Many people have had to compromise. I’m one of those people, too. When we’re young, we see our future in a linear direction, but there are many pit stops, U-turns, and flat tires in life. Like many people, I’ve had to compromise on my dreams… but compromising does not mean you’ve given up. It means things have changed.
Just four years ago, I was a perfectly healthy young adult. Today, after many doctors and tests, I struggle with normality because of thyroid disease and a channelopathy disorder like Hypokalemic Periodic Paralysis. Having your life change so profoundly warps your perception of the world. It crushes your self-esteem. It isolates you. But the worst thing you can do, in my opinion, is let those changes break you. Instead, change should be used as a source of strength. No matter the obstacles, if you’re passionate about something, you will find a way to participate. That’s exactly what Polish drifter Bartosz Ostalowski did after he lost both of his arms in a motorcycle accident. He could have said, “No, I can’t drive. I don’t have arms.” (Well, whatever that translates to in Polish). Instead, the double-amputee continues to drift cars with incredible talent and skill. He drives with his left foot, accelerates and brakes with his right, and changes gear with his shoulder.
It’s important to remember, though, that like any drivers, those with disabilities must show competency and safety behind the wheel. While many people may not see racing drivers as athletes, they are participating in a physically demanding sport which requires incredible attention, strength, and endurance.
Italian race car driver Alex Zanardi has been a race winner in the FIA World Touring Car Championship series. He’s also a Paralympic gold medalist. He accomplished all of this and more after a collision in 2001. Zanardi lost both of his legs but continued to persevere and participate. Often, we need to participate to prove to ourselves that we are still whole people with value and purpose. The challenge of tackling obstacles helps the emotional healing process after your life has been altered beyond recognition. Many newly diagnosed people go through the stages of grief because a part of themselves has been lost.
The grueling Dakar Rally—it’s a famous race where one-third of all vehicles do not even finish. It’s an astonishing 5,500 miles long, across rough desert and mountain terrains. It runs from Lima, Peru to Santiago, Chile.
In 2013, a group of disabled war veterans participated in the Dakar Rally. Their team name was “Race2Recovery.” Not only did they require carrying parts for the car, but they needed to carry parts for their many prosthetic limbs. Out of 450 vehicles, Race2Recovery was part of the two-thirds to finish the race. It's difficult to look at the accomplishments of these drivers and call them disabled. Sure, these tasks are more difficult due to injury or illness. Participating requires more learning. We are all unique and will face our own set of challenges when facing any obstacle. But most importantly, these challenges, both physical and mental, require determination and strength. We all have that primal will-to-live, but finding that will-to-thrive can be a little more challenging. I believe the desire to thrive starts with finding a way to participate in your passions. Resources: Preston, Andrew. "5,500 miles, four land Rovers, six spare legs and an Allen key: How Britain's disabled war veterans took on the notorious Dakar Rally." Daily Mail. Web. 25 February 2013. Temple, Stephanie. Race2Recovery: Beyond Injury, Achieving the Extraordinary. J H Haynes & Co Ltd. Print. 2013.
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Some people like the structure and certainty of a vacation where every day is planned and outlined in an itinerary. I am not one of those people. I am part of the group that prefers a little more spontaneity and freedom. One of the best ways to get to know a new place is to drive its roads, eat the local food, and take your time talking to the people. Although road trips have a more spontaneous nature, there are still steps you need to take before leaving to ensure you and your car will be safe. While it’s important to check your car often, I’m not talking about the two-hour drive to Grandma’s house for Christmas. Several times, I’ve driven the 910 miles to Florida and back (1,820 miles round trip). I chose to drive at night when traffic was thin, packed food that was easy to eat while driving, and queued up my playlist for the long haul. While it’s thrilling, exhilarating, (and sometimes just plain boring), being in the car for thirteen hours straight isn’t for everyone… especially if you don’t have cruise control. The first time I drove this route, I had a blood vessel burst in my leg from using the accelerator for thirteen hours straight after I arrived. I learned my lesson and borrowed my father’s van with cruise control the next time. My dad went into what he calls “semi-retirement” a couple years ago and wanted to fulfill his dream of going to Alaska. We had two full size spare tires with us, emergency kits, and our backpacks. The car we drove was a Dodge Grand Caravan that he drove town to Kentucky to buy. My dad knows his way around used cars, and thought it was the suitable option for our trip. He built a full-size bed frame out of PVC pipe to put in the back above the spare tires and our various belongings. (We ended up sleeping in a hotel all but one night, but that’s beside the point because the concept and execution of the frame worked well). We averaged around 607 miles a day. In the first leg of the trip, we tag-team drove from our home in Ohio to Miles City, Montana. He drove for a while, then I drove while he slept (about ten hours through Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska), and then he drove again until we arrived at a hotel for the night. It took us around 21 hours to drive from Ohio to Montana. From Miles City, we drove across open range gravel roads up to Glacier National Park. We drove around the outskirts and were in southern Alberta by the evening. Banff and Jasper National Parks in Alberta ended up being the most beautiful area we visited during the whole trip. Our van was running fine and proudly chugging along carrying us northbound by the day. If you’ve never been to Canada or Alaska, it’s hard to describe the expansiveness. It’s vast. There are some roads where fueling up is absolutely necessary every time you see a fuel station. I’m talking about the kind of areas where bears outnumber people. We made it to Smithers, British Columbia before Dad locked the keys in the car at a fuel station. I felt a little