I am disgusted with Formula One!
In case you haven't been following, Renault F1 boss, Flavio Briatore was booted this week ahead of a special hearing to determine if orders had been given to his driver, Nelson Piquet Jr to crash out allowing his team mate, Fernando Alonso to win a race in 2008. Turns out to have been true. Renault gets a suspended sentence, Briatore gets suspended 'indefinitely' and Piquet gets a slap on the wrist for putting his life in danger. http://www.thestar.com/article/698975
Disgraceful!
Contrast this to the previous scandal last year in which MacLaren Racing gets caught with hundreds of pages of Ferrari technical data. Their fine: $100 million.
Let me see if I have this straight: steal data get fined; endanger life get suspended sentence.
Both suck. But when the value of life is worth nothing, I'm out.
This race is over for me.
Showing posts with label Driving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Driving. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Friday, September 18, 2009
I can only dream about the all new Saab 9 5 ... for now.
Unless things change very dramatically within the next 6 months, driving this car in Canada will be just a dream http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxfW3krAIcEI could wait until it gets launched in the US then find some willing importer to bring one up to Canada. The hassle of that sucks not to mention the extra cost on top of paying full retail. Oh, and no warranty or service.
I could flip to an Acura or Audi. Both make excellent driving cars. Hmmm...
I am considering buying out the lease on my current Saab. At less than the previously agreed upon figure. No warranty though and it would need brakes and tires.
Decisions, decisions...
I likely will drop down to a winter beater and decide next spring.
Irrational as it seems, I love Saabs and will wait-and-see...
My Last Saab?
This is my last Saab. This could have been my next Saab: the new Saab 9 5
http://newsroom.saab-web.com/news/news/saab95signalsaneweraforsaab.5.2088ec0123b66135e27ffe38.html
Unfortunately this Saab 9 5 won't make it to Canada for the 2010 model year. The new owners of SAAB Koenigsegg have their hands full in managing their existing large markets in Europe, Asia and the USA. Canada falls under their radar. At least for 2010.
And the business relationship in Canada is 'complicated'. Saab does not export its vehicles to Canada. It does so through General Motors of Canada http://www.gm.ca/gm/. Koenigsegg will have to negotiate separately with GM in Canada to get the rights to distribute their vehicles. Not at the top of their to-do list I'm sure.
In the mean time, the existing Saab Dealers who will be taking down their Saturn signs at the end of December 2009 will continue to offer sales and service...but for how long?
I turn in the keys to my 2005 Saab 9 5 on November 18 when the lease is up. Great car. Fabulous ride and handling. Love it when the turbo kicks in. One final long drive next weekend: to Montreal to watch my son, Holden play football with his team, the Acadia Axemen. I will enjoy that run.
Until next time...
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Road trip to Sauble Beach
There is nothing like a good road trip to clear the mind. Sally, Tia and I did that on Tuesday and had a great time.
From there, we headed up to Sauble Beach. Not much had changed in the nearly 20 years since I had been there last. The Dairy Queen was still there, the shops and restaurants were still selling bathing suits and flip flops, and of course, the beach sign still arched over the entrance to the beach. We even got to park on the beach...something that brought back memories for Sally from her childhood experience at Wasaga Beach when you could actually get close to the water.
After a quick walk around the shops, we rolled on. And because we had no clear timeline to get back, we took a detour...to Keady!
It began well enough on paved roads but soon deteriorated to two lane gravel then to a single lane. The road names became a blur: Sullivan-Derby Town Line, Concessions 7, 11, 12, Sideroads 6, 7. After the detour around the closed and under-construction County Road 40 North, we found ourselves on the David McNichol Parkway (heck of a name for a country road) heading down into the Beaver Valley to the town of the Blue Mountains. Back into familiar territory.
Yesterday morning dawned with that almost perfect lazy summer day feeling. Absolutely clear blue sky, cool, no humidity and with the forecast for a sunny and warm day. We had work-related stuff to do, but we knew it could wait.
After I got back from my regular morning workout at the Y, it didn't take long to convince Sally that we should really go for a drive. And Tia of course needed no persuasion to go for a 'Road Trip'.
We packed our camera, filled up the tank of the X Trail and headed west up Highway 26 with the intention of making it to Tobermory. I hadn't been there in years and Sally had never been.
Because we dawdled along we didn't get to Owen Sound until nearly noon. Once we saw the distance to Tobermory (and realized we had to make the return drive down the same road), we changed plans. We decided instead to head to Sauble Beach. With a stop first in Southampton. Had lunch there...fresh cut fries at an outdoor picnic table.
From there, we headed up to Sauble Beach. Not much had changed in the nearly 20 years since I had been there last. The Dairy Queen was still there, the shops and restaurants were still selling bathing suits and flip flops, and of course, the beach sign still arched over the entrance to the beach. We even got to park on the beach...something that brought back memories for Sally from her childhood experience at Wasaga Beach when you could actually get close to the water. And even though we live in Wasaga with the longest stretch of sandy beach in Ontario, we were impressed with Sauble. The water was incredibly clear and clean and the sand felt like finely ground sugar. And for a Tuesday afternoon in mid June, there were lots of people on the beach.
After a quick walk around the shops, we rolled on. And because we had no clear timeline to get back, we took a detour...to Keady!
This is why unplanned road trips are so much fun: Exploration!
We headed back from Sauble turned south from Highway 21 at Jackson to Keady. Sally wanted to visit the well known Farmer's market there. Unfortunately we got there just as it was closing. Another road trip?
And since we were feeling unfettered, we decided to head back to Wasaga using back roads. The plan was to head east and end up on highway 26 outside of Thornbury.
It began well enough on paved roads but soon deteriorated to two lane gravel then to a single lane. The road names became a blur: Sullivan-Derby Town Line, Concessions 7, 11, 12, Sideroads 6, 7. After the detour around the closed and under-construction County Road 40 North, we found ourselves on the David McNichol Parkway (heck of a name for a country road) heading down into the Beaver Valley to the town of the Blue Mountains. Back into familiar territory.What a glorious day! Even Tia was thrilled although she was exhausted and just wanted to curl up and sleep once we got back home.
