Archive Category: Car & Vehicle
557,000 Miles
90-year-old Rachel Veitch of Orlando, Florida has been driving the same 1964 Mercury Comet Caliente since it was new. Now she has racked up 557,000 miles on the odometer -and it’s still going great!
Unlike her three husbands, Veitch says, the Mercury has “never lied to me, never cheated on me, and I can always depend on her.”
Veitch is on her seventh Midas muffler, and thank you, gentlemen, for the lifetime warranty. She’s had three sets of Sears shock absorbers, also through a lifetime warranty. And though the number seems high, she claims to have had 16 free batteries, courtesy of J.C. Penney and Firestone.
“She’s demonstrating the perfect way to take care of a car,” says Mike Hardie, director of global quality and productivity for Ford Motor Co., and that’s what makes her a menace.
“If everyone did that,” he says, “we’d never sell another one, so don’t spread it around too far.”
If the engine ever goes out, Veitch may be in trouble, because they are no longer manufactured. Link -via the Presurfer
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What Supersonic Looks Like
It’s been over six decades since Chuck Yaeger broke the sound barrier, but photos of fighter jets hitting Mach 1 has always fascinated us. Here’s a new photo of an Air Force F-22 Raptor aircraft breaking the sound barrier while performing aerial maneuvers in the Gulf of Alaska:
The phenomenon is not well studied. Scientists refer to it as a vapor cone, shock collar, or shock egg, and it’s thought to be created by what’s called a Prandtl-Glauert singularity.
Here’s what scientists think happens:
A layer of water droplets gets trapped between two high-pressure surfaces of air. In humid conditions, condensation can gather in the trough between two crests of the sound waves produced by the jet. This effect does not necessarily coincide with the breaking of the sound barrier, although it can.
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How to Start and Drive a Model T
(YouTube link)
If you are ever lucky enough to get the chance to drive a Ford Model T {wiki}, keep in mind that they were a bit different from modern cars. Who knew it had three pedals, none of which was an accelerator? Henry Ford Estate volunteer Ed Hebb takes you through the process. -via Metafilter
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Life Imitates Unbreakable: Boy Survived Being Hit by a Car Unscathed
Four-year-old Turkish boy Muhammet Dirlik is one lucky boy: he was hit by a car, which sent him tumbling down a flight of stairs. But what seems like a surely fatal accident left Muhammet unscathed.
Hit play or go to Link [YouTube], and quick, someone stop M. Night Shyamalan before Signs or The Happening happens or we’re doomed!
Previously: Life Imitates Final Destination: Woman Who Missed Air France Flight 447 Died in a Car Crash 2 Weeks Later
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Church Turned Graveyard Into a Parking Lot for Wimbledon
It seems that the St. Mary’s Church in Wimbledon village has maneuvered itself into a rather tight spot: church officials let tennis fan park their car on top of graves for £20!
The Church later apologized:
Reverend Mary Bide said that although the cars look ‘odd’, they were only parked in the oldest part of the graveyard and funds raised would make a ‘valuable contribution to the Church and the Diocese’.
But the church has since apologised for the car parking arrangement and has stopped the use of the churchyard.
‘Over many years, during the Wimbledon Championships, the parish of St Mary Wimbledon has offered this service to the public,’ a church spokesman said.
‘Each year three designated charities benefit from some of the money raised by allowing the cars to park and the rest goes towards work within the parish. Sadly, this year, some cars were parked in inappropriate places.’
Link (Photo: National Pictures)
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World’s Most Interesting and Dangerous Raceways
Ever since the dawn of civilization, humans have had the need for speed. Indeed, raceways have been in existence for just about as long as we have cars, and although you may have
never found yourself in the middle of a Formula 1 competition, I’m sure
you’ve experienced the taste of racing in some form or another.
Perhaps our interests in speeding things are the result of an early childhood training. Take, for instance, Disney’s Autopia:
In 1955, Autopia was an example of the multilane limited-access highways which were still being developed. Before the park initially opened, the cars were tested without their rubberized bumpers. This is course resulted in some major collisions, although that was the fun part of the initial test drive. The cars at Autopia were eventually fashioned with rubber bumpers, and a guard rail was put in place to discourage reckless driving. What’s the fun in that!
