Wow, what a time we’ve had here in The Garage since the last Carnival of Wheels. I’ve been to the Pocono Mountains for the IMPA Test Days, where I spent a day testing 4×4’s and another day lapping Pocono Raceway. During that time, there has also been RM’s Auction of the Fawcett Movie Car collection. Out west, Gary Faules finally got Lucky on the road and managed to rip the spring perches off the rear axle and get a 3 car police escort home from a toot around the neighborhood! Today will be a day to catch up on some work, relax a bit and watch the Belgium Grand Prix. So grab a coffee and enjoy the race with me!
First up, we have Jody DeVere from Ask Patty with a new video about BMW’s clean energy program from a new service that claims to be BMW Web TV. Now I am having a bit of a tough time with this one. I received the same press e-mail that Jody did earlier in the week, but there seemed to be a problem. The site is slick and very well put together. The content looks great. There is just one problem. It doesn’t conform to BMW’s brand image in any way, and BMW is VERY careful about anything their brand is attached to fits their standard. I replied to the person that sent out the original e-mail to query this and he hasn’t responded. Maybe I’m skeptical, but something doesn’t feel right here.
over at RaceDriven, Brian has some opinions about the dual series in road racing and open wheeled racing in North America. The split series has been a problem with sedan racing since the Seventies when the battle between IMSA and SCCA began. It’s not likely to go away. The problem with open wheelers began with Tony George and continues, with series owners also owning teams on both sides of the fence. That one isn’t going away any time soon either. What’s the answer? Who knows, but one thing is certain. The fans will continue to be the ones who pay the price through confusing, boring racing.
New to the CoW this week are a team of racers who call themselves The Pansy Patrol. A few weeks ago TPP took headed to New Hampshire International Speedway for the SCCA’s annual 3 hour enduro and are back to tell the tale. Welcome to the CoW guys, we look forward to hearing more from you.
Another newcomer this week is Amanda Harris. Amanda isn’t just a Mommy Blogger, she’s the Pajama Mommy! This week, Amanda is checking out some new Land Rover screen savers for her PC. This has me thinking, we’ve amassed quite the collection of photos here in The Garage, maybe we should start offering TG screen savers.
We’ve all seen it. The single driver, doing the 50 km commute all by themselves in an Escalade or maybe an Excursion. Do you really need to be driving something that big? Hilary at Eco Friendly Driver bets that you don’t and wonders if maybe we should legislate more sensible vehicle choice. Oh yes, Hil is another newcomer to the CoW. Welcome aboard!
Surfer Sam is back, with more tips on saving yourself some dough when buying a new car. Or should you lease? Sam has some helpful hints to clear up some of that muddy water.
Over at Satellite TV Guru, Kevin Fleming was handed the task of installing a Sirius satellite radio and writing about his impressions. it sounds like he came away impressed with the overall quality and selections of the available broadcasts. Personally, I’m cheap and I can’t ever see myself paying for radio. I’d rather let the advertisers pay for my enjoyment.
Speaking of the muddy water surrounding buying versus leasing, Steve Faber from Debt Free has gone all out with his description of some of the terms you’ll find on your lease contract. It’s a pretty scary topic for most of us and Steve has done a great job clearing things up.
To finish things up this week, we’re going to head back over to Ask Patty, where Linda Przygodski has a great sit down with racer Deborah Renshaw. Deborah talks about some of the challenges facing female drivers, her own career and her plans for the future. Nice work Linda & good luck Deborah.
That’s it for another Carnival of Wheels. Next week, the CoW will return at it’s normal Sunday time, no more skipped weeks for a while. Let’s hope everyone has a great week full of automotive excitement! Bloggers, be sure to tell us about those good times before midnight next Saturday and we’ll have it up for our readers on Sunday.
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