Have Your Heard of Erwin Komenda?

Erwin Komenda (1904 – 1966)

If you've ever driven, or ridden in, a Porsche, you probably noted how solid and rattle free the car was, no matter its age. If so, you can thank Erwin Komenda for that. From 1931 to his death in 1966 he was Chief Engineer and leader of the Porsche car-body construction department.
Prior to joining Ferdinand Porsche's new company, Erwin's education and work experience gave him the know-how to create car bodies that were both light and structurally sound – the ideal recipe for any car but crucial for a sports car! His first project with Porsche was to develop the body construction of the Volkswagen Beetle. He followed that by teaming up with Josef Mickl to design the Auto Union Grand Prix car, a mid-engined V-16 monster.
In 1946, Porsche decided they were going to build and produce their own sports car. It was Erwin that both designed the look of the car and engineered how it was to be constructed. That car came to be known as the Porsche 356. His work on that car and subsequent projects, including the 550 Spyder and the Type 901 (which became the 911), can still be seen in the cars Porsche produces today.
While Komenda was essentially an automotive engineer, his creations definitely had an artistic element to them. Probably the most notable being the Porsche 356 Series which was produced from 1948 to 1965. I still think this is one of the most beautiful cars ever built! Its elegant simplicity is something many modern designers could learn from.

Above is my digital painting based on a photo I took at the staging area for the 2009 Mille Miglia in Brescia, Italy. (Click on the image to enlarge it.) This beautifully prepared car is a 1954 Pre-A Coupe, my favourite era for the 356. I specially like the bent windshield, which was shaped to fit in the same opening as the earlier cars that were fitted with a two-piece windscreen. The car's unusual green colour made me think that if it was mine, "I'd be tempted to call it Kermit." For that title to make sense, I photoshopped myself into the frame, looking directly at you the viewer – my apologies to the guy whose head I replaced with mine! 

Was LaSalle the first muscle car?

In the middle of the roaring twenties, Alfred P. Sloan, CEO of General Motors is hard at work ensuring "The General" has a car in each and every price category potential buyers might want. But there's a problem, a few gaps have developed. Their product line started with entry-level Chevrolet, then Oakland, Oldsmobile, Buick and with Cadillac at the top.
When the gap widened between Chevy and Oakland, Alfred added a new brand in between, called Pontiac. Similarly, when the gap increased between Oldsmobile and Buick, there were two more models created: Viking and Marquette (don't feel bad if you've never heard of them, I hadn't either). Marquette was placed below Buick, but above Oldsmobile's Viking.
The car buying public found all these marques confusing. Sales of Viking cars was dismal and Marquette just a bit better – both were gone by 1930. Oakland was quickly overtaken by the more popular Pontiac and disappeared completely in 1933. Since Cadillac's prices had soared in the early 1920's, Sloan decided they needed a lower priced model to fill the gap to Buick. LaSalle debuted in 1927.

The dapper Harley Earl

LaSalle was built by Cadillac to its high standards, but with a difference. It was not a junior Cadillac, but a car that was more agile and stylish. LaSalle is considered by many to mark the beginning of American automotive styling.
Harley Earl (1893-1969) was working in his father's custom coach building shop, when his design skill was "discovered" by Lawrence P. Fisher, general manager of Cadillac. Fisher was so impressed with the young Earl's abilities he commissioned him to design the new LaSalle. The resulting car was a resounding success and as a result Earl became Head of Design at General Motors. The beginning of a thirty year career for Earl with GM.

LaSalles came with Cadillac's V8 under the hood.  
In 1928, its 303 cubic inch 90 degree V8 made 75 horsepower. (For comparison, the Ford Model A's engine produced 40 hp.) This engine made the LaSalle a fast car and its smaller than a Cadillac size made it nimble and sportier to drive.
On June 20, 1927 a LaSalle driven by Willard Rader and Gus Bell went 1,532 kilometres, averaging 153.2 km/h at the Milford Proving Grounds. Quite an achievement when compared the average speed of that year's Indianapolis 500 at 156.9 km/h.
Maybe it's just me, but doesn't putting a big engine in a small car sound familiar? Pontiac GTO, Ford Mustang, Chevy Camaro, Plymouth Barracuda to cite a few examples. Even the Allard, Sunbeam Tiger and the AC Cobra followed the same trail pioneered by the LaSalle.
With the coming of the Great Depression, LaSalle's role changed from that of a lesser companion to Cadillac to a means of keeping GM's luxury car division out of the red. Again, with the help of Earl's elegant styling touches, LaSalle weathered the depression. Sadly, when the economy started to pick up, there were new cars from other manufacturers that stepped on LaSalle's toes. The marque soldiered on but its sales were surmounted by the Packard One-Twenty and the Lincoln-Zephyr. GM wasn't sure what to do with the marque, as a result it slowly started to disappear, and by 1940 it was gone.

The Connection to the TV show "All In The Family"
Each episode began with Archie and Edith sitting at the piano murdering the show's theme song "Those Were The Days." There's one line of lyric that I could never quite decipher, it sounded something like, "Gee are oh lessel run gray." I happened to stumble upon the words to the song written out and the line is actually, "Gee our old LaSalle ran great! Here's a link: "Those Were The Days!"

In conclusion, here's my digital painting of a 1928 LaSalle coupe. It's based on a series of photos I took of a car at the Boyd Father's Day Car Show this year. At the time I was being thwarted by this fellow who seemed to get in the way every time I snapped a pic. When I started working on this image, I thought it would be more fun to keep him in the frame. Hence the title, "Takes More Than A Second Look." Click on the image to enlarge it.

ps Like Cadillac, the LaSalle brand name was based on that of a French explorer, René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle.

Out On The Town!

Last May when we were in Germany, we stumbled upon this Ferrari California, parked in front of a pub just down the street from our hotel in central Cologne. I've messed with the lighting in this image extensively, hopefully creating a scene that captures the mystery and cachet that is Ferrari.

Click on my image to make it bigger. Incidentally, Google translate says "Brauereiausschank" means "Brew."

