This reminds me of my prom, circa 1992. The coolest car by far that showed up was a brand new Porsche Carrera 4. It belonged to the girl's father. And he let her date drive it to/from the prom! Lucky bastard.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Prom cars
The Superbowl (Supertazon in Spanish) is this Sunday, which means lots of car ads. Here is Audi's prom ad.
This reminds me of my prom, circa 1992. The coolest car by far that showed up was a brand new Porsche Carrera 4. It belonged to the girl's father. And he let her date drive it to/from the prom! Lucky bastard.
This reminds me of my prom, circa 1992. The coolest car by far that showed up was a brand new Porsche Carrera 4. It belonged to the girl's father. And he let her date drive it to/from the prom! Lucky bastard.
Pemex HQ explosion video
Huge explosion at Mexico's nationalized petroleum company's HQ. At least 14 dead. Simple natural gas explosion, or something more sinister?
Also, the dress code for female anchors down there. Wow.
Also, the dress code for female anchors down there. Wow.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Are these the same?
I'm missing a cupholder plastic trim piece. I don't want to shell out money and pay for shipping from GB, if they're incompatible/asymmetric.
Carspotting (Hong Kong edition): Toyota Century
Tim, Zachary's cohort at The People's Wheels, spotted this in Hong Kong last week. Can't wait for a full debrief on the trip. I asked Tim to take lots of pictures.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
VW Phaeton cupholder internals
I'm still missing the small black plastic tab (1 of 4) for my cupholder (1 of 2).
Via Pan-European at VW Vortex.
Via Pan-European at VW Vortex.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Immature jerks shut down 880 in Oakland yesterday
Once again, a few bad apples ruin it for everyone else. To the right is where the Raiders, A's, and Warriors play. To the left is the exit to Oakland airport. I drive on that stretch fairly regularly.
Video here.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Accidentally cool car day in Benecia
Benecia is one of those towns near your house that never garnered your interest. You have no friends there. You don't know of any restaurants there. You have no business to conduct there. It's just a freeway exit.
Today, I went to Benecia to see my friend's artwork at a local exhibition. The exhibit, along with many artists' studios, are housed in what was the Benecia Arsenal. For a century, it was the largest ordinance facility on the West Coast.
In Benecia, thousands of new cars are unloaded off of ships every year. A lot of petroleum products are refined here as well. So if you are a car, ship, train, or industrial design buff, this is Disneyland.
This isn't my friend's piece. It's a Plymouth grill.
This was a cool find. A whole bunch of Coda electric cars. They are sold only in California. Would anyone buy a $37,000 electric car with Chinese build quality? The answer is a resounding no. These cars are not going to find any buyers. This may be Coda's entire world inventory.
Nearby are the camel barns. In the mid-1800s, the U.S. Army cavalry had a camel corps. And it was based in Benecia.
Across the street from the barns was a huge lot. There were a few of these Holden/Chevy police interceptors. The rest of the lot was filled with Buick Encores, a compact crossover. It's apparently the Opel Mokka in Europe. It is made in South Korea.
Seeing these Encores being delivered was amazing. Hundreds of them were being transferred from the ship to this parking lot. Drivers in identical cars would follow closely to each other and speed into the lot. Every 10 cars was followed by a 15-passenger van. As soon as the cars are parked, the drivers would hop into the van and the van would haul ass and transport the drivers back to the ship to pick up more cars. It was beautifully choreographed, and so fast.
Here are a bunch of police cars being delivered.
Today, I went to Benecia to see my friend's artwork at a local exhibition. The exhibit, along with many artists' studios, are housed in what was the Benecia Arsenal. For a century, it was the largest ordinance facility on the West Coast.
In Benecia, thousands of new cars are unloaded off of ships every year. A lot of petroleum products are refined here as well. So if you are a car, ship, train, or industrial design buff, this is Disneyland.
This isn't my friend's piece. It's a Plymouth grill.
Right outside the Arsenal was this behemoth, a Wallenius Wilhelmsen-owned ship. The company is Norwegian-Swedish. It's unclear if all those Priuses in the foreground came out of that ship.
This was a cool find. A whole bunch of Coda electric cars. They are sold only in California. Would anyone buy a $37,000 electric car with Chinese build quality? The answer is a resounding no. These cars are not going to find any buyers. This may be Coda's entire world inventory.
Nearby are the camel barns. In the mid-1800s, the U.S. Army cavalry had a camel corps. And it was based in Benecia.
