NSR GT40 #7



From Professor Motor:
Ford GT40 Mark II #7 1966 LeMans from NSR (Italy) - Stock Number NSR1088SW

This NSR 1/32 Analog RTR Ford GT40 Mark II #7 Silver/Black 24 Hours of LeMans 1966 Qualifying Livery - Ultimately driven in the race by Graham Hill and Brian Muir - Includes : Lightweight drilled aluminum setscrew wheels all around - All metal setscrew mount super smooth and quiet gearing - Heat treated axles with machined bronze self lubricating bushings - Clear coat over top of paint and tampo printing for high gloss and durability - sidewinder dynamically balanced motor with 20,000 RPM - adjustable suspension type motor pod - photo etched stainless steel grills - body produced from 3 separate sections for improved detail. This car has an exceptionally lightweight design with the fully accessorized and painted body shell weighs 19 grams and the complete car 70 grams. MSRP is $117.99 and these are available from Professor Motor dealers in North America.

New Fantasy World Hobbies website

A newly redesigned website for Fantasy World Hobbies. Always nice to see a website get better when it's redesigned and not worse. Fantasy World has done a good job with this new site for sure.

US Revell National Championship Special Edition

A special edition Cobra Daytona Coupe has been produced for the Revell US National Championship to be held on a TBA date in 2011.


Will Smartphones End the American Love Affair with the Automobile?



The iPhone 5 -- its design as alluring as a new Corvette?

American youth on the whole are simply not as enthralled with the automobile as kids from previous generations. That doesn't mean that there are not young people who love automobiles, new, used, and classic. But the numbers are not large, and that should worry the auto hobby in general, including those collectors with cars that some day will have to be sold.

But then there is the iPhone, seemingly more important than a drivers' license to more than a few teenagers. Why smartphones? Yesterday my son-in-law lost his, as he placed it on the top of a car that I drove off in to get motor oil at Pep-Boys! He just simply called to report it lost and claim insurance for the loss. Today a new phone will be in the mail to him.

Somehow, for these new generation of kids smartphones -- and other mobile devices -- convey status. Like my chronograph watch. The iPhone offers freedom and social reach, but does it really do that like a car? Can you really get away from your parents by using a smartphone? Can you foster a meaningful relationship by communicating electronically the way you can talk to someone in the front seat of a car or during a road trip?

One survey suggests that 46 percent of young people 18 to 24 prefer access to the internet rather than access to their own car. In 1978, 50% of 16 year olds obtained their first drivers' license; in 2008, only 30% did the same.

What this means is that cars increasingly need to come with innovative electrical gadgets, or with communicaton technologies built in. Whoever comes up with a killer app adaptable to the car will further a revolution that goes well beyond hybrid or electric propulsion.

When Life Ends Far Too Soon -- Recent Accidents in the Dayton, Ohio Area






Plenty can be said about young people whose lives end too soon because of an auto accident. A few weeks ago, two Chinese students died on a weekend evening in the suburbs -- they were 18 and 19 years old. According to one source, the car they were traveling in down Mad River Road was going at least 70 in a 40 zone. The older student had just purchased an Eclipse, and then had it hopped up at a speed shop. Near the corner of Jenny Lane and Mad River the car hit a tree, and burned. The bodies of the students so severely that there can be no determination if alcohol was involved in the crash.


Last weekend a drunk driver from Florida was traveling at speeds of around 100 mph and T-boned a car at the intersection of Wilmington and Wayne (See photos above) in the City of Dayton. Two kids in the car that was hit died -- a boy 18 and a girl 20. As you might expect, the drunk driver survived. That intersection had just been improved, and one wonders if making the road better contributed in a very tangential way to this accident.


In a nutshell, and from the very beginning, the car brings with it risks that we usually fail to account for in our everyday lives. After all, we think it will never happen to us. How frail life really is!




New Digital Slot Car Racing-book info


New book released: Digital Slot Car Racing in 1/32 Scale, by Dave Chang.

Published by Crowood Press November 2011

ISBN-10: 184797306X

ISBN-13: 978-1847973061

Digital technology has transformed the world of slot car racing giving you an experience closer than ever to real motorsports! You can now run more than two cars on two-lane circuits, overtake and use racing tactics.

At the same time it brings a bewildering array of new systems, accessories and technology.

For the first time, everything you need to know about digital is presented in one book with all the information clearly organised and fully illustrated with over 330 colour images.

‘Digital Slot Car Racing’ presents 209 pages of detailed information including how digital racing works, what it offers, how to get the most from it and how to understand and choose between the different systems available.

Dave Chang (author of the successful ‘Slot Car Handbook’) has spent two years researching and writing the new book, with extensive hands-on testing, support and information from manufacturers and distributers, and advice, experience and opinions of hobbyists and digital enthusiasts.

