Category: Automotive

RACING CAR TAKES THE LEAP FOR LIFE AT 100 M. P. H.

WHILE roaring around the Motor Parkway track at Mineola, Long Island, New York, the racing car of William Darragh took matters of direction into its own hands. Darragh was taking part in a six-lap elimination race at the Mineola Fair. During the second lap his car skidded, and rearing like a broncho slammed into an adjacent iron fence. The fence was smashed but the speed of the car was sufficient to carry it past the bank. A lucky twist of fate kept the crashing car on its wheels and it stopped in the deep straw that was piled on the outside of the track. The people who had gathered at this point rushed to the aid of Darragh, expecting to find him dead. He was neither dead nor badly injured. A close examination revealed merely a badly lacerated nose.

That used to be my nick name in high-school. I was a lonely child.

“Wind Wagon” Made From Ford
JOE BAIRD of Arcadia, Neb., got tired of driving an ordinary Model T Ford, so he got busy and converted it into the “wind wagon” shown above. The motor is raised above the chassis, the radiator turned sideways, and a four-blade propeller attached to drive the vehicle.

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New Racing Cars Do Four Miles a Minute

By RAY F. KUNS

FOUR hundred feet in the wink of an eyelid—that’s what the modern racing car can do! The story of the development of these 250 mile an hour cars is fascinatingly told here by Mr. Kuns, who knows the racing game as few men do.

EIGHT MILES an hour, 20 miles an hour, then 30, 40, 50, 75, a hundred —and now 250 miles an hour, or more than four miles a minute! This is the incredible accomplishment of the racing automobile, which was born upwards of 30 years ago and which today has attained a degree of perfection undreamed of by Barney Oldfield, Ralph DePalma, or those other daredevil drivers of the old dirt tracks! Automobile racing is a game which calls for youth—clear-eyed, undaunted youth, eagerly seeking new ways to speed up their pampered mounts of steel. It is worthy of note that most of the leading race car drivers are less than half way through their twenties. Yet it is young men such as these who not only drive their cars at terrific speed over the board tracks, but who sit down with the engineers and devise new attachments, new accessories, new kinks which will give just an added ounce of power to their engines—an added ounce which ofttimes means the difference between success or failure on the race tracks.

There is, for instance, the case of Frank Lockhart, one of the greatest of them a]l. The greatest loss suffered by the racing fraternity during the 1928 season was his untimely death when he was thrown from his car and killed last spring at Daytona Beach, Florida. The developments which make it possible to drive the tiny 91.5 cubic inch displacement cars at such terrific speeds as 171 miles an hour (which speed Lockhart attained with his little track racer on a dry lake bed in California) were largely the result of Frank Lockhart’s engineering genius.

Lockhart was the first driver to conceive the idea of cooling the incoming charge of gas so as to force more of the charge into one of the little engine cylinders, which have aluminum pistons about as large as a tailor’s thimble. He developed the air-cooled intake manifold and used it for almost a year before secret of his amazing speed leaked out.

Lockhart also built his own superchargers, which are used to force the gasoline charge into the cylinders.

He found that the centrifugal force of the weight of a steel impeller was sufficient to stretch the steel blades an eighth of an inch in length and thus wreck the whole device. He found that duralumin was the only metal which would stand up at the tremendous speeds he demanded of his product; over 40,000 revolutions per minute, which would mean a point on the edge of the impeller would travel at the terrific rate of 17 miles a minute.

In his tests with the supercharger, Lockhart found that only certain types of ball bearings would stand the strain. He also found that one of the most popular of the six-cylinder automobile engines, did not develop enough power to drive the impeller alone at the rate he desired. Yet by the aid of the supercharger he was able to develop almost 200 horse power from eight cylinders and a displacement of 91.5 cu. in.

In his Daytona Beach Black Hawk Special Stutz racing car, Lockhart had what was admittedly the fastest car ever built. When laying out this car he built a model, exact in all details of contour, and took it to the Wright Field at Dayton, Ohio, and tested it in the wind tunnels at rates up to an 1 above 200 miles per hour. After a numb:r of tests and changes, he developed the streamlining used in the racer which has an unofficial record of over 225 miles per hour.

