I have been ready to blow like Mount St. Helens since the weekend of January 19th, 2013.
Why, you ask? Because although Barrett-Jackson was a blast and I saw a lot of really cool cars and got to hang out with the guys and make fun of everything and generally just be an asshole, there is a flip side- I’ve seen about all the 60’s muscle cars I can handle for the rest of my life, I hurt my foot, and worst of all, I got duped into buying a twelve dollar turkey leg.
A few weeks back I took a trip to California, naturally I was on the lookout for anything interesting or uncommon. At some point I ended up walking through a small field of grass that had within it a little square area surrounded by a fence. Inside was what appeared to be a very sad looking GT40 type mid engined kit car.
From what I have gathered this is either a Fiberfab Avenger GT or Valkyrie. Unless there are subtle differences that I haven’t found a mention of the only real difference is towards the rear of the car where it is either a bit longer or shorter depending on the engine/donor setup. The Avenger was the shorter of the two, designed for a Corvair or VW setup. The longer Valkyrie model was setup for a larger V8 engine. Continue reading
Believe it or not but there used to be small trucks, with a frame and everything, like this S10 Blazer I spotted the other day. Now, I understand that the ‘need’ isn’t really there anymore but I miss seeing them around. pretty much everything out there now is based off of a family sedan, which seems odd for a ‘truck’.
Crossovers are basically cars that sit too high with a hatch and worse mileage. I’m not saying to sell your Fusion Edge or Altima Murano to rush out and buy a beat up old S10, what I’m trying to say is that if you keep mindlessly buying this shit they will keep making it. Maybe I’m too old, or out of the loop, or I just simply do not get it (or all three). Do people buy them to sit up higher and feel more confident? I drive a 4 door car that is neither lifted nor lowered, I can see traffic around me just fine and I’m willing to bet it would do just as well offroad. I’m having a hard time seeing the benefits of a crossover vs a normal car.
So you want a car that kind of reminds you of sitting in a small truck? Is it one of those too cool for school things? You don’t want to be seen in a mini van so you choose to drive a what is essentially a mini van without sliding doors hoping that no one will notice? The world may never know. Then again, why were people buying S10 blazers? Who knows? At least they were capable when they needed to be though.
You are the reason they don’t make wagons anymore, and I’ve been on a wagon kick lately.. asshole.
Oh yeah, the S10 Blazer.. I didn’t crawl under it to have a look at what’s doing under the hood. I know that I sure wouldn’t want someone crawling under my car while I was in the store, so I can’t confirm that there’s a small block sitting under the hood. However, It’s safe to assume that there is and has been one there for probably 15 years, 6 years after they bought those wheels. This truck is so close to looking right, I hope they fix some of what they messed up in the (obviously) 90’s.
Whether this guy is the first or last to die when the whole Y2K thing does its deal is yet to be determined. What is determined is that this guy (or lady) takes not fucking around seriously.
I’ll admit that I don’t know too much about this truck. I do not that it sits on the most massive frame I’ve seen outside of commercial use trucks. I do know that it’s RWD and seems to have been well thought out with what appears to be a low to mid-level budget. There are lights in every direction and an assortment of amateur radio antennas across the top, perfect for those out in the middle of nowhere distress calls.. or warning beacons.
I’m not sure whether the side tanks are for some sort of CNG fuel or simply compressed air but having them mounted externally (although vulnerable) sure adds to the look.
I tried to speak with the owner but grew impatient waiting for them to come out of Fry’s Electronics, maybe someone else can chime in with more details? It appears to be well taken care of but not babied (check out that hood gap), here’s hoping that I saw it on a clean day and it’s not just an attention grabber made for the streets of Phoenix.
What is the fastest American sedan you can buy today?
You might be surprised to learn that it’s not the twin-turbo Lincoln MK-S, the Dodge Charger SRT8 Super Bee, or even the mighty Cadillac CTS-V. The fastest American-made sedan is none other than the Tesla Model S – and it shuts these other cars down without using a drop of gasoline.
Just how quick is this car? Take a look at these figures:
2012 Tesla Model S P85
0-60: 3.9 seconds
1/4 Mile: 12.5 @ 110.9 mph1
2013 Lincoln MK-S EcoBoost Twin Turbo AWD
0-60: 5.2 seconds
1/4 Mile: 13.9 @ 100.8 mph2
2012 Dodge Charger SRT8 Super Bee
0-60: 4.4 seconds
1/4 Mile: 12.8 @ 112.6 mph3
2009 Cadillac CTS-V Sedan
0-60: 4.3 seconds
1/4 Mile: 12.6 @ 114.6 mph4
With numbers like these, you can understand why I was ecstatic to see a Model S Signature in real life the other day at the Scottsdale Pavilions car show.
Driving around at day, covered in Christmas lights, towing a boat with a first-generation Prius, in the heart of the city, nowhere near a lake. What a bizarre way to slowly waste a little tiny bit of gas.
Merry Christmas.
