Leaderboard

I kind of see a bit of the classic Lancia Delta Integrale shape...almost an homage to '70s-80s Guigaro crisply folded shapes...much preferable to egg/potato styling, IMO.

Speaking of Cougars w/ Coyotes, found this today--Ring Brothers custom...that Coyote V8 is stuffed in there, looks like they reworked the inner fenders and front suspension (the original shock towers long gone). Love the color combo, very tasteful resto-mod, IMO. https://www.autoblog.com/2021/02/25/ringbrothers-mercury-cougar-restomod/#slide-2298758

Pics taken the other evening while watching a movie, typical evening—these two are Velcro dogs, Raine and Beardsley.

"The vehicles will be equipped with either fuel-efficient internal combustion engines or battery electric powertrains and can be retrofitted to keep pace with advances in electric vehicle technologies." https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2021/0223-multi-billion-dollar-modernization-of-postal-delivery-vehicle-fleet.htm

I think we are in the 'Spring of Deception' season currently in Ohio. though my backyard is rapidly approaching mud season with all the melting..

You are disagreeing with me liking the Oshkosh's weird styling? I like how it looks. Nothing more, nothing less. I like many weird looking things. I like the A10 Warthog. I like the F4 Phantom II. I like the Nissan Juke Nismo... I never talked about its qualities and qualifications as nobody knows how it will performs. Many programs such as this actually change the exterior stylings somewhat when they actually become real All changes before and during WW2. Between Willys and Ford and Bantam. Tweaks here and there. concept Volt What we actually got We dont know that. You are solely judging it by the wat it looks. And... You got no proof of that... Biden is the Chief in Command now...not Trump... No need to go there...

Course NONE of that would have been required if not for the Profits over Human life and greedy electrical ERCOT of Texas that went cheap and did not pay to have proper winterizing of both the 24.8% of power production by Wind Turbines but more importantly the 51% produced by Natural gas as the pipes froze blocking the gas flow. Coal 13.4%, Nuclear 4.9%, Solar 3.8% and Biomass fired units 1.9% still worked. Texas energy: How much power comes from wind turbines, natural gas? (statesman.com) Freeze off is the official problem due to no Winterization of pipes and so ice formed blocking natural gas delivery to power generation plants as well as to businesses and homes that did not have winterized piping or proper depth of pipe being buried. Texas’ natural gas production just froze under pressure (msn.com) Amazing until the Governor banned exports, making money over power online to protect human life was more important. Texas Governor Bans Natural Gas Exports | OilPrice.com

?

Sadly, too late for pictures, but.. Equinox got a wash and quick spray waxing, and I vacuumed it too. Only need to wipe down the dash... ? Cobalt also got a wash and a quick spray waxing. Didn’t get the chance to clean the inside though. (But it is in pretty good shape). Also did not realize one can get cheap weathertech “knock offs” on EBay. Want to replace the old carpeted mats...the ebay ones are made in Europe- and the whole set is like 70 bucks. And for a beater, that is a good price.... Also need to get my old Cavalier a new battery...current one is dated 5/11....... ?

Rain

And quite ironically, all look like the outgoing Grumman LLV...

I have two female cats. One is a total diva and one is a total thug. Mallory (Diva) and Lana (Thug)

I'm also not taking any vaccine developed under POTUS45. ?

^ That's a good question. I'd like to know that as well. For $10,000, I can't imagine it's too high.

I soooooo wanna do a wife joke right here... I cant bring myself to pull the trigger. I apologize though for even thinking about it... EDIT: But I cant seem to shake it off. LOL Here is a clue as to what I wanted to say...in song form...

You cant disagree with me liking it. YOU may hate it. But you cant disagree with ME liking it... That is like Ocnblu downvoting my Toyota Hilux and 4Runner pics... You wanna have a discourse with me on why I should NOT like the styling? Who cares how it looks IF it performs the way it should. The Chevrolet Volt (that we actually got) was an UGLY design too. BUT it worked because it had (still has?) the LOWEST air coefficient drag of ANY production vehicle. To help with range efficiency with less friction and drag... Function over form... Its not about winning beauty contests. If we are honest, the Porsche 911 is an ugly car. I know you agree to this. But the 911 is a sports car beast...literally. Its ugly, but it outperforms its competition... by a landslide at times. That has NOTHING to do with its style nor its ability to get the job done. And you cant have any answers to this as you do not know how well it will perform its postal duties...