The engine for this Stutz Black Hawk was a combination of the two used in Lock-hart’s regular racing cars. It was a sixteen cylinder job. The two crank shafts were used in one crank case. Each crank had a large gear fitted to its front end, which in turn was fitted to another gear which was on the propeller or drive shaft in the crankcase. This shaft was located at lower center and went back to the clutch shaft.

The job was ice cooled. The 80 pounds of ice was sufficient for the tests which were run. The entire length of the run was about nine miles. Four miles to gain speed, one mile measured course over which the car was electrically timed by the A. A. A. racing committee, and four miles in which to slow down and turn. Two superchargers were used. The air from the superchargers was cooled before induction into the engine.

Lockhart claimed that his superchargers would give an effective pressure (above atmospheric pressure) of 27 pounds per inch.

A youngster without engineering training of the catalogued type, Frank Lockhart developed himself and his loved racing cars to a high degree of efficiency. About a year ago he went with the Stutz factory as an engineer. There with his own equipment and own mechanics he “’set up shop.” His loss is a great one. He gave his best. He contributed more in his short racing career to scientific knowledge of methods of overcoming wind resistance in automobiles and putting power into engines, than most engineers do in a lifetime.

Daytona Beach, where Lockhart was killed, is the favorite speed track of the world’s best drivers. Malcolm Campbell, an Englishman, came over with his great Bluebird car and set up an average speed of 206 miles an hour. Campbell built his car himself. The Bluebird is a 900 horsepower machine with several novel features which may best be explained by the diagram on page 101.

Another unusual racing car is the Triplex Special, built by J. M. White as a sporting venture, and driven by Ray Keech. Because it possessed no reversing gear, the Triplex was barred by the A. A. A. from participating in the official races, but the huge 36-cylinder machine set up an unofficial record of 253 miles an hour—better than four miles a minute!

There is no transmission, no rear springs, no gear shift levers in the Triplex. It is stripped down to the essentials—a power plant on four wheels. The car is direct driven from crankshaft to rear axle. It is powered with three Liberty motors, each having 12 cylinders. It develops 2,500 horsepower—contrast this with the strength of the average railway locomotive, which develops only 800 to 1,000 horsepower! The motors turn over at 3,300 r. p. m. without load, a speed equivalent to 375 miles an hour.

In his Black Hawk Special, Frank Lockhart attained 235 miles an hour. The Englishman, Colonel Segrave, attained 204 miles an hour last year with his 1,000 horsepower Sunbeam. These speeds, of course, were only maintained for a few miles. In the Indianapolis speedway races the 500 mile jaunt is usually negotiated at an average rate of 100 miles an hour. Racing is a young man’s game, with the emphasis on the young and again on the man. A young fellow may enter it with little in a monetary way if he has the requisites of steady nerve, strong physique, brains in an automotive way and an indomitable spirit of never quitting, and have a fair assurance of success.

It makes it feel like you’re in the middle of Tron, but GM’s new heads-up display’s not just a way to play out childhood fantasies. The system projects laser-generated images onto windshields, providing a great looking enhanced vision display. More »

The most fuel efficient hybrid for sale in the US gets 51 MPG, but a startup called Transonic Combustion claims they can improve that. They claim their fuel-injection system will get 64 MPG. More »

Just how much help was Cash for Clunkers for automakers and America? A new study by The Maritz Automotive Research Group suggests that the Cash for Clunkers program may have been more successful than first thought.

Cash for Clunkers — which spent about $2.8 billion in incentives on about 690,000 cars sold last summer — has been criticized for costing too much and having too stringent of guidelines about what cars could be traded in. Still, Ford and GM sales are up, as are car sales as a whole, so maybe all that hubbub about robbing from “future sales” wasn’t all that accurate.

(more…)

Propeller-Drive CAR has VANE Control

CARRYING the development of air driven automobiles a step farther, Emil Sohn, a Berlin aviation engineer, has invented a motor car that secures high flexibility of control from power of an airplane motor and twin propellers located in the rear, in the position of the rumble seat.

