понедельник, 31 января 2011 г.

How the Strongest US Rocket Compares to a Heavy Duty Pickup Truck

PickupTrucks.comhas put togetherthe heaviest comparison of all time, pitting a Delta IV, the ULA's largest rocket, against a Ram 3500 Heavy Duty pickup. Although the pickup wins the 0-to-60 contest, that's about all it wins. Astounding infoporn below.

How the Strongest US Rocket Compares to a Heavy Duty Pickup Truck

Today's one-ton Ram Heavy Duty 3500 has a gross combined weight rating (GCWR is the maximum allowable weight for a pickup pulling a trailer, including cargo and passengers, that the truck can handle without risking damage) of 24,500 pounds, though that number is going to be bumped to 25,400 pounds when a new Max Tow Package option becomes available, according to Chrysler.

Coincidentally, the maximum payload that the Delta IV Heavy, set to become the largest rocket ever launched from the West Coast of the U.S. on Thursday afternoon, can lift to geosynchronous orbit 22,300 miles above Earth is 28,650 pounds, just 3,250 pounds more than the Ram 3500's GCWR. So, if you ever had a need (and the money!) to put your truck, trailer and payload into space, the Delta IV Heavy would be just the ticket.

The GCWR for the Delta IV, by the way, is 1.71 million lbs.

{viaPickupTrucks}


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воскресенье, 30 января 2011 г.

For $1,500, The Art Limo Asks You to Give This Lincoln a Shot

For src=Art isn't just a guy with no arms and no legs hanging on your wall. And as today'sNice Price or Crack PipeLincoln Limo proves, it's also in the eye of the beholder.

I asked you yesterday to behold what one individual considered an artistic creation - that of a'73 Volvo P1800 ESthat had been mated with a gardener's pickup. The critical reviews are in, and with a landslide 94% Crack Pipe vote, it looks like that car is headed for the Ikea bargain bin.

But new day, new car, and this one is claimed to be as American, and as artistic, as a Georgia O'Keefegenital abstract. The panther-based Lincoln Town Car has been the limo maker's vehicle of choice for the past 30 years due to its being the last body on frame vehicle that wasn't a truck. That made for a Stretch Armstrong worthy extensions that would take up like 30 of those annoying‘compact' parking spaces longways.

And out of these road-going dachshunds pop everything from the Hollywood elite at gala events, to hormonal teens at the prom. With seating for eight, there's even enough room in one of these so that Roller Girl can try and get busy with a former classmate while Burt Reynolds attempts to keep his toupee on straight.

But this1985 Lincoln Limoisn't a limo just for limo's sake, it's a mural-sized canvas for patriotic artistic expression. From the Zebra striped roof to the screaming chicken on the hood this Bob Rosstical Town Car allows contemplation of its aesthetic merit from every angle, and each of those comes with a story as. . . well, let's just let the seller elucidate:

The exterior is a four piece ode to Americana. The top is a period (1980's) appropriate zebra stripe that beckons"I'm Here to Party"in a primal yet classy manner. The sides represent the duality of modern life as fire and water in a kind of graffiti-chic way. On the hood you will find a fresh take on the classic american phoenix or fire bird with a matte black background that sends an important message to would be communists, terrorists or illegal immigrants foolish enough to be in front of you. That message is,"This is America, Get the Fuck out of my way!"As you approach the rear of the vehicle you are whisked into another universe as you peer into an eery space-scape that typifies the mystery associated with the final frontier. Overall the art on the car gives the audience a taste of the warm apple pie that is America, plus it looks totally bad-ass.

Pretty stirring stuff, huh? It's sort of like Stiffler meetsTeam America - World Police. Not only was Lincoln one of America's greatest presidents, but now his namesake automobile allows you to express your patriotism and open up your own livery service. Is this a great country or what?

Perspective art buyers may not care that underneath this Town Car's fowl emblazoned hood beats the heart of a‘Stang, but that is the same fuel injected 302 that topped out Ford's pony car in ‘86. Strangely, the seller claims the recently installed custom exhaust has its Corvette tips (?) exiting just behind thefrontwheels, ensuring that you'd want to keep the windows rolled up while getting to the show on time lest you suffer carbon monoxide hallucinations and eventual death. Of course, those windows are tinted, lending an air of mystery to the car. That'll make sure that what happens in Los Lincoln, stays in Los Lincoln, and in fact the seller recommends a full sanitizing of the red velour and dark cherry interior due to theunspeakable thingsthat have gone on in there. With 75,000 miles worth of unspeakables under its extended wheelbase, you might want to call in the HazMat.

