Not a bad view. A little taste of the Mi

Not a bad view. A little taste of the Mil.

And here I am with my beer from a local

And here I am with my beer from a local brewery sitting out on the patio of a restaurant called the Bayou.

Matt E ''accidentally'' ordered the pink

Matt E ''accidentally'' ordered the pink cocktail.

On the way to downtown Milwaukee passing

On the way to downtown Milwaukee passing Miller Park, home of the Brewers.

The home in which we stayed last night.

The home in which we stayed last night.

Lunch at an authentic Indian place, call

Lunch at an authentic Indian place, called Taste of India. The brothers we have been staying with make a brief appearence in the picture.

The dog of the household, Rocky.

The dog of the household, Rocky.

Good morning day 3.

Good morning day 3.

Made it. Sweet.

Made it. Sweet.

3 miles away as the sun sets over Milwau

3 miles away as the sun sets over Milwaukee.

So close.

So close.

Wisconsin has arrived. We are only 68 mi

Wisconsin has arrived. We are only 68 miles away now and looking forward to getting a break.

The most exciting thing we have seen in

The most exciting thing we have seen in Illinois yet. A parachute gyrocopter thing with a wierd cloud in the background from the local nuclear powerplant. 98 miles to go.

Another new state. Any ideas? 195 miles

Another new state. Any ideas? 195 miles to go.

I felt like Iowa deserved some scenery p

I felt like Iowa deserved some scenery photos but this is the best I can do so far. 295 miles out.

When the hell did we get to Iowa?

When the hell did we get to Iowa?

At the risk of being corny, here is anot

At the risk of being corny, here is another picture of Nebraska. Haha! We are 414 miles out.

From inside Anthony's.

From inside Anthony's.

The pick up and giant cattle make the ph

The pick up and giant cattle make the photo.

Stopped for lunch in Omaha to meet up wi

Stopped for lunch in Omaha to meet up with a San Diego buddy, Elaine. Had an excellent new york strip steak with all the sides, although no pasta.
More pictures to follow.

Can you spot the crop duster?

Can you spot the crop duster?

Im driving and Matt E is sleeping. 659 m

Im driving and Matt E is sleeping. 659 miles to Milwaukee.

Matt e put it best when he said '' way t

Matt e put it best when he said '' way too happy for 6:30 in the morning.'' Almost wheel time.

Hello Nebraska. We actually entered the

Hello Nebraska. We actually entered the state an hour ago but I was sleeping. We jumped another time zone so our current time is 8:09am, and I will be getting in the drivers seat for my shift soon.

Colorado Sunrise part 2

Colorado Sunrise part 2

Colorado Sunrise part 1

Colorado Sunrise part 1

Another long day of driving ahead, but w

Another long day of driving ahead, but we will definitely beat the navigation system's time estimate.

Day two begins.

Day two begins.

Dinner at the new mall in the area. Its

Dinner at the new mall in the area. Its a chain called bar louie. Decent food but with delicious samuel summer brew.

Here is the room. And to make a correcti

Here is the room. And to make a correction, we did it in 15 hours and 15 minutes. Forgot about the time change.

We made it. 16 hrs and fifteen minutes t

We made it. 16 hrs and fifteen minutes to complete a little over a thousand miles. Now for dinner and sleep.

Matt e asked are we there yet one too ma

Matt e asked are we there yet one too many times. 13 miles out from our big d hotel.

Quick bathroom stop in a beautiful park

Quick bathroom stop in a beautiful park 89 miles out.

151 miles from our freshly booked hotel

151 miles from our freshly booked hotel in denver. Thats the colorado river on our right.

Self explanatory. 751 miles in and appro

Self explanatory. 751 miles in and approximately ten hours and fifteen minutes of driving. We are managing over 29 mpg. Crazy hondas.

This scenic view is contrasting nicely w

This scenic view is contrasting nicely with mr roboto on the satellite radio. :)

Lunch and fuel stop in richfield, utah.

