About everything there is to know about the B25... including where all of the known ones are that fly, are on display, are getting restored

All this is just a small part of the info at http://www.skytamer.com/North_American_B-25D.html

they even wrote that Indonesia was flying B25s until 1979

possible origin of the fire truck... a Roman extortionist

In the early days of Rome a real estate investor/ extortionist named Crassus used a team of firefighters in an effective scheme. There was no public firefighting service at that time, so when a building was on fire, Crassus and his team would show up with their water pump. Before fighting the fire, Crassus would make a very low offer on the building, and to neighboring building owners. If the owners refused, Crassus let the building burn and spread to neighboring buildings, and would later make an even lower offer. If the owner agreed to sell the property, the firefighters would try to put the fire out. Crassus became very wealthy with this scheme, owned a good portion of the city of Rome, bought his way into political office, and ruled Rome as Triumvirate with Pompey and Julius Caesar.

found on http://patentpending.blogs.com/patent_pending_blog/2005/06/the_fire_truck.html

Tour De France, aka race of cheaters

Seagrave Safety Sedan, restored by the Detroit fire dept volunteers, to be used as a fire dept hearse

I remember finding out about this a couple years ago, but was unable then to find anything out about it.
These images are found on http://www.flickr.com/photos/sjb4photos/8061362709/in/set-72157627006001214/

Mopar bulletin #2 and 28.... (some good bits), thanks to Jay!

Aircraft speeds over time, from 1900-1960's

Found on http://progress-is-fine.blogspot.com 

the more time goes by, the more the rules change when the powers that be figure out they were wrong.

Found on http://twentytwowords.com/ 

How to drive through all 48 of the contiguous United States

Stephen Von Worley mapped out the most efficient drive that would take a person through every state in the lower 48 and D.C. The route begins in South Berwick, Maine and ends 6,872 miles later in Taft, Montana.

Found on http://twentytwowords.com/how-to-drive-through-all-48-of-the-continental-united-states-in-113-hours/

You can work with the map at the Google Maps link

investigation in New Orleans finds traffic court judge seasoned traffic law violator (surprise!)

An investigation by WWLTV in New Orleans found that several traffic court judges and clerks were using illegal license plates and lights on their taxpayer funded cars. Yes, they get free cars.

 According to the report, five taxpayer-funded cars had been outfitted with blue emergency dashboard lights, which is a violation of state law.

 Judge Jones III also had another piece of equipment on his car that was a potential traffic violation: A plastic cover over his license plate that reflects flash cameras like those used to collect tickets for driving violations. Using the plastic cover is another violation of state law.

Found on http://autos.aol.com/article/traffic-officials-illegal-plates/

wrong person for the top safety job, the former director of the Massachusetts Sate Highway Safety Division has 32 instances of breaking the driving laws, including failure to stop for police - twice. That is a lot of tickets to still have a license

the director of the state's highway safety division, had 32 entries on her driving record since 1984.

Those included seven accidents, four speeding violations, two failure-to-stop-for-an-officer citation and one failure-to-wear-a-seat-belt mark.

from 2007 to 2012 she was the director, working for the office of public safety, and until she got into an accident sufficient to hospitalize her, and that accident? Hers was the only car involved. So... hit any trees or buildings lately?

found on http://autos.aol.com/article/Massachusetts-highway-safety-driving-record-Sheila-Burgess/

top execs of car companies like BMW, Cadillac, Jaguar, some GM dept heads, and other top dogs were asked about their first cars, surprisingly most were ordinary

Bob Ferguson, now head of Cadillac, drove a 1976 Mustang II, powered by a 302-cc V8 engine.

 Bill Peffer, Cadillac's U.S. VP of sales and service, also started off with a Ford, a 1987 Mustang GT.

Andy Goss of Britain, now president of Jaguar Land Rover North America, had a 1981 Mini, in russet brown. 

