Saturday, June 09, 2018

The hotel where Jeremy Clarkson had his steak “fracas” has installed this plaque…

taking out a telephone pole, and surviving? Damn. That's tough, and worth a photo

his friends got him to believe the car to take him to the wedding had broken down, and then his groomsmen had a Batmobile show up


The iconic vehicle used by Michael Keaton in the 1989 Batman blockbuster pulled up and took Will, a Batman fan since boyhood,  and his bride to the ceremony in Wadebridge, Cornwall.

Will’s brother Josh said the family came up with the idea.

He said: “We wanted to do something special to surprise Will.

We found a company that specialises in star quality cars, and they had the original Batmobile.

“It travelled down to Cornwall on a lorry the night before the wedding.”

Josh and another brother Charlie had arranged to drive Will to church. Josh added: “After a few miles we pretended that our car was breaking down.

“We pulled in to a lay-by and there was the Batmobile, so the final 10 miles to the church were completed in one of the most iconic movie vehicles of all time.


https://www.express.co.uk/news/weird/580368/Batman-batmobil-wedding
http://www.shahielite.com/single-post/2015/06/02/Is-this-the-best-wedding-car-ever-Batmobile-takes-groom-to-wedding
https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/444656/Batman-caped-crusader-couple

dang it, that's true

I was re-watching World's Fastest Indian, and there's a face I recognized


Walton Goggins gets a lot of screen time in the 2nd half of the movie, when the 3rd act begins as Burt Monro gets to the salt, and tech inspectors find fault with everything on the Indian.

if you don't know him by name, and can't identify him by looks, he's the guy in the Isky tshirt above.

I first noticed him in Justified, and then saw him in a couple seasons of Sons of Anarchy

https://uproxx.com/movies/16-pre-boyd-crowder-times-you-may-have-seen-walton-goggins/2/
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0324658/


Friday, June 08, 2018

do you think they forgot the trailer was hooked to their car, or didn't care how many people were inconvenienced by it being out in the way?

Silver Lake's 1941 Texaco was given a 2nd life today, it's been on track to that Historic-Cultural Monument magic status, and the developers that bought it to demolish and replace with an apartment building are miffed. Tough.


above, what it once looked like, when it was fresh as a new egg, and loved like a puppy. But that was 70 years ago



And it's been neglected a long time. Inflation is a bitch, and squeezing every last dime out of making a living kills any day to day upkeep, and rarely does anyone have the spare cash to get deep into a building restoration

Councilmember Mitch O'Farrell initiated the landmarking process in March before demolition work could begin.

Planning staff notes in a report on the building that older service stations are “becoming increasingly rare” in Los Angeles. City officials have awarded landmark status to only three: in Pacific Palisades/Santa Monica Canyon, Brentwood (Sunset and Barrington intersection) and a Gilmore in Hollywood, now a Starbucks at 859 North Highland Ave.

https://la.curbed.com/2015/3/26/9976564/dramatic-before-after-starbucks-gas-station-remodel
 https://preservation.lacity.org/gallery/169?page=6 but one more deserves a look: Whittier's Texaco Station, located at 4450 West Beverly Boulevard

Constructed in 1941 and located at the intersection of Silver Lake Boulevard and Effie Street, the gas station was built in the recognizable Streamline Moderne style that characterized most of the nation’s Texaco stations during this era. As a report from the planning department notes, the building’s designer, Walter Dorwin Teague, ensured that the all of the company’s service stations sported the same color scheme, signage, and general layout.

To earn money as a young man arriving in New York, Teague checked hats at the Young Men's Christian Association in Manhattan, where he also began sign painting. His lettering work evolved into illustration projects for mail order catalogues, for which he drew apparel items such as neckties and shoes.

Teague pioneered in the establishment of industrial design as a profession in the US, along with Norman Bel Geddes, Raymond Loewy, and Henry Dreyfuss.

Teague is widely known for his exhibition designs during the 1939-40 New York World's Fair, such as the Ford Building, and his iconic product and package designs, from Eastman Kodak's Bantam Special to the steel-legged Steinway Peace Piano

In addition to gaining widespread attention for such designs as the Marmon V-16, the first automobile to be conceived by an industrial designer, designed by Teague and his son, Walter Dorwin Teague, Jr., Teague's work also included 32 design patterns for Steuben Glass, a division of Corning Glass Works, the Sparton "Bluebird" Radio, and the design of passenger cars and diners for the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad.

The company he founded was the 2nd in gross revenue among those industrial design firms also doing architecture and interior design, Raymond Loewy Associates was first.

By 1959 the client list included Polaroid, Schaefer Beer, Procter and Gamble, UPS, Steinway, General Foods Corporation, Boeing, Con Edison, Du Pont, US Steel, NASA, and the US Navy, and accredited with iconic designs such as the UPS truck, Pringles Potato Chips canister, Scope Mouthwash bottle, Regan-era Air Force One, Polaroid Land Camera, and more.

http://www.lamag.com/citythinkblog/vintage-gas-station-silver-lake/
https://la.curbed.com/2018/6/7/17438750/silver-lake-gas-station-landmark-historic-texaco
http://planning.lacity.org/StaffRpt/CHC/2018/6-7-2018/Item%2005%20CHC-2018-2846-HCM%20(Silver%20Lake%20Texaco%20Service%20Station).pdf

there has been a recent development in bears destroying cars, fewer cars have been destroyed now that bears have learned to use the door handles!

