Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
1953 Studebaker Ute
It's pretty bad when you're old enough to know people who actually had Studebakers, it's even worse to have known them well enough to know they were called 'Steady Breakers'.
But here's the story of a fifty year old customized Studebaker Utility Vehicle (geez that means it really is an SUV. ; -)
It is for sale on eBay. Here's the link.
But here's the story of a fifty year old customized Studebaker Utility Vehicle (geez that means it really is an SUV. ; -)
It is for sale on eBay. Here's the link.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Cash for Clunkers
The Cash for Clunkers bill, formally titled, "Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save Act", is now law. So what does it do for anybody? Well, the congress has dipped into our pockets (sometime in the future no doubt) and allocated a wad of our cash to rid our streets of bad old polluting cars.
How old? Not that old (at least not from my perspective ; -); 1984 or newer are the model years covered. So the notion that a Chevy Nomad from the golden age of American hot rods would end up being scrapped is off the table.
Further the car to be scrapped (and it is scrapped - the drivetrain must be intact and the entire vehicle must be crushed or shredded once it is in 'government' ownership) has to meet a max fuel economy target. A 2001 Honda Insight wouldn't be eligible. The dollar amount of the voucher are based on the previous and new fuel economy.
Additional restrictions are in place to prevent people from going to Joe's Salvage Yard and plucking a POS from the bowels of the yard and plopping it at the dealership as a 'down payment' on a new car. Those restrictions ensure that the car has been continuously licensed and insured for at least a year prior to being turned in.
So who is going to take advantage of this? If the clunker is worth more as a trade in than the voucher, the clunker will hit the used car market. It's then off the table - the cycle of insurance and registration starts over. The folks driving really nasty clunkers tend to miss renewing their licenses and forget about insurance, so those won't come off the street either.
The only case of a car worth using this program for that I can imagine is my mom's 1987 Plymouth Caravelle (the dreaded Pink Panther ; -) which is on its last legs and is worth absolutely zero as a trade in. At least some of my tax dollars will stay in the family. ; -)
How old? Not that old (at least not from my perspective ; -); 1984 or newer are the model years covered. So the notion that a Chevy Nomad from the golden age of American hot rods would end up being scrapped is off the table.
Further the car to be scrapped (and it is scrapped - the drivetrain must be intact and the entire vehicle must be crushed or shredded once it is in 'government' ownership) has to meet a max fuel economy target. A 2001 Honda Insight wouldn't be eligible. The dollar amount of the voucher are based on the previous and new fuel economy.
Additional restrictions are in place to prevent people from going to Joe's Salvage Yard and plucking a POS from the bowels of the yard and plopping it at the dealership as a 'down payment' on a new car. Those restrictions ensure that the car has been continuously licensed and insured for at least a year prior to being turned in.
So who is going to take advantage of this? If the clunker is worth more as a trade in than the voucher, the clunker will hit the used car market. It's then off the table - the cycle of insurance and registration starts over. The folks driving really nasty clunkers tend to miss renewing their licenses and forget about insurance, so those won't come off the street either.
The only case of a car worth using this program for that I can imagine is my mom's 1987 Plymouth Caravelle (the dreaded Pink Panther ; -) which is on its last legs and is worth absolutely zero as a trade in. At least some of my tax dollars will stay in the family. ; -)
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Tort Reform We Can Beleive In
Seems the Chrysler that emerges from bankruptcy does so with a bit of a CYA shield. They are immune from suits filed against cars sold prior to June 10 this year.
Of course there is pending litigation against Chrysler but Chrysler is no longer liable. The plaintiffs may win a suit - but win nothing in the process.
It's as if they aren't really Chrysler anymore, isn't it? ; -)
Of course there is pending litigation against Chrysler but Chrysler is no longer liable. The plaintiffs may win a suit - but win nothing in the process.
It's as if they aren't really Chrysler anymore, isn't it? ; -)
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Go Like Hell
"Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans", by A.J. Baime is worth a read.
A.J. Baime deals with the epic battle between Ford and Ferrari with a sensitivity to context and a sympathy for the characters involved that elevate what some might consider just another car book to literature.
Several characters get star billing; Carrol Shelby, John Surtees, Ken Miles, and Enzo Ferrari. Sketches of Henry Ford II and several Ford managers are fairly well fleshed out. And there's a wonderful cameo appearance of our native son, the Kansas City Flash, Masten Gregory.
But the beauty of the book is A. J. Baime's capturing the zeitgeist of racing in that era (and it touches on almost all aspects of big league racing in the day).
Deep technical specs are avoided - but where technology provided an edge it's explained. (In particular Ford's use of data logging, one of the first cases of it's use in motorsports.) But the characters come to life and jump off the page.
One reviewer mentioned that there would be great heros and villians in the book. I didn't find any villians though. Rather, I saw fear, lives, huge egos, and money ground into dust in the high speed crucible of international motorsports.
A.J. Baime deals with the epic battle between Ford and Ferrari with a sensitivity to context and a sympathy for the characters involved that elevate what some might consider just another car book to literature.