The next time we may even make it to Tobermory....
Monday, May 4, 2009
How Drive-thru's are Killing the Planet
My rant this week is about how fast food drive-thru's are not only a huge inconvenience, but are in fact killing the planet.I am not a tree hugger. I am not anti-automobile. And I have not done any quantitative research. In fact, I love a long drive in a fast car on a sunny day. But last Friday on my way north from Toronto, I say something that just turned my stomach. At a fast food outlet just off the highway was a line up of 30+ cars at the drive-thru! All idling at 0 miles per gallon (apologies for going non-metric).
Now lets do some simple math: assuming it took 30 seconds to serve each vehicle, that meant that each vehicle spent 15 minutes in the drive-thru line up!
And the really incredible thing? There were vacant parking spaces in front of the restaurant. A quick look inside showed multiple cash registers open none with more than 3 people.
Do the math again: with 3 people in line and at 30 seconds to serve each customer that worked out to less than 2 minutes to get service. And assuming each driver had turned off their engine before going into the restaurant, much less pollution.
13 minutes saved by going into the store rather than sitting in the drive-thru. And way less pollution from an idling vehicle.
One location of course won't kill the planet. But repeat this at all the drive-thru's throughout North America, and I think it is time to re-think this 'Convenience'.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Why wait another 60 days for another GM restructure plan?
I wrote in a blog a number of months ago that 'GM is dead; long live GM' http://mykalsreport.blogspot.com/2009/03/gm-is-dead-long-live-gm_2909.html. That was my take on the ages-old statement announcing the death of a king and the installation of his replacement. It formalizes the transition process: first grieving for the departed monarch, then celebration for the new regime.I suggested then and still believe that the sustainable way forward was to replace the existing management (done) then focus on the car and truck brands (Chevrolet, GMC, Cadillac, etc) and design and build vehicles relevant to the needs of the market.
The first step happened with the departure of Richard Wagner this past week. Unfortunately the announcement of the new regime will not occur for 'another 60 days'. After 30 years of 'restructuring' we need another 60 days to figure out a plan?
The old GM is dead. Everyone knows it. Some of us don't want to admit it. Most of us know that we are delaying the inevitable.
For a point-of-view on why this delay actually doesn't matter, check out this article written by David Brooks and published in the New York Times March 30. I agree with his opinion. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/31/opinion/31brooks.html?_r=2
All is not lost in the US 'domestic' automotive manufacturing industry however. While we have focused on the declining fortunes of GM and Chrysler, Ford has not been idle. They made their structural changes years ago and seem to be weathering this storm. They have attractive new products ready to launch. I saw the future at the recent Toronto Auto show: the 2010 Taurus. http://www.fordvehicles.com/2010taurus/.
And although it is not a 'domestic-based' company, the new Venza from Toyota hits the mark for me as well http://www.toyota.ca/cgi-bin/WebObjects/WWW.woa/wa/vp?vp=Home&language=english. It is built in Kentucky.
The automotive world is not waiting. GM better get on with it...
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Mesmerizing F3000 Racing Car footage
WOW!
This 4 minute video of an open-wheel racer will blow you away! Even at the small size on the computer screen, you can feel the rush of air and adrenalin.
Turn up your speakers very loud: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssqs4S4bRGM
Thank you for sending this to me MN.
Mesmerizing.
It made my day :)
This 4 minute video of an open-wheel racer will blow you away! Even at the small size on the computer screen, you can feel the rush of air and adrenalin.
Turn up your speakers very loud: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssqs4S4bRGM
Thank you for sending this to me MN.
Mesmerizing.
It made my day :)
Response to the post, "GM is dead; long live GM"
My post from last week was actually about re-birth: the phoenix of a new General Motors rising from the ashes of the organization that died when they lost sight of their customers.
I received a number of comments on that blog post that indicated that people understand that the issue is deeper than just the current crisis. For this week's post, here are a number of those comments:
Good advice. We all agree that GM will not survive in its current form. Why continue to drag out the inevitable?
I received a number of comments on that blog post that indicated that people understand that the issue is deeper than just the current crisis. For this week's post, here are a number of those comments:
- "You are right on. Probably have to reduce the number of brands though. Not enough money to do them all properly", (Anonymous)
- "I guess you are not worried about working on GM business anymore (lol). You are correct in that the government has to call the GM bluff at some point and tell them that the current senior management team is out! The current senior regime at GM just does not have the balls to make the drastic cuts that are necessary. As an example, why do they insist on keeping Pontiac and Buick! They sell 5 Pontiac’s a year in the US and the last Buick customer is now on life support. They need to get over themselves and the government needs to administer some tough love. If this does not happen, the government might as well invest in penny stocks as the chances of returns on these are far greater than getting a return on GM. With regards to Chrysler, don’t even get me started….". (Anonymous)
- "Provocative thoughts...the automotive landscape will be very different in short order" (Anonymous)
- "Great notes and observations Chris. Having being around the track, you know there are a million solutions to the G.M. situation. The complexity of their business compounded by the jurisdictions in which they operate can make your head explode. Here's one more observation for the herd to consider. G.M. was managed by the smartest guys and girls Harvard could through at it, right? Does this say more about G.M. or about our business schools? If business schools today don't offer G.M. and for that matter through in Kodak, Xerox, Citi Bank and American Express as business cases, what are the next generation paying for and what are we teaching them about management?Clearly, we know what business schools taught our august financial engineers and I understand Western is re writing the curriculum as we speak. What are we teaching the new cohort of MBA,s about international business, manufacturing and finance now that the last cohort blew up the workshop?Just a thought." (Tom Mc)
- "What GM business is there to still be working on? As a consumer, the only business I see them in is Charity and Bailouts---as Recipients." (Anonymous)
- "I loved the story about your father's Oldsmobile (oops, it was a Chevy!) My mom drove a Buick. OOPS, was it a Chevy?"