Across the street from the barns was a huge lot. There were a few of these Holden/Chevy police interceptors. The rest of the lot was filled with Buick Encores, a compact crossover. It's apparently the Opel Mokka in Europe. It is made in South Korea.
Seeing these Encores being delivered was amazing. Hundreds of them were being transferred from the ship to this parking lot. Drivers in identical cars would follow closely to each other and speed into the lot. Every 10 cars was followed by a 15-passenger van. As soon as the cars are parked, the drivers would hop into the van and the van would haul ass and transport the drivers back to the ship to pick up more cars. It was beautifully choreographed, and so fast.
Here are a bunch of police cars being delivered.
Friday, January 25, 2013
Crazy slot car track in Finland
Edvin, any insights on this? How do you keep track of your car at those speeds?
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Carspotting: 1996 VW Golf Mk3 Harlequin Edition
I don't often go to the courthouse in Vallejo, but when I do, I often see this car along the way.
According to Wikipedia, only 264 were sold in North America in 1996. There are four color combinations. This combo is considered as "ginster yellow". I peered inside. It's an automatic.
According to Wikipedia, only 264 were sold in North America in 1996. There are four color combinations. This combo is considered as "ginster yellow". I peered inside. It's an automatic.
Porsche PDK transmission
I was chatting with a colleague about his newish 911 and he told me that it is for sale. I asked if it was a manual or an auto, and he said, with a proud grin, that it has PDK. The car is also mildly modified so that it's comparable to Euro-spec models (I didn't ask for details) and he claims it gets 25 mpg.
If I had the money, I would definitely buy it. I don't know what the name of the color of his car is, but it is gorgeous.
If I had the money, I would definitely buy it. I don't know what the name of the color of his car is, but it is gorgeous.
ProForm Tour de France stationary bike
I can't tell if this is brilliant or dumb. I'll go with brilliant.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Curb rash
I am so mad at myself. While driving out of a parking garage, I didn't notice a curb to my right and hit my rear passenger side wheel with it. I was so proud of my flawless eight year old rims. Ugh.
So can these be repaired? Sanded out? Buffed? Or should I leave it alone?
So can these be repaired? Sanded out? Buffed? Or should I leave it alone?
Monday, January 21, 2013
Bachelor Party and The Hangover
Here in the States, we just had a three-day weekend. I turned down an invite to a friend's bachelor party in Vegas. We are not that close and frankly, I'm getting too old for the festivities/frivolities.
Here are two classic bachelor party movies.
Here are two classic bachelor party movies.
Farewell, Timo Glock
Good driver. Too bad Toyota was not quite there.
First podium: 2nd in Hungary (2008)
Second podium: 3rd in Malaysia (2009)
Third podium: 2nd in Singapore (2009)
First podium: 2nd in Hungary (2008)
Second podium: 3rd in Malaysia (2009)
Third podium: 2nd in Singapore (2009)
Martin Luther King Day
Reagan reluctantly signing into law which designated MLK Day as a federal holiday.
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Cars I saw today
Today, we went to Alameda for lunch and some shopping. All of these cars were found within a three block radius. Alameda, a.k.a. The Island That Rust Forgot, as you may know, is where Murilee Martin based his Down On the Street series.
First, we've got this 1991 Honda Civic Si. It's got a manual transmission. The plastic wheel covers are peeling but otherwise, the exterior looks great. I looked in the back seat and there were Maxell VHS tapes! According to the state vehicle test history website, this car had a hard time passing smog last year.
Old beaters, like this Chevy Belair wagon, are everywhere.
I'm not a big new Camaro fan, but with these optional Chevy black steelies, the car looks very appealing.
Just as we were loading our Honda with drug store purchases, this Ford Capri drove by. It sounded strong and was driven by an old lady.
After we got home, I decided to wash our cars. It was supposed to be relaxing, but I've got a couple of neighbor kids who are clueless. I told them to be careful as I was going to move the car. And while I was moving it, one of the kids blindly rode his bike into and out of my garage. Dumb kid.
Subaru car wash ad
Guess what I'll be doing during today's Niner-Falcons game? Washing our cars!
Dumb kids:
Dumb kids:
Mercury Montclair Breezeway
Yesterday, I went to San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury District to meet up with Tim from The People's Wheels. I spotted this weird looking gigantor, which I'm wholly unfamiliar with. When I showed this picture to Tim, he immediately yelped "Breezeway". What's a Breezeway? The rear window rolls down!
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Four very different Dodge Stealth commercials
I saw, or rather, heard, a Dodge Stealth Turbo warble past me the other night. I always preferred the looks of the 3000GT, but the Stealth was a seriously fast car as well.