embarrassed. The stupid Americans locked their keys in the car! Oh well. We ended up using a man’s screwdriver to prop the door open while using another man’s heavy wires to lift the lock. The man who owned the screwdriver had to leave, so he just gave it to us. Dad didn’t want to get a second key for the car because it was chipped and would be expensive to get a spare made. A spare key (even if all it does is open the door) in a magnetic box under the car is a good idea to get around this issue. When I drove to Florida and back, I actually wore the spare key on a necklace around my neck to ensure I would have the spare in case I locked my keys in the car. Once we finally reached the Alaska Highway (also known as the Alcan), we were headed North West, through Yukon, and toward Alaska. They tell you there are two seasons… Winter and road construction. They’re not wrong. The Alcan on Canada’s side was torn up. A nice gravel road would have been preferred. My dad’s back went out because the van was constantly rumbling. There was dust coming in the van’s vents. It was rough, but about the time we got back into America, the Alcan was a road again. That isn’t to say that Canada’s roads are bad. In fact, they are incredible! I’m sure the area of the Alcan that beat us half to death is now smooth sailing. Where construction was taking place, we would often have to wait for a pilot car to escort us through construction zones. Another interesting observation is the abundance of Subaru automobiles across Canada and Alaska. I’ve never seen so many in my life. The first thing you see when you drive into Anchorage? A giant Subaru dealership. Want to know what the mailman drives? A Subaru Outback. Other than Dad locking the keys in the car, we had no car trouble at all… that is, until I hit a deer outside of Richmond, Indiana—just thirty minutes from home! Luckily, it only grazed the back end of the car and we were safe. We assessed the damage and because we had driven up and down the torn-apart Alcan, all the deer did was wipe dirt off of the car. For many people, this is a once-in-a-lifetime trip. As for me, I’d love to go back when I’m in better health and have more time to spend with our beautiful northern neighbor. Our trip from Ohio to Alaska and back put 9,109 miles on the odometer.
If you’re planning an expansive road trip, I’ve outlined a few things to remember before you set off:
What comes to mind when you think of an ugly car? Maybe a Nissan Juke or a Chrysler PT Cruiser? Those aren’t necessarily pretty cars, but they have nothing on the Fiat Multipla.
The Fiat Multipla was introduced in 1998 and was even featured in the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art in New York. With that in mind, it may seem like a fancy one-off art project, or even a cruel joke, but the Multipla is actually a practical everyday car. It seats six people (in only two rows). Though, you likely won’t see one in America. It was sold in Europe and China.
Like the Chrysler PT Cruiser, the Multipla is no longer being built. It wasn’t an overwhelming success, and was often either loved or hated. Many families loved it for its practicality, but didn’t love their child getting teased at school because their parents owned a Multipla. The Multipla was designed by Roberto Giolito, an Italian. He is also responsible for the successful Fiat 500 and its later models. The Fiat 500, unlike the Multipla, is sold in the United States.
Unlike Ford or Chevy, you don’t see many Fiat automobiles driving around in the United States.
...Or do you? Fiat may appear to be a feisty little Italian automaker from the outside, but they own Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram… along with some more exclusive brands, like Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, and Maserati. (This kind of conglomerate isn’t unheard of: Volkswagen owns Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche, and more).
Fiat is an acronym for “Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino” which means Italian Automobile Factory of Turin. The company got its start in 1899, before both Ford and Chevrolet were founded. Giovanni Agnelli founded Fiat; when he heard about horseless carriages, he knew he had to invest. Only nine years later, Fiat began producing and selling in the United States.
Fiat even produced the standard machine gun for Italian soldiers in WWI.
We may laugh at how the Fiat Multipla looks, or how some Fiat 500 models have trouble getting up hills, but that is just a small slice of the Fiat pie. I think it's safe to say that Giovanni Agnelli's investing skills paid off. I like to think he would be proud of Fiat today... even if he happened to catch a glimpse of the Multipla.
What do you think of the Fiat Multipla? Do you think it’s the ugliest car ...or do you have another contender?
References:
Clark, Jennifer. Mondo Agnelli: Fiat, Chrysler, and the Power of a Dynasty. Wiley. 2011. Print.
History
Endurance Racing, like all great things (pizza, pretzels, and Jacuzzis), got its start in Italy. The first races began around 1900 and were about 300 miles long, lasting around 4.75 hours. Endurance racing, unlike some other sports, was predominately to test the car’s ability to handle a challenge, making it a good way for automobile companies to show off their car’s reliability. In endurance racing’s early years, companies such as Fiat, Mercedes, Peugeot, and Bugatti competed. Targa Florio was a race through the mountains of Sicily; as one of the toughest competitions in Europe, the race was 277 miles of treacherous mountain roads, hairpin curves, and to heights where severe fluctuations in climate would challenge the cars and their drivers. The first race of Targa Florio in 1906 took nine hours and the winner averaged 30 MPH. The first 24-hour automobile race event was on a one-mile long oval track in Columbus, Ohio in 1905. The winning car covered 828.5 miles. 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest active sports car race in endurance racing; it has been held annually since 1923 near the town of Le Mans, France. It is currently part of the FIA WEC. (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile: World Endurance Championship). Up into the 1950s, it was still legal for one driver to race for 24 hours. However, most teams used two drivers. Today, the WEC requires a certain amount of drivers depending on the length of the race, and also requires that they switch after a specified amount of time. Now a common custom for winners of all motorsports, the first known instance of champagne being sprayed from the bottle (instead of drank) by the winner was at Le Mans in ’67.
