I usually end the work week’s post (and remember, Americans, that you lose an hour of sleep on Saturday night when the clock moves forward) with a few upbeat animal bits. I’ve collected four for today, thanks to the endless stream of readers who inundate me with felinilia.
First, we have a video by reader Taskin, “Cat Concerto starring Gus”. Apparently she waited for months to be able to film Gus’s noodling on the piano. His effort here sounds a bit dolorous and melancholy, like “Gymnopédie”:
Second, a cartoon showing a good idea: the cards your cats would buy for you—if they had money:
Reader Sarah in Oakland reports that her cat bed count—the felids who occupy her and her partner’s bed at night—now ranges from six to eight. A photo from Wednesday evening is below. All of these cats were strays, which Sarah took in, fed, had neutered, and took to the vets. They’re still semi-wild, but they know where to go to get noms and a warm sleep.
From noon around the circle we have Surprise, Cat!, Tib Tab, Siameezy, Gray Cat, Professeur Chippeur (“Chippi”), and Mean Pretty Tabby (Sarah is creative with names). I would have thought it would be impossible to sleep with such a crew, but it seems to work.
Finally, Stephen Barnard from Idaho has taken delivery of his car, and I’d asked him for a picture of his d*g in the car. It just arrived, and here is “Deets versus Cobra” (the note said “He was a little nervous”):
h/t: Amy, Sarah
Sub
“From noon around the circle we have Surprise, Cat!, Tib Tab, Siameezy, Gray Cat, Professeur Chippeur (“Chippi”), and Mean Pretty Tabby”
For a while I thought this was another round of spot the hidden cat… I finally figured that “Surprise” was not a cat name. Or perhaps the cats name is “Surprise, Cat!”.
His name is “Surprise, Cat!”
Puzzled me too.
Is that an Oxford Comma?
Sweet ride! Deets is nervous because he’s thinking “you’ll still want to play with me, right?”
I had a little cargasm when I saw that Cobra.
I wonder if it’s an original or a kit car? Likely a kit car considering what an original is worth these days.
To Sarah in Oakland, an exceptionally commendable job being done there. My wife does much the same but we never had six at the same time. If only we had more Sarahs and less of you know….the other kind.
Thanks – our friends help out a lot though…making donations of food and $ for vet visits.
The cards for humans are great, especially that there is a picture of a human on one.
Nice car and food boy, Deets!
And Canadians also have to change the time. I’m exhausted with the medical crap I’m going through and it makes me curse George W for moving up the change. Now I will be getting up in darkness instead of semi darkness again!! Curse you George W. I hope you get really hungry and only have iceberg lettuce & broccoli to eat!!
Food boy should be good boy. Stupid autocorrect.
Just a wish, 1953 120 Jag(Sterling Moss won the LeMans in it), If I could curl my toes and smile…
That’s an epic car. (Is “epic” OK?) I used to see people driving them around in the 50s and 60s, but I haven’t seen one in the wild for a long time.
Can’t imagine it. Baihu’s favorite overnight position is stretched out lengthwise side-to-side in the middle of the bed. It would be geometrically impossible for him to take up a larger fraction of the bed space.
I’d be nervous, too! Sweet ride! It’s a shame that modern cars have departed so far from the design aesthetics of that era. I know somebody with a ’62 Cadillac convertible that’s a stalled project…has a new engine sitting on a pallet that needs to get dropped in, needs paint and a new top and upholstery…and that’s pretty much it. I’d pick that car over most luxury sedans on the market today, no hesitation.
Have you had a chance to open the throttle yet? Does it have a break-in period?
b&
Stephen – if you’d care to post more specs on the Cobra, there’d be at least two interested parties.
It’s a 2009 replica Shelby Cobra 427, manufactured by Superperformance, endorsed by Carroll Shelby. They build the chassis, running gear, and electronics in South Africa, ship the car to a destination (California, in this case) where someone installs an engine, transmission, and tires. There are several choices. This one has a Roush 427 crate engine, which is a bored-out (and maybe stroked — I don’t know) Ford 351. Aspirated. Rated at 535 horsepower @ 5600 rpm, 545 lb.ft. torque @ 4500 rpm. The car weighs about 2500lbs. Five speed. Mint condition, so far.
Roush makes some very sold engines. Not cheap, but definitely worth it if it fits the budget.
Yours would be roughly similar to this:
http://www.roushperformance.com/engines/427-r.html
A 427 starts with, as you note, a Ford Windsor 351 block. It’s then bored to 4.125″, which 0.125″ over the stock 4.0″ bore, which is an awful lot; normally, 0.040″ is as far as builders typically go…though the 351 block is often used in this particular over-boring application (and Roush knows what they’re doing) so it’s not something to be concerned with. The 351 is normally stroked at 3.5″; a 427 is stroked to 4″, which is again an awful lot. The final result is (4.125″ bore / 2)^2 * 4″ stroke * π * 8 cylinders = 427.65 cu. in.
