Filed under: Etc., Humor

Friday afternoon, we had the opportunity to walk around the site of the first-ever Maker Faire Detroit while exhibitors were getting set up. Among the wheeled contraptions we encountered was the contraption you see above: the Big Dog. This human-powered conveyance was designed and built by Tom Wilson of Royal Oak, Michigan in his basement and garage. Big Dog is actually the third such vehicle Wilson has constructed, with his original inspiration coming from a similar device he saw at the Burning Man festival several years ago.

Looking closely at the 600-pound machine (which stands a towering eight feet, six inches tall), it’s clear that Wilson put serious thought and craftsmanship into it. Note the inboard-mounted rear disc brakes and the elaborate gear-change and chain mechanism. The centrally-mounted propane tanks are there to support the flame effects from the tower. We’ll add photos of that if we catch it being demonstrated this weekend.

Maker Faire Detroit 2010: Big Dog quadricycle originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 31 Jul 2010 14:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Motorcycle

Stars and Stripes. Peanut butter and jelly. Harley-Davidson and sidecars. Okay, fine – one of those pairings is not like the others, but H-D does have a long history of adding a third outrigger wheel to its line of heavyweight motorcycles, starting back in 1914. That’s over now.

Harley-Davidson just announced that 2011 will be the final year it offers sidecars as a factory option, and it will no longer accept new orders for them. The good news is that The Motor Company will continue to provide warranty service for current sidecar owners and will stock replacement parts at its dealerships.

We have an unhealthy affection for offbeat sidecar motorcycles, and if you also happen to fall into that category, Ural and Royal Enfield are ready to serve your needs. As for Harley, check out its official statement after the break.

[Source: Harley-Davidson | Image: AMCA Motorcycle Library]

Continue reading Harley-Davidson exits the sidecar business

Harley-Davidson exits the sidecar business originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 31 Jul 2010 13:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Classics, Sedan, Etc., Europe

The web has spoken and a 1941 Tatra T87 has been voted The New York Times 2010 Collectible Car of the Year. The rear-engined, air-cooled V8 Tatra beat 30 finalists (overall, there were 651 entrants), including noteworthy cars from Packard and Checker. The T87′s owner, Paul Greenstein, was shocked to hear that his car – one of three Tatras he owns – came out on top. Greenstein says the Tatra has a unique allure that can’t be matched by other manufacturers. For Americans, rarity factors into that, as the Czech marque was never sold in the United States.

Greenstein picked up his car in 2001 for the princely sum of $8,000. At the time, the fin wasn’t in show-quality condition, so he had the T87 shipped to the Czech Republic for a full restoration. Fringe benefits of having the work done in the old country included cheap labor and parts availability that couldn’t be matched in the U.S. Three-and-a-half years and $60,000 later, Greenstein and his girlfriend had their T87 back. Don’t scoff at the cost; recent examples have sold at auction for as much as $125,000. Fortunately, the Times’ Collectible Car of the Year award includes a $5,000 check along with the trophy.

Head over to the The New York Times to read the full story, and be sure to also visit Clunkbucket for a few shots of Paul Greenstein’s T87 taken prior to its restoration.

[Source: The New York Times | Image: Clunkbucket]

1941 Tatra T87 named The New York Times’ Collectible Car of the Year originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 31 Jul 2010 16:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Grand Gedeh County Superintendent Christopher Beh Bailey has made fresh allegations of bribe solicitation against Auditor General John Morlu and Chief Lieutenant Philip Massaquoi and vowed not to face GAC because it was incapable of rendering justice in matters related to audit observations and auditees’ response.

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As the transformation of Liberia, after several wasted years blamed on war and poverty, is taking center stage with the help of the international community, Liberian themselves are seizing the moment to bath their fronts as others are bathing their backs, helping in the area of roads and bridge construction, health and sanitation operations and many other projects geared toward assisting the government with its development agenda and giving the country a better facelift.

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STOCKS at the ZSE rose in the first two days of trade this week buoyed by hopes that listed companies will be spared from the Indigenisation Act; a proposed investment policy announced last week; and improved financial results expected on the market soon.

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AT A Securities Commission of Zimbabwe (SEC) workshop in the capital a week ago, CEO Alban Chirume had a few surprises for the market — new fees and a hell of a lot of new changes.

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The troubled Kenya Railways Staff Retirement Benefits Scheme has been put on notice over poor management of pensioners’ funds.

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Filed under: SUV, Porsche, Canada, Diesel, Luxury

Audi, Mercedes, BMW and VW offer their premium SUVs in diesel flavors, and that’s got Porsche rethinking its stance re: the Cayenne. According to a Porsche PR rep in Canada, the American managers are thinking about bringing the oil-burner this way in order to fill that hole. Two years ago, Porsche tested and then confirmed a diesel Cayenne for the American market that would use Audi’s 3.0 TDI. It was supposed to arrive early last year; obviously, that never happened.

We drove the Euro-spec diesel Cayenne last year, and walked away thinking it’s a “no-brainer for the American market.” With the new Cayenne having lost all that weight and increased its performance, a diesel engine would pull even better. And if the numbers stand, with overall diesel-vehicle sales in North America predicted to hit around 250,000 units in 2014, it could be that Porsche thinks it’s a no-brainer as well.

[Source: Times Colonist]

Report: Porsche reconsidering diesel Cayenne for North America originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 31 Jul 2010 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Motorsports

The practice day for the X Games 16 Rally competitors is in the books, and despite plenty of preparation the teams face some unexpected challenges at the new venue. The drivers first took to the makeshift dirt track at the L.A. Coliseum early yesterday afternoon and quickly found that the setup isn’t ideally suited to automobiles – or at least anything with bumpers. The course features two major elevation changes, going up and out of the stadium and then back in again, and nearly all of the drivers are having difficulty with the latter. The entrance back into the stadium is so steep that drivers are forced to either come in extremely slowly or catch air and plow the front end of the car into the dirt. To make matters worse, an uneven track surface at the bottom of the descent causes the cars to go airborne again. It may be fun to watch, but it’s undoubtedly frustrating for the drivers.

Interestingly, the one feature of the track that usually gives the drivers trouble – the jump – is no problem at all. Most drivers initially seemed cautious before making their practice runs, but they quickly realized that not too much speed is needed, and soon thereafter they were easily clearing the gap on every lap.

Overall, the current track layout at the new venue is disappointing. The course is essentially one large loop featuring all right turns, with the two elevation changes and the jump thrown in. Much of the course is fairly narrow as well, which will make the SuperRally either very boring (no passing) or very interesting (lots of bumping and crashing). We’ll reserve judgment until we actually see it happen, and we fully expect the addition of actual competition and tens of thousands of fans to make things more exciting. Stay tuned for more live X Games 16 rally coverage this weekend.

Photos copyright (C)2010 Drew Phillips / AOL

X Games 16: Rally practice day reveals new challenges originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 31 Jul 2010 10:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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