Confession Time
The modern California is a very nice looking high performance car! But I must admit I much prefer the looks of the original car. Here's a link to a short video showing James from the British TV show called "Top Gear" describing and driving what had formerly been James Coburn's car... James drives a California! 
The ORIGINAL Ferrari "California" came out in 1957. Officially known as the Ferrari 250 GT LWB (long wheelbase) California Spyder. Only fifty of these cars were made. In January 2014, one of them sold at auction for a measly $8,800,000.00 US.
In 1959, Ferrari again had designer Scaglietti pen a new SWB (short wheelbase) GT Spyder California – about fifty-five were built. Incidentally a fibreglass replica of a 1961 250 GT Spyder was featured in the film Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
In case you didn't know, in Italian, "Spyder" means a two-seat convertible car.

The NEW Ferrari California
This car was launched at the 2008 Paris Auto Show. It represents many firsts for Ferrari: the first front-engined V8, first with a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission, first with a folding metal roof, the first with a multi-link rear suspension and direct gasoline fuel injection.
This car is considered the entry level Ferrari. Prices in Canada start at about $250,000.00 and go up from there. This is probably the only Ferrari model that could be used as a real car. Trunk space is 340 litres with the top up – that drops to 240 with it down. The car can be ordered as a two-seater with a space behind the seats for luggage etc., OR as a two + two: meaning two short children can sit comfortably in back, or one adult sitting side-saddle. Another plus, this is the only Ferrari model with a ride height high enough to negotiate most speed bumps without scraping the front spoiler.

In keeping with the "real car" description, the car in my image was just parked on the street. I watched with great trepidation as another car parallel parked in front of it, missing its nose by fractions of an inch.

Just for fun I've included my original photo this digital painting was based on.

Don't Reinvent The Rules!

The "Rules of the Road" for the most part were created in response to numerous tragedies, they are an attempt to prevent their recurrence, thereby avoiding needless suffering and property loss. When a driver, cyclist or pedestrian decides to reinvent the rules, chaos will often be the result!

Being The Nice Guy
In my rather rough sketch above, you see a busy four lane road. Our motorist sees a cyclist wanting to cross the road. Let's call that motorist "Joe." Now Joe is a nice guy, he's courteous and conscientious, to a fault. All his friends say he's willing to help out anyone that needs it. In this scene though, his "niceness" (is that even a word?) is NOT what's needed. Joe has come to a stop and is waving for the cyclist to cross the road. This cyclist has been riding for decades and has come across this deadly act of niceness before. He shakes his head "NO" to Joe and stays put. Joe doesn't know why the cyclist won't take advantage of the break he's giving him and becomes irritated. After another round of waving and head-shaking, Joe raises a fist at the cyclist and zooms off.
What Joe doesn't realize is the drivers travelling in the other three lanes of the highway won't know why he's stopped. If the cyclist had pedalled onto the road, the others drivers would not be expecting him to be there.

Over the Line
The cars of today are so easy to drive, it doesn't take much concentration to get one down the road. Let's face it, most drivers turn on their mental autopilot the moment they get behind the wheel. And if their autopilot's "settings" include cutting across the centreline or bike lane to straighten the road, this is a recipe for disaster. I live at the end of a narrow winding road, and it's not a thrill to come around a blind corner to find two thirds of a 6,000 pound SUV over the centreline in MY lane! I have just a split second to determine if they can careen back into their lane or do I hit the ditch.
Of particular annoyance are those drivers who can't stay out of the bike lane. Look at the painted line indicating the bike lane along a highway and you'll see that it's worn away on every curve to the right. Me and the rest of the cycling fraternity ride in that lane and the key to our survival is keeping cars out of it. If YOUR "autopilot" is currently set to automatically cut into the bike lane, take a moment to rethink that bad habit – here's your chance to prevent a disaster before it happens.

The Stale Yellow Light
When my generation was learning to drive, we were taught to look down the road for traffic lights that had been green for a while. They are called a stale green light and could change to yellow at any time. Sadly, it now seems a lot of drivers don't worry about how stale a green light is, but gauge how long a light has been yellow and will speed up to run it – with tragic consequences.
For your information here is a link to a very well written article that appeared in the Victoria Times Colonist, titled "Is that green light fresh or stale?"

The Stop Sign
Worldwide, a red octagonal sign means STOP! However some drivers arrogantly believe themselves able to instantly determine if a stop is really needed – sooner or later this will result in disaster! With your car stopped, you can apply your full attention to determining when it's safe to proceed. William Phelps Eno would be pleased.

William Phelps Eno (June 3, 1858 – December 3, 1945) was responsible for many of the earliest innovations in road safety and traffic control. He is sometimes known as the "Father of traffic safety", despite never having learned to drive a car himself.
Among the innovations credited to Eno are the stop sign, the pedestrian crosswalk, the traffic circle, the one-way street and pedestrian safety islands.
In 1921 Eno founded the Eno Foundation for Highway Traffic Control, today known as The Eno Center for Transportation. The Foundation is a non-profit organization with the mission of improving transportation policy and leadership. Eno was one of the first honorary members of the Institute of Transportation Engineers.

Looking at the Corvette C7

For as long as I can remember I've been a fan of the Corvette, particularly the second generation, 1963 to 1967 Sting Ray. When this car was introduced I had just become a teenager and this car was like nothing I'd ever seen before! Sleek, powerful, ultramodern and dare I say, SEXY! Just about every page of my school notebooks had a Sting Ray doodle on it.
General Motors introduced the Corvette in 1953. While the car looked great, its performance was uninspiring to say the least. Mostly because the only motor GM had available was a wheezing inline six and the only transmission a two-speed automatic.
Then along came  Zora Arkus-Duntov a Belgian-born engineer. He single-handedly convinced GM Brass that if the Corvette was to have a long life, it needed to have performance to match its looks. 1955 saw the car come alive with the new 265 cubic inch V8 and a 3 speed standard transmission. The rest, as they say, is history.
Below is a picture showing the seven generations of Corvette beginning with the 1953 model (C1) on the right and progressing through to the C6 on the left. In front is the latest Corvette, the C7. Never has a Corvette had more performance than this. It steers, stops and accelerates flawlessly all the while sipping gas reasonably economically and compared to other cars with equal performance, costs much less.
Alright I know you can hear there's a "but" coming, here it is... the car is ugly! I didn't ever think I'd ever say or write that about a Corvette. OK, I'll admit I like the overall shape of the car, but why clutter it up with so many scoops, vents, bumps and sharply creased edges. In most design, less is more – to show what I mean, using photoshop I've created MY version of the C7 Corvette.

