India has banned the sale of the more-polluting vehicles starting from April 1st, 2 days ago.

Sounds good?

The small issue arises though, that in a country with 5 times the population of the USA, there are 5 times as many car sales lots, new/used - whatever.

There are a lot of new and never been used gross polluter cars sitting on those sales lots. Now, who has to suffer the loss of the inventory costs?

The estimate is 0.8 million vehicles, worth 1.9 billion dollars.

Do they try to sell them to Indonesia? African countries? Where can they ship them off to recoup some of the cost? And doesn't that just move the pollution to another underdeveloped country?

http://thenewswheel.com/india-bans-sales-of-lower-efficiency-vehicles-starting-in-two-days/
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-autos-idUSKBN17017N

Now, keep in mind, they had 2 YEARS of warning that this was coming, and yet,

India's top court on Wednesday banned the sale of vehicles running on older Euro III fuel technology from April 1, a decision that led to a sharp fall in shares of major automakers sitting on unsold inventories.

Shares of two-wheeler manufacturer Hero MotoCorp fell as much as 4.4 percent, while those of truck manufacturer Ashok Leyland were down as much as 6.6 percent and carmaker Tata Motors' shares dropped nearly 2 percent.

The court, in its judgment, said health concerns of citizens took precedence over any financial losses for companies.

the state of New York decided to put the '32 Packard that FDR bought back into use, instead of buying a new limo, for its officials and diplomats to use in parades

New York Governor Cuomo told reporters the Packard is a national treasure, and it’s going to be a great marketing device for the state of New York, and a parade queen for politicians who are tired of new limos

The 1932 Packard Phaeton was purchased in 1932 by Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt for his use in Albany. When Roosevelt was elected to the Presidency, the vehicle became part of the state fleet. Though kept in running condition, it was rarely used after 1942 when Governor Thomas Dewey acquired a Cadillac.

The goal is to get it working reliably and take it on the road for state events, the mail goal is the opening of the new Tappan Zee Bridge slated for 2018.

http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/press/state-museum-exhibits-two-historical-vehicles-new-york-state-fair-august-21-september-1
https://www.facebook.com/anibal134/posts/10209081886264511
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/politics/albany/2017/03/28/start-up-packard-ny-rehab-fdrs-ride/99745096/

Trans Am racing has a new owner operator, who happens to already do that for the SVRA, Parella Motorsports

Parella Motorsports Holdings has taken a co-ownership position in partnership with The Trans Am Race Company, LLC (TARC), the operators of the professional Trans Am Series which this year is celebrating its 50 th anniversary. The move expands an already collaborative relationship between Parella Motorsports Holdings’ principal motorsports property, the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA), and Trans Am who have raced together several times during the last two years.

Tony Parella, the CEO of the SVRA now adds the Trans Am Racing to his Parella Motorsports. “Fans are responding to a show with a variety of automotive designs and engine sounds both in wheel-to- wheel competition and on display. SVRA and Trans Am have tremendous cultural synergies, including drivers crossing over between the two series. All of this promotes sponsorship investment.”

Organizers of racing festival weekends such as the Brickyard Invitational at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway report growth in ticket sales over the past three years. Along with the vintage racers of SVRA the weekends frequently include other features such as Historic Trans-Am, Motostalgia car collector auctions, and the International GT series.

Parella has already seen growth in sponsorships from both premium, automotive and motorsports-related brands in SVRA, and will look to continue that momentum in the pro-racing world with the Trans Am Series and its growing platform. From the induction of The Trans Am Race Company nearly five years ago, the Trans Am Series has grown from 10 car fields to 60-plus car entries and multi-race weekends

the ownership group of TARC is now Tony Parella/ Parella Motorsports Holdings, Jim Derhaag, David Jans and Mike Miller all holding equal shares while John Clagett now joins Simon Gregg as a minority shareholder. Tony Ave will remain as a management consultant and advisor.

https://svra.com/news/parella-motorsports-holdings-purchases-share-of-trans-am/
http://gotransam.com/news/index.cfm?cid=65382

How many cops does it take to shut down a father and son sand castle build? 4. But only when they are clueless about what they are looking to ticket someone for

Panama City Beach, spring break.... and this guy does the annual beach trip with his son...

