The Joy Was Short-Lived

Today’s post and post title are a response, of sorts, to this post.

After yet another of the countless examples of incompetence and apathy by American companies and their workers had utterly ruined our Monday morning, my wonderful wife and I decided to splurge for lunch. We decided to go to the great Andreoli, a place we hadn’t visited in at least seven months.

Apropos of our intended destination we set out in the Maserati, despite my reluctance to drive it more than a few miles at a time until/unless I knew it was sorted. Sure enough, five minutes after we left the house we heard a loud beep and then the dreaded “Check Engine” light lit up.

Obviously, the trip to Andreoli was out and a trip to the shop was in. I texted Stephen, my “car guy,” to let him know what had happened and then called the shop that had the car last week to let them know I was headed there.

I guess modern automotive diagnostics can be a good thing as a tech plugged in the OBD reader and immediately found a code for a faulty thermostat. The days of wax and a valve in a small metal housing are, apparently, over as the Maserati thermostat is an all-electronic device. No, the temperature gauge had not indicated the engine was running hot.

Turns out that wasn’t the only problem. I received a call a few hours later informing me that a radiator hose had split. I saw dollar signs spinning in my head, but the tech told me that since they should have caught the issue while the car was in last week, both radiator hoses would be replaced free of charge. The problem is only one source exists for such parts, Maserati. The repairs will not be completed until tomorrow. You do not want to know how much a Maserati thermostat costs, even with the discounts I will receive thanks to Stephen and his association with this shop and many others.

All things considered, I guess things could have turned out worse, but at the moment the “Check Engine” light lit up, both my wonderful wife and I were at our wit’s end. Ultimately, the big-box hardware store also provided some good news in the form of a partial rebate for the large purchase we made. However, the massive neck/head ache that is still bothering me as I write this, despite taking four ibuprofen and two acetaminophen an hour ago, is almost certainly a delayed reaction to yesterday’s stress.

I don’t want to express an extra-cynical thought such as, “Life’s a bitch and then you die,” but truly stress-free days are all too rare, which is why I wrote about the joy of driving the Maserati in the post linked at the beginning of this one. Why did I buy the Maserati? Oh yeah…

******************

People who admire the Chinese government need operations to have their heads removed from their rectums. This piece from CNBC is just one of many about the US government arresting two New York residents for allegedly operating a Chinese “secret police station” in Manhattan’s Chinatown, part of a crackdown on Beijing’s alleged targeting of U.S.-based dissidents. More from the CNBC article:

A 2022 investigation published by Spain-based advocacy group Safeguard Defenders reported that China had set up overseas “service stations,” including in New York, that illegally worked with Chinese police to pressure fugitives to return to China…The Department of Justice has been ramping up probes into what it calls “transnational repression” by U.S. adversaries such as China and Iran to intimidate political opponents living in the United States.

One of the reasons I am so opposed to the beyond foolish obsession with electric vehicles is that such a transition places our transportation infrastructure in the hands of foreign countries like China. I suspect many of the EV zealot lemmings also need the operation mentioned two paragraphs ago and for the same reason.

******************

As time passes and temporal arrogance grows unabated, the sheer genius and enormous contributions of Albert Einstein fade, swallowed by the inanity of modern so-called life. This piece from LiveScience reports that he was right about invisible dark matter and that light produced just 380,000 years after the Big Bang was warped by that dark matter exactly the way Einstein predicted it would be.

I have lamented that in this world of faux equality, the idiocy of ~~woke~~, and increasing anti-Semitism, Einstein would not be appreciated today. Of course, as I just wrote I think he has become very under-appreciated.

******************

I am not promising anything–not to put too fine a point on it, but I, like everyone else, am not promised tomorrow–but I am beginning to toy with the idea of an Ultimate Garage 4.0. IF I publish this compilation it would almost certainly not be until next year.

I would love to hear suggestions from you as to how this Ultimate Garage should or should not be presented. One idea I currently have is that I should have fewer cars than versions 2.0 and 3.0, maybe limit the list to ten.

#TheJoyWasShort-Lived

#AlbertEinstein

#somanyCARSjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

If you like this blog please tell your friends and share the blog URL (https://disaffectedmusings.com). Thanks.