Grandma Moses, Andy Warhol, Norman Rockwell, and whoever painted this Lincoln- American treasures one and all. And at $1,500 this Town Car has a price that shouldn't give you a brush stroke. But what do you think, does $1,500 seem like a price that would make someone a happy patron of the arts? Or, is that more fartsy than artsy?

You decide!


Nice Price or Crack Pipe: 1985 Lincoln Town Car Custom Painted Limo for $1,500.survey software

RaleighCycle CompanyCraigslistor gohereif the ad disappears.H/T to Teetopz for the hookup!

Help me out with NPOCP. Clickhereto send a me a tip, and remember to include your commenter handle.


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суббота, 29 января 2011 г.

Chevy Camaro SS Drops Top As Official Indy 500 Pace Car

Chevy Camaro SS Drops Top As Official Indy 500 Pace CarTonight at the Barrett-Jackson Auction in Arizona, Chevrolet and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway announced that yet again, the Camaro SS will be the official Pace Car of this year's Indy 500. The difference this year? It's the convertible. Ooh!

Chevy Camaro SS Drops Top As Official Indy 500 Pace Car

The special pace car was revealed anti-climactically moments ago at Barrett-Jackson, and covered live on SPEED TV. And it will go on the auction block there this weekend. And that's all we have to say about that.


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пятница, 28 января 2011 г.

For $7,500, It’s a Familiale Affair

For ,500, It’s a Familiale AffairLa Résistance française, or the French Resistance, bedeviled their Nazi occupiers during WWII. Potentially, today'sNice Price or Crack PipeCitroën's complexities could be as vexing, but could you resist its price?

Philistines, that's what you are. Well, at least the 45.14% of you who lack an appreciation for artistic expression. For the rest of you, yesterday's mobile museum'85 Lincoln Limowould have been just the ticket for getting you to the Nice Price party.

For ,500, It’s a Familiale Affair

That limo was nearly a block long, and along with its flag-waving artwork, its size was emblematic of American prosperity and exceptionalism. At 16 feet, today's1985 Citroën CX Familiale diesel wagonis almost as long, as is its full name. It also waves the red, white and blue, but of the stripy sort rather than one that says my god, it's full of stars.

If you've seen the vermilicious Pixar filmRatatouillethen you know that French cuisine is has a reputation for complexity, aesthetics, and palatability. Many a Gallic dish is a tour de force of cooking ingenuity that merges simple ingredients into a complex mélange of flavor, texture and presentation that is a singular and nationally identifiable experience.

The offspring of the French carmaker, Citroën are much the same.

Citroën's CX supplanted the long-running DS in 1975. That earlier car represented a quantum leap in automotive engineering when it debuted in 1955, and nearly 20 years later the rest of the industry still hadn't caught up. But Citroën's unique features like hydropneumatic self-leveling suspension, aerodynamic body design anddash-mounted brie warming trayseemed less jaw-dropping, but no less advanced when they found their way into the CX.

For ,500, It’s a Familiale Affair

The big Citroën came in two wheelbases, although the wagon – as represented here – only came in the longer, 121.9"span. That provided what at the time was claimed to be the greatest rear legroom of any standard sedan. A raised rear roof section means you can wear top hats in the car as well as berets. This silver bullet appears to be in pretty good shape for its age, although the seller says the bumpers where mysteriously replaced prior to his ownership, the clock is missing, and there's a tear in the driver's seat.

For ,500, It’s a Familiale Affair

On the plus side the cool single spoke steering wheel is like a big ol tongue pointed at your lap - which is always a pleasure, but below that the muddy Pep Boys floor mats don't do the interior any favors. Out back - way out back - the priapistic trailer ball seems out of place, although it would be fun to creep under the hitch at full drop and then have the hydraulics ease the car up into it like it was a virgin on her wedding night.

