Believe it or not, the images in this slideshow by Michael Paul Smith are just models in dioramas. Some of the dioramas have real backgrounds, but… Wow, are these shots realistic! And the artist says he used no Photoshop at all, just the camera and perspective. Enjoy!
Archive for the ‘Cars!’ Category
Perspective Is Everything
Sunday, January 31st, 2010BMWotD — 1985 Euro 635CSi
Sunday, January 17th, 2010I saw this car first in the Cars For Sale forum at MyE28.com, then it showed up on BringATrailer.com. I’ve always liked the BMW e24’s, built from 1976 through 1989; they are cool, sexy machines, and the form factor has aged well.
The e24 is an oddity in the BMW lineup because there were major changes in 1982 that should have deserved a change in the designation, but it remained the e24. The earlier cars were based on the e12 and the later ones on the e28. The later cars were slightly lighter and had higher engine output. 25-plus years out, the later cars are generally better buys because they are newer, if only by a few years, and are generally in better shape. I think the sheet metal is the same, but much under the skin is different.
This one is located in Ridgecrest, California, looks to be extremely clean, and has been converted from the original autotragic to a 5-speed; sweet. The seller has a great reputation on MyE28.com (that counts for a lot!); very unlikely that there are any unsorted issues on this car. And given the location — high desert area of southern CA — very likely that the air conditioning works! Priced at only $4,800, it’s a wonder it hasn’t sold yet.
VaroOOoom!
Monday, January 11th, 2010I love the sound coming from the tailpipe of this car. Mmmm, mmmm, mmmm!
I’ve heard that sound at the Fairgrounds when the Sports Car Club of Siouxland runs autocross races; a couple of guys run M3’s there, and they sound an awful lot like this… Probably the same motor with slightly different exhaust. They sound great at full throttle and on deceleration; much more, umm… civilized than the run-o’-the-mill small block Chevy. Not as sweet as a Ferrari, but still very nice.
1959 Corvette XP-87 Stingray
Saturday, January 9th, 2010Watching an old Elvis Presley movie right now — Clambake. Elvis plays a the son of a wealthy oil tycoon, and drives a sharp looking red roadster that turns out to be the 1959 Corvette XP-87 Stingray. What a gorgeous machine! Given that the car was built in ’59, and the movie was released in ’67 shows how well the design of the car aged.
The XP-87 was designed in ’57 by Bill Mitchell and Gary Shinoda as an exercise in racing design, and was raced extensively the for a short time before being retired. It was then spiffed up and put on the show car circuit, and even used as a weekend driver by Bill Mitchell (after they added a passenger seat!) That’s what you call a fringe benefit!
The influence of this car’s design on the C2 Corvette is pretty obvious.
I’ve always liked the looks of that model Corvette better than any of the others… Not sure what it is, but the coupe is one sharp car. I’d love to do a resto-mod of one someday. Someday.
As nice as this one looks, I think I’d have to do it in red. That fits the C2 best.
Whither the Sizzler?
Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009
One of the coolest toys I remember from my younger days was the Hot Wheels Sizzlers. They were the size of regular Hot Wheels cars, but were made of plastic and had electric motors (like you’d find in slot cars) and batteries that would recharge in a minute or so using The Juice Machine — a gas pump-styled charging station — or the smaller charger that would clip to your belt.
The cars and the triple-wide black tracks were all the rage when they came out in 1969, but Mattel phased them out by 1976(?) Then a few years ago (2006?) just before Christmas I saw them again in the Target toy department! Tracks, cars, chargers, the whole works! The really cool thing was that Mattel had used the original graphics for the packaging and the original tooling to make the cars & track — it was like going back in time!
But being the procrastinator that I am, I waited too long to buy that Christmas season, and the opportunity to bless the kids with one of my boyhood toys was gone. I never gave it much thought after that, but then last weekend I went into one of the local Ace Hardware stores — they usually have a decent selection of oddball toys you don’t find at department stores — and there it was! One lone box with the Sizzlers Extended Eight racetrack inside!
$20.00 later, it was mine (to give to one of the boys, of course!) and I was on my way. But looking closer at the box I noticed that there’s only one car and the belt-clip charger inside; what good is a racetrack if there’s nobody to race against? So in the days following I started looking around for more cars. They are nowhere to be found locally. I even asked at Target, and the kid there said others had asked about them, but as far as he knew they hadn’t had them since that one year a while back.
Shopping online it’s possible to find them, but they don’t come cheap at all; Amazon has them but they start at $20 for just the car, and go up from there, some listing for $70! I’m unsure whether that’s for a 30-year-old original or one of the more recently built cars… A Google search will yield other websites that specialize in selling original Sizzlers to collectors, and some of them go for a lot of money.
So for this year, it’s just the track and one car, and I’ll keep an eye peeled for more Sizzlers to pop up in coming years.
