"Crash" -- a UD student "auto" biography by Kristin Cella

Kristin Cella

HST 344

Professor Heitmann

23 January 2013

Crash

I went to a small high school in Elgin, Illinois. It could take anywhere between ten to twenty minutes to get there from my house, the reason being that there is a train station right by the school where there would constantly be cargo and passenger trains coming through. I always hated having to wait at the light for what seemed like forever because of the trains, but one day in particular made me despise it.

I was fifteen years old when my older sister was driving me and our two friends home from our after school field hockey practice. It was just like any other day. We were all talking, listening to the radio, messing with our cell phones, nothing was different. Like most other days, we just barely missed the light so my sister slowly brought her ‘97 Chevy Malibu to a stop right behind the tracks. Our windows were down and I could clearly hear the railroad crossing warning bells. All of a sudden I can’t hear them anymore. It sounded like loud thunder and a long gun shot, and pieces of glass fly everywhere over the road. A grey minivan on the other side of the track took a hard and fast right from the road perpendicular to us. The train hit it with immense force, and it continued to drag it along the tracks like a little boy’s hand steering his toy on the floor. Red warning lights continued to flash as they had started just seconds before.

We all witnessed the whole thing. We couldn’t help but to scream and burst into panic mode. Of course we couldn’t have done anything to prevent it, nor could the train. It blew its whistle just like all trains do when approaching a crossway. The minivan drove over the tracks at the exact moment the train would strike it from the side, and we all knew that lives had just ended. I couldn’t process anything because I was in such a state of shock. I’d never even witnessed a fender bender before this, and I sure as hell had never seen anyone been killed, but it just didn’t seem plausible that anyone could survive a crash like that.

A few people were out of their cars at this point, and my sister frantically grabbed her phone to dial 911. Her voice was shaking as she told them what we just witnessed. I looked around and saw other people on their phones doing the same. Soon after, police cars and an ambulance showed up. I couldn’t stop looking around at all the glass and replaying what I just saw in my head. Weren’t the crossing gates down? How did the driver not hear the train’s loud whistle? Could it have been a suicide attempt? We were all trying to make sense of it all. When our time came to cross, we turned right and drove parallel to the tracks. I started seeing more and more car parts sprinkled across the area and then finally the compacted minivan. The four of us barely talked for the rest of the ride home.

The grey minivan had five people in it. The driver was an adult female and the only one who miraculously survived. The passenger was her sister, and in the back were her two nieces and baby nephew. My sister, myself, and our two friends didn’t talk to each other for days because we were so shaken up, but we were eventually contacted by the police to explain what we witnessed. I hated having to relive the horrific incident; especially because it all happened so fast I wasn’t 100% sure about any of the little details anymore. Yet, seven years later I can still hear the noise of that grey minivan being pulverized and can see it happening in my head.

There weren’t many days throughout the rest of my high school career where I didn’t think about the accident when waiting at that light. To say that I now look both ways when I approach a railroad crossing would be an understatement.

Not this particular accident but a train-mini-van accident nevertheless.(editor)

A funky photo of a 1934 Ford

Hi folks -- I found these photos on the web and thought it was worth a post -- especially the first one with a Maynard G. Krebs look-a-like! This is a 4 door sedan, probably had the V-8 engine, and sold for about $500.

UD "Auto" Biography -- Stephanie Wilhelm and her 1999 Mustang

Stephanie Wilhelm
HST-344
1/23/13

“Auto” Biography

I still remember that hot summer day when my mom and I were driving by my high school parking lot when something caught my eye.  Silver, shiny, and an object of pure beauty.  There in that parking lot, I spotted my first car.  A ’99, Automatic, V6, Ford Mustang.  I still had my temporary permit, but begged my mom to pull in the lot.  I remember jumping out of the car before she had finished parking, and just staring at the heat rolling off the tinted windows.  I walked over to the car and started inspecting everything about it.  Brand new tires, shiny hubcaps, and the word MUSTANG written on the rear bumper with letters cut from what looked like a mirror.  The car looked brand new with not even a scratch.  I then examined the inside through the dark tinted windows.  All black interior with black cloth seats.  I turned to my mom and she could see the plea in my eyes, and we called the number on the FOR SALE sign.  The owner agreed to meet us in ten minutes so we could take it for a test drive.

