I Saw a Fisker Karma

I saw my first Fisker Karma on the road yesterday stuck in some lovely 405 traffic. What makes this sighting special isn't just that I saw a road going Karma that wasn't pulled over or broken down. Its also not that it had manufacturers plates on the car either. What makes it special is the car's designer was actually driving it. Henrik Fisker and his fake tan and Donald Trump hair were doing a fine job of keeping it in a single lane too despite the car being the length of a stretch limo and width of a hummer.

The Fall of the Civic

The Honda Civic is undoubtedly one of the most reliable and best selling cars in Honda's long history of making customers happy. Its utility, size, price, and amenities made it nearly unbeatable. More specifically, the Civic SI was indeed one of the best values for the money from 2006 to 2011. It was a nearly 200 hp car that was fun, yet achieved 29mpg freeway, could have 4 doors, and fit a few bikes in it. But I have a problem, and I want to let you in on what it is.

Look at the pictures below and attempt to honestly tell yourself that the Honda Civic interior was completely redesigned as Honda has proudly proclaimed across the car community.

That's right, you can't say it without knowing that you're a filthy liar. The new Civic interior is more disappointing than when one of the Jersey Shore Guidos gets a girl home and it turns out she's not DTF. Yes, that bad. Not only is the interior tweaked, and not redesigned, but it got worse. The materials are cheaper, the cancerous lump above the binnacle has spread towards the passenger side of the car, and the speakers on the a pillars look like puckered buttholes ready to spew. I guess the root of the disappointment is not that the new Civic interior is terrible, it's just that its worse than the last Civic in every way I can think of.

Hyundai Veloster

I saw the 2012 Veloster on the road today. Hyundai is really getting things together in their styling department. They're doing to the Japanese car companies what the Japanese car companies did to the American car companies in the 90's. It's a really sporty and unique looking car. I'm not sure if I like it, but like I said, it's unique.

Pinch Me

This video is too awesome to describe. Please just watch it.

The Fast and Furious Five

Chinese Cab Drivers

On a recent trip to China I took note of the efficiency, insanity, and general experience of what is riding in a cab in a developing country. I've seen videos of Chinese, Thai, and Indian intersections with cab drivers dodging bicyclists and weaving through oncoming traffic to get you to your destination, but actually stepping into a car with one of these guys is quite a treat. Over the 30 or so cab rides I took, I at no time felt like I was in danger just because the drivers are so confident as they merge into the next lane despite there being a car there - they'll move. Here are a few pictures.

Here's a typical intersection in HangZhou. Bikes, Buses, and cars. Look closely and you will see one tiny man directing traffic during rush hour right in the center of the picture.

Here's a close up of the bikes waiting in the same intersection. We saw two major bike accidents and usually the drivers are significantly angrier than the bicyclists since the rule is - The bigger vehicle has the right of way.

This is our cab driver in Shanghai. He would consistently read the newspaper at every intersection and somehow know exactly when the lights turned green. 6th sense maybe?

Here's a video that has been getting quite a few hits with a cab driver going to wrong way. Based on our experience, I'm not in the least bit surprised. Check it out.

Formula 1 2010

Tomorrow is the last F1 race in Abu Dhabi. Don't forget to tune it to see who wins the championship! There's still a four way fight between Vettel, Alonso, Webber, and Hamilton.

Stopping Traffic

I'm all about expressing yourself through music, art, or whatever the heck else your petrol loving heart desires. But when you do it at the expense of others by inconveniencing them, costing them time, and money then you need to be punished by the swift arm of the law. Imagine you're on the way to the airport, you're on time and ready to catch your $1200 flight to start your European vacation and a group of hoodlums pulls their box truck across 3 lanes of LA traffic and hop up on the roof to subject you to their heinous music. That's exactly what happened just a few days ago, and even though I hate to even post the video for fear that even that will give them a few hits on their you tube video, but you must see the stupidity yourself. Also, just to squelch your expectations, it's not catchy and it's pretty poorly written as well.

Mercedes Prototype Spotted

Driving on the 405 North through Long Beach I spotted a Mercedes SUV prototype with a single driver and at least 2 dummies riding along in the car. From what I saw it looked a lot like this ML prototype expected to be out in 2011.

