the drive from Los Angeles to Las Vegas went by pretty quickly and the car drove pretty well even though the trunk and backseat were packed with Beka’s belongings. surprisingly, we made it here on much less than one tank of gas, averaging 40 miles per gallon. not bad for 10 year-old Mitsubishi Mirage, eh?

easily one of the most anticipated cars of the decade, the Nissan GT-R raised the benchmark both in terms of value for money (it can outrun most supercars for a fraction of the cost) as well as production methods (each engine is hand-built in a hermetically-sealed laboratory, the body was developed over years of wind tunnel testing, etc).

at this point, i could write about how each crease and curve in the body serves an important aerodynamic purpose or about how the wheels have a knurled lip to prevent the tires from coming off during high speed corning; i could go on and on about all the little things on this car that add up to what many people claim is the ultimate package but i won’t because this isn’t an automotive website and i’m too lazy.

i will say this, though: why did it take so long for me to see one in the wild?!

yesterday: i stand on the corner chatting with two homeless friends sharing a flask of vodka. a beautifully immaculate Aston Martin V8 Vantage roars by.

i’m trying to figure out the origin of the term “pit stop” (as in “Michael Schumacher went in for a pit stop”). anyone out there have a clue?

at a glance, this Chrysler Newport Custom is just another nondescript American boat from the late ’60s and it definitely would be if not for the fact that somebody lives in it. yeah, some dude sleeps in there. i know because i see him getting out of the car in the morning all the time despite it only being moved for street cleaning. see that bicycle? it’s actually handcuffed to the door handle and, as far as i can tell, is the guy’s main source of transportation.

as for the car itself, it doesn’t seem to be in too bad a shape; there are no signs of rust or corrosion, just the odd missing piece of trim, some scuffs and faded paint. the interior may be a little worse for wear but it’s difficult to tell with all the crap inside. i could peek in for a closer look next time but i don’t think its resident would be very pleased.