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Showing results for tags 'The Sunday Column'.
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Sometimes, it's good to put things into perspective. Case in point: Last week I had the good fortune of riding in my friend Craig's 36 Ford sedan. This is a project that he has been working for the past few years and for the most part it's finish - just some slight paintwork and a few other odds and ends. Sitting in this car was a throwback. An example was the seats - they felt springy and cushy, not firm and supportive like modern cars. The dash is just painted metal with a set of dials and knobs. Your only source of ventilation? Opening the windows or lifting a latch behind the hood. If you want the access the trunk? Lift up the back seat. As for the ride itself, it felt like a normal car - somewhat at least. Power came from a flathead V8 and was able to keep up with traffic. A three-speed manual helped get the power to the road. But you had to careful with shifting as one wrong move and you'll end up with a crunch. (gear synchros were non-existent). Ride-wise? It was pretty comfortable, but you'll end up in another area code as body roll is very evident. Stabilizer bars were not a thing till the 40's. So why do I tell this story? Well for the reason as I stated above. Cars have improved so much since the 36 Ford. They are safer, have more equipment, and are better on fuel. But also some things haven't changes. Vehicles then and now still boast a engine that run on some form of fossil fuel, pack engines as large as eight-cylinders, have four tires, and much more. Its interesting to see how far we have come, but also how much has stayed the same. Other items from the week: This week saw Jeremy Clarkson get booted from the BBC from his kerfuffle. This was the right idea considering Clarkson's past incidents and what BBC learned in a investigation. Not surprisingly, Richard Hammond and James May are expected to leave as well. Rumors have begun flying of a number of networks and even Netflix about hiring Clarkson. (Oh boy..) The BBC itself announced that it would continue with Top Gear. However I think this will end being a flop for one reason. Top Gear = Jeremy Clarkson. Clarkson = Top Gear. I'll leave the whole Jeremy Clarkson mess with this. Check out John Krewson's piece on Road & Track about Clarkson. Sums up my feelings in a way that is brilliant. [*]General Motors could be in huge trouble if a Bankruptcy judge reverses a decision on the clause of that no one could file lawsuit on vehicles built before 2009 due to the company's bankruptcy. This could open GM to $10 billion in potential liability over this ignition switch mess. Many are waiting for the judge to make a decision of whether or not a number lawsuits can be filled for lost value. [*]This week is the New York Auto Show, and the end of auto show season for another year. The lineup of debuts appears to be very solid with the likes of Cadillac, Chevrolet, Honda, and Scion showing off some important vehicles. -
Sometimes, it's good to put things into perspective. Case in point: Last week I had the good fortune of riding in my friend Craig's 36 Ford sedan. This is a project that he has been working for the past few years and for the most part it's finish - just some slight paintwork and a few other odds and ends. Sitting in this car was a throwback. An example was the seats - they felt springy and cushy, not firm and supportive like modern cars. The dash is just painted metal with a set of dials and knobs. Your only source of ventilation? Opening the windows or lifting a latch behind the hood. If you want the access the trunk? Lift up the back seat. As for the ride itself, it felt like a normal car - somewhat at least. Power came from a flathead V8 and was able to keep up with traffic. A three-speed manual helped get the power to the road. But you had to careful with shifting as one wrong move and you'll end up with a crunch. (gear synchros were non-existent). Ride-wise? It was pretty comfortable, but you'll end up in another area code as body roll is very evident. Stabilizer bars were not a thing till the 40's. So why do I tell this story? Well for the reason as I stated above. Cars have improved so much since the 36 Ford. They are safer, have more equipment, and are better on fuel. But also some things haven't changes. Vehicles then and now still boast a engine that run on some form of fossil fuel, pack engines as large as eight-cylinders, have four tires, and much more. Its interesting to see how far we have come, but also how much has stayed the same. Other items from the week: This week saw Jeremy Clarkson get booted from the BBC from his kerfuffle. This was the right idea considering Clarkson's past incidents and what BBC learned in a investigation. Not surprisingly, Richard Hammond and James May are expected to leave as well. Rumors have begun flying of a number of networks and even Netflix about hiring Clarkson. (Oh boy..) The BBC itself announced that it would continue with Top Gear. However I think this will end being a flop for one reason. Top Gear = Jeremy Clarkson. Clarkson = Top Gear. I'll leave the whole Jeremy Clarkson mess with this. Check out John Krewson's piece on Road & Track about Clarkson. Sums up my feelings in a way that is brilliant. [*]General Motors could be in huge trouble if a Bankruptcy judge reverses a decision on the clause of that no one could file lawsuit on vehicles built before 2009 due to the company's bankruptcy. This could open GM to $10 billion in potential liability over this ignition switch mess. Many are waiting for the judge to make a decision of whether or not a number lawsuits can be filled for lost value. [*]This week is the New York Auto Show, and the end of auto show season for another year. The lineup of debuts appears to be very solid with the likes of Cadillac, Chevrolet, Honda, and Scion showing off some important vehicles. View full article
