i saw a lady in a big SUV come to a full stop at a green light the other day. it was awesome.

it’s snowing like crazy in Chicago at the moment. thank goodness i’m safe and warm indoors watching 2012 Dakar Rally participants race through the South American desert.

got a parking ticket today because i didn’t feed the meters in a private lot. the good news is, the fine was actually cheaper than what i would’ve had to pay to park there legitimately.

i went to a classic car show a few months ago and met the event organizer who also turned out to be the owner of several vehicles at the show including this one: a 1950s Pontiac Chieftan. unfortunately, the Chieftan no longer runs (note the tow rope) and has some rust problems but it’s still beautiful.

as a car, it’s a tired piece of rusty junk. i would never want to drive this thing around (underpowered gas-guzzling engine, weak brakes, no power steering, probably weighs something like 12 tons) but then again, i wouldn’t have a go in a Qin Dynasty chariot, either.

as a historical object then, it’s brilliant. i could stare at this thing for hours and take in every last detail, intentional or otherwise, from the contours of the rear quarter panel to the rust patterns on the grille.

fantastic.

look at what my brother Dan got me for Christmas!



it’s an official shirt from the now defunct Hayate Racing Team which carried on with the Ninja ZX-RR after Kawasaki withdrew from MotoGP at the end of 2008. Hayate’s existence only lasted for the 2009 MotoGP season during which they shut up their critics with an astounding second place finish by rider Marco Melandri at the French Grand Prix.

to me, Hayate embodied the true spirit of motorsport: they didn’t have the money, the factory support or even a terribly competitive bike but with sheer grit, determination, and talent, they managed to achieve some amazing results. watch out for them next year as they return to MotoGP under the Forward Racing banner with Colin Edwards on the BMW-powered Suter. i can’t wait.

i know i, for one, will be wearing this proudly at the Indianapolis Grand Prix next year.

remember when i said that i knew of someone who parks his motorcycle inside his office?



how awesome is that?

joy of joys, my replacement disabled parking placard finally came in!

rockstar parking: initiated.

thanks to my brother Dan the super sleuth, i now know about the mystery badge i posted yesterday. it’s the emblem of the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (founded, strangely enough, by two white men in Manhattan) or, as they are more commonly known, the Shriners.

shouldn’t this have been found on a much smaller car then?

i spotted this strange emblem on the back of a Hyundai the other day but it’s from no country that i know of. anyone know what it is?

i spotted this beautiful Aston Martin DBS Volante outside the Mall of the Emirates in Dubai last year and yes, it’s parked in between a Porsche Panamera and a Maserati GranTurismo; did i mention that i took these photos in Dubai?

right. the DBS is Aston Martin’s current flagship model which basically means it’s a piece of art with an engine big enough for a small child to hide inside. it’s dripping with goodies, from an intelligent suspension system to numerous carbon fiber components; even the carpets are made of the stuff.

the only thing that bothers me about this car (and i suppose all current Aston Martin models) is the “Emotion Control Unit.” “Emotion Control Unit,” let that shameless marketing term stew in your mind for a moment before i tell you what it is. ready? it’s a key, a fancy, unconventionally shaped, sapphire and stainless steel key. it’s what you use to bring this beast of a car to life, the keymaster to Aston’s gatekepeer of automotive bliss.

so why does it sound like something from a dystopian film?