About Shifterati
The mission
An archive of automotive knowledge and history, for and by a community of enthusiasts of today and tomorrow.
What it is
Shifterati is a reference for cars, model year by model year: the story, the colors and specs, what changed, what fails and the recalls.
Information comes first. Buying help is there too, one tab away.
How it began
Hi there, I'm Ellis Camber. I've been active in the automotive community for going on two decades, and I love the really deep lore.
Shifterati sprang up from a pet project I built for myself, a way to store and organize a bunch of data in a way I found better than other places online. Sometimes I just want to scroll through the generations and look at the special colors or the packages offered for a model.
One of my favorite places to hang out online is r/whatisthiscar. The sheer depth of people's niche knowledge never ceases to amaze me. So why not take that knowledge and invite people in to help build this, for everyone who's in our beloved hobby or wants to get into it?
Where it comes from
Every statement rests on a source that was opened and read, and the source is kept on file. The page says what kind of source it was, such as the maker, a regulator, the press or owners' reports.
Official sources are the makers, regulators, the press and published references. Owners' forums, registries and clubs, parts sellers and the site's own first-hand notes are unofficial, and labeled where they are cited. For rare cars the owners often know best.
AI helps write the dossiers, but it never makes up a number or a fact. A dossier is marked approved only after the site's owner checks it.
Articles the site's owner writes are signed Ellis Camber, a pen name. An article AI wrote as a stand-in is signed Shifterati.
What it is not
Shifterati is for information only. It is not professional, mechanical, legal or financial advice, and it is not a price guide. Every statement rests on a source, but sources can be wrong or out of date, so have a vehicle inspected and check its VIN for open recalls before you buy.
Shifterati is independent and is not affiliated with, authorized, endorsed or sponsored by any carmaker. Model names, badges and logos belong to their owners.
Readers are never followed. Reading needs no account.
Spotted a mistake?
Send a note. It arrives privately, and a correction is made once a source backs it.