- "I guess Steve Jobs should be fired for putting Intel chips in Apple computers then. Oh wait, I just gave a simple answer to a complicated question. My bad" (Anonymous)
- "Good article. I even knew at a young age they had too many brands producing essentially the same type of cars. Why have the same cars competing against each other under the same company?" (Anonymous)
- "Wasn't Saturn supposed to be the future of the domestic car industry? Too bad GM couldn't leave well enough alone and "GM'd" it." (TR)
- "We had a 77 Pontiac wagon with a Chev engine. My dad was actually pleased when he discovered that as he always felt Chevs were reliable. Only problem was that the oil filter was different between Pontiac and Chev engines, so you always had to be sure the mechanic used the correct filter when the oil was changed. It was a great car and a terrific engine and lasted many, many years." (Anonymous)
Good advice. We all agree that GM will not survive in its current form. Why continue to drag out the inevitable?
Thursday, February 26, 2009
I don't want my fourth Saab to be my last!
As the owner of a 2005 Saab 9-5 ARC, I was saddened to hear that Saab in Sweden had filed for bankrupcy protection. I fell in love with the Saab 900's, 9000's and now 9-5's when I worked for their Canadian advertising agency, Cossette http://www.cossette.com/www/default.php many, many years ago.
The affair with Saab began when I travelled to Trollhatten to visit the factory head office and the Saab museum. I had gone to Sweden to finalize the new car brochures that the advertising agency was producing. I picked up my first Saab on that trip: a wooden scale model of the first Saab concept car that I bought at the museum. It still occupies a place of honor on my desk.
On the other side of my desk is a scale model of a Black Saab 9-5 Combi that was given to me by my dealer, Kitchener Saab www.saturnofkitchener.saturncanada.com/ These two models fight for my attention every day.
I am doing my part to keep the company and their superb handling machines alive so that I can move on to my fourth model this fall:
The affair with Saab began when I travelled to Trollhatten to visit the factory head office and the Saab museum. I had gone to Sweden to finalize the new car brochures that the advertising agency was producing. I picked up my first Saab on that trip: a wooden scale model of the first Saab concept car that I bought at the museum. It still occupies a place of honor on my desk.
On the other side of my desk is a scale model of a Black Saab 9-5 Combi that was given to me by my dealer, Kitchener Saab www.saturnofkitchener.saturncanada.com/ These two models fight for my attention every day.
I am doing my part to keep the company and their superb handling machines alive so that I can move on to my fourth model this fall:
- I joined up on a web site launched recently to capture the names of supporters http://www.rescue-saab.com/en/index.html
- I linked their blog to my blog http://rescuesaab.blogspot.com/
- I am now following them on twitter http://twitter.com/rescuesaab
And yes, I will shout out my support for Saab from the rooftop if I have to!
This is all very irrational. But then, that's what strong branding does.
By the way, here are my four Saab cars:
- Wooden Saab scale model purchased in Trollhatten, Sweden in 1987. Still own it
- Saab 900 3 door turbo. Bought used from Kitchener Saab. Dark blue interior. Loved it. Especially on country drives with the sunroof open and windows down.
- Saab 9000 5 door. Bought used from Budd's Saab in Oakville. My oldest kids learned to drive on that one. We put 120,000 kms on it in about 3 years
- Saab 9-5. Leased in 2005 from Kitchener Saab. Silver ARC with Grey leather. The 220hp turbo engine performs way above its class.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
How the 2009 Formula 1 cars are different for the 2008 models
This video from youtube is simply fantastic. It features the Red Bull F1 team.
Using animated illustrations, it vividly demonstrates the exterior changes to the bodywork of the F1 cars: overall size changes, barge board revisions, front suspension and wing, and rear wing. It also explains the new energy recovery system very well. And yes, slick tires are back for 2009.
After all the chatter over the off season, this is one of the best explanations I have seen. Check it out for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTkVKPdyWs0
The first Formula One race is now about a month away! Can't wait!
Using animated illustrations, it vividly demonstrates the exterior changes to the bodywork of the F1 cars: overall size changes, barge board revisions, front suspension and wing, and rear wing. It also explains the new energy recovery system very well. And yes, slick tires are back for 2009.
After all the chatter over the off season, this is one of the best explanations I have seen. Check it out for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTkVKPdyWs0
The first Formula One race is now about a month away! Can't wait!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Really Great Car Ad
I know, I know, everyone says that. Well this one from Audi (http://www.audi.ca/audi/ca/en2.html) literally rips apart the cliche saying, "out of the box".Take a look for yourself at this link: http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1370868150/bctid6806956001
Thanks NM for bringing this to my attention. Enjoyed it.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Rodeo Road Trip
The three kids and I had planned this cross-Canada road trip from Toronto to Calgary for a number of months. We were all excited about the prospect of spending two weeks on the road. Heading west to visit friends in Saskatoon and Calgary with a sidebar to Banff. Just the boys
Started in Windsor. I had been on a business trip in Detroit.
My wife drove the fully loaded Isuzu Rodeo down to Windsor with the boys. Said our good byes at the Tim Horton’s and dropped her off at the Windsor Airport for her flight back to Toronto. Headed toward the tunnel to find I 90 for the first leg of the journey through downtown Detroit, across Michigan into Illinois and through Chicago in rush hour. Continued on up to Wisconsin for our first night’s stop in Madison.
Long first day. Coming after a night of no sleep due to the ‘celebration’ that concluded the business trip. Exhausted. Happy.
The Rodeo had been a surprise addition to our fleet. I am not a truck guy, but we felt flush after my recent job promotion and decided to get on the SUV bandwagon early. Black. Aluminum rims. 2.8 L V6. 5-speed manual…even then I chose oddball vehicles. Either that or the Dealer saw a sucker coming…
Effortless drive to be honest. Packed to the roof behind the rear seats. We stopped every two hours to rotate the boys through the seating. Ensured that everyone got to ride shotgun. Rodeo ran very smoothly along the Interstates. Long wheelbase, highway tires, 5th gear overdrive all contributed to the comfort.
