wildmanjoe

What I don't get is: Toyota puts out an interior like this in a new FJ Cruiser people are all: Rugged! Sporty! GM has an interior like this in a 10 year old sports car they're all: Hard plastic! Panel gaps!

Cheers or Jeers: 8,000 Mile Pontiac Firebird Trans Am WS6 Link: http://cgi.ebay.com/...=item45fedd0af8

Obsessed fan spends 12 years building Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Link: http://www.telegraph...-Bang-Bang.html Gordon Grant's labour of love is identical to the original car from the classic 1968 film that was driven by Dick van Dyke. Chitty fan Gordon first watched the musical aged two and became obsessed with having his own version of the iconic car. He began to plan the project when he was 16 and finally finished it three years ago aged 28 - and it is identical in every way to the original. Gordon managed to get help from many people who worked on the original car, including Peter Lamont who was assistant art director on the musical film. Lionel Whitehead, the mechanic who helped make the original, also assisted by passing on the plans. And Terry Dan, who was the original car's boat builder, gave the detailed plans of the wooden stern. The wheels were cast by the same firm that did the originals and the engine is a Ford V6 - meaning it can get to speeds of 140mph. And because Dick van Dyke couldn't drive a manual, the winged motor is automatic. Gordon, 31, from Gerrards Cross, Bucks, so impressed people with his skill in re-making the car he now works as an art director in the movie industry. But he has decided to sell his beloved car at auction to raise money so he can pay for his parents to go on a dream holiday. He said: "It all started when I was plonked in front of the film by my parents aged two - and from then on I was hooked. "My parents were very good at encouraging me and when I decided to make a replica they helped me a great deal. "When I was 16 I got in touch with the people who had made the original and told them what I was planning. "They were amused, but very helpful and when I was 18 I started building the car along with my father who is an engineer and mechanic by trade. "I spent every last penny on it and ate Pot Noodles and I won't reveal how much it cost although I spent much more than I should have. "I had the car in pieces stored in various locations and I became very geeky about it and everything had to be exactly the same as the original. "It is the only exact replica in existence and none of the orignal remains. About half way through the project my father got cancer so I have used it to raise money for cancer charities. "It was the perfect remedy for my father who has beaten cancer five times. And the reason I am selling it is for my parents. "They have done a lot for me and they have at least ten years of fun left in them and I'd love to see them go on cruise to New York on the Queen Mary or something. "I managed to build a career in the film industry because of Chitty. "Nowadays everything is easily made from fibreglass but when the film was made everything had to be built properly. "Racing driver Graham Hill got the original car up to 120mph and I've driven this one to 80mph but it got scary then - it could probably get to 140mph. "The car really is a business and it could probably recoup the outlay in about five years. It has been on display at the Beaulieu Motor Museum over the last few years." The script of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was written Roald Dahl and Ken Hughes and it was loosely based on Ian Fleming's novel Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: The Magical Car. The film starred Dick Van Dyke as Caractacus Potts and Sally Ann Howes as Truly Scrumptious. In the end, love and good triumphs over the evil Baron Bomburstand everyone lives happily ever after. The car is being sold at Bonhams at Mercedes Benz World in Weybridge, Surrey, on December 1.

