NASCAR Nationwide series
From inside her racer, with sound from her spotter:
From NASCAR:
Mike "FossilMedic" Ward
Archives for car-toon
DRIVE interview with Andy Green RAF:
A fascinating interview of an amazing engineering and education endeavour.
Go to the Bloodhound website for updates and additional information.
+++++++++++++
Oh, right, you want to see a car in a video.
Here is the Andy Green interview while driving a Bentley Muslsanne at 190 miles per hour at Bonneville Salt Flats:
FUTURE OF SPEED
Mike "FossilMedic" Ward
Speed of Sunshine
Published on Apr 30, 2013 by Petrolicious
The Fiat 500 has a long history spanning generations and spanning oceans. One particular Fiat, a Fiat 500D, has made its way over the last 49 years into the care of Annetta Calisi. After being attained in pieces, it was meticulously restored daily over a period of four months. Annetta and her Fiat, Luigi, could not be a better pair, and the lines between the past and the present fade as they both dress the part for every tiny journey they share.
Drive Tastefully®
http://Petrolicious.com
http://facebook.com/Petrolicious
The Fiat 500 Visualized
by / 30 Apr 2013
In conjunction with our latest video featuring a yellow Fiat 500, and to share some more information about the happy little car's history, we've created a graphic that is full of all kinds of interesting tidbits about the car.
As for some interesting things about the car that aren't mentioned in the graphic, did you know that starting the car was done by means of a pull-cable connected to a handle between the seats, or that the engine’s air-cooling fan supplied forced air directly into the carburetor intake—sort of a primitive, low-pressure supercharging?
Driver swap at Circuit of the Americas
Published on Apr 23, 2013
V8 Supercars/NASCAR Driver Swap:
The boys have been out on track for the Driver Swap at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin – with James Courtney and Kurt Busch hitting the track.
Courtney tweeted after the experience: "That was nuts… Felt like I was wrestling a bear."
Wednesday 24 April 2013 16:30
By: V8 Supercars
Today in a prelude to the first ever event in North America, 2004 NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Kurt Busch and 2010 V8 Supercar Champion James Courtney drove each other's cars around Circuit of The Americas.
The Australian V8 Supercar is 400lbs lighter than a Sprint Cup car, but only has 650 horsepower compared to 950 in NASCAR.
The NASCAR was faster accelerating in a straight line but the V8 Supercar far quicker through corners, making it a relatively equal contest between the two.
Furniture Row-Racing's Busch had to adapt to sitting on the wrong side of the car, a sequential shift gearbox and a dramatically smaller steering wheel. Courtney also found himself on the other side of the car from what he is used to and had to revert to using a H-pattern gearbox that hasn't been used in V8 Supercars since 2007.
The only similarities between the Chevrolet SS NASCAR and the Holden Commodore V8 Supercar comes from their road-going versions – the same car is sold in both markets in respective left and right hand drive versions.
"It's amazing, there are similarities and differences between the two cars," Busch said.
"Sitting on the right side, shifting a bunch of gears with my left arm, you're not in your comfort zone and it's hard to understand what task of the car is next until you start checking things off your list that you learn the racetrack as well. So there were quite a few things going on. Information overload, to say the least.
"But it definitely makes it interesting to drive both cars on the track at the same time.
"The quickest way I can compare an Australian V8 Supercar to what people are familiar to in the States is it's a muscle car but it's a sports car at the same time.
"Much more power than what you see in the GT classes in the Grand Am series. And the ability, though, for what I see on TV, for these guys to run side-by-side, nose to tail, is the control of the cars, the balance they have makes it a treat to drive."
Holden Racing Team's Courtney and fellow Championship contender Lockwood Racing’s Fabian Coulthard were on hand at the Circuit of The Americas for today's activities as well as last weekend's successful inaugural MotoGP event where they undertook demonstration laps at the venue.
For the vastly experienced Courtney, today's track action was a dramatic twist for the Australian who has driven a wide range of machinery including Formula 1, Le Mans and Japanese Sportscars, Formula 3 and Formula Ford.
"It was pretty wild sitting on the other side of the car and shifting an H-pattern gearbox," Courtney said.
"The car was bigger and heavier. It has so much power. It's really quite an experience. It was also quite cool to blow past the V8 car on the straight. It was really good. I'm forever grateful that the team gave me this opportunity.