Day 2 started early. We wanted to make it to Minot, North Dakota by day’s end. Same routine. 2-hour stops. Breakfast, lunch and dinner on the road.
Stopped in Bismarck, North Dakota around 6 pm for supper at a Jack in the Box. 3 hours to go to Minot.
Headed north from Bismarck on a two-lane highway. Sun began to sink into the horizon off to our left.
Gorgeous light.
Stereo tuned to a local rock station.
Everyone relaxed
Then the moment: opening chords to ‘Life is a Highway’ by Tom Cochran.
All four of us broke into the chorus.
Magic!
We were ‘on the road’!
Started in Windsor. I had been on a business trip in Detroit.
My wife drove the fully loaded Isuzu Rodeo down to Windsor with the boys. Said our good byes at the Tim Horton’s and dropped her off at the Windsor Airport for her flight back to Toronto. Headed toward the tunnel to find I 90 for the first leg of the journey through downtown Detroit, across Michigan into Illinois and through Chicago in rush hour. Continued on up to Wisconsin for our first night’s stop in Madison.
Long first day. Coming after a night of no sleep due to the ‘celebration’ that concluded the business trip. Exhausted. Happy.
The Rodeo had been a surprise addition to our fleet. I am not a truck guy, but we felt flush after my recent job promotion and decided to get on the SUV bandwagon early. Black. Aluminum rims. 2.8 L V6. 5-speed manual…even then I chose oddball vehicles. Either that or the Dealer saw a sucker coming…
Effortless drive to be honest. Packed to the roof behind the rear seats. We stopped every two hours to rotate the boys through the seating. Ensured that everyone got to ride shotgun. Rodeo ran very smoothly along the Interstates. Long wheelbase, highway tires, 5th gear overdrive all contributed to the comfort.
Day 2 started early. We wanted to make it to Minot, North Dakota by day’s end. Same routine. 2-hour stops. Breakfast, lunch and dinner on the road.
Stopped in Bismarck, North Dakota around 6 pm for supper at a Jack in the Box. 3 hours to go to Minot.
Headed north from Bismarck on a two-lane highway. Sun began to sink into the horizon off to our left.
Gorgeous light.
Stereo tuned to a local rock station.
Everyone relaxed
Then the moment: opening chords to ‘Life is a Highway’ by Tom Cochran.
All four of us broke into the chorus.
Magic!
We were ‘on the road’!
Monday, December 22, 2008
Another Corvette Story
1986.
Vancouver.
Expo 86.
Summer in Lotus Land.
Had planned on renting a Ferrari 308 for the day but an unfortunate incident the day before we were due to pick it up put it out of service. Still wanted an exotic drive up to Whistler however and were forced to choose between a convertible Porsche 911 or a Corvette.
Fortunately we chose the Corvette.
Did not however start well.
After removing the ‘easily removable’ glass roof panel (took some effort from two of us) and stowing in the area behind the seat, we realized there was very limited room for our luggage. Oh well, just going up for the day anyway.
Got in. Or make that crawled down into the extremely tight form-fitting seats. Huge drive tunnel and tight foot well dominated the interior. High cowl limited forward visibility.
Once settled in, engaged the clutch and twisted the key. Big V8 thundered to life and settled into a throaty idle. Slipped the lever of the 4-speed manual transmission into first, eased off the clutch and gingerly depressed the accelerator…and promptly stalled it.
Swear Word!!!
Never impressive to stall the car in front of the wife and the rental car rep.
Got ‘er going on the second try however. Gave it gas…left a small patch of rubber.
Driving through downtown Vancouver in traffic on our way through Stanley Park to the highway up to Whistler was not my shining moment behind the wheel of this unruly beast. Uncomfortable with the heavy clutch. Clunky shifts did not help. Heavy steering. “Did this thing really have power steering?”
Lurched from traffic light to traffic light cursing the decision to rent this beast.
All was redeemed however once we escaped city traffic and found the open road from Horseshoe Bay up to Squamish. Once up to highway speed, steering lightened. Found out the true meaning of torque…left it in 4th most times and simply pressed the accelerator.
Along one long uphill stretch we found ourselves behind a couple of slower moving cars. There was a break between them and three more vehicles. Planned to pass the first two and tuck in behind the three before the road curved to the right.
Dropped down to 3rd. Squeezed gas pedal and pulled out.
“Where did those two cars go”?
“Wow”!
Shifted into 4th still on the gas.
Past the second group of three.
Oops…corner coming up fast now.
Pulled back in touched the brakes to set up for the corner, back on the gas to blast around it.
Only took seconds.
Sunny day…ocean on the left…mountains on the right. Perfect!
Vancouver.
Expo 86.
Summer in Lotus Land.
Had planned on renting a Ferrari 308 for the day but an unfortunate incident the day before we were due to pick it up put it out of service. Still wanted an exotic drive up to Whistler however and were forced to choose between a convertible Porsche 911 or a Corvette.
Fortunately we chose the Corvette.
Did not however start well.
After removing the ‘easily removable’ glass roof panel (took some effort from two of us) and stowing in the area behind the seat, we realized there was very limited room for our luggage. Oh well, just going up for the day anyway.
Got in. Or make that crawled down into the extremely tight form-fitting seats. Huge drive tunnel and tight foot well dominated the interior. High cowl limited forward visibility.
Once settled in, engaged the clutch and twisted the key. Big V8 thundered to life and settled into a throaty idle. Slipped the lever of the 4-speed manual transmission into first, eased off the clutch and gingerly depressed the accelerator…and promptly stalled it.
Swear Word!!!
Never impressive to stall the car in front of the wife and the rental car rep.
Got ‘er going on the second try however. Gave it gas…left a small patch of rubber.
