This might be the funniest episode of Top Gear

season 9 episode 3
http://videos.streetfire.net/video/Top-Gear-American-Holiday_191659.htm

Thanks Mick!

A moment to review the price of going green, and the EPA making it the price too high

The Pickens Plan is a great idea, but if you try to convert your vehicle to run on natural gas without going through the Environmental Protection Agency testing process, the EPA can fine you up to $5,000 a day for tampering with the fuel and emissions systems.

How much does it cost to go through the EPA process? According to CNGPrices.com “these strict test requirements and the expense of getting a CNG conversion kit certified, there are very few EPA and/or CARB approved CNG conversions, and the conversions are relatively expensive, costing from $8,000 to $16,000.”

That’s an average of $12,000 to convert your vehicle to run on natural gas and at even $5 a gallon for gasoline that’s 2,400 gallons of fuel or about 48,000 miles at 20 miles per gallon. At 20 miles per gallon for an average vehicle, 2400 gallons of fuel is four years of driving running on petrol for most people. http://www.coolcarguy.com/2008/07/the-real-problem-facing-the-pickens-plan-for-getting-off-our-addiction-to-oil/

Via: http://www.coolcarguy.com/ which isn't very cool by the way. It's a guy trying to make money selling cars. Yeah, somebody has to do it, but it ain't making as many people happier about cars and their day as what I do, in my opinion.

Seriously....? This guy is so far off the normal thought process that he lists these as his only "Cool links"... doofus.
Best Cars and Trucks - US NEWS & World Report
Buying Guide Category - Cars.com
Check Current Inventory - JFR
Gas Buddy.com
Get Pre-Approved - Download A Credit Application
Go Green - Alternative Fuels Data Center
Go Green - National Biodiesel Board
Government Vehicle Recalls
Hybrid Cars
MyRide.com
OAGResources.com
The Cool Car Guy Movie Reviews
The Tango
Vehicle Reliability Rating
Yahoo! Autos
Yahoo’s Top 100 Green List

I love a good rant! (one against raising funds for the government by charging to drive on roads, raise fuel costs, etc)

http://justgofaster.com/Default.aspx?tabid=179 for a great rant, the rest, is seperate and equally amusing

We refuse to be blamed, castigated, inconvenienced, and more importantly, taxed as a result of the natural cycles of our planetary climate.
So, Messrs Brown and Darling, along with all your ecomentalist cronies, to borrow a phrase from our fine Irish friends, "up your hole with a big jam roll".

What the politicians don’t seem to grasp (or choose to ride roughshod over) as they chant their ‘consensus’ mantra, presumably on the principle that if you repeat a lie often enough then people will believe it, is that if consensus is king in science then nobody these days would have heard of Darwin, Gallileo, Copernicus or Einstein…

The great crash compilation video for 2008, just awesome!

http://axisofoversteer.blogspot.com/2008/12/hits-of-2008.html

"King of the 'Ring" Automobile Magazine, Jan 2009, page 46 sidebar

Formula 1 driver Toshio Suzuki took the GT-R to 7:29 which takes the 911 turbo and the 911 GT2 to the sidelines.

"Nissan's chest thumping over this feat aggravated Porsche enought that the company conducted it's own test of the GT-R. After failing to get with 25 seconds of Suzuki's time, Porsche accused Nissan of using slicks on the Nordschliefe. Nissan responded by posting in-car video of it's record lap and photos of it's street tires.

And in a master stroke of passive-aggressive trash talking, it also offered Porsche free driver training."

And that is why my subscription to Automobile magazine got renewed to May of 2013.

Side by side commentary and comparison video of the Nissan GTR vs the Porsche GT2 at the ring

http://axisofoversteer.blogspot.com/2008/12/great-video-clip.html video from http://www.drivers-republic.com/

the best way to avoid wrecking in a racing go cart: watch the video, and resolve not to strap into one

http://axisofoversteer.blogspot.com/2008/12/you-have-got-to-be-kidding-me.html

"Singing Roads" a new innovative advertising method, grooving the highways so it vibrates at speed like a tune

Nostalgia racing decals and stickers

http://www.nostalgicracingdecals.com/

A sticker collection was found in a garage, and posted to Chevelles.com

Notice the lower left "Tek" turtle? Look familiar? It's a copy of the 1968 Mopar Scat Pack bee, just like the Super Roo of the Australian Ford logo. http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2006/11/aussie-ford-division-falcon-gt-xa.html

http://www.chevelles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=252582&highlight=stickers

Go hug your Chevelle today. "This one was lost, let it be remembered by saving others"

http://www.chevelles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=254133

A barrel of oil: $38 dollars. A quart of oil: $3.99 Whats that about?