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The past couple of weeks at the Cheers & Gears Detroit Garage has been interesting for the past couple of weeks. Last week saw a Fiat 500C Abarth and the week before was a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR. During a conversation with a colleague of mine, the question was asked which car would I feel more comfortable in pushing. The answer I gave surprised him when I said that I would take the 500. My reasoning for this choice comes down to this; the Lancer Evolution has a lot more exploitation available thanks to computer wizardry and a powerful turbocharged four-cylinder engine. You can corner much faster and go a lot quicker than in many vehicles, which can make you feel like the greatest driver in the world. But that only happens to be an illusion; the computer, all-wheel drive, and engine can only do so much to keep the vehicle on the road. If you overcook a corner, don't expect the vehicle to save you. Then there is the Fiat 500C Abarth. A small car with a small 1.4L turbo engine and front-wheel drive. The limits in this car are much lower than the Evolution, but I feel that it makes a little bit safer and fun to push. I could press the accelerator further to floor and feel like I'm going quicker when in reality I wasn't. Also I knew that it being front-wheel drive meant I would have a hint of understeer if I pushed, which could mean visiting a ditch or something worse. Keep it steady I told myself driving on a curvy bit of road and the Abarth was fine. I think a lot of this also comes down to knowing my driving habits. I've never been a race track, nor have taken a advanced driving course to improve my skills. The only real skills I have are from driving school and making a number of mistakes in my young age. Maybe that plays into knowing that I don't much of extracting all of the performance of a car - possibly a good thing. Other thoughts from the week: Cadillac boss Johan de Nysschen did a reader Q&A on Jalopnik this week and dropped some interesting tidbits: A new V6 engine lineup will be revealed sometime this month, the CT6 will 'eventually' get a twin-turbo V8 engine, and the ELR will be getting some significant updates. I would recommend checking out the Q&A. Sticking on the Cadillac tip, I'm currently driving an ATS coupe with the 2.0L turbo and all-wheel drive. Two things I want say about the vehicle. the 2.0T is so much better than the ATS 3.6 I drove awhile back. Lots of low end punch. Seeing the new Cadillac emblem up close, still don't like it. [*]Chrysler can't seem to catch a break on the nine-speed automatic transmission still. I'm beginning to wonder if it might make sense to kill this current transmission and go back to drawing board. [*]Geneva Auto Show kicks off this week and so far the only vehicle I'm excited by is the Kia Sportspace concept. Hopefully a couple other vehicles can amp up the excitement. [*]Big congrats to one of our members - GMTruckGuy on getting a new GMC Canyon. Sharp color! View full article
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The past couple of weeks at the Cheers & Gears Detroit Garage has been interesting for the past couple of weeks. Last week saw a Fiat 500C Abarth and the week before was a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR. During a conversation with a colleague of mine, the question was asked which car would I feel more comfortable in pushing. The answer I gave surprised him when I said that I would take the 500. My reasoning for this choice comes down to this; the Lancer Evolution has a lot more exploitation available thanks to computer wizardry and a powerful turbocharged four-cylinder engine. You can corner much faster and go a lot quicker than in many vehicles, which can make you feel like the greatest driver in the world. But that only happens to be an illusion; the computer, all-wheel drive, and engine can only do so much to keep the vehicle on the road. If you overcook a corner, don't expect the vehicle to save you. Then there is the Fiat 500C Abarth. A small car with a small 1.4L turbo engine and front-wheel drive. The limits in this car are much lower than the Evolution, but I feel that it makes a little bit safer and fun to push. I could press the accelerator further to floor and feel like I'm going quicker when in reality I wasn't. Also I knew that it being front-wheel drive meant I would have a hint of understeer if I pushed, which could mean visiting a ditch or something worse. Keep it steady I told myself driving on a curvy bit of road and the Abarth was fine. I think a lot of this also comes down to knowing my driving habits. I've never been a race track, nor have taken a advanced driving course to improve my skills. The only real skills I have are from driving school and making a number of mistakes in my young age. Maybe that plays into knowing that I don't much of extracting all of the performance of a car - possibly a good thing. Other thoughts from the week: Cadillac boss Johan de Nysschen did a reader Q&A on Jalopnik this week and dropped some interesting tidbits: A new V6 engine lineup will be revealed sometime this month, the CT6 will 'eventually' get a twin-turbo V8 engine, and the ELR will be getting some significant updates. I would recommend checking out the Q&A. Sticking on the Cadillac tip, I'm currently driving an ATS coupe with the 2.0L turbo and all-wheel drive. Two things I want say about the vehicle. the 2.0T is so much better than the ATS 3.6 I drove awhile back. Lots of low end punch. Seeing the new Cadillac emblem up close, still don't like it. [*]Chrysler can't seem to catch a break on the nine-speed automatic transmission still. I'm beginning to wonder if it might make sense to kill this current transmission and go back to drawing board. [*]Geneva Auto Show kicks off this week and so far the only vehicle I'm excited by is the Kia Sportspace concept. Hopefully a couple other vehicles can amp up the excitement. [*]Big congrats to one of our members - GMTruckGuy on getting a new GMC Canyon. Sharp color!
