusual construction material. It featured a piano bar, in-flight market reports and a 50 meter lap pool. However, a too-generous carrion luggage allowance made the Concrete Condor too heavy to fly and its remains are rumored to lie buried under the end zone of Giants Stadium. Another financial upset followed with the failure of a professional kazoo league. Now a recluse rumored to be living in the penthouse of a converted coal breaker near McAdoo, Pennsylvania, Thrombockle has ventured into the seamy underworld of automotive journalism, communicating via the internet with a single employee who serves at his bidding, much like Farah Fawcett did for Charlie, except without the other two bimbos and the flouncy ’70’s blonde hair.

John Matras is a seasoned (chili powder) automotive writer with almost a quarter century experience. Falling into despair after discovering that the sole manuscript of his magnum opus, A History of the Cotter Key, had mistakenly been donated to a Boy Scout troop’s paper drive, Matras was signed to a multi-year contract to Carbuzzard.com. Before his current employment, Matras was a full-time automotive freelancer and had contributed to hundreds of publications including the major American automotive magazines Car and Driver, Motor Trend, Road & Track, Automobile and Automobile Quarterly, as well as the New York Times, Men’s Health and others. His Escape Road columns, anecdotal reviews of classic and special interest automobiles, have been read and enjoyed by automotive enthusiasts for more than twenty years. Matras has also been published overseas, most notably in the unfortunately defunct Estonian magazine AutoPluss. His words have also been translated into Portuguese for publication in a Brazilian website. He has authored four books, including the widely acclaimed Mazda RX-7 published by Motorbooks International. Matras is an active member of the International Motor Press Association, and is the 1995 recipient of that organization's prestigious Ken W. Purdy Award for Excellence in Automotive Journalism as well as the Washington Automotive Press Association’s Golden Quill Award. Matras has also raced in Sports Car Club of America and American Motorcyclist Association sanctioned events. Prior to automotive journalism, Matras’ employers included Dun & Bradstreet, U.S. Customs, Prudential Insurance and the Federal Highway Administration. He has a bachelor’s degree in history and a masters in business administration. Matras has also been active in supporting youth athletics and school music and is an active church member. He has raised three daughters, has been happily married for 35 years and calls his mother every Sunday.. (Note: The preceding paragraph is all true except for that cotter key stuff).