Wayfaring Wednesday

Don’t ask me to explain my penchant for alliteration. It’s part of the package, I guess.

Two links from Why Evolution Is True:

Science “studies” helping bring down science

The beginning of this piece:

“Those of us who want our science free of ideology can only stand by helplessly as we watch physics, chemistry, and biology crumble from within as the termites of Wokeism nibble away. I once thought that scientists, whom I presumed would be less concerned than humanities professors with ideological pollution (after all, we do have some objective facts to argue about), would be largely immune to Wokeism.

I was wrong, of course. It turns out that scientists are human beings after all, and with that goes the desire for the approbation of one’s peers and of society. And you don’t get that if you’re deemed a racist. You can even be criticized from holding yourself away from the fray, preferring to do science than engage in social engineering.”

Strange reporting of a terrorist attack that killed three Israelis

The last paragraph:

“There’s no doubt that anti-Semitism is on the rise in America, particularly among “progressive” liberals, who increasingly sympathize with Palestinians because they are seen as “people of color”. U.S. legislators like [The “Squad”–I refuse to mention those cretins by name] regularly laud Palestine and demonize Israel—also supporting the anti-Semitic BDS movement. And much of the U.S. media, increasingly populated by young journalists with “progressive” sentiments, echo this hatred. Is this the way liberals should behave: lauding those who kill civilians and then celebrating it?”

Remember that the author of Why Evolution Is True identifies as a liberal. While hatred of Jews is rampant among the neo-~~Nazi~~ segment of the far right in the US, it is growing much faster among the clueless so-called “progressives” who are actually nothing of the sort. My contempt for all of them burns with the heat of a million suns.

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From this piece comes this chart:

MODEL	Q1 22 / Q1 21	Q1 22	Q1 21	Q1 22 SHARE	Q1 21 SHARE
CHEVROLET CORVETTE	+33.28%	8,811	6,611	68%	52%
PORSCHE 911	-23.69%	2,123	2,782	17%	22%
MERCEDES-BENZ AMG GT	-22.28%	942	1,212	7%	10%
PORSCHE 718	-48.07%	782	1,506	6%	12%
AUDI R8	-54.04%	68	148	1%	1%
NISSAN GT-R	0.00%	50	50	0%	0%
ACURA NSX	+318.18%	46	11	0%	0%
FORD GT	+9.09%	36	33	0%	0%
BMW I8	-50.19%	4	8	0%	0%
MERCEDES-BENZ SL-CLASS	-99.35%	2	311	0%	0%
TOTAL	+1.52%	12,864	12,672

This chart shows sales in the “premium sports car” segment. Of course, one can argue that the Corvette is priced so much less than the other cars that any other result would be an indictment of it. I also would like to see a similar chart for the first years of the C7 Corvette as a comparison.

Still, it is interesting to see that the Corvette gained significant market share from 2021 to 2022. Where we live C8 Corvettes are quite common. It’s almost as if at least half of the C8s ever built are owned by people within a 20-mile radius of our house. One person whose front door can’t be more than 250 feet from ours has a C8.

See the source image

As much as I appreciate the bold move to a mid-engine architecture and the car’s performance, the more I see them the less I like the look. The rear end, in particular, is just ungainly. Yes, I have expressed these sentiments before. For the nth time, a mid-engine car almost always has certain design elements that move away from the classic long hood/short deck appearance.

I would like to read your thoughts on the C8 Corvette. Thanks.

#WayfaringWednesday

#~~Woke~~IsACult

#C8Corvette

#somanyCARSjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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Well, I Guess It’s Good News

The at-fault driver’s insurance company has admitted liability for all repairs, rear and front, for our Cadillac ATS. They have committed to sending a check for the estimate as provided by their adjuster. Apparently, the five-figure amount is not enough to get them to total the car.

While my wonderful wife and I really like the ATS, I know part of me was looking forward to buying something else. I guess neither of these cars will be parked in our garage:

Not that I needed any more proof, but the fact that buying another car had some appeal is yet another example of my automobile fanaticism. I REALLY understand how so many people end up owning multiple cars. For me, a car is not just something to transport me from A to B.

