I currently have two Firefox windows open. I opened the second one to write this post, and that's all that's on it. The first window, on the other hand, has nine tabs open.
Tab #1: An eBay Motors listing for a 2010 GT500 in Texas. Red with Tungsten stripes. Pretty nice.
Tab #2: Take a guess.
Tab #3: Try again.
Tab #4: A trend might be emerging here.
Tab #5: Trend? What's that?
Tabs #6 through #9: Pictures of the four things depicted above.
For the record, I didn't set this layout up for this post. I set it up to demonstrate to my little brother the simple and uncontested fact of life that "Ferraris all sound like that anyway". This came up while he was pushing Hot Wheels cars around a track, and asked me which of three cars would probably win a race. The three cars? A 512 Testarossa, F50, and 156 (look 'em up). I responded with the F50. He went "Ah, OK". I then proceeded to say that the 156 would probably sound better, though (despite the fact that I can't seem to find a recording of one. Come on, it's a Ferrari with open exhaust. It can't be that bad.), and gave the above quote.
Thus, I put this presentation together. Upon its conclusion, he nodded his head and said "Yeah, OK" and went back to watching TV. I get the feeling I'll need a different candidate for my successor in the car-fan business. The F430 should be able to win even the most die-hard Prius-lover into an appreciation for the higher-powered things in life. If that doesn't work, and I'm trying to convert someone to the Church of Horsepower (that's not blasphemous, is it?), then I resort to the old tricks:
Bahaha. I think it just might be a bad thing that I hear that and laugh maniacally about just what I'll be doing to the Mustang once it turns 25 and it doesn't have to meet emissions standards anymore...
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Sunday, May 15, 2011
We hates them forever...
... not the Hobbits. The bugs. Specifically the big ones that scuttle about and spread disease and make certain individuals abandon their personal quarters due to insectoid infestation.
My little brother has a rather large dresser in our room. It has six drawers, three on each side. The drawers do not sit directly on the floor. Instead, there is a small trim piece that is about three inches high. This trim area is hollow, and thus creates a nifty hiding spot for objects of varying sizes. Normally, the dresser sits against the wall, but recently I moved it out to see if any little LEGO pieces had fallen back behind it, as they are wont to do.
The dresser is far too heavy to pick up and move both sides away from the wall, so I tend to move just one side, pivoting it against the wall in a manner reminiscent of opening a pair of scissors. Once I had done this and cleared away all the dust, I observed a small object on the far end, where I couldn't reach it. Rats. I asked for my brother's toy extendable claw, but couldn't reach it even with that. I then moved the dresser a little farther out, so the object could be more clearly perceived. One side was very geometric, like a cube. The other side, more disturbingly, had legs.
With some trepidation, I used the claw to poke the object to see if it was alive. It appeared to be quite dead. Heartened by this result, I grabbed the object (from a safe distance, of course) and pulled it out.
It was a giant ant.
From a LEGO Indiana Jones set.
Made of plastic.
Urgh... why do I think of Shakespeare?
My little brother has a rather large dresser in our room. It has six drawers, three on each side. The drawers do not sit directly on the floor. Instead, there is a small trim piece that is about three inches high. This trim area is hollow, and thus creates a nifty hiding spot for objects of varying sizes. Normally, the dresser sits against the wall, but recently I moved it out to see if any little LEGO pieces had fallen back behind it, as they are wont to do.
The dresser is far too heavy to pick up and move both sides away from the wall, so I tend to move just one side, pivoting it against the wall in a manner reminiscent of opening a pair of scissors. Once I had done this and cleared away all the dust, I observed a small object on the far end, where I couldn't reach it. Rats. I asked for my brother's toy extendable claw, but couldn't reach it even with that. I then moved the dresser a little farther out, so the object could be more clearly perceived. One side was very geometric, like a cube. The other side, more disturbingly, had legs.
With some trepidation, I used the claw to poke the object to see if it was alive. It appeared to be quite dead. Heartened by this result, I grabbed the object (from a safe distance, of course) and pulled it out.