Lunch and fuel stop in richfield, utah. 556 miles so far. Another 450 miles till denver.

Utah is going to take a while. A long wh

Utah is going to take a while. A long while.

Utah, land of big rocks and many wives.

Utah, land of big rocks and many wives. The byu ladies arent ready.

Arizona. What to say. Its 99 degrees at

Arizona. What to say. Its 99 degrees at 10:30am. Driving slower because me rumors me strict police.

Passing through vegas. Sad not to stop.

Passing through vegas. Sad not to stop. Oh well. Onward!

Current driver and cross country copilot

Current driver and cross country copilot, matt e.

Do i look as tired as i feel?

Do i look as tired as i feel?

And so it begins. This was taken just be

And so it begins. This was taken just before jumping on the 55. Damn, its early. :)

Can We Do It? (Roadtrip)

At this point anticipation is building a bit. Matt E and I wonder if we really can do a little over 2000 miles in 2 days. I think we can if we really want to, but the question is, is it worth it? Would it be better to have one more stop along the way, and just spend one night in Milwaukee? I guess we have that option in case things get out of hand, but I will be quite impressed if we can make it to Milwaukee in under 48hrs.

Now, what to pack?

A Road Trip is Coming (Roadtrip)

I apologize for my gigantic leave of absence. I have had a hard time catching up after my 3 weeks overseas. I have no excuses beyond that, but hope to redeem myself with some upcoming content.

Fortunately, this coming Friday, July 20th, I will be heading out on a cross country road trip. One of my good friends, Matt E, will be starting medical school in Erie, PA in a couple months and would like to get some of his stuff and his car, a 2003 Honda Accord Coupe V6 with nav, back there. I had always wanted to make this kind of drive, but never found the right opportunity. In addition, I wasn't prepared to put 5 or 6 thousand miles on my car in a couple weeks. This will be a one way driving trip, after which I will fly back to LAX from Erie through Atlanta on the evening of July 25th.

The plan:

Leg 1 approx: 1000 miles and 15hrs of actual driving time

Leave Newport Beach at 3 or 4am on Friday, July 20th.
Head on the 55N to the 91E and then on to the 15N, for 457 miles, through Las Vegas. Then onto the 70E for 595 miles.
Stop at some motel/hotel just north of Denver, CO preferably before 11pm that night.


Leg 2 approx 1020 miles and 15hrs 20 minutes of actual driving time

Leave the motel north of Denver, CO as early as possible in the morning of Saturday, July 21st and head towards Milwaukee, WI on the 70E, then 80E, and 88E, followed by the 39N and finally 43N.

We will then spend two nights with some of Matt E's family in Milwaukee. One night and part of a day for rest, and the other for going out and exploring the area.


Leg 3 approx 135 miles and 1hr and 40 minutes of actual drive time (traffic will be an issue)

This is the ridiculously short and relaxing jump we will make on Monday July 23rd from Milwaukee to Chicago where we will spend one night with more family. Hopefully this will give us a decent amount of time to explore the city which I have never visited except for a couple stops in O'Hare Airport.


Leg 4 approx 445 miles and 6hrs and 45 minutes of actual drive time (traffic may be an issue)

On Tuesday July 24th we have the final leg from Chicago, IL to Matt E's new home in Erie, PA. The route will be solely on the 90 and 80E and will have us pass just south of Toledo and through Cleveland. I will stay one night in Matt's new place before flying out the next evening.

Grand Total of 5 days, 2600 miles, and 38hrs and 45 minutes of drive time. (Give or take many hours due to traffic etc.)

Should be quite an adventure. As of now I plan on bringing my laptop, and digital camera, as well as my Sony Ericsson camera phone. If wireless internet is not readily available I will be able to send pictures directly and short copy from my phone to this blog on the fly. We plan to do rotating 4 hrs shifts which will hopefully coincide with fuel refills and food refills occasionally.

