In The Hood

When you're driving a Mitsubishi 3000GT, you don't even need a hood. Besides, hoods are overrated anyway.

Bees Live In This Hill

Some photos from a random Monday afternoon in Durham, North Carolina. The first two photos are of the George Watts Hill Pavilion For The Arts below. It was built in 2004 by Liberty Arts Inc., which was interested in creating a sculpture studio and bronze casting facility to facilitate the commissioning and production of artwork and develop educational programs for artists and community. This concept came to fruition with the completion of the pavilion in 2004. Read more about it here.

Back On Top

In response to reports that General Motors has regained the position of No. 1 automaker in the world in global sales, U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow issued the following statement this week: "Some wrote off Michigan workers and auto companies and said we should let the American automobile and millions of jobs vanish. Clearly, those people were wrong. Michigan auto companies have transformed, once again creating jobs at home and leading the way around the world. Congratulations to all those who have worked so hard to help GM regain its position and help all our automakers become even more competitive for the 21st Century." In other good news, it was announced on Friday that federal safety regulators closed a government safety probe into GM's extended-range electric Chevrolet Volt, saying it does not believe Volts or other electric vehicles pose a greater risk of fire than gasoline-powered vehicles.

1911 Ann Arbor Convertible

Arthur H. French is the owner of the 1911 Ann Arbor Convertible, a rare vehicle built by the Huron River Manufacturing Co. Seven vehicles were assembled over a two-year period. This is the only known survivor. It is called a convertible because it converts from a car to a truck and back — the original "SUV Crossover," if you will. The two rear seats can be removed and — voila! — you have a three-quarter ton pickup. The center seat also can be reversed so that the two rear seats face each other. The Ann Arbor is powered by a four-cylinder Davis engine with 25 horsepower and double chain drive. The transmission is a Muncie Gear Works planetary No. 35 jackshaft with positraction. Top speed is about 27 mph. "Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads."

Bumper Cars

Two vehicles collided at the intersection of Liberty and Division in downtown Ann Arbor shortly after 2 a.m. this morning following a festive St. Patrick's Day bar night. Official details of the accident are uncertain, but this was the scene as the woman in the sedan attempted to retrieve her front bumper and place it in her back seat. Police were called to the scene and two patrol cars responded. The damaged vehicles ended up blocking the westernmost northbound lane of Division for more than a half hour. No one appeared to be injured, though both drivers appeared distraught. "F--k my life," the woman in the black dress remarked.

What Happens In Columbus

I was visiting my friend Octavian in Columbus, Ohio, this past Labor Day weekend when we were driving through downtown and noticed these cars smashed by dinosaur-egg-sized boulders. I suppose I could make up a story and say this was payback after a road rage incident involving a jerk in a red car. But the real story is that it's a clever advertisement for an insurance company. Here's the write-up from July in The Columbus Dispatch: "Apocalyptic hail: Fortunately, hail as heavy as 1,000 pounds isn't in Columbus' forecast anytime soon — it just appears to be falling on downtown as part of a 3-D 'wallscape' advertisement for American Family Insurance. The massive Styrofoam hailstones with aluminum frames were affixed on the Atlas Building at 8 E. Long St. this week, with heavily damaged cars positioned below. The ad is the latest wallscape by Columbus-based Orange Barrel Media."