Cars and other kinds of motoring gibberish

Anime Dad wrote:The battery in Mrs A.D's car died today: That'll be $220, thanks. :grumble:

That's pricey. :sweat:

It's an imported car: An Opel astra, or in Australia a Holden Astra. And of course it uses a non-standard battery :(

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Anime Dad wrote:It's an imported car: An Opel astra, or in Australia a Holden Astra. And of course it uses a non-standard battery :(

Yow.

My battery is sorta non-standard as well (it's in the trunk), but it didn't cost over $200 to replace... :sweat:

bmwracer wrote:
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You know, this reminds me of why all the "alternative" cars fail. It isn't a mass conspiracy to keep us hooked on petroleum; it's because the car companies always make these alternative cars look like crap and noone ones to walk near it. What is that thing?! The Homer?!

Anime Dad wrote:I watched the UK motoring show Top Gear last weekend. One of the things they did was that the 3 presenters each went out and bought an old vehicle with the intention of making it into an amphibious vehicle. One bought a Triumph Herald convertible that he fitted a mast, sails and rudder to :hehe: The second bought a Volkswagen camper van and made it into a houseboat, and the other bought a Toyota Hilux SUV and fitted a 225HP outboard motor to the back.
Watching them try to launch and pilot them around the water was hilarious :)

have you seen the episode in which they do this again and attempt to drive/sail to france? hilarious. :mrgreen:

just some pics taken on my phone of the new wembley stadium at the 'race of champions' event.
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outside.
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inside.
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andy priaulx beaching his car.

Anime Dad wrote:The battery in Mrs A.D's car died today: That'll be $220, thanks. :grumble:

LOL, $220 for an Astra battery :google: :crazy2:

kenjilina wrote:just some pics taken on my phone of the new wembley stadium at the 'race of champions' event.
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inside.

Cool track. :thumbsup:

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Ferrari unveils ethanol-powered sports car

Tue Jan 15, 9:50 AM ET

Fill up your Ferrari at the farm?

The Italian luxury sports car maker unveiled a concept car on Monday that can run on ethanol which it said reflected its engineering expertise from Formula One racing and growing demand for alternative fuel vehicles in the United States.

The sleek Ferrari F430 Spider Biofuel, with green stripes on its silver bodywork, consumes an E85 -- 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline -- mix, a growing fuel blend in the U.S.

Ferrari chief executive Amedeo Felisa said during a news conference at the North American International Auto Show that the concept was part of the firm's efforts to reduce tailpipe emission levels by 40 percent by 2012.

Felisa said Ferrari had gleaned experience in using biofuel in Formula I because of regulations that competitors use gasoline with a 5.75 percent biomass content.

The FIA GT and American Le Mans Series racing organizations require 10 percent ethanol.

For the Spider Biofuel, Ferrari made some changes to the fuel injection system and to the engine's computer chip. The result was an increase in power output, with equal weight and a five percent decline in carbon dioxide emissions.

Ferrari, a unit of Fiat (FIA.MI), shipped 6,400 cars in 2007, up 14 percent on 2006.

Sales to the Asia Pacific rose 50 percent, with 177 cars delivered to China. Sales to the Middle East rose 32 percent.

The operating result was 15 percent of turnover, according to a company statement.

kenjilina wrote:

have you seen the episode in which they do this again and attempt to drive/sail to france? hilarious. :mrgreen:

Nope :) Sounds funny though :)

Tesla Electric Car:

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Heard a rumor that Acura's coming out with a rear-wheel drive car late 2008/early 2009... Anybody hear anything similar?

bmwracer wrote:
Cool track. :thumbsup:

it did fill up with people later on. honest. :mrgreen:

Most Popular Car Color: White

After seven years wearing the color crown, silver has been dethroned.

For the first time this century, more white cars were manufactured in 2007 than those in any other color, according to DuPontfs most recent color study.

In North America, 19 percent of vehicles manufactured in 2007 were either white or "pearl white," which is white with an iridescent or metallic sheen. Eighteen percent of 2007 vehicles were silver, and 16 percent were black, including black with metallic effects.

White has also taken a decisive lead in other countries, including Japan and Mexico. In Europe, however, black was far and away the top color. See the charts below for the full breakdown.

(click to enlarge)
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bmwracer wrote:Most Popular Car Color: White

After seven years wearing the color crown, silver has been dethroned.

For the first time this century, more white cars were manufactured in 2007 than those in any other color, according to DuPontfs most recent color study.

In North America, 19 percent of vehicles manufactured in 2007 were either white or "pearl white," which is white with an iridescent or metallic sheen. Eighteen percent of 2007 vehicles were silver, and 16 percent were black, including black with metallic effects.

White has also taken a decisive lead in other countries, including Japan and Mexico. In Europe, however, black was far and away the top color. See the charts below for the full breakdown.

(click to enlarge)
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hmmm...the way I see white is you better have some serious muscle in your car otherwise it looks weird...it's kind of like seeing a yellow car, it's war paint....a yellow car better be a sports car...not a fuggin' Nissan Xterra, so you like like a tool driving around in a canary.

Tu_triky wrote:a yellow car better be a sports car...not a fuggin' Nissan Xterra, so you like like a tool driving around in a canary.

I think you're talking about my neighbor's daughter's Xterra: it's like mustard yellow... :beaten:

bmwracer wrote:
I think you're talking about my neighbor's daughter's Xterra: it's like mustard yellow... :beaten:

:hehe:

mustard yellow...does it say French's on the side.

Anime Dad wrote:

Nope :) Sounds funny though :)

Tesla Electric Car:

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I saw that car on the Discovery channel....it has a lot of pep!

Tu_triky wrote: :hehe:

mustard yellow...does it say French's on the side.

LOL.

It doesn't... It says Gulden's, though it's the wrong color. :hehe:

bmwracer wrote:
LOL.

It doesn't... It says Gulden's, though it's the wrong color. :hehe:

"Gulden's" :hehe:

Tom Cruise getting Ducati superbike

Tom Cruise is the first on the list to get Ducati's newest motorcycle \ a $72,500 superbike bristling with titanium, magnesium and carbon fiber technology that can scoot up to 200 mph.

Cruise is scheduled to take delivery of the Desmosedici RR at Beverly Hills Ducati this week. Only 1,500 of the red-and-white Moto GP racing replica motorcycles will be made and Cruise gets the first.

Michael Lock, chief of Cupertino-based Ducati North America, said the Desmosedici RR "is the impossible dream \ made possible."

"We are delighted to be able to deliver the world's first production unit here in the USA to Tom Cruise, who is a well-known Ducati enthusiast," Lock said in a statement.

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Nice.

Even nicer to have the green for toys like that. :sweat: