Stupid Americans

[flastron]

New engine specs require Toyota et al to respecify engines with less horsepowerThis never ceases to annoy me. Horsepower is just a number, and a pretty useless one at that. A car with 210 hp is not necessarily faster than one with 200, and even in the case that it is, this absolutely does not mean it is "better". But Americans like to wear their

Comments

[sputnik]

I agree with the pretty truck thing. Which just made me think of the current crop of 'country' singers.

[urbanwuff]

I love the custom trucks with the hard top bed covers, and on top of that a freakin SPOILER. Oh, and it's a dually.

I pass these randomly on my drive to work along eight mile from woodward. It seems it's the new form of ghetto fab. They put trucker lights all over the thing, big air horns, airbrushing along the sides and you can't use the bed at all.

WTF?

[flastron]

In all fairness, Japan really outshines us with their custom vans. But then they don't drive them around expansive suburbs as daily drivers.

[cherdt]

Do you remember an Ann Arbor zine called Stewie from around 1995? I think it was the 4th issue, one of the guys in Stewie's band gets an incredible custom van-it's bigger on the inside than the outside and features a hot tub-and they run into these other crazy custom van people who believe that a hyper-intelligent alien race, deities of sorts, will come down to earth and save the righteous custom van owners. Well, the aliens indeed come to visit and threaten to destroy earth, or at least Ohio, unless Stewie can airbrush the most awesome custom van scene ever. Which he proceeds to do and is pronounced intergalactic savior. Or something like that.

At any rate, I just saw an ad for Honda, I think, in a copy of Time magazine that basically ripped off that idea from Stewie.

Either that, or I'm hallucinating wildly and there is no such thing as Stewie, Honda, or custom vans.

[cherdt]

I'm not crazy-there was, at least, a custom van issue of Stewie:

[urbanwuff]

I ahve to admit to the allure of the 'CUSTOM VAN' craze.

I currently want to buy either an Astro Van, Panel Van, or Shuttle Sized Bus to convert into a roadtrip/camper mobile.

The reason I'm not just going for a campervan, is the fact I have visions of shag carpet, mirrored ceilings, speaker, etc.

Also, the thought of a panel van type deal with a porthole in some crazy shpae, like a card suit spade or clubs, would be super keen.

It's just so suckmein. I'd also drive one of those japanese vans in a heatbeat. Though my airbrush would be hot curvy femmes and vikings with axes.

[flastron]

I remember Stewie, I think I had the first or second issue, when he was first forming the band.