Moonday Mosings

For some reason, I like seeing the red squiggly underline beneath both words of today’s post title telling me the words are misspelled or non-existent.

We had heavy rain Saturday night and last night into early this morning. Neither event was forecast by the National Weather Service. Since we are in monsoon season, they will estimate the probability of precipitation at a cover their ass number of like 15%. If rain events are independent, then the probability of rain on consecutive days each with a 15% likelihood is just 2%, 15% times 15%.

On Saturday the rain began before “sunset.” (Once again, the sun does not rise and set.) The temperature of record at the time was 104° (40° C). An hour later, it was 77° (25° C).

In addition to the rain and strong winds we had vivid lightning, the like of which I have seldom, if ever, seen before. I don’t know if it’s due to our location, but sometimes we would see brilliant lightning that seemed right on top of us and not hear thunder, meaning the flash was far away. Other times, we would see bright lightning and hear thunder within a few seconds, meaning the flash was close by. Sadly, the exterior light was not enough for me to shoot any pictures or video.

The storm on Saturday night distracted me from something important, the Season 2 finale for Transplant on NBC. I love this show and it is certainly one of my favorite five or six TV shows ever. No, I am not damning it with faint praise.

I was sad at show’s end because no new episodes will air for awhile. The next morning I became even more sad after learning that, despite previous reporting, NBC has not decided if it will air Season 3. Transplant is actually a Canadian show broadcast on CTV. NBC decided to air it in 2020 while the damn virus was wreaking havoc on TV production.

Transplant is the most-watched and most-awarded scripted show in Canada and, obviously, will continue in production. Its Season 2 ratings in the US, however, were far worse than those for Season 1. The only bright spot, if you will, is that its ratings improved after it was moved mid-season from Sunday to Saturday. The bad news, of course, is that Saturday has long been considered the graveyard for prime-time programming.

I do not watch a lot of TV and almost nothing from the major networks, except football. I will be very disappointed if I can’t continue to watch Transplant. I continue to be appalled at what passes for entertainment.

******************

Chevrolet/General Motors have officially announced pricing for the soon-to-be released Z06 version of the C8 Corvette. The base MSRP for the coupe will be $106,395 and $113,895 for the convertible. Apparently, anyone interested can order theirs beginning on July 28.

It is extremely unlikely that anyone will be able to buy a C8 Z06 at MSRP. Dealer markups of $20,000-$35,000 would not surprise me. Thousands of people ordering the car will not surprise me, either.

Pricing for the 2023 Corvette Z06 Announced! Starting MSRP is

******************

From Why Evolution Is True is the Hubble Space Telescope photo of the week.

What Do You See?

Ed: Was he killed in the fall?

Fred: No, it was the sudden stop when he hit the ground.

Other than my two “silly” posts on Friday the 13th, I have not posted for quite some time. My wonderful wife and I were away for much of that period, but not all of it.

I am struggling with an internal debate about this blog. I am considering a change in format, a change in content, a change in frequency or some combination of all of the above. Einstein is supposed to have said that insanity is repeating the same action over and over, but expecting a different result.

******************

We attended the recent Mecum auction in Indianapolis. Here is a picture from the event. What do you see?

Yes, it’s the front of a C6 Corvette ZR1. It’s also a picture of an extraordinarily beautiful young woman who was discussed every day, even the two days when she was not there.

Mecum hires a group of young women (for the most part) who take a contract to the winning bidder to sign after each lot. The young woman standing in front of the red State Farm sign was among that group for most of the auction.

I watch all of the Mecum auctions on TV when I am not attending. I had never seen this woman before. Believe me, I would have noticed her. My wonderful wife even noticed her. I think her name is Rachel although I am not 100% certain. Another photo:

I am an old, very happily married man. As I wrote here, though, I still notice women. I suspect I have that in common with 99% of straight men.

******************

So, how many pictures do you want to see? I always make a vow to take fewer pictures at these events and quickly break that vow.

