Automotive Blogger

Recently it came to my attention through my extensive “car guy” connections that there is a bill running through the California legislature that might impact the automotive community. A.B. 616 was introduced in the California Assembly by Assemblyman Dave Jones. Part of the proposed bill would require annual smog check inspections for vehicles 15-years old and older. It would also require that funds generated through the additional inspection fees be deposited into an account which can be used to scrap older cars. Cars built before 1976 would still remain exempt from smog checks, and presumably cars newer than 15 years old would only need them every couple of years as is the law today. The bill has been referred to the Assembly Transportation Committee.

Click for full text of the Assembly Bill as it was introduced:

I haven’t had time to analyze the wording of this Bill too much; however a politically minded vintage car enthusiast that I know sent an interesting response to one of the email lists I subscribe to. He shall remain nameless to protect his identity but this is what he had to say about AB 616:

Hello.
As a California citizen and auto enthusiast, I am concerned about your
support of AB 616. I think that the current smog laws do not take many environmental
concerns into account and AB 616 is a great example of this. Between 60% and 80% of the pollution an automobile will ever make in its operational lifetime is created in the manufacturing process, according to the Society of Automotive Engineers. It is therefore preferable from an
environmental point of view to keep the old cars on the road rather than manufacturing new ones, as the environmental impact of the older vehicles has already been absorbed by the planet.
If you do a bit of research on the manufacture of the batteries for Toyota hybrids, you will find an area of Canada that looks like the surface of the moon because of the plant that makes the batteries. Moving pollution around so that no one notices is not a good solution to the problem.
Other possible solutions might include: simplifying the process of smog checks to look at tail pipe emissions only, which would take some of the financial burden off of the consumer, reduce the temptation to ‘cheat’, and possibly allow for some innovations that may further reduce pollution; having the state pay for engine rebuilds/swaps and tune ups for cars over a certain age, which would cost about the same as enforcing the current program but would create jobs (and tax revenue from those jobs) and foster a cooperative rather than antagonistic relationship between consumers and the state, and probably be far more effective environmentally; sponsor a bill that creates a really good public transportation system state wide in order to reduce reliance on personal motor vehicles, which would again create jobs
and reduce pollution; propose a law that taxes vehicles based on their fuel consumption in order to encourage fuel efficiency to be a factor on the purchase of new vehicles.

Public service means a lot. I hope that you and your fellow public servants are up to the full implications of that task. We do not need any more band aid solutions to our problems. We as a society need real solutions that look at causality that may not be simple or obvious, and
solve the systemic problems we have instead of the symptoms that are so easy to get on a soap box about. Band aids are for crisis symptoms, real work prevents crisis from occurring.
Thank you for your time.

While I don’t agree totally agree with what he says, he makes many valid points. One thing that is a bit deceptive is the pollution statistic. I’m sure that the total pollution from a car manufactured now is less than it was 25 years ago, so the 60-80% from production might also be significantly less (as well as tail pipe pollution). However, I do agree that this is a Band Aid fix, and doesn’t deal with the core of the problem. The car hobbyist lobby has proven powerful in defeating this type of bill in the past; it will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Bill Mertz

California, legislation, legislature, Assembly Bill 616, AB 616, smog laws, smog check, pollution, classic cars, vintage cars

My first thought when seeing the Deronda sports car was that it looked like a mid-engine modern day Lotus Seven. In fact that description really isn’t a bad one. The car is a bare bones lightweight design, with a small but powerful four cylinder engine giving it excellent power to weight, advanced four wheel independent suspension, and looks that are more about function than style.

This week the Deronda is making its US debut in Sebring, Florida. Coming from across the pond in England the Deronda is being produced and sold in the US by Autosport Development in Trenton, Michigan. The company will only be assembling a limited number of these road legal race cars with a price of around $70,000.

The make up of the Deronda is quite impressive. A steel tubular space frame is at the center of it all with double side impact bars, a front crash structure and rear crash bars. For safety the car has double longitudinally braced rollover hoops, a foam filled gas tank, an external master cutoff switch, and an onboard fire suppression system. Suspension duties are handled by a double wishbone suspension that sports fully adjustable Ohlin springs and dampers. Power for the car comes from an Audi sourced 1.8 liter turbocharged four cylinder engine that delivers 250 brake horsepower and 300 pound feet of torque. The Deronda also comes with massive brakes, light weight wheels, performance tires and a fully adjustable pedal box to help tailor the car the specific needs of different sized customers.

