1992 Viper, something like the 27th made. Mileage? 1260. Only. Still has everything from the factory I imagine
1970 Challenger R/T, 19 thousand miles. 440 4 bbl with a 727
Saturday, January 11, 2014
family owned car dealerships, good chance you'll find interesting old cars on display, not for sale though
1992 Viper, something like the 27th made. Mileage? 1260. Only. Still has everything from the factory I imagine
1970 Challenger R/T, 19 thousand miles. 440 4 bbl with a 727
don't try to imitate this guy, he seems determined to die a suicide by traffic, but he impressively never hits anything in the longest traffic jam I've ever seen
AutoClandestino commented .. (Thanks!)
I used to live close to that tunnel before move to London and unfortunately everyone drives like this. I used to drive thru the "aisle" (as they call the space between lanes) in speeds around 80, 90km/h (not 120 like this guy), and one of the reasons is to avoid thieves. In Sao Paulo, if you have a 600cc or higher motorbike and don't drive like this, your bike WILL be stolen. It is not IF, is just WHEN. You WILL. There is a statistic saying that 60% of the 600cc+ motorbikes sold in Sao Paulo WILL BE STOLEN.
And the video below is a no shit bike robbery in progress. The black van at the top of the screen? Cops! Absolutely good fortune for the bike owner, watch how fast this all turns around from bad to good!
Jeep Summit, phew, it's very high tech luxury
Paddle shifters, and the most buttons I've seen in a car not labeled Ferrari on a racetrack
8.4 inch touchscreen, with all the bells and whistles, 18 speakers and a subwoofer by Harmon Kardon
Good to Be Bad: Jaguar plays up British bad-boy side for football commercials
I just saw the first commercial with ben Kingsley on during the football game, but I can't find it online
Convertibles, our interest in them is about gone... just like stick shifts
According to Car and Driver magazine's article in the Feb 2014 issue, new convertible registrations are only 1% of the new car market. In 2006 they were only 2%
Honda, Hyundai, Kia, and Toyota - don't make a single drop top, and they make 4.2 million cars a year
GM only makes the Camaro and Corvette in convertible
Ford? only the Mustang
Nissan? the 370Z, the Murano, and Infinity Q60
The Smart, the Fiat 500, and the Miata still are available in convertibles.
Info from Car and Driver, via R.L. Polk & Company
Most cars began as open wheel, no tops, and getting a top on them was a big deal, known as the Turret Top by GM in 1934.
Honda, Hyundai, Kia, and Toyota - don't make a single drop top, and they make 4.2 million cars a year
GM only makes the Camaro and Corvette in convertible
Ford? only the Mustang
Nissan? the 370Z, the Murano, and Infinity Q60
The Smart, the Fiat 500, and the Miata still are available in convertibles.
Info from Car and Driver, via R.L. Polk & Company
Most cars began as open wheel, no tops, and getting a top on them was a big deal, known as the Turret Top by GM in 1934.
What if.. instead of paying at the pump, you were charged by the mile?
Electric cars use the same roads upkept only by the gas tax.. they contribute nothing.
Hybrids use less gas, I've heard, and with the overall increase in all car's average MPG, but corresponding degradation of the roads in general.. bridges (like the one that collapsed a couple years ago on an interstate in Minnesota?) etc etc are not getting repaired well, if at all... it's a ratio of less tax income, more cars on the road, increased costs to repair roads, and now... more electric cars
Will the states just force us to bring our cars in for a computer download? Damn near most if not all new cars are OBD computer recorded, and a hell of a lot of new cars have Nav systems, Blue Link, On Star, etc etc. They just caught Ford admitting to uploading a hell of a lot of nav data, that of course we're told they won't use.
But... suppose the greed (oh yeah, that spending fixation the US Govt at every level is addicted to) has them realize they can now pull off a new "Smog" law type thing, on electric cars. Obviously, electric cars aren't required to stop into the Smog Cert locations, why not a road use tax upload of thier computers?
Hybrids use less gas, I've heard, and with the overall increase in all car's average MPG, but corresponding degradation of the roads in general.. bridges (like the one that collapsed a couple years ago on an interstate in Minnesota?) etc etc are not getting repaired well, if at all... it's a ratio of less tax income, more cars on the road, increased costs to repair roads, and now... more electric cars
Will the states just force us to bring our cars in for a computer download? Damn near most if not all new cars are OBD computer recorded, and a hell of a lot of new cars have Nav systems, Blue Link, On Star, etc etc. They just caught Ford admitting to uploading a hell of a lot of nav data, that of course we're told they won't use.