"The steering wheel, it feels like it's massive. But to run side-by-side I was pretty nervous because it's moving around a bit more than what I'm used to.
"But the car was excellent. Changing with an H-pattern gearbox is different; it's done almost automatically in the car at home so you never think about it. But another thing that is quite different is the braking performance.
"It's built for Speedways, not really road courses. It's a very different machine."
Courtney and Coulthard will return home this week to prepare for the next round of the V8 Supercar Championship, the Chill Perth 360 in Western Australia, on May 3-5.
For tickets for the inaugural US event, visit the Circuit of The Americas website at http://circuitoftheamericas.com/v8-supercars.
Mike "FossilMedic" Ward
Cute girl test drives California Ferrari
After this week, looked for something different to watch.
Uploaded on Aug 22, 2011
Wouldn't you love to get behind the wheel of a Ferrari? Today is your chance to take your first ride and truly experience the Ferrari California.
Hop in the car with Kelly as she takes her first ride and learns how to navigate the roads of Miami in a Ferrari. Watch as she asks all the questions and learns about all the different modes, buttons and gadgets.
Imagine Lifestyles luxury rentals has a full fleet of luxury and exotic rental cars. Please visit our locations in Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami and New York and you too can drive these exotic sports cars for a day, 2 days or even more.
Hmm, so I looked up the cost:
Wow!
Think I will stick to the fleet Malibu
Mike "FossilMedic" Ward
Warner Brothers Studio Rig
Published on Feb 19, 2013
What makes a Hummer look like a Geo Metro? A 1941 American LaFrance fire truck, that's what. With a 256 horsepower engine under the hood and a unique modification in back, this classic beauty not only runs like a dream, but is also the most practical vehicle in Jay's collection. All that, and it only costs a measly 200 bucks to fill up the tank.
Rig had only 11,000 miles when Leno acquired it.
Installs Telma inductive braking systen
Jay puts Telma's innovative induction brake system in his 70-year-old monster fire truck, then loads it up with 10 people and takes it out for a test drive.
Mike "FossilMedic" Ward
Bonneville Speed Week 2012
Published on Sep 18, 2012 by 4GuysInaCar
We found a place where the automobile is king and speed is the one true god. It's a piece of land shaped roughly like a frying pan—flat and hot—bordered by mountains, and crusted in fine white granules of salt.
To get there, drive west for about an hour and a half from Salt Lake City, Utah on the I-80 towards Reno. Drive past the vast pools of sulfur, where there's no escaping the smell of rotten eggs. Take exit No.4 and keep going until the road ends. You'll feel a bump as the wheels of your car drop off the edge of the pavement and then start rolling across the Bonneville Salt Flats.
Welcome to gearhead heaven.
Mike "FossilMedic" Ward
50 years of modifications in one-owner bird
Published on Nov 8, 2012
It's been in the same family for the better part of 50 years. Been modified with performance and weight savings in mind, and is one of the sleekest looking cars we've ever come across. This 1955 Ford Thunderbird is no secretaries car, but a purpose built award winning street machine that was built in a time before resto-modding old cars was all the rage.
Mike "FossilMedic"Ward
Saturday CarToon: Corvette C6.R at Sebring
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Driver's Eye view
From Manoli Katakis at GM Authority:
Tommy Milner, one of the more recognizable faces of Corvette Racing, collaborated with the Drive Channel during one of last week’s practices leading up to last Saturday’s ALMS 12 Hours of Sebring. Milner eventually battled out to win the GT Class, making a pass and holding onto the lead with just 15 minutes to go.
In the opening of the video, we find Milner donning his helmet in the Corvette Racing garage, and walking out to pit lane. He then briefly discusses with the crew chiefs before eventually hopping into a C6.R race car, powering away under the cover of night. As always, the raw noise and power of the Corvette C6.R is intoxicating, and there’s plenty of it in this 11:40 minute video.
Published on Mar 19, 2013
DRIVER'S EYE with Corvette Racing's Tommy Milner around Sebring International Raceway. Featured in this video, Corvette Racing's new rear facing radar system.