Autos
The WEC races began in 2012 as a way to race GT (Grand Tourer cars) and Le Mans Prototype racers. GT cars are made to travel long distances at high speeds (and usually in comfort and style). These are essentially road cars that have been modified. They appear as they would on the road. However, this “GT” badge tends to be abused and just used on any car to sound fancy. WEC racing is a way for automobile manufacturers to prove the worthiness of their cars, show their racing competence, and gain publicity. Currently, manufactures that take part are Audi, Porsche, Toyota, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Chevrolet, and Nissan, among others. There are different classes racing together. Although they race together, and other than the Driver’s Championship, there is no overall winning platform; there are multiple different types of platforms to win based on the type of car.
Technique
It’s hard enough to imagine what it must have been like for racers to drive the 24hr endurance races solo, let alone with multiple drivers. There are a few people who monitor each car: one person for car welfare, one for the engine, and then the driver’s engineer. The driver and engineer must have a tight relationship and mutual understanding to allow for clear, concise advice that is accurate. There are mechanics and pit crew all ready to implement orders. Everything has to be perfect. The 24hr Le Mans race is the Olympics of automobile racing. Racing teams continually need to validate their existence to their sponsors, and that means bringing home gold. Just because you passed the checkered flag first doesn’t mean you’ve won—it’s the car that has traveled the furthest distance in 24hrs. Drivers are wearing diapers for urination and have to carefully balance when and what they eat to avoid digestion at certain times so they do not become tired while driving. They will eat and nap in stretches of a few hours while the other driver is out with the car. I am no racing driver, but I have driven solo 13 hours straight through, refueling twice and not urinating. (Road trip!) It’s hard enough to stay awake and alert switching between audiobooks, music, and silence driving straight through the night on an empty highway—I averaged 68 miles per hour. I can’t imagine the intensity of racing fifty-some cars while trying to understand what your vehicle is doing and reiterating that to your engineer. The fastest average speed at Le Mans for the 24hr race is 153 miles per hour.
Full-Speed Ahead
When I was little, I remember asking my dad why NASCAR didn’t go on for five laps so that it didn’t have to last so long. I was little and thinking in terms of a few students running from one end of the playground and back again to see who was the fastest. But it isn’t really about speed. It’s about balancing speed, intuition, smooth driving, breaking, efficiency, and everything else involved. My dad said to me, “They have to go two-hundred laps because it’s about endurance.” It clicked for me. That made sense. It didn’t make me any more interested in it, but at least it made sense. Endurance racing makes sense. It is the ultimate test of manufacturers of all parts involved, especially tires. It’s about the endurance of the drivers. If you’re not committed or passionate about racing, you’ll never make it to Le Mans. For races like the 24 Hours of Le Mans, it’s an accomplishment to finish the race. In fact, it's expected that more than four-fifths of the cars will not finish the race.
References:
Erskine, James. Dir.Le Mans: Racing is Everything. Amazon Studios. Streaming. 2017. George, Patrick. "These Incredible Photos Show How Le Mans Evolved Over 84 Years." Jalopnik. 2014. Web. Other hyperlinks included in body text. Everyone’s heard the term “supercar.” What comes to your mind? A Lamborghini? A Ferrari? I picture a Lexus LFA or a Nissan GTR. We probably all have a gut reaction when we hear “supercar.” It’s probably something we remember from childhood, or a car you might consider if you won the lottery and didn’t want to stay rich for long. A term many people don’t have a gut reaction for is “hypercar.” What is a hypercar? Does it fly? Is it better or worse than a supercar? Is it something from Star Trek? Furthermore, why do we need them? Let’s just call it a supercar on steroids... There are plenty of supercars. Where is the line drawn? It’s subjective. There really isn’t a clear factor which separates them. In the past it has been mostly acceleration and price, but I like to think it’s more than that. While supercars usually run in the hundreds-of-thousands-of-dollars-range, hypercars are usually well over a million dollars. Hypercars are also exclusive, not only because few can afford them, but because so few are produced. They don't fly and they aren't from Star Trek. Rather, they are supercars elevated to new heights. Currently, most would agree the Ferrari LaFerrari, the McLaren P1, and the Porsche 918 Spyder are hypercars. All three of these are hybrids—meaning they have both a gasoline powered engine and some form of electric power. Hybrid, yes, but they aren’t exactly a Toyota Prius. Rather than using the electric aspect for just fuel efficiency and minimizing the use of the traditional engine… the hypercars are using the electricity to improve where the traditional engine lags, (in very layman’s terms).
We can’t discuss the future of hypercars without mentioning the past. For that, we must mention the McLaren F1. In 1998, the McLaren F1 was the fastest production car on earth at 231 mph (243 mph with rev limiter removed). Only 106 were produced in the mid to late 90s. The engine was naturally aspirated (aka, no turbo charger). As for aerodynamics… it creates less drag than the Bugatti Veyron, and the Veyron was released about a decade later.
For me, a hypercar has to have excellent aerodynamics and has to be extremely light. The entire chassis of the McLaren F1 was carbon fiber*—the first of its kind on earth for a production car. For those of you that this matters, McLaren F1: 0-60 in 3.2 seconds. 2,509lbs. 627bhp. $970,000.00 base. *(What is Carbon Fiber?) I believe that the hypercar origins belong with the McLaren F1; it still one of the most amazing production cars to date. To date.
Now, something else is coming.