For ,500, It’s a Familiale Affair

With the Citroën it'd be a honeymoon that'd last too as the 2.5-litre oil burner under its hood gave the CX the honor of being the world's fastest diesel back in the day. That turbocharged and intercooled four is claimed to have been recently replaced on this 58,000-mile car, as has the complicated hydraulic system, both big plusses in anybody's book. Citroën's unique pressure system means that the car has no springs and gives it a ride that magically turns any road into a sheet of glass, although it may require Dramamine. The hydraulics also extend to the braking system, a kind of creepy self-centering steering system that'll make you think Casper's along for the ride, and the clutch for the 5-speed manual. Early cars had a reputation for expensive and frequent repair bills, but that changed over time, and the Series II – which this car is – were considered to be much improved.

For ,500, It’s a Familiale Affair

Parts availability for these cars is surprisingly not problematic despite they're never being officially imported here. That's because there's a strong cult of the double chevron that exists in the states and by buying a Citroën you are automatically shown the secret handshake. Aside from that, it's more than 25 years old so keeping it here shouldn't require forged Vichy papers or covert late night transfers between safe garages.

For ,500, It’s a Familiale Affair

The CX is considered by many to be the last true Citroën, the last born before Peugeot took over the company making most Citroëns since, well, just funky Peugeots. As such it is full of Citroëny goodness, and is one of the biggest diesel-powered five-speed wagons money can buy. For anyone looking to get their Citr-on this one comes with a $7,500 price tag. But is that a good value? What do you think, is that a price that would make you want to occupy this Citroën? Or, for that much do you feel the resistance is growing?

You decide!


Nice Price or Crack Pipe: 1980 Citroën CX Familiale turbodiesel wagon for $7,500.online survey

eBayor gohereif the ad disappears.H/T to miyatacandypaint for the hookup!

Help me out with NPOCP. Clickhereto send a me a tip, and remember to include your commenter handle.


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четверг, 27 января 2011 г.

Key Fake JFK Ambulance Evidence Also Fake

Key Fake JFK Ambulance Evidence Also FakeThroughout the saga of the 1963 Pontiac ambulance thatpurportedly carried the body of President John F. Kennedy, the Barrett-Jackson auction house touted a metal plate attached to its dash as possible proof of authenticity. Trouble is, it's fake, too.

The brass plate labeled"Navy Department"screwed into the dash of the ambulance— and later flashed at the auction by Barrett-Jackson executives— is stamped with the vehicle's serial number, the Navy ID number of"49-94196"and the correct manufacturer information of Superior Coach Corp. in Kosciusko, Miss., the company that assembled the ambulance bodies in 1963.

In the run-up to the auction last week, Barrett-Jackson had the plate examined by an outside expert."Our inspection clearly shows that the plate is what is appears to be,"Steve Davis, Barrett-Jackson president, told Jalopnik."There's no evidence of tampering or restamping."

The plate, along with two letters Barrett-Jackson relied on that purport to be Navy documents but were signed by an admiral who was retired and no longer in the service when mailed, formed the backbone of Barrett-Jackson's refusal to pull the vehicle from its auction, as it has done with other collectible cars whose provenance came into question.

Yet the brass plate has been under scrutiny by the members of the Professional Car Society, the service vehicle buffs who first pulled together the proof that theJFK ambulancedeserved no such title. They noted it was screwed in, meaning it could be easily removed or easy to fabricate. But without a plate from a similar vehicle, it was impossible to tell whether the Navy might have made such a tag; and the actualJFK ambulancecrushed in a Boston junkyard in 1986 appeared to have no tag at all.

Today, PCS member Steve Lichtman found photos of tags from two other 1963 Pontiac ambulances used by the Navy. There were only a handful— perhaps just 14— such vehicles built. What do their tags look like?

Key Fake JFK Ambulance Evidence Also FakeThey don't resemble the Barrett-Jackson ambulance at all. Instead of brass, the tags appear to be aluminum or steel. Instead of"Navy Department,"the tags feature Superior's name and address. And the tags carry far less information than what the Barrett-Jackson ambulance held.

Key Fake JFK Ambulance Evidence Also FakeThe tag in the Barrett-Jackson ambulance does bear a striking resemblance to this blank, which can bebought on eBayand is advertised as a reproduction Navy vehicle tag.

