Why Pay to Have Nitrogen Put in Your Car Tires?

When the air we breathe is 78% nitrogen anyway?

Just askin'.

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Prediction

Due to the massive amount of attention this story is getting, I predict it will be revealed as a hoax by the end of the week.

This little bit of foretelling brought to you by this story, via Instapundit:

Toyota Fires Back: Electronics Don't Rewire Themselves

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Interesting Email From General Motors Company

Yes, "Company", not "Corporation":

Dear (Rustmeister),

Today we are pleased to announce there is a new GM. Please take note that General Motors Corporation, Saturn LLC, and Saturn Distribution Corporation sold a substantial amount of their assets to a new legal entity, General Motors Company ("GM" or "New GM"). This email is being sent by New GM on behalf of both General Motors Corporation and New GM.

So, is this "New GM" our so-called "Government Motors", or is it a way around it?

I just hope Saturn returns to being Saturn again, instead of "Pontiac Lite". My first one ('92 SL2) had over 180,000 hard miles on it before I had to give it up.

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Linky

The next three days will have me spread thin, not sure what all I'll be able to post up, so here's some stuff:

JayG has a roundup of 2A Blog Bash stuff.

Wyatt says Tony Kornheiser Is An Ignorant Jackass. I couldn't agree more.

Turk has the best pictorial going: Hot car, pretty lady, and more electronic stuff than you can swing a geek at. Then, guns. Then, beer. Blog Bash? We don' need no steeeknin' Blog Bash!

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Big Brother in Your Car

Not content with OnStar, it looks like Our Government will mandate the use of black box technology in our automobiles by the year 2012:

By the end of 2012, car buyers won't have a choice as to whether their new car is equipped with a 'black box,' or Electronic Data Recorder -- they will be federally mandated to carry one. These devices track information that could be useful to the manufacturer in determining exactly what is, or has been, going on with a car.

Useful to the manufacturer? Why then is it going to be mandated by the .gov? So they can spy on us, that's why.

h/t to Kim duToit, who really should blogroll me* before he rides off into the sunset.

* Or at least a link, dammit. Continue Reading

Weekend Carblogging

Or in this case, dragster blogging.

This is the Army dragster on display at the NRA convention:

The Sarge:



You know I had to get some Army stuff:



Here's the Benelli Hummer, just to round things out:



At the Blog Bash, I noted that only the Army, Navy, Marines and Coast Guard were represented, however later I found out Yosemite Sam was once a wingnut member of the Air Force, so I guess we're all good on that point.

Are there any other veterans out there in the gunblogging community? I thought I heard Thirdpower mention he was ex-Navy as well. Continue Reading

Weekend Carblogging

Wrapping up the Hot Rods are some odds and ends:








Next week, Bikes! Continue Reading

Weekend Carblogging

Let's call this one the "Lead Sled" edition, presented without further comment:







Here's one waiting on paint:



There's potential there, that's for sure. Continue Reading

Weekend Carblogging - Hot Rods

Here's the first of two, maybe three presentations of the American Hot Rod; customized cars limited only by the builders imagination.

Unfortunately, I pulled these off a slideshow e-mailed to me and have no information on them whatsoever, so, I'll SWAG* it.

Most of these originally started out as late 30's or early 40's cars. Zooming in on the sigen tells us this was once a 1937 Three Window Coupe. A nice car normally, this one's had extensive work done:


Panel Delivery:

This one's an early '30's model:

This one's my favorite, although looking at that engine makes my gas budget cringe:


Enjoy!

* Scientific Wild Assed Guess. Continue Reading

Weekend Car Truckblogging

Here's a truck for ya, available from F650 Super Truck.com:

(click to get the full effect)

They're a custom shop out of Augusta, Georgia:



And they build some nice rigs:


Screw the truck, gimme that bike:



There's lots more at the website:



One will set you back 96,000 bucks (or more).

Guess this gets added to the lottery list. Continue Reading

Weekend Carblogging - The One That Got Away

I guess, sooner or later, there will come a time in a car guy's life where he says "Damn, I should have never sold xxxxxx."

Here's mine:

The 1979 Dodge Lil Red Express Truck:

Here's the original, made in 1978:

At the time the Li'l Red Express Truck was produced, government regulations had already choked the horsepower out of muscle cars, but light trucks were still relatively regulation free. This was the last year that light trucks were exempt from the pollution controls that had robbed the horsepower from performance vehicles. Dodge decided it was going to create one of North America's last factory "Hot Rods".

