The Automobile and American Life

At the Drive-In: An Incredible Story Reflecting Rural Americana during the 1950s and 1960s

2012-02-14T05:37:00.000-08:00

The following in bold is taken from chapter 8 of my book The Automobile and American Life and provides a context for a far more focused story that follows.

A Night at the Drive-In
For every film classic like “Rebel Without a Cause,” there were ten shot on low budget, largely now forgotten by all except film buffs and those who watch Turner Classic Movies while killing time at the nursing home. Yet, a number of these films have become cult favorites and several, like Thunder Road, or The Blob, starring an up-and-coming Steve McQueen, gained new significance in more recent times. Many of these marginal films became the staple for the drive-in of the 1950s and 1960s, a time when youths were anxious to remove themselves from parental control and search for self-identity. Drive-ins have become an endangered institution, the consequence of changing mores, suburbanization, and a migration to the exurbs. In 1958, there were more than 4,000 drive-ins in America, but by the early 1990s, the number had fallen to about 870. They were a place to meet friends, find entertainment, passion, if one was lucky, and cheap, but often bad food. But on a hot summer’s night, what better a place to spend some time and money. And what if it rained?
The longest running drive-in can be found in Orefield, Pennsylvania, north of Allentown. Shankweiler’s Drive-In was the second drive-in established in America.[1] It opened during the summer of 1933, after its founder stopped at Richard M. Hollingshead’s theater in Camden, New Jersey on his way back from the Jersey Shore. Hollingshead had opened his operation on June 6, 1933 to 600 people who paid 25 cents per person to see the film Wife Beware. Back in Orefield, Shankweiler hung up a giant sheet between two poles, set up a giant speaker, and was in business.
Soon others would follow, but Hollingshead, who had patented his drive-in idea, would be mired in court for years over infringement suits. Technical innovations, including RCA speakers that would be hung on car windows and in-car heaters for use during the winter months, were incorporated after World War II. American life was never the same with the viewing of such films as The Hideous Sun Demon, I Married a Monster from Outer Space, Cat Women on the Moon, and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
[1] Stephen Bayley, Sex, Drink and Fast Cars (New York: Pantheon, 1986): 52-7.

The following is a Contribution from Ed Garten -- Thank you, Ed!

John, might be blog material if you add some cultural insight to it, but I think you've seen this photo of my Grandfather Garten's drive-in theatre -- the only drive-in in the country and for miles around. Carlos built the theatre around 1952 and it operated until around 1964 when it started to sort of go downhill and when the "beach party" B movies were shown as well as some of the "slasher-type" horror flicks. This photo appears to be circa 1954 given the cars and trucks pictured.

A important element of this theatre, located in a rural area of Summers County, West Virginia, was the way in which it served as a social gathering spot. In this photo note that there is a country-western band playing on top of the concession stand. Typically on an early summer evening, grandfather would invite in local or regional bands who would play until dusk and just before the movies started to play. Note that the cars in front of the band are turned facing the band and not turned toward the screen -- they were listening to the music and then, later, would turn their cars around to watch the movies. Note also the young girls dressed in typically 50s dresses likely congregating to catch up on local high school gossip. Also note that there are several old pick-up trucks with young guys standing in the beds -- often times a local farmer would come to the movies with his family and then also bring a few local farm boys with him.

Below, my cousin, R. D. Williams and grandfather Garten's other grandson, provides some memories of the drive-in. As I recall, although still a child, folks would often mill around prior to darkness and the beginning of the movies and talk "cars" -- comparing their cars with others' cars. Car talk, girl talk, local gossip -- the stuff that made a small Appalachian community what it was. We sometimes forget how the "drive-in theatre" was such a bonding experience for those who lived and grew up in remote and often provincial environments.

Here's cousin R. D.'s memories of the Garten Drive-in Theatre:

Your dad, Johnny ran the original concession stand behind the big screen out front before the concession stand was built. He would take home the left over popcorn each night to feed to the hogs. He made the best hamburgers ( I always had them with just mustard and onions), and mom ran the ticket booth. We always had to check the trunks of cars and watch for "sneak ins" ( walk ins from the road). I went around from car to car selling popcorn and other stuff. Your Uncle Maghee's house was close enough that he actually had a speaker run to his living room with a big picture window in the front, so you could watch the movies from his house. There were swings and see saws in front of the screen for the kids, and every fourth of July they would have a belly bucking contest and a greasy pole to climb with a $20 bill attached to the top, along with sack races and other games. They also had a lot of short shorts along with cartoons and previews before the movie, including negro spirituals, with black angels singing and walking on clouds. On warm summer nights, people would actually lay on the hood of their car and lean against the windshield to watch the movie. I saw the African Queen with Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn 11 times. Sergant York with Gary Cooper and Audie Murphy 8 times. It was a magical place and a special time....The only Drive -in ever in the county. C.B. Garten was a true entrepreneur ahead of his time. Looks like this was circa 1954 or 53. I remember watching some movies from horseback since the barn and camp were adjacent to the drive-in. Ah, those halcion days!!

UD student auto-biography -- Katelyn Diehl: Speed, a Red Truck, and a 1965 Shelby Cobra

2012-02-09T05:05:00.000-08:00

Katelyn Diehl
January 25, 2012
HST 344 – Dr. Heitmann
“Auto”-Biography
Speed is a word that very easily defines my life. My parents told me that I was walking by time I was 8 months old, and talking full sentences by 10 months. My father had me in a “souped-up” Fisher-Price Power Wheels Jeep by the time I was a year old. He had replaced the batter with a 12-Volt car battery so that I had more juice, and he put screws in the tires since they were plastic and had no traction. My “life-size” plastic doll, Megan, and I would ride around the front yard for hours. I loved that jeep! I even allowed my cousin, Don (who is four months older than me); take it for spin around the yard. A few seconds after he slammed my precious jeep into a tree – I looked at him and asked “what’s the matter with you?” I only know this part of the story because my Aunt retells it all the time because that’s how they knew Don needed classes at such a young age – glad I could help out!
As I continued to grow, I became too tall for the jeep and could no longer fit inside. By the age of four my dad had built me a better set of wheels. I had my very own go-cart. It was black and had foam rails that were wrapped with black electrical tape. I would ride over the drive way and the cart would stop suddenly because I was so short that my behind came off the seat and therefore my foot off the gas. My father then installed a 5-point harness that strapped me in tight. I would ride around the back yard until my arms hurt from the non-power steering.
At age sever came the quad-runner, age nine the mini-bike, and age ten came the Yamaha Warrior ATV. When I was eight years old I really started helping dad out in the garage. He decided he wanted to build a four-seat sand rail. He even let me pick the color of the powder coat for the frame. My favorite color was purple at the time, and sure enough, dad came home from Michigan with a very purple frame. He knew it would stick out since not many buggies were a “girlie” color. I helped him as much as I could by putting nuts on bolts and holding tools for him as he worked. I was also small enough to climb under the buggy while it was sitting on the ground so I always volunteered to hold stuff from under the frame. After it was complete my family spent many nights riding around town. Every summer we vacationed at the Silver Lake Sand Dunes up in Michigan and camped at the state park. I was always egging dad on from the back seat telling him to go faster over the dunes, although my mother and younger brother were always nervous. I enjoyed listening to my dad talk to questioning people walking by the campsite about the work and effort he put into the buggy. I will always miss those buggy rides.
As my automotive historical timeline continues, around the age of twelve my dad was thinking about selling “The Red Truck”. It’s a ’79 Step side Chevy that he bought new and installed a winch on the front and used it to haul many things. When I was young, Dad would take me for rides through town and I would yell “faster daddy, faster!” So, I begged him not to sell the truck, and he didn’t. Instead, he decided that he wanted to re-build it. In 2003 the project began, and I was in the barn with him helping him with the engine compartment. He had major back surgery a few months prior, and was not supposed to be lifting things. So, I was his “right-hand man”. Together we put in a 496 big block blower, bench seats, a wood-panel bed, all chrome parts underneath, and new head lights. We took the motor to a shop in Richmond to put it on a “dyno” (dynamometer). Its peak was 786 horsepower – “YEEEEEE-HAAAAWWWWW!” This project is what started me into the engineering track for college. We only take the truck to shows when it’s completely sunny and no chance of rain. My parent’s care for their vehicles has instilled a better appreciation in my actions.
After my father’s first major back surgery, he was forced to medically retire – hence the truck project. Well, after making every part on that truck chrome and getting the truck exactly the way he wanted it to look and run, he decided he needed something else. On September 9, 2008 the Factory 5 Racing kit for a ’65 Shelby Cobra arrived in the mail. Dad had always loved these cars, so he decided he was going to build one for himself. He worked long hours in the barn, and only came in when he had to. He installed seat warmers per my mother’s request, a back-up camera, a RADAR detector/jammer, a surround sound radio with DVD player and subwoofer. He finally took it out on the road for the first time on July 4, 2010. It was a very memorable moment that I was happy I got to witness. Unfortunately, since I was at college most of those two years, I couldn’t help as much as I wanted to. But, I am very pleased that dad allows me to drive it in the warmer months. I love hitting that pedal and hearing the engine roar! We take it to many car shows and I love listening to my dad talk about it to other people. He’s proud of his work and people can definitely appreciate his effort (if they aren’t idiots and actually know what they’re talking about).
My love of cars even got me into a co-op position down in Greenville, South Carolina. I went to work for BMW Manufacturing at their Spartanburg plant. I spent two semesters there and loved every minute of it. I was one of the lucky students who got to drive the automobiles as part of my job. I would drive the auto over cobblestone events and listen for any type of noise I could hear. BMW being a luxury brand, the car is supposed to be silent for the most part. I then, would take apart the car and try to find the culprit and a way to fix the issue. It was a lovely job, but when I was frustrated I was able to take the cars to the track and press my foot to floor and take my anger out that way. “Red-lining” the X6 Motorsport at 8500RPM is one of the best feelings in the world. I am very much my father’s daughter in the sense that I have no fear behind a wheel – I loved that job!
I am now at present-day in my timeline, and realize I have failed to mention the car I started driving in. I have a ’95 Chevy Blazer that we bought off my uncle. It was my older cousin’s car. It was in great shape and even had a cool radio that would turn flat screen when powered off. My dad put two 12” speakers and an amplifier in it so I could look “cool” at high school. I would wash it once a week, and clean and sweep it out every other week. I played volleyball, basketball, and softball, so from books, changes of clothes, softball bags, and muddy cleats – my car was a mess quite often. But, needless to say, I was voted for the senior superlative for the yearbook as “best car”! It was a happy day. An even happier day was back in October of this year, on the 23rd of 2011, when I accepted a full-time job offer from Cummins, Inc. I will be starting work as a mechanical engineer on June 11, 2012. I will be living in Columbus, Indiana and designing the 11.9 and 15.0 liter engines. It amazes me the path that my life took and where I’m headed!

Where UD student Tom Kimberly's Love of Cars Began: A Ford Model A, A Spyder, and Family

2012-02-08T07:07:00.000-08:00

Hi folks -- for those of us who love cars, a central quiestion is always one of where and how did it begin? Almost always, one can point to childhood experiences, and PEOPLE! For me, it was a much older cousin, Fred, whom I incidentally dedicated my book, The Automobile and American Life to. For Tom Kimberly, it was those irreplaceable times with his father and grandfather. The Model T and the Spyder are important, but they just set the stage for the memories that followed.

UD Student Autobiography: Tyra Campbell and her Barbie Jeep

2012-02-07T05:48:00.000-08:00

Tyra Campbell

Auto-biography

Professor Heitmann

24 January 2012

If only I could still drive the BARBIE JEEP!

Ring! Ring! My attention turns from the cartoons I am engaged in as I hear the doorbell sound. I run to my room and grab my baby doll by her arm and swing a diaper bag over my shoulder as fast as possible. Then, I sprint down the stairs to the door to greet my best friend, Kelsey Wood, who, like me is six years old. I hug my mom as I walk past her and prance out of the door, holding Kelsey’s hand tightly. Her beautiful pink and purple Barbie car awaits us in the drive way. The car’s bright purple tires glisten in the sun. Oh, how I love the colors! The car merely stands three feet tall, the perfect size for us.

As we approach the car, we toss our dolls in the back compartment of the car and I put my diaper bag behind them. Kelsey hops in the driver’s seat and I climb in as her passenger. We do this naturally, without discussion, as it has become a daily ritual. Seat belts are strapped across our chest and Kelsey turns the key to start the engine. Our perfect baby car is ready to hit the road.

The cool morning breeze blows our shiny hair back behind our faces. Smiles illuminate our faces as we head down the street away from our houses. I turn to Kelsey, who is focusing on the road ahead and ask, “Where are we headed today?” She pulses for a second and responds, “I was going to ask you the same thing.” We laugh at each other because we both know we are only allowed to go to the end of our street and back. But, our imaginations get the best of us and we pretend we can go anywhere we want. We spend hours laughing, talking, and riding in our perfect Barbie Jeep. What a perfect day!

Now as I look back, I vividly remember the Barbie Jeep and the joy that filled my life on those summer days. The Barbie Jeep allowed me to explore the meaning of true freedom through what I would call me first car. Although we were limited to one street, my best friend and I were able to decide where we were going and what we were going to do. We were in control!

My enthusiasm for the freedom and control acquired through driving was quickly demolished the day I nearly totaled my mom’s SAAB convertible. It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon in November and my parents had allowed me to drive my mom’s car since mine was in the shop. I was ecstatic because the SAAB was exceptionally better looking and certainly more exciting to drive than my Ford Explorer. Before I left that day, my dad gave me the keys and said, “Make sure you don’t mess up the wheels.” I told him I wouldn’t and left for work.

The drive to work was like any ordinary day. However, the drive home from work was an entirely different story. I was driving on Mason-Montgomery Road, a road that I had driven on numerous times. Traffic had picked up significantly since I had gone into work. The light up ahead was green and cars where quickly passing through the main intersection. So I speedily followed... a little too close. Before I knew it, my foot slammed the break pedal to the floor and the front end of the car was crashing into the red car in front of me at full speed. I shut my eyes and screamed.

Seconds later, I opened my eyes to the music blasting into my ears. Out of the window I saw the hood of the car in the shape of an accordion. Streams of tears began to trickle down my face as reality set in. Cars were flying by me and I had no idea what to do. A considerate pedestrian saw the accident and came to help me. The events that followed that day have since become a blur to me. I think this is because I do not want to remember all the details of the cops questioning me, my parent’s shock, and my own disappointment in myself.

From that day on, driving has not been the same for me. I do not drive for freedom or enjoyment anymore. I drive to make my life easier. I wish I could still jump in my car with the excitement that was once almost impossible to contain. But, the freedom and joy of driving as a young adult will never compare to the summer days I spent with my best friend in her beautiful Barbie Jeep.

UD Student "Auto" Biography -- Ryan Shepard and his 1989 Toyota Camry

2012-02-03T07:35:00.000-08:00

Ryan Shepherd
HST 344
Professor Heitmann
January 25, 20012

Autobiography My First Car
I was born in 1989 and ironically that is the same year my first car, a Toyota Camry was born for the first time. My uncle Bob spotted my car while driving down the road on his way to work. It was the summer of 2005 he’s driven down the same road many times and saw the same old, dull car sitting under a tree covered up by dirt and leaves. One day my uncle asked me to take a ride with him. He drove me down the road and pointed out the old car and asked, what do you think? I really didn’t know what to say. On a whim, my uncle and I drove down the long driveway of the home where the car sat. Honestly, I was feeling a little uneasy about being on a stranger’s property. Anyway, we knocked on the door and after a while, an older man came to door. He looked at us curiously; he probably thought we were trying to sell him a vacuum cleaner or something. My uncle introduced himself and asked him if the car sitting under the tree, at the end of his property belonged to him. He said yes, is there a problem? Uncle Bob told him that he had seen the car there for many years and was just wondering if it might be for sale. Now his look went from curious, to surprised and shocked. Needless to say he said “SURE!” He told us that he had owned the car since it was brand new. He drove it for six years and then passed it on to his son. His son drove it for almost two years until it had engine problems in 1998. The car had not run since that time which meant the car had been sitting under the tree not running for the past eight years.
Uncle Bob being a bit of a “gear head,” asked him some questions about the engine; we then went down to look under the hood. I had no clue what we were looking for but hey, I looked. Uncle Bob saw potential and I saw a car that had no mirrors, busted tail lights, flat tires, and an interior that appeared to be a garbage can for the last eight years and most importantly, didn’t run. The paperwork on the car said that it was black but I couldn’t tell, it just looked like color of dirt. Well as you can guess, my uncle bought the car for $200.00.
From towing the car to eventually getting the car to run it was a learning experience I’ll never forget. For the next year Uncle Bob and I worked on the car together. Working on the car was a labor of love in many ways. Uncle Bob and I got along, but never really had many common interests. The car became something that we both had in common. He loved working on cars and I wanted one to all my own. I learned how to rebuild an engine, work on brakes, replace a fuel pump, change belts, buff, wax and generally rebuild a car. Most of all, I learned how to build and nurture a relationship. We bumped our heads, cut our fingers, and brain stormed together. I learned that everything has potential. I’m still no “gear head,” but when we were finished working on my car, I felt like it was really mine. I’ll never forget the first time the engine turned over and it started. My car was “born again” and the purr of an engine was music to my ears. My car was awesome! No, it wasn’t brand new, but it was to me and that’s all that mattered. Now looking at my car, I saw all the blood sweat and tears that we poured into it. It was like the ugly duckling that turned into a beautiful swan. I loved that car.

UD Student "auto-biography" -- Mohammad Almashama and his Limousine

2012-02-02T14:10:00.001-08:00

Mohammad ALmashama
History 344
1/24/2012
Limousine
The car that has left a memorable event in my life is the limousine. I happened to enjoy the comfort of being driven in a limousine on the Christmas holiday of ten years ago. This occurred when we were to go out with my entire family to America over the Christmas holidays. As the last born in a family of ten children, no one seemed to pay much attention on me. Instead, everyone including my parents were all enthusiastic of the trip to America, for it was to be their first trip there. I noticed earlier that no one paid much attention to me. As the last born, however, I was mad because I expected to have attention especially from my mother. All she did, however, was preparing for the trip. In disappointment, I went out to the verandah and sat there all alone.
As I sat there all alone, my other family members prepared and left for their trip, oblivious of my absence. I realized they had left when it was too late. Thus, I walked, aimlessly, feeling both frightened and disappointed. Unaware of my destination, I chose to go. Suddenly, I saw a long white car, pulling right beside me. The driver stopped and shouted merry Christmas. I found myself smiling as I was directed into the posh car.
The length of the limousine itself perplexed me a lot. I wondered why the car was so long. Though I did not know the stranger, I decided to get into the car. Inside the limousine was so exotic, I hardly believed. There were all types of entertainment. I could see a large flat screen television. There was also a laptop beside it. In addition, the seats were so posh; I almost refused to seat on them. Everything in the car was white in color, except the seats, which were made of black leather. There was also a cooler, where I helped myself with some drinks. Moreover, there was a phone, which was used to communicate with the driver. Unlike other cars I had seen before, the driver was not visible once someone was inside the limousine. He kept calling, in case there was any difficulty, and I almost thought I was dreaming.
Another unique experience I had while in the limousine is that one assumes he/she is in a house. In essence, the limousine is made such that one does not hear the sound of anything outside the limousine. I could not see other vehicles outside, for the limousine had tainted windows. This created a feeling of relaxation for one does not worry about external disturbances. Moreover, the seats were also convertible and could easily be made into a bed. I thought I was in a house because even the potholes could not be felt. There was a fan for fresh, cool air, and the floor was carpeted with white carpet.
I was humbled when the driver finally woke me up, asking me to step out. There was my family, who wanted to prove their love through the surprise. Though it was lovely meeting them again, the experience was impressive, and this made me love limousine cars. I vowed to work extra had, in order to purchase one in the future. The experience in the car is memorable, giving the occupants a status of power.