The propellers are mounted horizontally, the windstream being directed by means of adjustable vanes like the blades of a steam turbine. The powerful windstream tends to push the car forward at a tremendous speed when the vanes are set for “forward,” that is, slanting toward the rear. To go in reverse, the vanes are slanted forward, so that wind-stream pushes the car backward.

Chief among the advantages offered by this method of propulsion are: utmost economy; the ability to climb steep mountain grades; smooth passage over roughest of roads; and the elimination of all danger of skidding on wet or icy streets, due to downward pressure on wheels exerted by upward windstream.

This new spot for Mini’s Clubman from Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners is designed to show how roomy the car is, but it also seems to be endorsing all kinds of moving violations as well as making a claim about virility usually reserved for sports cars. In the spot, which was shot in England but features American actors (or at least, American accents), a cop pulls a Mini Clubman over and asks the driver if the car is his. "Uh, no. It’s, uh, Barry’s," the gold-lamé-clad driver answers, as ’70s-style disco music plays in the car. "Well, where is Barry?" the cop asks. What follows is an artfully shot sequence in which the car is made to seem much larger than it is, like maybe a Mini stretch limo. Barry eventually appears in tighty-whities and an open shirt. "I’m Barry," he says with questionable authority. "Is there a problem, officer?" Voiceover: "Mini Clubman. Plenty of room for … whatever." What’s clever about the ad is that it makes two claims. Yes, it shows the Clubman is roomy. But it also makes a case that middle-aged out-of-shape guys can be hosting mobile orgies, if only they buy the right car.

—Posted by Todd Wasserman

Those wacky, discombobulated, daredevil kids. They’re kind of funny if you don’t have to share the road with them, or use a shotgun to keep them off your lawn. Hyundai, one of the advertising stars of Sunday night’s Oscar telecast, reminded all us old people just how frightening it is that 3 million young adults will get their driver’s licenses this year. Message: Don’t you need a safer car? Hearing that stat makes me want a tank, actually. Thanks for reminding us just how insane the highways will become with that many more teenagers simultaneously sexting, IM-ing and motoring. Fear as motivator—effective! The spot, one of eight from the Korean car maker that aired during the broadcast, used Richard Dreyfuss as the voiceover talent, since arcane Academy rules made Hyundai drop its longtime spokesman Jeff Bridges, an Oscar nominee, from ads airing during the show. Other celebs filled in on other spots. Never mind. Bridges had a pretty good night anyway.

—Posted by T.L. Stanley

New Motorized Office and Hotel For Traveling Executive

A COMPLETE executive office and comfortable living quarters have been combined into a single motor bus body by Fred D. Martin, an executive of a linen supply firm in the Southwest. He uses the vehicle to visit the branches of the company in which he is interested, thus being able to conduct routine business while en route.

Inside the vehicle are four comfortable, deeply upholstered chairs, a light folding desk, which likewise serves as a dining table; bath, cook-stove, fans and other office and hotel conveniences.

At night the chairs are folded down to make two comfortable beds. Curtains sliding on rods running lengthwise the car are pulled into place when the beds are used, providing two compartments, with an aisle between. An office desk permits Mr. Martin to work while on the road.

Tata Motors shows its Nano Electric Vehicle to European audience at the Geneva Auto Show. … “It will seat four individuals comfortably in its spacious interiors, which the Tata Nano is known for. It will have a predicted range of up to 160 km and an acceleration of 0-60 kmph in under 10 seconds. Tata Motors continues its innovative approach with the Tata Nano EV, using super polymer lithium ion batteries, as in the Tata Indica Vista EV, which provide superior energy density to conventional batteries. ”

Via Tata Motors: http://bit.ly/cYGevy

Tata electric vehicle strategy: “Miljø will produce electric vehicles based on Tata Motors’ products, besides manufacturing of state-of-the-art super polymer lithium ion batteries and the development of related technologies. Tata Motors believes that this investment in Miljo will help the company realise its strategy to develop convenient, affordable and sustainable mobility solutions through electric and hybrid vehicles. ” http://bit.ly/cSAUIO

