The Miata!

'bout time for another post, here it is,

The Mazda Miata

(credit: commons.wikimedia.org)

I'm pretty sure the thought process before buying a Miata goes something like this: "I want a convertible two-seater exotic car... but I can't afford a Ferrari 488... so I'm going to get a car that is both slower and more expensive than a 2014 V6 Droptop Mustang." Sure, if you get a cheap used car, it might be constantly developing a problem, but so will the Aventador Spyder that you can't afford.

I don't think the Mazda is really a sports car. It makes 155 horsepower... the same as an '07 Camry.  The MX-5 also tops out at 141, and that's the two liter version! Not really fast enough,  considering that a Charger V6 does 140 and costs $1,000 less than the top spec Miata.

The styling is also a bit iffy. The front and back look normal, but in the middle, the Miata looks squashed down; like a couch when someone is sitting on it!

So, the Miata. Slow, bad looking, and generally not great.

Do you have any thoughts about cars/cats? What drives you crazy? One post a week so stay tuned!

Ford Flex

Time for another post, here it is,

 The Ford Flex

(public domain)

The Ford Flex is a rather expensive family car, to get the top-of-the-line model, The Blue Oval expects you to pony up $40,180!. On top of that, Ford will nickel-and-dime you for things like power telescopic steering column and pedals. Why are they not included in the top-of-the-line trim? Car and Driver tells me in their review that the interior panels are both out of date, and that they don't fit quite right. For a car that starts at around thirty grand, the interior panels should fit right.

It's not like the Flex comes with a V-8 either. It has the V-6 Eco-Boost with turbos as the engine powering the Limited. The Duratec powering the lower end trims churns out a measly 285 horsepower. That would be more than enough for any small-ish sedan, but not nearly enough to haul around the Flex's 4,439 pound bulk. That's the weight of most old (and some current) muscle cars! It's not like the Flex makes up for it in torque either, with only 260 pounds-feet of the stuff.

The Flex is available in such colors as "Magnetic" (black-ish) and Blue Jean (a navy blue looking color). I seriously wonder who comes up with these names and how.

I'm sorry that this post was a bit late.

Do you have any thoughts about cars? What drives you crazy? One post a week so stay tuned!

Show of Dreams

I went to the Show of Dreams British car show, and I took some pictures!

Do you have any thoughts about cars? What drives you crazy? One post a week so stay tuned!

Volvo...

'bout time for another post, here it is,

Volvo is going All-Electric by 2019

(http://www.greencarreports.com)

Volvo apparently wants to walk onto electric avenue because of higher and higher emissions standards in the EU (see what I did with "electric avenue" and "higher"?).

 If that wasn't enough, all of the electric cars will be sold under the Polestar motorsport division. I only see one problem with this: if the performance division sells some non-performance cars, it isn't really a performance division, is it?

At least Volvo is saying that they will keep producing gasoline cars, just not 2019 models.

If you are wondering why I really don't like electric cars, its because that they still take fossil fuel (or nuclear!) power to run. So, the "Zero Emission" badges on the back of electric cars should be replaced with "radioactive emissions" badges. Also, there must be a ton more emissions when making an electric car, rather than a normal car, because of nickel-cadmium batteries.

Also, I'm on vacation this week, so expect a special post!

Do you have any thoughts about cars? What drives you crazy? I welcome all respectful comments, so keep it clean. One post a week (possibly more!), so stay tuned!

Anniversary!

'bout time for another post, here it is:

It's The Anniversary of the Blog!!
One year ago, today, I started badpopularcars.blogspot.com, and have never stopped blogging since. I have had the support of everyone who viewed my blog.

Let's cut the nostalgia there, shall we?

As a special, I thought I should just do a regular post, with a bit of a bonus. So, I bring to you,

Anniversary Edition: The Reliant Robin!


(credit:www.youtube.com)

Okay, the Robin wasn't ever popular in the land of the free and the home of the brave, (thank god!) but they were quite common in Britain. Apparently the law was that if the "car" was below a certain weight, and a certain displacement, and only had three wheels, it was driveable on a motorcycle license. I am a bit confused why people didn't just do the British equivalent of driver's ed, and spare themselves from this kind of accident:

 
(credit: BBC2 Top Gear (the proper Top Gear, when they had May, Hammond, and Clarkson))

Luckily, you probably won't be able to go fast enough to roll it, as the engine is a pathetic little 39bhp, 850cc four-pot. I don't mean to show off or anything, but my sewing machine manages to have both a bigger engine, and more power.

The top speed was just 85. It is a bit surprising that the Robin is capable of anything over 30 mph. And even though it goes (barely) fast enough to run it on the highway, changing lanes may be a bit of a problem, do to rolliness. Not that you would ever need to, as I highly doubt the Robin is capable of overtaking anything that doesn't go "neigh". I suspect this is because the Reliant makes all of 46 ft. lbs. of torque!

