My Blog

SR-71 Mustang Sells for $375,000

Sun, 8 Aug 2010 22:24:16 -0700

by Gordon McDonald on August 4, 2010

The SR-71 Mustang – a unique collaboration between automotive legends Jack Roush and Carroll Shelby – was auctioned Thursday evening at the AirVenture show in OshKosh, WI.
When the gavel fell, bidding had reached $375,000 for this one-off Mustang. The auction was held to benefit the EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) Young Eagles program.
Among other programs for aspiring aircraft pilots, the Young Eagles program provides an online course to get people started with flight training and prepares them to take all the FAA-required tests for pilot certification. The full training course helps candidates to learn using in-flight video, 3-D animation, graphics and more.
The SR-71 Mustang (“S” for Shelby, “R” for Roush) was built at ROUSH Performance in Livonia, MI. The Mustang is on display in the Ford tent at the AirVenture show, which runs through Sunday, August 1st.

2010 Camaro Synergy Special Edition

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 11:08:17 -0700

Hot and cool exterior colors are a part of Chevy Camaro history. Now the 2010 model is getting its own.
Chevrolet today debuts the Camaro Synergy Special Edition with pricing starting at $26,790. Synergy will be produced in limited quantities from February to May.
“Synergy Green continues a long tradition of dramatic Camaro colors,” says Camaro historian Scott Settlemire. “Some of the most sought-after Camaros are first generation cars – those from 1967 to 1969 – in Hugger Orange, Daytona Yellow, and Rallye Green.”
The 2010 Camaro Synergy Special Edition is based on a Camaro 1LT, with a 3.6L direct injection V-6, paired with either a six-speed manual or automatic transmission. The powertrain has become a benchmark for the segment by offering a combination of performance and efficiency: The V-6 delivers 304 horsepower and 273 lb.-ft. of torque, and returns up to 29 mpg on the highway.
The Synergy Green exterior color was first previewed at the 2009 Specialty Equipment Manufacturers (SEMA) show. In production form, the Synergy Green is accented by Cyber Grey Rally Stripes running the length of the Camaro hood and rear deck. Other exterior features include a standard rear spoiler, and standard 19 inch, Sterling Silver painted wheels wrapped with P245/50R19 tires.
The color scheme is mirrored on the interior, with Synergy Green instrument panel and door inserts. Synergy Green stitching also accents the Jet Black cloth seats, steering wheel, shift knob and center console.
“Just as those colors helped make the first generation Camaro an icon, modern colors like Inferno Orange, Rallye Yellow Transformers Edition and Synergy Green will define the 2010 Camaro,” Settlemire said.
The Special Edition also includes the Camaro Convenience and Connectivity Package, with Bluetooth phone connectivity, USB port for MP3 players, and remote vehicle start for models equipped with an automatic transmission.
“The Synergy Special Edition package is designed for customers who want a unique performance car at an attainable price,” says Camaro marketing manager John Fitzpatrick. “For under $27,000, Camaro Synergy Special Edition offers standout styling, modern technologies like Bluetooth, and 304 horsepower under the hood.”

Ford Hits It Big!

Sun, 17 Jan 2010 23:16:09 -0700

By Tosha Y. Thomas
Lifestyle Editor aka
The Car Diva

Ford Motor Company has been on a roll! Ford hit it big with not one, but two awards for the North American Car and Truck of the Year for the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid and 2010 Ford Transit Connect respectfully. This dual honor mark the third time in 17 years that one manufacturer has earned both awards.
Recently in mid-December a select group of auto journalists were invited out to Detroit for a sneak peak at some of the goodies being offered by Ford for the upcoming 2010 North American International Auto Show. The Ford Motor company had some tricks up their sleeves with the announcement of the 2011 Mustang’s 5.0 engine, the innovative MyFord Technology, the 2011 Focus and the 2011 Lincoln MKX.
Covered in secrecy, Ford rolled out this beast of the muscle car genre, the all-new 2011 5.0 Mustang GT. The 5.0 V-8 engine kicks out 412 ponies while maintaining a more than respectable 25 highway mpg. Added to all that power is a weighty 390 lbs of torque…translation this baby hauls ass! The new 5.0 will come chock full new features like optional Brembo brakes, new fender badges and 6-speed automatic and manual transmissions.
To further heighten the profile of the new 5.0, multi-platinum rapper and actor Nelly and Dub Magazine have teamed up to trick out a custom Mustang. Dub’s and Nelly’s collaboration includes a custom gloss black paint job with flat black racing stripes and a Street Scenes body kit complete with custom 22 and 24-inch wheels and Pirelli tires. The vehicle also includes a billet grille, hood scoop, tinted taillights, angel eyes headlights and a Borla exhaust.
In addition, the interior is a complete suede and leather design with a custom JL Audio system that includes two 12-inch subwoofers, amps and speakers.
For the techies, the MyFord technology is a dream come true. Building on the SYNC® platform MyFord takes the driving experience to the next level. Driving in any environment is taxing; but Ford has a taken away a lot of the distractions and replaced it with a ‘focused’ (excuse the pun) driving experience. Via a dual 4.2-inch LCD screen with corresponding five-way button steering wheel controls and an 8-inch touch screen all controlled by simplified SYNC® voice commands; the driver stays attentive to the task at hand. With the phone, radio and navigation features just a word or two away, MyFord has closed, if not eliminated the gap between multi-tasking and safety while driving.
Even though the Focus isn’t scheduled to go on sale until first quarter 2011 (North America and Europe), it’s already making waves in the industry. The 2011 Ford Focus is one of the sleekest and sexiest cars in its class. With flowing lines and a sporty profile, the Focus is the personification of cool. Built on the philosophy to offer style, comfort, affordability and fuel efficiency; the Focus answers the call of the savvy, yet frugal consumer.
For drivers with a more sophisticated palate, the MKX answers the call. From the inside out the MKX has a new look and vibe. Lincoln’s foray into super tech-dom with the My Lincoln Touch feature has completely kicked up the sexy factor of this crossover. The driver can personalize their Lincoln experience with touch-screen controls, rather than knobs and buttons. Captain Kirk would be happy at the helm of the MKX. Power is also kicked up a notch with the overhauled MKX. Boasting 305 horsepower and 280 lbs of torque, the MKX marries power and luxury brilliantly.