Over the years, Autopia was updated using the very latest is fashionable vehicles including a 1967 Corvette
Stingray, a Volkswagen Bug, “Dusty, an off-road style car; Sparky, a sports car; and Suzy. Each was designed to be tied into the Chevron line of animated ‘Chevron Cars‘, and 4 versions of the Autopia cars were sold as toys during the 2000 summer season at Chevron stations nationwide.”
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Half VW Half Opel Frankencar!
[YouTube - Link]
What do you get when you combine a bunch of technically inclined Romanians, half of a Volkswagen, and half of an Opel? Something that looks ridiculously unsafe but really wickedly fun! I think I like the name Vopel for it.
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Name That Pontiac
As of 2010, the Pontiac brand name will no longer be used. Over the last 50 years, there have been almost 30 Pontiac models sold in the US. How many can you name in ten minutes? Anything over ten is considered a winning score. Let’s just say I barely won. Link
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World’s Most Dangerous Driver
Think that the person yakking on his cell phone while driving in the car next to you is bad? He’s nothing compared to this dancing Romanian driver! How on Earth did he get his license?!
Hit play or go to Link [YouTube] - via Information Nation
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Defying Death, Three Times a Week
Gregory Carpenter, aka Dr. Danger, doesn’t like to be restrained. As a concession to safety, he wears a helmet and seat belt when he does his "suicide car jump" driving 60 miles an hour over a ramp, through a ball of flames, and smack into a stack of junkyard cars, thrilling fans at state fairs across the country.
Sure he gets his share of cracked and dislocated bones, but it doesn’t slow him down for long. His crew once kidnapped him from the hospital so he could return to his daredveil stunts.
Why does he do it? "If I weren’t doing this, I’d be a mercenary or something…The closer I get to not being here anymore, the more passion I have for life."
Photo by Joel Sartore for National Geographic
Watch the "suicide car jump" video clip: Link
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Ambilvalent or Guarded Bumper Stickers
Here they are, a selection of bumper stickers for people who don’t feel that strongly about the issues on other bumper stickers. Link -via Metafilter
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Life Imitates Final Destination: Woman Who Survived Missed Air France Flight 447 Died in Car Crash 2 Weeks Later
It’s like that movie Final Destination
Johanna Ganthaler, a pensioner from Bolzano-Bozen province, had been on holiday in Brazil with her husband Kurt and missed Air France Flight 447 after turning up late at Rio de Janeiro airport on May 31.
All 228 people aboard lost their lives after the plane crashed into the Atlantic four hours into its flight to Paris. [...]
It said that Ms Ganthaler died when their car veered across a road in Kufstein, Austria, and swerved into an oncoming truck. Her husband was seriously injured.
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Parking Spot in Boston = $300K
Housing prices may have tanked, but the cost of a coveted parking space in Back Bay, Boston, is apparently unfazed by the economic crisis:
An unidentified buyer yesterday paid $300,000 for a private parking space in the Back Bay, making it the most expensive parking space in Boston, according to Listing Information Network, which tracks the city’s real estate market.
Debra Sordillo, the Coldwell sales agent who brokered the deal, said several residents at 48 Commonwealth Ave. engaged in a bidding war for the space, driving the asking price of $250,000 up to the record-breaking $300,000. The winning bidder did not want to be identified, she said.
The price is more than what many people pay for a house, but Sordillo said prime parking spaces near the Public Garden are in short supply.
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12 Awesomely Geeky License Plates
Nothing says "I’m a geek!" better than a custom-made geeky license plate. Here are 12 awesomely geeky license plates for your viewing pleasure.
Spotting silly vanity license plates is always a fun activity, especially double-innuendo or borderline-obscene ones. But some of the best still come from those who show their geek pride on their bumpers.
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Stop Sign Flower by Mark Jenkins
Mark Jenkins (featured before on Neatorama for his tape sculptures) made this whimsical "stop sign flower" in Washington DC.
Sometimes the best ideas are the simplest, though this probaby breaks quite a few traffic regulations!
Link - via uniquedaily
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Carpool Jockeys
There are young women and men standing by the busy streets of Jakarta, Indonesia, waiting for drivers to pick them up for $1. Prostitutes? Nay, they are car jockeys who help car owners beat the congested city’s carpooling laws:
When this city of epic traffic jams started carpooling a while back, it inadvertently gave birth to an entirely new profession: jockey.
For less than a dollar, car owners hire one or two jockeys to gain access to stretches of the city’s “3 in 1,” high-occupancy lanes. The jockey is essentially an extra passenger who helps commuters circumvent carpooling rules, making the ride into central Jakarta slightly less slow.
