by Autosaurus on August 18, 2010
in Alternative Power Cars,Automotive Auctions,Automotive Events,Automotive Industry,Automotive Museums,Automotive Publications,Automotive Websites,Car Ads,Car Clubs,Car-Trucks,Celebrity Cars,Collecting,Collector Cars,Concept Cars,Dream Cars,Just for Fun,New Cars,Racing,Restoration,What were they thinking?
Just found out from a friend who’s on one of the Glenmoor Gathering committees that this year’s show field will be loaded with more great cars you never see in northeast Ohio. He said there will be at least eight Duesenbergs (they aren’t German; they’re American) plus a group of cars designed by an Italian auto designer named Bizzarrini, who also worked at Ferrari. There will be another great group of motorcycles this year called “Italian Super Bikes,” which will include bikes by MV Agusta, Ducati, Laverda and Benelli. The feature is “Historic Motorcars of Cleveland” and, believe me, I had no idea how many cars were built in Cleveland. The rarest one is an all-original 1932 Peerless 16-cylinder sedan that is one-of-a-kind. I added photos of two of the cars I know will be there—a 1929 Duesenberg phaeton and a 1968 Bizzarrini Spyder S. I. Targa . Show date is Sunday, Sept. 19 but there is other stuff happening on Friday and Saturday. 
www.glenmoorgathering.com
I'm not talking about when he tees off on the golf course. Most everyone knows that Government Motors did not renew Tiger Woods' longstanding role as the face for its Buick division at the end of last year. I never really could picture him in a Rendezvous anyway. Also, after "the incident" last year, we can probably be assured that there's bad karma for him surrounding Cadillac Escalades.
We all know that the golf pros in town for the Bridgestone Invitational generally drive themselves in new loaner cars. My question to you is: what make and model of car do you think Tiger has chosen? If you really want to get creative, I'd love to hear why you think he chose that model. I have my idea which I will share after I have read some of your comments.
One of my great childhood memories is evenings spent in the family car going nowhere in particular. Sometimes it was a spring night to smell the flowers beginning to bloom or maybe the hot humid summer nights when it was cooler with the windows down in the car than in the house. They are memories of all of us just enjoying being together and the peaceful knowledge that Dad always knows where he’s at. Now, I will admit that many times we ended up at o
ne of the ice cream shops that we frequented but mostly it was just driving. We spotted lightning bugs and deer, admired sunsets and moonrises and watched for shooting stars.
These days my husband and I use evening drives to destress after a busy day or enjoy some quality us time. Whether it’s in our Vue or on our scooter, we still spot deer and lightening bugs and thoroughly enjoy sunsets, moonrises and star gazing. During the day, one of our favorite things is to pick a road and follow it until it ends. We have come across local festivals, explored historic cemeteries and discovered new favorite restaurants. But mostly we just take in the beauty that is northeast Ohio, the beauty we all too quickly speed by in our quest to get from one place to another.
Where are your favorite drives to nowhere?
The debate over LeBron's decision to play for the Miami Heat has been and will continue to be discussed ad nauseum but, fear not, this will not happen on Car Chase! We are realists and, as such, need to focus on matters of real importance.
Not unlike many young and wealthy professional athletes, LeBron James has assembled a collection of interesting cars to drive or be ferried around in. As he has proven to deliberate long and hard about important decisions, I'm sure he's already thinking about which of his fleet he will choose to whisk him away to the airport for that final time. Please vote for your choice and feel free to comment as to why you made this choice.
~ Ferrari Convertible. It's his fastest car and he definitely doesn't want to waste any more time in Ohio.
~ Range Rover. The world's greatest off-road SUV. He can roll over any obstacles (like piles of burning jerseys) that may get in his way.
~ Custom Mercedes Sprinter van. With the blacked out windows, no one will even notice. All the while he can be practicing his NBA video game skills inside.
After nearly seventy years of carefully building an international reputation for quality, Toyota's image was badly tarnished last year as a result of a couple of the largest recalls in automotive history. Once Toyota finally admitted the problems, they attacked them aggressively on all fronts from twenty four hour service hours at dealers to their chairman voluntarilly testifying before Congress.
These extreme measure seemed to go a long way in re-establishing confidence in Toyota quality until now. It has just been announced that Toyota will be recalling 270,000 Lexus and Crown automobiles worldwide (138,000 in the U.S.) because they have engines that can potentially stop at any time due to faulty valve springs. Imagine, you're cruising Route 8 (at the legal speed limit, of course) and your car just stops! To anyone who knows the story of how Toyota carefully crafted the Lexus brand from nothing into dominating the luxury car field, this is a huge blow.
wrecked_GS_2
Although I've generally considered most Lexus offerings as four-wheeled pablum wrapped in leather and gold trim, I have recommended the cars to non-"car guy" friends due to their bulletproof reputation and excellent dealer service. Now, I can no longer do that in good conscience. Do you also feel that Toyota has lost their edge in the quality game and is now, just another carmaker?