CEO of BMW North America Ludwig Willisch had a 1958 Beetle, about 20 years old by the time he got his hands on it. It was not a unique choice, he said: "In my generation, the probability of driving a Beetle is very high, because at that time Beetle had about 50% market share," he explained. "Especially for poor students, it had close to 100% market share."

For more: http://www.businessinsider.com/top-auto-execs-reveal-their-first-car-2014-2

New Hampshire city attorney sues parking meter feeders, they are cutting into city revenue by preventing the meter maids from writing tickets

The city of Keene, N.H., has sued a group that feeds change into parking meters that are about to expire, saying members are harassing parking enforcement officers.

The group calls itself "Robin Hood of Keene." Members walk city streets with rolls of dimes and quarters to feed the meters. WMUR-TV reports the city accuses the group of interfering with officers' work. It asks them to stay at least 50 feet away.

The group records its time outside and posts videos online, sometimes showing members following the officers.

The city says one officer suffered stress, anxiety and heart palpitations from the group's actions. Group member Garret Ean says he's not trying to cause any medical problems. He says he tries to keep a good demeanor with all the parking meter enforcers.

Found on http://autos.aol.com/article/parking-meter-new-hampshire-keene-police-robin-hood/

Don't trust the repair shop to take care of your rare and valuable car... often, the mechanics joy ride and wreck the customers car.

In Stuttgart Germany, this 300 SL was worth 3/4s of a million dollars, roughly.... before it was rolled and wrecked by the 26 and 19 yr old mechanics. Found on http://www.businessinsider.com/super-rare-mercedes-gets-totaled-after-mechanics-take-it-for-a-joy-ride-2013-3#.UVRGMy5_sbY.reddit via http://flaviogomes.warmup.com.br/

And not very long ago I posted about the ZL1 Camaro the dealership was refusing to replace after it's young mechanics wrecked it http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2014/01/dropping-off-your-new-zl1-camaro-at.html

a new take on the side of the road people drive on

found on http://twentytwowords.com/

Vivian Maier photo (upcoming movie about her soon) by accident captured a 1969 Coronet

what is the info on the hupcap center? I don't recognize it. 

She was born in New York City, she moved between the U.S. and France several times during her childhood, living with her mother near to her mother's relations. Her father seems to have left the family for unknown reasons by 1930. In the census that year, the head of the household was listed as award-winning portrait photographer Jeanne Bertrand

 In 1951, at the age of 25, Maier moved from France to New York, where she worked in a sweatshop. She made her way to the Chicago in 1956. and there, for approximately 40 years, she worked on and off as a nanny. For a brief period in the 1970s, Maier worked as a nanny for Phil Donahue's children.

 The families that employed her described her as very private and reported that she spent her days off walking the streets of Chicago and taking photographs, most often with a Rolleiflex camera.

She learned English by going to theaters, which she loved. ... She was constantly taking pictures, which she didn't show anyone. In 1959 and 1960, Maier took photographs in Los Angeles, Manila, Bangkok, Beijing, Egypt, Italy, and the American Southwest. The trip was probably financed by the sale of a family farm in France.

Toward the end of her life, Maier may have been homeless for some time. She lived on Social Security and may have had another source of income. The children she had cared for in the early 1950s bought her an apartment in the Rogers Park area of Chicago and paid her bills.

 In 2008, she slipped on ice and hit her head. She did not fully recover and died in 2009 at the age of 83. Maier's photographic legacy – in the form of some 100,000 negatives, many still undeveloped – was discovered by a 26-year-old real estate agent, John Maloof, who bought 30,000 prints and negatives from an auction house that had acquired the photographs from a storage locker that had been sold off when Maier was no longer able to pay her fees. After buying the first collection of Maier photographs in 2007, Maloof acquired more from another buyer at the same auction.

 Maloof soon discovered Maier's name, but was unable to find out more about her until the day after her death, when he found an obituary notice in the Chicago Tribune.

