Friday, October 29, 2010

My thoughts on the think tank...

You know? A man should be able to take a dump in peace, really. Is it that much to ask? When you go into the bathroom and there's somebody already in the stall next to you. They don't make a single noise. They don't move, they don't even breathe. They know that YOU know they are there yet this sit and don't make a move. Forcing you to let it all loose while they listen. I must have been in there for 4 minutes waiting for him to breath, cause I wanted him to relent first. If I had a newspaper to read, I would have stayed in there until every single last letter passed under my eyes. What a freaking awkward and displeasing visit to the loo. I would like to propose a federal law requiring the installation of speakers for the playing of music or a white noise generator in each bathroom across the country!
Furthermore, DON'T TALK TO ME in the bathroom, especially at the urinal. That's the cardinal rule of the men's bathroom. If you want to have watercooler talk, then speak to me at the sink... or THE WATERCOOLER!



-Serrated

Thursday, October 7, 2010

The Top 12 Coolest Car Names


Let's try something a bit different and focus on some automotive chimera. An automobile with a meaningless name will never rank among the likes of such extravagance like the Ferrari Testarossa. The easiest way an automaker can doom a car is by giving it a name like "Tercel". If you continue on you'll read about twelve special cars that have always stood out to me.



1. Hyundai Genesis

Why is this car number one? Because it's Genesis. It's the beginning. The name is pretty
distinguished for a Hyundai but don't worry. There's ample car to go with the name. Hyundai really outdid themselves with this automobile. I've been quite impressed at the way things
have been going for this Korean car company. They have improved their offerings and overall quality tenfold in the last decade. However "Genesis" isn't just a cool name. It has true meaning and the technology to go with it. This car was designed with an enthusiast in mind... rear wheel drive. A 6 speed transmission. A V8 with massive literage compared to Hyundais in recent memory. Light weight construction. Great fit and finish and quality of materials. Most importantly it doesn't look like a pile of crap. (See: Hyundai Tiburon). This car didn't meet the accountant chopping block or perhaps it did but to a lesser degree. The power/drive train configuration and standard features are particularly appealing. I like it.

2. AMC Ambassador


Have you seen this car? This thing is like a seagoing barge with four wheels. Built by the American Motors Corporation. The same company that brought you the legendary 4.0L I6 from Jeep. I drove one of these cars years ago and I loved it. I don't know, but I seem to have a strange fascination with massive cars. Similar to this car and narrowly escaping this list was the Ford Galaxie. Must be the American gene kicking in.





3. Hudson Hornet

Classy. Probably one of my favorite cars from the era. Hudson merged with two other companies in 1954: Nash Motors and The Kelvinator Appliance company to form AMC. Two years prior to the merge, Kelvinator invented and released what is now known as the side by side refrigerator. One of the first frost free fridges. Quite the odd couple, eh?




4. Aston Martin Vanquish

Probably the most sexy car in the history of the universe. If looks could kill, it'd be that signature Aston grille. There's no mistaking the looks and sound of a V12 Aston.









5. Dodge Viper

America's best attempt at a super car. I've always loved some of the crazy concoctions from Ford and Shelby, but the Viper wins my heart all day long. Lusting after the crosshairs in the grille, I've been tempted by lesser Dodges before. Still, the Viper is one of the best names in the industry and it's got plenty of performance and style to go with it. America still does muscle best.





6. Toyota Supra

The only "Toy" to appear in the list. In generalities, I hate Japanese cars. I find them to be dull and boring appliances. But if I am being honest, I have to give the Supra it's dues. One of the coolest automobile names to ever come from Japan. If I am still being honest, I'd take a turbo Supra over a M3 any day.





7. AMC Javelin

AMC makes yet another appearance in this list. This is one of the most underrated cars I've ever seen. Take a look at the radical lines and unorthodox dimension attributes. This is a crazy cool car and for once it actually came with a name suitable for the styling. Once again... if looks could kill... Perhaps it did kill a lot of people with it's terrible crash ratings, but that wasn't the point here. This is a cool car with a cool name and it deserves a lot more credit than people give it.



8. Chrysler Imperial

Webster defines Imperial as "of superior or unusual size or excellence". This was Chrysler's flagship for decades and it really did set the bar for luxury. Other automakers tried but could never quite match the distinction and supremacy this car brought to the industry. No, Chrysler wasn't trying to impose communistic propaganda with this car, although many conspiracy theorists claim it did. This was a great time for Chrysler... Cadillac may have dominated the class, but the Imperial definitely out classed the Caddy. A great car and a cool name. Oh, and they make fantastic demolition derby cars too.



9. Ford Falcon
This car was named after an agile and vivacious bird. These damn birds have been clocked diving at speeds more than 200mph. Were talking about a small bird weighing less than a pound. Anyway, Ford picked a great name for one of the best selling compacts at the time. It went fisticuffs with the Plymouth Valiant, Studebaker Lark and Chevy Corvair. The car looks great and it was cheap.




10. AMC Gremlin

Ughh... another AMC!!! You might be thinking that I am biased to AMC by now, but can you blame me? Collectively, this company had better names for more cars than any Italian or German brand put together! The Gremlin was probably one of the ugliest cars ever made... outdone only by it's little brother the AMC Pacer (as made famous in Wayne's World). Ugly or not, the Gremlin will forever go down in history as one of the coolest names ever. I will own one of these things strictly for this reason.



11. Bentley Arnage

I can't say I particularly like this car but if I am being honest, it's got that classic English disposition. It's the very embodiment of British form. I'm sure they spent millions just developing the name for this car. Amongst other things, it has 500hp, seats made from one single piece of leather (and the barbed wire pricks the cow got into), to the 2500 year old wooden trim that was risen from the depths of the ocean to the wheels machined from one solid piece of aluminum. 6,000lbs of pure British excellence. Something you should expect from a $270,000 car.


12. Lamborghini Countach (koon - tosh)


Directly translated from Italian, this means "Oh Wow" or something beautiful or particularly striking. One example I heard a while back if you see a beautiful woman walking by, you'd say to your mate "Ooohhh countach!". This car definitely has the most radical design of any car in this list and it's got the energy and substance a true supercar should have. It was kind of crappy and unreliable, but it had a lot of the most important thing a car can have... Soul.



I hope this list opened your mind to the wonderful world of motoring. It's a huge part of our lives and culture. We should enjoy motoring and let it fill our lives with joy and excitement. The love of the automobile has changed my life forever.



-Serrated