6 Concordes

H/t to engineer.

Carspotting: Toyota Supra Mark IV

The styling is simple and ostentatious.  Road test here.

Phaeton ownership: +1 month

Today marks a month of Phaeton ownership.  Since at least one of yous is interested in buying one, here are some observations.

The Popemobile is a supremely solid car.  It's comfortable, quiet, and anonymous.  Here are some reactions from my fellow man:

• Oh, you have a Volkswagen.  I used to have one too.  A carbureted Rabbit.
• (From a car nut): So how do you like your Passat?
• What is that thing?

My only complaint, which comes with the territory of having a large car, is maneuverability.  If I'm going to be parallel parking or parking in cramped spaces, I leave the Phaeton at home and take the wee Civic.  Earlier this week, I literally had a Jeremy Clarkson-trying-to-park-his-Grosser-in-London-experience (jump to 5:48).

Mechanically, the only minor issue is an alignment issue that may or may not have to do with the tie rods.  It has certainly been eye-opening.  First, the local VW dealership that has two master technicians trained to work on the Phaeton told me that they can do everything on the Phaeton, except alignments.  Apparently, their machine is not big enough to handle the Phaeton.  I've asked them a few more questions over the phone and they've stopped answering my calls half the time and stopped returning my calls the rest of the time.  If it is a tie rod issue, it has come to my attention that the part costs 10 times more than your average tie rod.  I'm having a local mom and pop shop (that has worked on another local Phaeton) look into the issue next week.

The mass of the car is apparent whenever I push hard on the brake pedal (and when I'm at the pump).  The following bit of trivia really puts large-car ownership in America (versus Europe) into perspective.  According to the window sticker that came with my car, the gas guzzler tax was $1,300.  In the Netherlands, the gas guzzler tax (called the BPM CO2) for this car would have been 43,174 euros ($57,874).  

Go here to calculate how much your car's guzzler tax would be in the Netherlands.  H/t to duuurtlang for the Dutch info.

Carspotting: Christmas Porsche and blue Audi Allroad

Nice 912 in the foreground and a rare blue Allroad in the back.

Ketchup squirting robot

The internet is awesome.

Afghan women in prison

Screw cultural relativism, this is jacked up to the nth degree.

Alcan Highway movie trailer (and my Alcan trip pictures)

Alcan Highway - 4 min Trailer from Ulla Simonen / MADE on Vimeo.


H/t to Edvin.

Here are some of my Alcan Highway pictures from my 2007 trip.  Once I find my journal, I'll write a more detailed accounting of my trip.

The Alaska Highway (also known as Alcan) is 1,400 miles long and stretches from Dawson Creek, British Columbia, to Delta Junction in Alaska.  As I had a self-imposed rule of only traveling by public transportation, I rode a Greyhound bus from Dawson Creek to Whitehorse in the Yukon (where the service ends) and took a shuttle van from Whitehorse to Delta Junction and further on to Fairbanks.

Here is the bus making a pit stop.  I think I had the best beef barley soup at this joint.

Here is some random glacier next to the highway.  Truly spectacular.  By this point, I had been "riding the dog" for three or four days straight (from Oakland, California).

I spent a day in Whitehorse and had some pretty good sourdough toast at a diner.  I stayed at the cheapest motel in town-- it also had a hair salon, laundromat, and Indian restaurant.

Dave of Alaska Direct Bus Line picked me up in Whitehorse.  He is a great photographer with a flickr page but I can't find it.  The only other passenger was his daughter.  We talked about Burma for a long time, for some reason.

We left town really early.  This is Haines Junction at dusk.

This is Destruction Bay.

Dave snapping pictures during a break.

Our van.

Kimi Lotus Renault interview

He's back!

(Read in dull monotone voice): IthoughtIcouldneverforgiveLotusRenaultandespeciallyEricBoullierforwhattheydidtoHeidfeld.  ButwithKimicomingbackIwasactuallyveryclosetobuyingateamjersey.  WhetherhegetspodiumsorstrugglestogetoutofQ2itwilldefinitelybeinterestingtowatch.

Miss Bala movie trailer

We tried to go to a special screening of this movie last night, but alas, we got there too late.  It looks promising.

Panama travel music video

Perhaps in '13 or '14.