Sometimes there's room for doubt, and as thesale of the ambulance for $120,000 showedlast week, some people will always want to believe that a relic of American history survived attempts to destroy it. No one can foreclose the possibility that for some reason in a production run of less than 20 vehicles, Superior used more than one kind of ID plate with completely different layouts. But the story of the real JFK ambulance ended in 1986. The story of the fake one should end right about here. (H/T to Matt!) {Professional Car Society}


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среда, 26 января 2011 г.

Remote-Control a BMW 1-Series By Nokia Smartphone

It only took Chinese programmers An Jiaxuan and a friend 20 days to build a remote-controlledBMW 1-Series, using a Nokia C7 as a controller. How'd they do it? Massive amounts of geekery and a little support from Nokia Asia.

We've got little hard facts on the video, or the RC-car system these guys built, so there's probably a pretty good chance it could be some sort of prank. Nonetheless, it's worth checking out just to see how close we are to the scene in"Tomorrow Never Dies"when Bond uses an Ericsson JB988 to drive a BMW 750iL remotely. A telling bit of dialogue during the pivotal"installing the hardware"scene:

Programmer Guy: How's the control? Is it just as good?

An:Of course, man. It's gotta be, otherwise we're not gonna be able to get the car to drift.

{viaMotofilm}


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понедельник, 24 января 2011 г.

Go, Junkyard Dog, Go!

Go, Junkyard Dog, Go!Tony"Junkyard Dog"Adamowicz flogged this Porsche to TransAm victory in 1968. The car began life as a shell from a NYC Impound lot— a 912 the team fitted with a 911 engine. {viavnkndsn}


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воскресенье, 23 января 2011 г.

The Ferrari FF Has A Sad

The Ferrari FF Has A SadMany find theFerrari FFfour-wheel-drive shooting brake to be a welcome departure for Ferrari, but Maranello's new flagship GT can only hear the angry cries of purists. {SniffPetrol}


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суббота, 22 января 2011 г.

This Is The Ugliest Toyota MR2 Ever Built

This Is The Ugliest Toyota MR2 Ever BuiltWhat started life as a Toyota MR2 was transformed into the unholy combination of a Prowler and Testarossa if designed by a guy whose work was too controversial for VeilSide. Vote it the biggest Tokyo Auto Salonfailhere. {TopGear}


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пятница, 21 января 2011 г.

The Pagani Huayra Couldn't Possibly Be This Hideous

The Pagani Huayra Couldn't Possibly Be This HideousAfterCARmagazine put thePagani Huayraon its cover,CarsUKunleashed this shot, showing a menacing collections of scoops, sleek headlamps and ... sorry, it's a catfish. I see a catfish. A 700-hp, one-million euro catfish. {CarsUK}


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четверг, 20 января 2011 г.

President Kennedy's Ambulance Is A Fake

President Kennedy's Ambulance Is A FakeThis Saturday's auction of the ambulance that carried President John F. Kennedy's body has garnered worldwide attention. The only problem? It's a near-perfect fake. Here's how a group of historians discovered the truth about what happened to the real ambulance.

In a probe with as many twists as one might expect from aJFKassassination artifact, the history buffs of theProfessional Car Societywere able to not only poke holes in the documentation provided by the seller of the '63 Pontiac Bonneville ambulance, but produce photographic proof that the real vehicle ceased to exist in 1986. After weeks of its own research, and its original touting of the ambulance's history, we're now told that Barrett-Jackson will hold a press conference Friday to reveal the findings we lay out below.

Touted since late last year by the auction company, the slate grayJFKambulance received hundreds of profiles— from theWall Street JournaltoCBS News, almost every major news outlet ran a story about this Saturday's auction.

President Kennedy's Ambulance Is A FakeAnd why not? It's a compelling vehicular tale to tell. When Jacqueline Kennedy returned to Washington with the president's body on Nov. 22, 1963, the Secret Service ordered his remains to be transported to the Bethesda Naval Medical Center for an autopsy. Awaiting the Kennedys at Andrews Air Force Base was a slate gray ambulance, tagged"U S Navy 94-49196,"visible in TV footage showing the arrival of the president's casket.

Barrett-Jackson announced in December that it would offer the JFK ambulance for sale, saying that it had sat in government storage until it was auctioned for surplus. Auction house president Steve Davis touted its historical value and provenance, with estimates from some that the vehicle could easily fetch more than $1 million."No one had ever connected the dots, the builder, the manufacturer, the navy and their documentation,"Davis tolda Phoenix TV station."There was reports that car had been crushed, that the Kennedys okay'd it to be crushed, that it didn't exist… well, those things have been proven wrong."

