
Just A Car Guy
Cool things with wheels since 2006
Sunday, June 22, 2025
Idaho's Camas Prairie railroad was known as the railroad on stilts because so many canyons were crossed on trestle bridges
This guy built a Kei mini truck to explore a lot of them... but a lot of them are isolated by rockslides
https://www.youtube.com/@prestongoes/videos

Saturday, June 21, 2025
remember the car chase scene in Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning (2023) at the historical Spanish Steps, in Rome? Some 80 yr old guy may have thought he was recreating that scene, or, he plain had no clue he was driving his Mercedes down these. But he got stuck none the less
Above, without crazy old men or Hollywood car chases in Fiat 500s... below? With the Fiat 500 car chase scene in the most recent Mission Impossible
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ds2cHsEgCTE
An 80-year-old man drove a compact luxury Mercedes-Benz A Class sedan down the landmark Spanish Steps in Rome early on Tuesday before getting stuck part way down, municipal police said in a statement.A famed background for numerous films, they were built in the 1720s and have long been a popular spot to people watch and hang out.
Mykale Baker announced he is heading to college this fall to pursue a career in automotive technology
Spurred by the heartwarming responses from her viewers – and Baker’s selfless act – Mendoza created a GoFundMe to raise some extra cash for the teen’s college career.
The fundraiser has since raised $231,600, a whopping 386 percent increase from the initial $60,000 goal.
“Some of the money is going to go into fixing my car and the rest is going into a trust fund for school purposes only,” Baker told Today in early June.
If Lawrenceville Georgia sounds familiar, it's because it was just mentioned in the story about the nurse who opened her own garage near Atlanta https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2025/06/after-decade-of-nursing-desiree-hill.html
The Supreme Court revived an industry effort to axe California’s stricter vehicle emissions standards Friday
In a 7-2 decision authored by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, the Supreme Court ruled fuel producers have legal standing to sue over California’s clean car standards approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), allowing the challenge to continue.
"the justiciability of the fuel producers’ challenge to EPA’s approval of the California regulations is evident" said Justice Brett Kavanaugh
“If invalidating the regulations would change nothing in the market, why are EPA and California enforcing and defending the regulations?” Kavanaugh wrote for the majority.
“The whole point of the regulations is to increase the number of electric vehicles in the new automobile market beyond what consumers would otherwise demand and what automakers would otherwise manufacture and sell,” he added.
“If invalidating the regulations would change nothing in the market, why are EPA and California enforcing and defending the regulations?” Kavanaugh wrote for the majority.
“The whole point of the regulations is to increase the number of electric vehicles in the new automobile market beyond what consumers would otherwise demand and what automakers would otherwise manufacture and sell,” he added.
(and no one is surprised to learn that) 3 Sheriff's Deputies and a tow truck company owner were busted for bribes, running a scam, collusion, conspiracy, unlawful use of a government computer network, and fraud
According to previous Patch reporting, the brief, Carpenter had been assigned to the Temecula Sheriff's station's Traffic Bureau "years" before Flores and Christolon arrived, and he had developed a reputation for "devoting his time on duty to impounding parked vehicles, as well as for failing to properly enter those impounds into the sheriff's computer system, or complete the paperwork needed to let the vehicle owners know where their vehicles had been towed."
When he came under the supervision of Flores, who became Traffic Bureau director in September 2017, and Christolon, who was the Sheiff's lieutenant's right-hand man, the conspiracy began to take shape.
Court papers said Flores and Close, owner of TJ's Towing in Temecula, developed a relationship after the lieutenant received a favor from his co-defendant in acquiring a classic International pickup truck in early 2018. Soon after, there were lunches and dinners between the men.
Prosecutors said Carpenter was abruptly granted permission to add his name to overtime shifts at the Traffic Bureau whenever he pleased.
"Flores personally informed Carpenter of when overtime was available," the brief said.
The Sheriff's deputy began claiming so many OT shifts "that other deputies started to complain and even scribble over his name on the sign-in sheets," according to the brief.