The original 2013 C7 Corvette

Starting from the front: I smoothed out the two bumps under the grille; headlights smaller and simpler; eliminated louvred hood scoop; eliminated the awkward vent behind the front wheels; lowered the bulge on the bottom of the door; mirrors not on posts but integrated into side glass; body colour on windshield post; eliminated grille in the fender over the rear wheels; extended side glass; eliminated the tacked-on rear spoiler; and lastly, I pinched in the rear fenders to reduce the mass when viewed from the rear. I'll admit some of the scoops and openings I eliminated might be needed for cooling, but if so, they could be incorporated in a much less heavy-handed way. While most of my changes are deletions, I did add two minor details. The first was to widen the chrome bar over the grille – this is a bit of a tribute to the early Corvettes which had thin chrome "bumpers" running past the grille to the corners of the car. I also took the Corvette logo on the front of the car and placed it on the front fender just ahead of the door – I've always liked how Ferrari often puts their prancing horse in this location. Lastly, I smoothed out a lot of the creases and edges on the body – think Jennifer Lopez rather than Hulk Hogan.

My version – less is more!

Moms always say, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." Usually I try and follow that advice, especially when I'm putting something in writing. But the Corvette is such a cornerstone in the performance automotive scene, I just couldn't stay silent.
GM, you've built a truly great performing sports car, that I would never buy. Yes I could enjoy driving a C7 on a nice winding road, but this class of car needs to look the part to complete the package. I need a sports car that draws me back out to the garage, to spend time leaning on the workbench, perhaps sipping a beer, just looking at it! The C7 doesn't have that kind of visual appeal.

What Is A Sports Car?

Others might define a sports car differently, but to me, first and foremost it must be fun to drive. It also can only have two seats and must have a roof that goes down. Creature comforts must be kept to a minimum and every part of the car must be designed to enhance the driving experience. Be sure to read the special announcement at the end of this post concerning the debut of the next generation of a very popular sports car!

1903 Mercer Raceabout 
If you look back in time, the first sports cars had fenders and seats and not much more. The perfect example would be this 1903 Mercer Raceabout. Although it's hard to see in this picture, the car did have a "windshield" for the driver – just a circle of glass big enough to cover your face. Almost all Mercers were painted yellow (not quite as bright a tone as on most modern restorations). For its time, this car was brutally fast, but alas, it did not steer, brake or turn any better than other cars of the era. Decades would pass before there was any improvement in handling, but if you drove a Mercer back then, you were likely rich, young and famous. Not unlike those who'd drive a Lamborghini today.

1920 Stutz Bearcat 
The name says it all! This was a performance car. Big engine, lightweight body and stylish lines. Talk about minimalist design, this car had no opening doors, both driver and passenger had to "step over" to get in. The cockpit was so narrow there was not room to have a central gear shift – it was mounted outside on the right. List price $3900.00 – in 2014 dollars that would be about $50,000.00. Not bad for a car with no doors!

1930 Alfa Romeo 
6C 1750 Spider
This car is in the traditional Italian racing colour, which is much darker than the red that Ferrari uses on its race cars. A DOHC inline six moved this car smartly along. Tires and brakes were much improved over the last decade – this car was very fast in a straight, but it also could stop and turn quite well.

1948 MG TC
This little British car came home with the American GI's after World War Two. This spindly little car created the post-was sports car craze almost single-handed. This car and the subsequent MG models that followed, put North Americans back in touch with the actual driving experience. This is one of my digital paintings.

1950 Jaguar XK 120
We saw this car at the start of the 2009 Mille Miglia rally. The British were always fond of sports cars and many marques came from England: Morgan, Aston Martin, MG, Triumph, et al. Incidentally, the number in the name indicated the top speed in miles per hour. This is one of my digital paintings.

1968 Fiat 124
This lovely little car had a double overhead cam engine with a five speed transmission. The roof was by far one of the easiest to lower. It had a simple latch in the centre of the windshield, a simple flip unlocked it and then you just tossed the roof back over you head. Top down, in ten seconds – the Miata's roof was likely patterned after this car's roof. Compare that to one of the early British sports cars where it might take a half hour to stow the roof.

2014 Corvette Stingray
When the first Stingray came out in 1963 I was completely blown away by it. Never had I seen a car that looked fast just standing still. When the new C7 Stingray coupe was introduced I was disappointed. The overall shape of the car is OK, but there's just too many distracting details for my liking – GM needs to be reminded that "Less is more." I must admit the convertible is better, but it still looks like a Camaro from the back!

Mazda Miata
Credit this car with the revival of the classic light and nimble small sports car! Before the Miata came along in 1989, nearly every other sports car had just about disappeared! Many sports car manufacturers were trying to make their current models meet emission and crash requirements with disastrous results. Mazda created a car that modernized the two seat, drop top formula. When this car first came out, I took it for a drive and loved it! If only my baritone sax would've fit in the trunk, I'd have bought one. The Miata, as it's called in North America (in the rest of the world it's the MX-5), was an instant hit and remains one of the most popular sports cars of all time. There has been three generations of this car since the original 1989 version.

Fourth Generation Miata
Tomorrow at 6:00 pm Pacific time, Mazda, with the help of Duran Duran is debuting the all new fourth generation Miata. Here's a link to the broadcast if you want to watch it live. The 2016 Miata  I can't wait to see what they come up with!

I wanted to be a Car Designer...

For most of my life, I've aimed for a humourous or witty reply to questions posed to me. It wasn't always that way. When I was much younger, I was known for being very serious and for always saying exactly what was on my mind. But if I was relating a deep personal goal with what I thought was great sincerity, it would strike my listener's funny bone a mighty blow, much to my chagrin!