But the meter maid blew a gasket when she saw the sand castle... and the associated moat. Well. That's just not allowed according to her.

So she whips out the attitude of "I'm a cop and you're ready to go to jail" and tells the guy and his son to fill in the area they had pulled sand from to built the castle (which is a good one from what I can see in the photo)

Instead of reacting like a scared dog, he said... what is the law you're referencing that says this activity is illegal?

So... she had to call for back up. 3 more police cruiser show up for intimidation sake.

Well, they aren't known for their smarts, just the bully badge mentality, and instead of simply getting the law oridnance number for the dad and son castlebuilders... he tried to bargain with the dad to get him to level the sand. Sheesh

"The ordinance states, no hole deeper than 2 ft and the hole we dug was less than 1ft. Ours was within the limits. The ordinance states not to leave without covering, it was midday and we had not left yet."

Creating a post on facebook resulted in 1.7K Shares/ 873 likes/ 844 comments/

All over a post about a $25 fine for a sand castle, but showed that cops are bullies and that the law is nuts. Up to 60 days in jail for a 2 foot deep hole on the beach? That's nuts.

But the ridiculousness of the law enforcement response got the attention of the local news http://www.wjhg.com/content/news/An-Alabama-man-has-been-fined-by-PCB-Police-for-using-a-gardening-tool-to-build-a-sand-castle-417519573.html
http://www.theadvocate.com/nation_world/article_a7812a86-1613-11e7-93c3-2b7e429099b2.html

https://www.facebook.com/bryant.rylee

By the way, there is nothing on the "Come and blow your tourist money at Panama City Beach" website about anything to do with digging on the beach, or using metal shovels http://www.visitpanamacitybeach.com/things-to-do/beaches/leave-only-footprints/

But they do have a "No alcohol on the beach during spring break month" law http://www.pcbgov.com/home/showdocument?id=2625

Here is the "No shovels, no digging deep holes" law http://www.pcbgov.com/home/showdocument?id=2139  section 7-10 "No Holes on Beach"

Then politicians and boats better stay off  the beach... one is a spokeshole, the other is a hole in the ocean you throw money into.

Meanwhile, in places without asshole cops, and interfering lawmakers... people are out having a good time! http://idiod.name

The law banning metal shovels was among those passed in the wake of Spring Break 2015. It states that metal shovels sold in hardware stores (not children's toys) are not permitted on the beach, and any holes dug in the sand should not be deeper than 2 feet.

Beach Mayor Mike Thomas, who was a county commissioner when lawmakers adopted the rules, said they were intended to promote safety and prevent crime. He also, however, decried issuing a citation in this instance.

"When we were asking for these laws, (police) were having problems with people getting in holes to hide drug activity and sexual activity," Thomas said. "People should always be allowed to dig a sandcastle. We want people to come down and do that."

Rylee said he was given an opportunity to avoid a citation by filling in the moat around the sandcastle but insisted on seeing the law. But by the time officers produced the ordinance, he had cemented his ticket.

Beach Mayor Mike Thomas said he met with City Manager Mario Gisbert and Whitman after receiving word of the citation. He said his interpretation was that the shovels and holes were prohibited from the "sandy beach," and this occurred in the surf line, where it is impossible to dig a 2-foot-deep hole.

http://www.newsherald.com/news/20170329/youth-minister-fined-for-digging-sandcastle-with-family

So... fine, after getting publicly embarrassed by their mall cop bully badge blowhards, did anyone from city hall tell the cops to knock off the bullshit and consider the repercussions of acting like assholes and it's effect on tourism? Nope. It's not even mentioned in any news I've found on this event. 

