Microsoft Windows 7 Burger King Whopper

BMW M5 (E34) Versus Mercedes 500E (W124)

Yesterday, I posted pictures of an E34 M5 convertible. I thought to myself: Self, I wonder if they ever made a Mercedes-Porsche W124 500E convertible. As far as I know, it never existed. Enjoy this article from Hemmings which compares the two sports sedans while I continue the search for that imaginary convertible.

Dear Zachary (Movie Documentary)

This is the saddest and most gut-wrenching and emotionally draining movie experience of my life.

Waiting...

German newspaper Bild reports today that Heidfeld is on the top of McLaren's list right now. His salary demand of 5 million Euros is less than half of what Button wants and a small fraction of what Kimi wants. We'll see.

And for you SoCal people, don't forget The Best of France and Italy tomorrow.

Update: 2009 car show photos here.

Conan O'Brien's 1992 Ford Taurus SHO Versus 2010 SHO

Here is the original premiere of Conan's emerald green SHO.

This is how you're supposedly supposed to pronounce SHO.

Majestic E34 BMW M5 Convertible

We've already seen the BMW E24 cabrio and an M8 prototype, here is an E34 M5 convertible. Apparently, it was close to being a production model but was pulled at the last minute because bean counters feared that a beautiful E34 cabrio might cannibalize the 3 series cabrio's market share.

We're Number 26,545!

I looked up this blog tonight on Technorati and found out it's the 26,545th most popular blog in the world.* That doesn't sound like much to brag about but it does to me.

I started this blog in 2006 on a lark. I just wanted to write something that was not work-related. I wanted to write about things that interested me-- odd French cars, Central Asian issues, James Bond movies, unusual trips I've taken. I never expected this blog to receive thousands of hits per day (and it hasn't). There are simply not that many people out there in the world who are interested in odd French cars, Central Asian issues, James Bond movies, and unusual trips some random guy has taken.

But more than a handful of people are curious. People like you. And I thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to visit and (hopefully) enjoy this blog on a regular basis. I try my best to think of interesting topics to post.

With that, here's to hoping that we move up to #26,544!

*This blog ranked #51 in the Motorsports category. How did that happen?

Alfa Romeo Montreal Headlights

For sale here.

Fifth Gear Pits General Lee Versus Starsky & Hutch Grand Torino

Doraemon Face Mask

I wonder if the TSA would frown upon this.

Citroen SM Dash Light Decoder

From the right turn indicator and going clockwise:

• front brake pad wear
• water temp
• check switch (?)
• hydraulic and brake pressure
• engine oil pressure
• charge light
• left turn indicator
• lights
• handbrake
• rear window defroster
• hazard lights
• low fuel
• high beams

Flags Made Out of Food

Italy

Japan

India

More here.

French Batman

CHAUVE SOURIS (REMI GAILLARD)
by nqtv

Restaurant In A Car Dealership Food Review (Part 2): F-1 Bistro/Ferrari-Maserati/Redwood City

Photo credit

F-1 Bistro

Address: 2750 El Camino Real, Redwood City

Last week, I reviewed Bistro 33 at a Mercedes dealership near Sacramento. Today, I will review F-1 Bistro inside a Ferrari-Maserati dealership in Redwood City.

Let me just start by saying that the food at F-1 Bistro is light years better than Bistro 33. I may have been a tad generous with my assessment of Bistro 33.

F-1 Bistro is an integral part of Ferrari and Maserati of Silicon Valley. It is right next to the receptionist’s desk and gift shop. It consists of a small open kitchen (very residential), a small bar with a few stools facing the kitchen, and five small tables. I am quite astounded by the kitchen fan’s power and lack of noise as the smell of food does not end up in the showroom at all.

I am greeted by a stand-offish cook. He is a one-man team and acts as the waiter, cashier, and maitre d’. First impressions are deceiving. He is actually a decent bloke and quite a talented chef.

I had the pan seared chicken breast ($18.99). It was the best chicken I’ve had in years. The skin was crispy but not crunchy. The large piece of meat, which included a leg, was tender, lean, and moist. It was served atop spinach and a white bean ragout. The portion seemed large when presented but was appropriate. A very fresh and healthy meal. My only small complaint was that it was a bit white wine-heavy.

My companion had the sausage and peppers with polenta ($12.99). I am not a polenta fan so I am not qualified to judge it. The sausage, though, was excellent.