That’s an awful lot of oomph. Because it’s got such a long stroke, chances are good that it’s got a wide and flat torque band as well, more like an electric motor than a typical gasoline engine. It’s not likely to be fussy about where you shift, so long as you don’t shift especially early.
And that’s the really scary bit. A car that light with that much power…you’re probably looking at under three seconds for 0 – 60 MPH, and a quarter mile time of about ten seconds at a speed of 136 MPH — if you know what you’re doing. That’s some serious performance, more than you can get in just about any production vehicle, including many “supercars.”
Have fun…but work up to pressing the skinny pedal as far as it’ll go. Even cruising down the freeway, you’ll still be able to break the tires loose and spin them with too much gas…one of your biggest challenges in “go-fast” mode is going to be not using full throttle, but instead using the most you can without losing traction. Especially since I’m assuming it doesn’t have electronic traction control….
But…oh, man, that car really should be all kinds of fun. At least, I really hope it will be, because it’s an even more souped-up version of what I’m plotting out for my own Mustang….
Cheers,
b&
That looks exactly like my engine. I’ve barely spun this engine over 4000rpm. Like you say, with that stroke the low end torque is impressive. That’s what made the “muscle” cars of the 60s muscle cars. I’m cautiously exploring the envelope of the performance.
I don’t think your roadster would be considered a muscle car; that term was reserved for the souped-up four-passenger “family” sedans — like what I’m doing to my Mustang.
But your roadster is what the muscle cars were trying to beat, and not always successfully even with their bigger engines.
…and then there’s the minor little detail that your actual engine is at the upper end of the displacement range for muscle cars of that era, and it has what at the time would have been an insanely unimaginable horsepower : displacement ratio…send your car through a time warp to the ’60s and it’d be an instant legend and the most impressive car on the road or the track.
Even today…once you learn how to drive the car to its full potential, you’ll be able to beat any production car save for a very small number of insanely expensive exotics. The average Lamborghini or Maserati won’t stand a chance against your car.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
b&
At least you have Big Sky Country to explore it in (oh, wait, that’s next door in MT – never mind… it shouldn’t take you long to get there from wherever you are in ID).
But do go cautiously. Back in ’67 when I pumped gas the summer after highschool, there was a guy who had a red one that used to come in to fill up. By the time summer was over, it and he were both gone.
I bought my car from a company that used to deal in high end vehicles that they’d purchase mostly from the US (cheaper and higher chance of snow & therefore salt free conditions). They had a collection of super cars, including Lamborghinis. The salesman told me a story about how he sold a Lambo to a young guy and warned him to be careful with it until he got used to it. The guy floored it leaving the dealership & ended up in the ditch across the street. It cost him thousands in repairs. A cheap lesson to learn however, as the price could have been his life under different conditions.
If you start by driving the same way you would any other car and work up gradually from there — which is what Stephen seems to be doing — you should live to tell the tale. If you put your testosterone in charge, you’ll be the tale that gets told.
b&
“A 427 starts with, as you note, a Ford Windsor 351 block. It’s then bored to 4.125″, which 0.125″ over the stock 4.0″ bore, which is an awful lot;”
The stock block must have darn thick cylinder walls if they can do that reliably.
Our bed was too full with just Kitty and Flippy…it’s a small bed. And two of the new cats are even bigger than Kitty. I’m a heavy sleeper though…partner not so much :(. If anyone is nearby or knows anyone in the area that is in need of cats (and who isn’t?), some of the cats can be adopted…we’ve been trying for over a year but everyone wants kittens. We love them all, but they would be better cared for in smaller batches I’m sure. They’re all fixed, and if you take one and don’t like it, you can return it and try another!
We are 2000 miles away so cannot help but it sounds like an opportunity for anyone in the bay area. I don’t really understand the kitten thing, it should not be that important. Kitten is very temporary folks and before you know it, you have a cat anyway. I think what I’m saying is, if someone only wants a kitten, they may be more of a problem than a solution.
We lived in the bay area a couple of time, Alameda mostly. There was an outfit called – For The Love Of Cats and they would come around to the Animal Shelter in Alameda looking at the cats and finding owners for them. A Debbie Edge was the main person but they had 3 or 4 locations they worked from. If they are still in business it might be worth checking.
Thanks – we tried all of the places…everywhere is always too full. I don’t understand the kitten thing either…you don’t know how the kitten will turn out – we know these cats’ personalities pretty well by now. They aren’t getting the best care and the best food currently, but certainly no one is starving or without toys or places to sleep…our friends come over to play with them too! It’s ok for now…if we have to move, that will be another story.
Is that even a physical possibility? Or is this some sort of hypothetical, like magnetic monopoles, frictionless spherical cows, and religious morality?
b&
Or even as unlikely as the legendary ‘toast-cat perpetual motion machine’.
