MetaFilter posts tagged with cars

The Economist: The World in 2010

goodnewsfortheinsane — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 17:09:43 -0800

In 2010, Obama will have a miserable year, NATO may lose in Afghanistan, the UK gets a regime change, China needs to chill, India's factories will overtake its farms, Europe risks becoming an irrelevant museum, the stimulus will need an exit strategy, the G20 will see a challenge from the "G2", African football will unite Korea, conflict over natural resources will grow, Sarkozy will be unloved and unrivalled, the kids will come together to solve the world's problems (because their elders are unable), technology will grow ever more ubiquitous, we'll all charge our phones via USB, MBAs will be uncool, the Space Shuttle will be put to rest, and Somalia will be the worst country in the world. And so the Tens begin.

The Economist: The World in 2010. Previously: 2009, 2008, 2007. How did we do last time around? Guest contributions: President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso lines up Europe's priorities President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev argues for dialogue and cooperation President of the Maldives Mohamed Nasheed wants his island nation to remain above water President of Indonesia Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono would like for Islam and the West to live in harmony President of South Africa Jacob Zuma says Africa should rise to the occasion Director-General of the World Health Organisation Margaret Chan predicts the development of the flu pandemic Managing director of the International Monetary Fund Dominique Strauss-Kahn explains how to prevent another crisis CEO of Yahoo! Carol Bartz believes business leaders should tap into the information flood Chairman of HSBC Stephen Green argues that the financial sector should welcome emerging economies CEO of Fiat Group and Chrysler Group Sergio Marchionne thinks greener cars require bolder action CEO/CTO of SpaceX Elon Musk says the private sector should handle space travel

In Defense of Jaywalking

aerotive — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:32:05 -0800

Interesting article at Slate, In Defense of Jaywalking, where the author describes how the media and others often slant coverage of pedestrian vs auto accidents--examples include San Francisco Chronicle, Boston Globe , and New York Post columns. Police, who are typically car-bound, are often biased in favor of other drivers. Not unexpectedly the Federal Highway Administration has curious language regarding walkers--"Still, almost no one can avoid occasional pedestrian status". Even the term jaywalking is commonly misused. Solutions? More money towards safer walking (including a reversal of funding policies that favor cars), better places to walk, pedestrian-friendly engineering, lower urban speed limits, harsher penalties for drivers that violate pedestrian's rights, and critical reading of the often selective and sensationalized media coverage of traffic crashes.

highway hifi, ultramicrogroovey revolution!

jessamyn — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 18:41:06 -0800

Peter Goldmark, developer of early color tv technology, is lesser known for a cooler invention, the Highway Hifi – the first recorded-music player for an automobile. The under-dash system played records provided by Columbia Records which played at 16 ⅔ rpm even when the vehicle was in motion. It was first released with Chrysler models in 1956 but lackluster promotion of the option by both Columbia and Chrysler led to the option being discontinued before the 60s. More details from Goldmark's autobiography. Goldmark later went on to work with Recording for the Blind to develop small microgrooved records that would play at 8 rpm but that experiment was ultimately abandoned in favor of continuing to record at 16 ⅔ rpm, anticipating the rapid development of tape technology that would render talking book records obsolete. (more on the early Talking Books project)

gravity

plexi — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:25:55 -0800

Saturn is no more. "Other industries could learn from the Saturn Corporation. Certainly GM is taking what they have learned from their Saturn investment and incorporating it into their existing plants and facilities where practical. It will not be an overnight experience. Like Saturn, it will take time, investment and a strong commitment to regain the role of world leader in the automobile industry."

Delivered in 30 years... or less!

1f2frfbf — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 09:30:58 -0800

"Papa" John Schnatter loved his old Camaro so much he couldn't bear to watch it drive away after he sold it, but he used the proceeds of the sale to start a restaurant business (which ended up going pretty well). To celebrate the 25th anniversary of starting his restaurant, he traveled the US to thank his employees and search for his lost car. Surprisingly, he found it, bought it back and to celebrate he's giving everyone with a Camaro a free pizza tomorrow. (Aug. 26th)

Hurry! Cash For Clunkers Ends Monday

netbros — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 10:37:42 -0800

What’s so special about the super cars that make people spend cosmic sums on a single car to buy it? Here are the Most Expensive Supercars: Exotic Showcase. Looking for cheap wheels? Here they are — the ten least-expensive 2009 cars on sale in America. But sticker price insn't everything; here are the 10 most and least expensive cars to insure.

