June 5, 2008
I could not make this up!
Edward Smith, 57, of Washington State is currently in a monogamous relationship with a white Volkswagen Beetle named Vanilla, but admits to having had sex with 1,000 cars - many of them belonging to strangers or car showrooms, according to Britain’s Telegraph Media Group.
And he has no desire to change his ways.
"I appreciate beauty and I go a little bit beyond appreciating the beauty of a car only to the point of what I feel is an expression of love," he said.
And he is not alone; there are about 500 “mechaphilias” worldwide, according to the Telegraph.
Smith said he first had sex with a car at age 15 and said claims he has never been attracted to women or men. He said his most intense sexual experience was with a helicopter.
Smith may be committed to Vanilla, but he said he regularly spends time with his 1973 Opel GT, named Cinnamon, and 1993 Ford Ranger Splash, named Ginger.
Before Vanilla, he had a five-year relationship with a 1969 VW Beetle named Victoria.
Baby!
- Peter C.T. Elsworth
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth 
at 10:06 AM | Permalink
February 15, 2008
GENEVA -- A Swiss design company has invented a car that runs on land and underwater, according to the Associated Press.
It's called the "sQuba," and conjures up memories of James Bond's amphibious Lotus Esprit from "The Spy Who Loved Me."
The concept car - which unlike Bond's is not armed - was developed by Swiss designer Rinspeed Inc. and is set to make a splash at the Geneva Auto Show next month.
The sQuba can plow through the water at a depth of 30 feet and has electrical motors to turn the underwater screw. For safety reasons, car has an open top, meaning that the two passengers have to wear wetsuits
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 4:09 PM | Permalink
January 29, 2008
PBS has confirmed the title of its first-ever animated sitcom, based on the hit NPR show "Car Talk" starring Tom and Ray Magliozzi.
As the real life animated duo say on their Web site:
"That's right — thanks to the creative brainpower of Car Talk listener Geoff Groff (of Lancaster, Penn.), our new TV show finally can be called something other than, "that animated thing we're working on with PBS."
It's, "Click and Clack's As the Wrench Turns."
Good work, Geoff!
Now, the bad news: For having his suggestion selected, Geoff scored himself a cameo in an upcoming episode of, "Click and Clack's As the Wrench Turns." We figure it's only fair. The infamy that will haunt him for the rest of his days will more than offset the pride and joy he's experiencing right now."
The show, which follows the on and off-air adventures of the dynamic duo in ten 30-minute episodes, will premiere this summer.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 12:02 PM | Permalink
January 28, 2008
Kristen and Ernie Boch
Car czar Ernie Boch Jr. was toasted, roasted, feted and fawned over by hundreds of pals, cohorts and fans at a rockin’, rollin’ surprise 50th birthday bash at The State Room the other night, according to the Boston Herald.
At the “Backstage” themed blowout, guests grooved to the tunes of Pure Energy Live, mingled around pool tables, lined up for airbrush tattoos and applauded an illusionist, all orchestrated by Pure Energy’s Johnny K.
Of course, the driving force behind the car baron’s bash was his lovely bride, Kristen, who was the hostess with the mostest in a fab white-and-silver strapless gown.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 11:01 AM | Permalink
January 7, 2008
R U VAIN?
Rhode Islanders apparently are not, at not least when it comes to their license plates.
The state known for big egos and bad drivers ranks a modest 21st on a nationwide list of percentage of cars sporting vanity plates, according to a national study by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators.
Leading the pack is Virginia, followed closely by New Hampshire, according to a survey by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators. Massachusetts falls 46th on the list while Texas is dead last.
Just 3 percent of the more than 800,000 vehicles on the road in the Ocean State have personalized plates.
But Division of Motor Vehicles spokeswoman Gina Zinni says vanity plates have been on the rise in Rhode Island since the DMV began allowing drivers to try out combinations and purchase plates online.
“Before, you had to walk into the DMV to see if [the name or phrase] you wanted was taken or not,” Zinni said.
Now you can create your dream plate in your pajamas. The system will even show you a preview of what your plate would look like.