Driving through downtown Vancouver in traffic on our way through Stanley Park to the highway up to Whistler was not my shining moment behind the wheel of this unruly beast. Uncomfortable with the heavy clutch. Clunky shifts did not help. Heavy steering. “Did this thing really have power steering?”
Lurched from traffic light to traffic light cursing the decision to rent this beast.
All was redeemed however once we escaped city traffic and found the open road from Horseshoe Bay up to Squamish. Once up to highway speed, steering lightened. Found out the true meaning of torque…left it in 4th most times and simply pressed the accelerator.
Along one long uphill stretch we found ourselves behind a couple of slower moving cars. There was a break between them and three more vehicles. Planned to pass the first two and tuck in behind the three before the road curved to the right.
Dropped down to 3rd. Squeezed gas pedal and pulled out.
“Where did those two cars go”?
“Wow”!
Shifted into 4th still on the gas.
Past the second group of three.
Oops…corner coming up fast now.
Pulled back in touched the brakes to set up for the corner, back on the gas to blast around it.
Only took seconds.
Sunny day…ocean on the left…mountains on the right. Perfect!
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Milford
This experience took place at a high-security facility in Michigan outside of Detroit known as the Milford Proving Ground. It is the vast 4,000-acre, secure compound guarded with the intensity of a military base that General Motors uses to develop and test new models. It is awesome. And a select group of us had been granted access for a very special day of car driving.
Six of us started out with the short-hop flight from Toronto to Windsor. Less hassle than flying into Detroit’s Metro Airport. Picked up suitable vehicle transportation: a Pearl white Cadillac Sedan De Ville secure in the knowledge we were flying the flag of support. Didn’t realize though that Cadillac’s were reserved for only certain staff levels…made quite the impression at the gate to the compound! Security clearance was surprisingly easy…our chariot must have impressed the guards: they immediately directed us to the test track that was to be our home for the day.
Lost of cars on hand in the paddock of the test track. Chevrolet, Pontiac, Buick and Oldsmobile. Ford and Chrysler. Toyota, Nissan and Honda. BMW and other select European manufacturers. Four hours to drive as many of them as we could over a special road course.
Heaven for a car guy. We were all car guys that day.
First the inevitable briefing in the marquee tent. Rules explained: Keep the cars on the paved surface at all times. One lap each time. Strict 50 mile per hour speed limit. Enforced by GM Police with radar half way along the course. Zero tolerance…one infraction and you parked it for the day. Seemed like a buzz kill at the briefing. Changed our opinion once behind the wheel of our first ride: no one had mentioned acceleration…torque from big engines is a wonderful thing! And as the day wore on we realized that the Radar cop was only interested in maintaining the 50 MPH limit at the halfway point of the track…we learned the brake and acceleration points before and after his zone.
Overall impressions: loved the BMW 5 series on hand for the day. Best balanced of all the 40+ cars assembled. Pontiac Grand Prix an excellent second choice and for the difference in $’s, the clear winner. Honda’s and Toyotas drove well but lacked the special ‘something’ to get the heart racing. We had the Corvette for that.
Rear tires were worn to slicks by the end of the day.
The Corvette. L package. Stick shift. Heavy clutch. Limited forward visibility…forget about the rear. Serious cowl shake upon start up. And with the drive shaft running inches from your right side, you could feel this monster itching to be let out to play. Tons of low-rev torque.
Eased it out of the paddock area to the start of the circuit.
Engaged 1st gear and rolled gently onto the gas. Floored it around 20 MPH and held on…“Whoa…this thing is fast”.
Shifted into 2nd at around 3,500 revs and hit 75 MPH. Lifted and braked hard before the speed trap…engine compression and brakes down to 50 MPH. Pushed forward into the seatbelt harness.
Once safely past, sunk the right foot to the floor and shifted into 3rd. Quick glance to check speed: over 90 MPH!
Did not make it to 4th.
Very hard braking and downshift to 2nd to scrub speed before the entrance to the paddock.
Big grin.
To end a near perfect day, we chose a restaurant in a not-so-good part of downtown Detroit to debrief over steaks, scotch and cigars. Long dinner.
We slept the sleep of the contented on the plane back to Toronto.
Six of us started out with the short-hop flight from Toronto to Windsor. Less hassle than flying into Detroit’s Metro Airport. Picked up suitable vehicle transportation: a Pearl white Cadillac Sedan De Ville secure in the knowledge we were flying the flag of support. Didn’t realize though that Cadillac’s were reserved for only certain staff levels…made quite the impression at the gate to the compound! Security clearance was surprisingly easy…our chariot must have impressed the guards: they immediately directed us to the test track that was to be our home for the day.
Lost of cars on hand in the paddock of the test track. Chevrolet, Pontiac, Buick and Oldsmobile. Ford and Chrysler. Toyota, Nissan and Honda. BMW and other select European manufacturers. Four hours to drive as many of them as we could over a special road course.
Heaven for a car guy. We were all car guys that day.
First the inevitable briefing in the marquee tent. Rules explained: Keep the cars on the paved surface at all times. One lap each time. Strict 50 mile per hour speed limit. Enforced by GM Police with radar half way along the course. Zero tolerance…one infraction and you parked it for the day. Seemed like a buzz kill at the briefing. Changed our opinion once behind the wheel of our first ride: no one had mentioned acceleration…torque from big engines is a wonderful thing! And as the day wore on we realized that the Radar cop was only interested in maintaining the 50 MPH limit at the halfway point of the track…we learned the brake and acceleration points before and after his zone.
Overall impressions: loved the BMW 5 series on hand for the day. Best balanced of all the 40+ cars assembled. Pontiac Grand Prix an excellent second choice and for the difference in $’s, the clear winner. Honda’s and Toyotas drove well but lacked the special ‘something’ to get the heart racing. We had the Corvette for that.
Rear tires were worn to slicks by the end of the day.
The Corvette. L package. Stick shift. Heavy clutch. Limited forward visibility…forget about the rear. Serious cowl shake upon start up. And with the drive shaft running inches from your right side, you could feel this monster itching to be let out to play. Tons of low-rev torque.
