Saturday, April 02, 2022

173,500 people applied to be the new marketing personality for Dodge, the Chief Donut Maker. Here are the top 10, 6 men, 4 women, who will head to racing school to begin the four-week competition to reduce the group to the final two candidates. The chief donut maker to be named on HEMI Day, April 26.”


Marine corps vet, Hellcat owner/racer, and organizer of the Challenger Fest, and you tube channel content creator of new mopar cars how to "Speedy's Garage"


Love this guys sense of humor, he too has a Hellcat, and he knows a thing or two about making a great impression, at the end of his video "I'm your next chief donut maker, let's get to work" .. very cool


I love her attitude, and her husband comes with, this is a package deal right? She had a couple great video ideas, showed moxie and hustle



Little Miss Lead Foot, with a Super Compo license


masters in education, teaches motorcycle racing, AND special needs kids. Races a motorcycle, does sand dune stuff


great opening idea, sense of humor, and race track instructor



Army vet


ummm, saying something nice..    .EARNED a 2015 Challenger for high school graduation, already owned a 70 R/T her entire life. Should have had it in the final group shot


ummm, saying something nice..   great location, and has raced a variety of Mopars



ummm, saying something nice... he used to have a Charger Scat Pack, and seems like a great guy


Their first challenge will be face-to-face interviews (aka: interrogations) with Goldberg


https://www.dodgegarage.com/chief-donut-maker

I should have sent in a video, not that all of these people didn't do better video production, and are more at ease in front of the camera, but I think I'm a better choice than at least the 2nd half of them. Yes these are in order of how I rank them, what about you? Who is your top choice?

it's not often I come across a company that has embraced a vehicle with style, that is a marketing look for their brand.


What do I know about Burberry? Only that Naomi Campbell makes them look fabulous

marking the family business with a timeline of the trucks they used... I like that

 https://bibbys.co.uk/our-story/

Coffee and donuts video of the day,: this is adorable, this little kid enjoyed his motorbike so much, when he grew up, he got his daughter one, rebuilt it, and made a documentary about the 1981 Yamaha PW50 motorbike

 

https://silodrome.com/little-giant-the-pw50-story/

David Carradine’s car from the 1975 goofball classic Death Race 2000, based on a Volkswagen chassis, and it’s powered by a Chevrolet Corvair flat-six which is hidden underneath the dummy engine visible in the rear, designed and built by James Powers, Dean Jeffries, and George Barris

 


The 70s sure had some stupid movies, or people simply didn't yet realize they could make clever, engrossing, addictive stuff like Sopranos, Breaking Bad, Deadwood, 24, etc without special effects, simply with great writing

https://silodrome.com/death-race-2000-david-carradine-car/

For Sale: Robbie Coltrane’s (Hagrid From Harry Potter) Sunbeam S7 De Luxe

 
This 1950 Sunbeam S7 De Luxe was previously owned by Robbie Coltrane, one of Scotland’s most celebrated actors who is perhaps best known today for his memorable appearances as Hagrid in the Harry Potter film series. 

 Coltrane reluctantly sold the bike in 2003 as it’s kickstart only, and his bad knee made it difficult to get the bike running. He wrote a personal note to the person who bought it and included a signed, personalized photograph as Hagrid that simply says “Please look after the Sunbeam!”


Motorworld, in Munich, is a former repair shop of a railway, but has been redeveloped into a venue for car auctions, automotive businesses, shops, restaurants, and even a hotel.

I didn't know that Ted Williams, one of the all time famous baseball players, was a Corsair pilot instructor in WW2, AND flew 39 bombing missions in an F9 as a Marine pilot, in Korea.





I didn't know I'd get lucky and that I'd find a photo of Ted and a yellow Willys, that's neat

Williams was already a ball player in 1941 when the USA was pulled into WW2, and was drafted. He wasn't forward deployed to the Pacific until mid-1945, because his commanding officers wanted him to remain state-side to play baseball for their various teams.  Also, keep in mind, he was the only income for his mom, when you consider the military facet of his life. I understood it that the only children of a family weren't supposed to go to combat. I may be completely uneducated on that rule. 

Williams joined the Navy Reserve on May 22, 1942, went on active duty in 1943, and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps as a Naval Aviator on May 2, 1944. 

Williams also played on the baseball team in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, along with his Red Sox teammate in pre-flight training, after eight weeks in Amherst, Massachusetts, and the Civilian Pilot Training Course.