It’s those plucky British again! (And I don’t mean McLaren). Aston Martin is creating something called the AM-RB 001 Sounds like a bad virus, right? Well, it's nothing like R1N1 (Swine Flu). Because that’s not its official name. This was more like a project code name that signifies the first car made between Aston Martin and Red Bull racing. The formal name will be Valkyrie. Although the Valkyrie will be released around twenty years after the McLaren F1, the ingredients in the recipe of a hypercar are surprisingly similar: astounding aerodynamics, perfect weight, and a naturally aspirated engine (no turbo). Like the McLaren, they plan to produce only about 100 cars. But there’s something special about the Aston. Like the McLaren P1, the Ferrari LaFerrari, and the Porsche 918 Spyder, the Aston engine will also be a hybrid. The future is now, folks! Our super-hyper-crazy cars are hybrids.
Here’s what we know now:
The Aston will be around $3 Million USD. Over 1,000 horsepower. V12 engine. It will weigh in at about 2,271 pounds. The materials are carbon fiber, aluminum, and titanium. It will be released in 2019. It does not have rear view mirrors. To reduce drag, it has tiny cameras that send a live feed to the driver on screens inside the car. Aston Martin has done everything possible to reduce the weight of the car. Even the usual badge placed on the hood of an Aston Martin is too heavy. In a recent press release, Aston Martin stated: “the Aston Martin Design Team came up with a chemical etched aluminium badge just 70 microns thick. That’s 30 per cent thinner than a human hair, and a remarkable 99.4 per cent lighter than the regular enamel wings badge.” This is the kind of dedication and attention to detail required to create a hypercar. Since it’s an Aston, you can bet that the charm won’t be in the specs or the numbers, but the entire feel of the car as one complete machine. As for McLaren, they want to introduce 15 new models (or variants) of the P1 by 2022, so they are by no means slowing down. Most of us will probably never even see one of these cars in person, let alone drive one. Aston Martin has only produced upwards of 88,000 individual automobiles in the 104 years since establishment. Vehicles sold by GM in 2015: 3.1 million. Not that you can easily compare the two companies.
Some people think it’s silly to be interested in supercars, hypercars, and the like ...simply because we will never own one, but it isn’t about ownership. It’s admiration and a drive to support something great—something of stature. It is about setting goals—setting a bar—and then saying, “let’s double that,” and then the guy to your left saying, “No, let’s triple that. We need to figure out how we can do that.” Within the limits of physics, creating supercars and hypercars is about exceeding goals and inspiring awe.
Sometimes, it isn’t even about making money: The Lexus LFA (2012 supercar) cost so much to produce, Lexus/Toyota lost money on every single car. ($375,000 MSRP). They sold the LFA at a negative to show the world they could make something great (and to boost marketing). Both supercars and hypercars are generally about pushing the limits, whether they are profitable or not. All of these cars usually sell out before they are built, (especially considering they are built in low numbers). We will likely never drive one of these cars. However, they set an example that can inspire us to push beyond our preconceived limitations. That's why we need hypercars. A few (new or in-development) Hypercar models:
A 40 sec introduction to the Valkyrie.
References: Aston Martin Press Release 7/10/2017 JF Musial, Joshua Vietze Dir. APEX: The Story of the Hypercar. TangentVector, Inc. 2016. Video. TopSpeed.com.McLaren F1 specs. Web.
The Nürburgring tends to divide motoring enthusiasts. Some people think it’s useful and others think it’s pointless and rather annoying. I’m one of the first set; I think the Nürburgring provides a use. Some people also think it’s too dangerous and plagued with death… others find it thrilling and interesting.
Nürburgring is a race complex in Germany with a couple different tracks. Not only is it used for racing, but it’s used to help develop cars (this is where the division of enthusiasts happens). Originally, it was completed in 1927 and had 174 bends. It was long and dangerous and after only two years, the full track was no longer used. Grand Prix races would have to be held on the Nordschleife circuit (Northern Loop), while motorcycle races were held on the Südschleife circuit (Southern Loop), which was shorter and safer. On the weekends, the Nürburgring is essentially a toll road that nearly anyone can use. However, on the weekdays it’s used by manufacturers to develop automobiles. It’s common for the track to be closed frequently (up to several times a day) for cleaning, repairs, and for medical emergency intervention. The Nürburgring management refuses to publish official figures of the death toll. However, people have used police reports to tally an estimation on the number of deaths. On the motoring show Top Gear, Jeremy Clarkson said, "Over the years this track has claimed over 200 lives," referring to the Nürburgring. While deaths during professional races are uncommon, the current toll of drivers gone is 69, three race officials, five test drivers, and one spectator. As far as the Nürburgring management is concerned, the track has a death toll of 78, but this figure does not include all of the deaths from civilian drivers. Some estimations have claimed anywhere from three to a dozen people die yearly. For the purposes of this post, we’ll focus on the Nordschleife circuit. It was originally 14.2 miles long until Formula One boycotted the track for being too dangerous in the early 1980s. They straightened out some corners. They flattened bumps and other areas where automobiles were prone to jumping. They also installed more safety barriers to avoid impacts with trees. But the death toll continues. The problem with the Nürburgring is its size and the terrain. The terrain changes throughout the circuit. The weather can vary. It can be raining on one end and dry on the other, leaving drivers with specialized tires on their automobiles in a disastrous situation. This is exactly what happened in 1976 in the famous Formula One race with Niki Lauda and James Hunt. (Featured in Ron Howard’s film Rush). Lauda suggested the race not take place and the track boycotted, but the vote was against him and the race went ahead. The track marshals were not equipped to save him when he crashed and his car caught on fire. His competitors left their cars to pull him out to safety. He was badly burned and nearly died from smoke exposure. The length of the track made it too difficult for fire engines and ambulances to respond in a timely manner. The old Nordschleife never held another Formula One race again. The Nordschleife was shortened from 14.2 to 12.944 miles long and reopened in the early 80s Some car manufactures develop their cars to drive the Nürburgring at a certain lap time. This gains the company credibility and publicity. However, these cars end up being regular road cars that normal people buy and it tends to make for an uncomfortable car—this is why some people don’t like the Nürburgring and its use for developing cars. Most people who buy these cars will never drive them around a track, let alone the infamous Nürburgring. To get around the circuit fast, the car needs to have a stiffer suspension; this creates an uncomfortable ride for normal drivers on normal roads. However, I quite enjoy the standard the track creates for car companies. It helps put a car’s capabilities into perspective because of how challenging the circuit is. Although the Nürburgring has been modified for safety, it’s still dangerous and one of the only circuits left that still has the flare of an older racetrack from back when motorsport was like the untamed Wild West. I think that’s why so many people admire it… It’s a challenge, it's deadly, it has history, and it’s deeply rooted in motoring culture. Currently, the fastest lap time has been set by a Chinese company called NIO using an electric supercar (called the EP9). A British company called Radical Sportscars holds the second-fastest lap time, and it’s a company with only around 140 employees. Leave it to the Germans and their world-renowned engineering to create something vast, complex, and regarded as one of the best racetracks in the world, even after ninty years.