But... suppose the greed (oh yeah, that spending fixation the US Govt at every level is addicted to) has them realize they can now pull off a new "Smog" law type thing, on electric cars. Obviously, electric cars aren't required to stop into the Smog Cert locations, why not a road use tax upload of thier computers?
Friday, January 10, 2014
In the Ferrari dealership window in Bucharest (Romania), is not a car, but a boat... the 1953 Timossi - Ferrari "Arno XI"
The Arno XI is a hydroplane inspired by Achille Castoldi in the early 1950s and built by Timossi Azzano’s Cantieri boatyard located on Lake Como. Castoldi wanted to establish a world water speed record so he persuaded then Ferrari racing drivers Alberto Ascari and Luigi Villoresi to influence Enzo Ferrari to supply him with a 4.5-litre, V12 Ferrari engine; the same engine that gave Ferrari his first Grand Prix victory with the Ferrari 375 F1 at Silverstone Circuit in 1951
http://www.dwrenched.com Geroge realized he'd seen the boat in his home town, and went a took a couple photos of it.. it's the same raceboat I found on http://lecontainer.blogspot.com !
how about that as a coincidence!
According to http://www.autoevolution.com/news/ferrari-store-opened-in-bucharest-romania-14141.html the Bucharest store is the 2nd biggest Ferrari store in Europe, the largest being in Milan
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because auction company websites don't leave old sales up on their website forever, but have excellent in depth historical articles, I'm going to copy and paste the article here:
The ‘three-point’ hydroplane, devised in America during the late 1930s by Adolph and Arno Apel of New Jersey’s Ventnor Boat Works, truly revolutionised speedboat design. Elegantly simple, the Apel design divided the ‘step’ portion of the hull into two pontoon-like surfaces, or sponsons, with each on opposite sides of the boat. The boat’s propeller acted as the ‘third point’ in the equation. The tunnel between the sponsons trapped air to generate aerodynamic lift, with only the sponsons and propeller in direct contact with the water whilst the boat was at speed.
Italy’s premier speedboat racer was Achille Castoldi, a cousin of M.C. 72 designer Mario Castoldi and a highly talented driver and engineer in his own right. Beginning in 1940 with his original ‘Arno’, a 400 kg-class boat with a Picciotti-built hull and Alfa Romeo Type 158 power, Castoldi reset the world speed record at 130.517 km/h (81.10 mph). Subsequent boats in the ‘Arno’ series followed, with most powered by Alfa Romeo and at least one Maserati-powered example, and he primarily competed in circuit-type hydroplane racing. After 1951, Castoldi ended his relationship with Alfa Romeo and changed his focus to world speed-record competition, now seeking a new engine supplier for an attempt on the 800 kg class world speed record.
Castoldi’s record preparations began in 1952, when he travelled to Maranello with his two close friends, famed racing champions Alberto Ascari and Luigi Villoresi, to order a Formula 1 specification V-12 engine from Ferrari. The blessing of Il Commendatore, Enzo Ferrari, was virtually assured since Castoldi had earlier managed to save a number of Alfetta 158 race cars during the war, keeping them hidden from the occupying German forces at his factory in Abbiategrasso, near Milan.
The Aurelio Lampredi-designed Tipo 375 V-12 engine, the same unit that powered Ferrari’s Grand Prix racing cars during 1951 and achieved Ferrari’s first ever World Championship Grand Prix win with Froilan Gonzalez in 1951 and helped Ascari to earn Ferrari the World Championship in 1952, was selected to power Castoldi’s new boat. It developed some 385 bhp with 12:1 compression and a dual-magneto ignition system, driving a twin-blade propeller via a gearbox at up to 10,000 propeller revolutions.
Castoldi’s boat, dubbed ‘Arno XI’, was built to a three-point hydroplane design by Timossi Azzano’s Cantieri Timossi boatyard located on Lake Como. A beautiful example of form and function in equal parts, the hydroplane featured a solid wood-framed structure skinned by marine-grade plywood with a mahogany veneer, a strong separate metal subframe chassis to cope with the enormous power and the engine cover and cockpit exterior appropriately finished in Rosso Corsa.