Among car people, there has always been a controversy as to what brand of gas to buy. For years, the oil companies have been marketing exotic named fuels with mysterious additives that supposedly created miraculous results with your engine. The fact is, there really wasn't much difference between brands but it kept plenty of advertising types in jobs and gave gearheads something to jab each other about while bench racing.
Today, the gas debate has taken on an aura of social consciousness. Many people are very upset with BP's handling of oil rig disaster in the Gulf of Mexico and, as a result, have been boycotting the purchase of BP gasoline. There was a news report the other day that some station sales at BP stores were down an average of twenty percent. My question to you is, are you boycotting BP gas because of this issue or do you feel that BP is doing all they can to resolve this situation and should be supported in their efforts
Just returned from my annual trip to the Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, Michigan (just north of Kalamazoo) and was pleasantly surprised. It’s more accurate to call this a “museum campus” because more than one museum is located there. In addition to the Gilmore Car Museum, which was established years ago, there are more museums—and more on the way. Right now, there’s the Classic Car Club of America Museum, the Pierce-Arrow Museum and the just-opened Franklin Museum. There’s also the Tucker Archives. A few months ago it was announced that the Cadillac-LaSalle Museum and Ford Model A Foundation are building their museums there. In addition, the Lincoln Motor Car Museu
m board has announced its intentions to built its museum on the Gilmore Museum campus. That’ll be seven museums in total! In addition to the great museums, there’s a genuine old-time diner that serves food and a vintage Shell gas station. Currently, the Gilmore Museum has a great drag racing exhibition, which should appeal to a lot of Akron area folks who remember those glorious days in Akron. Visit their web site for more information www.gilmorecarmuseum.org
Just learned that the Glenmoor Gathering, which will be held in September at Glenmoor Country Club near Canton, is featuring “Historic Motorcars of Cleveland” at this year’s event. I suppose most people don’t know that Cleveland had a pretty good car industry and at one time actually rivaled Detroit. Some famous cars were built in Cleveland, including the Peerless, Winton, Jordan and White, which built both steam and internal combustion cars.
There were also at least two electric car companies in Cleveland, the Baker and the Rauch & Lang. There was actually a car named the Cleveland. It was built by the Chandler car company. The last automobile was built in Cleveland in 1932, although White continued to build trucks. If you have one of these cars or know someone who does, let them know. The guy in charge is David Schultz. 
Check out the photo—it shows President William Howard Taft (an Ohio boy) riding in a White steamer. Had to be one of the first U. S. Presidents to ride in a car!
We spend a lot of time here on Car Chase talking about auto related business: dealers, repair and restoration shops, auction houses, etc. Another kind of business that wouldn't exist without the benefit of our car crazy culture is the drive-in restaurant.
OK, it is a bit of a misnomer because you really don't drive into the restaurant but your car literally does become your table with servers coming right to your driver's door window. The first drive-in restaurant opened in Glendale, California in 1936. Although the popularity of these establishments peaked in the 1950's, the Akron area is still blessed 
with some great purveyors of four (or two, or six) wheeled cuisine. Whether it's locally owned establishments like Skyway, Swenson's or Wink's; established franchises like A&W or the relatively glitzy upstarts like Sonic, sometimes you just need a good fix of drive-in dining.
Tell us your favorite drive-in destination, whether it's local or not. Personally, I'd love to know what your favorite thing on the menu is also….
The 2010 automobile concours season is upon us. The first significant concours of the year is the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, which will be held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Amelia Island (just north of Jacksonville) this weekend—March 12-14. 
This event is popular because of the great cars on display plus the fact that it’s held at a time when many car enthusiasts (particularly those in the northern climates) are feeling the winter blues. The Amelia Island show attracts great antique and classic automobiles as well as vintage racing cars and some occasional unusual vehicles. In addition to the car show the weekend also features two automobile auctions run by two of the biggest automobile auction companies, RM and Gooding & Company. It’ll be interesting to see how these two companies do. The results could be a barometer of the state of the collector car hobby. I’ve noticed that many of the same high-end collector cars that appear at the Amelia Island concours (and Pebble Beach) often show up at the annual Glenmoor Gathering, held at Glenmoor Country Club in September, which proves, I guess, that you don’t have to travel 1,200 miles to see great, rare cars—although the warm weather and sunshine sure is a bonus.
Just found out from a friend who’s on one of the Glenmoor Gathering committees that this year’s show field will be loaded with more great cars you never see in northeast Ohio. He said there will be at least eight Duesenbergs (they aren’t German; they’re American) plus a group of cars designed by an Italian auto designer named Bizzarrini, who also worked at Ferrari. There will be another great group of motorcycles this year called “Italian Super Bikes,” which will include bikes by MV Agusta, Ducati, Laverda and Benelli. The feature is “Historic Motorcars of Cleveland” and, believe me, I had no idea how many cars were built in Cleveland. The rarest one is an all-original 1932 Peerless 16-cylinder sedan that is one-of-a-kind. I added photos of two of the cars I know will be there—a 1929 Duesenberg phaeton and a 1968 Bizzarrini Spyder S. I. Targa . Show date is Sunday, Sept. 19 but there is other stuff happening on Friday and Saturday. 
www.glenmoorgathering.com