UD Student Tim Hartnett -- "Silver Way" a Pontiac Grand Am

2012-02-02T13:57:00.000-08:00

Living in a family of five, with a younger sister and a younger brother, I have learned the art of sharing and providing hand-me-downs. This ranged from toys and out grown clothes to shoes my brother decided he liked. Generally speaking, I did not have a problem sharing my stuff, and I was very fortunate growing up that my parents were able to help me pay for nice, more expensive items, like my first car, a Pontiac Grand Am.
This first car was everything I wanted and needed. I turned 16 the summer before. I anticipated getting my license, the first of all my friends. I scheduled the classroom learning and the in-car instructional. I took the test the week after my birthday and passed! I was young and free! I had a license! I wanted to spread my metaphorical wings and simply sore unrestricted. My birthday gift/partial personal investment was my car, my ticket to freedom. I bought a parking pass for my high school parking lot, and people to car-pool with. I took care of my car, and she took care of me. I waxed the car at least once a summer and once a winter. I scrubbed the tires and wheels. The car glistened in the sun and the snow brushed so easily off the smooth finish.
This car was all mine, no sharing. That is until my sister, Kelly, turned 16 two years later. That same summer, I graduated from high school in early June and she turned 16 in early July. The month before I left for school we had to pick days of the weekend we wanted the car. We had to share the car civilly, or no one was allowed to drive that weekend. We managed to make it work between us, but it felt so unfair because this was MY car for the two last years. I paid for the gas; I took the empty water bottles and wrappers out of the car. I just wanted my baby to be appreciated and not abused; I didn’t think this was too much to ask. We had our brotherly/sisterly yelling matches, but at the end of the summer, I left for the University of Dayton, a place where freshman were not allowed to have cars.
Living without my car was surprisingly easier than I thought, although I did miss being able to drive somewhere whenever I wanted. When I went home the first time for fall break, my parents had to come down and get me. While home, my sister took my car to school. The car I called my own, was now HERS. It hurt to have this reality. All the hard work I put into keeping my silver baby clean was put to the way side as the car showed poorly my sister treated the car. There were scratches on the hood, dings on the side door, and the mirror had gotten knocked off the driver’s side. What happened to my baby, my precious car? As I asked my sister, the stories came about how none of them were her fault. The mailbox moved and garage door width narrowed. All the effort I put into keeping my car in the same shape when we bought it was no longer visible. When I came home that summer, the real problems began. I was working and so was my sister. I would have to wake up at 6:30 (in the summer?!?!) to drive my mother to work so I could drive the minivan and my sister could take the car we share. On the bright side, my mom helped me pay for gas that summer. Sharing my car with my younger sister for an entire summer was hardly just an inconvenience but we got through it.
I went back to school for my sophomore year, living off campus and car-less. It was difficult to get groceries without using my roommate’s car. In order to go home or visit a friend, I had to find a ride that involved me not driving. It was less than enjoyable. That Christmas, my grandparents bought themselves a new car. They found it in their heart to give their old red ’96 Buick LeSabre to me as a gift, and because it no longer served a purpose in their garage. It was a set of wheels that got me from point A to point B. The front seat was a leather bucket seat, and the radio dial could be controlled from the steering wheel. Those were the 2 best features of the car. That summer I got a job in Tennessee working for Proctor and Gamble. I traveled on my own with the car over stuffed on a 13 hour drive. The car made it, remarkably. I took good care of this car too washing it and waxing it. In the end, this was MY car, I had to be seen in it, so it only made sense that it should be taken care of. On my 21st birthday, I was driving to Nashville. As I pulled into the hotel, my brakes gave out, dirty fluid shooting out underneath the car. The problem was fixed the next day and the car proved to work ok for the next year.
When I went home at the end of the summer, my sister went off to school for her first year in college and was not allowed to take a car. My brother, now 16, got his license. He helped me wax the car when I was his age. I vented to him about the frustration with how my sister took care of the car. I felt he knew the importance of this car to me. Just to remind me of my first love, I borrowed now HIS car for a test drive. The steering was sticky, the brakes were squishy, and the interior was heavily soiled. That’s part of a car’s life I guess, but it was still saddening to see the car start to fade out. I could tell she had a lot left in her and would take good care of my brother.
That winter when I went home for Christmas, I was devastated to see the shape of my silver baby. The hood was dented and elevated. The driver panel had a massive scar from coming in contact with a concrete median. The back bumper had a cylindrical indentation. What happened? Who had done this? My brother answered all my questions, and to my surprise there were two incidences, both on the same day. The first was backing out of the school parking lot and he hit a concrete post. He said that bump was his fault, but the next happening was not. On the way home, it was icy and the car spun a 180 and skidded along the guard rail and stopped via rear of the car in front of his. The damage was drivable and the car in front of him had no damage as it was a semi with heavy steel steps at the rear. I could tell he was devastated telling this news to me. He apologized because he knew how much I loved this car. It was obvious he had grown attached to her too.
My silver baby passed away this past summer after the engine block was cracked after 115,000 miles. It was decided the car was to be sent to scrap and life would move on. She was soon replaced with a Pontiac Grand Prix 2006, also silver. It was not the same. My brother liked the car better, claiming it handled more smoothly. I put many of miles on the Grand Am driving all around the state of Ohio and nearby states. I have since moved onto a new joy of my life, my dark green Honda Ridgeline 2006, but I will never forget the joy that my silver baby brought me.

Kyle Murphy and "California Dreamin'"

2012-02-02T13:51:00.000-08:00

1955 Chevrolet Delray 210

California Dreamin’: Automobile Edition

As a lifelong Michigan resident and a current resident of one of the most historically important automobile cities in the United States you might expect me to be quite knowledgeable on automobiles. Couple that with the fact that my dad, Uncle Ron and Uncle Jim worked at the Saginaw Steering Division of GM (later turned Delphi) after high school, with the latter retiring from there after 37 years. If that weren’t a good enough reason to be an automobile enthusiast, my grandfather treated his red Cadillac like a 6th child and I grew up with “Home Improvement” as my favorite show. Unfortunately, I must admit that for reasons unbeknownst to me, I never really gained interest in cars as a youth.
Growing up many of my friends were self-proclaimed ‘car nerds’ and everywhere I have ever lived has had some role in the automotive industry and thus seems to have a permanent automotive aura surrounding it. If blame must be placed somewhere then my parents are probably most deserving. Being a child of the 90’s my sister and I were driven around by my mom in a purple mini-van and then later a white mini-van when automatic doors came out. My dad’s mode of transportation was a golf cart as we lived on the golf course for which he operated. In my eyes my childhood was as good as it could get; I played golf everyday during the summer and my mom being a teacher at my school kept me out of trouble when I had to go back to school.
My first real brush with classic American cars was when I went out to visit family in the Los Angeles area. My Aunt Marilyn is a travel agent in the area and she would fly each niece and nephew to LA, by ourselves, to visit when we turned 10 years old. When I was there we did the normal tourist things like Knott’s Berry Farm, Santa Monica Pier and Venice Beach, Griffith Observatory, SD Zoo, LA Angel’s baseball, and much more. However, my most memorable day may have been the day we had no plans. My aunt got called into work in morning so my Uncle Joe and I stayed at home without any agenda. I stayed in my room and played video games (10 years old, 1990’s, enough said!) and Uncle Joe took advantage of the perfect Southern California weather to do ‘yard work’. After an hour or so I heard him talking to neighbors and curiosity got the best of me so and I went outside. In the driveway accompanying the three admirers was a freshly waxed olive green 1955 Chevy 210 Del Ray Coupe and a black 1930 Ford Model A with rumble seat. I was in shock because in the week I had been there I had not seen inside the garage and just assumed it was the place where storage junk went to be eaten by mice, as had been the case at my house. His 1955 Bel Air had been the family car when Uncle Joe was growing up and then became his first car when he turned 16. It ended up sitting in storage from 1975 until 1999 when it undertook a year long, $20,000 restoration which included seat belts and air conditioning for those hot LA summers. I had arrived just as the restoration was finishing. It was the type of car that you felt nervous to ride in for fear of leaving smudges with your fingerprints or the car that you ask if shoes are aloud inside before entering. Once buffed into a Hollywood quality shine we were able to take a ride around the town. Had my expectations for a first car had certainly been elevated! The Del Ray was beyond great, but the Ford Model A was something that I had never seen before, in person or anywhere else, and to this day I haven’t seen another. Seeing my fascination with the Model A we decided to take it out to the local ice cream shop that night after dinner and being a two seat car I was overjoyed when I learned that I had to be the one to sit in the rumble seat. The drive over was about as you might expect, lots of honks, staring, and the occasional drive-by yeller. At the ice cream shop the attention didn’t stop, there was a big enough crowd and enough flashes from cameras that many passer-bys may have thought that Marilyn Monroe had been resurrected and come to enjoy an ice cream sundae. The real fun, however, started on the ride back. Taking a play from the more modern ford clunker , the car wouldn’t start. After several turns from the crank starter at the front of the car we gave it another shot, still nothing. It wasn’t until those turns of the crank were paired with a push start from some nice Californians that we finally had success. Needless to say that after my experience in California I gained an appreciation for classic Americans cars and the hobby of restoring those beautiful pieces of Americana. I haven’t had many experiences with classic cars since, but the few I have had reiterated lessons that I learned in L.A and lessons that probably apply to classic car lovers everywhere. First, washing and waxing cars is nowhere as fun as riding in them. Secondly, don’t even bother asking to drive, it is a waste of breathe. Lastly, nobody has ever not enjoyed classic cars; seriously when was the last time you have seen a car enthusiast frown in a classic car? In closing, I fully look forward to being able to start a car project of my own one day. My 1996 Ford Taurus is a logical start, but I am not sure that the poster child for ‘cash-for-clunkers’ will ever be held in as high esteem or historical significance as the classics I encountered in California.

UD Student "Auto" Biography -- Paige Vargas -- a Honda CR-V by the name of "Rhonda"

2012-02-02T13:48:00.000-08:00

Paige Vargas
HST344
Prof. Heitmann
January 25, 2012
‘Auto’biography

A Name is not to be Taken Lightly

It was my sister’s 16th birthday and I looked out my window. I saw this beautiful silver Honda CR-V in my driveway with her headlights looking straight into my eyes. I fell in love. She glistened in the sunrise. I had to have her, but reality set in and I realized it was my sister’s soon-to-be car. A tear rolled down my cheek and my heart broke into two pieces. I admired from a far when my sister ran outside to see what my dad bought her. I was deeply saddened. I watched her sail away into that perfect sunrise with a smile on her face that I wanted to rip off. I wanted that car!
For six whole months I sat in the passenger seat as my sister dangled her keys in my face before we drove to school every weekday. It took everything out of me to tell her the car like me more. After six long months, I received my driving permit and she was mine! Technically she was still my sister’s, but I was sitting in the car’s throne with two hands on the wheel at ten and two. Even though I was still accompanied by a parent while driving her, but it still felt as if she was officially mine.
Only one more year of my sister driving to school in the morning and then I receive my license and I would take over the route! My 16th birthday came and my silver beauty turned flawlessly, as I had to back around a corner. I smiled for my picture, grabbed the keys out of my mom’s hand and ran straight for the parking lot. I told my car that she was officially mine! Now, she deserved a name! I cannot explain how long I thought about a name for her, but nothing suited her well enough. She needed a name that captured her radiant silver pigment and at the same time apprehended her dominance on the road.
I was cruising to school at 7:45 in the morning and to keep my mind off of being late, I switched on the radio. My sister must have changed to radio stations because an ‘oldies’ station started blaring. “Help me Rhonda, help, help me Rhonda.” I thought to myself, “Ew! What kind of music is this?” (At the time I did not know the Beach Boys sang this tune.) However, it was a big coincidence that I was racing to school and a song saying, “help me” turned on. Then it hit me! Help me Rhonda! Rhonda! That was it. Rhonda is helping me get to school on time. Even more coincidently Rhonda had the word Honda in it. The stars aligned that day for Rhonda the Honda and I. However, I did receive a tardy slip for being late.
I have stayed close with Rhonda and have never abandoned her on purpose. I could not take her to college for my first two years because my brother needed a car to learn how to drive. I found out the summer I went back to her that my brother crashed her! To say I was mad is an understatement. I thought, “How could he do that to her!” I knew I didn’t trust him with my baby! Thankfully she is fine and there was only slight damage to the front bumper. I sat my brother down and told him how special Rhonda was and that a car is a serious responsibility. He laughed. After that I convinced my parents to let me take Rhonda for the summer at Dayton and they surprisingly agreed. Those 5-hour trips from Dayton to Chicago and visa-versa were great bonding times. I had to leave her the next school year with my dangerous driving brother, but Rhonda survived.
Once I return home, I was faced with a decision that most kids are not even asked. Do I want my dad’s five-year-old Lexis with navigation and Bluetooth or let my 16-year-old brother have the prize car? The decision was easy! Rhonda was mine. My brother could ride in style with the Lexis, while I ride with pride in Rhonda. We were attached at the hip. Every time I double push lock on her keys she beeps at me and it is her way of saying, “Until next time.”
Rhonda has been through a lot over the years especially with teaching all three of us kids how to drive. However, she has stayed loyal to the people I care about most and kept us all safe and sound on the road. She will forever be my car and we still have miles of empty roads to travel together in the future.

UD "Auto-Biography" -- EMT Kyle Rismiller and his 2000 Wheeled Coach Type III Ambulance

2012-02-02T05:09:00.000-08:00

Kyle Rismiller
Prof. John A. Heitmann
HST 344 01
25 January 2011

Driving Lights and Sirens: My “Auto” Biography
“Take it easy driving. The life you might save might be mine.” The following words were spoken by the late actor and car enthusiast James Dean just weeks before he would be involved in an accident while driving his Porsche 550 Spyder that would claim his life. His words carry a powerful message that cannot be overlooked—a haunting reminder of the responsibility one must assume whenever they are behind the wheel.
To define an automobile as a vehicle in the traditional sense of simply a means of transportation is, to me, a gross understatement. Sure, to some that may be sufficient, but to others their car may be a beloved family heirloom, a fast, racing machine, or maybe even a father-son bonding experience. However, I feel I have a special relationship with my model 2000 Wheeled Coach Type III ambulance. It is a tool upon which I, as well as the community I serve, have come to rely upon as much as the emergency medical technicians who operate it. A “vehicle” that truly makes the difference between life and death.
As I reflect upon my experiences as an EMT for over a year and a half now, I cannot help but be confronted with a mélange of emotions. I can say with sincerity that within the doors of that hulking machine I have experienced some of my proudest moments while at other times gripped by fear and anxiety, the likes of which I have never (and may never) experience elsewhere. Perhaps a story will best serve as illustration:
It was the fall of 2011 and I had just returned with my crew from staging Dayton’s largest annual rock concert known as X-Fest. Our crew was exhausted from a full day of treating and transporting patients intoxicated on only God knows what who, as a result, are usually injured in some sort of moshing activity. We only had an hour or so before our shift was over and we were looking forward to relaxing. But fate is not always so kind. Just as we returned to campus we got tones from dispatch indicating an emergency. Over the radio we were told that a young woman, clear across campus, had been violently seizing for several minutes now which is a serious situation since breathing is near impossible during the muscle convulsions of a seizure. Instinctively, and even before dispatch had finished, I flipped on the lights and sirens and quickly sped through the streets of campus, adrenaline coursing through my body. We arrived on scene to find an unconscious patient whom we immediately loaded into the ambulance while students from surrounding houses came out to see the commotion. The girl was still in critical condition and while the rest of my crew worked to stabilize her in the back of the medic, it was my job to get us to the hospital quickly and in one piece. However, there was a catch. Our target hospital, Miami Valley, is located past the fairgrounds where the thousands of people who had attended X-Fest were now frantically trying to leave. Local police had temporarily closed many of the roads in order to facilitate the efflux of traffic which left the street we needed to traverse in order to get to the hospital at a complete standstill of traffic. We had no choice but to dive straight into the sea of traffic. My hands moved quickly over the console, manipulating the sirens and horn to alert the traffic to the oncoming ambulance. Like a river through a forest, we meandered through the traffic as cars moved to the best of their ability in recognition of the emergency. In all, I probably drove on the right side of the road maybe half of the ten minutes it took to make the one mile journey. Still, because I was so familiar with the ambulance, we were able to make it to the hospital safely and in time to get the patient the care she needed.
Like the friend who has been with you through your worst and best times, I have developed a bond with my ambulance. It has taught me invaluable driving skills and confidence that I feel can only be obtained in very limited circumstances. There is no other feeling like driving with the lights and sirens of the ambulance on. Cars ahead move aside almost as if you own the road as you legally break the speed limit by sometimes as much as fifteen miles per hour. Not to mention the wave of adrenaline you feel as you prepare for the emergency ahead. The 7.3 liter turbo diesel engine is surprisingly powerful and the steering smooth and tight. I truly enjoy my job as a volunteer EMT serving the campus of UD and my experiences driving the ambulance has undoubtedly played a huge role in that.

University of Dayton student "auto-biography" -- Dayton to Daytona! -- David Bauer

2012-02-01T09:05:00.000-08:00

David P. Bauer
HST 344
Prof. Heitmann
1/25/12
An “Auto” Biography
We were just outside of Dayton when the magnitude of the ride ahead hit all of us at once. Over sixteen hours, as few stops as possible, straight to Daytona Beach, Florida.
The past few weeks of my junior year were spent much like the last few weeks of any student’s semester. Hours of studying, reviewing, taking finals, packing, and watching as older friends became more and more nervous about graduation and the uncertain months ahead. It was over now, and as the campus breathed its collected sigh of relief, seniors cleaned up their graduation parties and prepared to leave the University of Dayton one last time.
I had already made plans with three other friends to carpool south for UD’s annual Dayton to Daytona trip. We decided to stay the last weekend at UD to see our friends off and then drive through the night to our hotel on Daytona Beach. As with any twenty-one year old with a week of no responsibility ahead, I could not be more excited to begin our trip. I still remember how sunny it was, and how quiet campus seemed even though it was packed with students only days before. After what seemed like hours, our excitement could no longer be contained and we decided to forgo our previous plans and start our trek early.
“Who cares if we get there at 5:00 AM,” I remember someone saying. “We will be in Florida on the beach.”
Persuading a group of college students to spend more time on the beach is probably easier than persuading a dog to eat a treat. We tossed our last provisions in the back of my roommate’s Subaru Outback and piled in. What came next is one of the reasons driving is such a perfect means of travel. Not only could we bring anything without the fear of getting nickel and dimed for checked luggage, but road trips require no reservations. We were only blocks from the start when we noticed a friend of ours that obviously had taken his time cleaning up after graduation. He was just loading the last bit of clothes into his car when my roommate yelled out, “Hey Ryan, congrats! Want to come to Daytona?” Now, anyone that hadn’t just received his college degree would have gotten the joke and laughed it off. Ryan didn’t. “Sure,” he called back. Before I could stop laughing, Ryan had grabbed a few items of clothing, locked his car, and piled into the back seat in between my other two friends. Name an airline that would let a passenger jump on the plane as it taxied to the runway.
We decided that, since we were leaving earlier than scheduled, we could take our time and made a route that would hit as many states as possible without going too far out of the way. We headed east on US-35 making our way to West Virginia where we could head south cutting across parts of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. As with the majority of car trips, the drive was filled with fun and boredom, beautiful scenery and endless highways, hours that felt like minutes and minutes that could have been considered days.
My roommate was rather particular about his car and refused to let anyone else drive. The problem with this came at about 1:00 AM when his notorious inability to stay awake began to catch up with him. We stopped for gas, and I insisted he let me take over for a few hours while he slept. Reluctantly he handed me the keys, and we were off once again into the night. If only I knew what I was in the next few hours ahead.
In the middle of the night as I drove twisting and turning on a mountain road, the rain began. Pitch black and like someone with a hose pointed at the windshield, it was the worst driving conditions I have ever been in. However, I’m a good driver and pride myself in my clean record and no accidents. After an hour of rain that felt like a season, the rain was replaced with fog so thick that it would make walking dangerous. With nowhere to pull off, I decided to just stick it out as my friends all slept. Just as the fog lifted, the road leveled out, and my stress level finally began to descend, my roommate awoke and forced me to take the next exit so he could take over. We were only a few hours away.
I will always remember the feeling of pulling in to the parking lot of the hotel at just past 6:00 AM. There is something special about spending more than half a day straight in a car. A road trip adds a sense of adventure and accomplishment to travel. It makes just getting there part of the journey, part of the experience. Check in wasn’t for hours, but we didn’t care. We all got out and made our way on to the beach stretching and enjoying the feeling of all being able to walk, move, and unbend our legs. We sat together on the beach for hours, staring out at the ocean, and talking about the week ahead. A car is more than a means of getting from one place to another. It allows traveling to a destination to be part of the vacation, instead of a requirement that needs to be completed for the vacation to begin.

University of Dayton Student "Auto Biography" by Meredith Hirt -- "Cal"

2012-01-31T14:27:00.000-08:00

Meredith Hirt
HST 344-1 Heitmann
1/25/12

My Auto-Biography

Inside my car is my favorite place to be.
I love driving. But I’m also very fond of sleeping and showering and eating but my bed, my bathroom and my kitchen are not my favorite places. There’s more to it than just the placement of my hand on the wheel and my foot on the gas.
A lot of it has to do with being in control. I wouldn’t call myself a controlling person; I am a person who likes to be in control. The difference, though seemingly subtle, has to do with the influence I have on other people. I will not try to control you. You make your own decisions. I just have to be in control of myself and the situation that I am in. If you’re involved in that situation, then, yes, you may feel the force of the control I’m exerting. I’m not trying to pull you along; but if you jumped in the river knowing you wanted to go upstream but you’re not strong enough to swim against the current, that’s your problem.
In my car – Caliente, Cal for short – I am completely in control. I turn the wheel.
I am also in control of my environment. NO eating in my car. NO ONE who is not related to me drives my car. (I don’t share well. Any of my friends will attest to this. Maybe it’s because I’m the youngest child. Maybe it’s because I’m naturally a brat. Either way, Caliente is mine and you are not sitting in the driver’s seat.) NO sitting on my hood. You better not slam the damn door if you know what’s good for you. My car, my rules.
And then there’s the independence. The fact that, given enough road and enough gas, I can go anywhere I want to, all on my own. I don’t need a passenger. Sirius radio keeps me company just fine. As long as the asphalt treats me well, I’ll respect it. It’s a mutual agreement that works out much better than most of my human-to-human relationships. Analyze that how you may.
My car is my place. I can sing too loudly. I can pick my nose. I can scroll through the seven colors of ambiance lighting to pick the one that best matches my outfit. And you know what? Cal won’t judge me. You’d think that a relationship with a car would be strictly physical (I wash him, I “feed” him, he lets me sit on his lap), but my attachment runs much deeper than that. Caliente isn’t just some guy who touches me and asks for nothing in return. Contrarily, he isn’t obliquely needy in a way I can’t or won’t satisfy. When he needs something, he is able to tell me through a single illuminated icon. I provide. He shuts up. No argument, no hurt feelings.
When I’m driving, I feel like I’m part of something bigger than myself. I was on the highway recently, at night, with no one ahead of me in sight. As I descended a hill, I looked in my rear view mirror. And behind me, following the guidance of my taillights was a team of cars. It seemed, for a second, not just that I was my own leader, but capable of leading this fleet of others to whatever surely incredible destination awaited us. And I could do it because I was in my favorite place.
My relationship with my car may be abnormal in the eyes of some. I may appear, regardless of my denial of it, to be a complete control freak. However, others’ judgment doesn’t matter to me. Because Cal doesn’t care.

