Zen for the gearhead

You know those moments in your life when you just find your Zen? I remember one of mine.

It was about eight years ago, and I was trackside in the early hours of the morning at Laguna Seca in Monterey, CA. I was working on a press junket at the time with the American LeMans series and was out shooting with some hospitality team Audi / Champion racing. I was alone, walking to check out a photo hole, when the engines started and started ripping through the track. It was the Audi R8, the Viper, and of course that yellow C6 Corvette with an unmistakable growl. I don’t know what it was about that morning, but I’ll always remember the time I had that section of the track all to myself, and to have the stillness of misty October morning shattered by screaming cylinders.

That’s why Jalopnik made my day today by posting the following link of the race at night, and just the sounds. It’s truly music to my ears. If you have ever enjoyed an ALMS race, this is for you.

http://jalopnik.com/5811092/hear-the-glorious-sound-of-the-mulsanne-straight-at-2-am

This weekend was the annual 24 hours of LeMans and Audicame out on top again, despite a scary crash near the beginning of the race, which fortunately McNish walked away from.

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Mercury's Dropping

The latest rumors on the auto industry front is from Jalopnik, and it says there are rumors that Ford is considering terminating the Mercury brand. This would make sense, as the brand is targeted toward women, a gap which Fords new prego-and-estrogen heavy advertising and media blitz fills nicely. With no market segment, no distinct styling and no excitement, the graveyard would seem like an appropriate place for the brand that fills space in dealers that could be room for more profitable Lincolns.

But on the flip side, this could be wrong, who knows, maybe the Grand Marquis is a sleeping giant for sales that solidifies the brand for consumers while on the underpinnings of the super profitable Crown Vic platform.  it would be like making money without even trying.

What will you miss? Will it be the Sable? the Tracer? the Villager, which was touted to hanlde not like a minivan? I think most people will agree that the two things we will miss the most from Mercury will be the 2003 Marauder, and Jill Wagner.



photo courtesy of Edmunds.com

via Jalopnik

http://jalopnik.com/5549458/report-ford-to-kill-mercury