It was a giant ant.
From a LEGO Indiana Jones set.
Made of plastic.
Urgh... why do I think of Shakespeare?
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
I'm hooked.
I was cleaning up our upstairs and discovered a radio.
That's not actually true, as I'd known that it was there and that it was still in working order for quite some time. It's got fake woodgrain on it, but the local stations come through loud and clear as long as you've got the volume dial in the right place and don't make too many sudden movements.
I got a novel idea as I stared at the radio, sitting there all dusty and dirty. Wouldn't it be nice if I could listen to music without having to charge my MP3 player? (Actually, the player is broken. It won't let you put anything new on it, so all that's on there is the Michael Voris tapes from a good while back.)
Therefore, I decided that this long-neglected radio would look very nice on my shelf, blasting classic rock while I wrote or worked on something. I dusted it off and made sure it was still in operating condition before taking it downstairs and plugging it in in my room. The shelf needed a great deal of reorganizing and dusting to fit the radio, and as a result the rest of the room got a dusting to fit the excess items from the shelf. After cleaning the shelf off and carefully placing the radio atop it, I turned it on and tuned it to the classic rock station. After the announcer began talking, I decided that I didn't want to listen to him. Turned the knob to the country station. I very quickly decided that that particular station wasn't what I wanted to listen to. Turned it to the classic oldies station, and realized that it didn't actually bother me (unlike the rest of the family), despite the fact that "Yellow Submarine" was on.
I mentioned that to my mom, and she looked up "Blue Suede Shoes". That got me thinking about some early '60s songs I'd heard of before, but I hadn't listened to them before because I was worried that they weren't clean. I didn't know at the time that "not-clean" just wasn't something you did in 1963. So we looked up a little ditty by the name of "Little Deuce Coupe".
Now I can't stop listening to it. Actually, I'm listening to "GTO" by Ronny and the Daytonas as I write this. That song, "Little Deuce Coupe", and "409" are my new portfolio of songs I listen to that aren't Weird Al or Vivaldi. Eclectic? Sure. Doesn't bother me very much.
I'm amazed and pleasantly surprised by the wealth of decent music out there. You just can't limit your search to newer songs.
Besides, if the music of the Fifties and Sixties doesn't work out for you, there's always Vivaldi.
That's not actually true, as I'd known that it was there and that it was still in working order for quite some time. It's got fake woodgrain on it, but the local stations come through loud and clear as long as you've got the volume dial in the right place and don't make too many sudden movements.
I got a novel idea as I stared at the radio, sitting there all dusty and dirty. Wouldn't it be nice if I could listen to music without having to charge my MP3 player? (Actually, the player is broken. It won't let you put anything new on it, so all that's on there is the Michael Voris tapes from a good while back.)
Therefore, I decided that this long-neglected radio would look very nice on my shelf, blasting classic rock while I wrote or worked on something. I dusted it off and made sure it was still in operating condition before taking it downstairs and plugging it in in my room. The shelf needed a great deal of reorganizing and dusting to fit the radio, and as a result the rest of the room got a dusting to fit the excess items from the shelf. After cleaning the shelf off and carefully placing the radio atop it, I turned it on and tuned it to the classic rock station. After the announcer began talking, I decided that I didn't want to listen to him. Turned the knob to the country station. I very quickly decided that that particular station wasn't what I wanted to listen to. Turned it to the classic oldies station, and realized that it didn't actually bother me (unlike the rest of the family), despite the fact that "Yellow Submarine" was on.
I mentioned that to my mom, and she looked up "Blue Suede Shoes". That got me thinking about some early '60s songs I'd heard of before, but I hadn't listened to them before because I was worried that they weren't clean. I didn't know at the time that "not-clean" just wasn't something you did in 1963. So we looked up a little ditty by the name of "Little Deuce Coupe".
Now I can't stop listening to it. Actually, I'm listening to "GTO" by Ronny and the Daytonas as I write this. That song, "Little Deuce Coupe", and "409" are my new portfolio of songs I listen to that aren't Weird Al or Vivaldi. Eclectic? Sure. Doesn't bother me very much.
