Archive for March, 2011 « JESDA.COM | Cars, travel, etc.

Drug Dealers, Garages, and Pablo Escobar’s Car Collection

Short version:
She says she has temp tags because her plates are always getting stolen, and claims the darkness of her window tint is legal. The police have been giving her tickets for both, and apparently they’ve accused her of being a drug dealer. She defends her innocence by citing the lack of a garage. I have no idea what city this picture is from.

Indeed, a reasonably skilled drug dealer can probably afford a garage and covers his or her tracks well enough to avoid being ticketed for tags and tint. Unfortunately for them, they have short lives.

[I say this based on the three seasons I’ve seen of HBO’s “The Wire” and nothing else.]

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Columbia’s former cocaine king, Pablo Escobar, had several garages (photo, 1989):

http://www.gobackpacking.com/Blog/2010/09/30/photo-essay-vacation-homes-colombia-drug-cartels/

Pablo Escobar’s Hacienda Napoles in Colombia spanned 3700 acres. In 1989, Escobar was the seventh wealthiest man in the world with 80% of the world’s market share for cocaine, and was responsible for thousands of homicides.

The estate had its own landing strip and several lakes in which he enjoyed piloting his hovercraft. Exotic animals populated the property.

Today, Hacienda Napoles remains in a state of disrepair (photo, 2007).
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/hacienda-napoles-at-home-with-pablo-escobar-the-drug-baron-who-lived-in-a-zoo-766829.html

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Escobar had a stunning collection of cars, several of which were destroyed in a fire:

He began his career in crime as a car thief, working his way to the top of the cocaine business and earning a seat in congress in 1982. With his wealth, he acquired an impressive collection of German, French, and American cars.

The following pictures are taken from a Spanish-language web site, so I’ll do my best to interpret. Also, because most of the vehicles were destroyed in a fire, what remains are merely carcasses with example photos to demonstrate what they may have looked like:

Below: Unknown

Below: Mercedes 600 Limo

Below: Porsche 356

Below: Toyota Land Cruiser

Below: Mercedes 300SL Roadster

Below: Unknown

Below: Renault 4

Below: Unknown

Loose translation of the sign below: In its search of the absolute power, Pablo planned to fight and subvert and the State, and did his planning and training here in the Hacienta with others from the world of drug trafficking. In order to advance this agenda they contracted several Israeli mercenaries, among them Arik Afek and Yair the Kleins, who handled arms, explosives, and engaged in militaristic methods and an unimaginable amount of violence which terrified the country and the world for several years. This is one of the vehicles used by Yair Klein in his training of terrorism.

Below: Various water craft.

My knowledge of classics and motorcycles is limited. If anyone can fill in the blanks on what some of the cars above are, please do.

Original images:
http://www.carrosyclasicos.com/a.php?a=700

Detroit Newspaper Censors Chrysler 200 Review

To be clear, it was a local dealer and not Chrysler corporate who complained to the paper.

“Imported from Detroit” is gutsy, a bold slogan that directly associates Chrysler with its infamous hometown, a city depicted by mainstream media as a crime-riddled, drug-infested, poverty-stricken, fallen industrial empire. I love Detroit and I’m quite fond of Chrysler, but big words are nothing but shallow gimmicks if they lack the backing of equally bold, revolutionary products. Unfortunately, the new 200 sedan has less flavor and distinction than a meal at Olive Garden.

The “new” 200 is at the forefront of Chrysler’s post-bankruptcy reincarnation, the icon of recovery in this year’s superbowl ads, currently in heavy rotation. Unfortunately the 200, with its improved styling, new 283hp V6 engine, and much improved interior, is still a redressed Sebring. The homely, unloved, rental-grade Sebring receives little affection on this blog and earned itself the disdain of the automotive press, while the 200 fares almost as poorly in the hands of professional reviewers.

Scott Burgess, a writer with a reputation for telling it like it is, wrote a scathing review of the 200 in last week’s Thursday edition of The Detroit News. When a local dealer called to complain, the editorial staff made changes to the online version of the article, softening the blow by removing Burgess’ harshest criticisms including:

“It’s vastly improved, but that’s only because it was so horrendous before.”
“But no number of LEDs can hide a profile that looks like a loggerhead turtle.”
“the 200 is still a dog.”
“If this is the best vehicle Detroit exports, then Glenn Beck is right.”

The paper says it only intended to address the “journalism of the piece,” but in the process it watered down what Burgess and the rest of us feel in our hearts, that the 200 is a rolling lump of depression. The revision is a short-term victory for Detroit-area Chrysler dealers, but its a loss for Americans who deserve better, who can certainly build better.

Deluding ourselves into believing the domestic auto industry is fine as it is, just isn’t good enough.