Example No. 1
I was a little over ten years old when I was asked to appear on local television on behalf of the Kelowna Boys' Club. I was there representing the "Rock Hound Club." Preparing for this honour, I'd collected the really cool rocks I wanted to show to the TV audience. I thought the best way to get all these rocks to the studio would be to stuff them ALL into the pockets of my jeans.
There we were, on live TV, and Paul Orvin, the interviewer was working his way down the row of boys representing, The Leatherwork Club, The Watercolour Paint Club, The Carpentry Club, and finally me for the Rock Club. My first time on live TV was more than a bit nerve-wracking. Paul knew I was the kid for rocks (maybe it was the big sign they'd stuck on my chest stating "Rock Hound") that clued him in. Anyway, he asked if I'd brought any rocks to show. "Yes I have," I replied, desperately trying to pry them out of my pockets. When they would not budge, I came to the realization I had gotten them all in my pockets by undoing my belt and unzipping the fly on my pants. There was NO WAY any of those rocks were coming out of my pockets unless I released my belt, etc. I was not prepared to do that on live TV, so I sheepishly told Mr. Orvin I couldn't get them out of my pockets. With a smile and a giggle he said, "That's OK, perhaps I can just ask you what you want to be when you grow up."
A wide smile crept across my face, I knew I had the perfect answer to this question. You see, I had just been learning about the Olympics and what the difference was between being amateur and professional. Also, just the day before, my brother and sister had taught me all about the Olympic sport we now call the "Long Jump." Turns out, for my age, I was quite good at what we then called the "Broad Jump." So, in a loud confident voice, and in keeping with my keen interest in rocks as well as my new-found jumping skill, I proudly announced I wanted to be, "A Professional Geologist and an Amateur Broad Jumper!" I was completely mortified by the immediate reaction my profound personal revelation created in the interviewer, cameraman and the rest of the crew. I was hurt and just didn't get what was so funny? Now I do.
Geology and competing in the Olympics was just a passing fancy, so I don't think I was permanently harmed in any way by my TV appearance. It was though, the start of my wariness to share my hopes and aspirations.

Example No. 2
I'm now in the ninth grade, age fifteen. The year, when you're supposed to decide what you're going to do with your life. What a helluva burden to put on someone who's just discovered hair growing where there never was before, that GIRLS are interesting and that everyone thinks you're ugly and hates you for it. Not a great time to be asking someone to be setting life-altering career goals.
Anyway, that's how it was done back in the olden days. Each of us had a private appointment with "The Guidance Counsellor." For me, my thing was cars, I can't remember when I didn't like looking at cars. Now, I can turn a wrench if I have to, but I'm much more interested in the look of cars than fixing them or making them go faster. So, when Mr. Wood (an appropriate name that dunderhead) asked me in his bored monotone voice, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" I thought, here's my chance to start my chosen profession, this man is going to tell me how I go about achieving my goal. "Well sir," I began, "I'd really like to be an automotive stylist." Mr. Wood looked up at me, and after a brief moment, burst our laughing! The rest of the interview was a complete blur. I don't remember anything else he said, all I knew was that my dream was impossible. Thank you Mr. Wood you blockhead!

1963 Corvette Sting Ray

Looking back, I now know I shouldn't have taken his response so seriously. But back then, at that time in my life, it turned my applecart end for end, and I abandoned all efforts to becoming what is now called a Car Designer.

Nowadays, in thirty seconds, a young person can google a list of about twenty schools that specialize in automotive design. The premier one in North America being The Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. Their Transportation Design program has turned out many prestigious automotive designers.

The original Morris Mini Minor

In my world, Car Designers are celebrities. I never became one, but my lifetime of creative work in other fields has enabled my "eye" when it comes to really looking HARD at a car, which is something I constantly do. It's often said, "The Devil is in the details," – that is more true in car design than any other creative field I know.

When a new car is about to be introduced, I spend hours on the web trying to find a spy shot of same. I've enjoyed looking at the just announced 2016 smart fortwo (see my last post) and I can't wait till September 3rd for the new Mazda Miata to be revealed. Mazda has shown us the new chassis of the car and also has posted on youtube what the engine sounds like. Soon we'll see little teaser shots of details of the car. They have me hooked, I could be their favourite customer, sleuthing out details on the new model. I'll be the first in the showroom when an actual car arrives, grinning ear to ear while I study it, end to end. The salesmen in the showroom will be rubbing their hands in glee, knowing I'll just have to have that car. Alas, they'll soon realize, I'm just there to LOOK at the car, not buy it.

1969 Datsun 240Z aka Fairlady Z

Although I admire their products greatly, good car design isn't exclusive to exotic marques like Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin and Porsche, it includes landmark designs like Sir Alec Issigonis original 1959 Morris Mini Minor; Albrecht Goertz 1969 Datsun 240Z; Larry Shinoda's 1963 Corvette Sting Ray and his legendary 1969 Mustang Boss 302. But the car whose image is forever burned into my memory, simply by its absolutely perfect line and proportion is Ettore Bugatti's beautiful 1932 Type 50.

1932 Bugatti Type 50

Many people say modern cars all look alike. That's somewhat true, since the designers are all working to maximize aerodynamic efficiency; meet crash and safety standards; utilizing standardized components wherever possible to keep costs down; building to insurance company design requirements to keep repair cost as low as possible; etc.

Tesla Model S

But good design is still being done. If you have a chance, take a look at one of the most striking new cars, the Tesla Model S. A purely electric car that was penned by Franz von Holzhausen. Its clean and simple lines are a testament to the response Ettore Bugatti is purported to have given to the question, "Mr. Bugatti, how do you know when a design is complete?" His reply, "When there is nothing left to take away." Bravo.

The 2016 smart fortwo

Well the long wait is over! Daimler AG, the parent company of smart, has finally debuted the next generation smart fortwo and forfour cars. I think the fortwo looks fantastic, the fourfor not so much. I'm not heartbroken we likely won't be getting the four-seat forfour here in North America. Hopefully the wait for the new fortwo might not be too long.

Incidentally Daimler AG makes over 100 models of cars and trucks, including: Mercedes Benz, Freightliner Trucks, and even Western Star Trucks (which used to be built right here in Kelowna, BC). In my whole working career, my favourite job was the years I spent as a technical illustrator in Western Star's Publications Dept. Jack, Brian and I, did great work and had fun doing it too – what could have been better?  

