Heidfeld Continues To Be Best Driver Never To Win

The Malaysia GP was a let down only because it was stopped when the race was barely half over. The good news is that Quick Nick ended up in second place, despite his starting with the heaviest car on the grid.

With his 12th podium finish, Nick is tied with Stefan Johansson for being on the podium 12 times without a single victory. Here are some other stats to compare, courtesy of the good people at F1 Rejects:

• Most points without a win: Mark Webber 101.5, Heidfeld 204
  
• Most fastest laps without a win: Jean-Pierre Jarier/Chris Amon 3, Heidfeld 2
• Most poles without a win: Chris Amon 5, Heidfeld 1
  
• Most entries without a win: Andrea de Cesaris 214, Heidfeld 154

So far, it does not look like the BMWs are competitive. Perhaps with the rear diffuser issue sorted out (or added on), Heidfeld can win his first race.

CKY

Sweet Holden Commodore VE Sportwagon

One more post before my review of the Pontiac G8. In doing research, I came across the wagon version of the Holden Commodore. I think it looks even better than the sedan. There is no way Pontiac is going to sell this version. No way.






CKY

Pontiac G8 GT Test Drive

Okay, I really like the Pontiac G8. No, it's not "better" than a BMW 550i, as all of the literature at the Pontiac dealership told me. No, it's not put together better than my anemic FWD Acura. But yes, it is a hell of a car for $30,000.

My day started by calling around the local Pontiac dealers. The first dealer I called only had ONE G8, and it was a V6. The second one I called had a few G8s, and at least two had the V8.

I sat in the one in the show room. It is large. 114.8 inch wheelbase large. That's a lot of car. With the front seat at the position I normally use, I hopped in the back seat and still had plenty of legroom. This reminds me of the cavern of a backseat I sat in when I was little and riding in my friend's dad's 560SEL.

There's been a lot of comparisons between the G8 and the BMW 5 series. The brochures talk about the G8 GT having (barely) more torque than the M5 (385 lb.-ft. versus 383). It gets better mileage (barely) than the 550i (24 mpg highway versus 23). But dynamically and fit-and-finish wise, the Pontiac falls behind.

On the freeway, the G8's torque was pretty amazing. I barely tapped the accelerator at 65 and it seamlessly scooted to 80. But as soon as I took the offramp, I knew I was in a large car. My steering inputs and the corresponding feedback were a shade under confidence-inspiring. Don't get me wrong. The G8 felt better than any other American car I've ever driven (I've never driven a new Corvette, the Cadillac CTS-V, Viper, or Ford GT), but it did not approach a German car's feel.

The interior of the G8 was better than any domestic rental car I've driven, but the design, layout, fit-and-finish, and quality of the materials still lagged behind luxury and near-luxury German and Japanese cars. To be fair, the Pontiac G8 GT does not advertise itself as a luxury car.

So why do I like the G8 so much? First of all, it's a screaming deal. I can get a 6 liter V8 full-sized rear wheel sedan that kinda handles well for around $30,000. That's barely more than the 4 cylinder FWD Jap trap I bought FIVE years ago. And though it's built at the Elizabeth plant in Oz and the engine is assembled in Mexico, I feel like I'm doing my part in propping up the American economy. It is a very competent car and numbers-wise, can compete with German cars costing twice as much.

CKY

Pontiac G8 GT/Holden Commodore SS Badge Delete/Add Cheatsheet

Delete, delete, delete.

Okay, I am serious about getting a Pontiac G8 GT and "changing" it back to a Holden Commodore VE SS. I checked out a G8 GT today and noted all of the American badges. They include:
1. Pontiac emblem on the grill.
2. Small "GM" logos (2) on the bottom of the front fenders behind the front wheels.
3. Pontiac emblem on the steering wheel.
4. Pontiac emblem on all 4 wheels
5. Pontiac emblem on the trunk lid.
6. "GT" emblem on the driver's side of the trunk lid (top).
7. "Pontiac G8" emblem on the passenger's side of the trunk lid (top).

