Friday Thoughts - Royal Wedding, Model Life

Watch the royal wedding? I didn't either, but my wife spent the night with her sister, so that they could get up bright(?) and early and not disturb me. She did call me at 5 AM to tell me to watch the cars arriving  -  thoughtful of her! I'm glad she did call me, as the cars were varied and interesting for your carguy. I'd seen the new Bentley before (see below), but loved the old Rollers going back to 1957 (Charles' ride). Also saw a new Jag XJ, old Daimlers and a bevy of Range Rover escorts.

Kind of ironic that the British royal family should be using German cars these days, but I guess unless they crammed into Morgans, they don't have much choice.

A model life? Well maybe not, but it you're referring to my hobby, it's appropriate. The car modelling cat and I just finished a 1957 Chrysler 300C hardtop  -  those were the days. Look at those fins........

I've been making 1/24th scale car models since 1960 and have every one I've ever built on display in my basement "car room". Sitting on a shelf, I think my models look exactly like the real deal. All the chrome is foil, pain stakingly applied and trimmed to fit. Inside and outside are sprayed, logos coloured in (red/white/blue in the C's case).

Stay tuned for the very interesting pic I'll post on Monday.

Until next time........

Tuesday - Colourful News

Before we get into the coloured bits, take a look at this new Scion FR-S concept (?).....

Isn't that a great looking car? Well I like it  -   it has real attitude. One of my co-workers thinks it's too "in your face", but what does he know, he drives a beige Corolla! This is a concept now, but opinion is that it will be a real Scion sometime in 2012. Toyota, who is behind Scion, really needs to have some "character" cars in their line up. These companies have gotten too darn cautious with their designs.

Speaking of colour.......a study has just been released showing that the top colours world wide are white, black, silver and grey. Does this come as a surprise to anyone with eyes? Some interesting bits.....

- white is popular in San Francisco

- black in Boston

- green in Philly, Pittsburgh and DC

- orange and gold in Miami

- blue in the Czech Republic, but white most everywhere else in Europe

- cream in Italy and France

Upcoming.........next Monday I'll include a very interesting photo, that I bet you've never seen before.

By the way, the car modelling cat and I have started building a North Carolina State Police 2010 Dodge Charger.

Until next time.......

Thursday - New York Show

Great timing! Just as our volatile gas prices start heading up, Chrysler has unveiled their new hot rod, the SRT8 version of the new 300C. It's tougher looking than the last one  -  check out those wheels  - and even more powerful  - 465 horsepower. Nice for a Sunday drive (to your nearest drag strip?).

Jeep also unveiled their hot rodded Grand Cherokee with a similar power plant.

New unveilings at the New York Show also included the Chev Malibu, Subaru Impreza (see below) and several other tasty treats for the power hungry and the thrifty. Check out http://www.autoweek.com/ and the New York Show for a complete listing. Used to be that Detroit Show was the big gun (actually still is), but the auto manufacturers always save something important for the Big Apple. 


I like Subarus  -  they are never too exciting (ok, let's not count the STi), but are attractive, good solid cars which give excellent vaue to their owners.

Long weekend with not a lot planned  -  one golf game hopefully and some quality time with the car modelling cat finishing off the '57 300C. For those wondering how I waste my spare time, I'll post pics next week.

Happy Easter........until next time.......

Monday notes - New Beetle

How do you update a retro design? I read this comment today and it brought back something I said about the late PT Cruiser. Thought that when it was updated from its 40's look, it should have morphed into a 50's design complete with big fins and wild colours. Imagine my disappointment when the PT was cancelled. Same with the Chevy HHR  -  neat design, but what to do for an encore? Nothing, as it's cancelled too after 2011. Well, now VW has stepped up to the challenge and done a new New Beetle (see below).  The look is distinctive and won't be mistaken for anything else, but with its chopped roof it has been updated nicely. No longer just a chick mobile? Any thoughts?

Great racing this past weekend.........

The F1 race in Shanghai was a barnburner. After about 30 minutes it looked like the same old, same old, so off I went to the gym. Dam! Two of my favorites, Hamilton and Webber were faring badly, one in 4th, one in 16th. Turned out to be a great race  -  when I checked the results later, Hamilton had won and Webber was 3rd  -  one of the best races in years! So I'm in better shape, but missed out on a rare and very exciting F1 race. Dam again!

Now how about NASCAR at Talladega? Four wide at the finish line and the 2nd closest NASCAR race in history.  I like the new "couples racing" (an acquired taste, I'm sure). To see the two cars (Johnson & Earnhardt) get to the front with only feet to go was fantastic. Not a Jimmie fan, but anyone should applaud a race finish like this one.

Until next time......