I've always liked small, light cars. Something I had in common with the late Colin Chapman, founder of Lotus Racing Cars, who often said, "Adding power makes you faster on the straights, subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere.” But I digress, this post is supposed to be about the new smart fortwo (note the name is NEVER capitalized), which was a joint project between Mercedes and Renault. The two marques share the basic chassis and many mechanical bits.

WHAT HASN'T CHANGED?
Overall Length: stays at 2.69 metres (8 feet, 10 inches).
The Chassis: which smart calls the Tridion Safety Cell, actually surrounds the vehicle (it's the orange part on this car). I've often thought it's much like sitting INSIDE an enlarged racing helmet.
Plastic Body Panels: No door dings, no rust. If you decide you want to change the colour of your car, new panels can be fitted in about an hour. I've even heard of people who have two sets and change them to match the seasons.
Rear Engine: initially consisting of two, three-cylinder engines one naturally aspirated producing 71 horses and a turbocharged unit with 90 horsepower. Which engine would I choose... duh!
Split Section Tailgate: The back window goes up and a tailgate, much like a pickup truck's, swings down. Our 2005 smart, has this useful feature, which has enabled us to carry large items and on occasion use it as a picnic seat.
Active and Passive Safety Features: Having access to Mercedes engineering expertise and their parts bin enables smart to incorporate a great many safety features other small car manufacturers only dream of having in their cars.

WHAT'S NEW?
Let's start with the look: smart calls the shape of the car a 1-1/2 box design. The more prominent nose of the car being the 1/2 box part of the equation. I quite like the look of this new car, although I've never been a fan of the two-tone paint schemes seen on most smarts, preferring a more monochromatic paint scheme. Our smart, who we have named "Mr. Pants" looks "menacing" in all black.

The Interior: The big news here is space, more of it. The car is still strictly a two-seater (although my buddy Jack has ridden sideways in the back of our smart). The new car is nearly four inches wider than the last generation. Although I've never felt cramped in our car, the extra width in the new model would be welcome. If Jack were to climb in the back he'd appreciate the increased legroom that extra width would allow.
There's many new details in the interior that are interesting, including the floating infotainment system in the centre of the dash. I like the relocation of the tachometer to a pod above the upper left side of the instrument panel.
Suspension: In their press release smart says the suspension has been upgraded for a smoother ride and for gentle understeering handling. I don't like the sound of that, but in the next sentence of their release they mention a sport suspension will also be available... hooray! Elderly Aunt Martha might like a car with numb handling, but anyone who actually LIKES driving will opt for the sport pkg.
Two Transmissions: I've saved the best for last! Our 2005 diesel smart fortwo, has a six speed manual transmission with a computer controlled clutch. I ordered the car with the paddle shift option and it works just fine. The speed at which the transmission shifts is about what a human would do during normal driving. The 2008 generation smart replaced that six speed with a five speed which seems to have both a torque converter and a clutch – hmmm that reminds me of the Fluid Drive Chrysler products of the late forties and early fifties. That 2008 edition has often been criticized for its slow shifting.
That's all gone! The new smart has two transmission options: a true five speed standard with a real third pedal on the floor, and a computer controlled unit which they call the "twinamic six-speed dual clutch transmission" – which hopefully will shift like the similarly described transmissions found in Porsches, Audis and Ferraris.
A New Mr Pants! I can easily visualize him sitting in our driveway, a new all black fortwo with the turbo engine, the five speed and sport suspension. I'll take those all black wheels too! Maybe a darker tint on the windows. Just what I'd need to tangle with Fiat 500 Abarths and the like. Who says I'm not a bad boy? (Just kidding, I've recently been told, more than once, I drive like a grampa.)
So there you have it, a short intro of the new 2016 fortwo. If you'd like to read more and see 99 more pics, check out: The new smart fortwo by Daimler AG
You might have recognized me standing next to the new smart in the opening photo and sitting in the car in the second shot. I was tempted spin a tale about us, while in Germany recently, having come across a secret photoshoot of the new car in the old town of Heidelberg, but alas, I'm in the pictures thanks to photoshop.

About Tailgating...

From Wikipedia: Tailgating is the practice of driving on a road too close to a frontward vehicle, at a distance which does not guarantee that stopping to avoid collision is possible.

You're driving along, minding your own business, when a car looms into your rearview mirror. As it gets closer and Closer and CLOSER your blood pressure rises. Nothing spoils a nice drive quicker than having a tailgater wanting to climb into your back seat! I've spent decades observing this deviant driving behaviour. For your enlightenment, I've listed the types of tailgaters I've encountered:

Miss Chronic Speeder
She's around nineteen years old, usually quite intelligent in all other aspects of her life – but when it comes to driving, she's learned a truckload of bad habits from her peers. Primarily she is a chronic speeder, always moving at least fifteen kilometres an hour faster than the surrounding traffic. When she comes up behind a car travelling at or slightly above the posted limit, she immediately feels the denial of speed, and will slowly tiptoe closer and closer to your rear bumper, hoping she can push you to go faster. While not aggressive in nature, this tailgater is no less dangerous as her addiction to speeding will drive her to take risks with YOUR life.

Mister Teenage Racer
This young man has a brand new "N" sticker on the back of his car. With three weeks of driving experience under his belt, he knows everything there is to know about car control. Overwhelmingly confident in his driving skills, he will risk all to get a hundred feet up the road two seconds quicker. You'll see him approaching in your rearview, weaving from lane to lane. Once directly behind you, he'll be looking for an opening to squeeze into to get past you. Be on guard for him to immediately swerve back in front of you as soon as he can. Get away from this driver as quickly as possible, he is going to cause a crash likely sooner than later.

The Rubber Band Driver
This type of tailgater is one of the most dangerous. Their inattention to driving means they don't notice they're not matching the speed of traffic, until they're WAY TOO CLOSE to the car in front, then slowing down too much and falling behind. This pattern repeats endlessly, hence the name "Rubber Band." When situations arise, this driver's lackadaisical attitude to driving makes them slow to react. If you have to brake suddenly when they are in the "TOO CLOSE" phase behind you, expect to be exchanging info on the side of the road.