Contrary to the name, the Robin certainly isn't "Reliant". Keep in mind that Reliant is a bicycle manufacturer, and it just so happened to make cars. Also, post-war British cars were known to dissolve like an Alka-Seltzer tablet *cough* *cough* Jaguar XJS *cough* *cough*. The front underbody must need replacing all the time, because when the front tips over, the corner of the underbody scrapes along the ground.


Also, if painted blue, the Robin may be mistaken by a certain Leyland Mini driver as a Reliant Regal.


Bonus:
look at what I saw a few days back!

I hope everyone has had a great year on the blog, and I wish each and every one of you a great next year.

-Kailas

Do you have any thoughts about cars? What drives you crazy? I welcome all respectful comments, so keep it clean. One post a week (possibly more!), so stay tuned!

Summer is Here!

In honor of the fact that it is now summertime (for those of us in the northern hemisphere), I thought I should do a post on...

The Beetle Cabriolet!

(credit: www.caradvice.com.au)

It's a Beetle, a car created to scam thousands of Germans living under the Nazi regime into donating their Reichmarks into a little book, under the promise of their very own car. It also looks a bit funny.

The drop-top is important on a convertible car, but I think VW thought that it wasn't on this late model:

(credit: autoevolution.com)

Even on the newest 2017 model, it still looks like someone stuck a bolster on the back of the car! That... erm... unfortunate roof is nothing compared to the price.

For a base model cabriolet, VW expects you to shell out $24,725. For nearly the exact same money, you can get a Dodge Dart Limited. I certainly know which one I would choose... On another trim level note, apparently there is, and I'm not making this up, a #PinkBeetle trim! Why would anyone want a pound of pink Beetle? Of course, it's Hashtag Pink Beetle (still don't know why we don't say "pound sign" on Twitter). For that reason alone, I would certainly not get a Beetle.

Some of the special editions are fairly questionable. Click here and scroll down to section 3 to see what I mean.

A Beetle in '55 was 160 inches long. A Beetle in 2017 is 168 inches long. So, the Beetle is a bit like the FIAT 500, it was tiny, then it got fat. And expensive. (like fat Elvis!)

Also, it has the engine in the front, and it is front wheel drive. So, it's just a Golf (which is just a newer VW Rabbit) that looks like a Beetle. This wouldn't be such a big deal with other cars (Challenger and Charger for instance) but isn't the point of the Beetle to be rear engined? I suppose it doesn't matter now that the Beetle uses a Monocoque chassis and is unable to be turned into a beach buggy.

Do you have any thoughts about cats? What drives you crazy? I welcome all respectful comments, so keep it clean. One post a week (possibly more!), so stay tuned!

Sorry if this post took a long time.

Le Mans

'bout time for another post, here it is,

The 24 Hours Of Le Mans

(credit: Well, it says on the photo...)

As a car guy, I can't ignore the last great auto race. The race that survived the oil crisis. The race that carried on, even after horrific crashes. The race that still has a 3.7  mile long straight! (That bit was meant to be read in the same tone that the announcer uses before the Super Bowl) Now, more to the point, the 24 Heures du Le Mans is going to happen next weekend!

If you didn't know, Le Mans is special for a lot of reasons. For starters, It literally takes 24 hours. That's a pretty long time to drive a racecar. This is why there are three drivers to a car, driving in shifts.

Le Mans is actually four races all happening at the same time, in different classes of cars. There are the:


GTE Amateurs
They drive heavily modified supercars, and are amateur drivers.


(credit: dailysportscar.com)

GTE Professionals
They drive the same cars as the amateurs, but are professional drivers, racing for a REALLY REALLY rich privateer team, or a manufacturer.


(credit: ??)

LMP2

Up here, in the Le Mans Prototypes classes, they don't allow amateurs. They are bespoke built for the Circuit de La Sarthe.

(credit; www.autosport.com)

LMP1

These are the real spaceships. They can have engines with over 1000 horsepower! Only really serious teams can afford one of these.

(same picture as beginning of post)

So, the contenders in the LMP1 class are: Porsche with their innovative hybrid system, and the most wins of any manufacturer. Toyota, gunning for their first Le Mans win, and known for straight line speed. Also, there is an independent team, known as ByKolles.


If you feel like all that's a bit foreign, Ford races in the GTE classes. However, the GT40's have proven to be the slowest cars in testing. Hopefully this is just mind games, and a few Ford's qualify.

Keep on the lookout for Vipers and Corvettes, too. They are a favorite at Le Mans, because of their excellent straight line speed.

I'm sure there will be a few Ferrari's that enter, as well.  If a few Ferrari's qualify, and a few Ford's do the same, I really hope that this will be like the '66 Le Mans (and the '67 (and the '68 (and the '69))). Watch here to find out why Henry Ford II decided to build a Ferrari slayer (alternatively, in episode 6 of The Grand Tour, James May goes through the entire history).


Also, I recommend that you read the Wikipedia article about Le Mans.

Do you have any thoughts about cats? What drives you crazy? I welcome all respectful comments, so keep it clean. One post a week, so stay tuned!

Sorry if this post took a long time.