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From Corvette Blogger comes this list of the top ten Premium Sporty Cars according to J.D. Power as ranked by APEAL: Automotive Performance, Execution, and Layout. Their survey “questioned verified owners of new vehicles, in an attempt to determine the makes and models that are most satisfying in terms of their overall appeal. To be eligible to respond, owners must have had their cars for at least 90 days and share with J.D. Power their likes and dislikes about the vehicles. J.D. Power then took that information to come up with an overall appeal index score.” Without further ado:

10. 2021 Toyota GR Supra – 841
9. 2021 Mercedes-Benz C-Class – 845
8. 2021 BMW 2 Series – 853
7. 2021 Audi A5 – 861
6. 2021 Mercedes-Benz E-Class – 865
5. 2021 Porsche 718 – 880
4. 2021 BMW 4 Series – 892
3. 2021 Porsche 911 – 897
2. 2021 Lexus LC – 899
1. 2021 Chevrolet Corvette – 907

Sorry, European car snobs. (No, I’m not really sorry although tomorrow’s post will be in praise of a European car company and the identity of that company will shock regular Disaffected Musings readers.) Obviously, I am happy to see the Corvette at the top and the Lexus LC at number two.

All that being said, I still think it is highly unlikely that a C8 Corvette will find its way into our garage or wherever we may be storing cars. Variety is the spice of life.

#IGuessIt’sGoodNews

#C8Corvette

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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Paraphrasing Shakespeare

A refrigerator, a refrigerator,

My kingdom for a refrigerator.

The orange Big Box store delivered our new refrigerator yesterday as promised on the day we ordered it 4-5 weeks ago. By 10 AM the delivery crew had left and the fridge was running.

Obviously, my wonderful wife and I are very happy we finally have a working full-size refrigerator. I went grocery shopping yesterday and bought milk, orange juice, eggs and iced coffee–items we have not consumed at home for weeks.

Speaking of milk…since I hadn’t eaten cereal for weeks I thought my favorite brand (Cheerios) would be stale for having sat in the pantry for so long in an open box. We have those clear containers that are supposed to keep cereal fresher for longer, but the Cheerios were not in one of them.

I decided to warm the Cheerios on a new cookie sheet for a few minutes at 180°. I then let them cool down for a few minutes because I didn’t want to pour cold milk over hot cereal. Well, it wasn’t easy getting the Cheerios into the bowl from the cookie sheet. Quite a few spilled on the floor before I got the hang of it. Yes, the Cheerios tasted great.

It is amazing what we take for granted until it’s gone.

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This video from a Minion of the Evil Empire shows Chip Foose “re-designing” the C8 Corvette. During the presentation Foose said that unlike the previous Corvette generations that were unmistakable in appearance, it was difficult to tell the Corvette from an Acura NSX or a Ferrari. He also said, “Don’t get me wrong when I’m saying that I don’t know if I’m a fan or not. I’m a huge fan of the performance…It’s the styling that I keep looking at and wondering why they do this or why did they do that rather than keeping that evolution of the Corvette.”

I thought I would show the three cars Foose mentioned:

See the source image

The cars resemble each other, but are certainly not identical. Oh, the Ferrari is a 488. Remember that, unless great (read expensive) effort is made, mid-engine architecture rules out certain design elements and rules in others.

If I had been involved in designing the C8, I would have pushed for a slightly smaller engine block that would be transversely mounted so the car could have kept more of its traditional “long hood, short deck” look and still be a mid-engine car. Of course, no one asked me and I’m sure designing a drivetrain around a transversely mounted engine would not have been cheap.

In any event, the C8 is very popular even if awful General Motors CEO Bary Marra and her board don’t want to acknowledge its success. In a recent company video, the success of the Corvette was not mentioned at all, but the company push towards an all-EV portfolio was 80% of the presentation. Whatever happened to diversification?

I have to admit that the more I see the C8 Corvette, the less I like the looks. The front of the car looks great to me and, in my opinion, is unmistakably Corvette. It’s the rear three-quarter views that are unappealing for me. That perspective is just ungainly. In an admittedly short Internet search, this was the “best” rear three-quarter view I could find:

See the source image

That view just doesn’t do it for me. Who knows? In a few months I might like that perspective. When the C6 was first introduced I wasn’t a fan of the exposed headlights, but grew to like them enough that I bought a new C6. It’s OK to change your mind, even if nothing is wrong with the one you have.

