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Courtney Force Earns Women’s 100th Victory

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COURTNEY FORCE WON HISTORIC 100TH FEMALE PRO NHRA VICTORY!

Courtney Force

Courtney Force, a member of her father’s John Force Racing dynasty, not only won the Funny Car champion trophy at Topeka, Kansas on Sunday May 25, 2014; she also was able to claim the 100th professional victory by a woman in NHRA (National Hot Rod Association).

NHRA

NHRA

Officials at NHRA were really promoting this special event over the last few racing events and it was just a matter of time before some lady claimed it. There usually are two female funny car racers at the drag strip; Courtney Force joined by Alexis DeJoria, along with Erica Enders-Stevens in Pro Stock and Brittany Force in Top Fuel. Of course no other motor sport comes close in diversity in regards to women being accepted as drivers and winning.

It was Courtney Force’s second attempt to earn this trophy. Last week Courtney Force lost to her brother-in-law and teammate Robert Hight. This week she defeated in the final round Cruz Pedregon, who ironically used to drive for John Force, and whom she has never beaten in a final round before.

Courtney and John Force too

Courtney Force

Courtney Force is in her third year as a professional Funny Car driver. This week she was the fastest qualifier in the funny cars. Not only does she follow in her father’s footsteps, but her older sister Ashley Force Hood also raced funny cars in the NHRA. And younger sister, Brittany Force, is now pursuing a career driving a Top Fuel dragster.

John Force RacingForce Trio

 

John Force Racing is snapping up wins and points this year, despite knowing that in 2015 John Force loses his Ford sponsorship funding and Castrol Oil is backing out then as well. But John Force is determined to keep his team going forward and winning races in future seasons.

Fourteen women won victories in the NHRA pro ranks, most notable being Shirley “ChaCha” Muldowney who earned the first win in 1976. Ashley Force, Courtney Force’s sister, also contributed to the win category.

Ashley Force Hood

Not to be overlooked was Brittany Force, Courtney Force’s younger sister, who took the fastest qualifier spot in Top Fuel. So racing history was also made with two sisters taking the top qualification spots in two professional drag racing categories.

Courtney and John Force

Way to go Courtney Force!

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Memorial Day -Thanks to our Veterans

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Memorial Day

In honor of Memorial Day and to honor our veterans from all our Armed Forces  of all ages and through all combat theaters, we suspend our normal articles on classic cars and salute our veterans!

Veterans

Thanks to all our veterans, Americans can enjoy the freedoms and rights that we have and cherish. Without their service and yes, especially their losses, America would not be the same today

Sacrifice

Thanks to modern technology, things our different. But can you imagine the service men and women in WW I and WW II waiting weeks and months for the next tear-stained letter from their loved ones. And even one photograph would be symbolic and a rare keepsake.

US Marine Corp War Memorial

Here is a set of pictures from the US Marine Corp War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia and next to the Arlington National Cemetery.

It is a constant reminder that freedom is never free!

Thanks to all our veterans,

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Car show, Uncategorized

31 Ford Truck – Goodguys Finalist

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31 Ford Truck 1931 Ford – Early Truck of the Year

At the Goodguys show in Del Mar, California, they selected this 1931 Ford Truck as a finalist for Early Truck of the Year.  We previously commented on the Del Mar show here.

Early Truck of the Year

At other venues during this year, Goodguys will select some more finalists before awarding one truck the coveted title of “Early Truck of the Year” at the Goodguys finale in Scottsdale, Arizona in November, 2014.  In fact at this final show of their year, several Yearly Awards are selected.

31 Ford Truck

This 31 Ford truck kept a stock looking exterior but freshened up the engine and drive train.  The paint had a color flake to add a little sparkle.  31 Ford Truck

Henry Ford would not recognize the power plant under this hood but I guarantee you it’ll move out from the traffic lights.  I especially like the wheel treatment with the white walls and maroon rims and chrome centers.  How about you?

Goodguys

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The Goodguys Rod and Custom show crosses the country with shows spread across numerous venues.  Although their name says “rod and custom”, in truth all sorts of cars and trucks show up at these three-day weekend events.  Plus on All American Sunday, modern muscle cars are welcome to join the party, so you get the opportunity to see a little of everything at one of their shows.

