As of this post the average age of our staff is twenty-eight, with myself being the youngest. This fact may seem like it has little to do with car design, but from the perspective of someone who goes crazy over the right shapes, I hope it foreshadows the tone of my dissenting opinion against current car aesthetics.
I hate the high belt lines and short windows on today’s cars. Continue reading
Above is a picture from my parents old Thunderbird sometime in the late 80’s, early 90’s. It’s just a random picture from somewhere in California during a trip. Notice anything? How about the three small pickup trucks? When i was growing up these things were everywhere and I simply do not understand why they have gone away. Continue reading
For over a century, the world’s automakers have been refining and improving the way that cars work. Everyone loves when a technological breakthrough brings better performance or fuel economy, but I think some of the greatest advances in automotive engineering have come from safety.
Recently, I visited the Computer History Museum in California. The museum has an exhibit about the on-board ABS computer developed by Bosch that I found interesting.
In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Juliet tells her darling love “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” She is trying to convince her Romeo that names do not matter, only what things are. But when it comes to cars, names DO matter.
When automakers come up with a new model of vehicle, the name is a matter of great importance. Car companies often draw inspiration from animals, weather, space, and other natural wonders. But a lot of times, cars borrow their names from great American cities.
This got me wondering: what are some cars named after cities? Which US states are most popular for car names? The answer probably won’t surprise you: it’s California.
I put together this helpful map so you can see which parts of America inspire the names of our cars and trucks.
Can you think of any names that I missed? Post a comment below and let me know!
UPDATE: New law will require temporary license plates in California starting in 2019.
When you buy a brand new car, a used car, or re-register your old car in Arizona, you can go online and print a 30-day temporary tag while your official license plate is being made. On a recent visit to California, I noticed a lot of brand-new vehicles driving around without license plates. These cars had a plastic plate and frame with the name of the dealership, but nothing else.
This got me wondering: does California not require temporary tags on motor vehicles?
There is a famous expression that “everything old is new again.” It seems like there are plenty of examples in today’s world of new things designed to look, feel, or sound like old things. Let me give you some examples.
Many digital cameras and mobile phones will play a pre-recorded “shutter click” sound when you take a picture, even though the device does not have a mechanical shutter. If you’ve been to a casino in the last decade, you may have noticed that the slot machines play a sound of coins dropping into a tray, even though the payouts are electronic.
Have you noticed that virtually every bottle of maple syrup sold today has a tiny, useless “handle?” It’s purely a decoration, a throwback to the days when syrup actually came in jugs. Its purpose is the same principle as people who attach non-functional shutters to the outside of their house, or compact fluorescent/LED light bulbs shaped like incandescent bulbs. From Instagram photos to simulated woodgrain, our lives are full of “new” things trying to emulate the look and feel of something old.
There is a name for these things: they are called skeuomorphs. Like everything else, the automotive world is not immune to the skeuomorph. I have noticed that for some reason, people just love to take new Corvettes and make them look like old Corvettes. I just don’t understand this practice. Continue reading
