The van of John Jackson ( NotStockPhotography.com) was back at SEMA, new paint, and looking better than last year. It's called the "Boogie Van"

the subtle panel paint is really well done, but doesn't overpower the total look of "Cool" by being contrasting colors or heavy outlined.. well done!

much better looking rims this year

This is one of the coolest awards I've ever seen made

Last years gallery shows it was dark blue with a sweet pinstripe piece on the back doors http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2010/11/john-jacksons-van-terrific-photographer.html

http://www.facebook.com/pages/NotStock-Photography/151898738611?ref=ts#!/media/set/?set=a.472554518611.257717.151898738611&type=3 for a gallery of some incredible photos from Not Stock Photography

Joe Martin Foundation's Metalworking Craftsmen of the Year award winner Louis Chenot and his 1/8th scale fully operational 1932 SJ Duesenburg

 Louis Chenot  has spent the past ten years building this incredibly detailed 1932 SJ Duesenberg LaGrande dual-cowl phaeton. Not only does it look good, but the engine runs, the lights work, the top mechanism functions and the transmission and driveline are complete. Lou started his research on this project over fifty years ago with the purchase of a book and through the following years collected many drawings and studied a number of Duesenbergs while they were being restored, taking photos and recording dimensions

Lou was presented with a special Lifetime Achievement award by the Joe Martin Foundation for Exceptional Craftsmanship in 2009. The model was nearing completion but the engine had not yet run. Now that the engine runs and the model is completed, Lou has been selected as the foundation's "Metalworking Craftsman of the Year." The award includes an engraved award medallion and a check for $2000.00. Lou is the 15th person to receive this coveted annual award. Because it is likely that this could well be the finest running model car ever built in this small a scale, Lou's award this year will be presented as the "Craftsman of the Decade." More can be seen on this car and some of Lou's other projects at www.CraftsmanshipMuseum.com/Chenot.htm


See the outstanding work of Lou and 99 other world-class craftsmen at http://www.craftsmanshipmuseum.com/

Thanks Randall!

a couple pedal cars at SEMA were give aways, the Color Faktory did the work on the first one, nice!

http://www.houseofkolor.com/index.jsp

Cobra Dragonsnake at SEMA

Getting closer to a compressed air car... Tata isn't the only company working on it, so is Toyota

The TATA Mini CAT which is a simple, light urban car, with a tubular chassis, a body of fiberglass that is glued not welded and powered by compressed air. A Microprocessor is used to control all electrical functions of the car. One tiny radio transmitter sends instructions to the lights, turn signals and every other electrical device on the car. Which are not many.
The temperature of the clean air expelled by the exhaust pipe is between 0-15 degrees below zero, which makes it suitable for use by the internal air conditioning system with no need for gases or loss of power.
There are no keys, just an access card which can be read by the car from your pocket. According to the designers, it costs less than 50 rupees per 100 KM, that's about a tenth the cost of a car running on gas. It's mileage is about double that of the most advanced electric car, a factor which makes it a perfect choice for city motorists. The car has a top speed of 105 KM per hour or 60 mph and would have a range of around 300 km or 185 miles between refuels. Refilling the car will take place at adapted gas stations with special air compressors. A fill up will only take two to three minutes and costs approximately 100 rupees and the car will be ready to go another 300 kilometers.
This car can also be filled at home with it's on board compressor. It will take 3-4 hours to refill the tank, but it can be done while you sleep.

Because there is no combustion engine, changing the 1 liter of vegetable oil is only necessary every 50,000 KM or 30,000 miles. Due to its simplicity, there is very little maintenance to be done on this car.

Toyota's air powered car Kurin

Derived from the Japanese word for air (ku) and wheel (rin), the Ku:Rin project came into being in December 2006 in the Dream Car Workshop of Toyota Industries Corporation. A team of 40 members designed and built the first car to run on the air inflated by a compressor that had a pencil shaped rocket. The eco-friendly tricycle became the fastest car driven by a compressed air-engine in the world in 2009 and the company even intended to get it entered into the Guinness World Record for this achievement. Though looks like a steam punk vehicle, the Ku:Rin uses air to propel itself thus outputs zero carbon emission. Running only on air compressor, the vehicle has a speed of 80.3 MPH (129.2km/h) and is fueled by on-board compressed air tank and generates electricity by expanding the compressed air using a reversed AC compressor.
info on the Toyota from http://www.utilityproducts.com/news/2011/11/1540069457/is-air-power-the-future-of-transportation.html

Thanks Mike!

Must be Moose season

This photo is already debunked as not connected to the story that is getting emailed around, but it's still comical

They dressed the truck up with the guy spread eagle on the roof of the truck.
The driver and passengers put on Moose Heads.Down the Maine Toll interstate they went, causing about 16 accidents.
http://www.snopes.com/photos/accident/mooseheads.asp

How to import car parts from the USA

http://www.metica.se/blogg/2011/11/22/sa-importerar-du-bildelar-fran-usa/ has a long list from first hand experience... you'll want to use a translate program like Google Chrome to make it easy to read

More stuff that I liked at SEMA

This is Randy's newest Blastolene Brothers creation, the Decoliner http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2011/10/blastolene-brothers-invent-again-randy.html

The above is the Dynasport http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2008/03/from-speed-kings-garage-and-scott.html from Scott Whittaker, the same guy who built the Dynaliner http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2011/12/dynaliner-returned-to-sema-it-is.html

 I think that if my grave headstone looked like the above pinstriping, I'd be a happy corpse

 wow, great airbrushing by Munoz!

And great way to show off the rig and display bottles

8 Ferraris, 2 mercedes, and a Lambo went for a drive... they all wrecked... completely totalled.

The above photo is by Yomiuri Shiumbun

This first video has no audio, the 2nd is a news clip, and more coverage

luxury sports car enthusiasts in Japan ended in an expensive freeway pileup - smashing a stunning eight Ferraris, a Lamborghini and two Mercedes.

Police say they believe the accident on the Chugoku Expressway in southwestern Japan,  Sunday,  was touched off when the driver of one of the Ferraris tried to change lanes and hit the median barrier. He spun across the freeway, and the other cars collided while trying to avoid hitting his car.

info found on http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia-pacific/8-ferraris-lamborghini-smashed-in-pricey-japan-freeway-pileup/2011/12/05/gIQAhNQ1UO_story.html?tid=pm_pop

According to The Associated Press, 10 of the people involved in the wreck received treatment for minor injuries.

News reports quoted eyewitnesses as saying that at the time of the accident, the procession appeared to be traveling at 85 to 100 miles per hour, well over the speed limit of 60.

Bloomberg News quoted a traffic official, Mitsuyoshi Isejima, as saying that the driver suspected of causing the pileup, a 60-year-old self-employed man, could face up to three months in prison or a fine of 100,000 yen, about $1,300.

Somewhere an insurance rep is cringing.

Thanks Ken!