Entrants pay a modest fee for all three days of the show and the public pay at the admission gate for a chance to see some awesome classic cars and trucks.  Mots site even do a road course so cars can drive a timed cone outlined course to strut their car and their driving skills.

 

Here is a short video we created on the 31 Ford Truck.  Enjoy

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USS Coronado Commissioning

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Don’t often get a chance to see a US navy ship commissioned, so had to snap up this invite to attend the commissioning of the USS Coronado.Invite

USS Coronado

The USS Coronado is the fourth littoral combat ship in the US fleet.  It has a unique tri-hull that looks positively ominous when you see it bearing down.  It can proceed at 40 knots when it fires up all four of their diesel and gas turbine engines to power the powerful four water jets.

It is 420 feet long and has a width (beam) of 104 feet.  But astonishingly it only drafts in 14.5 feet, meaning it could enter some pretty shallow coastal areas.  A crew of forty proud men and women run the ship and there are actually two separate crews (a blue and a gold crew) so one is on board and one is off at any one time.

A littoral combat ship is designed to engage enemies along the coast lines.  These new ships, built jointly by General Dynamics, Austral USA and Bath Iron Works, are unique because they are modular in design,  They can easily change up their containers to switch from a submarine fighter to a search and rescue to …?

Coronado

The USS Coronado is actually the third ship named after Coronado, California and will be home ported in this Navy friendly  town.  Coronado is home to North Island Naval Air Station and is home for aircraft carriers, SEALS and various ships.

USS Coronado Crest

Crest for USS Coronado

The ship’s crest has an interesting background.  The ship is on top with the alternating blue and gold rope representing the alternating crews.  The crown represents the city of Coronado’s seal.  The three tines of the trident represent their three missions; Mine Warfare, Anti-Submarine Warfare and Surface Warfare

A commissioning only occurs once in a ship’s lifetime and is actually pinpointing the time when it enters the fleet and is available for duty.  The crew assigned at the time of the commissioning are known as Plankkeepers and it is an honor to help a ship to go through the shake down cruises and prepare it to be a vital piece of Naval combat.

On the dock were a rescue helicopter (check out the artwork on the fuselage), a submarine detector and various other armaments.

While a departure from our usual coverage, we thought you’d enjoy this close up look of a fighting ship.  What do you think?

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Car show, Uncategorized

Cruise on Central revisited

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55 ChevyWe had the chance to write an article for eBay Motors  n the Cruise on Central.  Here’s the link to the article.

We wrote about it earlier here and even submitted a quick video on YouTube as well.  Some additional pictures have been shared on Google + as well.

Cruise on Central

The Cruise on Central has some legendary history especially among long time locals and natives.  Find out how it started back in the 60’s,  was policed out of existence and then revived first as an unsanctioned event and now a local promoter has taken it under her wing.

 

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Car show, Uncategorized

Goodguys Del Mar Car Show Coverage

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Here is a link to our  complete coverage of the fun times at Goodguys Rod and Custom car show in Del Mar, California show last month.  This is our article as posted by eBay Motors.

We gave you a sneak peek of the car show before, with this article.

Del Mar

Goodguys in Del Mar sort of gets the West Coast car guys to dust off the cars and start up the car season.  We had perfect weather and some great cars to look at.35 Chevy

Check out the article on eBay and let us know your favorite cars .

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Car show, Manufacturer news, Uncategorized

i3 from BMW San Diego spotted

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i3

i3 passenger side 2

The i3 is BMW’s answer to the hybrid world.  It is the all electric answer from Germany for sustainable cars.  But seeing these cars in person, might be harder than finding a public accessible plug in spot!

i3 carbon body and carbon footprint

The i3 uses carbon fiber strengthened plastic in the body panels and the use of electricity and their lithium ion battery should lower the carbon footprint of the car that goes 0-60 in seven seconds.  Electric cars are known for their instant on thrust/torque.

i3 BMW passenger side

I3 spotted

Recently while on assignment in San Diego, we spotted TWO i3’s – also on assignment.  They were running around the harbor of San Diego Bay, presumably involved in a commercial spot.  These cars are still pretty rare and mainly hitting the car shows try to prime the pump.  My guess is the video may even end up on the cutting room floor, if that is where they discard digital footage these days.