The book will appeal to both newcomers and experienced hobbyists providing details of everything you need to know.

Featured within:

• In-depth coverage of all the major systems Scalextric, Carrera, SCX and Ninco

• Full details of advanced systems Davic, oXigen, Scorpius, Slotfire, BLST and routed digital

• Advice for people new to slot car racing and for those wishing to upgrade from analogue systems

• How digital slot car racing works

• How to design perfect digital racing circuits

• How to conduct digital races

• How to keep digital system in tip-top condition

• DIY projects to customize digital system and cars

More details can be found at http://www.theSlotCarHandbook.com. The book is available any day now at £18.99 + p&p from the website, as well as from good model shops, bookshops and online book outlets (Official release date was 21/11/2011, bit apparently there have been some minor shipping delays).

Paperback. 209 pages. 24.6 x 18.9 x 1.3 cm.

Chevy OK Used Cars and Louis Chevrolet's Signature

















Hi folks -- when I was a kid I always noticed the OK used car signs at the dealers' lots. But where did the OK logo come from? I recently saw an ad from 1918 for an American Motors Corporation "American Six." Louis Chevrolet was the Vice President and Chief Engineer of this company, and on the inside dash of each car Chevrolet signed in his own had "O.K. Chevrolet." As the ad copy went on to explain, "Louis Chevrolet's O.K. is a sure guarantee of the sterling qualities that set the AMERICAN SIX apart from other cars."







Negotiate Car Deals; 3 Steps To Your Best Deal

Negotiating a Car Deal is a process that everyone hates to go through, but it can be as easy as 1, 2, 3. Car Dealers deal in Car Deals everyday, they practice negotiating, they have dealt with EVERY scenario. Car Salesmen are good at closing deals because it is what they do, remember this. I am going to give you 3 tips to get a leg up when negotiating your next Car Deal.

1. Never, I say NEVER, negotiate your Car Deal from a payment aspect. Car Salesmen want you to negotiate with payments because they have several ways to make the payment fit your criteria. Worry about payment after you have negotiated your best price on the car of your choice. If you negotiate with payments only, the dealer can extend terms, lower interest rates, or demand more money out of your pocket. Pick the Car you want to buy and do your research to determine what you are willing to pay. Also, please do not be unreasonable when negotiating on price. The dealer must make a profit to stay in business, but they do not have to make it all on your car deal.

2. The 2nd do not, is do not make an emotional purchase because you will always pay too much. When you choose your Car to make a Deal on, realize, there are many more cars out there that you would love just as much. If you are looking at a New Car, there are many other dealerships that will have the same New Car, you may have to drive out of town to make your New Car Deal. If you are Dealing on a used car, know there are hundreds if not thousands of used cars in your area. Emotional Car Deals will always cost you more. It is always a good idea to sleep on it overnight so that you can weigh the pros and cons of the Car of your choice.

3. The 3rd Car Deal Tip is to realize that financing is a crucial and costly part of your Car Deal. You can Negotiate the best Car Deal in history and pay too much in Finance Charges and negate the great deal. Car Dealers make money on financing, sometimes there is more money made on financing than on the Car Purchase. Here is how it works. The Salesman comes and says "I have Great News, you are qualified for 7.9 percent financing. What the dealer and salesman do not want you to know is that the lender gave you a rate of 5.9 percent. That means between the "Buy Rate" and what you are charged is 2 percent. This 2 percent or 2 points is profit for the dealer. Now, I am not saying that the dealer is not supposed to make money for handling your paperwork and obtaining financing for you because this is how banks and any lending institution operates. I am saying, shop around for your financing to make sure you are getting the best rate possible. Check at your local bank or credit union as well.

How do I get the best price on a new car?

These are 3 quick tips to help you get the best Car Deal possible. There are many other little tips I will discuss in detail, but be sure to negotiate on price, don't buy on emotions, and get your best interest rate to save money.

