Jon Gosselin's New Car: Nissan Nismo 350Z

(Jon & Kate Plus 8) Plus Nismo 350Z Minus Jon

No matter which side you are backing, we can all agree that Jon Gosselin's new car, a Nissan Nismo 350Z, had a lot to do with the current tensions. That is a serious mid-life crisis car for a 32 year old man.

Update 1: Check out Kate's new Land Cruiser here. I'm still trying to confirm that Jon just traded his white Nismo for a black BMW M3. Stay tuned.

Update 2: HERE IS JON'S "NEW" BMW M3.

Update 3: Here is Jon's Porsche SUV.

Update 4: Here is Jon's Mercedes SUV.

Presidential Helicopters

Ever wonder what kind of helicopters our presidents rode in?

Eisenhower, on July 12, 1957, became the first American president to ride in a helicopter. He was in a little United States Air Force Bell UH-13-J. He took it weekly to Camp David or his farm in Gettysburg.

Starting in 1958, the Sikorsky CH-34 Choctaw took over the duty of transporting El Presidente. Here is Kennedy and family climbing aboard one. There is an excellent example of one at the Travis Air Force Base museum.

Starting in 1961, the Sea King VH-3A became the official presidential helicopter. The amazing thing is that variants of the original still act as Marine One. Here's Johnson.

The infamous Nixon shot.

President Ford with a young Bob and Elizabeth Dole.

Jimmy Carter.

Ronnie and Nancy.

George H.W. and Maggie.

Bill Clinton.

George W. leaving on inaugural day, 2009.

Marine One leaving Chicago with the Obamas.

CKY

Tomica Obsession

I think it is safe to say that my fascination with cars started with my first Tomica car. I played with these Japanese versions of Matchbox cars constantly. The Yokohama Sogo store made a pretty yen from my obsession. I think this promotional ad says it all.

My memories were stirred today when I saw Jalopnik's post about a series of stop-action youtube clips featuring Tomica cars. All I have to say is someone has a lot of time on their hands.

CKY

P.S. Here is an official list, with pictures, of every Tomica car made, categorized by year. I am going to work on compiling a list, with pictures, of all the 1970s era Tomica police cars.

Rubber Tracks for Tanks And Armored Personnel Carriers

You know when an idea is so obvious and great that nobody ever thought of it? Rubber tracks for military vehicles is a great example. These are essentially large, tough rubber bands that replace the steel tracks. The Economist recently wrote about the advantages of replacing metal tracks with rubber tracks. Here is the Cliffs Notes version of the advantages.

• less fatigue on occupants
  
• occupants less prone to prickly and numb limbs
  
• occupants' hands do not get tired from grabbing onto safety handles too tightly
• less vibration means less wear and tear, especially to electronics hardware
• amount of time occupant can spend on board increases from 1.5 hours to 10 hours
• weight of suspension can be reduced by 25%
• fuel consumption as a result can be reduced by 30%
• rubber tracks are lighter so they can be wider, thus improving traction in mud and sand
  
• better acceleration and handling (almost as well as wheeled vehicles)
  
• quieter ride means no need for crew to use intercom
• quieter means they can sneak up on enemies easier
• less maintenance: steel tracks need replacement at 400 km versus 3,000 km for rubber
• with increasing number of peacekeeping missions, rubber does not destroy asphalt roads

Canada and Norway are in the process of converting all of their tracked APCs to rubber. Others are following suit. Currently, there is no rubber that is strong and durable enough for full-sized tanks.

CKY

Fuel Consumption of U.S. Military Cargo Aircraft

Recently, I was fortunate enough to receive a tour of Travis Air Force Base. I was in awe of the number of huge aircraft parked on the tarmac. The hardware in just a small section of the base would rival that of an entire third world country's air force.

According to NPR, the U.S. armed forces burn up 340,000 barrels of oil a day. That's about as much as the Philippines-- the country.

Travis Air Force Base has about 26 C-5 Galaxies, 27 KC-10 Extenders, and 13 C-17 Globemaster IIIs. I saw a couple of these beasts take off and wondered: What kind of mileage do they get?

Lockheed C-5 Galaxy. Its cargo hold is 121 feet long, one foot longer than the length of the Wright brothers' first flight. 18.6 GALLONS per mile.

MD KC-10 Extender. This refueling plane can hold 356,000 (!) pounds of jet fuel to refuel other planes. That's the equivalent of over 69 Bentley Eights. It gets a miserly 5 gallons per mile. If it used up the 356,000 gallons meant for other planes, it could travel another 71,200 miles, or about 1/3 of the way to the moon.

The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III gets 12.8 gallons per mile. And I thought Humvees got bad mileage.

CKY

Bentley Eight For Sale

Yesterday, I stopped by Specialty Sales Classic Cars in Benecia. I always see their classic American muscle cars on display outside when I drive northbound on 680. When I went in, I was surprised to find inter alia, an old Citroen, a first generation BMW M3, a few old Porsches, and this Bentley Eight.
Apparently, Specialty has branches in Pleasanton and the Peninsula, but the Benecia showroom is the largest. It is a consignment store that offers financing. Many of the cars end up being shipped out of state or out of the country. The salesman was very low pressure and quite frank. He admitted that the classic car market has changed but says there are enough high net worth car nuts out there to keep the business going.

I have not seen many Eights or Mulsannes in my life. Maybe it's because I only look for Turbo Rs on the road. Cosmetically, the one I saw in the show room looked nice. Before you get any smart ideas, you can't sit in the cars or even touch them unless you are very interested in actually buying one. The nearly $30,000 price tag seems a bit high for the 1987 model, even with the low mileage, and I'm quite sure it's negotiable. The Eight was known as the poor man's Bentley, what with cloth seats and steel wheels. Personally, if I had the money, I'd pay a little more for a Turbo R. But the Eight is certainly nothing to sneeze at. Here is a pretty thorough guide to buying an Eight.

CKY

Routan An Insult to German Heritage

In North America, VW decided to rebadge some Chrysler minivans, clean up their interiors, tighten the suspension, and sell them as VW Routan minivans. To call it a Volkswagen and compare it to the Type 2 is sacrilege.

To cleanse the palate, here is a real German minivan.

CKY

Tilden Park Steam Train

The steam train in Tilden Park in the Berkeley/Oakland Hills is fun for kids and adults. Tickets are $2 per person for a 12 minute ride.

View Larger Map

CKY

Red Cross "Our World At War" Photo Exhibit

The International Red Cross just kicked off a new photo exhibit called Our World At War. Photojournalists were sent to eight conflict zones-- Lebanon, Afghanistan, Congo, Haiti, Philippines, Liberia, Caucasus, Colombia-- and captured the effects of violence. It is heart-wrenching. Check out the complete exhibit online here.

CKY

Which Politicians Are Outed By Outrage?

This year's biggest documentary will be Outrage, which "comes out" tomorrow. So which public officials are going to be outed?

• California Rep. David Dreier,
  
• Florida Gov. Charlie Crist,
  
• former Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman,
  
• ex-Louisiana Congressman Jim McCrery,
  
• former New York City Mayor Ed Koch,
• and ex-Idaho Sen. Larry "Wide Stance" Craig,
• ex-Virginia Congressman Ed Schrock.