Short notice, sorry... but no one told me about this, I stumbled across the news that tomorrow is the auction of a bunch of antiques from Knott's Berry Farm

the online catalog alone is worth a look.. the collected stuff from the old days when the place was family owned is incredible... if there was something that was going to fit in an Old West saloon, it's at the auction because the stuff was eventually relegated to storage... or phased out by the new corporate owners.

https://comics.ha.com/c/ecatalog.zx?saleNo=7151
hat tip to http://www.lamag.com/askchris/knotts-berry-farm-auctioning-off-historic-pieces-park/

Orange County Superior Court clerk took bribes for 5 years to fix thousands of cases, including DUIs, traffic cases, and criminal cases... was paid about a total of 1/4 million dollars

Former Orange County Superior Court clerk plead guilty Wednesday to reaping more than a quarter-million dollars as head of a bribery scheme that forged the results of criminal and traffic violations in exchange for money.

Anaheim resident Juan Lopez admitted in a plea deal last week that from 2010 until 2015, he used his court computer system access to write fraudulent outcomes for more than 1,000 cases, including 69 misdemeanor driving under the influence cases and hundreds of traffic-related violations.

Lopez was paid by nine middlemen to fix court records to show a favorable result for the persons charged, when in fact, the cases were never ruled upon, prosecutors said.

DUI cases drew the highest prices, as Lopez asked as much as $8,000 to fix those results, according to the indictment.

Records also show he used the ill-gotten gains in 2015 to open a Mexican restaurant in Garden Grove.

The scheme ended in 2015 when O.C. Superior Court officials began to suspect Lopez of case tampering.

He gets sentenced Sept 22nd

Lopez is one of 13 co-defendants under indictment for violating the RICO Act

 Federal agents also arrested 10 of Lopez’s 11 alleged “recruiters,” people who worked outside of the courthouse who went to car and truck clubs, and to Craigslist, to spread the word that, for a fee, tickets processed in Orange County Superior Court could be tweaked in the driver’s favor.

Ten others have pleaded guilty so far. An eleventh is scheduled to plead guilty on April 21, and Javed Asefi, 44, of Ladera Ranch is scheduled to go on trial on May 2, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-oc-bribes-plea-20170329-story.html

People who paid the bribes – many non-English speakers from countries where ticket fixing sometimes involves bureaucrats or police (read this to mean illegal aliens with drivers licenses, see the previous post) – were solicited directly by Lopez or by a recruiter.

The FBI probe was kicked off after a courtroom employee noticed a single document was missing; the file contained the clerk’s employee ID. Soon, other DUIs and other traffic cases tied to Lopez were inspected.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/lopez-728181-cases-prosecutors.html
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/court-667679-defendants-borris.html

2 hundred thousand Californians couldn't afford, or wouldn't pay traffic tickets to get their drivers licenses back... until the governor got desperate to raise funds, offered to accept half of the outstanding fines

When Gov Brown announced that Californians who have unpaid traffic tickets or nontraffic infraction tickets can participate in the one-time amnesty program, 200,000 drivers got onboard, paid next to nothing to get their drivers licenses back, and what's the real effect, in the big picture sense?

Here's how I see it.

A drivers license became meaningless when the state of California gave up on illegal aliens from Mexico ever becoming legal, and decided to give them drivers licenses.

Since it's nothing more than photo ID now, and the proof is in that people will drive without one, plus add to that the ballooned up fines far out of line with punishment fitting the crime (how does safe driving fast -not recklessly - equal loss of 40 hours earned income?) finally caught up to the accountants in the state capitol, and they let the Gov know, you can't balance the budget with the people not playing along, and paying their fines.

So, he caved in, and in June of 2015 said hey... pay just a little, and get that license back. In return, he got some cash to hep with the budget, instead of nothing.

His amnesty program does not apply to parking tickets, DUI offenses or reckless driving. It does apply to illegal aliens

All civil assessment fees will be waived for eligible participants.  Remaining costs will be reduced by 80 percent, for those that make 125 percent or less than the federal poverty level, or 50 percent for all other eligible participants.

 To qualify, individuals must have an unpaid traffic ticket that was due by January 1, 2013 or have a suspended driver license and are making payments on the ticket.

In addition to the reduced payup on the fines, there is also a $50 payable to the superior court or county.