When we went, there were only a few other diners. I don’t know how well the chef can handle a full house by himself. All in all, though, this is an excellent restaurant that just happens to be in a car dealership.

From the bistro, you can barely make out one of the cars in the showroom. But throughout our meal, we could hear the rumbling of V12s in the parking lot. I’m not a big fan of modern Ferraris (anything from the last two decades), so I didn’t check out the showroom after the meal.

Next stop: The Horseless Carriage at the Galpin dealership in L.A., which I will visit after The Best of France And Italy this Sunday.

Volkswagen Passat R36

Volkswagen Passat R36

The new Passat R36, available in either saloon or estate bodystyles, is equipped with a naturally-aspirated 3.6-litre V6 engine developing 300 PS and 258 lbs ft of torque. Drive is channelled via a six-speed DSG gearbox through a 4MOTION all-wheel drive system capable of diverting torque to either axle depending on the grip available. As a result the saloon is capable of accelerating from rest to 62 mph in 5.6 seconds while the estate takes 5.8 seconds. Both models have limiters in place to restrict the top speed to 155 mph.

Volkswagen Touareg Coming in 2009

After the Passat and the Jetta, Volkswagen will now officially introduce the Touareg, its first SUV for the Indian car market. The Touareg is currently available as CBU under special imports and as such cannot be registered as a company car, and the delivery period is 3-3.5 months. The Touareg shares its platform with the Porsche’s Cayenne, which is currently being sold in the Indian market.

Engine:
The Volkswagen Touareg could possess a 3.0 litre V6 TDI DPF heart. The DPF stands for Diesel Particulate Filter which like the catalytic converter converts the harmful gases and an additional feature of filtering the particulates. This powerplant can produce a torque of 500Nm at 1,750rpm and the 225 horses can do the 0-100kph run in less than 10 seconds.

Features:
Being a high-end sports utility vehicle, the car has active and passive safety features like ABS, six airbags, brake pad wear indicators and crash optimized pedals. The Touareg got a 5 star rating in terms for its safety features by the IIHS (Insurance Institure for Highway Safety) which country? India?. The Touareg also sports features like leather seats, parking assistance, mobile connection as in a bluetooth one or one in which you insert the SIM into the car itself?, automatic climate control cooling, electronically adjustable seats, etc.

Competitors:
The Volkswagen Touareg will compete with the Audi Q7, Volvo XC90, BMW X5 and the Porsche Cayenne.



Specs (Speculated)
Engine: 3.0 litre V6 TDI DPF
Power: 225bhp
Torque: 500Nm
Length (mm): 4754
Width (mm): 1928
Height (mm): 1726
Wheelbase (mm): 2855

Origin of Lamborghini Espada

Lamborghini Marzal

+

Jaguar Pirana

=

Lamborghini Espada

Extreme Origami By Robert Lang

Irish elk

With crease patterns.

Minichamps Heidfeld 1/43 Collection (Williams and McLaren)

After collecting all of Nick Heidfeld's BMWs, the discriminating collector should move on to these two bad boys. First, we have the 2005 Williams BMW FW27. Nick's only pole position of his career was in this car at the Nurburgring for the European GP.

Then, we have the 1998 McLaren MP4/13. As the test driver, Heidfeld set the record at Goodwood in 1999. Mika Hakkinen and McLaren won the driver's and constructor's title in this car.

James May's Car Collection

I have been on a bit of a James May kick recently. I am watching Oz and May Drink to Britain on Youtube and I just finished reading May On Motors. May On Motors is essentially a series of reprints of his newspaper and magazine columns. I'll save you the time and trouble and just say that he is far more entertaining on TV than in print. But what I did learn in the book is his growing car collection. Without further ado, here it is:

1. 1980 Bentley T2. I talked about his T2, which he bought for 14,000 pounds, here.

2. Range Rover Classic Vogue SE. Needing something more utilitarian, May bought a silver Vogue with a grey interior for 4,100 pounds. Richard Hammond bought the exact same vehicle in a bet to see who could buy the better example for 4,000 pounds. Hammond won and got a 25 pound curry meal at Light of Nepal from May.

Photo credit

3. 1985 Porsche Carrera 3.2. James next wanted a proper sports car and so got this. He opines that this is the apex of the original 911. His is silver with blue seats and has no spoiler or body kit. It stickered for 16,995 at a Porsche purveyor and he knocked it down by 1,250 pounds.