Tata Motors presence at 2009 Geneva Auto Show: “The company has also displayed the Tata Prima, a concept luxury sedan, and the Tata Indica Vista EV, an electric vehicle based on the award-winning new generation Tata Indica Vista.” http://bit.ly/c6PbHZ

Tata Motors Europe Connection: “Tata Motors’ electric vehicles will be produced in association with Miljo Grenland AS, Norway. Tata Motors’ UK subsidiary, Tata Motors European Technical Centre plc, has a 72% stake in Miljo. The vehicle is currently undergoing extensive trials in Europe” http://bit.ly/cApHnK

Earlier this week, BrandFreak determined that an Audi video which seemed to be poking fun at Toyota’s troubles was, in fact, an old video that had been reconstituted for that purpose. But there’s no way that Dansk Port Teknik, a garage-door manufacturer in Denmark, is not having a laugh at the Japanese car maker’s expense (with help from JWT Copenhagen). This ad is not only mean but is funnier than anything that U.S. comics have been able to churn out. Via Ads of the World.

—Posted by Todd Wasserman

U.S. Rep. Jane Harman, who recused herself Tuesday from House Energy and Commerce Committee hearings about the safety of Toyota vehicles, acknowledged that her financial ties to the company should disqualify her from participating in hearings and floor votes related to the committee’s recommendations.

We’ve heard Steve Woz talk about the acceleration issue with his Prius and our friends at Jalopnik have been covering Toyota’s whole recall mess. The entire time software and electronics were blamed for the issues, but now Toyota President Akio Toyoda is telling the House oversight committee that “he is “absolutely confident” that the electronics of Toyota’s gas pedal systems are not the source” of these problems.

Guess it must be the floor mats again. [SF Gate]

Audi has been getting ornery lately. It recently took aim at BMW with a bitchy ad called "Friendly Competition" that sarcastically lamented its German rival’s poor showing, relative to Audi, in three Car and Driver comparisons. Which is why this video might raise some eyebrows. The 30-second short, titled "Toyota Lawnmower Recall," shows a man attempting to cut the grass but instead getting a belly-down ride across the lawn and into the street. Basically, it’s one of those that-looks-painful-but-in-a-funny-way Jackass-type stunts that you’d be smart not to try at home. It also seems to be a below-the-belt jab at Toyota, which recalled millions of vehicles in January because of sticky gas pedals. But who is taking the jab? A URL that flashes at the end of the video, ElectricityUntamed.com, leads to an Audi Web site for E-Tron, Audi’s electric concept car. An Audi rep tells us the brand created the short, but—and this is a crucial point—the video was actually released last September. The rep says it resurfaced recently after someone—no one knows who—put the new title on it referring to Toyota. The video, the rep says, was designed to show the advantages of electronic engines over gas-powered ones. It seems Audi’s not guilty in initiating this instance of unfriendly competition.

—Posted by Todd Wasserman

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THE MI URBASPORT TRI-MAGNUM: HOME-BUILT EXCITEMENT

By Robert Q. Riley and Dave L. Carey

WITH almost a decade of safety-and energy-conscious cars under our belts, we Americans have learned to accept the econobox theory of automotive engineering. What used to be one of our greatest pleasures—the car—has become a mundane, utilitarian device for economically carrying people and things from place to place.

Conserving fuel is fine. But having fun while doing it is even better.

It’s possible for a car to be fuel efficient and downright exciting. To prove that point, we’ve produced the latest in the MI series of Urba cars, the UrbaSport Tri-Magnum. Tri-Magnum is a direct descendant of the popular three-wheeler, UrbaSport Trimuter, which was featured in MI exactly three years ago. And just like the Trimuter, you build the Tri-Magnum yourself using Mi’s plans. The Tri-Magnum can be built for far less than any store-bought performance car— about $2,000—in your garage.

