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Backseat Driver: Thomas Hardy, where are you?

This is a daffy thing to mention, but on the Massachusetts Turnpike recently I spotted this truck and the simple message across the back caught my attention.

Butter Eggs Cheese

It reminded me that while we think we live in a whizz-bang age, the delivery of such simple staffs of life go on as they have for centuries. One could almost imagine a cart with exactly the same message plodding along one of the country lanes of Thomas Hardy's beloved Dorset in southern England over 100 years ago - or another cart and another horse plodding along a lane somewhere in Rhode Island or Massachusetts or France or wherever 200, 300 years ago.

The daily round does not change and I remember a similar feeling when I used to commute from Jamestown to Boston in the early morning hours (I had to report to work at 3:30 a.m.) and the roads being empty save for the food trucks - bread and groceries - which were making their daily deliveries.

So, here's to you Mr N. Winer & Son Inc. for reminding me that the pace of modern life is often only in our heads. Hardy, after all, had his own madding crowd.

Posted by   at 12:13 PM to commentary | Permalink | Comments 0

Backseat Driver: A '57 Plymouth Belvedere to be unearthed on Friday

It's hard to believe that Oklahoma is only 100 years old. But the Sooner State became the 46th state on November, 16, 1907, and to celebrate the 50th anniversary, the city of Tulsa buried a time capsule on June 15, 1957.

In that capsule, among other items, was a brand new gold-and-white Plymouth Belvedere. Plymouth donated the car as a promotion.

The time capsule will be opened this Friday and it will be interesting to see what kind of condition the car will be in. It could be very good - it was sealed in a concrete vault, after all.

The New York Times' Dan Barry, who used to be a reporter here at The Providence Journal and who is one of the best writers around bar none, has written an advance story.

Meanwhile, I will attempt to keep tabs on the unearthing on the day, hopefully relying on Barry's reporting although I do not know whether he will be there. Certainly the Associated Press will be.

Posted by   at 11:33 AM to Popular culture | Permalink | Comments 1

Backseat Driver: Spotted - A GMC Futureliner

So there I was driving to the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, Mass., the other day when what should I come across on the Mass. Pike but a GMC Futureliner. Here was the first view:

Then I raced ahead, stopped by the side of the road and shot it from in front - getting a good honk from the driver as he passed:

A total of 12 of these fabulous looking vehicles were made in 1939 and they were used to travel around the country displaying the latest wonders from Detroit. Nine survive and this one was clearly keeping up with the traffic (a bit slow on the hills) on a sunny June day in Massachusetts.

There are many Web sites about the Futureliners. Here is one.

Posted by   at 10:49 AM to commentary | Permalink | Comments 2

Is MirraChrome the Next Big Bling?

The most popular color to buy a car in has long been silver, but one U.K. company is now offering a variation on that them. Chrome is the new silver, with shiny body panels apparently set to be the next big thing, according to thecarconnection.com.

MirraChrome is claimed to be the world’s most realistic chrome-effect paint finish, with 98 percent of the reflectivity of true chrome-plating. It’s the stuff was used on a Lamborghini Murcielago in the recent video by rapper 50 Cent.

Posted by   at 10:33 AM to Design , Popular culture | Permalink | Comments 1

Toyota goal: 1 million hybrids a year

After taking a decade to sell its first 1 million gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles worldwide, Toyota now says it plans to sell 1 million a year within a few years, according to USA Today.

At the same time, the big automaker appears to be backing away from a pledge made a few years ago that hybrid powertrains would be available as options on nearly every one of its U.S. vehicles by 2010.

Posted by   at 10:30 AM to Alternative fuels , Companies , Environment , Fuel economy , Sales , Technology | Permalink | Comments 0

Caution: Lower Truck Sales Ahead

As with sport utilities, the popularity of pickups is in decline. Sales have dropped, rebates and other incentives are climbing, even for companies like G.M. and Toyota that have the newest models on the market, according to The New York Times.

Posted by   at 10:28 AM to Analysis , Auto industry , Sales | Permalink | Comments 0

Nymex Crude Oil Rises on Supply Worries

A benchmark crude oil contract edged up Tuesday after climbing more than $1 a barrel a day earlier amid indications that OPEC is unlikely to boost production and a report outlining a possible oil crunch in the coming months, according to the Associated Press.

The International Energy Agency raised the prospect of a global oil crunch this year on a recipe of higher-than-expected demand and below-par supply from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and other producers.

Light, sweet crude for July delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange rose 6 cents to $66.03 a barrel in electronic trading by midday in Europe. The contract had gained $1.21 Monday to settle at $65.97 a barrel.

Posted by   at 10:05 AM to Oil | Permalink | Comments 0

Ford Weighs Jaguar, Land Rover Future

Ford said it was reviewing its position on its Jaguar and Land Rover businesses, and union officials pressed for more information amid reports that the two brands were up for sale, according to the Associated Press.

John Gardiner, a spokesman for Ford's Premier Automotive Group, told Dow Jones Newswires that the company continued to review all of its global operations and all options were still on the table.

"I can confirm we're working with our financial advisers to determine the best way forward for Jaguar and Land Rover," Gardiner said.

Posted by   at 9:53 AM to Auto industry , Companies , Marques , Sales | Permalink | Comments 0