Friday Musings

Chevrolet introduces new Malibu at Shanghai Auto Show! Can you imagine reading that headline 30 years ago or 20 or even 10? Shows the strength and importance of this market for all the car manufacturers. But Chevrolet  -  Mum, Dad, apple pie and the American flag Chevrolet  -  who would have figured? To be fair, it is simultaneously being unveiled at the New York show. Check out the photos at autoweek.com  -  great looking car.
Have you seen any new Fiats on the road? Saw my first the other day, cute, but I have my reservations about its longterm prospects. Fiat's a niche car like the Mini, but look how they've expanded that line up  -  even to include a mini Mini suv  -  who would have thought? Saw lots of new Fiats in Italy last year along with the original. The Italians sure do have a soft spot for their Cinquecento.
NASCAR at Talladega this Sunday  -  always liked this race, keeps me on the edge of my seat. Now even more interesting with the two by two racing. Weather looks threatening.
F1 in China  -  hopefully Red Bull won't win again. The last two races were predictable, so I stopped watching and went to the gym after the 1st half hour  -  let's hope for a little rain!.
Until next time.........

A Model Life

I'm in the car business working with cars4U.com, selling or leasing every make of car, van or truck availalble in Canada. I really like my "job" as it is really an extension of my life long passion and hobby. Just walk into my office and see scale models of historic drag cars, 50's and 60's America iron, a few police cars and a complete funeral (Coupe de Fleur, hearse and limo). Now this is just a start, as at home I have 1 1/2 rooms filled with car models that I have been making since I was a kid. Also have an interesting library of car books covering a wide variety of topics. My favorite books cover police cars, professional cars or early drag racing. The models I prefer to make are US cars from the 50's and 60's, as well as old muscle cars. I could never afford to have one of these cars in real life, but I can own every single one in miniature. Currently the car modeling cat and I are finishing up the '57 300C and are starting work on a 2011 Challenger RT. Also just bought a couple of 2011 Dodge Charger police cars which will end up being state police vehicles from Florida and North Carolina.
So you can see, that I am really into cars  -  pretty lucky being paid for what I love to do anyway!

Can you believe this.........7 (SEVEN) Saabs have been sold in Canada since January 1st! Want to guess on their resale?

Until next time........

Friday Ramblings

Got lots of $ to spare? Well there is another Barrett-Jackson auction at Palm Beach, Fla  -  never watched it? Then tune into Speed Channel tonight and Saturday for their extensive coverage. Fun to watch these folks spend 10's of thousands on their hobby  -  this is what drives me to buy lottery tickets (actually not). If you can sit through yet another Mustang or Corvette, there are some real gems that show up. Want the real thing, not a TV substitute? Check out the International Centre this weekend for the Toronto Spring Collector Car Auction. Bring $ or sit on your hands to stop yourself from inadvertently bidding.

Ever been to a drag race (no, not the ones on Yonge St.)? A business associate mentioned drag racing the other day, but thought because I followed F1 and NASCAR, that I'd have no interest  -  not the case. Once you've seen, heard, felt and smelt the nitromethane of two cars with 8000 horsepower EACH, there is nothing else quite like it. Sure, sometimes there are long pauses between the action, but boy when they crank them up, watch out! Many years ago, just out of university, I drag raced my street car and still have the trophy from my only win  -  $5 or the trophy! I took the trophy, since $5 would look funny sitting on my shelf.

Delivered a light metallic blue/stone interior Infiniti G37 6 speed convertible the other day. Stunning car  -  fast, great looking and best of all a manual. I sell all makes and models in my job, but I really like the G series Infiniti  -  great value.

F1 this weekend from Malaysia  -  doesn't it usually rain there? Always makes for an exciting and unpredictable race  -  probably means I'll watch the entire race before I head to the gym.

By the way, the model building cat asks to be remembered to all of you.

Until next time...... 

Monday Musings

Great weekend in NASCAR.......actually any weekend where Kyle Busch gets beaten in both races is a good one. Unfortunately Dale Jr was also on the losing end of a good finish, coming in second  -  anyway, much better than being 3rd and he was ahead of Kyle. Speaking of Kyle, did you see where ex F1 champion, Kimi Raikkonen has been signed to drive a limited truck series schedule for Kyle Busch's team  -  this should be very interesting........... NASCAR fans like their drivers to actually speak and that has never been Kimi's strong point.
Nissan Canada has decided not to sell the Murano convertble in this country until it sees how it does in the States  -  where did they get the idea that a sport utility convertible was needed and particularly one that is so "looks challenged" ??
Until next time.......

Friday Thoughts

Surprise, surprise.......Saab sales are falling and they have not been paying their bills, some parts suppliers are refusing to ship. They say they will need the support of a mother company  -  well isn't that a revelation! I don't think this is rocket science, but why do supposedly smart businessmen think they can turn a big ship around with a rowboat?.............Ford is developing a "virtual child" to help with in car safety. Just the thought of this is funny  -  does it continually ask "Are we there yet?" Spill stuff on the seats? Argue with the other virtual kids?...........Check out the new BMW 3 series GT on the net  -  looks ok, but no one really buys this type of car in North America.
NASCAR heads to the really short track at Martinsville this weekend........been there several times and it's one of my favorites. You are literally feet away from the action, the colour, the noise.
The cat and I are still working on the '57 300C model, although encountering some difficulty with the chassis (the cat is not much help).

Until next time.........