The name Trimuter came from the fact that the car was a three-wheeled commuter car. It was powered by a 16-hp industrial engine which gave it a top speed of 60 mph and mileage of about 50 mpg. Our new Tri-Magnum, on the other hand, is more like the high-powered magnum pistol, since it can get from 0 to 60 mph in 9.5 seconds and 0 to 100 mph in just over 20 seconds! What gets it there is the 81-hp, 76 Kawasaki KZ900 motorcycle plugged into the rear. And if that’s not hot enough for you, you can use the later-model l,100cc Kawasaki. In fact, any bike from 400cc on up will work. Just choose the one that best meets your personal performance and fuel-economy needs.

The marriage of a motorcycle to the chassis of a three-wheel car is a natural union. There are plenty of used bikes around at a reasonable price (we paid $800 for our ‘76 KZ900); by removing the front-fork and wheel assembly of one of them, you end up with an integral, lightweight power train. It’s also a power train that, pound for pound, is as efficient and powerful as anything made anywhere. We used the plentiful and lightweight VW Beetle front-suspension assembly at the Tri-Magnum’s other end. Ours cost $150 at a local wrecking yard. The motorcycle and the VW front suspension are tied together with a simple steel framework to complete the chassis, which includes the steering, suspension, brakes, power train and all. This package is covered with a sleek, aerodynamic fiberglass body. The result is an all-weather, fully enclosed vehicle that combines the economy of a motorcycle with the safety and stability of an automobile. And the increased weight is nicely offset by the improved aerodynamics.

The styling of Tri-Magnum is both functional and in character with its aggressive performance. Aerodynamics, the cooling requirements of the air-cooled motorcycle engine, accessibility to the cockpit and engine compartment, ease of construction and safety considerations are all integrated into the design. The impact-absorbing foam-filled front bumper, which ties into the frame with a massive steel U-member, is designed to spill air onto the body. Body lines flow smoothly from front to rear where they are sharply broken around the taillight nacelles to create a clean separation point. The rear-facing duct on top of the engine cover and the two shark-gill side louvers are designed to draw hot air out from the engine compartment while cool air is ducted into it from underneath. A small fan mounted just ahead of the engine keeps it cool while idling.

The lift-up canopy, though exotic, is simple, functional and strong. It leaves the main body area integral for maximum strength and, when open, it presents an entirely open cockpit so you don’t have to duck under a low roofline when getting in and out.

The canopy has an internal, laminated steel framework that runs around its perimeter and down the windshield posts. Gaps between the fiberglass canopy and the steel framework are filled with fiberglass to form a solid fiberglass/steel laminate. This fiberglass/steel composite is stronger than either of the materials individually.

Nitrogen cylinders from a Toyota hatchback counterbalance the weight of the canopy so it opens easily; it stays open by itself. The steering wheel moves forward and out of the way, so you simply step in and slither down into the comfortable, form-fitting, space-capsule- style seat. There’s room for two people, side by side. When you’re in, the steering wheel returns and locks in place; then a gentle tug on the nearest nitrogen cylinder lowers the canopy, which latches if you let go of it just before it closes. Inside, the view is panoramic. The windshield begins at the top of your head and extends forward to within a few inches of your feet. The side windows cover even more distance, wrapping around the sides from the base of the windshield to the rear cockpit wall. To improve aerodynamics, all windows are mounted flush with the exterior skin.

The interior has a definite jet-fighter feel to it. The elements are exotic in both look and feel, but they’re not designed for aesthetics alone. They are the natural result of the blending of motorcycle components and systems with the steering and seating of an automobile. For instance, the stick shifter, which looks as though it might have been removed from the nearest F-15 and bolted in place, is nothing more than a cutoff end of the motorcycle handlebar which has been fitted with the stock motorcycle handlebar-mounted switch assemblies and clutch lever. This control stick places all the controls within easy reach at a single location. It also saves money (because there are no extra parts to purchase) and simplifies construction.