#ParaphrasingShakespeare

#NewFridge

#Cheerios

#ChipFoose

#C8Corvette

#AcuraNSX

#Ferrari488

#IgnoreDiversificationAtYourPeril

#It’sOKToChangeYourMind

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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I’ll Make The Case Again

I was going to title this post “Great Minds Think Alike.” Yesterday, I was originally going to write about how, despite the damn virus, Bentley sales actually showed a slight increase in 2020 compared to 2019. I was also going to tie this news to my case about the potential success for an American-made ultra-luxury car.

Nobody knew about my idea for yesterday’s post until David Banner (not his real name) texted me with the Bentley news AND that it was more evidence that an American-made luxury car could succeed. I replied that I came very close to writing a post about that topic. Great Minds Think Alike…

Not only did Bentley sales increase in 2020 compared to the year before, but their sales hit an all-time high for a company that is 100+ years old. Yes, they are owned by the ~~Shitlermobile~~ company, ~~Volkswagen~~. The point is that ultra-luxury makes exist in a different world and that it is foolish that no American car company (are you listening, Cadillac?) makes a car in that market segment. What is Bentley’s biggest market? The United States…

Cadillac has a long history of producing breathtaking concept cars, especially over the last 20 years

This is a picture of Cadillac’s Escala concept car. For a time, the company committed to putting this car into production, but I guess those plans have been shelved. As I have written here before, Cadillac has developed a number of amazing concept cars. My favorite is actually this one, the Elmiraj:

Cadillac has a long history of producing breathtaking concept cars, especially over the last 20 years

Sorry, but I remain convinced that a well-executed American-made ultra-luxury car would have a great chance of success. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

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From this piece in Corvette Blogger comes the news that Chevrolet/General Motors delivered almost 9,000 new Corvettes in the fourth quarter of 2020. The company now reports quarterly and not monthly numbers. Here is a chart from the same article:

Archived Corvette Delivery Statistics
Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sept	Oct	Nov	Dec	Total
2020	— 3,820 —			— 2,459 —			— 6,355 —			— 8,992 —			21,626
2019	— 3,943 —			— 5,788 —			— 4,766 —			— 3,491 —			17,988
2018	1,005	1,351	2,101	— 5,758 —			— 4,639 —			— 3,910 —			18,791
2017	1,263	2,081	2,460	2,756	2,535	2,612	1,930	1,748	1,506	1,345	2,565	2,278	25,079
2016	1,501	2,116	2,753	3,142	2,673	2,483	2,159	3,063	2,829	2,626	1,941	2,709	29,995
2015	2,127	2,605	3,785	3,469	3,514	2,807	2,794	2,725	2,572	2,526	1,952	2,453	33,329
2014	2,261	2,438	3,480	3,514	3,328	2,723	3,060	2,679	2,467	2,959	2,378	3,552	34,839
2013	908	980	1,053	974	905	853	671	655	831	3,929	2,527	3,005	17,291
2012	629	927	1,376	1,396	1,219	1,475	987	1,210	1,351	1,167	1,104	1,291	14,132
2011	721	955	1,163	1,454	1,304	1,299	1,291	936	1,147	946	910	1,038	13,164
2010	854	624	955	1,089	1,428	1,405	1,199	1,135	1,109	1,011	836	979	12,624
2009	842	1,027	1,183	1,407	1,643	1,396	966	746	1,585	1,154	952	1,033	13,934
2008	2,015	2,071	2,692	3,190	2,904	2,082	1,870	4,242	2,318	1,170	1,093	1,324	26,971
2007	2,234	2,784	3,158	3,227	3,300	2,377	2,377	2,877	2,837	2,484	2,438	2,914	33,685
2006	2,579	3,058	3,655	3,516	3,317	2,938	2,794	2,990	3,056	2,761	2,773	3,081	36,518

By my quick calculation, it looks like the fourth quarter of 2020 was the best for Corvette deliveries since the second quarter of 2015. From Trending Motors a picture of what I hope is a 2021 Corvette:

See the source image

It seems as though the C8 is a success. Let’s see how sales progress through what is, hopefully, an uninterrupted model year in 2021.