Pakistan hunters try to domesticate a wild truck.


and if they, like so many others, forget to chock the wheels, or set the parking brake, it's going to be a shock to them when this truck starts rolling at them

http://viralthings.tumblr.com/post/136828095379/pakistan-hunters-try-to-domesticate-a-wild-truck

This won the Ridler Award. I can't figure that was a good choice... it's a 57 Chev that doesn't look as cool as a 57 Chev. That oughta be a crime



https://www.fuelcurve.com/ridler-great-8-finalists/

Yup, not my normal praise and admiration for something I post, this time, I'm just bitching about this atrocity

fastest way to get the names of the paint and body shops that do the best work? Look through the Great 8 Ridler Award competitors

Chris Ryan’s Rods and Kustom in South Carolina
Superior Auto Works in Deleware
Graham's Hot Rods in Tennessee
Alternative Automotive Design in Colorado

are the ones I could learn about. Which isn't as easy as it should be, as most websites don't list the painter. They talk about who paid for it all, and usually, what shop built the car.

Item of interest, 5 of the 8 were sprayed with PPG paint.

the founder and CEO of Weather Tech is overcharging the customers. How else does he get so rich he can spend 70 million dollars on this 1963 Ferrari that placed 4th at Le Mans?


setting the record for the most ever spent on a car.

His collection also includes a 1960 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta SWB, which just won best in class at the 2018 Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este, as well as a stable of other "prancing horses" including a 250 GT Lusso, 275 GTB, 365 GTB/4 "Daytona," F40, and F50.

This was a private sale, not an auction. The seller set the price, and I'd guess every other 1963 250 GTO Ferrari owner has just increased how much they are selling theirs for, by 10 million.

What makes this specific car worth 20 million more than any other?

It's never been wrecked for one thing. It's been raced a lot, but never crashed.

In its first two years it was raced by the famous Belgian teams Ecurie Francorchamps and Equipe National Belge – hence the yellow stripes on its silver bodywork.

This 250 GTO also finished fourth in the 1963 Le Mans 24-hours, driven by Pierre Dumay and Léon Dernier, and won the prestigious but tough ten-day Tour de France road race in the hands of Lucien Bianchi and Georges Berger in 1964. In 1964–’65 alone it competed in 14 events, including the Angolan Grand Prix in Africa.

It went on to be raced in Spain from 1966 to ’69 by owner/driver Eugenio Baturone.

https://www.cnn.com/style/article/ferrari-250-gto-1963-record-sale/index.html
https://www.superyachtfan.com/yacht-w.html

The same street, 73 years ago.

Thursday, June 07, 2018

how do this many stupid people all make enough money to afford nice vehicles like these, and yet, aren't smart enough to not park on the frozen lake on a day that hit 40 degrees

a 70 yr old and his buddy, 76 years old, died when the 68 Charger they were in was t boned by a van, bending the car's ends about 30 degrees in different directions. Gresham Oregon, 2:30pm, June 5th


The Sheriff's dept thinks the skid marks that begin at a nearby stop sign and end at the wreck came from the Dodge, the fatal crash happened a little after 2:30 p.m. near Southeast Dodge Park Boulevard and 302nd Avenue. The car apparently crossed the center line before the crash, he said.

the best guess, until someone posts an interview with the van driver, is that the driver of the Charger was showing off a bit, spun the tires from the stop sign, but when the wheelspin was over, and the tires caught traction, he lost control and spun in front of the van






in the below image, to the reporters side you can see the u shaped red spray paint show the beginning of a couple burnouts


Ironically, the road they were on, is actually named Southeast Dodge Park Boulevard, and a nearby intersection is 302nd Ave

http://www.koin.com/news/crashes/dodge-park-boulevard-crash-gresham-june-5-2018/1220496324
http://www.oregonlive.com/gresham/index.ssf/2018/06/at_least_1_killed_in_crash_nea.html
http://katu.com/news/local/large-police-presence-in-gresham-for-crash
https://www.facebook.com/dan.kocsis.5/posts/10212027338147612
http://katu.com/news/local/police-one-man-killed-another-seriously-injured-in-highway-204-crash

the Mars Curiousity Rover is bigger than I thought, as I've never before seen a photo of it near anything to give it's size a scale

Cragars and side pipes did so much for so many

celebrities lead a much different life than people who have a "punch the clock" type of job, living paycheck to paycheck

so many strange words and names have been invented to describe the various gasolines by brand and amount of lead, or octane rating

a sportsbike rider was spotted going just 10 mph over the speed limit on State Highway 65 without a license plate. Instead of taking his ticket, and getting over it, he punched it, and ended up with a 5 thousand dollar bail, and a court date

Sunday night when an officer tried to pull him over he took off, accelerating to 125 mph as he exited the highway

The newspaper reported that Hall was then observed running “every red light” on his 2012 Yamaha R6 sport bike as he sped through the city limits, then made his way back to the highway and headed north at about 150 mph.