The blue lights indicate how much traction control activity there is. They will turn red during braking and indicate whether a tire is about to lock up and when it is fully stopped. One of those units is what caused our small fire during the race. They are just a small help to us so we are more aware of what is happening with the car.
How Corvette Racing won the 12 Hours of Sebring: Tommy Milner's Autoweek blog
The 12 Hours of Sebring started off great this year. We had the lead for the first two hours; when Richard took over, he had to pit a few laps short of his scheduled stop because of smoke in the cockpit. There isn't a worse feeling than seeing your car in pit lane with a relatively unknown problem. These things can take a long time to diagnose and fix. My first reaction was, “There goes the race.”
Instead, the Corvette Racing crew identified the problem as a frayed wire that had shorted and caused all kinds of problems with the dash and electronics.
Oliver hopped in and set back out to try and continue to lap while the team could devise a plan of what to do. Our C6.R had lost the function of its taillights, and IMSA quickly pointed out we needed to pit and fix it. A few laps later and Oliver was in. Dave Marin, our crew guy who had spotted the melted wire, just cut the wire to the offending unit, and everything was fixed. We no longer had the “lock-up lights” in the cockpit that indicate if we've locked or are about to lock a wheel under braking, but that's just a minor creature comfort for us drivers. No other issues remained, other than being down a lap-and-a-half from the GT leader.
I was amazed we only lost that little amount of time. It felt like ages while the car sat in the pits. Every second matters in these races, and a lap-and-a-half with nine hours to go in the race is not insurmountable. I knew we still had a shot and so did the rest of our team. Oliver drove a stellar stint to close the gap considerably on the leader, and then a yellow came to put us right with the leaders, meaning we had a shot to get our lap back. As it would shake out, I got in the car for my second stint of the race and came out of the pits buried right in the middle of the GT fight, but still one lap down. I knew this would be our best chance to get back on the lead lap.
read more HERE
Mike "FossilMedic" Ward
Saturday CarToon: 1970 440 6-Pack ‘Cuda
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A 43 year old Street Fighter – with a 700 horsepower motor
Published on Jun 7, 2012
Each and every muscle car enthusiast has that one experience that has helped define the way in which they view the automobile. For Northern California's John Cross that experience came by way of riding in the back of his cousins 1970 440 6-Pack Plymouth 'Cuda when he was a kid.
It was a car that provided him with memories, stories and of course, a goal – that being, to one day own the very car which got his engine running all those years ago. It's now 2012, 42 years after that first faithful ride in the very 'Cuda you're about to see. This time however it resides in John's garage, not his cousins, which can mean only one thing… Sometimes dreams do come true.
Mike "FossilMedic" Ward
Saturday Car-Toon: 1914 Peugeot Grand Prix
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The "Holy Grail" of 20th century racing
In this episode we are given a tour of one of the most significant cars in the world. When this car was sent to Harry Miller's shop in Los Angeles it started a tradition of winning and influenced just about all automotive design for decades to come.
Where They Raced Episode 2 – The Holy Grail from Sunny & Mild Media on Vimeo.
Harry Miller – Los Angeles
His involvement with the racing side of his carburetor business led first to repairing and and then building race cars. In the early 1920s, he built his own 3.0 litre (183 in³) engine. Inspired by a Peugeot Grand Prix engine which had been serviced in his shop by Fred Offenhauser in 1914, it had 4 cylinders, dual overhead camshafts and 4 valves per cylinder. It powered Jimmy Murphy's Duesenberg to victory in the 1922 Indianapolis 500. Miller then progressed to making Miller single-seater race cars that used supercharged versions of his 2.0 and 1.5 liter (122 and 91 in³) engines. The engines took four more wins in the 500 up to 1929, twice (1926 and 1928) in Miller chassis, and won the race another seven times between 1929 and 1938 (twice again, in 1930 and 1932, in Miller chassis).
In the 1920s and 1930s, Miller engines also powered speedboats to several race wins.
Miller declared bankruptcy in 1933. His shop foreman and chief machinist Fred Offenhauser purchased the business and continued development of the engine as the Offenhauser.