Once completed, ‘Arno XI’ was shaken down at the Campione d’Italia races in January 1953, with Castoldi reaching an unofficial top speed of 124 mph, prior to attempting an officially sanctioned two-way run. Castoldi’s main competitor, Mario Verga, who received the full factory support of Alfa Romeo, went on to set a new 800 kg class speed record of 202.26 km/h (125.68 mph) with his Alfa Romeo 159-powered boat, ‘Laura’. Adding emphasis, Verga reset the record just two weeks later with a two-way top speed of 226.50 km/h (140.74). Undaunted, Castoldi had the 4.5-litre Tipo 375 F1 V-12 engine rebuilt and highly modified, with official Ferrari support, including Stefano Meazza, Scuderia Ferrari’s chief race engineer who oversaw the engine preparations for Castoldi. This time, the already highly powerful Ferrari V-12 racing engine was tuned to operate on methanol, now allowing much higher engine compression, in conjunction with twin superchargers and twin four-choke carburettors, with power output now exceeding 600 bhp, representing a power increase of some 200 bhp over the original specification!
Once upgraded and readied for competition, Castoldi made his record attempt at Lake Iseo on the morning of 15 October 1953, with Alberto Ascari and Luigi Villoresi in attendance, clearly demonstrating Ferrari’s support of the project. Now, Castoldi finally achieved his objective, with ‘Arno XI’, by breaking the speed record in the 800 kg class with a two-way average speed in the flying kilometre of 241.708 km/h (150.19 mph). Later that day, Castoldi followed up with a new record in the 24 nautical mile event by achieving an average speed of 164.70 km/h (102.34 mph).
The year following these triumphs, Achille Castoldi survived a frightful engine failure in an aircraft engine-powered, 1,700 kg Cantieri Timossi-built hydroplane. The death of his racing nemesis, Mario Verga, soon followed in an unrelated hydroplane accident, and Castoldi retired from competition. His victorious ‘Arno XI’ was placed into storage for a few years prior to acquisition in 1958 by engineer and gentleman-driver Nando Dell'Orto, who ran it in the circuit championships, where it was pitted, amongst others, against the powerful Maserati 450S V-8 driven raceboats.
Under Dell'Orto, the silhouette of ‘Arno XI’ was continually updated by the Milan-based Carrozzeria Boneschi with a very original and more aggressive engine fairing with a “shark nose” intake and a large vertical stabilising fin at the rear. As revised, ‘Arno XI’ achieved several fastest-lap records and three titles, including the European Championship in 1963. Nando Dell'Orto retired from competition in 1968, leaving ‘Arno XI’ in the huge warehouse of his paper-manufacturing plant located in the Milanese suburbs. It is here that this famous racing hydroplane was located and saved from oblivion. A painstaking restoration of this historic, record-setting hydroplane was commissioned by the new owner in the early 1990s. Photos of the boat before and during restoration are available for review in the history file
. The glorious V-12 engine was returned to Maranello, where it revived fond memories for several mechanics who had first worked on it in 1953. Engine work included the rebuilding of the two overhead camshafts and replacement of all the valves, whilst the manufacturer’s workshop reconditioned the dual four-choke carburettors. Not one vital mechanical part escaped scrutiny and appropriate treatment, including the twin superchargers that made this unique Ferrari 375 F1 engine capable of, in fact, producing up to 700 bhp during a bench test after its rebuild. However, it should also be noted that it was converted, at this time, to run on 100 Octane unleaded fuel rather than methanol to improve reliability and usability.
As for the hull, the Bisoli boatyard, located in Sirmione on Lake Garda, checked and restored the entire structure. Laminated panels were specially ordered from Canada for the construction of a new deck, a must for racers that are put under severe strain, as it contributes greatly to the rigidity of the hull. Particular care was taken in the restoration of the steering system, propeller shaft and the razor-sharp twin-blade propeller, whose speed can exceed more than 10,000 rpm. Nando Dell'Orto had exchanged the steering wheel in 1958, but thankfully, he retained the old Bugatti four-spoke steering wheel used by Achille Castoldi during his world-record attempts, and this is the same one that is mounted on the boat today.