Why you should keep your car in a garage

Ruthless Bunny — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 06:30:01 -0800

Mother Nature vs. Cars A local newspaper's dream come true. Cars in the aftermath of weather events.

The end of a historic car graveyard in Kaufdorf

kudzu — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 12:09:19 -0800

A car graveyard in Kaufdorf, near Bern is home to 500 abandoned and decaying cars mostly from the 1930's to 1960's. It has not been touched for over 30 years and has some rare flora and founa. The opportunity to take stunning photographs is unparalleled, but it is causing environmental issues which results in an auction this September. It was a struggle between history, nature and European law. History and nature lose. Flickr hyve mind photo's.

The One and Only Woodward Dream Cruise

brandman — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 18:18:14 -0800

Tonight ends the 15th annual Woodward Dream Cruise, where tens of thousands of classic cars, muscle cars, hot rods, and more cruise Woodward Avenue in Southeast Michigan. While the cruise celebrates the glory dates of the American automobile (and the culture that developed around it), there’s more to love about Woodward than just this one event. For instance, it just celebrated the 100th anniversary of being the first concrete highway in the world! And with over a million people attending and having a good time, it’s a sign that not all is bad in Detroit at the moment.

Perambulating Penthouse

dersins — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 09:21:31 -0800

The Ford Treasury of Station Wagon Living blogged. (Vol 2). Downloadable at the Internet Archive. Scans of drawings here. [Via (well, shamelessly stolen from) 10Engines.]

Cash for clunkers

nervousfritz — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 11:17:14 -0800

How to destroy an engine. (slyt) Another 2 billion ready to go for your new car purchase via the CARS program. More good news for American business today.

Smart? Tossers.

acb — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 09:30:14 -0800

The latest craze among yobs in Amsterdam seems to be Smart tossing. Jeremy Clarkson would undoubtedly approve, were he not busy urging Britain to invade France.

iQ Font

billysumday — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 09:47:11 -0800

Cars + fonts = the iQ font.

Why's he calling me meat? I'm the one driving a Porsche.

JaredSeth — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 06:42:13 -0800

The acquisition of Porsche by Volkswagen, just weeks after a Porsche attempt to take over VW via a series of complex stock options backfired, appears to be the latest salvo in the longstanding feud between cousins Ferdinand Piech and Wolfgang Porsche. Back in May, Wolfgang Porsche sought investments from Qatar to shore up Porsche's finances and vowed that “Porsche AG will not be sold to Volkswagen.”

FoMoCo's Early Years

Turkey Glue — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 16:23:49 -0800

On October 1, 1908, the first Ford Model T rolled out of the factory on Piquette Avenue in Detroit. Many people today wonder why Henry Ford started his nomenclature with the letter "T." Short answer: He didn't. Long answer: He developed and sold 8 models under the Ford name before the Model T. (Note: Henry's first automobile, built independently in 1896, was dubbed the Quadricycle, which was one of the first cars on the streets of Detroit. He sold this for $200, bought it back for $65, and it is now on display at the Henry Ford Museum.) The first car produced by the Ford Motor Company was the 1903 Model A. (No, not that Model A; that came in 1927.) Sold for $750 (with an optional rear seat for an extra $100,) the car had a 2 cylinder, 8 horsepower motor located under the front seat (the notch for the engine crank is noticeable in this picture) that could push the car to 30 miles per hour. Only 1750 of these were built, and obviously, very few survive to this day. (As a matter of fact, one was sold at auction for $630,000 in 2007.) The Model A was a success, which was fortunate, as Mr. Ford had spent all but $228 of his original $28,000 investment. This led to the Model C, basically a modified Model A. First produced in late 1904, the C had a longer wheelbase, a 10 horsepower motor, as well as an ornamental hood, which held the fuel tank. Also notable is that the Model C is the first Ford to be built in Canada. Ford's Model F, also introduced in late 1904, also shared many similarities with the A & C. The Model F had a longer wheelbase than both cars, a larger (12hp) engine, and it represented a mid-size addition to the Ford product line. Only 1000 were built, and not much information is available about this model, though it seems to be represented as at least a modest success. Not all early Fords were as popular or profitable as the A, C, and F, however. Alexander Malcomson, who owned an equal share of the Ford Motor Company, urged Henry Ford to build large luxury cars, hopefully to reap their large profit margins. Thus, the Model B was born. The B was the first Ford to have a front-mounted, 4-cylinder engine. Despite all its modern mechanics, Ford couldn't convince many people to ante up the $2000 price tag (roughly $50,000 today,) and only 600 were built. There remain only 2 Model Bs in running condition today. Following in the B's footsteps came the Model K, whose 6-cylinder, 40 horsepower engine could power the car to a terrifying 60 miles per hour. The K was billed as a steady, powerful, and luxurious automobile, but in reality, the cars were unreliable and ungodly expensive ($2500-3000 in 1906.) Only 900 were built, and less than 10 are known to exist. The lack of success of the B & K allowed Henry Ford to buy out Malcomson's share of the company (recounted by Malcomson's wife at the bottom of this page,) which left him free to produce the small, durable, cheap automobiles he dreamed of making. Thus, Ford's first smash hit was born: the Model N. The N wasn't much more than a covered engine on wheels, which led to its low selling price of $500. The Model R and Model S were variants of the N, and together, they made Ford the world's largest automobile manufacturer in 1908. So, while these early Ford variants are not well-known (only ~18,000 total pre-T Fords were produced,) they provided the foundation and direction that allowed Henry Ford to dominate the world's automobile market for the next 19 years. (Previously, sort of.)

