Stone's Pig Garage rat rod, has some cool stuff to check out

Maybe a tractor grill, but I like it, and great placement of the headlights

Notice the horns on both sides of the firewall by the leading edge of the doors... cool.

Great interior, I was instantly admiring the radio, the antique fire extinguisher, speaker grill by the shifer base and those terrific seats made from 1960's lawn chairs

I admire any rat rod with a bottle opener and catch can

Great spare tool catch all tray

Semaphore! Love it! Check out the Sammy's Hot Rods once you click for full size

Dig the lettering and striping on the brake light, and the safe driving sign... awesome

cool hauler at the GNRS, I didn't get the info, but it's got a great vintage look, nice lines, and perfect colors

The Van-Go... cool, very cool, from the "Cars Not Culture" guru of Church magazine, Coby Gewertz

see another gallery at
http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2011/01/27/ear-severing-awesomeness/ but for the awesome photography and "peg the meter" cool factor, check into http://www.carsnotculture.com/usa/zine.htm

Cars are boring because people keep buying them. Please buy something more interesting! Here is a great video, for the 40 mpg Elantra

Criswell Fiat is on the road

Criswell Fiat of Gaithersburg Maryland has received their Fiat 500 demonstrator and is giving test drives! If you're on or near the east coast, head over to them and meet the great folks at Criswell. Giles Bibic is the sales manager and there are a sales staff of 5 that are receiving daily Fiat training.



Criswell is one of the first Fiat dealers in the US and has the honor of receiving the first Dealer number from Chrysler/Fiat. The dealership has been serving the Washington D.C. and Baltimore areas since 1972 and has received numerous awards for customer service. Before they even opened, Criswell has already begun supporting the Fiat community by recently hosting the DC Fiats.org car club event. Fiat owners and fans are in capable hands with a dealer like Criswell Fiat.

Call 888-418-2268 to arrange a test drive.

Criswell Fiat's Facebook Page

Criswell's Twitter Page



Photos courtesy of my sponsor Criswell Fiat

Holy S*** ! , tool innovations from firefighters, for firefighters. This rocks! Sharing great ideas for the benefit of all

Damn, this ought to be framed art (minus the extra set of earplugs)

Check out all the bitchin tools, modified, improvised, and uses you never thought of for common stuff, but firefighters have found work really good for propping open doors,keeping things in place, and misc simple things that have been proven to help in emergencies
http://www.vententersearch.com/pockets.htm

Thanks to
http://lostliver.blogspot.com/ for the discovery!

I found another hilarious writer of automobile columns, here's an excerpt

Let's say you bought a Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon, with a 6.2-liter, 556-horsepower Corvette V8, six-speed manual transmission.... thundering through the quarter-mile in 11.9 seconds at 116 mph, according to my colleagues at Car and Driver, who do impeccable instrumented testing.

....this wagon is about as esoteric an automobile as you're likely to find. Statistically speaking, General Motors will sell exactly none of these cars, the Detroit equivalent of Zoroastrianism.

But if you did buy one, what would you do with it? You'd have a lot of options.

Such a car would be useful if you wanted to duck car-pooling duty or avoid field trips with the Cub Scouts, because no child emerging weepy and jelly-kneed from the back seats of this supercharged washing machine will ever want to get back in.

Perhaps you could put on demonstrations for the local high-school physics club, using the g-meter built into the car's instrument cluster to show exactly what more than 1 g of lateral acceleration feels like. It feels like a fat lady is trying to push you out the side window. Or if not physics, the Greek club, since like Antaeus the V-Wagon maintains an Olympian grip on the earth and draws strength from it. Maybe you could help out at the police training range, letting cadets chase you to improve their hot-pursuit driving skills. Then, having been completely demoralized, these plebes will quit to become firemen. The world needs firemen.

The only people who will want this car are people like me, dizzy enthusiasts and car lovers, but more than that: car reviewers. Car reviewers cycle in and out of dozens of new cars every year. We buy not, neither do we lease. And because of that, we can afford to fall in love with a snot-flinging rodeo bull like the V-Wagon (or cars like the now-defunct Dodge Magnum, the Audi RS6 Avant, Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG Estate or the Europe-only BMW M5 Touring). If we were spending our own money, we might reasonably ask why a station wagon needs to be faster than a mid-1990s Lamborghini.

By DAN NEIL at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703555804576102202985268590.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Hot Painted Ferrari Art Car by Ton Pret

Dutch modern painter and fashion artist Ton Pret reveals Ferrari Art-Car on Open Art Fair

The Ton Pret Ferrari project is an unique art-car project where Dutch modern artist Ton Pret transformed a high-powered Ferrari 355 into 'The Fastest Artwork of Holland'. The project was executed in the summer of 2010.