See the full story to compare Scott Burgess’ review before and after editorial intervention.

60 Minutes Drives The 1987 Countach

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/60_minutes/video/?pid=YbfZ4mtNI8s8SEkXvwnDa7s3UVKDqozx

Runtime: 12:29

In April 1987, Morley Safer visited Sant Agata Bolognese, Italy to experience the Countach.

Two Swiss brothers took control of Lamborghini after the company filed for bankruptcy in 1978. Lee Iacocca sought a halo brand for Chrysler, and Lamborghini was acquired in 1987.

The new Lamborghini Diablo, the fastest car in the world in 1990, was priced over $100,000 higher than the already stratospheric $120,000 Countach. With American demand for exotic cars in decline, Chrysler sold the company to an Indonesian conglomerate.

Automotive historians and enthusiasts tell different versions of the story behind Chrysler’s involvement, ascribing different motivations to design and managerial decisions.

Eventually, Audi (under Volkswagen) took ownership in 1998.

More history:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamborghini

http://www.lambostuff.com/history-of-lamborghini.asp

http://www.lambocars.com/history.htm

1987 article on Chrysler’s acquisition of Lamborghini:

http://www.nytimes.com/1987/04/24/business/lamborghini-goes-to-chrysler.html

Cars and Music: Rebecca Black Loves “Friday”

UPDATE, 3/18/11: Rebecca Black gave her first interview. Her mother paid $2,000 for the production of the video. Like most popular music, the song was pre-written, chosen by her out of an available selection of compositions. As of this morning, the song is #40 on iTunes Top 50.

“Those hurtful comments really shocked me,” Black said yesterday in her first interview since the song came to dominate a certain quadrant of popular culture and crack the iTunes Top 100 singles chart this week, besting the likes of Bruno Mars and Justin Bieber. “At times, it feels like I’m being cyberbullied.”

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-03-17/rebecca-black-friday-and-cyberbullying/

Fast Tube by Casper

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Fast Tube by Casper

Rebecca Black. Is she the product of a Christian music label? Was it a high school assignment? Is it an SNL Digital Short? A Conan skit? If its a joke, is she in on it? There’s apparent confusion over whether the video is a parody, a joke, or frighteningly serious.

But no, its real. Ark Music Factory sent out casting calls looking for young teenage girls to star in music videos (and parents willing to pay for production costs), and this is, I’m guessing, their first big hit. Like the record labels and slick Swedish producers that spawned Britney Spears, The Backstreet Boys, and NSync more than a decade ago, all of Ark’s songs share the same lyrical themes, song structure, and instrumentation.

Ark may have tapped into a category of junk-pop aimed squarely at the industry’s last paying audience: early teens and preteens.

From her record label profile:

“Rebecca Black is a fun, loving, 13 year old. She loves to sing, dance and act, and she is always looking to try something new. Now in 8th grade, she landed the lead role in her school musical, Oklahoma!… She started vocal lessons at 10 years old, and she’s continued with it ever since. Singing is her passion, and it’s what she loves to do. In the summers of 2008 and 2009 she participated in a musical theatre summer camp. When she started going to her local public school, she immediately auditioned for musical theatre, and now succeeds with flying colors.”

The Chrysler Sebring Convertible makes a prominent appearance, as it did on NBC’s “The Office.” During the first minute of the video, Rebecca is standing at a bus stop where her four friends pick her up, and despite there being only one available seat in the back row, she seems confused over which seat to choose.

At night, she and her brace-faced too-young-to-drive friends throw on the cheapest prom dresses they can find at TJ Maxx and go for a cruise. Awkward dancing ensues, and the girls look visibly uncomfortable. I would be as well if I was sitting on the trunk lid of a car while in motion.

Out of nowhere, an unknown rapper looking twice her age appears, piloting the green Chrysler that he appears to have borrowed from the boys and girls. Maybe he’s the valet driver going for a spin? Or, maybe everyone in Rebecca’s heart-shaped magic unicorn universe drives a Sebring.

The song focuses heavily on the Gregorian calendar, reminding young teens about the order in which the days of the week are arranged:

Yesterday was Thursday (Thursday)

Today it is Friday (Friday)

We, we, we so excited

We so excited

We gonna have a ball today

Tomorrow is Saturday

and Sunday comes afterwards

I don’t want this weekend to end.

Remember folks, its Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and then Sunday. Don’t screw it up or you’ll end up waiting for the school bus on a Sunday morning when you could have slept in.

Her [fake] Facebook page gained 3000 fans in just a few hours. Over the course of the weekend, the video achieved more than TWO MILLION views. [Update: Now more than 25 million as of 3/22/10.]

For the brutal scorn she will likely receive from the public, I hope she enjoys a decent payday from her 15 minutes of fame and finds a way to turn it into a lasting career.