After bankruptcy, Miller built race cars with Indianapolis 500 enthusiast Preston Tucker and in 1935 they formed Miller and Tucker, Inc., whose first job was to build ten modified Ford V-8 racers for Henry Ford. With insufficient time available for their development and testing, all these cars dropped out when the steering boxes, installed too close to the exhaust, overheated and locked up. The design was later perfected by privateers, and examples ran at Indianapolis through 1948. Wikipedia
From "History of Formula 1: 1914 Peuget Grand Prix":
The first car was built in 1911 and the results were not long in coming with Boillot winning the 1912 Grand Prix of France followed by victories at the Coupe de la Sarthe and the Indianapolis 500 the following year.
Mike "FossilMedic" Ward
Saturday CarToon: Breaking in a Porsche GT3
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Driver's eye view
New series on Drive, about 23 minutes
Published on Mar 1, 2013
A new series, taking you inside the action from the perspective of a professional racing driver. In our premeire episode, Leh Keen breaks-in his Porsche GT3 Cup with Brumos Racing at the famed Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal Canada.
Mike "FossilMedic" Ward
Saturday CarToon: 2013 Dubai 24
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Following the Saudi Falcons at 24 hours of Dubai
Published on Feb 21, 2013
The youngest 24 hour endurance race on the motorsports calendar, the Dubai 24 is growing to become one of the pinnacle events for sports car and touring car racing. Look behind the scenes with the Saudi Falcons at this year's event. Narration provided by John Hindhaugh of Radio Le Mans.
Gary Meenaghan of The National posted this report on January 9:
DUBAI // This weekend's 24 Hours of Dubai marks the eighth successive year the race has been held and Mohammed ben Sulayem, the president of the UAE Automobile and Touring Club, says it has grown in such a way that it is now second only to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in terms of prestige.
"When it was first done in 2006, it was great to see so much interest, but I remember saying 'I hope it's sustainable'," Ben Sulayem, said yesterday at Dubai Autodrome. "Now when I see it sustaining and growing – and in a healthy way, because you do not want to see a boom and then nothing afterwards – it proves to me the event is something of real quality."
24 Hours event is 'jewel of motorsport in Dubai'
Larry Chen of SpeedHunters provided a photo essay of the 2013 event.
Mike "FossilMedic" Ward
President’s Day Car-Toon: Mini back-flip
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World's First Automotive Backflip
Published on Feb 17, 2013
Guerlain Chicherit makes a bold and complete John Cooper Works leap of faith, this time in the frigid snowscape of Tignes, France.
—
Agency: Gravi-T
Produced by La Main Productions x PVS Company
Directed by Jean-Francois Tatin
Music: Sebastien Galiana
From Patrick George at Jalopnik:
They claim it's the world's first car backflip, anyway. If anyone else out there has evidence that this has been done before, we'd love to see it.
Chicherit launched a Mini Countryman into the air, flipped a 360, then landed all four tires onto an 8-meter high snow ramp in southeastern France. He did it twice, according to Monster — once in a private attempt this morning, and later in front of some spectators.
Congratulations, Monsieur Chicherit. You did a stellar job.
From the Dakar 2013 website:
Guerlain Chicherit is world class in everything he does. The former extreme ski world champion finished 49th overall in his first Dakar in 2005. Spotted by the X-Raid Team, the blonde haired Frenchman quickly showed he was a force to be reckoned with in 2006, completing the world's most challenging rally-raid in 9th place. After two disappointing runs, including a spectacular barrell roll in 2007, then mechanical woes in 2009, Guerlian came back strong in 2010, taking 5th place.
For the 2011 edition, the team entrusted him to debut the Mini. But a rest day accident while testing a set-up change brought Chicherit's relationship with Swen Quandt to an end. Left out of the X-Raid squad, he spent a year in the motor racing wilderness, before studying a proposal from Philippe Gache. Chicherit promises to put on a show at the wheel of his buggy in his return to the Dakar.
“When you make serious errors, you have to own up to them. And I accepted the fact thatI would never compete with the X-Raid Team again. I undersood Sven Quandt's decision. Then the downward spiral continued on all fronts. And when you are totally committed, you have to battle to keep your head above water. Happily, some of my partners stayed with me, like Monster and Mini. I believe I am still a good driver.
I was a little anxious.when Phillipe Gache propsed I test his buggy in Morocco. But then we began to drive it and I was stunned. It is a proper off-road car, which is very fast on torn up terrain. It is built for me and corresponds to my driving style. I have had an awesome time with it, and it will be quite spectacular because it jumps very well. For the rest, I don't have much of a reference to guess as to what overall position we can aim for. But we have all we need for the fight. In any case, we're going to get stuck right in the middle of it.”