So, how do we fix this?
0.5. Go to JHP Vehicle Enhancements.
1. Add Holden lion emblem on the grill.
2. Add "V8 6.0 LITRE" emblems (2) on the bottom of the front fenders behind the front wheels.
3. Add steering wheel with Holden lion emblem.
4. Holden emblem on all 4 wheels.
4.5. Add "SS" badges (2) on the bottom rear of the rear doors.
5. Holden lion emblem on the trunk lid.
6. "Commodore" emblem on the driver's side of the trunk lid (bottom).
7. "SS" emblem on the passenger's side of the trunk lid (bottom).

CKY

GM Vehicle (Resale) Value Protection Plan

I went to a Pontiac dealership today and test drove the G8 GT. More on that later. I've always been interested in the car but what really reeled me in was an ad I saw yesterday about the GM Value Protection Plan. From the ad, it sounded like if I tried to sell my GM product and was pissed about its piss poor resale value, GM would write me a check. Sounds like a dream come true, right? Wrong.

The devil, as always, is in the details. It works like this:
1. It applies only to 2008 to 2010 GM vehicles (excluding Saabs and medium- and heavy-duty trucks).
2. It only applies if you buy the car this month (April 2009).
3. You have to have made payments for at least half of the original term. Example: Paid 18 months on a 3 year payment plan. It's unclear if all of the payments made had to be timely, as the GM webpage with the fine print is down at the time of this writing (how convenient). The Plan does not apply to payment plans that are longer than 72 months (Who the heck is making 7 years of car payments?!).
4. If you want to get money from the program, you have to buy another new GM vehicle. (Why would you when you've just realized how crappy the resale value on your current GM is?)
5. Compare the amount you owe on your car to the NADA "retail clean" price. This is the only silver lining in the deal, but wait.
6. If you owe more than the car is worth, then the Plan kicks in.
7. If you trade the car into a GM dealership, then you get up to $5,000 back. If you sell it privately, you only get $2,500.

My conclusion: Too many loopholes. Very few people will collect money from the Plan. And for those sophisticated enough to get some money back, it will be capped. The only people that will definitely benefit from this is ServicePlan, Inc., the underwriter.

CKY

The Mercedes R107, Axel F, and Beverly Hills Cop

I'm watching VH1's 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 80s. First of all, who is this no-talent host, Judah Friedlander?

Number 70 on the list is Harold Faltermeyer's Axel F, the theme song to Beverly Hills Cop. Just look at the album cover, with the iconic red Mercedes R106, and the pimping W126 in the background!

CKY

I Want To Be A Modern Day Italian Carabinieri Stationed In Florence

Alfa Romeo 159

CKY

Porsche Tapiro Gullwing

The Tapiro is a one-off prototype designed by the great Giugiaro. It was based on the Porsche 914/6 and debuted at the 1970 Turin auto show.

To me, it's like a combination of the Countach, Mangusta, and the Datsun 126X.

After the show, a Spanish industrialist bought it. Terrorists then blew it up to protest his labor practices. Now that's a crime against humanity.

CKY

Let Them Eat Cake (SF Chronicle Top 100 Restaurants)

While this country and world struggle with the recession, these jokers make a sport of going to some of the most expensive restaurants in the Bay Area. I don't know who has more gall-- the people who would readily tell their story to the whole world, or the newspaper who would publish it.

CKY

Update 1: Out of curiosity, I looked through the 2008 Top 100 list. There are quite a few above average places that do not belong on the "Top 100". It's sad how just being on this list propels some places to fame, fortune, and trendiness. I'll look at the 2009 Top 100 list when it comes out on Sunday and post something about the not-so-deserving eateries. I know, I'm such a hater.

The $99 PS2

I am behind the times technologically. I don't have an iPod. I don't know how to download ring tones. I've never downloaded a song, ever. But today, I read that Sony dropped the price of their 9 year old PS2 to $99. I had to buy one.

Tonight, I got a PS2 for $99.99, Gran Turismo 4 for $19.99, and an 8mb memory card for $24.99. With tax, it ended up costing me $158.38. I have done my part to stimulate this lackluster economy.

I had a lot of fun playing. I got my B and A licenses. My first purchase, just as in real life, was an early 1980s Isuzu Impulse/Piazza. My thumbs are going to be sore tomorrow.

CKY