Norimitsu Onishi of The New York Times’ Jakarta Journal has the story: Link (Photo: Ed Wray for the New York Times)
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Paragliding Cops
Officers of the Palm Bay Police Department in Florida keep an eye on a large area by using motorized paragliders!
Police Chief Bill Berger says they are a way for the department to have a bird’s eye view of the semi-rural city at minimal cost.
“Because we don’t have a lot of roadway here, this gives us the ability to basically take short cuts,” said Berger.
The vehicles and training cost $10,000 per officer, which is cost-effective compared to using helicopters. And they have other benefits.
Chief Berger sees the gliders as an ideal tool for searching for missing elderly people who have wandered away.
“The problem with helicopters is you can’t go below 1,000 feet,” said Berger. “The canopy of trees in our community prevented the helicopter from seeing a woman who had [died] close to her car. The paragliders would have been able to get much lower.”
(image credit: ABC News)
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Your Car Warranty Is About To Expire Spammer Identified!
Tired of getting those "Your car warranty is about to expire" robo-call? I get those several times a week, even though I’m on the do not call list.
Well, thanks to some clever people over at reddit (oh, how I love reddit - can’t beat the sophisticated level of snark there …), we now have the identity of one of the spammers … and their phone number! Link
Will this stop them? Probably not - according to the Arizona Daily Star, it’s not just a one company operation.
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Man Bobbitized in Car Accident
Sin Chew Daily (coincidence? I. Don’t. Think. So) and China Press reported a bizarre car accident that led to a man being Bobbitized in Singapore:
The daily reported that the incident occurred in a Singapore park where the couple met after work. To make matters worse for the woman, her husband had sent a private investigator to spy on her after suspecting that she was being unfaithful. The investigator said he had followed the woman and her boss to the park.
“On reaching the park, they did not alight from the car. Not long after, the car started to shake violently. After the car was hit by the van, there was a loud scream from the woman whose mouth was covered with blood,” he said. The woman later followed her lover to the hospital with part of the sexual organ.
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10 Ways to Deliver Mail
Imagine that your mail comes delivered by a mule, or maybe by a missile! These are just a couple of methods the US Postal Service has used, tested, or considered in it’s 234-year history. Link -via Digg
(image credit: Smithsonian National Postal Museum)
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Invisibility, the Old Fashioned Way
While the magic of Photoshop has made it easier than ever to doctor photographs to portray the improbable or impossible, nothing quite matches doing a double take in real life.
British art student Sara Watson parked a donated Skoda Fabia car outside her art studio and painted it so that, from just the right angle, it looks invisible. Shadows on the ground and the slight contours of the car give it away, but other than that, it’s as if it were draped with Harry Potter’s cloak of invisibility or a cloaking device from Star Trek.
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Bicycle + Treadmill Hack
Photo: frankh
Remember the mobile treadmill posted on Neatorama a while ago? Well, Flickr user frankh spotted a DIY version at MIT (where else?). Apparently, it’s what you get when you cross a bicycle with a treadmill - via GadgetLab
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The DMV Never Forgets …
Fifteen-year-old Jesse Jakan passed the written exam and taken a driving course, so he was excited to get his driving permit … except for one teeny tiny glitch: he caused a car accident when he was 6, and the DMV never forgets.
Jesse said the DMV asked him if he had ever driven before. He said "No." He said a DMV supervisor then told him he had a driving record and needed to have his license/permit reinstated.
"At the time, I was furious," said Chris Jakan, Jesse’s dad. "I thought it was the most absurd thing I had ever heard."
When Jesse was 6 years old he was playing around in his mom’s car and popped it out of gear. The car rolled down the driveway and crashed into another car.
"This is ridiculous. A 6-year-old should not be held accountable for his actions at that age," said Chris Jakan. "I am just wondering why a 6-year-old would have been ticketed for driving a car when he wasn’t driving. He popped it out of gear by accident."
Link - Thanks Tiffany!
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Parkour on Two Wheels: Danny MacAskill Rides a Bike
Most of us can ride bikes, but I bet you not like Inspired Bicycles team rider Danny MacAskill. Here’s a video tape of a collection of what can only be described as parkour on two wheels: Link [YouTube clip]
Kids, don’t try this at home. Or on the streets, either.