The idea is that since cats always land feet-first, and toast always lands butter-side down, then if you attach some toast butter-side up to a cat’s back then let the cat fall, it will never hit the ground, but will instead remain suspended in the air whilst the opposing forces of feet and butter cause the cat to spin, just like a motor but with no need of an external power source.
Ah, but you know, the cat always licks the butter off first, thereby wrecking the experiment.
Ok – if you take one and NEED another!
you made me smile again!
I take issue with the card “sorry about barfing”. A cat would never buy a card like that. Cats are not sorry about anything.
My thoughts exactly. I think the correct cat sentiment would be “I barfed on the rug. You’re welcome.”
On the inside, it just says “lol jk”. It’s an old gag in the card industry.
Catcerto:
Enjoy the ride, Stephen! Gorgeous vehicle.
Peter Brock, designer of the Shelby CSX900, designed the body of the Renovo electric roadster, delivering later the year. At $550,000 it’s a bit out of my price range.
The 60’s and 70’s were such a creative, exuberant period in auto design. Modern production automobiles look like used bars of soap.
http://renovomotors.com
And meant to note, Renovo is a local startup – based just a few miles from my house. It’s a exciting time in Silicon Valley these days.
Peter Brock? Must be a different one.
In these parts (the upside down part of the world) Peter Brock was known for racing Holdens and unfortunately being seriously into woo, though nobody wants to talk about that.
Really! Interesting. I don’t know if it’s the same guy or not – great designer though.
Almost certainly a different one.
The one of which I speak, after a long career as a successful racing driver, decided to take up rallying, and went straight off the road into a tree at very high speed.
The woo to which I refer was an ‘Energy polariser’ which contained crystals and magnets and aligned the molecules of cars to which it was fitted, improving handling and performance. Serious woo. Whether his arboricidal rally car was so fitted I don’t know.
One of my fishing guides in NZ knew this Aussie Peter Brock well — thought the world of him. He must have been charismatic. The “energy polarizer” thing is ridiculous, of course. Wasn’t there something about him recommending tire pressures of 22psi (dangerously low) for cars using his crystals? (Wiki) Holden eventually dumped him.
There’s an American Peter Brock, car designer.
I think he must have been charismatic. He was known by his fans and commentators as ‘Peter Perfect’ – which to my mind is tempting fate and begging for sarcasm.
He did recommend tyre pressures of 22psi – which can hardly have helped economy or handling. I wouldn’t do that with a heavy load on a hot day. I have driven on the road with 18psi, after a grass ‘gymkhana’, but only to the first gas station with a air hose.
It’s odd where these threads sometimes take one. I’d never heard of Holden, and I know a little about cars, or at least North American and European cars. So I googled Holden Motors. It’s an iconic Australian brand that is, according to General Motors, recently out of business.
Yes, Holden was the Great Aussie Car. For decades Ford vs Holden was _the_ Australian motorsport rivalry.
I do like the look of this design. Some cars today are just wonky. I like the Porche design too (not on their SUVs as that seems just wrong) and they’ve seemed to keep that look over the decades.
I’m a fan of the Cayenne, the Porsche SUV! Not $100,000 worth of fan, but gazing from afar fan. American car design has really come around, though, since the 1980’s. My favorite car I ever drove was a second-hand 1982 Chrysler LeBaron convertible with a Mark Cross leather interior that was finally take from me in a head-on with Scottish tourists who’d just arrived and forgotten that U.S. left-turns are not “protected” lefts. That car was ug-ly, but I looooved it.
I drive an Acura SUV of the used bar of soap variety; my next car will be an American-made hybrid. If Studebaker starts making an Avanti hybrid that would suit me best, but I think the chances are slim that will come to pass.
I thought Porsche making an SUv was just counter to who they were. I’d love a Mini but my next car wI’ll be a hybrid.
I think you mean the CSX 9000, aka Daytona Coupe.
That is correct.
I still love that video of Nora.
Last photo is pure poetry in motion.
Sweet ride, Stephen.
I may have asked you this before; but: How did you settle on your retirement location?
I love that area; but for you, how did you choose it?
Cheers. And thanks for all the lovely photos.
when I retired in 1999 I was tired of living in cities all my life so I bought a cabin in Stanley, ID, a tiny town in the mountains, and lived there for twelve years. Then I moved to Hailey, a small town in the Wood River Valley, and lived there for two years. My daughter came to live with me and she had a passion for raising goats and making cheese. My financial situation had improved dramatically so I looked around for real estate near Silver Creek, where I could indulge my pastimes of fly fishing and wildlife photography, and where my daughter could do her thing, so here I am.
Lovely, thank you. Sounds like a little piece of Heaven to me, if you’ll forgive the expression. And fresh goat cheese to boot! Wonderful.
Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy! And please keep the photos coming! We really enjoy them: Nice work.
You are getting so many fantastic BIF shots, you’ll never be abel to decide which one is THE shot! 🙂