Ton Pret Artist

Ton Pret started as a painter in 2005. His success emerged fast and work was exposed in the Amsterdam “Beurs van Berlage, the Fortezza da Basso in Florence, in Ascona Italy and the Amsterdam Rijksmuseum. Not only his paintings and sculptures are popular amongst art-lovers and collectors, also his shoes, jeans and watches are in growing demand worldwide. His colorful high-heeled shoes caused a stir in the latest Paris fashion shows.

Ton Pret Ferrari

With this art-car project Ton transformed a high-powered Ferrari 355 into 'The Fastest Artwork of Holland'. Ton comments: ‘’This project was done in assignment of a lover of Dutch modern art, whom I met in the end of 2009. When he proposed to paint his Ferrari in my style I immediately said yes. I never had second thoughts.” The combination of this well-designed car, the speed and the joy of colors can be characterized as explosive. The Ton Pret Ferrari is already causing lots of controversies, especially amongst car lovers. The Ton Pret Ferrari is not meant to be sold but will be on display at selected events.

The Project

The planning for this project started in January 2010. In the beginning of May the car was prepared by Ferrari bodywork specialists. The actual painting of the car took Ton seven weeks. The complete car was hand painted, using a small size brush. To reach the desired depth of the colors all painting had to be done at least three times over. Because of these high working standards, the project demanded far more time than initially planned.

The work was also physically demanding. Because the car is painted top-to-bottom, Ton had to perform most of his creative work from difficult angles. To protect the delicate technology of the car the entire project was executed under the expert supervision of the Ferrari Bodyshop in 's-Graveland, The Netherlands.

Art-car tradition

Ton is not the first Dutch artist creating an exclusive hand painted art-car. With this project Ton follows the footsteps of Cobra artist Karel Appel and rock star and painter Herman Brood. Internationally the BMW-art-car series are well-known, featuring Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and recently Jeff Koons.

Recently more and more cars are being decorated with a special car foil. This process is cost-effective and quick, the foil can be applied within a day. Because the original artwork is copied on foil the result can be easily reproduced. This technique was not an option for this project. The goal of Ton and the owner of the Ferrari was to create a real object of art that is and will always remain a unique piece.

The Ferrari

The Ferrari 355 GTS Competizione is in perfect condition. The car runs over 185 miles per hour. It has a 8 cylinder / 3.5 liter engine and weighs 1350 kilo. The original color was Giallo Modena (Ferrari yellow).

article via open art fair

The 2012 Fiat 500: Safety and Security

Owners of the new 2012 Fiat 500 will enjoy a level of safety and security that is unheard of in its segment. There are more than 35 of these features available in the 500, that amount in a car costing $10,000 more than the 500 would be unusual, but Fiat has included them, most without additional cost.

Below is the list of these features and please note this list only covers safety and security, it doesn't mention all the comfort, convenience and technology that is included in the Fiat 500. Review the list and you will see what they mean by "high-content small car".

Fiat NA Press Release:

“For the U.S. market, the new Fiat 500 will continue the brand’s pursuit and we fully expect we will be recognized as an industry leader with its innovative approach to vehicle safety.” — Laura Soave

New 2012 Fiat 500
– SAFETY



State-of-the-art connectivity combined with heritage of top international safety ratings and more than 35 safety and security features keep passengers of the new 2012 Fiat 500 connected, comfortable and secure.

“At Fiat, safety has always been a priority, and this objective has enabled the Fiat 500 to be recognized by international safety organizations for achieving new levels of crashworthiness for an A-segment car,” said Laura Soave, Head of Fiat Brand North America. “For the U.S. market, the new Fiat 500 will continue the brand’s pursuit and we fully expect we will be recognized as an industry leader with its innovative approach to vehicle safety."

In Europe, the Fiat 500 was the first A-segment vehicle to achieve a 5-star Euro NCAP (New Car Assessment Program) adult occupant protection rating.


Seven standard air bags and reactive head restraints
The new 2012 Fiat 500 features an all-new air bag system to offer unique protection for its passengers to meet all U.S. regulatory requirements. Its seven standard air bags include: driver and front-passenger advanced multi-stage air bags, driver’s knee air bag, full-length side-curtain air bags and standard seat-mounted side pelvic-thorax air bags, all to offer enhanced occupant protection to all occupants in the event of a collision.

Reactive head restraints, which activate during a rear impact, are another innovation helping minimize injuries by reducing the gap between the head restraint and the passenger’s head.



