4 hours ago
Digital Dreams
Ever wanted to see what Polyphony Digital's (the creators of Gran Turismo) studio looks like? Take a tour!
Top 10 Top Down
If you've got a convertible, Mazda has some destinations for you. Here's Mazda'a Top 10 Top Down driving destinations. I need a convertible!
Toyota News
Toyota has released some pics of it's upcoming vehicles recently, one a production vehicle, and the other a concept that gives a peek at the new full-size truck. Take a look.
That's the Toyota FTX, a concept truck that gives the styling direction for the next Tundra. Looks pretty good to me, aggressive, distinctive, and tough enough to go toe-to-toe with Dodge, Ford, and Nissan. The Domestic boys better watch their back, with the Titan and a new Tundra on the way, the Japanese are finally competing in the final automotive frontier.
This is Scion's new tC coupe. Finally, a car that should really appeal to younger buyers, unlike the xA and xB. No word on price yet, and the styling is, well, somewhat bland, but at least when Scion launches nationwide in June there will be a coupe in the line up. If the price is right I will have to seriously consider purchasing one.
That's the Toyota FTX, a concept truck that gives the styling direction for the next Tundra. Looks pretty good to me, aggressive, distinctive, and tough enough to go toe-to-toe with Dodge, Ford, and Nissan. The Domestic boys better watch their back, with the Titan and a new Tundra on the way, the Japanese are finally competing in the final automotive frontier.
This is Scion's new tC coupe. Finally, a car that should really appeal to younger buyers, unlike the xA and xB. No word on price yet, and the styling is, well, somewhat bland, but at least when Scion launches nationwide in June there will be a coupe in the line up. If the price is right I will have to seriously consider purchasing one.
Deeper Meaning
HondaKid's blog has a post about someone thinking there's no deeper meaning in cars. I have a perfect example of one, and it's a certain styling element on my Ford Probe. You look at the hood, and there's two bulges, where the shock towers are. Without the bulges, the towers would protrude above the hood. It's a blemish on an otherwise sleek design, and there's a story behind it.
It's a story about the conflict between design, engineering, and cost control. Design wanted the sleek hood, cost control wanted off-the shelf shock parts, which meant engineering couldn't design shorter components to clear the hood. A compromise was achieved, and engineering had to design the bulges, instead of more compact shocks.
Those bulges are a snapshot of the way life often works out, the things you have to do to achieve your goals, even though it may not turn out the way you hoped. Looking at my life, I can see plenty of "bulges" during my life. If it was good enoogh for Ford, I guess it can be good enough for me.
It's a story about the conflict between design, engineering, and cost control. Design wanted the sleek hood, cost control wanted off-the shelf shock parts, which meant engineering couldn't design shorter components to clear the hood. A compromise was achieved, and engineering had to design the bulges, instead of more compact shocks.
Those bulges are a snapshot of the way life often works out, the things you have to do to achieve your goals, even though it may not turn out the way you hoped. Looking at my life, I can see plenty of "bulges" during my life. If it was good enoogh for Ford, I guess it can be good enough for me.
Pieces Parts
It all started with Ford and their "New Edge" styling. Sharp creases, bold angles, and straight lines are the concepts in car design, but it's going too far. The Honda Element typifies the new look, but there seems to be a subset, what I call "Lego styled" cars. The Saturn Ion is the worst offender I've seen so far.
Instead of the car looking like a piece of sculpture, it looks more like something created with Lego's. Is there any reason for the bodywork around the windows to be made of so many pieces that don't flow together? You can't look at the car and see one entire shape, your eye is drawn towards each individual part, and nothing meshes together to create something that is greater than the sum of the parts. It gets even worse from a rear-view.
Each piece can be interesting in itself, there's no crime in that, but when that's all you see, a mishmash of seperate items instead of a whole car, something has gone horribly wrong. Your eyes should flow over the lines of a car, drawn from the front to the rear in an easy sweep. Someone at GM's design center needs to take a lesson from Mazda. The 626 is a perfect example of a car that looks more like it was hewn from a solid block of steel, instead of individual pieces bolted together.
That is how cars should be styled. Graceful, sleek, and beautiful.
Instead of the car looking like a piece of sculpture, it looks more like something created with Lego's. Is there any reason for the bodywork around the windows to be made of so many pieces that don't flow together? You can't look at the car and see one entire shape, your eye is drawn towards each individual part, and nothing meshes together to create something that is greater than the sum of the parts. It gets even worse from a rear-view.
Each piece can be interesting in itself, there's no crime in that, but when that's all you see, a mishmash of seperate items instead of a whole car, something has gone horribly wrong. Your eyes should flow over the lines of a car, drawn from the front to the rear in an easy sweep. Someone at GM's design center needs to take a lesson from Mazda. The 626 is a perfect example of a car that looks more like it was hewn from a solid block of steel, instead of individual pieces bolted together.
That is how cars should be styled. Graceful, sleek, and beautiful.
