Mercedes 600
Holden Ute
Citroen DS
Citroen CX
BentleyCKY
Monday, June 15, 2009
Hearses I Prefer Over Lincolns and Cadillacs
Mortality has been on my mind since watching a clip on how hearses are made. Here are some hearses I'd take my last car ride in.
Mercedes 600
Holden Ute
Citroen DS
Citroen CX
Bentley
CKY
Mercedes 600Holden UteCitroen DSCitroen CXBentleyCKY
Peugeot 604 Landaulet By Chapron
What do you get when you mix famed coachbuilder Henri Chapron and an already awesome Peugeot 604? Answer: The Peugeot 604 Landaulet.
Only two of these puppies were ever made in 1978. One was for Freddy Heineken (of green-bottled beer fame). The other went to the president of Niger.
The car you see here was for sale in Niger around 2002 with 15,000 clicks on the clock. It looks like it was in pretty good shape.
Apparently, it was purchased, restored, and on display here at a recent Retromobile.
Credit: www.garage24.net
CKY
Only two of these puppies were ever made in 1978. One was for Freddy Heineken (of green-bottled beer fame). The other went to the president of Niger.
The car you see here was for sale in Niger around 2002 with 15,000 clicks on the clock. It looks like it was in pretty good shape.
Apparently, it was purchased, restored, and on display here at a recent Retromobile.
Credit: www.garage24.netCKY
Peugeot 604 Truck
While looking for a picture of a Peugeot 604 hearse (long story), I came upon this Peugeot 604-amino. It was based in Belgium and for sale on ebay a while back.
CKY
CKY
Sunday, June 14, 2009
When Ferrari Builds Trains
Leave it up to the Italians to make a TRAIN sexy. A new privately-held company is doing just that. The company, Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori (NTV), will be using these cherry red trains known as Italos to carry fashion-conscious riders between Naples and Turin. 
The trains can travel up to 225 mph, or somewhere between the top speeds of a Scuderia Ferrari F1 car and a Bugatti Veyron. The trains are supposedly 15% more fuel efficient than similar high-speed trains and 98% of their materials can be recycled. They also supposedly cost 15% less to maintain. I have my doubts about that last claim.
The train was designed by none other than Giorgetto Giugiaro, formerly of Isuzu Piazza/Impulse fame. It is a stunner. Only the Italians would put a train in a photo studio and take glamour shots.
The venture is backed by SNCF and Fiat/Ferrari's Luca di Montezemolo. This train distraction may explain the disastrous state of the Ferrari F1 team.
CKY
Saturday, June 13, 2009
The Cars And Cast of A Confederacy of Dunces
I just finished A Confederacy of Dunces, which may very well be my favorite work of fiction of all time. It takes place in the early 1960s in New Orleans. A movie of this book must be made. These are the actors and cars that should be in the movie:
Janeane Garofalo as Myrna Minkoff in her compact four-door Renault
Artie Lange as Ignatius Reilly and Estelle Harris as Irene Reilly in their beat-up Plymouth
Frieda, Betty, and Liz, the 'roid raged Sapphos (Rosie O'Donnell, Cynthia Nixon, Sara Gilbert), in their "magnificent" German automobile.
Extras in their Charity Hospital Cadillac ambulance
Gus Levy (played by Richard Jenkins) in his expensive sports car
Janeane Garofalo as Myrna Minkoff in her compact four-door Renault
Artie Lange as Ignatius Reilly and Estelle Harris as Irene Reilly in their beat-up Plymouth
Frieda, Betty, and Liz, the 'roid raged Sapphos (Rosie O'Donnell, Cynthia Nixon, Sara Gilbert), in their "magnificent" German automobile.
Extras in their Charity Hospital Cadillac ambulance
Gus Levy (played by Richard Jenkins) in his expensive sports carCKY
Banksy Bristol Museum Videos
English graffiti artist Banksy's exhibit at the Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery is a hit. One particular piece really frightened and disturbed me when I saw it on the news yesterday. It is of the hot dog (with mustard on top) in the second video below:
CKY
CKY
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Guantanamo Uyghurs Going to Palau
I've talked about the plight of the Guantanamo Uyghurs before. It looks like they're going to end up in Palau, one of a handful of countries that recognizes Taiwan over China. In all likelihood, Obama and Clinton worked out a deal with Taiwan and Palau to admit the Uyghurs. China will no doubt be pissed. It will be interesting to see how all of this unfolds.
CKY
CKY
Monday, June 08, 2009
Omar Bongo's Car Collection
Gabon's Omar Bongo just passed away. He took over his small oil-rich nation when LBJ was president, making him the longest serving head of state in the world. Coincidentally, Bongo also became very rich while in office.
I first became aware of Bongo's lust for exotic cars while doing research for my Rides of Heads of State series. He had a whole fleet of pimped out Stutzs.
Bongo used his nation's treasury as his personal bank account. Here is a check his young wife wrote to buy a Maybach using public funds.
Bongo's collection was superb and extravagant. He used to own this Tickford Aston Martin Lagonda, which is now for sale. He also had a Ferrari 612. Here is a Ferrari 400 that used to belong to him:
Me thinks he drove his prized cars mostly in France. He had 33 luxury homes throughout Paris and Nice. Not bad for a former postal worker.
CKY
I first became aware of Bongo's lust for exotic cars while doing research for my Rides of Heads of State series. He had a whole fleet of pimped out Stutzs.
Bongo used his nation's treasury as his personal bank account. Here is a check his young wife wrote to buy a Maybach using public funds.
Bongo's collection was superb and extravagant. He used to own this Tickford Aston Martin Lagonda, which is now for sale. He also had a Ferrari 612. Here is a Ferrari 400 that used to belong to him:Me thinks he drove his prized cars mostly in France. He had 33 luxury homes throughout Paris and Nice. Not bad for a former postal worker.
CKY
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