My Car's: November 2008

11.30.2008

Advertising posters from International Harvester

http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/artofthedraw/index.html

Via: http://www.coudal.com/moom/ and it's Museum of Online Museums from the link that Dan sent me... way cool Dan! Thanks!

A link I thank Dan for showing me.. Thanks Dan!

No kidding, there were specific plates for Michigan furniture mover, parking lot, junk truck wagon, landscape and tree operator, garbage collector, and peddlers... whatever that means

I had no idea Michigan had so many varieties in any one year, but the coolest plate they ever made, with red, white, and blue... stars and stripes too, had over a dozen different variants!

License Plates of the U.S. and Canada used during 1976
Click on state, province or territory below to view plates.

http://www.plateshack.com/76/index.html

A bit about California registration too:

1976 was the year that California started staggered registrations. 1975 stickers had been issued for the calendar year 1975, with no month stickers to go with them. In 1976, drivers received month stickers based on the center two characters of their plate.

Looking for a car by year, or name, or museum?

http://www.remarkablecars.com/

The Smithsonian Institute, historical marvel of the USA, it's both amazing and educational, in person or online

http://americanhistory.si.edu/onthemove/exhibition/exhibition_8_2.html

For a terrific tutorial on how the worlds use of the car began, the many facets of incorporating the automobiles into our civilization and culture, the variety of exhibits is probably the finest in the world.

Drivers licenses, license plates, gas pumps, parking meters, radiator emblems, car safety features, road evolution, automakers transformed from agricultural implement makers, carriage builders to carrozzeria, traffic signs, road improvements, car repair tools, gas stations... and so on.

Car Show Girls

Pictures of sexy car show girls from different car shows from around the UK.

Radiator emblem collection in the Smithsonian

Radiator emblems were colorful metal plates with a manufacturer's name or logo that attached to the radiators of early automobiles. Varying in shape and size, but never more than a few inches across, the emblems were small branding devices.

With about 55 emblems on display, around 1/4 of the cars made in th USA from 1890 to 1930, and a brief description of the car, the company, and the design of the emblem.

In the descriptions of some, I read about a couple standard features of different cars, like a Kodak camera, a compass, and tire chains.

Some of the brief descriptions are pure brain candy, educational, information I find fascinating: Louis Chevrolet was a well known racecar driver who aspired to owning his own automobile company. William Durant, a partner at the Durant-Dort Carriage Company ( the nation's largest carriage company), was looking to branch into automobile manufacturing and approached Chevrolet to help design a car for the general public. Along with French engineer, Etienne Planche, and former Buick plant manger, Bill Little, Chevrolet and Durant began their company.

http://americanhistory.si.edu/onthemove/collection/results.asp?Type=Keyword&Keywords=radiator+emblem&SearchField=Name

the Scooter was born about 90 years ago

a 1917 image via: http://www.shorpy.com/ had me look this up

From 1918 is the Museum’s Autoped Motor Scooter, made by the Autoped Company of Long Island City, New York. This compact scooter was designed for short distances, in that it had small (15-inch) tires at either end of a short platform on which the driver stood. Once the destination was reached, the steering column, which contained all operating controls, was folded down over the platform and the entire scooter could be stored in a compact space.

The little machine was powered by an air-cooled, 4-stroke, 155-cc engine over the front wheel, and it came complete with a headlamp and taillamp, a Klaxon horn, and a toolbox. Developed during wartime and gasoline rationing, the little scooter was quite efficient, but it never achieved widespread distribution

All control of the vehicle is through the steering column. Turning the column steers the machine in the conventional manner; pushing it forward engages the clutch; and pulling it back operates the internal, expanding brake on the front wheel.

Turning the left grip operates the throttle, and turning the right grip operates the compression release through a wire controlling the opening and closing of the intake valve. A hand Klaxon is mounted on the left grip. The steering column can be folded down and secured to the rear fender for compactness in storage.

http://americanhistory.si.edu/onthemove/collection/object_307.html

Breakfast at Balboa will be on Dec 21st

Dec 21st 2008 at Balboa Park. Time: 7am - 9:30 am. We will be doing a toy drive. Please bring an unopened gift to our next event in efforts to bringing comfort and joy to less fortunate families in San Diego.

Bring your appetite. Hot pancake breakfast with sausage and bacon will be for sale, $5 per plate. Breakfast includes: 2 huge pancakes 2 pieces bacon 2 pcs of sausage. Hot coffee and juice available at no charge.
http://www.breakfastatbalboa.com/2008/11/20/next-event-date-dec-21st-at-balboa/

Mugello_ Rossi in Rosso: MotoGP star drives Ferrari F2008

The Ferrari World Finals at Mugello finished a few weeks ago. But someone appeared to have forgotten to tell the tifosi, as a loyal garrison of the Scuderia's most loyal fans, thousand-strong, came back out last week to the track. After the Challenge series were decided, the 16M Scuderia Spider unveiled, the FXX program ran its laps and the fans celebrated the Formula One constructors' championship, what exactly were they hoping still to see? How about the prospect of seeing an Italian driver piloting an Italian F1 car around one of Italy's most famous tracks? And not just any driver, but Valentino Rossi, a world champion with credentials to rival Schumacher's.
more detail. ...