Reference:
Lehbrink, Harmut. 90 Years of Nürburgring: The History of the Famous Nordschleife. Delius Klasing Verlag GMbH. 2016. Print. When I was little, I liked white convertibles. I don’t know why. My “uncle” (aka, Dad’s buddy) was a car salesman and always gave me a Barbie car for Christmas. I wouldn’t say that’s where my love of cars started, but I remember it being a part of my childhood. Today, I think convertibles are one of the worst types of car. If you have allergies, they’re no fun. If you live somewhere with lots of winter or rain, that’s no fun either. Forget the sunscreen? Oh boy. They’re also less safe than normal cars (although that has improved with new models of convertibles), and they also don’t drive as well and are out of balance compared to a normal car. (But again, this is improving with newer models). When I was about nine, my favorite car was a red 1969 Pontiac Firebird—hardtop. Don’t ask me how I got there or why I wanted it. I remember cutting the tiny picture out of Auto Trader. I cherished that little grainy photo and held on to it for many years. Then that love faded, too. Into the teenage years and about fifteen, I was really into the Chevy Corvette, specifically in black. Being a huge Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers fan, I had read in an article that Tom Petty had one in the past (probably the 80s) and so… that was instantly the coolest car ever. Slowly my interest in cars faded. Except I hated Mustangs. My mother left when I was ten and bought a newer one with the divorce money. The dash lighted up purple and everything about the inside was flimsy and cheap. I hated it. I’m still not a fan of Mustangs, but I have more appreciation for the very early models and for Carrol Shelby. Her dad loved Mustangs. He had two model cars on his fireplace and I would always clean them with water and Q-Tips. I took care of them and he saw this. He passed away when I was eight and my grandma gave them to me; she knew they meant something to me, especially because I loved him. He was a friendly and cool person. He did auto body work and loved to watch NASCAR races that he had on VHS. He would sit up until four in the morning watching old races, eating popcorn, smoking cigarettes, and drinking beer. The lifestyle didn’t treat him well and he died of cancer when I was eight. On my father’s side, his grandpa was a mechanic. My dad’s mother worked at the Hudson dealership. One day, my grandpa decided he wanted to go see the new 1950 model Hudson (and meet the cute girl working the desk). The rest of that relationship lasted 66 years until my grandma (who was more like a mother to me than my own) passed away in 2016. She always wanted a red Mercedes-Benz convertible and she never got one. You could say cars were always in my life. My dad set up his own used car dealership when I was about nine. It was a dream of his that didn’t work out because of the economy… and the fact that he was way too honest to be a used car dealer. When I was fifteen, I wanted to be a musician. I wanted a hippie van and my dad bought a 1995 Dodge Grand Caravan. It was green and the paint was shoddy. It was a comfort to drive and he drove it around everywhere... But I never got to drive it with my license. It was the first car I ever drove using my learner’s permit. I really liked it; but one day, Dad asked me to practice driving in our cornfield. It was October and the crop was already harvested. He wanted me to drive a pick-up truck, but because the seat wouldn’t move forward, I couldn’t reach the pedals to drive it. (I’m five-foot-one and a quarter). With that in mind, he said I could just drive the van instead. I was driving around the cornfield rocking out to Blue Oyster Cult on the radio. I don’t remember if it was “Don’t Fear the Reaper” or “Burnin’ for You,” but either way—they’re both fitting. I turned the van around and saw a patch of fire in front of me. I thought the way out of the field was blocked by the flames, so I shut the van off to leave the field. Unthinking, I had shut the van off in gear. (A car will not turn on if it’s still in gear). After squinting and realizing I could drive out of the field. I tried to turn the van back on to drive out of the field. That’s when I saw the flames under my hood. I grabbed the keys and exited the car. I knew cars didn’t blow up like they do in the films. I wasn’t that naive. I did a quick sprint to a safe distance away, pulled out my phone, and called my Dad. I distinctly remember my words: “the field and the van are on fire. Call the fire department.” He called dispatch and I waited. I walked across the field to the neighbors. The neighbor waited with me. We sat on lawn chairs with a garden hose between us just in case the fire crept too close. It was raging a few hundred feet away in a circle around the van. The only thing I could think of was “Ring of Fire” by Johnny Cash. There’s nothing you can do in a situation like that. I was calm and did what I had to do to keep myself safe. It took six minutes for the fire department to arrive. In the end, twenty-five acres of cornfield were scorched and the van exploded seven times. Seven different fire departments were on our farm (between extra grass trucks and bringing extra water). There are