"A Land Cruiser"... damn clever customization of a Toyota nameplate, and a cool off roader

Nothing but love

here's a personal message to http://thestreetsofdenver.blogspot.com/ who had stolen my photos of the Blastolene Indy Special, and wasn't able to read the post title, and called it Big Bertha.

So Lou, go eff yourself you punk. Stupid and lazy.

Stole my photos and disrespected the Blastolene Brothers by not getting the name of their Indy Special right, disrespecting your readers for not putting your best on your site for them, and having no respect for other photographers but labeling all your photos with "copyright streetsofdenver.com" thinking anyone will respect it when your site is full of images you haven't given a photo credit to the sources for

Sorry to you regular readers for dropping this stinker in the normal flow of cool stuff that is  sharing my passion for the auto world

the classic self deprecating ads for VW bug

from http://thestreetsofdenver.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-peoples-cartruth-in-advertising.html who has a whole gallery of them

Cutest antenna ball I've seen, Animal from the Muppets

Some interesting and unusual things from the British Car Council annual car show

Pictured below is an actual WW2 Brockhouse Corgi GI camp scooter from the archives

 Looks like a hoodscoop more commonly found on 60's race cars and hot rods

 the backseat of this 60's Aston Martin is nearly couchlike

 starter fluid, don't leave home without it

who knew a Morgan glovebox made a good cupholder?

Al Davis custom? Huh... another bit of trivia lost to the past. Who or what Al Davis radios were known for will likely never be known or recalled. Certainly it isn't referring to the LA Raiders former owner

Wrong Pedal? I Wonder Why ...by Denise McCluggage, article in Oct 1 2012 issue of Auto Week, and on Denise's own website

Women drivers—specifically really young ones and really old ones—are more likely than other drivers to cause collisions by putting a foot wrong. ( http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/04/women_more_likely_to_mistake_g.html )

 Or so says a recent report from The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. ( DOT HS 811 597 )

The study found that women—more specifically 20- and 76-year olds—were disproportionately likely to tromp on the accelerator when they aimed for the brake. Thus crashing, most often in parking lots. The report seemed almost apologetic, like they expected to get yelled out for politically incorrectness. But I nod in easy belief for many reasons. First the young women: my evidence is anecdotal but I give good anecdote so trust me. Girls are better students than boys. They also tend to have confidence in what they learn. They’ve been attentive in driver’s-ed and, bless their naïve little hearts, are positive they now know How to Drive.

A single anecdote: a friend riding with such a daughter offered a suggestion (really a plea) which was rejected with: “Da-aad, I know what I’m doing!” My friend told me that all has daughter knew was foot hard on the brake or hard on the gas. Such conviction cannot imagine error. Car doesn’t slow when the “brake” is pushed? Push harder. Another thing, what is this 20-year-old wearing on her driving feet? I’d like to see accident reports include that information. Flip-flops? Quite possible. And quite hazardous. Or maybe stiletto heels or platform sandals. Not ideal for sensing what one’s feet are doing in pedal land.

 Now for the older segment. When “unintended acceleration” first came into our ken years ago drivers most often involved were found to be short of stature. (Stretching to depress the pedals?) Also many had recently changed from one model car to another. (Unfamiliarity with pedal location?)

 Now consider this. Even if the older women are driving a car they’ve had for years their relationship to the pedals could well be new to them. Experience speaking here. One day I got into my ’93 Sidekick and became aware that my steering wheel was fuzzily – annoyingly—encroaching into my field of vision. The wheel is not adjustable. Little is in an old Suzuki.

 What had happened? My condensing spine, yielding to mounting years of gravity, had reached a Notice Point. Like the wicked witch I was “shrinking, shrinking!” So I bought a wedge-shaped cushion for the car seat and, sigh, was elevated back to normality. No bothersome steering wheel intrusion and my chin boldly level again. And thus my eyes looking, not peering. (Level, dear driver, is of critical importance for proper placement of the horizon. A proper horizon helps you nail your turns. Doubt me not.) My Suzuki seating, being kitchen-chair upright, created no problems for me with the pedals, but in most cars old-age shrinkage can change a driver’s positioning vis a vis brake and accelerator. If you have a shrinking old lady in your family check out her relationship to the pedals as she drives. Particularly as she backs up, a maneuver frequent in parking lots. Is there tippy-toeing? An uncertainty as to which pedal her feet are contacting? She could be at risk for wrong-footing and hitting something.