The ambulance's appearance instantly raised doubts among the members of theProfessional Car Society, in part because they had been through a similar case before. A decade ago, a California collector had claimed to have owned the same ambulance, painted slate gray with the same U.S. Navy numbers, but had later dropped his claims. The owner of the Barrett-Jackson ambulance, John Jensen, told several outlets that he had bought it from a California collector within the past couple of years.

After some emails from Professional Car Society members, Davis replied to the forum earlier this month that the seller had been able to use the Freedom of Information Act to prove that his ambulance was the same vehicle that hauled President Kennedy's body:

Barrett-Jackson has in its possession copies, supplied at our request by the consignor, of recently uncovered documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act from the Department of the Navy/Surgeon General, as well as Superior Coach Corporation, that for the first time, ties the Navy registration number and the VIN number of the 1963 Pontiac Bonneville chassis together.

Barrett-Jackson was previously offered this ambulance for auction, by a different owner, but we refused to accept it, based on the fact that there was no VIN documentation, or provenance, that linked this specific ambulance to the Kennedy ambulance.

Subsequently the new, and current owner, through an extensive investigation, was able to uncover documents, that, as I stated, for the first time, tie the VIN, and Naval registration numbers together.

Documents show, Superior Coach Corporation, in response to a investigation by the Navy, confirmed the Navy registration number, 94-49196, as well as the Navy contract number, DA-20-113-AMC-1236-X, and the serial (VIN) number, 863P198767, of the ambulance that transported JFK, his wife, and brother from Andrews Air Force Base.

While additional photos showing matching serial numbers were enough for some of the doubters, it didn't satisfy Dan Brintlinger, who had a 22-year old piece of evidence to the contrary.

In 1988, Brintlinger had written his congressman, Rep. Bob Michael, to ask what had happened to the Pontiac hearse. Michael forwarded a response from the U.S. Navy, which said that at the Kennedys' family request, the hearse had been donated to the Kennedy presidential library in 1980 and was later destroyed.

President Kennedy's Ambulance Is A Fake

As Brintlinger was raising his doubts, questions about the documentation also began to arise, this time from a different source. Historian Paul Hoch, a University of California-Berkley professor and one of the foremost experts on the Kennedy assassination, wrote Barrett-Jackson to question two of the letters the auction house had posted from the FOIA file on the ambulance. The letters were address to Surgeon General of the Navy Adm. Bart Hogan, and were dated Dec. 10, 1963.

The problem? Hogan retired from the Navy in 1961, and was head of the American Psychiatric Association at the time of the Kennedy assassination.

On Jan. 11, Barrett-Jackson president Davis replied to Hoch and the Professional Car Society forum again, offering an update on the auction house's investigation. While saying that Barrett-Jackson"is not the entity making the representations as to the history or particular provenance of this car,"Davis did say an inspection showed the serial numbers on the Bonneville's parts matched those in the documents.

Another factor that has played into our analysis here is the credibility of the consignor of this vehicle. He is a physician and an avid collector, and has gone to extraordinary lengths to complete his own diligence in researching the history of the vehicle. He has also been exceptionally cooperative and responsive as we have addressed various questions with him throughout this process.

At that point, the questions stood in stalemate, with the auction house holding one set of documents and the auto historians holding evidence that suggested the original JFK ambulance was destroyed, but no proof that it actually happened.

President Kennedy's Ambulance Is A FakeBut the longer they looked, the more questions the Professional Car Society found. The JFK ambulance was described in some cases as"unrestored,"yet the lettering on the sides and rear did not match that of the ambulance shown in the 1963 films at Andrews Air Force Base; the Barrett-Jackson car had periods between the"U"and"S"where the original did not.

President Kennedy's Ambulance Is A Fake

On Tuesday, PCS director Steve Lichtmangot the proof the auto society had sought:On June 26, 1986, the hearse had been crushed in a Boston junkyard, under witness from the John F. Kennedy Library.