Plus the DMV will charge a $55 driver license reinstatement fee, if the license was suspended

So yeah... money money money


http://bakersfieldnow.com/news/local/traffic-amnesty-program-ending-for-unpaid-tickets
https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/home/trafficamnestyprogram+
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Time-running-out-on-DMV-traffic-ticket-11033915.php

this early release of what the 2018 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited looks like mike just make someone's day... so, boom! There you are

some of the changes compared to the current JKU Rubicon:

Solid frame, fixed roll cage in roughly the same location as current sport bar
Fully removable roof
Fully removable doors
Overall vehicle and windows/windshield appear taller above the belt line (more headroom and better visibility?)
Turns signal on side mirrors which are attached higher on the doors (within new window moldings) than current JKU.

the rest of the list of changes are at http://www.jlwranglerforums.com/here-is-the-real-2018-jeep-wrangler-unlimited-rubicon/

But... lemme tell you something as a guy that photographs Wranglers for a living... yup, I work at a Dodge Jeep dealership, and I'm in the new stuff every mon-friday... this really isn't very different than the 2017 stuff we have right now.

But no one takes the doors and tops off of them in town, so... heck, I've never seen one with all the panels removed...

http://www.jlwranglerforums.com/renderings-new-jeep-wrangler-jlu-comes-to-life/

Australia stopped making Utes. Geez man, that's messed up. It's like when you heard they were going to stop making the VW beetle.

Sales of Commodore and Falcon utes hit record lows in 2015, as both models approach the end of the line. 

Ford’s factory in Broadmeadows falls silent forever October 2016, and Holden’s assembly line in Elizabeth near Adelaide shuts in late 2017.

Both Ford and Holden have no plans to replace their Australian-made utes with models based on passenger cars such as the Falcon and Commodore. Instead, Ford and Holden have embraced the massive shift in buyer tastes towards four-door 4WD pick-ups.

The Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger are now the top sellers in the ute class.

The Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger are made in Thailand along with the Holden Colorado, Nissan Navara, Mitsubishi Triton, Mazda BT-50 and Isuzu D-Max.

http://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/motoring/why-aussies-are-ditching-locallymade-holden-and-ford-utes-in-favour-of-imports-from-thailand/news-story/dcdf7225a5e9b4396202074cf111a762


Further, Australia V8 fans will have to get used to four-cylinder and V6 power for their future performance sedans, the Asia-Pacific boss of General Motors Stefan Jacoby has confirmed what has long been feared.

The Holden V8 will die once manufacturing comes to an end at Holden’s factory in Elizabeth in South Australia at the end of 2017.

http://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/motoring/holden-will-stop-making-the-v8-in-2017-citing-changing-technology/news-story/3618caf4b3abf1fcfed31301ac6b87fd


The last ever Ford Falcon ute rolled off the Broadmeadows production line near the end of shift about 3pm on Friday — following in the tyre tracks of the original Falcon ute built in the same facility 55 years ago, in February 1961.

Ford is said to have invented the ute — and then introduced it to the rest of the world in 1934
after receiving a letter from a Victorian farmer’s wife in 1933 requesting a vehicle civilized enough to drive to church on Sundays and practical enough to take pigs to market on Mondays.

Holden and Toyota will be shutting down their car assembly lines in late 2017.

Rather than building cars in Australia, a team of more than 1100 designers and engineers will develop global vehicles for Ford.

And suddenly, Australia will be stuck with the American problem of Detroit... having car manufacturing head offices, and planning staff, but outsourcing all the production to cheaper foreign labor... just like Detroit.... and even more similarities arise when you compare NAFTA with the Australia Thailand free trade agreement. More on that below

The next generation of vehicles such as the Ford Ranger will be designed and engineered in Australia, but made in Thailand where manufacturing labour costs are one-fifth the rate in Australia.

http://www.news.com.au/finance/business/manufacturing/last-ever-ford-falcon-ute-rolls-off-the-broadmeadows-production-line-55-years-after-the-original/news-story/1c95f54e5bae2d05cf2a54f49e4bc758



Sales of locally-made cars and utes have been in free fall since Australia signed a free-trade agreement with Thailand.

In 2004, one year before the trade deal with Thailand — the biggest producer of pick-ups in the Asia-Pacific region — Ford and Holden sold more than 40,000 Australian-made utes between them.