Another cost-saving feature is the instrument cluster. The original motorcycle instrument cluster is mounted on a perch atop the steering column. The only new parts required are extra long cables for the tachometer and speedometer, plus a speedometer step-up gearbox and adapter so the speedometer can be driven from the standard VW connection at the left front wheel. Amidst all this there is one new gauge: a cylinder-head temperature gauge mounted on a perch just forward of the stick shifter. The perch also carries the fan switch, fan-on indicator light and the manual choke.

Driving the Tri-Magnum is similar to, yet different from, driving a car and a bike all at the same time. First of all, with the canopy closed there’s a totally encapsulated feeling. The thickly padded, form-fitting seat holds you securely in place. No sliding around or slouching with this design. The throttle and brake pedals are on the floor and the stick shifter/control column is comfortably at your side. The first step is turning on the key switch which lights up the oil-pressure indicator, near the bottom of a vertical light bar between the speedo and tach. The next step is to find Neutral so you can start the engine without having to hold in the clutch lever. The shift lever is spring-loaded to a neutral position. It pivots forward or backward about 1-1/2 inches off center to change gears. To switch to the next lower gear, move the shifter forward then release it to its neutral position. Each time you do this it downshifts one gear. To upshift, pull back on the shifter and release it. After a few pumps of the lever, the neutral-indicator light, a green light at the top of the light bar, comes on.

Pressing the shifter-mounted starter button brings the engine to life with a muffled, mellow purr from the rear. Throttle response is instant. Although the travel of the throttle pedal is a good 4 inches, just a slight movement of it sends the rpms soaring—at least that’s the way it sounds. A glance at the tach shows that these little taps on the throttle are revving the engine to a mere 3,500 rpm. The KZ900 develops its peak horsepower at 8,500 rpm and it’s redlined at 9,000. So what sounds like high rpm is just above idle for this engine. This is something that takes getting used to. If you shift gears according to how you expect the engine to sound, you’ll be lugging it.

Neutral is located between First and Second gears, so to start out, grab the shifter and the clutch lever, squeeze, then push the lever forward. Tri-Magnum lurches as it drops into First. The engine has very little low-rpm torque, so it needs more revs than feel normal as pressure is released on the clutch lever—at least until you get used to the sensitive clutch. Our first few tries either stalled the engine or laid a 20-foot patch of rubber as Tri- Magnum screamed out of the hole. (A lot more fun than stalling the engine.) It takes a few attempts to get the hang of coordinating the throttle and the clutch as you take off from a stop. But if you don’t want to fool around, just floor the throttle and let go of the clutch. The rear tire becomes its own clutch as it spins merrily along for the first 50 feet or so. Shifting gears is easy from there on out. During acceleration all shifts are up, so it’s second nature to squeeze the clutch lever as you grab and pull the shifter. You can do it almost more quickly than you can think it.

Acceleration is so tremendous that until Tri-Magnum hits 20 or 25 mph under full throttle, the rear wheel spins because the engine can produce more power than the single rear wheel can transfer to the ground. Once things get planted, however, the force nails you to the rear wall and keeps you there until you get out of the throttle. It takes only one jerk on the shifter, up to Second, to send Tri-Magnum flying past 50 mph. With each full-throttle shift the rear end floats a bit until it gets fully planted; not badly—just enough to tell you that the rear wheel is going faster than the car.

Although we didn’t try hard cornering at 90 mph, we did slow it down a bit for some sliding turns just to see what happened. Tri-Magnum basically understeers, which is what it’s designed to do. The center of gravity is located low and close to the front wheels in order to provide a large margin of safety against rollover. The trade-off in gaining rollover protection is inherent under-steer, which means Tri-Magnum acts pretty much like your basic Chevy when pushed to the max.

Directional stability is another benefit gained by placing the center of gravity up front. Tri-Magnum stubbornly resists swapping ends no matter how it’s treated. A locked-wheel, sliding stop from 50 mph produces a straight-ahead line of travel with the rear end floating first a little to one side, then a little to the other. Even full-power turns with the rear wheel spinning wildly across the pavement produce nothing more than a little sideways float at the rear.