I did not see that initially, but after reading that line, now I cant unsee it. Yes. A mix of Pony and Excel Id say. Id say the Ioniq 5 is an attractive CUV. (High hatchback?) (Or could we just change up the marking spiel and call it a Sports ACTIVITY Vehicle, SAV for short? It could charge all kinds of stuff like EV scooters and CAMPING equipment and high powered electric stuff...you know...outdoor ACTIVITY stuff...) I like the specs on it and the EV stuff it could do. Like the interior AND exterior charging ports to charge all kinds of stuff. Cool feature. While Im not a CUV kinda guy, this thing is attractive enough for me not to diss it...

Sharp, crisp lines...I like it...nice to see some angular, squared styling on a BEV instead of an aero egg/potato shape...

- - - - - RE the Oshkosh mail truck : of course it's hideously ugly. With all the ubiquitous gassing about tech & futurism, I was offhandedly expecting something more 'pod-like' if we're likely going to still be looking at them in the year 2060. These look like they were designed in 1985. UPS has touted this image as a future vehicle- why not a teensy bit sleeker (not Oshkosh's bag, I know) :

I was tired of Its been too cold too long Like a worn out recording Of a favorite song So while lay there frozen I read the paper in bed And in the personal columns There was this letter I read If you like piña coladas And gettin' caught in the rain If you're not into snow If you have half a brain If you like makin' love at midnight In the dunes on the cape Then I'm the love that you've looked for Write to me and escape I didn't think about my constituents I know that sounds kinda mean But me and my old buddy Needed time to escape So I wrote to the paper Took out a personal ad I blamed it totally on my kids I thought it wasn't half bad Yes, I like piña coladas And gettin' caught in the rain I'm not much into telling the truth I am into champagne

Yeah, modern times typical. I think only Summit White is free at GMC (Sierra), then there a couple that are $195, about 4-5 that are $495 and 1-2 that are $695. But at 70 grand, it should be included even moreso than at the $50K level. “Optional paint”. Wonder if you can get a vehicle ‘paint delete’?

You have to have a license to plant a bush for a homeowner, but there is no aptitude test or licensing to be a politician.

@oldshurst442 Thinking on Lordstown Motors in-wheel hub motors, I wonder if they have a non-disclosure signed with Protean Electric as there is many similarities with their in-wheel hub motors. Homepage - Protean : Protean (proteanelectric.com) I noticed in their news they have concept work going on with Lexus and Nissan. The CEO in a short video seems to think a luxury car or commercial auto will be the first large scale commercial use of their in-wheel hub motors. I can see Lordstown Motors being that commercial auto. ProteanInsights Episode 6: Where will we see in-wheel motors in volume first? - Protean : Protean (proteanelectric.com) For the cars, I think we now know due to these news announcements by Protean Electric. In-Wheel Motor Case Study: Punchy performance from in-wheel propulsion - Nissan BladeGlider - Protean : Protean (proteanelectric.com) 3 person concept auto Lexus LF-30 Concept - Which I also doubt will see production due to people wanting normal looking autos, not something out of a sci-fi movie. In-Wheel Motor Case Study: Visionary EV concept powered by in-wheel motors, previews the future for Lexus - Protean : Protean (proteanelectric.com)

I could see that aspect of argument of hub motors affecting suspension. Unsprung weight... Koenigsegg Agera, Ferrari 488 Pista, Ford Mustang GT350, Ford GT, Corvette C8 Z06 (supposedly) and some others, all offer carbon wheels to REDUCE weight at the wheels, but like you said, engineering can have a solution for that... The only thing I could think of, logically speaking without any engineering knowledge, with 4 hub motors at each wheel respectively, at least the unsprung weight is spread EVENLY at all 4 corners while eliminating weight in other areas on the platform without motor mounts, drive shafts etc... If the Endurance does go racing, the competition of endurance and hard driving of racing will teach engineers the deficiencies of hub motors... Improve the tech is what Im getting at. I could see that aspect of argument of hub motors affecting suspension. Unsprung weight... Koenigsegg Agera, Ferrari 488 Pista, Ford Mustang GT350, Ford GT, Corvette C8 Z06 (supposedly) and some others, all offer carbon wheels to REDUCE weight at the wheels, but like you said, engineering can have a solution for that... The only thing I could think of, logically speaking without any engineering knowledge, with 4 hub motors at each wheel respectively, at least the unsprung weight is spread EVENLY at all 4 corners while eliminating weight in other areas on the platform without motor mounts, drive shafts etc... If the Endurance does go racing, the competition of endurance and hard driving of racing will teach engineers the deficiencies of hub motors... Improve the tech is what Im getting at.