3 Week Hiatus (Personal)

No automotive content here unfortunately. I am leaving the country for 3 weeks tomorrow, so there will not be any posts unfortunately. I do plan to take as many pictures of unique European cars as possible, and will write many posts on such topics when I return. I hope you will come back when I do on a little after July 2nd. Thanks everyone.

My Second Favorite Car Has a Video (Automotive)

If you ever look on the right side of the blog you might have seen a list of my two favorite cars at the moment. #1 is the 997 GT3, but the second is the MTM Supercharged Audi RS4. The RS4 is an amazing car on it's own, but when it's supercharged to 535hp and retains it's 8,250 rpm redline how can you not be in love? The video above and the review below may give some explanation as to why this thing is just awesome. Even better though, just imagine supercharging an avant. (wagon) Now were talking.

European Car's review here.

Thank to autoblog for bringing this to my attention, and the guys at audiworld for making the video in the first place.

Good Ads Get Lawsuits (Automotive Advertising)

The song is "Non Stop" by Whitey

This commercial for the new Mitsubishi Lancer has a hip song and the right idea, but I can't help being cynical. It's true. On ramps and off ramps are one of the few places you can somewhat legally enjoy your cars handling performance without going to a track (which void your warranty anyway). However, if a cop saw you doing this, over and over again on an off ramp/on ramp I have no doubt he would pull you over and give you a nice speeding or reckless driving ticket.

Truth is, I really like the simplicity and honesty of the commercial, but I'm afraid it will get hit with a lawsuit in the next year or so. I hope that isn't the case. Mitsubishi may have protected itself by having a couple different edits of the spot. The one shown here is different than that shown on television. The tv spot shows the passenger and the driver in the car much more than the car actual driving around on the ramp. The spot above conveys the speed and the actual act of driving fast on ramp more dramatically and clearly. Respect to Mitsubishi for approving it.

Honda Gives You Wings (Automotive Advertising)

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Here is a better than usual spot for a motorcycle manufacturer. (Click here to read an informative little article on the commercial and the special effects work behind it) I say that because it is a conceptual ad, and not just footage of a guy on motorcycle going fast. I really like the sentiment. There have been numerous times I've been stuck in traffic on the 405 where I wished I could hop out onto a bike and be on my way. Hopefully that will be the case sometime in the near future.

Speaking of, a shout out to my buddy Matt who picked up his first bike today. Enjoy it!

1045 hp per ton. Thank you God. (Automotive)

Until recently, it was hard to imagine what a 1045hp per ton street car would even look like. With the new Caparo T1 it physically exists.

The incredible Bugatti Veyron only manages a little over 500hp per ton. The lightest road cars around these days like the Ariel Atom, the Caterhams, the Lotus Exige and Elise don't get close to that kind of power to weight either, and for good reason. Cars that are extremely light typically cannot handle and do not need that much power. The Lotus Exige is available with 265hp in special models which moves it to 60 in about 4.1 seconds. The Ariel Atom with a supercharged Honda motor or a tuned Cobalt SS motor can do 0-60 in the low 3's. Cars like these aren't about acceleration numbers however. They are, or were, the purest expressions of great handling.

What the Caparo T1 is capable of will forever bend the benchmark of automobiles. It is so focused that it will not make for a fair comparison with any other vehicle, be it a Ferrari FXX or even modified Carrera GT, the Mirage. Don't get confused. These two vehicles are extremely focused, but they aren't in the same realm as the car pictured above. Just read the press release below to get some of the hard numbers, and you will see what I mean. Is it feasible that any other factory built "road car" will hit 0-60 in under 2.5 seconds and 100 another 2.5 later, and still out handle everything imaginable? (Could it pull enough g's to make the driver pass out?) The video included below is short, but gives the tiniest taste of what's to come.

