Speaking of trial runs, they had some of those down at Daytona this weekend. Somehow the world didn't come to an end. Can you believe it? I mean, all those Toyota Camrys on the track and not one of them in the Top10 in qualifying speeds. There were more than a few in NASCAR-land who thought Toyota coming to NASCAR would be the end of Western Civilization As We Know It.
Of course, the Toyota drivers may be sand-bagging.
There are so many story lines of interest here. What was it road racer Boris said after qualifying sixth fastest? Will Dale Jr. and Theresa find a way to win again? Can Juan Pablo stifle that nagging urge to clip the apexes on these roundy-round ovals? How does Robert Yates explain his team's sudden return to the front-line? Will Tony Stewart "finally win the big one that has eluded him his whole career"?
And now back to the real world ...Well, okay, back to the car side of the Blogosphere.
If you know you are going to have a blown tire, would you rather it be on the front or the back of your vehicle? That's the question CarPundit posed to its readers recently and you will not believe some of the answers he received, or from whom some of them came.
Some drivers blow tires, others blow their stacks, as in road rage. Frankly, I doubt the existence of anything remotely like a psychosis that warrants the label of road rage. Lots of totally self-centered and pre-occupied drivers out there whose acquaintance I don't care to make, to be sure. Then there is the driver on the other side of the Big Pond who hates speed cameras. He doesn't blow his stack, he blows up the speed cameras. Grant at Grant's Auto Rants offers thoughts, analysis and links.
Speaking of things that make some people mad, anybody out there still think it was a good idea for Daimler-Benz to buy Chrysler? Whatever your thoughts on that deal back then, folks are wondering now if Daimler is about to sell Chrysler. Guess who said this: "“The Chrysler Group needs a switched-on, aggressive partner that wants it to survive for all of the right reasons. And Daimler isn't it, because it simply doesn't have a clue as to how to do that.”" Go here to find out.
While we're on the topic of Mercedes, Auto Muse finds two "unforgiveable" details with a recently tested C280.
Joel at TheCarBlog says it's all because of the teens. Joel also has a theory about why Ford decided to bring back the Taurus name. It starts with the assumption that CEO Alan Mulally is focused on short-term measures designed to stave off disaster a few years, not on fundamental reforms aimed at rebuilding the Blue Oval as a world auto leader.
Speaking of fantasies, did you know Ferrari plans to open a monstrous theme park in Abu Dabi? Carscoop has the, well, the scoop. Abu Dabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates.
Danica Patrick's talent behind the wheel of an Indy car is no fantasy, her critics notwithstanding. I say that as somebody who spent some years in an open-wheel race car (though nothing so challenging as an IRL car). I think Danica is a genuine talent and I count myself a fan. Allen Brewer at FastMachines has a superb look at her tough weekend during her first outing testing with Andretti-Green at Daytona.
Brit singer James Blunt has moved to the Swiss Alps. Do you care? Well, me neither but one of my favorite people in the auto Blogosphere is Kay Bell at Don't Mess With Taxes. If you were born doing the "Hook'em Horns!" gesture, you instantly get the title of Kay's outstanding blog. Anyway, go here and read about tax havens that attract people like Blunt, et. al. You will be rewarded with some interesting insights into the F1 world, San Marino and the exuberance of the Tifosi.
Got 60 seconds to find out what's the best used car buy? Carsopia is the place to be. And if you want 6,786 mpg, these folks say they've got what your looking for right now. But it's not $19.95.
Some drivers blow tires, others blow their stacks, as in road rage. Frankly, I doubt the existence of anything remotely like a psychosis that warrants the label of road rage. Lots of totally self-centered and pre-occupied drivers out there whose acquaintance I don't care to make, to be sure. Then there is the driver on the other side of the Big Pond who hates speed cameras. He doesn't blow his stack, he blows up the speed cameras. Grant at Grant's Auto Rants offers thoughts, analysis and links.
Speaking of things that make some people mad, anybody out there still think it was a good idea for Daimler-Benz to buy Chrysler? Whatever your thoughts on that deal back then, folks are wondering now if Daimler is about to sell Chrysler. Guess who said this: "“The Chrysler Group needs a switched-on, aggressive partner that wants it to survive for all of the right reasons. And Daimler isn't it, because it simply doesn't have a clue as to how to do that.”" Go here to find out.
While we're on the topic of Mercedes, Auto Muse finds two "unforgiveable" details with a recently tested C280.
Joel at TheCarBlog says it's all because of the teens. Joel also has a theory about why Ford decided to bring back the Taurus name. It starts with the assumption that CEO Alan Mulally is focused on short-term measures designed to stave off disaster a few years, not on fundamental reforms aimed at rebuilding the Blue Oval as a world auto leader.
Speaking of fantasies, did you know Ferrari plans to open a monstrous theme park in Abu Dabi? Carscoop has the, well, the scoop. Abu Dabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates.
Danica Patrick's talent behind the wheel of an Indy car is no fantasy, her critics notwithstanding. I say that as somebody who spent some years in an open-wheel race car (though nothing so challenging as an IRL car). I think Danica is a genuine talent and I count myself a fan. Allen Brewer at FastMachines has a superb look at her tough weekend during her first outing testing with Andretti-Green at Daytona.
Brit singer James Blunt has moved to the Swiss Alps. Do you care? Well, me neither but one of my favorite people in the auto Blogosphere is Kay Bell at Don't Mess With Taxes. If you were born doing the "Hook'em Horns!" gesture, you instantly get the title of Kay's outstanding blog. Anyway, go here and read about tax havens that attract people like Blunt, et. al. You will be rewarded with some interesting insights into the F1 world, San Marino and the exuberance of the Tifosi.
Got 60 seconds to find out what's the best used car buy? Carsopia is the place to be. And if you want 6,786 mpg, these folks say they've got what your looking for right now. But it's not $19.95.
jasonboston says:
12:52 PM, 02/12/07
re: DC and Chrysler, Kerkorian drops his man York on the board, engineers the deal and rings the cash register to the tune of 2 billion+.
Thankfully GM and Wagoner had none of that.
estreka says:
01:16 PM, 02/12/07
Sohe UK is receiving mail bombs in response to "scameras" (speed cameras). Personally I hate the idea, but I wouldn't go that far.
johncsp says:
03:30 PM, 02/12/07
Welcome back "Carnival of Cars" !
kbell says:
04:59 PM, 02/12/07
Glad to have the Carnival of Cars back! As usual, very nice, and thanks for including me in your Edmunds' debut.
joela says:
06:12 PM, 02/12/07
welcome back, mark.
hmmm. lots of good stuff to read. thanks again for providing such works.
johncsp says:
04:17 PM, 02/13/07
I was thinking Mark, maybe you should add pics to each or at least a few of the blog post-links.