The Evolution of the Jordan Playboy Advertising Copy









Hi folks -- when I dealt with the importance of Ned Jordan and the Jordan Playboy "Somewhere West of Laramie" ad of 1923, it seems that this copy popped out of nowhere and had little or no antecedents. That is patently false, as Ned Jordan gradually shaped and reshaped his words until the now-famous ad appeared. ONE MIGHT ARGUE THAT THE REAL SHIFT THAT TOOK PLACE IS AS MUCH IN THE IMAGE AS IN THE WORDS -- THAT THE IMAGE EVOKES A SENSE OF MYSTERY AND POWER ABSENT FROM PREVIOUS ADS. Note above Jordan ads, and how the static gives way to the dynamic.
a 1922 ad copy for the Playboy:

A spirited companion for a wonderful girl and a wonderful boy.
It's a shame to call kit a roadster. So full is this brawny,
graceful thing of the vigor of boyhood and morning.
It carries two passengers with a cockpit-swanky seat behind.
It revels along with the wandering wind and roars like a Caproni
biplane. It's a car fora man's man -- that's certain.
Or for the girl who loves the out-of-doors.
It's true -- there's some of the twang of that rare old English ale
that was brewed from the smiles of youth and of old boxing gloves.
How did we happen to think of it?
Why a girl who can swim and paddle and shoot described it to a
boy who loves the roar of the cut-out.
We built one and slipped it away from the quiet zone.
And stepped on it.
And the dogs barked.
And the boys stopped to cheer.
And the people we passed stopped and looked back.
And we were boys again.
The Playboy will be built in limited numbers -- frankly because we
love to do it.

From 1918 ad for the Jordan Sport Marine

The Jordan Sport Marine is the first completely equipped motor car ever offered as a stock model by a manufacturer. It is a custom made car at a stock car price.
The new continental motor, introduced by Jordan, eliminates vibration, accentuates speed, increases power and affords a degree of economy and smoothness that is far in advance of the times. The aluminum body is fifty pounds lighter, free from rumbles and ripples and takes that beautiful velvety finish.
Two optional colors, Briarcliff green and Liberty Blue. Upholstered in special hand buffed, genuine leather, with velvet tonneau rug. Rim wind sport clack and tonneau light empancelled in Honduras mahogany.
Because of its completeness, its ultra comfort, its smartness, the Sport Marine is essentially a woman's car.
It is fashionably low with five 32x4 wire wheels and five Silvertown Cord Tires, special gear ratio, sport windshield, taileored top, traffic bumper, motometer, Macbeth green visor lenses and Lin-Rhubber on running boards as standard equipment. Curtains open with the doors.
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The Most "Bizzaro" automobile anti-theft device ever -- the Bosco "Rubber Man"


As some of you know, I am working on a history of auto theft entitled "Stealing Cars." At night, while watching TV, I love to read auto history material, and especially like the old publications of Floyd Clymer. Last evening I found this description of a rubber man in a Floyd Clymer Auto History Scrapbook published in 1947:

Perhaps the most bizarre, and in retrospect, humorous countermeasure was the Bosco "Collapsible Rubber Driver." Made in Akron, Ohio, ad copy for the rubber man claimed that: "locks may be picked or jimmied. Cars may be stolen in spite of them. But no thief ever attempted to steal a car with a man at the wheel. [It] is so lifelike and terrifying, that nobody a foot away can tell it isn't a real, live man. When Not in use, this marvelous device is simply deflated and put under the seat."[i]


[i] Floyd Clymer, Historical Scrapbook No. 4 (Los Angeles: Clymer, 1947), p. 162.

Sitting on the Fence - Locked Gate Artist Riding on the Locked Gate Bike of Indecision

Here is a guy Artist Stephen Williams who took the term "sitting on a fence" literally with his whimsical creation, a bike made from two antique locked gates called "The Locked Gate". Williams admits that even though his masterpieces may be considered brilliant are far from practical but make the most of the funny side of his weird and wonderful imagination. In my opinion life was made just a tad more brilliant and sunny today through this wonderful and highly impractical fence art bike.Via Inhabitat
Locked Gate Art Bike - by Artist Stephen Williams
Locked Gate Art Bike - by Artist Stephen Williams

Locked Gate Art Bike - by Artist Stephen Williams
Locked Gate Art Bike - by Artist Stephen Williams

Locked Gate Art Bike - by Artist Stephen Williams
Locked Gate Art Bike - by Artist Stephen Williams

Stealing Cars: Data from May-July, 1924, from Buffalo, NY

For example, in Buffalo, New York, between May 15 and July 15, 1924, the following makes of cars (and numbers) were reported stolen:[i]
Make of Motor Vehicle Number Reported Stolen, May 15 to July 15, 1924
Auburn --2
Buick--26
Cadillac--5
Chevrolet--61
Chalmers--1
Chandler--1
Cole --2
Dodge --8
Dort--1
Durant-4
Elcar--1
Essex--1
Ford --172
Franklin--3
Gardner--1
Haynes--4
Holmes--2
Hudson--7
Hupmobile--1
Jewett--2
Jordan--5
Marmon--3
Maxwell--5
Moon--1
Nash--7
Oakland--3
Oldsmobile--3
Overland--15
Packard--2
Paige--1
Peerless--2
Star--1
Stearns-Knight--2
Studebaker--10
Velie--2
Wills St. Claire--5
Willys Knight--5
[i] “Automobile Record Book for 1924,” Buffalo New York, in possession of author.

