Seeing an electric car Toyota 2000GT
Covering the Detroit Auto Show reinforced my belief that older cars are generally cooler than new ones. Oh, there were plenty of exciting new concepts and debuts at the Motor City, as the new Corvette and NSX concept. I also sit on my first Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, which was absolutely sick. But walk the track Cobo Hall, I found myself wishing some of these companies transport their historic cars we ogle too.
I did get a very pleasant surprise when I found one of my favorite cars in person for the first time. But when I researched more, it was a very bittersweet experience. More bitter than sweet, actually.
I'm talking about the Toyota 2000GT which became an electric vehicle. I'll give you a moment to let the shock set in.
Okay, ready now? The 2000GT EV is nothing new. It has been around for at least a year, and was at the Goodwood Festival of Speed last year. It is the result of the Toyota Automobile Association "Crazy Car Project," in which the standard 2.0-liter DOHC Yamaha engine has been swapped for an electric motor with integrated solar panels on the hood.
The first time I realized I was up in Detroit when an escalator from the media center for the living room, and saw in the distance - that was one hell of a crazy paint job, but its shape was unmistakable.
"Holy Shitballs, guys, I think that's a 2000GT!" I exclaimed with some fellow auto journalists around me, who nodded and turned to whisper to each other about how websites are just a fad.
But the 2000GT meant something to me. As rag in their boring-ass beigemobiles, I consider myself a kind Toyota. My family had a lot of them growing up, including a seriously cool Cressida wagon. I used to covet the Supra and MR-2 when they were close, and I am an advocate of the FR-S now.
And the 2000GT is undoubtedly the king of all Toyotas. No, there is nothing to discuss - what Toyota commanded more respect and admiration for this car? The 2000GT debuted with a bang at the 1965 Tokyo Motor Show and "boldly declared that the Japanese auto industry had come" as Japanese Nostalgic Car so eloquently puts it.
Yes, the general form is a type of fraud Japanese Jaguar E-Type, but it looks great in its own right. And if you're going to start an existing sports car design, you can do a lot worse than the E-Type.
The car spun around famous James Bond star Sean Connery behind the wheel in 1967's You Only Live Twice. Only about 350 were ever made. They reach very high prices at auction today. Clearly, the Toyota 2000GT is still special for many people. I can not say which is my absolute favorite, all-time dream car, but it is one that I have always admired and wanted to see in person.
So I was thrilled when I finally got my chance in Detroit, but it was not at all what I expected. I can not really describe the spiritual kick in the balls I felt when I saw this thing. I support electric cars and solar panels run on deck is a great idea - but could not you have chosen something else, anything else, because the donor car? Anything else besides a Toyota 2000GT, an iconic sports car that is quite rare? I feel like I ruined a car that really does not have to come.
How I can describe how this regard? Keith Barry over at Wired called "Solar-Powered Sacrilege", and I'd say it's pretty sharp.
It was like losing my virginity, but getting an STD in the process.
It was like meeting the Dalai Lama, but then punches him in the throat and tells him to get a real job.
It was like seeing your best friend for the first time in years, along with the girl who grew up with and still carry a torch for, and discover that we are committed.
I mean, an electrical 2000GT. Jesus. Come on, man.
The least he deserves a car EV conversion in his book?
I did get a very pleasant surprise when I found one of my favorite cars in person for the first time. But when I researched more, it was a very bittersweet experience. More bitter than sweet, actually.
I'm talking about the Toyota 2000GT which became an electric vehicle. I'll give you a moment to let the shock set in.
Okay, ready now? The 2000GT EV is nothing new. It has been around for at least a year, and was at the Goodwood Festival of Speed last year. It is the result of the Toyota Automobile Association "Crazy Car Project," in which the standard 2.0-liter DOHC Yamaha engine has been swapped for an electric motor with integrated solar panels on the hood.
The first time I realized I was up in Detroit when an escalator from the media center for the living room, and saw in the distance - that was one hell of a crazy paint job, but its shape was unmistakable.
"Holy Shitballs, guys, I think that's a 2000GT!" I exclaimed with some fellow auto journalists around me, who nodded and turned to whisper to each other about how websites are just a fad.
But the 2000GT meant something to me. As rag in their boring-ass beigemobiles, I consider myself a kind Toyota. My family had a lot of them growing up, including a seriously cool Cressida wagon. I used to covet the Supra and MR-2 when they were close, and I am an advocate of the FR-S now.
And the 2000GT is undoubtedly the king of all Toyotas. No, there is nothing to discuss - what Toyota commanded more respect and admiration for this car? The 2000GT debuted with a bang at the 1965 Tokyo Motor Show and "boldly declared that the Japanese auto industry had come" as Japanese Nostalgic Car so eloquently puts it.
Yes, the general form is a type of fraud Japanese Jaguar E-Type, but it looks great in its own right. And if you're going to start an existing sports car design, you can do a lot worse than the E-Type.
