Autumn Walker » Automotive

2010-07-01 – Auto Track Day at AMP

Scott — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 00:29:56 +0000

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2010-06-25 – Sunday River Hummer Offroad Event

Scott — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 22:16:26 +0000

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The first batch of pictures from the Hummer Offroad Event at Sunday River in Bethel, Maine. I have another 500 or so photos to sort through so expect another batch to be uploaded. I’ll post an update when they’re up.

2010-06-03 – Supercars in Halifax

Scott — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 15:01:50 +0000

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Better late then never, right? June 3, 2010 several supercars and exotics showed up in Halifax to start their rally to Montreal, Quebec to watch the Formula 1 race. It has taken me awhile to get around to it, but here are the photos! Enjoy.

Hummer H3 more environmentally friendly than a Toyota Prius?

Scott — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 14:41:53 +0000

I just came upon a website which argues that from “dust to dust” a Hummer H3 is more environmentally friendly than a Toyota Prius hybrid car.

You may be surprised if you thought hybrids were the obvious winners.

The Honda Accord Hybrid has an Energy Cost per Mile of $3.29 while the conventional Honda Accord is $2.18. Put simply, over the “Dust to Dust” lifetime of the Accord Hybrid, it will require about 50 percent more energy than the non-hybrid version, CNW claims.

And you may do a doubletake after reading this:

For example, while the industry average of all vehicles sold in the U.S. in 2005 was $2.28 cents per mile, the Hummer H3 (among most SUVs) was only $1.949 cents per mile. That figure is also lower than all currently offered hybrids and Honda Civics at $2.42 per mile.

I knew I made the right purchase

Source: 37signals.com / full 450 page report

2010-04-03 – Wheelin’ at the Curse

Scott — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 20:09:41 +0000

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Went out with some of the NSJC guys to check out “The Curse”. It’s a gnarly trail and there was some serious Jeep carnage done. All in all it was a great day though!

2010-03-27 – At the Range with Some Jeeps

Scott — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 23:43:21 +0000

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My new Hummer H3

Scott — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 22:44:08 +0000

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I traded in my Saab last night and picked up a lightly used (2008, 9000 kms) Hummer H3. The thing still has the “new car smell”! I met up with Dougie and his Rubiclone this morning and went wheelin’. Enjoy!

Wheelin’ at “The Range”

Scott — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 23:38:26 +0000

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Saab Lives!

Scott — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:47:50 +0000

There’s not much more to say than that; Saab lives on! It was officially announced today that Spyker cars was successful in their bid to purchase the company. I look forward to the future and the new models that will be introduced under the new management.

Now, if they can only sort out the Canadian distribution network…

R.I.P. Saab Automobile AB

Scott — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 18:32:10 +0000

For me and many other Saab owners and lovers, today is a sad day in automotive history. General Motors (GM) has officially pulled the plug on its Saab brand as it was unable to find a suitable buyer.

GM will now begin what they are calling “an orderly wind-down of Saab operations”, the meaning of which is not entirely clear to anyone. GM is assuring customers that their Saab will still be serviced and the warranties will still be honored although they are yet to tell anyone where/how to get the service done.

I received a letter from GM a couple weeks ago which was dated Nov 14 informing me that as of October 31, my local Saab dealership is no longer an authorized Saab dealer/service center. Nice of them to be on time with things… letter was dated two weeks after my local dealership was closed and I didn’t even receive the letter till the first week of December. I’m a bit bitter about this whole Saab thing.

Ultimately, it is a sad day for the automotive industry as a whole, Saab were innovators and the industry, let alone current car models, owe a lot of their successes to Saab’s innovations. A quick Wikipedia read reveals the following innovations from Saab:

1958: The GT 750 is the first car fitted with seatbelts as standard.
1963: Saab becomes the first volume maker to offer diagonally-split dual brake circuits.
1970: Saab introduces a world-first – headlamp wipers and washers.
1971: Heated front seats are introduced, the first time in the world they are fitted as standard.
1971: Saab develops the impact-absorbing, self-repairing bumper.
1976: Saab was the first manufacturer to produce a turbo engine with wastegate to control boost.
1978: Saab introduces another ‘world-first,’ the passenger compartment air filter (pollen filter).
1980: Saab introduces Automatic Performance Control (APC), and an anti-knock sensor that allowed higher fuel economy and the use of lower grade fuel without engine damage.
1985: Saab pioneers direct ignition, eliminating the distributor and spark plug wires.
1991: Saab is the first manufacturer to offer CFC-free air-conditioning.
1996: Saab introduces active head restraints (SAHR), which help minimize the risk of whiplash.
1997: Saab introduces Electronic Brake-force Distribution

… and the list goes on. How many modern cars use and profit from these innovations? A sad day indeed.

R.I.P. Saab Automobile AB

I sincerely hope that someone with the right intentions, proper financial backing, and sustainable plan picks up this brand in the future and returns it to its former glory. I will buy another Saab in a heartbeat, as quirky as my Saab is I love every little thing about it.