Posted September 26, 2009 at 04:36. Add a comment
For those who aren’t familiar, the Infiniti Essence Concept car is a gas/electric hybrid vehicle utilizing Infiniti’s “3D Motor” technology. This electric motor provides 158 bhp and twice the torque of your run-of-the-mill unit. Combine this with another 434 bhp from the twin-turbo 3.7 liter V6 and you’ve got a nice-sized 592 bhp and can get almost 30 mph in combined city/hwy driving. You’ll notice plenty of intriguing things as you look through the photo gallery, including that the Essence has no mirrors. There are 6 cameras to do that job. One on the roof, one on each A-pillar, one in each quarter-panel vent, and one on the trunk lid.
Ever since I saw the press release on the Infiniti Essence Concept and read it would eventually come to Dallas, I was on a quest to find out the location, date, and time it would be here. That quest ended a week or so ago when I received a response from @InfinitiNews on Twitter. The Essence was to arrive at Hotel ZaZa on September 24. I showed up and met Josh with Infiniti, who eloquently explained more about this hybrid beauty. A few photos were all I could take before leaving for another event, but Josh informed me there was an Infiniti owners event there later that evening. Perfect. I conveniently own an Infiniti G35 and could then get some night-time shots as well. So I swung by later on for a few minutes and then left with some more pictures and some champagne in my belly. It was a good night.
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Posted September 26, 2009 at 02:51. Add a comment
Chevrolet has once again taken over a small parking lot on the south side of the State Fair of Texas. I highly recommend checking them out if you go to the fair this year. I was able to attend the Sneak Peek a couple days ago and was impressed with the “Chevy Experience”. You can even drive a Bumblebee Camaro around the course. Unfortunately, “no wheel spin” is the rule…something about not wanting mangled fenders and flattened fences. It’s a great opportunity to learn more about the Chevrolet lineup. So after you get some fried butter, stop on by. If you’re on Twitter, follow @GMTexas and let them know you’re coming!
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Posted September 19, 2009 at 12:05. Add a comment
For those of you who love to just get out there and drive, make sure to check out BF Goodrich’s Nation of Go. Whether you’ve got a sports car or a 4×4, you’ll like this site. Follow the Nation of Go’s Lancer Sportback RalliArt and Quigley GM 4×4 van as they inspire us to drive cool routes and trails across the country.
Posted September 17, 2009 at 14:58. 1 comment
2010 Buick LaCrossse
Buick. It’s not a company often discussed or highly regarded by Gen-Xers. I’d venture to say it’s regarded even less by the younger generations. Handicap tags. Walkers. 40mph in the fast lane. That is the association many have with Buick. This is about to change.
Buick recently held an event in Irving, TX to showcase the new 2010 LaCrosse. Let me be the first to say, as a card-carrying Gen-Xer, this car does not belong in an assisted-living parking lot. Honestly, I think the technology in this car will baffle even many computer literate baby-boomers. You name it, and it’s there…rear-view camera and parking assist, heads-up display, keyless start, and my personal favorite, a 40GB hard drive. Need to take a call with the Bluetooth-linked speaker phone? Well, the radio will pause the broadcast and then resume from the same spot when you end your call. The interior looks great as well. The Ice-Blue ambient lighting carries through the entire car and accentuates the quality stitching and wood panels.
As I hung around the LaCrosse outside Cool River Cafe that night, many comments were overheard such as “Wow! That looks great!” and “It looks like a Lexus.” Many would think that the LaCrosse would be a bit out of its league sitting across from the row of valeted BMW, Mercedes, and Lexus vehicles. Many would be wrong. It really does look that great. However, GM, lose the fake vents. You’re not fooling anyone by moving them from the fender to the hood. The vents are much more painful now that they’re a blemish on an otherwise outstanding design.
Now it’s just a matter of time for the public to shake the geriatric stigma of Buick. The 2010 LaCrosse is a great start. Let’s just hope it drives as well as it looks. If so, watch out Lexus.
Thanks to GM for putting on this event. It was fun and the food and drinks were great. For those of you on Twitter, make sure to follow @GMTexas for the latest and greatest of what they are doing.
Posted September 1, 2009 at 07:05. Add a comment
Stickers. That’s what jump-started meeting Team Hall & Nass in person.
Johnny Hall and Taylor Nass were on a multi-day streak of little to no sleep in preparation for the 2009 Dustball 1500 Rally. Johnny and I had conversed over Twitter for months and on this day I was on my way to meet him and check out the bright yellow 2009 Corvette Z51 ZHZ convertible as he prepped it for the rally. That night I met his wonderful navigator as well…the blonde beauty who would run the electronics, consult the maps, and help Johnny solve the gimmick rally challenges over the next few days.
I was able to shoot a few pictures and help out Johnny with the many decals needing applied to the car that night. They planned on getting up early the next morning to head to El Paso where the Dustball Rally begins. It was a long night, but filled with great conversation, several pitchers of tea, a late-night run to Wendy’s, and still not being done when I left around 2am. Johnny and Taylor ended up pulling an all-nighter that night before heading to El Paso.
What happened over the next few days will only fully be known by Team Hall & Nass and the other 30+ teams who traversed their way from El Paso to Las Vegas and back. The three day event was 2 full days of driving and challenges with a full day of rest in the middle. Even then, not all teams would make it to the finish line. Team Hall & Nass had quite the adventure and was often a front-runner for the win. However a series of events prevented them from a finish. The story of their rally experience in “Stickers”, as they affectionately named their Dustball Corvette ZHZ, can be read at http://teamhallnnass.wordpress.com/. Make sure to check them out! Also, someone is spreading a nasty rumor that some newbies might be bringing a family car to the 2010 Dustball Rally. The nerve. More to come on that. : )
After the rally, Johnny and I met a few times for a couple photo shoots to capture the Dustball Corvette ZHZ. We even attended a Men’s Steak-Out and Motor Show at Northwest Bible Church where he entered the car. Check out the Dustball Corvette as it intimidates lesser Corvettes and Bombardier luxury jets. Click each of the images below to check out the photo galleries!