A Brief Biography of Harvey Firestone

2012-01-27T07:48:00.000-08:00

Harvey Firestone

The "Millionaires Club" out fishing

Race Driver Ab Jenkins and Harvey Firestone on a Firestone equipped tractor

Firestone, Harvey Samuel (1868-1938), established the Firestone Tire & Rubber Company (now Bridgestone/Firestone, Inc.) in Akron, Ohio, in 1900. Emerging as of the leading manufacturers of car and truck tires after 1906, Firestone's firm played a key role in putting America on wheels. As a supporter of the "Good Roads Movement" and the transcontinental Lincoln Highway, Firestone was known as an independent competitive businessman, who cut prices whenever possible and who shunned industry agreements. Serving as president of his company from 1903 to 1926, and chairman of the board of directors until his death on Feb. 7, 1938, he is remembered not only for his executive abilities, but also as a philanthropist whose gift made possible the Firestone Library at Princeton University.
After starting out as a bookkeeper and patent medicine salesman, in 1895 young Firestone became employed at his uncle's Columbus Buggy Company. Later he was employed as a manager at the Consolidated Rubber Tire Company, a leading manufacturer of carriage tires. Buggy tires were made of solid rubber, but after starting his own company and faced with the opportunity of supplying automobile tires to Henry Ford beginning 1906, he quickly gained expertise in the design and manufacture of pneumatic tires. Firestone's keen interest in technical progress resulted in several improvements, especially in the area of truck tires. The demonstration of the superiority of Firestone pneumatic tires over solid rubber tires during the 1919 transcontinental military truck convoy convincingly showed that trucks could transport goods cheaply and with flexibility over long distances. Later, in 1931, Firestone became the first to market a practical air-filled tire for farm machinery.
In 1926, Firestone, troubled by trade restrictions on the importation of rubber from British colonies, purchased a plantation in Liberia to produce rubber. In 1926, he signed an agreement with the Liberian government to lease 1 million acres (400,000 hectares) of land for the development of rubber plantations. He also made large loans to Liberia and built for it a new and improved harbor. Firestone also led in investigating the rubber resources of the Philippines and South America, and he encouraged American investment in rubber-growing countries. That interest led Firestone to also promote a search for alternative sources for natural rubber in the United States, primarily in Florida.
Firestone's relationship with Henry Ford and the Ford Motor Company extended beyond one focused on business matters. Along with Thomas Edison and Ford, Firestone was a member of the so-called "Millionaires" Club, a group that frequently went on highly publicized camping trips between 1918 and 1924. Later, Firestone's Ohio boyhood home would be moved to Ford's Greenfield Village museum, and Henry Ford's grandson would marry Harvey Firestone's granddaughter. Thus, an agreement to supply tires for the Ford Model T at the beginning of the automobile age ultimately blossomed into the forging of long-standing family ties.
John A. Heitmann
University of Dayton

A UD Student "Auto-Biography" -- Ryan Burg and his 1982 Kawasaki 440ltd

2012-01-27T06:30:00.000-08:00

An American Love and a Motorcycle, an ‘Auto’ Biography by Ryan Burg.

The 1982 Kawasaki 440ltd, was my project and although similar to the 1987 Porsche 924s project I share with my father, only the motorcycle was a love affair. These vehicles have helped build my relationships with many people, my parents, myself, and an unnamed woman. As cheesy as that sounds, you don’t know yourself that well until you spend some hours saddled over a machine with nothing but the sound of wind and the subtle, but ever constant, don’t die mentality. Similarly, sharing that love for fear with a woman is something I think every man should experience, that is having her on your back and that occasional chill that rattles your spine as she grips harder with her own don’t die mentality, while you lean into a turn and accelerate out of it. Needless to say, some of the best moments I have had were on that bike
As an exuberant freshman at the University of Dayton, I often found my free time browsing the motorcycle classifieds on craigslist. I did the research and quoted the insurance; I knew my financial situation and I knew it was tight. “Eight hundred dollars, not a penny more” I said to myself. This purchase was premeditated, having already taken the 2-3 hour ordeal to acquire my class M permit, I was ready. Then finally I found a bike that was listed for a grand that I really liked. This was after riding bikes of all different shapes and sizes from all corners of Dayton. I rode the bike, told the guy I liked it and offered him “Eight hundred dollars, not a penny more”. He said no. I packed up my old truck (1991 GMC sierra rust bucket) got in, put the crank window down, and said “Let me rephrase that. Do you have the title and is there a notary around here?” “Yesir” he replied. “Forty twenty dollar bills” I said while holding the cash in my hand. He liked that, so I kept my promise, and didn’t spend a penny more.
That was until insurance, tires, etc. but those expenses were cost of ownership, and came in over a few months so they were manageable. Here is the best part: I had that bike in the bed of my truck with the truck cap over top of it, and it sat in bed of my truck until I took it back to Pittsburgh to my parents. My Mom was far from happy with my newest surprise, but I didn’t care. I was young and I had my own motorcycle. My name was on the title, mine. My Dad had that I’m going to act like I’m mad look but as soon as he helped me get it out of my truck he was on it and up the road he went, possibly forgetting how loud a motorcycle is at full throttle as I heard him downshift once he was around the corner, out of sight. He also had a motorcycle while he was a young man, and he couldn’t hide his smirk as he pulled back in the driveway. I drove the bike to work daily and took it and the unnamed woman for many rides that will never be forgotten, and right now I know more about the smirk he was wearing. The rides around my hometown on hot summer days in nothing more than shorts, a tee shirt, and that woman are something I like to consider the American dream: A first love, you can decide if it is the woman or the bike.
The thing about young men is they turn into old men, but many still have that American dream going on strong. I have met many riders including complete strangers while taking cover underneath an overpass during a torrential downpour on the freeway. It is often that you find the attitude of any biker is just that, it’s not if you will crash it is when. I know people who have crashed their motorcycles, but I have been lucky enough to say I have not, yet. There have been close calls in my life, some that changed me at my core by scaring me within inches of my life. I pulled out and saw the gap I had knowing my bike it was plenty fast to get me into traffic, but the light sand gravel on the road left me sliding into the second lane almost dumping me and my bike under a car only managing to save myself and drive away. I remember that day more clearly than almost any other day in my life. Second only to a ride home from work more recently where I came upon a man sitting on the side of the road holding his brain in with a stack of paper towels, that image clarified the officer a block before saying: “You’re not ready to see it” as I passed slowly around the corner into the mess of motorcycle parts scattered on the road. I don’t know if he lived or died.
The bike I bought looked a whole lot different than it does pictured above, but I had access to a full body shop and a mentor who enjoyed sharing the trade. So I tore the tins off the bike and beat them back into shape, sanded, primed, painted, and clear coated all the black you see. It also used to have a small windshield and drag bars that did nothing for protection and looked outdated. I put almost 5,000 miles on that bike and it would barely make it to triple digit speeds, but it loved windy roads, and I like to think it loved me as much as I loved it. I sold it for $850 to an international visitor who wanted to ride it to California three years later, because if I wasn’t ready to take the 30 year old bike to CA, I was willing to let it go without me. This motorcycle story is over, but that “American dream” mentioned earlier isn’t just owning a motorcycle or finding someone, it’s both.

Autonomous Vehicles and the Future of American Car Culture

2012-01-24T14:38:00.000-08:00

Today in the NewYork Times there was an interesting article entitled "Collision in the Making Between Self-Driving Cars and How the World Works." (1/24/2012, p. B6). Google has developed a small fleet of self-driving vehicles, and the article deals with the kind of changes that would be necessary if these cars became adopted on a large scale. A conference took place recently at Santa Clara Law School on this topic related to technology and society.

Google's Sabastian Thrun has claimed that the autonomous car project has resulted in 200,000 miles of safe transport, and the promise is one where some 33,000+ lives per year will be saved. Google is pushing for states to approve the use of these systems as early as 2013 or 2014, with the completion of limited roads for their use within 20 years.

So will this mark the beginning of the end of the joy of driving? Will driving no longer result in self-realization, autonomy, and freedom, as movements are increasingly "programmed." Chcuk Berry sang songs of the exhileration of driving and driving for driving sake, like in "No Particular Place to Go." Will our journeys be charted in Garmin-like fashion, with little reason to turn off the main highways on to the blue and black by-ways?

Images: WWII and the Automoible in America

2012-01-23T05:04:00.000-08:00

Title: Good citizenship and plain common sense. This man is performing a duty every car owner owes to himself and to our fighting men. In having his car adjusted to prevent excessive tire wear--and in observing the simple rules that make tires last longer--he is making a valuable contribution to our war effort. The man who wastes rubber is a poor citizen and blind even to his own personal interests
Related Names: Freeman, Albert , photographer Hollem , Howard R. , photographer Liberman , Howard , photographer Roberts, Martha McMillan , photographer United States. Office of War Information.
Date Created/Published: 1942 July-Sept.
Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Black-and-White Negatives
Part of: Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Photograph Collection (Library of Congress)

Car pooling at Lockheed Vega. New tire-saver is aiding employees seeking rides in "ride cafeteria," recently put to work in the factory area at Lockheed Vega Corporation. Employees with room in their respective cars put filled-out "transportation offered" cards in slots marked by district and shift. Ride seekers read cards to find driver near their residence who can take passengers. Ride seekers also fill out cards in different colors so prospective drivers can locate riders
Creator(s): Bransby , David, photographer

Collections:
Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Black-and-White Negatives

Tire recapping. A service attendant points out a worn tire that may be recapped under a new plan which removes restrictions on reclaimed camelback rubber for passenger tires. The plan to recap passenger car tires with reclaimed rubber camelback, approved by rubber director William M. Jeffers, was put into effect in February 1943 to reduce the demand for replacement tires and still keep civilian cars in service
Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Black-and-White Negatives
Part of: Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Photograph Collection (Library of Congress)

Vintage American Cars in Havanna, Cuba -- Can you Identify Them?

2012-01-20T17:24:00.001-08:00

Hi folks -- these photos are taken from the Carol M. Highsmith collection athe Library of Congress and were taken in 2010. There are numerous photo books of American cars in Cuba; at least three of these are in the University of Dayton library. So let's play a game -- can you identify the cars in these photos -- Make and year?

Club Auto Racing in China -- Holy Cow! SCC at the Shanghai International Circuit

2012-01-19T08:13:00.000-08:00

Thanks to colleague Chris Agnew who pointed this event and group to to me. Photos are from fall SIC Club Challenge, sponsored by the Sports Car Club of Beijing. The Club has 500 rich members, either corporate heads or 2nd generation rich. This is where the real speed is in China.
Founder of SCC, Zhang Kuan, was quoted as saying "Those who do street-racing are never he real rich people. What they drive are not the4 best sports cars either. The real deals are all babied in the private villas. The real racers are hidden underground."

The Automobile and Contemporary Art -- the Work of Dustin Schuler

2012-01-17T08:34:00.000-08:00

Death of an Era -- 1980

Dance -- 2008

Dance -- 2008

Berwyn, IL car Spindle -- 1989

1963 VW Pelt -- 1983

This second intense reaction to a shortage of oil and gasoline unleashed another wave of discontent related to the automobile and its place in American life. One amusing response was the work of California artist Dustin Shuler (1948-2010). On the night of October 23, 1980 at California State University Domingues Hills, a 1959 Cadillac was illuminated, elevated on four oil drums, and then pierced by a 20 foot “nail” that was dropped 100 feet from a boom crane.26 The Cadillac was then pulled on to its side and left on display in an exhibit entitled “Death of an Era.” Schuler saw this act as akin to a hunt for a wild animal, and later he took apart the Cadillac in a way that left it “skinned,” like an animal pelt. So encouraged by this first work, Schuler subsequently skinned and created pelts of a VW beetle, a Fiat Spider and a Porsche 356C! Schuler summarized his activities this way:
"All the cars I have skinned and, for that matter, all the cars on the road can be considered an endangered species. While I am not arguing for the preservation of this species, I notice the ‘evolution’ that is going on right before my eyes [new cars coming off the docks and old cars being scrapped] and I want to collect a few good specimens before they are gone."

Wolrd War II and American Automobility -- Images

2012-01-16T12:53:00.000-08:00

Note -- photos taken from Library of Congress photo collection. I wish I would have used some of these in my book, The Automobile and American Life! Perhaps a 2nd edition!

Automobile salvage. When the scrap is sorted, powerful electric cranes load it into freight cars--each type and grade in a separate car. The crane transfers the scrap from the sorted pile to the car in a matter of moments. To conserve railroad car space and time, each car is completely filled before it is shipped
Creator(s): Perlitch , William, photographer
Related Names: United States. Office of War Information.
Date Created/Published: 1942 Sept.
Repository: Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division Washington, DC 20540 http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print

Car pooling at Glenn Martin. Car pooling at the Glenn Martin aircraft plant. The personnel manager, who arranges rides for others, has also joined a "car pool" to save gas and rubber. He is shown entering a worker's car
Creator(s): Liberman , Howard, photographer
Related Names: United States. Office of War Information.
Date Created/Published: 1942 June.
Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-fsa-8e11015 (digital file from original neg.) LC-USE6-D-005019 (b&w film neg.)
Call Number: LC-USE6- D-005019c-P&P
Repository: Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division Washington, DC 20540 http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print

Proposed poster for car sharing. Artist's rendering of a proposed poster to promote car sharing. The true objective of group riding is the maximum use of the minimum number of cars. Effective group riding only begins with the swapping of rides. As more and more cars are not available for use in the future, the necessity for this transportation cooperation will become increasingly vital.

Soldier inspecting new bantam truck at Fort Myer, Virginia. This small light truck, known officially as the "Truck 1/4-ton 4x4," is a small, low-silhouette, narrow-tread, 4-wheel drive car without armor protection, which is designed to carry three men and their individual weapons. It can also be used as an ammunition carrier. It is not currently contemplated that the vehicle itself will be armed. If this vehicle proves satisfactory under the exhaustive tests now in progress, its place in the Calvalry Team will be to furnish road and cross-country transportation for small rifile units whose normal function would include reconnaissance, security and dismounted combat. Frequently these rifle units will be employed with mechanized cavalry elements, such as Scout Car platoons, to extend the reconnaissance and supplement the fire power of larger units. This newly developed 1/4-ton truck has many advantages over motorcycles and moto-tricycles: it can carry three men, where the others are designed for two; it has more cross-country ability and ruggedness than the motorcycles; it is relatively quiet; its light weight permits manhandling; it's to be employed to carry either three men or a cargo weapon; it's easily concealed. With a few exceptions, these small vehicles will replace on a one-for-one basis the motortricycles and motorcycles with side cars now in use
Creator(s): Dixon, Royden, photographer

Halftrac scout cars. Another engine for an Army halftrac scout car begins to take form. They're coming through faster and faster every day--engines and cars, both--as the Midwest plant turning out the complete jobs gives everything it has to speeding production. White Motor Company, Cleveland, Ohio
Creator(s): Palmer, Alfred T., photographer
Call Number: LC-USE6- D-003219c-P&P Repository: Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division Washington, DC 20540 http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print

Answering Some Questions about the Rise of the Japanese Auto Industry, its Future, and Impact on America

2012-01-16T06:19:00.001-08:00

On 12/27/11, Jonah Belser <jbelser.94@gmail.com> wrote:> Dr. Heitmann,>> Thank you so much for your prompt reply! Here are our questions:>>

1) What do you see in the future of the American auto industry with respect> to Japanese competition?
My sense is that the Japanese challenge has peaked, and that we have reached an equillibrium stage in terms of competition and market share in the rivalry between American and Japanese automobile firms. Japanese innovation in terms of production and quality no longer has an edge in the global market place. Everybody uses insourcing and lean, and the Americans are just far more competitive since bottoming out in 2008-9.

2) To what extent are the stereotypes of inefficient American cars and> efficient Japanese cars true? I think the steroetype has broken down the past few years, although Americans still prefer large cars and horsepower. Americans are genrally too fat; consequently they are comfortable in larger cars and SUVs, and like it that way. Additionally, Japanese cars rarely are "cult; cars; rarely do we want to keep a Japanese car -- we dispose them like appliances.

3) How has the American automobile shaped American culture?>Wow -- read my book The Automobile and American Life -- in music, film, literature, and of course the shaping of society and social habits.

4) What do American cars symbolize to the American people? What do Japanese> cars symbolize to the Japanese people?It used to be status, freedom, mobility for Americans, particularly to about 1970 although to some degree that is changing among younger Americans.

5) How may the American identity be affected by the increased demand for> Japanese cars over American cars? A great question. For the longerst time, we wer influenced by ideas that touted American exceptionalism -- that we were somehow different from others, and that included our values and virtue. Since the coming of the Japanese cars we have been emphasizing pluralism far more in discussions concerning the future of our society. Are these two phenomenon connected or not? I am not sure, but perhaps the sue of mateiral goods reshape our thoughts about the people who make them.

6) How does the rise of Japanese auto manufacturers relate to the American> and global economies?Certainly their rise is part of the story of deindustrialization in America post-1973, and the decline in per capita income and the working middle classes in the U.S.

An Electric Car from the 1950s -- the "Pioneer" from Nic-L-Silver Battery Company

2012-01-08T05:16:00.000-08:00

From an article published in Sports Car Illustrated, January, 1960, p. 32 ff.

The two seater body was made of laminated fiberglass, and it had a removable hardtop. Behind the bucket seats were 12 4 -volt series wired batteries made by Nic-L-Silver. These lead cell batteries have two cells each with 31 plates per cell and a capacity of eight hours at 235 ampere hours.

A box frame construction carried a full torsion suspension similar to that a of a VW of the era. Top speed was 50 mph. A hydraulic brake system an conventional steering system was also featured in this 95 inch wheelbase vehicle.

The inventor-entrepreneur for all of this was George Lippincott, who hoped to build ten cars a day with the market being power companies and postal authorities.

The car had two electric motors and a stated range of 100 to 150 miles, depending on how the vehicle was driven. Price was stated at $1995, with a $300 cost to replace batteries when that happens.

Syllabus: HST 344, The Automobile and American Life, Spring, 2012

2012-01-08T05:06:00.000-08:00

Sorry folks -- formatting went crazy here upon moving from Word to this blog. Dates and assignments are correct, however.

HST 344 -- Science, Technology and the Modern Corporation: The Automobile and American Life

Class Meeting: MWF 1-1:50 p.m., HM 125

Instructor: John A. Heitmann

Office: 435HM (x92803).

Office Hours: 2:00-2:50 MW or by appointment
E-Mail: Jheitmann1@udayton.edu
Blog page: http://www.automobileandamericanlife.blogspot.com

Texts: John Heitmann, The Automobile and American Life.
Jack Keroauc, On the Road.
Ben Hamper, Rivethead.
Tom Wolfe, The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby.

Grades: The final grade for this course will be based on two hour exams, (60%), occasional quizzes, and final exam (30%). The grade scale is as follows: A 94 to 100; A- 90 to 93; B+ 87-89; B 84-86; B- 80 - 83; C+ 77-79; C 74-76; C- 70-73. A similar pattern applies to lower grades. Letter grades are assigned a mid-point numerical grade. Additionally, attendance can influence your final grade: if you miss more than 3 classes, one letter grade will be deducted from your grade; if you miss more than 6 classes, a two letter grade reduction will take place. A good grade for this course is a C+. Grade averages may be influenced by such factors as trends over the time of the course; for example, how you finish is far more important than how you start. Policies for exams strictly follows History Department Guidelines, and make-ups will only be offered with a valid, documented excuse.

Attendance at lectures is crucial if you are to expect a good grade in the course, and I want you to be at every class if that is at all possible. On many occasions material presented is not covered in the readings, and so many of the ideas discussed central to the development of modern science are complex and often confusing. Your attitude and what you bring in to the classroom can make the difference between a mediocre offering and a most positive educational experience.
Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated and offenses will be punished accordingly. A first offense will result in a failing grade for the exam or paper in question; a second offense will result in a failing grade for the course.

Course Purpose: It has been said that the automobile is the perfect technological symbol of American culture, a tangible expression of our quest to level space, time and class, and a reflection of our restless mobility, social and otherwise. In this course we will explore together the place of the automobile in American life, and how it transformed business, life on the farm and in the city, the nature and organization of work, leisure time, and the arts. This is a most complex transition that we will study, as the automobile transformed everyday life and the environment in which we operate. It influenced the foods we eat; music we listen to; risks we take; places we visit; errands we run; emotions we feel; movies we watch; stress we endure; and, the air we breathe.

SCHEDULE OF LECTURES AND ASSIGNMENTS

The week of:

Week 1/January 18 Introduction; What our cars tell us about ourselves.

The car in everyday life: the automobile age and its contradictions. Automotive Pioneers
Reading: Heitmann, Introduction, Chapter 1.
Films: “Wild Wheels”; “Horatio’s Drive.”

Week 2/January 23 Putting America on the Road; Henry Ford and the Model T
Reading: Heitmann, Chapter 2.
Film: “Automobile Parade;” “Gussle’s Day of Rest.”

Week 3/January 30 Stealing Cars; The Rise of General Motors
Reading: Heitmann, pp. 54-63.
Film: “Master Hands;” "Roger and Me."

Week 4/February 6 Advertising, Styling, Design and the Art of the Automobile
Reading: Heitmann, pp. 64-71.
Film: “Automobile Advertising 1910-1940.”

Week 5/February 13 On the Road
Reading: Heitmann, Chapter 4.
Films: “Grapes of Wrath;” “Route 66;" “Detour;” Keroauc: On the Road"

February 17: Exam 1 -- on this exam you will be tested on the Keroauc book.

Week 6/ February 20 Religion, Courtship and Sex
Readings: Heitmann, Chapter 5.
Films: “Thelma and Louise”; “Motorcycle Diaries”

Week 7/ February 27 The Interwar Years: The Great Depression Aerodynamics, and Cars of the Olympian Age
Readings: Heitmann, Chapter 6.
Films: “The Crowd Roars;” “Burn Em’Up Barnes.”

Mid-Term Break: Holiday March 2

Week 8/March 5 World War II: Detroit, the Arsenal of Democracy
Readings: Heitmann, Chapter 7
Film: “Jitterbugs.”