I was suprised by how stealthy the exhaust is, but you can spot it underneath just barely. The shape of the grill leads me to believe they are also testing their active cruise control which they're calling "Distronic". Mercedes has certainly gone very mini van with the direction of the ML, making it quite unfortunate looking.

Here are some crappy cell phone pics...

Old School German Goodness

DTM cars are the epitome of race car Euro trash. Back in the 80's the battles on the circuit between the Audis, Mercs, and Bimmers was epic to say the least and this video does a great job of summing up the sideways action of these stiff bodied beasts along with some 2 wheeled door to door action. Even if you don't speak German, you are still required to keep the music going - for the ambiance of course.

Feelin' Fly Like a G6

I would like to take this opportunity to clear up a common misconception with a popular song that is making its rounds with the 20 somethings. In clubs you're going to be hearing the chorus, "feelin' fly like a G6". If you immediatley think of the Pontiac G6 then please remove the thing attached to your neck from your posterior.

The G6 is a Pimp Daddy jet that is cooler than the arctic and hotter than those Crocs Sandals that are already out of style.

Listen.

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3

Check out this Gallery of the AMG SLS Gullwing hanging out in Monterey this weekend. Most chromed out cars you see pictures of in Dubai look like giant baked potatoes, but this puppy is the bees knees. Click through for some gull winged, long lipped, car Pron.

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3

Lewis and Jenson Splooge All Over a Car

These two formula 1 world champions drive the most sophisticated race cars on the planet. With millions of dollars of development and hundreds of thousands of man hours into these beasts, they corner better and stay stuck to the ground better than any other car. Yet when Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button are let loose in McLaren's warehouse full of race cars, they're drawn to a car designed in the 1980's: the McLaren MP4/4. This car was so dominant, that Senna won 15 out of 16 races in the 1988 season. Watch these proper British blokes spread their figurative man juice all over the cockpit.

Quadrocopter UAV

The only thing cooler than a remote control helicopter is an autonomous 4 rotor helicopter that can fly through orthogonal gaps that are almost as small as it is. Check out the video below for a look at this bad ass piece of technology. Soon enough we'll invade a city with an army of these that will just post up on every wall with a camera and just stay there relaying info back to a safe area. Sweet doode. Sweet.

Turbo Blow Off Simulator for Retard Posers

The title says it all, but follow the link for a fantastic product that Bay Area tuner 034 EFI has put on the market. It's a real gem.

It sort of reminds me of the electronic devices you can plug into your car radio that make your car sound like a V8 or a V10. It's called sound racer and it's too expensive to justify even paying money for it as a gag gift.

Projects and Projekts

Most of us car guys wish we had the time, resources, and motivation to take one of our favorite old cars all covered in rust and the scars of a well lived life and strip it down to the metal. The satisfaction of taking what used to be beautiful and restoring it to a condition you can be proud of is both fulfilling and deeply rewarding. Being able to keep your creation and drive it whenever you like is a feeling like no other.

With that in mind, here are my top 6 favorite internet reads for amazing car creations.

1) Prospeed Audi S1

This recreation of one of history's most famed rally cars is really quite inspiring. Sorry it's not in English, but the pictures tell the story and Google translate can fill in the gaps.

2) DP Cars


Denis Palatov's website is dedicated to his creations including the DP1 which is a tube frame single seater that offers several aero, chassis, and drivetrain configurations. When I first started reading his site, it was dedicated primarily to the DP1 and recounts of his track days. It now includes his newest creations which have allowed him to start his own company and do what he loves. Check out the DP4, Hartley V8 powered Atom, and the electric drive train he's working on as well as the progress he's made over the past few years; it's quite impressive.

3) Midlana

Another site I've been following is that of Kimini and Midlana. These two cars are scratch built machines built for the track and street in a garage. The author also wrote a book about the experience and is creating plans for the car he's building right now so others can follow his example.

4) Bentley EXP Speed 8 Replica

This project might be right on the brink of absolute lunacy, but all the same it's impressive. The author is working on a replica of the famous Bentley EXP (arguably one of the best looking sports cars of all time) powered by an Audi 32 valve V8 and decided he needed to mill out his own body plug to pull moulds from. So he decided to make his own foam mill at his shop. Fantastic. He's got a ton of work to go, but I'll keep following to see the final product.

