KarKix

26/10/2023

Humble warrior. I bet there are 30+ year old Corrolas rolling somewhere on the planet now.

The Toyota Corolla was introduced to the public on October 26, 1966 at the 13th annual Tokyo Motor Show in Japan. It's the best selling car.

28/08/2023

Will there be an EV backlash after thousands experience this same situ?

Here's what happens when you have a sizable trip the next day and the charging infrastructure fails you completely

31/05/2023

The Unser Racing Museum is leaving the ancestral grounds of New Mexico for Lincoln Nebraska and the Speedway Museum there.
This is an interview with Al Sr. a few years before his passing. It tells of the beginnings of the Unser story and their rise to racing history.
It's worth revisiting.

Al Unser Sr. four time Indy Champion comes from a family of champions reaching back to the last century and looking ahead in the 21st century. We interviewed...

21/01/2023

Here is your chance to own THE El Camino from the Breaking Bad movie of the same name. Yep it's the car from the actual filming.

Available* at Scottsdale 2023 - Lot #390.1 1981 CHEVROLET EL CAMINO PICKUP - 'EL CAMINO: A BREAKING BAD MOVIE' PICTURE CAR

12/01/2023

One of one born Jan 11th.
"Next year, Ferrari's ass is mine", Carroll Shelby -1964.

12/01/2023

It is appropriate to share this interview with Jeff Beck today, Barry Meguiar and his show did and excellent job of showing us the car side of Jeff and how it connected him to music.

Jeff Beck started his career as a Rock and Roll guitarist during the British Invasion and has since become a rock Icon who has influenced and played with m...

03/01/2023

Former Ford rally driver Ken Block passes away at age 55 in snowmobile accident. His legendary videos provided entertainment to millions.

15/12/2022

Because it's there...and I want to drive it...

Mr. Leno hits the nail on the head with this one!

CARS - LIFE - RESTORATION

Here are some very sage words from Jay Leno about old cars and their restoration.
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"Once I had a gentleman on The Tonight Show who had climbed Mount Everest, which is an amazing feat that is nearly impossible for most people under the best of circumstances. But this guy was also blind. Imagine being 29,000 feet up, grabbing at snow, not knowing if it’s night or day, with the wind howling and every breath a challenge, and you can’t see anything. Anyway, he was a nice gentleman and an incredible athlete who afterward had been doing motivational speaking. I asked him how it was going and he sort of grimaced. He said the frustrating part was the meet-and-greet after, when at least one person in every audience would come up and say, “Yeah, I was going to climb Mount Everest, but, you know, the kids have soccer and work is crazy and I just haven’t gotten around to it.”

Like it was so easy except, you know, soccer practice. Here this fellow had trained his whole life to do something that maybe one out of 10 million people can do, had endured incredible hardship, and had even overcome the fact that he was blind, and people were so dismissive of it.

Maybe it’s because life has gotten pretty soft and we don’t make anything for ourselves anymore, but we’re losing respect for other people’s accomplishments and hard work, for what the human hand can do instead of just the human brain. I hear this all the time from guys who have their cars restored and who have never turned a wrench in their lives: All mechanics are crooks, they’ll overcharge you at every turn. They’ll moan about the high cost of a paint job, for example, not realizing that the paint is $600 a quart and somebody has to spend hours sanding it and finishing it because a good finish doesn’t come out of a rattle-can of Rust-Oleum.

Our appreciation or understanding of other people’s hard work is fading, and that rankles me. The last time I pulled a transmission out of something here at the garage, it took hours and my hands were bleeding and covered in grease, and I thought, “Some guy only makes a couple hundred bucks for doing that?” That’s why I don’t usually question a quote for something we need to get done outside the garage. Good work doesn’t seem expensive when you think about how much actual effort goes into it, and that someone needs to be able to make a living doing it or else nobody will do it. Besides, I have yet to meet anyone who is getting rich by sandblasting rusty parts or re-chroming bumpers. They’re not overcharging—in fact, they’re probably undercharging.

Well, nowadays we watch these shows where they restore a car in a weekend, literally, and it seems so easy. The sparks are flying and guys are trying to ram a big-screen TV into the dash, and after a couple of commercial breaks and some pounding music, the car is done. It gives people an unrealistic picture of what it takes to restore a car—the thousands of hours, many of which are never billed. Just the amount of research a restorer has to do, figuring out how things go together and what is supposed to be original, is huge.

These days, Amazon will drop a package on your doorstep the same day you order it, so we’re also losing touch with how long things take in the real world. A very famous country western star called me not long ago and said, “It’s my husband’s birthday, he’s always wanted a 1953 Ford F-100, a red one, and I want to get one for his birthday. Can you get me one?” I said I couldn’t promise it would be red, but I would look around. Then I asked when his birthday is. She said, “Thursday.” I said, “This is Tuesday! I’m not going to find a car in two days. It takes awhile!” She didn’t get it.

Next time you’re walking a car show, before you judge some guy because his paint isn’t perfect, think about how much of the work you do yourself. Unlike everything else we buy these days, there’s nothing quick, easy, or cheap about old cars. And while few of us will ever climb Mount Everest, restoring a classic car is enough of a mountain for most people. Give them some credit."

23/08/2022

What a loss to the community.