Martin Luther King Day

Sun, 17 Jan 2010 23:13:09 -0700

Martin Luther King, Jr., (January 15, 1929-April 4, 1968) was born Michael Luther King, Jr., but later had his name changed to Martin. His grandfather began the family's long tenure as pastors of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, serving from 1914 to 1931; his father has served from then until the present, and from 1960 until his death Martin Luther acted as co-pastor. Martin Luther attended segregated public schools in Georgia, graduating from high school at the age of fifteen; he received the B. A. degree in 1948 from Morehouse College, a distinguished Negro institution of Atlanta from which both his father and grandfather had graduated. After three years of theological study at Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania where he was elected president of a predominantly white senior class, he was awarded the B.D. in 1951. With a fellowship won at Crozer, he enrolled in graduate studies at Boston University, completing his residence for the doctorate in 1953 and receiving the degree in 1955. In Boston he met and married Coretta Scott, a young woman of uncommon intellectual and artistic attainments. Two sons and two daughters were born into the family.  In 1954, Martin Luther King became pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. Always a strong worker for civil rights for members of his race, King was, by this time, a member of the executive committee of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the leading organization of its kind in the nation. He was ready, then, early in December, 1955, to accept the leadership of the first great Negro nonviolent demonstration of contemporary times in the United States, the bus boycott described by Gunnar Jahn in his presentation speech in honor of the laureate. The boycott lasted 382 days. On December 21, 1956, after the Supreme Court of the United States had declared unconstitutional the laws requiring segregation on buses, Negroes and whites rode the buses as equals. During these days of boycott, King was arrested, his home was bombed, he was subjected to personal abuse, but at the same time he emerged as a Negro leader of the first rank.  In 1957 he was elected president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization formed to provide new leadership for the now burgeoning civil rights movement. The ideals for this organization he took from Christianity; its operational techniques from Gandhi. In the eleven-year period between 1957 and 1968, King traveled over six million miles and spoke over twenty-five hundred times, appearing wherever there was injustice, protest, and action; and meanwhile he wrote five books as well as numerous articles. In these years, he led a massive protest in Birmingham, Alabama, that caught the attention of the entire world, providing what he called a coalition of conscience. and inspiring his "Letter from a Birmingham Jail", a manifesto of the Negro revolution; he planned the drives in Alabama for the registration of Negroes as voters; he directed the peaceful march on Washington, D.C., of 250,000 people to whom he delivered his address, "l Have a Dream", he conferred with President John F. Kennedy and campaigned for President Lyndon B. Johnson; he was arrested upwards of twenty times and assaulted at least four times; he was awarded five honorary degrees; was named Man of the Year by Time magazine in 1963; and became not only the symbolic leader of American blacks but also a world figure.  At the age of thirty-five, Martin Luther King, Jr., was the youngest man to have received the Nobel Peace Prize. When notified of his selection, he announced that he would turn over the prize money of $54,123 to the furtherance of the civil rights movement.  On the evening of April 4, 1968, while standing on the balcony of his motel room in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was to lead a protest march in sympathy with striking garbage workers of that city, he was assassinated.

PARMINGIANI FLEURIER BUGATTI GALIBIER TOURBILLON

Sun, 17 Jan 2010 11:31:02 -0700

On the 12th September, Bugatti celebrated their centenary at Molsheim and invited their most prestigious clients and some representatives from the international press to a sneak preview of their new concept car, the Galibier 16C. Parmigiani Fleurier, Bugatti’s partner since 2001, was present at this special event and marked the occasion with their unique and remarkable involvement in this automotive project. At the centre of the car, and of everyone’s attention, was the new Bugatti watch; an innovation to dramatically change the very concept, and maybe even the alliance between the automotive and watchmaking worlds too. Integrated into the instrument panel on the new 16C Galibier car, it fulfils the unheard of feat of changing, in the flick of the wrist, into not only a magnificent wristwatch sheathed in leather, but also into a pocket watch or table clock, with this transformation forming a strong, emotional link between the car and its owner.
Revolutionary, Parmigiani Fleurier’s new concept in watchmaking thrilled all the car collectors, clients and journalists who attended this celebratory weekend, where the fusion of art and technology was definitely the highlight.