The youngest son of a Ford engineer, Sawyer knew at an early age that cars were his calling. His earliest memories are of riding in the front seat of his parent's aging 1956 Ford station wagon, safe from his five older brothers in the back seat and cargo area. Times were good.

Later memories include a trip to the small import car garage located on Warren Avenue in Dearborn, Michigan. It was here, at Imsport, that Chris saw his first Lotus cars—a 1962 Elite, and a Lotus 23 racer. Conveniently located across the street from his grade school, Sawyer would stare out the window hoping for a fleeting glimpse of one of the strange and wonderful cars that inhabited the shop, which probably explains his grades during these formative years.

Living in Dearborn in the mid-1960s provided many opportunities for daydreaming. Ford was in the midst of its "Total Performance" race program that encompassed the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Indy 500, NASCAR, and many other series. This meant there were race cars around. His mother often claimed Chris learned to ride a bike so he could follow his brothers as they hung around the shops in Dearborn where race cars were known lurk. Their hope to catch a glimpse of these magical machines never paid off. They had to wait until after the cars were put on display at Henry Ford Museum to make this dream a reality.

By the mid-1970s, Chris was in high school, and ready to get his driver's license. Despite many earlier altercations with his older brothers—a reason he still has a soft spot for the colors black and blue—they proved their worth as driving instructors. It wasn't long before Chris was driving on freeways, parking with ease, learning the fastest line through a corner, and reciting the advantages and disadvantages of bench versus bucket seats.

After attending the University of Michigan-Dearborn and receiving his liberal arts degree, Chris joined the staff of AutoWeek magazine. Starting as a part-time editorial assistant in 1986, Sawyer soon became an associate editor. Life was good. The pay was OK, and there were press cars to drive.

In late 1989, Chris began a six-year stint at Automotive Industries as Senior Editor. It was while at the magazine that he made his first trips to visit Lotus in England. Soon he would join the PR firm of Campbell & Company where he would represent Lotus Cars USA, and help launch Visteon.

Five years working for the British gave Chris a keen awareness of why his ancestors had fled the British Empire in the 1700s. A proponent of the American dictum, "Go big or go home," he turned down a chance to live in England and work as the Director of External Communications for Group Lotus in the hope of leading the company's US renaissance.

Changed spending priorities at Lotus meant it was only a question of time before Sawyer moved on. A chance meeting with Automotive Design & Production Editor-In-Chief Gary Vasilash soon brought Chris back to the world of automotive journalism. Once again, life is good.