The worst. Pat Ganahl died today in an incident of unknown cause at Riverdale Raceway in his Ike Iacono dragster that he restored years ago. With Pat went an irreplaceable mind loaded with facts and contacts from the history of rods and customs. In the magazine world, Pat was on the first staff of Street Rodder and became the editor, he worked for Sunset mag, then was hired onto Hot Rod where he eventually became the editor with the second-shortest tenure, and he later revived Rod & Custom magazine before leading Rodders Journal. He wrote many books and freelance stories about our hobby, and he maintained a huge inventory of vintage photos. Pat can be credited with popularizing the nostalgia drag racing movement in the ‘80s. He was the first person I knew personally who painted his own cars—well. He restored the dragster and built a number of VWs, fat Chevys, drag cars, and hot rods including the Nitti-inspired roadster in the first pic. He drove the yellow F1 everywhere. As far as I last knew, he only drove old cars. He inspired me before I ever knew him, but now I have more Ganahl publishing stories than will fit in this space. Here’s the one that most affected my life. In 1991 I had a job interview with Jeff Smith and Pat Ganahl simultaneously, Jeff for Hot Rod and Pat for Rod & Custom. Pat later said that he told Jeff, “if you don’t hire him, I will.” Jeff did, and hence my whole career. Ganahl mentored me along the way and enjoyed causing me just a bit of trouble. I’m one of many 100s of thousands of people who gathered knowledge, entertainment, and inspiration from Pat Ganahl. Godspeed, and much sadness for his wife Anna and son Bill.

03/06/2022

The Olds Motor Works was bought by General Motors in 1908. General Motors discontinued the Oldsmobile brand in 2004, after a production run of 107 years.

The founder of Oldsmobile, Ransom Eli Olds, was born on June 3, 1864. He died in Lansing, Michigan in 1950 after a successful car career.

18/05/2022

Just when you thought you'd seen everything!

An international automotive partnership formed on May 16, 1952 when Studebaker and Porsche signed a contract to co-develop a new model.

28/04/2022

4/28 Have a great day!

Happy 4/28!!

17/04/2022

Such a good day. A fun car for everyone. From the humble coupe to the Shelby, Mustang has brought a lot of fun to a lot of people.

The Ford Mustang was released on April 17, 1964 at the New York Auto Show, going on sale across the nation the same day.

02/04/2022

Air cooled before it was cool.

Franklin introduced its V12 air-cooled engine on April 1, 1932. To some, it wass too much, too late, and the company folded in 1934.

07/03/2022

Anyone have a décor item in their ride?

16/02/2022

Leland...Automotive over achiever.

Henry Leland, founder of founder of Cadillac and Lincoln, was born on February 16, 1843. Lincoln is now owned by Ford.

27/12/2021

So far ahead he was, well, cancelled.

Automotive executive Preston Tucker was born on September 21, 1903. He would later create the Tucker 48 automobile.

14/11/2021

We lost a Hall of Fame Driver, Teacher, and friend of every Driver yesterday.

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/champion-race-car-driver-and-founder-of-the-bob-bondurant-school-of-high-performance-driving-passes-away-at-88-301423540.html

/PRNewswire/ -- Breaking overnight, America's iconic World Champion Bob Bondurant has passed away in Paradise Valley, Arizona. He is survived by his wife, Pat....

04/07/2021

Happy 4th! Independence! Freedom!

21/05/2021

Work on these specs while you enjoy a peaceful moment.

775 lb-ft of torque? We're thinking RCSB AWD Drag Truck ⚡️

Even though the all-new F-150 Lightning is only available in SuperCrew configuration... we can dream, right? All kidding aside, we're pumped for a mid-4 second 0-60 MPH time, 300-mile range with the extended range battery, all-wheel drive, independent rear suspension, a 10,000 lb towing capacity, and all starting at $39,974 before tax incentives!

We think the 2022 F-150 Lightning is a win! What do you think? 🤔

More Info --> https://buff.ly/3vbFeko

19/05/2021

From CNBC: “It is just the best of Ford,” Jim Farley, Ford’s CEO, said last week during the company’s annual shareholders meeting.

Farley has said the F-150 Lightning will be able “to power your home during an outage, it’s even quicker than the original F-150 Lightning performance truck; and it will constantly improve through over-the-air updates.”...

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a36464664/2022-ford-f-150-lightning-leaked/

The electric pickup appears to share its body with the gas version, but has different wheels and headlights.

10/05/2021

“There is never enough horsepower.....just not enough traction.”
- Carroll Shelby.
Carroll died on this date in 2012. Truly an American Badass.

30/04/2021

Stock, says something about the Ford approach to the product.

Ensenada, Mexico, April 30, 2021 – Adding to Bronco® brand’s off-road competition credentials, two lead Ford Bronco engineers piloting an all-new, fully stock 2021 Bronco Badlands four-door SUV across the harsh terrain of Mexico’s Baja peninsula landed a podium finish in the NORRA Mexican 100...

27/04/2021

Selling more than chickens....
https://youtu.be/nLwML2PagbY

As part of Mercedes-Benz Intelligent Drive, MAGIC BODY CONTROL ensures optimum driving comfort. Watch the “Chicken” advertisement here. More information abou...