If you weren’t aware, our one year anniversary of Generation: High Output is tomorrow. We’d like to celebrate it with all of you, so please stop by tomorrow to see what we have planned!
Thanks.
Tomorrow We’ve Got Something Special Planned
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They Weren’t Kidding (Saturn Vue)
I remember when Saturn was really pushing the whole “we use plastic body panels” thing on everyone by showing commercials of people hitting their cars with golf balls. It was a pretty effective way of proving to us that the cars were indeed made of plastic. You know what would have been equally effective, guys? A time lapse of a Saturn Vue being parked in an uncovered driveway in Phoenix for a couple months.
Driven: Bill Burke’s Land Rover Defender 90
I’m not exactly sure if this meets the (admittedly) arbitrary requirements for Driven, as it’s apparent that this thing can go wherever it wants. This model is a 1990 or newer US-spec with the Buick-derived V8 engine. It’s interesting that Land Rover used this engine all they way up until 2006, when it was designed by Buick in the 1950’s
The Buick 215 V8 was initially offered in 1961 for the “early Y-bodies” which were the initial uni-body offerings of the BOP A-body platform, my that’s a lot of bodies. Due to smart-ass “experts” on the internet I feel I should defend my Olds-loving honor and mention that the Oldsmobile variation of the 215 had several changes to the heads for aesthetic, performance and durability reasons. As a result, Olds heads can go on any other 215, but not the other way around. It’s also worth noting that the Olds 215 had an optional water-injected turbocharged model, exclusive to Oldsmobile cars.
The design was split in the 60’s: Buick built off of it’s characteristics using iron blocks (the 215 was all aluminum) and it evolved into what became the modern Buick V8 line-up and the indestructible 231/3.L/3800 V6 family; with the Aluminum tooling being sold to Land Rover in 1965.
So what’s Mr. Burke doing with his 93″ Wheelbase (where the name “90” comes from) British-bodied, American-powered SUV? Well as you can see from the advertising on it, he gives lessons in 4-wheeling. You can find out more at www.bb4wa.com (no longer available in 2019).
The Problem with New Cars
Today’s post talks about several problems I’ve noticed regarding brand new cars. Here are the four key points of this long-winded rant. I believe that:
1. Automobiles of today are more reliable, safe, and affordable than ever before and are nearly indistinguishable from one another.
2. Automobile engineering has hit a plateau, and as a result automakers are forced to differentiate themselves by adding non-essential features like in-dash screens, Bluetooth connectivity, and other small changes that really aren’t needed and aren’t significantly better or worse than the previous model year. Also, people are very excited to read about the latest small changes in the automotive press.
3. Today’s automobiles are so reliable and so similar that automotive industry journalists don’t really have much to complain about. They are forced to invent reasons why one car is superior to another based on minute, precise measurements of things that are imperceptible to an average driver.
4. When shopping for a brand new car, it doesn’t really matter which one you buy. All new cars have excellent safety, reliability, power, and very similar styling. In many cases the technical differences between two competing cars are so small that they can only be measured by using high-tech equipment. A human driver will never feel the difference.
Suzuki Samurai DIY Slantback
I actually think this is pretty cool. Sure, it’s never going to last, and the round windows are a little very ridiculous. If he would have just sprayed some bedliner over the wood (it sticks just fine, ask me how I know) and used some …less round windows it would be a pretty cool look.
Third Generation Camaro RS Convertible
I don’t really care for convertibles. Soft-top, hard-top or anything in between. I guess my one exception might be the 1995 Mustang Hardtop, but that’s still not very practical. After riding in one all day, it feels like a day spent at Lake Pleasant in a boat. I guess Phoenix just wasn’t designed for convertibles. All that aside, I love every single third generation Camaro, and with the exception of the “notchback” and the swoopy, 91-92 body treatment, I love every third generation Firebird as well. Continue reading
