Saturday, June 27, 2015

some things that caught my eye at the LA Roadster Show














the original Fuzzbuster 2, was actually an Escort in disguise

Car and Driver magazine noticed in 1979 that the Fuzzbuster 2 worked identically to the best radar detector on the market that year, the Escort, made by Cincinnati Electronics. So they opened one up, and found an Escort inside it.

Mentioned in the 60th anniversary issue of Car and Driver, page 90

FYI, there is an online Radar Detector Museum http://www.radardetectormuseum.com/




the interesting trivia of importers

Maxmillian Hoffman was a car dealer in Vienna, jewish, and escaped before the Nazi Germans could kill him.

By 1953 he was the US Mercedes Benz importer with so much clout that he convinced the company to follow the success of the W194 race car and send gullwing 300 SLs to America, and distributed them to 475 dealerships across the USA

Chevy get serious about weight savings in the 2016 models


Gm changed 70% of the parts for the 2016 Camaro

The above piece is the instrument panel cross beam, now made of aluminum, saving 9/7 pounds.

Using aluminum for the front and rear suspension assemblies has also cut the suspension's weight by 21 percent, about 26 pounds less than the 5th gen Camaro.

Fasteners are now light weight, and no longer than actually necessary.

Many things combined to shave 200 pounds off the v8, and 300 pounds off the v6 model Camaro

dual purpose tailights... interesting concept, that probably won't make it to production for a long time


at least two journalists said that the wastegates vent through the taillights, but we've also heard they'll be used to vent hot air from the engine compartment. The area to the right of the light appears to be open and looks a little vent-y. In the image above, we can see what appears to be some kind of light mesh sitting behind the open area in the light.

http://autoweek.com/article/car-news/ford-gts-mystery-taillights

Ezra Dyer's recent column in Car and Driver excerpt

Some assignments damn near killed me, but they're now part of the lore. And a lot of them just came out of idle bluster, like:" Whats the world record distance for a limo jump? I'll bet I could beat it"
Next thing you know you're in Tallahassee wearing a prom dress.

Some of the ideas didn't pan out, but we've never lacked ambition. I look on the bright side with these things. Where some see an expensive Mercedes that's totally submerged in salt water, I see a marine habitat. Sure, that's not how Sea World looked at it, but they learned an important lesson about signage. And believe me, I caught an earful about that one.

Car and Driver Magazine, Ezra Dyers column, the 60th Anniversary issue, July 2015

the story of what it's like to be a starter at the line in the NHRA " When a driver blips the throttle, you’re sprayed with a mist of unburned fuel like somebody turned on lawn sprinklers in hell."

Autoweek writer Steven Cole Smith got to tag along with Mark Lyle, the NHRA chief starter, and it's a really good article  http://autoweek.com/article/nhra/posing-nhra-official-eye-opening-experience

John Knievel, Evel Knievel's cousin, in the 1970s was

the National Highway Safety Administration, director office of public affairs and consumer services

there have been a lot of cool Steves, celebrity Steves, and famous Steves... but none of them ever followed along this site for the past 5 years! So here is a standing ovation from famous Steves to the magnificent Steve in Vegas who has emailed about 800 time, co-authored about 100 posts, and been the most amazing researcher I've ever met







 


Steve Bogdan, 


More than 16,000 drivers fined in roadworks on E40 between Brussels and Ghent from this past Monday to this Thursday. About 4 thousand per day


Between last Monday and Thursday are more than 16,000 vehicle drivers caught speeding in the passing of the roadworks on the E40 and Wetteren between Erpe Mere. "It then only involves the findings with the zone in the direction of Ghent and the coast," says Michel Van Butsele, head of the federal traffic police of East Flanders.

http://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20150626_01750103?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_term=nieuwsblad&utm_content=article&utm_campaign=seeding

Friday, June 26, 2015

I can't see Max Grundy's art without thinking about SEMA now...

C'mon baby! A video worth watching


Now that's Confidence in your work right there
Posted by Speed Society on Sunday, June 21, 2015
https://www.facebook.com/donivelveiculos.restauracoes/posts/832875683468747

Click on through if this damn technical code won't work to embed it here for you to see, it's worth it 

there is only one guy in the world with a pair of Petty Riding Lawnmowers, and the lucky so n so has the signature and photo of Richard Petty himself signing them... that, is pretty damn cool

I never seen this before... interesting!

most amazing thing you'll see today



stay on the lookout my friends... you never know WHAT you might see, or save

Found on http://tdff-us.com/?p=284

the Drag Pak is back, factory race cars not street legal to remind the Mustangs and Camaros that true competition is still around, this time, with factory supercharged Hemi power

Magic Wheelchair... a non profit making epic costumes for kids in wheelchairs is having a kickstarter, and would like your help, to help the kids



They need your help to build 5 epic wheelchair costumes for kids in time for Halloween 2015! So please pledge and spread the word. The more money they raise, the more children they can build for in the future!