I'm amazed and pleasantly surprised by the wealth of decent music out there. You just can't limit your search to newer songs.
Besides, if the music of the Fifties and Sixties doesn't work out for you, there's always Vivaldi.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Psychology
I recently had a dream. Interesting, I know. Here's how it went:
I had to head to church to serve a Mass, but there were no cars for me to use. So I located a generic dirt bike (had an uncanny resemblance to a KTM 125 SX), and rode to church. The road had been transformed into a rally stage, and there were people cutting down the trees around the road with chainsaws and tossing large branches into the road, so I had to dodge those. In addition to that, I had to dodge Tour de France bicyclists, which were heading through that area for no reason whatsoever. This was made difficult by the road surface, which was compacted gravel and felt like the generic post-Apocalyptic-scenario-type road.
I was very late, but eventually got there. There were about 7 other servers there and my size cassock was taken, so I wore one that was two sizes too small. At the Sign of Peace, people started throwing strange orange and purple pieces of paper around. One particularly unruly attendee made a purple one into a paper airplane and struck one of my fellow servers with it, knocking him to the floor. At this point, I realized that something was quite wrong and left.
My bike had been stolen, but the thief had left a Dodge Omni behind, which I utilized for my return trip. The logs and bicyclists had only gotten worse, and now there were lawn tractors spraying freshly cut grass all over the road. I took the smell to be that of chemical weapons, so every time I had to swerve to avoid a bicyclist, I took care to aim for the nearest autonomous tractor. I got home, parked the Omni, and went inside.
Using my extensive skill, knowledge, education, experience, and training in the area of Freudian psychology, I deduce that my dream means.... absolutely nothing. Oh well.
I had to head to church to serve a Mass, but there were no cars for me to use. So I located a generic dirt bike (had an uncanny resemblance to a KTM 125 SX), and rode to church. The road had been transformed into a rally stage, and there were people cutting down the trees around the road with chainsaws and tossing large branches into the road, so I had to dodge those. In addition to that, I had to dodge Tour de France bicyclists, which were heading through that area for no reason whatsoever. This was made difficult by the road surface, which was compacted gravel and felt like the generic post-Apocalyptic-scenario-type road.
I was very late, but eventually got there. There were about 7 other servers there and my size cassock was taken, so I wore one that was two sizes too small. At the Sign of Peace, people started throwing strange orange and purple pieces of paper around. One particularly unruly attendee made a purple one into a paper airplane and struck one of my fellow servers with it, knocking him to the floor. At this point, I realized that something was quite wrong and left.
My bike had been stolen, but the thief had left a Dodge Omni behind, which I utilized for my return trip. The logs and bicyclists had only gotten worse, and now there were lawn tractors spraying freshly cut grass all over the road. I took the smell to be that of chemical weapons, so every time I had to swerve to avoid a bicyclist, I took care to aim for the nearest autonomous tractor. I got home, parked the Omni, and went inside.
Using my extensive skill, knowledge, education, experience, and training in the area of Freudian psychology, I deduce that my dream means.... absolutely nothing. Oh well.
Whiners
Normally, whiners are annoying. "Gemmeadrinkawaterchangethechannelwhydontyouwannagivemeeverythingyouownwaaaaa...."
However, blower whine is a good thing. Some people hate it, but I like it. For an example of turbo whine, see this:
To illustrate just how pronounced the blower whine is on the Atom III, observe the KTM X-Bow (pronounced "crossbow"), which, although the same class of car, and turbocharged, has much more exhaust noise and less whine. In fact, there's hardly any whine at all.
For supercharger whine, see this:
Blower whine is often obscured by exhaust noise, since when there's a blower powerful enough to make some noise, the exhaust is even louder. The video above this text was taken by a camera affixed to the front fender. Here's a very similar pass, this time from the rear fender:
\
Lethal's GT500 is one of my favorite customs to write about, as it's been masterfully done. GT500 + black/Grabber Blue + full race motor, exhaust, the works + YouTube = awesome. The only problem with it is that it doesn't get much street time, and I'd love to wax poetic about it, but I'm currently ill and can't write very well. Happily, the videos speak for themselves.