After sending the photos to Barrett-Jackson, Davis sent a new message to the forum, announcing the auction house would hold a briefing Friday to announce what it's found out so far about the vehicle:

President Kennedy's Ambulance Is A Fake

It's important to understand that Barrett-Jackson is not affirmatively making any representations as to the history or particular provenance of this car, and we will be clear about all of these facts with the bidders who register at auction to participate in the sale of this vehicle. What we are trying to do is uphold the high standard we've set for ourselves in following up on legitimate inquiries and questions related to a vehicle as important as the Kennedy ambulance.

A spokeswoman for Barrett-Jackson confirmed the company would hold an event Friday, but did not provide full details of what the auction house would say. Based on the dogged work of the Professional Car Society, there's one less mystery surrounding the Kennedy assassination.(H/T to Drujon!)


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среда, 19 января 2011 г.

2012 Porsche 911 Prototype Stuck In The Snow

2012 Porsche 911 Prototype Stuck In The SnowWho are we to giggle at the misfortune of a Porsche test driver who not only managed to stick a prototype 2012 911 in a Scandinavian snow drift, but do so in full view of a spy photographer? Tee hee.

These shots, some of the clearest we've seen of the next 911, offer up excellent views of the rear tail lamps and the body detail work underway. Codenamed the 991, it's not expected to have its reveal until this fall— likely, from what we hear, in November at the Los Angeles Auto Show— where rumors suggest the latest iteration of the flat six-cylinder engine will get a 345-hp setting.

Knowing Porsche, the snow scraper will likely cost extra.

Photo Credit: KGP Photography


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вторник, 18 января 2011 г.

Happy 100th Birthday To The Aircraft Carrier

Happy 100th Birthday To The Aircraft CarrierIt was only a few years after the Wright Brothers that inventors contemplated whether airplanes could be launched from a ship. Today, on the 100th anniversary, here's the story ofthe man who did it first.— Ed.

One hundred years is a very long time. Yet in the hierarchy of modern marvels, the ability to recover and launch aircraft from the deck of a moving ship stands out as one of our most signature accomplishments. Which just goes to show you: Some tricks never grow old.

Happy 100th Birthday To The Aircraft CarrierNaval aviation was invented one hundred years ago today, on Jan. 18, 1911, when a 24-year-old barnstormer pilot named Eugene B. Ely completed the world's first successful landing on a ship. It happened in San Francisco Bay, aboard the crusier USS Pennsylvania, which had a temporary, 133-foot wooden landing strip built above her afterdeck and gun turret as part of the experiment.

Ely accommplished his feat just eight years after the Wright Brothers made their first flight at Kitty Hawk.His aircraft was rudimentary: a Curtiss Model D"Pusher"biplane equipped with a 60 hp V-8 engine that gave the aircraft a 50 mph airspeed. To get a sense of how simple it was, behold a contemporary replica of Ely's 1911 Curtiss Pusher that was built to celebrate this 100th anniversary:Happy 100th Birthday To The Aircraft Carrier

But back then, innovation was afoot: Ely's Curtis Pusher had been fitted with a clever new invention called a tailhook. The idea was to quickly halt the aircraft after landing by using the tailhook to catch one or two of 22 rope lines— each propped up a foot above the deck and weighted by 50-pound sandbags tied to each end— strung three feet apart along the Pennsylvania's temporary flight deck.

Mark J. Denger of the California Center for Military History has written a tidy biography of Eugene Ely which narrates the historic day:

"On the morning of January 18, 1911, Eugene Ely, in a Curtiss pusher biplane specially equipped with arresting hooks on its axle, took off from Selfridge Field (Tanforan Racetrack, in San Bruno, Calif.) and headed for the San Francisco Bay. After about 10 minutes flying North toward Goat Island (now Yerba Buena), Eugene spotted his target through the gray haze the PENNSYLVANIA. on the morning of January 18, 1911, Eugene Ely, in a Curtiss pusher biplane specially equipped with arresting hooks on its axle, took off from Selfridge Field and headed for the San Francisco Bay. After about 10 minutes flying North toward Goat Island (now Yerba Buena), Eugene spotted his target through the gray haze the PENNSYLVANIA.

