There are so many means of transportation… cars, boats, trains, planes, bikes, motorcycles and many more. I have been asked many times why I love racing and cars so much but the truth is it’s easier to explain which means of transportation I hate the most.

Every driver has his or her own unique style of control and there are many variations but when it comes to getting off a toboggan I respectfuly consider myself an expert even though I have only done it once. Since the normal reaction is to stick your foot in the snow trying to stop the ankles are the first thing to go. That is about the time your ankles get shoved up into your pelvis making the overall length of my legs about four inches long. Continue reading →

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Like anything automotive, car auctions mean different things to different people. Some go to dream, others go to fulfill their dreams, some are looking for project ideas, while others are just looking to pass an afternoon. The RM Auctions Fawcett Movie Cars event had something for all of these enthusiasts. This event was quite literally a field of dreams.

Huge photo gallery after the break
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Some guys just have the coolest stuff in their garage. Coop went to visit his friend Bobby’s place to pick up some parts and took some shots of an incredible junk pile. Of course the term Junk Pile would only really apply if you can’t see the vast history contained within these objects. This place is the type of shop that The Garage aspires to be! Visit Coop to soak up some cool.

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One of the main concerns that many pundits had when Alan Mulally was named Big Boss at Ford was that he isn’t a car industry guy. In fact, that really is an issue throughout the manufacturing side of the industry. Mulally seems to be a pretty smart guy though and is planning to see what happens in the trenches. At his first visit to the NADA conference in Las Vegas, it was announced that the Ford chief would spend a few days on the sales floor at a Ford dealership. Which dealership is yet to be decided.

It’s interesting to note a current trend within the car maker’s side of the industry as opposed to the retail side. If you look at the older guys who work in the dealer support end of things, you might find one or two at each office who were dealership techs years ago. Beyond that, all the more recent folks have a university background. Even more interestingly, the hiring rules for most field reps at most manufacturers state that new hires must be university educated. Now don’t get me wrong, a university degree is a wonderful thing, but it doesn’t teach beans about the retail environment of a car dealership.
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Following his collision with a deer while testing his Champ car at Road America, Christiano da Matta has been working hard on his rehabilitation. Rehab from head injury can take many forms and the results are different for every patient. It sounds like da Matta is making some good progress, but I somehow doubt we’ll be seeing him doing any laugh a minute interviews like the Hamster any time soon. On a positive note, he has taken over the job of maintaining the blog on his site just last month.

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Dodge Viper

In days of old, car manufacturers would give preview pics of upcoming models to journos that they could not publish under penalty of death. Now, in these days of the internets, those embargos are rapidly becoming a thing of the past. In some cases they are becoming fodder for the overactive American legal system. On the other hand, some automakers are using the web to their own advantage by beating bloggers at their own game and officially leaking pics.

Yesterday’s big loser winner in the leaked photos department seems to be Daimler Chrysler, who had no less than 3 new models leaked prior to the NAIAS in Detroit. Photos abound of the new Jeep Trailhawk, Dodge Viper and the Chrysler Nassau concept vehicle. The upcoming Chevy Malibu has also made an early appearance.

The big question here is: Broken embargo or deliberate leak?

More pics after the break
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In mid May next year, Donington Park will come alive with the sights and sounds of the history of Formula 1. The GPLive event promises to bring guests the ultimate 3 day weekend of F1 cars and drivers.

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Anybody who’s been around racing for a few decades will no doubt fondly recall a small bore, rear wheel drive Datsun of some sort or another. 510, B210, and later on the 200sx & the 240sx. They were cheap to run, reliable and a blast to drive. While Nissan has gotten it together with the 240/260/280’s spiritual successor, the 350Z, the car is still an expensive toy to run. What about the little guy?

Over at Autoblog, John Neff has reported that Nissan may be close to bringing a small, rear wheel drive car to life. Possibly based on the Foria Concept shown at the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show, the car would fulfil the cries of drifters and racers around the world.

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The boys and girls over at Hot Rod Magazine have been bringing us some of the coolest muscle for longer than many of us have been on this planet. Somehow, I stopped reading Hot Rod years ago, but now that the rod culture is starting to turn my crank again I’ve been watching with interest.

This week on HotRod.com they’ve got 3 killer Rat Rods from this year’s Power Tour. Oops, we’re not supposed to call them Rat Rods. Ok, how about looks like I found it before I bolted it up to some modern motivational devices? Either way, this segment of the hobby turns my crank.
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Over at the Jalop today, Mike has posted on the joys of vintage HO slot cars. His post got me thinking about the good old days, when the biggest stress in life was trying to figure out why my slot cars wouldn’t go. Then a thought struck. I bet there is a few cars stuffed in a box somewhere in the workshop. A quick search turned up the old Stromberg Ferrari Testa Rossa box that contains what remains of my old 1/32 slot cars.
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