Or read about it online at http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/extras/articles/jay-leno-restores-a-vintage-mercedes-benz-300sl-gullwing/
Wednesday, September 07, 2011
I thought I'd posted that Jay Leno found a '55 300SL Gullwing former racecar, and barnfind... but here it is since I can't find a previous post about it
Or read about it online at http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/extras/articles/jay-leno-restores-a-vintage-mercedes-benz-300sl-gullwing/
The Chicken War, and the Chicken Tax, and what they have to do with trucks made in Europe and Asia
The Chicken tax was a 25% tax on potato starch, dextrin, brandy, and light trucks imposed in 1963 by the United States under President Lyndon B. Johnson as a response to tariffs placed by France and West Germany on importation of U.S. chicken.
Largely because of post-World War II intensive chicken farming and accompanying price reductions, chicken, once internationally synonymous with luxury, became a staple food in the U.S. Prior to the early 1960s, not only had chicken remained prohibitively expensive in Europe, it had remained a delicacy. With imports of inexpensive chicken from the U.S., chicken prices fell quickly and sharply across Europe, radically affecting European chicken consumption. In 1961, per capita chicken consumption rose 23% in West Germany. U.S. chicken overtook nearly half of the imported European chicken market.
Subsequently, the Dutch accused the U.S. of dumping chickens at prices below cost of production. The French government banned U.S. chicken and raised concerns that hormones could affect male virility. German farmers' associations accused U.S. poultrymen of artificially fattening chicken with arsenic. In fact, U.S. chicken farmers, with Food and Drug Administration approval, had treated chicken feed with antimony, arsenic compounds, or estrogen hormones to stimulate growth.
The period from 1961–1964 of tensions and negotiations surrounding the issue, which took place at the height of Cold War politics, was known as the "Chicken War".
Eventually, the tariffs on potato starch, dextrin, and brandy were lifted, but over the next 48 years the light truck tax ossified, remaining in place to protect U.S. domestic automakers from foreign light truck production (e.g., from Japan and Thailand). Though concern remains about its repeal, a 2003 Cato Institute study called the tariff "a policy in search of a rationale."
As an unintended consequence, several importers of light trucks have circumvented the tariff via loopholes—including Ford (ostensibly a company the tax was designed to protect), which currently imports the Transit Connect light trucks as "passenger vehicles" to the U.S. from Turkey and immediately shreds portions of their interiors in a warehouse outside Baltimore.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_tax
Largely because of post-World War II intensive chicken farming and accompanying price reductions, chicken, once internationally synonymous with luxury, became a staple food in the U.S. Prior to the early 1960s, not only had chicken remained prohibitively expensive in Europe, it had remained a delicacy. With imports of inexpensive chicken from the U.S., chicken prices fell quickly and sharply across Europe, radically affecting European chicken consumption. In 1961, per capita chicken consumption rose 23% in West Germany. U.S. chicken overtook nearly half of the imported European chicken market.
Subsequently, the Dutch accused the U.S. of dumping chickens at prices below cost of production. The French government banned U.S. chicken and raised concerns that hormones could affect male virility. German farmers' associations accused U.S. poultrymen of artificially fattening chicken with arsenic. In fact, U.S. chicken farmers, with Food and Drug Administration approval, had treated chicken feed with antimony, arsenic compounds, or estrogen hormones to stimulate growth.
The period from 1961–1964 of tensions and negotiations surrounding the issue, which took place at the height of Cold War politics, was known as the "Chicken War".
Eventually, the tariffs on potato starch, dextrin, and brandy were lifted, but over the next 48 years the light truck tax ossified, remaining in place to protect U.S. domestic automakers from foreign light truck production (e.g., from Japan and Thailand). Though concern remains about its repeal, a 2003 Cato Institute study called the tariff "a policy in search of a rationale."
As an unintended consequence, several importers of light trucks have circumvented the tariff via loopholes—including Ford (ostensibly a company the tax was designed to protect), which currently imports the Transit Connect light trucks as "passenger vehicles" to the U.S. from Turkey and immediately shreds portions of their interiors in a warehouse outside Baltimore.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_tax
Iso Rivolta background info
Iso Rivolta was initially named Isothermos and manufactured refrigeration units before WW2.
After the Second World War, the company reopened its doors, completely changing its activity. In 1948 it began to build motorcycles, scooters and motocarries (three wheeled transport scooters/motorcycles). Among the most famous are the Furetto (1948), 'Isoscooter (1950),' Isocarro (1951), 'Isomoto (1954) and' Isosport (1953). The last Iso motorcycle was presented as the Iso 500 in 1961. Isomotos were known as expensive, but durable and well-built.
In the mid-1950s, he started to develop a miniature car for two persons and front entrance, initially with only three wheels, later, for reasons of stability, with four wheels (the two on the rear very close together): the Isetta Bubble Car. About 20,000 of the bubble cars were built at the Rivolta works near Milan, but this volume was dwarfed by that of the German licensee
Starting in 1954, Isetta was licensed to automobile manufacturers in several countries: France (by VELAM), Spain, Great Britain and Brazil (by Romi). The most successful, however, was the German Isetta built by BMW. The BMW-Isetta fulfilled the dream of mobility in post-war Germany and about 130,000 had been sold by 1962
At the start of 1973 the Rivolta family ceded the business to an Italian American financier named Dr Ivo Pera who promised to bring American management know-how to the firm: the business faded rapidly into obscurity.