The Distracted Driver
It could be the kids in the back seat, a dripping sandwich, the spilled coffee, the urgent text needing a reply, or an intense cell phone conversation that lies behind this driver's close proximity to the car they're following. As with the Rubber Band Driver, their distraction will also lengthen their reaction time should a situation arise. In addition to tailgating, this driver can be expected to wander out of their lane AND over the centreline. BEWARE!

The Sociopath
This deviant has no regard for anyone else on the road. Fortunately they are the rarest form of tailgater. If you're lucky, you'll never have dealings with one. But even one encounter with this type of tailgater can be life-altering. They will be so close behind you will be able to clearly see the evil madness in their eyes. Don't try the little tap tap warning on your brake pedal – this instantly increases their rage! They are likely to immediately retaliate by giving your rear bumper a less than delicate nudge. Do whatever it takes to get away from this menace. Adding to this tailgater's bouquet are the high probability they don't have insurance, or a valid driver's licence. They also might be in a stolen car and may also have an outstanding warrant for their arrest. My friend Jeff would call these low-lifes, "A waste of skin!" 

So there you have it, some of the more prominent types of tailgaters. There are more but these cover the major categories. There's only one item left to discuss on this topic, and that is to give you a way to determine whether or not you're a tailgater. Often the tailgater has no idea of their affliction – perhaps the following Top Ten list will help...

Top Ten Signs You're A Tailgater
1. When you're following another car you can easily read the expiry date on the license plate tag.
2. The car you're following often seems to have a short in their brake lights – they continuously blink on and off.
3. Your front seat passengers are always leaning back in their seat, arms braced on the dashboard while quietly reciting the prayer, "Please let me live through this ride."
4. When it's your turn to drive the carpool, everyone else calls in sick.
5. Your significant other often says, "Honey, you're tired, let me drive."
6. Usually happy and carefree, your kids take on a totally different mindset as you strap them in. Once underway, the oldest keeps reminding the younger ones to "stay in the brace for impact position!"
7. You pick up a hitchhiker, who says he's on a cross-country tour. But after only a mile or so, he says in a trembling high-pitched voice, "Here's my stop, you can let me out right here!"
8. You've found a Safe Driving Manual tucked under your windshield wiper. Thumbing through the book you see the section on tailgating has been highlighted. 
9. It's so annoying, your front seat passengers are often thumping their right foot on the floorboard. "It's as if they're pushing a brake pedal," you think to yourself.
10. You're following a tough-looking guy on a big noisy chopper motorcycle. Suddenly he veers to the right, slows down, kicks your door and screams, "BACK OFF YOU TAILGATING MORON!"

I've tried to inject a bit of humour into what is a serious danger to us all when we're on the road. It is my sincere hope that this posting will prompt you to assess your driving habits. If you find yourself admitting to being a tailgater – amend your ways!

In closing, here's a link to a wikipedia page discussing how to properly gauge what is a safe following distance. Please have a look at: The Two Second Rule.

The Rumble Seat

In the 1920's through the end of the 1930's, cars in roadster, coupe and cabriolet body styles were offered with either a luggage compartment or a seat in their rear deck. A rumble seat (American), dicky seat (British), aka mother-in-law seat, is an upholstered exterior seat which opens out from the rear deck of an automobile, and seats one or more passengers.  

As shown in my digital painting of a 1930 Buick above, the rumble seat was an inexpensive way for automakers to make what was essentially a two seat car into a four seater. The first mention of rumble seats dates to around 1912. The last car to be built with a rumble seat was the 1949 Triumph 2000.

I was eight years old, the one and only time I rode in a rumble seat. My friend Johnny and I were playing in his yard when a young man arrived in a very rough Ford Model A Roadster. He was there to take Johnny's teenaged sister out for a drive in the old car. Of course Johnny and I were all over it, climbing in and out, laying on the front fenders, honking the horn and generally being a proper nuisance. After much pestering we convinced the young man he should take us on their outing. Surprisingly big sister was quite enthusiastic we come along — only now have I realized perhaps she wasn't as keen on the young man as he was for her.

By Valerian Ruppert available on FineArtAmerica.com

There's two ways to get into a rumble seat. If the car is like the old Ford I rode in, you just climb haphazardly up the fender and hop in with nary a care for the paint and bodywork. If we're talking about an immaculately restored classic it's not so easy. There are two hockey puck sized circular steps, one on top of the rear bumper, the second on the right rear fender to be negotiated. I cannot imagine anything more stressful than accomplishing this while the car owner looks on. One slip and there goes the paint!

But once you're in, you'll find a comfortable seat and a commanding 360 degree view. If you're in a roadster with the top down, you can communicate with the front seat passengers, but you might have to shout to be heard over the combined "rumble" of wind, engine and tire noise. The rumble seat of a coupe feels more isolated – you're sitting behind the roof of the car, where the trunk would normally be. However most were fitted with a roll down rear window, so the front passengers, could crank it down if they so desired. Otherwise, it could get pretty lonely back there. 

I’m sure there are some that could tell stories of bitter cold, driving rain and howling winds, but I didn’t find any. The stories I found were all smiles and good times, if you'd like read several, click or tap Remembering The Rumble Seat. Those who rode as children, recall feeling like they were in a parade, and couldn't help waving and smiling to people on the sidewalk as they sailed past. Young men liked the narrowness of the rumble seat, it meant your date couldn’t get very far away. Plus if it was chilly, she'd have to snuggle just to keep warm.

As cars got faster, the popularity of the rumble seat started to wane, and by 1940 most automakers no longer offered them. They were part of the mainstream motoring culture for more than thirty years, but now are but a quaint chapter of automobile history. Nowadays, many classic car owners won't allow riders in their rumble seats on public roads. The fast pace and congestion of modern roads, combined with the lack of crash protection and safety features in a rumble seat car just don't mesh. But if you and your significant other ever get the chance to ride in a rumble seat on a secluded country road or in a parade, don't pass it up! I can guarantee you'll both be grinning ear to ear the whole time!

In closing, renowned illustrator and artist, Norman Rockwell captured the exhilaration of rumble seat riding for a magazine cover, shown below for your amusement.