Corners are taken flat with almost no body roll. This thanks to the stiff stabilizer bar on the VW front end. In our case it’s a necessary item because all the roll stiffness of a three-wheeler must come from the two side-by-side wheels.

Three-wheelers are considered motorcycles by the government, therefore they are required only to meet the legal requirements of a motorcycle. In effect, this means that just about anything with three wheels can be licensed for the streets. A three-wheeler does not have to meet any of the safety requirements of a car. It doesn’t even have to be equipped with bumpers or a windshield, and it can be licensed with only one headlight and one taillight. Our ideas are a little different where safety is concerned. Consequently, we’ve given proper attention to many design features not required by law.

First of all, we think that other drivers should be able to tell where the corners of the car lay, so we’ve designed Tri-Magnum with two headlights and two taillights. We’ve installed a foam-filled front bumper (a design proven to have extremely high impact-absorbing capabilities in safety studies) and tied it into the frame with a large steel supporting structure that is fiberglassed into the body for increased rigidity. The canopy is steel reinforced throughout. Side intrusion protection is increased by leaving the body unbroken by side-door openings. The bulkhead that forms the rear of the cockpit is built up with foam around the perimeter to a thickness of 3 inches, then fiberglassed over. This creates a built-in roll bar and adds even further to the capabilities of the body to withstand a side impact at the passenger compartment. A bump at the rear would be absorbed first by the foam-filled body and then by the wheel located at the rear of the car. Loads transferred to the motorcycle are stopped by the tripod structure that secures the motorcycle at the front. Potential whiplash is eliminated by the thickly padded rear wall of the cockpit which extends upward to the roof, completely protecting the occupants. Finally, there is no dash, so you can’t bump your knees.

Of course, the biggest safety feature is the ability to avoid a collision. Tri-Magnum has plenty of extra power to get you out of a tight situation, and it’s highly maneuver-able with virtually no unusual handling characteristics.

We estimate the cost of building Tri-Magnum at about $2,000, plus the cost of the motorcycle. The motorcycle is not altered except for removing the front-fork and wheel assembly and welding on two small brackets at the lower front of the frame. (Although we can’t imagine why anyone would want to do it, the motorcycle can later be removed from the Tri-Magnum, refitted with accessories and put back on its two wheels.) The cost of a used bike ranges from about $400 for a smaller and older machine, up to about $2,000 for a nearly new, late-model high-powered version. As mentioned earlier, we paid $800 for our 76 KZ900, which had only 17,000 miles on the odometer. It had a couple of broken lights, a dented fuel tank and a broken clutch cable, but was otherwise in excellent condition. The price was about right for what we got and we sold the fork and wheel assembly for $150 to recoup some of the cost.

You can assemble the chassis in about two weekends. It involves cutting and welding steel tubing. The body is basically a fiberglassing project. Figure on about 300 hours, start to finish. The plans, which take you through the whole project, step by step, with photos and drawings, are designed with the assumption that you have never fiber-glassed before, so illustrations and instructions are complete and detailed. The plans also describe the technique for establishing the shape and contour of body panels, so if you want to experiment with styling changes you’ll know how to get the results you’re after. And the result most of us are after is an attractive, personalized vehicle that delivers the mileage and performance we want at a price we can afford.

ROBERT Q. RILEY and DAVE L. CAREY together form Quincy-Lynn, the Arizona-based company that works with MI to develop and produce all the cars in the Urba series.

Your daily dose of news and views from the world of money in politics:

TOYOTA GOES TO WASHINGTON: Facing congressional hearings regarding their recent recalls, Toyota has turned to emergency K Street expertise, hiring new lobby firms in hopes of increasing influence on Capitol Hill. The company has also recruited lower-level employees to contact their representatives. Even before this surge in lobbying efforts, Toyota was ahead of the pack, spending almost $5.4 million in 2009. According to a Center for Responsive Politics analysis, many of Toyota’s lobbyists are individuals who formerly held a position in the federal government. Toyota’s recent mobilization of forces brings attention to Congress’s investigations, an examination of which reveals a potential lack of neutrality both in support of and in opposition to Toyota’s future. An article in the Washington Post explains that 40 percent of members investigating Toyota have received money from them, several have personal financial investments in the company and Toyota has a history of backing charities with connections to legislators. (The New York Times has more in this story, which prominently features the Center for Responsive Politics.) Furthermore, some lawmakers involved in the hearings represent districts where automakers provide a critical number of jobs. One the other hand, the federal government has a significant financial stake in some of Toyota’s competitors, namely General Motors and Chrysler.