I don't know if I will ever see one in person in my lifetime, but I am certainly looking forward to videos of the T1 on a racetrack with other vehicles I once considered fast. There isn't any road car fast enough to film the T1 at full sprint. It might take a camera car of F1 proportions to really film it properly. Amazing.

PRESS RELEASE

Caparo Vehicle Technologies – a new and advanced automotive engineering consultancy formed a year ago by the rapidly expanding Caparo Group to provide carmakers globally with a centre of excellence in lightweight vehicle design – is putting the finishing touches to the first car it has ever produced. The Caparo T1 is a high performance two-seater sports car with highly resolved aerodynamics, which has been designed with the looks and performance close to that of a Formula One race car.

With series production about to commence, the car will be built for discerning customers seeking the ultimate track day experience in a road driveable vehicle. The Caparo T1 also serves as a technology flagship for demonstrating the company's high level vehicle design and engineering capabilities.

"We said a year ago, at the outset of this programme, that the only way to truly convince carmakers that we have the experience and skills to design a safe, reliable, cost-efficient and high-performance car is to actually design and build one," says Ben Scott-Geddes, the car's co-designer and operations director at Caparo Vehicle Technologies. "We've now done so ... we're proud of what we've achieved ... and we now have something real and tangible to discuss."

Releasing full details of the car's specification during the final stages of prototype testing and development, the company has revealed that while customer cars are being readied for start of production, preparations are also well in hand for the T1's first public appearance as a running car and star attraction at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on 22-24 June 2007 – which effectively becomes the vehicle's launch date.

With distributors appointed in the UK, USA, South Africa and Dubai and more dealers under evaluation the company has a fast-filling order book. The handover of the car to the first customer is scheduled for July.

The biggest attraction for customers and the most striking aspect of the car's specification is its headline figure of 1,045bhp-per-tonne power-to-weight ratio. The Caparo T1 is the first series production car ever to break through the 1,000bhp-per-tonne barrier. This has been achieved by installing a home-grown 3.5-litre Caparo V8 engine, which produces 575bhp (425kW) at 10,500rpm and 420Nm (310lbft) at 9,000rpm, into an extremely lightweight body and chassis constructed of advanced composite materials and weighing just 550kg.

The Caparo T1 is around one-third the mass of the average family saloon. Its carbon/aluminium honeycomb monocoque features a separate composite crash structure at the front, while the rear sub-frame specifies aerospace grade steel. The non carbon-fibre steel suspension illustrates the company's ability to specify structural materials that can deliver the maximum performance at the lowest possible cost.

This means the Caparo T1 is lighter and faster even than a race-winning Le Mans sportscar. In terms of power-to-weight ratio its closest rival would be the latest super-bikes, which are now capable of delivering 175bhp into 185kg thereby just falling short of the magic 1,000bhp-per-tonne figure. Apart from these two wheelers and Formula One cars, no other road or track car comes anywhere close to the Caparo T1's power-to-weight ratio and highly efficient aerodynamic properties.

This supreme power-to-weight ratio results in a 0-60mph time of less than 2.5 seconds and the ability to reach 100mph within five seconds. Braking performance is no less impressive with 100mph to standstill being delivered in 3.5 seconds.

"We're absolutely delighted with the progress we've made throughout the test and development programme," says engineering director and T1 co-designer Graham Halstead. "The aerodynamic efficiency was already well established through wind tunnel testing of a scale model even before we built the first prototype. With tens of thousands of miles of durability trials and specific testing now under our belts we have progressively fine tuned the specification of the vehicle to meet and exceed even our high performance objectives."

"The combination of highly resolved aerodynamics and chassis make the vehicle predictably safe and responsive to driver inputs," adds Scott-Geddes. "The car drives and handles extremely well both on the road and track and this was the number one consideration in such an uncompromised high performance vehicle."