These things have (4) hub motors? Awesome! This is the direction electric motors and related tech should be going in.

Caesar

Hail

Make it $10 trillion. No, wait; make all roads solar paneled & self-melting (yes; even in Death Valley). Make it 25 Quadrillion. Must. Eliminate. Any and all. Possibilities. Of. An. Issue. Of. Any. Sort.

Fire

I so want to get out and travel.

Has anyone seen a 'take rate' for the autopilot on the Model 3 or Y?

I never said it was a good looking vehicle. I said its weird looking. From the very start... We actually dont disagree. We BOTH think its ugly. I just LIKE it... I just find a certain charm to it. For whatever inexplicable reason. Hey...I also bought a 2012 Acura TL because I like the TL's style too. I recognize its one ugly motherphoquer... Yes you do. I dont mind that. I know of one dude though that will throw a hissy fit... You dont know how well it will perform. I actually applaud the fact that it could be converted from ICE to EV. Best of BOTH worlds in 2021... And if there is NO issues in converting older ICE versions to EVs in a decade from now...awesome.

That thing is scary.......

I didn't dig the looks initially, but it's growing on me. Priced right, it can be a serious contender.

It can be tough! But, damn, the Puget Sound area, with the wall to wall evergreen, looks so damn nice when covered in snow, even though it doesn't function well. Also, with enough curvy two-lane roads and hills in the burbs, the black ice sort of sneaks up on you. If a person can walk to a local independent coffeehouse that's open, that could be good. Thankfully, this sort of weather in the Puget Sound Basin is a rare occurrence.

I like the squared off angular DeLorean style look, especially in the front. What I don't get is why it is part hatchback, part SUV. Hatchbacks tend to not sell well in the USA, so I feel like this could suffer like the original Bolt did. The back 1/4 of this vehicle looks odd, needs more of an SUV look there I think.

The more I look at this, the more I like it. Sporty Looking, clean and sleek. Way better IMHO than the look of the Tesla Y. I like the open space that is shown in the pictures. Should be roomy for most people. While very cool with the front seats reclining and the calf supports, I just do not see that being needed in an Auto. Over all, not bad, I really like the row of buttons under the touch screen indicating that there are some basic functions that are just a touch button push. @William Maley Any mention of charging for colors like Tesla and Rivian is doing as well as Ford? I just hate this color charge the OEMs are moving to with only 1 or 2 colors included in the price.

Saw for sale online; NOS '71 'cud grille, $4500.

Very cool story about 40 autos found in a Tennesee river. Divers Find Over 40 Cars Underwater In Tennessee (msn.com) The group who runs a you tube channel about finding stuff was on the case of finding a missing guy who disappeared in June 2020. Sadly they did find him in his auto.

52F and sunny, some melting going on...false Spring thaw...

Here are some cool EV that I like:

The very real issue is you'd be looking at age discrimination lawsuits in trying to implement something like that. Hope you're ready for 'all the stupid' being able to go 0-60 in 3 seconds!!

Dialogue has commenced, but the Cherokee Tribe seem pretty set on having Jeep Drop the name. Chief of Cherokee Nation asks Jeep to stop using tribe's name (msn.com) I can see Jeep as they bring out their Hybrid and then EV changing the name. Texas should have done what Canada did back in 1998 to get some power on for people. Use Loco's to power the grid.

they could have literally replaced the current Ford Edge with this design, and put a gas motor in it. Would sell well. I don't mind the Mach E but the marketplace adopting electrics will be slow.

Breaking news Cooper Tires is no more as a single independent tire company. They are being bought out by Goodyear Tire. News says this will cement Goodyear's #1 position in the US and raise them up Doubling their presence in China as Auto sales are picking up. Goodyear Agrees to Buy Cooper Tire for About $2.8 Billion (msn.com)

These last 4 she was just 2.5yrs the first one was the last one I took of her before she got sick