One thing I did to make-do without multiple Sizzlers cars is buy a few Darda race cars; they are German-built wind-up cars that are really pretty incredible. You press down on the car and push it back & forth a few times to wind it, and when you let it go, it really flies! The cars can be purchased individually or with track packages, and the tracks are pretty incredible too, as they typically have a number of loops on them, sometimes stacked loops. And even more incredible is that these little cars can make the loops! We found out about them through a friend who babysat for us a number of years ago; she had several sets and a number of cars that her son had used, but didn’t play with much anymore. We borrowed them for a while, and I think I had more fun with them than the kids!
There’s only one store in Sioux Falls that sells them — Kidtopia — and thankfully they had plenty on hand. I bought one for each of the boys, knowing that the older boys will want to play too. I don’t know if the Darda cars will have the endurance of the Sizzlers, but they’ll have plenty of speed. Should be a fun toy mashup for Christmas!
Loop The Loop!
Saturday, December 5th, 2009Ever since the days when I spent my days rolling Hot Wheels cars down the orange track and around the loop, I’ve wondered whether it would be possible to do with a real car; leave it to the guys at Top Gear to pull it off! (VideoSift link)
via videosift.com
They seem to go through a lot of hullabaloo over the g-forces involved, but it seems to me that the 6-g’s would be only momentary, during the transition from horizontal to vertical, then again when it goes from vertical to horizontal; when it’s upside down there’d be nearly zero-g’s. Still something to be concerned about for the structural integrity of the loop, and the car’s suspension, but not so much for the driver. But no more concern than for the riders in a roller coaster.
And speaking of roller coasters, how about this; The Blue Streak — a home-built backyard roller coaster! Only one rider at a time, but it looks like it could be a real rush. The guy who built it did a great job of engineering the track; not overbuilt, but looks like it holds together pretty well. Too bad about the 200lb weight limit though. Time to lose a few lbs maybe!
BMWotD — 1988 M535 Touring!
Saturday, December 5th, 2009This car is it. Not only is it an über-rare Touring, but it’s also got the ///M-package with the M30 big six engine, and the euro bumpers! Saw a link to the eBay auction for this car on mye28.com today… It’s not perfect — it has an accident in its history, and the interior looks like it needs some attention — but the Touring is rarer than rare, especially in the US. They weren’t built by BMW (God only knows why), but were aftermarket conversions done by a handful of European outfits. From what I understand, many were poorly executed, and after living 20+ years in the UK and Europe… rust.
This one looks to be in decent shape. All I can say is it’s a good thing I don’t have any money or I’d be bidding and making arrangements to ship it here from Germany. And if I won the auction, I’d probably end up without a home, so the wagon-back would really come in handy.
Feeding Frenzy at Ewe-Pullet!
Sunday, October 25th, 2009
Yesterday was Harvest Days at the local self-serve parts yard known as Nordstrom’s Ewe-Pullet (yeah, I know, corny), and it was downright crazy.
I had heard about their Harvest Days deal a while back, and had held off going there because of the deal… Fill a wheelbarrow with as much as you like/need, and it’s yours for $40, provided you can push said wheelbarrow for 40 feet in 40 seconds without losing anything from your load. I planned to get out there early to grab a bunch of miscellaneous stuff from the 735iL and the 525i they have on the lot. I got there at 10 am (they opened at 9) and ended up parking about as far away from the gate as possible. The place was packed.
I chatted with one of the guys directing traffic who said they had people show up at 4 am & wait for the gate to open. The gal signing people in said she had seen more than 500 people go through the gate already. When I got inside, it was pretty clear that most of them were still there; people everywhere! And a line of guys waiting for wheelbarrows. The times I’ve been there before, there might be a dozen or so people there at one time, but it’s a big enough place that it’s possible to get in & out without seeing another customer; not yesterday though. Everybody I talked with who worked there was shocked at the turnout.
It took me a couple hours to pull the parts I was after; some of the larger parts I would like to have grabbed — front suspension bits, brakes, rear axle halfshafts — were either too far gone or too difficult to pull, so I left them and got the low hanging fruit instead. Both the cars were already pretty well picked over, and for most of the time I was the only one grabbing stuff off them, but I still got some good stuff. While I was there a couple of groups of guys came by trolling for turbochargers; they had several stacked up in their wheelbarrow, and seemed to be grabbing them and other high-dollar items from random cars. Pretty sure they’d turn around and eBay those parts & turn a few bucks off their wheelbarrow load!
After stacking the stuff I wanted near the cars, I went to find a wheelbarrow, hoping nobody would want what I wanted. After standing in line for a half-hour or so, I finally got loaded up, then went & got in line to check out. Decided to grab a couple of the free hotdogs they were handing out & watch some of the action; it was pretty entertaining! Some of the guys that were there had their wheelbarrows really loaded down; some with entire engines, others with transmissions, many with wheels & tires, and a lot with various body parts, stacked ridiculously high. One bunch of guys had four or five bumper skins, a couple of doors, and a bunch of other stuff I couldn’t see, all piled on; something in the load shifted as they were approaching the start line and it all came tumbling down. I sure wish I had taken a camera along… I’m sure there will be some photos up on the Nordstrom’s site at some point.