Sometimes, blower whine doesn't come from blowers. Our naturally aspirated 3.8 Mustang V6 makes a blower-esque noise in third gear. It's simply a T5 thing. Straight cut gears also tend to make a whining noise, but there aren't very many vehicles sold now with non-synchronized transmissions.
I seem to be out of stuff to write, so we'll close with my favorite pickup truck of all time that really ought to have a supercharger on it:
However, blower whine is a good thing. Some people hate it, but I like it. For an example of turbo whine, see this:
To illustrate just how pronounced the blower whine is on the Atom III, observe the KTM X-Bow (pronounced "crossbow"), which, although the same class of car, and turbocharged, has much more exhaust noise and less whine. In fact, there's hardly any whine at all.
For supercharger whine, see this:
Blower whine is often obscured by exhaust noise, since when there's a blower powerful enough to make some noise, the exhaust is even louder. The video above this text was taken by a camera affixed to the front fender. Here's a very similar pass, this time from the rear fender:
\
Lethal's GT500 is one of my favorite customs to write about, as it's been masterfully done. GT500 + black/Grabber Blue + full race motor, exhaust, the works + YouTube = awesome. The only problem with it is that it doesn't get much street time, and I'd love to wax poetic about it, but I'm currently ill and can't write very well. Happily, the videos speak for themselves.
Sometimes, blower whine doesn't come from blowers. Our naturally aspirated 3.8 Mustang V6 makes a blower-esque noise in third gear. It's simply a T5 thing. Straight cut gears also tend to make a whining noise, but there aren't very many vehicles sold now with non-synchronized transmissions.
I seem to be out of stuff to write, so we'll close with my favorite pickup truck of all time that really ought to have a supercharger on it:
Monday, April 25, 2011
A Theological Analysis...
...of a toy brand. Yes, you heard me correctly. I will be analyzing the theology of the Bionicle universe, a popular toy line formerly produced by the LEGO toy company.
At its core, Bionicle's system is polytheistic, and thus inherently screwed up. Not only that, but there are several God-figures and devil-figures across the whole story. There are also several tiers of being in this universe.
At the highest tier of existence are the Great Beings. There are multiple Great Beings, and they are the creators of the Bionicle universe. They created a being called Tren Krom to watch over the new world after they created it, and then assembled Mata Nui, a Great Spirit, to take care of the world instead of Tren Krom. Tren Krom rebelled, and was banished. So now we have the Great Beings and the Great Spirit, each "gods" in their own right. Not only that, but the Matoran (the lowest level of creation that has not been corrupted to evil) appear to "worship" their respective Toa (which are like angels in their strength, and also in their ability to turn away from good and to evil) at the given Toa's Suva, which is a shrine.
Now, you were complaining about how messed up some out-there cults are? Ain't got nothin' on Bionicle. Despite that, it's still a rather nice sub-creation to mess around with and to read about, as long as you don't start actually looking for Nynrah ghosts to make you Skyblasters.
At its core, Bionicle's system is polytheistic, and thus inherently screwed up. Not only that, but there are several God-figures and devil-figures across the whole story. There are also several tiers of being in this universe.
At the highest tier of existence are the Great Beings. There are multiple Great Beings, and they are the creators of the Bionicle universe. They created a being called Tren Krom to watch over the new world after they created it, and then assembled Mata Nui, a Great Spirit, to take care of the world instead of Tren Krom. Tren Krom rebelled, and was banished. So now we have the Great Beings and the Great Spirit, each "gods" in their own right. Not only that, but the Matoran (the lowest level of creation that has not been corrupted to evil) appear to "worship" their respective Toa (which are like angels in their strength, and also in their ability to turn away from good and to evil) at the given Toa's Suva, which is a shrine.