I also have no idea how to present the photos I do take, including how much description I should write. Anyway, here are a few pics:

This is a 2004 Cadillac XLR, offered early on the last day, that I considered purchasing. Heeding the word of our friend Bob, a former mechanic for General Motors and Jaguar, I looked under the car and, sure enough, saw three fresh oil leaks. Those leaks and the model year put an end to my desire to bid on the car. The rest of the XLR didn’t look bad although the interior was a bit tired. Supposedly, the car had 44,000 miles.

With my Z06 still in the shop–yes, it’s now been there more than five weeks–I just am not in the right frame of mind to buy another car that might come with its own set of headaches. Maybe the oil leaks were just an excuse not to bid.

In all honesty, while the Mecum auctions have better dockets than those from Barrett-Jackson (in my opinion), even with an unlimited budget I would not have bid on that many cars. As much as I love Corvettes, I don’t think I want to see 400 Corvettes (my estimate; update: my estimate was off, the actual number of Corvettes was 297) in one auction. I sure as hell do not want to buy C10 pickup trucks or Broncos, of which there were quite a few.

This is a 1961 Buick Electra 225 convertible. This one sold, all in, for $33,000. (Oh…the ’04 XLR sold all in for $26,400.) A white ’61 Electra 225 convertible sold all in for $44,000.

During one of my many walks through the staging lanes, I couldn’t help but notice this 1966 Lotus Elan. The color, size and shape of the car made it stand out to me. It sold, all in, for $31,900.

This is a 1942 Lincoln Continental convertible, of which only 136 were made. The car sold new for $3,000; this one went unsold at a high bid of $95,000.

I welcome thoughtful comments and any suggestions you might have about this blog. Thanks.

#WhatDoYouSee?

#AlbertEinstein

#MecumIndy

#Rachel?

#somanyCARSjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

If you like this blog please tell your friends and share the blog URL (https://disaffectedmusings.com). Thanks.

Sunday Substance

I have been meaning to share this for quite some time, but it has slipped through the cracks until now. Regular readers of this blog know of my extreme distaste for the new editor that WordPress (the platform that hosts this blog and many, many others) is trying to force on its users. Recently, they announced they would extend support for the Classic Editor (not the new Block[head] editor) at least through the end of next year.

What I have been meaning to share are the results of a recent survey conducted by WordPress itself, primarily to gather information about professional users; that is, people who use WordPress to design and to maintain websites for customers. More than half of professional users are still using the Classic Editor. I suspect that is the reason WordPress is supporting it through the end of next year.

To me, that is very damning evidence about the new editor. The people for whom this new system has allegedly been devised are not adopting it anywhere near as quickly or completely as WordPress thought. The “new” editor is actually not that new, anymore, as it has been available and pushed by WordPress for years.

The lesson and message should be obvious, but I’ll state it, anyway: WordPress, Keep The Classic Editor!

******************

The title of this piece is Einstein Wins Again. Here is the beginning:

“An international team of researchers from ten countries led by Michael Kramer from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Bonn, Germany, has conducted a 16-year long experiment to challenge Einstein’s theory of general relativity with some of the most rigorous tests yet. Their study of a unique pair of extreme stars, so called pulsars, involved seven radio telescopes across the globe and revealed new relativistic effects that were expected and have now been observed for the first time. Einstein’s theory, which was conceived when neither these types of extreme stars nor the techniques used to study them could be imagined, agrees with the observation at a level of at least 99.99%.” [emphasis mine]

Not only is it difficult for most people to understand Einstein’s genius, it is difficult to attempt to describe it in words. I fear we have reached a point where people like him are suppressed in the interest of “equality.” People may have equal rights under the law, but all people are not created equally. Einstein was sui generis, which is just a fancy way of saying unique, or one of a kind.

See the source image

******************

This recent piece from Hagerty reveals their Bull Market list for 2022. Imagine my delight when this car was listed:

1966 Pontiac GTO front action

Although the specifics are about the 1966 Pontiac GTO, the heading reads 1966-67 Pontiac GTO. Of course, and for the nth plus nth time, my first car was a 1967 Pontiac GTO:

Maybe I shouldn’t be so delighted to see the car included in the list since I haven’t owned it for 40 years. The Hagerty piece lists Highs and Lows for each of the ten cars. The last “High” for the GTO is quite humorous:

Highs: The definitive ’60s muscle car; paperwork available from Pontiac Historic Services makes documentation easy; several body styles and drivetrains; only slightly less rugged than an anvil.