"The Drive"

Early June is my absolute favourite time of the year to do "The Drive." This excursion is not about driving to any particular destination, but simply enjoying your car on interesting roads. The route should be on well-paved, winding backroads with light traffic. "The Drive" doesn't have to be on roads new to you. In fact, a familiar loop you've built up over many outings can be most enjoyable. Also, a week day is preferable as it's likely to have less traffic to interfere with "The Drive."
Preparation begins the day before. Check the weather forecast, it must be for clear and calm. Take the car out for a quick shake down and fill it up with gas. After supper, hopefully your car, parked in your driveway will be in shade – do whatever is needed to thoroughly clean it inside and out. Take your time, fuss over the details and enjoy the process. With it now gleaming, the car goes back in the garage. Enjoy the rest of your evening, but don't stay up late, a good night's sleep is essential.
Get up early, shower and have a light breakfast. Put on a comfortable shirt, your favourite worn-in jeans and light-soled shoes. Supple well-worn driving gloves and good sunglasses will enhance your enjoyment of "The Drive."
Go out to the garage and raise the overhead door. Next check tire pressures, oil, coolant, windshield wash. With the pressures and fluids all good, start the car and back it out of the garage. Leave it running. Turn on the lights and check that all are working, including brake and turn signals.
Start off slow and easy, letting the engine come up to operating temperature. Most likely, the first few miles will be in the city, but once it's just you, your car and the road, consider "The Drive" to have officially begun. Have your favourite play list called up and it will be background to the scenery rolling past. I recommend "The Drive" be no more than 200 miles, and I like to include two stops. The first will be mid-morning for coffee. I like a place that has, of course, good coffee and comfortable outdoor seating with a nice view. If there's a fresh cinnamon bun to be had and maybe the day's paper to review, more's the better!
You're now in the middle of "The Drive" – this is where you have the windows down, the tunes are off and you concentrate on how your car responds to your input. I don't have to race to enjoy driving, but if you've got the road to yourself, you can drive at a pace that won't land you behind bars but is swift enough to work the car and test your skill. I like this part of "The Drive" to be no more than ninety minutes in length. Any longer, and concentration can start to wander.
It's now time for the second stop, lunch. It doesn't have to be fancy, in fact, there's nothing better than a Pub that serves a good burger and again has outdoor seating – stay away from the beer! That's for later.
Consider the last part of "The Drive" back to home as the cool down section. Put the tunes back on and just cruise along. If you find yourself slouching comfortably behind the wheel, that's OK. Your thoughts may not be about driving, but how the rest of the day will play out. Perhaps it'll be a nice dinner with your significant other or maybe you'll take in movie or a concert.
Swing into your driveway, but don't put the car away. There should be a lawn chair, and a cold beer situated where you can enjoy both, plus admire your car and wind down all at the same time.

Epilogue: Those astute readers will have picked up on the fact I have not mentioned the type of car needed for "The Drive." Any car will do, as long as you enjoy driving it. 

My Honda Super Cub

From Wikipedia...
The Honda Super Cub, is a motorcycle with a four stroke single cylinder engine ranging in displacement from 49 to 109 cc (3.0 to 6.7 cu in). Having been in continuous manufacture since 1958, with production surpassing 60 million in 2008, the Super Cub is the most produced motor vehicle in history. The Super Cub's US advertising campaign, "You meet the nicest people on a Honda", had a lasting impact on Honda's image and on American attitudes about motorcycling, and is considered a classic case study in marketing.

I bought my all-white 1964 Honda 55 Super Cub in the spring of 1966 for a hundred bucks. At the time, I had absolutely no idea "The Cub" would later be renowned as the most produced motor vehicle in history. To me, it just was the cheapest "motorcycle" I could find. Now I know calling it a motorcycle is a bit of a stretch, but it did have a motor and two wheels so it does qualify, but just barely. I bought it in Penticton, and my friend Bruce gave me a ride there on his Yamaha Catalina 305 to pick it up. The trip down was a LOT faster than the return. Bruce's bike could easily cruise at more than the legal limit, whereas the Cub's maximum cruising speed on the level was about 40 mph, much slower on the hills. Bruce showed great patience by matching my speed all the way back home. I'm sorry to say I lost touch with Bruce soon after high school. We'd been friends since grade five and he was very helpful and supportive when my Dad died suddenly in 1968. I know he went on to university and became a teacher. Last I heard he'd settled Prince George – I wonder where he is now.

Getting The Look Right
I didn't ask my parents if I could buy this little bike, I just did it. After the uproar over its purchase died down, I set to work making the Cub less wimpy-looking. First to go was the plastic leg guards. Next I "bobbed" the back fender – this entailed hacksawing it off just below the taillight. Now we're getting somewhere! Fortunately the heavily side-valanced front fender was made of plastic. So it was easy to shorten and cut off the sides, ending up with a slim "sport" fender like the Honda S90 had. It was still just a Cub, but now I didn't mind being seen riding it. Only one thing was left to do... get rid of that big suffocating muffler! In my search for a new exhaust pipe, I made a wonderful discovery – one of the chrome-plated wand sections from the family vacuum cleaner fit perfectly onto the Cub's head pipe. I now had a straight pipe exhaust that both looked and sounded great! I must confess I never did admit to "repurposing" part of the Hoover. I can still hear my stepmom grumbling to herself, stooped over as she worked the vacuum missing half of its wand – sorry!

Cheap To Run
Now that's an understatement! The Cub did 175 miles to the gallon! In the year and a half I rode it, I can remember only one time actually PAYING to fill it with gas. It was when, for some long-forgotten reason, I decided to ride to Kamloops, a distance of about 105 miles. It took a full tank of gas to get there so I had to fill up for the return trip. A full tank of premium, cost me 34¢! (A gallon of gas back then cost 40¢ and those rocket scientists reading this would quickly deduce the tank held less than a gallon.) Normally, when the Cub needed gas, I'd stop by a service station when one of my friends was working a shift – if the boss wasn't around, they'd let me drain the pump hoses. Three hoses would fill it up!

All It Took Was A Dime
I tried to keep it a secret, but somehow my friends found out the key was broken off in the ignition switch. A dime was the perfect thickness to fit in the groove over the broken key and turn the ignition to the ON position, an easy kick and away it went. If I discovered the Cub was missing, it would either be visible two or three blocks away, or it would re-appear in ten minutes or so, with John, or Dennis, or Gerry aboard, grinning mischievously.

