Today I Learned (TIL)

TIL that VW ripped off the design of the original Beetle from Tatra.

Apparently Tatra tried suing them but the Nazi's had something to say about that and it was halted. But after the war they sued them again and won a million DM.

That is actually a much more modern version of the beetle, but the original KDF Wagen looked even more like the Tatra. And apparently the mechanical design is very similar.

TIL this is Madonna?

In reply to 914Driver :

Same kind of waxy, distorted look of Robocop ,  without the helmet .

In reply to 914Driver :

Madonna: *brutalizes entire head trying to pretend she's not 40 years older than she used to be*

Also Madonna: *bitches about how unfair ageism is*

TIL (well this week) that the newest Camaro is a pretty fun car. I had one as a rental, 4 cylinder, 30+ mpg, visibility is small but not bad, back seat is a joke, classic long hood, handles decent and has good power. It has no torque which is weird but once it winds up it's fun. For all the E36 M3 whispering you hear about it I was impressed. I would consider it for a daily driver. 

In reply to NY Nick :

I love the idea of a turbo four Camaro.

iATN and Identifix are too full of stories of broken pistons (usually #4, sometimes #1) for me to consider that route.

And I have seen too many holed 3.6 blocks for that to be interesting, and the V8s sound like trucks and I don't like the driving feel anyway, so that rules that out as well.

Blah.

I like the idea, though...

In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :

Don't forget the vacuum pump driven off the back of the exhaust cam that randomly blows up on the 2.0T. Easy to replace on FWD applications, makes you want to hang yourself on the Alpha RWD chassis. I had to pull one off on a Cadillac ATS (which ended up having a melted piston from a non-OEM ECM calibration) and it's on the back of the engine and crammed under the wiper cowl. I was consumed with rage. Thankfully, after the guy found out it that it wouldn't be warranty (oops, that calibration check branded his vehicle and GM voided his warranties) he came and picked it up and I didn't have to fix it or even reassemble it. It left with the cylinder head, front cover and everything else in the trunk.

To add onto the above conversation, I recently had to UVI a fairly well optioned-out 3.6L/8-speed Camaro at work. That thing boogied, and the redline, WOT upshifts with the paddleshifters made glorious noises.

TIL that the actual cocaine bear is stuffed, and after some ownership changes (not all may have been legal), it is on display at a mall in Lexington, Kentucky.

TIL that having a cherry halls while drinking coffee tastes like an ashtray (or at least what I think one would taste like). 

I learned how to take my kitchen faucet apart so I can soak the whole thing in vinegar and get some spring back in the springs.

TIL the company I work for hired little big town for our managers meeting entertainment. So sitting in a concert right now after dinner.  Not my style but not bad

TIL Susan Oliver had a real name, and did some wonderful things, and was not in any Bond movie.

First woman to fly from New York to Moscow.

Susan Oliver conquered her fear of flying to become the second woman to pilot a single engine airplane solo from NY to Europe.

She tried acting.

In reply to 914Driver :

You confused me there, I thought you were going to be talking about Honor Blackman, not a real life Pu$$y Galore.

Right you are Professor, too much faith in the source I guess.  She did do some good stuff though.  Corrected above.

TIL that in 1835 Mexico, facing multiple revolts, tried to render militias ineffective by limiting their size and by requiring storage of militia cannons at central locations within each state or colony.  The cannon storage site they chose for Texas was the old Mission San Antonio de Valero at Bexar.

Yep.  The Alamo.

eastsideTim said:

TIL that the actual cocaine bear is stuffed, and after some ownership changes (not all may have been legal), it is on display at a mall in Lexington, Kentucky.

It's inside a tourist trap store, and a good one too.  It relieved me of quite a few dollars.

TIL that one can get an Alfa 105 series Spider with a slushbox.

Peabody said:

TIL that VW ripped off the design of the original Beetle from Tatra.

Apparently Tatra tried suing them but the Nazi's had something to say about that and it was halted. But after the war they sued them again and won a million DM.

That is actually a much more modern version of the beetle, but the original KDF Wagen looked even more like the Tatra. And apparently the mechanical design is very similar.

IIRC it was mostly the mechanical design - the chassis on the Tatra is very similar with the central spine and the engine hanging out the back.

Almost like Prof Porsche had a look underneath one and liked what he saw.

In reply to BoxheadTim :

Because there's no resemblance to the early Beetle

I believe Porsche and the designer of the T97 worked together during that time, and Porsche has said that they shared ideas

TIL Richard Belzer was a comedian and has died.

In reply to 914Driver :

I only knew him from doing stand up in the 80's, and was surprised when I later saw him play cop roles

TIL:  In Swedish the word for "black" is "svart". 

Which explains why all these black wires are denoted as "SV" on the wiring diagram.

In reply to wae :

And in German it is Schwarz.  Have not seen them differentiate between the light and the dark side.

In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :

General Schwarzkoph is General Black coffee?

huh.