Saturday, June 15, 2024
was there ever a worse name than Vulture for an airplane? Or a better view out of one? The Breguet 460 Vulture
First flown in 1936, this still decently ugly bomber attained a speed of 250 mph thanks to it more powerful Gnome-Rhône 14NO radials.
It was not enough, just 3 were produced and next to nothing was achieved with them.
Ever heard of Della Woods, or seen this S/F Dart? (Thank you John S!)
Della Woods and her brother Bernie Woods were from Lake Orion, Michigan. Her racing career began during the 1960s. Woods was the first female driver in the five-second bracket in the funny car class, and the first female driver to compete in the semifinals at the NHRA National event.
During the 1990s, Woods began to run out of funding, and her racing career came to an end. She had beaten all the odds against her to express her passion in the field of auto racing.
Friday, June 14, 2024
how long has it been since you've seen an original 1988 Nissan Desert Runner?
just 1,000 of them were made as a celebration of Nissan’s victories in the Baja 1000, the Gold Coast 300, and the Mint 400.
a 1935 Riley Kestrel, alone and unloved in Holland was chosen to be the eye magnet for marketing beer... it's working! Then they decided to land speed race it!
Nigel McNally founder and CEO of Brookfield Drinks and The Kestrel Brewing Co (Scotland), said: “Plenty of people told us we couldn’t do it. We have had setbacks and issues, particularly with the aerodynamics"
The car, with trademark fastback styling, had not been touched since 1965 when Nigel and Joel found it.
It's now powered by a specially modified 2.5 litre, 5-cylinder engine capable of 992bhp.
It achieved 7 land-speed records at Elvington Racetrack in June 2021, and is prepped for the June 17th 200mph record attempt..
a sweeping federal civil rights investigation of law enforcement in Phoenix, (the nation’s fifth-largest city) resulted in finding that Phoenix officers shoot at people who do not pose an imminent threat, fire their weapons after any threat has been eliminated, and routinely delay medical care for people injured in encounters with officers.
Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said in a statement that city officials would meet June 25 to get legal advice and discuss next steps.
The Justice Department said Phoenix officers enforce certain laws — such as low-level drug and traffic offenses, loitering and trespassing — more harshly against Black, Hispanic and Native American people than against white people who engage in the same conduct.
Black people in the city are over 3.5 times more likely than white people, for example, to be cited or arrested for not signaling before turning, the report says. Hispanic drivers are more than 50% more likely than white drivers to be cited or arrested for speeding near school zone cameras. And Native American people are more than 44 times more likely than white people — on a per capita basis — to be cited or arrested for possessing and consuming alcohol.
The U.S. Justice Department report released Thursday says investigators found stark racial disparities in how officers in the Phoenix Police Department enforce certain laws, including low-level drug and traffic offenses. Investigators found that Phoenix officers shoot at people who do not pose an imminent threat, fire their weapons after any threat has been eliminated, and routinely delay medical care for people injured in encounters with officers.
Black people in the city are over 3.5 times more likely than white people, for example, to be cited or arrested for not signaling before turning, the report says. Hispanic drivers are more than 50% more likely than white drivers to be cited or arrested for speeding near school zone cameras. And Native American people are more than 44 times more likely than white people — on a per capita basis — to be cited or arrested for possessing and consuming alcohol.
https://apnews.com/article/phoenix-police-civil-rights-violations-justice-department-6eb2193f8c85a31b11a782d4e5f1e663
want to see just how close I came to my garage door crashing down on my car?
that's probably 1/16th of an inch, maybe 1/8th.
That's part of the door hinge mechanism
Do you want to guess how much they wanted to charge me to dismount 2 wheels? And how I got that cut in half?
they wanted 30 per wheel
Not knowing that, I simply showed up at the right time, 20 minutes to closing, and only had 30 in cash, and they pretended they didn't want to get the cash register system /credit card machine working.
They got 30 cash, tax free, I got the rims and rubber separated for 1/2 price.
Thursday, June 13, 2024
This record-setting wheel barrow was the result of a pub dream, and engineering skill. Good thing I have a category for wheel barrows!
Land speed records generally conjure up images of salt flats, dry lake beds, or the occasional beach
But a wheelbarrow broke the existing fastest wheel barrow land speed record by 52 mph.
Dylan Phillips has a sense of humor, a need for speed, and now, officially, the fastest wheelbarrow in the world. As he's quoted in a BBC article: "Everyone loves it—it’s so stupid. You can’t help but smile when you see it." This is the kind of energy motorsports needs.
