Jalopnik: Summer

Bloomberg Creates "No-Car Zone" In Manhattan, Reveals Anti-Auto War Of Aggression

Ben Wojdyla — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 17:20:00 EDT

New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg has announced a plan to create a car-free zone along a 6.9-mile stretch of Manhattan streets on three Saturdays during the month of August. The experimental initiative, which the Mayor has dubbed "Summer Streets," stretches from 72nd street, taking a jog over to Fourth Avenue at 14th St., crossing over to Lafayette and stopping just shy of the Brooklyn Bridge. This ~~anti-American~~ anti-auto experiment is like a grenade signifying Mike's true intentions — an all-out full-frontal car assault.

If you remember, this is the same Mayor who introduced a failed proposed fee for driving into the center of Manhattan. While we wholeheartedly supported that proposal to clear Manhattan of tourist traffic and silly city commuters, allowing those of us who enjoy driving freer reign of the city streets — for a price, of course — this is a bridge too far. Not only that, but we'd have never supported the idea if we'd realized his true end-game — clearing the city of all cars.

That's right, our fear is this is just the first grenade lobbed in an anti-auto war of aggression which won't stop until Mayor B has what he truly wants — a city free of all cars! Good god, do you realize what that would mean? Everyone would take the subway — can you imagine the smell? Um, well, it could get worse. [NYC.gov via Treehugger]

Car Mini-Fridge Is Meant To Be Used Responsibly

Travis Hudson — Wed, 28 May 2008 12:30:00 EDT

With the start to the summer season now officially under our belt it's time to look for gadgets to keep you cool on those blazing summer days. One way is to always ensure a cold beverage with this car mini-fridge complete with an already included 12V DC adapter. Do you notice anything peculiar about the product photo for this gadget? Yeah, us too...

We'd probably recommend leaving out the Heineken knock-off and Boddingtons while you're driving or there could be some serious legal repercussions. The car mini-fridge is available for $150, or you could just buy a Ford Flex. [Product Page via BoJ]

Porsche Design's Summer Collection Looks Wintery

Travis Hudson — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 13:30:00 EDT

Porsche, a regular around our Auto Branding Adventures, is back with its summer collection of wares. We must say, they're pretty much the most snow-white looking things we've seen so far this season. Porsche must not enjoy the hot dogs of summer, because these products are just begging to be stained with mustard.

The collection includes the P'9521 cell phone, P'1140 jacket, P'3140 shake pen and the P'3635 lighter. Porsche usually has its head on pretty straight, but a jacket in the summer is a bit strange. Also, what is a shake pen? I hope it is like an Etch-a-sketch and you shake to erase the ink. Is white the new black and summer the new winter? What do I know about fashion? [Josh Spear]

Casualties Of Summer: Corvette Barbecue Grill

Travis Hudson — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 15:45:00 EST

Sure, it may be blanketing snow in the Northeast and getting ready to do so in parts of the Midwest, but it's never too early to start thinking about summer. One essential part of the sunshine season is the barbecue and one unfortunate casualty of the barbecue happens to be the back end of a Chevy Corvette.

The BBQ Vette is a hand-crafted grill made out of the tail end of a Corvette. Each one is custom-built to the specs of the purchaser. The grill is chock full of welded 14-gauge steel construction, fiberglass, polished aluminum diamond plating and more. The craftsman will match colors to VIN numbers, and the taillights even work. The charcoal version of the grill will set you back $1,795, while the propane model goes for $2,195. [BBQ Vette via BornRich]

What Car Makes You Dream Of Summer?

Matt Hardigree — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 11:40:00 EST

I was born fairly close to the Mexican border. To put it in perspective, I moved north to get to Houston and up until recently Austin was the furthest north I'd ever lived. Now I live in Chicago. Chicago is great, but Chicago is freaking cold. Unnecessarily cold. I was out shooting photos last night and most didn't come out because my hand was shaking too much. Today, it warmed up to the 20s. I need summer. I need summer now. I need all of you to tell me what your ultimate summer car is. I need stories of warmth and beaches and barbecues. Stat.

What car makes you dream of summer? For me it has to be my father's old Subaru Brat, which served its purpose as a beach car/truck until it was determined that it wasn't the ideal car for a growing family. Somehow, the ideal car for a growing family was an Isuzu Impulse. Go figure.

Never Mind the $4 Per Gallon, Here's the Summer Road Trips!

Jonny Lieberman — Thu, 17 May 2007 13:00:00 EDT

I'm old enough to remember when gas went over $1.00 a gallon during the Iran/Iraq war. I also remember during the roaring Reagan 80s when gas prices would occasionally dip below $1.00 per. Suddenly, the old man would make the dog drink unleaded. "It's cheaper than water!" He'd yell as he began splashing the stuff over my Lucky Charms. During the first Gulf War when gas spiked to over $2.00 a gallon, the old man would say, "Well, as a percentage of our income, gas is cheaper than it ever was." The old man's not around anymore, but I sure would be curious to get his reaction to $4.00-a-gallon regular. A few months back in the almost middle of nowhere, I got gouged to the tune of $3.99 for premium. And you would have thought my reaction would have been a lame Darth Vader-like, "NOOOOOOOOO!!!!" But it just wasn't. I grumbled to my girl for about three miles and that was the end of it. Color me an American. As the article below is claiming, $4.00 per gallon this summer is not going to ~~effect~~ affect demand. Alright, I'm off to buy some Exxon Mobil stock. – Jonny Lieberman

Zen and the art of dealing with high gas prices [msnbc.com]

Four Bucks a Gallon?

Mike Bumbeck — Wed, 02 May 2007 11:00:00 EDT

With gas prices creeping up well before Memorial Day the pundits are predicting record high prices at this summer's pumps. Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman said that refinery ~~explosions~~ disruptions and higher crude prices could spike the nationwide per gallon average past the previous record set after Hurricane Katrina. Combine the two-year high in gasoline demand with the coming summer driving season and four buck-a-gallon gasoline could be right around the corner. Make plans now to lounge about in a hammock while holding a frosty beverage in order to help conserve gasoline and save money during the summer months. – Mike Bumbeck

Record Gas Prices Seen Likely in Summer [washingtontimes.com]