Saturday Car Thread 6-14-2014 - [Niedermeyer's Dead Horse]

Kicking off this week's car thread, Moron Alo Konsen/Ohio Coastie tweeted this little badass beauty:

I was interested, so I looked for more information about it and, WOW!

Sam Schmidt, who has been paralyzed below the shoulders since slamming into a wall 14 years ago, always believed he’d never drive again. On Sunday, he will–in a Corvette he will control by shaking his head and gnashing his teeth.

Schmidt was a promising driver with 27 Indy Racing League starts when he went into the wall at Walt Disney World Speedway in Orlando, Florida on January 6, 2000. He knew he’d never race again, but one year later he returned to motorsports with his own team, now known as Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. He’s enjoyed a measure of success as a team owner, but driving seemed out of the question.

Until seven months ago, when the folks at Arrow Electronics called to ask if he’d like to get behind the wheel again. Schmidt said he signed on “without hesitation.”

Did I say, "WOW!" yet?

2015 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray updated: includes new eight-speed automatic:

Speaking of Corvettes, I spent a couple of hours, last Saturday, at the Goodyear dealership and, just across the street, the Chevy dealer was holding a Corvette show. The day was suppose to be filled with thunderstorms so almost half the usual number of cars, including the real show-stoppers, failed to show. Naturally, it turned out to be a spectacular day after all.

Here are a few pics:

Not a Corvette, but drew lots of attention nonetheless:

And this Corvette, of all the old and new Corvettes there, is the one I'd like to own. Laugh if you will, but it appeals to me. It's more stylish than the current models and it wouldn't place me in mortal fear of it becoming damaged or destroyed as would one of the classics. As Goldilocks might say, This little 'Vette fits me jusssst right.

While we're discussing GM cars, there's this:

And, even more stupidity from GM. GM app will let you scan a license plate then text that driver:

Ever look at something and think, “Who the heck thought this was a good idea?” No? Well, you’re about to. General Motors’ Chinese research and development division has come up with a new Android app that will allow people to scan license plates and send messages to the vehicle’s owner, regardless of whether the other driver has downloaded the app.

It’s called DiDi Plate, and aside from the privacy concerns (which, we know, don’t mean a lot in the People’s Republic), the potential for abuse here is huge. Drivers could be easily harassed, whether they deserve to be or not, while we can imagine a cottage advertising industry popping up, with people that simply scan plates and send messages to drivers on behalf of local businesses.

In case you haven't noticed the recent trend, I've come to rely upon Automotive News
to capture all that's fit to print in the automotive world. They've made the Saturday Car Post a much easier task because, frankly, I've learned that, if it's in the news, these folks will have it covered. If you aren't following them, you should be.

This poster art of famous movie cars was tweeted by our own dear Zakn.

It's been a few weeks since we had a good driving song, so...

Sing it, George!

This week's Malebows and Elbows are courtesy of Moron Scottst. Zipping around Vegas in style:

Aww, what the heck! While we're on the subject:

Please feel free to send any complaints or commendations to me at Twitter: Nied's Dead Horse.

posted by Open Blogger at 05:40 PM

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