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Showing posts with label unique. Show all posts
Showing posts with label unique. Show all posts

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Half Edsel, half Skyliner... by Ã…ge Gustavsen from Southern Norway


thanks to Dan!

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

the only taxi for wheelchairs, in San Diego


for wheelchair accessible taxi service in San Diego, call Boris at 858 220 9130, or email BMasarskiy@san.rr.com






Made by VPG, (Built by the tooling and dies from the H2 Hummer by AM General which were no longer in use, it is the first factory built wheelchair accessible taxi AWDA Americans with Disabilities Act 100% wheelchair accessible)  the side door opens and allows a ramp to extend out and down for wheelchairs.
4.6 liter engine from Ford

info from http://m.motortrend.com/roadtests/alternative/1204_vpg_mv_1_first_drive/

see more at http://www.vpgautos.com/  or http://www.mv1oforlando.com/


Friday, July 12, 2013

forgotten history of what might have been, the California Cycleway (bicycle only elevated wood road from Pasadena to LA)



In 1897 bicycling was a fad, a craze. The first of many strange compulsions that caught Americans up in a social movement that seems strange to those same people after it's gone (pet rocks, flag pole sitting, etc)

It was soon swept away by the board track racers, endurance runs, and land speed racing on dry lakes. But there was a time when biking was the thing to do, and LA had an entrepreneur that built 1.2 miles of this bike highway to charge a toll for a quick easy way to get from Pasadena to downtown LA.

He had it all worked out, except for the part where it gets completed while it still was in demand.

found on http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/in-1897-a-bicycle-superhighway-was-the-future-of-california-transit from a facebook post by https://www.facebook.com/7Christine but it originates in a 1901 magazine article posted on the  http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/the_great_cycle_way_.cfm

"On this splendid track cyclists may now enjoy the very poetry of wheeling. At Pasadena they may mount their cycles and sail down to Los Angeles without so much as touching the pedals, even though the gradient is extremely slight.The way lies for the most part along the east bank of the Arroyo Seco, giving a fine view of this wooded stream, and skirting the foot of the neighboring oak-covered hills.The surface is perfectly free from all dust and mud, and nervous cyclists find the track safer than the widest roads, for there are no horses to avoid, no trains or trolley-cars, no stray dogs or wandering children." 

the article is written in an antique flowing way, eloquent by todays norm, but it points out some interesting signs of it's time... 5000 cycle inventors, nothing worth riding a bike on in the age of steam locomotive prestige but adobe roads and train track crossings of muddy wagon wheel ruts. The bikes would be smoothy riding above all the horse manure, rocks and ruts on a boardwalk with nothing to interrupt a pleasant Southern California sunny day. If you started in Pasadena, you'd cruise downhill the whole way without pedaling at all due to the 600 feet elevation difference and the 20 miles... it's likely if this had occured it would have been an hour of riding downhill.

Throughout the entire distance from the center of one city to the center of the other it has an uninterrupted right of way, passing over roads, streets, railway tracks, gullies and ravines. At its highest point, the elevation of the track is about fifty feet. The maximum grade in the nine-mile run is three percent., and that only for two thousand feet. Elsewhere the grade averages 11/4 percent.

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Factory mistake, a 318 Barracuda was built with a 383 'Cuda hood


photo from http://www.cjacc.com/allcars/Matches/Plymouth_Cuda_1972.jpg

Jay recently found it at a car show in New Jersey

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Three museums at the Gillespie Field in El Cahon, one owns Steve McQueen's Stearman


http://www.gillespiefield.com/museums/

the Allen Airways bought the Stearman at the auction of Steve McQueen's estate...

but while looking at the websites of the others, I discovered that the San Diego Air And Space Museum was gifted the only wind tunnel in San Diego, In March 2006, the Museum acquired the former General Dynamics Low Speed Wind Tunnel (LSWT) at San Diego's Interantional Airport (Lindbergh Field).

The facility is now know as the San Diego Air & Space Technology Center Wind Tunnel, creating another first in the Museum's unique history.

The LSWT, originally began operations under the direction of Consolidated Vultee (Convair) in May 1947. General Dynamics assumed operations in 1961 when the company acquired Convair. General Dynamics' Convair Division (and later Lockheed) operated the facility until a private company took over in 1994. The LSWT remains the only privately held low-speed aeronautical wind tunnel in the United States. (notice the dates, that company held it for only 12 years)

To date, the LSWT has been used extensively in numerous military and civil aerospace development programs, including the F-106, B-58, F-111, F-16, Global Hawk UAV, Tomahawk Cruise Missile, and Advanced Cruise Missile. It has recently served the testing needs of Cessna, Boeing, Gulfstream, Northrop Grumman, General Atomics, Raytheon, and Lockheed Martin.