#I’llMakeTheCaseAgain

#GreatMindsThinkAlike

#AmericanSuper-LuxuryCar

#CadillacEscala

#CadillacElmiraj

#C8Corvette

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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Everyday Driver

How many of you are familiar with the TV show/podcast/YouTube channel/website Everyday Driver? I began watching the show, hosted by Todd Deeken and Paul Schmucker, on Motor Trend, but it is also one of the very few shows I have watched on Amazon Prime.

The episode about the Z06 version of the seventh generation Corvette (C7) was the final push I needed to buy one. The two hosts raved about the car and being able to see it AND to hear it in action made the car impossible to resist. As I have written here before, I love my 2016 Z06.

The most recent episode that aired on Motor Trend was titled “Finally…” and was about, no points for guessing, the new 2020 C8 Corvette. They drove a C8 as well as a 2014 C7, which was the first year for the last generation of front-engined Corvettes.

Both Deeken and Schmucker could not have been more effusive about the C8. Deeken said, and I’m paraphrasing, the new Corvette blends the best of mid-engine cars with the angriness and history of the Corvette. Schmucker simply said he had to have a new Corvette.

Both hosts prefer driving a manual, but both said a manual transmission would ruin the new Corvette. Deeken remarked that a manual would destroy the harmony of engine and chassis. Both said the fit and finish of the car were way ahead of most Corvette iterations. I believe Deeken said that the car can compete with any mid-engine car in the world, regardless of price.

These two guys know their cars. They will also point out things they don’t like about the cars they’re driving on the show. (Oh, the fact that Everyday Driver is usually shot in Utah doesn’t hurt it, either. What a beautiful place!) Their almost over-the-top praise for the C8 cannot be dismissed.

Yes, the “Frunk” issue is a pain, but apparently a fix is already known. I believe it was Schmucker who remarked, “Well done, Chevy. Well done, General Motors” in discussing the C8 Corvette. I highly recommend you give Everyday Driver a look. As for the C8 Corvette, I hope my wonderful wife will, indeed, buy the convertible model in the not too distant future. From squir.com a picture of such a car:

See the source image

#EverydayDriver

#C8Corvette

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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Friday “The Thirteenth”

I’m going to let you in on an OCD manifestation of mine. I hate the number 13. To me, today–8/21–is a bad day because 8 from 21 is 13. No, I do not interpret today as .381, which is 8 divided by 21.

It’s not a superstition, I think, but I could be wrong. In any event, virtually all of my OCD manifestations are internal, which means no one else sees them or even knows they exist. They do exist, though. The number of stars in the post “divider” below is always the same number and a reason exists for that number.

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From this article comes a debunking of claims made by proponents of “Medicare for All.” The first one listed is that such a “program” will save money because Medicare is efficient. From the piece:

“Medicare’s stated administrative expense is 1.1% which is an accounting mirage. Medicare receives free services from other federal agencies (NY Times, Austin Frakt) and calculates its efficiency based on total dollars spent, rather than per beneficiary…The Veterans Administration claimed it was more efficient than Medicare, while being a hornet’s nest of fraud and abuse. Federal claims of efficiency should always be suspect.”

“Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.”

– Aldous Huxley

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From Corvette Blogger an article reporting that General Motors has issued a stop delivery order on new Corvettes until the “Frunk” recall is ready. It has been reported there and elsewhere that some drivers of 2020 Corvettes have had issues with the front trunk (Frunk) lid opening on its own while the car is in motion. More from Corvette Blogger:

“…because GM has notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that a Recall was in play for the 2020 Corvette, they are also obligated by law to halt deliveries of any new vehicles until the remedy (i.e., software update) can be installed.”

“…We are hearing now that the Stop Delivery Order is for ‘certain 2020 Corvettes’ and, as an example, we heard that the Rapid Blue 2020 Corvette Convertible that was delivered to Criswell Chevrolet today can, in fact, be delivered to its new owners. So it appears that the Assembly Plant has been able to update the latest shipments before they are being sent to dealerships.”