Now, you were complaining about how messed up some out-there cults are? Ain't got nothin' on Bionicle. Despite that, it's still a rather nice sub-creation to mess around with and to read about, as long as you don't start actually looking for Nynrah ghosts to make you Skyblasters.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Modern Shelbys
As regular readers may know, my family is in possession of a 2008 Ford Mustang Shelby GT coupe. I've been trying to get a good video of it for a while, but it's simply not working, as YouTube insists my files are corrupted (they aren't). Happily, Motor Trend had a long-term tester of the convertible version of the same car, only ours has a full black interior and the base headlights.
It sounds even better in person. And BTW, those staffers that wanted a S*b*r* WRX ST* are nuts. Yes, those vehicles are dreadful enough that they shan't be mentioned in polite company. Stupid S*b*r*s.
Why, you ask, was I reminded of MT's long-termer? Because of this. I love it. It's like a GT350 for those of us who can't shell out the money for a real GT350. It's still expensive, but the GTS is as good as it gets for new Shelby Mustangs in the matter of price. Anyway, the Shelby GT was called the spiritual successor to the GT350 when it came out. So now, the spiritual successor of the spiritual successor of the GT350 will get walloped by a GT350? I'm confused.
GT500: "Who are you, thou other-lane occupier? Answer me, for I must know."
GTS: "I am GTS, son of GT, son of GT350."
GT500: "Oh."
It sounds even better in person. And BTW, those staffers that wanted a S*b*r* WRX ST* are nuts. Yes, those vehicles are dreadful enough that they shan't be mentioned in polite company. Stupid S*b*r*s.
Why, you ask, was I reminded of MT's long-termer? Because of this. I love it. It's like a GT350 for those of us who can't shell out the money for a real GT350. It's still expensive, but the GTS is as good as it gets for new Shelby Mustangs in the matter of price. Anyway, the Shelby GT was called the spiritual successor to the GT350 when it came out. So now, the spiritual successor of the spiritual successor of the GT350 will get walloped by a GT350? I'm confused.
GT500: "Who are you, thou other-lane occupier? Answer me, for I must know."
GTS: "I am GTS, son of GT, son of GT350."
GT500: "Oh."
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Only six more months...
...until I can legally drive a car on public roads. Aaaaaargh...
At least I've been able to get a moped license for the past year, as of today. Too bad I don't have a moped.
Yep, it's BBC's birthday. Surprised? So am I. At least as surprised as this guy. Maybe I can buy it and we can be surprised together.
Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday dear BBC, happy birthday to me...
At least I've been able to get a moped license for the past year, as of today. Too bad I don't have a moped.
Yep, it's BBC's birthday. Surprised? So am I. At least as surprised as this guy. Maybe I can buy it and we can be surprised together.
Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday dear BBC, happy birthday to me...
Thursday, April 14, 2011
The evening of 4/13/11, as photographed by BBC
Last evening, BBC went to his local Ford dealer, which is the one that has been mentioned in previous posts that leaves the doors unlocked on their cars. That might not be such a good idea for some of their cars *cough, 300C SRT8, yo, cough*. But before I get to that, I'll recap something nice that happened on my way to church on Saturday.
Our church is smack-dab in the middle of Fratboy Party Zone, which can result in woes around All Souls Day. The streets in that area are brick, and quite rough for certain vehicles that have very sharply tuned suspension that may or may not have the letters "S H E L B Y" across the back. But that's a tangent.
Anyway, we were traveling along one of these streets in the Mustang when I spotted a glorious form along the street. This is very unusual because aside from the occasional Mustang-that's-been-sitting-there-for-all-of-recorded-history and a Mini Cooper, the street parking consists of Corollae and Civics. I couldn't get a picture of said glorious form on our way to church, but on our way home...
Despite my radical Ford fan-ism, I just LOVE these Chargers. The local Chrysler dealership (which still has its 1970s-era Plymouth signage up) sold their 2011 R/T a little while back. From the outside, it looked just like this one, except it was Toxic Orange.
But enough of that. Let's get to the main event!
