Eli Shayotovich
Location
San Francisco Bay Area, CA
School
San Jose State University
Expertise
PC Gaming, Entertainment, History, Technology
- Raised on the Atari 64 and graduating to Commodore's line of home computers, Eli has been playing games since the very Dawn of the Gaming Age.
- In 1991, Eli created and moderated the "Star Wars Echo" on FidoNet, one of the first Star Wars fandom sites. He was also the president of the America Online Star Wars Fan Club on AOL.
- Eli learned to drive a stick shift in a beige 1970 VW Beatle, beat a Porsche 911 in a souped-up '67 AMC Ambassador, got wedged on a speed bump in a slammed mini-truck, and used a Kawasaki Vulcan 1500 as a surveillance vehicle.
Experience
Eli has written about tech, hardware, and video games since 2003 for sites like AOL, Joystiq, GameDaily, Endgadget, GameSkinny, and Game Rant, as well as Beckett Massive Online Gamer magazine. His unique interactions with automobiles and motorcycles allow him to see them from a different point of view than other "car writers." Eli especially likes to weave those personal experiences with historical anecdotes and pop culture references into all of the stories he brings to SlashGear readers.
Education
Eli graduated from San Jose State University with a Bachelor of Science in Administration of Justice. Instead of becoming a police officer, he became a licensed private detective, where his love for researching and investigating the facts — then putting them into a coherent, informative narrative — grew into a passion.
SlashGear's content hails from a group of experienced technology and automotive editors and a wide-ranging team of writers, engineers, enthusiasts, and experts across consumer tech and transportation. Our goal is to provide up-to-the-minute breaking news coverage as well as original and engaging opinion and editorial content that serves as the ultimate resource for those who want to stay up to date on the latest and greatest the industry has to offer.
Our editors, advisors, and fact-checkers conduct regular reviews to ensure the accuracy, timeliness, and completeness of our articles. Complete information on our editorial process available here.
Stories By Eli Shayotovich
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Unlike some other car manufacturers, Lexus only produces a handful of models with simple, two-letter names. But just what do the names mean?
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While Toyota continues to be one of the leading automakers by sales in the United States, there are six interesting Toyota models that never made it here.
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Everyone has an opinion on how often you should change your vehicle's oil, but what is the correct answer? Here is what you need to know to avoid engine damage.
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Some cars are instantly recognizable, like the General Lee, James Bond's Aston-Martin...and the famous Ford Gran Torino used in Starsky & Hutch.
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Dielectric grease is a must-have for any DIYer or professional workshop, but what exactly is it and what are you supposed to do with it anyway?
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The Toyota MR2 was a sporty little '80s coupe with an interesting name. Believe it or not, it wasn't actually picked out at random. It does have a meaning.
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Popularized during World War II, PTs were cheap and easy to build, so they were considered expendable.
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There have been plenty of strange concept cars over the years, but the Seattle-ite brought some very unique potential innovations to the table.
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In the '60s, Toyota wanted to make a car that was almost naughty by nature. So, it hired a stubborn designer and paired him with an airplane guy.
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The dragster for Dracula was first seen in May 1965 in "The Munsters." Five Drag-u-la's were made for the show, and since then, several more replicas exist.
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If you blinked, you might have missed the 1991 Oldsmobile Quad 442 W-41. This weird little Cutlass spin-off is pretty rare today, and the reason why is strange.
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The Oldsmobile 442 came in several confusingly named packages that sometimes ended up being made into their own separate models. Let's take a look at the W-30.
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The F-4 Phantom is one of the most iconic jets in the history of the U.S. Armed Forces. Here's everything that made it such a great fighter.
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Alongside the many other pieces of hardware in Russia's arsenal in its invasion of Ukraine is the TOS-1A Buratino, a tank with staggering firepower.
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When it comes to muscle cars, many look back to the 1960s as the golden age. But the first muscle car may have come out long before that. Here's what we know.
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EV batteries and the materials to make them continue to be prohibitively expensive, but a Chilean startup may have found a novel solution in our landfills.
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The Rover Jet1 was the first car ever built with a turbine engine and while it had it's advantages, there were also flaws that came with it.
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The dream of generations of motorists is finally coming true. As crazy as it sounds, the world's first street-legal flying car just took its maiden flight.
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Now exclusively manufactured in India, Royal Enfield is the oldest motorcycle brand in continuous production. This is the full history.
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While celebrities tend to have plenty of vehicles in their own collections, when you're famous enough, other people will make cool custom cars in your name.
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While France was defeated by German advances in 1940, the Allied nation put up a valiant fight thanks to the formidable Char B1 - a legendary WWII tank.
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England's Diana, Princess of Wales, tragically died in an automobile accident in 1997. The Mercedes she was in had above average safety, but it wasn't enough.
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In 2014, Iran revealed its Tian armored fighting vehicle, a tank with odd beige squares all over its surface. What was the deal with the weird looking vehicle?
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You might never have heard of the Panhard LM64, but it was groundbreaking in many ways. It didn't win Le Mans, but it inspired car designs for decades.
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Orlando Bloom enjoys a nice, relaxing motorcycle ride when he's not making movies. The story behind his completely custom BMW bike is pretty amazing.
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The M1A1 Abrams proved its credentials during Operation Desert Storm, as it helped decimate the Iraqi forces while suffering very few casualties comparatively.
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Bugatti has produced some incredibly unique cars over the years, but some never made it past the concept phase — here are some of our favorites.