interruption of stuff for this breaking news alert! Hammond's DOWN! Crashed a damn car in a curve


Going to need some knee surgery. According to Amazon, Richard was conscious, got out of the car himself, and was able to talk. 





Richard was quickly airlifted to a hospital, and is said to be allright.

The hamster crashed in Switzerland in the town of St Gallen in north-east Switzerland during a shoot for The Grand Tour. The 47-year-old had to be pulled from the wreckage of a Rimac supercar worth £2m that later burst into flames, but avoided serious injuries.





https://uk.news.yahoo.com/richard-hammond-former-top-gear-160400999.html

I might have saved this guys day, or his life. Who can tell what you prevent when you get someone to stop and realize they are pouring gas onto the ground as fast as their fuel pump can operate. Damn BMW mechanic screwed up. Something is very wrong


This photo is a moment after he turned off the car. But from the size of the puddle, you'll see just how much gas leaked onto the ground in the time it took to come to a stop and turn off the car.

I don't know what it takes to light gasoline on fire, and I don't wanna find out while people are in that car.

I bet the hose clamps weren't tightened, or the fuel return line wasn't plugged into the tank, or the hoses weren't replaced when the fuel pump (just replaced this morning) was replaced and the increased pressure blew a hole in the line.

Anyway, what you can take from this is that when you smell gas, don't panic, but don't ignore it, find out what is leaking gas and then take immediate safety steps to keep shit from catching on fire. Don't matter if it's your car or some strangers, you can prevent a shit ton of problems by getting people alerted to problems.

Worst case a fire happens, and we've all seen shit on fire on the freeways, or maybe this guy just runs out of gas while driving and gets off to the side of the road and calls for a tow. No matter. Help out people when they need it. Make this world a bit better place to be in

Nice Mustang in the mall parking lot... sure looks out of place among the new boring cars



I have never cared for these 72-73-74 era mustangs... but something makes this one looks good. Might be the flat black hood and scoops, plus the chrome surrounding the grill. I'm not sure. But I dig it



I found a Facebook page for Magnesium rims






it wasn't just Halibrand mags for dragsters... even BMX bikes had a company making rims from magnesium

https://www.facebook.com/groups/612267352250245/

if you think they are rare, you're mistaken. Everyone that wanted them has a set, and anyone who wants a set can buy them... they are expensive, not rare.


when trucks pull into drag races with a load of anything... that thing isn't rare. 

around 293 mph on the Texas Mile, the 2006 Ford GT from M2K Motorsports


Back in 2011, the Twin Turbo/Supercharged 2006 GT ran in the mid 220’s

In March of 2012, the Texas Mile record was 255 mph, but the GT ran 257.7mph and took the Texas Mile Record.

In October 2012, it bettered the record and ran 263.3 mph.

In March of 2013, it went faster and hit 267.6mph, but came back in October of 2013 and ran what stood for a couple of years at the speed of 278.8mph.

At the higher speeds (260+), Patrick, the driver of the GT, commented that on the 4-5 shift the car would get a bit upset. This was due to the nose dropping and lifting again when he got back on the power. With the shock data from the Motec and the help of Scott Ahlman, they figured out that the suspension was bottomed out from the down force and that was causing the issue.






http://www.motoiq.com/MagazineArticles/ID/4181/PageID/10397/M2K-Motorsports-280-mph-Ford-GT.aspx
http://www.fordgtforum.com/2016/04/11/breaking-the-texas-mile-record-with-m2k-motorsports/
https://www.motor1.com/news/140532/ford-gt-standing-mile-record/

Compliments to SDPD Bryan Baker, 2nd year in a row with the highest rate of stolen vehicle recoveries!


https://www.facebook.com/sandiegopolicedepartment/posts/1297768083645499
And hat tip to AAA magazine San Diego Westways, CEO's letter for congratulating Officer Baker

Our SDPD cops aren't really this pink... it's just bad lighting.

But how cool is this, a cop that focuses on stolen cars, not harrassing people and citing bullshit municipal codes that blanket cover any and everything that pisses cops off about people they don't like. 

