Jason Torchinsky

Jason Torchinsky is an American author, comedian, graphic designer, art director and automotive journalist, widely known as co-founder and Chief Creative Officer at The Autopian, an automotive enthusiast website, and as a prolific former Senior Editor at Jalopnik.

He performed with the sketch-comedy troupe the Van Gogh-Goghs. He has lead classes for Minneapolis' Walker Art Center highlighting key aspects of automotive engineering, physics and mechanics — exclusively for children.

Torchinsky was later senior editor at Jalopnik and producer for Jay Leno's Garage. In 2022, he and David Tracy cofounded the automotive website The Autopian.

Background Torchinsky grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina, the son of Ashkenazi Jews, Sylvia and William Torchinsky (1931-2005), the latter an ex-marine and Judo instructor who worked with Ciba-Geigy, the Swiss chemical company.

He has an older sister, Amy, and as a teenager, he worked at a local computer store, the Byte Shop. He would later write the hilarious if painful story of bailing out his parents on murder charges, in 1987, at age 16. His parents were subsequently cleared of all charges.

He later graduated from the University of North Carolina (UNC) in the 1990s with a degree in art history. His personal cars have included a Reliant Scimitar, Nissan Pao, Volkswagen Beetle, Yugo,

As former long-time resident of Los Angeles, CA, Torchinsky lives in Chapel Hill.

Early writing and comedy Torchinsky is a native of Greensboro, North Carolina. He attended Grimsley High School and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he studied art history.

In April 1996, the Van Gogh-Goghs appeared at the inaugural Big Stinkin' International Improv & Sketch Comedy Festival in Austin, Texas. Advance coverage said the group planned to present 12 sketches during a 45-minute set at Esther's Pool. At the fourth festival in 1999, Torchinsky appeared on a panel titled “Comedy and Technology”; the festival program described him as a web graphic artist. Torchinsky had previously opened for George Carlin at UNC in 1993.

In April 2022, Torchinsky and fellow former G/O Media writer David Tracy launched The Autopian, an automotive news and enthusiast website.

Torchinsky's 2019 book Robot, Take the Wheel: The Road to Autonomous Cars and the Lost Art of Driving examines the history and possible social effects of autonomous vehicles, including the potential loss of driving as a skill and recreational activity.