Monthly Archives: December 2011

Sunday Morning Links: The “Rat Cafe” Edition

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These motorcycles combine two things I think are really cool, Rat Rods and Cafe Racers, into one: “Rat Cafe’s”

Via Bike EXIF:

Dutra’s bike is a 1975 GL1000, with a flat-four 999 cc motor. It had been faithful to its former owner for 35 years, and although it was time to move the bike on, the original owner didn’t want to see it scrapped. He wanted it to go to someone who could completely transform the machine, giving it a new and unexpected lease of life. That person ended up being Paul Dutra of Back Alley Motorcycles in Ontario, Canada.
When Dutra arrived to collect the Gold Wing, it was sporting a Vetter fairing and a full set of Krauser luggage. “It was all decked out with fog lights and extra brake lights,” Dutra recalls. “He had taken very good care of the bike, and had spare oil filters and plugs. He even gave me a period-correct Honda sync gauge in its original box. I managed to take the bags and fairing off, then lowered the forks through the trees and stuffed it all into a very short Dodge Caravan.”

This is one cool bike…

Now, on to the links:

Bunker: “This is what happens when he [Zero] goes off the Teleprompter.”
CS: Nothing to Be Thankful For? Think Again
The Eye: The Eye of Newt?
GTBTBA: My Thoughts and Prayers go out to the Cain Family
MTTM: Obama’s Jobs Plan- Make every able-bodied teenager a couch potato.

‘Bot: Your Help is Needed to Defeat #Texas #RINOs
Moonbattery: Uhbama Wishes His Subjects a Happy Winter Solstice
Pundette: Not Mitt, not Newt
SJ: Do we have a constitution?
Spellchek: What’s the easiest way to reduce unemployment? Stop counting people

theCL: Sen. Joe Lieberman- Google’s Blogger Needs “Flag” Button to Report Terrorist Blogs
Gator: The Bridge In Your Mind
Republican Mom: “The only reason we aren’t an all-out banana republic already is because of the second amendment.”
Wade: No One Left
WWTFT: The Mob and Freedom Of The Press – Part 2

WyBlog: Sanctimonious Saturday Salutations, or Barack Obama and the 17 Days of Christmas Vacation
Zilla: Sunday Sundries
FCBZ: Mark Levin Tweets, “Obama Is the Laziest President in My Lifetime”
CH2.0: More Reasons to Avoid Socialized Medicine

Another EV ‘Manufacturer’ is Bankruptcy While Lotus Sports Cars Plans US Expansion

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Yet another Electric Vehicle ‘manufacturer’ files for bankruptcy without building a single car:

Aspiring electric car company Aptera Motors has announced that it is going out of business.

In a letter to supporters, Aptera CEO Paul Wilbur said that the company had obtained conditional approval for a $150 million loan from the Department of Energy, but was unable to raise the matching private investment required to tap into the loan. As a result, it had run out of resources and was forced to shut down.

While government backed (and leftist approved) EV’s are not selling, one of the most storied sports car manufactures, Lotus Cars, is making a push to expand its sales in the United States. Not only are they are staffing up US operations, they are making a push into IndyCar racing in a big way:

Lotus, after dabbling in IndyCar racing this year, returns in a big way in 2012 when it starts providing engines and aerodynamic kits to the teams. The storied British automaker joins General Motors in breaking the monopoly Honda has held on the Izod IndyCar series since 2006.

The automaker, which sponsored Japanese driver Takuma Sato (pictured above) for KV Racing this year, signed the deal with IndyCar just before the deadline for the 2012 season. It was announced Thursday afternoon to great fanfare by IndyCar, which had become something of a spec series in recent years.

“Lotus is a renowned name in racing, with a long association with some of the greatest names of motorsports,” IndyCar boss Randy Bernard said. “We’re honored Lotus has chosen to serve as an engine manufacturer for the first time with us. We are excited about the future of Indy car racing with the addition of Chevrolet and Lotus as well as the continued involvement of our longtime engine supplier Honda.”

This is good news, since I’ve always had a soft spot for British sports cars.