Week 9/ March 12 The Post War Industry and Technological Suppression

Readings: Heitmann, pp. 133-154.
Film: “Tucker”

Week 10/ March 19 Chrome Dreams of the 1950s
Jan & Dean and the Beach Boys
Readings: Heitmann, pp.154-163.
Film: “American Graffiti”

Week 11/ March 26 The Rise of the American Muscle Car
Readings: Heitmann, pp.164-178.
Films: “Goldfinger;” “Thunderball” “Bullitt.”

Test 2 March 30 -- you will be tested on the Wolfe book at this time

Week 12/ April 2&4 Oil Shock I: Japan, James Bond, and Mobile Lovemaking

Readings: Heitmann, pp. 178-184.
Film: “Easy Rider;” Toby Halicki's "Gone in Sixty Seconds"

Week 13/April 11, 16 and 20 The Automobile World Upside Down, 1980s to the Present.

Readings: Heitmann, pp.185-194.
Film: “Fast and Furious; Tokyo Drift;”

"The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant"

April 18 Stander Symposium

Week 15/April 23 The Automobile Industry and the Future; Sum Up
Reading: Heitmann, pp.194-206.
Film: “The Revenge of the Electric Car”

April 27 Last Day of Classes
Heitmann, Epilogue.

FINAL EXAM, Friday, May 4, 12:20 --2:10 p.m. On this exam you will be tested on the Ben Hamper Book.

A Question: When was salt used first on the roads during the winter?

2011-12-28T04:45:00.000-08:00

Hi folks -- We had our snow threat(!) last evening. No accumulation in the south suburbs of Dayton, but as I drove back in the snow/rain mix the ODOT trucks were all around I-675. I wonder if they put salt down, because if they did my driving of the Porsche has to stop.

When was salt first used? I wonder if it was in part urged on by the manufacturers, who only gain by decreasing the desirability of used cars and thereby the corrosion speeding up the replacement process.

Yes, salt results in safer roads. But what are other alternatives? Use of mass transit? Non-corrosive substitutes? Stay home? Slow down?

Is there a conspiracy here?

From the National Snow and Ice Data Center:

http://nsidc.org/snow/shovel.html

It was in fact the popularity of the motorcar that would create a whole new set of problems for snow removal crews. By 1925, over seventeen million cars were registered, vastly increasing the demand for dry, safe streets. As motorcars took to the streets in force, public safety demanded snow removal efforts even for snowfalls less than four inches. Due to increased dependence on the automobile, not only main thoroughfares needed clearing, but residential streets as well. Scenic snowfalls once reminiscent of winter merrymaking became unbearable, and the freezing weather once welcomed by sleigh parties create hazardous driving conditions. Automobile accidents were rapidly rising due to weather-related conditions.
Slick layers of ice left behind by snow plowing, renewed demands for salt and sand use. No longer concerned about protests, city public works officials used salt by the ton to ease road conditions, and also experimented with cinders and sand. Motorized salt spreaders became the primary tool in fighting snowy roads, and businesses and private citizens as well used tons of salt to keep driveways, sidewalks and access routes clear of snow and ice. However, several cities in the Great Lakes region were unable to use salt due to the extremely frigid weather that rendered salt almost ineffective. In any city, while salt works well on icy roads or minimal snowfall, it does little good against deep snow.
Parked and abandoned vehicles posed the other great problem faced by snow removal crews. Urban streets now provided parking places, which in winter months hampered snowplowing efforts. Desperately needing to clear the streets, plows ended up packing huge, compacted drifts against parked cars, forcing unwary owners to dig them out. Realizing there was a conflict, city ordinances were created, banning overnight parking for certain city areas, or posting signs marking snow plow routes, where parking would be banned when plows were in use. Many of these ordinances are still in effect throughout major cities, increasing the efficiency and thoroughness of plowing efforts.

A Promising Auto History Topic -- The Used Car Problem during the 1930s

2011-12-27T05:07:00.000-08:00

During the Depression, auto manufacturers and other interests kept pointing to the issue of used cars and how that market was dragging down the numbers of potential new car buyers. It was labeled the "used car problem," and the subject of a considerable body of literature. This topic might be a good term paper or scholarly essay.

Here is one plan posed at the time, taken from a 1938 report on the Automobile Manufacturers' Association in a National Archives file:

"Typical of proposed plans for foreign disposal was one advanced by Lawrence R. Rich, Attorney, Cleveland, Ohio, in February 1938. Mr. Rich proposed that manufacturers purchase from dealers a million used cars of the more recent models. The manufacturers were to turn these over, at loss, to a government-owned or controlled corporation which should sell them at a loss (as the Government's contribution to the plan) to the Russian Government. It was pointed out that then manufacturers would be able to recoup their loss through sales of parts for the cars. The plan was presented to the Export Committee meeting in March at Mr. Rich's insistence but Mr. Bauer said it was not seriously considered because of he many obstacles to such a plan, namely the fact that freight on a used car is the same as that on a new car which makes it high in relation to value, difficulties in connection with valuation for tariff purposes, etc."

Electric Cars from the mid-1970s: Not very good

2011-12-25T13:33:00.000-08:00

Reference: Consumer Reports, 41 (October, 1976), 572ff.

The two electric cars available to the American consumer during the mid-1970s were the Vanguard Citicar and the Elcar 2000. Consumers Union judged both cars unacceptable in 1975, and then retested a Citicar after improvements were made in 1976. Again, the Citicar failed, in part due to braking and other workmanship issues that were deemed hazardous. The Citicar's performance was abysmal: 0-30 mph in 19 seconds, top speed 32 mph, and a range of 32.6 miles. It had no safety belts, and the car's ride was very poor. The Citicar jumped and jolted over irregular roads, and lost directional stability.

In conclusion, Consumer Reports stated

"Unfortunately, electric-car technology has made little progress in nearly a century. Congress recently passed a bill that would provide $160 million in research money in the next 6 years....The Citicar is useful mainly of a demonstration of how far electric-car technology has yet to go, not how far it has come."

Cult Cars -- Cars Worshiped in America Through the Decades

2011-12-22T05:03:00.000-08:00

Definition of Cult from the Oxford English Dictionary

†1. Worship; reverential homage rendered to a divine being or beings. Obs. (exc. as in sense 2).

2a. A particular form or system of religious worship; esp. in reference to its external rites and ceremonies.

Hi folks -- so today I was asked by a MSNBC reporter about cult cars. In thinking about it, many many cars from our past are worship by small numbers of collectors and enthusiasts, and you can see this particualrly by going to car club functions or cruise-ins. But some cars are worshipped more than others, some are on a high alter (like a Duesenberg), while others are bowed down to on a low alter (sorry, Studebaker fans!). To some degree, cult status is reflected in cultural outpourings, like film, music, and literature. For example, there are more songs written about a Cadillac (1000+) than a Nissan. But the correlation is far from exact; for example, the Subaru has only 1 song written about (I think!), but has a tremendous cult following in the U.S., especially in New England.

Here are some of my top car cult picks:

Pre-WWII

1. Ford Model T -- poems, stories, and far more. A deity with humble origins.

2. Packard -- especially open models, worshipped by the rich and want-to-be rich before WWII. Abandoned by the same class after WWII, often for Cadillacs.

3. Duesenberg/Auburn/Cord -- maybe the grandest cars ever made in America -- worshipped every August in Auburn, Indiana. The ACD Museum there is one of the best in the U.S. Rolling sculpture at its best.

4. Cadillac -- "Swing Low, Sweet Cadillac." Most everyone takes his or her last ride in a Cadillac.

Post WWII

5. 1955 Chevy -- the quinessential everyman's car at th peak of the Golden AGe of America's love affair with the automobile.

6. Corvette -- after 1957, when muscle is added to the car. TV's "Route 66" deosn't help the brand either.

7. Thunderbird -- 1955-57 -- the banker's sports car, it made beautiful women look even more beautiful behind the wheel.

8. GTO -- 1964-5. Light, powerful, compact, and powerful.

9. VW Beetle -- OK, sometimes ugly Betty appears to be beautiful to a demented soul.

10. Porsche 911 -- as an owner, and a restorer of a 1971 911 targa, I ahve often wondered if I had sold my soul to a false god.

11. Ferrari -- what needs to be said?

12. Lamborghini -- ditto, even moreso.

13. Mercedes 300 SL -- I almost forgot this iconic cult car from the 1950s, but who can think of a more beautiful thing?

Painting a Honda CRX -- Tony's Project Completed!

2011-12-22T04:42:00.000-08:00

So here we are, at the final stage of paint, where all the hard work begins to pay off.... Well, I can tell you, it didn't turn out perfect, although few paint jobs are ever "perfect" straight out of the paint booth, even new cars have imperfections in their paint, albeit not on the scale that this car has now, but I think it turned out pretty good nonetheless. There are several areas that I can specifically spot that I know where to look, and there is some considerable orange peel; however, after some wet sanding with 1000 grit, then 1500 grit, then polishing I think the majority of the imperfections should be gone. I took a few photos of a test area I did on the roof looked like and you can see the orange peel goes away, hopefully some of the other areas will look better as well. Unfortunately, I didn't have 1500 grit paper when I did that area, only 1000 and polishing compound, sso I wasn't able to get a true look at what it will be like, but it will be better than in the pictures, which is more than good enough for a car such as this. I think in hindsight, if this car had been the Cougar, I would have done several things differently. First, I would have used a waterborne paint system. I can honestly tell you, 3.5 VOC paint (the primer) isn't fun to be in when it is as dense as it gets in a booth with messed up ventilation like mine had and your mask starts failing because there isn't enough oxygen in the room. That said, 4.2 VOC paint (the color and clear I used) is even worse. Therefore, the next time (read: Cougar) I will be using thicker mil rating plastic for the booth walls (so I can use all 4 fans that I had intended on using), twice as many exhaust filters as intake filters (also part of the problem because 2 exhaust per 4 intake doesn't even make sense now that I actually apply logic to it) and make the booth a bit longer. Waterborne paint also will prevent the house from getting stinky with fumes as well. Moving the access door to the other side of the garage will keep this from happening as well. As far as getting a better paint job is concerned, I think the best approach is to ensure that I use a darker primer next time. The darker the primer, the more imperfections you can see, and the primer stage is the last phase that you want to be finding imperfections in. For the Cougar, block sanding is going to be a necessity, and lots of it. I don't mind sanding though, especially when I get to concentrate in an area and getting it perfect, it is kind of relaxing, and much like polishing your boots in the Army, I enjoy it, plus you get to work on your guns the more you sand. Haha. Additionally, wet sanding seems to be the method to get a ultra smooth layout when shooting the next coat. I can immediately confirm that the areas I spent wet sanding the primer and color coats prior to going to the next layer, turned out much better than those areas I did not. Also, the fewer the coats the better, as long as you are getting the correct coverage and flowout from the coats you have. The fewer coats you have, the less buildup there is on the areas where you do have imperfections The last couple things I wouldn't have changed on the CRX, but I will definitely ensure are different for the Cougar. First, a better quality color and clear thatn I used on the CRX. The ones I used on the CRX were excellent for the price I paid, but, it is for a daily driver, which, although I hope it is a daily driver, the Cougar is a higher standard of car than the CRX is or could ever hope to be. The second, is a better quality gun, with multiple tips that meet the specifications of the paint that I shoot with. I think a large part of the orange peel issue that I had was first, with the quality of the gun I used ($30 Harbor Freight special), and second because I used a middle of the range tip, not specifically designed for the coating I was putting on. The tip was too small for primer (causing to much dry overspray), a little too big for the color (causing some orange peel) and almost right for the clear (which actually shot pretty well). Unfortunately, painting a car is like building a house, everything builds on top of the foundation. If the foundation is off, everything else will be as well. The same goes for the body. Things to look forward on the Cougar: 1. Less trim and taping nightmares like the hatchback, plastic bumpers, parts to get int eh way. Everything on the Cougar is pretty much all removed2. Thicker body steel. I have a few spots where I need to address rust on, much the same as the CRX surprisingly enough despite the 22 year difference. This means welding in new steel is much easier because I don't end up burning through the metal as easy, making the job much easier, faster, and better looking requireing less filler in the end.3. More time. With the CRX, the longer it takes me to get this car back on the road, the longer I have to wait to get 44mpg vs. 20mpg, with a $0.30 difference in price per gallon. This car will pay for iteself within 6 months just in gas prices alone, not even considering the costs of wear and tear on a vehicle that costs more to maintain and is more valuable as well.4. More experience ... less frustration. With more experience comes less frustration and more accurate estimations of what can be reasonably done in a given amount of time. Less frustration = better quality and more experience = better quality. Given all other things being the same (which they won't since I'll be using a better gun and paint and ventilation) the ob should come out better just due to the experience and decreased frustration.5.5. No body work on the hood. I bought a NOS (New Old Stock) hood back in January, that has no issues whatsoever, so all I have to do to it is scuff the original paint prior to painting it. This is a supreme time saver compered to the CRX, as I spent nearly 20-30 hours on the hood alone, just fixing the hareas where the previous owner thought taking metal shears to the top and underside was a good idea to install hood pins. Things to not look forward in the Cougar: 1. Greater expectation. It is entirely possible (although not hopeful), that the Cougar turns out worse than the CRX. This would simply not be Kosher, for reasons which need not be explained.2. Time. Even though I have more time, I would like to finish this car in time for the start (or at least a good portion) of this year's Cruisin' Grand. Painting the car, coupled with the installation of the remainder of everthing that needs to go into this car, then the tuning, and working out of the bugs, means I am under a soft deadline. Couple that with the fact that I amstarting back classes in January means that I am going to continue to be busy for the foreseeable future.3. Cowl replacement. Almost all 1964 1/2 - 1969 Mustangs and 1967 - 1969 Cougars have rust issues in the cowl area in front oft the windshield. Mine is no exception, and unfortunately this is nearly a 40 hour job (or so I've heard) in itself. It has to be replaced prior to painting, and although I know I have to do the upper cowl, I dont know whether I'll have to do the whole lower cowl, or just the outer corners. I am cheating a bit here though, becasue I already have an original cowl (that was carefully removed)which has no rust to go in where I remove the old rusted one. This is extremely important, because they don't sell new ones, you have to adapt a Mustang one to fit on a Cougar if you can't find a good one (which 99% of the originals are bad). This will save me untold hours in prepping this, so I might get lucky and only end up spending 15-20 hours. We'll see. Anyways, I need to wrap this up, get packed and scoot on up to LA to catch a flight. If you want any specific pictures let me know John, I do have more, and can always take more if you like. I'll be taking pictures of the next process of removing the imperfections (called "color sanding") as well, for those of you interested.

When Car Salesman Were Really Honored -- Uncle Damon, Ford Motor Company, and his 1954 Award

2011-12-21T13:16:00.000-08:00

Uncle Damon and his Ford Ranchero (1957)

Thanks to Ed Garten for this story.

Visiting with my first cousin in Florida last week he shared with me the attached photo and letter when his father won a top salesman award from Ford Motor Company in 1954. Uncle Damon won a "Trip Around the World" from FMC -- one of the six similar awards given that year to salesmen across the six Ford regional districts. The letter announcing his award is attached. Because he was so busy selling cars, according to my cousin, he declined the free trip around the world and took the cash instead. Then two years later he used part of the cash prize to buy one of the first Ford Rancheros that were produced. See attached photo of Uncle Damon and his Ranchero (and with him dressed as a cowboy).

Tony's CRX Paint Project: Progress but also Challenges!

2011-12-21T05:11:00.000-08:00

The re-primer went well, the car looked better after it back to one color again, and I was able to primer the hood for the first time, since in all the confusion with the gun failing me, I completely forgot to shoot the first coat of primer. After primering it, I made the mistake of shooting color over it before sanding it again. I did go back and wet sand the color to eliminate as much as I could. I then re-shot another coat of color on this and the other spots I wet sanded to get the metallic to look uniform. The light blue streaks you see in the pictures on top of the car baffled me for several coats. This was after about 3 coats on the whole car and 4-5 coats on the areas I wet sanded and the light streaks weren't going away, until I finally realized that it was overspray dust, which easily wipes off. Once I allowed the car to dry the light areas (dust) simply wiped off with a clean microfiber towel I had. Also, as I was referring to the body issues I discovered, you can see on the passenger fender that there are several small dings that I missed. These would have been found if I had been able to block sand, but since I did many coats of color, it was too late to fix it now because I only got 1 gallon of paint (which I thought was surely enough for such a small car). All told, I probably have a pint or less of paint left over, not enough to shoot 1 coat. We'll see how this thing looks with clear on it in the next email. Tony

Thank You GM! Saab files for bankruptcy, now history!

2011-12-20T04:55:00.000-08:00

A 1960 Saab 96, GT 750

a Saab 93 ad

A Saab 93

Inside a Saab 92

a 1950 Saab 92, note the suicide doors!

Hi folks -- I never owned a Saab, but from childhood was always curious about them and admired the brand. Growing up in Kenmore, NY, I often walked by a quirky little dealer on Kenmore Avenue, Checkpoint Saab. These were cars for individualists, and in high school I was more of a joiner looking for peer approval, and so never bit. They were cars for a select few, it seemed especially during the 1950s and 1960s, and not for a socially insecure teenager.

The Saabs of those days were model 92s or 93s. Many were two cycle, 3 cylinder powered, although later a more conventional V-4 was the standard engine. Saab was an innovator -- not just with aero shaped vehicles, but with production vehicle turbo charging during the 1970s.

What other car has an ignition switch on the console?

Whatever the fate of Saab, a select group of collectors will keep the brand alive, driving the 92s, 93s, 900s, 9000s, and ensure that cars are not always appliances.

Car Painting -- Tony's 1989 Honda CRX Project

2011-12-17T07:40:00.000-08:00

Bumper fixed

Bumper side fixed

Hood body work

Hood close up

Hood line fixed

Passenger door on

Passenger fender on

Passenger front body work

Passenger rear body work

Hi folks -- photos are from son-in-law Tony's car paint project. This is the first of two cars to be painted -- the CRX is sort of practice for the 1967 Cougar that will follow. Tony has learned a lot about how much time it takes to do a good job, and also the many skills that can only be learned by doing. Now we are waiting for that final result!

Meant to get this off last night, but I was pretty tired and ended up not being able to finish it. Well, so far I was able to get all the panels back on, putting me one step away from primering the whole car. That step, masking off everything, I learned takes much longer than you would think, at least if you do it right, which I didn't do exactly right last time (I had a couple areas that weren't perfectly straight and one area where a little paint got on a window, no big deal though, it should wipe off with some Acetone). I am hoping between tomorrow and Thursday evenings I can mask it off, last time I did it in one night...err, well it took me till 4:30 A.M. but I finished it. Anyhow, if all goes as planned, I'll spray the 3 coats of primer surfacer (primer that can be sanded to "surface" or smooth everything out) on Friday night, spend some time Saturday block sanding and then washing the car, and then spraying the color and clear on Sunday. That assuming everything goes as planned, lets cross our fingers. Also, for any interested, I am attaching the pictures of the car reassembled, as you can see there was quite a few areas that required some body work. Quite a few panels required some work to get them straight, and both bumpers took me half a day with some JB Weld, a file and some sandpaper to reform, reshape and make them fit as they should. In the two front bumper pictures, the lighter gray areas (on the lower part they are all the way on the left and right sides of the big opening in front of the radiator and on the left of the other bumper picture there are two blotches in the area right under the hole where the blinkers go) are JB Weld, filed down, then sanded. They turned out pretty smooth, its pretty likely they won't be noticeable after the primer gets sprayed and then sanded. Anyhow, off to start taping it all off, hopefully between tonight and tomorrow night I can get it ready enough to spray on Friday night.

Dangerous Toxins Found in Classic Cars -- a guest post from Brian Turner

2011-12-17T07:31:00.000-08:00

Hi folks -- Brian asked me to post this on my blog. The key to any discussion of toxicology is amount of exposure to the material in question and also time of exposure. Many substances are poisonous, but they become a poison to your body when thresholds are exceeded.

Dangerous Toxins Found in Classic Cars
Whether a professional mechanic or simply an enthusiast, there is no greater pleasure than restoring a classic car to its former glory. Although car restoration is a great career or hobby, it does come with several health risks that many people are completely unaware of. Many old cars were built with materials that are now known to be hazardous, such as lead and asbestos, which can cause such health issues as nerve disorders and mesothelioma. Though there are numerous problems that can arise from reviving an old car, one must plan ahead and take precautions. There are also many ways mechanics can prevent these problems, such as wearing protective clothing, masks and goggles, working in a well-ventilated area, and thoroughly cleaning your shop or garage after you have finished working on the car. One of the most hazardous materials on classic cars is paint. Much of the paint used on older cars contain such materials as lead chromate, cadmium, and lead. Lead chromate is a chemical compound that was once used to create a shocking yellow hue. Mild exposure can cause symptoms like a sore throat and coughing, muscle weakness and dizziness, while chronic exposure can lead to cancer, kidney damage, coma, and death. Cadmium can often be found in red paints, and is easily absorbed by the lungs. Regular exposure to this toxic material can result in damage to the lungs, kidneys, liver, and even bones. While lead can be found in paint, it is also present in batteries, radiators, wiring, and traces of old gasoline. If swallowed, inhaled, or even touched for an extended period, this chemical can cause such issues as increased blood pressure, memory loss, nerve disorders, seizures, and death. Though paint can be a major issue, the materials found inside many classic cars can be just as hazardous. For instance, dashboards, seat belts, and seats may contain a chemical known as bromine, while asbestos can be found in brake pads, and sometimes in clutches. Excessive exposure to bromine can lead to kidney damage, as well as memory and lung issues. Asbestos exposure can be especially problematic, sometimes leading to chronic lung inflammation and cancer, eye irritation, and skin growths. Although chemically related complications are the most common issue when it comes to classic car restoration, there are also complications that can arise from natural substances. For instance, when repairing a car that has been left out in the elements, you will often be exposed to the fungi, mold, and bacteria that can grow on seat upholstery. If the car has been left out in wet weather, you may also come in contact with rust, which can lead to tetanus if you should cut yourself on a sharp edge.

