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• Car-Guy Trivia Questions

• Give Away

• Formula 1

• Bits and Pieces

• Car-Guy Trivia Answers

• 10% Off Purchases For Your Trivia Questions

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Car-Guy Trivia (answers are later in this email)

1) What American car was called a 'Jelly Bean', Flying Spud, and 'Gel Tab' when it first came out in 1986?

2) What company was the only US manufacturer to successfully switch from horse-drawn to gasoline-powered vehicles?

3) What vehicle was named after an American Indian symbol for Power, Action, Beauty, and Youth?

A- Ford Thunderbird

B- Plymouth Fury

C- Pontiac Firebird

D- Toyota Tacoma

4) Who was the first person to drive a motor car across the country? Why did he do it? When did he do it?

What did he drive? Who made the trip with him?

(Some questions are easy, this one is not, but I like it.)

5) Last issue, we asked: What rock group got its name from a fire engine made by the creator of a popular American automobile that recently went belly up? We had the answer: The rock group is REO Speedwagon, who can thank Ransom E. Olds for their name. We all know Mr. Olds as the creator of the Oldsmobile. Our friend Jay D. came back with another group. Do you know that one? It's not a rock group.

--- Retreads --- These last three questions are from over two years ago. If you remember them from before, consider this a memory test.

6) Before there were fast and powerful cars, if you thought of speed, you thought of the mighty railroad trains that roared across this country. Walter started his career working with the railroads, but through hard work and enthusiasm he built an automobile and business bearing his name. Although his namesake lives on, his company was purchased by one of the finest luxury car manufacturers of the world. Who is Walter?

7) Which of the Big Three was the first to reach out to short drivers with an adjustable brake pedal in 2002?

8) They originated with the 1953 Motorama Buick Wildcat II. They then graced the sides of the 1955 LaSalle II show car, these "scalloped inserts", looking as if the sides of the body had been carved out with a giant ice cream scoop. They finally made it into production on the front fenders of the '56 to '62 Corvette. What was the styling term Chevrolet chose to name these inserts?

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• Give Away

Our regulars know that last month, we had an AMG T-shirt from AutoWeek to give away. We are happy to say Ben H from Joppa won the shirt.

This month, we have another goody for one of you, our regular newsletter readers. The video RENDEZOUS is a very short, very intense film. One you will watch over and over. Oscar winner, Claude Lelouch mounted a camera on the front of his Ferrari 275GTB for a very fast, very illegal run flat out from one side of Paris to the other through morning traffic. No special effects, no stunt people, no blocked off streets. No police assistance, no police were invited. What you see is as it was run.

The VHS sold for $49.95. Now we have it on DVD for $29.95. We are giving our last VHS version to one of you, our regular newsletter readers, who makes a purchase this month. Good Luck.

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Formula 1

The FIA has a tentative suggestion for the F1 rules starting in 2008:

- All actuators and sensors will be specified and monitored by FIA

- Standardized FIA approved ECU with FIA approved software

- Standardized FIA specified control system wiring loom connectivity

- Standardized FIA approved single tire supplier

- Standardized FIA approved brakes.

- Standardized FIA approved gear ratios, final drive ratios and differentials

Has Max been taking notes from NASCAR?

2005 Formula 1 World Championship

Sept. 25 Brazil (Interlagos) October 9 Japan (Suzuka) October 16 China (Shanghai International Circuit)

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• Bits and Pieces

SBD

There was a series of racing that totally intrigued me when I was a kid. But, once I hit 16, my interest waned a bit. Thankfully, Soap Box Derby racing has continued on and, apparently, is doing quite well.

Washington D.C. has had a race for 64 years. For the last 14 years, they have run on Capital Hill. The cars are no longer wooden wonders built in the basement. They come as kits now and are reusable year to year.

There are several major races within driving distance from the DC area. The largest All American Soap Box Derby in the US lately has been Fredericksburg, VA. Waynesboro, VA is also very large. There are also races in Frederick, Federalsburg and Leonardtown MD.

This was all sent to us by our friend, Mike Harrigan. Mike is the volunteer Marketing/PR Director of the DC event. In 2006, he hopes to have a float in the Cherry Blossom parade. They built a float at his home in Columbia MD that was used in the National Memorial Day Parade.

They are looking for someone to take over the membership director position, maintain the membership database and receive the email from the web site, attend 2 meetings per year, and of course the race.

