The car thread ...

[neoplacebo]

Those convertible SS models are pretty rare; mine is like the other one. I don't much like the new versions; they sort of look like a tennis shoe.

[1 CAT FAN]

The fifth generation Camaro does look better than the new sixth generation - with it's 69' wide style grille & RS halo lights.

67' style taillights with rear spoiler.

Fondly Remembering the Fifth-Generation Camaro - 2010 Considering the model hasn’t been produced for nearly a decade, the new iteration of the Camaro didn’t resemble its predecessor. For starters, the vehicle could be equipped with a whole new slate of available engine offerings. The 3.6-liter V6 engine was one of the smaller options, but the system still managed to pump out a hulking 312 horsepower and 273 pounds-feet of torque. The next offering was the incredible 6.2-liter V8 engine, which was accompanied by a manual transmission. Drivers could ultimately anticipate a practically unmatched 426 horsepower and 420 pounds-feet of torque. Finally, the innovative L99 V8 engine was for those seeking a bit more efficiency. Despite the impressive 400 horsepower and 410 pounds-feet of torque, fuel-saving technologies like Active Fuel Management contributed to the impressive 30-miles-per-gallon highway fuel efficiency.

https://www.autoinfluence.com/fondly-re ... on-camaro/

[1 CAT FAN]

2010 Ford Shelby GT500 - It's every host's worst nightmare. You fuss and fret to make everything perfect, redecorating inside and out, upgrading to the best, most powerful entertainment systems, and then...nobody comes. You can't blame Ford for overpreparing. The ruffians that were expected to crash the Mustang's perennial sales party looked tough -- particularly the 500-plus-hp Camaro Z/28. Party preparations in the drivetrain included adding knock sensors to the Ford GT-based, Eaton-supercharged 5.4L engine for the first time. This enabled more aggressive spark-advance timing to fatten the torque curve and improve throttle response, though peak output equals the KR's: 540 hp and 510 lb-ft.

Inside and out, the 2010 Shelby GT500 feels more special than the outgoing model, from its unique front and rear appearance -- optimized for ideal aerodynamic balance at speeds of 120 or more -- to its dressier cabin with leather stripes stitched into the leather and Alcantara seats color-matched to the racing stripes on the outside.

https://www.motortrend.com/cars/ford/sh ... irst-test/

I like it better in red.

[Vrede too]

Tell NC Legislature, Don't Overtax Electric Vehicles!

[O Really]

So back in the early 1900's, Rauch and Lang electric cars were nationally sold and highly popular. Too bad they didn't just keep on developing that technology then.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rauch_and_Lang

[neoplacebo]

So back in the early 1900's, Rauch and Lang electric cars were nationally sold and highly popular. Too bad they didn't just keep on developing that technology then.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rauch_and_Lang

Give me the shaft; chains will break more easily. This thing probably didn't go over as well as hoped due to the lack of universally available electricity (my area of the country did not have electricity in most homes until the 40''s, especially in rural areas until TVA came along). And I assume the electric motor is up front and probably weighs more than a gasoline engine. This rig would likely sink into the mud considering the state of a lot of roads back then. An idea ahead of its time.

[O Really]

One of the places they were popular was San Francisco - must have been fun getting up and down those hills.

[neoplacebo]

One of the places they were popular was San Francisco - must have been fun getting up and down those hills.

I didn't read the history of the company until now, but $3,200 in 1913 was probably ten times the cost of Ford's car. Hell, my next door neighbor's dad bought a new 69 Roadrunner for that same amount. I suppose the wealthy German partner is to blame for the aristocratic price. But I'm sure there was a market in SF; I can easily imagine the Hearsts and Stanfords and Mullhollands and their peers buying these novel machines. I should have been there.

[O Really]

Yeah, I've been to a lot of car shows and I'd never heard of that one before we saw one in a museum. It's weird how you drive the thing. No steering wheel, but you use a rudder sort of thing and a hand control for brakes. Pretty much like driving a large golf cart, I'd think.