Just don’t get too cute. Inappropriate vanity plate ideas are met with a “tsk tsk” admonishment from the computer system.
--This item also appeared in the projo Politics Blog
Posted by Pam Cotter at 9:33 AM | Permalink
December 17, 2007
A book can make an appreciated and lasting gift. Here are some possiblities, all related to automobiles in some way but most of them of interest to the general reader, not just to car buffs, according to the New York Times.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 9:47 AM | Permalink
November 6, 2007
IF he revisits Highway 61 yet again, chances are Bob Dylan will do it in a Cadillac Escalade, just like the one he drives in a new television commercial, according to the New York Times.
While the endorsement is a coup for Cadillac, it is not the first trip to Shillville for Mr. Dylan, 66, who has appeared in ads for Apple and Victoria’s Secret.
The spot also promotes his show on XM Satellite Radio, whose receivers are standard on Cadillacs. Making the synergistic stew even thicker, on Oct. 24 Mr. Dylan played only Cadillac-themed songs on his show.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 11:32 AM | Permalink
November 5, 2007
KISS 108 FM’s Matty in the Morning (right) teamed up with Herb Chambers (left) to give Michael DeMello (middle) the keys to a new Ford Ranger.
Mike’s Ford Ranger was totaled after the Sox won the World Series by a rioting crowd following the Red Sox World Series victory. The truck was completely destroyed and flipped over on Boylston Street.
The crew of the Matty in the Morning show at KISS 108 wanted to help Michael get back on his feet. Herb Chambers was live in the studio to surprise Michael with the keys on air, to a newer truck.
Herb Chambers owns over 40 dealerships in New England, including Herb Chambers Cadillac of Providence.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 10:06 AM | Permalink
October 29, 2007
Check out this New York Times story about an artist who gets her inspiration from auto skid marks:
WHEN the Los Angeles artist Ingrid Calame wanted to trace the skid marks on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the track’s manager was skeptical. “The request was pretty unusual,” said the manager, Dan Edwards, who in his eight years at the speedway has provided special access to people testing tires, engines and racecars.
Then he researched Ms. Calame’s boldly colored compositions, derived from stains and graffiti that she traces from city streets and sidewalks. And he realized that the racetrack “was like a canvas,” he said in a phone interview. “There were stories that went with every tire mark, every gouge.”
One pattern was a famous pretzel-shaped skid mark made by Dan Wheldon in 2005 after his Indianapolis 500 victory. Now an enamel and latex wall painting based on his celebratory gesture is the 76-by-20-foot centerpiece of “Ingrid Calame: Traces of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway,” opening Friday at the Indianapolis Museum of Art.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 10:25 AM | Permalink
October 15, 2007
SAY what you will about traffic jams, they provide ample time to ponder the stickers on all those bumpers as they creep by, according to the New York Times.
Well, not necessarily just the bumpers. Stickers have been turning up on rear windows and side ones, on hatchbacks and trunk lids, and on the front and back doors. Nor are they necessarily stickers: many people are putting messages on their cars with magnets. Those messages, though, can be a head-scratching hodgepodge of colors, symbols and phrases. This may be especially true for anybody raised thinking the range was limited to “Princeton University,” “Gore 2000,” or the skulls of the Grateful Dead.
Indeed, an informal survey of metro-area parking lots and streets, in traffic jams and at highway rest areas, turned up the following: paw prints, small and large, and one from a bear; baseballs and tennis balls embedded in shattered glass, or the appearance of it; yin-yangs and stars; and symbols warning of radiation and biohazards.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 11:28 AM | Permalink
October 9, 2007
APART from babies, pets and maybe newlyweds, probably nothing is more photographed, and photographed badly, than the family car, according to the New York Times.
Enter Winston Goodfellow, a professional automobile photographer who knows how to shoot a car and is willing to share some of his best tricks. Mr. Goodfellow, whose automotive prints sell on his Web site (www.rollingsculpture.com), has written a short manual of tips, “Take Your Best Shot.” It was published by Hagerty, an insurer specializing in classic cars.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 2:30 PM | Permalink
Here's a New York Times story that will make you proud to be a Rhode Islander. Not.