Weighing at only 1600 pounds the Deronda can scorch the tires and reach 60 mph in less than four seconds. Add to that the nimble handling and quick direction changes that only come with a sub-2000 pound car and you have one amazing package. Like the Lotus Seven the Deronda shines because of its lightweight minimalist approach. Even though it is light-years ahead of the Seven in terms of performance, how it delivers the performance is much the same. I look forward to seeing one of these on the road or track, and hopefully it will be dusting a car with twice the power and weight.

-Bill Mertz

Deronda, sports car, Lotus, Lotus 7, Lotus Seven, light weight, small, Formula One

Nearly a year ago Ford announced that it would begin exploring options for its Aston Martin brand. Now, in the midst of a massive restructuring effort, the Ford Motor Company says it has found a buyer for Aston Martin and announced the sale today.

The consortium of buyers is made up of three different parties: David Richards, founder and chairman of Prodrive, a leading motorsport and automotive technology company; John Sinders, an avid Aston Martin collector and a backer of Aston Martin Racing; and Investment Dar and Adeem Investment Co, international investment companies headquartered in Kuwait.

A Ford era DB7 Zagato

The sale is expected to close during the second quarter with a selling price of around $925 million. As part of the transaction, Ford will retain a $77 million dollar investment in Aston Martin.
Fords chief executive and President Alan Mulally explained the sale as way for Ford to stay on track for its restructuring, “the sale of Aston Martin supports the key objectives of the company, to restructure to operate profitably at lower volumes and changed model mix and to speed the development of new products,” He went on to emphasize how the deal was helping out everyone involved, “from Aston Martin’s point of view, the sale will provide access to additional capital, which will allow Aston Martin to continue the growth it has experienced under Ford’s stewardship. Today’s announcement is good for Ford Motor Company, good for Aston Martin and good for the UK. We wish Aston Martin every possible success for the future.”

The Early Years: A beautiful DB2

This seems like a logical move on Ford’s part. Streamlining the company and putting the focus on cars for the masses seems like a pathway to success. As for Aston, I’m glad to see the brand stay alive, and it is nice that the new owners are enthusiasts as well as business men. Maybe this will help the company get back in touch with their small business roots. This is one deal where everyone could indeed come out a winner.

-Bill Mertz

FoMoCo, Ford Motor Company, Ford, Alan Mulally, Aston Martin, Aston, sale, Wall Street

This year marked the 77th passing of the Geneva International Motor Show. For the last several years Spyker Cars of Holland has used this as a platform to unveil some magnificent vehicles. Upholding this tradition, Spyker pulled the curtains off of a new Zagato bodied C12. The stunning Dutch car is powered by a 6 liter 500 horsepower W12 sourced from Volkswagen. With the addition of a supercharger this figure can be easily, if not expensively, bumped up to 650 horsepower. The standard 500 horse motor is powerful enough to propel the 3086 pound super car to 60 mph in only 3.8 seconds with a top speed approaching 200 miles per hour.

Rumor has it that this car is a bit piggish in the handling department. This is probably of little concern to the 24 customers who will get to drive this limited production vehicle, as it is much more rolling art than it is a race car. However if I was going to shell out 495,000 Euros before tax (that’s $649,341 for all of us Yanks) I would hope that the car could out corner most of the vehicles on the road. It would be pretty embarrassing to have a Honda Fit or a Toyota Tundra chase you down on a windy road in this thing.

Aesthetically the C12 Zagato pulls many styling cues from Spyker’s 2007 Formula One car, with air inlets, diffusers, ducts and small winglets shooting off in all directions. Certainly not an understated vehicle the C12 is still handsome in its all aluminum Zagato coachwork. In the past Zagato had a reputation for building lightweight and rounded bodies with questionable fit and finish. The C12 however looks taught and fast with few of Zagato’s signature design features. With a jet fighter appearance the C12 Zagato looks as unique as it is rare. There will undoubtedly be a couple of these cruising the streets of Monaco in the upcoming year.

The Alfa Romeo Sprint Zagato has classic Zagato lines.

-Bill Mertz

Spyker, Zagato, C12 Zagato, Dutch, Holland, Geneva, Auto Show, super car, sports car

Distracted driving is the number one killer of teens in the United States. According to the American Beverage Institute (ABI) distracted driving is an increasingly dangerous problem, even more so than driving drunk. In the past 20 years drunk driving deaths have gone down, but the number of traffic fatalities has remained the same. The ABI attributes this to an increase in aggressive, negligent and distracted driving.