Happy 100th Birthday To The Aircraft Carrier"Ely's plane was first sighted one-half mile from the PENNSYLVANIA's bridge at an altitude of 1,500 feet, cruising at a speed of approximately 60 mph. Now ten miles out from Tanforan, he circled the several vessels of the Pacific Fleet at anchor in San Francisco Bay. The aeroplane dipped to 400 feet as it passed directly over the MARYLAND and, still dropping, flew over the WEST VIRGINIA's bow at an height of only 100 feet. With a crosswind of almost 15 knots, he flew past the cruiser and then banked some 500 yards from the PENNSYLVANIA's starboard quarter to set up his landing approach. Ely now headed straight for the ship, cutting his engine when he was only 75 feet from the fantail, and allowed the wind to glide the aircraft onto the landing deck. At a speed of 40 mph Ely landed on the centerline of the PENNSYLVANIA's deck at 11:01 a.m.

Happy 100th Birthday To The Aircraft Carrier"The forward momentum of his plane was quickly retarded by the ropes stretched between the large movable bags of sand that had been placed along the entire length of the runway. As the plane landed, the hooks on the undercarriage caught the ropes exactly as planned, which brought the plane to a complete stop.

"Once on board the PENNSYLVANIA, sheer pandemonium brook loose as Ely was greeted with a bombardment of cheers, boat horns and whistles, both aboard the PENNSYLVANIA and from the surrounding vessels.

Happy 100th Birthday To The Aircraft Carrier

"Ely was immediately greeted by his wife, Mabel, who greeted him with an enthusiastic 'I knew you could do it' and then by Captain Pond, Commanding Officer of the PENNSYLVANIA. Then it was time for interviews and a few photographs for the reporters.

"Everything had gone exactly as planned. Pond called it 'the most important landing of a bird since thedove flew back to Noah's ark.' Pond would later report, 'Nothing damaged, and not a bolt or brace startled, and Ely the coolest man on board.'

(NOTE: Safety first! Check out Ely's inner-tube life preserver!)

Happy 100th Birthday To The Aircraft Carrier

"After completing several interviews, Ely was escorted to the Captain's cabin where he and his wife were the honored guests at an officers lunch. While they dined, the landing platform was cleared and the plane turned around in preparation for takeoff. Then the Elys, Pond and the others posed for photographs. 57 minutes later, he made a perfect take-off from the platform, returning to Selfridge Field at the Tanforan racetrack where another tremendous ovation awaited him.

Happy 100th Birthday To The Aircraft Carrier

Happy 100th Birthday To The Aircraft Carrier

"Both the landing and take off were witnessed by several distinguished members of both U.S. Army and Navy, as well as state military officials. Ely had successfully demonstrated the possibility of the aircraft carrier."

Indeed. The US Navy's first aircraft carrier, the USS Langley, was commisioned in 1922— eleven years later. But Ely didn't live to witness the milestone; he died just a few months after his historic flight, on October 11, 1911, when he was thrown from his aircraft during a crash at an airshow. But 100 years ago, he merged the power of naval warships and aviation in ways that remain cutting-edge, even today.

Happy 100th Birthday To The Aircraft Carrier



Happy 100th Birthday To The Aircraft CarrierThis story originally appeared onTelstar Logisitcson Jan. 18, 2010, and was republished with permission.


Email uswith the subject line"Syndication"if you would like to see your own story syndicated here on Jalopnik.


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воскресенье, 16 января 2011 г.

First Video of Jim Glickenhaus’s P4/5 Competizione in Action

We showed youthe first photographs of Jim Glickenhaus's one-off P4/5on the track Friday. Now we have video. Watch, listen and drool as the Ferrari-based P4/5 makes a few laps.(Hat tip to Jim and horspowr1001!)


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суббота, 15 января 2011 г.

Cop Uses Police Helicopter To Run Errand

Cop Uses Police Helicopter To Run ErrandDave Dennison, a Tampa, FLpolicepilot was suspended for 5 days without pay after an investigation discovered he used apolicehelicopter to fly a friend's fishing net to St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport during a shift last fall. {Tampabay.com}


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пятница, 14 января 2011 г.

For $39,995, OMG, They Killed Ferrari, You Bastards!

For ,995, OMG, They Killed Ferrari, You Bastards!Ferrari once maintained that to carry the Prancing Horse, a road car must also carry twelve cylinders. Less a stickler, the owner of today'sNice Price or Crack Pipe1964 330 GT 2+2 says eight is enough.