For your daughter, insist on appropriate footwear (she can keep driving shoes in the car) and give her some pedal-awareness exercises. For your Mom or Auntie Doodah, get her into a car that fits. (Recognize that adjustments on many seats are inadequate.) And for everyone, use this remedy for unintended acceleration: “If what you’re doing doesn’t work—stop doing it.”

http://denisemccluggage.com/index.php/mcblog/comments/wrong_pedal_i_wonder_why

Why Jeeps are jacked and raised so high... huh. The secret is now out

bugcatcher with humor

Wheelchair with lawn cutting blades... ummmm, what? What is the idea? To push yourself around the front yard and cut the grass?

Hagerty ins co celebrates the Tour of LeMons 2012 at Monterey

Prisoner transport irony

found on http://justacargal.blogspot.com/

Closest to the wall without scraping award goes to Les Werling in his Mercury Capri

2 quarters for 5 minutes

Few cars drag a traffic cone, and none have done it like this

Texting, not just a car driver occupation, this biker put his Ultra Glide on auto pilot while he updates the Facebook profile.

Found on a rumble seat

the fine print on the 4th line from the bottom says it's the 1931 edition, I looked at ABE books and Amazon.com and neither have a copy. Damn. That probably would have been a funny version of victorian nonsense. I'm coming from the point that they coach their perspective of an unknown issue being caused by a rumble seat time beyond the norm... that strikes me funny. 

left on my friends truck

Can you figure out this license plate?

It's the plate of a co-workers girlfriend, and it's a lot more complicated than I guessed. I'll post the answer here in this post tomorrow.

One good guess from J King, that backwards it would be "In a VII (roman numeral 7)"

Because a roman numeral was integrated into this, "Eye for an eye"
 I IV an I

GQ magazine is printing nonsense

30. LEARN HOW TO DRIVE A STICK SHIFT. Every girlfriend I've ever had has the same two complaints about me: I'm not totally in touch with my feelings, and I can't drive a stick shift. I'm still working on the former, but I'm giving up on the latter. Because, seriously: Who cares? People tell you that a manual transmission makes you feel more in control of the car, more "at one" with the machine. I'm sure that's a neat sensation in a Bugatti. But I don't need to be more "at one" with a piece-of-shit Subaru. Not knowing how to drive a stick shift is one of those things that seem like a big deal when you're young but turn out to be pretty meaningless when you're older. Like trigonometry or Christmas.—Jason Gay 

 31. BLOG. Your audience at the company cafeteria is bigger than what you'll have on the Internet.

from the top 50 things in the GQ article "50 Things a Man Does NOT Need to Learn to Do"  http://www.gq.com/entertainment/humor/200609/50-things-not-to-do-before-you-die-bucket-list

you have likely figured out I think this is nonsense

So mad at the cops for arresting him, he came back for vengeance, and got it by crushing ALL of their vehicles with his ultra tractor

According to police, 34 year old Roger Pion, was on a stolen Case MX 255 8 wheel farm tractor, angry about his arrest for resisting arrest and marijuana possession last month, when he was rolling across their vehicles - five marked cruisers, one unmarked car and a transport van.

Vermont's Orleans County sheriff's deputies working inside their building on Thursday didn't know what was happening until a neighbor called 911. They didn't hear the ruckus outside their former bank building with really think walls, because their air conditioners were humming.

 When police ran outside, the tractor was already down the driveway and out onto the road. Police said they couldn't pursue the man because their cars were crushed.

video and photo found on http://motleynews.net/2012/08/03/lmao-vermont-man-upset-over-mj-arrest-uses-tractor-to-crush-7-police-cars/