GM Builds 100-Millionth Small-Block Engine Link: http://media.gm.com/...1129_100M_Engin WIXOM, Mich. – General Motors today will build its 100-millionth small-block engine – 56 years after the first production small block – representing an engineering legacy that continues to deliver greater performance and efficiency through advanced technology. Chevrolet introduced the small-block in 1955 and the production milestone comes in the same month the brand marked its 100th anniversary. The small-block engine has been used in GM vehicles around the world and is currently found in global Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac vehicles, as well as Vauxhall in the United Kingdom and Holden in Australia. “The small block is the engine that brought high-performance to the people,” said David Cole, founder and emeritus chairman of Center for Automotive Research – and whose father, the late Ed Cole, was the chief engineer at Chevrolet and oversaw development of the original small block engine. “There is an elegant simplicity in its design that made it instantly great when new and enables it to thrive almost six decades later.” The milestone engine is a 638-horsepower supercharged LS9 small block – the power behind the 205-mph Corvette ZR1 – which is hand-built at GM’s Performance Build Center, northwest of Detroit. It represents the fourth generation of the small block and is the most powerful engine ever built by GM for a regular-production car. GM will preserve the engine as part of its historical collection. The small block has been adapted in almost innumerable ways throughout the auto industry and beyond. Updated versions of the original Gen I engine are still in production for marine and industrial applications, while “crate engine” versions offered by Chevrolet Performance are used by thousands of enthusiasts every year to build hot rods. The 4.3L V-6 used in some Chevrolet and GMC full-size trucks and vans is based on the small-block, too, but with two fewer cylinders. All of these versions contribute to the small block’s 100-million production milestone. “This tremendous achievement celebrates an engineering triumph that has reached around the globe and created an industrial icon,” said Sam Winegarden, executive director and group global functional leader - Engine Engineering. “And while the small-block’s enduring design has proven adaptable to meet performance, emissions and refinement challenges over the years, it has more importantly delivered them with greater efficiency.” Current small blocks engines feature all-aluminum cylinder block and heads in car and many truck applications to help save weight and contribute to greater fuel economy. Many applications feature fuel-saving technologies such as Active Fuel Management – which shuts down four cylinders in certain light-load driving conditions – and camshaft phasing, which continuously alters valve timing to optimize performance, efficiency and emissions. The 430-horsepower (476 kW) LS3 version of the Gen-IV small-block helps the 2012 Corvette accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in about four seconds, run the quarter-mile in just over 12 seconds and achieve a top speed of more than 180 mph – all while achieving EPA-estimated highway fuel economy of 26 mpg. That compares favorably against many sports and performance cars: The 2012 Audi R8 is EPA-rated at 21 mpg on the highway with a V-8 engine The 2012 BMW 650i coupe is EPA-rated at 23 mpg on the highway with a V-8 engine The 2012 Nissan GT-R is EP-rated at 23 mpg on the highway with a turbo V-6 engine. It also compares favorably against many vehicles known more for soccer practice drop-offs – and fuel economy – than quick lap times on a road course: The 2012 Toyota Sienna minivan is EPA-rated at 24 mpg with a four-cylinder engine The 2012 Subaru Legacy sedan is EPA-rated at 25 mpg with a flat-6 engine The 2012 Nissan Maxima sedan is EPA-rated at 26 mpg with a V-6 engine. “The small-block engine delivers guilt-free performance,” said Winegarden. “It is the quintessential V-8 engine and a living legend that is more relevant than ever.” GM also announced Tuesday that the fifth-generation small-block under development will feature a new direct-injection combustion system that will help enhance efficiency over the current-generation engine. “The small-block architecture has continued to prove its relevance in a fast-evolving industry and the fifth-generation engine will build on the performance legacy with a significant advance in efficiency,” said Winegarden. GM is investing more than $1 billion in manufacturing facilities associated with producing new small-block engines, resulting in 1,711 jobs that have been created or retained. The Gen V engine is expected in the near future and is guaranteed to have 4.4-inch bore centers – the center-to-center distance between cylinders that has been part of the small-block’s architecture from the beginning. In the beginning GM didn’t invent the V-8 engine, but interpreted it in a way that made performance accessible to millions of new customers. It got its start in the years following World War II, after Chief Engineer Ed Cole transferred to Chevrolet from Cadillac, where he oversaw the development of its premium V-8 engine. Cole’s team retained the basic overhead valve design that was a staple of Chevrolet’s inline-six engine – affectionately called the Stovebolt. It was seen as one of the Chevrolet car line’s selling points, reinforcing a message of simplicity and reliability. Cole challenged his engineers to tighten the new engine package to make it more compact, less costly and easier to manufacture. Upon its debut in the 1955 Chevy lineup, the new V-8 engine was physically smaller, 50 pounds lighter and more powerful than the Stovebolt six. It was not only a better engine for Chevrolet cars, it represented a better way of building engines, with a minimalist design that took advantage of streamlined production techniques. After only two years on the market, the small-block began a steady march upward in displacement, power and technological advancement. In 1957, a version equipped with mechanical fuel injection was introduced, dubbed Ramjet. The only other high-volume manufacturer to offer fuel injection at the time was Mercedes-Benz. Mechanical fuel injection was discontinued in the mid-Sixties, but the small-block debuted electronically controlled fuel injection in the 1980s and established a benchmark with the 1985 launch of Tuned Port Injection. This electronically controlled port fuel injection system was advanced in its day and its basic design is still used on most passenger cars and light-duty trucks more than 25 years later. The small-block’s 4.4-inch bore centers – the distance from the center of one cylinder to the next – would come to symbolize the compact, balanced performance of the small-block. It was the dimension around which the Gen III small-block was designed in 1997. In 2011, the small-block is in its fourth generation, powering Chevrolet’s full-size trucks, SUVs and vans, midsize trucks and the Camaro and Corvette performance cars. The first 4.3L (265 cu. in.) engine in 1955 produced up to 195 hp with an optional four-barrel carburetor. Today, the LS9 6.2L (376 cu. in.) supercharged small-block in the Corvette ZR1 is rated at 638 hp (476 kW), making it the most powerful engine ever installed in a regular-production Chevrolet or GM vehicle.