Apparently, the solution is, indeed, a software update. Computers on wheels, but in this case a very good looking and very fast computer.

See the source image

From Corvette Mike a picture of a 2020 Z51 Corvette in Sebring Orange. You may recall that when I decided to buy a seventh-generation (C7) Z06 I originally wanted to buy one in orange. I bought a 2016 model; the Orange for that year was called Daytona Sunrise Orange and only 251 Z06 coupes were made with that color, which made one hard to find. Of the 11 colors available on 2016 Corvettes, Daytona Sunrise Orange was third from the bottom in usage on Z06 coupes and one of the colors “behind” it was Admiral Blue that was not available until late in the 2016 model run.

As a Corvette fan and owner I hope the “Frunk” issue is the only defect in the new Vette. As I have written before, I think if the C8 fails then the Corvette will be history.

#OCD

#SayNoToMedicareForAll

#Frunkified

#C8Corvette

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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The Narcissistic States Of America

These are the events which led me to write this post:

We have had about ten showings of our house. On all but two of them the realtor and their clients have been more than 15 minutes late and with no notification of their tardiness, which I believe is “required” in such a situation. Oh, due to COVID-19 all showing windows have been limited to 45 minutes in this state. The straw that broke the camel’s back happened last Thursday. With barely an hour’s notice we received word that someone wanted to see the house at 10:30 AM. My wonderful wife works at home, but she dutifully re-arranged her work schedule to accommodate.

We left the house at 10:25 AM. As of 11:00 AM no one had showed. How did we know? We have cameras everywhere around our house that we can monitor from almost anywhere. I called the company that arranges the showings and explained the situation. The rep was very sympathetic and offered to call the agent. When she returned to the line she said the agent would not arrive until 11:40, 70 minutes late and 25 minutes after the end of the showing window. She confirmed that the agent is supposed to call when they are going to be late. We cancelled the showing.

YOUR life is not the only one that matters. What YOU’RE doing is not the most important thing in the world. The time and feelings of OTHERS matter. You don’t have to like your neighbors, but your behavior CANNOT fail to acknowledge their presence. COVID-19 has left many people more unhinged than normal and exacerbated the epidemic, the plague of narcissism, but that affliction is far more common than any pathogen.

I can’t tell you how many times I see people plow through stop signs without so much as slowing down, but I can tell you that it is happening much more often than ever before. I can’t tell you how many times I see people looking at their phone and not the road while driving. Those are symptoms of narcissism.

People who believe that they and their ideology can’t possibly ever be wrong are narcissists. We are peons or as Jerry Seinfeld said, nothing but raindrops on a windshield. Oh, no one really gives a sh*t what you ate for lunch so don’t post any photos of it on “social media,” which is a primary factor in the narcissism explosion. I am DISGUSTED by the behavior I see in this country and no side is innocent. Liberals are no less guilty than conservatives and vice versa. A plague on both their houses…

I don’t know if people behave the same all over the developed world, but I can’t imagine it’s worse anywhere else.

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I am beginning to see 2020 Corvettes “in the wild.” Here is another example:

Given its shape and its color, this car really stood out from the rest of the traffic, even the Bentley driving in the next lane. Do I think the C8 looks as good as a C2 or a C7? No, but I like the way it looks. Remember that a large engine mounted mid-ship dictates many of the design elements of the automobile.

How many of you have seen a C8 Corvette “in the wild?” What do you think of the looks of the car?

#NarcissismIsAPlague

#C8Corvette

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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Frunkified

In the interest of fairness I must write about the following…

The new C8 Corvette is, of course, the first mid-engine Vette. As such, the space in front of the passenger compartment is a trunk of sorts, or a frunk as it’s been dubbed. NHTSA has received complaints that the frunk lid can just open on its own while driving.

The number of complaints received so far is only in single digits, I believe, but I think Chevrolet/GM need to be proactive. Still, maybe my wonderful wife will wait on that C8 convertible.

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This Hemmings article is titled, “Mid-life Crisis Motoring: What sporty car would you pick at $5K, $10K, $20K, or $40K?” Of course, the idea is similar to Frugal Friday in this blog and, no doubt, to dozens of other features across the Internet.