It started raining a little while I was waiting (the forecast was for a sunny Saturday!) so I bugged out before it got too miserable. All in all, it was a decent deal. I grabbed several items that can be used on my 528 and 735, and several other things that can maybe be sold to offset some of my expense (and time!) But was interesting to see was how people were out to get the most for their $40, and all they were willing to do for it.
BMWotD — The Near Miss
Friday, October 9th, 2009Remember that BMW I wrote about bringing home last week? (The one that I still haven’t taken photos of?) Well, I almost wrecked it last night, and I wasn’t even in it.
One of the problems with the car (that the seller somehow failed to mention in his ad and in all the conversations we had) is that the emergency brake doesn’t work; pull the handle, nothing happens. Well, over the weekend I pulled the car up into the driveway to do some work on it — cleaned it up a bit (badly needed) and checked over the intake tract & fixed a few things there (starts & runs like a champ now) — but because our driveway has a slightly steep slope to it, I of course put a couple of blocks behind the rear wheels. So far, so good.
When I went to back it out of the driveway, I first got in & made sure it was in gear — put it into second — then went to the left wheel & pulled the block, then went to the right side and did the same. And the car began to move. And it continued to move. On its own. Right on down the driveway.
In complete and utter futility I tried pushing to keep it from going, but had the presence of mind not to get behind it, and to let go when I realized I wasn’t going to be able to do anything but get myself hurt. So I stood there watching as it rolled down the driveway and across the street. I think my heart about stopped or at least skipped a few beats right about then. But somehow the car went straight as an arrow, bumped up the curb on the other side of the street, missed a tree (a small one) by about a foot, and came to rest in the grass in Jamie’s side yard. Actually, I think it was rolling forward a bit and would’ve gone back down the curb, but I jumped in & hit the brakes, then started it up, backed up a little and drove it out Mel’s driveway.
I don’t recall if it was still in gear or not when I got in, so I don’t know if it slipped out of gear or what. I checked it over and didn’t see any obvious damage. I checked it out again this morning in the daylight (thankfully it happened in the dark!) and it looked like the fuel tank bottom was dented in a little with some grass trapped between it and the strap, but nothing serious. Could’ve been so very serious had there been a car parked across from the driveway, or if it had turned just a little, or if a car had been passing by at the time. Even as it was, the muffler could easily have snagged on the curb… I’m just so very, very thankful it ended as well as it did!
BMWotD — 1988 735i. Mine!
Sunday, October 4th, 2009Well, I did it again. Bought another cheap BMW from some guy on Craigslist.
I think I did alright on this one though… It’s in need of some help, but nowhere near the laundry list of projects my ’84 528e came with. And my negotiation skilz must be a bit better than The Chicago Olympics Salesguy In Chief; I got it at my price, which was about half the previous owner’s original asking price (but Barack… didn’t fare so well.)
Anyway the car is well equipped and is in decent shape, but does have a few issues here & there. The paint — Bronzit Beige Metallic, my new favorite color! — is good, with the exception of a little rust at the door bottoms. The interior is very good, and everything inside works as it should (though I’m having trouble deciphering the HVAC controls!) It runs great, but does have some difficulty starting, especially when warm; I’m thinking a little TLC in the intake tract should clear that up. One thing that needs immediate attention is the right front wheel bearing; it makes an awful howl when rolling, and pulls to the right a bit. Replacing the bearing/hub assembly doesn’t appear to be too difficult a job, but a new bearing will set me back about $120 or so. Aside from that, the driver’s door locking actuator needs some attention — very finicky about unlocking from inside or outside — and a couple of missing interior light lenses.
All in all, the car seems to have suffered some neglect at the hands of the previous owner. The guy who owned it previous to the guy I bought it from seemed to have taken much better care of it; I also received with the car a nice stack of repair records detailing repairs done since about 2000. I also had a peek at what the previous owner paid for it when he bought it two years ago; several times what I paid for it. I’m guessing that the PO bought it in excellent shape, but being a college kid, had no garage, no tools, & no time to do the necessary upkeep on a car like this. The collection of mud and tree debris in the gutters around the hood & trunk were testament to the fact it hadn’t been thoroughly washed for a long time, and that probably led to the rust at the door bottoms. The oil in the crankcase was even blacker than what I found in my 528 when I brought it home… That guy just wasn’t suited to driving a car like this; what he needs is an appliance like a Honda or a Cavalier. But he’s buying a Mini. I feel sorry for that car.
Here are some photos of the thing that came from the PO; I haven’t had a chance to snap any because it’s been raining since we brought it home on Thursday. Click on the photos to see the monster-size versions.
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