When he reached Clinton, about 25 miles away, Hall was intercepted by police units there who cornered him on a dead end street near the city’s water treatment plant. He then put his bike on its kickstand and surrendered without resisting arrest.

Police said that he admitted to hitting at least 168 mph “multiple times” during the pursuit.

Hall was charged with first degree fleeing and several moving violations. He posted a $5,280 bail and is scheduled to appear in court on July 17.

http://www.foxnews.com/auto/2018/06/07/motorcycle-rider-hit-168-mph-while-running-from-police-report-says.html

An Army National Guard officer accused of stealing an armored personnel carrier from a Virginia base said he was told to take it into town as test local police reaction


1st Lt. Joshua Philip Yabut, 29, of Richmond, was charged with eluding police and unauthorized use of a vehicle, the Virginia National Guard said in a news release, he is accused of leading police on a more than 60-mile chase while driving under the influence of drugs, police said Wednesday.

Police pursued the M577 armored personnel carrier along Route 460 and Interstate 95 before the chase ended with the driver's arrest in downtown Richmond.

Just before hitting the road, Yabut posted a selfie, flashing the Wu Tang Clan sign. He also posted video from inside the M577 while it was moving. Based on the time it was posted, it was while he was driving off Fort Pickett.

Police said an investigation is ongoing and declined to comment on a motive for stealing the vehicle, but said Yabut was under the influence of drugs when he was arrested.

In a Wednesday evening phone call from Virginia’s Central State Hospital, Yabut told The Associated Press he was authorized to take the vehicle on a pre-planned route as part of a training exercise to gauge the police response. Yabut said his brigade commander, who he declined to name, told him to take the vehicle.

The National Guard denied that anyone had the idea to test the local police.



The vehicle, which drives on tracks like a tank, was stolen Tuesday evening from Fort Pickett in Blackstone. Police chased it for about two hours at speeds as high as 40 mph before the driver stopped and surrendered near Richmond City Hall, Virginia State Police said.

The Guard said Yabut is a first lieutenant assigned as company commander of the 276th Engineer Battalion and has more than 11 years of service. He deployed to Afghanistan from 2008 to 2009 with the Illinois National Guard.

https://www.armytimes.com/news/2018/06/06/police-man-steals-armored-vehicle-from-national-guard-base/
https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/05/us/stolen-armored-personnel-carrier-virginia-trnd/index.html
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2018/06/policy-follow-as-guardsman-takes-personnel-carrier-on-unscheduled-deployment/

1961 Willys Gala Runabout came out of the barn to sell recently

People have lost connection with reality, and are trying to sell this Porsche for 46 thou

a guy stored his Daytona, Hemi 'Cuda, and '69 Satellite drop top in a trashy looking mobile home for a couple decades.

an 1800-year-old Roman road in Timgad, which was a Roman colonial town in the Aurès Mountains of modern-day Algeria.


The Romans created a continuous coastal highway across the north coast of Africa, from West to East

At the peak of Rome’s development, no fewer than 29 great military highways radiated from the Capital, and the late Empire’s 113 Provinciae were interconnected by 372 great roads. The whole comprised more than 248,548 mi of roads, of which over 50,000 mi were stone-paved.


In 42 AD Emperor Claudius annexed the kingdom of Mauretania, then restored and widened a Carthaginian trail and extended it west and east. This way the Romans created a continuous coastal highway stretching for 2,100 miles from the Atlantic to the Nile.

A Via connected 2 cities, so Viae were generally centrally placed in the countryside. The construction and care of the Roman public roads anywhere was, at all periods of Roman history, considered to be a function of the greatest weight and importance.

About 1000 cities were created or transformed by the Romans. These new cities were built on a rigid grid. The city center of even the most modest showcased the civic buildings that Rome prized: temples, the forum, theater, library, baths and other waterworks, sometimes an amphitheater, basilicas, and the market.

Note what the Romans did not build: schools, hospitals, or public housing.



In 137 Hadrian built the Via Hadriana in the eastern desert of Egypt. It ran from Antinoopolis to Berenice.


Claudius' road that began west of Carthage followed the coastline connecting the coastal towns. From Hippo Regius, on the coast, it continued westwards to Icosium (Algiers), Caesarea (Cherchell), as far as Rusaddir (Melilla) and Tingis (Tangier). It then continued along the Atlantic coast through Iulia Constantia Zilil (Asilah) and Lixus (Larache) to Sala Colonia (near Rabat). East of Carthage the road went through the region of the Carthaginian trading stations Sabratha, Oea-Tripolis, Leptis Magna and Cyrenaica before coming to Alexandria and the lower Nile region.



http://www.romeacrosseurope.com/?p=5226#sthash.FikpyJ5C.N4Q7qRuF.dpbs
http://twistedsifter.com/2016/03/1800-year-old-roman-road-in-timgad-algiers-africa/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_roads_in_Morocco
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limes_Tripolitanus
http://travelswithnancy.com/EarlyRome/roman-technology.htm