The best 5:55 of your day, art lover.

One squashed Bug - how on Earth does he drive it?

blinddragonmetalart:

“The Woodruff Special”

There’s a couple of vids on this site: http://onlycarsandcars.blogspot.com/2010/05/vw-beetle-kafer-bug-run-extreme-low.html

(via bikefreak)

Williams celebrates first win in years - and 70th birthday - with a garage fire. One treated for burns, 30 more for smoke inhalation. Best coverage here.

From the definitive source: Hot Rod. Carroll Shelby dead at 89

Sweeeeet …

(Source: icantgetmyusernameonthisshit, via sexdrugsnracknpinion)

Damn! I love this.

It occurs to me I’m due for one of my old columns. This one’s from 2008.

Hail, they said. And it wasn’t meant as a greeting.

No, it was a weather report, delivered with an undercurrent of slightly too much glee on Wednesday. Hail. That might make for an interesting ride home.

Fortunately, it merely rained; cold, fat drops that fall only in autumn, the kind that hit you with a splat and leave no doubt this is no summer shower.

Not that we had many of those this summer. The cold, fat variety seemed to follow us from March, but there were a few good riding days in there, and a few half-good days, so I’m not complaining. About the summer, that is. I may break down and complain about the fall.

Not that there has been enough to complain about, yet. I’ll just issue a little whine, here and now, that it is coming at all.

So soon?

It is tough riding a motorcycle in Newfoundland. I have used mine more to commute than any joy riding, which I think may have gotten me quite a few more days in the saddle than some out there, if not as many kilometres. Some people, when they ride, they really ride.

I met a guy in Flatrock during the Targa Newfoundland prologue this year who showed up to watch the fun in a very red Jaguar, but he kept a bike at home in Gander. His idea of a ride was hopping on in Gander and buzzing in to St. John’s for a soda or something. Then home again, with a detour to have a look at Bonavista just for a kick. 

OK, he may have taken a nap somewhere along the route, but you can see it was more about the miles and less about where they led.

He’s not alone in that, by any stretch. If anything, I’m the weird one (no surprise there, says you). What sad fool would wrap himself in the gear and haul that machine out of its cozy shed just to roll into morning traffic?

Where are the curves, where is the romance of the open road? Waiting for someone’s grandma to crawl her way up to the Fowlers Road ramp, where the two lanes finally open up coming out of C.B.S., is no way to get yer motor running. Ditto dodging road construction on the Kilbride overpass, which Tuesday had everything snarled for 15 or 20 minutes at the morning’s peak.

Managed to avoid that one, but you see where I’m coming from. The morning commute — afternoon, too, for that matter — is dreaded by so many people. How could one possibly take something as divine as a motorcycle ride and debase it so regularly?

Easily, in fact. Because every day, on every ride, there is that one sweeping bend, that smile-producing scent, that one glorious free moment that defines riding; weather, traffic and any other potential negative be damned.

So I will keep commuting for a while yet, and maybe even grab a real ride or two for its own sake, before I have to brush the snow off the seat. Only then I will resign myself to the truth of riding in Newfoundland: it ain’t no yearlong engagement, even if it is a 12-month love affair.

Ken Simmons breathes exhaust and exhales clean, fresh air. Contact him at hauler1234@yahoo.ca

In honour of a follow from excellent blog madetodefend, a couple of shots of my old CJ, climbing Table Mountain overlooking Wreckhouse on the southwest corner of Newfoundland.

Every dog owner has seen these eyes …

tastefullyoffensive:

[via]

Great behind-the-scenes shot of Butch “Eddie Munster” Patrick admiring the best part of the Tom Daniel-designed, Barris-built Munster Koach.

(via slownlow)

Swap and shop - where were these guys when I had my Bug? Here’s the deets from vogn.org:

It’s that time of year again! The fog is rolling in, the salt is washing away and it’s time to start getting ready for a summer of rollin. Start gathering all of your spare VW parts for VOGN.org’s Swap & Shop on Sunday, May 6 2012 supported by Bill Matthew’s VW Audi (BMVWA). 
The Swap & Shop will take place on Sunday, May 6 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at the rear parking lot of BMVWA. There’s no cost to participate. If you are looking to sell, buy or swap parts or just come out and swap some tales this is the time and place to di it. Please Do Not bring parts that may cause oil and fluids to leak on the pavement - this doesn’t apply to your current VW ride which maybe parked on site  

We had a great little event last spring and it was a good way to kick off the season. Hopefully we can get a few more people out this year selling, swapping and buying parts for all makes and models of VW and Audi.

Please spread the word of this event. Thanks to Danny at BMVWA for helping us make this little gtg happen again this year.

Don’t bother to wrap it. I’ll wear it home …

(Source: crownofdestruction, via automotivated)

(via bikefreak)