I had read about this GT on the dealer's website, so I was eager to see it in person.
Your humble author really ought to remember to keep himself out of pictures of reflective surfaces. The extra "California Special" lettering struck me as a nice touch, as standard Mustang GTs don't have that lettering. (not a regular GT, but it has the standard emblem)
Nice custom wheels on this example.
RED INTERIOR! AAAAAAHH! So awesome, the car can hardly contain it.
Even on the doors!
And the back seats too!
This was a very nice shifter to play with. The aftermarket knob helped, although the shifting action is generally good in these cars. I was also pleased to see that the brake was up, as this is the same dealer that the episode with the Cobalt occurred.
This pile of candy-cane colored glory is a 2012 GT500. Notice the evil smile.
The slightly darker portions of the steering wheel, parking brake handle and shifter boot are suede. It adds a wonderful effect to the interior, conjuring up images of racing wheels like this one. The nav screen is a nice touch, but of debatable value. I don't think I would shell out the $2,340 to get it if I was to buy my own GT500.
I would, however, pay extra for these. So awesome!
The dealer has had this one in the showroom for a while. It's a 2011, black with no stripes (that I can see).
The engine hardly fits between the shock towers, due to either a small engine bay, a very wide 5.4, or both.
The massive intake feeds cold air into the blower, which is that gray ridged thingermajig on top of the engine. It's a huge device.
Back outside the showroom, I encountered this V6. Clean lines, largely due to the lack of ornamentation.
This 2010 GT was hit by a passing car when it was on the curb, and has been repaired. The dealer marked it down $10,000.
I'll take it. I love red interiors, especially when they have glass roofs above them like this one. It's even an auto, so anybody could be comfortable with it.
This 2010 GT is fairly unremarkable for a GT, until you get inside...
Premium interior... the brake's up... shiny pedals... no nav... very nice.... wait, what's that?
CUE BALL SHIFTER! OH MY GOODNESS, I LOVE IT, I MUST HAVE IT! *hyperventilating*
It has shiny ponies on the doors, too!
And stripes on the seats, along with louvers in the windows!
I crammed my (relatively) large (for the back seats) frame into the back seats for this picture, during which time I noted that although my head was against the window glass ("What's that burning smell? I have a headache. Are we there yet?"), the leather was quite soft, and very comfortable.
Ah. That's pretty nice too.
Wait... THAT'S not a Mustang!
Gotta love a shifter that disputes the old myth that P R N D L stands for "Prindal". The paddle shifters may look small, but in real life they hardly fit behind the steering wheel. It gives the wheel a nice meaty feel.
Nice gauges. It says "TAURUS" in the speedometer, just in case you ever forget what car you're driving. I liked the light color, but was disappointed because when I shut the door, the gauges didn't go back and forth like they're supposed to.
I knew that some Fusions will send their dials back and forth, and I wanted to capture it on film and post it, so I went to a Fusion sitting behind the Taurus. (BTW, the only videos I got that day were of some shifters and myself happily messing with the crank windows in the back of a certain vehicle.)
No pictures for the inside of this one. It wasn't too remarkable. The MKZ right next to it was about this distance from the Fusion: I I
That's not very far.
Just a random Sport Trac interior. Nothing to see here, move along.
Now THAT is an interesting gauge cluster. I like it. Very... Klingon.
"Engage." *zoom*
I love this interior, but... what is it? Can't be a Fiesta (I've been in those)... it's not a Fusion... not a Taurus...
It reminds me of a flight deck... or a shuttle from Star Trek: The Next Generation (ugh)... what is it?
IT'S A EURO FOCUS! YAY!!!
Hang on... that doesn't look right...
Argh. Never mind. It had crank windows in the back, which amused me very much, as yours truly had never worked a crank window before. Hopefully I can return and OOH SHELBY!
*ahem* Never mind that, our Shelby just got home. Now, I hope I can return and get more pictures, because I may actually get to ride in one of these, as a family member may test drive one. That should be fun, as the only vehicles I've ever test-ridden are a 2010 Mustang V6, a 2010 Mustang GT, a Honda Pilot, and said Shelby. That's it.
