"Hey Honey, I'm heading to the mall to get some shirts, some soft pretzels, and a new car!"

So, after reading the title of this post, you're probably thinking one of few things:

1. There must be a toy store, and this hypothetical mall shopper is going to pick up a Hot Wheels car or something. 
2. This hypothetical mall shopper is Jeremy Clarkson and he finally wrecked that lime green Fiesta in an anchor department store.
3. Soft pretzels sound good, I'll be right back, must stop by Auntie Anne's...

Actually, you might be thinking two of these things. One thing that you probably aren't thinking is that this mall shopper is really picking up a new full size car at the mall. You may think that's absurd, but it's something that's being tried at the Fashion Mall in Indianapolis, IN.

Northside Fiat: Changing the Way We Buy Cars

To my surprise and near disbelief, as I rounded one of the corners of the mall, lo and behold, protruding from the hallway wall, was a gleaming silver and red Fiat emblem. As I made my way closer, to my delight, a trio of glistening little 500s were parked within.

How can you not love these things?

Of course, soon after my excitement wore off, I started noticing the rest of the dealership, and boy is it something. You step through the big entry ways into a bright white and red room that looks like something between an Apple Store and a chic club; which is cool. All over you see modern, trendy chairs, TVs, desks, even a coffee bar. Lining the walls are all variety of Fiat merchandise. Anything from cufflinks to track jackets; even Fiat bocce!

Look, it's Fiat world!

Naturally, the main focus of any dealership is the cars, and they are genuinely charming. The lovable shape and compact dimensions make the 500 a nearly irresistible car to behold. I believe that for sheer styling cuteness, the 500 has dethroned the current Mini and Beetle. Inside, the 500 is just as nice with quality switchgear, a beautiful color matched dashboard, and a stylish gauge cluster with the tachometer nestled within the speedometer. And, at least for the front passengers, there was more than enough head and leg room. Driving wise, I can't say, since I didn't have time to test drive, but exterior and interior wise, it was quite pleasant. However, I'd like to say, Fiat needs to hurry up and start importing the Abarth models.

Whether car shopping at the mall will catch on or not, I'm not sure. I suspect that most mainstream car companies wouldn't be able to pull it off, with far too many models, and a need for high inventory. However, for what is currently a chic, fashionable, niche car and company, I believe that this unusual way of bringing cars and consumers together could be a very successful one. And, at the very least, it may give mall-weary "drag-alongs" something fun to do aside from sitting on a mall bench.

(P.S. This may be the last post for awhile, as I'm starting class tomorrow, and may be busy, but I will try to post as much as I can)

The Unfortunate Demise of the Car Design Yearbook

Packing up my books for college, I knew there was one set of books I should have along. I'm not sure how they will help in my studies, if at all, but I believe that they are indispensable for the car enthusiast. The books I write of are the Car Design Yearbooks. These books were published annually for eight years and are notable because every book consisted of a number of full color images and design evaluations for every car released in that book's respective year.

Yeah, you read that right. Every car released in a year. Every unveiling, every mid-cycle refresh, every manufacturer, every car, is given its approximately two pages of immortality in each edition of the Car Design Yearbook. And it's not just the notable cars like exotics that get attention, the utterly forgettable get equal billing in each book as well. Remember the Ford Freestar? The warmed over Windstar minivan? No, of course you don't, not until I reminded you (ok, maybe you did remember, but just barely). That's not to say they get the same accolades, though. Every car is scrutinized, and the good designs get the praise they deserve, and the bad designs get the derision they deserve.

Not entirely forgettable, but aside from funky styling,

the Suzuki Aerio was, otherwise, rather ordinary.

It doesn't end with production cars either. Concepts get the same treatment as well. The same luscious full color photos, the same top tier design critiques. They're all there. In these books, you get a cross section of the automotive landscape for each edition's respective year. And, in addition to individual vehicle critiques, each book has a general explanation of contemporary design trends and a prediction of what will be important in the future. Each edition even contains spotlights of leading car designers, featuring images of their current and past work.

The Chevrolet Bel Air concept,

from the days when retro design was king.