I recommend that those of you with an interest in cars, which is most of you reading this, should read the Hagerty piece.

#SundaySubstance

#KeepTheClassicEditor!

#AlbertEinstein

#HagertyBullMarket

#1966-67PontiacGTO

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

If you like this blog please tell your friends and share the blog URL (https://disaffectedmusings.com). Thanks.

K.I.S.S.

I want to thank “Professor” T for a wonderful breakfast. He was the person I hired for career guidance after I left the San Diego Padres in 1999. It turns out that he and his wife have lived in the Phoenix area for almost 20 years. “Professor” T is most insightful.

For example, after just one or two meetings in 1999 he said that I would not be happy as “a cog in a machine” and urged me to find an independent or semi-independent way to earn a living. Of course, he was right, as I have always chafed at working for somebody else and it was only doing something in which I had a very high level of intrinsic interest (baseball, but that was then and this is now) that enabled to me to work in an office setting for somebody else.

During our conversation this morning, he “disagreed” with those who created mountains to climb. Left unsaid was the truth that life will throw enough mountains at you on its own.

Related to this notion is today’s post title: K.I.S.S., Keep It Simple, Stupid. (I always call myself “Simple.”) Einstein said, “Every problem should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler.”

It seems as if some people believe that if they solve their self-created problems, that makes them smarter than others or better than others or special. That’s a pile of sh*t, in my opinion. Life will give you enough problems on its own.

People who are obsessed with outdoing or outsmarting the world almost always just outsmart themselves. Very few can actually play the game by their own rules. The vast majority must play the game as given or not play.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

******************

So, what kind of car does “Professor” T drive? Would you believe a Hyundai Veloster Turbo?! I did not get a picture of his car, but here is a picture of a Veloster I recently showed:

Of course, I asked him if he likes his car and the answer was a resounding “Yes.” While we still do not have a final disposition from the at-fault driver’s insurance company about what they want to do regarding our ATS, we have to prepare for the possibility that they will total the car and we will have to buy a replacement. (Yes, this is well-worn territory, but I cannot assume that everyone knows the plot.)

Knowing someone who owns one of the cars under consideration is an important data point. It certainly makes it more likely we will take a test drive in this car; that is, of course, if we can find one to drive. The car shortage is very real.

Have a great weekend…

#K.I.S.S.

#AlbertEinstein

#HyundaiVelosterTurbo

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

If you like this blog please tell your friends and share the blog URL (https://disaffectedmusings.com). Thanks.

Brownian Motion Thursday

Brownian motion is the random motion of particles suspended in a medium (a liquid or a gas). In 1905, Albert Einstein published a paper where he modeled the motion of pollen particles as being moved by individual water molecules, making one of his first major scientific contributions.

******************

From an Israeli newspaper comes a story with this title and sub-head: “Israeli study: Babies born to vaccinated moms have COVID-fighting antibodies. All 40 infants in Jerusalem research have antibodies, suggesting they are born with immunity to coronavirus, according to Hadassah doctors.”

The caveat that the presence of antibodies in newborns doesn’t prove they will protect against the virus is noted in the piece. However, Dr. Dana Wolf, head of the virology department at Hadassah Medical Center, strongly believes they will.

******************

Recently, most of the country changed the time on their clocks to move into Daylight Savings Time. According to a report from CarInsurance.com, data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that the few days following the change is the second most dangerous period to drive in the US. Take an hour of sleep away from a sleep-deprived country and…

In general, driver fatigue, caused primarily by lack of quality or quantity of sleep, is among the leading causes of traffic accidents in America. My marvelous mom was an intelligent person. She used to rail against the bi-annual clock changes. The fact that Arizona doesn’t engage in the foolish practice was not a reason we moved here, but it is a nice bonus.

******************

I always knew I wasn’t the only WordPress blogger who disliked the Block Editor and favored the Classic. This post is called “[T]he tyranny of the new and shiny at wordpress.” By the way, the post author is way more adept at using a computer than I am. He has also been blogging on WordPress since 2013.