"I ended up building the wheelbarrow for fun. In a little practice run, messing about, I got 37 mph and then the question got asked if there was a land speed record for it.
"So it was just a case of finding out that the record existed," Phillips said. "And then deciding to actually do something with this idiotic thing that I’d built."
Off to Straightliners Speed Week he went. Straightliners hosts multiple day and weekend events throughout the year in Europe and the U.K., providing affordability and access to straight-line events, drag racing, motorsports, and basically anything that can go fast on wheels. This, apparently, includes wheelbarrows.
Amongst the crowd of supercars, superbikes, and the super curious, Phillips broke the Guinness World Record for fastest motorized wheelbarrow. His official speed was 84.627 kph, which he managed on his final run. The previous fastest wheelbarrow was recorded at 74 kph, or 46 mph.
No, there aren't a lot of Nimbus riders that aren't subscribing already, but, it doesn't hurt a thing for me to post this, just in case it helps out Kim, the Nimbus Club magazine editor
Us independent publishers should help out when possible, like this simple spread the word post
not often that you see these weird and amazing cars together
https://dailytimewaster.blogspot.com/2024/06/what-in-world-are-those.html
I remember that the white one is the Ferrari 512, and the brown one is Lancia Zero. I've posted both in the past. But I've never seen them in the same parking lot before.
there's a new version of Scooby Doo... for the Japanese market... and only Scooby n Shaggy are part of it, and a Japanese version of the Mystery Machine
So, they call it the GoGo Mystery Machine... without using the real Mystery Machine, that's what, 60 years a part of the Scooby Doo brand. Weird.
This next animated series from the long-running property is titled “Go-Go Mystery Machine,“ and it’s being described as a spinoff series that will take the gang to Japan.
Here’s the official synopsis for the upcoming series:
“While visiting Japan on the ultimate foodie adventure, Shaggy and Scooby-Doo unwittingly unleash hundreds of mischievous mythical monsters that are now causing trouble all over the country.”
“Scooby turns to his uncle, Daisuke-Doo, and magical friend Etsuko and gadget wiz Toshiro to help solve the mystery and catch the monsters.”
https://bloody-disgusting.com/tv/3815989/new-scooby-doo-animated-series-go-go-mystery-machine-unleashes-monsters-in-japan/
“Scooby turns to his uncle, Daisuke-Doo, and magical friend Etsuko and gadget wiz Toshiro to help solve the mystery and catch the monsters.”
https://bloody-disgusting.com/tv/3815989/new-scooby-doo-animated-series-go-go-mystery-machine-unleashes-monsters-in-japan/
2007 Dodge Demon concept.... just what the Dodge company needs to make and sell, because the Charger and Challenger won't continue to sell much longer, neither will anything else Dodge makes
Dodge / Chrysler doesn't have anything new to offer, and hasn't for about 6 years since the Gladiator truck came along.
The Journey? Durango? Challenger, Charger, and Jeep. They are all really long in the tooth.
Sure, nicer ones are for sale now than a decade ago, but, people certainly jump to buy the newest, coolest thing around. See the Tesla truck. No reason to buy that except that you get attention.
So, Dodge Chrysler, in the past decade has tried the Dart, fail. Avenger, fail. 200, fail. 300, sorta succeeded, but they quit making them. Viper, too expensive, quit making them, no one bought them anymore.
But the Miata? How long has that been selling? 35 years. They got that right the 1st time, and improved on it slowly over the decades. The Mustang? Well, 60 years even though it's not much like the original, ditto, the Camaro, the Corvette... small cars, even two seaters, sell, and keep selling for decades.
And do you know WHY they created this Demon roadster in 2007? To compete with the Miata, and the Soltice and Saturn Sky.
https://moparinsiders.com/reviving-the-spirit-the-dodge-demon-roadster-concept/
Whatever happened to Automobile Quarterly? And why is everyone trying to replicate it, when it failed in 2012? If that, which was highly regarded, failed, then why are all the rest of the magazine companies going to 1/4erly publications?
On Ebay, the going rate is about 2 dollars apiece, but the shipping is expensive. About half the cost of purchasing a bulk amount of books on Ebay is shipping.
If you ever wanted to read them, you're not alone, obviously a LOT of people loved Automobile Quarterly, collected them, and now? Find they have a shelf full that they will never look at again. Like most magazines, it's one and done.
I guess that's why so many people go to libraries, instead of buying books. Rarely does anyone re read a biography for example. And re read a magazine? Not likely.