several things that could have gone much worse. Firstly, I could have died or had been seriously injured; that’s clear. But if we had soybeans instead of corn harvested that year, our home and our neighbors’ would have burned down. Fire spreads quicker though soybeans. If the firemen weren’t incredibly brave, driving right out into the flames, it would have reached the trees or the field and burned down our barn or home. If it had reached the trees, the firemen would have had to let it burn until it reached the next street over where more people lived. The insurance company decided it was mechanical failure (and therefore not my fault). I have my intake manifold. It melted and recast itself on the ground. The melting point of aluminum is 1,221°F (660.3°C). It’s a slivery blob now and a nice conversation piece. I failed my driver’s written exam once and my in-car exam three times. Technically, the first failure wasn’t my fault because the brake lights had a sudden non-functioning malfunction. Whoops. The second time I failed maneuverability (I was in a ’94 GMC Safari. The same as a Chevy Astro van). Those big vans are hard to maneuver. I practiced for two days (a total of ten hours) in the car between the cones in my grandpa’s yard in the van and ended up failing a second time. We’ll chalk it up to nerves. My driving exam, however, was perfect. I went back in a little Chevy Prizm and went through the cones like a breeze. In the seven years since, I have never gotten a ticket or been in a collision. A couple years later, we sold the GMC Safari because gas prices were high and I took over my Dad’s Chevy Cobalt. As much as I dislike Chevys, it has been a good car mechanically, but it’s terribly uncomfortable (seats, not suspension), the interior is cheap and breaking off, the paint is peeling and fading to gray. I’m not a fan of it, but it gets me where I need to go. My automobile fascination is rather new, really. It was an accumulation of being in a car family and loving Harry Potter, Edgar Wright films, Doctor Who, a bunch of other amazing British television, and then finally Top Gear… that set it off. My first full episode of Top Gear was when Benedict Cumberbatch came on the show. (I’m not a fangirl; I just think he’s a great actor and happened to tune in). By the end of the episode, it was “Cuberbatwho?” I was awestruck. I had never seen something filmed and produced more beautifully than Top Gear. Nor had I ever seen something so beautiful as the segment for the McLaren 12C. I’m pretty sure I made some erotic noises… There were beautiful, unobtainable cars and three British blokes mucking about and making immature jokes. I was hooked. Thankfully, I had nearly thirteen years of the show to catch up on. It didn’t take me long. One day it hit me. As much as I loved Top Gear, there was no car that I really admired or claimed as my “dream car.” Everyone had one, didn’t they? A dream car? I didn’t. The Corvette and Pontiac had faded. My new dream car had to be perfect. It had to stand for everything that I admired in a company and a car. Then it hit me like a brick. Aston Martin. Specifically, the Aston Martin Vanquish. I liked James Bond as a kid (and as an adult) and it fit me perfectly. As a company, Aston Martin values refinement, soul, and artistry. They keep their legacy and craftsmanship alive through the generations. It seemed a perfect fit. All was well. I had a dream car to pin on my wall and an obsession strong enough to blog about. That’s all this woman needs. (But she really wants an Aston Martin.) These days, I don't know where I'm going, but I know that I will do my best to keep interesting automobiles at the heart of whatever I do.
Ferdinand Porsche, a German, started his company in 1931 as a development and consulting company. They didn’t make their own cars yet, but they consulted for other automakers.
Ferdinand Porsche’s first assignment was from the German government (AKA: Adolf Hitler) in the mid 1930s to make Hitler’s ideal “Car of the people.” Hitler wanted this car to be something everyone would own. What Porsche designed—was the Volkswagen Beetle. That’s right. The icon of the hippies—peace and love—was Hitler’s concept of the perfect car for the populace that he controlled leading into WWII. Essentially, the original VW Beetle isn’t really a Volkswagen, it’s a Porsche. Just a year after the Beetle was built, WWII began. With projects like the Beetle pushed aside, Porsche developed the “Kübelwagen” which basically means “tub car.” It was a light military vehicle based heavily on the Beetle. Porsche also designed a couple tanks. As the war came to an end, Ferdinand Porsche was arrested for war crimes, but not tried. However, he was imprisoned for twenty months. During this time, his son, Ferry, successfully held the family company together. Ferry created the first car that was sold under the true Porsche brand. Most cars built by Porsche after WWII and into the 50s used Beetle components because parts were in short supply. Like most car companies, racing their automobiles created publicity and helped sales.
Ferry Porsche’s nephew, Ferdinand Piech was responsible for the iconic Porsche 911 model (1963). After working at Porsche, he worked for Audi and then later became Volkswagen chairman.