                That was the longest ten minutes of my life.  When they finally showed up, they said they didn’t mind if I drove it even though I still had my temps.  Naturally, this worried my mom; she said she wanted to drive it first, as to not get my hopes up, just in case something was wrong.  She drove it to our house where my dad was waiting to inspect it.  He didn’t see anything wrong with it, which is when they agreed I could take it for a spin.  I sat down in the driver seat and instantly knew it was meant to be.  I adjusted the seat, mirrors and rolled down the windows, I was ready to go.  I pulled out of our driveway and didn’t even think about having to drive back to the real owner of the car.  I wanted this car, it felt like my own home, and my own space.

                As I knew it was coming, I had to drive my newfound love back to the owner.  My parents agreed to talk to each other about whether or not I could get the car that evening.  I tried to keep my mind occupied by going to my neighbor’s house and hanging out but I just couldn’t wait.  After about an hour of struggling not to talk about the car I may get, I ran home and pleaded with my parents what their decision would be.  They both just smiled and said “we already called them, and are picking it up tomorrow.”  My jaw dropped.  I was shocked; they had just purchased my teenage dream.

                This car continued to share wonderful memories with me.  This car took me everywhere, from driving me to high school, sports practices, work, friends’ houses, out to dinner, and eventually off to college.  This is when I experienced a life changing event in this car.  Winter, snow storms, and a rear wheel drive car do not mix well.  It was the middle of February, and snowing.  My friend Sarah and I were driving back to my house to see a concert. We were on I-70, and she was following me in her black Nissan Altima.  The snow had really started to pick up, so we were averaging about 25mph on the freeway.  We had been passing car after car that was stuck in the snow on the side of the road.  I should have taken this as a sign, but wanting to get home sooner I ignored it.  This was when the cars in front of me started to pick up speed.  I figured since they were going a little faster, I could manage too.  I knew I had sand bags in my trunk, along with all my laundry from school.  This is the moment my back end started to fishtail.

                Now my dad had taken me out plenty of times to “practice” donuts in my car.  I think this was more to have fun then to learn how to control the car in the snow.  Nevertheless, I knew what I needed to do.  I did not try to fix the car and jerk the steering wheel back so the car would go straight because that could cause me to go across the lanes into the traffic next to me.  Instead I turned the wheel slightly to the left, so any motion would be away from traffic toward the ditch in the median.  In what seemed like a second, I was sitting in the ditch, car facing the oncoming traffic.  Trying to move my car was no use, my tires only spun in the snow.  I had to leave my car there, as there was no way I could manage getting it to move, especially with the snow continuing to fall.  The next day my dad and I rode down to get my car.  We had called the state highway patrol and AAA.  They closed down the freeway and took two tow trucks to pull my car out.  It will always be embedded in my mind, rear wheel drive plus snow or rain is never a good combination.

UD Student "Auto Biography:" Scott Adinolfi's 1984 Renault Alliance!

There she was, silver paint, two doors, and a 65 HP engine under the hood.  My first car was a 1984 AMC Renault Alliance.  It was originally my grandmothers “beauty shop” car, and did not travel more than a hand full of miles during any trip.  When the car was gifted to me it was 22 years old with 27,000 miles on the odometer.  Few have had the opportunity to see a product by the late AMC, let alone drive one.  American Motors was bought out by Chrysler in 1987 and renamed Eagle.  However, Renault remains very popular in the European market and in racing.  Although it was not the Acura RSX I had my eye on, it had plenty of character to leave a lasting memory for my friends and I during its year long tenure as my daily driver.  When piling three friends in the car, the shocks would sit low and flooring the gas pedal was a must to get the car up to cruising speed.  I quickly decided that the push-button radio had to go, and a new CD player along with four fresh speakers were installed.  Occasionally, the vibration from the bass would cause the rearview mirror to fall off the windshield.  This would have not been a problem but the Renault was only equipped with a side mirror on the drivers side, limiting view behind and on the sides of the car.  Parking was quite easy in this car, it was so narrow and short it could be parked in narrow spots and fit in any parallel parking spot suitable for a Mini Cooper.  The 1.4L engine paired with a 3-speed automatic transmission limited my top speed to around 68 miles an hour, a characteristic that made my parents feel at ease.  Due to the cars age it became a maintenance nightmare.  Seals and gaskets leaked regularly, the tires had dry-rot and the muffler quickly rusted through.  Even ordering an oil filter for the car was a pain, the metric threads and style required it to be ordered online each time the oil was to be changed.  The straw that broke the camel’s back occurred when the cable controlling the speedometer snapped and couldn’t be repaired.  Sadly, the Renault was retired and it was time to search for a suitable replacement.