Is my obsession with cars–more specifically, with buying cars–a mid-life crisis? I think I am actually way past mid-life and I have almost always been interested in cars far more than the typical American male. Still, I remember when I bought my first Corvette 16 years ago (!) one of my clients asked me if I was having a mid-life crisis.

One of the $5,000 cars is very familiar to readers of this blog:

From Hemmings:

“The Reatta has always been a polarizing car, seemingly out of step for Buick in the late 1980s as a racy-looking, sports-tuned two-seater that was sold alongside the traditionally styled Riviera luxury coupe. But this front-wheel-drive GT had a different mission than its larger, four-seat sibling, being intended to draw in younger, more technologically savvy buyers. Not many visited Buick showrooms though, and fewer than 22,000 Reatta coupes and convertibles were sold between 1988 and 1991. At least this Arctic White ’89’s tried-and-true mechanicals, including the 3800 V-6 and four-speed automatic, are durable and easy to repair, and its sleek body still turns heads. [emphasis mine]”

Perhaps the Reatta would have been more successful if Buick had positioned it as the replacement for the performance-oriented Regal Grand National and put a turbocharger on the V-6, at least as an option. Perhaps the car was just too odd for its market.

From the same article a picture of one of the $20,000 cars, a 1990-96 Nissan 300ZX (represented by a 1994 model):

The last sentence of the write-up about this car reads, “In the future, this one will undoubtedly appreciate.” Most people who follow the car market would agree and think that Japanese cars will increase in value.

How much one pays is usually at least as important as what one buys, unless your last name is Bezos, Gates or Buffett, I guess. I will never succumb to the SUV/pickup truck paradigm and will always want to own and to drive an interesting car as long as I’m able. Without a nine- or ten-figure net worth, though, acquisition cost will always matter.

Keep Driving!

#Frunkified

#C8Corvette

#MidLifeCrisisMotoring

#BuickReatta

#Nissan300ZX

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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Sunday Sayings

I meant no disrespect by omitting any mention of the anniversary of D-Day yesterday. It can be argued that the ultimately successful invasion was the most important military operation in history. The thought of the ~~Nazis~~ holding on to power, even for just part of Europe, is terrifying. Of course, some would argue that the Soviets would have eventually defeated the ~~Nazis~~, anyway. Having the Soviets control all or most of Europe would not have been a good outcome, either.

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In my opinion, maintaining a healthy skepticism about belief systems is a good thing. Blindly adhering to any ideology is not.

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I finally saw my first C8 Corvette in the wild yesterday. During the truncated gathering hosted by the local Corvette club one member brought his 2020 model. The “show” was shortened because the ownership of the shopping center where the group has been gathering every first Saturday from April through October for years decided they didn’t want us there yesterday, or ever again.

I don’t know if we were in violation of state guidelines, and not everyone was wearing a mask (which was disappointing to me), but to tell us we were never welcome back was rather harsh. Without further ado:

Of course, my wonderful wife and I saw multiple examples of the 2020 Corvette while at Bowling Green for the Corvette Caravan last August. Still, to see one in use, with plates, and not on the Corvette grounds was exciting. The car drew quite a crowd before we were ushered away. Oh, the building in the background is a now empty K-Mart. It’s not as if we were using parking spaces that might have been used by customers.

I still think my wonderful wife will buy a C8 convertible in the not too distant future. She didn’t argue very much with me yesterday when I told her my thoughts.

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From Mac’s Motor City Garage comes an interesting piece about the 1965-66 Studebakers. Here are the first two paragraphs, although I recommend you read the entire article if you’re interested:

“By all rights, the end of the line for Studebaker as an automobile manufacturer should have arrived on December 20, 1963, when the sprawling plant in South Bend, Indiana was closed down for the final time. But through a curious twist in corporate decision making, Studebaker’s Canadian chief Gordon Grundy somehow persuaded the corporation to continue production at the company’s small but efficient Hamilton, Ontario plant, not far from Buffalo.”

“And so it came to pass that for Studebaker’s last two years in the business, it was a Canadian car maker. In the USA, these final Studebakers were sold under the slogan ‘The Common Sense Car.’ But north of the border, the tagline was ‘Canada’s Own Car.'”