When the aggrieved deputies took their complaints to Christolon, "he never did anything in response," documents stated.
Prosecutors said Carpenter aggressively sought out street-parked vehicles to impound for little or no reason, and TJ's Towing received virtually all of his calls for service. This occurred even though TJ's Towing wasn't always the company on the sheriff's "rotation list," which is maintained to ensure impound business is equitably distributed, on a weekly basis, to multiple companies, according to the prosecution.
"Towing for the sheriff's department is a lucrative business," the brief said, outlining how there's not only a charge for the tow, but a base charge for the impound and then daily storage fees imposed on owners.
DJ's Towing received dozens of impound calls from Carpenter, and Flores "personally approved" the deputy's OT requests, the brief said.
The lieutenant "exchanged hundreds of text messages" with Close, occasionally telling him, "make that money, homie," the narrative stated.
There was an arrangement for the then-lawman to receive a free stay at Close's mother's $4 million Oceanside home by the sea, which she periodically rented out.
Flores also received free towing services for his personal vehicles, complimentary tickets for him and his family to the Temecula Balloon & Wine Festival, limousine rides and other gratuities, according to the brief.
When he came under the supervision of Flores, who became Traffic Bureau director in September 2017, and Christolon, who was the Sheiff's lieutenant's right-hand man, the conspiracy began to take shape.
Court papers said Flores and Close, owner of TJ's Towing in Temecula, developed a relationship after the lieutenant received a favor from his co-defendant in acquiring a classic International pickup truck in early 2018. Soon after, there were lunches and dinners between the men.
Prosecutors said Carpenter was abruptly granted permission to add his name to overtime shifts at the Traffic Bureau whenever he pleased.
"Flores personally informed Carpenter of when overtime was available," the brief said.
The Sheriff's deputy began claiming so many OT shifts "that other deputies started to complain and even scribble over his name on the sign-in sheets," according to the brief.
When the aggrieved deputies took their complaints to Christolon, "he never did anything in response," documents stated.
Prosecutors said Carpenter aggressively sought out street-parked vehicles to impound for little or no reason, and TJ's Towing received virtually all of his calls for service. This occurred even though TJ's Towing wasn't always the company on the sheriff's "rotation list," which is maintained to ensure impound business is equitably distributed, on a weekly basis, to multiple companies, according to the prosecution.
"Towing for the sheriff's department is a lucrative business," the brief said, outlining how there's not only a charge for the tow, but a base charge for the impound and then daily storage fees imposed on owners.
DJ's Towing received dozens of impound calls from Carpenter, and Flores "personally approved" the deputy's OT requests, the brief said.
The lieutenant "exchanged hundreds of text messages" with Close, occasionally telling him, "make that money, homie," the narrative stated.
There was an arrangement for the then-lawman to receive a free stay at Close's mother's $4 million Oceanside home by the sea, which she periodically rented out.
Flores also received free towing services for his personal vehicles, complimentary tickets for him and his family to the Temecula Balloon & Wine Festival, limousine rides and other gratuities, according to the brief.
What? Another corrupt California Sheriff's dept? No! I'm aghast! It can't be! It's unheard of!
JFCA, is it just another day of the week ending in y? Are there any honest cops? Or just none that raise the flag and get the corrupt ones arrested? Do they EVEN HAVE an internal affairs dept? or are they on the getting paid to look the other way while everyone gets rich and gets kick backs?
Who was it who first said Fuck the Police? They nailed it. Truth to power
compliments to Autopian for it's history of Mack regarding buses and rail buses!
One fascinating bit of Mack history is that it spent much of the early 20th century building vehicles for public transit. Between 1905 and 1930, the company says, it built various railcars and locomotives. One vehicle Mack was known at the time for was its railbuses.
https://www.theautopian.com/mack-once-built-a-bus-that-looked-like-a-giant-version-of-your-favorite-classic-chryslers/
odd choice for a movie car... '69 Grand Prix in the new Josh Duhamel movie London Calling, about an assassin training the next generation of hopeless causes, In theaters September 19
mediocre hit man Tommy Ward (Duhamel) go on the run and get stuck in L.A. after mistakenly killing a relative of London’s biggest crime boss (Gillen).