I have also thought that the WordPress push to move every blogger to the Block Editor–or Blockhead Editor, as I call it–smacked of tyranny, while granting this issue is not really important enough to use that description. Once again, I have to state that it is likely I will discontinue blogging on this platform if I HAVE to use the new editor.

******************

From BMW CEO Oliver Zipse via Phil LeBeau of CNBC: “BMW has no plans to stop developing internal combustion engines because demand for ICE vehicles will remain robust for many years to come.” Finally, an automotive CEO who understands the real world!

The “damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead” approach to EVs taken by so many car companies ignores reality. First, well over a BILLION ICE vehicles are being used all over the world with millions more still being manufactured every year. Second, some segment of the vehicle-buying public will continue to prefer them for “many years to come.”

Do we really want to put all of our transportation chips into the EV basket given that makes us extremely dependent on raw materials from other countries? In addition, upgrading the electric grid to accommodate millions of EVs being charged every night will not happen overnight. For the nth time, blind adherence to ideology is almost never a good idea.

A picture I took of an example of a very famous BMW, a car that influenced design and has become legendary despite only 252 examples ever being produced, the 507:

In what I consider to be a practical policy, BMW has committed to having half of its new vehicles being electric by 2030. Remember that, at present, EVs have only a 2%-3% market share and that share has not really grown much in the last few years. (Hybrid sales have increased, however.)

Although I won’t be around to see it, I think it’s very likely that EVs will become the dominant paradigm in personal transportation some time in the future. However, ignoring the realities of the present is fraught with peril. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. Oh, history is replete with examples of the folly of human beings trying to predict the future.

#BrownianMotionThursday

#AlbertEinstein

#COVIDMoms

#DaylightSavingsTimeIsStupid

#SaveTheClassicEditor!

#BMWRealists

#BMW507

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

If you like this blog please tell your friends and share the blog URL (https://disaffectedmusings.com). Thanks.

Saturday Stuff

“The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.”

When his wife asked him to change clothes to meet the German Ambassador: “They want to see me, here I am. If they want to see my clothes, open my closet and show them my suits.”

– Albert Einstein

In June of 1916 Einstein predicted the existence of gravitational waves, ripples in the curvature of spacetime which propagate as waves, traveling outward from the source, transporting energy as gravitational radiation. In February of 2016, the existence of such waves was confirmed when researchers at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (bka LIGO) published the first observation of gravitational waves that were actually detected on Earth in September of 2015.

Where are the Einsteins of today? Maybe the answer is there aren’t any, that Einstein was sui generis. I think that’s too bad for all of us.

See the source image

From Science ABC a picture of Einstein in a less than serious moment.

******************

From Cadillac at 100 : Legacy of Leadership a series of pictures showing that Cadillac concept cars are not just a recent development:

Of course, these concepts were an exercise with a purpose, the execution of a front-wheel drive, two-door luxury coupe that came to fruition with the introduction of the “modern” Eldorado in 1967. Lead times for model development were much longer then although they are hardly short now. By the way, I think a “modernized” version of XP-727 number 3 would also make a great basis for a super-luxury car.

I have always been extremely fond of the first generation of the modern Cadillac Eldorado. Such a car was named as a member of my Ultimate Garage 2.0. At some point I would like to have one of those “Ultimate” cars as my own besides my 2016 Z06. Although prices have increased lately, a 1967-68 Eldorado is still the most affordable car among those in Ultimate Garage 2.0. At 221 inches in length I would have to have a garage at least a little longer than 20 feet, though.

#AlbertEinstein

#CadillacConceptCars

#UltimateGarage2.0

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

If you like this blog please tell your friends and share the blog URL (https://disaffectedmusings.com). Thanks.

Fried Friday

Many thanks to my wonderful wife’s parents for providing us with safe harbor.

Power was restored shortly before Noon yesterday, about a day ahead of the preliminary estimate by the utility company. We returned home mid-afternoon. I know many people fared worse, even much worse, and some are still without power, but I have to admit that I am fried, I am frazzled by events.

Looming large is the seeming disappearance of any interest in our house, which has now been on the market for about a month. We had no showings at all last weekend and it’s now been well over a week since the last one. We made a token reduction in the asking price just so the house will appear when people search for listings where the price has been reduced. Almost all potential home buyers begin on the Internet and one field that can be searched is houses that have had price reductions.