I don’t really know how much Grundy had to do with the decision. By this time, the writing was on the wall and Studebaker’s place in the automobile business was going to disappear, much sooner rather than later. In order to avoid potential lawsuits from disgruntled Studebaker dealers and suppliers, producing in Canada was a convenient option. Still, the Canadian perspective is interesting.

It is known that Studebaker passed on multiple opportunities to be the US distributor for ~~Volkswagen~~. What is probably not as well known is that they also tried to become North American (or perhaps just Canadian) distributors for Nissan/Datsun or Toyota. Grundy was convinced that the failure of the negotiations with Toyota was due to meddling by one of the partners in the main law firm involved, Richard Nixon. My understanding is that when Nissan/Datsun negotiations were being used as a backup, Toyota found out, became insulted and dropped out. Then Nissan/Datsun found out, became insulted and dropped out. (Maybe it’s the other way around. In any event, a deal with a Japanese automaker didn’t happen.)

From Bring A Trailer a picture of a 1966 Studebaker Daytona Sports Sedan:

No Reserve: 1966 Studebaker Daytona Sports Sedan

Maybe not the most flattering color for the exterior, but that is not a bad-looking car, in my opinion. FYI, the car hammered sold for $10,750 ($11,287.50 all in) in June, 2018.

At just six letters the question “What If?” is one of the most powerful in the English language.

#D-Day

#SayNoToBlindAdherenceToIdeology

#C8Corvette

#CanadianStudebakers

#somanycarsjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

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Thursday Thoughts

From William Wordsworth via The Muscleheaded Blog:

“The human mind is capable of excitement without the application of gross and violent stimulants, and he must have a very faint perception of its beauty and dignity who does not know this.”

Sadly, about 7.5% of all Americans aged 18 and older, or almost 19 million people, have a substance abuse problem. Even more sad is that almost a million Americans under the age of 18 have a substance abuse problem. Maybe I shouldn’t reveal this about a person with whom I no longer associate, but the sibling from whom I have been estranged for years has substance abuse issues. These exacerbate this person’s innate anti-social, even sociopathic, tendencies.

Legalizing marijuana is not going to decrease the number of people with problems. Contrary to the delusions of drug “advocates” most people do not use marijuana, cocaine, etc. because they are illegal. The best available evidence indicates that after the passage of the 18th Amendment, the “Prohibition” Amendment, consumption of alcohol initially decreased by two-thirds. Even though alcohol consumption then increased until the Amendment was repealed, it was still about a third below pre-Prohibition levels at the time of repeal. Most people don’t want to risk legal punishment, period.

According to a study cited here, the total annual economic cost of substance abuse in the US, including alcohol, is $1.45 TRILLION. We ALL suffer from the effects of substance abuse. As a point of reference, that estimated loss is more than the annual GDP of Australia, which is hardly a poor nation.

By the way, many of those 19 million adults have children. A large number of the “kids who go hungry” are hungry because their parents are abusing drugs, including alcohol.

Thanks to Chris, author of The Muscleheaded Blog, for bringing Wordsworth’s remark to our attention.

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Reader David Banner (not his real name) texted me this URL of a review of the C8 Corvette from someone who is most decidedly NOT a fan of General Motors. (I apologize for linking to YouTube, part of the Evil Empire.) SavageScotty could not have been more effusive in his praise for the car. He was particularly impressed by the car’s handling and ride and by the automatic transmission.

David Banner also texted his opinion that if the C8 Corvette had a Ferrari or Lamborghini badge it would be sold out at three times the Corvette MSRP. I have long thought that the Corvette is the best performance car in the world, dollar for dollar, and has been for a long time. Many American cars are and have been meh, but tarring the Corvette with the narrow-minded self-hating American brush is inappropriate, like virtually all manifestations of blind adherence to any ideology.

When I first started working in baseball, most of my supervisors thought I “put” bad numbers on players I inherently disliked for some reason. They didn’t understand that my “opinion” of a player’s ability was based on the best and most objective assessment of his performance that I could muster. I am not calling the Corvette a great car because I own one, I own Corvettes because the evidence that they are great cars, and great bargains for what they do, is overwhelming. Yes, another C8 photo to follow:

See the source image

From Automobile Magazine…

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