April 29: A unique delivery revisited

Just over three years ago, I wrote today's blog about unique food delivery vehicles. Now in the time of Covid-19, when many of us are ordering take out, let's take another look........

Hands up, who doesn't like pizza and who doesn't like sitting back at home waiting for their cheese and tomato pie to arrive, bubbling hot from the oven? And now hands up, who is a touch disappointed, when their pizza arrives, slightly less than hot and and far from bubbly? Of course, the answer to all of the above is all of us. Yeah, those beat up old Corollas and worse yet, motorbikes with those dumb back rack carriers, just don't cut it when we want that fresh from the oven goodness.

Other methods are also, not exactly efficient, but all are worth checking out.........

If this converted lowrider VW van even made it to your home, it would be a miracle, regardless of how hot or chilled its package was. Yes sir, this one is a no go from the get go. And this fleet of lovely(?) Toyota hybrids aren't much better.......

Great to save gas on your deliveries, but any hybrid benefits from careful driving, not those mad dashes from the pizza oven to your home. So, unfortunately this method, while good for the pizza shop owner, just won't work for the end eater - you and me!

What else might be worth considering?

I actually think this might work, but I was distraught to read that it was the shop owner's personal ride and not the hoped for delivery machine of my dreams. Nix this one as well.

So, why not a drone? These days they are being used to deliver everything from books to bombs.......

........but any sharp eyed observer, will see right away, that there is not an insulated wrap around the pie, so all that air rushing by this speedy delivery conveyance negates the main reason for using a drone. Back to the drawing board.

The guys behind the Domino's Pizza chain have been mulling over this dilemma for years. Economical delivery vehicles have been key from the start, but as we all know, unless you live next door to the oven, that age old problem of luke warm pizza pie persists. Still, Domino's has had an interesting assortment of delivery vehicles........

What to do, what to do?

Finally, those bright souls at Domino's came up with the obvious solution. So obvious, that no one else has thought of it before.......

 Now we're talking and what a great idea. Take one economical Chevy Spark and build a real pizza oven into the back seat. Make it accessable to the driver from the outside of the car and quicker than a Donald Trump tweet, one gets a really hot pizza. No fake news here.

And to top it off, I bet this things smells wonderful, as it cruises the biways to your abode. Nothing but good feelings and added sales for the folks at Domino's. Talk about a terrific marketing tool. And for a car guy or gal, an interesting vehicle to look over, while chowing down on their favorite toppings. But be careful, that pizza is HOT!

So there you have it........a problem proposed and a problem solved and it only took sixty years!

Vacation alert.......it's that time again, when those overseas countries beckon, so there will be no blogging from yours truly, as he trips around Greece. Back on April 11th with (hopefully) interesting new insights.

Until next time........and a present day add on.......stay safe!

April 22: Electrifying choices!

Just when you've made your decision to buy a sparkly new Tesla Model 3........

Just when you've started looking around for a place to plug it in (remember you live in a condo)........

Just when all that copious amount of research has paid off.......

.......along come a couple of other EV's that are yanking your chain. No friend, they aren't out yet and maybe they never will be, but for an analytic like you, they'll put a pause on your final Tesla decision.

First off is this distinctive car from Spain, the Velantur........

 

Looking a bit like a few other cars.......PT Cruiser (remember them?), VW Beetle, anything from the 1930's. And probably named after.........what? Take your pick, an old family member, a Spanish insect, a breed of Spanish cow (it works for Lamborghini).

The Velantur is a three door, well, actually two doors and a hatch. Distinctive and trimmed out like some high end luxury mobile........

It certainly beats that Model 3, whose interior loos like modern day prison chic, but with a huge screen on the dash.

Your retro styling tastes lean more towards the '60's? Then the Nobe 100 from Estonia, should work for you.......

 

Sporting an unusual three seat, three wheel design, that is obviously being pitched to those wanting to attract the opposite sex. Those whitewalls are a nice retro touch.

So back to your EV decision. The tried and true, although sometimes problematic Model 3 or the Velantur or the Nobe 100? Is price an issue (when is it not?). Then possibly the Tesla will win out at around $70K CAN for a nicely equipped one. Not sure about the Spanish ride, but the Nobe 100 is reaching for the stars, with a suggested price of around $65K CAN, if it ever gets here! Yes, you too, can be taken for an EV ride.

 In Europe, the land of quirky small cars, the Nobe 100 will fit right in......

......but in good ol' North America, not so much.

So, my analytical friend, what is it going to be? The known quantity or one of the new start ups? Even Tesla was the latter a few short years ago. My advice? Order the Tesla and keep looking for a place to plug it in.

Until next time and keep safe......

April 15: Just another family sedan?

We are all spending much more time with our families these days, so it is natural that my blog thoughts would turn to the good ol' family four seater. You know the one. The trusty conveyance that will let you take the family on a Sunday outing in the post virus days, when social distancing is no longer the latest catch phrase. No six feet apart in any car since the sixties.