The internet is quick to respond:

Finally, here’s the Groundhog Day parody:

Fast Tube by Casper

I doubt she wrote the song [confirmed, she didn’t] so it seems unfair to criticize her for Friday’s banal lyrics and shallow content. And its a refreshing alternative to teen pop stars who sing about sex and heartbreak with words written by creepy 40 year-old producers. So, well done Rebecca.

Like any effective pop song, “Friday” spreads like a cold virus and causes chills, fevers, and fatigue before you finally start feeling better.

http://arkmusicfactory.com/

Dallas Traffic Sign Pranks

Spotted by a driver in Dallas last night.

Wait for it…

Can you see it?

BAM! POOP!

The next morning:

Found at: http://forums.offtopic.com/showthread.php?t=4726427

Three from Austin last year:

These signs have keypads behind them, and programming the message is as simple as entering the password, usually left to “abcd” by default, and entering the message of your choosing.

Click here for instructions.

[I do not condone it.]

Power Outages Scheduled for Tokyo, Other Parts of Japan

From Neal at NICOClub:

“Just checking in with you while we still have power.Starting this morning (Monday the 14th), Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) has announced there will be scheduled power outages in several major prefectures including Tokyo, Chiba and Saitama.

My city will be shut down from 3:20pm-7:00.

It supposedly will be a daily occurrence from now till sometime in April.

We are still getting aftershocks almost 3 whole days later. It’s mind boggling. Last night was the first night I was actually able to get a restful sleep. Friday night and Saturday night were just to tense.

We are all ok, still, and trying to get some semblance of a life back.

I am off to work later this afternoon, because I have to make sure we have money should something happen and we need to haul ass.”

It will likely be several months before business returns to usual in Japan, and for the towns with thousands lost or dead, it will never be the same.

2011 Chevy Cruze “Eco” Gets 50mpg – No Hybrids, No Electrics

After years of fat, lazy, lumpy so-called “economy” cars that weigh as much as ’57 Chevys, its a relief to see something as simple and straightforward as the Chevy Cruze Eco. The Cruze Eco achieves 50mpg highway fuel economy the old fashioned way, with a standard four-cylinder gasoline engine, aerodynamic tweaks, a manual transmission, and a weight loss program, shedding 200lbs in the process for a total of 3009 lbs.

That’s still quite heavy considering the 50mpg 1992 Honda Civic Vx I drove from Spokane to Portland weighed only 2100 lbs. And its also true that the Cruze Eco’s EPA rating is only 42mpg (Civic’s EPA rating was later revised down to 45mpg), though reviewers have achieved anywhere from 50 to 58 mpg in the Cruze Eco with a gentle right foot.

Car guys like myself would rather drive a 10 or 20 year old Honda than spend cash or interest charges on a brand new car, but for those of you with wives, mothers, and children, consider the dramatic difference in safety. The 1992 Honda Civic was equipped with an airbag but a side impact with a truck could effectively end you. The Cruze Eco has beams in the doors for side impacts, curtain airbags, passenger airbags, rear seat side airbags, ABS, stability control, OnStar crash response, and more that I’m probably forgetting.

Consider all of the comfort, safety, and technology economy cars have gained since 1992 and consider that we’re still able to maintain 50mpg. I call that progress.

There’s no hybrid battery in the Cruze Eco to replace every 8-12 years and while its hardly a looker, it avoids the lumpy potato-shaped appearance of the Toyota Prius. The old Civic hatchback is a favorite for autocrossing and racing (I saw these Civics on TV in Thailand back in 2006), while the Cruze feels more like a standard sedan.

Unlike GM’s past attempts at designing and building small cars, nothing about the Cruze Eco’s interior or exterior say “meth addict.” Its a bit cheap inside, sure, but its decorated well. You won’t sit inside and confuse it for, say, a Cadillac Escalade, but being in a Cruze doesn’t make you feel like you’ve reached a low point in life like a Dodge Caliber would.

The Washington Post raises a strong argument in favor of more fuel-efficient cars that still use gasoline:

The new fuel-efficient gasoline cars, critics say, raise doubts about government efforts that favor any one technology over another. If subsidies are to be made, they argue, they should go to efficient cars, no matter what their power source. Moreover, when the fuel economy of a best-selling gas car is improved even incrementally, it can have much larger effects on the nation’s oil consumption than an alternative-technology model that doesn’t sell well.

“When you take some of the most popular vehicles in the U.S. – say, the Ford F-150 pickup – and improve them by just a few mpg, the effects can add up very quickly,” said John DeCicco, a faculty fellow at the Michigan Memorial Phoenix Energy Institute at the University of Michigan. “Much more so than with a niche car.”

