Pedestrian Airbags: Next Big Thing or Full of Hot Air?

Posted on Dec 6, 2019 in Safety | 1 comment

It’s not enough to be safe *inside* a Volvo. Maybe the interior safety threshold has been met, or maybe engineers just wanted a challenging new project. Whatever the case, it seems pedestrians who might end up on the unfortunate end of a Volvo’s grille will be protected, too. Yes, starting with the new V40, Volvo will introduce the first pedestrian airbags....

Death of a Legend

Posted on Dec 3, 2019 in Antique | Comments Off on Death of a Legend

In the world of Ferrari, only one man can be called the creator of its most iconic cars. That man was not Enzo Ferrari, but the designer and coachbuilder Sergio Scaglietti. This past weekend, Mr. Scaglietti passed away at his home inModena,Italy. He was 91 years old, and his legacy includes some of the rarest, most expensive and beautiful cars of all time....

Vapor Lock and the Hot R32?

Posted on Dec 2, 2019 in Editorials | 2 comments

Nick writes: I bought a used 2008 Volkswagen Golf R32 with 48,000 miles in January 2010 (5,000 only in the U.S., 3.2-liter NA V6). Every summer since then I’ve had issues as the weather warms up. Basically, it starts to act up when driving at around 85+ miles-per-hour or so, and it gets even worse if I’m stuck in any kind of stop-and-go traffic. The only sure...

Trump Declines Indy Pace Car Drive

Posted on Nov 19, 2019 in Racing | 3 comments

We have just been deprived of what would have been the Greatest Spectacle in Racing: Donald Trump driving the Chevy Camaro pace car at the Indianapolis 500 on Memorial Day. After much public pressure, the Great Man stepped aside, because as the Speedway claimed, “he may be announcing shortly his intention to run for the office of President of the United States,...

Review: Blackvue Wi-Fi HD Dash Cam

Posted on Nov 17, 2019 in Technology | 1 comment

With the typical cost of insurance claims and the inevitable he said/she said battles after an auto accident happens, wouldn’t it be great if you had some proof to back up your story? The security offered by Dash-Cam technology is unprecedented and the latest offering from Blackvue goes even further – the Blackvue Wi-Fi DR500GW-HD offers a true “black box”...

When Is Tire Siping a Good Idea?

Posted on Nov 13, 2019 in Safety | 2 comments

My parents recently leased a new 2012 Subaru Legacy. They wanted a vehicle to replace their2000 Honda CR-V, which served them well through many harsh Pacific Northwest winters. This being their first winter with the car, they were interested to see how it did once the snow started piling up. Well, this week, they got their wish. With temps well below freezing...

In Praise of the 6-mm wrench, or “Say Hello to my Little Friend!”

Posted on Nov 4, 2019 in Featured | 2 comments

In the past year or so, I have been trying to assemble a complete set of hand tools, filling in the gaps and adding some tools I didn’t even know I needed. You can never have too many tools, right? Right?!?! Wrenches are a simple thing, but in recent years, ratcheting wrenches, “cross force” designs and flex-head models have changed what you might find on store...

Toad Hall Sports Car Collection

Posted on Oct 25, 2019 in Antique | Comments Off on Toad Hall Sports Car Collection

HYANNIS PORT, MA – At one point Bill Putman had 58 cars in his collection. All but one of them is red and all trimmed with “Minuteman Racing” decals, it’s come down to about 40 or so now though. He calls it the “Toad Hall Sports Car Collection” and its located right behind the Simmons Homestead Inn on Cape Cod. My fellow car blogger and friend, Chris Raymond,...

Two Doors Good, Four Doors Better

Posted on Oct 23, 2019 in Editorials | 2 comments

Dear Bark, I, like you, am a committed family man with two small children. Both of them are in car seats. I currently drive a 2007 Acura TL, but I miss the small cars of my youth. I dream of getting a Miata like I used to have years ago, but I don’t know if I will get enough utility from it to make it worth the expense. I was also considering an S2000 or an...

Safety First: 1953 Kaiser brochure

Posted on Oct 18, 2019 in Featured | 2 comments

The Kaiser-Frazer Corporation was a bold upstart in the postwar era, an intriguing partnership between successful industrialist Henry J. Kaiser and veteran auto executive Joseph Frazer that would last from 1946 through 1955. The firm got off to a strong start, selling 200,000 units by early spring 1949, but demand dropped off in the early 1950s, leaving the...

Should Electric Vehicles Make Noise at Low Speeds?

Posted on Oct 10, 2019 in Safety | 1 comment

Imagine walking toward the entrance of your local grocery store when, as you pass the row of parked cars, you hear the clip-clop of an approaching horse. Surprised, you stand still and wait, not wanting to get run over by a Clydesdale. But instead of a majestic animal, a diminutive Nissan Leaf glides by, emanating the sound of hooves on pavement. It seems...

An unlikely champion – Dan Uphoff’s 1972 Datsun 510

Posted on Sep 27, 2019 in Featured | 2 comments

Dan Uphoff’s 1972 Datsun 510 at the 2015 Forest Grove Concours d’Elegance. Arthur Hughes didn’t know he was buying a collector car, let alone a legacy, when he purchased the dark blue 1972 Datsun 510 at Brasso Datsun in November of 1971. Nearly 44 years later, the two-family Datsun is well-known among West Coast Datsun (and Japanese car) collectors, and may...

The Automotive Renaissance of the 1960’s

Posted on Sep 21, 2019 in Antique | Comments Off on The Automotive Renaissance of the 1960’s

Every gear head has a favorite era in automotive history. For me it has always been the 1960’s, not just because I grew up in that era, but because it was a time when every major carmaker created an icon. From 1960 to 1969, creating the automotive equivalent of the “Mona Lisa” was ordinary. Lincoln Continental Within a span of 10 years, European car makers...