Innovative TomTom® Navigation with BLUE&ME™ Handsfree Communication technology
Developed as a collaboration between Fiat and Microsoft, BLUE&ME™ Handsfree Communication technology is an in-vehicle, voice-activated communication system that allows the driver to operate a Bluetooth®-compatible phone while keeping his or her hands on the wheel and eyes on the road. Using a series of voice commands, the driver can place phone calls, access the phone’s address book or listen to MP3s. BLUE&ME Handsfree Communication technology supports most mobile phones with Bluetooth technology.

With the available TomTom® Navigation with BLUE&ME Handsfree Communication technology, the system integrates an innovative 4.3-inch TomTom hand-held navigation unit that docks on top of the new 2012 Fiat 500’s instrument panel. With its large touchscreen display, simple map displays with available real-time traffic, weather and more than 7 million points of interests, TomTom navigation with BLUE&ME Handsfree Communication technology is intuitive for the driver to use. And with its direct integration into the Fiat 500’s interior system, the driver is able to use steering-wheel-mounted controls to make operation even easier.

Thanks to its portable design, the TomTom Navigation system allows passengers of the Fiat 500 to remove the hand-held device from the vehicle and use it as a guide for walking tours or finding their way back to the vehicle.



Upgraded Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
The new Fiat 500 features standard electronic stability control (ESC) for improved braking performance in wet or panic conditions.

Behind the scenes, the ESC system is ready to intervene by integrating key chassis control systems including electronic brake-force distribution (EBD), anti-lock brake system (ABS) and traction control systems (TCS) to control all four wheels in response to yaw and steering input.

In effect, ESC determines the driver’s intentions and adjusts the vehicle’s dynamic forces to maintain the driver’s intended course. Should the driver exceed the performance limits of the road surface – such that the vehicle starts to oversteer or understeer – ESC instantly analyzes input from the wheel sensors and corrects the pending loss of control by applying any one, several or all of the system’s brakes.

More than 35 available safety and security features
The following is a list of the new 2012 Fiat 500’s more than 35 available safety and security features which include:
• Active turn signals: Turn signal flashes three times when stalk is depressed for 1 second to indicate a lane change (standard)
• Advanced multi-stage air bags: Inflates with a force appropriate to the severity of the impact. In addition, Fiat 500’s unique driver’s air bag design includes tethers to shape the air bag. The passenger airbag has a unique air bag venting system, allowing one vent of the air bag to remain open while the air bag is fully inflating. A secondary vent is actuated as the passenger contacts the air bag at the end of a crash event, offering protection of passengers of all sizes
• All-speed control traction: Helps to keep driving wheels from spinning during acceleration from a stop or during all speeds by applying individual brakes alone or in combination with engine torque limitation to prevent wheel slip
• Anti-lock brake system (ABS): Senses and prevents wheel lockup, offering improved steering control under extreme braking and/or slippery conditions (standard)
• Auto-dimming rearview mirror: Detects and reduces glare from rearward headlamps without driver intervention
• BeltAlert: Activates a chime and/or illuminates an icon in the instrument cluster to remind the driver and front passenger to buckle up if the Fiat 500 is driven without belted front-seat occupants (standard)
• Bi-halogen projector headlamps: Provides wider, more focused light spread and improves forward visibility at night (standard)
• BLUE&ME™ Handsfree Communication technology: Provides an in-vehicle, voice-activated communication system that allows the driver to operate a Bluetooth compatible phone while keeping his or her hands on the wheel and eyes on the road. Using a series of voice commands, the driver can place phone calls, access the phone’s address book or listen to MP3s
• Brake Assist: In an emergency brake situation, the system applies maximum braking power, minimizing the stopping distance (standard)
• Brake Override: When a disagreement exists between the throttle and the brake, the brake signal causes the engine controller to reduce engine power, allowing the operator to stop the Fiat 500 (standard)
• Brake/Park Interlock: Prevents a Fiat 500 with six-speed automatic transmission from being shifted out of Park unless the brake pedal is applied (standard)
• Brake-traction control system (BTCS): Helps to keep driving wheels from spinning during acceleration from a stop or during slow speeds by applying individual brakes to the slipping wheel(s) (standard)
• Child seat anchor system: LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren) is designed to ease installation of compatible aftermarket child seats (standard)
• Constant-force Retractors (CFR): Regulates the force exerted on the occupant by the seat belt and then gradually releases seat-belt webbing in a controlled manner. The system features a digressive load limiter for the driver and adaptive load limiter for the front-passenger (standard)