I suppose it actually shouldn't be that amazing that these books do what they say they do; giving an in depth summary of the condition of the automotive design world. What's really amazing is the fact these books came out. To my recollection, there has never been a series of books that has more comprehensively compiled every new car release. And it's wonderful that they were able to release eight editions. What's unfortunate though, is that after the eighth, published in 2009, no more were released. It's actually a little tragic. Although it doesn't seem so bad on the surface, I am willing to wager that there is an inordinate amount of automobiles that people have completely forgotten about. Perhaps some were genuinely charming or interesting cars that have been forgotten to the pages of history. Or not the pages, but more accurately, the junkyards, with no record of their existence. I don't know the exact reasons why the annual releases of the Car Design Yearbook ceased, I imagine that it might have something to do with what was probably an enormous project to immortalize each car released in a year, but it is nevertheless unfortunate. Hopefully, in the future, someone might be able to resume production, or start a similar project. In the meantime though, I highly recommend, neigh, urge car enthusiasts to pick up at least one edition, if not the complete set of books, you will not regret it.

Mr. Stocksdale: Or Why I Never Worried and Loved the Bug

A while back, I had been contemplating on the things that have influenced my unstoppable enthusiasm for cars. While I think it's something I was born with, considering my parents' stories about me identifying car emblems before I could really talk (that's their word not mine, feel free to ask them about it). Of course, it's important to nurture a child's interests, and mine certainly were. Over the years, I accumulated a massive collection of Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Micro Machines, and various other miniaturized cars. Naturally, they were all opened and played with, since a good car should be driven (see my post about mint condition cars). It didn't stop with toys though, as movies and games played a large role, and all three happened to build up an early passion for the weird looking but cheap, honest transportation affectionately known as the Volkswagen Beetle.

My early passion for the quirky little car I'm sure started when I first saw The Love Bug. Immediately, I was in love with Herbie, the little car that could. He was cute, lovable, and at least in the movie, fast; elements that seem to have manifested themselves in my current daily driver, a '99 Mazda Miata. I would watch that movie over and over and over again. Even today, I love the movie, perhaps even more now because now I notice the other classic race cars like Triumphs, Austin-Healeys, Jaguars, and more unusual cars like the Apollo GT (the "celebrated Thorndyke Special") and a Bizzarrini GT Strada (also noted in Motor Trend Classic Fall 2011). I've watched the movie so many times that I can probably recite around 50% of the movie off the top of my head.

My favorite little VW

So after falling in love with The Love Bug and most of its sequels, I naturally wanted more Beetle stuff. Fortunately, all diecast car makers were happy to oblige, and I snapped up mini Beetles in all variety of color, size, and fragility. Most of my Hot Wheels size and Micro Machines size cars have survived, but a couple of 1/18 cars didn't last long. At the time, I didn't fully comprehend the idea that someone would make a car that couldn't be played with. Nevertheless, my VW passion stayed on for a long time, given periodic bursts from the occasional VW magazine I happened to pick up from time to time, even a birthday cake in the early 2000s. It was also in the early 2000s that I was exposed to one of the other big VW influences in my life on the Nintendo 64.

Now something that readers should know is that in addition to cars, I'm also an avid video game player, and that was actually also fueled by my car enthusiasm. I loved, and still love, racing games from arcade to simulation. However, during the early part of my life, my gaming was restricted to Mac and PC. Racing games on Mac/PC have always, and still are, difficult to find in quantity and quality, and so I jumped at the chance to play console video games any chance I got, from department store demo machines, to the best of all; games at a friend's house. And it was at a friend's house that I got a big dose of VW with a lesser known racing game called, Beetle Adventure Racing. Published by EA and developed by the people behind Need For Speed, Beetle Adventure Racing was a fun and over the top game featuring nothing but New Beetles. Featuring large tracks with lots of short cuts and beautiful polygonal scenery, New Beetles in every color of the rainbow, and a particularly enjoyable Beetle Battle mode, it was a charming game that's worth playing even today; which I still do. Everytime I was at that friend's house, I would want to play it, even over Super Smash Bros. most times, and it too maintained that long fueled love of the Beetle.

ADVEENNTUURREE RRRAACCIIIINNNGGG!!!!