While the ABI doesn’t have a strict definition for “distracted driving” they imply that it includes driving drowsy, talking on the phone or texting while driving, speeding or being aggressive, and basically not paying attention to the road. This is a pretty broad array of behaviors but the popularity of cell phones over the two decades and the increase in road rage certainly helped the rate of “distracted driving” fatalities shoot up.

The American Beverage Institute has been a leader in anti-drunk driving campaigns but feels that the problem is larger than drunk driving alone, hence there full page advertisement in this weeks U.S. News and World Report. The ad shows a woman talking on her cell phone, sending a text message, checking her email, eating, and speeding and it reads:

“She would never drive drunk yet she’s MORE dangerous than a drunk driver.”

When done behind the wheel, many everyday activities can be lethal. In fact:

— Distracted driving is the number one killer of American teens.
Alcohol-related accidents among teens have dropped, but because
distracted driving is on the rise, teenage traffic fatalities remain
unchanged.
— While over 90% of teen drivers say they don’t drive drunk, nine out
of 10 say they’ve seen drivers distracted by passengers or using cell
phones.
— A drowsy driver, or even one going ten miles faster than others on the
road, is more dangerous than one who is legally intoxicated.
— More than 80% of drivers admit to hazardous behavior while behind the
wheel including: reading, changing clothes, steering with feet,
painting nails, and shaving.
— Drivers on cell phones are more impaired than drivers with a .08 BAC
level.

Sarah Longwell, spokeswoman for the ABI, made the point, “most people would never drive drunk, yet people don’t think twice before taking a call while driving, sending a text message, or eating, even though those actions are often as bad, if not worse than driving drunk.”

I’m totally with the ABI on this one. Distracted driving is a serious problem and really dangerous. Even things like CD players and IPods have made it worse. I know I’ve had several close calls doing things like turning the volume up, or reading a sign to long. Some of it is a person to person kind of thing, but there are only so many things the human brain can focus on at once. I’ve gotten in the habit of not taking calls while driving (I think it is illegal here now) and if I need to make a call I pull off the road or just wait. I’ll admit I still do it occasionally but the close calls have taught me fast.

My one critique of the ad campaign is that it seems to down play the severity of drunk driving a bit. If people think that drunk driving is less dangerous than driving while talking on a cell phone, I know some people will read the ad and think, “I can drive fine while I’m on my cell phone, so driving with a little buzz is no big deal.” Hopefully their new campaign against distracted driving will have some affect.

-Bill Mertz

cell phone, text message, DUI, drunk driving, distracted driving, road rage, ABI, American Beverage Institute

I’ve been on a technology kick lately and my searches for new gadgets and gizmos lead me to the Popular Mechanics website. It is here that I found a great article about high miles per gallon (mpg) vehicles from this month that featured a headline that caught my attention, “100 MPG Available Now! Where’s the magic carburetor? Where’s the car that runs on water? Those are fantasies, but listen up: A four-door that gets 100 mpg really is possible. Today, with current technology.”

The catchy headline combine with Jay Leno’s face plastered all over the magazine’s website enticed me into reading more. As stated in the article, there are already vehicles in production that are nearing the magic 100 mpg mark. In Europe the Volkswagen Lupo 3L turbo diesel and the Audi A2, which use the same engine, get nearly 80 mpg by shutting down the engine every time the car stops (I know it sounds a bit odd). There are even people who have achieved 100 mpg in modified hybrids with solar panels fitted to the roof, but that was only on certain daylight trips, not on average.

The VW Lupo 3L tdi has a tiny 1.2 liter motor that shuts down and restarts automatically at stop lights which helps give it impressive mileage, yet it can still pull almost 120 mph!

The article goes on to show that it is possible to build a car with technology that is available today, that can carry four people, under its own power and get 100 MPG. Would it be expensive? Yes, it definitely would be, but the possibility exists none the less. By reducing mass (using lightweight materials throughout the vehicle), making a slippery low drag skin, and using an efficient power plant a 100 mpg average is not just a pipe dream.