The costs to manufacture, own, and subsidize alternative energy make gas-powered economy cars, at least for now, a more economical choice.

Although the Cruze is a very standard car with no solar panels, batteries, or other expensive gimmicks, it does have one trick up its sleeve:

This electronically-controlled front clip reduces the coefficient of drag by 0.016 for a total of 0.298cd, a 10% improvement over the standard Cruze. Other fuel-saving enhancements include:

Weld flanges reduced 1 mm to 2 mm in length
Metal gauge thickness reduced by 1 mm
Lightweight 17″ wheels
Low resistance tires
Revised gear ratios (particularly 1st, 2nd and 6th gears)
Unique front fascia with deeper front air dam
Electronically controlled front air shutter that closes at higher speeds to reduce drag
Metal pans below the car to improve air flow
No spare tire
Lowered suspension
Trunk lid spoiler

With all the used bargains out there, its hard for me to suggest a brand new car to anyone, but if I was a college grad with my first real job and was dead set on buying brand new, a $18,995 Cruze Eco might be a viable option. I’d at least give at a look along with the Focus and Elantra. The Focus offers higher build quality while Elantra has sharper styling. The efficiency-tweaked Focus SFE (Super Fuel Economy) promises 40mpg, which may translate into 45mpg or more with careful driving.

Below is Edmunds’ comparison of the standard Focus and Cruze:

Fast Tube by Casper

Japan Quake Hits Infiniti Exports

http://www.infinitig37.com/japan-earthquake.html

Click the link for pictures of quake and tsunami-damaged Infiniti G37s and EX35s.

http://www.infinitig37.com/japan-earthquake.html

Charter Bus Turned Into Sardine Can

The victims Saturday were returning to Chinatown on a chartered bus from the Mohegan Sun casino in Uncasville, Conn. Some on board described grisly scenes of mayhem: at least one person decapitated, others maimed, people hanging upside down, victims gashed by flying glass, screaming in the darkness and struggling to get out. Some were thrown out on the ground, others were trapped in a maze of metal.

The driver, Ophadell Williams, 40, told the police that his bus, which was roaring south on the Interstate 95, was clipped by a passing tractor-trailer, which sped away, an assertion that was later under investigation. Out of control, the bus began swerving, toppled on its right side and skidded for 100 yards along a guardrail in showers of sparks, then rammed into the support pole of a large green sign pointing to the Hutchinson Parkway exit.

The pole burst through the front window and sheared the bus in half laterally, from front to back, along the passenger window line, the police said. Firefighters found a section of guardrail inside the shattered bus interior. Aerial pictures showed scenes of carnage and chaos as police emergency service and medical teams converged in a bedlam of wailing sirens and flashing lights.

Full story:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/13/nyregion/13crash.html?_r=2&hp

Impact of Japan’s Quake on Transportation, Auto Manufacturers

Fast Tube by Casper

Toyota, Volvo Trucks, Honda, Nissan, and Subaru plants in the north have shut down. Mazda, Suzuki, and Mitsubishi were spared though suppliers could be affected.

A death was reported at a Honda R&D facility.

Affected vehicles may include, but are not limited to the Toyota Yaris, Scion XB, Scion XD, Honda Fit, Honda Accord, and some Acuras. Fires suspended production of the Infiniti M and Nissan GTR.

Details in the link:

http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110311/OEM/110319992/1117

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Images from around the web:

Flights to Tokyo’s Narita airport were diverted.
Power outages shut down Sendai Airport in Miyagi, turning it into an island:

Flooded cars parked at Sendai Airport:

Train passengers walking toward Shiodome Station in Tokyo:

A collapsed bus stop in Miyagi:

Cars ready to be loaded on ships for export parked in Hitachinaka City:

Vehicles crushed by a collapsed road at a parking lot in Yabuki:

Below: Fishing boats and a van at Onahama Port

A sidewalk and parking lot shifted upward:

Cars swept by the tsunami:

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The disaster’s impact on Japan’s economy, the third-largest in the world, drove crude oil prices down to $100/barrel, providing modest relief after weeks of unrest in the middle east.

http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110311/OEM/110319992/1117

Monthly Archives: March 2011

Drug Dealers, Garages, and Pablo Escobar’s Car Collection

Detroit Newspaper Censors Chrysler 200 Review

60 Minutes Drives The 1987 Countach

Cars and Music: Rebecca Black Loves “Friday”

Dallas Traffic Sign Pranks

Power Outages Scheduled for Tokyo, Other Parts of Japan

2011 Chevy Cruze “Eco” Gets 50mpg – No Hybrids, No Electrics

Japan Quake Hits Infiniti Exports

Charter Bus Turned Into Sardine Can

Impact of Japan’s Quake on Transportation, Auto Manufacturers

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