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Saturday, September 10, 2011
Hungarian made cars, the difficult struggle against political turmoil, lack of manufacturing, and frequent bureaucratic red tape... all they want is to build cars!
0 comments Posted by st at 8:07 AMHungarian car enthusiasts Pal Negyesi and Csaba Hajdu have researched the Hungarian car history thoroughly, and made a 35 page PDF that exemplifies the spirit of perseverance to surmount obstacles in the way of progress.
Their focus is the Hungarian cars made between the years 1945 - 1990, but the inventors, craftsman, and innovators often began before 1945... and so did the national and intenational conflicts and restrictions that created a one of a kind unique situation that resulted in the USSR organization COMECON ruling of 1949 that of all the allied countries, only Hungary would not be allowed to build cars. Busses and trucks, yes... but not cars that the people could use for personal enjoyment, business travel, and product distribution (flowers, parcel delivery, etc etc)
Just as important as the automobile enthusiasts informative look, is the historian enthusiasts understanding of the myriad problems that were brought about by WW2, the USSR governing bureaucracy regulations, lack of car parts manufacturing (no car tire makers for example led to using airplane tail tires), political refusal to allow foreign investors, the revolution of 1956, the oil crisis of 1973, the fall of the USSR in 1990 dissolving all the previous infrastructure that was just beginning to make progress in loosening govt owned company restrictions in involvement in cooperative ventures to produce car and parts... all complicated the Hungarian auto enthusiasts ability to make cars.
But read about the many one off cars that were prototyped, microcars that were made and attempted during this time, the 3 wheelers that were declared "motorbike and sidecar" etc etc in order to bring mobility to the people.
Price is EUR 1 or USD 1.4
There are two ways to pay:
- Either someone sends the amount via PayPal to npaul@hu.inter.net and then I'll send him/her the link
- You can buy an e-book version at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005LOVR02
Their focus is the Hungarian cars made between the years 1945 - 1990, but the inventors, craftsman, and innovators often began before 1945... and so did the national and intenational conflicts and restrictions that created a one of a kind unique situation that resulted in the USSR organization COMECON ruling of 1949 that of all the allied countries, only Hungary would not be allowed to build cars. Busses and trucks, yes... but not cars that the people could use for personal enjoyment, business travel, and product distribution (flowers, parcel delivery, etc etc)
Just as important as the automobile enthusiasts informative look, is the historian enthusiasts understanding of the myriad problems that were brought about by WW2, the USSR governing bureaucracy regulations, lack of car parts manufacturing (no car tire makers for example led to using airplane tail tires), political refusal to allow foreign investors, the revolution of 1956, the oil crisis of 1973, the fall of the USSR in 1990 dissolving all the previous infrastructure that was just beginning to make progress in loosening govt owned company restrictions in involvement in cooperative ventures to produce car and parts... all complicated the Hungarian auto enthusiasts ability to make cars.
But read about the many one off cars that were prototyped, microcars that were made and attempted during this time, the 3 wheelers that were declared "motorbike and sidecar" etc etc in order to bring mobility to the people.
Price is EUR 1 or USD 1.4
There are two ways to pay:
- Either someone sends the amount via PayPal to npaul@hu.inter.net and then I'll send him/her the link
- You can buy an e-book version at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005LOVR02
Friday, September 9, 2011
US government owned car companies (GM for example) used taxpayer dollars to lobby against government regulations for higher fuel economy standards
0 comments Posted by st at 9:05 PMThat has to criminal, and politicians and bureaucrats should be fired. What a waste of money.
The politicians finally had the control of the car company, and didn't force the issue when they had the chance. What a bunch of corruption.
The politicians finally had the control of the car company, and didn't force the issue when they had the chance. What a bunch of corruption.
Lessons learned from yesterdays total blackout of San Diego county... from Orange County to Rosarita Baja California (Mexico) the power plants were tripped offline
0 comments Posted by st at 8:04 PMWhoever designed and approved the electric system should be shot for gross stupidity, as it took just one person, one moment,.... and about 6 million people were out of electricity http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/10/us/10power.html .