The "Rain Man," auto theft, and his 1949 Buick Roadmaster

2011-12-12T10:31:00.000-08:00

“Rain Man,” like "Breathless" and "No Man's Land" centered on the theme of the empty man. Tom Cruise plays a superficial, slick, hard driving, but quasi-legitimate importer of luxury performance automobiles named Charlie Babbitt. Caught in the middle of a financial crises involving four grey-market Lamborghinis, Charlie seems posed to either attain success he desperately craves, or lose his shirt. Scenes between Charlie and his loving girlfriend reveal he is boorish and emotionally dysfunctional. The story thickens with news of his father death in Cincinnati. Returning home to see to the estate, the secrets of Charlie’s past begin to come to light. We learn the source of his troubled personality lay in his youthful theft of this father’s classic Buick Road Master convertible. That joy ride, prompted by paternal callousness, has shaped the rest of his life. Angered at his father, Charlie ran away from home and in the intervening years it seems Charlie has worked to prove he was his father’s equal. Not surprisingly, given the nature of their conflict he seeks to achieve it with automobiles. In one final sign of abandonment, Charlie is left nothing in his father’s multi-million dollar will except, in a final parting shot, his father bequeaths him the aforementioned Road Master and several prized rosebushes.
But here the story takes another turn. Charlie learns the estate was left to autistic brother Raymond (Dustin Hoffman) that he never knew he had. Hoping to squeeze half the money out of his brother's executor, Charlie kidnaps Raymond. Forced by the peculiarity of his brother’s conditions to drive cross-country to California in the Road Master, Charlie is inadvertently put on the road to deeper level of self-discovery and masculine redemption. As the trip unfolds, we learn that the callousness of Charlie’s father toward him resulted from the role inadvertently played in Raymond’s institutionalization: Raymond accidently injured Charlie by scalding him. It might also be the case that because both brothers shared their father’s love of the Road Master—and here we see again the automobile as women, in this case the missing mother—his is father’s latent anger with Charlie was deepened then by an Oedipal conflict over the car. As Charlie rediscovers love for his brother and need to responsibility, the audience realizes that his attempt to achieve autonomous manliness selling exotic but soulless European vehicles was always doomed to failure. His salvation lay in a return to the classic American car, and key to his own salvation. By the end of their journey together, Charlie realizes he must put Raymond’s needs before his own but this evolution in sober manly responsibility reconciles him with his girlfriend and brings put him on the road to a happy future.

Korean Panther Automobile for Sale

2011-12-11T05:11:00.000-08:00

1986Panther Kallista

Colleague Larry Schweikart has a Korean-built Panther for sale. It is a 1980s model with the 2.3 liter Ford engine. If interested, contact me and I will contact Larry.

Do not confuse with Panther J72, in production between 1972 and 1980. Some 426 J72s were assembled. They were styled after the Jaguar SS 100. This car had an aluminum body.

China, the WTO, and the automoible exports

2011-12-09T05:53:00.000-08:00

Hi folks -- Recently I have been listening to the English language "China Drive" radio show in the morning before I go to school. This morning there was a report that contained an interesting statistic: in 2000, when China joined the World Trade Organization, it exported a total of 15,000 cars; last year that number was 556,000 vehicles! Certainly by joining the WTO, the country was not hurt in terms of its automobile industry. In terms of imports, it has a 25% tariff, pretty high in terms of protectionism. So you just have to make your cars for that market in China!

Top ten destination countries of China 2008 automotive exports by value:
Country Value
U.S. $9.406 billion

Japan $4.533 billion

Russia $2.133 billion

Korea $1.916 billion

Germany $1.490 billion

Iran $1.220 billion

UAE $1.219 billion

Nigeria $1.165 billion

Brazil $1.113 billion

Italy $1.013 billion
source: gasgoo.com

The New 2012 Dodge Dart and A 1961 Dodge Dart from my past!

2011-12-07T04:44:00.000-08:00

Hi Folks -- below is a post about the all new Italian-influenced Dodge Dart that will be shown at the Detroit auto show. The post brings back memories from my childhood of cousin Freddy's 1962 Dodge Dart. I was 12 at the time, and Freddy, 17 years older than I, had a wonderful Thunderbird-powered 1957 Ford. On a whim, he decided to trade it in on a blue 1962 Dodge Dart with a 361 cubic inch engine. I remember him trying to set the dual points on the "fart, " as well as carburation. It never really ran right, and in early 1964 Freddy traded the disappointing car in a part of a deal on a new 1964 Pontiac GTO convertible in Midnight Blue. I don't miss the Dart, but would give anything for that GTO!

Dodge brings back the Dart, with an Italian flair

By Justin Hyde
Senior Editor of Motoramic
Dodge's newest small car replacing the woebegone Caliber next year will carry the name "Dart" -- the first time Dodge has used that name on these shores in 36 years. This is not grandma's Slant-Six lead sled.
Based on the European-only Alfa Romeo Giulietta, the new compact hatch (shown here in the only frontal shot Dodge released) is the first true mechanical combination born of the Fiat-Chrysler merger. Chrysler says the 2013 Dodge Dart will arrive with a choice of three engines, two of which are updated Chrysler four-cylinders suddenly renamed "Tigershark," because it's cool to get nicknames in middle age. To be competitive with the all-new fleet of compact cars in America, at least one model will need to hit 40 mpg on the highway.
For those unfamiliar with the proud history of the name, the first Dodge Dart arrived in 1960 as a nod to the Space Age, and persevered as a stoic, low-cost compact car until 1976, often powered by the ancient but bulletproof Chrysler straight-six engine tilted at a 30-degree angle. True Dart fans pay respect to the GTS muscle version of the late '60s, but thanks to its low cost and ubiquity in TV shows of the late '70s -- and even "That '70s Show" -- it became known as grandma's car. For the new Dart, Dodge plans to skip ahead at least a couple of generations.
We'll see the real thing at the Detroit Auto Show in January.

Suppression of Risk? The Chevy Volt, Battery Fires, and the NTSHA

2011-12-06T13:11:00.001-08:00

Fires can also start from faulty electric car charging units, as this one in a home in NC.

Hi folks -- below is from Autoweek on recent developments. The Federal Government is doing all it can to save America and at the same time ensure the viability of the Volt. The question is not whether the electric car will become the future mode of personal transporation, but when? Cleaner air -- and most importnatly less dependeance on foreign oil and the Middle East is the payback. The electric car has the potential to become the leading edge of a technological revolution in America. But do we have the collective will to realize the consequences of this transition?

Following on from the announcement that GM is looking at redesigning the Chevrolet Volt’s lithium-ion battery system in the wake of several highly publicized fires resulting from test crashes, comes further news that both the automaker and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration delayed disclosure of their original findings by months.
Apparently, way back in June, General Motors heard about a Volt fire that happened three weeks after said vehicle was crash tested, yet it wasn’t until November that the company, or NHTSA disclosed there was a potential problem, urging both dealers and customers to drain the battery pack immediately following an accident.
As a result the public relations nightmare surrounding Chevy’s halo vehicle appears to be deepening, though a good deal of the blame in this case also rests with NHTSA.
Joan Claybrook, a former adminstrator at NHTSA believes part of the reason for the delay was the “fragility of Volt sales.” Yet she also believes that “NHTSA could have put out a consumer alert, not to tell them [customers] for six months makes no sense to me.”
GM designed a complex cooling system for the Volt’s lithium ion battery pack to help regulate its temperature (lithium-ion units are known for overheating), yet until July it hadn’t finalized a standard proceedure to power down the battery system, the Volt had already been on sale in the US for six months at that juncture.
The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety, which crash tested a Volt back in February reported no incidents of fire as resulting from the accident, yet when a second crash test was performed in August, General Motors sent a technician to power down the battery.
An interesting point on the subject been raised by Clarence Ditlow, executive director for the Center of Auto Safety in Washington D.C. He said that he is “surprised that NHTSA didn’t drain the battery after crash testing as it is standard procedure to empty the fuel tank on conventional gasoline powered vehicles.” He also says that the NHTSA incident underlines the need for “greater transparency when conducting crash tests,” as well as setting proper industry standards when it comes to new technologies.
A spokesman for GM said the company felt it didn’t need to initially disclose the issue because the original fire was an isolated occurrence and happened some time after the vehicle was crashed. “It’s kind of odd in many respects,” said Rob Peterson. “The question became: What was making this happen and what do we have to do?”
Nonetheless in wake of the findings; GM is now working with both NHTSA and the Society of Automotive Engineers to develop standards for all electric vehicles when it comes to crash testing. It’s also continuing with its program of providing concerned Volt owners with free loaner vehicles; so far 33 of roughly 5,000 customers have signed up.
[Source: Automotive News]

Stealing a Porsche 356 and far more -- Richard Gere and "Breathless," 1983

2011-12-05T10:40:00.000-08:00

The girl is far more important than the machine in the 1983 remake of Jean-Luc Goddard's nouvelle vague classic A bout de Soufflé, Breathless. [1] The film starred a young Richard Gere as drifter Jesse Lujack, who after a brief Las Vegas fling, becomes obsessed with a UCLA exchange student from France by the name of Monica, played by Valerie Kaprisky. The film begins with Jesse, a high-energy punk "who rolls the dice too much," uses a screwdriver and two blades to steal a Porsche 356A coupe in front of a Las Vegas casino. He comes alive while driving and listening to Jerry Lee Lewis ("You Leave Me Breathless"), but his trip to LA is interrupted by a police stop and rather unintentional murder. On the run and obsessed with taking Monica with him to Mexico, Lujack steals a succession of vehicles while eluding police, including a pink MGB, a 1957 Thunderbird, a Ghetto Buick , an old truck, and finally a 1959 Cadillac Eldorado convertible.

In every case as Jesse gets behind the wheel he gains in energy as he drives, as mobility brings with it self-realization. But as a frustrated male who models his psyche after the comic book character the Silver Surfer, Jesse reflects a shallowness, having no long term future and projecting a tragic end. Yet, at times imagining he himself as the Silver Surfer, once an ordinary man from a distant plant. Forced to serve Galactus, a planet-eating God, the comic book hero preserves his world and the woman he loves from destruction. Afterward, endowed with powers of infinite movement by Galactus, he searched the galaxy for planets to feed his master, until his encounter with Earth forced him to betray Galactus and thereby redeem himself. But in the end the Silver Surfer, and indeed Jesse, is left trapped on the planet he saved. Forced with the decision to surrender or pick up a gun and die at the hands of police, he chooses the latter, perhaps realizing that Monica and Mexico are forever out of reach.
[1] Breathless, 1983, Dir. James McBride.

Clint' Eastwood's Gran Torino: its' meaning within the context of auto theft and identity

2011-12-04T13:33:00.000-08:00

In the closing scenes of Clint Eastwood’s 2008 film “Grand Torino” the stories of one man’s personal redemption and another’s dream of achieving independent manhood come together in two life defining moments: one of self-sacrifice, and the other, a symbolic act of auto mobility. Confronting a gang that had terrorized his newly adopted family of immigrant Hmong neighbors, the cantankerous Polish-American autoworker and Korean war vet, Wait, goads the thugs into murdering him before witnesses, and thereby saves the community. By his death, Wait spares the life and innocence of Thao, the neighbor boy intent on exacting revenge for the rape of his sister by the gang. For Wait, the thought of the good he is doing may ease the haunting memory of his killing of an enemy prisoner in Korea. Thao is his last chance at redemption. Thao, whom Wait had guided in the previous months into self-respecting appreciation of hard work, independence of mind, and success with the ladies, is last seen driving Waits’ beloved Grand Torino toward what must be presumed to be a future life of dignified manhood. This story of tragic nobility takes place in the “motor city”—Detroit, Michigan. And the story all began with an attempted theft by Thao of Waits’ Grand Torino.
In today’s real world auto-theft is generally about money. However, the visual representation of auto-theft in film has more to do with what the car, the act of driving, and the act of stealing symbolize. In the early twentieth century the automobile and the act of driving became associated with many of the traditional qualities of American identity. The roots of that connection stretch back to the role that movement played in the continent's settlement. Indeed, the unrestrained capacity to move became equated early in the American cultural imagination with personal reinvention and self-determination. Over time, mobility became connected to a host of liberal-republican ideological expectations: egalitarianism, self-sufficiency, independence, and personal as well as social progress. Because these qualities were largely denied to any other than white males, the American vision of the mobile liberal individual was both raced and gendered. Consequently, the lack of mobility marked the African-American slaves and the women’s as unfit for individual liberty. Yet in the 20th century, the automobile would change all of that. In short, the capacity of movement was equated to sovereign selfhood.
By the early twentieth century, however, the realization of autonomous manhood was limited by a growing personal dependence on industrial production, corporate institutions, and mass consumption. Yet, it was precisely at this moment that the automobile replaced walking, the horse, railroad, and bicycle as the primary mode of personal transportation. As Cotten Seiler observed The Republic of Drivers, the mass produced automobile arrived “as a meliorative response to the crisis of legitimacy in turn of the century capitalism brought about by the Taylorist transformation of production.”[1]
Of course the “Model T Revolution” began a transformative process that unfolded with ever increasing social and psychological consequences as the 20th century progressed. In particular, in the years after World War II, automobility radically reshapedAmerican geography and society. And it was a primary engine of change in the world in which Wait lived. Here it played an equally expanding role in construction and maintenance of autonomous manhood and its association with labor and economic independence. This transition was subliminally captured in Waits’ fetishistic worship of a blue Ford Torino during his years working at the auto plant. Working with machines and to a degree like a machine, and as a small cog at the Ford Motor Company, the car became for Wait a substitute for his liberty. Indeed, the car was a representation of Waits’ manly independence. Driving, like the motif of movement more widely in American cultural history, served as an arch signifier of the autonomous self-determining subject—coded male—at the heart of American individualism. With this in mind then, auto-theft frequently can be read as the usurpation, disruption, and recovery of that lost ideal of masculine selfhood.
[1] Cotten Seiler, Republic of Drivers: A Cultural History of Automobility in America (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2008), p. 41.

Top Car and Truck Sales, November 2011: GM on top in U.S. Market, Ford Second

2011-12-03T08:29:00.000-08:00

1. Ford F-Series -- 47,740
2. Chevrolet Silverado -- 34,251
3. Toyota Camry -- 23,440
4. Ford Escape -- 21,823
5. Nissa Altima -- 20, 613
6. Ford Fusion -- 19,912
7. Dodge Ram -- 19,739
8. Honda Civic -- 17,133
9. Honda CR-V -- 16,426
10. Toyota Corolla/Matrix -- 16,115
11. Hyundai Sonata -- 15,668
12. Toyota Prius -- 15,208
13. Chevrolet Equinox -- 14,936
14. Jeep Grand Cherokee -- 13, 545
15. Chevrolet Cruze -- 13,238

Automaker Results, November 2011

1. General Motors -- 180, 402
2. Ford -- 166,441
3. Toyota -- 137,960
4. Chrysler -- 107,172
5. Nissan -- 85,182
6. Honda -- 83,925
7. Hyundai -- 49,610
8. Volkswagen -- 38,283
9. KIA -- 37,007
10. Mercedes -- 28,257

Film Review -- "Young and Wild," 1958

2011-12-02T07:14:00.000-08:00

It began with a car theft -- a 1957 Ford to be specific. it ended with vehicular homicide, as an old woman was run down by that 1957 Ford, driven by an unrepentant thug and aided by two greaser accomplices. In between the bullies push off the road a clean cut young man and his pretty date in a 1957 Ford convertible. And it trying to cover up their crime, the trio lie, intimidate, and threaten not only the young couple but parents as well. But in the end the heroine of the story, Valerie Whitman (Carolyn Kearney) decides to make a stand and that ultimately leads to the arrest of the three law -breakers.

What to do about teenage punk hoodlums? We can't just execute them. Rick Braden (Scott Marlowe), "Allie" Allison (Weston Gavin), and "Beejay" Phillips (Tom Gilson) go on the tragic joyride, beat up boyfriend Jerry Coltrin (Robert Arthur), assault pretty Valerie, before having to flee when a by-passing vehicle comes upon the scene. Despite their formidable looks they seem to be impotent with girls their age.

Yet it is Det. Sgt. Fred Janusz (Gene Evans) who patiently works the case, deals with reverses, and ultimately puts the three delinquents behind bars. The three should have been drafted and sent to Korea. Good triumphs over evil, but we should never forget that there are plenty of young troublemakers out in the world, ready to make our lives hell if we let them!

Will Smartphones End the American Love Affair with the Automobile?

2011-11-26T05:21:00.000-08:00

The iPhone 5 -- its design as alluring as a new Corvette?

American youth on the whole are simply not as enthralled with the automobile as kids from previous generations. That doesn't mean that there are not young people who love automobiles, new, used, and classic. But the numbers are not large, and that should worry the auto hobby in general, including those collectors with cars that some day will have to be sold.

But then there is the iPhone, seemingly more important than a drivers' license to more than a few teenagers. Why smartphones? Yesterday my son-in-law lost his, as he placed it on the top of a car that I drove off in to get motor oil at Pep-Boys! He just simply called to report it lost and claim insurance for the loss. Today a new phone will be in the mail to him.

Somehow, for these new generation of kids smartphones -- and other mobile devices -- convey status. Like my chronograph watch. The iPhone offers freedom and social reach, but does it really do that like a car? Can you really get away from your parents by using a smartphone? Can you foster a meaningful relationship by communicating electronically the way you can talk to someone in the front seat of a car or during a road trip?

One survey suggests that 46 percent of young people 18 to 24 prefer access to the internet rather than access to their own car. In 1978, 50% of 16 year olds obtained their first drivers' license; in 2008, only 30% did the same.

What this means is that cars increasingly need to come with innovative electrical gadgets, or with communicaton technologies built in. Whoever comes up with a killer app adaptable to the car will further a revolution that goes well beyond hybrid or electric propulsion.

When Life Ends Far Too Soon -- Recent Accidents in the Dayton, Ohio Area

2011-11-25T13:49:00.001-08:00

Plenty can be said about young people whose lives end too soon because of an auto accident. A few weeks ago, two Chinese students died on a weekend evening in the suburbs -- they were 18 and 19 years old. According to one source, the car they were traveling in down Mad River Road was going at least 70 in a 40 zone. The older student had just purchased an Eclipse, and then had it hopped up at a speed shop. Near the corner of Jenny Lane and Mad River the car hit a tree, and burned. The bodies of the students so severely that there can be no determination if alcohol was involved in the crash.

Last weekend a drunk driver from Florida was traveling at speeds of around 100 mph and T-boned a car at the intersection of Wilmington and Wayne (See photos above) in the City of Dayton. Two kids in the car that was hit died -- a boy 18 and a girl 20. As you might expect, the drunk driver survived. That intersection had just been improved, and one wonders if making the road better contributed in a very tangential way to this accident.

In a nutshell, and from the very beginning, the car brings with it risks that we usually fail to account for in our everyday lives. After all, we think it will never happen to us. How frail life really is!

Chevy OK Used Cars and Louis Chevrolet's Signature

2011-11-21T07:42:00.000-08:00

Hi folks -- when I was a kid I always noticed the OK used car signs at the dealers' lots. But where did the OK logo come from? I recently saw an ad from 1918 for an American Motors Corporation "American Six." Louis Chevrolet was the Vice President and Chief Engineer of this company, and on the inside dash of each car Chevrolet signed in his own had "O.K. Chevrolet." As the ad copy went on to explain, "Louis Chevrolet's O.K. is a sure guarantee of the sterling qualities that set the AMERICAN SIX apart from other cars."

The Evolution of the Jordan Playboy Advertising Copy

2011-11-20T14:40:00.000-08:00

Hi folks -- when I dealt with the importance of Ned Jordan and the Jordan Playboy "Somewhere West of Laramie" ad of 1923, it seems that this copy popped out of nowhere and had little or no antecedents. That is patently false, as Ned Jordan gradually shaped and reshaped his words until the now-famous ad appeared. ONE MIGHT ARGUE THAT THE REAL SHIFT THAT TOOK PLACE IS AS MUCH IN THE IMAGE AS IN THE WORDS -- THAT THE IMAGE EVOKES A SENSE OF MYSTERY AND POWER ABSENT FROM PREVIOUS ADS. Note above Jordan ads, and how the static gives way to the dynamic.
a 1922 ad copy for the Playboy:

A spirited companion for a wonderful girl and a wonderful boy.
It's a shame to call kit a roadster. So full is this brawny,
graceful thing of the vigor of boyhood and morning.
It carries two passengers with a cockpit-swanky seat behind.
It revels along with the wandering wind and roars like a Caproni
biplane. It's a car fora man's man -- that's certain.
Or for the girl who loves the out-of-doors.
It's true -- there's some of the twang of that rare old English ale
that was brewed from the smiles of youth and of old boxing gloves.
How did we happen to think of it?
Why a girl who can swim and paddle and shoot described it to a
boy who loves the roar of the cut-out.
We built one and slipped it away from the quiet zone.
And stepped on it.
And the dogs barked.
And the boys stopped to cheer.
And the people we passed stopped and looked back.
And we were boys again.
The Playboy will be built in limited numbers -- frankly because we
love to do it.