Volkswagen and Porsche have always had a close relationship. Today, Volkswagen owns controlling interest in Audi (German), Lamborghini (Italian), Bugatti (French), Porsche (German), and Ducati (Italian motorcycle company). As for the 911 model, they’ve never really changed. To me, all 911 models look exactly the same. Plus, the engine (like the original Beetle) is in the back of the car. Which means when you go around a corner, the rear end can fling out like a pendulum. And that can be fun... or terrifying. Porsche is an incredibly resilient company. With the 911, they’ve sold essentially the same car since 1963 and have remained a strong company with good sales. For many years, it was a family company involving Ferdinand Porsche, Ferry Porsche, and Ferdinand Piech. Even though they worked with the Nazi regime and invented the Beetle, I do have a deep respect for Porsche and their ability to survive a world war and still come out on top with a product that people want… and not to mention a successful racing history. I have grown to respect them as a company with an astonishing history that created iconic images and shaped cultures. While I’m not a fan of the Beetle, you have to commend the Hippie era of the 1960s for taking a Nazi car and turning it into a symbol of peace and love. I’m not sure Hitler would be too happy about that… and that’s success. One final note: the correct pronunciation is"Por-shuh." (Not "Porsh").
References:
Leffingwell, Randy. "Porsche: A History of Excellence." Motorbooks. 2011. Print.
American fans of the Ford Motor Company may tend to look down on Aston Martin, a quintessentially British company with road cars priced anywhere from 50K-300K. Why would anyone who admires Ford, the makers of the first affordable peoples’ car, be interested in a seemingly snobbish luxury car company?
The history of Aston Martin and Ford is more entwined than most might think… Before Henry Ford revolutionized the automobile industry, steam powered cars and electric cars dominated the streets (after horses, of course). Yes, electricity was a common way to power a car in the early 1900s, but just like any car of the age, it had its faults. After Henry Ford found a way to mass-produce the internal combustion engine, his automobiles were less than half the price of the steam and electric competition. Henry Ford was the innovator of his time. He was one of the first leading forces to use publicity—he would race his cars on Sunday and sell them on Monday. He was imaginative and willing to take risks. He wanted more and he wanted better. His company was his vision. Ford established his company in 1903 and Aston Martin was established only a decade later in 1913, the same year Ford introduced the first assembly line.
Aston Martin’s story doesn’t quite have the same whirlwind success as Ford—theirs is a story of perseverance and plucky underdog spirit. Aston Martin carries the British ideal of never recognizing defeat and always pushing forward. In reality, the company survived because of luck and hard work—allowing the craftsmanship that has been passed down through the generations to prevail today.
Like Henry Ford, Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford believed competition improved products and drove sales—Lionel Martin also competed in races, hill climbs, and trials. Aston Martin, making mostly Grand Tourer (GT) cars, has taken part in many endurance races (races that last six or more hours). In 1959, Aston Martin won the Le Mans 24 hour endurance race. They ran two cars, one took first place and the other took second. Ferrari was close behind them, but Roy Salvadori (UK) and Carroll Shelby (US) went home with the win. Yes, that Carroll Shelby. And he was suffering from dysentery during the race. The average speed of the Aston Martin cars was 112.56 MPH and of the 56 cars to race that day, only 13 finished. Carroll Shelby would go on to build the 1965 Shelby Mustang GT350—arguably the most famous Ford model ever produced. He also built the ’65 Cobra Daytona Coupe, the ’65 Shelby Cobra 427, and many others.
When the James Bond film Goldfinger came out in 1964 and featured the Aston Martin DB5, it boosted sales, but a car company taking the time to build every car by hand was never going to survive in our modern economy without something else to sustain it. Aston Martin had wanted to make a less expensive car to help fund their company, but in their position, this wasn’t possible—until Ford Motor Company bought controlling interest of Aston Martin in 1987. With Ford’s financial backing, Aston Martin was free to visualize their dream and develop without interference.
1987 was also the year Aston Martin returned to international motor racing. Thanks to the Ford Motor Company, it was full-speed ahead for Aston Martin. The 1988 Aston Martin Virage was the first car produced under Ford’s ownership. Before the Ford Era, all of Aston Martin’s cars were built by hand using traditional coachbuilding craft. But Aston Martin’s craftsmanship didn’t end with the introduction of the assembly line. To this day, the company has the capacity to bend aluminum, sew interiors, and create high quality automobiles. They only have one robot on site and its name is James Bonder (because it applies adhesive). They begin training with apprenticeship programs and pass the hands-on craft through generations. If asked to build a replica of the Aston Martin DB5, they could do it to this day. Because Ford lost a record $12.7 billion overall in 2006, they were obligated to sell Aston Martin in 2007 after twenty years. They sold the majority of Aston Martin’s ownership to an investment consortium. Aston Martin, after over a century, is still a British company—it persevered and never admitted defeat. Aston Martin Racing still takes part in the 24 hour Le Mans and other endurance racing (FIA World Endurance Championship series). They recently won the 2017 race back in June.
In a world where people have forgotten the art of creating with their hands and everything is made in an assembly line with plastic and robots, Aston Martin continues to prevail as a company of quality and craftsmanship. But that’s coming back to our culture. More people want to know the feeling of creating something exquisite with their hands and passing that art on to their children. There is something deeply satisfying in creating a product with your hands and seeing it through to the finished product.