For you SCCA guys, Mike is also looking for info on the RFID system used at Summit Point.

Here are a few links if you are interested:

Greater Washington D.C. Soap Box Derby

A news article: web site: National Web Site: All American Soap Box Derby

If you are interested in being involved, call Mike. They are always looking for help at the races. And it is a good clean sport for a company to be involved in as a sponsor. It is not that expensive. A sponsor could provide funds for one or more car kits at $400 each. Or you could be one of the events sponsors. Sponsorship like this is great for a group like Moose or Kiwanis.

Mike Harrigan, after 4pm at 410-531-5268.

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We want to thank Dan McCrary for letting us carry his beautiful line of prints.

In Dan's Catalog's words:

Combining a photo-realist approach to watercolor technique with a unique and adventurous sense of composition, Dan McCrary applies his vision to a wide variety of automotive subjects. The Development of reflection and shine can be played to the maximum on one piece, and then he shifts into another gear to depict in amazing detail the rust and pitted chrome of an aging derelict.

In my words, I think his stuff is neat. Check him out in our Posters and Prints section.

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For you Brit Car guys, Dan told me he just bought a new Lucas vacuum cleaner. It's the only thing Lucas makes that doesn't suck.

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Sightings

The new Dodge Magnum can come equipped with a pretty hot engine, if you watch the commercials. We saw one on the beltway the other day, the tag was: YES IT DZ

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Our regulars know we used to provide a list of all the local Street Rod Gatherings. We dropped it when it got too big and it never changed from month to month. We still have the list, if you are interested, send us a note and we will email it to you. Plus, if you know of any street rod gatherings we should add to the list, send that too.

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Car-Guy Trivia Answers

1) Because of its gelatinous shape, the Ford Taurus was given many derogatory names when it first came out.

2) The only US manufacturer to successfully switch from horse-drawn to gasoline-powered vehicles was Studebaker.

3) The vehicle that was named after an American Indian symbol for Power, Action, Beauty, and Youth?

It was C, the 1954 Pontiac Firebird concept car.

(From Speed Vision's Car Crazy TV show)

4) In 1903, Horatio Nelson Jackson was in a club in San Francisco, when he got into a deep discussion over cars. The result was a $50.00 bet that he could drive across the country from San Francisco to NYC. Upon the recommendation of a local mechanic and bicycle racer, 22 year old Sewell K Crocker, he bought a red Winton for $3,000.00. Jackson's passengers were Crocker and Bud, a dog they picked up on the way. On return to his native Burlington VT, he got a speeding ticket for $6.00 plus costs. As an aside both Packard and Oldsmobile had factory sponsored teams on the road at the same time, both starting a little later than Jackson, who financed the trip himself. Packard made the trip in less time overall but Jackson was the first person to complete the trip.

(Thanks to our friend, Jeff for this one)

PBS did the story, directed by historian Ken Burns. Only to those of you that receive this newsletter, you can have it this month for 10% off. Look for it on the front page of our web.

5) Our friend Jay D. sent us a note: Let's not forget the country group DIAMOND RIO, also named after another Ransome E Olds creation: DIAMOND REO Trucks.

(Thanks Jay.)

--- Retreads ---

6) Who was Walter with the railroad background? Actually, there are two of them, Walter (W.O.) Bentley and Walter P. Chrysler. As you know, Bentley was bought by Rolls Royce and is now part of VW, and Chrysler is now part of Mercedes Benz.

(From CHRYSLER, The Life and Times of an Automotive Genius by Vincent Curcio, thanks to our friend Jeff M.)

7) The first of the Big Three to offer an adjustable brake pedal was Chrysler.

(From Trivial Pursuit 20th Anniversary Edition) Did they assume short people don't need to reach the gas or clutch pedals?

8) The scooped out sides of the 1956 to 1962 Corvettes are called coves. (Thanks to our friend Bob W for this.)

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10% Off Purchases For Your Trivia Questions

To Jeff, Jay and Bob, thanks for the trivia questions. Remember, you all will receive a 10% discount on your next purchases.

Send us an interesting fact on just about anything on wheels: cars, trucks, F1, Drags, Muscle Cars, weird obsolete car thingies, whatever, and if we use it, then you get 10% off all purchases on everything on your next order.

Thanks,

Dave Payne