From 1918 ad for the Jordan Sport Marine

The Jordan Sport Marine is the first completely equipped motor car ever offered as a stock model by a manufacturer. It is a custom made car at a stock car price.
The new continental motor, introduced by Jordan, eliminates vibration, accentuates speed, increases power and affords a degree of economy and smoothness that is far in advance of the times. The aluminum body is fifty pounds lighter, free from rumbles and ripples and takes that beautiful velvety finish.
Two optional colors, Briarcliff green and Liberty Blue. Upholstered in special hand buffed, genuine leather, with velvet tonneau rug. Rim wind sport clack and tonneau light empancelled in Honduras mahogany.
Because of its completeness, its ultra comfort, its smartness, the Sport Marine is essentially a woman's car.
It is fashionably low with five 32x4 wire wheels and five Silvertown Cord Tires, special gear ratio, sport windshield, taileored top, traffic bumper, motometer, Macbeth green visor lenses and Lin-Rhubber on running boards as standard equipment. Curtains open with the doors.
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The Most "Bizzaro" automobile anti-theft device ever -- the Bosco "Rubber Man"

2011-11-20T08:15:00.000-08:00

As some of you know, I am working on a history of auto theft entitled "Stealing Cars." At night, while watching TV, I love to read auto history material, and especially like the old publications of Floyd Clymer. Last evening I found this description of a rubber man in a Floyd Clymer Auto History Scrapbook published in 1947:

Perhaps the most bizarre, and in retrospect, humorous countermeasure was the Bosco "Collapsible Rubber Driver." Made in Akron, Ohio, ad copy for the rubber man claimed that: "locks may be picked or jimmied. Cars may be stolen in spite of them. But no thief ever attempted to steal a car with a man at the wheel. [It] is so lifelike and terrifying, that nobody a foot away can tell it isn't a real, live man. When Not in use, this marvelous device is simply deflated and put under the seat."[i]

[i] Floyd Clymer, Historical Scrapbook No. 4 (Los Angeles: Clymer, 1947), p. 162.

Stealing Cars: Data from May-July, 1924, from Buffalo, NY

2011-11-18T10:26:00.000-08:00

For example, in Buffalo, New York, between May 15 and July 15, 1924, the following makes of cars (and numbers) were reported stolen:[i]
Make of Motor Vehicle Number Reported Stolen, May 15 to July 15, 1924
Auburn --2
Buick--26
Cadillac--5
Chevrolet--61
Chalmers--1
Chandler--1
Cole --2
Dodge --8
Dort--1
Durant-4
Elcar--1
Essex--1
Ford --172
Franklin--3
Gardner--1
Haynes--4
Holmes--2
Hudson--7
Hupmobile--1
Jewett--2
Jordan--5
Marmon--3
Maxwell--5
Moon--1
Nash--7
Oakland--3
Oldsmobile--3
Overland--15
Packard--2
Paige--1
Peerless--2
Star--1
Stearns-Knight--2
Studebaker--10
Velie--2
Wills St. Claire--5
Willys Knight--5
[i] “Automobile Record Book for 1924,” Buffalo New York, in possession of author.

Post WWII American Literature and the Road Trip

2011-11-04T07:20:00.000-07:00

Taken from a Smithsonian website.

On the Road by Jack Kerouac, 1957 When this semi-autobiographical work was published, the New York Times hailed it as the “most important utterance” by anyone from the Beat Generation. Though he changed the names, the characters in the novel have real life counterparts. Salvatore “Sal” Paradise (Kerouac) from New York City meets Dean Moriarty (fellow beatnik Neal Cassady) on a cross-country journey fueled by drugs, sex and poetry The novel’s protagonists crisscross the United States and venture into Mexico on three separate trips that reveal much about the character of the epic hero, Moriarty, and the narrator.

Black Like Me John Howard Griffin, 1961 To document the African American experience in the South during the 1950s, John Howard Griffin, a white journalist, artificially darkened his skin using medication and UV lamps. He spoke as little as possible and maintained his name and biography. The only thing that has changed was the color of his skin. He traveled through Louisiana, Alabama and Georgia discovering the nuances of race relations in the segregated South. The reaction was varied: Griffin was hanged in effigy in his Texas hometown, but many recognized the book, which sold 10 million copies and was translated into 14 languages, as an important step in human rights activism.

Travels With Charley John Steinbeck, 1962 Near the end of his career, John Steinbeck set out to rediscover the country he had made a living writing about. With only his French poodle Charley as company, he embarked on a three-month journey across most of the continental United States. On his way, he meets the terse residents of Maine, falls in love with Montana and watches desegregation protests in New Orleans. Although Steinbeck certainly came to his own conclusions on his journey, he respects individual experience: He saw what he saw and knows that anyone else would have seen something different.

The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe, 1968 Young writer Ken Kesey led a group of LSD-using hippies called the Merry Pranksters around the country in a painted bus in the 1960s. Wolfe combines original reporting with creative writing techniques to both cover the reality of the journey and the hallucinogenic experiences of the characters. The cast reads like a who’s who of counter-culture: Bob Dylan, Neal Cassady, Hunter S. Thompson, Doctor Strange and Jerry Garcia. The book remains one of the most intimate and well-respected testaments to hippie subculture.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream by Hunter S. Thompson, 1971 What many consider the quintessential drug-induced book of the 1970s was an amalgam of two magazine assignments, one from Rolling Stone and the other from Sports Illustrated. Reporting on the Los Angeles murder of journalist Ruben Salazar, Thompson decided that the best way to mine good material out of his source, political activist Oscar Zeta Acosta, was to take to the open road and drive to Las Vegas. But when they got there, their intentions turned to drugs, alcohol and gambling. Ever the enterprising reporter, Thompson also took a respite from his highs to take on a caption-writing assignment to cover an off-road desert race for Sports Illustrated. Although the loose narrative blurs the line between reality and what the characters are merely imagining, a sharp critique of American culture permeates the pages.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig, 1974 A deep, philosophical book that masquerades as a simple story of a father-and-son motorcycle trip, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is Pirsig’s first foray into philosophy writing. Their motorcycle trip from Minneapolis to San Francisco is also a trip through Eastern and Western philosophical traditions. His friend, a romantic, lives by the principle of Zen and relies on mechanics to fix his motorcycle. Pirisg, on the other hand, leaves nothing up to chance and knows the ins and outs of maintaining his bike.

Blue Highways by William Least Heat-Moon, 1982 After losing his wife and job as a professor, William Least Heat-Moon sets out on a soul-searching journey across the United States. He avoids large cities and interstates, choosing to travel only on “blue” highways—so called for their color in the Rand McNally Road Atlas. Along the way, he meets and records conversations with a born-again Christian hitchhiker, an Appalachian log cabin restorer, a Nevada prostitute and a Hopi Native American medical student.
Mississippi Solo by Eddy L. Harris, 1988 Harris was 30 years old when he wrote his memoir of a journey down the length of the Mississippi River, from Minnesota to New Orleans, in a canoe. His discussion of racial issues, a focus of the book, is shaped by his experience of moving from Harlem to suburban St. Louis 20 years earlier. Along the way Harris meets a spectrum of people, forcing him to reassess his preconceived ideas about whom he would encounter on the trip.

The Lost Continent by Bill Bryson, 1989 Prolific travel writer Bill Bryson returns to the United States after two decades in England to search for the perfect American small town. But Bryson finds an America unlike the place he idealizes. In a Chevy Chevette he borrows from his mother, Bryson drives through 38 states eschewing the big city and luxury hotels befitting this famed journalist.

Chevy's Bill Board Ad Campaign in Detroit

2011-10-29T10:14:00.000-07:00

Talk is cheap. Now if they can only design and build them in a way that promotes the love affair with the car, our economic problems will be a thing of the past!

A Nice Slightly Modified Corvair in the University of San Diego West Parking Lot

2011-10-28T16:05:00.000-07:00

Hi folks -- while visiting USD on Thursday I saw this nicely lowered Corvair in the West lot. If you look closely through the lots at USD, every once and a while there is a very collectible car sitting there! USD students generally have good taste when it comes to wheels.

South West Ohio - Miami Valley Auto Dealers no longer in business

2011-10-28T13:33:00.000-07:00

HI folks -- I don't know what I would do without Ed Garten's contributions to this blog post. This list, which in no way claims to be the definitive document, is a sobering reminder to all of us how the United States has changed over the years. Some of the disappearances are due to the economy's tendency to "Creatively destruct" from time to time, some reflect the passing of an era when smaller communities had dealers to service and make a difference, and incidentally make money in the village, town, or neighborhood.

FORMER MIAMI VALLEY NEW AUTO DEALERS
No longer in business

Brookville
Brookville Dodge
Cupp Ford
Grafelman Buick
Lee Miller Pontiac
Strausburg Motors (Dodge & Plymouth) 402 Hay St
Thorpe & Wysong Motors (Hudson) Rock St & Western Ave, Phone 128

Dayton
Becker AMC/Jeep - Salem Ave
Bernie's Motor Sales (Edsels) , (Packard & Studebaker) 3626 W Third St, Phone AM8- 3489 Borcher's Ford - S Main St
Cantrell & Guy - Kettering Blvd
Central Motor Sales Co (Olds) - 800 W Third St
Central Olds - Monument Ave
Citizens Motorcar Company (Packard)- S Ludlow St
Davis Buick - S Main St
Dayton Buick Co - 349 S Main St
The Dayton Overland Sales Co (Overland)
Dayton Saturn North, Troy Pike
Dayton Saturn South
Dixie Dodge - South Dixie Dr
Gem City Rambler - Patterson Blvd & Ludlow St.
Hayden-Norton VW - Dixie Drive
J & V Motors (Studebaker) - N Main St
Jenkins Auto Sales Inc, 647 W Third St. Phone MI 4771
John Meyer Volkswagon - Salem Ave
Johnny Bench/Pete Rose Lincoln/Mercury - S Dixie Dr
Klyce Studebaker - Patterson Blvd
Krieger Motors (DeSoto/Plymouth) - 3800 N Main St CR4-2101
Lee Hilgleford Chrysler/Plymouth – 355 S. Main St. later at Webster & Keowee
Midtown Chrysler Plymouth
Moorman Pontiac - Shoup Mill Road
Paddock Pontiac – S. Main St
Peffley Ford - East Third & later N Main St
Peffley Edsel - East Third St
Penny Motors Inc (Oldsmobile) 839 N Main St, Phone AD 423
Ray Bryant Chevrolet - 1620 Brown St
Reliable Motors - W Third St
Reiger Motors (Studebaker) 4100 North Dixie Dr
Renault of Dayton - North Main St
Rogers Pontiac - 41 Franklin St
Rubicon Cadillac - N Main St
Salem Lincoln/Mercury - Salem Ave
Salem Chrysler-Jeep - Salem Ave
Shannon Buick - Salem Ave
Simons Cadillac
Sollenberger Motors (American Motors) - N Main
Stenger's Ford - 817 N Main & later on S Dixie
Stomp's Chevrolet - 225 S Main St
SWS Chevrolet - 26 E Third St
Tom Harrigan Oldsmobile/Nissan - Salem Ave
Toyota of Dayton – N Dixie Dr
Ungerleider Motor Car (Chysler Plymouth) - Keowee & Webster
Walker Brother's Oldsmobile - N Main
Walker Imports Triumph/MG/Healey - N Main
Walker Motors – 803 S Ludlow St. - Mercury>> Wm. H. Amlers Ford - Third & Main>>>>
Fairborn
Autohaus (Datsun/Nissan & others)
Jules Hilgeford
Lang's Chevrolet
Morning Star Dodge
Skyland Ford
Steve Tatone Buick
St John Buick Inc, 109 N Broad St, Phone 8-4628

Farmersville
Smith Chevrolet Sales
Miamisburg
Danart Buick & Equipment Co - 310 E Central Ave
Deniston Oldsmobile
Fink-Jeske Chevrolet
Fox Motors (DeSoto Dealership only)
MacAfee Pontiac
Miami Motors (Chrysler-Plymouth)
Steuve Ford

Middletown
The Howe Motor Co (Chevrolet) 1701 Central Ave

New Carlisle

Hal Gilliam Ford
Hall Pontiac Co - 120-122 S Main St
Hopkin's Chevrolet

Phillipsburg
Smith Chevrolet Sales, Inc,( aka SPS), Phone 4-44201

Tipp City
Thuma Motors (DeSoto) 2nd & Plum St

Tipp City Motors (Chevrolet) - Broadway

Trotwood>> Vaniman Ford

Troy
Harmon Lincoln/Mercury
Jules Hilgleford Edsel Sales/Service
Teegarden Lincoln/Mercury

Vandalia
Don Wagner Ford
Miller Chevrolet Sales - 373 E National Rd - Phone 4-4344
Vandalia Garage Inc - 229 E National Rd - (Kaiser & Willys Sales &>> Service)
Windsor Motors - Ford - S Dixie Dr Phone MO 4-4625

West Milton
E.L. Miller Motor Sales - East North Street - (Hudson)
Lucus Motor Sales Inc - 101 N Miami St - (Ford)
Miller Chevrolet – Phone 182
W. W. Norris Oldsmobile Co. - 690 S. Miami St, Phone 248-W

XENIA
Ken Cole Ford

A short and simple essay on sports cars

2011-10-26T12:53:00.000-07:00

Written for younger readers:

Sports car is an automobile designed more for performance than for carrying passengers or luggage. Sports cars are known for their light weight, speed, nimble handling, and appearance. They feature special equipment, and with few exceptions manufacturers make only limited numbers of them. As a result, pound for pound they cost more than most other cars. Famous sports cars include the Chevrolet Corvette of the United States, the Alfa –Romeo and Ferrari of Italy, the Jaguar XK-E, MGB, and Triumph TR-7 of the United Kingdom, the Porsche 911 and Mercedes 300 SL of Germany, and the Mazda Miata and Nissan 370ZX of Japan.
Characteristics. Most sports cars are two-seaters with low ground clearance and aerodynamic designs that enable them to cut through the air easily. With generally favorable power to weight ratios, these cars often accelerate more quickly than other automobiles do. Sports cars have performance tires and advanced suspension systems. Sports cars often serve as a means of testing new automotive technology before it becomes commonplace in everyday vehicles. For example, automakers have used sports cars to demonstrate the efficiencies of multi-valve, overhead cam engine designs, rack and pinion steering, and four wheel disc brakes before they were incorporated in inexpensive passenger cars.
History. Automobiles began to be driven as sporting vehicles in the late 1800's. At that time, rich enthusiasts started racing one another on public roads from town to town. The first formally organized race took place in France in 1895. This race and others like it helped encourage the development of the automobile, and soon special cars were being built for racing. Automobiles in the United States in the early 1900's were light, rugged, and powerful. Well-known models of the time included the Hayes-Apperson “Jack Rabbit,” Chadwick Great Six, the Lozier Briarcliff, the Mercer Type 35 Raceabout, and the Stutz Bearcat. As time went by, however, the size of cars increased. By the 1930's, the only sports cars made in the United States were the Auburn, Cord, and Duesenberg, and the same company made all three.
By the 1940's, open wheel and stock car racing had become the most popular motor sport in the United States. But in the late 1940's and early 1950's, there was a revival of interest in light, quick cars. A number of small, short-lived businesses sprang up to produce sports cars—among them the Kaiser Darrin and the Crosley Hot-Shot. Meanwhile, sports car production was fairly strong in Europe before and after World War II (1939-1945). Among the most important sports cars manufactured in the United Kingdom were the MG, Austin-Healey, and Triumph. Beginning in the late 1940's, such names as Jaguar of the United Kingdom, Ferrari and Alfa Romeo of Italy, and Porsche of Germany became well-known for racing and sports cars. These cars were discovered by American G.I.s stationed in Europe after the war, and brought back to the United States. Soon local sports car clubs were established, and cars were raced on a few road courses like Watkins Glen in New York and on former airports, like Sebring in Florida.
American manufacturers soon responded to the appearance of European sports cars on American shores. In 1953, the General Motors Corporation launched the Corvette. The Ford Motor Company responded with more luxurious Thunderbird in 1954, but Ford eventually turned the "T-bird" into a four-seater. Thus, the Corvette remained the only true sports car made in the United States until the Chrysler Corporation introduced the Dodge Viper in 1992.
In the 1960's, the Japanese auto industry introduced its first sports cars, including the Honda S800 and Toyota 2000GT. Since then, Japanese automakers have built generations of fast, reliable sports cars. Among these are the Nissan ZX, Toyota MR-2, Mazda RX-7, and Mazda Miata.
Since 2000, several automakers have made cars with vastly increased engine power. This increase makes sports cars potentially more dangerous and difficult to control. Fortunately, advanced stability control systems have also become more common. The Audi R8 is typical of the modern sports car, with all-wheel drive and all-aluminum construction.

Sports cars continue to be popular among a group of young drives and older drivers who wish to remain feeling young. Often expensive, they bring status and the exhilaration of speed to those who drive them.

John Heitmann
University of Dayton

Why was I drawn to Porsches as a teenager? The Porsche 904

2011-10-26T05:48:00.000-07:00

Hi folks -- the other day I received copy of a 1964 issue of Road and Track that had on its cover the photograph of a Porsche 904. Indeed, in 1964 that was the first (and in my memory only issue that year) that I purchased for fifty cents. I treasured that copy, and read and re-read it many times over the next year or so. That car could go 150 mph! And it looked so different from the American cars I was familiar with! I have no idea what ever happened to the original -- perhaps thrown away with other stuff by my mother after I left for college), but I wonder to what degree that was responsible for my desire to own a Porsche in future years.

Recent Trends in Auto Theft in the U.S.

2011-10-21T09:23:00.000-07:00

Hi folks -- as many of you know, I am writing a book on the history of auto theft entitled Stealing Cars: Technology and Society from the Model T to Today. Co-author Rebecca Morales forwaded this article by Christopher McDonald to me: it is simply an excellent contemporary account of the major issues and themes asssociated with the topic today.

The Changing Face of Vehicle Theft
Police Chief Magazine
By Christopher T. McDonold, President, International Association of Auto Theft Investigators; and Detective, Baltimore County, Maryland, Police Department, Regional Auto Theft Team

here is a common misconception that vehicle theft as a whole has remained unchanged in recent times, but nothing could be further from the truth. Vehicle theft has changed dramatically over the past decade; the who, the what, the where, the when, the how, and especially the why of vehicle theft are all complex questions. Gone are the days of encountering simple cases involving teenage joyriders who take a vehicle for an hour or two and then abandon it in a dimly lit parking lot. Today, vehicle theft is high technology and involves sophisticated transnational vehicle theft rings that target particular makes and models of vehicles for various reasons.
A popular belief is that vehicle theft is a problem caused only by juvenile offenders who are relieving their boredom. However, this belief never had grounding in reality, even during the years with the highest rates of vehicle theft, which were 1992–1994. According to the FBI’s Crime in the United States,1995, 58 percent of arrestees for vehicle theft were adults.1 Over the 10-year period 2000–2009, the percentage of arrested adults to arrested juveniles grew to a 3:1 ratio.2
In the Baltimore region (includes Baltimore City and Baltimore County), juvenile arrest rates in the past were skewed by motive: juveniles tended to steal in groups to impress their friends, and adults generally stole alone. Therefore, when juveniles were arrested, there were more arrests per vehicle than there typically were with adults. The advent of technology-driven vehicle ignition security, or transponder keys, has helped to reduce the prevalence of juvenile joyriders and lower overall vehicle theft rates. The majority of vehicle theft–related arrests now consist of adults; however, these adults are not acting alone. The new face of auto theft consists of groups of organized and technologically savvy adults. The change in technology leads to changes in how vehicles are being stolen.
Complex Security Breaches
Technology plays a huge role in a neverending cycle; vehicle manufacturers implement newer technologies to prevent vehicle theft, and this in turn forces those who are stealing vehicles to utilize other technologies to overcome security systems, and so on. Today’s auto thieves have become sophisticated in their endeavors and utilize many different methods to continue to accomplish their tasks.
No matter how auto theft is accomplished, owners must be diligent in their efforts to curb it. Significantly, complex security systems are most often defeated by owners’ basic thoughtlessness. For example, owners leaving vehicles running unattended or otherwise with keys in them is one of the simplest ways that they enable the defeat of high-tech security. The Baltimore Regional Auto Theft Team (RATT), comprising officers from Baltimore County, Baltimore City, and Maryland State Police, has conducted several studies since its inception. In 1995, the Baltimore RATT conducted a five-month study of recovered stolen vehicles at the city’s impound yard and found that 25 percent of the vehicles had the keys in the ignition. In 2010, the Baltimore RATT studied 400 cases of recovered stolen vehicles in which arrests had been made and found that 85 percent had been stolen with the vehicle’s keys. These studies identify a cause for concern. Is the public becoming dependent on technology at the expense of basic common sense? In the Baltimore region, an estimated 1,500 vehicles with keys in the ignition were stolen both in 1995 and in 2010.3 Thieves will always seek the easiest means to steal vehicles. The fact that vehicle theft is still largely a crime of opportunity has remained constant.
Myriad Methods
There are myriad methods to steal a newer car: use a duplicate key, take cars left warming up at convenience stores or in front of homes, commit a burglary, use valet keys, or carjack. Other methods include insurance fraud, rental vehicle theft, and the direct involvement of automotive dealership personnel. Many of these methods can be categorized as burglaries, frauds, or robberies and may not be included in vehicle theft statistics. Finally, the Internet has exponentially increased the number of criminal schemes that thieves can launch; the term “caveat emptor” has never had greater significance for buyers.
Even though conventional means of stealing vehicles have not gone by the wayside, newer and more sophisticated methods exist. For example, many vehicles are stolen from rental vehicle companies via various fraudulent schemes and then are exported to foreign countries. Rental vehicles are newer vehicles, and they come with keys. A number of law enforcement agencies do not accept reports of rental vehicle thefts, advising the companies instead to pursue civil remedies. One Maryland rental car company installed global positioning system (GPS) devices in its vehicles, and some of the first stolen vehicles it located were in Ghana, Africa.4
Insurance fraud was growing before the latest recession began. The Internet has assisted in this crime by enabling faceless business transactions. The fraudster can buy a vehicle, obtain a bank loan, buy an insurance policy, falsely report its theft over the telephone or the Internet, and file a claim. These faceless transactions make suspect identification far more difficult and, when committed across state or international lines, almost impossible for local law enforcement to address. This is the perfect environment for fraudsters who possess the ability to ship a vehicle across state lines or out of the country before reporting it stolen, providing a greater likelihood that it will be recovered. In 2006, the Los Angeles, California, Police Department broke up a Chechen terrorist plot involving luxury vehicles shipped to Eastern Europe using insurance fraud.5 Many law enforcement agencies do not handle insurance fraud investigations. Although insurance fraud technically is not considered vehicle theft, the vehicles involved are falsely reported stolen and are reflected in vehicle theft rates. With the current recession, some citizens already in debt have viewed insurance fraud as an easy means out of a particular debt. Gap insurance, an insurance policy that covers the distance between what a vehicle is worth and what is owed on it, has made fraud more attractive by creating the mathematical reason for its commission: a clean ledger slate.
The latest methods of theft have become more technological in nature. One method is a relay attack, which “is performed through the use of a paired set of radio devices. These are used to capture the signals emitted by the vehicle and the replies from the smart key and extend their range so that the key and vehicle believe that they are within the authorized operation area. In doing so, a thief is able to enter the vehicle and start the engine, disarming all conventional onboard security without having the original key and without alerting the owner of the vehicle.”6Another method used is a transponder key duplicator system. This system can duplicate keys from the vehicle’s master transponder keys.7 The equipment needed for either method can be purchased from various sites on the Internet. A criminal organization willing to spend some money can obtain all of the necessary high-tech tools for stealing vehicles. Some criminal gangs might even hire trained vehicle locksmiths who can defeat the newest security systems.
Not all methods of theft involve technology in isolation, though. Individuals who know how to use technology may become unsuspecting or unwilling participants in the crime. Insiders such as managers and mechanics at automotive dealerships possess technical information and access to technology and equipment, and they could easily duplicate a key while a car is at the dealership for service. When thieves infiltrate these businesses, car thefts soar, and there may be no physical evidence to indicate how the thefts were accomplished.
Many Internet sites provide easy access for sales of vehicles—consider, for example, the giant online vehicle sales markets at eBay Motors and on Craigslist. These sites have been a boon to illicit businesses, although eBay does cooperate with law enforcement and the advent of PayPal has reduced the victimization that once occurred on the web. Once eBay’s site became more secure, illicit buyers began shopping on Craigslist, where transactions are less secure.
Unfortunately, there still are instances where buyers and sellers become victims. For example, a buyer might take a vehicle on a test-drive and never return; a seller occasionally is given a bad check; and an unsuspecting victim may purchase a vehicle on a website such as Craigslist, pay for the vehicle, and never receive it. A case like the latter is almost impossible to prosecute because no agency polices the Internet, which makes it a perfect place for thieves to conduct business.
The prevalence of Internet use and the business of vehicle theft have created jurisdictional issues surrounding not only from where a vehicle is stolen but also from where it is recovered and where the theft should be prosecuted.
Cloned Vehicles
A legal vehicle is considered “cloned” if its identity is stolen and then used for a stolen vehicle in order to make the stolen vehicle appear to be legal. The stolen vehicle can then be registered and sold.8 Many of the cloned vehicles that are seen in the Baltimore metropolitan region are from Canada or are transported long distances across the United States.
The National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS) (49 U.S.C. 30502) is the birth-to-death record of vehicle identification numbers and was created to deter trafficking in stolen vehicles by, among other actions, strengthening law enforcement efforts against auto theft; combating automobile title fraud; preventing “chop shop”–related thefts; and inspecting exports for stolen vehicles. The NMVTIS protects states and consumers (both individual and commercial) from fraud; reduces the use of stolen vehicles for illicit purposes, including fund-raising for criminal enterprises; and provides consumers protection from unsafe vehicles.9
The NMVTIS has recently seen success stories, but it is still in its infancy. It is the hope that the system, once fully functional, will provide a large quantity of leads on cloned vehicles. Local law enforcement has most of the trained vehicle identification experts needed to examine suspected cloned vehicles. The National White Collar Crime Center began training law enforcement in the United States to recognize certain red flags when examining these vehicles.
Worldwide Problem