To check out the full text of Ben Stewart’s article click on the pic:

-Bill Mertz

Popular Mechanics, mpg, 100 mpg, hybrid, fuel efficient, future cars, low emissions, solar, electric, fuel cell, Prius

Get their side of the story on the SUVOA website

I admit I am hugely biased against the Sport Utility Vehicle Owners of America (SUVOA). They put out some incredibly stupid press releases and they come across extraordinarily arrogant. Supposedly they stand for the rights of SUV and light truck owners. What a noble cause. I didn’t know that SUV owners had special rights that the rest of us normal people didn’t, or that those rights needed protecting. I own a light truck that you might even call an SUV (my old Jeep) and I’ve never felt that my rights as a truck owner were being stepped on. But maybe the SUVOA knows some things that I don’t.

I got a press release from them today saying they are available to discuss the negative impacts of Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) changes currently being debated in Congress. Communication is a good thing so I won’t harp on them for making themselves available to talk, but the release went on:
With sustained high gas prices, everyone wants better fuel economy so why shouldn’t policy makers tighten CAFE standards? Because history has shown that forcing vehicle fuel economy beyond what is technologically affordable results in vehicles that are more expensive, smaller, less powerful and with reduced towing and hauling capacity. There is no “magic carburetor” that the government can force out of the closet. There is no free lunch at Uncle Sam’s CAFE. If there were, why wouldn’t any one of the profit-driven car companies already have produced a full-sized family sedan or SUV that gets 5, 10, 20 more miles per gallon or more without these tradeoffs?

First of all CAFE is not that old–1975 I think–so there really isn’t that much information to draw conclusions from, and history will often times tell you whatever you want it to tell you. Secondly many of the profit-driven car companies also make money from oil profits. It’s no secret that there is a strong link between the two industries so making cars more efficient might not make certain people more money in the short term, although as Toyota has shown thinking ahead does pay off down the road. As for magic carburetors, dudes, new cars are fuel injected. But I have to admit a magic carburetor sounds pretty cool in a Jambi from Pee Wee’s Playhouse kind of way.

The bottom line is this: If there is a demand for SUV’s and light trucks that are affordable, get good gas mileage and have decent towing capacity than auto manufacturers will figure out a way to build them. Someone will develop (if they haven’t already) affordable technology to make this possible and the car companies will make massive profits and you can tow huge boats wherever you please. Or if you’re really bent on getting crappy gas mileage by a giant SUV from the last 10 years, Lord knows there are plenty on the market.

Let me restate that I have nothing against small trucks and small SUV’s (in fact I like them) or large trucks and SUVs for that matter when they are a necessity. I just don’t think higher CAFE standards will cause a crisis where there are no more SUV’s and light trucks with decent towing capacity on the market.

Sorry to sound like a broken record, but they keep sending me these releases and it’s hard to ignore them.

-Bill Mertz

SUVOA, SUVs, trucks, towing, gas mileage, CAFE, epa, alternative fuels

If you grew up watching Transformers’ cartoons and playing with the action figures than you are no doubt excited about the upcoming release of the live action Transformers movie. The folks at General Motors are also giddy with anticipation, but not because they crave special effects or have found childhood memories of playing with transforming cars. GM has a huge role in the upcoming movie with several vehicles playing main characters in the film: a Pontiac Solstice will play Jazz, a Hummer H2 will star as Ratchet and a GMC TopKick takes the role of Ironhide.

The most controversial product placement character in the whole movie is the famous Transformer Bumblebee. Bumblebee was one of the most beloved characters in the entire cast, and appropriate to his name Bumblebee Transformed into a yellow Volkswagen Beetle. However, in a complete disregard for the originality of the series and probably due to a large sum of money coming from GM, director Michael Bay has cast Bumblebee as the a new Chevrolet Camaro. To be fair, it probably wasn’t Michael Bay’s call, but as a Transformer fan and hater of blatant product placement at the cost of artistic vision I think this blows. I can’t say that I blame GM for trying to plaster their name all over this movie, it makes great sense from a marketing stand point, but it would be great to see Bumblebee in the film as a new Beetle. Maybe Volkswagen missed the boat.

Original Bumblebee

In addition to having prominent vehicles in the film, there have been whisperings that GM will release Transformer Edition cars and trucks. This has left people asking the obvious question: What exactly will the Transformer Edition be? Let’s shoot down the wishful thinkers right away; GM is not going to build a car that actually transforms! This is the same company that came late and underdressed to the hybrid party, the small two seat sports car party, and the stop building giant ugly SUVs party, I don’t think they have it in them to build a real transforming vehicle. If anyone is going to build one (and why would you?) it’s going to be Honda or Toyota.