Mike "FossilMedic" Ward
Saturday CarToon: McLaren at 50
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“To do something well is so worthwhile, that to die trying to do it better cannot be foolhardy.”
‘Life is measured in achievement, not in years alone.’
When a 27-year-old Bruce McLaren penned those words in 1964, his new company, Bruce McLaren Motor Racing Ltd, was less than a year old.
In those days, Bruce’s vision was shared by fewer than half a dozen loyal souls, who slogged across the world to race his self-made cars. Nowadays, the McLaren Group employs more than 2000 people, all of whom still share Bruce’s ideals of combining sportsmanship with solid engineering practice and cutting-edge technical expertise.
On September 2nd 2013, the McLaren Group will celebrate its 50th anniversary.
read more at 2013: celebrating 50 years of McLaren
Mike "FossilMedic" Ward
A unique Aerialscope retired in 2012
It has been a while since we posted a Dirk Steinhard video.
Published on Jan 30, 2013
The Scania Pump 207 and the Mack aerial 205 of the New Zealand Fire Service turning out of Auckland's Central fire station to a call //
by Dirk Steinhardt - http://www.rescue911.de - http://www.rescue-tube.com - Auckland, New Zealand – 01.2012
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/rescue911de/126482447368628
Deals on Wheels magazine featured the Mack in their November 2012 issue, with help from the Auckland Fire Brigade Historical Society.
John Walker, writing for The Driving Wheel magazine (Summer 2012), wrote
"The Auckland Aerialscope is the only one ever to see service outside the continental United States and even then is quite unique as it is fitted with it’s own pump, a 6000 litres per minute Darley which supplies water to the basket monitors, pump outlets and hose reels. Most Aerialscopes built have relied on other fire appliances to supply water including all those supplied to the city of New York."
The aerialscope was replaced with a Bronto Type 6 Skylift F32 RLX aerial.
Mike "FossilMedic" Ward
A day with Ryan Tuerck
Tureck is part of Drift Alliance, a hard-partying group of Formula D racers.
Episode 5 of his reality show on Network A: Real Drift Life: The House of Tuerck!
Published on Jan 23, 2013
Professional drift driver and all around Hoonigan Ryan Tuerck invites us to spend a typical day with him at his home in New Hampshire.
Ryan and his misfit brothers show why living in the middle of nowhere can have its advantages.
Bored during the off-season? Build a rally track in your backyard and blow sh*t up. This is the House of Tuerck!
Warning to keyboard fire marshals! The casual and extreme use of flammable liquids may create discomfort.
If chest pains continue for more than 10 minutes, call 9-1-1 and take two chewable children's asprin tablets.
Don't you wish your day off was as cool?
Mike "FossilMedic" Ward
Saturday CarToon: 1953 Corvette Engineering tests
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From the General Motors Media Archives
Corvetteblogger.com managed to get our hands on these never-before-seen videos shot during testing of the first generation Corvette. The videos just discovered in the GM Media Archives show a very early Corvette prototype undergoing a series of evaluations at the Milford Proving Grounds and include a cameo by Zora Duntov. Read on to be one of the first people in a very, very long time to view the video.
There are a total of 3 new video clips which CorvetteBlogger.com skillfully combined into 1 below.
The first video shows Zora Duntov himself evaluating airflow over a Corvette’s trunk and rear end. He fidgets with the side vent window angle and watches the airflow change with each adjustment. Zora was initially hired by GM in May of 1953 as an “Assistant Staff Engineer” so this test was probably conducted while he was still relatively new to his position when this film was recorded
The 2nd video shows a test driver piloting an early C1 prototype down a straight stretch of road. Note some of the styling feature that did and didn’t make it into production. He appears to be performing some type of stability or lane change test as he takes his hands off of the steering wheel a couple of times in the film. The Corvette seems to perform remarkably well as we presume that it’s riding on old bias ply tires. Anyone who’s driven on old school tires like these know that they rarely follow a straight path even when you’ve got your hands on the wheel.