Once carefully restored and impressively presented in its period and now in its most highly developed form under the ownership of Nando Dell’Orto, ‘Arno XI’ has returned to the water for spirited runs since 2004, and it has received honours from the Galleria Ferrari, having been welcomed by Piero Ferrari, who warmly congratulated the craft’s present owner for the thoroughness, authenticity and high quality of the restoration of this unique, record-setting Ferrari V-12-powered hydroplane racer, an effort truly commensurate with the stature of this legendary craft. The hard work has included years of extensive historical research to collect a truly rich body of documentation and photographs accompanying the sale of ‘Arno XI’, including technical worksheets from Ferrari’s Maranello engine shop, dated September 1953. Notably, Ferrari Classiche has recently confirmed with RM Auctions that the Tipo 375 F1 V-12 engine, number G.P. 52/1, currently installed in ‘Arno XI’, is indeed original, and a declaration confirming this fact accompanies the sale of this record-setting hydroplane. http://www.rmauctions.com/lots/lot.cfm?lot_id=1049320
the Miller Cycle engine, I've never heard of it before... and a bit about Mazda
I just learned they have a museum: http://www.mazda.com/mazdaspirit/museum/index.html?link_id=sc it's in Hiroshima Japan, though you can do a bit of exploring with Google Street View http://www.mazda.com/mazdaspirit/museum/guide.html
As with its leadership in Wankel technology, Mazda remains (so far) the only automaker to have used a Miller-cycle engine in the automotive realm. The reason is simple, incredibly more expensive, (supercharger and intercoolers) very little gain in power 10hp, or mpg 15% http://www.motivemag.com/pub/feature/tech/Motive_Tech_Miller_Time_-_The_Miller_Cycle_Engine_Explained.shtml
Mazda remains the only automaker to have produced a Wankel-powered pickup truck.
Additionally, it is also the only marque to have ever offered a rotary-powered bus (the Mazda Parkway, offered only in Japan) or station wagon (within the RX-3 & RX-4 line for US markets).
Mazda also helped Ford develop the 1991 Explorer, which Mazda sold as the 2-door only Mazda Navajo from 1991 through 1994. Ironically, Mazda's version was unsuccessful, while the Ford (available from the start as a 4-door or 2-door model) instantly became the best selling sport-utility vehicle in the United States and kept that title for over a decade
cool bar, (Nakombi in Sao Paulo Brazil) good way to reuse a VW van nose!
I don't remember where I came across the photo, but, it's in Sao Paulo Brazil
Commentor Auto Clandestine let me know: It is a japanese restaurant called "Nakombi". The restaurant owner started his business selling food at street in a Kombi (VW van are called "Kombi" in Brazil). After few years, the guy just decided to call the restaurant "Nakombi" because it sounds like a japanese word and "na Kombi" means "in a Kombi" in portuguese (Brazil speaks portuguese, not spanish). And no, this is not his first Kombi, it is just fiberglass. I've been there, is very good!
1870's railroads.. a creation of cargo transportation, a lot of kerosense for home and business lighting, until Rockefeller invented pipelines
Then the railroads that had been a boom industry, collapsed in 1873
360 railroads were making great profit, right up to the oil pipelines getting put in from the oil fields in the eastern state to Cleveland, and then the crash took and put 1/3rd out of business. The stock market panic was so bad they shut down the stock exchange for 10 days.
360 railroads were making great profit, right up to the oil pipelines getting put in from the oil fields in the eastern state to Cleveland, and then the crash took and put 1/3rd out of business. The stock market panic was so bad they shut down the stock exchange for 10 days.
the damn Chevy Z codes on the side of truck beds
Z83 for a solid, smooth ride,
Z85 for enhanced handling and trailer towing,
Z71 for enhanced off-road capability,
Z60 for street performance with 20-inch wheels
Z85 for enhanced handling and trailer towing,
Z71 for enhanced off-road capability,
Z60 for street performance with 20-inch wheels
this might be the best car guy news you'll see this season... Kyle broke out of obscurity by doing car reviews... and was the Make A Wish for a kid with a brain tumor
ain't that cool!
Kyle has over 1500 video reviews, makes over 6 figures with this part time hobby that he did for stress relief from college studies of pharmacy, and his non-auto industry subsidized videos have been seen over 120 million times in the past 5 years
Kyle has a good bio and story about how he made it at http://www.saabkyle04.com/about.html but in short, he got his doctorate, got married, and still makes video reviews for fun, and was featured in Car and Driver in 2011, and then on NBC's Today shop (above video)
It gives me hope that my ol blog here that you are looking at might one day get me a job that pays well. Kyle was smart, took a chance with youtube, and scored when his in depth and unbiased reviews became the go to on youtube and they made hima channel and charged for advertising.