5) IMSA 90 Replica

If you haven't figured it out yet, I like old Audi race cars including Trans Am cars, which is why I've been reading through the build of this IMSA 90 replica which screams badassness like a 10 year old in a head lock.

6) Carbon Fiber Bodied Mustang

Having done quite a bit of composites work myself, it's been a blast to read through this guy's conversion of his Mustang into a plastic beast. He's done a great job with all the panels, although I'm not sure I agree with the car he's using to put all this effort into. From experience, I know what he's doing isn't cost efficient at all, but it's obvious he's not doing it for that reason. It'll be nice to see the final product and the amount of weight he has trimmed. Also, page 6 has a pretty detailed explanation of how he makes his panels.

Barrichello's Expensive Temper Tantrum

In case you didn't catch it, Rubens Barrichello chucked his steering wheel out of his Williams Formula 1 car in this weekend's Grand Prix in Monaco out of frustration after a mechanical failure on his car caused him to crash. Check out the poor quality video below.



F1 steering wheels are covered in buttons and dials for everything from traction control settings to limiting pit speed and getting a drink. Not only was Ruben's 10-year-old-like stunt dangerous as it put a steering wheel on track which became debris for other driver's to hit, but it's downright stupid. Without a steering wheel, the corner workers can't move the car at all, although in this case the missing rear wheels may be a factor for that as well. I'm guessing the team principal may have a bit of a word with him over this.

Good thing it wasn't Hamilton or Jenson's helmet though. The two former champions raced in Monaco with diamond studded steering wheels which would have been a bit costly to replace after this little shenanigan.

Honda Fit Type S low

I captured this gem driving home from work the other day. A Honda Fit with a Type S badge with a low emblem after it poking fun at ricers with multiple misleading badges adorning the rear of their car.

Porsche 550 Spyder

I'm sure I'll be writing about this for months to come, but now is a good time to share the first major milestone of a project I'm working on with a few good friends. This weekend Greg took the Porsche 550 replica we're working on to a kit car show in Pomona with it sitting on its own suspension as a rolling chassis.

This project all started with a bit of a crazy idea that a friend of a friend had to put a Porsche engine into a Porsche 550 fiberglass body with a kit car frame available from a company down in San Diego. If you're not familiar with the 550, you may remember it as James Dean's car fondly named "The Little Bastard". I came in to the Orange County shop where the frame was housed along with the built motor and had no idea what I was getting myself into. There sat a 3 inch side railed frame with a De Dion front end and enough rust to require a Tetanus shot if you looked at it close enough. In the coming months, this simple assembly and minor fabrication project turned into a massive build from scratch project involving welding, bead rolling, water jet cutting, machining, milling, turning, and a little bit of suspension and chassis design to fuel the fire. We couldn't just use a frame we bought from a kit car builder, we had to start from scratch to do the car justice.

With Greg as the vision, Matt set out building the engine and I began collaborating with the fabricator Josh to design and build the chassis and suspension.

The engine was chosen to be a 3.8L Porsche Carrera 993 air cooled motor and it was decided the Porsche 997 all aluminum suspension would be used. To make it work and fit in the 550 body we had to start from scratch making jigs for the 997 suspension and building a tube frame from scratch to hold everything together and act as the back bone of the car. In short, the car should be a 300+ HP car weighing less than 1800lbs. It has an inboard rear suspension and custom built everything including fuel tank, oil tank, frame, headers, steering column, and the list will only continue. Stay tuned for more updates in the future. Until then, here are a few shots of the car at the show this weekend.

Buemi's Chinese GP Practice Crash

In practice this past weekend, Sebastien Buemi had a bit of a problem with his car in the form of a catastrophic upright failure. Upon applying full brakes under what is probably the most severe load case an upright sees, the uprights absolutely disintegrate causing the wheels to fly off. Most F1 uprights are made of metal matrix composite and are very notch sensitive. However, a failure like this is most likely the result of a very bad mechanic's mistake, or worse, someone who should be thrown out of the design office. Check out the video for yourself...

Russian Backhoe Climbing

Simple Physics + Backhoe + Russian Insanity = This Video