In 2015, just 2600 Ford Falcon utes and 4900 Holden Commodore utes were sold. The decline has continued into 2016.

In 2006, just one year after the Free Trade Agreement with Thailand, the Toyota HiLux overtook sales of Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon utes.

Imports of cars and utes from Thailand have almost tripled since the Free Trade Agreement was signed (from 84,000 in 2005, to 250,000 in 2015).

In return, Australia has exported just 100 Ford Territory SUVs to Thailand, in 2012.

Australia is home to the only surviving 1914 Delage Type-S grand prix car in the world, and thanks to a 3D scanner, it's going to be able to continue driving!

In 2014, when the engine block cracked and water met oil, the Delage ground to a halt

With no replacement parts or original drawings to go by, and with few people having the traditional manufacturing skills, Grant Cowie looked for alternative ways of rebuilding the complicated 16-valve engine.

He decided that using digital technology to clone the original block would be the most accurate, efficient and non-destructive method to get the car back up and running, as the traditional wooden pattern method would be prohibitively expensive and might make several useless blocks before one good one

A local iron foundry cast the engine using the 3D-printed mould, then it was finished with traditional  machinists work.

After the engine was installed, there was an enormous sense of relief when the Delage turned over successfully.  "It is a considerable achievement for all those involved and, might I say, quite an achievement for Australian engineering," he said.

here is that same car in 1914 racing in Lyon France in the 750-kilometre French Grand Prix.

Thanks Bruce!

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-27/saving-the-last-delage-type-s-grand-prix-car/8310958

Hmm, in the news today, Uber is suspending its autonomous tests in Arizona because it's self driving car was hit by a failing to yield moron

https://twitter.com/fresconews/status/845475784563281922

An Uber spokeswoman confirmed the incident, and the veracity of the photo, and added that the ride-hailing company is suspending its autonomous tests in Arizona until it completes its investigation and pausing its Pittsburgh operations.

A Ford Edge failed to yield for the Uber car, causing the autonomous vehicle to flip on its side, according to the police report.

So, riddle me this, if they get to the point of these robot cars being taxis, or sold to the public, how likely is it that they'll shut them all down every time something unexpected and previously thought impossible happens?

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-25/uber-autonomous-vehicle-gets-in-accident-in-tempe-arizona
http://www.thedrive.com/tech/8633/self-driving-uber-involved-in-crash-in-arizona?iid=sr-link3


The ride-hailing company was sent running from California after it failed to fill out proper paperwork, and landed in Tempe, Arizona.

 The company is also being sued by Waymo — the company spun out of Google's self-driving car program—for allegedly using the company's intellectual property to build their own autonomous cars.

And as for the self driving software stuff? It still does NOT keep the car it controls from running red lights. Well, the date stamp on the video is last thanksgiving-ish, but... really? Blowing off a red light when a pedestrian is off the curb and on the road in the crosswalk? Not cool



But even though Uber said it had suspended an employee riding in the Volvo, the self-driving car was, in fact, driving itself when it barreled through the red light, according to two Uber employees, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they signed nondisclosure agreements with the company, and internal Uber documents viewed by The New York Times. All told, the mapping programs used by Uber’s cars failed to recognize six traffic lights in the San Francisco area. “In this case, the car went through a red light,” the documents said.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/24/technology/anthony-levandowski-waymo-uber-google-lawsuit.html
http://www.thedrive.com/news/6522/whoa-did-that-self-driving-uber-run-a-red-light-in-san-francisco

Wouldn't it be cheaper for Uber to just hire and train drivers to give people free rides? Retired folks with impeccable driving records and exemplary driving skills need part time jobs you know. 

2 girls were barred by a gate agent from boarding a United Airlines flight, because they were wearing leggings, and traveling under an employee travel pass that includes a dress code,

The girls, one is 10 years old, were not allowed onto the morning flight because they were traveling under an employee travel pass that includes a dress code, United spokesman Jonathan Guerin said.

The dress code bars pass travelers from wearing spandex or Lycra pants such as leggings. The teenagers agreed to change their clothing and take a later flight, Guerin said, but the airline's actions sparked a quick backlash

Activist Shannon Watts of Denver tweeted that she witnessed Sunday's events and questioned United's decision to police women's clothing.

