Driver of the Week: Michael SimariMichael Simari - Car and DriverCar and Driver senior staff photographer Michael Simari whips out his phone to show us a photo he's proud of, but it's not of a car. It's of a pizza, one he made from Italian flour and piled with chicken, avocado, black beans, and tortilla strips. He calls it a "tostada pizza," and it looks so delectable it makes you want to reach through the screen to grab a slice or three.Making artisan pizzas is one of the ways Simari relaxes and recalibrates between the many photo shoots he powers through each week. How prolific a lensman is he? Click through carandriver.com or page through the print magazine. His photo credit seems to accompany just about every other article.Besides pizzas, Simari's got another avocation that's closer to his daily pursuits: tending to his third-generation, 1998 Acura Integra GS-R, which he's owned for 24 years and has set up for serious track-day flogging.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe interior is stripped out aft of the front seats and is fitted with a roll bar and a Recaro racing bucket for the driver. Currently on its second 8200-rpm screamer of an engine, it rolls on lowered coil-over suspension, sticky Falken Azenis on Rota wheels, and features a shorter final drive ratio for more straight-line punch. It was in high school auto shop classes where Simari learned the basic mechanical skills needed to modify and maintain the Integra. He's also a font of knowledge on Formula 1.Alexander Malburg - Car and DriverGrowing up, cars were only one of his interests. Simari was "always in the arts sphere," he says. As a college student, he completed an associate degree program in graphic design before earning a B.F.A. in photography from Detroit's prestigious College for Creative Studies—a school that's churned out generations of car designers. Simari's senior thesis was a photo story on the Motor City's car culture.Oh, and he helped put himself through school by working in restaurants, including the California Pizza Kitchen—hence his pizza-making expertise. A lucky connection through a friend took him from college straight to C/D 14 years ago, where he's risen to take on responsibility for photo editing and photo-shoot scheduling and logistics, in addition to his behind-the-camera duties.Turning your passion into your job is a gift that's something not lost on Simari. "I get to experience every new car, and get to drive cars most people probably will never see. I get to meet racers like [nine-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner] Tom Kristensen."AdvertisementAdvertisementArtist, track-day driver, F1 superfan, all-around car geek, and pizza maven, Michael Simari is one of the multi-talented individuals behind the photos that make Car and Driver's storytelling come alive on the printed page and screen. It seems like the work he was born to do.You Might Also LikeGift Guide: Best Ride-On Electric Cars for KidsFuture Cars Worth Waiting For: 2025–2029