Everything posted by balthazar
-
Beautiful Cars Appreciation Thread
I’m gonna agree to disagree overall, tho I can see what you’re saying. Original countach: Pros : • got the ‘hood’ and windshield in one plane for the 1st time • NACA scoop in the side is cool Cons: • everything else, starting with the schizophrenic wheelwell openings. - - - - - ‘69 Charger is just about stylistically ideal. So much continuity & flow & aggression. Not a bad detail anywhere.
-
Happy New Year
Holy shit- what a thing! Hope the recovery is quick & 100%. Bathroom doesn’t look that bad in the pics- credit to your work/speed there. Happy ‘21!
-
Random Thoughts Thread
- Beautiful Cars Appreciation Thread
I see the skyline has always been a generic turd of a design. '60s-70s Japan had no styling mojo at all. It may perform OK, but it sure falls far short of the "beautiful" moniker. Extremely similar / likewise bland, uninspired and generic Hillman Avenger / Plymouth Cricket : We can do better!- Alternative Fuels & Propulsion RANDOM
I may have missed the news announcement; back at the end of November, Rivian announced a price HIKE- the R1T will now be $75,000 to start, and the R1S will start at $77,500.- Random Thoughts Thread
Looked at a ‘64 GP parts car today- rough; guy bought it out of a scrapyard to part out. Another guy supposedly wants the whole thing- if that falls thru I might pick up a few bits off it.- Random Thoughts Thread
Wife’s cousin gifted her a 1936 Colonial brand grandfather clock. Been here about 3 years, I think. It chimes beautifully, but only ever runs about 7 mins at a time. Hasn't been serviced in probably decades. Every once in a while I set it going to hear it chime a quarter hour. RIght now, it's been running about 18 hours straight. ?- What Are You Listening To?
- Quick Drive: 2020 Lexus RC F
- Random Thoughts Thread
^ '48-50 COE up top.- Random Thoughts Thread
- Random Thoughts Thread
Customer’s car (at buddy’s shop); who paints and installs new chrome when the mechanicals are this destroyed?- Random Thoughts Thread
Or a ‘70s Cutlass’s out back.- Random Thoughts Thread
- Beautiful Cars Appreciation Thread
- Beautiful Cars Appreciation Thread
It's like a bad painted cardboard copy (with pickup truck flares) of a Maverick (which at least has some lines to it) :- Beautiful Cars Appreciation Thread
GTRs certainly are fugly. Question: why no 'widebody' front fenders? Bizarre.- Random Thoughts Thread
I did not state 'never'. But based on the last 2 decades, the current scenario, and the very like near-future EV vehicles, the pricing is still way too high. Were 50% of the near-future BEVs priced around $30K, I'd have no point. But they aren't. I keep waiting for the announcement of a credible near-future start-up coming in in the volume portion of the industry. While I know well that Apple products aren't 'cheap', I would've had some hope that a BE AppleKar would somehow be in that range, given how pervasive Apple phones are. Perhaps Ford & GM WILL offer a range of median-priced BEVs, I think they have a good possibility there... but GM at least makes billions in profit, so they have the financial leverage to lose money on EVs. Startups coming in green have no fall-back, hence they start their pricing at $75,000. >>Tesla is at the top of EVs in sales, tech and charging infrastructure. They wont be collapsing anytime soon...<< You realize Tesla, overall, is in the red, and that the scant recent profits are primarily driven by selling credits, not by seeing a margin of profit on the actual vehicles? Without the backing of a billionaire and a ridiculous stock price revenue stream, it'd already BE dead. I make no prediction on Tesla's future; I tend to agree it'll keep sputtering along, but time will tell. I have limited interest in what goes on globally because I live in North America. But it's a distinct market, and an important market, why else is every global automaker in or trying to get in? And while American companies number just 2, the American market is dozen & a half (or more). I have a problem calling going from 100% IC to 98.4% IC in 23 years "an ever shrinking market'. But GM has repeatedly stated they're going all EV (despite the recent GMC head stating they would NOT). My point all along on this has been it's going to take a LOT LONGER than analysts, Gov't know-nothings and OEM mouthpieces say it will.- Random Thoughts Thread
You have to have equivalent PRICE replacements to IC in order to move consumers over. Regardless of country. If a country/ city institutes a ban and the replacement BE segment is double the ATP, the segment is going to collapse. Saw that the Apple car is supposedly back on, but the piece I read had analysts projecting scenarios of a price of $75K to 100K. Seems at this point the assumptive model is still that BE’s are going to pretty much all be double IC vehicles. Someone who scrapes to afford a $30K altima cannot be forced to buy a $50K Model 3.- Random Thoughts Thread
- Random Thoughts Thread
Ironically always missed; Tesla is ALSO scrambling to compete with established manufacturers in the transportation market.- Random Thoughts Thread
There’s an extra ‘1’ in that number.- Alternative Fuels & Propulsion RANDOM
Article from autoblog on an Electrify America experience. Seems interesting. >>Guilty as slowly charged: Electrify America site lazily energizes a Ford Mustang Mach-E<< https://autos.yahoo.com/guilty-charged-electrify-america-delivers-153000842.html >>"...I saw the charger screen insisting electricity was being delivered at 74.2 kilowatts. That was only about half the 150-kilowatt rate touted on the machine’s placard, and I would have happily taken it. The actual trickle of juice going into the Ford was 20 kilowatts at best; a fraction of the expected rate, and only about twice as fast as a piddling, 11-kilowatt Level 2 home charger."<< - - - - - Im my recent research into local spots via plugshare, I saw that inoperable chargers were a very regular thing. Here's another example- 12 plugs with 2 inoperable. Not that big a deal here, but check the article to see a 150 kW charger deliver 20 kW (and he tried all 10).- Random Thoughts Thread
I'd sooner drive my 2-seat, bare frame rail, 45-MPH, manual steering, no heat 1940 everyday than buy a brand new loaded tacoma for one dollar.- December car-spotter wrap-up
- Beautiful Cars Appreciation Thread
Important Information
We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.