Over 70,000 Visits To My Blogs!

Another day, another milestone.  Over 70,000 visits to my blogs so far - quite a nice number to have at the end of the year.

Here's me looking serious, to celebrate :)

Funny Autos Bailout Joke

Thanks to Jae for sending this one

"Ridiculous" Is Spelt "Maybach Landaulet"

The Mayback Landaulet, or 57S, is a study in over-the-top luxury.  What qualifies it as over-the-top?

• Is it a 612 hp, 738 lb-ft of face melting torque?
• Champagne cooler and 2 silver flutes, held by an automatic clip? (what?)
• Reclining rear seats?  Leg rests?
• 40 inches of rear legroom?  (where's my business class seat?)
• Retractable hard top.... only for the passenger?  (what? why can't the chauffeur have an open roof as well?)
• Illuminated vanity mirrors (ooh, how pretty we are)

No.  Those are run of the mill (cough).  What is over the top is the black star granite, sourced from India, that is in the passenger section.  Granite.  Stone trim.  Shaped to fit the car's interior. 

This is ridiculous.  I love it.

Top Gear VoTW - BMW M3 CSL

Jeremy Clarkson took the BMW M3 CSL to the Isle of Mann to test it out. 

The Isle of Mann is a driver's dream - no speed limits outside the towns!  Do whatever you feel like doing.... just remember there will be other idiots doing the same.

The BMW M3 CSL is an amazing machine.  It makes a regular M3 look like a Honda Civic. 

• Nothing that adds extra weight-
• no air conditioning
• no radio
• manual windows
• carbon fibre roof (don't roll over!)
• cardboard.... yes, cardboard!..... trunk floor.  in other words, groceries shouldn't weigh more than a few pounds
• An engine that squeezes out more horses from the same volume
• Slick summer tires; before you buy the car, you have to sign a waiver saying you understand BMW is not responsible if you drive in rain or snow.  Now that's a race car!

Check out the video

bmw m3 csl

Top Gear VoTW - Porsche Carrera GT

(VoTW, of course, means Video Of The Week)

Jeremy Clarkson drove and reviewed the Porsche Carrera GT.  He was completely floored by it. 

The Stig must have loved it too - at that point, the Porsche GT was the fastest car around the Top Gear track.

I wish I had Jeremy's job.

top gear porsche carrera gt

Foiled! The San Francisco Auto Show

Yoshi and I decided to go this Sunday, Nov 30, to the San Francisco Auto Show.  Turns out we were a little off the mark - the show ended on Saturday. 

Damn!

A New High

Normally, between them, my blogs get around 500 visits/day.  This Monday, November 24, my blogs hit a  new milestone - 1,240 visits. 

Sweet!  This calls for a random photo - how about one from Kosmix' 2007 holiday party.  Nagraj and Sailesh are flanking me.

Bugatti Veyron Top Speed - James May

Top Gear has showcased the Bugatti Veyron, the  world's fastest car, a couple of times.   I specially loved the episode where they had "Captain Slow", James May, try to get the Bugatti to its top speed, 253 Miles per Hour.  Whooo

The segment has everything - a likeable, muddle-headed protagonist set against impossible odds, an incredible goal, a magnificent machine, top speed driving, and an emotionally charged soundtrack threatening to bring tears to your eyes.

Forget your local movie-plex, just watch this episode a few times instead.

bugatti veyron top gear

New Milestone For My Blogs - 50,000 Visits

On Tuesday this week, my blogs passed 50,000 visits.  Sweet! 

The blogs, of course, are:

• The serious blog - all about Tech, Startups, Revenue
• The all-purpose, main blog
• Blog on cars - one of my passions
• Blog about Travel topics, including not just destinations, but also food, wine, etc.
• The older, retired Autos blog

And on a smaller scale, my profile on blogger has now been viewed 550 times. 

Supercar Photos Of The Week - MC1

David Hilton is the man behind the designs for the Ford Mustang, Focus RS and S-Max.  That's a nice resume.

He is now working on the MC1, a British supercar.  Britain is not too bad at building supercars and concept cars - witness the latest batmobile.   And the MC1 is very drool-worthy.

 

  

Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X - Aggressive Styling

My brother-in-law, Mr. A (a former rally driver), bought his Evo X around the same time I bought my BMW 335i convertible.  We love our own cars, and have mutual admiration/ drool-factor over each other's cars too.  So this is my homage to the Evo X's amazing functional and extremely aggressive styling. 