It was August of 2008 when the Renault was replaced.  A gold colored 2005 Honda Accord was the next car that became mine.  My dad had purchased a new car, thus handing his down to me.  The driving experience I have had behind the wheel of this car has totaled up to 30,000+ miles and many different states along the way.  My first long distance trip came when I drove to North Carolina from Chicago for my summer internship.  Winding through the mountains in West Virginia was an entirely new experience for me and allowed me to develop a more personal relationship with my vehicle.  The 240 HP V6 engine made climbing steep grades a breeze, while the car hugged the road while traveling down a hills and navigating a curves.   Most recently a trip from Chicago to Kansas City completed.  This trip allowed the Accord to prove its fuel efficiency, averaging 28 MPG throughout the trip.  This vehicle at 107,000 miles has required minimal service during its lifetime.  To me, this solidifies Honda as a brand I will highly consider when looking for my next car.  

During each summer in high school I worked a landscaping job at a middle school.  This opportunity allowed me to fall in love with one particular car.  It was a Ford F-250 Super Duty work truck.  The first time I sat behind the wheel of this massive beast a smile came across my face.  The power available via the large V8 engine made hauling a load or a trailer a breeze.  This vehicle inspired my interest in country music, a genre that remains as my favorite today.  

A 1952 Chevy and the most Traumatic Moment in My Life

Hi folks -- I just thought of this this morning and in mentioning it to my wife, she suggested I write this up as an "auto" biographical piece. This is all brought on by present experience.  We have an outdoor cat by the name of "Blackie." She is such a loving cat, and when I get up in the morning and go to the end of the drive way to get the newspaper, Blackie follows -- prancing and loving me along the way.  The problem is she can go into the street, which that time of day has little traffic, but still cars do pass by. I worry about her if she gets into the street, and a few days ago a Mustang drove up, however cautiously as I held out my hand to slow down.  I would be devastated if she were hit while fetching the paper, and it brings back to memory perhaps the most horrific episode in my childhood.

I was maybe eight years old and in the second grade, living in North Tonawanda, New York. Every day I would come home for lunch, and one day my best friend and dog, "Sparkie," followed me as I walked back to school. Sparkie, like Blackie, was full of energy, and rarely listened. So much so that she wandered on a main street where she was hit by a pale green 1952 Chevy that did not stop. Sparkie was mortally wounded, and after a short time a policeman came by and shot her in front of me to put Sparkie out of her misery.  To this day I remember the speeding Chevy and exactly how Sparkie was hit by that car.  If I ever catch that driver, I'll kill him or her.

This is exactly the color of the car as I remember it. It was unwashed and looked  not cared for, probably in 1957 or 1958.

On Barney Oldfield -- Another View: I Stand Corrected

Barney Oldfield and Harvey Firestone


As a Professor you really need to get your facts straight. Barney Oldfield, Master Driver of the World won two National races, Venice, CA. 300M Race, March 17. 1915 & Tuscan 100M Race, March 20, 1915. Barney died Oct. 4, 1946 not 1947 also sorry to hear that you think of Barney Oldfield as a bully. Barney was the toast of the town because he set World Speed Records and helped Henry Ford , Harvey Firestone, Harry Miller, Walter Christie and others to fame among some of his accomplishments. Barney Oldfield was one of the true American Automotive pioneers. Barney Oldfield love of racing was 55 years old when he raced tractors and actually set a record in a Allis-Chalmers tractor in Texas. Barney Oldfield promoted auto racing safety, first to introduce seat belts, enclosed race cars designed by Harry Miller & Barney Oldfield, tires by Harvey Firstone & Barney Oldfield to name a few. Barney went on an automotive safety quest after good friend Bob Burman, land speed record holder was killed in a auto race. Auto racing during this period was dangerous and a lot of drivers were killed or injured because of the lack of safety equipment. I do not believe Barney Oldfield turned on the sport of auto racing but believe he was trying to make people more aware of how dangerous the sport was and to promote safety. His article Widows in Waiting was quite true as during this period of auto racing there were a lot of auto racers that were killed or injured because of the times, no seat belts, no enclosed race cars, etc. I also disagree some what that Barney Oldfield had no say in his racing career with his promoter Bill Pickens and Brickyard owner Carl Fisher and others. Barney Oldfield called the shots most of the time, a few examples the Oldfield Jack Johnson Race, Barney had committed to this race before AAA got involved and told Barney if he went through with this unsanctioned race he would be suspended from AAA racing for a period of time, he could have not gone through with the race but decided to race because he had given his word and commitment also the Cactus Derby Race, he decided which car to use the Stutz Racer. Barney Oldfield was one of the first to be inducted into America's Motorsports Hall of Fames and Automotive Hall of Fames among a few so I am disappointed you have portrayed Barney Oldfield as a Blusterer and someone that had turned on this sport he so loved.
Wayne Carroll Petersen
Barney Oldfield Great Great nephew 