CASINOS GAMBLE ON REID: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) may
be having some difficulties in Washington, but there is one group that
is confident in his abilities: the casinos/gambling industry. According to the
Reno Gazette Journal, Nevada’s gaming giants are choosing to give their
money to Reid with the expectation that he will be re-elected in
November. The article reports that 15 percent of jobs in Nevada are
provided by the gaming industry; in today’s turbulent economic climate,
a politician wants to foster ties with businesses that can provide
jobs. Reid pursued that job-creation image when he brought President
Barack Obama to Las Vegas to celebrate a massive casino-resort
construction project. Reid also benefits from the support of the CEO of MGM
Mirage, a company that owns many casino-resorts and has a strong
presence in the industry. From 2005 through 2010, the company and its
employees were among the top donors to Reid’s campaign. This mutually beneficial
relationship has a plethora of motives and implications, but it cannot
guarantee the success of either Reid or the gaming industry overall; some companies have yet to put their money behind one
of the several Republican candidates.

OBAMA ON EDUCATION: In an attempt to revamp public education in
America, Obama has proposed a plan for raising and
unifying educational standards across the country. The New York Times reports that his announcement of the new “college- and
career-ready” standards in reading and math is part of a larger
overhaul of the former administration’s controversial “No Child Left
Behind” legislation of 2002. The administration has expressed the
belief that the language of current education requirements is too
vague. This, in turn, they say, allows schools to set lower standards for their
students in order to pass tests that allow them to receive federal
money. Obama hopes to make changes that will increase the quality of
schooling through national uniformity in education, which, he argues, will lead to
students who are better prepared for college or a career upon graduation.
Despite the fact that current laws allow states to set their own
standards, collaboration initiated by state governors has resulted in a
project designed to pursue cross-state educational uniformity.
Currently, 48 states are involved in the endeavor. Obama made the
announcement that he is taking up the cause at the National Governor’s
Association annual Washington, D.C., meeting.

Have a news tip or link to pass along? We want to hear from you! E-mail us at [email protected].

Toyota is primed for a collision with Congress, which wants answers as to why the company’s cars are having trouble stopping when their drivers want them to.

So this week’s PolitiQuizz explores the automotive industry’s campaign cash.

Your challenge: Michigan is the home to the U.S. automotive industry, and therefore, it may come as no surprise that candidates running for federal office there receive more than a few dollars from auto manufacturing interests. Among the 20 U.S. House of Representatives candidates that received the most campaign money last election from people and political action committees associated with the auto industry, how many were running in Michigan?

The first person to correctly answer this question by leaving an answer in this blog post’s comments section will win a free copy of The Blue Pages: Second Edition, the new book for which the Center for Responsive Politics provides data and analysis. Answers will be accepted until 5 p.m. Friday. Results will be posted as part of next Monday’s PolitiQuizz. (Make sure to provide your e-mail address so we may contact you if you win!)

Now back to last week’s question, when we asked you this: During the 2008 presidential campaign, Democratic nominee Barack Obama and Republican nominee John McCain didn’t share much in common. But both candidates ultimately received significant campaign contributions from the same sources. Specifically, people and political action committees associated with three different (and prominent) financial institutions ranked among both men’s top eight contributors. Name at least two of these three companies.

The answers: Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup.

Congratulations to “Rhon,” who was the first of two respondents to correctly name two of these three companies. For her effort, Rhon receives a free copy of The Blue Pages: Second Edition.  

I can think of a thousand reasons why I’d want to transform my car into a Russian tank and only one why I wouldn’t (that, for some reason, my car was already a Russian tank). [Automotto via DVICE]