Saturday, December 23, 2017

I think you can probably look at these 4 photos, and tell what magazine they come from. But you probably don't know the name, or the story, of the photographer who took these, and created the new, higher level of hot rodding magazine, others have tried to match





Did you guess yet?

Steve Coonan. I'm surprised his name isn't as well known in current hot rod photography as Gewertz, Furman, Marjorham, Chen, and Jackson

The magazine is Rodders Journal, and I just read a cool article at Fuel Curve.com about Steve Coonan that explains what it took to get from a guy working for other magazines, like American Rodder, Hot Rod, etc to creating the new best of the best car magazine, Rodders Journal in 1994

https://fuelcurve.com/rodders-journal-rough-cuts/

police recover a Mustang stolen 30 years ago... however, they had to take it from a guy who had bought it in 2004 for his daughter's 16th birthday, and blew 60 thou on restoring it (Thanks Gary!)



Steven Merced of Holbrook, NY, told News 12 Long Island he purchased the 1966 Mustang in 2004 for $3,500. The man said he bought the car for his daughter’s 16th birthday and dropped $60,000 on the automobile to refurbish it.

The Department of Motor Vehicles started digitizing VINS from stolen car-reports that go back decades. Merced’s Mustang was one of the cars stolen more than 30 years ago, in 1980, police said.

Merced said he was given $1,450 by his insurance company for the vehicle but he just wanted his classic sports car back.

Poor bastard. He blew 63,500 dollars, and only insured it, or only could recoup from his insurance company, 2 %

2 dollars for every hundred dollars he spent.

http://longisland.news12.com/story/37130803/police-confiscate-holbrook-mans-mustang-for-being-stolen-in-1980
http://www.foxnews.com/auto/2017/12/23/new-york-mans-classic-mustang-confiscated-after-it-was-reported-stolen-in-1980.html

Here's where I, once again, find that the reporters are lazy bastards and didn't do a good job.

Why wasn't the car returned to the original owner, or his insurance company?
Who was the original owner, why wasn't that person interviewed?

putting out a smoke screen... and then, then they realized, F1 was becoming a Death Race movie scene

they either aren't paying any attention, or, they are too stupid to learn from history

Friday, December 22, 2017

the only known 1927 Marmon Model L was recently discovered, and pulled out of a garage in Illinois, where it had been hibernating since the 1960s



About 50 years ago, Kent Cherpeske was able to acquire the two-door Marmon from John Warfield in Princeton, Al Cherpeske said. They drove Al’s 1962 Oldsmobile to the man’s house, where they helped him dig away dirt to open the barn doors and hitch the Marmon to the Oldsmobile. They towed it to the Cherpeskes’ parent’s home on Zinc Street and placed it inside a large garage





http://www.newstrib.com/free/photos-out-of-the-barn-and-into-the-light-video/article_1afed602-da90-11e7-a321-2792fb9f7c48.html
http://www.thedrive.com/news/16753/rare-last-of-its-kind-1927-marmon-automobile-rescued-from-illinois-garage-after-fifty-years
http://www.powernationtv.com/post/christmas-decorations-affecting-mpg-2018-wrangler-crane-takes-out-focus-rs-low-rider-in-the-snow-and-fast-fails

Call it.... is this just damn stupid and going to get someone hurt, and the tractor wrecked? Or am I over reacting to what seems to be an obvious lack of common sense. You DO NOT race at a solid concrete structure, like a stadium, when you have zero chance to turn or avoid the concrete wall you are fast approaching



and when you're towing a ton or two, that is going to make you the middle of a stupid sandwich

http://www.powernationtv.com/post/when-tractor-pulls-go-wrong

Fyi, Top Gear, season 23, the new cast members including shouty guy is on Netflix


Which is the most beautiful, the C type, the D type, or the E type Jaguar? The E Type was the 1st to get 10 votes (darn you E Type fans)





so, the D type. 







 the D type, which was given the super sport XKSS designation.






and the E type

even a comparative video



there you have a good variety of each, regular production ones, and full race ones... professionally photographed, and amateur photos.

Update, Monday Jan 8th, noon

The E has 10 votes
the C has 7
the D has 6

Airstream photos coming out of the founder's family album


above, in the 1930s, Airstream wasn't restricted to just making the aluminum bread loaf shaped trailers we instantly think of when imagining an "Airstream"




Photography from the estate of Helen Byam Schwamborn, courtesy Dale Schwamborn, who is Wally Byam’s cousin once removed.

Dale was on many early Airstream caravans with Wally and was an advance scout on the famed African Caravan expedition. Dale’s mother, Helen Byam Schwamborn, worked at Airstream and formed the Wally Byam Caravan Club.

Because aluminum weathers considerably better than Masonite, especially when similarly neglected, survival rates of Airstream’s prewar Masonite campers are quite low.

 This has led many to the impression that the Airstream Clipper, introduced in 1936, was the company’s main product before World War II. This ties in well, it seems, with the company’s exclusive use of aluminum after the war. In fact, that isn’t true.

“Airstream’s [Masonite] Airlites and Silver Clouds sold for $500 to $600. The new Clippers…in the neighborhood of $3,500. Since each one was custom, prices varied from a base price to cost-plus."

https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2017/12/22/what-the-airstream-clipper-wasnt/

that last sentence, that's the real indication this guy's not effing around. Cash, not taxed for revenge, no paperwork to fill out

Henry Ford's patented air cooled X-8, 1920, compact and relatively high power-to-weight ratio

wtf?



what the actual hell caused them to cut the seatbelt, and then try to sew it back together?


this actually happened


And at Porsche, your car gets a free wax, and so does your luggage



The spring in the wiper blade arm was worn out so the customer improvised with what look to be a rat trap spring.



DIY key repair

http://carmechanicfails.tumblr.com/

If you're off the computer for the next couple of days and not checking back in until Tuesday, Merry Christmas!



this isn't a real car, not a full size, this incredible piece is a 1/43rd scale model, by Ilario Chiera. Wow


Ilario Chiera was born in 1965 in Annecy, France, near the Swiss border, of Italian parents.

His first contact with 1 / 43rd car models took place in 1984.  "I bought my first kit, a 1984 Ferrari 288 GTO Record, and with some instructions from the seller, I quickly assembled the model, then I went back to the store to show them my work. I was asked to work for them.

 After only a week, I was self-employed and started a kit assembly company."

"I decided to make a series of high quality cars at 1 / 43rd scale this time, and make Ferrari the main subject.

I like to reproduce the models from the 50s to the 70s, especially the unique and unpublished 1 / 43rd bodyworks, limited edition of 350 miniatures only so that they remain real collectibles .

In 2005 my production received the approval of the Ferrari factory , and my products are now manufactured under license from the house to the prancing horse.


this balloon car demonstrates how well he makes all his models

And sadly, this month is the last the company will be in business. Total liquidation of all stock by Dec 31st.
http://www.quirao.com/fr/a/ilario-creation-miniatures-metal-voitures-ferrari.htm
http://ilario.pagesperso-orange.fr/index.html

Michael Furman, Best of Show

if you found an abandoned track, I bet this would be an incredibly good way to see the area. No cars, no traffic, no noises from people.

Villa d'Este, 2017