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Cadillac
November 30th, 2007 by Shenron
Cadillac is the highest of the high class vehicles sold by General Motors, with Buick being second to it (as another GM class and brand of vehicle line). The Cadillac Company was created from the burning remains of the HFC (Henry Ford Company) and the company was dissolved. Intent on liquidating the plant in 1902, the two fiscal backing investors Murphy and Bowen asked an engineer named Henry Leland to price the items to be sold – instead he convinced the two to keep going, and use his new engine. Thus they renamed the company and it got the name Cadillac. Within a decade it was already making finely engineered vehicles that were the epitome of luxury vehicles and actually set the standards for many things, such as being the very first to use electric starters on the engines which replaced the often arm-breaking engine crank – followed by being the first to use the V8 engine in 1914, not to mention using electricity to light the lights rather than a lantern using fire. Later in the 20’s they decided to use a designer to make the car look nice first, then incorporated shatter-resistant glass a year later, followed by automatic transmissions instead of manuals, and a V16 engine.
In 1909 it was incorporated into GM and then suffered extreme low sales in the depression of the 30’s. After this they bounced back by changing their often racially segregated auto sales by allowing anyone to buy a Cadillac (hard to imagine that could happen – but it was the 1930s) after these policy changes and other changed Cadillac remained the only automobile brand to earn a profit in the depression – and sped up production while reducing costs by being the very first to use Phillips Screws and Drivers. Today Cadillac remains on the cutting edge and as one of the highest quality auto brands in the world on par with the oft coveted Rolls Royce.
Tags: Cadillac, Car Brands
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Buick
November 29th, 2007 by Shenron
David Buick founded the Buick Company in 1902, and in 1904 it was taken over – he was bought off and died two decades latter, none the richer for his effort. His main claim to fame is, however, that he developed a new kind of engine head called the “Overhead Valved” engine. What made this such a revolutionary invention was that is placed the camshaft inside the cylinder block, and then used rods above the head to engage the valves. These engines are smaller, less complex, and reduce service time in the event of a breakdown – however there is a limitation on the rpm it can produce and the design flexibility in the cylinder head. However, Buick’s little company lived on and soon became the biggest manufacturer of vehicles in America; having succeeded in all of these elements the mastermind William C Durant called his new conglomeration of companies “General Motors”. Buick was marketed and produced in the beginning of this conglomeration as the high entry level luxury vehicle that only Cadillac could beat (as Cadillac was meant as the higher up name and vehicles).
Currently Buick is one of the oldest names in the world for cars, but its close cousin and fellow GM brand Oldsmobile has been cut and killed – and many fear the same fate lies in store for Buick in order to cut costs… besides that though the Buick has been the second class luxury vehicle (second to the number one Luxury brand Cadillac) produced by GM for the richer but not opulent price range of buyer. They began consolidations in 05 of their lines a full century after Buick was founded, killing off the Regal and Century, and then replacing those two with the LaCrosse. Then they killed off the Park Avenue and slapped on the Lucerne last year – and further cut more vehicles this year with the discontinuations of their two SUV lines – Rainier and Rendezvous so that next year they could bring about their newest line for SUVs called the Enclave.
Tags: Buick, Car Brands
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Bugatti
November 29th, 2007 by Shenron
Bugatti was founded by an Italian man named Ettore Bugatti, and his little car company was known as one of the best car manufacturers for motor racing in the world having taken many land speed records and won many grand Prix races across Europe – and also winning the first Monaco Grand Prix. This success lasted the company all the way to 39 with consistent showings at rallies and races, culminating with the 1937 and 1939 win of the Le Mans.
They were originally designed to be super vehicles fused with art and with precision, having finishes done by hand on even the engine block, and even the most mundane safety wires being worked through the vehicle in a visually stunning manner. Between 1921 and 1939 Bugatti’s wont more than forty race events and were considered the best in the business. Tragedy struck with Ettore’s son was killed in one of his cars while testing it in 1939, soon after the income that was being made dried up and then World War 2 came along. They lost the factory, the land, and were decimated. Then another son, Roland Bugatti, tried to bring it back in the 50’s, to no avail – but he did not give up.
In the 80’s Bugatti had largely been regulated into airplane parts and other such things, with the previous decade having seen Bugatti and another company Messier being combined to make Messier Bugatti, however in 87 an Italian named Romano Artioli bought Bugatti and formed a new company named Bugatti Automobile SpA. Following this the new company built a new factory in Italy and new designs were on the table. It was a new super-car, touted as the most technologically advanced vehicle of the time ever created and made, then as if it couldn’t seem better Artioli bought Lotus, the other big racing name – but recession doomed the effort, and in 95 they discontinued production. For a while the name lay dormant, until a most familiar name came along and bought the company and the rights to use Bugatti. Volkswagen. Currently they are producing prototype super cars and preproduction super cars that can reach over 250 miles per hour – and many more will be built for the collector and luxury markets soon.