I remember watching a video of Aston Martin employees turning a Toyota iQ into an Aston Martin Cygnet. It showed their job title, their skills, and finally an image of what their hands looked like. For me, it’s satisfying enough to be passionate about a company that takes pride in its employees’ hands and in the honesty of hard work. The manual transmission is dying out to automatic and semi-automatic transmissions. The demand for them has lowered considerably and most car companies are no longer making manual cars—but Aston Martin isn’t letting go. They understand motoring enthusiasts because that’s who their employees are—enthusiasts. The 2017 Vantage S has a V12 engine and a manual gearbox. Aston Martin likely wouldn’t have survived without Ford. Because of the Ford Motor Company, to this day Aston Martin has the capital to focus on refinement and technology while keeping their heritage alive. One could say that Aston Martin's legacy rests on the Ford Motor Company. I have always been inspired by people who are passionate; it has never mattered to me what they are passionate about—if I can hear it in their voice, I am interested in listening. Aston Martin embodies that as a company. Their precise slogan is “Power, Beauty, and Soul,” and they fulfill it. I will always be interested in what they are creating—because they embody passion, understand the satisfaction of quality craftsmanship, and create stunning works of art.
Aston Martin rebuilds a Toyota (Scion) iQ, highlighting craftsmanship abilities.
Only 1,000 Cygnets were built. It was produced under the Aston Martin badge to keep the total company emissions down so they could continue to produce their high-end models under E.U. regulations.
References:
Henry Ford Quote Loveys, Richard. "Aston Martin." Shire Publications, Oxford, UK. 2015. Print. Less than a decade ago, most Americans didn’t know about Rallycross. Many still don’t. Veiled in European obscurity, it remained across the pond for forty years. And then it came roaring in like the absolute beast that it is. Rallycross is a race on multi-surface tracks (tarmac, dirt, etc). Jumping and contact with other cars is frequent. Think motocross… but cars—seemingly normal cars. Ford Fiestas and Focuses, Volkswagen Beetles and Polos, Subaru Imprezas, and Hondas. But they’re massively modified to get over 500 horsepower… and the zero to sixty? Faster than a Tesla—usually 2 seconds or less. These cars shoot fire out the exhaust! Rallycross started in the Nordic area of Europe, namely Finland. It’s known in their language as “everyone’s class.” It is racing for the masses. It isn’t elite like Formula One. Kids start as soon as they can reach the accelerator. Pre-teen girls race against men in their sixties… and it’s wonderful. The professional aspect of Rallycross began in the late 60s on television in Britain and was picked up in the rest of Europe, but when introduced to Australia, it was as good as dead in the water. (Or dead in the Outback? Kicked by the kangaroo!) Basically, no Rallycross for Australia. Even after trying to bring it back in 2015, it still didn’t take off. One of my personal favorites is Emma Gilmour. She was the first female racing driver for Red Bull Global Rallycross. Gilmour has raced against world champions like Tanner Foust while holding her own. From New Zealand, Gilmour enjoys her cats and reading a good book. “Buckle up, Buttercup,” is a favorite saying of hers. Yes, ma’am. Will do. I contacted her for this post and she was very generous and nice. I asked her a couple questions: Liberty: "Does being a woman impact how you treat your racing career?" Emma Gilmour: “I've only ever been a woman racer so I don't know racing any differently. 😊 It's certainly helped me to stand out from the crowd and make me more memorable for fans and sponsors I think.” Liberty: "What's your favorite aspect of being a bad##s racing driver?" Emma Gilmour: "There are so many things that I love. Driving fast would be number one and then meeting so many passionate people in all the different aspects of Motorsport - fans, mechanics, organizers, sponsors. It's a wonderful community that I've been lucky enough to experience around the world. 😊" As you can see, she fits into the world of Rallying and Rallycross quite seamlessly. It’s a community of enthusiasts for all walks of life. I first saw Gilmour racing last year on television one day. I just happened to turn it on and watch a bit of the race. It’s thrilling and a spectacle. That’s what is important about it—it’s a spectacle that can be held on a viewable track. Unlike Formula One and other racing where the cars are out of view most of the time, Rallycross can be held in a relatively small area just like motocross and NASCAR where spectators can sit all around… and this is what sells tickets and spots on tv. Being able to watch all of the action all of the time gives Rallycross a huge advantage and is one of the reasons it has excelled. Rallycross finally came to the United States as “Super Rally” on the X Games in 2009 and spread from there. Now there are multiple leagues of rallying, like Red Bull Global Rallycross and FIA World Rallycross. Races can be watched on regular network television and attended just like a baseball game—but seriously, who would want to watch baseball when you could watch cars jumping, hitting each other, going from zero to sixty in two seconds, and shooting flames out the exhaust? Everyone’s a winner when you get to watch that. Many of the drivers have had to adapt because Rallycross is so new. Scott Speed used to race in Formula One and NASCAR, but has made the transition to Rallycross became a champion. There’s something special about Rallycross. It’s new to America, it doesn’t have the tight restrictions as other racing, and it feels a bit like the Wild West. And the cars jump and hit each other and spit fire. Did I mention that? It’s a sport that everyone could enjoy. In the Nordic area, it’s just a normal part of life. The cars driven in the international racing leagues are modified to the extreme, but there are still plenty of lower level leagues almost anyone can enter with a normal car. Like motocross, it’s easily accessible for joining in and for casual viewing—but the best part is that it’s actually entertaining. Rallycross is not elitist or snobbish—and neither drab nor boring. It’s cool and thrilling. It’s down to earth and invented by a culture of regular people that simply love driving. It started as a sport that everyone could take part in, and it still holds those values. Though, to get where racers Emma Gilmour, Scott Speed, and Tanner Foust are, you must have passion, skill, and a drive like no other. You have to be fit, focused, and most of all—an adrenaline junkie. Rallycross is just now finally making waves on the international stage. I look for it to be as popular as NASCAR and Formula One. I am proud to be an early adopter, just like Emma Gilmour, to something so thrilling. |
AuthorLiberty White Archives
November 2017
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