Chevrolet Camaro “Bumblebee” seen on the Transformers set

Beyond that we really have no idea if the cars are simply going to sport Transformer badges (Autobots and Decepticons) or if they will have any performance modifications, graphics packages or body kits. The film opens this summer on the 4th of July.

For more information on Transformers and other classic toys, check out the awesome 451 Press toy blog, Toy Bender: Lots of cool vintage commercials and up to date information on what’s going on in the world of toys, also the source of this story. Thanks Paul!

-Bill Mertz

Transformers, movie, GM, General Motors, Michael Bay, Toyota, Honda, Chevrolet, Camaro

Early TIV prototype

Do a Google Search for “tornado chasers” and you will find there is a large and crazy following of people who love to chase tornados. While I have always admired the amazing power of mother nature, I haven’t wanted to get anywhere near a tornado since I saw the Wizard of Oz when I was young. This fear of tornados was heightened further when I drove cross-country with some friends in 2000. We pulled off at a gas station in Bloomington Illinois to get info on a huge storm that had just blown in. Within 5 minutes word came over the radio that a tornado had touched down less than a mile from the station. It was a pretty frightening and helpless feeling for a guy from the west coast. But believe it or not there are people that actually look for these tornado touch-downs, and try to get even closer to them.

In order to chase a tornado you need the proper vehicle; something that is relatively quick but can also take a beating. My first choice would be an Abrams tank or Bradley attack vehicle, followed closely by a heavily armored Humvee. But many tornado chasers drive remarkably average vehicles: everything from big American sedans to flat bed trucks with Doppler radar mounted on the back called DOW’s (Doppler on wheels).

Before turret

The coolest tornado chase vehicle I found was custom built for an IMAX documentary about tornados. The vehicle is called the TIV (Tornado Intercept Vehicle) and is built to drive extremely close to a tornado and possibly even survive a direct hit while filming all the action.

Based on a Ford F450 truck platform the TIV was built over a period of 3 months using a unique design that incorporates strength, visibility, and speed. While this 14,000 pound whale doesn’t look fast it is said to have a top speed of 90mph, an extremely impressive mark that clearly shows why they chose to build the TIV over a real military tank. The frame of this chase vehicle is made of 1/4″ steel tubes and I-beams with 1/4″ plate steel floors and 1/8″ steel plate providing the skin for the skeleton. To keep the wheels and tires protected 1/8″ steel covers were mounted on hinges to give access when necessary. The four doors on the TIV are also thick plate steel and lock solidly closed with massive steel bolts.

After turret

Half inch thick Lexan resin, an extremely strong plastic, was used for the side windows. Up front a hybrid of scratch-resistant tempered glass and Lexan laminate give the windshield the combination of strength and excellent visibility. To make the TIV extra camera friendly a military style turret was added to the roof, giving cinematographers 360 degree access to the weather outside. One of the coolest features of this tornado tank is a set massive steel plates that can be lowered all the way to the ground. These plates prevent the wind from getting under the vehicle and drastically reduce the chances that it will be lifted skyward if the vehicle takes a direct hit from a tornado. Inside the TIV is like a heavily armored weather station on wheels. The high-tech weather diagnostic equipment gives the occupants all the information they need for storm chasing.

TIV next to two DOV trucks

While the TIV is still in the prototype phase, the builders have high-hopes for its ability to gather amazing footage of tornados. Eventually this footage will be used for the IMAX documentary “Tornado Alley”. As of yet they have no plans to mass produce this thing, but just think what they neighbors would think if you had one of these in your driveway.

-Bill Mertz

TIV, IMAX, tornado, tornado chasers, tornado alley, storms, natural disasters, tanks

Every car nut dreams of discovering some valuable automotive relic tucked away and well preserved in an old dusty barn. Unfortunately barn finds are almost non-existent these days. Back in the 80’s (not that I remember much) it seems like people were pulling vintage Ferrari’s out of old garages and barns left and right, but now most of the discoveries have already been made. All the BMW 2002 turbos and Porsche 356’s seem to have been plucked from their hiding places and barn finds have become more legend than reality.

