Fast Cars

Bob Lutz, General Motors Vice Chairman, gave a talk about the future of the automobile to the American Chamber of Commerce in Germany while attending the Frankfurt Auto Show. He went to great lengths to explain how a multitude of high tech electronics would be added to cars in the future, controlling much of what the cars do, slowing the car down when it senses other cars slowing, using transponders and sensors of all types.

Unlike most men, I don’t care about automobiles, I don’t drool over car magazines or fancy sports cars I pass on the road - I just need something small and reliable, with a nice sound system. When I win the lotto however, here’s what I’ll buy…

So off I went today to look for cars. I looked at and drove both a Mazda 6, 5 door and a VW Passat (both 2005’s… I ain’t springin’ full price for no current model year auto). The Mazda was fun to drive but overall I think I liked the Passat better, just the right amount of head room for me and for everyday driving… much more comfortable. It wasn’t as viceral of a driving experience as the Mazda but definately a more enjoyable one. It’s also a little more than I think I want to spend but they were offering a pretty good deal on the 2005.

The NATIONAL SPRINT CAR LEAGUE has been officially announced. Good luck to them! I think the World of Outlaws are going to be in trouble. I don’t see how two top, national 410 winged sprint car series can survive, and with the backing and drivers the National Sprint Car League has, it looks like they’ll win the battle to me.

Continuing the motoring technology trend of the above article, this autoblog article brings in another of my loves: Formula 1. I've only been following F1 for a couple of years, but already the tensions within the sport have intrigued me:

Old men who fork out the cash for fancy ass "fast" cars and drive them like their a corolla. What the fuck? Your old and close to dying anyways. Live a little. Use the car as it was intended for. When my pansy ass Toyota mini van is sailing past you at Mach 3, and you and your fancy ass little black convertible Mercedes (I only know this cause I recognized the symbol) is puttering along a highway that is clearly marked for the Speed 80 NOT 60, you need to rethink your vehicle purchase.

It reads: “AhThBch”, and is mounted on a sports car, driven by a male in his early twenties.

Pedro de la Rosa was the man at the wheel of the interim MP4-20B, a modified version of the team’s 2005 race car specially adjusted to fit the new Mercedes engine. He completed 78 laps over two days with a best time of 1m 22.974 - between five and six seconds slower than the fastest V10 car present.

Today's winners are Bank of America and The Florida Department of Safety and Motor Vehicles. A lawsuit just filed in Federal court alleges the bank illegally bought from the DMV lists of luxury car owners and then targeted these people with mail touting private bank services.

That brings me to my next story. Chris had hitched a ride in some racing company’s 550HP Nissan 300ZX. When they were on the back straightaway, doing 110MPH, the brake line exploded, leaving them without any brakes. The driver immediately went into a gravel pit to slow him down as much as possible and then past the pit lane into the grass. Fortunately the gravel and grass slowed them down to about 60MPH and they were able to brake the rest with the E-Brake. It’s amazing how important one small braided steel brake line is.

Both of our dad's birthdays are coming up. Les and I are at a bit of a loss what to get, but knowing BOTH of our dads, it will likely involve golf or automobile accessories... However, neither birthday is coming up before mine. I'm told the present box is on the way from Virginia, and I'm keeping my eye on the mailbox. :)

It was just fun, when Danny (the cameraguy) recorded us yesterday in front of the ESPN-Building. We acted like two enormous fans of all these Nascar-Drivers. As I told you yesterday, I got two signatures from Rusty and Mark - two of those drivers.

Speaking of Mercedes, it was always an interesting experience driving all the cars I did. I got behind the wheel of everything from the lowest of the low, barely running, filled to the brim with trash luxury cars from the 70s, to the latest and greatest bits of high-end sleekness coming out of Germany.

Can you think of anything better for motorsports in Italy? It has to mildly disgust Italian race fans to have a German pilot their Ferrari. Now they will have one of their own…one who is already a legend and hero.

My TC has a few problems. One tire has a slow leak since the day I bought the car. There’s a squeak in the TRD suspension and the window tinting job is amateur at best. If you’re going to leave air bubbles in the tint, don’t put it right by the side mirror when I’ll see it all the time. The car drifts to the left ever so slightly; probably the result of a poor wheel alignment after the car was lowered. To me, these are minor issues that don’t take away from the overall driving experience.

Narain Karthikeyan would be hoping that a combination of new car and history help him turn around his fledgling formula one career as the team head to the Belgium Grand Prix here over the weekend.

The open-topped Azure was first seen at the LA Auto Show in January, when a show car named the Arnage Drophead Coupe debuted in the winter sunshine to gauge customer reaction. In April, the company confirmed that it would build the car and at Pebble Beach, California last month, revealed the name ‘Azure’.

Into the light of dawn my little sports sedan pressed forth. On Dasher, on Donner, on...well you get the idea. Bellingham awaits.

Now, it's 2005. A hallmark of the commercialization of a culture once cherished by the select few who enjoyed its exclusivity and underground appeal. What do I mean by this? The Japanese pacting with the Americans in creating a whole new industry known as "J-D-M." Japanese Domestic Market. Our favorite mountain roads we once enjoyed has now been thrashed by posers and bandwagoners.

This has killed some of the appeal of the 240. I can live with that. Or can I?