Other article:
Event Alert: December Calendar of Automotive Events
Michael Schumacher Caught Speeding In Germany

Event Alert: December Calendar of Automotive Events

We started our monthly calendar of events last month and learned almost immediately that we will never be able to make it as comprehensive as everyone would like, but that's where you come in. Take a look at the list we've put together for December after the jump, and if you see changes that need to be made or events you'd like to add, leave a comment with event info and a link. Once again we've used two of our favorite resources: the New York Times automotive calendar for national and international stuff, and for local stuff here in Southern California, our buddy Dave Lindsay's SoCalCarCulture pages. Dave's photos from these local events are fantastic.
more detail. ...

Essen Motor Show： Lorinser Styled Mercedes GLK Unveiled

Lorinser is an established Mercedes design tuner, so perhaps to look is all we really need.

But it does mean we are not getting many details about this new GLK by Lorinser except for these pics available here from opening day at the Essen Motor Show.

Tuners don't like to waste time and the window between releases of new models and tuner versions has all but disappeared.

Notable here is the mesh wire grill with the underside skid plate in a highlighting color. A matching underside skid plate at the back is braced by the quad exhaust. The side skirts are subtle but the entire effect of the added design cues is to soften the lines of this rather boxy model.

But does that mean these things are often rush jobs? Probably not, since many top tuners have technical staff as qualified as the ones that build the cars and also have a good relationship with manufacturers who love the press attention these presentations get.
via:World Car Fans

Other article:
Mercedes-Benz GLK Genuine Accessories in Monochrome
Mercedes-Benz Goes GLK Crazy for SEMA
Mercedes-Benz GLK in Depth
Video;New Mercedes GLK
Mercedes-Benz GLK In Detail
Latest Mercedes GLK Real Life Photo
Mercedes Vision GLK BlueTec Hybrid Concept
Mercedes to Show Vision GLK Freeside Concept at Detroit
Mercedes GLK Undisguised on the Set of 'Sex and the City'
Mercedes Reveals Second GLK TOWNSIDE Variant

Car News: Up Close & Personal with Irmscher's Opel Insignia

German turner Irmscher used the Essen motor show to debut their new range of styling enhancements for the recently launched Opel Insignia.

With over 40 years of experience specializing in Opel's it was natural that the company would be the first to offer a styling package for the new model.

Pricing hasn't been released but the new styling package will be available to order through Opel dealers.

Up front is a lower front spoiler and an Irmscher grille with a honeycomb insert which can be ordered in either black or silver. Rounding out the other changes to the car are new side sills, a rear spoiler, and a rear bumper outfitted with a diffuser. Irmscher Insignia's can be equipped with light alloy wheels which will be offered in a variety of different designs and sizes up to 20-inches.
Source:World Car Fans

Other article:
Opel Insignia wins European 'Car of the Year'
2010 Vauxhall/Opel Astra Teasers Released
Undisguised Opel Insignia Hatchback Spied
Opel Insignia Leaked
2008 Opel Insignia Teaser Revealed
Vauxhall Insignia Best Interior Spy Shots
Opel Insignia to Debut at British Motor Show
Opel Insignia
Video: All New Opel Insignia Revealed

11.29.2008

Looking for a pre-war (1945) car?

I found an online central website that has about 200 makes, searchable by manufacturer, or year. It's amazing.
http://www.prewarcar.co.uk/searchbymake.asp

A lot I'd never heard about the Tucker car, and why it didn't make it

I never knew that Preston Tucker had worked in sales for Studebaker, then Stutz, Chrysler, and finally as regional manager for Pierce-Arrow.

The car was designed to have an engine that was air cooled, and could be replaced in 18 minutes by three service techs. The front and back seats were interchangeable so owners could periodically swap them for even wear of the cloth fabric.

The leased factory he was using was wanted by the National Housing Agency to be used to build pre-fab homes. Long court battle.

In order to raise investment capital, but not lose control of his corporation, he sold dealer franchises to dstribute the car, and even presold accessories to the car that hadn't yet been built... this had the Securities and Exchange Commission auditing him for years.

For an ad, business card, and photos:
http://www.hfmgv.org/exhibits/showroom/1948/tucker.html

2009 Audi R8 LMS Details

'We know just how important motorsport is for the success of the brand,' emphasises Michael Dick, who as Chairman of the Board for Technical Development is responsible for the AUDI AG motorsport programme. 'Therefore it goes without saying that Audi must also be present on the race track in economically hard times. It is all the more important for us to enter a motorsport category in which the cost-benefit calculation is positive.'
more detail. ...