I can tell you that I've got boxes of magazines, and likely won't ever have time to look through them again, but, I have the goal of reading through the 1949-69 Hot Rods, the entire collection of Muscle Car Review (thank you Mike B!), Rodder's Journal, Hagertys, Maxim, Razor (really good but unheard of), and FHM.
For the past 5 years or so, I've only kept Rodder's Journal, and Hagertys. I gave up on some, and some gave up on publishing. Automobile, Car Craft, Motor Trend Classic - they all quit. Road and Track, Car and Driver? Rarely have anything interesting, it's always about Porsches, Ferrari, etc test driving new cars... who's buying a new car every month? Seems overkill when people only buy a new car every 4 to 6 years.
So, does it make sense to buy a collection of Automobile Quarterly? I guess only if you then donate them to a museum library? It's not like you'll ever read them twice, I suppose if you can get them cheap enough, that you can sell them on Ebay for the same price?
Wednesday, June 12, 2024
not often I see a Biscayne (where did they get that name I wonder) and a Spartan trailer?
Where did Biscayne get its name?
Biscayne Bay? It in turn was named for either the Bay of Biscay, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean north of Spain, or an early explorer called El Biscaino, who came from the Spanish province of Biscaya.
In the first six months of the pandemic, bike theft jumped by nearly one-third in New York City, In Portland, Oregon, thefts rose 20 percent. It turns out they were getting exported to Mexico.
On a stormy night over Super Bowl weekend 2019, thieves pulled up behind a warehouse in Paso Robles, Cambria Bicycle Outfitters, a longtime bike seller.
The thieves cut a hole in the warehouse’s wall, and made off with roughly 90 bicycles worth nearly $500,000.
Several weeks later thieves stole two bikes worth about $10,000 from Cambria’s nearby showroom. The thefts had been so damaging that Cambria lost its insurance carrier over the claim, then ended up paying more than double for a new policy.
They ended up in Mexico, and from late 2020 to June 2024, the estimate is about 650 stolen bikes sold for about $2.1 million.
American Airlines flight attendants say they're sleeping in cars because they can't afford the cost of living
on American Airlines flight attendants earn barely over $27,000 per year while forced to live in major metro areas, often sleeping in their cars to make up the cost difference.
That rate pushes junior flight attendants who live alone above the level for qualifying for food stamps in states like Massachusetts or Florida.
Most new flight attendant hires are required to live in cities like Dallas, Miami, and New York, which have high costs of living that they cannot afford, Hedrick noted.
American has previously issued new flight attendants a “courtesy” letter, like a sort of doctor’s note for late-stage capitalism. In it, the company says that flight attendants only earn $27,315, and asks the reader to provide courtesy where they can. Having dealt with landlords, I’m sure they’ll all accept this piece of paper in lieu of rent.
the average age of the soldier in Vietnam was 19 (as everyone who heard the song 19 by Paul Hardcastle, in 1985, remembers) and if that seems crazy young... tell me the average age of these Red Cross Supplemental Recreational Activities Overseas staff
This one is for George, and all the other rotorheads who saw Nam from under the blades of a Huey
Thank you Rolf in Switzerland, for making my day!
Good morning Jesse,
thank you very much for making my day since more then 10 years!
Wish you all the best for your future.
Kind regards
Rolf
The GN Curtiss from the today banner was the car from Duncan Pittaway
Tuesday, June 11, 2024
but did you know that Columbia bought 19 Russian Mil Mi-17 helicopters? 8 are operational, and 11 are in hangars
https://www.zona-militar.com/en/2024/06/09/the-colombian-government-secures-funds-for-the-maintenance-of-the-national-armys-russian-made-helicopters/
So, if you know anyone that wants to buy a cool ol Russian big ol helicopter, I'm guessing they will sell you one in Columbia!
Tesla Inc. must face a proposed class-action lawsuit by California DMV alleging that it misled consumers (false advertising) about its cars' self-driving capabilities,
Tesla Inc. failed to persuade an administrative judge to dismiss claims by a California regulator that the company overstated its vehicles’ self-driving capabilities — one of several ongoing regulatory investigations of the electric-car maker’s marketing.
The California Department of Motor Vehicles has alleged that Tesla disseminated false statements about its “Autopilot” and “Full Self-Driving” driver-assistance features, leading customers to believe they are more advanced than they are
Toyota lost over $15 billion in market value last week after being caught falsifying tests
The wide-ranging inspection by the transport ministry also found that irregularities were also found in certification applications from automakers Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha Motor.
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/06/10/shares-of-toyota-mazda-honda-suzuki-fall-after-safety-scandal.html
