classic car

It's time for a puzzle. Whoever guesses this right doesn't get any large prizes, but as mothers everywhere say, you get the satisfaction of knowing what you did. So, without further ado, what am I:

I seat many people.
I have fake leather seats.
I give a numbing massage when stopped.
I have a communication system.
I have a time to beat to get to the finish.
My engine is located right next to the driver.
Though my performance isn't too great, I have an astonishing exhaust note.
I work in two shifts.

Today, on the way home, I saw two late 1990's Chevy Cavaliers that passed me on the road. I decided to count how many Cavaliers passed me from that point in my trip. After five minutes, the grand total was 13 Cavaliers, 11 being four-doors. My guess is that the Cavalier will be remembered like the Vega or Gremlin, as an ugly, unreliable econobox that sold in incredibly large numbers.




P.S. Check out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJW8jKZ1n-M
(this is not my video)

Okay, so somebody commented on my short blog on the Porsche Panamera, asking what I thought about the VW Passat CC they saw in a commercial. Well, the CC is a new version of the Passat that went on sale in the US in late '08.
This car is an attempt by Volkswagen to move upmarket and fill in the gap between the Passat and Phaeton sedan in Europe. It gets its power from the base four cyl. from the VW GTI leading up to a V6 with 295hp, though a good V8 would be nice (a tip to VW). It has many luxury options to challenge Mercedes-Benz, like leather seats, wood-trimmed dash, and (standard) air-conditioned inside-of-armrest. The car's outside resembles the current Passat in basic styling, but with much sportier lines and an expensive look.
All in all, the Passat CC is a four-door sports coupe that has many luxury ammenities, but is lacking somewhat in power. VW may have hit all the right notes with this one, but only time will tell. Now who says I don't answer questions? photo from Motor Trend

I can't speak for everyone here (or at least I think I can't), but I think whoever is working in the styling department at Lincoln has gone way overboard. Whenever I see a new MKZ or any other new Lincoln in the rear-view mirror, my first thought is of tons of long, lethal razor blades scything through the air. Then I realize it's a Lincoln, not somebody's death machine, and that the grille is there for "style". Style to people who like grilles to whistle and taillights to not look out of place on a jumbo jet, maybe, but I just don't get it. It is like the fifties, where everything on it is ostentatious and too showy. photo from www.carsplaza.com

After having to deal with seeing no classics for months now in the wake of winter, I starting to forget what an old car looked like. But then I had a pleasant surprise. I was cruising around town, when a green Volkswagen Beetle turned the corner behind me, puttering along at a good pace. I was very happy to see some sort of classic, and it followed me for about a quarter mile before turning down a dead-end street. I guess that it was just cruising with no aim, I am about 99% sure there is no classic on that street or the surrounding neighborhood (though once I did see a Triumph) because I cruise by there often.

The one thing I wasn't quite sure about though, was that it was driving in the Midwestern snow and probably has some rust hidden under there. That's why there's no classics in the winter, we all don't want our cars rusting to hulks! But I was still happy to see a classic, even if it'll need restoring soon (for those of you down South, yes, that's how much snow and damp it is in Midwest winters). This is not my photo, but basically is the same car. this is from www.carandclassic.co.uk

Here's my list of books that I have found good and helpful about classics, concepts, and other cars:

Number One is Cars: A Celebration by Quentin Wilson is a humongous book that has tons and tons of every type of car. Unlike other cars that only show two-doors in an attempt to make it look good, this book also has many four-doors.

Number Two: The Cobra in the Barn and The Hemi in the Barn by Tom Cotter are both amazing books about what we all dream of: the perfect barn find.

Numer 3: Sports Cars, by Peter Henshaw, is a mostly-illustration book that includes various less-known cars next to the classic Mustangs and Ferraris. This book has a definitive Section for each decade, and is a great resource for photos if you have a copier.

Number Four: Classic Cars, by Andrew Noakes, is one of my favorites because it has great photos and detailed descritpions on many classics, from Ferraris to Edsels to Volkswagens.

And Finally, Number Five: One of the best car books you can buy, 365 Cars You Must Drive is a thourogh book full of all cars from every corner of the world, including the Yugo and the Tucker. It is my overall favorite book, and is relatively small and doesn't weigh 10 puonds like the first book I mentioned. It also includes current value statistics that are right most of the time.

P.S. Actor Ricardo Montalban, who was in many Chrysler commercials in the 70's and 80's, just died three minutes ago. I saw it on the news just now. He was 88.

These are some photos I've shot with my new (as of two months ago) Fujifilm J10 digital high-res camera. For most of these sightings it was just chance cars I saw on the road, but for some it was planned. And for all they are my photos (even though some look like they're from commercials or magazines).

I just got my new issue of Car & Driver (I get C&D, Hot Rod, Automobile, and occasionally Road and Track), and there was a short story in the Upfront section that caught my eye. I thought I'd like to share it with those of you who don't get C&D or just stare at the photos instead of reading it.

Well, to the story: It seems that Caterham (who has the rights to the lotus 7, in case you didn't know) has set up a website that lets people enter design ideas for their new car they plan to sell in 2011. After all the entries are sorted out, a voting process will begin. C&D isn't quite clear on this, but I think they mean that anyone can vote on their favorite design. The website is www.splitwheel.com (or you can just click on this post's title)

I also realized something that Caterham probably realized, too. This saves them a ton of money in hiring designers and cuts design-to-production time. For a small company like Caterham, that can be a life saver.