Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Blog proves helpful for Hit-and-Run Investigation

Yesterday morning, Autoblog posted an article asking readers to ID a car headlamp involved in a hit-and-run crime with an 11 year old boy who was hit and injured badly. Apparently the car swerved to the other side of the road, jumped up onto the lawn where a group of children were waiting for their parents to pick them up after a birthday party, and struck the boy. http://www.autoblog.com/2010/04/27/help-id-a-hit-and-run-what-car-does-this-headlight-belong-to/

The only photo given was the one to the left and from it readers were able to ID the make and model to the car.


A few savvy people were able to find a part number in the photo (highlighted area in the photo to the left) and judging by the intricate patterns, direction of refraction lines, and clip in the bottom left hand corner, they concluded that the headlamp was one from a mid-90s Chevrolet Lumina or Monte Carlo.


Witnesses stated the car was mid-sized so it is most likely that the car is a Lumina.


Thanks to an image, the internet, some photo editing software, and some dedicated people, this case is a little closer to being solved.


Previous reports said the car was a burgundy color and both the Lumina and Monte Carlo were available in this color during those years.

We are all hoping this information will lead to finding and locking up the person who did this.

If you live in or around Ypsilanti Township, MI be on the lookout for a mid-90s burgundy Chevy Lumina or Monte Carlo with damage done to the passenger front bumper area.


Anyone who sees the vehicle or has information is asked to call Detective Robert Losey at (734) 973-4791 or the confidential tip line at (734) 973-7711.
































~M/o  "Stay up to Speed"

Friday, April 9, 2010

I want an American car damn it! (wait no I don't)


I already know my next car is going to be a Honda S2000 or a Subaru STi. I've wanted an S2000 since they first came out and I've test driven one every time I have looked for a car. It's a car made for driving with the wind through your hair and the sun in your eyes.
Even though the S2000 is being discontinued (terrible decision), I think it's one of the best cars ever. It's simple, fast, rear-wheel drive, pretty affordable, hugs corners and looks great while doing it. 
If there was an American car available that was half that of the S2000 and affordable I would buy it, but unfortunately there isn't.
The fact is that most of the country is landlocked, flat and boring. People drive to work everyday, stuck in traffic, idling inefficient oversize SUVs with the backseats empty and who can blame them? What else is there? Families want big cars, one can understand that. But what about the younger generations?
The problem is that the executives at Ford, Chevy and Chrysler (which technically isn't American anymore) are so out-of-touch with young Americans. I completely understand building cars for baby boomers and ages 40+ but what can people 22-39 buy? IMPORTS.
Our generation is confusing. Whatever we are doing, we like to have fun, look good, and show-off while somehow coming off as humble. We want something desirable and there are very few desirable American cars.
All my friends drive Asian cars. Why? Because they offer everything we need, simplicity, good (enough) looks, and they're fun. Everyone I work with drives Asian cars (except for my boss's BMW 6-series). Why? Because they're practical, affordable, and classy (enough). 
You can buy 2-Hyundai Genesis Coupes for the price of a Cadillac STS. You can buy a Subaru STi for about the same price as a Chevy Camaro.
That's another thing, even the coolest American cars are made for Old folks. The Camaro, Mustang, and Challenger are all nostalgic cars for baby boomers. I have yet to see a young person driving a Dodge Challenger. Why? Because it doesn't mean anything to us. Yeah, okay, it looks badass but it sent American car design back 40 years. What owners of late 1960s muscle cars would have thought they'd be driving cars that look identical to ones they're driving now, 40 years later? They probably thought they'd be driving flying cars by 2010. Man were they wrong.
Chevy and Ford have it in their thick skulls that young Americans want little shit boxes with usb capabilities that have some sporty lines. No we don't!
We don't want glorified junk. We want functional cars.
While the Italians make the best sports cars, the Germans make the best hatchbacks, the Japanese make the best economy cars and off-roaders, we, the Americans, make the best pick-ups to lug shit around slowly and inefficiently.


Damn it! How many times do we have to tell Ford that we want the Focus RS! People are going to start buying them elsewhere and importing them themselves.

Bring this to America and I'll shut up, for a little while anyway. Even Mexico gets the Focus RS, why is that?




~M/o  "Stay up to Speed"

Monday, April 5, 2010

2010 NYIAS: Wheels & Accessories

Wheel & accessory trends were a little more subtle at this year's auto show (aside from the overly obvious split 5-spoke trend). Obvious trends are black wheels or polished aluminum with black details. Honda was one of the only companies (other than Scion) to show after market anything. 




Someone's got to capitalize on all these young people with money, and that's exactly what Honda is doing. Their Mugen teaser wall was exactly that, just a teaser to remind you that Mugen is still here.


They should have thrown together a tricked out Mugen Accord or Acura in the mix to really grab some attention.




On the backside of the Mugen wall, Honda had a small display of accessories from their Honda Factory Performance (HFP) division. 


They had some simple and sporty wheels with bright aluminum and gunmetal finishes along with exhaust, suspension, and brake-kits that come engineered to fit your Honda.


But I guess Mugen didn't get the memo to throw some split 5-spoke wheels up there, the rest of the companies sure did. 


BMW, Porsche, Audi, Subaru, Honda, Fiat, Mini, Cadillac, Buick, Infiniti, and Lexus all had their own rendition of split-5's.



















Only a hand full of companies didn't have a set of split 5-spokes on one of their models.


5-spokes are here to stay.














~M/o  "Stay up to Speed"


Saturday, April 3, 2010

2010 NYIAS: The Coolest Car


The coolest car at the NY Auto Show has to be the Jaguar SS100 Roadster from the 1930s. This car is extremely rare especially in this condition. Old cars where the cockpit is 10% of the car and the engine is 90% is where it's at.


Check out the details...The windshield can articulate up and down, the grill style is still on luxury cars these days, and look at the way the front wheel arches curve drastically coming out from the front bumper and draping over the wheels.



~M/o  "Stay up to Speed"

Friday, April 2, 2010

2010 NYIAS Sneak Peak: Buick Regal GS

Buick's new Regal gets its good looks from it's cousin Opel Insignia. But coming later this year, GM is releasing the Regal GS with sportier looks, performance, and suspension. Now we all know Buicks have been granny mobiles but this isn't one of them, so why would GM bring one to the show that has granny paint on it?
















I almost didn't see the GS but I just happened to stumble upon it when I took a short cut through Buick's boring booth. Where's that great charcoal color that we see in the photos? Does it exist?


Although the pictures don't show it very well because of the color, the car looks pretty nice. It's got a certain amount of simple elegance but it still looks sporty. 


The wheels are split 5-spokes with a satin/polished aluminum finish that goes well with the rest of the trim like the front air intakes, the badges, and the exhausts. 


The interior is smooth and sophisticated, it almost doesn't look like it was made by GM. Usually they just take the Chevy Malibu interior and throw it in. This, while pretty simple, actually looks good.


Under the hood is a turbocharged 2.0 liter 255hp engine that GM says does 0-60mph in under 6 seconds and it even comes with a 6-speed manual transmission. Get this, it also gets an adaptive all-wheel-drive system, electronic stability control, and limited-slip differential. 


Kudos to GM for going through with this!




~M/o  "Stay up to Speed"