The final portion of the clip is broken down into 2 smaller sections. The first shows another (or the same prototype) car from above in a hill climb race against an early 1950′s Chevy sedan. The 2 cars launch simultaneously and the C1 easily drives away cresting the hilltop about 5 seconds ahead of the sedan. Next the car is seen drifting Dukes of Hazzard-style around a corner a dirt test road. You can almost hear Waylon Jennings signing in the background.
A lot has happened in 60 years, the seventh generation wsa revealed last Sunday:
Mike "FossilMedic" Waed
Saturday CarToon: World Record Burnout
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A New World Record
Summernats 26 has broken a Guinness World Record for the most simultaneous burnouts; 69 cars had managed to complete the 30-second burnout required, setting the new world record for the Largest simultaneous burnout, according to the World Record Academy.
Dominik Lembert posted this video.
From the January 4th World Record Academy press release about the Canberra. Australia, event:
Summernats co-owner Andy Lopez said the attempt had taken months to organise and more than 200 staff were involved in pulling the event together on the day.
"We had to do 50 cars at least to break the world record, and in typical Summernats fashion we smashed it with 69," he said.
"I heard about 30 tyres blow during it – it's a bit of a rubber bath out here."
The onsite fire brigade had to handle a handful of tire fires.
(Imagine the carbon footprint … and the replacement tire sales!)
Jeffery Chan photo
Mike "FossilMedic" Ward
…. thanks to Bill "Firegeezer" Schumm for the heads-up!
Saturday Car-Toon: The DecoLiner
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"A sculpture that works"
Much longer than our normal Car-Toons. This is a fascinating story of creativity:
Uploaded on Jan 16, 2012
The Blastolene Story – The Decoliner. Half GMC RV, half creative genius by master craftsman Randy Grubb.
From Sonia Renthlei in Blastolene's DecoLiner redefines luxury motorhome on Automoto.com
Most of Blastolene’s works have been single-handedly taken care of by Grubb himself and the DecoLiner is no different. A 1978 GMC motorhome’s chassis was used by partner, Michael Leeds, over which sat the cab of a 1955 White cab-over engine. Structural ribs, an aluminum body and a new grille complete the look.
The most distinct feature, however, has to be the flying bridge which can accommodate five adults, and the window on each riser. Incidentally, the DecoLiner can also be steered from the roof. For this, Grubb and his team designed the steering wheel in the cab in such a way that it can be removed and connected to control arms up on the roof.
DecoLiner construction pictures
Mike "FossilMedic" Ward
Soothing soft shapes that go real fast
Patrick George, writing for Jalopnik, described this video:
Take A Deeply Pornographic Trip Inside The Porsche Museum, Where Dreams Are Made Real
But while not all of us are able to drop what we're doing and just fly over to Deutschland to scope out some badass sportscars and racecars, our friends at the fabulous Japanese car magazine MotorHead went ahead and did it for us — and they made this sweet video of all the wonderful things hidden inside.
The video takes a close look at some very notable Porsches, including the original 356, the Type 754 design study that predated the first 911, and the legendary 917. And the best part is that they aren't just exhibits — "There are around 150 cars in the museum and 90 percent of them are kept in ready to run condition," the narrator says.
4 weeks ago
Website : motorhead.jp
Instagram : #motorheadjp
Facebook : facebook.com/japanmotorhead
Twitter : twitter.com/MHead_editor
MOTORHEAD went to Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, Germany and witnessed glorified machines of the new and old. There are around 150 cars in the museum and 90% of them are kept in the condition as ready to run.
Motorhead would like to thank Porsche for allowing us to film in their beautiful museum.
—————————————————
Director / Film / Edit / Grade : Luke Huxham
Website : maiham-media.com
Instagram : #maihammedia
Facebook : facebook.com/maihammedia
Mike "FossilMedic" Ward
Saturday CarToon: 1958 GMC/Pitman 50′ Snorkel
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The Quinn era in Chicago
The Fire Products Company re-packaged films and news coverage on fire operations into the Ahrens-Fox VHS Video Library in the 1990s. The Webster Groves, Missouri, company worked with local experts and occasionally provided narration on film clips that went back to the 1890s.
