Gathered here are the Oppositelock posts that people have put a good deal of effort into writing from the last 24 hours. Today it includes heel-toeing on the daily commute, the excellence of classic car races and more.
No, really. I am. Not because I live on a race track and my commute is 10 laps long. Not because I'm street racing thugs with thick accents in BMW's. Not because I'm the second coming of Senna (my hair isn't quite that nice). No, just because I feel like it and I want to practice.
Unless you enjoy riding Christmas tree style on top of your car, chances are you'll spend an awful lot of time in it's interior. That means that whether you're in bumper to bumper traffic, cruising through 5 states in one day, or autocrossing in a parking lot you'll want an interior that you find comfortable, aesthetically pleasing, and well laid out. Now, of course we all have different visions of what such an interior looks like, so follow my lead below, and show me your favorites (and least favorites)!
Went to a historic race weekend at Brands Hatch last weekend. Great two days relaxing in the sun in the centre of a racetrack while race cars thunder around you. There's a great vibe to these events, and the paddock's completely open so you're free to wander around and pester the drivers by taking pictures. Lots of interesting metal waiting to get out on the track.
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In May, Hyundai Motorsport staged a secret test somewhere in Europe, and then teased the public by sending the "top secret" files - "spy" photos and "typed" material. But they also were quite effective at hiding the identity of the driver (blurring just about enough of his face, as you can see in the picture). We loved it. Lots and lots of guessing in the media and on Twitter, followed by lots and lots of denials until finally, not long ago, Hyundai revealed the name of this mysterious driver.
This is The Opposite Locker where we try and sort out the cool from the square. You are free to discuss your point of view of the cars, on the board and up to bat, within the comments with an optional use of the "Anna Kendrick Test." This is a discussion system detailing how cool a car is, not how fast, fun, or frivolous it may be, but how well it looks in the cat's pajamas.
Is it possible to successfully launch an automobile company with the sole purpose of answering to the public… no IPO’s, no Board of Directors, but pure American bliss. From it's inception, the business strategy will be transparency with the public and building vehicles created from the public, which coincidentally happens to be the consumer market. Of course, there has to be some structure and control to the business or else it will turn into anarchy and a financial money pit in the leagues of Eddie Murphy's Pluto Nash at the box office.
For those who don't know, I daily drive a beautiful 2003 Nissan Maxima with an automatic transmission. I know, it's not a hot hatch, and it's not a manual, but I want to just write up a little something about it. The car has been in our family since it was built. My grandfather bought it new, and my mum bought it off of him a few years ago for a penny. It's pretty snazzy: powerful engine, comfortable enough ride, and a heated steering wheel (important for a Canadian driver). I learned how to drive on it, as it was much preferred to my dad's 2003 Town & Country. I've done a fair amount of driving in it … and I realized something as I got home: I love this car.
As some may know, I'm engaged and living with my lady in São Paulo, Brazil. She's a Civil Engineer while I'm still e mere Engineering student and worker. We both use public transportation and have no car (when I moved to São Paulo I had to chose between having a car or a roof).
Morocco is not the first country to pop in your mind in terms of sports car manufacturer, but in 1999, Abdeslam Laraki, a local yacht designer, thought of creating a car company now known as Laraki Automobiles s.a. During its existence until 2008, Laraki, along with former Bugatti technical director Dr. Peter Tutzer, built two prototypes, the Fulgara and Borak.
Last Monday, a stretched Chrysler LeBaron blotted the land of Oppo like wildfire. Fortunately, no one said a word, and 81.25% of the voters quickly aimed for the Crack Pipe. Let's get away from cheap luxuries and into affordable coupes with the father of the Toyobaru twin, the Toyota AE86.
As always, If I've missed something and you would like me to include it, let me know.
Fun Discussions
There were several posts that asked questions and sparked some good discussion over the the last day. Take a peek and chime in on some of them listed below:
Just the #tips
Honourable Mentions
These posts have already been shared with Jalopnik directly but deserve to be mentioned again because they were first posted in Oppositelock:
Best of Oppositelock: July 17, 2013