Photo credit

4. 1976 Jaguar XJ-6 Coupe 4.2. He briefly mentions the Jag, which is apparently mustard in color. He had to sell it to make room for his new Porsche Boxster S (car number five), which May claims is the first new car he has ever purchased.

Photo credit

6. Mini 1275 Special. Not much is known about this car, other than the fact that he bought it on Ebay after having a pint too many. It's got a checkered roof and spotlights on the grill.

Photo credit

7. 1972 Rolls-Royce Corniche Fixed Head with coachwork by H.J. Mulliner Park Ward

Volkswagen Golf GTI MkVI

Perhaps the next best thing after driving a Golf GTI up and down scenic mountain passes is watching a video clip of someone else doing it.

In 1976 the Mk1 Volkswagen Golf GTI was the budget driver’s dream car with its 4-speed gearbox and 81 kW (110 PS) 1.6-litre engine. Today the GTI makes 155kW (210PS) and 280Nm of torque from its 2.0-litre TSI engine. It will go from 0 - 100 km/h in 6.9 seconds and has a top speed of 240 km/h (149 mph). VW says it uses an average of 7.3 litres of fuel per 100km (38.7 mpg UK). Standard issue wheels are 17-inches but there are 18s available as options.

VW is harking back to this icon with the new GTI. Unveiled as a concept to the public for the first time at the 2008 Paris International Motor Show the Mk VI GTI boasts plenty of garb that many bigger more expensive cars cannot match. In styling the car the team kept the original car in mind. The red frame around the outer front grille is typical GTI and sets it apart from “lesser” Golf models. It has single chrome tailpipes on either side, a GTI rear spoiler, a rear air diffuser, an electronic diff lock, smoked taillights and green tinted windows. The brake calipers are painted red.

The GTI moniker appears on the left instead of the right as it was previously done. The car itself is longer and wider, and it looks more muscular as well. The interior features things like stainless steel pedals, radio/ navigation with a touch screen and heated front seats.

In a few days sales of the new 2009 GTI begin in Germany, in Europe within the next couple of weeks, and America and Asia follow towards the end of the summer.

Volkswagen Tiguan Images

Volkswagen Tiguan Wide Interior

Volkswagen Tiguan Pictures Model Car

Volkswagen Tiguan Price

Volkswagen Tiguan Cars Pics

Volkswagen Tiguan Front View

Volkswagen Tiguan Images

Volkswagen Tiguan : New Car Model 2010. Gallery Pictures #

Volkswagen Robust

The long-rumored Robust pick-up is set for its official debut at the 62nd IAA Commercial Vehicles show in Hannover, Germany that begins later this month. VW has likely chosen a commercial auto show to debut this truck because it has a long history of commercial vehicles in other parts of the world, and the Robust will likely have multiple variations with commercial applications.

The Robust will be built at the Pacheco plant in Argentina in late 2009 as a 2010 model. It will be offered in African and South American markets initially. While it is likely that some European markets will receive the new truck, there has been no announcement about North America.

2010 Volkswagen New Beetle

Well this time Winding Road is at it with some artist renderings. It’s actually a nice design with some nasty pieces like the hood. It does have some hints of “kit” to it. IMO, the ones we posted back in August were far better and looked like an actual Volkswagen design.

Volkswagen Touareg 2010

Volkswagen Touareg 2010

Volkswagen Touareg

Facing a tough competition from BMW’s X5, Mercedes’ M-Class or Audi’s Q5, Volkswagen will introduce a new generation of the VW Touareg SUV, which is scheduled to go on sale in 2010. As we can see from these renderings presented by AutoExpress, the suv will have a more aggressive design, influenced by the current smaller Tiguan. We can see a new front part, with wraparound headlamps, a large grille and a big bumper while the rear has a distinctive kink in the C-pillar and a split tailgate which will allow owners to open the glass independently.

The new Volkswagen Touareg will be powered by a 276bhp 3.2 liter V6 petrol engine, while the top version will get a 345bhp 4.2 liter V8. There will also be diesel versions, two V6 TDI units, with 2.7 liters and 3.0 liters. These engines will be mated with a six-speed Tiptronic gearbox. Rumors also say that somewhere around 2012 Volkswagen will offer a hybrid version, which combines a powerful electric motor with the 3.2 liter V6 petrol engine.