Found on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iso_Rivolta
After the Second World War, the company reopened its doors, completely changing its activity. In 1948 it began to build motorcycles, scooters and motocarries (three wheeled transport scooters/motorcycles). Among the most famous are the Furetto (1948), 'Isoscooter (1950),' Isocarro (1951), 'Isomoto (1954) and' Isosport (1953). The last Iso motorcycle was presented as the Iso 500 in 1961. Isomotos were known as expensive, but durable and well-built.
In the mid-1950s, he started to develop a miniature car for two persons and front entrance, initially with only three wheels, later, for reasons of stability, with four wheels (the two on the rear very close together): the Isetta Bubble Car. About 20,000 of the bubble cars were built at the Rivolta works near Milan, but this volume was dwarfed by that of the German licensee
Starting in 1954, Isetta was licensed to automobile manufacturers in several countries: France (by VELAM), Spain, Great Britain and Brazil (by Romi). The most successful, however, was the German Isetta built by BMW. The BMW-Isetta fulfilled the dream of mobility in post-war Germany and about 130,000 had been sold by 1962
At the start of 1973 the Rivolta family ceded the business to an Italian American financier named Dr Ivo Pera who promised to bring American management know-how to the firm: the business faded rapidly into obscurity.
Found on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iso_Rivolta
Tuesday, September 06, 2011
Have you checked out the Magnetic Brain lately? He's upped his game, and his site is looking awesome! His content was never less than great, but it's even better now!
Video of a 1924 Helica (propeller driven car) in action
found on Autoblog Hungary http://www.autoblog.hu/videok/video_egy_propelleres_auto_1924bol.html
these are just a small sample of the Street Machines in Australia... found on streetmachinemag.typepad.com/street_machine/
Monday, September 05, 2011
prototype lunar rover... the MTA
This is Frenc Pavlics (the mobility genius) driving the MTA over our “Lunarium” rock field outside of the engineering building. It is controlled with a joystick controller on the right side. The GM Research Labs at the Tech Center donated the same type controller used on the Firebird III. found on http://deansgarage.com/2011/moonmen/#more-4737
Carl Grimes' fantastic bus transporter... moves the team and the racecar, even sleeps them when on the road
Bruce McCall's Zany Afternoons collection of crazy cars you've never heard of
from http://deansgarage.com/2011/1932-kranzler-sturm-roadster/
to buy a copy of this book, http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0394735048/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&condition=used
the mad world of crazy aircraft found in Major Howdy Bixby’s Album of Forgotten Warbirds on Dean's Garage.com
found on http://deansgarage.com/2011/bixbys-warbirds/
to buy yourself a copy http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0394735048/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&condition=used
The team of Steinegger and Eshenbaugh are looked at on Dean's Garage
Have you been over to Bring A Trailer lately? Good stuff showing up there
check out http://bringatrailer.com/ for all sorts of good finds, these and so many more
Charlie would like to know more about this Morris J he bought in Victoria BC, email him if you recognize it please
This had me wondering if a Morris J is part of the MG company,... MG is pretty well known for the great little sports cars. The letters MG are representative of Morris Garages, and I looked them up to see about the Morris J.
The Morris J was launched by the Morris Commercial subsidiary of Morris Motors in 1949 and produced until 1961. In 1952 the Commercial name was dropped and the van was marketed as the Morris J-type. As well as complete vehicles, the J-type was also supplied in chassis form to external body makers and it appeared, amongst other uses, as a pick-up, tipper truck, ice cream van and milk float. Many were bought by the British Post Office and these differed from standard in having rubber front and rear wings.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morris_Commercial_J-type and there is even a Morris J registry and info source http://www.jtypevan.com/ which has links to Morris J van owners websites.. (really cool ones too)
Here's what Wikipedia has about Morris Garages:
The MG Car Company got its name from Morris Garages, a dealer of Morris cars in Oxford which began producing its own customised versions to the designs of Cecil Kimber, who had joined the company as its sales manager in 1921. He was promoted to general manager in 1922, a position he held until 1941 when he fell out with Lord Nuffield over procuring wartime work. Kimber died in 1945 in a freak railway accident.
The first cars which were rebodied Morris models used coachwork from Carbodies of Coventry and were built in premises in Alfred Lane, Oxford. Demand soon caused a move to larger premises in Bainton Road in September 1925, sharing space with the Morris radiator works. Continuing expansion meant another move in 1927 to a separate factory in Edmund Road, Cowley, Oxford, near the main Morris factory and for the first time it was possible to include a production line. In 1928 the company had become large enough to warrant an identity separate from the original Morris Garages and the M.G. Car Company Limited was established in March of that year and in October for the first time a stand was taken at the London Motor Show. Space again soon ran out and a search for a permanent home led to the lease of part an old leather factory in Abingdon, Oxfordshire in 1929, gradually taking over more space until production ended there in 1980. The MG Car Club was founded in 1930 for owners and enthusiasts of MG cars.
Originally owned personally by William Morris, the company was sold to Morris Motors (itself part of the Nuffield Organisation) in 1935, MG was absorbed into the British Motor Company, created in 1952 as a merger of the Nuffield Organisation and the Austin Motor Company. BMC merged with Jag in '66 to become renamed as British Motor Holdings, which didn't last 2 years before mreging with Leyland to form British Leyland, which couldn't make it and in 75 was renamed British Leyland, but in 1980 was killed off due to politics.
After BL became the Rover Group in 1986, ownership of the MG marque passed to British Aerospace in 1988 and then in 1994 to BMW.
BMW sold the business in 2000 and the MG marque passed to the MG Rover Group, the Group went into receivership in April 2005, in July the Nanjing Automobile Group purchased the rights to the MG brand and the assets of the MG Rover Group http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MG_(car)
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