One of two Lincoln SUVs that were shipped to West Africa and were later reported as stolen

A Bentley that is ready to be shipped to the Middle East, apparently intended to be part of an insurance fraud

The cost of the component parts far exceeds the total retail value of this SUV

A Lexus SUV that was shipped to West Africa, reported stolen in an insurance fraud scheme in New York, and recovered in Baltimore, Maryland, by the FBI and the Baltimore RATT

A Toyota Avalon that was legally bought, shipped, and later reporter stolenPhotography courtesy of the Baltimore Regional Auto Theft Team
Auto theft is a worldwide problem. A January 2011 article in the United Kingdom by BBC News showed that the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) lost 130,000 blank DVLA documents. “Vehicles worth £13m have been stolen as a result of the loss of thousands of blank DVLA log books, a BBC investigation has found. DCI Mark Hooper from the Association of Chief Police Officers’ (ACPO) vehicle crime intelligence service told BBC’s Donal MacIntyre programme: ‘It will keep me very busy, and my team very busy, for the next hundred or so years, I suspect.’”10
Stolen vehicles and their parts can travel many miles. For example, when looking at a cloned vehicle, the donor Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) might come from far away and be used on a stolen car from another state. For example, a VIN number could be taken from a vehicle in Washington State and then cloned onto a stolen vehicle from Canada that is then sold in Maryland. Recently, the FBI arrested a Cuban national in Mexico who was involved in a scheme that transported stolen vehicles across the United States.11In this scheme, stolen and cloned vehicles were taken from the Midwest to south Florida.
Motorcycle theft. One of the fastest growing international theft trends is motorcycle theft. Motorcycles are easy to steal, easy to dissemble, and easy to ship as parts. Sales are accomplished through Internet auctions on websites such as eBay and Craigslist. Motorcycles have the lowest theft-recovery rate; according to a study by the National Insurance Crime Bureau, only 30 percent of motorcycles stolen in the United States are recovered.12 Low motorcycle theft–recovery rates are also evident in the United Kingdom: Approximately 26,000 motorcycles were stolen in 2009 with a 42 percent recovery rate.13 These vehicles and their parts are easy to ship across continents where the receiving countries often lack any ability to access databases like the FBI’s National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and consequently cannot identify the vehicles stolen.
Japanese, Canadian influence. Another focus is on Japanese vehicles. A global economy not only applies to legal entities; global auto theft is flourishing as well. A January 2004 article suggests the marketing strategies used by Japanese manufacturers spread their vehicles across the globe, effectively making their vehicles the world’s vehicles, for which parts supplies are readily available.14In addition to Japanese vehicles, high-end utility vehicles are also a very popular commodity overseas. In 2006, a Canadian auto-theft ring was arrested; they were in the business of stealing high-end SUVs such as Land Rovers, Mercedes-Benzes, and BMWs, as well as Japanese vehicles and exporting them to Nigeria. The profit on such deals is extremely lucrative. It is estimated that as of 2006, more than 170,000 vehicles were stolen in Canada annually, with approximately 20,000 of those vehicles being exported overseas.15
Buyers of these vehicles often do not know how the vehicles were obtained. These vehicles will not be returned to the victims’ insurance companies because there is no treaty for return of stolen property between most first-world and third-world countries.
Older vehicles. Newer vehicles are not always the focus, however. There is a common practice of stealing vehicles for mere scrap metal weight prices called Steal 4 Steel. This practice is defined as the theft of older cars for the sole purpose of scrapping them for their scrap metal weight and the profit from the sale of their catalytic converters. Around the world, scrap metal prices rose until the recession of 2008, at which point they dropped and these thefts slowed. But prices are up once again and thefts are rising. Many states allow the sale of an older vehicle without a title. For example, Maryland law allows the titleless sale of an older vehicle after eight model years. The thieves can cut off the catalytic converter and the gas tank and sell the catalytic converter separately for a good profit. The thieves may have to use an indemnity form to release the scrap processor from civil or criminal liability. The investigation of these cases requires a special response, as the thieves are declaring that they have a claim of right to the vehicles, and most of the victims are poor. These thefts occur across the United States and the United Kingdom and are a part of the growing problem of metal theft.
Accessories. A newer trend is stealing vehicles for the accessories. Vehicles now have computerized equipment to support various devices. In 2011, some vehicles (select Fords and Lincolns) were equipped with Wi-Fi hotspot technology, making connection to the Internet possible. GPS devices are easily spotted and stolen. Wheels and rims are expensive and often stolen, although some of these so-called thefts are actually insurance fraud. Finally, many people create “show cars” with fancy racing hoods, ground effects, and wings. These are expensive and interchangeable; hence, they are theft targets. As a result, expensive accessory thefts are rising.
Street racing. Another increasingly popular reason why vehicles are stolen is related to street racing, and many police agencies are unaware of the scope of such activities. These races occur late at night and gain attention only when there is a catastrophic crash. The street racers fund their hobby with false police reports of car thefts or damage to their vehicles. Eventually, they have to steal vehicles or component parts to continue racing. Thieves need parts to repair and replace damaged parts in racing, which now has moved to motorcycle racing and performing stunts also. The vehicles being raced were not intended for racing, and the engines and transmissions are effectively destroyed in the process.16
Vehicle theft has come a long way from the days of teenagers stealing vehicles simply for the cheap thrill. These thieves saw no value in the vehicle itself but rather in the few minutes of fun. Today, there are many reasons why vehicles are stolen; some have already been mentioned, such as stealing for the value of the metal, for parts needed for street racing, and for the value in expensive accessories. One of the most common reasons for vehicle theft is the ability to generate profit from organized vehicle theft activities. Stolen vehicles are profitable, either intact or parted out. The answer for many questions about vehicle theft may be found in financial news sources. According to a recent article in USA Today, “A weaker dollar has made exports from the United States more desirable in many countries such as Canada, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, China, and Germany. More than 1.5 million new cars were exported last year, up 38 percent from 2009, Commerce Department data show. Last year’s automotive exports were valued at $36.7 billion.”17 If there is a market for new vehicles, think of the market for stolen vehicles.
Because of these international theft rings, law enforcement agencies need each other now more than ever. One detective in Baltimore was recently contacted by a United Kingdom private investigator about a construction equipment piece in Eastern Europe that appeared to be a finance fraud theft from the United States. Law enforcement needs contacts and fast information across international borders now more than ever.
Local Auto Theft Unit Safety
Currently there is a concern with a trend that in tough times, many agencies are eliminating their vehicle theft units. It takes about five years for an investigator to learn advanced vehicle identification. In current and future trends, experts expect auto thieves to become more technological, employ more sophisticated schemes, and transport more vehicles across international lines.
Local investigators need contacts, training, and vehicle identification resources. Leaving these complex investigations to untrained personnel sets them up for failure. The 21st century vehicle thief has discovered weak spots. Although the nonprofessional joyrider has been defeated for the most part, the emerging transnational organized rings pose a new threat.
The IAATI exists to track these trends, provide training and investigator certification, and to provide rapid contacts across international lines. For more information about IAATI, visithttp://www.iaati.org. ■
Christopher T. McDonold is a member of the IACP Vehicle Theft Committee.
Notes:
1U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Crime in the United States 1995, Uniform Crime Reports, released Sunday, October 13, 1996, 212,http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/1995/95sec4.pdf (accessed May 5, 2011).2FBI, Crime in the United States 2009, September 2010, table 32, http://www2.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2009/data/table_32.html (accessed May 5, 2011).3Data from an internal study by the Baltimore County, Maryland, Police Department.4Data from internal case documentation regarding NextCar and the Montgomery County, Maryland, Police Department.5Robert Block, “An L.A. Police Bust Shows New Tactics for Fighting Terror,” Wall Street Journal, December 29, 2006.6“Relay Attacks on Cars,” International Association of Auto Theft Investigators United Kingdom Branch, January 27, 2011, http://www.iaati.org.uk/?p=1001 (accessed May 24, 2011).7“Car Key Programmer,” BlaserKey, http://www.blaserkey.com/Products/CarKeyProgrammer/tabid/60/agentType/View/PropertyID/17/Default.aspx (accessed May 24, 2011).8Charles Montaldo, “FBI Warns Public about Cloned Cars,” About.com Guide, March 10, 2010, http://www.crime.about.com/b/2010/03/11/fbi-warns-public-about-cloned-cars.htm (accessed May 5, 2011).9Department of Justice, National Motor Vehicle Title Information System, “NMVTIS and Its Benefits to Law Enforcement,” http://www.nmvtis.gov/nmvtis_law_enforcement.html (accessed May 5, 2011).10Phil Kemp, “Theft of DVLA Log Books Fuels Cars Scam,” Donal MacIntyre Show, BBC Radio 5 Live, January 31, 2010, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8487381.stm (accessed May 5, 2011).11Associated Press, “Mexico Extradites Fugitive in Car-Theft Ring to U.S.,” Taiwan News, January 11, 2011, http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/etn/news_content.php?id=1482413&lang=eng_news (accessed July 12, 2011).12National Insurance Crime Bureau, “Motorcycle Thefts Down 13 Percent in 2009,” press release, April 13, 2010, https://www.nicb.org/newsroom/news-releases/motorcycle-thefts-and-recoveries-in-the-u-s- (accessed May 5, 2011).13“Recovery Rate of Stolen Motorcycles Declining Year on Year,” Express Insurance, November 11, 2010, http://www.expressinsurance.co.uk/about/media-centre/press-releases/recovery-rate-of-stolen-motorcycles-declining-year-on-year- (accessed May 5, 2011).14Todd Zaun and Jason Singer, “How Japan’s Second-Hand Cars Make Their Way to Third World,” The Wall Street Journal, January 8, 2004.15“Five Arrested in Ontario Auto-Theft Scam,” GhanaWeb, June 1, 2006, http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/diaspora/artikel.php?ID=105179 (accessed May 5, 2011).16Mike Bender, The Fast, the Fraudulent, and the Fatal: The Dangerous and Dark Side of Illegal Street Racing, Drifting, and Modified Cars (Bloomington, Ind.: AuthorHouse, 2009).17Chris Woodyard, “Auto Exports from U.S. on Rise,” USA Today, March 7, 2011, http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2011-03-07-carexports07_ST_N.htm (accessed May 5, 2011).
Please cite as:
Christopher T. McDonold, "The Changing Face of Vehicle Theft," The Police Chief 78 (July 2011): 40–45.

SAH Meeting in Hershey, PA, October 6-7, 2011

2011-10-09T11:53:00.000-07:00

How can one describe the AACA Fall Meeting in Hershey? The vendors, car corral -- it is all ovewhelming!

I was fairly tided up with meetings on October 6 and 7, but next year I am definitely coming in for an extra day. One of the best searches for the Holy Grail around!

Review of Ann Johnson's Hitting the Brakes -- A History of ABS

2011-10-01T05:19:00.000-07:00

Ann Johnson. Hitting the Brakes: Engineering Design and the Production of Knowledge. Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 2009. xviii + 205 pp. ISBN 978-0-8223-4526-8 (cloth); 978-0-8223-4541-1 (paper).

Ann Johnson's Hitting the Brakes: Engineering Design and the Production of Knowledge concerns an important aspect of automotive history in which the focus is not on the automobile per se, but on an international group of engineers working largely at the periphery who produce and apply knowledge towards a necessary end. Johnson, an Associate Professor of History at the University of South Carolina, develops several important themes related to the modern practice of engineering design in the evolution of a commercial Antilock Brake System (ABS). It is a technology that ultimately has saved many lives, especially on those days when it rains or snows. Yet this is also a story in which Albert Einstein’s line is apt:” Not everything that can be counted counts, and not very thing that counts can be counted.” On one hand the effort to mathematically model a skidding vehicle can never be fully adequate, and on the other, driver reactions to a skid can never be accurately predicted.

In reconstructing this complicated story that spanned much of the second half of the twentieth century, the author includes the contributions of numerous engineering innovators, describes several institutional settings in Great Britain, France, the United States, and Germany, explains in words complex mechanisms ( a most difficult task, I might add), and provides additional context as well. In sum, this case study is about the generation of engineering knowledge, the organization of this knowledge and its practitioners, the dissemination of that knowledge, and addresses a number of themes integral to the history of science and technology. Another focal point instead of ABS could have been just as easily chosen with perhaps similar themes. Yet in choosing to write on the history of ABS, Johnson has given us a rare look at the emergence of a new technology largely created outside the R &D facilities of the leading manufacturers of motor cars. In an industry characterized as being technologically stagnant since the 1920s, this story at the edges is an important one if we are to fully understand the 20th century history of the automobile in a broad context.

Johnson’s history begins in Great Britain during the early 1950s at the Road Research laboratory (RRL). With more new drivers taking to the roads and accident rates soaring, the rather complex nature of skidding became a target for further investigation. W.H. Glanville, the laboratory’s director, organized a project under R.D. Lister to explore ways in which the skidding of an automobile might prevented. Drawing on aviation technology, RRL staff installed a Dunlop Maxaret device from an airplane to a 1950 Morris 6. An initial trial that proved disappointing, it was the starting point, however, for design variations that ultimately found their way into a small number of Rolls Royce and Jenson cars during the 1960s. More importantly, the Maxaret resulted in the initial coalescence of a community of researchers that began to move in new directions with advanced analytical methods, tools, and technological metrology. Subsequently, in Heidleberg, Germany, another organization with ties to the aviation industry, Teldix GmbH, employed electronics controls to the dreaded phenomenon of braking lockup, which incidentally also resulted in the steering loss. Work at Teldix led to a system that regulated rather than reacted to wheel lock up, and this forced other ventures to refine their own designs.

Such was the case in the United States, where both Kelsey Hayes partnering with Ford, and Bendix with Chrysler, developed commercial systems. These products were installed in a limited number of vehicles between 1966 and 1972, but with a resulting tepid consumer response. It was consequently left to the Germans, with Teldix now in a new partnership with Daimler and Robert Bosch, who designed an all-wheel ABS system that was first introduced in Mercedes S-class sedans in 1978. Johnson maintained that unlike engineers in the U.S., the Germans published and communicated far more than their counterparts, and perhaps this contributed to their ultimate success. And while broad adoption of the concept to everyday vehicles would take two decades, the superiority of ABS over conventional braking systems gradually won out, despite studies that tended to raise questions concerning drivers’ offsetting risky behavior (the so-called Peltzman effect).

There is much to be learned in reading Hitting the Brakes. That said, however, there are significant gaps to be filled. In a work focusing on the recent past, the elusive nature of personality is rarely, if ever present. Certainly, oral histories could have supplemented numerous technical papers and added much flesh and blood to this work. Indeed, one wonders what is left out in a story that overly relies on published papers and patents. Users of automobile technology are as important to this story as the producers of knowledge. Finally, more diagrams should have been inserted to illustrate the complexities of skidding and the various devices developed to prevent slipping. Yet, despite these shortcomings, Johnson's book is definitely worth reading as an example of a solid case study with a tight scholarly context.

A very rare and "best of show" Vauxhall Boat Tail -- Dayton Concours, September, 2011

2011-09-28T07:29:00.001-07:00

That is me in the background in the black long sleeve shirt with badge viewing a fabulous Vauxhall owned by Dr. Bernstein.

Riding in the rumble would be an unforgettable experience!

Mr. Rick Grant of Dayton -- one of the Midwest's most distinguished car collectors -- thinking some deep thoughts. On Rick's grandfather, one of the most important figures in the history of the automobile in America, see my The Automobile and American Life, pages 59-61.

Thanks to Ed Garten for the Photos!

Most folks know that Vauxhall was acquired by General Motors in 1925. But where did the brand name come from?
Alexander Wilson founded the Vauxhall iron Works. Located on the south bank of the Thames in London, initially the firm specialized in steam engines for marine use. its location was near the ancestral home of 12th century Norman mercenary Fulk le Breant, also known as Fulk's Hall. Later the name was changed to Fawkes Hall, then Foxhall and finally Vauxhall, an area name still in use today.
The first Vauxhall car was built in 1903, and two years later the firm moved to Luton in Bedfordshire.

Oops -- my mistake! GM workers now offerered $12,500 over the next four years -- Tentative UAW Contract

2011-09-21T10:17:00.000-07:00

Hi folks -- Am I the only one not thinking clearly? GM and the UAW have worked out a deal that will set a pattern for the other two Detroit Three that industry representatives, union leaders, and politicians are uniformly praising. The proposed deal, it is claimed will offer $2-3 raises to entry level line workers, a big bonus over four years, and purportedly save or create more than 6,000 jobs in U.S. factories while taking some work away from Mexico. It will also result in the re-opening of the Spring Hill, TN Saturn factory, making Senator Bob Corker very happy.

Given the near-death experience of the industry only two years ago, is GM going to make itself again non-competitive in the long run? How is UAW ownership of GM coupled with political involvement as a result of the bailout influencing matters in ways that may be detrimental over the long haul? Are we in a premature feeding frenzy?

However, there will no longer be a Job Bank.

And there will be 75K buyout offers to skilled trade workers who retire between 11.1.11 and 3.31.12.

Tentative GM and UAW Contract: A $5K "signing" bonus?

2011-09-19T14:36:00.000-07:00

Hi folks -- every time the auto industry stages a comeback -- going back to the Chrysler- Government Loan of the early 1980s -- the union can't wait to get into the share the wealth requests. And management concedes. So I read in Sunday's Dayton Daily News where the GM-UAW tentative agreement includes a maintenance of pension and health care benefits for UAW workers, and a 5K signing bonus. And the promise to reopen a plant in Tennessee.
What is going on here? We as a country will never comeback strong with this kind of collective behavior. Sure, management is now giving themselves bonuses as well -- another sin. The whole thing never deals with longterm matters. Are we not on the road to perdition?

Images from the Dayton, Ohio Concours, September 18, 2011

2011-09-19T07:40:00.000-07:00

Several Indy cars were on display.

My favorite, by far -- this Rick Grant 1949 Alfa Romero 6C.