We can’t enjoy living in the desert until we sell this house. Technically, I guess we could, but after having had a very bad experience in moving out of state without selling our house first, we do not want to tempt a repeat.

Logistically, moving without selling this house would be very difficult. After the Equifax breach of 2017 we froze our credit files; they remain frozen and we hope to never have to un-freeze them. We cannot obtain a mortgage with frozen credit files. While we could, theoretically, liquidate more of our equity/fixed income holdings to raise sufficient funds to buy a house without a mortgage, we will not do so. We are completely debt-free and will do our damnedest to stay that way, but do not want to reduce the size of our investment portfolio any more than is absolutely necessary. The proceeds from the sale of our current house will provide most of the funds for buying a home in the desert.

We also do not want to be 2,000+ miles away from a property we still own, from a property on which we would still be liable for taxes, insurance, etc. I cannot describe how painful it was to pay property taxes for more than four years on a house in which we would never live again, in a state in which we would never live again.

I don’t think it will help, but please send us good thoughts. We cannot remain in this state of limbo. (I’ve never heard of that state. Is it on the East Coast? 🙂 )

******************

On this day in 1906, Cadillac was granted a trademark for its crest. From this Hemmings article a picture of the original Cadillac crest:

Of course, the symbol used by Cadillac has changed over the years. The fortunes of the company have changed as well.

For decades, Cadillac was the leader in American luxury cars. Now, Cadillac is struggling to find an image and products that will give it a strong position in the automobile market. In 1985, new Cadillac sales in the US were almost 300,000 units and about 2% of the market. In 2019, Cadillac sales were about 156,000 units and less than one percent of the market. (Data from CarSalesBase. Based on some of the data I have, a 300,000 figure for 1985 would have been more than three percent of the market.)

Once again, I will offer my opinion that Cadillac should manufacture a super-luxury car, both as a way to make a profit and as a halo car that will enhance the image of the company. In the recent past I have offered the Cadillac Elmiraj concept as a basis for such a car. I am also a fan of this Cadillac concept, the Cien (picture from GM Authority):

See the source image

How many US households have a net worth of $10 million or more? The answer is more than a million, probably about 1.3 million to be more precise. Virus or not, many wealthy people/families still live in this country. Cadillac wouldn’t have to have a large percentage of these people/families buy a super-luxury car in order to make the project profitable. In addition, of course, foreign buyers might be interested.

Cadillac’s previous failures with the Allanté and the XLR might still be casting a shadow on sentiment regarding the development of a super-luxury car. Of course, neither of those cars were actually pitched towards the highest end of the automobile market. What is that remark supposedly made by Einstein? “Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results.”

#FriedFriday

#WhereAreTheBuyers?

#CadillacCrest

#CadillacCien

#AlbertEinstein

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

If you like this blog please tell your friends and share the blog URL (https://disaffectedmusings.com). Thanks.

Monday Musings It’s March, 2020 Edition

I doubt many of you watched and many of you are probably not even aware, but the “Underwear Olympics,” AKA the NFL Scouting Combine, concluded yesterday. Many teams used to be suckered into liking a player without good game tape because he had “performed” well at the Combine. Long-time NFL coach and current Head Coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Bruce Arians had this to say (the remark is taken from here): “The tape don’t lie. The combine lies. You can fall in love at the combine and get your ass broke.”

Albert Einstein’s oft-repeated remark is quite appropriate here, yes even in football. (By the way, does anyone besides me think Einstein would have been a great football strategist if he had studied the game for a few years?) “Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.”

******************

Apparently, the first shipments of C8 Corvettes did not occur last Friday as anticipated/hoped. However, photographs from the assembly plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky show hundreds of C8s parked outside, supposedly ready for transfer. From this post comes a link to this video.

For Corvette fans like me (and my wonderful wife) the success of the C8 is important. I have written before that I think if the C8 fails that will be the end of the Corvette. From Corvette Forum yet another picture of a C8 Corvette:

See the source image

The more I see them, the better they look. I hope to see one on the road before the end of this month.

