Automobile Blog May Archive

Stand Up, Studebaker!

By Sam Heisin at 05/30/08 00:29

Recently a friend sent me a photo inquiring what kind of car is in the picture. He said he can't remember the name of the car but it's name goes like "Stuffmaker" or something near to that. Seriously I was laughing about that "stuffmaker" thing. I won't play like I know everything about cars just by looking at them, but based on what he said, I'm pretty sure that the pickup truck on the right is a Studebaker. And it's very unlikely for him not to remember the vehicle's name if it is very popular in our time, that makes me more sure that that is the used-to-be-popular Studebaker.

I know a little about Studebaker. I think I've seen one in a vintage car exhibition about 2 or 3 years ago. But to back up my intuition, I made some research and found some interesting facts about Studebaker cars.

From the looks of it, the photo contains a Studebaker truck that is manufactured between 1935-1955. But if I were to choose, it's most likely a 1955 model. It stands beautifully in its blue shade and it can be clearly seen that it was maintained perfectly or maybe repaired perfectly.

Interestingly, I found out that Studebaker also manufactured vehicles for special use during the World War II, including Weasel snow trucks. Studebaker trucks are also the favorite based vehicles during the war for mounting rocket launchers. They must have been very popular to soldiers and their cars are really strong to hold such weapons.

Unfortunately, they ceased genuine car productions in 1966. The shutting down of the factories resulted in more about 700 laid off jobs, and it shocked the whole Hamilton, Ontario because Studebaker was at that time one of the largest employee maker in the vicinity.

But do not worry, because of the success of the Studebaker vehicles, many have been an avid fan of it. Some even organized Studebaker Drivers Club not to mention that it also has its own museum.

Toyota - Driving Tomorrow

Toyota has been one of the world's greatest auto maker. Being the largest car manufacturer in the world, it's commitment to be globally competitive is definitely at it's highest.

In particular, Toyota made a mark in Asia. From it's main roots in Japan, down to neighboring countries like China, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Philippines. In the said countries, Toyota is their no. 1 car maker. In the case of South Korea, Toyota plays a big role in their car industry although they generally patronize their native car maker and also a world class competitor, Hyundai.

Toyota Philippines is now celebrating it's 20th year in the country. In accordance with this, they will be holding an event to commemorate their Philippine anniversary founding, the Toyota Art Edge Digital Art Competition. It will go by Toyota's theme, "Toyota - Driving Tomorrow". This event will be participated by the country's biggest names in the field of graphic designing. Even if you are not a graphic designer, you are allowed to join given that you know how the event goes and be sure to follow the rules.

It is a very inviting event. Why? Have a look at the prizes.

• 1st Prize - Php200,000 + plaque
• 2nd Prize - Php150,000 + plaque
• 3rd Prize - Php100,000 + plaque
• 20 Consolation Prize of Php25,000 + plaque.

See? Even if you do not win the title, the consolation prizes are still big! All you have to do is make an ORIGINAL concept design that will follow Toyota's theme, Driving Tomorrow.

You have to interpret well why you did the design and how was it related to the theme. A short rationale report of not more than 300 words must be given. There are also other technicalities and criteria that will help you win the contest. Just visit their site's contest page so you'll know more about it. Be sure to view or download the application form at the right side of the screen!

The deadline for submission of entries will be on June 15 so hurry up! You still have time. We still have time!

The Mercedes-Benz R-Class

Mercedes-Benz continues to amaze the world with their great cars that comes in good package. Great mileage, great features and great designs.

In 2001, Mercedes-Benz showed the world their concept of building a Grand Sports Sourer or GST in the Detroit Auto Show. It received great feedbacks from the public and car experts.

It took Mercedes-Benz some little 4 years more to upgrade and materialize their concept. In 2005, the R-Class finally came to production and was showcased in the New York International Auto Show. It was also marketed under the category of a Sports Cruiser. It is proclaiming itself as between the comfort of a minivan and the smaller version and a more fashionable icon of a crossover.

Fort some certain reasons, the MB R-Class did not go ballistic with its sales. The planned 50,000 annual sales only resulted to 13k+. Maybe it concerns about the issue of high price of oil. You know, bigger vehicle means bigger oil consumption. And the fact that people nowadays prefer buying sedans and full cars instead of minivans and crossovers.

The initial price of the R-Class is above US$60,000. It's really not a poor man's vehicle nor it is a vehicle for the practical people. If you were to ask me though, I will still choose the R-Class. I love cruisers and vehicles that can accommodate 5-6 or even 6-8 passengers. You can't blame me, I have lots of friends to ride with me haha.

And really, there's no denying to the fact that combing comfort, style and speed is a great character for a car. And to that, the R-Class is really one of a kind.

The Orang-Utan's Fight For Survival

The title may seem unrelated to our topics here. Generally, it is. Especially if you look into its title itself. But there's more reason why I posted it.

In 2004, the world laugh at Indonesia's plan to become the biggest producer of bio-fuels in the whole world. Well, it's not that they can't do it. But the world is hesitant if they can actually do it because they do not have much land planted with palms for use as bio-fuel. Palms and coconuts are not the major crop product of Indonesia. Brunei and Philippines as well as Vietnam as more competitive when it comes to that aspect because coconuts are their major crops.

Well, the Indonesian government did make a remedy for it. They planned on planting these palm oil trees on the vast land where one of the world's endangered species is living. The Orang-Utans.

