Wednesday, April 30, 2014

A Mustang pop culture quiz by Parade / Conde Nast magazine

You’ll be asked things like to identify iconic movies based on images of the Mustangs that appeared in them, and decide which popular music videos featured Mustangs

http://parade.condenast.com/278502/viannguyen/the-mustang-turns-50-can-you-identify-the-cars-pop-culture-spots/

Found on http://www.streetlegaltv.com/?page=4&show=latest

ever wanted to see the exclusive Lingenfelter Collection? It will be having a benefit for the Ronald McDonald House on August 7th

It’s tough to get a tour of elite private collections, since they aren’t normally open to the public, but this season, Lingenfelter has opened the doors to support local charities.

Here is there calendar of events: http://www.thelingenfeltercollection.com/the-lingenfelter-collection-calandar-of-events/

For an article about the museum and it's dedication to charities for great causes, like Alzheimers Assoc. and the Ronald McDonald House http://www.lingenfelter.com/LPEforumfiles/album.php?albumid=81



learned of this from http://www.streetlegaltv.com/

Original owner finally parts with his Barracuda and passes it on to a young guy in love with it



here's the original owner on the first and last day of ownership... a remarkable thing... but after it's been sitting for 15 years, and rust begins to set in, the original owner realized he was done trying to keep his dream alive while actually neglecting the car.

Found on http://www.streetlegaltv.com/news/plymouth-barracuda-dream-buy-saves-a-classic-from-imminent-death/

Traffic lights... proven to be unnecessary

Famous people racing in this years Mille Miglia

Jay Leno and Ian Callum, car 211, Jaguar XK 120 Ecurie Ecosse

Mike Cross and Jeremy Irons, 236, Jaguar XK120

Wolfgang and Ferdinand Porsche, 359, Porsche 356

Adrien Brody and Esmeralda Brajovic, 394, 300SL

Jacky Ickx and Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, 396, Porsche 550

Info from http://www.1000miglia.eu/2014-Edition/Provisional-Starting-List/

Monaco, 1966

unconventional car heroes art humor

Bullshitters on a car show get called on the lie, by none other than Hot Rod magazine

HOT ROD likes to take people at their word. Last week we posted a story about Fast 'N Loud finding the first two Firebird prototypes in a barn. See it HERE.


The hot rod community is like a tribe, and you don’t jive your brother, right? So we are more than a little peeved that the hype the cable show Fast ‘N Loud fed everyone about the two “barn find” #1 and #2 1967 Pontiac Firebirds was not, shall we say, correct information. The problem comes from the show identifying things related to the two cars that could have only come from them, once you get the whole enchilada. So here’s what we really know about the two Firebirds:

1) The two cars weren't 'found in a barn' as the shows producers state, they have been stored.

2) They weren't prototypes or pilot cars, they were just the first two cars down the line, unlike what the producers state.

3) They weren't built in order to decide whether Pontiac wanted to build the Firebird, as the producers state. They are production line cars.

4) They aren't "worth" $325K as the producers state, they sold for $30K a couple years ago, that's probably close to their current value.

5) They're basic, bread and butter Birds, nothing unique about them except their VIN. No rare one-off parts, no super-rare Ram Air stuff, no hard to find trans or rear axle. Just a ’67 Firebird ragtop and hardtop, and a very expensive VIN and trim tag.

6) They were sold as a pair for $30K a couple years ago on eBay. The new owner was contacted by Fast N' Loud, and they decided to publicize the cars around their rather sensationalist blatherings.

If anyone from the show would like to contact HOT ROD to correct us or otherwise set the record straight, we will be more than happy to communicate your responses. As for now, it would seem that the show has lost what little cred they may have had up to this time, sorry to say. At least from HOT ROD’s perspective, we are disappointed that one of the public faces for the rewards of modifying cars would stoop this low just to hype a build that done legit would have been an honest portrayal of the joy and pride we all take in building our cars.

From  http://www.hotrod.com/news/did_fast_n_loud_make_this_up/

Check engine light.. means break out the cash

Why does it come one? For about a hundred different reasons, right?

How do you turn it off? You have to take the car to a mechanic or dealership.

How do you find out what the problem is? Either pay a mechanic/dealership, or buy a engine code scanner.

Now, lets stop right there..... what is it about the "check engine" warning light that can't be sent to the 7 inch screen in the middle of my car, the stereo/video display/infotainment system that is also able to tell me all the "green" and gas saver nonsense, navigation mapping, wifi, sports, news, weather, the name of the song, group, year, and radio channel I'm listening to.





But the second I get a bad tank of gas and the ping sensor has a fit, the damn check engine light came on, and I'm Westbound out of Barstow Ca in the effin Mojave, and the bajillion things that 7 inch screen can do for me don't count for shit, because the engineers that designed my Hyundai Veloster, and those that make every other car, don't put the "check engine" warnings where they should be, accessible to the OWNER of the car to let the OWNER of the car be informed of what has went wrong, and if the car is safe to drive, or seriously in need of a tow truck, dealership mechanic, and big cushion in the credit card.

Images cribbed from https://www.hyundaiusa.com/veloster/interior.aspx

Update, July 3rd 2014... they aren't listening. http://autozine.com.br/informacao/kia-motors-lanca-novo-sistema-global-de-diagnostico-de-veiculo-para-oficinas#more-16091 is some nonsense about bluetooth connectivity to a mobile device for technicians

Kia Motors has announced details of its new Global Diagnostic System Mobile (GDS - Mobile), introduced in the international market to improve the level of customer service with network expansion aftermarket brand.