Nick Heidfeld's Steering Wheel

The F1.09 has failed Nick Heidfeld. Aside from a lucky second in Sepang, the car has let Nick down. With one race left for the season and his future still uncertain, let's look at his steering wheel. The car is in serious need of an iDrive knob.

1. Race control information display

2. Shift lights

3. Multi-purpose display, e.g. gear indicator

4. Neutral

5. Activate front wing

6. Multi-purpose button

7. KERS boost button

8. Pre-settings down

9. Pre-settings up

10. Acknowledge

11. Pit lane limiter

12. Brake balance

13. Radio

14. Pit stop

15. Safety car

16. Drink

17. Problem marker button

18. Differential

19. Differential

20. Differential

21. Info to pit crew

22. Selector

23. Tire adaption

24. Wing

25. Pedal

26. Fuel

27. Upshift

28. Downshift

29. Clutch

Credit: BMW F1 Blog

Behind the Scenes Look at 2009 F1 Brazil GP

This lucky guy got to hang out at the BMW garage. The first video is of the Heikki-Kimi fire and the second is of Kubica and Heidfeld pulling out of the garage.

5 Chilean Concentration Camps (Campos de Concentracion En Chile)

Today, we learned from Human Rights Watch that at least 43 Uyghur men and boys have been disappeared by the Chinese government. Though some of them may be guilty of serious crimes, they are all certainly entitled to due process and legal protections.

In the 1970s, after the democratically elected Chilean president Salvador Allende was toppled in a right-wing military coup, Pinochet, Contreras, and DINA set up a number of concentration camps throughout the country. Thousands of Chileans were tortured and killed. Here are five of these camps. You can find out more at Derechos Chile.

1. Pisagua. This prison between Arica and Iquique in the north hugged the desolate Pacific coastline.

2. Colonia Dignidad. The most disturbing. This farming community was founded by German immigrants in 1961. The leader of these Germans, Paul Schaefer, fled to Chile to evade child molestation charges at home. Rumors of disgusting things were coming out of the colony for years before the place was turned into a detention camp by the government.

3. Isla Quiriquina. The tiny island housed a naval training school which in turn held some of the disappeared. This video shows a recent graduation ceremony of females cadets. One wonders if the same atrocities would have happened had some of the intelligence officers and military personnel at the detention camps been women.

4. Chacabuco. This is the trailer for a documentary about the nitrate mining town in the middle of the Atacama Desert that was converted into a concentration camp.

5. Dawson Island. This remote speck in Patagonia was literally at the end of the world. The only footage I was able to find was of these mountaineers. The island in the background is Dawson.

So Is Heidfeld Going to McLaren Or Not?

Which German Will End Up At McLaren-Mercedes?

There was a blurb today on motorsport.com about Heidfeld possibly going to McLaren. I will repost it below in bold. My commentary will be in italics.

Nick Heidfeld was the forgotten man of the 2010 silly-season, but he could be in the running for a coveted seat at McLaren or Renault.

The Abendzeitung newspaper reports that, with Lewis Hamilton pushing hard against the prospect of sharing a team with Nico Rosberg or Kimi Raikkonen next year, Germany's 32-year-old Heidfeld has emerged as a candidate.

See. I was right about Hamilton not wanting to share any of the attention. We saw what happened to Alonso and something very similar can happen again with a "star" like Kimi or Nico. What McLaren needs is a low-profile guy who can rack up the points for the constructors title. That perfect number two is Heidfeld.

"He is the most under rated driver in Formula One," McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh, likely to part with Hamilton's current teammate Heikki Kovalainen at the end of the season, is quoted as saying.

And Mercedes' Norbert Haug adds: "He (Heidfeld) brings over ten years of consistently strong performances."

See. I've said repeatedly that Heidfeld is the most underrated driver in F1, despite outperforming his "better" teammates consistently. All I got were snickers.

Germany's Bild newspaper said Heidfeld, who debuted for Prost in 2000 and also raced with Sauber, Jordan, Williams and BMW although never winning a race, is also in the running for the Renault seat currently occupied by Romain Grosjean.

Although I have to wonder why McLaren and Mercedes would want to praise Nick if they are indeed negotiating a contract with him right now. Wouldn't these accolades just push Nick to demand a higher salary? That wouldn't be smart. I just hope this isn't all a ploy on McLaren's part to get Kimi back to the bargaining table. Stay tuned.