Eased it out of the paddock area to the start of the circuit.
Engaged 1st gear and rolled gently onto the gas. Floored it around 20 MPH and held on…“Whoa…this thing is fast”.
Shifted into 2nd at around 3,500 revs and hit 75 MPH. Lifted and braked hard before the speed trap…engine compression and brakes down to 50 MPH. Pushed forward into the seatbelt harness.
Once safely past, sunk the right foot to the floor and shifted into 3rd. Quick glance to check speed: over 90 MPH!
Did not make it to 4th.
Very hard braking and downshift to 2nd to scrub speed before the entrance to the paddock.
Big grin.
To end a near perfect day, we chose a restaurant in a not-so-good part of downtown Detroit to debrief over steaks, scotch and cigars. Long dinner.
We slept the sleep of the contented on the plane back to Toronto.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
X Trail vs 9-5
The alternate title for this story could have been, “It keeps going, and going…”.
Our long-in-the tooth Nissan X Trail is still in the family continuing to provide extremely solid and reliable duty. It shares the garage with a Saab 9-5. I swear the X Trail goes to sleep each night with a smug grin on its face.
Simply put, the X Trail just goes about its business without complaint. It drives very smoothly (for a non-car). Has decent acceleration for a 4 banger. And actually handles the twisties fairly well. Black with tan interior. Going on 115,000 kilometres.
It sits up high with a good view down the road. Has great all-round visibility. Above average fuel economy.
Versatility not an issue. The rectangular shape combined with flat fold-down rear seats produces very usable interior volume. It comes in handy for transporting materials from Home Depot (too many occasions to remember), furniture from Ikea (we have more Pax units than student housing), plants and gardening supplies. We have moved houses and apartments. We have set up booths at trade fares. We have even moved into and out of a retail store.
And we have not necessarily been kind to it. We remember to change the oil every 6 months or so. We finally replaced the cracked windshield after a year. We wash it every so often. Clean the carpets…actually we have never done that. But we do shake out the rubber floor mats every so often.
It does eat rear brakes though. We found Sheridan, a fantastic repair shop in Oakville that does great service at reasonable prices. Basically, it drives well, handles everything thrown at it and doesn’t complain with the minimal servicing.
With the addition of winter tires, we have plowed through three winters north of Toronto, where it snows every day from December to April. Changeover cost $60 and completed in 45 minutes.
The Saab…
A tad more high-strung unfortunately. Gun Metal gray with gray leather interior. Now slightly over 85,000 kilometres.
2.3 LitreTurbo engine goes like a bat out of hell. Especially in ‘sport’ mode. Fold down rear seats that lie flat allow versatility not expected in a premium sport sedan. Lovely heated leather seats take the pain out of the cold winter mornings.
Needs TLC on the servicing however. Even though the service intervals are around 24k.
Kept clean to within an inch of its life. Sally, my wife openly laughs at that. Dash painfully clean; carpets spotless; seats ‘fed’ each month to keep supple.
Moved houses and kids apartments a couple of times. Handles skiis and snowboards easily.
Long highway drives to Ottawa and Montreal a real pleasure. The 9-5 gobbles up the highway with ease while drinking Sunoco Premiun at a relatively thrifty rate. Unless in ‘Sport’ mode.
To sum it up: needs lots of love, complains a bit, takes a while to warm up. But rewards with a great driving experience.
And the winner is…X Trail!
Actually the Saab was ahead down the stretch. Winter tire changeover did it in: $180, 2 1/2 hours.
X trail grin keeps getting wider.
Our long-in-the tooth Nissan X Trail is still in the family continuing to provide extremely solid and reliable duty. It shares the garage with a Saab 9-5. I swear the X Trail goes to sleep each night with a smug grin on its face.
Simply put, the X Trail just goes about its business without complaint. It drives very smoothly (for a non-car). Has decent acceleration for a 4 banger. And actually handles the twisties fairly well. Black with tan interior. Going on 115,000 kilometres.
It sits up high with a good view down the road. Has great all-round visibility. Above average fuel economy.
Versatility not an issue. The rectangular shape combined with flat fold-down rear seats produces very usable interior volume. It comes in handy for transporting materials from Home Depot (too many occasions to remember), furniture from Ikea (we have more Pax units than student housing), plants and gardening supplies. We have moved houses and apartments. We have set up booths at trade fares. We have even moved into and out of a retail store.
And we have not necessarily been kind to it. We remember to change the oil every 6 months or so. We finally replaced the cracked windshield after a year. We wash it every so often. Clean the carpets…actually we have never done that. But we do shake out the rubber floor mats every so often.
It does eat rear brakes though. We found Sheridan, a fantastic repair shop in Oakville that does great service at reasonable prices. Basically, it drives well, handles everything thrown at it and doesn’t complain with the minimal servicing.
With the addition of winter tires, we have plowed through three winters north of Toronto, where it snows every day from December to April. Changeover cost $60 and completed in 45 minutes.
The Saab…
A tad more high-strung unfortunately. Gun Metal gray with gray leather interior. Now slightly over 85,000 kilometres.
2.3 LitreTurbo engine goes like a bat out of hell. Especially in ‘sport’ mode. Fold down rear seats that lie flat allow versatility not expected in a premium sport sedan. Lovely heated leather seats take the pain out of the cold winter mornings.
Needs TLC on the servicing however. Even though the service intervals are around 24k.
Kept clean to within an inch of its life. Sally, my wife openly laughs at that. Dash painfully clean; carpets spotless; seats ‘fed’ each month to keep supple.
Moved houses and kids apartments a couple of times. Handles skiis and snowboards easily.
Long highway drives to Ottawa and Montreal a real pleasure. The 9-5 gobbles up the highway with ease while drinking Sunoco Premiun at a relatively thrifty rate. Unless in ‘Sport’ mode.
To sum it up: needs lots of love, complains a bit, takes a while to warm up. But rewards with a great driving experience.
And the winner is…X Trail!