 Wayne Petersen and Donald Davidson

William F.Nolan, Mark Godfrey, and Wayne Petersen

Sarawak,Kuching. 24th - 27 th January 2013

This time we flew again to the Borneo, to meet and do up  some of our customers ride . While we are there we managed to bring down 1 GTR engine for the Aventador killer package and do up another 2 GTR's Although its abit tiring but its really worth it We had a very good time and thank you to all of you ! Thanks to the TOAZ workshop for the facilities.

Keroauc's On the Road -- a new book on the topic by Mark Sayers

Hi folks -- as some of you know, I use Jack Keroauc's On the Road in my Automobile and American Life class. And I am currently pondering an on the road trip of my own in my Porsche 911 soon -- very soon.  So when I say the title The Road trip that Changed the World: The Unlikely Theory That Will Change How you View Culture, The Church, and Most Importantly Yourself, my interest was piqued.

Here is an important sample from the book, pp.22-3:

"Keroauc would call for a "rucksack revolution," a generational move away from home on to the road, a new kind of lifestyle for young people that would be built upon experience, pleasure, spiritual exploration, mobility, and self-discovery.  Keroauc would write that he saw "a vision of a great rucksack revolution thousands or even millions of young Americans wandering around with rucksacks"  For Keroauc this revolution would be a way of resisting what he saw as the secularizing and stupefying effects iof mass consumer culture. His hope was founded in a sense that a new generation with a new vision for humanity was:
refusing to subscribe to the general demand that they consume production and therefore have to work for  the privilege of consuming all that...they didn't want anyway such as refrigerators, TV sets, cars, at least fancy cars, certain hair oils and deodorants and general junk you finally always see a week later in the garbage anyway, all of them imprisoned in a system of work, produce, consume, work, produce, consume."

In sum, according to this author Keroauc presided over a post-WWII cultural revolution in the U.S. in which discipline, commitment, spiritual worship, dedication to the home and family was supplanted by instant gratification, self-actualization, selfish ends, and rootless and at times purposeless mobility.

1967 soft window Porsche 911S Targa

Hi folks -- nice promo photo released at the time of the introduction of the Targa in 1967. Today the soft rear window is desired by collectors, as is the S model. Note pressed steel wheels with hub caps rather than alloys.

New Cover Art for Kindle Edition of my The Automobile and American Life!

Hi folks -- I was surprised to see this new cover for the Kindle edition of my book. Very appropriate since I simply love the California coast! The 1958 two-tone Chevy in the foreground and Corvette in the background take me back to those simple days of my childhood, minus the beach!  Lake Erie beaches don't quite look like this one!

Can you identify the old cars in the photos?

 Hint: a GM brand

A Chrysler Product

Hint: It was air-cooled 

Hell if I know!

Should be easy to ID 

Not so easy -- hint -- one is a Studebaker

FULL Nissan GTR Carbon Fibre Interior

Here's Another Car that we installed the full carbon fibre trims.

Scenery @ ATS Automobile

Here are some pictures...Some scene and New Front Carbon Fibre Bonnet Installed

Nissan GTR Top Secret Front Bumper

Here Are Some Of the Picturess

ATS Automobile @ Maldives

Hi Everybody, its been a while i didnt updated ATS Automobile Blog. For the past few weeks im very busy with my personal issues. I just got married 3 weeks ago.  Rite After the weeding i need  flew to MALDIVES to do up a GTR with some issues and Performance upgrade upron request by the owner because  there's a race coming in the following weeks. Basically This is the only GTR that u can see in MALDIVES. Those peoples over there are extra Friendly and Really polite. I had a very very good time at Maldives and at THULHAGIRI Island Resort. I would like to say Millions Thank U to Mr Mahfuz,Mr Shanee and Mr shiyaz for Everything and  with your very best hospitality and hope to see u guys AGAIN.

Photographs of Porsche 356 assembly and inspection

The worker above is assembling a bearing roller crankshaft.  This is a very precise and difficult task Advantages of this kind of design is that it allows the crankshaft to rotate with less friction, and it doesn't need to operate with constant oil pressure as plain bearings do. To rebuild one of these you have to split the crankshaft in pieces as it is held together by serrated pins and bolts. You need special jigs and dial indicators to do this.