Fast Car, Slow Driver
I have never understood why someone would buy a fast car, and then drive it like they're a blue-haired lady. Every time I see a Porsche Boxster or Chevy Corvette, invariably it's the slowest car in traffic. It's a crime, an affront to what the vehicle stands for. If you want a rolling billboard to advertise your personal wealth, go buy a Lexus. You'll be more comfortable, and so will your car.
It just kills me to be driving down the interstate in my Escort and pass a 'Vette, in fact everyone else is passing the 'Vette also. You can almost see the car just screaming to be let loose.
Don't neuter your car.
It just kills me to be driving down the interstate in my Escort and pass a 'Vette, in fact everyone else is passing the 'Vette also. You can almost see the car just screaming to be let loose.
Don't neuter your car.
Looking Back
We were admiring the beautiful styling of a first-gen Ford Taurus wagon today, and the conversation drifted to childhood times spent in the family wagons that our parents and friend's parents used to own. I'm talking about sitting in the fold-up, rear-facing, third row seat that the older wagons used to have. Where the view was not of where you were going, but of where you had been.
Being a kid in a car was always frustrating. You couldn't reach the radio to change it to the station you wanted, your view was obscured by the front seats, and you had to deal with those damn child-safety windows that only rolled down partially. It just wasn't fair! Everything conspired to reinforce the fact that the car was basically a rolling playpen you couldn't escape, and you were much too old to be stuck in some damn playpen!
But, if you were lucky enough, sometimes your "mobile prison" was in that magical seat that disappeared beneath the cargo area. Inhabiting that seat was like getting away with stealing some cookies, and your parents never suspecting you. The huge rear window giving a view akin to a wide-screen television, the fact that you weren't forced to look past your parents to see the world, put together gave a moment of freedom in an otherwise captive enviroment.
Even with onboard DVD systems and rear seat radio and climate controls that you find in today's SUV's and minivans, they all lack the magic of that wagon-style third-row seat. Watching Finding Nemo may placate the rugrats for a little while, but it can't compare to the mystical moments spent watching the world go by in reverse.
Being a kid in a car was always frustrating. You couldn't reach the radio to change it to the station you wanted, your view was obscured by the front seats, and you had to deal with those damn child-safety windows that only rolled down partially. It just wasn't fair! Everything conspired to reinforce the fact that the car was basically a rolling playpen you couldn't escape, and you were much too old to be stuck in some damn playpen!
But, if you were lucky enough, sometimes your "mobile prison" was in that magical seat that disappeared beneath the cargo area. Inhabiting that seat was like getting away with stealing some cookies, and your parents never suspecting you. The huge rear window giving a view akin to a wide-screen television, the fact that you weren't forced to look past your parents to see the world, put together gave a moment of freedom in an otherwise captive enviroment.
Even with onboard DVD systems and rear seat radio and climate controls that you find in today's SUV's and minivans, they all lack the magic of that wagon-style third-row seat. Watching Finding Nemo may placate the rugrats for a little while, but it can't compare to the mystical moments spent watching the world go by in reverse.
Go Naked
There's something about the look of a naked motorcycle. By "naked" I mean a bike with minimal bodywork, allowing the engine and frame to be seen in their full glory. It's a very different style from that of a fully-faired motorcycle, or even a car. There's a mechanical feel, a message that is conveyed that this a working machine.
Most of the mechanical items we deal with on a daily basis do their best to hide all the working parts. The inner working of the machines are best left alone, a job for a techincian, someone qualified to deal with these contraptions. It's just not something we want to deal with. We all have our own sense of what reality is, and for many, mechanical things fall into the realm of magic. As long as it works, we don't care the how's and why' of it.
Naked motorcycles, on the other hand, brazenly advertise the fact that they are a machine, and you will deal with it on it's own level, regardless of how you feel. To me, that's the most charming aspect of their character. The engine is right there in plain view, begging you to fiddle around with it. What does this piece do, how does it relate to the entire process of combustion. It may be something that many don't want to think about, but it piques my curiosity. I can't resist it.
Go ahead, go out naked. You just might learn something about your machine, and hopefully something about yourself.
Most of the mechanical items we deal with on a daily basis do their best to hide all the working parts. The inner working of the machines are best left alone, a job for a techincian, someone qualified to deal with these contraptions. It's just not something we want to deal with. We all have our own sense of what reality is, and for many, mechanical things fall into the realm of magic. As long as it works, we don't care the how's and why' of it.
Naked motorcycles, on the other hand, brazenly advertise the fact that they are a machine, and you will deal with it on it's own level, regardless of how you feel. To me, that's the most charming aspect of their character. The engine is right there in plain view, begging you to fiddle around with it. What does this piece do, how does it relate to the entire process of combustion. It may be something that many don't want to think about, but it piques my curiosity. I can't resist it.
Go ahead, go out naked. You just might learn something about your machine, and hopefully something about yourself.
Oh Please
There's an infomercial running that's advertising a very interesting device. It's called the Tornado Fuel Saver. It's supposed to increase horsepower and fuel mileage. Of course, there is a slight disclaimer...
Your results will vary. These tests were completed in a laboratory under test conditions. Mileage improvements, if any, vary widely depending on driving habits and the model, engine, and condition of the vehicle.