Actually the Saab was ahead down the stretch. Winter tire changeover did it in: $180, 2 1/2 hours.
X trail grin keeps getting wider.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Isuzu Imark
They were actually a player in the automotive industry once. And although they were known for their trucks (Trooper’s and Rodeo’s…more about those in a later story), at one time in the late 1980’s they were in the car business.
This is about the 3-door sports coupe with the badge of honour: “Handling by Lotus”. Yes, somehow, Isuzu’s management had convinced Lotus to massage the suspension and other handling bits to produce a well-balanced pocket rocket. Best kept secret in the industry.
The experience that still brings back goose bumps occurred at the long gone racetrack east of Vancouver. The client-sponsored exclusive event for the new Dealer network was set up to showcase the performance of the vehicles. Classroom sessions combined with track time.
The highlight of this particular event involved being driven around the track by real racing drivers. They took us out individually and demonstrated the full performance envelope of each vehicle. The pinnacle point of the day was the ride at near race speeds in the Lotus-massaged Isuzu Imark.
Three laps. Warm up, hot lap and cool down. Not sure if that was for the passenger or the car.
My turn. Race helmet on. 3-point seatbelt tightly cinched. Really tight. Final instructions: brace feet firmly in foot well; hold on. Only took until the first corner of the warm up lap for those instructions to kick in.
Out of the pit lane, accelerating up to the first corner and sharply across the apex down the hill and we were off.
The warm up lap went quickly. Too quickly. The driver handled the car at 12 –10ths of my ability. And this was the warm-up lap!
Remember coming back up the pit straight past the start/finish line and my driver mentioning casually that we were now going to accelerate up to speed. First corner coming up quickly now. Gentle falling away right-hander. Brake. Brake! BRAKE!! Car tossed sharply across the apex, right wheels riding the curb. Don’t remember if he touched the brakes.
Accelerating hard again down hill toward corner two. Sharp right-hander. Driver side wheels now riding the curb setting up for the corner. Still accelerating. Driver actually talking calmly explaining what he was doing. Don’t remember what he said. Screaming in my mind for him to use the brakes. Instead, shifted down through two gears. With a quick stab at the brakes in between. To ‘neutralize’ the balance he said. To get my heart racing I wanted to yell back!
Quick right turn of the steering wheel and we were drifting sideways. Right wheels aggressively over the curbs now. Me holding on with both hands. Both feet braced. Bum off the seat. Screaming for delight in my head.
Don’t remember much after that. Learned that you can sweat sitting still.
Cooldown lap a serious anti-climax.
What a rush!
This is about the 3-door sports coupe with the badge of honour: “Handling by Lotus”. Yes, somehow, Isuzu’s management had convinced Lotus to massage the suspension and other handling bits to produce a well-balanced pocket rocket. Best kept secret in the industry.
The experience that still brings back goose bumps occurred at the long gone racetrack east of Vancouver. The client-sponsored exclusive event for the new Dealer network was set up to showcase the performance of the vehicles. Classroom sessions combined with track time.
The highlight of this particular event involved being driven around the track by real racing drivers. They took us out individually and demonstrated the full performance envelope of each vehicle. The pinnacle point of the day was the ride at near race speeds in the Lotus-massaged Isuzu Imark.
Three laps. Warm up, hot lap and cool down. Not sure if that was for the passenger or the car.
My turn. Race helmet on. 3-point seatbelt tightly cinched. Really tight. Final instructions: brace feet firmly in foot well; hold on. Only took until the first corner of the warm up lap for those instructions to kick in.
Out of the pit lane, accelerating up to the first corner and sharply across the apex down the hill and we were off.
The warm up lap went quickly. Too quickly. The driver handled the car at 12 –10ths of my ability. And this was the warm-up lap!
Remember coming back up the pit straight past the start/finish line and my driver mentioning casually that we were now going to accelerate up to speed. First corner coming up quickly now. Gentle falling away right-hander. Brake. Brake! BRAKE!! Car tossed sharply across the apex, right wheels riding the curb. Don’t remember if he touched the brakes.
Accelerating hard again down hill toward corner two. Sharp right-hander. Driver side wheels now riding the curb setting up for the corner. Still accelerating. Driver actually talking calmly explaining what he was doing. Don’t remember what he said. Screaming in my mind for him to use the brakes. Instead, shifted down through two gears. With a quick stab at the brakes in between. To ‘neutralize’ the balance he said. To get my heart racing I wanted to yell back!
Quick right turn of the steering wheel and we were drifting sideways. Right wheels aggressively over the curbs now. Me holding on with both hands. Both feet braced. Bum off the seat. Screaming for delight in my head.
Don’t remember much after that. Learned that you can sweat sitting still.
Cooldown lap a serious anti-climax.
What a rush!
Friday, November 28, 2008
The Gremlin
Can’t remember what year it was. Or the colour. Looking back, it doesn’t matter. It belonged to a good friend and it gave us freedom.
It was not stock!
First the exterior. Beginning at the rear. A lifter kit plus heavy-duty shocks raised the rear about 6 inches. Large oversize tires on aluminum rims were installed to give it that ‘jacked up’ look that was the rage at that time. At the front, smaller tires on similar rims replaced the stock tire/wheel combination.
The hood. Gigantic hole cut through the hood to allow for a ‘shaker scoop’. Big scoop. Blocked some forward visibility.
Side pipes. I know, I know. We disconnected the standard exhaust system from the manifold back. Installed headers and a ‘Y’ splitter to divert the exhaust to humongous side pipes below each door. Careful exiting. We never could get them sealed properly so the noise was tremendous.
The interior. Fur on the dash! It was the rage at that time. Seat covers in a similar shaggy material over the split bench seat. New shifter for the 3-speed manual transmission. No fuzzy dice…that would have been overkill.
Sound system. New aftermarket AM/FM cassette player jimmied into the dash in the hole where the factory system had been. Big speakers mounted in the rear.