******************

A picture I took yesterday while my wonderful wife and I were driving through an equestrian/Old West park. I love horses although I am not a rider or outdoor person in any way. I was, however, once part of a group that owned a thoroughbred race horse. She actually won twice while under our 14-month ownership and we broke even, which is better than the vast majority of horses do for their owners.

******************

On this day in 1990 a team of drivers completed a two day trial during which they set a dozen land speed records with a Corvette ZR-1 and a Corvette L-98. The cars did not have mufflers or catalytic converters, but otherwise were stock. Records broken included 5000 miles in a time of 28:46:12.5, 5000 km in a time of 17:40:53.7, and 4221.3 miles in 24 hours. The average speed for all record runs were 170-175 MPH. The ZR-1 set the 24-hour record, driving over 4200 miles at an average 175 MPH. The trial occurred at the Firestone Test Center in Texas. From this Hemmings article a picture of a 1990 Corvette ZR-1:

The ZR-1 debuted in model year 1990. The engine was the result of a joint effort between Chevrolet and Lotus; the engine had four overhead cams and 32 valves. It was rated 375 HP; the base Corvette engine for 1990 was rated 245/250 HP. The base engine had different outputs depending on whether or not the car was a coupe and its rear axle ratio. Don’t ask…

The base price of a 1990 Corvette coupe was $31,979, but the ZR-1 option cost an additional $27,016. Believe it or not, over 3,000 ZR-1s were ordered out of a total Corvette coupe production of 16,016. (The ZR-1 was only available as a coupe in 1990.)

#BruceArians

#AlbertEinstein

#C8Corvette

#Horses!

#C4CorvetteZR1

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

If you like this blog please tell your friends and share the blog URL (https://disaffectedmusings.com). Thanks.

Time For A Stroll

Does anyone still use the word “stroll?”

From this Corvette Blogger post comes the news that, according to QuoteWizard Insurance, the Corvette is one of the least accident-prone vehicles on the road. The author of the post makes the common sense argument about the Corvette’s superior handling playing a role (I would have also mentioned the brakes) as well as the fact that, face it, Corvette drivers tend to be of an age that drives more carefully even though careful driving and Corvettes may seem to be mutually exclusive.

In the Corvette Blogger post I didn’t see any reference to accidents per mile driven, but Corvettes do not tend to be driven a lot. Here is a chart from ISeeCars via another Corvette Blogger post:

STUDY: Top 10 List of Most Driven Cars

I wish I were on pace for about 4,700 miles for the first year with my Z06 coupe. I have owned the car almost 11 months (!) and have still not reached 2,600 miles. I don’t think anyone should be surprised by the cars on the least-driven list. I also suspect that cars like Ferrari and Lamborghini were not included in the study. It’s too bad the median number of miles driven by make/model is not displayed. Once again: smug, self-righteous and arrogant anti-gearheads do not want to understand that most high-performance and collector cars are not driven a lot of miles. A gratuitous picture of my car:

******************

“Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.”

– Albert Einstein

I believe that even when we have computer chips planted in our brain that can spit out the history of the universe at a billion words a second, some things that are important in life and life outcomes will not be able to be accurately modeled and predicted.

******************

I am not a professional evaluator of football players. I don’t even play one on TV… 🙂 Oh, that’s not a crack at someone like Mel Kiper. Mel and I have been friends a LONG time.

I will still offer my unsolicited and probably uninformed opinion that if it weren’t for injury, Tua Tagovailoa is a better prospect than Heisman winner and National Champion Joe Burrow. Why do I think so? Tagovailoa had two very successful seasons in college whereas Burrow really had just one. Subjectively, I think that Tagovailoa’s vision, decision-making and accuracy are simply better than Burrow’s, which is not a knock on Burrow. I think those aspects of Tagovailoa’s game are almost unparalleled.

Any draftniks out there who want to comment on this?

******************

Hey, Mick Lennon of the former Mick Lennon Car Photography website! Where did you go? I hope everything is OK.

#RateOfCorvetteAccidents

#AlbertEinstein

#TuaTagovailoa

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

If you like this blog please tell your friends and share the blog URL (https://disaffectedmusings.com). Thanks.