 

GRRRROOOVVVYYYY!!!!! (photo: IGN)

Of course, things changed a bit when we got our first new car as a family, a 2000 Mazda Protege that I started leaning toward the zoom-zoom brand. I had already been a fan of the Miata at that point, but I really became a fan of Mazda in general when we got the Protege. And, as I learned more that the current New Beetle (1998-2010) was generally rather unreliable and not particularly fun to drive, some of that love began to fade. However, it never completely left. I would love to own an original Beetle, preferably early 60s. I would particularly enjoy building a Herbie replica, but with a Porsche engine to give it the power and performance the "real" Herbie displayed on screen. I mean, how fun would it be to race around in a Porsche-powered bug? Exactly, loads of fun! For that matter, I could see driving the new 200hp turbo Beetle coming out this year. A GTI in Beetle clothing? Sounds like a sweet sleeper to me! In the meantime though, I'll stick to watching The Love Bug, and playing some Beetle Adventure Racing. Peace out dudes!

A Day at the Dragstrip

Finally, after over two weeks of unbearable heat, the weather has finally turned pleasant again. No more 100+ degree heat indexes, no more air conditioning cranked up, just pleasant, warm, dry weather. Cool breezes, clear skies, what summer, and start of fall, weather is supposed to feel like. In weather like this, most people would probably go for a picnic, a walk in the park, or some other peaceful, quiet day in the sunshine. However, car people aren't most people, and while we won't object to one of those tranquil activities, we also like to get a little excitement and a healthy dose of horsepower and sheet metal. And what better way to get that, than to spend a day at the drag strip.

Last night, I and two of my friends did just that as we trekked down to Edgewater Sports Park just outside Cincinnati, OH. All summer long, Edgewater has been running a "Thursday Night Lightz" program of heads up drag racing and "King/Knight of the Streets" competitions every week. And, while I've only gone twice this summer, each time has been a great event for auto enthusiasts from all walks of life.

Edgewater Sports Park: The stands, the cars, and a big white truck that got in my shot

Now skeptics may write off drag racing as boring or only for rednecks and middle aged guys in muscle cars, but that couldn't be further from the truth. While yes, it does lack a bit of the technical driving skill found in autocross, time attack, or other motorsports involving left and right turns, drag racing is nevertheless a fun event that attracts all sorts of cars, with Edgewater getting the full range.

From Volkswagens to Hondas, Fords to Nissans, even bikes, all came out for a good time with friends, and a chance to see some great cars, and great cars there were. Both this night and the other night I went to Edgewater, I saw some cars I had not expected to see. Admittedly, the first time I went, there were a few more unusual vehicles lurking about, like a Lamborghini Gallardo, and a Rossion Q1 (the Americanized version of the Noble M12), this time had plenty of unique rides as well. Diesel heavy duty pick ups (that were racing and winning), a trio of Acura NSXs, a roughed up Datsun B210, and, most amazingly, a genuine R33 Nissan Skyline.

R33 Skyline (not a GT-R, but who cares?)

Datsun B210 (It got dark pretty quick)

Aside from the cars, the racing was good fun too. Cars from bone stock El Caminos and Del Sols to fully built Monte Carlos, RX-7s, Mustangs, the aforementioned diesel trucks, and literally everything else in between lined up for a few passes at the quarter mile. A lack of active timing lights left my friends and I to get rough time estimates from an iPod touch timer, but the racing was fast and close most of the time, and the constant grudge racing meant you could see all your favorite rides square off with their rivals.

I didn't see the driver, but the plate says it was ze German Stig

Each night culminated in the "King/Knight of the Streets" competition where the fastest racer would be crowned after elimination matches in domestic, import, and bike categories. Naturally, the bikes wouldn't compete with cars due to being substantially quicker than any car participating, but the final race between import and domestic the first time I went was fantastic. A battle between an RB (Skyline engine) powered 240SX and a powerful Pontiac Trans Am resulted in extremely close racing in two straight up runs. The Trans Am would get a good start and small lead, but half way through, the better top end in the turbo 240 would reel in and overtake the Trans Am both times. This night, unfortunately, a Fox Body Mustang blew its engine on one of its elimination round runs, spraying various engine fluids across the track. Despite the track crew's best efforts, they couldn't get the track cleaned up enough to finish the competition and the night ended early. Fortunately, the driver managed to keep the car off the wall and had no injuries, and the racing up until then had been quite close.