The car spun around famous James Bond star Sean Connery behind the wheel in 1967's You Only Live Twice. Only about 350 were ever made. They reach very high prices at auction today. Clearly, the Toyota 2000GT is still special for many people. I can not say which is my absolute favorite, all-time dream car, but it is one that I have always admired and wanted to see in person.
So I was thrilled when I finally got my chance in Detroit, but it was not at all what I expected. I can not really describe the spiritual kick in the balls I felt when I saw this thing. I support electric cars and solar panels run on deck is a great idea - but could not you have chosen something else, anything else, because the donor car? Anything else besides a Toyota 2000GT, an iconic sports car that is quite rare? I feel like I ruined a car that really does not have to come.
How I can describe how this regard? Keith Barry over at Wired called "Solar-Powered Sacrilege", and I'd say it's pretty sharp.
It was like losing my virginity, but getting an STD in the process.
It was like meeting the Dalai Lama, but then punches him in the throat and tells him to get a real job.
It was like seeing your best friend for the first time in years, along with the girl who grew up with and still carry a torch for, and discover that we are committed.
I mean, an electrical 2000GT. Jesus. Come on, man.
The least he deserves a car EV conversion in his book?
Toyota illegal settlement in case of death may be the best legal movie, observers say
LOS ANGELES - As Toyota Motor Corp. chips away at the settlement of lawsuits alleging their vehicles suddenly accelerate, the question remains whether the lawyers who filed the suit could reach a jury that had a design flaw.
The company has stuck accelerator pedals, faulty floor mats and driver error are the reasons for vehicles up unexpectedly, while lawyers for the plaintiffs contend Toyota electronic throttle control system is the culprit.Recent settlements totaling more than $ 1 billion by Toyota to resolve numerous lawsuits involving economic loss and some involving claims for wrongful death may indicate that the automaker does not want to risk his appearance on the losing side of potentially costly court decision.
"A bad loss in a jury trial could inflict lasting damage to Toyota in the loss of public trust," said Los Angeles attorney Christine Spagnoli, who has won several multimillion dollar judgments against automakers about problems safety. "I think Toyota will continue to look for better opportunities to get a win."
The company said Thursday it settled a lawsuit with the family of two people killed in a crash in Utah that was ready to go to trial next month and serve as a test case for hundreds of others that are pending.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it comes just weeks after Toyota agreed to pay more than $ 1 billion to settle claims where vehicle owners said the value of its cars and SUVs plummeted after the company recalled millions of vehicles due to sudden acceleration issues.
For Utah, Paul Van Alfen and promised his son, Charlene Jones Lloyd, died when his Camry crashed into a wall near Wendover, Utah. in 2010. The Utah Highway Patrol concluded on the basis of the statements of witnesses and survivors of the accident that the accelerator was stuck.
It was the first so-called "reference" case, a federal judge in Orange County, California, chosen to help predict the possible outcomes of other demands that make similar allegations.
Wayne Mason, a product liability lawyer in Dallas, does not believe Thursday's settlement bodes ill for both sides in the future.
"This is like taking an aspirin when you have a migraine," said Mason. "Each of these cases has to be weighed on its own merits. Would surprise me if some of it was not."
Toyota continues to be dogged by sudden acceleration issues that arose four years ago. Last month the U.S. government hit the company with a $ 17.4 million fine for failing to promptly report back problems and federal regulators to delay retirement security. More than 150,000 2010 Lexus Rx 350s and RX 450h models were recalled because the floor mats on the driver can trap the accelerator pedal and cause the vehicle to accelerate without warning.
Toyota has recalled more than 14 million vehicles worldwide to fix sticky gas pedals and floor mats. The company also paid a total of $ 48.8 million in fines for three violations in 2010.
While withdrawals have tarnished the company's reputation for sterling reliability, Toyota has regained its position as the largest automaker in the world and its sales increased 27 percent last year.
The automaker has also received some vindication Both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and NASA could not find fault in the source code that may cause Toyota's acceleration problems.
In 2011, a federal judge found that Toyota was not responsible for an accident involving a 2005 Scion that the driver blamed the electronic throttle or rug.
A judgment concerning the second is scheduled for later this year, but it is unclear whether a decision will be made before that date. Plaintiffs' Counsel have reviewed thousands of internal documents from Toyota, critical information and dismissed employees, but most of this material has been kept under seal in court documents.
In a statement announcing the settlement Van Alfen, Toyota said there will be a number of other opportunities to defend themselves in a court of law, even though the company may "decide from time to time" to resolve the cases selected.
"It seems that Toyota did not want a public disclosure of the evidence that has been collected on the demands, so you can keep saying it's not a problem," said Spagnoli. "If Toyota felt I could have successfully defended their products in these cases, would have received a public trial."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)