Thursday, January 09, 2014
a 1959 Bombardier is up for sale, seating for 12 in a rare vintage snowmachine with a V8... impressive! be the only person in your country to own one!
thanks to Iain who just ran across this and is nice enough to share the discovery with all of you, thinking maybe one of you would love to be it's new owner! http://www.nettimoto.com/ski-doo/elite/1617208 is the source of the images and
when every ounce counts
I've never seen axle tubes drilled for weight savings before..
photo found on http://stiffspeed.tumblr.com/
Fed up with the cost of Sirius XM? I was. Problem solved
Just a couple weeks before your subscription is about to expire, call them up. Ask them how much for the next year, then tell them that's far more than the service is worth to you, and to cancel your renewal. They'll ask why, and you tell them you will go without instead of paying so much, as you've already had friends pay 25 for 6 months instead of the regular 175 a year, and anything they'll sell for 25 for 6 months will do. They counter with the usual song and dance about how your account isn't due for any specials. So tell them fine, just go ahead and cancel as you aren't convinced that 175 a year is worth it. Then they'll counter that though they can't offer you 6 months at 25, they'll go 5 months at 20 bucks.
and there you go. 20 bucks instead of (did the math on a calculator) $72.92
they would prefer to charge you 15 a month http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2013/05/advice-for-all-xmsirius-subscribers.html
and there you go. 20 bucks instead of (did the math on a calculator) $72.92
they would prefer to charge you 15 a month http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2013/05/advice-for-all-xmsirius-subscribers.html
Coronet 500 in the Mylie Cyrus video "Party in the USA"
possibly only in the video because the trunk is so huge they could pretend that they used it to smuggle some teens into the drive in
the first 1/2 of the video uses a lot of cool cars from the late 60's and early 70's.
headlights... who needs them? Morgan says theirs (2012 -2013) don't comply with US regs, but they say: noncompliance of the subject vehicles is inconsequential to motor vehicle safety
V. Summary of Morgan's Analyses: Morgan stated its belief that the subject noncompliance is inconsequential to motor vehicle safety for the following reasons:
In addition, Morgan knows of no reports of injuries or other safety issues in the US or the rest of the world caused by the subject noncompliance.
Morgan believes that the described noncompliance of the subject vehicles is inconsequential to motor vehicle safety, and that its petition, to exempt from providing recall notification of noncompliance as required by 49 U.S.C. 30118 and remedying the recall noncompliance as required by 49 U.S.C. 30120 should be granted.
In its petition, Morgan also requested that NHTSA amend the headlamp spacing requirements in FMVSS No. 108 during future rulemaking.
This request cannot be considered as part of the instant petition as filed under 49 CFR part 556. However, Morgan may consider petitioning the Agency for rulemaking.The appropriate type of petition to request a change in a rule is one filed under 49 CFR Part 552 Petitions for Rulemaking, Defect, and Non-Compliance Orders. NHTSA notes that the statutory provisions (49 U.S.C. 30118(d) and 30120(h)) that permit manufacturers to file petitions for a determination of inconsequentiality allow NHTSA to exempt manufacturers only from the duties found in sections 30118 and 30120, respectively, to notify owners, purchasers, and dealers of a defect or noncompliance and to remedy the defect or noncompliance. Therefore, any decision on this petition only applies to the vehicles that Morgan no longer controlled at the time it determined that the noncompliance existed. However, a decision on this petition cannot relieve vehicle distributors and dealers of the prohibitions on the sale, offer for sale, introduction or delivery for introduction into interstate commerce of the noncompliant motor vehicles under their control after Morgan notified them that the subject noncompliance existed.
AUTHORITY:
Back to Top 49 U.S.C. 30118, 30120:
delegations of authority at 49 CFR 1.95 and 501.8.
Issued on: December 2, 2013.
Claude H. Harris, Director, Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance.
All parsed from https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2013/12/09/2013-29249/morgan-3-wheeler-limited-receipt-of-petition-for-decision-of-inconsequential-noncompliance
Wednesday, January 08, 2014
the story of how Jeremy and Hector bought the VW van, and made it to the concert is now told in the new Zits book (not comic strip collection), Chillax
and the next book:
you can get yours at http://www.amazon.com/Zits-Chillax-Jerry-Scott/dp/006222851X and probably all bookstores