In 1936, King Edwardthe InbredVIII abdicated the British throne so he could marry AmericanWallace and GromitWallis Simpson. That was a pretty bold move and, in contrast to yesterday'sJensen Interceptorthat put a big Yank inside a Brit, it was obvious that Eddie wanted to put a little Brit inside an American. Badda-bing! What's also funny is that a fully 64% of you wouldn't have minded getting screwed too, in case that Jensen turned out to cost a whole lot more than its $3,500 asking price.

Wallis, bloody hell!

Thirty-five hundred is almost chump change– although that being said I haven't met too many chumps carrying around that kind of cheddar. Still, anything that you could potentially put on a credit card is within the realm of possibilities. Multiply that by ten however, and opinions change. In that kind of pricing stratosphere the car better be pretty special, and today's contender being a Ferrari establishes itself as special right off the bat.

For ,995, OMG, They Killed Ferrari, You Bastards!

However, batty is what you might think when you pop the rosso-painted bonnet and find not Gioacchino Colombo's glorious 3,967-cc V12 but something that's more typically described in terms of cubic inches. That's right, this1964 four headlight 330 GT 2+2has at some point in its life lost its mittens - it being a naughty kitten - and it seems along with those has gone the V12. Described as atravesty before God‘barn find' it's been partially restored and now has the Heartbeat of America under its hood. The SBC may be as welcome a discovery here as an SBD would be in a crowded elevator, but lacking the original motor, what's a MacGyver to do? The 350 cid Chevy V8 does weigh in at over a litre more in displacement than the 330's original twelve, and unlike that lie that women tell about size not mattering, there's truthiness in the maxim about there being no substitute for cubic inches.

Alternatively, the guy who did this could just be a big dick.

The 330 GT 2+2 was Ferrari's grand touring car of the mid to late sixties, and as such it sported four seats and Luxury appointments wrapped in what could be generously described as one of Pininfarina's lesser efforts. The car itself is also generous, sitting on a 104.2-inch wheelbase and tipping the scales (with the alloy V12) at 3,189-lbs. A total quantity of 1,137 were built, in two versions, the first with the questionable four lamp set up, and a second with a smoother, sloping hood two-light clip. The chassis, while similar to the other 330 models, is actually unique to the 2+2, although the engine– a derivation of the 400 Superamerica's 4-litre mill – was shared across all the 330 models.

Not that it matters here.

The 330 came with a five speed stick and three pedals down where your feet do the work, but adding automatic to injury, this one has some sort of THM350 three speed. Gears are selected through a mullet-worthy shifter mounted on a bare aluminum tunnel. As a matter of fact, the whole floor is as bare as isOlivia Munn, and the seller claims that all it needs is carpet to fix that! He also doesn't want bids by anyone who has to get the okay of their wife or mom, indicating that either (a.) he's very serious about making this sale and has no time for poseurs, or (b.) he's a big dick.

For ,995, OMG, They Killed Ferrari, You Bastards!

Other issues are the lack of bumpers - replaced with thin nerf bars - and, well, did I mention that this thing has a Chevy motor? To its credit, it is painted an appropriate shade of red and it looks like it sits on a nice set of Borrani 90-spoke rims. Other than that, you could make some noise at the local Italian car show or Dairy Queen parking lot -save for opening the hood that is.

For ,995, OMG, They Killed Ferrari, You Bastards!

Now, 330 GT 2+2s are not the most desirable of Ferrari models- hell pretty much anything with a Prancing Horse and 4 seats gets a pass from interested parties as long as there's two-seaters to be had. Here, this seller is asking $39,995 to take on hisshameproject in process. That's not a huge lump of cash for something with a Ferrari badge branded on its ass, but then this car has what's known as transvestite's syndrome, causing it to come across as something it's not. And no matter how far you tuck in its junk, every time you open that aluminum hood - expecting that Olivia Munn V12 goodness, you'll be greeted by the automotive equivalent of a big, fat dick.

But, maybe that works for you, perhaps what pisses you off about Ferraris is the number of carbs the engines have, or the 12 quarts of oil they require at each change. And maybe you look to the Gods and exclaim why, oh why can't I have an engine in my Ferrari that doesn't require metric bolts?! This would be your car.

And, then the question must be asked, is that $39,995 asking price also desirable? Or, is that a price that makes you think this seller is just a big dick?

You decide!


Nice Price or Crack Pipe"1964 SBC-Powered Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 for $39,995.Market Research

eBayor gohereif the ad disappears.H/T to Party-vi for the hookup!

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