1) PLEDGE. Any amount is appreciated, but the more you give, the more children we can build for, and the cooler the rewards you'll receive! Even better, as a nonprofit organization, every dollar you donate to Magic Wheelchair is tax deductible, unlike most crowdfunding campaigns.

2) SHARE. Please let your friends and family know about the Magic Wheelchair campaign! Your support will not only help us build epic costumes for some great kids, but will also assist in spreading awareness about MD, SMA and the challenges faced by kids in wheelchairs.

3) VOLUNTEER. Magic Wheelchair wants YOU! If you're a designer, costume builder, craftsperson, social media master, or just want to do whatever is needed to help us on this journey, please let us know in the comments and there may be a place for you on the Magic Wheelchair team.

Where will the Kickstarter funds go?

Your pledge will primarily go to purchasing materials for these one-of-a-kind wheelchair costumes. If we raise more than our goal, we'll use the additional funds to build even more costumes! The more kids in wheelchairs we can help, the better!

How do we choose kids to build for?

Kids, with their parents’ permission, submit a 1-3 minute video telling us what they want to be for Halloween and why they should receive a Magic Wheelchair costume. Those selected get to work with designers and builders to create the ultimate wheelchair costume in time for trick or treating!




The Magic Wheelchair builders have made friends with the Stan Winston School (SWSCA) who are dedicated to inspiring and fostering creativity.

 By connecting leading film industry professionals with aspiring artists worldwide, SWSCA hopes to encourage a new generation to create the magic of tomorrow.

The entire Stan Winston School team is proud to support the Weimer Family and this incredible Kickstarter campaign. Please join us in helping Magic Wheelchair fly!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/magicwheelchair/the-magic-wheelchair


http://www.magicwheelchair.org/

For  information about applying to have a costume made for you or someone you know go to http://www.magicwheelchair.org/ .

Although the costumes are only for children, you must be the parent or legal guardian in order to be eligible to be selected.

Learned about this via https://www.distractify.com/magic-wheelchair-1214894075.html?ts_pid=2  via https://www.facebook.com/NerdgasmOnline?fref=nf

Thursday, June 25, 2015

There is a '54 Corvette in Cuba, how about that. There may be as many as 6 1950's Vettes on the island, though it's more a conversational interest than any collectible, as they are far from stock, and won't be sold



and there is also this 58


Auto journalist and former head of the Petersen Museum Ken Gross went to Cuba along with photographer Brenda Priddy and Vinnie Richichi

Photos from http://www.drivetime-radio.com/autoshowsevents/corvettesincuba.html

a way to fix dirt roads that isn't as expensive or as toxic as asphalt, but makes a paved material that is supposed to be impervious to water, and

It's called a parachute. Seriously. Luther Johnson, 1933 Indianapolis




the magazine clipping was found by Steve, who I swear, can find any answer to obscure stuff.


...out of 3 tries, and the only one where he was still running.

 Luther Johnson
 Started 20th Finished 10th Rigling / Studebaker
 Prize: $1,100

the photo was found on a Facebook page of many strange and unusual vehicle things https://www.facebook.com/groups/yachtclubdesavionsdelaroute/?fref=nf

figure 8 Red Bull mini drome



What has no air conditioning, drives from Florida to California in the June of the hottest summer on record, and only uses one tank of fuel. Crazy people, but they did make it


they used an ice suit to keep the driver cool... and stopped often to get more ice.

Here's how they went 2507 miles on a full 48.6 gallon tank...

 only one person in the car to reduce weight,
no air conditioning equipment,
aerodynamics of a 300mph car (looks like McLaren design from the front),
and a 70 mpg rating from a VW 1.9-liter turbo-diesel inline four-cylinder motor that is good for around 220 hp rwhp

Result?  An average of 66.7 miles per gallon at an average speed of 67.6 mph, reaching a top speed of 91.1 mph and only consumed 37.6 gallons

Transmisson Audi 6 speed
3 gears from 3.5 to 1.3, then 3 overdrive gears taller than usual, at .87 to .56,
The final gear ratio is said to be 3.875
The stat page doesn't mention the gears between trans and tires
tires - Front: 245/40-18 Rear: 255/40-19
Car weight dry - 2100 pounds

Instead of only putting 10 gallons of fuel in at a time, they started in Florida with a full tank. I don't think that's a good idea, as a gallon of fuel is about 8 pounds, and every 10 gallons is most of a hundred pounds. Starting a cross country trip with a full tank is carrying an extra 360 pounds you don't need to and hurting your mileage for 90% of the trip.


http://clpmotorsports.com/
https://www.facebook.com/clpmotorsports?fref=photo
http://jacksonville.com/news/florida/2015-06-19/story/cross-country-drive-one-tank-diesel-starts-sunday-atlantic-beach

Double monster truck backflip by Maximum destruction




Skip the first 20 seconds 

McCune Masterworks display at Comic Con (prior to the fall auction) items on display will include the Spaceballs "Winnebago" spaceship filming miniature, and the jet from X-Men 2