Slow's isn't bad for yuppie 'cue. I give it a solid five out of ten. It's way overpriced, and the sides suck. Best BBQ in Michigan, by far, is Randy's Roadside BBQ. Two locations: in Adrian north of downtown on M-52, or in season along Rt. 12 in the Irish Hills. Easy 8/10. Better yet, go somewhere where there's a barbecue tradition.
Chrysler TC by Maserati. Actually not a bad car, but doomed by bad timing and mediocre styling. Said to be the best Maserati ever.
Godspeed, DED. As a kid who grew up with C/D and R&T in the 1970s and early 1980s, I thought he was a giant among lesser automotive journalists. Later as I came to understand the incestuous relationship between the buff books and the manufacturers, he lost some stature in my eyes, but by that point I had personally come to know some of the industry folks and had a better understanding of how the game was played. And they knew how to play, and have fun at it. I think we make the mistake of taking all this too seriously; none of these guys felt particularly entitled, I think, and most felt like they had stumbled into their careers as some sort of happy accident.
The pic shows DED at a Sons of Danger gathering in SE Michigan in the 1970s. Among the folks I can identify are Tom Hoover, father of the Hemi, wearing the SOD shirt on the left; Larry Shinoda, iconic Stingray Corvette (and Boss 302) designer, kneeling, center; Dick Maxwell, Chrysler motorsports director and one of the original RamChargers, front; and Davis, top row on right. Hoover is the only one of these four still alive.
The pic shows DED at a Sons of Danger gathering in SE Michigan in the 1970s. Among the folks I can identify are Tom Hoover, father of the Hemi, wearing the SOD shirt on the left; Larry Shinoda, iconic Stingray Corvette (and Boss 302) designer, kneeling, center; Dick Maxwell, Chrysler motorsports director and one of the original RamChargers, front; and Davis, top row on right. Hoover is the only one of these four still alive.
@djscruffy: both.
@tonymos: Heh. You haven't been to Detroit before, have you?
This is happening to the entire CITY.
This is happening to the entire CITY.
@frinesi2: Which would be irrelevant. His tire choice, however, would not be.
@morphine500 - with added audi 5cyl: good lord, you are a masochist. I passed on one of these with 49K for $1500; my friend's friend didn't. He wishes I'd bought it instead.
German '80s cars have made old Lucas jokes completely irrelevant.
German '80s cars have made old Lucas jokes completely irrelevant.
@scotte: Yep. Truly THE landmark of America's 20th century industrial might, but the Rouge was still a swamp in 1915.
@m2m: no, you aren't.
Those of you who think this is just a tarted up Rodeo, or even a tarted-down Axiom, should look into these a bit. Quite likely a future classic; rare, competent and capable. As others have noted, they're maintaining their value amazingly well.
He could easily drop another few seconds with some practice. Not exactly a smooth run ... but man, what a car.
If you're using an automatic transmission, even one with an automatic assist, you aren't really driving. You're just steering.
@K5ING: Yes, they're typically ridden by riders who have enough sense of self that they don't derive much, if any, of their identity from their motorcycle. Nobody really knows what to make of them.
I like them because my girlfriend fits on one, and boy do they have legs. She has 81,000 miles on her '91 .
I like them because my girlfriend fits on one, and boy do they have legs. She has 81,000 miles on her '91 .
@facelvega: Yes, that'll teach me to read more carefully.
@iancoleTX: Absolutely. Especially since I've actually read the whole story now. :)
Interesting design study, but I really deplore their use of an X-H KJ (!) for this. It's sort of like putting a custom body on a Mercedes Gullwing, except that they probably made a lot more Gullwings. I hope that they didn't waste a vintage frame on this. Great engine, though. The longitudinal fours of Excelsior-Henderson, Ace, and Indian are all related, the brainchild of genius Will Henderson. I've had the privilege of riding a 1930 KJ that was in a museum display I curated, and it was smoother than any Harley has ever hoped to be.
Think of the KJ as a Roaring Twenties version of a Vincent Black Shadow. Joe Petrali did a timed run of 116mph on a KJ Special in 1930. For perspective, that would edge out a brand new H-D Road King. The brand was dead a year later, as owner Ignatz Schwinn (yes, that Schwinn) liquidated it in the depths of the depression.
Think of the KJ as a Roaring Twenties version of a Vincent Black Shadow. Joe Petrali did a timed run of 116mph on a KJ Special in 1930. For perspective, that would edge out a brand new H-D Road King. The brand was dead a year later, as owner Ignatz Schwinn (yes, that Schwinn) liquidated it in the depths of the depression.
If you're of a certain age, and I am, Evel Knievel was incredibly influential on our adolescent psyches. He scared our parents, and that was good enough for us. He is absolutely the reason that I destroyed two bicycles and subsequently started riding motorcycles. 38 years later, I don't regret it.
For his detractors, below: how many of you are over the age of 40? Didn't think so. Was he a self-aggrandizing jerk? Absolutely, and we forgave him for it over and over, until the sky-cycle fiasco. He was a perfect fit with the Vietnam-era zeitgeist. He couldn't have happened any earlier, or any later.
For his detractors, below: how many of you are over the age of 40? Didn't think so. Was he a self-aggrandizing jerk? Absolutely, and we forgave him for it over and over, until the sky-cycle fiasco. He was a perfect fit with the Vietnam-era zeitgeist. He couldn't have happened any earlier, or any later.
My particular motorsports addiction is motorcycling and, though I've managed to avoid being sucked into the vortex of motorcycle road racing, many of my friends haven't. Even as a street rider, crashes--often bad, bad crashes--are an intrinsic part of the sport. How riders react to them is telling. There is the rational segment of the population who wants to learn everything there is to learn about the crash, in order to avoid the next one. Darwinian, yes, but learning from the mistakes of others is utterly essential to a long career on two wheels. Unfortunately, the denial-and-avoidance crowd is much, much larger. Those are the folks who hang up the helmet and leathers for good when a friend dies because they really hadn't thought the whole thing through.
The universal message: there is a very real possibility that you will end up dead by pursuing your hobby without a great deal of judgment, skill, and/or luck, and there's no way to know exactly how much of each that you need. Not understanding this makes the ugly shock of a fatality that much worse. Thanks, Jalopnik, for the reminder.
The universal message: there is a very real possibility that you will end up dead by pursuing your hobby without a great deal of judgment, skill, and/or luck, and there's no way to know exactly how much of each that you need. Not understanding this makes the ugly shock of a fatality that much worse. Thanks, Jalopnik, for the reminder.
Oberlin is well within the range of a daily high mileage test route. Head south and hang a left on Rt 20 or the Ohio Turnpike. When I tested cars out of Dearborn, we'd see Columbus or the outskirts of Chicago before we turned around for the day.
@ZomBeeRacer: If you ever think about getting rid of that car, give me a call. I grew up in one of those, light metallic blue with a two-tone blue interior, that my parents bought new. 383, too.