Amazing, isn't it?

Check out that hyper-aggressive grill! 

the side and rear look better than this photo shows

And now some action shots:

The engine, the culprit that powers this monster

Brembo brakes, of course,  for this monster of a car

Recaro racing seats, to keep you from flying out of the car on turns

  

A big old spoiler to keep the Evo on the road, exhaust pipe to funnel away the baaad gaaas

 

Photos Of The Week - BMW 335i Ambient Lighting

I love the BMW 335i Convertible, I really do.  One of the really nice and warm features - the ambient lighting.

And finally, a gratuitous view of the interior, with red leather.  You know when a red leather interior looks good?  When it looks like this!

Car Companies In Trouble

GM - October sales have fallen 45%

Ford - down by 30%

Toyota - down by 23%

Honda - down by 25%

Given how bad terms for financing are becoming, new car sales will probably take some time to adjust back up.  On the other hand, people selling used cars are probably getting great offers right now.

Car makers are quite good at advertising - it will be interesting to see how they respond, and try to change the market.  Look for lots of great deals around the new year! 

Chrysler Update - Driving Off Into The Sunset?

There is an update to my earlier update on Chrysler's plant shutdowns and layoffs.  Seems Chrysler is more than doubling the number of full-time workers getting laid off - the number is 5,000, or a quarter of Chrysler's full-time workforce.

This doesn't even tell the full story;  the company has a very large number of contract employees.  Chrysler has mentioned a quarter of them will also be let go.... but it doesn't need to specify the number of contractors let go, so there's probably a lot of blood-letting there.

What does all this point to?  Chrysler putting itself up for sale, or something else equally drastic.  Or, only selling a much smaller sub-set of their current auto lines (eg: selling off Jeep).  Wow.  I wonder if this will be another car company from a developing market (think Tata buying Land Rover and Jaguar),  or time for the Private Equity firms to get back into action.

Check out the page on Chrysler in RightAutos, a Kosmix site.  (Ankur Jain is the product manager).

Signs of a Downturn - Chrysler Layoffs, Plant Shutdown

Chrysler is laying off close to 2,000 people, by shutting down a Delaware factory (despite the favorable tax rules there?), and slowing down work at their Ohio plant. 

That's bad for both places, and should also put some influence on the upcoming elections.

Supercar photo of the week

Humle F1

for some reason, this one makes me think of the Plymouth Prowler, and that cheapens the effect somewhat.

Signs of a Downturn - Upheaval at Tesla

What's new at Tesla?  5 items, apparently -

1. Elon Musk has kicked out Ze'ev Drori and become CEO himself.  Drori, of course, was brought in by Elon and his gang after they kicked out founder Martin Eberhard.  These are, of course, all signs of a stable company.  Want some more signs of stability?

2. There are rumors that Tesla is looking for another $100 Million in financing.  This is a complete rumor, so lets not think too much about this.  After all, Tesla is very stable, as shown by...

3. They're about to have layoffs.  Ooh.  That isn't good.  As I had written earlier, these are the same guys who were about to open a new manufacturing plant in San Jose.  I'm not sure what's going to happen to those plans (although they are going to rely on funding from the Governator and others for that).   Per Valleywag, a tipster says about half the staff is going to be asked to leave, but company officials are begging to differ.

4. But in another ominous sign, their proposed engineering center in Detroit now seems to be gone.  Hmm.  That is sounding a little less stable.  So maybe this helps...

5. Tesla's Model S Sedan seems to have been delayed.  Indications are that it will launch mid-2011.... which sounds like never. 

Well, hopefully the girdle tightening helps Tesla survive and thrive. 

Finally, some Page Rank for my Tech blog!

My Tech/ Startups related blog finally has some Page Rank.  It is at PR = 2 right now.  That should help me show up higher in Google searches.

Supercar photo of the week

Locus Plethora (2007)

Dig that single wiper.  And that crazy front, with the recessed grill, those deep grooves (ditches?) on the hood, and the weirdly arced head-lights.

Supercar photo of the week

McLaren F1

Gull-wing doors - a supercar isn't a supercar without them. 