 As the only wind tunnel in the nation capable of performing low-speed flutter testing, Boeing has used the facility extensively to test all its commercial airliners, from the 707 to the new 787 Dreamliner. The facility has also provided testing for nearly 250 professional and amateur bicyclists including Lance Armstrong and the Discovery Cycling Team. In addition, every member of the 2006 US Olympic Luge Team was tested in the wind tunnel. 

some good photos I found on Finkenstein.tumblr.com


it might not be easy to see it, but the guy is Steve McQueen getting into the Lotus






all found on http://finkenstein.tumblr.com

Saturday, July 6, 2013

a Duesenburg that didn't get past the drawing and planning stages of a coachbuilder, but was created by Franklin Mint in 1:24 scale, the 1939 Duesenberg Coupe Simone Midnight Ghost



if actually made into a car it would be the only vehicle I can suppose would rival the Jonkheere Rolls Royce for design excellance

images from http://lalulutres.tumblr.com/post/54415714200/finished-in-1939-this-legendary-masterpiece-was


The car was made by the american car body designer Emmet-Armand on the basis of the Duesenberg Type J. They only made one of them which was ordered by the French cosmetics king Gui(Guy) De LaRouche
above information from http://www.dieselpunks.org/profiles/blogs/the-strange-case-of-the-midnight-ghost

below information from http://bokextra.se/produkt/3093/1939-duesenberg-coupe-simone-midnight-ghost-le

1939 Duesenberg Coupe Simone Midnight Ghost - LE Issued on the 10th anniversary of the car that never was, this incredible die-cast model is the creation of acclaimed designer Raffi Minasian. Inspired by the modernist lines of the Art Deco movement, it captures all the romance of a bygone era. The graceful sweep of the fenders, the luxuriously appointed interior complete with a crystal-clear steering wheel - every detail of the designer's vision brought unforgettably to life. Hand-painted an elegant Midnight Ghost, this special anniversary Limited Edition bears the designer's signature on a plaque mounted to the undercarriage.

The Coupe Simone – A Brief History

 The story of the Duesenberg Coupe Simone and Emmett-Armand Coachworks was first revealed in 1996 at The Franklin Mint Museum exhibit, "Crossroads." Chronicled by Designers Roger Hardnock and Raffi Minasian, this unique presentation revealed the recently discovered remnants of the coachworks, a diary of the events leading up to the delivery of the Simone in Paris, and drawings of this unusual car under development.

 In 1998, Franklin Mint Precision Models released the 1:24 scale die-cast replica of the Coupe Simone.

– The "Midnight Ghost" Emmett-Armand Coachworks had been working on the Coupe Simone for more than a year when plans began to develop for new projects.

LaRouche, a wealthy cosmetics king and patron for the project, arrived at the coachworks late in the evening. Had the train been on time, LaRouche might have arrived earlier and appreciated the subtlety of the metallic black and silver trim as it glowed in the early sunset light. Instead, he was not pleased with the "rather evil appearance," calling upon Emmett and Armand to "please research a color combination more becoming to that of his refined tastes." Emmett, attempting to divert LaRouche's discontent, invited him to take the car for a drive. An excerpt from Armand's diary recalls the results:

"Although the two had only left a few minutes before, their early return was punctuated by the fact that Emmett was driving. LaRouche exited the car visibly shaken as Emmett came around to steady him, stumbling with his walking cane. We offered LaRouche (more accustomed to chauffeurs) some calming tea as he confessed that he had only driven a few times in cars featuring no more than 20 or 30 horsepower. His ghostly white face and trembling hands convinced us that the supercharged version of this car would be nothing more than a waste and certainly a hazard to our client. Emmett and I removed the supercharger and offered it for return to the Duesenberg Company. Curiously, they encouraged us to retain the unit should we have a use for it in future projects."

found on http://wickdpleasures.tumblr.com/

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

the photoshopper strikes again, and this time makes a van from a vette


above found on http://stiffspeed.tumblr.com


but this one was found 3 years ago on parkoffka.com was the work of "Capsule" and I posted the photo and the info at http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2010/02/this-is-coolest-van-ive-seen-since.html

the red one immediately reminded me of the green one. Small grill, big flat front, etc.

Steve just sent me :

Monday, June 24, 2013

VW custom camper

VW bus bigger than any you've seen

Saturday, June 22, 2013

unique gas tank, it's clear