Introduced in 1938, the 2500 (2443 cc) was the last 6C road car. World War II was coming and car development was stopped, but a few hundred 6C 2500s were built from 1940-1945. Postwar, the first new Alfa model was the 1946 6C 2500 Freccia d'Oro (Golden Arrow), of which 680 were built through 1951, with bodies by Alfa. It was sold to wealthy customers like King Farouk, Alì Khan, Rita Hayworth, Tyrone Power, and Prince Rainier.
The 6C 2500 Villa d'Este was introduced in 1949 and was produced until 1952, named for the Concorso d'Eleganza held in Villa d'Este;[4] a Touring Superleggera-bodied version won the prize. Villa d'Este was Alfa's last hand built model, only 36 examples made. The last 6C was produced in 1952, and was replaced by the 1900.
Variants:
6C 2500 Coloniale 90 bhp @ 4500 rpm (1939–1942), 152 produced
6C 2500, 90 bhp @ 4600 rpm (1938–1949)
6C 2500 Turismo
6C 2500 Sport, 95 bhp @ 4600 rpm (1947–1949)
6C 2500 Super Sport
6C 2500 Super Sport Corsa 120 bhp @ 4750 rpm (1939–1953)
6C 2500 Freccia d'Oro 90 bhp @ 4600 rpm (1946–1951)
6C 2500 Villa d'Este 110 bhp @ 4800 rpm (1949–1952)
6C 2500 GT (1950)
6C 2500 Competizione 145 bhp @ 5500 rpm (1948)

Another Friday Night Cruise-In, Beavercreek, Ohio, September 16, 2011 -- a very interesting anti-auto theft decal from California!

2011-09-17T13:34:00.000-07:00

This was a great find and significant in Rebecca Morales work on governmental agencies in CA that were set up to combat auto theft.

The dash of a very nice 1958 Chevy

This 1958 Buck is the iconic "Dinosaur in the Driveway."

A very slick hood to a Mazda RX-8

What class! On a Jaguar XK-120.

Sorry I have been so quiet lately, folks. My wife was involved in a terrible accident at home several weeks ago, and had surgery last Friday. She is doing much better now, thankfully, and life is getting back to a more normal state.

One Hot Friday Night Cruise-In: Friday, September 2 in Beavercreek, Ohio

2011-09-03T05:02:00.000-07:00

It was way too hot on Friday night, and attendance at the weekly Friday night cruise-in certainly suffered. But there were still a few interesting cars on display, including this 1957 Thunderbird done in blue. I think a bit too extreme for me in terms of one color, since the interior matched the exterior. But I loved the car in general, and the wonderful town and country wonderbar radio.

A Very original Model A

a classic hot rod just the way I like them!

Grand Theft Auto: Its History and Cultural Significance

2011-08-27T14:47:00.000-07:00

Particularly after 1970, Film and literature lionized the auto thief in a manner that painted the act as largely victimless, harmless to human health, and at times actually comedic. Electronic gaming, which in terms of profits far outstripped film by the early 21st century, took auto banditry to far darker and more violent levels. Both forms of media brought the viewer or participant into imaginary worlds of entertainment, but the latter was far more intense, emotional, and controversial.

In 1997, Car theft entered the digital world in a significant way with the introduction of Grand Theft Auto (GTA) video games. In the first decade of the twenty-first century GTA was the best-selling and among the most technologically sophisticated games in the competitive video game industry. “In its ambition, fearlessness, style, and production quality” one reviewer wrote in 2009, “it stands apart from every other franchise.”[1] Take-Two interactive and Rockstar games have sold over 80 million units of GTA and its spin-offs.[2] The action and the scope of the digital map, along with driving and gunplay, have given the GTA series a strong appeal with consumers. Between the introductions of GTA I and the release of GTA III in 2002, Rock star transformed the games from a structured set of missions with a top-down bird’s eye view of the car into a non-linear, sandbox playground, giving the GTA player the freedom to pursue organized crime or, with weapon and automobile, create mayhem.[3] With GTA III, subsequently refined with the release of GTA IV in 2008, the digital landscape was converted into what the video game world calls a “sandbox:” gamers could, at their discretion, follow GTA’s narrative, or drive their stolen automobile around the open digital city. In this digital world, driving is essential to the player’s criminal success and car theft became a necessary prelude to other criminal tasks.

To complete GTA’s narrative, the gamer must accomplish a series of criminal underworld missions. In Vice City, for example, to complete the mission “Life’s a Beach,” the player must win a dance contest, then steal the “Sound Van” from a local DJ and successfully transport it to a local parking garage.[4] The virtual universe of GTA’s ‘urban action’ game revolutionized the video game industry. Importantly, automobile theft and automobile-related violence is, in almost all sequences, the pivotal and most thrilling dimension of the GTA experience. With GTA, car thieves became one of the most popular avatars in the video game industry. Unlike games with hero-avatars who eliminate bad guys for a self-proclaimed righteous cause, the GTA player controls criminal-avatars who carry out illegal tasks or, if the player chooses, effectuates random violence on innocent bystanders and pedestrians. Players assume the criminal’s identity; they see the game’s digital world through his eyes. The digital criminals can -- at the player’s discretion -- assume one of the automobile thief’s many personas: the youthful joy rider; the professional thief; the carjacker; the reckless escapist; the drive-by shooter; the placid cruiser; or the savvy criminal who, in a stolen car, commits murders, deals drugs, or kidnappings.

Each version of GTA has a particular criminal ethos, intimately connected to automobile theft. Vice City (2002) is set in a fictional Miami and the criminal-avatar is a Tony Montanya-like Italian-American Mafioso named Tommy Vercetti; San Andreas (2004) is set in a west coast city and the avatar-criminal is an African-American gangsta’ named Carl Johnson, modeled off a character from the 1991 movie Boyz in the Hood; GTA IV’s (2008) Liberty City is a replica of New York and the digital lawbreaker is Eastern European immigrant Niko Bellic – a Godfather prototype. What the gamer does with the stolen automobile is a matter of choice, but violence and chaos seem unavoidable. As in real life, the automobile is itself a weapon, a force for violence and destruction. Digital cars, set aflame by assault rifle fire or Molotov cocktail, explode with drivers still inside; pedestrians are run over -- some bounce of the car’s grill, others fly over the hood. When a driver hits a random motorcyclist, however, the resulting crash is particularly catastrophic: the motorcyclist is sent flying long and high distances before death a la cement trauma. In GTA, it’s also important to note, the automobile can serve more banal and logistical purposes: it can be used to go to a fast food joint, a place to have sex with a prostitute, or to complete illegal errands. In GTA, the automobile serves many purposes, but theft, violence, crime, and destruction are at the heart of the game’s digital automobility.

Stealing a car in GTA’s digital world is a discommodious combination of reality and fantasy. Car theft in GTA is undemanding and nearly always without consequence. With a player’s click of a consul button, the thief-avatar casually opens the door to an unmanned car or tosses the driver out of an already-occupied car, and motors away. Unencumbered by drivers, locks, The Club, alarms, On Star, security cameras, or any other theft prevention system – automobile theft in GTA is effortlessly accomplished. The thief’s deed therefore becomes an everyday activity. [5] “You will,” as one review writer counseled, “steal thousands of cars in the course of the game, driving each until you have destroyed it or until you see one you like better.”[6]

The automobile is strangely disposable in this world, and the thief is incorrigible. Even if the car thief were apprehended, he faces no court system and prison time: the criminal-avatar, whether arrested or killed, regenerates in a designated place on the digital map. The digital map, the more authentic component of GTA, is an immense and open-ended arena built to mirror major American cities. The thief-avatar navigates the freeways, manufacturing districts, slums, and urban neighborhoods of a faux New York or Los Angeles in a range of digital car makes and models that mimic the models on the streets. In Vice City Stories you can steal the Patriot (Hummer), in San Andreas you can steal the Elegant (BMW), and in GTA: IV you can steal the Infernus (Lamborghini).[7] Also at the gamer’s disposal are motorcycles, tractors, forklifts, trucks, busses, helicopters, and airplanes. The stolen cars and vehicles perform, in some crucial respects, like cars on the street. The digital cars leave skid marks on the road after a sharp turn; they incur broken windows and lose fenders after accidents; and car radios play stations with commercials and popular music.[8] The incredible details of the game, coupled with the freedom made possible with the ease of car theft, make GTA a digital terrain of geographic reality and mayhem-based fantasy.

In the decade-or-so after the release of GTA III in 2002, the games have been a lightning rod for controversy. At the center of the controversy are incidents of “real world” violence. In 2002, two teens and man in his twenties from Grand Rapids, Michigan, spent a night drinking beer and running down digital pedestrians with stolen automobiles in GTA III, and then went out on a real drive and ran down a 38-year old man on a bicycle, stomped on him and punched him, finally returning home to play the game.[9] The automobile, whether used as a weapon or the innocent victim’s conveyance, was the fulcrum of violence in “real world” GTA incidents. GTA automobile theft entered reality when, in 2003, Devin Moore, 18 years old at the time and inspired by GTA IV, killed three men in a police precinct and then, in classic GTA fashion, fled the scene in a stolen squad car.[10] Some politicians, fearing the affects of GTA on children, reacted to the seemingly GTA-inspired murder sprees by calling for a new video game rating system that would prevent adolesecents from purchasing the game. The adolescent mind, reform-legislators argued, was not able to separate reality from fantasy. In 2002 Joe Baca, a Democrat from Southern California, introduced the Protect Children from Video Game Sex and Violence Act of 2002, by asking legislators, “Do you really want your kids assuming the role of a mass murderer or a carjacker while you are away at work?”[11] A game of mayhem intended for adults’ enjoyment, it seemed, often ended up in the hands of adolescents and teenagers. GTA, they believed, threatened the mental health of American children. In a Today Show interview in 2004, famous activist-lawyer Jack Thompson called GTA a “murder and carjacking simulator.”[12] Critics like Thompson also cite the sexualized aspect of GTA: the ability of the criminal-avatar, in a stolen car, to have sex with digital prostitutes. Critics were handed a smoking gun in 2005 when a secret sex scene, dubbed Hot Coffee, was discovered in GTA: San Andreas. The code allowed the clothed CJ, after courtship, to have sex with a naked female-avatar. That year, New York Senator Hilary Clinton launched a campaign on the national level to change GTA’s rating from M (Mature) to AO (Adults only) with hopes that parents could more effectively protect their children.[13] Clinton, singling out GTA as the nation’s most dangerous game, told the Kaiser Family Foundation that video games were a public health issue and that “it is a little frustrating when we have this data that demonstrates there is a clear public health connection between exposure to violence [in video games] and increased aggression that we have been as society unable to come up with any adequate public response.”[14] Despite the criticism from politicians and lawyers, GTA continued to sell hundreds of thousands of copies at $50-$60 a unit – a considerable amount of which were probably played by adolescents. Advocates for GTA, while admitting that these games were not intended for children, contended that the majority of gamers are adult men in their twenties and thirties, and therefore perfectly capable of separating fantasy and reality. They also point out that GTA is appealing because of actual game play and the expansive urban-action environment – not just violence. GTA, a game with automobile theft and automobile-inspired violence at its center, was defended as an adult stress-reliever.

Politicians and the game’s apologists can’t turn to academics, cultural critics, or technologists for straightforward answers because, unsurprisingly, they too disagree on the meaning of GTA. Journalist Steve Johnson and University of Wisconsin education theorist Paul Gee argue that games like GTA can be effective educational tools and also provide players with alternative social models of the good. Johnson believes that gamers, motivated by rewards, learn how to perform complicated digital tasks – and therefore, decide, choose, and prioritize. “It’s not what you’re thinking about when you play the game,” he writes, “it’s the way you’re thinking that matters.”[15] Being a successful digital criminal is an effective learning exercise. Games like GTA can, for the better, challenge any singular definition of goodness. In a video game’s world, Paul Gee writes, “what counts as being or doing good is determined by a character’s own goals, purposes, or values, as these are shred with a particular social group to which he or she belongs.”[16] The automobile thief and criminal in GTA, therefore, subscribe to the values of his community and acts on them. Performing the tasks necessary to win the game and learning the values of another community, Gee and Johnson believe, are effective pedagogy.

But writer Damon Brown, in his Porn & Pong: How Grand Theft Auto, Tomb Raider, and Other Sexy Games Changed our Culture (2008), sees a darker side to the role GTA plays in American culture: the game, he argues, played the crucial role in desensitizing American media to digital porn and violence.[17] Brown believes that in the past twenty years videos games went from mirroring popular culture to setting important cultural trends; GTA -- with the Hot Coffee incident and high volume sales even in the face of severe criticism-- was the[18] Engineer and ethicist Simon Penny, in a popular essay, argues that video games with gunplay, because they have embodied aspects of violent game play, teach players to blur reality and simulation. Therefore, games have “potential to build behaviors that can exist without or separate from, and possibly contrary to, rational argument or ideology.”[19] Penny suggests that games like GTA can train killers. The academic debate, like the political and moral one, is conflicted. But Rockstar continues to sell millions of units of Grand Theft Auto. hinge in this process of cultural transformation. Brown’s argument is provocative, but he supports it with conveniently drawn conclusions. But, to Brown’s credit, numerous scholars make the case that, despite Rockstar’s design of this game as a critique of American violence and commercialism, GTA reinforces and promotes violence, racism, and sexism.

With very few exceptions, culture in America has characterized auto theft was a crime not terribly serious or important. That is, unless violence accompanies the act, or enables its perpetrators to commit other crimes. Essentially, the car is disposable. It is mass produced, made of uniform parts and in large numbers to effect economies of scale. If one is damaged or lost, it is easily replaced by another, perhaps even better than the previous model. And there lies the incongruity with parallel main currents in American life. For if Americans identify with their automobiles, and have a love affair with a thing that evokes status and well being, how can this object be seen in another light as something that can be easily replaced? If we are attached to this machine that has become a part of the family, how can we so easily say goodbye to it with no emotional remorse? Auto theft, then, can only be seen as a long-standing paradox in American life not so easily resolved.

[1] Seth Schiesel, “Grand Theft Auto: The Story Continues, as Gritty as Ever,” The New York Times, February 28, 2009. GTA III was the best selling video game of 2001, and Vice City was the best selling game of 2002. When Grand Theft Auto IV was released in 2008 it took in over $500 million dollars in its first week. For details and arguments on GTA’s cultural impact see Irene Chien, “Moving Violations,” Film Quarterly 62 (2008): 80-81; Sorya Murray, “High Art/Low Life: The Art of Playing ‘Grand Theft Auto’” PAJ: A Journal of Performance and Art 27 (2005): 91-98; Kiri Miller, “Grove Street Grim: Grand Theft Auto and digital folklore,” Journal of American Folklore 121 (2008): 255-285; The Meaning and Culture of Grand Theft Auto: Critical Essays, ed. Nate Garrelts (Jefferson City, North Carolina: McFarland and Company, 2005).

[2] See John Leland, “Bigger, Bolder, Faster, Weirder,” The New York Times, October 27, 2002; Matt Richtel, “For Gamers Craving Won’t Quit,” The New York Times, April 29, 2008; “Grand Theft Auto Sales Top $500 Million,” The New York Times, May 7, 2008. GTA III was published in 2002, GTA: Vice City was published in 2003, GTA: Liberty City Stories was published in 2005, GTA IV was published in 2008, and The Ballad of Gay Tony, The Lost and the Damned, were published in 2009.

[3] For a brief history and details of the game see Bill Loguidice and Matt Barton, Vintage Games: An Insider Look at the Grand Theft Auto, Super Mario, and the Most Influential Games of All Time (Burlington, MA: Focal Press, 2009): 105-122.

[4] Tim Bogenn and Rick Babra, Grand Theft Auto San Andreas: Official Strategy Guide, Signature Series (Brady Games: 2003), 44-45.

[5] See Timothy J. Welsh, “Everyday Play: Cruising for Leisure in San Andreas,” in The Meaning and Culture of Grand Theft Auto: Critical Essays ed. Nate Garrelts, (Jefferson City, North Carolina: McFarland and Company, 2005), 138. Welsh, with insight, writes, “Carjacking is so unremarkable that the extensive list of statistics, which includes everything from number of girls dated to legitimate kills, does not include a state for number of cars stolen. All of the excitement, challenge and freedom is not in stealing cars, but in what one does with them afterwards. Stealing cars in GTA is as everyday in Sand Andreas as opening a car door is in the lived world.”

[6] Charles Herold, “Game Theory: Stealing Cars and Telling Stories,” The New York Times, January 10, 2002

[7] For the makes and models of GTA cars see Tim Bogenn, Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories Official Strategy Guide (Brady Games, 2005), 16-22; Tim Bogenn, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories Official Strategy Guide (Brady Games, 2002), 15-25.

[8] On the radio in Grand Theft Auto see Kiri Miller, “Jacking the Dial: Radio, Race, and Place in ‘Grand Theft Auto’” Ethnomusicology 51 (2007): 402-438. Music is central to the digital car theft experience. One of Miller’s interviewees told her that, “Country music is more appropriate for a stolen pickup truck, or hardcore rap for a low-rider. And some of the more relaxing stations are better suited for long dives in the country, while others may be better suit for, y’know, doing a drive-by.”

[9] For details on Grand Rapids see David G. Myers, Exploring Psychology (New York: Worth Publishing, 2005), 565. See Shira Chess, “Playing the Bad Guy: Grand Theft Auto in the Panopticon,” in Digital Gameplay: Essays on the Nexus of Game and Gamer ed. Nate Garrelts (Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland Inc., 2005): **-**. The year after, two boys who claimed to be copying GTA, shot at vehicles on a highway near their Newport, Tennessee, home and killed a forty-five year old driver. On Newport, see Maxine Frith, “’Grand Theft Auto’ Makers Sued Over Teenage Killing,” The Independent, September 18, 2003.

[10] Rebecca Leung, “Can A Video Game Lead to Murder?” CBS News, February 11, 2009. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/03/04/60minutes/main678261.shtml (accessed 9 July 2011). In 2004, a group of young criminals from Oakland, California, went on a string of carjackings, murders, and robberies. One of the arrested youth told the police “we played the game by day and lived the game by night.” Kim Worthy, “How violent video games can cultivate real youth violence; Prosecutor says Grand Theft Auto-Sand Andreas and other games have dramatic impact on young players,” Michigan Chronicle, Sept 28-October 4, 69 (2005): A1.

[11] Quoted in David Kushner, “The Road to Ruin: How Grand Theft Auto Hit the Skids,” Wired Magazine , March 9, 2007. Accessed online http://www.wired.com/gaming/gamingreviews/news/2007/03/FF_160_rockstar (accessed 23 May 2011).

[12] A number of individuals and organizations have criticized Grand Theft Auto as a threat to children. In 2004 California Assemblyman Leeland Yee, D-San Francisco, introduced a bill that restricted the sale of video games to minors. When the bill encountered resistance in the state legislature, Yee said: “Here we have children playing these violent video games for long periods of time – shooting, burning, maiming – all of these heinous acts. I thought it was a slam-dunk bill…but all of a side, people are hesitant, wondering what is wrong with the current system. “See “Violent video games under fire in Assembly, Bill Banning Minors from buy M-rated volumes has its foes,” Sacramento Chronicle, April 5, 2004. In 2008, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) asked the Entertainment Software Ratings Board to reclassify GTA IV as “Adults Only” because the game included a drunk driving sequence. See “MADD attacks ‘Grand Theft Auto IV’” The Associated Press, May 1, 2008. Michael Bloomberg said that GTA IV “doesn’t exactly teach the kind of things that you’d want to teach your kids…[it teaches] children to kill.” See “Rants Begin Against Grand Theft Auto IV,” GamePro, May 3, 2008. In 2005, governor of Michigan Jennifer Granholm said that “we should all be disturbed by the availability of these games…it wasn’t just a problem in one store or one county, and it wasn’t just a problem in large cities or rural communities. Children across the state have access to games that depict graphic violence and sexual exploitation.” See “How violent video games can cultivate real youth violence; Prosecutor says Grand Theft Auto-Sand Andreas.”

[13] “Clinton Urges Inquiry into Hidden Sex in Grand Theft Auto Game, The New York Times, July 14, 2005.

[14] “Clinton Seeks Uniform Ratings in Entertainment for Children,” The New York Times, March 10, 2005.

[15] Steve Johnson, Everything Bad is Good for You: How Today’s Popular Culture is Actually Making Us Smarter, (New York: Riverhead Books, 2005), 41.

[16] Paul Gee, What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy (New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2003), 141-142. See also Lawrence Kutner and Cherly M. Olson, Grand Theft Childhood: The Surprising Truth About Violent Video Games, (New York: Simon and Shuster, 2008).

[17] Damon Brown, Porn and Pong: How Grand Theft Auto, Tomb Raider, and Other Sexy Games Changed our Culture (Port Townsend, WA: Feral House Publishing, 2008).

[18] See, for example, David Leonard, “Virtual Gangstas Coming to a Suburban House Near You: Demonization, Commodification, and Policing Blackness,” and Dennis Redmond, “Grand Theft Video: Running and Gunning for the U.S. Empire,” and Laurie N. Taylor, “From Stompin’ Mushrooms to Bustin Heads: Grand Theft Auto III as paradigm Shift,” in The Meaning and Culture of Grand Theft Auto: Critical Essays ed. Nate Garrelts, (Jefferson City, North Carolina: McFarland and Company, 2005): 49-69, 104-114, 115-126.

[19] Simon Penny, “Representation, Enaction, and the Ethics of Simulation,” in First Person: New Media as Story, Performance, and Game (Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press, 2004), 81.

Targa Top Almost Done!!

2011-08-18T06:29:00.000-07:00

Hi folks -- well, as the above photos attest, the targa top project is almost done. Yesterday I refitted the interior headliner -- the early version using perforated vinyl is so elegant with its rods, affixed in place with no glue at all. So what is left is trimming some of the rubber off the side seals to get it to fit right. When clamping it down yesterday I noticed just how tight the top is, how there is no flex whatsoever, how the edges fit right where they are supposed to be, and how the rigidity of the car changes with the top in place. Quite different from the other top. That top -- in use over the past 16+ years and probably far more -- that will also be redone in the future now that I know the basics of top restoration.

The cost was far more than $50, however. When one adds you the price for two clamps, a skin, webbing, screws, glue, burlap, felt, it comes out to about $700. And the time -- who knows how much went into this -- hours and hours!

So not for the faint of heart or cash-strapped.