"The Caparo T1 not only looks and performs like a Formula One car but it also helps us to demonstrate new and advanced technology to vehicle manufacturers in the aerospace, automotive, defence, marine and motorsport industries," says Richard Butler director Caparo Vehicle Technologies and chief executive of Caparo Vehicle Products. "Already, we're working on a number of highly confidential client projects, applying the same approach to aerodynamics, choice of materials and efficient vehicle design, which has allowed us to develop the T1."

"Ultimately, our goal is to help carmakers to create a new generation of more fuel-efficient and lightweight family cars with significantly lower CO 2 emissions more in keeping with the needs of the 21 st century," says Angad Paul chief executive of the $1.2bn turnover Caparo Group, a fast-growing automotive Tier 1 supplier, which created Caparo Vehicle Technologies to back the T1 project. "We will help carmakers achieve their objectives by continuing to invest in advanced technology in order to develop new lightweight materials and commercialise their manufacturing processes so they are affordable for mass production."

"Given the car's performance potential - the engine has already been successfully bench tested to 700bhp on methanol - we are now looking into the possibility of introducing for our customers an international T1 race series," says commercial director Sean Butcher. "Our objective is to give customers an affordable and reliable season on the track without incurring the extraordinary costs of running a real Formula One car."

"Customers comprise private individuals with a passion and desire for ultra high performance and corporate clients requiring an affordable yet prestigious track car for the fast growing market of hospitality race experience events," added Butcher.

In terms of colour and trim each of these highly exclusive hand-built cars, which has a starting price of £190,000 (excluding taxes), will be tailored to suit individual customer requirements.

Unremarkable Cars (Automotive Videogames Advertising)

Here is an interesting little spot for Forza 2, the new big car/racing game for Xbox 360. Besides the some what annoying voice over, the commercial is decent. It doesn't build as much excitement for the game as it should though. Great video game commercials make the game look amazing, fun, and a must have. You should feel that your life is not as good as it could be because you do not own this game. I don't feel that way after watching it.

How's Your Interior? (Automotive)

The 8th Annual Ward's "Interior of the Year" Awards were announced today, and similar to the awards I posted yesterday, there are some major suprises. Domestics are coming back with a vengeance which is great to see, not because I root for domestics, but because it represents huge improvements in overall quality. The competition was divided into 7 different categories and then voted on by the Ward Staff and seperately the Industry at Large. The results are below. ( The Honda Fit's interior is much better than the Caliber's in my opinion)

Economy-Priced Car
Ward's Pick: Honda Fit Industry Pick: Dodge Caliber

Popular Priced Car
Ward's Pick: Saturn Aura Industry Pick: Saturn Aura

Premium Priced
Ward's Pick: Volvo S80 Industry Pick: Lincoln MKZ

Popular Priced CUV
Ward's Pick: Honda CRV Industry Pick: Saturn Outlook

Premium-Priced CUV
Ward's Pick: Cadillac SRX Indsutry Pick: Cadillac SRX

Popular-Priced Truck
Ward's Pick: Chevy Silverado Indsutry Pick: Chevy Silverado

Premium-Priced Truck
Ward's Pick: Lincoln Navigator Industry Pick: Cadillac Escalade

"In addition to the vehicle awards recognizing overall interiors, Ward’s editors designated four special achievement award winners: Jeep Wrangler (Best Brand Expression); Infiniti G35 (Best Interior Trim); Chrysler Sebring (Best Cup Holder); and Lexus LS 460L (Best Overall Comfort)."- Original Article here.

Are You Reliable or What? (Automotive)

I apologize for being a little less reliable when it comes to new posts this week. On the positive side of reliability however (what a transistion!), J.D. Power and Associates released their list of top ranked vehicles in Initial Quality, divided by segment. Some of winners are suprising, so I thought it was worth posting. Take a look.