Photo car

Photo car 2

While you are looking at these shots, take a look at the tricked out photo car –  Porsche.  the flat black paint helps to reduce reflections in the car model and the long extended boom allows for a variety of action shots.

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Auctions, Car show, Uncategorized

Central Avenue Cruise

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55 ChevyTwice a year, Phoenix, Arizona hosts the Cruise on Central.

60’s Cruise

Back in the day Central Avenue was the main arterial for Phoenix, Arizona.  On Friday and Saturday nights youths would flock the entire length to cruise with their cars.  Of course back then, Central Avenue didn’t go as far!

Gone

Eventually the police and local businessman tired of the antics and “encouraged” drivers to disperse elsewhere.  Strict law enforcement helped this encouragement as cruisers went to Metrocenter Mall and Mesa’s downtown Main Street.

90’s Unsanctioned Cruises

“Somehow” in the 90’s the cruise on Central resurrected as an “unsanctioned” cruise.  Somehow cars just showed up along Central twice a year.  Now a local car show promoter Nancy Perry has taken the cruise under her wing and has organized it with police security, port-a-potties, some vendors and  arrangements with the owners of Park Central Mall, which is mainly office complexes now with lots of empty parking spaces on Saturday afternoon.

Enjoy this video of a few burnouts and watch for full coverage in a later post

You Tube Video

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Auctions, Car show, Manufacturer news, Uncategorized

Barrett-Jackson Florida Update

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Barrett-Jackson wrapped up their three days of car auctions on Sunday with sales exceeding $25 million in sales for over 500 vehicles.  The auction was held in Palm Beach, Florida and crowds were evident throughout the auction.  The prices were right and seven cars linked to charities sold for over $2.25 million dollars.

Detroit Muscle

Among the cars being auctioned off were Chevrolet’s first 2015 Camaro Z/28 for $500,000, a 2013 Mustang from the Hollywood film, Need for Speed went for $300,000 and the first production 2015 Z06 Corvette went for a smooth $1 million dollars!

Three Preview Cars from Barrett-Jackson Did Well

Previously we previewed three classics to keep an eye on and the prices sure were high for these beauties.

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The 57 fuel injected Chevrolet Bel Air Convertible went for $110,000.

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The 1971 Oldsmobile 442 Convertible went for $104,500.

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The silver 1967 Corvette coupe went for $165,000

Not bad for just three cars!

Barrett-Jackson TV Coverage Changes for 2015

Perhaps responding to complaints/concerns of their recent coverage on a variety of Fox stations, Barrett-Jackson announced that starting in 2015 with their Scottsdale auction the television coverage will be on Discovery and the Velocity channel.  That might be a better linkage for the car auction, especially with the heavy emphasis that Velocity gives to cars and restoration shows.  Wonder who the reporters will be?

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Auctions, Car show, Uncategorized

Barrett-Jackson Auction in Florida

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57 Chevy at Barrett JacksonBarrett-Jackson Auctions comes to Palm Beach, Florida this weekend for car sales on April 11-13, 2014, just before Easter.  They have a variety of cars for sale and provide live coverage from Fox Sports 1 and National Geographic for over twenty hours.

Barrett-Jackson is a great auction house and runs a well organized operation.  Their cars are well presented and the action is brisk.  It is a great show and definitely not one to miss.

Preview

We had the chance to preview some cars at a recent Goodguys event and here are some of our picks.

This 1971 Oldsmobile 442 is a numbers matching convertible.  The OLDS 445 engine links to a manual four speed and comes with factory optioned air conditioning, power steering, power lift top for the convertible and power front disk brakes.  The black paint is flawless and is coming from NASCAR’s Rick Hendrick.

DSCN3358

Corvette

You can’t go wrong buying or selling a Corvette at Barrett-Jackson and this silver beauty looks great.  It too has a four speed, naturally, matched up to a 427 Chevy engine.  It has lots of documentation and awards but the coupe would be a neat drive even without all the restoration efforts.DSCN3359

1957 Chevy Bel Air

Finally, readers know we like 57 Chevy’s here at Route 66 PubCo and this white convertible looks great.  It is one of eight 1957 Chevy Bel Air’s selling this weekend at Barrett-Jackson.  The 283 engine is updated to fuel injection, which is a sure way to bump up the fun and the price of these classics.  It comes with a correct red and silver interior.DSCN3364

Check out the auction and let us know your favorite.

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