I climbed out from the back of the Focus, having had lots of fun with the crank window, and noticed everybody else looking about a Chrysler 300C SRT8. Most of them had disgusted looks on their faces.
Not too hideous, right?
Never mind. The steering wheel reminds me of an old leather belt I happen to have worn a few times. It does not exactly feel very nice. The gauges are trying to look like classic watch dials, which they're not doing so well.
I think 180 MPH is a little optimistic, don't you? So is 6,250 RPM, especially for a 6.1L V8. Maybe the hemi-heads help with attaining higher revs. Typically, fuel shutoff is a couple hundred RPM after the visual redline so a late shift won't hurt the engine or transmission, but with such a large engine, I'm skeptical of the practicality of revving that high in everyday driving.
The seats look nice, at least. They don't feel nearly as nice as you would think, though.
I try this shot with a lot of cars, and always if I have time. Usually it looks good, but not so much in this case. The new 300 really tries to attain the class of its predecessor from the 1950's, but ended up a rapper's dream car instead. Hopefully the 2011 refresh can help with that. Here's an idea, Chrysler: raise the price. Rappers can't afford high-priced cars. If they could, they'd just buy real Bentleys instead of buying 300s and putting Bentley grilles on them. Just a thought.
That's all for this post; I hope that you've enjoyed reading it!
Our church is smack-dab in the middle of Fratboy Party Zone, which can result in woes around All Souls Day. The streets in that area are brick, and quite rough for certain vehicles that have very sharply tuned suspension that may or may not have the letters "S H E L B Y" across the back. But that's a tangent.
Anyway, we were traveling along one of these streets in the Mustang when I spotted a glorious form along the street. This is very unusual because aside from the occasional Mustang-that's-been-sitting-there-for-all-of-recorded-history and a Mini Cooper, the street parking consists of Corollae and Civics. I couldn't get a picture of said glorious form on our way to church, but on our way home...
Despite my radical Ford fan-ism, I just LOVE these Chargers. The local Chrysler dealership (which still has its 1970s-era Plymouth signage up) sold their 2011 R/T a little while back. From the outside, it looked just like this one, except it was Toxic Orange.
But enough of that. Let's get to the main event!
I had read about this GT on the dealer's website, so I was eager to see it in person.
Your humble author really ought to remember to keep himself out of pictures of reflective surfaces. The extra "California Special" lettering struck me as a nice touch, as standard Mustang GTs don't have that lettering. (not a regular GT, but it has the standard emblem)
Nice custom wheels on this example.
RED INTERIOR! AAAAAAHH! So awesome, the car can hardly contain it.
Even on the doors!
And the back seats too!
This was a very nice shifter to play with. The aftermarket knob helped, although the shifting action is generally good in these cars. I was also pleased to see that the brake was up, as this is the same dealer that the episode with the Cobalt occurred.
This pile of candy-cane colored glory is a 2012 GT500. Notice the evil smile.
The slightly darker portions of the steering wheel, parking brake handle and shifter boot are suede. It adds a wonderful effect to the interior, conjuring up images of racing wheels like this one. The nav screen is a nice touch, but of debatable value. I don't think I would shell out the $2,340 to get it if I was to buy my own GT500.
I would, however, pay extra for these. So awesome!
The dealer has had this one in the showroom for a while. It's a 2011, black with no stripes (that I can see).
The engine hardly fits between the shock towers, due to either a small engine bay, a very wide 5.4, or both.
The massive intake feeds cold air into the blower, which is that gray ridged thingermajig on top of the engine. It's a huge device.
Back outside the showroom, I encountered this V6. Clean lines, largely due to the lack of ornamentation.
This 2010 GT was hit by a passing car when it was on the curb, and has been repaired. The dealer marked it down $10,000.
I'll take it. I love red interiors, especially when they have glass roofs above them like this one. It's even an auto, so anybody could be comfortable with it.