Today, I'll focus on a new four seater from that Swedish company we all know so well. Volvo? Nope. Saab? Of course not, they don't exist. Koenigsegg. I know, that would have been your next guess. Enough chit chat, here is their new four seater, the Gemera.......

Now you get it and why you don't know about this company. Forget that they have been around since 1994 and have produced literally hundreds of the exotic supercars that bear their name. The good news is that you now know them and that their new ride will let the whole family pile in and head out for ice cream.

 

A couple of very important facts worth noting. This just introduced family ride will be limited to only 300 cars and the price (if you need to ask, etc) will be $1.9 million USD. Before your head explodes, please note that this is the less expensive Koenigsegg model, as the others range from $2.1m to $2.8m USD before options (and yes, it does come with A/C).

These other three models that the company produces aren't family friendly budget stretchers......

Agera

Regera

Jesko

Check your investments and take your pick. Well, maybe this isn't the best time to make that suggestion. But back to the Gemera, which isn't all bad news. Going on short jaunts? Then this is a real penny pincher, as its electric motor will propel you an easy 50 kilometres, before its huge ICE (internal combustion engine) takes over. If all you ever do is go for ice cream, then your new ride will never see a gas pump (if only life were like that).


Another tidbit.......the Gemera's cup holders are heated and cooled, so that ice cream won't melt so quickly. Hey, this is looking better all the time.

Just when you thought there was nothing but bad news. Nothing to look forward to in this new stay-at-home world. Nothing worth spending your diminishing investments on. Aren't you glad that Koenigsegg knows how to lift your spirits and is more fun than a Donald Trump press conference?

Remember only 300 being made, so place your RIGHT NOW!

Until next time and stay safe........

April 8: The trip home

It was a great trip, back in the days when one actually wanted to travel to the good ol' USA. A leisurely cruise in the trusty old '70 Galaxie to see the sights of Maine and eat lots of lobster. What was saved on that old Ford, could be spent on good food. Just one more state to cross, before the welcoming arms of Canada customs greeted you at the border, as you came back to Ontario. No worries, until driving through New York state, just south of the border, you see flashing red lights in your rear view. And an ugly blue and yellow state police car below them. Dammit! So close.

Yep, you guessed it. The Car Modelling Cat (CMC)........

.........and I have been at it again, this time recreating one of those super ugly New York State Police Dodges from the 1970's, in their thankfully short lived blue and yellow livery.

In case you didn't know, the CMC and I are avid fans of police cars, but definitely not behind us with lights flashing. We have a small library of hardcover books, on all sorts of current and vintage police cars........

.....as well as a large selection of patrol cars, that we've built up over the years, encompassing Canadian, US and Mexican agencies.......

Back to that NY State Police car. After a few years of plain old white cars with black roofs, I guess the powers that were, wanted something that would stand out, whether its lights were flashing or not. Do you think that they achieved their goal?

 Do you think that the CMC and I achieved ours? 

 

Another one for our collection.

And one more way to keep sane during these troubling times, when being at home takes up most of our day. A little bit of condo board work, a little bit of work work, some reading, a long walk, some TV, using our condo's cardio equipment and some modelling. A full day! How did I ever do it, when I was at the office most of my waking hours? Let's not make it a habit!

Until next time and stay safe........

April 1: Hey Honda, get with it!

The new Honda suv..........

April Fool's! Don't we all wish, that we could have woken up this morning and found that the past two or three months were nothing but a cruel joke and that everything could return to normal? If only life were like that. In reality though, the picture above of the old Honda Crosstour is kind of a joke. Pictures don't do this warthog (with apologies to warthogs) justice, as it was much uglier than it appears here. Seen one lately? Did you see one when they were fresh on the market about ten years ago? Nope and there in lies today's blog.

Yeah, we all know that the rage today, that has spread faster than COVID-19, is our love of the suv. And thanks to BMW's strange looking X6, the fastback suv is the new sub category, that everyone is rushing to participate in. Some successfully. Some not. Honda was early into this game with what should have been a winner. A winner if Honda's designers had made it look less like an overweight and overblown sedan. The Donald Trump of suvs?

Time to step up again Honda. Once bitten, twice shy? Maybe, but looking across the Pacific, we find that Honda has an ideal candidate to once again enter this category, the Avancier........

The recipe?  Take one CR-V and slant the back enough to wow all those looking for an suv, but think that the sloping back end actually puts the sport in suv.

Not bad looking and easy to do. Place it between the CR-V and the Pilot. Sell them like hotcakes or in this case, suvs. Make tons of profit. All Honda needs to do to get the Avancier over here, is to put some North American shipping labels on this crossover, which has been selling in China for the past three years. Easy.

Make it look a bit more upscale inside and folks will forget that they bought it from a Honda dealership. Although with Honda's great reputation, would anyone really worry about that?

What do you say, Honda? Afraid to take a chance? Not a gambler? Hey, get with the current trends and you know this design works. People love your products, so step up and give them what they increasingly want.

You're welcome.

Until next time and stay safe..........