 While on the baseball team, Williams was sent back to Fenway Park on July 12, 1943, to play on an All-Star team managed by Babe Ruth. The newspapers reported that Babe Ruth said when finally meeting Williams, "Hiya, kid. You remind me a lot of myself. I love to hit. You're one of the most natural ballplayers I've ever seen. And if my record is broken, I hope you're the one to do it". Williams later said he was "flabbergasted" by the incident, as "after all, it was Babe Ruth". In the game, Williams hit a 425-foot home run to help give the American League All-Stars a 9–8 win

 Williams served as a flight instructor at NAS Pensacola teaching young pilots to fly the complicated F4U Corsair fighter plane. 

When the war ended, in 1945, Williams was in Pearl Harbor playing baseball in the Navy League with Joe DiMaggio and Stan Musial. The Service World Series with the Army versus the Navy attracted crowds of 40,000 for each game. The players said it was even better than the actual World Series

Come Korea, Williams and many others were being recalled  because the military was surprisingly short on pilots with real combat experience when the Korean War began in 1950, and Williams had remained in the Marine Corps reserve, possibly for the officer pay. He wasn't keen on returning to combat, BUT the Red Sox agreed to pay him his full 1952 salary of $85,000, and he didn't have a leg to stand on why as a healthy American pilot, he could justify any argument to stay out of the war. He'd been promoted to Capt 14 months prior. His trophy wives were certainly a reason to remain stateside. They had been ringers for Dorothy Lamour, Jackie Kennedy, and Grace Kelly. One of his girlfriends (he was a world famous ball player, 6'4", and handsome, of course he had girlfriends) was an airline steward/ flight attendant, whatever the PC term is nowadays. One of his wives was a Vogue model, and former Ms Vermont

On May 1, 1952, 14 months after his promotion to captain in the Marine Corps Reserve, Williams was recalled to active duty for service in the Korean War. He had not flown any aircraft for eight years, and  the Navy's policy of calling up Inactive Reservists rather than members of the Active Reserve made a lot of guys resentful

His wingman in Korea? Just John Glenn. 

In 1999, he was ranked at number eight on The Sporting News list of ‘100 Greatest Baseball Players’.

He finished his playing career with a .344 batting average, 521 home runs, and a .482 on-base percentage, the highest of all time.

He was named after Pres Teddy Roosevelt

He had 20/10 eyesight

At the age of eight, he was taught how to throw a baseball by his uncle, who had a former semi-professional baseball player who had pitched against Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig

The legend has it, that while playing for the then Pacific Coast League Padres at Lane Field, a downtown San Diego ballpark, he hit a ball out of the park and into a train car, that was headed for LA. It's possible. Present day Petco Park is butted up against the train tracks on the south west side. 

He appeared in Major League games in four decades

Williams's involvement in the Jimmy Fund helped raise millions in dollars for cancer care and research, Ted signed on for life, helping make it the best-loved charity in New England. His brother had died of Luekemia

During and after his long playing career, Williams routinely met one-on-one with young cancer patients being treated at Dana-Farber’s Jimmy Fund Clinic and its pediatric care partner, Boston Children’s Hospital – both a short walk from the Red Sox’ Fenway Park home. 

His only caveat about such visits was that they be done with no media fanfare; if cameras or reporters showed up, he said, the visits would stop. They never did, and neither did he.

Williams’ efforts over the years contributed to remarkable progress in the treatment of childhood cancers. When he started working with Dana-Farber and the Jimmy Fund in the late 1940s, almost every child with cancer died. Today, three out of four children with cancer survive.

https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/theodore-samuel-williams-2958.php

Someone loved this gold 1973 Ford Pinto 2-door Sedan C-750 enough to spend big money on having the car restored to like-new condition, then they put it up for sale


The car was professionally restored and has 64,200 original miles on the 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine under the hood. 
The entire car, trunk, and engine compartment are finished in what is said to be factory Gold Glow paint.
 

in 2016 the Mustang was exported to Germany, and it outsold the 911 for 3 years. It cost about 1/2 of the $110k for a 911

 https://money.cnn.com/2016/04/08/autos/ford-mustang-sales-germany/index.html

I don't know about other company CEO's, but Ford? They got a rare one, he owns and races a '64 289 Shelby Cobra and a '66 Ford GT40. Plus, he's committed to helping at a charity kitchen and helps the homeless... and I am committed to helping charities to my free publicity