The Li'l Red Truck was pretty wild appearance wise, with chrome wheels mounted with fat tires, bright red paint, dual exhaust stacks and rakish stance. If you were looking for something that would have everyone looking at you, this was the truck.

Under the hood was a 360 cu. in. police engine without all the smog control and lean burning parts that had choked the horsepower out of passenger cars. A dual snorkel air cleaner inhaled fresh air to feed a large 850 cfm ThermoQuad carb. Along with the free flowing 2 1/2" chrome stacks located directly behind the cab, the special engine produced horsepower to its peak with a thunderous roar.

Thunderous roar indeed, especially after I installed headers and glass packs. Anyone who was stationed at Ft Campbell in 1983-84 knew my truck. Unfortunately, that included the MP's....

Damn, I should have never sold Lil Red.

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Weekend Carblogging

From the minds of Harley Earl and Zora Arkus-Duntov comes one of my all-time favorite cars, the 1959 Corvette:

This model year isn't one known for ground-breaking changes. As a matter of fact, the only big change was smoothing out the trunk. The '58 had louvers and chrome strips running down the back. The only other big change came in '61, when the tail lights changed over to the more familiar round ones seen on 'Vettes in the years following. It also started the change from "runabout" sporty to muscle car when it dropped in the 327 ci V-8 in 1962.

What this car does is bridge the gap from the original Corvette to the "Stingray" style still in use (more or less) today. Speaking of Stingrays, check this out:

The 1959 Corvette Stingray:

Concept car, racer, daddy of the modern Corvette. I wasn't aware of this till I started looking into the background of this car. Looks like 1959 was a very good year.

Good year for people, too. At least I like to think so. Continue Reading

Friday Carblogging

As promised, here's a brief profile of the Oldsmobile (1897-2004):

Here's a rendition of an early (1901) Olds, along with the original emblem:



A 1920 Olds Model 37:



Here's a one of a kind; a 1937 Olds with body by Maltby*:



Here's the classic Olds Rocket 88:



This was almost what happened instead of the Corvette, the FX 88:



Here's a '66 Toronado. The first front wheel drive car made in America since the 1937 Cord:



The mighty fine 442 convertible:



There's no "modern" Oldsmobiles represented here because, well, they are the reason Olds was discontinued in '04. Here was a car company that spanned three centuries, now gone. A precursor to the rest of GM? I don't know, but it's a shame an old classics like this was allowed to pass.

* I'll figure out what that is next week. Continue Reading

Friday Carblogging

I'm highlighting two manufacturers today, White Motors and REO Motor Car company.

First, REO was begun by a guy named Ransom E. Olds (hmm, that name is familiar - guess who's in the pipe for next week?).

Here are some REO's:

An early 1906 Runabout:


Here's a 1919 Touring car:


Of course, the REO Speedwagon. I have no idea if vehicle resides at 157 Riverside Avenue or not:


And an advertisement that would make Lileks drool:


Finding pictures of a White is a bit more difficult:

Here's one from 1927:


Notice the company name on this advertisement:



These manufacturers actually stayed in business, although they slightly changed focus over the years. You'll see more familiar models below the fold:

The modern day versions are seen daily on the roads of America:

Here's the Diamond Reo:


And, of course, the White Freightliner:

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Friday Carblogging - The Best Car You've Never Heard Of

I assume you've never heard of it, because I never have. It's America's best coach builders, Brewster.

Here's an early (1915) Brewster:



Here's an earlier (1888) Brewster Landau. I estimate the horsepower of this to be between one to four, depending on how many horses were hitched up at the time:



The thing about Brewster is, as coachbuilders, many of their bodies were built on other carmakers' chassis. Like this 1934 Ford Town Car:



The heart-shaped grille is their distinguishing feature. Those headlamps are called "Woodlite Cat's Eye" headlamps, the same kind that were on one of the Duesenberg models I featured earlier.

Here's a 1933 Rolls Royce Phantom II with a Brewster body:



(Dang, a Eurocar. Ah, it was bound to happen)

I think this quote summarizes the world's opinion of Brewster:

Edward King, manager of New York City's National Horse Show, was once asked whether he considered Brewster to be the Tiffany of carriage manufacturers. He replied:

"My opinion is that Tiffany was the Brewster of Jewelers."

'Nuff said.

Like most of America's upscale cars, the Depression was its' downfall. On August 18, 1937, the company assets were sold at public auction.. Continue Reading