· Subcompact car: Kia Rio/Rio5
Runners-up: Honda Fit, Hyundai Accent

· Compact car: Honda Civic
Runners-up: Toyota Corolla, Hyundai Elantra sedan

· Compact sporty car: Mazda MX-5 Miata
Runners-up: Scion tC, Subaru Impreza

· Compact premium sporty car: Porsche Boxster
Runners-up: Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class, Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class

· Entry premium car: Lincoln MKZ
Runners-up: Acura TSX, Cadillac CTS

· Midsize premium car: Mercedes-Benz E-Class
Runners-up: Lexus GS 350/GS 430/GS 450H; Infiniti M-Series, Volvo S80 (tie)

· Large premium car: Audi A8, Mercedes-Benz S-Class (tie)
Runner-up: Lexus LS 460

· Premium sporty car: Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
Runners-up: Porsche 911, Lexus SC 430

· Midsize sporty car: Ford Mustang
Runners-up: Toyota Solara, Chevrolet Monte Carlo

· Midsize car: Mercury Milan
Runners-up: Honda Accord; Ford Fusion, Mitsubishi Galant (tie)

· Large car: Pontiac Grand Prix
Runners-up: Toyota Avalon; Ford Five Hundred, Mercury Montego (tie)

· Compact SUV: Honda CR-V
Runner-up: Nissan Xterra, Hyundai Tucson

· Midsize SUV: Toyota 4Runner
Runners-up: Toyota Highlander, Mercury Mountaineer

· Large SUV: Toyota Sequoia
Runners-up: Chevrolet Suburban, GMC Yukon

· Midsize premium SUV: Lexus RX 350/RX 400h
Runners-up: Lincoln MKX, Lexus GX 470

· Large premium SUV: Lincoln Mark LT
Runners-up: Lincoln Navigator, Hummer H2

· Large pickup: Chevrolet Silverado Classic HD
Runners-up: Ford F-150 LD, GMC Sierra LD

· Midsize pickup: Toyota Tacoma
Runners-up: Honda Ridgeline, Dodge Dakota

· Van: Chevrolet Express
Runners-up: Kia Sedona, Ford E-Series

Tuner Garage: 2008 Scion Xb Part 1 (Automotive Aftermarket)

Updated 6/5/07

Welcome to a new reoccurring segment of Autothoughts.com I'm a big fan of performance tuning and aftermarket modification and this section will be an expression of that. I will fictionally buy a car, and then proceed to modify it with the parts I think are best for the project. I will keep a running total that will include the price of the vehicle, the price of the parts, and estimated install. I will also do my best to estimate power output, acceleration, etc based on other vehicles having similar modifications.

2008 Scion Xb Part 1

We will start with a Super White 2008 Scion XB with the 5 speed manual. It has an msrp of $15,650
Destination: $580
Options Total $2,129:
Sport Steering Wheel $279
TRD Lowering Springs $250
TRD Rear Sway Bar $250
Grand Total: $17,009

Because the Xb is so new, there are practically zero tried and true aftermarket performance parts. Engine modifications should come hard and fast because of the shared tc drive train, a very popular platform. I went with the TRD lowering springs and sway bar because of TRD's excellent reputation, and ease. The parts are included in the warranty and will offer improved performance from day 1. There is a good chance the springs may be swapped out if they do not provide the drop or ride/handling I want, but it's worth the $250 to try them out. If I do decide to switch there will be numerous 2nd gen Xb owners interested. Same goes for the sway bar.

Keep your eyes open for future installments as the specifics are chosen for the modifications below.

Future Planned Modifications Include:
Wheels and Tires
body or lip kit
turbo Kit
upgraded clutch
gauges
Qualife ATB differential
tint
aftermarket navigation and sound system
aftermarket interior
new exhaust
new intake
upgraded brakes
etc.

Why did I choose the xb?: The stock vehicle has received good reviews so far. Check out the one at edmunds.com here. The previous gen xb served as a great blank canvas, and the new generation looks to be a much better all around vehicle with the same customization potential The video