To get back to his son on the other side of the pond, Tommy makes a deal with his new employer (Hoffman): teach his socially awkward teenage son Julian (Taylor) to be a man, in exchange for safe passage.
Tommy is now forced to drag Julian, afraid of his own shadow, along on his latest contract killing of a renowned assassin.
What starts off as a simple ride-along descends into utter chaos as this down-on-his-luck contract killer and his insecure protégé become each other’s lifelines.
a Macon businessman donates 15 bus shelters, and he knows what it’s like to wait for the bus in the sweltering Georgia heat, or worse, in the pouring rain - in homage to his grandmother, who relied on public transportation in the rain or snow in Ohio
“I think she’d be really proud to see me make this impact in the community that I’m in now… to make sure these men and women who are using public transit are treated with care.”
After an 18-year-old was arrested for street racing last week, the Sheriff put out a press release statement about the sheriff’s abhorrence for racing cars on public roads.
The video, which can be seen here, shows Marceno driving south on six-lane South Tamiami Trail in a black Lamborghini Huracan. Marceno then guns the engine and surges ahead down the highway. As the video ends, a glimpse of his speedometer shows 74 mph while still well behind the sheriff in the Lamborghini. The speed limit on that stretch of road is 50 mph.
Just another piece of shit asshole rich cop talking shit and power tripping on the public like a bully on school kids.
Friday, June 20, 2025
Meanwhile, in the news.... NASCAR is trying to make a deal with San Diego to have a street race circuit here (I've lived in San Diego since 1995). Nascar has no Southern California event since Fontana's AAA course went away in 2023
NASCAR is working toward finalizing a deal to race on a street course next year in the San Diego area, multiple industry sources told The Athletic, which would return its premier Cup Series to the Southern California market after a multi-year absence.
NASCAR and the city of San Diego have not yet agreed on a deal, but discussions are ongoing, and it is expected that an agreement will be reached, according to those sources. An announcement is tentatively slated for next month, pending a finalized deal.
A race in San Diego would be NASCAR’s second city street course race in three years after introducing one in downtown Chicago in 2023, the first time in NASCAR’s modern era (1972 to present) that Cup competed on such a track. That race is considered a key development for NASCAR as part of an initiative to bring high-level stock car racing to major metropolitan markets, as opposed to the majority of its tracks, which are located in less populated areas.
NASCAR and the city of San Diego have not yet agreed on a deal, but discussions are ongoing, and it is expected that an agreement will be reached, according to those sources. An announcement is tentatively slated for next month, pending a finalized deal.
A race in San Diego would be NASCAR’s second city street course race in three years after introducing one in downtown Chicago in 2023, the first time in NASCAR’s modern era (1972 to present) that Cup competed on such a track. That race is considered a key development for NASCAR as part of an initiative to bring high-level stock car racing to major metropolitan markets, as opposed to the majority of its tracks, which are located in less populated areas.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/06/19/nascar-street-race-san-diego/ has the stats on the impact the races had there
With the money F1 brought to Las Vegas, I think it's obvious, cities would like to have a major sports event come to their streets, and bring an incredible amount of money and tourists.
Plus, San Diego (7th largest city in the USA) would probably like to have more positive tourism to add to the Petco Park MLB games downtown, the world famous Zoo, and Comic Con.
The number of places they could make a course on a parking lot are many (Sea World parking lot, Snapdragon Stadium parking lot, Sports Arena parking lot, the Port District/airport parking lots, and National City's waterfront vehicle import unloading docks off Mile Of Cars Way)
Thursday, June 19, 2025
Wednesday, June 18, 2025
This, strikes me as very funny... Hot Wheels made a version of Biff's drop top Ford full of Manure
So, that's a hoot. It makes me wonder, if Hot Wheels has ever made a car that was more outlandish?
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