Several characters get star billing; Carrol Shelby, John Surtees, Ken Miles, and Enzo Ferrari. Sketches of Henry Ford II and several Ford managers are fairly well fleshed out. And there's a wonderful cameo appearance of our native son, the Kansas City Flash, Masten Gregory.
But the beauty of the book is A. J. Baime's capturing the zeitgeist of racing in that era (and it touches on almost all aspects of big league racing in the day).
Deep technical specs are avoided - but where technology provided an edge it's explained. (In particular Ford's use of data logging, one of the first cases of it's use in motorsports.) But the characters come to life and jump off the page.
One reviewer mentioned that there would be great heros and villians in the book. I didn't find any villians though. Rather, I saw fear, lives, huge egos, and money ground into dust in the high speed crucible of international motorsports.
The Second Waltz
This collection of commercial footage has a surreal aspect that marries perfectly with the Shostakovich waltz.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Another British LSR
In this case a wind powered vehicle - at an astounding 126 MPH.
It is the Ecotricity Greenbird. Here's the link to their website. But the amazing thing is that they can travel at three to five times the speed of the wind. Truly special engineering, and I'm sure, given Great Britain's history of sailing, another source of national pride. Good on them!
It is the Ecotricity Greenbird. Here's the link to their website. But the amazing thing is that they can travel at three to five times the speed of the wind. Truly special engineering, and I'm sure, given Great Britain's history of sailing, another source of national pride. Good on them!
Friday, June 19, 2009
Update to British LSR Steam Car
From Reuters, a nice overview of the UK steam car land speed record team. It's always nice to see the UK and USA flags together on a nice British Racing Green car.
F1 Follies: Part Deux
Eight F1 teams have broken ranks with the organizing body (the FIA) and have announced that they will run a competing series next year.
At which tracks? ; -)
That was the problem CART had when the IRL split from it. The IRL was more than a mere breakaway - it also took with it THE race, the Indy 500.
The new F1 (it will have to be called something else) will have an assortment of tracks (heck, maybe even one or two races in the US) and name drivers at their disposal. They won't have one key race probably - the Grand Prix of Monaco, and they won't have the legitimacy of a recognized sanctioning body.
Regardless, they will have the manufacturers support, the key technical people, and the 'name' drivers. The 'legitimate' F1 will have to make do with scratch entries and pick-up teams (those who currently have little or no chance of fielding a competitive entry).
So let's welcome the 'World of Outlaws' version of F1. (The cars probably won't look like this though. ; -)
At which tracks? ; -)
That was the problem CART had when the IRL split from it. The IRL was more than a mere breakaway - it also took with it THE race, the Indy 500.
The new F1 (it will have to be called something else) will have an assortment of tracks (heck, maybe even one or two races in the US) and name drivers at their disposal. They won't have one key race probably - the Grand Prix of Monaco, and they won't have the legitimacy of a recognized sanctioning body.
Regardless, they will have the manufacturers support, the key technical people, and the 'name' drivers. The 'legitimate' F1 will have to make do with scratch entries and pick-up teams (those who currently have little or no chance of fielding a competitive entry).
So let's welcome the 'World of Outlaws' version of F1. (The cars probably won't look like this though. ; -)
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Formula 1 at the Brink
The FIA's Formula 1 (F1) is supposed to the premier motorsport series in the world. However the recent controversy over spending caps (of which the better teams are adamantly against) may unravel the bonds between the constructors and the organizers. The back and forth at the moment is in regards to 'conditional' entries for the 2010 season. It's a dance that mere mortals may find difficult to follow (substitute 'boring' for 'difficult'. ; -)
It's happened before, both in F1 in the 1980s and in American open wheel racing in the 1990s. The prior split in F1 didn't result in as damaging a fracture as the CART/IRL split in the US. But the issues at hand could very well be as bad for F1 as the previous US split.
Personally, I'd like to see F1 lose its 'parade-like' aspects. There is little racing/passing in F1 at the top of the field. The aerodynamics preclude that. From a fan's perspective, I'd like to see them lose more aero grip (restrict the chassis configurations) and place a weight penalty on engine displacement/cylinder-count. Hopefully you'll end up with some screaming 4 cylinder turbocharged cars dicing for the lead on a week-in, week-out basis.
It's happened before, both in F1 in the 1980s and in American open wheel racing in the 1990s. The prior split in F1 didn't result in as damaging a fracture as the CART/IRL split in the US. But the issues at hand could very well be as bad for F1 as the previous US split.
Personally, I'd like to see F1 lose its 'parade-like' aspects. There is little racing/passing in F1 at the top of the field. The aerodynamics preclude that. From a fan's perspective, I'd like to see them lose more aero grip (restrict the chassis configurations) and place a weight penalty on engine displacement/cylinder-count. Hopefully you'll end up with some screaming 4 cylinder turbocharged cars dicing for the lead on a week-in, week-out basis.
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