An Italian sense of style
In this case, the latest Fiat-backed advertising blitz is actually coming to us by way of Oregon’s Wieden+Kennedy but it’s still a welcome change of pace for the often flat American automaker, no?
In this case, the latest Fiat-backed advertising blitz is actually coming to us by way of Oregon’s Wieden+Kennedy but it’s still a welcome change of pace for the often flat American automaker, no?
Oh how you torment me Citroën – it’s so very unfair that you create such gorgeous cars that are completely absent from our North American streets. It’s been said (by Top Gear) that the French don’t really seem to be car designers so much as people who design art based around the concept of a car. I couldn’t agree more.
io9 invites us to “bask in the metallic magnificence” of this VW Beetle turned dinosaur sculpture. But, to combine another article from the same site, can we call it that? While doing just what was suggested and planning a quick post over here, I encountered a story about New York City schools’ planned ban on certain words for standardized tests. These are words that might make some students feel “uncomfortable.” Like “dinosaur.”
This all leaves me feeling distinctly…something. Not sure if “uncomfortable” is quite the word for it. Perhaps “flabbergasted” more aptly covers the emotion?
Imagine this scene, but much, much darker.
You’d then have an approximation of what I encountered on my way down to Mont Alto in the Fleet car this morning. As I wound through the dark of 5:30 am, unable to turn on my high beams in the rain owing to a truck in front of me, I accidentally miscalculated where I was and turned about .5 miles too soon for the logging road I’d normally take. Unperturbed, my GPS merrily plotted a new course on some rather rough tracks past camps, a mere .8 miles extra distance.
Harried and still slightly groggy, I kept trudging along, though I did notice what seemed to be an increased amount of puddles as I made my way. By the .3 miles to left turn part of my journey, I looked ahead to discover that the road I should have been traveling over was more suited to small watercraft. As my lane of travel had narrowed to just wider than a Ford, I endeavored to back up away from the deluge, using a chained off driveway a bit up the way I had come as an awkward launching point for a truly spectacular multipoint turn around.
Of course I had to make my way back in the “daylight” to snap a photo to accompany my adventure tale!
Update: Hannah astutely pointed out that this comic from CaptchArt accurately, well, captures my experience.
If my former car and my current car had a lovechild, it might look a bit like the 2013 Volvo V40. Should this beast every make its way to America, I’m game. Perhaps by 2015?
My trusty new steed has just arrived – and was greeted by a completely unexpected snowstorm while I took delivery yesterday morning. Driving and photo sessions have been scarce so far but I did grab some this morning since we made the last minute decision to postponed our Pittsburgh departure due to the (likely) nasty mountain roads.
I know there are probably innumberable reasons why the SARTRE autonomous road train could be considered complete anathema to the driver (note: not commuter), but I can’t help but being desirous of this technology right now. Who hasn’t wished for a way to put the car on autopilot during a particularly tedious stretch of driving? Imagine how even having just one SARTRE lane on our highways would provide a safe alternative to driving while getting drowsy and definitely eliminate traffic snarls on tourist filled roadways near beaches, arenas, etc. An interesting answer to our country’s lack of acccessible – traditional – trains.
(Autoblog)
Like last year, I attended the North American International Auto Show in (lovely) Detroit. Having just arrived back yesterday after over seven hours of driving I’m just now starting to process some of the things that I encountered at Cobo Hall. Below is a gallery of some of the sights that are pinging around my brain:
Prior to the show, I also attended Autoweek‘s Design Forum at the College for Creative Studies. The event brought together auto industry and media players as well as car fans and, most interestingly, design students from the College. I particularly enjoyed seeing the thesis projects set up next door, especially since I’d have gladly been enrolled in their program had I known about its existence years ago. Of note to me as a technologist: design display boards featured QR codes that delivered student details to the viewer’s phone. With so many potential employers walking through, this stood out as extremely clever. Another use to mention in my own workshops on the technology.
2012 has become the year of nautical tracking, it would seem: my new favorite pastime is tracking the progress of Wallenius-Wilhelmsen ship Don Juan as it makes its way through the North Sea and eventually on to Nova Scotia, New York and Baltimore. Why, you ask? Because my new car is aboard and having its VIN allows me to do so! The folks over at the Swedespeed Volvo forum have put together a comprehensive thread on the subject of tracking custom orders.
You’d better believe I’ll be checking in with the Southampton radar information when it will be catching a view of Don Juan on Sunday. As I said to Kate, GPS and the internet would have made the pirate’s life so much easier…
As you know, I spend quite a bit of time on the highways of the Pennsylvania (and highway-ish roads of Maryland). This affords me an opportunity to notice trends about travel – and lots of time to ponder them. One thing that I’ve been seeing more and more are aerodynamic attachments to tractor trailers. For instance:
The little flap under the trailer? There to keep air flowing more smoothly and thereby make the truck more efficient (and less costly for its operator). These are also taking the form of winglets on the backs of trailers and other coverings for the gaps between the actual truck and its cargo.
All of this got me thinking about the eccentric German inventor, Luigi Colani. Who knows when ago, I watched a documentary on the future of travel on the Discovery channel and remember being floored by the crazy looking tractor trailer concept that Luigi had come up with:
At the time, I can remember the show’s host joking about how strange it would be to see such an odd looking vehicle on the roadways. Now, I’m not so sure that kooky Colani wasn’t on to something…