Pershing Square, Los Angeles, circa 1920, part of a Pasadena trip


a couple of nice buses. On the left one's door seems to be written Packard Deluxe, or De Classse. It's probably a 1916 or 17
The story of that cannon is here: http://www.shorpy.com/node/13244#comment-138470 (thanks Steve!)


http://skyscraperpage.com/forum/showthread.php?t=170279&page=430

Thursday, June 08, 2017

Back in 1920, you could still fly an airplane off the top of LA buildings


Dec. 14, 1920: Stunt pilot Frank Clarke flies an aircraft off the 10-story Railway Building in downtown Los Angeles during filming for the movie “Stranger Than Fiction.”

The Los Angeles Times reported the next day: Frank Clark (later Clarke), 22-year-old stunt aviator, yesterday flew off the 10-story Los Angeles Railway Building at 11th Street and Broadway.

Clark’s plane a J.N. 4 Curtiss, equipped with a L-4 Liberty motor developing 150 horsepower, with a wingspan of 43 feet, larger than any biplane that ever hopped off a battleship’s deck. The intrepid aviator had his plane going about 90 miles an hour when it left the edge of the roof.

The stunt was filmed for the Katherine MacDonald Pictures Corp. released in 1921 as “Stranger Than Fiction.”

Clarke went on to a career as a stunt pilot and actor in several Hollywood movies. Clarke was the chief pilot for the 1930 film “Hell’s Angels” by director Howard Hughes. He died in a non-job-related plane accident in 1948.

Los Angeles Times staff photographer George Watson took these three images




http://skyscraperpage.com/forum/showpost.php?p=5762303&postcount=8521

1960 Triumph Italia


In the 1950s, the Italians loved the sports cars like as the TR2 and the TR3 fun-to-drive factor. However, they weren’t fond of the looks.

So Italy’s lead Triumph importer, Salvatore Ruffino, asked for a supply line of frames and other mechanical components to build 1,000 sports car that drove like a Triumph but looked like an Italian thoroughbred.

Designer Giovanni Michelotti penned the body and Alfredo Vignale built the Italia in Turin. Over three years, Vignale only made 329 cars, all with the same 2.0-liter four-cylinder and manual transmission as the TR3.

http://britishsportscars.com/blog/2015/09/restoration-project-update-1960-triumph-italia-2000-complete/
http://www.automobilemag.com/news/11-select-european-classics-2017-greenwich-concours-international/
https://www.facebook.com/GreenwichConcours/

Got her start as a professional driver in her 1st job, as a pizza delivery... then was a valet, where she was spotted by a director, now she's a Hollywood stunt driver. Pizza delivery and valet drivers!... take notice, you can hone your driving skills every day. Being good looking doesn't hurt either


Director Doug Taub, in town shooting a Lincoln commercial, happened to spot Trimble as she whipped cars around at the valet. “Have you ever thought about driving for a living?” he asked her. “What do you mean?” she answered, pointing to the valet stand. “Look at all these cars I drive for a living.”

Based on her facile maneuvering (and perhaps aided by her quick wit), Taub offered her a gig as a production assistant so she could dip her toes in the precision-driving business. Sensing an opportunity for change (and admitting to herself that her art education wasn’t doing her any good as a valet anyway), she paid a friend $40 to cover for her on a Saturday. “When I think back,” she recalls, “that $40 was the best possible career investment I’ve had to this day. I’m glad he covered that shift because it was totally life-changing.”

10 years later she is trading notes with fellow stunt driver and racer Tanner Foust, and has a garage stuffed with a Porsche Macan S, an air-cooled 911 Carrera, a Ford Focus ST, and a meticulously restored ’68 Dodge Charger found in Indiana with a 572 she spent two years looking through other 68 chargers to find.


“I was like, ‘700 lb-ft of torque? Of course I need 700 lb-ft of torque. And 768 horsepower? Of course I need 768 horsepower.’ It’s like an Indy cylinder head with these crazy headers I can fit my calves into. Holy headers, Batman.”

http://www.automobilemag.com/news/sera-trimbles-rise-top-ranks-stunt-driving/