Unmolested Mini 1000

This is what a typical Mini looked like in the early 1970's. Those special edition Mayfair/Ritz/Chelsea/Park Lane/Sprite/replica Cooper models came late in the production run (1959-2000).

I saw this one today in the Marina District of San Francisco.

Note:
-orange/red colour popular at the time
-square tail lights with no reversing lights
-no Austin or Morris badge. Just Mini 1000, pronounced "Mini Thou' "
-Leyland badges on both front wings
-no bumper over-riders
-no white roof
-no door window vents. Those were Australian.
-wind-up windows
-no door pockets
-instruments in the centre of the dash
-full width parcel tray in front of the driver and passenger
-vinyl seats with no head restraints

The only things out of place on this car are the trim-rings on the wheels, and the black instead of chrome mirrors. I don't remember those.


Update 4/27/2013:
And here's how the car looks five years later listed for sale on Craigslist:

Categories:Cars

Concept Phone and Headset

The Bluetooth headset is the mouth-piece of this concept phone, and it is recharged by the phone. Designed by Sunman Kwon.

Thanks Gizmodo and Concept Phones
Categories:Gadgets

Police Rover SD1 Delivers a Live Liver

3.5 litre V8, 5-speed gearbox, rear wheel drive. Made from 1976 to 1986.
The Rover SD1 replaced the Rover P6 and Triumph 2000/2500 as British Leyland's luxury executive car.

The police version had much stiffer suspension, stronger brakes, no thick pile carpets, no electric windows, no sunroof and no air-conditioning. Extra electrical power and wiring were factory installed to power radios, sirens, lights and other necessary equipment.





Thanks Doug's Rover SD1
Categories:Cars Movies

Water Balloons

An advertisement for Schweppes:

Thanks IBIA

Grenade Lock

The Deemeed Grenade lock is designed to fit through the cross-drilled holes on a motorcycle disc brake.

The cool thing is, you can clip it to your belt while you casually ride around.

Categories:Cars Gadgets

Tyres Squeal When They're Happy

For most of the year I drive on R compound DOT tyres that have superb grip but almost no tread. So this winter I went shopping for rain tyres. My only requirements were that the tyres be cheap and good in standing water.

There were many brands to choose from, all priced around $150 each.
And then there was this tyre for $85 $75:

I wasn't expecting much from them in terms of grip on dry roads. I'm happy to be wrong about that! These tyres have very good cornering grip. The tread is thick, but it doesn't "squirm". The car is stable at the cornering limit. I'm impressed. And did I say they were only $85 $75 each?

Kumho Solus HP4
205 55 16 89h

Categories:Cars

Skoda TwinDoor

VW's Czechoslovakian Czech Republic division Skoda released the new "Superb" at the Geneva Auto Show. The flagship Skoda model is based on the Passat and will come equipped with a hatch that can be opened in two ways: like a normal boot lid or like a rear hatch.

Photos from Jalopnik
Categories:Cars

My Panton Chair

From Design Public Sale at the Sunset House.

I'm using it as my desk/task chair. It's much lighter than the original fiberglass Panton chair. That's a good thing. I think plastic was the material Panton wanted to use from the beginning.

Anyway, I have a beautiful chair with history, in my favourite colour, and for half price!

Categories:Furniture

2007 MINI vs 2006 MINI

The 2007 MINI is 6cm longer than the 2006, and all that extra length appears to be at the front of the car, which detracts from the MINI's wheel-at-each-corner styling theme.

It's most noticeable in profile photos. The front overhang has grown. On the 2006 MINI the bonnet quickly drops away in front of the front wheels. But on the 2007 MINI the bonnet juts forward in typical nose heavy FWD style. And the headlights now have a Marty Feldman appearance.

BMW say the change was necessary to meet European pedestrian impact rules. But I think the longer nose is the result of the new Peugeot engine which has the exhaust manifold at the front of the engine, versus the old Tritec engine which has the inlet at the front and the exhaust at the back, just like the original 1959 Mini.

Categories:Cars

Hercules on an Aircraft Carrier

No arresting cable. No assisted take-off.

In October 1963, the U.S. Navy landed a four-engine C-130 Hercules on the aircraft carrier Forrestal 500 miles off the coast of New Hampshire. Its' 132-foot wing span cleared the control tower by just 15 feet.

The US Navy concluded it would be possible to lift 25,000 pounds of cargo 2,500 miles and land it on a carrier. But ultimately the US Navy decided to use the smaller C-2 Greyhound in the COD (Carrier Onboard Delivery) role.

The Hercules was, and still is, the largest and heaviest aircraft to land on an aircraft carrier.

Thanks AviationVids.com