It took 9 hours to get power back. http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/data-drive/article_dc4aabe6-db5b-11e0-97ba-001cc4c03286.html
No gas stations were able to operate. No grocery stores, no businesses. Of course, that is their fault for not having a backup generator to keep the pumps, fridges, and cash registers operating. Stupidity is contagious among busniesses it seems. Costly too, because if any had power backup, they would have been the only source of gas or food around.
No ATMs, no fast food restaurants, no air conditioning, no trolleys (public transportation in San Diego) and all the elevators are designed by nimrods who don't mind that on loss of electricity, the elevators trap all people riding.
Roadside assistance was called by a Marine, and they told him that they weren't going to show up, cause they are not going to waste gas. True story, he called the local radio station to spread the word.
Stop light intersections, they aren't as high a priority to get power to as the carpool lane monitoring equipment.
Traffic cops, never at the right intersections, but any intersection they are directing traffic at, moves faster than all the rest of the powerless intersections that all lanes have to stop at, car by car.
The wastewater treatment plants don't work without electricity, neither does the water dept. About 2 million gallons of sewage spilled into the ocean.
Most dispatched fleets switched to laptops and Nextels... neither worked with no power to the repeaters, cell phone towers, etc etc. This includes tow trucks, ambulances, taxis etc etc
The airport (San Diego International) doesn't have generator backup, and all that post 9-11 security is useless without electricity, so no planes were loading and leaving, no-one got scanned, no luggage was searched, the whole airport shut down. The port authority - the airport manager is also an idiot... across the street from the airport is Solar Turbines.. and guess what they make? Big ass tubine generators from 1 to 22 MegaWatts each http://mysolar.cat.com/cda/files/100588/7/dssolar.pdf ... and they have some in use, ready to deliver, and others ready to test. Bet you the Mayor or Govenor could make a couple calls and get a bit of cooperation to happen and have those megaWatts doing some good in this blackout
My advice to lessen the problems of being without power...
leave your fridge closed... it can keep things cold for hours without power
It's a good idea to have an extra gasoline... about enough to fill your car twice. ( You'll need a small tank, a 50 gallon barrel ought to do)
Flashlights and batteries are way better than candles.
a small inverter and an extension cord with a surge protector - really good at making 120 ac from car batteries to keep your cell phone charged, or house lights that plug into the walls lit. It gets really, really dark after the sun goes down... but even better would be a small RV generator, and Honda makes a really quite line of generators (again, some gas is good to have stored safely in your garage or storage unit... or siphon some from your car to keep your generator going)
It took 9 hours to get power back. http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/data-drive/article_dc4aabe6-db5b-11e0-97ba-001cc4c03286.html
No gas stations were able to operate. No grocery stores, no businesses. Of course, that is their fault for not having a backup generator to keep the pumps, fridges, and cash registers operating. Stupidity is contagious among busniesses it seems. Costly too, because if any had power backup, they would have been the only source of gas or food around.
No ATMs, no fast food restaurants, no air conditioning, no trolleys (public transportation in San Diego) and all the elevators are designed by nimrods who don't mind that on loss of electricity, the elevators trap all people riding.
Roadside assistance was called by a Marine, and they told him that they weren't going to show up, cause they are not going to waste gas. True story, he called the local radio station to spread the word.
Stop light intersections, they aren't as high a priority to get power to as the carpool lane monitoring equipment.
Traffic cops, never at the right intersections, but any intersection they are directing traffic at, moves faster than all the rest of the powerless intersections that all lanes have to stop at, car by car.
The wastewater treatment plants don't work without electricity, neither does the water dept. About 2 million gallons of sewage spilled into the ocean.
