XJ BRETHREN

What’s that?  Buddies!   When I asked my friend to describe the Globe car he drove to video shoots, he just said it was a small, boxy Jeep.  Naturally….

Jeep Patriot

But no! It wasn’t a crappy “Patriot”.  It was a genuine Jeep.  Color me surprised.  With ever decreasing resources, I bet the Globe mechanics love the XJ for being simple, reliable, and cheap to maintain.

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FORGET THE FCX CLARITY

Get an electric Accord!  Yes, it is a coupe, too.

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I began writing this post to complain about poor electric vehicle infrastructure and how it seriously hinders the feasibility of electric cars.  I mean, look at that! It’s a 110 (120?) volt plug that would take a Chevy Volt all night to charge a paltry 35 mile range.  No wonder electric vehicle sales are still so low in the US.

However, after a minute of using just 10% of my brain (thanks Lucy!), I realized that the future of electric vehicles will never allow for the same type of operation as the gas automobile.  It consists of consistent charging, providing amps here, there, and everywhere.  Charge for 30 minutes when you are in Starbucks, as I am while writing this (minus the electric vehicle).  Electric vehicles won’t travel from full to empty and back to full like their gasoline counterparts.

This is purely speculation, and I’m sure I will be proven wrong in the future, but it provides an exciting theoretical where we can begin to imagine all the future “quick charge” possibilities.  Why not tap into the under-street power grid and provide chargers at parking meters?  Induction charging in the pavement at red lights could be an ambitiously expensive way earn back a mile of range.  Could AAA bring a battery to your car instead of an extra few gallons to provide a quick 30 miles?

AAAThere are endless possibilities to the future.  No wonder nobody knew the profound impact the internal combustion automobile would have on our culture.  In much the same way, we still have yet to grasp how electric vehicles will once again transform the landscape.  Maybe a parking garage investing in slow 110 volt chargers instead of more expensive fast-charging stations is a prudent decision.  Maybe Tesla will look foolish in 15 years for wasting so much capital on their supercharger infrastructure.  Maybe Tesla will set the standard for future proprietary charge stations.

Tesla Supercharger

I will never be the legislator, inventor, or engineer who revolutionizes the electric car with a future charging standard, but I can’t wait until there is one.  It could be you.

DOWNTOWN CAR CULTURE

Boston isn’t known for having insane cars, like London or New York.  Most of the city’s outlandish cars, however, are student-owned and operated (or at least operated lol). This adds a substantial amount of vulgarity, helping put Boston on more equal footing with its rivals.

Something tells me this Lamborghini isn’t one of those expensive student-mobiles.

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This is an Aventador LP 720-4 50 Anniversario edition, a very rare, special edition version.  I’m sure Lamborghini offers these to current owners.  The foreign-student cohort exclusively drive mass-market supercars like 458s, SLS AMGs, and MP4-12Cs. Scrubs.

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VW’s new plan for US market domination

Yes, it all hinges on a sports version of the TOUREG.  Bring back the V10 TDI and add some KONI yellows with BREMBO brakes.  Add some more ALL CAPS and VW will be printing MONEY.

No car company makes special cars that are extremely unique, strange, and under appreciated by everyone like VW.  Only fanboys appreciate special trim levels like the V10 Tourag, W8 Passat, VR6 Jetta, “Bentley” Phaeton, New Beetle Turbo, Passat CC, 3-Door Golf, and likely many others.  These vehicles are all variants of standard model, but have either a special engine, body style, or, in the case of the Phaeton, price.  VW does absolutely no promotions for them, but still goes through the trouble of federalizing each unique model.  Because of this, VW doesn’t get any recognition from the general public.  The W8 Passat wasn’t a halo model that brought in buyers to get the standard model.  It was truly a random special trim level that was brought over for little to no reason.

Can anyone name other arbitrary VW model configurations that seemingly make no attempt to appeal to the market consumer?  Can you name another brand that is as much a repeat offender as VW?

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Tuned Mini

For a license place like “TOONRME”, this Mini looks very stock.  I’d like to see what he is running under the hood, because if he really is a TUNER and keeps his cosmetic modifications so tasteful, his mechanical changes are probably dank. I’m sorry to be using such terrible words.
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Is the golf the next 911?

No.

I’m not implying that the next Golf will platform share with the 911 (also I’m sure VW has considered it at this point).  I’m referencing the absurd numbers of variants made from the single model. I can’t even begin to list them accurately, but the Golf has:

Golf 3 door, 5 door, GTI 3/5 door, R, TDI, GTD, Sportwagon, Sportsvan (?),Alltrack, Cabriolet, and finally, the GTE.

The 911 has:

Carrera, Carrera S, Carrera GTS, Carrera Cabriolet, Carrera S Cabriolet, Carrera GTS Cabriolet, Carrera 4, Carrera 4S, Carrera 4 GTS, Carrera 4 Cabriolet, Carrera 4S Cabriolet, Targa 4, Targa 4S, Targa 4 GTS, Turbo, Turbo S, Turbo Cabriolet, Turbo S Cabriolet, GT3, GT3 RS.

So the golf doesn’t have quite as many models, but it is getting close.  I’m not even going to spell check all those variants because I don’t hate myself that much.

Then again, the forced forced induction 911 is coming soon. At that point won’t the 911 just be a backwards MQB platform?

Barney, kids!

Universities have more vulgar displays of excess wealth than anywhere in the country.  Only on the campus of a large, private institution costing more than $50k a year do purple C300’s exist.

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“My dad is a Senior Veep at Foxconn.”

By no means is this the only ridiculous car that frequents campus.  This isn’t even the only C Class.  My personal favorite is a C63 that is half matte white, half matte black.  I didn’t even take the photo below, but the car is infamous enough to be found on google images with this ridiculous search term:  “half white half black c63”.

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“Meh. My dad is a Partner at Foxconn.”

wait, wait! this is perfect

New Hampshire for the win.  This 550i is a second hand enthusiast’s dream.  It has the V8.  It has the 6 speed.  AND it is not an xDrive.  Obviously a special order from Munich.

This car is so perfect, I just assumed it would be an xDrive until I started writing this post and had to go back and check.  It deserves a full size interior photo, too.

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A manual E39 isn’t that hard to find.  There are just enough 540i sports that someone can always find one on Craigslist or AutoTrader.  But an F10? No way.  This thing will be one-of-a-kind always and forever.