Photo from http://vivianmaier.blogspot.com/

Muhammad Ali was once a car investor/ middleman for a Suadi Arabia shiek and Brazialian car maker Puma

above from the book Puma  By Thomas H. Braun (google books)

Ali arrived in Brazil just by Rubens Maluf, entrepreneur who brought to Curitiba carmaker Puma at the end of 1986. Kevin Haines, Dealer in Houston (USA), the lawyer convinced the boxer - and model fan produced in Brazil - Richard Hirschfeld, visiting Paraná to negotiate.

Then retired for six years (and perhaps only less known in the sports world than Pelé) and financial condition to invest high, the boxer arrived in town with an engineer and a consultant in addition to the lawyer and friend.

In all three models of the Puma Al Fassi were produced by Muhammad Ali A was all closed, another had the convertible top, and the last, most expensive, had sophisticated finish, with white and red seats and sportier appearance.

Struck a deal worth U.S. $ 36 million for 1,440 units, which would later be completed in the U.S. with engines and gearboxes Porsche 911. The vehicles were sold in Saudi Arabia, whose prince was a friend of the boxer.
found on http://www.gazetadopovo.com.br/esportes/lutas/conteudo.phtml?tl=1&id=1373962&tit=Mito-do-boxe-foi-quase-anonimo-em-Curitiba-nos-anos-80

there was a magazine article
"What's A Puma?" by Dwayne T. Ray. Kit Car Illustrated, August 1992. 5 pages. Fairly comprehensive article with 9 photos. Contains several interesting anecdotes. One of these was a scheme involving Muhammad Ali and Saudi financiers to market a special Puma in the U.S. as the "Ali Stinger."
Found on http://wj2d.100megsdns.com/liter.html


MUHAMMAD ALI STARTS UP AUTO COMPANY AP , Associated Press Apr. 27, 1987
 RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL (AP)
 Muhammad Ali, who used to sting opponents in the ring, is delivering his stings on wheels with the introduction of his new sports car, the Ali Stinger. ''The car will be as I was in the ring,'' the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper quoted the three-time world boxing champion as saying. ''It will flutter around like a butterfly and sting like a bee.''
The report Sunday said the 45-year-old Ali formed a new car company, the Ali Vehicle Industry, several months ago as a joint venture with two Brazilian companies, Brazilian Araucaria Vehicle Industry and Inter-American Ltd.
Ali Vehicles in Campinas, 290 miles southwest of Rio, already has produced 20 of the Brazilian-designed cars with Porsche engines, the report said. Ali was to test the first models today, when the company officially begins operations.
The company plans to export 500 coupes and convertibles each year to the United States, Middle East and Europe, the paper quoted Ali as saying. Ali could not be reached in his Rio hotel room for comment.
found on http://www.apnewsarchive.com/1987/Muhammad-Ali-Starts-Up-Auto-Company/id-2182a14ceac1d51de1a7af6602c56edb

Ford F series, the best selling vehicle in America for most of the past 3 dacades... why?

For most of the past three decades, the best-selling vehicle line in America has been, strangely enough, not a family sedan or SUV but a pickup. The holder of that prestigious title is Ford's F-Series. Granted, those sales figures include not only the F-150 but also the Super Duty rigs and even commercial-use chassis cabs.

Americans love choices, something not lost on Ford's product planners whose efforts have resulted in no fewer than 75 styles of the F-150

what it is like to be next to the track at a NASCAR race

Found on http://twentytwowords.com/

the cute little Jeep touches on a Wrangler Rubicon

Snowmobile is a tradmarked word, for Model T and Model A conversion kits

Virgil White, a Ford dealer in Ossipee, NH, perfected his Snowmobile in the late teens, and offered conversion kits to Ford dealers for installation.

White trademarked the name Snowmobile, a term that is still in common use today.

The factory in Ossipee produced many thousands of kits a year. Reproduction parts are currently being made that allow for the maintenance and conversion of any Model “T” Ford into an authentic Ford Snowmobile. For more information about then visit www.modeltfordsnowmobile.com

Found on http://theoldmotor.com/?p=114663