Most dispatched fleets switched to laptops and Nextels... neither worked with no power to the repeaters, cell phone towers, etc etc. This includes tow trucks, ambulances, taxis etc etc
The airport (San Diego International) doesn't have generator backup, and all that post 9-11 security is useless without electricity, so no planes were loading and leaving, no-one got scanned, no luggage was searched, the whole airport shut down. The port authority - the airport manager is also an idiot... across the street from the airport is Solar Turbines.. and guess what they make? Big ass tubine generators from 1 to 22 MegaWatts each http://mysolar.cat.com/cda/files/100588/7/dssolar.pdf ... and they have some in use, ready to deliver, and others ready to test. Bet you the Mayor or Govenor could make a couple calls and get a bit of cooperation to happen and have those megaWatts doing some good in this blackout
My advice to lessen the problems of being without power...
leave your fridge closed... it can keep things cold for hours without power
It's a good idea to have an extra gasoline... about enough to fill your car twice. ( You'll need a small tank, a 50 gallon barrel ought to do)
Flashlights and batteries are way better than candles.
a small inverter and an extension cord with a surge protector - really good at making 120 ac from car batteries to keep your cell phone charged, or house lights that plug into the walls lit. It gets really, really dark after the sun goes down... but even better would be a small RV generator, and Honda makes a really quite line of generators (again, some gas is good to have stored safely in your garage or storage unit... or siphon some from your car to keep your generator going)
Don't try to get original tires for a 76 Mustang Cobra II... they are 533 apiece. Not total... that would be 2132 total plus tax and delivery
0 comments Posted by st at 7:07 PMI found on http://www.hagerty.com/?utm_source=ExactTarget&utm_medium=email&utm_term=&utm_content=Client&utm_campaign=Hagerty%20News-September a side bar question for the concierge, that a guy wanted help finding the right tires for his 76 Mustang Cobra II.
between a 195 and a 205/70/13 .. and the reply was that they are $533 apiece, http://www.hotrodhanks.com/products/tires/searchType/category/tireCategory/radial/tireSize/205_SLASH_70-13?utm_source=ExactTarget&utm_medium=email&utm_term=&utm_content=Client&utm_campaign=Hagerty%20News-September
and with 4, they are worth more than that car.
between a 195 and a 205/70/13 .. and the reply was that they are $533 apiece, http://www.hotrodhanks.com/products/tires/searchType/category/tireCategory/radial/tireSize/205_SLASH_70-13?utm_source=ExactTarget&utm_medium=email&utm_term=&utm_content=Client&utm_campaign=Hagerty%20News-September
and with 4, they are worth more than that car.
After a redesign, the 2012 Odyssey EX model receives the i-MID system, Bluetooth with a CD library and a USB audio interface, otherwise, the Touring and Touring Elite models are now available in White Diamond Pearl. That's it for the changes! Visit your local Honda dealer for the 2012 Odyssey.
Times are indeed getting tougher and tougher for the once star of the auto industry, Honda. Sales dipped again for the company because of low inventory but dealerships are hopeful that the pent-up demand will help draw consumers into dealerships. Many though, see Honda continue to struggle for months afterwards due to the loss in customer loyalty and the attraction towards other carmakers.
Honda sold a little bit more than 73 000 vehicles last month, a terrifying drop of nearly 30% compared to the same month in 2010. The main reason behind the drop in sales for Honda has been due to the earthquake in Japan which has caused chaos in Honda dealers. Some dealers usually see hundreds of new vehicles roll in every month, but since the disaster, they've seen 30-40 vehicles roll in one by one, day by day.
Thankfully, that is no longer the case.
The Lincoln, Alabama plant and most other Honda plants ramped up production to 100% a few weeks ago. Overtime is being considered to catch up production. No layoffs were given during some downtime when Japanese suppliers did not supply parts in time. Training courses or used vacation hours were done during the downtime.
Dealers say that demand has been high as deposits come in on a daily basis. But many Honda loyal customers are at risk of defaulting to other companies because of this major inconvenience over the past few months.