Bone Art Cars Discovered - The End is Near for the Combustion Engine

The end of fossil fuel will have a devastating effect on the combustion engine and the result will be millions of bone car remains frozen in time only to be discovered many years from now and placed into museums. Archaeologist will study these bone cars and wonder what these creatures looked like and whether or not they were gas or diesel powered. I am talking about these breath taking bone art cars were created by artist Jitish Kallat as part of the "India Contemporary" exhibition in the GEM Museum of Contemporary Art in The Hague, the Netherlands called Collindonthus. They were made with resin with remarkable detail in which they represent skeletal remains.You never know reality could be closer than you think.
Bone Art Car by Jitish Kalla
Jitish Kallat’s bone Car - Bone Art Car by Jitish Kalla as part of the India Contemporary exhibition.
Bone Art Car by Jitish Kalla
Jitish Kallat’s bone Car - Bone art car by Jitish Kalla as part of the India Contemporary exhibition.
Bone Art Car by Jitish Kalla
Jitish Kallat’s bone Truck - Bone art truck by Jitish Kalla as part of the India Contemporary exhibition.
Bone Art Car by Jitish Kalla
Jitish Kallat’s bone Truck - Bone Art Truck by Jitish Kalla as part of the India Contemporary exhibition.
Bone Art Car by Jitish Kalla
Jitish Kallat’s bone Truck - Bone art truck by Jitish Kalla as part of the India Contemporary exhibition.
Bone Art Car by Jitish Kalla
Jitish Kallat’s bone Truck - Bone art truck by Jitish Kalla as part of the India Contemporary exhibition.
Bone Art Car by Jitish Kalla
Jitish Kallat’s bone thee wheeler - Boneart  three wheeler by Jitish Kalla as part of the India Contemporary exhibition.

All Image courtesy: Jitish KallatArticle Via

Star Wars Art Car STOLEN!!!!!!

Meerkat Six Star Wars 1981 Jetta Art Car - Rear Side
Meerkat Six Star Wars 1981 Jetta Art Car - Rear Side

I just got this sad story sent to me by Thomas you had his Star Wars artcar called Meerkat Six, a 1982 Diesel-powered Volkswagen Jetta stolen last May of 2010. He took inspiration from Star Wars Episode III Jedi Starfighter, the X-Wing Fighter, and the Rebel Blockade Runner but later realized that he had chosen the Snowspeeder's color scheme. The astromech droid was made from an old lampshade that had been in the "droid parts" box for twenty-odd years and named J3-T7. He also used two different fonts for the lettering, "Engli-Besh" by Erikstormtrooper, and "Imperial Code" by Dan Zadorozny at Iconian Fonts.The chances of it ever be seen again are very small but a replacement art car is in the works.
Meerkat Six Star Wars 1981 Jetta Art Car - Front Side
Meerkat Six Star Wars 1981 Jetta Art Car - Front Side

Meerkat Six Star Wars 1981 Jetta Art Car - Hood

Meerkat Six Star Wars 1981 Jetta Art Car - JR-T7
Meerkat Six Star Wars 1981 Jetta Art Car - JR-T7

Meerkat Six Star Wars 1981 Jetta Art Car - JR-T7 at Night
Meerkat Six Star Wars 1981 Jetta Art Car - JR-T7 at Night

Meerkat Six Star Wars 1981 Jetta Art Car - Front Fender
Meerkat Six Star Wars 1981 Jetta Art Car - Front Fender

Meerkat Six Star Wars 1981 Jetta Art Car - Rear Fender
Meerkat Six Star Wars 1981 Jetta Art Car - Rear Fender

New Carrera SLS AMG GT3s coming

Photos of the two new Carrera D132 Mercedes SLS GT3's that are coming.


Toyota Prius C Concept, 2011

 
 
 

Toyota Prius C Concept, 2011

The current Prius has ushered hybrid technology into the mainstream, and the Prius V, it provide the additional room and versatility for active families, compact shoppers are interested in a smaller hybrid at an entry price point and with superior fuel economy. The Toyota Prius C Concept, with c representing a "city"-centric vehicle, will appeal to young singles and couples who want an eco-sensitive, high-mileage, fun-to-drive Prius.

The dynamic vehicle with urban appeal will pursue outstanding fuel efficiency in a compact package,  also providing a surprisingly spacious interior. It will include many advanced technology features, including some offered on the current Prius.

The Toyota Prius C Concept is the inspiration for an additional Prius family member will come to market in the first half of 2012 as the most value-oriented hybrid in the U.S. market with the highest mileage of any "cordless" hybrid.

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