Harley-Davidson Museum
If there can be a Museum of Questionable Medical Devices, it is grand time the Harley people got something to call their own. Ground has been broken on the 130,000-square-foot Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, which will have exhibits, tons of history, a retail shop (naturally), food, and everything else that is the motorcycle. It'll open in 2008.
Hemi-Powered Air-Raid Siren
In the days before CNN and the Internet, people relied on good old-fashioned shrieking and mass pandemonium to warn of impending tornadoes-that and the blood-stopping shrill of an air-raid siren that did double-duty as the device of choice to scare the bejesus out of enemy troops during World War II. That was due to its 170 dB at the throat or 138 dBa from 100 feet away (someone yelling in your ear is about 110 dBa). The Chrysler siren produced the loudest continuous noise ever made by a mechanical instrument.
The Trenton, Michigan, version of the civil-defense device was used from 1958 until the '70s, when the switch was made to radio. In 2002, it was removed from the 90-foot tower at the Trenton Fire Station for restoration and has been reincarnated with its 180hp industrial Hemi V-8. It will retire at the Walter P. Chrysler Museum.
Can Pontiac Be Hip?
"Creating social acceptance." That's what Automotive News reports Pontiac sees as the requirement to rebuilding the brand. While it has been having notable sales increases and has received kudos from J.D. Power over pontiac.com being a useful Web site, its sales are still down a bit this year compared with this same time in 2005. As Pontiac Marketing Director Mark-Hans Richer told the pub, "It hasn't been the coolest thing to have a Pontiac in your driveway for a while. Our job is to reestablish that feeling." Here's a tip: Stop with the crossover bandwagon.
America's Not-Good Drivers
GMAC Insurance has conducted a national test to determine the worst in driving rights and wrongs. A 20-question test that followed the same basic questionnaire as a driver's-license exam was used, and when all was said and done, Rhode Island ranked at the bottom. Oregon was in the top slot. The results revealed that one in five people don't know that pedestrians in the crosswalk have the right of way. No wonder we're always running for our lives. Take the test for yourself at gmacinsurance.com/ safedriving/2006/test.asp.
Gas Station TV
As we continue toward a world devoid of personal space and quiet time, Gas Station TV will further expedite that process by launching its network at a fill-up station near you. The digital television channel will turn getting fuel into Entertainment Tonight with sports, weather, news, and traffic programming. Advertisers already onboard include Goodyear, Chevrolet, and the U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company. Can you foresee the extra 10 minutes this will add to every fill-up as you have to wait around for the person in front of you to hear the weather report for Rancho Cucamonga and all the football scores? You know, now is when New Jersey and Oregon have the right idea.
NMCA Car Craft Street Race Class Goes Turbo
Hey! How come no one has tried this before in Street Race? A turbo! It took Mike Fratena from Indialantic, Florida, to give it a go. And where did that get him? His '89 Camaro placed First in the Car Craft Street Race class during the NOS-hosted Fifth Annual NMCA Hot Rod & Muscle Car Nationals in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
But back to the question: Why? To go where man had gone before. And why not? "Because with fuel injection you have to take a weight penalty kind of, and I use a carburetor-a lot of people are leery of new technology. It's not really new, but it's just something not many people have done. I've seen it used successfully before, so I thought I'd try it." And building the 355 small-block Chevy in such a way was easier than he'd expected.
Michael used to run the Drag Radial class in NMRA, so his Camaro was already legal for Street Race; changing the motor combination was the only tweak. Pretty much everything modified or built was a task for Michael himself, including the lower control arms and all the turbo plumbing. "I race budget-oriented and have to do it-I can't afford to pay someone to do the work, so that's how we race."
Experimental, budget-conscious, and always answering the question "What if?"-that's the Street Race class for you.
To compete in or learn more about the Car Craft Street Race class or NMCA racing series, visit fasteststreetcar.com. You can also sign up by calling 866/694-3475.