It will be a tough pill to swallow.
Honda's reasoning to back out of producing the K20 was due to the growing environmental pressures and expectations. But this MUGEN model serves as homage to the highly revving, naturally aspirated engines such as the K20.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
I thought I'd posted that Jay Leno found a '55 300SL Gullwing former racecar, and barnfind... but here it is since I can't find a previous post about it
0 comments Posted by st at 9:13 PM
Or read about it online at http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/extras/articles/jay-leno-restores-a-vintage-mercedes-benz-300sl-gullwing/
The Chicken War, and the Chicken Tax, and what they have to do with trucks made in Europe and Asia
0 comments Posted by st at 8:26 PMThe Chicken tax was a 25% tax on potato starch, dextrin, brandy, and light trucks imposed in 1963 by the United States under President Lyndon B. Johnson as a response to tariffs placed by France and West Germany on importation of U.S. chicken.
Largely because of post-World War II intensive chicken farming and accompanying price reductions, chicken, once internationally synonymous with luxury, became a staple food in the U.S. Prior to the early 1960s, not only had chicken remained prohibitively expensive in Europe, it had remained a delicacy. With imports of inexpensive chicken from the U.S., chicken prices fell quickly and sharply across Europe, radically affecting European chicken consumption. In 1961, per capita chicken consumption rose 23% in West Germany. U.S. chicken overtook nearly half of the imported European chicken market.
Subsequently, the Dutch accused the U.S. of dumping chickens at prices below cost of production. The French government banned U.S. chicken and raised concerns that hormones could affect male virility. German farmers' associations accused U.S. poultrymen of artificially fattening chicken with arsenic. In fact, U.S. chicken farmers, with Food and Drug Administration approval, had treated chicken feed with antimony, arsenic compounds, or estrogen hormones to stimulate growth.
The period from 1961–1964 of tensions and negotiations surrounding the issue, which took place at the height of Cold War politics, was known as the "Chicken War".
Eventually, the tariffs on potato starch, dextrin, and brandy were lifted, but over the next 48 years the light truck tax ossified, remaining in place to protect U.S. domestic automakers from foreign light truck production (e.g., from Japan and Thailand). Though concern remains about its repeal, a 2003 Cato Institute study called the tariff "a policy in search of a rationale."
As an unintended consequence, several importers of light trucks have circumvented the tariff via loopholes—including Ford (ostensibly a company the tax was designed to protect), which currently imports the Transit Connect light trucks as "passenger vehicles" to the U.S. from Turkey and immediately shreds portions of their interiors in a warehouse outside Baltimore.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_tax
Largely because of post-World War II intensive chicken farming and accompanying price reductions, chicken, once internationally synonymous with luxury, became a staple food in the U.S. Prior to the early 1960s, not only had chicken remained prohibitively expensive in Europe, it had remained a delicacy. With imports of inexpensive chicken from the U.S., chicken prices fell quickly and sharply across Europe, radically affecting European chicken consumption. In 1961, per capita chicken consumption rose 23% in West Germany. U.S. chicken overtook nearly half of the imported European chicken market.
Subsequently, the Dutch accused the U.S. of dumping chickens at prices below cost of production. The French government banned U.S. chicken and raised concerns that hormones could affect male virility. German farmers' associations accused U.S. poultrymen of artificially fattening chicken with arsenic. In fact, U.S. chicken farmers, with Food and Drug Administration approval, had treated chicken feed with antimony, arsenic compounds, or estrogen hormones to stimulate growth.
The period from 1961–1964 of tensions and negotiations surrounding the issue, which took place at the height of Cold War politics, was known as the "Chicken War".
Eventually, the tariffs on potato starch, dextrin, and brandy were lifted, but over the next 48 years the light truck tax ossified, remaining in place to protect U.S. domestic automakers from foreign light truck production (e.g., from Japan and Thailand). Though concern remains about its repeal, a 2003 Cato Institute study called the tariff "a policy in search of a rationale."