Summer time is a wonderful time. A time to spend with friends, to get out in the fresh air and beautiful weather. And, if you're a car enthusiast, few places are better for this than a day at the drag strip. Even if the burnt rubber fills that fresh air. Actually, maybe that's not such a bad thing.

Car Shopping Across the Pacific

Recently while browsing the "local rice" thread on my favorite forum, ClubRoadster.net, I stumbled across something of a treasure trove for the Japanese car enthusiast. Somebody posted a link to a used Miata listing ("Roadster" in Japan) with a particularly... striking body kit. And, while such a vehicle was certainly... interesting to look at, I quickly became distracted by the offerings on the rest of the website.

The Miata/Roadster in Question

To my surprise and absolute delight, the website, Goo-Net Exchange, turned out to be the Japanese equivalent of AutoTrader. And, just like AutoTrader, you can shop around for absolutely any Japanese car you can imagine, and yes, that includes the greats like the Skyline GT-R. But it's not just limited to that, not at all, Goo-Net has listings that range from sports cars like the aforementioned GT-R, to tiny "Kei" cars, Japanese microcars with engines in the 600cc range.

Mid-engine, RWD, 660cc Honda Beat

Naturally, it should be expected that Japan would have an online car shopping website, but what makes this site particularly distinctive, is that the prices on most vehicles are listed in US dollars. More amazingly, was that most vehicles were priced, and still are, quite reasonably; more so than I ever expected. For example, the Mazda Eunos Cosmo, a personal luxury coupe with an exclusive 2.0L 3 rotor engine, and a low, sleek body that has a presence all its own, only costs $10,400. Now it is worth noting that this particular example is 20 years old, but it only has 68,350 miles! And, because of Japan's rigorous vehicle inspections called "shakens", it should be in very good shape.

Mazda Eunos Cosmo; The only production 3 rotor car

However, there are catches that aren't immediately apparent. Surprisingly though, shipping isn't really one of them. The cost actually isn't too bad for such a long sea voyage to reach North America. To ship, say, the sporty Mitsubishi FTO GP Version R pictured below, to New West Minster, British Columbia, Canada, would only cost $984 on top of its already quite reasonable $5,970 price tag. So for around $7k, you can drive the FWD sports coupe Mitsubishi should've brought instead of, or maybe in addition to, the third generation Eclipse. Now yes, you would have to arrange another company to deliver the car then from New West Minster to where ever you reside. However, a better option would be a monster road trip with your best buddy to pick up your new-to-you JDM awesomeness. You might want to pay for his/her gas and food though.

Mitsubishi FTO GP Version R

Really, the biggest catch when it comes to imported cars, is that, for the most part, they're illegal. Much to the chagrin of import car enthusiasts nation wide, it is nearly impossible to get a foreign market car into the country, and, even if you do get that far, it's a really risky proposition. Google something like "skyline seizure" or "crushed skyline" or something else similar, and you will find numerous stories about people that brought over varying examples of the legendary GT-R, only to have the Feds snatch them up and destroy them. There have been many attempts at finding work-arounds, but really, the only safe way to import a car, is to wait 25 years. Yes, you can import a foreign market car, but only if it is 25 years old or older. The reasoning, I don't know for sure, but frankly, I think the government has far more important things than crushing innocent people's beloved automobiles. Sadly though, the laws are there, and they are enforced. So, you can wait that long, or move to Canada, where the wait is only 15 years. And before you try, no you can't import to Canada first, and then import across the border.

Mitsubishi Galant GTO; Old School JDM

That being said, the 25 year thing isn't all bad. Afterall, that Mitsubishi Galant up above is totally fair game, and who wouldn't want to rock an old school Japanese performance car? And, this is just Japanese imports I'm talking about. There's loads of European sports cars and hot hatchbacks that would be a blast to drive that have reached import age. Admittedly though, that doesn't help the wait for more recent models. Who knows, maybe you could get away with an Impreza or RX-7 here in Indiana (Yes, I'm a Hoosier). Afterall, you can get away with just about anything as long as it's not too loud or obviously dangerous, and there are no vehicle inspections. But, even in the most conducive environment, the risk is still high.