ChicagoFD.org recently posted the Ahrens-Fox Video Library segment on the original snorkel squad:
Mack, posting in nycfire.net forum on July 27, 2010 provided extensive details, including this:
In September, 1958, Pitman delivered a 50 foot elevating platform mounted on a General Motors Corporation chassis, and the platforms was outfitted. In the Chicago Fire Department Shops. Tests showed that engines pumping into base mounted water inlets could produce a stream of 1,200 gallons per minute, through a 2" diameter nozzle, at a maximum pressure of 100 psi.
The platform got its first test of fire at 1:00 am on the 18th of October, 1958. When it was called to a 4 alarm lumberyard fire on Chicago's south side. Fireman John Windle, operating the nozzle from the basket, helped to bring the blaze under control in a fraction of the time normally expected for a fire of equal magnitude.
First Deputy Fire Marshal James A Bailey said "I can't believe how quickly and accurately it worked. It really plastered this fire in a hurry." Chief Fire Marshal Raymond J. Daley said "In 33 yrs of fire fighting I never saw anything as effective and maneuverable." link HERE
The company that made the videos appears out of business. Many of the videos are unavailable. Some of the FDNY ones are found on YouTube.
Endorsement from Michael Boynton of MassFireTrucks.com
Normally I do not promote products here, but this one is an exception. The Ahrens Fox Video Library has 25 videos to choose from, and among them are several from Massachusetts, particularly Norfolk& Bristol Counties.
These videos were filmed by the late Stanley Chilson, possibly the area's pioneer in on-scene photography. In fact, Mr. Chilson was the official photographer for several communities, including Franklin, Millis & Plainville.
I now have 5 videos from the collection:
- Firefighting In New England Vols. 1 & 2
- Fire In The Woods
- Classic Fire Engines
- Fires, Wrecks & Rescues.
That last title was very special. While watching it, I saw footage from an early 1940's MVA in Franklin where my Grandfather, Franklin Police Sgt. Ned Dacey, was assisting an injured patient. Good stuff! There are also black & white and color videos from fires & incidents from Walpole, Wrentham, Norfolk, Fall River, Norwood, New Bedford, and more.
And, there is a special segment on the creation of the Massachusetts Forest Fire Control. I'm quite pleased with my purchase!! LINK to the FSP site here.
Mike "FossilMedic" Ward
Saturday CarToon: Big Blown DeVille
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Santa's new ride!
Had enough German extremeness?
(it HAS been three consecutive weeks).
An interesting lead sled, a 1964 Cadillac convertible with a supercharger poking through the hood.
This is a 1964 Cadillac DeVille drop-top. It's got a blown 468 cubic-inch big block, 600 plus horsepower, and if you haven't figured it out by now, it's a friggin' carnival ride on four wheels.
I stumbled upon this amazing machine while walking through a car show in Alameda, CA and after speaking with owner Ron Dean, I knew it was something that had to be featured on BIG MUSCLE.
Stretching 20-feet in length and having a personality that simply can't be ignored, this old DeVille not only kicks sand in the face of other hot-rods, but does so while maintaining all the comfort and class that vintage Cadillac's are known for.
From the 2006 Alameda Rides:
Great video of Mike Musto driving down 101 "… giggling like a four year old."
Mike "FossilMedic" Ward
(fixed YouTube link)
Open cab Seagraves with a Jake Brake
Uploaded by roof15top on Sep 20, 2010
Creuising in the Seagrave. Detroit with a kickass Jake – what's not to love?
Let's go rattle some windows and scare little kids!
When I got on the job, these were righteous.
A Clark Martin photo digitized by Chris Fox.
Update: Thanks to Steve Marshall for clearing the red tint out of the picture!
Mike "FossilMedic" Ward
Saturday CarToon: Fastest Christmas Song
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A Christmas themed commercial
Published on Dec 12, 2012
BMW presents:
The fastest Christmas Song in the World:
Send your own Christmas greetings on http://www.fastestchristmassong.ch and watch the making-of on http://pinterest.com/bmwswitzerland
(Yeah, third Saturday with a German vehicle.)
Mike "FossilMedic" Ward
In response to lilgreenspitfire:
The car at 3:42 is a 27 model t roadster pickup. I built in less than two months and all I started with was a 429 and a 27 roadster body. Everything is completely custom. No air just straight suspension and sittin only two inches of the ground. It's a great car to drive around and was alot of fun.