I would have bought the McLaren, but the bottom would scrape over the bumps in my driveway.  Too bad

982 Visits on Wednesday!

Wow, my main blog got 982 visits yesterday!  The 1K barrier is close, I can feel it!  I'm racing towards it!

And Now For Some PAGE RANK!

Ah, it took its own sweet time getting here, but four of my blogs now have some Page Rank. 

The older Autos blog is the leader, with Page Rank = 3

The younger Autos blog and my Travel blog have Page Rank = 2 each

And my main, all-purpose blog has a Page Rank = 1

Still waiting for the baby of the group, the Technology/ Startups blog, to get some love from Google.

Supercar photo of the week

The Ascari A10

Top speed is supposed to be 220 mph.  Oh, and just where do you go drive to check that out?

Ferrari FXX Supercar - Such Sweet Music

Sometimes, I get bored of listening to music while working.  I've found a grand new distraction - turning on a 3 - 5 minute audio or video of a supercar being thrashed around a track.  It forms the perfect background to anything.

Check out the video of the Ferrari FXX, the chameleon skunk-works Ferrari that is always at the forefront of Automobile technology (never mind the Transformers).  Listen to it.  Just listen to it.  That engine sounds amazing!

Ferrari FXX engine sound

New High - Daily Visits for my main Blog!

I'm quite proud of my baby blog - Capoeirista.  Yesterday (Tuesday, September 23, 2008), this blog received 855 visits (per StatCounter). 

Well done!

Amazing Porsche Test Drive

The Porsche Leipzig test race track is a dream destination.  I would one day love to drive it.  Just as with Nurburgring,  Laguna Seca, and any street in Monte Carlo. 

So first take a look at a video of the Porsche 996 GT3 being thrashed on the track.  Put the volume up as loud as you can!  This helps understand why Porsches generally have sub-par music systems.... the best sound track is the engine itself!

Porsche Leipzig test track

Next, for a truly great experience, go to the URL below, to get the official Porsche lesson on how to drive the Leipzig track.  Click on the "Start Driving" link just below the video.  No while the video is playing, you can choose between alternate screens - one a terrifyingly thrilling road view, that rivals any of the craziest video games;  another a view of the car;  a third of the driver handling the steering wheel, and finally of the virtuoso play of his feet upon the pedals.  Keep switching between views, to get a full view of how to drive on Leipzig!

http://www.porsche.com/microsite/onelap/flash/default.aspx?language=en&market=INTERNATIONAL&pool=international&browser=other&instance=544&variant=&section=&showintro=true&bandwidth=dsl&width=1400&height=1050&specialguest=0

New High Daily Visits

This cars blog just set itself a new record for visits in a day - 678.  Nice! 

Car Review - 2008 Chevrolet HHR

Yoshi, a friend, rented the 2008 Chevrolet HHR this weekend, and I got to ride in it with him.  So, here's my review -

The name:  To start with, what's with the name?  HHR?  Healthy Human Resources?  Hullo, Here's Roger?  No, Chevrolet says it stands for Heritage High Roof.  Um....

The looks:  Here is my first reaction - who stretched the Chrysler PT Cruiser, and made it look a little less retro?  To be serious - it doesn't look as nice as the PT Cruiser.  But it isn't too bad.  The exterior does look plastic-ey, and the interior does too.   Which brings us to..

The interior:  The car is long enough, and has a good amount of space in the trunk area (see photo below).  But width-wise?  No, it seems really narrow.  This partly seems to be due to bad interior design.  the center column in front (you know, the one with the radio, air controls, all those pretty knobs and lights) isn't well designed.  It seems too wide, taking up leg room in a car thats already narrow, while simultaneously looking like everything there is pushed together.  Seriously, how can 6 radio buttons in a row look so spacious in an Accord or BMW, but look so crushed together in this car?  (One hint - stop putting extra chrome between buttons!)

And why are the window controls just out of reach, near my feet, at the bottom of that center column?

A nice positive - I loved the interior door handle design.  Loved it!

 

The ride:  The ride is like a lot of American cars, unfortunately - a bit like a boat.  You can get seasick while driving in a straight line at a constant speed along a highway.  It isn't as bad as the old Ford Taurus, but still, isn't this car aimed at the younger crowd?

Power-wise, the car is adequate.  Yoshi doesn't push cars, but with what we saw, the car seemed to respond when you needed a little push.  But we got the impression it doesn't like going fast on curves.