I haven't bought one myself, but here's some things I find interesting about it. They don't tell you what laboratory did the testing, so you have no way to verify the test data, or find out what the test conditions were. If it does what it says, wouldn't the auto manufacturers have done this already? Form your own conclusion, but something that sounds too good to be true usually is.
Your results will vary. These tests were completed in a laboratory under test conditions. Mileage improvements, if any, vary widely depending on driving habits and the model, engine, and condition of the vehicle.
I haven't bought one myself, but here's some things I find interesting about it. They don't tell you what laboratory did the testing, so you have no way to verify the test data, or find out what the test conditions were. If it does what it says, wouldn't the auto manufacturers have done this already? Form your own conclusion, but something that sounds too good to be true usually is.
Link Of The Day
Today we take a look at the Toyota Celica. Celica.net should be at the top of your list for info on Celicas.
Getting Into Trouble
Just bought the new issue of Cycle World, and there's a new bike I just gotta have! The MV Augusta Brutale S.
I just love a naked bike. There's much to be said about flamboyant and alluring bodywork, but seeing the frame and engine on a motorcycle just seems right to me.
Now, where did I leave that $13,995 laying around here?
I just love a naked bike. There's much to be said about flamboyant and alluring bodywork, but seeing the frame and engine on a motorcycle just seems right to me.
Now, where did I leave that $13,995 laying around here?
Generation Gap
Two things occured to me recently. I was reading an FAQ on Gran Turismo, and the writer's recommendations for best cars did not include any rear-wheel drive vehicles. Why? Because they are too hard to handle, said the author. This seemed strange to me. Being able to slide out the rear-wheels at will sure makes it easier to get around the turns, or at least I think so. Then I realized the author was probably younger than me, and probably never drove a rear-wheel drive car in his life.
My first car was a Ford Granada, and my second was a Toyota Supra, both RWD. Growing up in Ohio, learning how to drive RWD cars in the snow, and sliding the rear wheels out in a turn was a natural part of the driving experience. For many people younger than me, those born in the eighties, FWD is all they have known. Dad's Camry, Mom's Accord, Uncle Larry's Taurus, these three cars have dominated the sales charts for so long that most youngsters only know FWD, and automatic trannies. If they only knew what they were missing.
I started a new job yesterday, and have seven weeks of training to go through. One of the first things we did was interview each other so we could know a little bit about the memebers. There's fifteen of us in the class, and one of the questions was "What is your dream car?". One said Corvette, two votes for Porsche, two muscle car votes, and two Beemers. Every one else (except me) wanted some kind of SUV. We're talking dream cars, and these people want an oversized station wagon! And not one of them at least said Porsche Cayenne! Better treasure the performance cars on the market today, theyr'e a dying breed.
What did I choose? A 1986 Toyota MR2, 5-speed, red (the color God intended it to be)!
My first car was a Ford Granada, and my second was a Toyota Supra, both RWD. Growing up in Ohio, learning how to drive RWD cars in the snow, and sliding the rear wheels out in a turn was a natural part of the driving experience. For many people younger than me, those born in the eighties, FWD is all they have known. Dad's Camry, Mom's Accord, Uncle Larry's Taurus, these three cars have dominated the sales charts for so long that most youngsters only know FWD, and automatic trannies. If they only knew what they were missing.
I started a new job yesterday, and have seven weeks of training to go through. One of the first things we did was interview each other so we could know a little bit about the memebers. There's fifteen of us in the class, and one of the questions was "What is your dream car?". One said Corvette, two votes for Porsche, two muscle car votes, and two Beemers. Every one else (except me) wanted some kind of SUV. We're talking dream cars, and these people want an oversized station wagon! And not one of them at least said Porsche Cayenne! Better treasure the performance cars on the market today, theyr'e a dying breed.
What did I choose? A 1986 Toyota MR2, 5-speed, red (the color God intended it to be)!
Link Of The Day
Today we stay with FoMoCo, this time with the Mercury Division. Check out Cool Cats, focusing on 83-89 Mercury Cougars. Technical info abounds, and it's a great resource for these cars. My dad used to own a black XR7, so I'm kinda partial to them.
More Links
OK, two more Ford-related links for you. First, a site dedicated to my first car, the International American Ford Granada, Mercury Monarch/Cougar, and Lincoln Versailles Owners Club, although the info presented is rather sparse. But, no one else seems to have a website addressed to these cars. The second is FordEXP.com, Ford's little Escort-based two seater. Yeah, I know, a lot of Ford stuff, but they make, in my opinion, the best domestic cars.
News Page
I'm finally getting off my behind and updating the entire site to the new look. The news page is finally up, where I will put up announcements on what's going on with the site.
Links Of The Day
Been working on Babytang (Ford Tempo) the last couple of days, so here's some interesting Tempo links. First up is Tempo Topaz.com, the Ford Tempo/Mercury Topaz car club of North America, lots of info on these cars. Then we have Brian's site, detailing his Ford Tempo GLS and Mercury Topaz XR5. His Topaz has a working lighbar like the Sable, and many other mods. Finally comes the SHOpaz, a Mercury Topaz with a Taurus SHO engine and transmission. Crazy!
Screwed