This 2010 GT is fairly unremarkable for a GT, until you get inside...
Premium interior... the brake's up... shiny pedals... no nav... very nice.... wait, what's that?
CUE BALL SHIFTER! OH MY GOODNESS, I LOVE IT, I MUST HAVE IT! *hyperventilating*
It has shiny ponies on the doors, too!
And stripes on the seats, along with louvers in the windows!
I crammed my (relatively) large (for the back seats) frame into the back seats for this picture, during which time I noted that although my head was against the window glass ("What's that burning smell? I have a headache. Are we there yet?"), the leather was quite soft, and very comfortable.
Ah. That's pretty nice too.
Wait... THAT'S not a Mustang!
Gotta love a shifter that disputes the old myth that P R N D L stands for "Prindal". The paddle shifters may look small, but in real life they hardly fit behind the steering wheel. It gives the wheel a nice meaty feel.
Nice gauges. It says "TAURUS" in the speedometer, just in case you ever forget what car you're driving. I liked the light color, but was disappointed because when I shut the door, the gauges didn't go back and forth like they're supposed to.
I knew that some Fusions will send their dials back and forth, and I wanted to capture it on film and post it, so I went to a Fusion sitting behind the Taurus. (BTW, the only videos I got that day were of some shifters and myself happily messing with the crank windows in the back of a certain vehicle.)
No pictures for the inside of this one. It wasn't too remarkable. The MKZ right next to it was about this distance from the Fusion: I I
That's not very far.
Just a random Sport Trac interior. Nothing to see here, move along.
Now THAT is an interesting gauge cluster. I like it. Very... Klingon.
"Engage." *zoom*
I love this interior, but... what is it? Can't be a Fiesta (I've been in those)... it's not a Fusion... not a Taurus...
It reminds me of a flight deck... or a shuttle from Star Trek: The Next Generation (ugh)... what is it?
IT'S A EURO FOCUS! YAY!!!
Hang on... that doesn't look right...
Argh. Never mind. It had crank windows in the back, which amused me very much, as yours truly had never worked a crank window before. Hopefully I can return and OOH SHELBY!
*ahem* Never mind that, our Shelby just got home. Now, I hope I can return and get more pictures, because I may actually get to ride in one of these, as a family member may test drive one. That should be fun, as the only vehicles I've ever test-ridden are a 2010 Mustang V6, a 2010 Mustang GT, a Honda Pilot, and said Shelby. That's it.
I climbed out from the back of the Focus, having had lots of fun with the crank window, and noticed everybody else looking about a Chrysler 300C SRT8. Most of them had disgusted looks on their faces.
Not too hideous, right?
Never mind. The steering wheel reminds me of an old leather belt I happen to have worn a few times. It does not exactly feel very nice. The gauges are trying to look like classic watch dials, which they're not doing so well.
I think 180 MPH is a little optimistic, don't you? So is 6,250 RPM, especially for a 6.1L V8. Maybe the hemi-heads help with attaining higher revs. Typically, fuel shutoff is a couple hundred RPM after the visual redline so a late shift won't hurt the engine or transmission, but with such a large engine, I'm skeptical of the practicality of revving that high in everyday driving.
The seats look nice, at least. They don't feel nearly as nice as you would think, though.
I try this shot with a lot of cars, and always if I have time. Usually it looks good, but not so much in this case. The new 300 really tries to attain the class of its predecessor from the 1950's, but ended up a rapper's dream car instead. Hopefully the 2011 refresh can help with that. Here's an idea, Chrysler: raise the price. Rappers can't afford high-priced cars. If they could, they'd just buy real Bentleys instead of buying 300s and putting Bentley grilles on them. Just a thought.
That's all for this post; I hope that you've enjoyed reading it!
"You're late."
C&D should have hurried up and posted this evidently non-embeddable video of the P4/5 Competizione being given some quick test laps around Vallelunga. It mixes Vivaldi's Winter with the sounds of the Ferrari 4.0L V8 being wrung out. Definitely worth a watch.
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