If the person at the DMV asks, yes, you did a right hand drive conversion

Anyway, if you've got a bit of time on your hands check out Goo-Net Exchange and browse the wonderful offerings Japan didn't ship here. In the meantime, I'll be counting down the years until I can import something, there are so many to choose from.

Mint Condition Vintage Vehicles

In this recent posting at one of my favorite blogs, Speedhunters, and reposted at another favorite, Jalopnik, are photos and information concerning a practically brand new, fresh off the lot 1986 Toyota Corolla AE86. The condition it's in is, well, showroom new. The original owner drove it until the tank was mostly empty, drained the rest and parked it. Every now and then he would manually turn it over to make sure the engine didn't deteriorate with disuse. And, as amazed and fascinated at the idea of getting to see what a 25 year old car would look like new, it leaves me quite conflicted.

Mint AE86 Corolla
(Photo and Speedhunters article credit: Larry Chen)

You see, I'm torn between the novelty of a mint condition vintage car, and the depressing thought that this car hasn't even seen its hundredth mile. Especially a car as fun and charming as the AE86 Corolla, and this one is even optioned such that it's ideal for driving, as it comes with the factory limited slip differential. Coupled with a strong and easily modified 4-AGE Toyota four cylinder and rear wheel drive, it's not hard to see why these cars are a hoot to drive. And fans of Initial D or drifting in general know this already.

It's wonderful that a car like this has been preserved of course. In fact, there likely are very few unmodified AE86s driving around at all. Their fun-to-drive nature and easy modification make it hard to resist for tuners. And it's nice that it isn't being abused and slid into walls by inexperienced or even experienced drifters and street racers. However, was parking it in a garage for the rest of it's life the only way to preserve it?

Cars are built to be driven, and it really makes me rather sad to see cars like this. And this isn't the first one, I've ever heard of or seen. I remember once at one of the annual car auctions held in Auburn, IN there was a 70's Pontiac Trans Am with only 12 miles on it! 12 miles! Who does such a thing? Who could possibly resist driving their brand new sports car more than 12 miles, and then never drive it around again, until it was sold? It even had the paper floor mats from the dealer still in place.

As a matter of fact, it seems like a waste in a lot of ways. Sure, it's one less car burning dirty fossil fuels and cluttering the highways, but then, what was the purpose of all the energy that went into building it? All the metal and plastic and energy to bring this car into existence, just to sit in someone's garage for a quarter century? Even, the person that bought the car in the first place. All the money spent, and space taken up for less than 50 miles of driving? And what good does it do? It's not like these cars are going to shows for people to see, since that would add miles. Instead, they get ferreted away into private garages where they're painstakingly preserved and maintained to avoid wearing out from disuse.

To anyone considering this sort of car ownership, please reconsider. You won't be doing yourself or anyone else any favors, unless you're starting a museum. Cars are built to be driven and enjoyed, not hoarded like Hot Wheels. And it's perfectly possible to keep a car in tip top shape, while driving it as well. It doesn't have to be much, but at least let it see 100, 1000, or more miles. You owe it to yourself, your car, and the people that appreciate cars like yours as well. So go out, take a drive, it's been long enough.

My First Post!

Well, today, I've stepped into the wide world of blogging. Perhaps it's a bit unoriginal to title my first post "My First Post!" but hey, every blogger has to start somewhere. And, so I've started! My name is Joel, in case you don't know me, or didn't bother to look at my name on this blog, and as my description also notes, no, I am not a professional auto scribe, nor do I have encyclopedic knowledge of every nut and bolt in a car. However, both are things I'm working toward. My aspiration in life is to became an auto journalist, and I also am building up my skills in working on cars, as well as driving. In fact, the college that I will be attending this coming fall-McPherson College-will also be preparing me for both goals. But more on that in a future post.

Speaking of future posts, what this blog is going to be about is really what I feel like writing about, and that will cover all sorts of topics. I hope to cover just about everything that I can car related, and I know I'll leave some things out, but I see a long time to cover things. So keep an eye out for posts on new cars, industry news, video games (car related naturally), projects I may take on, and anything else vehicle related that piques my interest, and hopefully some of them will pique your interest as well!