Automobile News

Interesting developments in the auto world...

Good news for drug dealers everywhere. Ford announced it will produce an amored Lincoln Town Car. This from WPVI channel 6 in Philly:

The Lincoln Town Car Model is described as a "ballistic vehicle", and is equipped to withstand ammo from high powered rifles and some grenades. The vehicle has much thicker windshield and car windows.

Other than that, the naked eye will not discern a difference between the two, unless the price tags are attached. The standard Lincoln is priced at $40,000 dollars. The Ballistic Model is being sold for $140,000 bucks.

 And it was inevitable. The first car with a million dollar price tag  No, it's not made of gold with diamond-studded tires either. It's the Bugatti Veyron. This is from MSN:

A worthy successor to the elegant and powerful Bugattis of the past, the Veyron 16·4 is powered by a 1001-horsepower W16 quad-turbocharged 8.0-liter engine with all-wheel drive. Bugatti claims this new super car will reach a speed of 252 mph. Acceleration is also impressive–the Veyron can reach 180 mph in just 14 seconds!

The elegant design pays tribute to original Bugatti designs and each car will be custom tailored to exactly the buyer’s specifications.

The Veyron is made by Volkswagon. One thousand horsepower was not enough. This car had to have one thousand and ONE horsepower. Shazam!

The Queen of Horse Power informs me that Formula One champion Michael Schumacher bought the first Veyron. Of course, a million is just pocket change for Schumacher.

Dante Inferno Hell Test

I have taken the Dante's Inferno Test and have not done well. In fact,  I've been banished to the second level of hell. Apparently I'm lustful. And a bad speller.

Second Level of Hell
You have come to a place mute of all light, where the wind bellows as the sea does in a tempest. This is the realm where the lustful spend eternity. Here, sinners are blown around endlessly by the unforgiving winds of unquenchable desire as punishment for their transgressions. The infernal hurricane that never rests hurtles the spirits onward in ts rapine, whirling them round, and smiting, it molests them. You have betrayed reason at the behest of your appetite for pleasure, and so here you are doomed to remain. Cleopatra and Helen of Troy are two that share in your fate.

The Dante's Inferno Test has banished you to  the Second Level of Hell! Here is how you matched up against all the levels:

Level	Score
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)	Very Low
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)	Very Low
Level 2 (Lustful)	Very High
Level 3 (Gluttonous)	Moderate
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)	High
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)	High
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)	High
Level 7 (Violent)	High
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)	Very High
Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)	Moderate

Take the Dante Inferno Hell Test.

Canadian GP Definitely Off

After being off, then on the calendar, it appears the Canadian Grand Prix is off for 2004.

Canada's tough new anti-tobacco advertising laws will prevent the running of the Canadian Grand Prix as well as CART races in Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver. The anti-tobacco laws have put the Player's racing effort out of business also.

Player's race team owner, Gerry Forsyth had a point about how Canadians might react when they realize there will be no auto racing in Canada next year.  I can't seem to find any mention of his comments anywhere on the web. Canada F-1 promoter Normand Legault says there's still a chance the race could be held. Here are his comments from F1-Live.com.

Race promoter Normand Legault confirmed Monday that the race was off the 2004 F1 calendar. "I spoke to him F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone) on the telephone and wee still missing from the 2004 calendar," Legault said. He still held out a little hope however that the race could be rescued. "I think there is still a small chance of getting the race back on the 2004 calendar.

That would be if Bernie Ecclestone accepted that the cars would race without tobacco advertising like they do in France and Great Britain. However without that advertising we would have to find 20 million dollars in sponsorship from somewhere else."

Some people say you get what you pay for, but you also get what you vote for too.

Overthrow the Canadian Government?

On Sunday Gerry Forsyth, owner of the Players CART team, practically called for voters to turn out all Canadian politicians who approved the ban on tobacco advertising. I forget his exact words but he implied that Canada was about to lose Formula One racing, CART racing, and all the money that race fans bring to Canada which is a lot).  I'm looking for some mention of it in other media.

Juicy Gossip

Nothing's better than some juicy Formula One gossip. Who's in? Who's out?  Who's sleeping with Flavio?

Here it is in a nutshell...Montoya out at Williams...Couthard out at McLaren...Montoya to McLaren...Webber to Williams...Couthard to Jaguar. Well that wraps it up nicely, eh? Here's my fav quote from a sportinglife.com story:

Not since Alan Jones' spell at the team has Williams thought so much of a driver, which makes it all the more unlikely Montoya would be forced out over a cash wrangle.

No one works that old black magic like Alan Jones.

Cliff Jumping Safety Rules

In this story from Twin Falls, Idaho, a man was injured after jumping off a cliff in the Snake River Canyon into the water below. According to the story it's not unusual for young people to jump 10 or maybe even 20 feet off these cliffs into the water. As measured by the Twin Falls police, Josh Tucker jumped 131 feet.  He was only about 20 feet from the rim of the canyon.  He suffered a compound fracture of the leg. Tucker said, "It all looks the same after 80 feet."  What is really surprising are the "cliff jumping safety rules" included as a sidebar to the story.

1. Jump feet first.

2. Keep your body completely vertical.

3. Squeeze your feet together.

4. Enter the water feet first, and clench your buttocks together. If you do not, water might rush in and cause severe internal damage).

5. Protect your crotch area by covering it with your hands.

6. Immediately after you hit the water, spread your arms and legs wide and move them back and forth to generate resistance, which will slow your plunge to the bottom.

But beware:* Hitting the water as described above could save your life, although it might break your legs.* If your body is not straight, you can break your back upon entry. Keep yourself vertical until you hit the water.* Do not even think about going in headfirst unless you are absolutely sure that the water is at least 20 feet deep. If your legs hit the bottom, they will break. If your head hits, your skull will break.

This sounds like a fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Too bad about that broken leg thing though.

Volvo Station Wagon

I owned a Volvo Wagon.  My wife owned two. The Washington Post takes us back to 1968 and the debut of the Volvo 145 wagon. Here's a snippet:

The cars had disc brakes on all four wheels and a dual-circuit braking system. The body had impact absorbing crumple zones and a collapsible steering column.  When many other automakers were focusing on style and speed, Volvo focused on safety.

A duel-circuit braking system ensures that if the front brakes fail the rears will still work and vice versa.  The front and rear brakes operate independently. Thanks for the look back WashPost!

Blog Neglect

I am guilty of blog neglect. I have been painting my house since July 7. I didn't know it would take this long and be this much of a pain in the ass when I started.