As an unintended consequence, several importers of light trucks have circumvented the tariff via loopholes—including Ford (ostensibly a company the tax was designed to protect), which currently imports the Transit Connect light trucks as "passenger vehicles" to the U.S. from Turkey and immediately shreds portions of their interiors in a warehouse outside Baltimore.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_tax
Iso Rivolta was initially named Isothermos and manufactured refrigeration units before WW2.
After the Second World War, the company reopened its doors, completely changing its activity. In 1948 it began to build motorcycles, scooters and motocarries (three wheeled transport scooters/motorcycles). Among the most famous are the Furetto (1948), 'Isoscooter (1950),' Isocarro (1951), 'Isomoto (1954) and' Isosport (1953). The last Iso motorcycle was presented as the Iso 500 in 1961. Isomotos were known as expensive, but durable and well-built.
In the mid-1950s, he started to develop a miniature car for two persons and front entrance, initially with only three wheels, later, for reasons of stability, with four wheels (the two on the rear very close together): the Isetta Bubble Car. About 20,000 of the bubble cars were built at the Rivolta works near Milan, but this volume was dwarfed by that of the German licensee
Starting in 1954, Isetta was licensed to automobile manufacturers in several countries: France (by VELAM), Spain, Great Britain and Brazil (by Romi). The most successful, however, was the German Isetta built by BMW. The BMW-Isetta fulfilled the dream of mobility in post-war Germany and about 130,000 had been sold by 1962
At the start of 1973 the Rivolta family ceded the business to an Italian American financier named Dr Ivo Pera who promised to bring American management know-how to the firm: the business faded rapidly into obscurity.
Found on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iso_Rivolta
After the Second World War, the company reopened its doors, completely changing its activity. In 1948 it began to build motorcycles, scooters and motocarries (three wheeled transport scooters/motorcycles). Among the most famous are the Furetto (1948), 'Isoscooter (1950),' Isocarro (1951), 'Isomoto (1954) and' Isosport (1953). The last Iso motorcycle was presented as the Iso 500 in 1961. Isomotos were known as expensive, but durable and well-built.
In the mid-1950s, he started to develop a miniature car for two persons and front entrance, initially with only three wheels, later, for reasons of stability, with four wheels (the two on the rear very close together): the Isetta Bubble Car. About 20,000 of the bubble cars were built at the Rivolta works near Milan, but this volume was dwarfed by that of the German licensee
Starting in 1954, Isetta was licensed to automobile manufacturers in several countries: France (by VELAM), Spain, Great Britain and Brazil (by Romi). The most successful, however, was the German Isetta built by BMW. The BMW-Isetta fulfilled the dream of mobility in post-war Germany and about 130,000 had been sold by 1962
At the start of 1973 the Rivolta family ceded the business to an Italian American financier named Dr Ivo Pera who promised to bring American management know-how to the firm: the business faded rapidly into obscurity.
Found on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iso_Rivolta
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Have you checked out the Magnetic Brain lately? He's upped his game, and his site is looking awesome! His content was never less than great, but it's even better now!
0 comments Posted by st at 9:35 PM
found on Autoblog Hungary http://www.autoblog.hu/videok/video_egy_propelleres_auto_1924bol.html
these are just a small sample of the Street Machines in Australia... found on streetmachinemag.typepad.com/street_machine/
0 comments Posted by st at 7:45 PM
Monday, September 5, 2011
This is Frenc Pavlics (the mobility genius) driving the MTA over our “Lunarium” rock field outside of the engineering building. It is controlled with a joystick controller on the right side. The GM Research Labs at the Tech Center donated the same type controller used on the Firebird III. found on http://deansgarage.com/2011/moonmen/#more-4737
Carl Grimes' fantastic bus transporter... moves the team and the racecar, even sleeps them when on the road
0 comments Posted by st at 7:40 PM
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