I'll start with something accessible, the Amazon Wish List for the homeless at this charity, because I'm certain none of us can afford to bid on the racetrack session with Jim Farley https://smile.amazon.com/hz/charitylist/ls/1OXBJLV8JDKZQ/ref=smi_ext_lnk_lcl_cl

If anyone can't attend in person, but wants to bid on the racetrack session online, go to https://one.bidpal.net/buildingbridges/ticketing(details:ticketing-summary) purchase a 50 dollar "At Home Access" ticket, which I'm told opens a webpage for the online streaming of the event, and the auction, and also provides a running total of the auction bid, as there have been bidding wars, and the winning bid last year was $32,000

Fyi, the charity is a step closer in its plans for building a new housing facility in Detroit to aid the city's homeless population thanks to a $13 million donation by the Julia Burke Foundation, an alleged California foundation, with a mailing address on the west side of the big island of Hawaii. I'm not making this up:  The Julia Burke Foundation 75-5722 Kuakini Hwy, Suite 106 Kailua Kona, HI 96740 

Julia Burke was the daughter of extremely wealthy parents, apparently, and was attending UC Berkeley (San Francisco) college prep at age 16 when she lost control of her car on a freeway offramp, and hit a tree. 16 year olds aren't legally driving in California with only other kids in the car, was my understanding. How wealthy? Well, they fund mineclearing in Afghanistan, science classrooms in Zambia, and I shit you not, dine with Prince Harry https://juliaburkefoundation.com/pdfs/JBF2013_Newsletter_Final_V3.pdf


 The charity in Detroit pledged to end chronic homelessness in Detroit by 2030 with a $22 million plan, which includes a 40-unit studio apartment “bridge” housing facility.

https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2021/04/14/pope-francis-center-chronic-homelessness/7221790002/

Irony, is that the news of a charity raising funds for a homeless housing facility? Is blocked by a fucking paywall https://www.crainsdetroit.com/nonprofit/pope-francis-center-gets-7-million-donation-homeless-housing-facility

Of course, this reminds me that a LOT of apartments can be rented for 7 million dollars. In Detroit? If a one bedroom is 1,000 dollars, it can be rented for 120,000 for 10 years. The means the math shows that 10 apartments in 10 years, is 1.2 million. 

That 7 million dollar donation then is good for 70 apartments (roughly, I'm not using a calculator of going to exacting accuracy) for 10 years. Their 22 million dollar budget? Would pay for 70 apartments for 30 years, roughly. 

And if you go back, and read the "bridge" housing facility note? It's only a 40 studio unit, plus, of course, the physiological and mental health, addiction support and social and job-readiness services. The facility also will have a cafeteria, gym, library, classrooms and a health clinic. 

I'm not well informed, but, just doing the math, shows that 40 studios, does not equal 70 one bedroom apartments. Now, I'm sure I could be convinced otherwise, BUT, in Detroit? is it really going to cost 22 million dollars, to only get 40 studios, instead of just buying a big damn apartment high rise, with parking garage? In DETROIT? Just how bankrupt exactly is Detroit? Last I read, you could buy houses for 5k apiece, and that is 1,000 of those for 1 million dollars. Not 40 studios. So, fix homelessness buy buying those abandoned homes off the city tax rolls of abandoned properties. 

Just me thinking out loud. Certainly the smart young business leaders don't need me pointing out that you can solve a LOT of Detroit homeless cases buy buying up the homes that Detroit has all over the place, and matching them up with the homeless. Hell, you could probably buy up neighborhoods. I did post about blocks of empty Detroit neighborhoods, so, I'm a tiny bit informed. Are those downtown? Under the watch of the charity? Organized and ruled over? Nope. Is my idiocy still a valid plan to give homeless a home? Yup. It costs me 7200 a year to rent a "studio" in San Diego, and 3600 a year to rent two garages, one for my 69 R/T, and one for the stuff that would fit in a one bedroom apartment. But one bedrooms are about 2k a month, and 10,800 is less than 1/2 of 28k for a year in a one bedroom. Yes, there are some for less, but not many, and I'm using nice round numbers for easy math to prove a comparison point. Never mind, move along. 

https://twitter.com/PopeFrancisCntr/status/1509530969493057549

https://one.bidpal.net/buildingbridges/welcome

Ford CEO Jim Farley’s commitment to helping those struggling with addiction stems from the untimely death of his cousin, comedy star Chris Farley, who overdosed on drugs at the age of 33. So, he gives back by helping out at a  kitchen, and staging fund raisers to help the charity


this was a factory road spec GT 40, he bought it out of Belgium


This was a Cobra Ken Miles drove, and it was crashed at Road America. Farley bought it about 25 years ago


He also bought this '78 Lola T298, in 1978 it won Le Mans in its class.