Recently some pictures surfaced of an amazing cache of vehicles tucked away in a locked stone building (read barn) on remote farm in the Portuguese countryside. I’m not going to pretend that I know the facts, but the rumors are probably better than the facts in this case:

Imagine that you have decided to move out to the country. You found a lovely farm house on a large plot of land in a remote area of beautiful Portugal. The house and land have been vacant for well over a decade as is evident by the overgrowth and the houses state of disrepair. As you are wandering the grounds of your new estate you come across a massive stone barn with a padlock on the door. An angle grinder makes quick work of the old rusty lock and you slide open the giant door. The sun shines in, its light filtering through the clouds of dust that haven’t been disturbed in twenty years. As the air begins to clear you make out the tops of what appears to be dozens of vintage cars. You quickly turn on a flashlight and shine it in all directions. You aren’t dreaming; hiding under a thick layer of dust are more than 50 vintage vehicles of all makes and conditions. Porsche, Lotus, Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Mercedes, DKW, MG, Austin are only a few of the badges that catch your eye. This treasure trove of well-preserved vintage cars is probably worth well over a million dollars. It’s too much, the hot musty air gets to thick to breath and you lose consciousness.

How much of this story is true I don’t know, but I do know that the part about Portugal and the awesome stash of vintage cars is true and that’s good enough for me.

Here are a few more pics from the find:

Check out the rest of the stash here: Barn Find

-Bill Mertz

Portugal, vintage, classic, barn, barn find, Ferrari, MG, Lancia, Alfa Romeo, Porsche, Italian, Mercedes, farm

Dodge is gearing up for the Geneva Auto Show in March with a new concept car they call the Demon. Sharing a power plant with the Dodge Caliber the Demon is a two-seat roadster that looks like the illegitimate child that resulted from a three-way between a Dodge Viper, Honda S2000 and BMW Z4 (that’s not necessarily an insult). Using the same familiar ingredients that proved successful for the Mazda Miata, the Demon concept incorporates a peppy front mounted four cylinder engine and a small rear drive platform to make a package that at least sounds and looks like it would be fun to drive.

Under the hood of the new Dodge roadster is a hefty 2.4 liter four banger which churns out 172 horsepower and 165 lb-ft of torque. This is the same engine which has already proven its merit in the boldly styled Caliber. The engine is said to be mated to a six speed manual gearbox although the actual details of the transmission are hazy at this time. According to Chrysler the interior is going to be a bare bones design that relies on basic aluminum trim to highlight the essential controls giving the car a distinct air of performance.

So far Chrysler hasn’t said anything about the production of this vehicle but it certainly wouldn’t surprise me to see it on the streets in the next few years. The drive train is there and the shape of the car is easy for the public to swallow. If Chrysler wants a piece of the Miata market they may have found a decent vehicle. My only concern for the Demon is the motor. After driving the Saturn Sky, which also has a large displacement four cylinder, I was left feeling like a smaller free-revving motor would have transformed the car from buzzy and truck-like into a genuine sports car. I worry that the 2.4 in the Demon will give it the same truck-like feel, despite its great power. Time will tell.

-Bill Mertz

Dodge, Chrysler, Demon, Dodge Demon, Geneva, auto show, concept car, sports car, Miata, Z4, BMW, Honda S200, Solstice

I’m always looking for another excuse to tout the scooter as one of the best forms of motorized transportation. My motives are 100 percent selfish: I’m constantly trying to justify purchasing, owning and spending further money on a vintage Lambretta scooter. So when I read about a study in New York City that showed scooters having a positive impact on traffic congestion and the environment my guilty conscience temporarily disappeared. If scooters help to reduce traffic and have less impact on the environment than cars, then I don’t have to feel bad about owning one.

A new traffic model released today showed that bustling and crowded NYC could cut fuel consumption, save considerable amounts of time normally spent stuck in traffic and slash carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions significantly by getting more scooters on the streets. These results come directly in the wake of growing concern over traffic congestion in the nation’s largest city.

This traffic model traffic model focused on a specific section of midtown Manhattan. By using a detailed simulation that incorporated scooters into the traffic mix the model uncovered some interesting results. If the vehicle mix in city changed to 80 percent cars/20 percent scooters these would be the annual results:

-A total decrease in delay of more than 4.6 million hours per year –which translates to time savings of nearly 100 working hours per person
-A reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by over 26,000 tons (52,000,000-pounds) per year
-A decrease in fuel consumption by over 2.5 million gallons per year
-A total savings for New York City of more than $122 million per year in fuel and labor productivity

According to the folks at Sam Schwartz PLLC, these results are even a bit conservative as they didn’t take into account that two scooters can ride side by side or pass each other within a single lane. Paolo Timoni, the President and CEO of Piaggio Group Americas who sponsored this study, said “throughout the world, scooters are recognized as a smart transportation alternative, and this traffic simulation underscores the tangible impact that two-wheel vehicles can have on a major urban area like New York City,”.