Watts was traveling on vacation to Mexico when she heard a family next to her panic. Then she heard the female agent explain to the young travelers that they couldn’t get on the plane wearing spandex.

Watts said the girl's father was allowed to board while wearing shorts and called the airline's policy sexist.

And there you have it, the real story... schools aren't the only places with sexist dress codes.

http://www.kptv.com/story/35000594/teens-wearing-leggings-barred-from-united-flight
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dr-gridlock/wp/2017/03/26/two-girls-barred-from-united-flight-for-wearing-leggings/

Delta Air Lines saw the opportunity this presented... and was fast to say: "Flying Delta means comfort. (That means you can wear your leggings),"

http://fortune.com/2017/03/27/delta-united-leggings-ban/

I have some strange news... driving instructor killed on a track in Vegas, fellow instructor now sues the supercar rental business

a Lamborghini Aventador involved in an accident that killed two people on Feb. 12 had brake problems and was not suitable to be used on the track because it was a roadster with a convertible top that didn’t have a roll bar or cage.

After the fatal crash that killed SpeedVegas driving instructor Gil Ben-Kely and Canadian tourist Craig Sherwood, other driving instructors were required to undergo a psychiatric evaluation, perform a road test on the track and sign an acknowledgment form that says, “every precaution has been taken to ensure my safety as well as the safety of our guests.”

The lawsuit alleges that the SpeedVegas track “is inherently, excessively and unnecessarily dangerous in design and operation” and that brakes on cars used in the operation were not properly maintained.

Durban, who had asked track managers to move a concrete wall farther away from the track at the turn where the Aventador crashed and to install Formula One-TECPRO safety barriers, said his suggestions weren’t taken when the track reopened for business on Feb. 22. He refused to sign the acknowledgment form.

“Unsafe or unreasonably dangerous conditions continue to exist at SpeedVegas following the fatal crash that SpeedVegas had not changed and that are a threat to plaintiff, his co-workers as well as customers of SpeedVegas,” the lawsuit says.

Citing public policy for employers to provide a safe and healthy environment for employees, Durban said he has been effectively terminated because he refused to work in unsafe conditions. He also is seeking an injunction to close the track until safe conditions are installed.

http://www.reviewjournal.com/business/speedvegas-driving-instructor-sues-close-las-vegas-track

Now get this... this news? Came out in the newspaper the day after the next post, that Top Gear USA is going to film at this place. I think we are going to hear more about this

here we go, here comes another Flop Gear USA... The BBC is going to try another (they never learn) Top Gear America

‘Top Gear’ Spinoff ‘Top Gear America’ Greenlighted By BBC America, and the show will be filmed at the racetrack east of Las Vegas

Top Gear America reviews not just exclusive and state-of-the-art vehicles but also the cars of America’s culture defining past, according to BBCA. Each week also will feature a different celebrity who will compete for top honor on the leader board at the new Top Gear studio and track, Speed Vegas.

The network says the eight-episode hourlong series will be hosted by racing enthusiast and actor William Fichtner, world champion drag racer Antron Brown, and British car journalist Tom “Wookie” Ford.

The three will race various vehicles along the scenic highways and historic tracks of the American west and, in “Top Gear” tradition, each episode will feature a celebrity guest racing around a track in an attempt to beat other celebrities’ times and will include the presence of mysterious masked driver The Stig.

The previous BBC America Top Gear was on tv for 6 seasons.

Clarkson Hammond and May did about 21. See what I mean by Flop Gear? CHM and Top Gear were the highest rated tv show on the planet. Everyone loved it.

BBC America Top Gear? I tried it once, I never bothered ever again. It simply could not meet the expected amount of entertainment that it simply HAD TO in order to earn that name.

https://speedvegas.com/en/world-of-speed/news/top-gear-america-to-film-at-speedvegas/394

Congratulations to the Campbell family, and compliments to Nitto tires (not only have they dominated drifting, but Nitto just swept the podium at King of the Hammers)

Nitto went from presenting sponsor in 2014, to title sponsor in 2015, and now it's found 1st, 2nd and 3rd place all using Nitto tires, and 4th place was the 2016 winner, also on Nitto tires

This victory makes Shannon Campbell the first three-time winner of the race and is the first time a tire manufacturer has swept the podium in the race’s 10-year history.