Farley was a product planner for trucks at Toyota, as well as helping to launch the Scion, until 2007, and from 2015 to 2017, Farley served as Ford gloabl marketing, executive vice president and president, Ford Europe, plus he signed Ken Block and that resulted in a lot of Focus RS sales because of the Gymkhana videos... and, Ken has stuck with Ford with the Hoonicorn Mustang, and that truck

Farley got started in cars by buying a 65 Mustang for $500, restoring it, and selling it to double his money

When working in Germany, he raced on the Nurburgring during lunch, and when asked his advice for driving on the Nürburgring? 

"Yeah, the only tip is, when you see the German people with lawn chairs, go slower than you need to."

I love this commercial, and it's epic, because the commercial outlasted Sears. These actors are Pete Holmes and Matt McCarthy (They're a hoot)

 

Hagerty magazine did a good article on vanity plates

 https://www.hagerty.com/media/hagerty-community/the-best-stories-behind-your-favorite-vanity-license-plates

Thanks Billy O! And Happy Birthday! Painted by the artist, Alan Puckett

 

the 1891 Shand Mason Steam Fire Engine (27c), the 1914 Hotchkiss Fire Engine (40c), the 1929 Ahrens-Fox PS2 Fire Engine (65c), and the 1851 Merryweather Manual Fire Engine (75c).

From 12-18 January in 1983 a temporary post office was established at the Museum to mark the release of the Historic Fire Engines stamp series.

flying through the Tesla factory in Berlin, your coffee and donuts video of the morning

 

Friday, April 01, 2022

Do you remember riding in the back of a truck when you were a kid? Karens put a stop to that.

 

someone had a problem photographing this truck from front to back.

 
https://www.hsraa.org/museum.php?action=exhibit&id=117

Good looking fire truck!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/odhfs/5700404710/sizes/l/

1973 Ford F 750, under 10k on the odometer

 

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1665861-1973-f750-firetruck.html

A 1962 ladder truck was donated to the Camp Riverbend campers last year



 https://www.newjerseyhills.com/echoes-sentinel/news/warren-fire-company-donates-vintage-fire-truck-to-camp-riverbend/article_bed8d20d-e6f8-5ede-8ef1-454464a254fb.html

Thanks to Scott, for sharing these photos of the Yawgoog Scout Reservation ( Rockville, RI ) fire fighting trucks! Founded in 1916, Yawgoog is the fourth oldest continuously run Scout camp in the United States.



Thanks again Scott! 



Here is a flyer handed out after the great fire of 1930:


After the Great Forest Fire of 1930, most of the forest and woods at Camp Yawgoog were left blackened and bare. The summer activities shifted from the wood to the water. Among the items added to the waterfront were two 28' Navy Cutters. The Cutters were extremely popular and survived into the late fifties

1968 – Dr. Charles Wilson Brown, retired Head of the Geology Department at Brown University, gave to the camp the rescue boat that now carries his name. Allan W. Halladay, Sr. created the “Peanuts” cartoon artwork on the boats hull with the blessing from Charles Schultz.


A couple of famous guys have visited the scouts at camp Yawgoog, Ted Williams and Archie Moore, https://www.yawgoog.org/uploads/6/8/4/2/68426127/yawgoog_story_-_vol_iii.pdf and strangely, both have a San Diego connection (where I live) and here I am posting about the one scout camp they both visited!  

A separate post about Ted Williams coming up soon

seen while on walkabout tonight, quite a crazy mix, plus two cars under cover, and one neglected BMW





and where this Caddy is now, had a cool old hearse a couple years ago, and before that, a nice camper









It's really uncommon to see a mid 80s Camaro, but this one has been sitting here since before 2014. 








I'm pretty sure this is a 1978 or 79 Camaro, and I'd love to see what it looks like, because it's got a fantastic set of slotted mags

But the owner isn't driving it, they're storing it, as Google Street View shows it with flat tires in 2020


and in 2015 someone lived there with a cool Chevelle.