[Vrede too]

So back in the early 1900's, Rauch and Lang electric cars were nationally sold and highly popular. Too bad they didn't just keep on developing that technology then.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rauch_and_Lang

In 1899 Ninety Percent of New York City’s Taxi Cabs Were Electric Vehicles

... In 1902 an electric car, the Baker Torpedo, became the first car to have an aerodynamic body that enclosed both the driver and the platform. This car at one point reached 80 mph in a speed test before crashing and killing two spectators. It was later clocked as high as 120 mph, but with spectators not invited this time.

Give me the shaft; chains will break more easily. This thing probably didn't go over as well as hoped due to the lack of universally available electricity (my area of the country did not have electricity in most homes until the 40''s, especially in rural areas until TVA came along). And I assume the electric motor is up front and probably weighs more than a gasoline engine. This rig would likely sink into the mud considering the state of a lot of roads back then. An idea ahead of its time.

... The only real advantage that gas powered cars had at this time were the long ranges they were capable of with larger tanks and the ability to fill up quickly when the tank was empty. However, because at the time there weren’t a lot of well developed roads for cars to drive on safely, most people only drove cars in cities anyways, rarely traveling long distances for normal usage of cars.

... Another great one was the American Morrison electric car which was capable of ranges of 182 miles on a single charge! It was also capable of 14 mph, which again isn’t notable by today’s standards, but that 182 mile range certainly is.

Cost for a basic model electric car in the early 1900’s was about $1000, with more lavishly decked out models costing closer to $3000 a piece. Enter Henry Ford and a few other factors and we see the downfall of the electric car.

By 1915 Henry Ford, due in part to his innovative assembly line construction, was able to offer his cars at a base price of around $500 a piece (equivalent to about $10,000 today), which made it affordable for even average people, something that had never been the case before. In contrast, at that time the average price of an electric car had steadily risen to about $1700. This was also around the same time crude oil was discovered in Texas and Oklahoma, which drastically reduced the cost of gasoline so that it was now affordable to average consumers. In addition to these factors, Charles Kettering invented the electric starter, which eliminated the need to hand crank gas powered engines. Roads began expanding, spurring the need for greater range that only gas engines could provide at the time; this was not only because of the range factor, but also because gasoline cars were now becoming significantly faster than electric cars.

By 1935 the electric car was officially dead and wasn’t revisited until around the 1960s and then still unsuccessfully....

Bonus Fact:

One notable electric car manufacturer who previously was known for the “Wood’s Phaeton”, which had a range of 18 miles at 14 mph, in 1916 invented a hybrid car that had both an internal combustion engine and an electric motor. Take THAT Prius!

Thus began a proud New York City taxi tradition:

The First Speeding Infraction in the U.S. was Committed by a New York City Taxi Driver in an Electric Car on May 20, 1899

… German was driving his taxi at a blistering 12 miles per hour down Lexington Street in Manhattan. At that time, the speed limit was 8 miles per hour on straight-a-ways and 4 miles per hour when turning. A police officer on a bicycle observed the 26 year old Mr. German speeding and promptly arrested him and imprisoned him in the East 22nd Street station house.

There is some contention on whether he actually received a paper ticket or not, which would have also made him the first person in the U.S. to receive an actual physical ticket, as opposed to just being the first to be cited for committing a speeding infraction.

The general consensus seems to be that he did not receive an actual ticket and, rather, the first known paper speeding ticket issued to a driver in the United States was to one Harry Myers in Dayton Ohio in 1904. Mr. Myers was also traveling 12 miles per hour when the police observed him speeding. In his case though, he wasn’t arrested, but was just issued a ticket.

Outside of the United States, the first known speeding infraction is thought to have been committed in Great Britain on January 28, 1896, around three years before Jacob German was arrested for speeding. This infraction was committed by Walter Arnold of East Peckham, Kent. Mr. Arnold was traveling in a 2 mph zone (yes, 2 mph) and was going a breakneck 8 mph. The fine he received was for 1 shilling.

Bonus Facts:

* According to the U.S. Census Bureau, an estimated 100,000 people per day are cited for speeding in the United States with an average cost of $150 per ticket, generating around $15 million per day or around $5.5 billion per year in revenue.
* The fastest speed ever recorded on a speeding ticket was for a car doing 242 mph in a 75 mph zone in May of 2003 in Texas. The car was a Swedish Koenigsegg CC85. One wonders how the police officer caught up.
* The most expensive speeding ticket to date was given to Jussi Salonoja in 2003 in Finland. Salonoja had to pay 170,000 Euros (around $250,000) for doing 80 km/h in a 40 km/hr zone (about 50 mph in a 25 mph). Ouch. The fines in Finland are partially based on the income of the person being ticketed and Mr. Salonoja is a reasonably wealthy business man and investor….