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Five Tracks
This picture of tracks in Lakehurst, New Jersey looks quite intriguing. Can you guess what they are for?
in order for a plane to safely land on an aircraft carrier without racing off the end, its tailhook needs to be ‘caught’ by arresting cables attached to the carrier’s deck (see here). these cables need to be extremely strong and durable but also flexible enough so as not to stop the plane too quickly. these 5 test tracks, located at navair in lakehurst, are dedicated to testing these very systems and the emergency barricades.
See more pictures of vehicle testing facilities at deputy dog. Link
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The Identical Twin Parking Ticket Loophole
Swiss twins Harold and Michael Lengen have found the perfect loophole to get out of paying parking tickets:
Police say that in the last year alone the twins have collected 29 parking tickets on a car which they both share. But every time they refuse to pay them and tell courts that the other was driving.
And police say that as they are identical twins it is impossible to rely on visual evidence to prove who was driving the car when they got the ticket.
A police spokesman said: "It is immensely frustrating for our officers. Every time we hand one of them out a ticket we know what is going to happen next and that they will never pay it.
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Trying to Save the World by Driving to Mongolia
This July, I will be driving from London to Mongolia, in a piece of #### car, all in the name of charity. I’m taking part in the Mongol Rally. It is, in fact, as ridiculous as it sounds.
What: The Mongol Rally is an annual charity race across Eurasia where 500 cars traverse 1/3 of the world in 1-liter engine vehicles and, with a lot of luck, make it all the way to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. There’s no route and no help, but a whole lot of road and good deeds along the way.
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Just One More Coconut …
Photo: C.G. Muthana
From National Geographic Magazine’s Daily Dozen, a collection of user submitted photographs as selected by photo editor Susan Welchman, here’s an amazing entry. I’d like to think of it as celebrating eternal optimism - as in pile-an-extra-one-on-it’ll-surely-fit can-do spirit of third world countries.
Photographer C.G. Muthana has this to say about the overloaded auto rickshaw (looks kind of like Phil Spector’s hair!):
A three-wheeler transport vehicle carrying a huge load of dry coconut husks one early winter morning in the suburbs of Mysore, India. The husks are all tied to each other using their own fibers. (Source: Daily Dozen - April Week 2)
At least they’re not doing it with people and trains …
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Dangling Over A Bridge
Truck driver Zhian Feng went over the side of a bridge in Chengdu, China. The truck was left dangling by the bumper, only inches away from tumbling 100 feet to the ground below!
Witness Lu Wi said: ‘We heard an amazing bang and went out to see what was happening.
‘We saw a lorry hanging over the bridge, and a man in his 40s struggling to climb out.
‘When he got out the driver said he was lucky he had his seat belt on or he’d have fallen straight out of his open window.’
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Saudi Arabia: Cheeky License Plates Banned, Child Marriages Still OK
To protect public propriety, Saudi Arabia has recently banned license plates whose Arabic characters spell out lewd words:
Saudi plates normally have three Arabic characters and three numbers, but the growing fashion is for auto owners also to display a version using the Latin alphabet and some buyers of personalised "vanity plates" deliberately choose Arabic letters which turn into words like "SEX", "ASS" and "NUT".
The authorities in charge of issuing vanity plates have released a list of nine prohibited three-letter combinations, and ordered all branches to stop renewing plates that include them, according to Watan.
Link (Photo from The Geekiest License Plates at Geek24 - lots of fun stuff there!)
In other news, a Saudi judge reiterated his decision that the marriage of an 8-year-old to a 47-year-old man is valid and refused to annul the marriage:
The issue of child marriage has been a hot-button topic in the deeply conservative kingdom recently. While rights groups have been petitioning the government to enact laws that would protect children from this type of marriage, the kingdom’s top cleric has said that it’s OK for girls as young as 10 to wed.
"It is incorrect to say that it’s not permitted to marry off girls who are 15 and younger," Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Sheikh, the kingdom’s grand mufti, said in remarks last January quoted in the regional Al-Hayat newspaper. "A girl aged 10 or 12 can be married. Those who think she’s too young are wrong and they are being unfair to her."
Al-Sheikh reportedly made the remarks when he was asked during a lecture about parents forcing their underage daughters to marry.
"We hear a lot in the media about the marriage of underage girls," he said, according to the newspaper. "We should know that Sharia law has not brought injustice to women."
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