Tags: Bugatti, Car Brands
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Common Terms Used In F1 Racing
November 28th, 2007 by Shenron
Like any other sport, Formula One racing is governed by its own set of rules and regulations continually shaped throughout its history. Because of this, it is inevitable that certain terms may have been developed to pertain to some of its specifics. These may not be grasped nor understood by new enthusiasts. Listed as follows are some of the important terms often misunderstood and misused in F1 racing.
Contrary to popular notion, the term “clean air” in F1 racing does not pertain to safe and fresh breathing air. On the other hand, clean air is a term used to identify the air encountered by the leading car in an ongoing race. Clean air is considered to be an advantage for the leading racecar since this air is not yet affected by turbulences possibly caused by other racecars. As such, it gives the best aerodynamic grounds for the leading racecar.
If the race is bound to reach its end but the driver suddenly realizes that his fuel would not be enough to last until the race is finished, he would then have to “splash and dash”. This means that the driver would have to enter his pit so that the pit crew could put only a small amount of gasoline in his car, just about enough to let the car finish the race. The refueling does not have to be full tank. It got its name as “splash and dash” since the car gets only a splash of gas and must afterwards dash off towards the finish line.
A “stop-go penalty” may also be enforced during an F1 racing. In this penalty, the driver is then required to stop for ten seconds inside his pit area before going back to rejoin the race. During the ten-second penalty, nothing may be done to reinforce the racecar’s needs such as refueling or tire changes. It is plainly a time-out penalty without any other benefits.
Another known penalty is called the “drive-through”. As it speaks for itself, the driver simply needed to drive-through at his pit area within a regulated speed before rejoining the race.
During an F1 race, “stewards” are the event’s three highest-ranking officials who are mainly responsible in making decisions about the race and the drivers. “Marshals” are the ones in charge of making sure that race runs smoothly and safely. Apart from the race drivers, they are responsible for the safety of the spectators, which is why they are often seen waving different color-coded, flags from time to time.
On an F1 racing weekend, each teams’ motor homes and transporters are kept in an area called as the “paddock” wherein only authorized persons are permitted to reach. Another off-limits area to the public is the “parc femme”. The parc femme is a special fenced area where racecars are kept after completing the qualifying race. Even team members are strictly prohibited from the area so that alterations on the racecars would be prevented. On the race day itself, each race team together with their necessary equipment is placed in the “pits”. This is where the racecars make their “pit stop” for necessary car changes during the race.
F1 races also have “pit walls” which houses the team managers, owners, and engineers as they monitor the ongoing race.
On the racetrack, another important term often used is the “chicane”. A chicane is a section on the race track which helps slow down cars by using a series of coners that alternate direction as a car drives by. This is an important safety feature used on F1 racetracks.
Brushing up on these terms would surely help any new F1 fans enjoy the sport more as they encounter different possibilities while watching the action unfold right in front of their very eyes.
Tags: Formula 1
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BMW
November 27th, 2007 by Shenron
BMW is an acronym of one of the world’s most famous car brands that manufactures luxury cars, performance cars, motorcycles, and has several subsidiaries (Mini and Rolls-Royce) and has been in business since 1922, however it can been seen as being older dating back to 1916 with the two founding fathers of the company – Gustav Otto and Karl Rapp, along with three others who actually took BMW and ran with it through many difficulties: Max Friz, Joseph Popp, and finally Camillo Castiglioni. They originally began with engines for aircraft, then moved on to motorbikes and finally automobiles the same year the roaring 20’s came to a crashing end.
Their first crisis came in 1918 with World War I coming to an end, and the demand for parts, motors, and services ceasing immediately causing BMW to shut down. During the forced closure the company (under the stewardship of Popp) went right back to manufacturing consumer goods meant for a non-military market and soon had engine lines for many different things that needed them (you know, boats, cars, motorbike, the whole thing) until brakes became their mainstay, and they almost became wholly owned by the company they manufactured for… but then came Camillo Castiglioni – who bought back the engine making areas and the patents, and the trademark which were considered ‘insignificant’ for a VERY large 75 million marks.
After doing this he (Castiglioni) took his current airplane engine manufacturer BFW and renamed it to BMW, and the rest follows a pretty straightforward path. They got business from the Russians for engines (The Red Army actually), followed by great incomes from this. Friz and Popp secured the future of the company, and then the motorbikes were manufactured – giving BMW a massive amount of fame, followed by automobiles. The Second World War ravaged BMW and lead to a new kind of crisis – the plants were destroyed, the assets in the east were taken by the Soviets, and they were banned from building anything for three years. Finally just as things seemed better 1959 reared its ugly head – they almost were sold to Benz. Instead there was a change in heart, and the man with the chips Herbet Quandt bought 50% of BMW and flipped the company around. Four years later and the company were again in the black. Today they are constantly expanding and growing.
Tags: BMW, Car Brands
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