The new GDS - Mobile is the third generation diagnostic Kia vehicles available to its dealers and the world's first mobile solution designed for complete diagnosis and optimized for use on mobile devices system.

The new system allows technicians to identify the brand more quickly and effectively vehicle faults. Wireless connectivity and Bluetooth support facilitate the work of the technicians, without the need of a computer fixed for diagnosis. The GDS - Mobile requires no wires to connect to the vehicle as a communication interface using the Bluetooth ® and Wi-Fi

facebook has so much funny stuff....


Tuesday, April 29, 2014

1986 GN pulled out of storage with only 17,588 miles after 18 years of garage queen treatment.

http://www.streetlegaltv.com/news/watch-this-1986-buick-grand-national-start-after-18-years-in-storage/

The video is a complete waste of time, they move the car around on dollys, turn it on with no drama, back it out, put it on the trailer. That's it.

The real story is that a collector with a 69 Camaro, a Mustang, and other cars in the garage, had a GN that he'd kept dry and out of the sunlight and finally parted with after 18 years. Less than 18k miles on the odo... great find. 

NICB prevents another stolen car from leaving the country! Hooray!


Stolen in 1992 in Mississippi, and found by NICB, the National Insurance Crime Bureau, in California in 2012. No information about what occurred with it in the 20 missing years.

Full story at http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/04/28/stolen-mustang-returns-home-twenty-years-later/8391335/  learned about it from http://www.streetlegaltv.com/news/stolen-1966-mustang-returns-to-rightful-owner-after-20-years/

13 yr old is the luckiest kid I've heard of in a while... his dad is a professional muscle car buyer and restorer, and got him a 70 Charger R/T


for a first car.. it's one hell of a great gift from his dad.



Found on http://www.streetlegaltv.com/news/video-luckiest-kid-in-the-world-gets-survivor-1970-dodge-charger-rt/

the 4014 Union Pacific Big Boy heading for an overhaul! (will be in Las Vegas tonight, and on Wednesday April 30th)




I bet this is the first time in decades a Big Boy has been on the rails across country


Thanks Steve!

found humor... so funny in it's innocent mistakes

I just adore innovation, cleverness, and inventive humor. Facebook is a good source of content like that, and George Takei is the Dalai Lama of the meme

Congratulations to the Webby Awards winner, and nominees!

The winner, AARP Driver Resource Center: http://www.aarp.org/home-family/getting-around/driving-resource-center/driving-welcome/

Runner Up: BBC Autos, the Roundabout Blog http://www.bbc.com/autos/columns/roundabout-blog

Nominee: Car Crush  http://thecarcrush.com/

car listing programs can be comical when it allows you to check the vehicle options


Bottom line... does the Corvette have a bathroom?

You can't be anything but badass with a skull on the front of your fighter plane

Park Drag, a strange name for an 1892 horse carriage, but it's history in Washington DC and New York City high society (Vanderbilt family) is the cause





Some rich guy married one of Vanderbilt's daughters and had the architectural firm that created Central Park make them a 1200 acre mansion and estate in New Jersey. This was the carriage they bought from Brewsters, the eminent carriage makers that started in 1810, and went from horse drawn to horseless and made custom bodies for the elite until the late 30's death of American coachbuilding.

After the carriage was sold at the fall of the gilded age, when the bottomless gold vaults of the Vanderbilts began to echo, it was bought by an eminent restaurant "The Stables" for transport of the most impressive guests of hotels to the restaurant. It also was in about 4 presidential innaugural parades

Photos and info from http://www.rmauctions.com/lots/lot.cfm?lot_id=1063818 via http://thecarcrush.com/blog/2013/11/rm-art-of-the-automobile-the-car-crush

Car and Driver Magazine tried to interview John Force, a for effort, but they only got 8 words out, and John took the reins!



C/D: Well, um . . .

JF: I’m no young chicken. But I live in the gym every other day. Since that crash in ’07. That was the same year that we lost Eric [Medlen] when he died in a crash at Gainesville. And then we realized we have chassis problems. And I got into the business, building chassis. And here I am today. We got that up and running and our motor program is up and running and it’s time for us to get back to winning championships. I won in 2010. And right now Robert Hight and myself and Courtney are all fighting in the Countdown with four races left, and we’ve got a shot at that title.

C/D: So . . .

JF: Look at NASCAR: Those guys at my age, they all retired 10 years ago. And it’s not like I need to be on fire out there for three or four hours. I have to have the energy to react to that tree. That’s where the race is won or lost, on that start line. If you’ve got a good race car. And I always said I could drive these cars blindfolded. And nobody, in the history of this sport, has made as many runs as John Force has. I’m just starting to get good at it. I say I’m just getting started. It’s what I love to do. I’m a road warrior; I love the road. I don’t know how to go home. I’ve been gone so many years, and now my kids, my wife, everybody is out here with me. All my girls are part of John Force Racing.

See what I mean? It's a good read though, and fans of John Force will get a kick out of this. The full article at http://www.caranddriver.com/features/what-id-do-differently-john-force-interview

Happy 429 day!