The Super Bowl and the commercials dominated the news this weekend so here’s what you missed.
- This “Cat Daddy” doesn’t involve Kate Upton (see above)
- Don’t name your company after another company and you won’t get in trouble
- January 2013 sales numbers skyrocketed for automakers
- Electric vehicle charging stations are more prevalent than electric cars
I assume anyone reading this post has been to at least one car show. There are just as many categories of car shows as there are types of cars. I’ve been to a lot of different ones but the nostalgic feeling and genuineness found at the local car shows can’t be found anywhere else. And the knowledge you gain from talking to the folks who actually owned and worked on these cars is different from the MPG and HP ratings you find on a sheet at the large international shows. But before I get all sentimental over these local events, I’d like to take some time to explain how these opinions were formed.
About 10 years ago, I went to my first car show with my uncle and his family. This wasn’t a run of the mill local car meet; this was the New York International Auto Show…one of the largest automotive enthusiast events in the world. With hundreds, maybe thousands of cars at display, there was something for everyone to see. From insanely priced and powerful exotics such as the Ferrari Enzo and Porsche Carrera GT to the grocery getters we’re more likely to drive in our lifetimes, all were parked and glistening on what would be the equivalent of a red carpet for cars. [keep reading]
We have some bad news and good news. Bad news is Saab has to sell all of their classic cars- that story below. Good news? Today is Friday.
- The bankrupt Swedish automaker Saab is liquidating 120 classic cars from their museum
- Chinese man stages a protest and accuses of Porsche of discrimination
- The average age of a car in America is a almost 11 years old
- The art of building NASCAR tribute cars
The weekend that was November 18-20 gave us time to prepare for a short three-day week and, of course, the latest Nascar Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart. Read more by following the links below.
- Chevrolet’s proves that “Chevy Runs Deep” aint no joke
- Tony “Smoke” Stewart took the Sprint Cup Championship over the weekend at Homestead in Miami
- ESPN’s Ed Hinton calls Tony Stewart a Nascar legend
- The VW Caddy got some cred from Hooniverse’s “What the Truck Weekend”
After intentionally wrecking Ron Hornaday during a Camping World Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway last Friday, Kyle Busch has solidified himself as Nascar’s most hated driver. Please refer to yesterday’s Monday Grind blog post for video of the wreck. Even before this incident, “Shrub” was already one of the most hated drivers, but why? Is it the sunglasses? Is it because he brings shame to M&M’s candy? Perhaps, but these three reasons are much more likely:
1. He drives a Toyota.
2. Fans think he is arrogant and cocky.
3. His aggression and willingness to wreck fellow drivers.
Except for the first reason, both number 2 and 3 were traits reflected by the great Dale Earnhardt Sr. who was notorious for aggressive driving and performing the “bump-and-run” on other drivers. This has sparked comparisons, but what separates the two, however, is temperament and self-control. Earnhardt never used his car as a weapon, especially during a caution lap like Bush did last week. Moreover, Busch has been caught up in a number of squabbles since joining Nascar at the age of 16 in 2001. There was the fight with Richard Childress that led to exchanging blows. Then there was the fight with Kevin Harvick that nearly led to exchanging blows at Darlington. There was also the time he called Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans “crazy.” And then there was last weekend.
Luckily there are dashes to separate the links in this edition of The Monday Grind. Why, you ask? Because there is no way to segue a story about Dan Wheldon, alternative fuels, Grand Theft Auto, a parade of electric cars and VW’s ugly breakup with hipsters.
- IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon was killed over the weekend in a fiery crash at the Las Vegas Indy 300. [link]
- Give Grand Theft Auto the credit for changing the world of video games with open world gameplay. [link]
- Alternative fuel that you probably didn’t even consider fuel. [link]
- Volkswagen doesn’t need or want hipsters anymore. [link]
- 26 cities celebrate “National Plug In Day” to support the electric car movement. [link]
Welcoming in the weekend is this Friday’s edition of “Putting it into park” with the most essential and almost essential automotive news and links from the past week.
-Has anyone actually ever seen a Suzuki Kizashi in person? [link]
-This commercial is the most unrealistic portrayal of how motor racing works. [link]
-Speaking of unrealistic things, the Fast Five DVD has just been released. [link]
-Top Gear set to hold alternative olympics and Jeremy Clarkson will compete. [link]
-GM partners with RelayRides to let GM owners rent out their whips. [link]
-Ford will let the public into their proving grounds for the first time ever to raise money for charity. [link]
-The video below is one of the closest calls on a motorcycle caught on tape. [link]
Welcome back to another Monday Grind right here on the Mojo Motors Blog. We’re glad to lead you on another automotive journey of news and links you may or may not have missed from over the weekend.
-Pictured above is a wheel with two-spokes designed by Status. Kiss subtlety goodbye. [link]
-Rain postponed another Sprint Cup race and the Geico 400 at Chicagoland will be today at noon. [link]
-Paul Teutel Sr.’s 2011 Firebird Trans-Am (not a typo) was found listed for sale on eBay Motors. [link]
-Driving schools are catching heat for using unsafe cars, namely, the Chevy Aveo. [link]
-Still have time to spare? Get some more extensive reading on the Motor Trend Daily [link]
The biennial Frankfurt Motor Show, also known as the International Automobile Exhibition and International Motor Show, opens to the public today and continues running through September 25. During the past few days, automakers have been releasing a stream of concepts and new models for 2012 and beyond. This has thrown Twitter into a frenzy of #iaa hashtags and enough pictures to keep your eyes locked in place for hours. Make the jump to see what’s looking hot, not hot, and a couple in between.
Ending each week on the Mojo Motors Blog is “Putting it into park,”a compilation of interesting links and news from the past five days.
-Auto Buds posts pictures of two identical cars parked next to each other. Is it authentic? Don’t know, don’t care. [link]
-Bob Lutz is going back to General Motors as a part-time senior adviser after retiring in 2010. [link]
-TheRitchOnCars Daily aggregates all the auto news every day from an extensive list of blogs, websites and Tweeters. [link]
-Every Wednesday from 9-11PM, check out the #Motorama chat on Twitter where hard hitting questions are asked like, “Would you rather have a domestic or import with 200,000 miles?” or “Is a Volvo wagon really that reliable?” [link]
-Car Guy Dad’s review of the Nissan Quest minivan. The dashboard looks pretty. [link]
-Relay Rides hopes to take a chunk out of Zip Car’s market dominance by letting people rent out their own cars. [link]
-Frank Lloyd Wright designed a futuristic gas station in Minnesota that inspired Starbucks. [link]