It's got to be particularly celebratory at the Campbell home, his son Wayland took 2nd place, just 28 seconds behind his fathers pace.

https://theshopmag.com/news/team-nitto-tire-sweeps-podium-king-hammers

It's not a race that is easy on parts

Shannon finished the King of the Hammers on three tires in 6 hours 46 minutes and 4 seconds.

only 50 of the 122 racers made it to the finish line in the 14 hours allowed

http://www.moneypitclassifieds.com/Classified/the-campbell-family-makes-history-at-the-2017-king-of-the-hammers-article-81.aspx#.WNXpgvnyuUk

http://www.nittoracing.com/portfolio/shannon-campbell/
http://www.drivingline.com/articles/koh-driver-profile-shannon-campbell/

Drivingline is the in house magazine of Nitto tires by the way and the online coverage is pretty damn good http://www.drivingline.com/

Auction results, AMX3, Tucker #44

$891,000.

When they went publicity crazy in December to hype this car, I posted the story about it. http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2016/12/at-auction-next-month-recent-best-in.html

Another AMX 3, a red one, went for about the same price a couple years ago... so, that's the going rate for a Bizzarini/BMW/AMX concept car - prototype.

$1,347,500

Not bad for pulling it out of long term storage because it was never in good enough condition to run reliably.... but when #43 went for about 3 million, well, that was all it took for Tucker owners to loosen their grip on the cars they never drove anyway, and it was flatbedded around for publicity the 2nd half of last year.
http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/classic-cars/a30105/an-ultra-rare-3-million-tucker-48-was-discovered-in-an-ohio-barn/

http://www.automobilemag.com/news/2017-bonhams-gooding-co-rm-sothebys-scottsdale-sales-eight-highlights/

2 Orlando police officers have been convicted of drunken driving and another has been arrested on the same charge... but that's not half as disgusting as the next drunk driving cop news:

Prince George’s County Police Department arrested one of its own officers Thursday after he crashed his cruiser in an alleged drunk driving incident.

Police Officer First Class Christopher Brown was driving a marked cruiser when he clipped the back of tractor trailer, lost control of the vehicle and hit a guardrail around 2:30 a.m. Thursday near Pennsylvania Avenue and Interstate 495. Police said Brown initially left the scene of the crash and returned a short time later.

Brown, who joined the department in 2009, was involved in another drunken driving crash in his police cruiser in 2012. Police arrested Brown following the Oxon Hill crash. Brown pleaded guilty to charges of drunk driving, speeding and failure to control his vehicle, according to court records.

Brown has been suspended from the department after the most recent incident. He is again charged with multiple counts of driving under the influence and speeding.

http://wtop.com/prince-georges-county/2017/03/pr-georges-co-police-officer-arrested-after-crash-accused-of-driving-drunk/
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/breaking-news/os-lemmerman-counihan-orlando-police-20170321-story.html

trucking visits the White House to talk about corporate health care costs... not trucking, or interstate truckers getting the legal right to carry concealed weapons for self protection

Photo by Sarah H. Sanders, White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary. https://twitter.com/SHSanders45

The American Trucking Associations brought representatives from a number of trucking companies and a group of its Road Team Captain drivers to the White House for a meeting with President Trump.

The event included a discussion, which both the ATA and the White House have said the key topic was health care costs.