• Crumple zones: Designed to deform during an accident in order to absorb energy from an impact which decreases transfer of that energy to occupants (standard)
• Daytime running lamps (DRL): Provides additional forward illumination for improved vehicle awareness
• Electronic stability control (ESC): Enhances driver control and helps maintain directional stability under all conditions. Provides the benefit in critical driving situations, such as turns, and is valuable when driving on mixed-surface conditions, including snow, ice or gravel. If there is a discernible difference between driver input through the steering wheel and the Fiat 500’s path, ESC applies selective braking and throttle input to guide the vehicle back on to the driver’s intended path (standard)


• Energy management system: Three front load paths designed from high-strength steel manage vehicle crush and minimize cabin intrusion (standard)
• Express down windows: One-touch powered express down window button located on the center console (standard)
• Full-length side-curtain air bags: Extends protection to all outboard front- and rear-seat passengers. Each side air bag has its own impact sensors that autonomously trigger the air bag on the side where an impact occurs. This type of air bag is housed in the headliner just above the side windows (standard)
• Head restraints: Includes all seating positions (standard)
• Hill-start Assist (HSA): Assists drivers when starting a vehicle from a stop on a hill by maintaining the level of brake pressure applied for a short period of time after a driver’s foot is removed from the brake pedal If throttle is not applied within a short period of time after the driver’s foot is removed from the brake pedal, brake pressure will be released (standard)
• Intelligent battery sensor (IBS): Continually measures the flow of current into and out of the battery. If the battery is running low, the system intelligently shuts off less critical electrical systems to help prevent a customer being stranded due to a low or depleted battery. When IBS conducts load shedding, an icon appears in the cluster display (standard)
• Knee air bag (driver’s side): Located below the instrument panel, air bag deploys when the driver’s air bag deploys and is designed to properly position the occupant during impact and offer additional lower leg protection
• Occupant restraint controller (ORC): Detects an impact and determines whether a crash is severe enough to trigger air bag deployment and whether the primary or secondary stage inflation is sufficient. In addition the controller detects side impacts and determines whether the rail-curtain and side seat-mounted (pelvic-thorax protection) airbags should deploy. Engagement of front seat belt pretensioners are also managed through the controller (standard)
• ParkSense® rear park assist system: Assists at low speeds in reverse to detect stationary objects. Consists of audible warnings for the driver and has a display in the instrument cluster’s Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC)
• Reactive head restraints: Activates in the event of a rear collision. Restraints are designed to reduce injuries by minimizing the gap between the driver and front-passenger head restraint and the passenger’s head (standard)
• Remote keyless entry: Locks and unlocks doors and turns on interior lamps. If the vehicle is equipped with the optional security alarm, the remote also arms and disarms that system (standard)
• Safety cage body structure: Protects occupants by managing and controlling energy in the event of an impact (standard)
• Seat belt pretensioners: During a collision, impact sensors initiate front seat belt pretensioners to remove slack in the seat belt system, thereby reducing the forward movement of the occupant’s head and torso (standard)
• Sentry Key® engine immobilizer: Uses a key fob that has an embedded transponder with a preprogrammed security code to shut off the engine after a few seconds and discourage vehicle theft (standard)
• Seat-mounted side pelvic-thorax air bags: Provide enhanced protection to the driver and front outboard passenger in certain impacts. Each side air bag has its own impact sensors that autonomously trigger the air bag on the side where an impact occurs. Standard side air bags are housed within the outboard side of each front seat (standard)
• Side-curtain air bags: Provide enhanced protection to all outboard occupants (standard)
• Side guard door beams: Provide occupant protection during a side impact (standard)
• Three-point seat belts: Front seating positions and all rear seating positions have lap and shoulder belts (standard)
• Tilt steering column: Allows steering column to achieve a safe and comfortable driving position (standard)
• Tire-pressure monitoring (TPM): Informs driver when tire pressure is too low. Pressure-sensor modules within the valve stems of all four road wheels send continuous radio-frequency signals to a receiver and the system. Individual tire pressure can be displayed in the EVIC (standard)
• TomTom® Navigation with BLUE&ME™ Handsfree Communication technology: This innovative navigation system adds a 4.3-inch touchscreen TomTom hand-held navigation unit to the standard BLUE&ME Handsfree communication system. The system features an instrument panel docking system for added driver convenience, real-time traffic, real-time weather updates and more than 7 million points of interests
• Vehicle theft security alarm: Deters vandalism and theft, frequently lowering insurance premiums. System protects the vehicle from theft by monitoring door-ajar switches and the ignition circuit for unauthorized entry

=============================================

Press Release courtesy of Chrysler Media

The car club made trophys to be awarded to the suede and chrome standout cars at the 2011 Grand National Roadster Show

Fan damn tastic mohawk on this skull, way cool curl on the front

for previously posted hot rod trophys: http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/search/label/hot%20rod%20trophy