Top Speed, 50 mph Drafting
I rode that little Honda with no mercy. It was almost always at FULL THROTTLE. Top speed, with me sitting up, about 42 mph, if I bent over with my chin on the top of the handlebars, I could get to 45. Drafting behind a bigger bike, it would go 50. Great fun, but at that speed the engine was revving much higher than it ever was designed to do. The valves would float, meaning their springs couldn't close the valves quick enough to maintain contact with the rockers. Top speed runs often ended up bending the pushrods. I got pretty good at quickly pulling the top of the engine apart and removing said pushrods. Then on the kitchen table, I'd roll the bent pushrods back and forth, prodding them back to straight. I can't help but smile when I remember the family sitting down to supper at a table that many times, an hour previously, had looked like a workbench in a motorcycle shop.

How Things Change
When I first started riding motorcycles, a lot of my friends had Honda 90's or Suzuki 80's (top speed about 60 mph). Next up were bikes we would have called mid-size, Suzuki 150's and Honda 160's (top speed nearing 80 mph). A really big bike would be a Suzuki 250 X6 or a Honda 305 Super Hawk (top speed 100 mph). When the Honda 450 and the Suzuki 500 came out, we just couldn't understand why anyone would need a bike that big! 
Nowadays there are 125 and 250 motorcycles and scooters around, but real street bikes now start at 600 cc. These rockets can easily exceed 155 mph (that's 250 kph). Let's not even talk about big sport bikes like the Suzuki Hayabusa which has a top speed in excess of 190 mph (300 kph)! I'll admit sampling that kind of performance would be invigorating to say the least. But do we really need a motorcycle that can break every speed limit in North America in first gear?
It was a simpler and I think happier time back when I was riding that Cub. There was no internet, no iPhones, no GPS, TV's were black and white with one or two channels, pant legs and ties were slim, and to every 16-year-old boy's delight, skirts seemed to get shorter every year! Our family rented a nice three bedroom house for $85.00 a month, gasoline as previously mentioned was 40¢ a gallon (or about 9¢ a litre), a nice steak dinner at Mr. Mikes was $1.49, and the base price for a new Corvette convertible just over $4,000.00. In the almost fifty years since then, nearly everything has changed. That is, except the Cub – worldwide, Honda still makes about four million of them every year... Wow.

Don and his Cadillac Convertible

I'm the youngest sibling in a blended family of six. My brother Don was the third oldest, putting him in the middle, upper half. He would not dispute being called the black sheep of the family. His was a rather colourful life, involving a few close scrapes with the law, a stint in the army, three wives and a long and successful career as a professional wrestler – just google his stage name, "Lumberjack Luke" or look for the book titled "I Ain't No Pig Farmer" by Dean Silverstone which features him on the cover. Sadly, we lost Don in 2009. At his memorial service I shared a story, from over forty years ago, that involved him, me and his 1960 Cadillac Convertible. Although this story is more about him and me, it does also include a few useful insights into the proper way to wash a car, so I've decided to share it again.

It was late April and I had turned sixteen the previous February. At the time, like many teenagers, I was partial to sleeping in on Saturdays. By the time I got up, around 11:00, the house was deserted, or so I thought. I was in the kitchen making myself breakfast when I heard a noise from the living room. To my surprise, there was Don stretched out in a sleeping bag on the sofa, his one open eye glaring at me for waking him up. He had driven back to Kelowna for a visit, arriving in the wee hours of the morning. 

After breakfast he said, “Come outside and see my new car.”  Filling our driveway, was a 1960 Cadillac convertible. A car from the era when chrome and tailfins ruled the day. “Wow,” I said, “that thing is huge!” Don just grinned; he could tell I was impressed. 

It was early spring, the day was warm and the sun was shining. But Don had driven over the pass through brutal winter conditions and that giant car was grime from its seven foot wide multi-faceted chrome front bumper all the way back, nearly twenty feet, to the tips of its tail fins. “Want to help wash it?” he asked? “Sure!” I said perhaps a little too quickly. I’d helped Dad wash the family car, a little Morris 1100. I knew all about washing cars, or so I thought. I ran to get the hose and bucket, while Don opened the trunk, saying he had “All the other stuff I would need.” 

First, it was fill the bucket with warm water, not hot, just warm. Don mixed in the special car soap, while I took up the hose, and was told, “thoroughly wet it down, from the top to the bottom.”  I won’t go into all detailed the instructions I got, let's just say he had a specific way he wanted things done. Don found a comfortable spot to sit on the low concrete wall alongside the driveway – from there he could supervise and issue instructions. There was a special brush to scrub the convertible top, and a big sheepskin wash mitt for the paint. "Whatever you do, don't let that mitt touch the ground!" he barked. As I scrubbed the car with the mitt, he kept reminding me, "Rinse the mitt in the bucket, keep the car wet, always work from the top down!" There was steel wool for the whitewall tires, and a long-handle vegetable brush to scrub in between the pieces of the grilles. Cadillacs of that era had one on the front and another grille, nearly as large, on the back. Each filled with little nooks and crannies all needing detailed cleaning. Once the car was clean and rinsed all the way round, Don had me wet it down again and then as quickly as I could, dry it with a chamois to make sure there were no water spots.

Don started the engine, and lowered the top, then he said, “You’ll find it much easier to vacuum with the top down.” And I must admit, it IS much easier to vacuum the carpets and clean the seats and door panels in an open-top car. Even windexing the inside glass is easier when you can do it standing up! 

We were done, and the car gleamed from stem to stern! Both teacher and student stood back and admired it. With its big whitewall tires, snow white paint, red leather interior and sparkling acres of chrome, this was 5,000 pounds of pure automotive excess.

“Let’s go for a drive,” said Don starting the car. “I gotta change my soggy shirt,” I said, running into the house. When I came back out, the driver’s door of the car was wide open, and there was Don, sitting in the front passenger seat, grinning ear to ear. I just stood there dumbfounded. “Jesus Christ!” he drawled, waving me into the driver’s seat, “You earned it!”