There are a few things synonymous with Rhode Island: stuffed clams, Narragansett beer, and, of course, Mr. Potato Head, reports the NYT.
The toy was created by Hasbro, which is based in Pawtucket, 55 years ago. The state is so proud to be the home of Mr. Potato Head that he has become the state’s unofficial ambassador. He turns up in parades, participates in antismoking campaigns, and greets children at playgrounds.
And since 2002, the toy has hit the road. Rhode Island drivers who feel a need for a Mr. Potato Head presence on their cars, can order a license plate that has his smiling face.
Crikey!
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 2:23 PM | Permalink
September 11, 2007
NEW YORK - Higher U.S. gasoline prices may slim more than just wallets, according to a new study from Washington University in St. Louis and reported by Reuters News Agency.
Entitled "A Silver Lining? The Connection between Gas Prices and Obesity," the study found that an additional $1 per gallon in real gasoline prices would reduce U.S. obesity by 15 percent after five years.
The report, written by Charles Courtemanche for his doctoral dissertation in health economics, found that the 13 percent rise in obesity between 1979 and 2004 can be attributed to falling pump prices.
Gasoline hit a low of less than $1.50 per gallon in 2000 before moving back to a record high of $3.22 in May 2007.
Higher gasoline prices can reduce obesity by leading people to walk or cycle instead of drive and eat leaner at home instead of rich food at restaurants.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 5:31 PM | Permalink
August 24, 2007
Here is thecarconnection.com's latest car trivia quiz plus answers:
1. In the early 1970s, which Big Three company's dealers sold the DeTomaso Pantera sports car?
2. On what platform was the 1991-1996 Ford Escort based?
3. What road joins Dawson Creek, British Columbia and Fairbanks, Alaska?
4. What did Lara Croft drive in the 2001 movie Tomb Raider ?
5. What brand were the cop cars on the 1960s Andy Griffith Show ?
6. Who sang Paradise by the Dashboard Light ?
7. In 1980, this U.S.-built model introduced full-time, all-wheel-drive to the passenger-car market.
8. Which Chrysler car line was named for a 16th century Spaniard who explored the Mississippi?
9. Which U.S. carmaker advertised its Lifeguard safety design in 1956?
10. This 1969 model had an Eliminator performance-package option.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 9:57 AM | Permalink
August 17, 2007
Here is thecarconnection.com's latest auto trivia quiz.
1. What average speed is required to lap the 2.5 mile Indy 500 track in 40 seconds?
2. Which NASCAR track has 29-acre Lake Lloyd in its infield?
3. Which tire brand was on all Indy 500-winning cars from 1920 to 1966?
4. What car did James Bond drive in For Your Eyes Only and The Spy Who Loved Me?
5. This term may apply to pizza and certain automotive wheels.
6. Some cars have a special left-foot resting place. What is it called?
7. Which 1961-1963 General Motors model had an unusual flexible driveshaft?
8. In 1999, the Great Race cross-country event terminated in Anaheim, Calif . Where did it commence?
9. What car does Bob Seger mention in his song Night Moves?
10. Where is the Automotive Hall of Fame located?
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 10:12 AM | Permalink
July 27, 2007
Here is thecarconnection's latest car trivia quiz - plus answers:
1. Who wrote Wheels, the 1971 book about the car industry?
2. James Bond drove this AMC model in The Man With The Golden Gun.
3. Which U.S. carmaker offered a 1955 convertible model called the Caribbean?
4. Which new 1971 model was the subject of "The Little Car That Grows On You" ads?
5. Which GM division offered a 1958 Yeoman station wagon?
6. In the 1960s TV series, what was the Green Hornet's car
called? Who drove it?
7. What did Austin Powers drive in the 1997 movie Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery? What paint design did it have?
8. How long has Goodyear been using a promotional blimp?
9. What brand of car was driven by "The Little Old Lady from Pasadena?"
10. To a drag racer, what are zoomies?
Posted by at 4:45 PM | Permalink