The plan the world laugh at some 4 years ago is not a laughing issue now. It's an issue that concerns me a lot for I really love animals, and cars of course. They cut the trees where these primates swing everyday. They run after them, beat them, burn and even kill them. Some of the primates that were brought to the Orang-Utan conservations by concerned citizens were all weak. Some have broken bones, broken skulls, and lacerated skins. That is mainly because the farmers and the hunters worked together to hunt them down and tried to catch them alive. And for that fact, the only way you can catch an Orang-Utan is to make it unconscious. So if you do not have the proper gear, the only way you can do is knocked it down, making cracked bones and skulls.

I don't know what happened to Indonesia's commitment to become the world's biggest supplier of bio-fuel. They are still one of the most polluted country in the world. Their streets are still full of smog. The air is dark and it's almost suffocating especially in the suburbs.

Indonesia is home to the highest concentration of wildlife animals in the world. The sad thing is, their people is not aware of it. They do not even care if they lose their precious name. I don't get why they have to kill and catch the free primates just for the sake of competing globally on the aspect they are not really rich with. They can opt to do other things and just let the peaceful animals stay there. Afterall, they are humans, well, at least with its name. Orang-Utan = Forrest People.

The 2008 Motorcadia Manila

In a few weeks from now, the first ever Motorcadia Manila will be held in the capital city of Manila in the Philippines.

However, this will only serve as the first leg of the event. After the two day tour in Manila and its neighboring cities comprising the Metro Manila district, the Motorcadia will then track the roads to the route of Southern Luzon and make its way to the Visayas region down south to Mindanao. The tour that will last for 8 days will conclude the motorcade in the city of Davao.

It may sound so new to you, but Motorcadia is actually an organization that is behind major events like the recent Asian Tri-Wheel Tour, a motorcade parade of tricycles that was held in various cities in the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia. Motorocadia is also the organization behind Marathon for the Heart, a marathon event for-a-cause that was held in the Quirino Grandstand in Manila as well. It was an event where proceeds goes to the foundation for children will heart diseases.

The Motorcadia Manila is in collaboration with the Department of Tourism to promote local tourism among Filipino citizens as well as to foreigners.

Motorcadia Manila will be participated by the country's top racing teams and some individuals. The registration via SMS is already close, but don't worry, the event is open for all who are interested. The registration is merely just a proof of early participation of which it comes with a reward of owning freebies from Motocadia like T-Shirts, Jackets, Sun Glasses and others. So next time you hear about Motorcadia and requires registration, even though the event is dubbed "Open", you already know what to do. Register early so you'll get some freebies.

There is only rule n the event, participants who will join the tourism-motorcade must use a closed car. Meaning, you can't join the fun if you are planning to use a motorcycle, a bicycle or an open-back pick-up truck. That is to ensure safety of the participants. This month is the official Rainy Days month so open vehicles are not advisable.

Scams and Dealing with It

The previous post by GSD Mom is a bit alarming. This is an issue that we all should look into.

Just recently, an article about an e-mail scam letter was also published here on the car blog. Unfortunately, in just a matter of few days, a victim of car scam have already surfaced in the name of GSD Mom. We share her feelings towards such inhumane acts.

To avoid future scams and fake dealings regarding car transactions, we decided to make a list of the scam methods and some points that you should really take note before engaging yourself in any dealings.

Scam Methods

• E-mail letters: These kind of fraudulent acts is usually sent to your e-mail inboxes. These are usually job opportunities or working offers and promised to give you high salaries in exchange with your personal data. Some are even using high technology that when you click on a certain link, their software will be able to get any information you stored in your computer including your bank accounts. So be careful, not all email needs to be read, especially if they are in the spam boxes.
• Fake Pictures: Some car enthusiasts really do some underground transactions. It means they took the risk on dealing with someone whom they just met online or somewhere but they do not actually know each other. Some bad guys used this opportunity to have their convincing powers overcome you. They will convince you to buy the vehicle that you want and will show you some photos. God knows where they get those photos, but for sure its not theirs. Photos make some things believable, so I suggest do not just be comfortable with that. Be sure to check everything regarding the person you are dealing with and the actually product included in your deal. The "buy 1 car, get 1 car for free" scam method is already a thing of the past, but let us always remember that it can still happen.
• Fake Sites: There are websites there that offer memberships. Once you are registered and logged in, it will then gather important data from your computer. So beware of suspicious sites. Just because there is a link doesn't mean you need to click it. Be observant.

[Ed note: also very important is not to purchase a car or sell a car to someone that is going to ship/have it shipped. It is also a bad idea to accept the wrong amount of money from someone and wire or western union them change.

View the car, have your mechanic inspect it and drive it home! If you are selling a car, except the same of the buyer and if the buyer is not concerned about your car (for real) they are interested in scamming you not buying your car.

Read more on Car purchase scams here. ]

TR3a....We were SCAMMED

It appears the VIN is: EB72962 We recently were defrauded in the purchase of 1962 Triumph TR3. Can anyone help me determine who the REAL owner of this vehicle is? We'd like to contact them and inquire as to who they may have had correspondence with and how the scammer could have possibly obtained the photos he used to convince us he actually owned the car? I can be email contacted at shandasmum [at] yahoo.com

We are working with the local Sheriffs Office but they seem to have come to a deadend. I'm not giving up that easily. I can e-mail photos to anyone who inqures in an effort to identify this car.

[Ed note: can you tell us about the actual scam so others can help avoid it?]