I'll say Kettering and the electric starter, since there haven't been any deaths from people trying to pull start their diesel locomotives after that was invented.

Cheers or Jeers: 27,000 Mile 1992 Buick Roadmaster Link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1992-Buick-Roadmaster-Limousine-Only-27K-Original-Miles-MINT-NO-RESERVE-/270859282837?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item3f1078a995

How early and important of a figure are we talking? I don't think Durant or Mott had anything to do with trains, and the only train connection I can think of with regards to Sloan is the street car scandal. What are we missing?

How does your uncle's Tahoe run?

Cheers or Jeers: 1980 Toyota Corolla Link: http://cgi.ebay.com/...=item1e68dbb8d9

George Westinghouse and air brakes? Westinghouse bought Frigidare from GM, so that's at least a tenuous connection between the two.

We already have chromed plastic that chips too easily and looks terrible in a few years, so let's go all the way and have chromed vinyl too. Preferably an entire dashboard made out of it.

We like to complain at length about the bad ideas incorporated into vehicles these days, but what are the bad ideas they haven't implemented yet? Here's what I'm thinking: - A front engined, front wheel drive motorcycle with the engine mounted in front of the front tire, on the front fork. The space where the engine normally goes is used for storage of something. - A convertible with a removable fabric floor instead of a removable fabric roof. - A rear engined, rear wheel steering, front wheel drive pickup with the bed over the front wheels instead of the rear. - A cabover economy car. - A set of in-dash smoke machines instead of Service Engine Soon lights that expel different colored smokes depending on what's wrong. - Expanded steel seat covers for strength and ease of cleaning. - A Wii remote instead of a real steering wheel. - A double-decker VW Bus. - A rear seat with a built in charcoal grille. What other bad ideas are out there that vehicle makers haven't done yet?

I was going off the sign in the windshield, but after flipping the photo around, I see it only says $20,000. My mistake.

Cheers or Jeers: $20,000 Chevrolet S-10 Link: http://cgi.ebay.com/...=item2a164e761a

Cheers or Jeers: Crosley Fire Truck Link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Perfect-kids-all-ages-hit-any-party-fully-restored-Hyman-Ltd-/370562353374?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item56473cc8de

Cheers or Jeers: 1986 GMC Caballero Link: http://cgi.ebay.com/...=item27c080d140

Cheers or Jeers: 18,000 mile 1985 Cadillac Seville Link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1985-Cadillac-Seville-1-Owner-1-Collector-18K-Certified-Miles-/310360457732?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item4842ecc204

Cheers or Jeers: 1948 Chevrolet Cabover with Camper Link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1948-CHEVY-SHOW-TRUCK-W-SLEEPER-CUSTOM-TOY-HAULER-W-14-GARAGE-/230704606041?pt=RVs_Campers&hash=item35b710eb59

Cheers or Jeers: 1971 Oldsmobile Ninety Eight Ambulance Link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1971-Oldsmobile-98-Ambulance-55K-Original-Miles-Very-Original-Very-Rare-/280771261442?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item415f457402

After seeing them over the years in regular cars, it looks less funky. I know Pontiac and Kaiser had OHC inline sixes around this time, what other makes did?

Cheers or Jeers: 1964 Pontiac Banshee Link: http://cgi.ebay.com/...=item3cbe9f3027 *************************************************************************************** Dare I say, that is one funky looking engine.

Cheers or Jeers: 12,000 mile 1978 Buick Skylark Link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/GRANDPAS-CUTE-ECONOMICAL-1978-Buick-Skylark-Coupe-12K-ORIG-MI-/140642260331?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item20beee956b

Cheers or Jeers: 3,000 mile 1958 Chevrolet Biscayne Link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1958-CHEVROLET-BISCAYNE-2-DOOR-SEDAN-ONLY-3-360-MILES-LIKE-NEW-/390363097347?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item5ae3742903

Cheers or Jeers: 5,000 Original Mile 1976 Cadillac Eldorado Link: http://cgi.ebay.com/...=item43aae6edee

Cheers or Jeers: 1988 Dodge Shelby CSX-T Link: http://www.carsoup.com/myfox9/used-vehicles/detail/Vintage-Classic/Twin-Cities-Minnesota/Dodge/Other-Dodge/1988/14235218/?returl=L3ZlaGljbGUvc3VtbWFyeS5hc3B4P3ZlaGljbGV0eXBlaWQ9MTEmbWFya2V0aWQ9MSZpbnZ0eXBlaWQ9MiZ6aXBjb2RlPTU2MzAxJmZvcm1fdHlwZT00JTNhU3VtbWFyeVppcCZwYWdlbnVtPTI~&rdt=1