Robert Hall

Hmmm..... the worst I've driven has probably been a '99 or so Neon (Thrifty) and an '02 Cavalier (Avis). The Neon must have been way out of alignment...had a horrible vibration through the steering column above 60 mph....made a 250 mile drive across Ohio very tiring. The Cavalier didn't drive that badly, but the horrific gray interior plastics and interior design were deeply depressing. I rode in a coworker's rental Caliber last year--dreadful, depressing gray interior plastics, very limited visibility out of tiny windows w/ thick pillars. Similarily, rode in another coworker's rental HHR---same story--dreadful, depressing gray interior plastics, very limited visibility out of tiny windows w/ thick pillars. The '08 Cobalt, on the other hand, was quite pleasant to drive, decent interior materials, though pretty loud under acceleration. I guess I'm biased, but I generally hate small, cheap FWD cars with gray plastic interiors. Rob

More than that...looks like more than enough space for my brood....Yorkie, Aussie, 2 Westies and a Silky. R

On my Monday morning airport run, I drove by Air Force One sitting on the tarmac by the private plane terminal in all it's blue and white 747 glory...cool.

The 787 is intended to replace the 767, IIRC...I remember back when it was referred to as the 7E7 (development name). The internal presentation for the July 8, 2007 rollout was impressive... I remember gathering in a conference room to watch it. I'd love to do that factory tour someday (Everett plant?).

I wouldn't mind a CTS coupe signature. Rob

Saw a strange black motor scooter parked w/ some motorcycles in front of my office today. Don't know what it is, but it has 3 wheels--two in the front, maybe 4 inches apart. 2 headlights, close together. Unidentifiable badge, no name in script or numbers.

Page not found. Was this the thing that was on CNN the other day about the people using remote control to launch cars, buses, trucks, etc off a dirt ramp into a gravel pit? Rob

Three main issues, I believe are: 1. The multi-continent, multi-supplier production of components has created a logistics and quality control nightmare leading to several re-dos of various components 2. The composite material for wings and many components has ran into snags regarding strength and consistent manufacturing quality 3. I believe this is Boeing's first fully fly by wire (ala Airbus) plane..lots of computer software issues in the control systems, I've heard. Rob

I've been following it, since I used to work for a subsidiary of Boeing...it was a daily discussion at work in '07-08 when I was there. What a mess...I really wonder if they are ever going to get this plane off the ground (literally) or they end up cancelling it (which would be a very costly proposition).

+2.

rust (as in 'Rusty Cage')

Maybe they are going to use both fascias--one for the regular Orlando, and one for the Orlando Volt (a compact MPV seems like a natural application for the Volt powertrain)...they've done that before with some production hybrid and fuel cell prototypes--unique fascias (the Equinox and Tahoe come to mind). Rob

hoard

I've thought before about a Fox ragtop to go with my '87 GT hatchback, if I had the garage space. I looked at a clean '86 GT convertible about 10 years ago... I do want a Mustang GT convertible sooner or later, most likely an '05-09 or the '10+... Rob

Happy Birthday!

Very sharp...I like the lines, nice and curvy. And nice RWD proportions. Great interior.

Yeah, go figure. 1234 pounds in 5 vehicles (an '07 Nissan 'station wagon' had 459 pounds) over an 8hr period along I-19 (from Mexico border north). Rob

I'm surprised it didn't start an underhood fire

There are at least two '80s B-body Caprices at my office, saw both in the lot at the same time today, parked side by side...a very clean lt yellow w/ tan interior '81-85 Caprice 2dr, very clean and an '87-90 4dr--white w/ blue interior, very clean also. Nice to see boxy '80s cars amidst contemporary generica. They look huge. Also saw a derelict '87-88 Cutlass Supreme coupe, in prime C4C condition--a goldish tan, faded/oxidized, with half the grille missing, the left headlight housing bent down, bent front bumper, shredded 1/2 vinyl top, a rolling wreck.

Very cool..love this kind of artifacts.

1234 pounds of pot seized in Az in an 8 hr period, incl. this LeSabre. I guess they wanted to keep their pot nice and warm.. AZ Republic article on pot busts

Funny... I don't have the link handy, but has anyone seen the 30-second versions of movies done as cartoons w/ bunnies? On 'Funny or DIe' maybe...pretty funny stuff.. R

Yeah, A Regal or LaCrosse with a manual would probably achieve 0.000000005 percent of sales. Not my type of car, but it should be very competitive in its class. It's a well-designed, well-finished and well-equipped product. In the entry-lux space, I'd gravitate towards the CTS, but having different choices for different buyers is a good thing. Rob

Another thing... I'd like to hang out in the pits of one of the C6-R teams for the weekend at LeMans. Maybe catch a ride in one during the race for an hour or so also.. R

A one week 'package' tour including a guided tour through the Heritage Collection, a tour of an engineering center, a tour of a design center, drinks w/ Bob Lutz, a tour of the Milford Proving Ground and a drive around a track in a ZR-1, a tour of the Camaro plant (Oshawa) and the Corvette plant (Boweling Green). Not too much.. R