So, it must not be my imagination. The price of a barrel, the price OPEC sells it at, has nothing to do with the price of a retail quart by any company selling oil for the engine in your car.

When oil was 150 a barrel, the quart was 3.99, now that oil is 38 a barrel, it hasn't made the oil for my oil changes any cheaper.

Is there something I'm missing about this concept?

Suction cup tires from 95 years ago advertisments

several of these are from http://stores.ebay.com/Cindys-Corner where I came across the first one that had me curious about this unique forgotten car tire... I can't recall.

My sympathy to all classic car lovers, and classic Porsche fans especially, who are hurt by these photos

A car carrier with at least 4 classic Porsches high centered on railroad tracks, and was t-boned by a later oncoming train Nov 10, 2008, near Ventura California. These 3 photos say it all. Via: http://993c4s.com/posche-news/porsche-speedsters-in-train-wreck/

The stunning beauty of design, yes? Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 Aerodinamica Spider

A lot has happened in between the car’s construction and its acquisition by the current owner, of course.

Jano was fired from Alfa in 1937 but fortunately the car was pretty much finished, although any prospect of slotting in the new V12 vanished along with Jano.

The Jankovits brothers retained the Aerospider and registered it for street use – the original Fiume licence plates are still with the car. They added a large and hideously inappropriate windscreen, bumpers and turn signals, which ruined the looks but did at least make it acceptable as a road car.

In 1941, however, it was stored away for the duration of the war.
After the war, the Jankovits found themselves under a new Communist regime, their town rechristened Rijeka in the newly formed state of Yugoslavia. Realizing that they were about to lose everything, the brothers dug the car out of storage on Christmas Day 1946 and the same night made a dash through the border and into Italy.

Caught by surprise, the border guards fired after the speeding Alfa – and the bullets left dents in the bodywork that would be rediscovered 60 years later during its restoration.

http://www.classicandperformancecar.com/features/octane_features/233224/alfa_romeo_aerodinamica_spider.html

Via: http://www.motor-klassik.de/medien/foto-shows/auto/mpsfshw_show_505743_14700.hbs?ext_index=0

For another gallery of this car: http://lord-k.livejournal.com/619800.html#cutid1

Emile Claveau, a designer of innovative cars..

this is the 1932

this is the 1956.

For a short bio, and full story: http://www.tbauto.org/claveau/ from the Tampa Bay Automobile Museum in Pinellas Park, Florida website.

For a online gallery of the vehicles at the Tampa Bay Auto Museum: http://flickr.com/photos/forwardlookguy/sets/72157601481866394/

I stumbled across this from http://www.kitfoster.com/archive/2007_04_01_archive.html

Alain Cerf is a man with a mission. Designer of packaging equipment made by his company Polypack, Inc., in Pinellas Park, Florida, he is understandably interested in innovative machinery. As a collector of automobiles he favors those with distinctive engineering: front-wheel drive, rear engines, unusual engines and suspensions. A native of France, he has a particular fascination with his countryman Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot.
Alain has ensconced his collection of cars at his Tampa Bay Automobile Museum, an eclectic assembly of engineering masterpieces. Not surprisingly, many of them are French, including the groundbreaking Citroën 2CV, a Peugeot Darl'Mat, Voisin C7, Amilcar Compound and the last car of Emile Claveau.

Yo! East Side posted up!

Click on this especially, for full size, it's the best red white and blue car photo I've seen!

For more superb photography, and East Coast car shows click over to (Yo East Side!) 's website:

http://backstreetwheels.blogspot.com/ In explanation? I'm "Yo! West Side!" for my So Cal choice of home... and perfect weather, and he... is cold!

Safety tip, from the T-bird forum

When driving on wet or icy roads, never use your Cruise Control. If the car hydro-planes or slides the cruise control will think the car slowing down and accellerate the engine making maters even worse.

http://www.thunderbirdnest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23310

How Mrs. Henry Ford caught her man

1935 Nash Ambassador 8 Sedan, just biding time in a remote tree grove outside San Diego

For a restored 35 Nash : http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2500448640100885870DYZQrn

La Jolla Concours De Elegance on Sunday Jan 11, 11am to 3 pm

http://www.lajollabythesea.com/motorcar/

A hundred that didn't make my "Top 100", these are the runner up 100.

My top 100 are here: http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2008/12/off-all-photos-i-or-my-girlfriend-tere.html

Mike LaVallee "True Fire" innovator, is a friend of the builder of this 32, and this is the only example of Mike's work I've seen in San Diego. Mike's shop is in Washington (where the car was built) and was bought by a father-son partnership after the car went to a couple of car shows. Lucky guys. http://www.killerpaint.com/about/mike.html

Most of these are computer wallpaper size, just click on them to make them full size.