“The Affordable Care Act is just plain unaffordable,” ATA President and CEO Chris Spear said in a release. “Replacing this law will help trucking employees, their families and our customers by lowering insurance costs, decreasing mandates, liabilities and administrative burdens, and providing access to quality care and patient choice.”

http://www.ccjdigital.com/carrier-execs-road-team-drivers-meet-trump-at-white-house/

Among the people griping about health care, and not trucker safety were the ATA Chairman and president of Jet Express Inc.,
the CEO of Old Dominion Freight Line,
the president and CEO of FedEx Freight,
the CEO of U.S. Xpress Inc.,
the president of Wisconsin Motor Carriers Association,
the president of UPS Freight,
the chairman of CRST International Inc.,
and the president and CEO of Crete Carrier Corp.,

In addition, ATA is privileged to be bringing its Image Truck – Interstate One – and a trailer provided by Jet Express featuring a Trucking Moves America Forward wrap, hauled by ATA's Share the Road Truck. These trucks are being driven and escorted by 12 professional drivers with a combined 319 years of driving experience and 29.4 million accident-free miles (and no one from Swift)

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/media-advisory-trucking-executives-professional-drivers-to-visit-white-house-300428291.html

https://www.facebook.com/AmericanTruckingAssociations/

The govt of Canada simply doesn't have smart people making simple decisions. Taking away a license plate from someone, whose last name - is the vanity plate letters... that's not cool.

Lorne Grabher said he's had his personalized licence plate for 25 years.

Now Canada's Nova Scotia Department of Transportation pc nazi license plate decision makers revoked it based on a single complaint that "some individuals interpret [the name] as misogynistic and promoting violence against women."

Last December, he received a letter telling him the plate would be cancelled because the public cannot be expected to know it is his last name and "can misinterpret it as a socially unacceptable slogan."

"I was taken aback. How can you say my name is a slogan when it is not?" Grabher told CBC News.

"Where does the government of Nova Scotia get the right to discriminate against a person's name?"

Take it up with head of the pc nazi division: Janice Hartland, the director of road safety at the Registry of Motor Vehicles.

Other words on the list of 3100 things Nova Scotia will not allow on license plates?
hootch, gringo, doobie, or any variation of 1969 and car model... like 69Bee, 69Prix, 69GTO etc.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/license-plate-government-regulations-removal-last-name-1.4037912

Meanwhile in Newfoundland Canada, there is a city named Dildo

So... Canada has issues, conflicting ones. 

An old Jeep Wagoneer buried in a partially collapsed garage at Cape Cod for 40 years to be removed

in the above photo, the house to the left? Yup, that one with all the additions in behind it. Well the small dark shrub covered dune to the left of the telephone and light pole, that is the other side of this collapsed and partially sand dune covered garage where the Wagoneer has been for decades

"I remember it being in the garage," said Graham whose home is near the buried Jeep "It's like a white Wagoneer."

As the town begins this spring to allow the shifting dune near the Musnuff's property to cover beach parking spaces, the time was right to ask the family to move the Jeep too, the town Manager Rae Ann Palmer said. "It should be moved for environmental concerns,"

The family had wanted to get the Jeep out of the garage for years, but the town wouldn't let them move the sand, "Now they (the town) want it out," Basil Musnuff's mother owns the property. He says he began visiting in the 1970s and has never seen the Jeep driven.

Today, the weathered cottage at the center of the issue sits precariously on a dune between the present parking lot and the beach.

When the owners of this cottage were asked what they planned to do, they replied, “We’ll just wait for it to fall in.”

On Feb. 10 the town conservation commission issued an order of conditions for the move, scheduled for Friday, weather permitting.

The family's house and a horse barn-turned-shed, both built before 1895 according to town historical records, sit atop a grassy dune with the garage half-encased in sand at the toe. The garage's crushed roof nearly obscures the Jeep inside.

Friday, a contractor hired by the family will take the roof off the garage and pull the Jeep out. The garage will then be filled back up with sand.

Emily Beebe with the town’s conservation committee said, "Literally, a couple of days later the town will be pulling parking lot up and then doing the same thing, letting the dune restore itself in that area which it hasn't been able to do for decades because of the parking lot."


https://www.facebook.com/capecodtimes/
http://capeandislands.org/post/history-lesson-ballston-beach-tides-unearth-building-pieces-long-buried#stream/0
http://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/Entombed-Jeep-Stuck-in-Cape-Cod-Sand-Dune-to-be-Unearthed-414432093.html
http://www.capecodtimes.com/news/20170219/jeep-buried-in-truro-dune-for-40-years-to-be-removed