Showing posts with label Cars- Fiat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cars- Fiat. Show all posts

Friday, April 19, 2019

FCA Heritage Hub

H/t Ramon.

More info and photo here.

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Wednesday, April 03, 2019

Fiat's new museum












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Saturday, September 23, 2017

Carspotting in Italy

A friend just came back from Italy and shared the following photos and insight (at the end):














  • Pisa is a waste of time. 
  • The hill towns are amazing. We stayed in Orvieto and visited Civita Bagnaregio. Both awe inspiring. 
  • Pedestrians do not have the right of way. 
  • Italian drivers take lane markings very casually. 
  • Cars are tiny so they can drive down small alley ways that you don't think should really be streets. 
  • If you get just a little bit outside the tourist areas you are more likely to encounter people who speak no English. 
  • Trains work pretty well, buses are ok. We almost got stranded by a bus strike though. 
  • There's a 50/50 chance that anyone is going to check your train ticket. There seems to be a zero percent chance that your bus ticket will be checked. 
  • Sienna is pretty awesome. 
  • The train station with the name that's the most fun to say is Firenze Santa Maria Novella. 
  • Italians basically don't believe in washcloths. 
  • Do not use the small towels hanging above the bidet as washcloths. They are for your butt. 
  • Children spend a lot of time trying to kick pigeons. 
  • Restaurants do not server olive oil and vinegar with bread. 
  • The bread really isn't that good. The Italians could learn a thing or two from the French on appreciating good bread. 
  • Some words don't have an exact translation but are more of a general use like allora and prego. 
  • Many public restrooms don't have toilet seats. 
  • Wiener dogs are very popular. 
  • I met a lot of cats that seem to be just hanging out living their life in amazing settings. The cats (like the cars) are pretty small. 
  • Capri is beautiful but a total tourist trap. 
  • We had a nice kosher meal in the historically Jewish district with some fried Jerusalem artichokes. 
  • Romans will go out of their way to tell you that they're Roman. They consider that additive to being Italian. 
  • We had a tour guide that spoke Italian, English, Spanish, French, a little bit of German and could speak passably in Japanese.
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Sunday, August 28, 2016

Saturday road trip (Sierra Army Depot and Reno car museum)


You're going to get cars, geopolitics, travel, and food with this post.

Sometimes, my work takes me to some remote places. Yesterday, it took me to Herlong, California. Population 298. It is on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada mountains. It is so remote, in fact, that I had to drive to Reno, Nevada, and then turn back into California.

The town of Herlong and the Sierra Army Depot were founded during World War II by the American military to store and hide munitions from the Japanese. It was far enough inland from the California coast and very dry. After the war, nuclear warheads were stored there. And after the Iraq war, tens of thousands of tanks and vehicles were stored there.

I took the Acura and left at 6:30 in the morning. After passing Reno, I took Highway 395 north. I stopped at Bordertown Casino for breakfast. It was tiny, old, and smelled of cigarette smoke. The only person of color I saw was an Asian lady in the restaurant's kitchen.



Casinos in Nevada attract people with cheap food. I saw a billboard for $4.99 steak and eggs at Cal-Neva casino. The plate that I got was $11.99. A princely sum. It was okay.


The last half hour before Herlong was pretty scenic, in a desolate sort of way.


Just ahead is the turn off to Herlong. To the right is the Sierra Army Depot and a federal prison.


I drove up to the Depot's gate and was immediately turned back. I wonder if they ever anticipate ISIS attacking this place. Outsiders (like me) are easy to spot by the locals. I learned that the Symbionese Liberation Army (of Patty Hearst fame) tried to steal nukes here in the 1970s.


This display was just outside the entrance.



On the way home, I stopped by the National Automobile Museum in Reno. I've been there three or four times already. The visit was more to break up my long drive than anything else.

1937 Airmobile.


At first, I thought this 1966 Studebaker Wagonaire was a Volga.



Some import off-roaders.



This Cadillac was gifted to Elvis's karate teacher, Mr. Rhee.



Fiat 600 Berlinetta.



Frank Sinatra's Chrysler Ghia.


I was just 40 minutes from home when I was dying of exhaustion. So I went to this Japanese restaurant next to Travis Air Force Base. Travis handles more military cargo and passengers than any other base in the country. I found this restaurant years ago and though it's out of the way, it serves consistently great food. Most of the airmen on the base have been stationed in Japan so this restaurant can't get away with subpar products. The portions, as you can see, are huge. The pork was thick, juicy, and flavorful-- not like the paper-thin cutlets they sell at many Chinese-run "Japanese restaurants".

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Sunday, May 15, 2016

A Saturday of unexpected cars

I saw a bunch of cool cars without even planning on it.

On my way to the post office, I passed by a local car show. It consisted mostly of American hot rods and muscle cars, but this Fairlady caught my eye.

The current owner's uncle was a part of the Flying Tigers and bought this car in Japan. He brought it back to California. He would drive it cross country every year to visit his kids. The current owner had a specialty shop in Chico restore it from the ground up. It took three years.


That bar's only purpose is to hold the seat belts. The current owner is very tall and this is the only configuration that works for him.




On my way to get an REI gift card for my graduating godson, I saw my Saab again.


And at the REI parking lot, I spotted this old International Scout.




After picking up the card, I headed to Moss Beach for a friend's housewarming BBQ. There was a car show at the local high school in Pacifica. Again, mostly hot rods and muscle cars, but there was also this Studebaker. The weather was beautiful.


And this Abarth.


On the way back to my car, I noticed this Pontiac G6 convertible parked in front of a G8 (Holden). I had no idea the G6 came in a convertible version. I also didn't realize that the G6 was related to the Saab 9-3.


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Wednesday, December 09, 2015

Cars I saw today


I peppered this work day with car sightings. I was doing some Christmas shopping in the Rockridge District in Oakland and saw these two up a residential driveway. That's a 993 with the new black vintage plate. In front of it is an E39 M5.


I then went to Richmond to see what cars we are shipping abroad. Here's a Tempo Matador, which is headed to the United Kingdom.





Fiat Dino coupe.





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