Nine Inch Cars

Mintyblonde — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 15:33:16 -0800

Last night at the London o2 arena, Gary Numan joined Trent and the gang on stage for an unexpected double bill rendition of Metal and Cars. The crowd went wild....

Landscapes of the Dream

WPW — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 07:13:33 -0800

Industrial Span, Dead Cars, Burnout, Roadside Memorials. Short films by Ashley Perry.

What is an "American" car? NYT helps us find out.

johngumbo — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 20:24:27 -0800

Buy American - Not as easy as it may seem. The "Cash for Clunkers" program is intended to not only help the environment, but also to stimulate domestic car sales. But what is a "domestic" car?

Crash-for-Clunkers

spiderskull — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 19:23:22 -0800

The US House of Representatives today passed a Cash-for-Clunkers bill, giving people up to $4,500 to trade in their old cars for newer, more efficient cars. Inspired by European and Chinese successes, the bill is naturally not without its detractors.

Just one word - Plastics

Antidisestablishmentarianist — Tue, 26 May 2009 09:26:51 -0800

Even if cars soon start running entirely on electricity or hydrogen, they'll still need 100 gallons or more of oil to make their plastic parts...

I know what's wrong and that's good.

Brandon Blatcher — Wed, 06 May 2009 13:46:50 -0800

"...criticism, for lack of a better word, is good. Criticism is right. Criticism works. Criticism clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit…

A lotta guys try to catch her but she leads them on a wild goose chase now

caddis — Sat, 02 May 2009 21:34:26 -0800

Start your engines. Megan Culbert, age 8, was in her first year of racing.... her best time so far was an 11.30 in the 1/8 mile. Vroom.

One is such a lonely number...

clevershark — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 09:19:01 -0800

What do the following cars have in common? The Chrysler Neon. The Daihatsu Charade. The Dodge Viper SRT-10. The Ferrari SuperAmerica. The Fiat Croma. The Hummer H2. The Hyundai Terracan. The Hyundai Trajet. The Rover 75. The CityRover. The Smart Cabrio. The Tata Safari. Give up? Each one of the cars listed above sold exactly one new (as in, not previously registered) unit last year in the UK, according to the Daily Telegraph. This makes them the most exclusive cars of 2008.

Where did Cars come from, daddy?

We had a deal, Kyle — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 13:41:59 -0800

DadHacker (previously on Mefi) ponders how the world of Pixar's Cars came about: "They turned on us, and were very thorough." Jake Parker asks a more biomechanical question and sketches the nightmarish result: "Where does the flesh end and the machine begin?"

Two-story camping car

madamjujujive — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 07:21:36 -0800

"We were classmates in high school... And we spoke the plan to go to Yakushima Island. However, the talk swells greatly...We decided to make a camper for a round-the-japan trip. We thought that various equipment was necessary to long trip. However, the bed space has disappeared when various equipment is packed. Then, the idea adjusted to two stories appeared." More on the truck and the trip. (via Dinosaurs and Robots)