Main page | September 10, 2007 »

Backseat Driver: Anyone got a rat rod out there?

First an apologia: This blog has been pretty haphazard of late. Reason is simple: I have been taking days off to take advantage of the glorious weather with my 5-year-old. Next week I will be back on schedule.

Meanwhile, does anyone out there have a rat rod they would like profiled in the projoCars section?

What's a rat rod? Wikipedia describes a rat rod as "a style of Hot Rod or Custom car that imitates (or exaggerates) the early hot rods of the 40s, 50s, and 60s. It is not to be confused with the somewhat closely related "Traditional" Hot Rod, which is an accurate re-creation or period-correct restoration of a Hot Rod from the same era.

Most Rat Rods appear "unfinished" (whether they actually are or are not), with just the bare essentials to be driven. More recently however, a trend has arisen of making the vehicle appear "unsafe" or "scary", whether the vehicle actually is or not."

So if you have one of these vehicles and want us to profile it, call me at 401-277-7403 or email me at pelsworth@projo.com. Look forward to hearing from you.

- Peter C.T. Elsworth

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 1:13 PM to commentary | Permalink | Comments 0

Death Valley's a hotbed of car-testing intrigue

DEATH VALLEY, Calif. — As if torture-testing cars in the nation's hottest place wasn't enough, Lee Foster had to worry about spies, according to USA Today.

Lots of them.

Foster was leading a team of engineers from South Korean automaker Kia putting disguised cars through the most grueling tests imaginable. All the while, they had to fend off a legion of car paparazzi hell-bent on grabbing shots of vehicles that hadn't yet been shown publicly.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 10:01 AM to Design | Permalink | Comments 0

Chrysler swipes exec from Toyota

Chrysler LLC, remaking itself as a private company, has raided the executive suites of Toyota once again, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Chrysler this morning named Toyota Motor North America President Jim Press as its new co-president and vice chairman.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 9:58 AM to Chrysler | Permalink | Comments 0

Oil up $1 as U.S. fuel stocks seen tightening

LONDON - Oil rose $1 on Thursday, closing in on an all-time high of $78.77, as investors expected U.S. refinery snags and slower imports to drain gasoline and crude stocks in the world's biggest consumer, according to Reuters News Agency.

Further momentum was provided after Syria accused Israel of bombing its territory on Thursday and warned it could respond -- a reminder of volatility in the Middle East, source of nearly a third of the world's oil.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 9:52 AM to Oil | Permalink | Comments 0