New Vespa ET4

Mr. Timoni is absolutely correct. All around the world in major metropolitan areas people have left their cars at home (if they even own one) and have taken to the streets on scooters, mopeds and bikes. When I was in Barcelona I couldn’t walk a half a block without seeing a dozen scooters or small displacement motorcycles. It just plain makes sense to ride a scooter in a densely packed city where you are only driving on streets and you have to face the grind of heavy traffic. Scooters get great gas mileage, pollute less than cars, are easier to maneuver in traffic, fit in tiny parking spaces and are cheap to insure. They really are great city vehicles.

As far as my personal scooter, it is an old two stroke and probably wouldn’t have helped the scooter cause in this study; but what can I say it’s fun and cool (in a dorky kind of way).

Ciao
-Bill

scooter, Piaggio, Vespa, Lambretta, New York City, NYC, pollution, traffic, congestion, pollution

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GM, General Motors, All By Myself, Super Bowl, controversy, youtube, NAMI, robotic arm, Eric Carmen, Snickers

If you are a fan of import car scene, drag racing, turbo chargers or the video game Gran Turismo, then you no doubt have encountered the HKS Skyline GT-R R33 drag car. The HKS Skyline is truly a legend in the drag racing world. With all wheel drive and a monster turbo the HKS sponsored and tuned vehicle was a monster at the strip. In fact the HKS GT-R Skyline has held the title of fastest all wheel drive drag car for almost 5 years with an amazing 7.671 second pass at Japan’s Sendai circuit in October 2001. Not only that but the HKS drag Skyline was also the fastest drag car in Gran Turismo 3 (or was it 2).

The R33 Nissan Skyline GT-R was quite a performer right off the showroom floor, but after it was handed over to the tuner company HKS the skyline became a screamer with over 1000 horsepower driving all four wheels. Now HKS has announced that it will be retiring the monster Nissan. The decision wasn’t an easy one, but the vehicle was in a state of disrepair. Along with a full motor overhaul, the Skyline needed many parts that were no longer available from Nissan and it had serious chassis woes due to the extreme torsional forces exerted upon it during racing. Without major surgery the GT-R would not be safe to run. The car will most likely become a static display now, but its prowess on the drag strip won’t be forgotten.

Here’s a clip of the HKS R33 in action:

-Bill Mertz

HKS, Skyline, Nissan, R33, GT-R, drag race, import, JDM, Japanese

In 2002 a Steven Spielberg movie called Minority Report became a big screen success. This sci-fi film was set in a Washington DC of the future where cars were controlled by autopilots and traveled on massive highways that wound up and down the sides of tremendous skyscrapers. One of the cooler elements of future America was the retinal scanning technology which allowed advertisers to create custom on the spot advertising to fit each individual that walked by.

It is beginning to look like that future was not so distant. According to a news release from the BMW Group, Mini drivers can now be treated to a customized “talking Billboard” that will deliver a personalized message whenever they pass by. The Motorboard doesn’t talk in the audible sense but it does communicate with lighted written messages. This new idea from Mini USA, dubbed Mini Motorby, will be the first to use advanced technology to communicate directly with its consumers.

Mini owners will be treated to cute messages like this one. Maybe it should say “Watch where you’re going Jim!”

All though it sounds futuristic the concept is remarkably simple. Mini drivers who wish to participate in this program can hope on the internet and go to the MINI Motorby website where they will answer questions about themselves, their Mini’s and how they feel about the Mini experience. An electronic key fob with a built-in authentication mechanism will then be sent to the owner. Every time this key fob passes a Motorboard it communicates the drivers info triggering a personalized message to appear on the board that will “entertain awe and delight the driver”, not to mention distract them from driving their cute little cars. The key fob relies on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology — or, as MINI likes to call it, “Really Fun Interactive Devices” to transmit data. The RFID is similar to what is used in credit cards, however the key fobs have a useable range of 500 feet.

For the time being Mini is only setting up these special billboards in four cities, San Francisco, Chicago, Miami and New York. But if it is a successful program, look for the ad campaign to spread to different cities and certainly different auto manufacturers.

-Bill Mertz

Mini, BMW, Billboard, The Minority Report