The Automotive (& other mechanized vehicles) thread

[Iommic Pope]

That is NICE.

I saw one of these the other day. I was pretty into it.

[Chankgeez]

Nice too!

I've always kinda wanted a VMax:

[Iommic Pope]

That's a sweet purple.
I'm probably wrong but I can't remember those looking so "futuristic" down here.
We get a lot of products in a bland, watered down form, though.

[lordgalvar]

I think I've found my favorite car ever:



http://www.hotrod.com/cars/featured/160 ... lle-wagon/

Yes!

You've got good tastes...

And welcome to the GM side.

There are like 30 Ferraris down the street (some lambs, Maseratis, and other random euro cars too...everything I try and snap a photo, the owners come out and step in front). They had a Shelby cobra too (not a kit version either). Most have dealer plates.

[Iommic Pope]

Real Cobras and Shelby tuned Mustangs are HAWT.

Im actually not big on euro Supercars. But that is still kinda cool.

[lordgalvar]

I'm not into the Euro super cars either. They are kinda neat to take a picture once in a while though. My neighborhood is like the car lot for Hollywood, so that's what we have over here. (Rentals and stuff plus rich people shops...funny because you can get a hooker on the same block or drop the kids of at Montessori...LA).

I just remembered! The wife and I were going to get dog and cat food yesterday and Culver City had their streets shut down. All the cars had been switched to 1950s stuff...including the cop car (they were unwrapping foam off it as we drove by). It was pretty damn neat to see. Man, newer cars just don't do it for me.

We also looked at the Toyota mirai fuel cell at a street far with the worst car show ever (just hybrids, electrics, and hydrogen)...stupid thing would cost more and have about the same range as her CR-V. There are like 4 hydrogen stations in LA...not worth it.

But, I finally looked into the fancy Teslas...can't believe people pay up to 100k for those...looked like a damn Subaru inside (and I like Subaru). But batteries suck...and you have to buy upgrades...nope.

Give me a gto (and I will give it 2 K horsepower and make it tricked out for less).

[Disarm D'arcy]

Saw a mint green fiat 850 today.

That model, but that color was so rad.

[Chankgeez]

Love those old Fiats.

I'm probably wrong but I can't remember those looking so "futuristic" down here.

I only think they look a little futuristic, more like Mad Max style.

And welcome to the GM side.

I'm not a purist. It's close enough to the beloved Plymouth Satellite wagon of my childhood. Same year I think. Plus it's purple.

... the worst car show ever (just hybrids, electrics, and hydrogen)...stupid thing would cost more and have about the same range as her CR-V. There are like 4 hydrogen stations in LA...not worth it.

That sounds like the best car show ever to me. If they'd started developing cars which run on alternate fuels in the Seventies, we'd have much better versions of 'em now.

[lordgalvar]

I think hydrogen is cool as hell and we seriously looked into it. Just not really a viable option yet. California is also very behind is approving these kinds of things (I've known several companies that tried to do stuff like that and CA always said no). Fuel cells were illegal 10 years ago iirc.

I just want car shows to be about the mechanical/strange/personality side of cars....not "in production" stuff. I want to see twin turbos and intercoolers on a ford Anglia with an ls1. Or a Fiat on an altered drag rail (which I haven't seen in forever). Or at least on Ford gt50...minimum there.

Last year they just had two art cars that park at Venice Beach with all the slogans painted in acrylic on them. So, I guess, this year was an improvement. Haha

[Iommic Pope]

Yeah I honestly thought hydrogen was the answer there for a while.
I think the electric motors are getting better (the specs one that Harley prototype look pretty impressive), particularly with recent developments in lithium cells becoming smaller and more powerful, so we might see some fairly impressive machines in the near future.
But it doesn't make sense to me until we start changing the way supply to the home (where the car is charged) changes to a renewable option.

[bigchiefbc]

24 hours at Le Mans starts tomorrow morning. My son is so excited to watch it was a pain in the ass getting him to bed tonight. It's pretty cool seeing him get so excited about it.

[Chankgeez]

That's so cute. Hope he can get to sleep after the race.

[bigchiefbc]

He woke us up at 6:30 hopping up and down, until I explained it was still 2 more hours.

He is absolutely convinced he's going to be a GT race car driver when he grows up

[Disarm D'arcy]

Saw a Citroen 2cv similar to this one on my ride today:

[colin]

Who says that a Miata isn't practical...


Plus, new tires! Holy crap did I need these. My old tires were so old and dry rotted, they had almost zero grip. Last time I drove in the rain I totally lost control (at low speed) and very nearly hit a lamp post. I've only had a brief drive today (which is beautiful and sunny) on the new tires, but holy crap do they have an insane amount of grip.