The driving experience. Once inside and buckled in…and after you got over the serious downward slant of the seating position combined with the reduced forward visibility…driving the thing was actually relatively pleasant.
In a straight line.
With virtually no weight over the rear combined with the big tires, lighting them up from a stop was easy. Once hooked up, second gear came up quickly. No tach so engine sound the only guide to shifting. But you only had to do it twice.
It was not good in the twisties.
Tail happy. Never a problem to get it to step out around city streets at legal speeds. Basically you just needed to head into a corner, brake early, shift down and trounce on the gas pedal half way through the corner. The combination of tire and engine noise through a relatively easy-to-control slide was worth the price of admission.
We were young and foolish once…
It was not stock!
First the exterior. Beginning at the rear. A lifter kit plus heavy-duty shocks raised the rear about 6 inches. Large oversize tires on aluminum rims were installed to give it that ‘jacked up’ look that was the rage at that time. At the front, smaller tires on similar rims replaced the stock tire/wheel combination.
The hood. Gigantic hole cut through the hood to allow for a ‘shaker scoop’. Big scoop. Blocked some forward visibility.
Side pipes. I know, I know. We disconnected the standard exhaust system from the manifold back. Installed headers and a ‘Y’ splitter to divert the exhaust to humongous side pipes below each door. Careful exiting. We never could get them sealed properly so the noise was tremendous.
The interior. Fur on the dash! It was the rage at that time. Seat covers in a similar shaggy material over the split bench seat. New shifter for the 3-speed manual transmission. No fuzzy dice…that would have been overkill.
Sound system. New aftermarket AM/FM cassette player jimmied into the dash in the hole where the factory system had been. Big speakers mounted in the rear.
The driving experience. Once inside and buckled in…and after you got over the serious downward slant of the seating position combined with the reduced forward visibility…driving the thing was actually relatively pleasant.
In a straight line.
With virtually no weight over the rear combined with the big tires, lighting them up from a stop was easy. Once hooked up, second gear came up quickly. No tach so engine sound the only guide to shifting. But you only had to do it twice.
It was not good in the twisties.
Tail happy. Never a problem to get it to step out around city streets at legal speeds. Basically you just needed to head into a corner, brake early, shift down and trounce on the gas pedal half way through the corner. The combination of tire and engine noise through a relatively easy-to-control slide was worth the price of admission.
We were young and foolish once…
Friday, November 21, 2008
69 Valiant
I had made it through three years of post secondary in Kitchener without a car. But now with the opportunity to grab a great job in Guelph, I needed a car. But with two years of school to go, buying it and affording the ongoing expenses was going to be a challenge.
First, I established my budget: $500. Cash.
Second, find a car that at that price that wouldn’t embarrass me. Although I was prepared to sacrifice that based on my low budget.
Third, find a reliable car. Failing that, one that I could keep on the road as cheaply as possible.
The search began in earnest. Visited used car lots. Looked at cars that dripped fluids. Drove ones that pulled to the left. And to the right. Looked under hoods. Inside trunks and doorframes. Under carpets.
Saw a lot of clunkers.
After an exhaustive search…actually about 3 weeks…finally found it. A 1969 Valiant. Cream. Slant 6. Bench seats. AM Radio. Clean. No visible rust. Nothing dripping. Owner claimed it had been serviced regularly and only driven by his wife to the grocery store. Believed him although the mileage was suspect.
Drove it around the block once and deemed it to be in ‘perfect condition’. Asked $750 certified. Got it for $500 without the safety. Cash. No receipt. Drove it home that night. Oh, yes, I completed this transaction under cover of night!
But I was thrilled. My first car. I had stayed within budget and had found a car that was not too embarrassing to be seen in. Reliability was promised but yet to-be-determined.
The driving experience: once up to highway speed, the ride was actually relatively smooth and it generally went in the direction it was pointed. Rear leaf springs and non-power, non rack-and-pinion steering will do that.
Reliability: after a couple of weeks, found out that a couple of cans of 10W30 once a month kept the engine alive. It didn’t leak; it burned oil.
That car lasted over two years driving back and forth to Toronto, Guelph of course, and all parts of Southern Ontario. Survived a full three sixty at midnight in January on Highway 7 on my way to Guelph.
When its time was finally up, after a seized cylinder killed the engine, I managed to sell it for $125 cash.
Loved that car.
First, I established my budget: $500. Cash.
Second, find a car that at that price that wouldn’t embarrass me. Although I was prepared to sacrifice that based on my low budget.
Third, find a reliable car. Failing that, one that I could keep on the road as cheaply as possible.
The search began in earnest. Visited used car lots. Looked at cars that dripped fluids. Drove ones that pulled to the left. And to the right. Looked under hoods. Inside trunks and doorframes. Under carpets.
Saw a lot of clunkers.
After an exhaustive search…actually about 3 weeks…finally found it. A 1969 Valiant. Cream. Slant 6. Bench seats. AM Radio. Clean. No visible rust. Nothing dripping. Owner claimed it had been serviced regularly and only driven by his wife to the grocery store. Believed him although the mileage was suspect.
Drove it around the block once and deemed it to be in ‘perfect condition’. Asked $750 certified. Got it for $500 without the safety. Cash. No receipt. Drove it home that night. Oh, yes, I completed this transaction under cover of night!
But I was thrilled. My first car. I had stayed within budget and had found a car that was not too embarrassing to be seen in. Reliability was promised but yet to-be-determined.
The driving experience: once up to highway speed, the ride was actually relatively smooth and it generally went in the direction it was pointed. Rear leaf springs and non-power, non rack-and-pinion steering will do that.
Reliability: after a couple of weeks, found out that a couple of cans of 10W30 once a month kept the engine alive. It didn’t leak; it burned oil.
That car lasted over two years driving back and forth to Toronto, Guelph of course, and all parts of Southern Ontario. Survived a full three sixty at midnight in January on Highway 7 on my way to Guelph.
When its time was finally up, after a seized cylinder killed the engine, I managed to sell it for $125 cash.
Loved that car.
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