[1 CAT FAN]

Those cars are before my time, but it's good that you old fellas have the opportunity to reminisce about your youth. Tell me, did they come in red with racing stripes too?

[neoplacebo]

Those cars are before my time, but it's good that you old fellas have the opportunity to reminisce about your youth. Tell me, did they come in red with racing stripes too?

One day back in 1835, when I was younger, I decided to put racing stripes on my horse but started drinking and ended up with so many racing stripes that my horse looked like a fucking zebra; and as far as I could tell, ran no faster.

[Vrede too]

You have any idea how many of your posts are just generic taunting? Whether it's sports, politics, religion, whatever, you post only taunts. Why don't you occasionally pick something you'd like to talk about and maybe you would get better responses and less ridicule.

Immature 'nyah, nyah, nyah' is all s/he's got, this time stupidly that we're old. Duh.

[1 CAT FAN]

Those cars are before my time, but it's good that you old fellas have the opportunity to reminisce about your youth. Tell me, did they come in red with racing stripes too?

One day back in 1835, when I was younger, I decided to put racing stripes on my horse but started drinking and ended up with so many racing stripes that my horse looked like a fucking zebra; and as far as I could tell, ran no faster.

Motivation always helps.

[1 CAT FAN]

Immature 'nyah, nyah, nyah' is all s/he's got, this time stupidly that we're old. Duh.

Time does not pertain to you, does it Vrede...

[neoplacebo]

Time is just another dimension. I myself have mastered it. Did you not notice that in the early nineteenth century I was approaching my prime? I was going to also relate how, after I sobered up from the racing stripe fiasco, I intended to install "H" size wide oval horse shoes on my steed. Since you make light of these equine accomplishments, though, I changed my mind. I will not address any of this again until at least 2080 and maybe not then.

[Vrede too]

One day back in 1835, when I was younger, I decided to put racing stripes on my horse but started drinking and ended up with so many racing stripes that my horse looked like a fucking zebra; and as far as I could tell, ran no faster.

Student archaeologists unearth tavern in eastern NC

... Dating the 15-by-25 foot structure has proved elusive, Ewen said, but he guesses it could have been active from the 1740s to the 1760s....

They found a drawing of a drunk passed out in the corner. It's titled "neoplacebo".

[neoplacebo]

One day back in 1835, when I was younger, I decided to put racing stripes on my horse but started drinking and ended up with so many racing stripes that my horse looked like a fucking zebra; and as far as I could tell, ran no faster.

Student archaeologists unearth tavern in eastern NC

... Dating the 15-by-25 foot structure has proved elusive, Ewen said, but he guesses it could have been active from the 1740s to the 1760s....

They found a drawing of a drunk passed out in the corner. It's titled "neoplacebo".

That sure brings back fond memories of my perilous trek from the coast to the mountains of TN. I sort of figured I'd left an impression on those boys but had no idea I had been immortalized. I am honored and humbled.

[1 CAT FAN]

Time is just another dimension. I myself have mastered it. Did you not notice that in the early nineteenth century I was approaching my prime? I was going to also relate how, after I sobered up from the racing stripe fiasco, I intended to install "H" size wide oval horse shoes on my steed. Since you make light of these equine accomplishments, though, I changed my mind. I will not address any of this again until at least 2080 and maybe not then.

Can't wait for those new automotive models to come out?

[1 CAT FAN]

20 Best, Fastest And Most Powerful Modern Muscle Cars https://motor-junkie.com/20-best-fastes ... s/21424/2/

Wow! Make sure the family is buckled up! There were fast SUVs before Jeep introduced the Trackhawk and there will be long after the Trackhawk is discontinued. However, this glorious machine deserves a place on our list for two reasons. First, the 707 Hellcat Hemi engine under the hood. Second, with a 3.4-second 0 to 60 mph time, this makes it faster than some supercars.