Chet Parsons, Car Guy

Scotch, wine, watches, and cars all have one thing in common.  The best specimens are usually only available in small batches. In November, I made a connection with Local Motors.  It stuck.  I met with Jay, Sarah, and Ariel again in Austin during SXSW, and they are doing well.  The Rally Fighter continues to impress and is nearing production readiness, and the plans for the first micro-factory in Arizona are well underway.  I mention Local Motors not only because I think they have a  big future, but also because my experience with that company has changed how I look at other small-batch manufacturers.  I have always been amazed how many start-up car companies seem to come and go, but even more amazed at the success of the handful that have stuck around. Pagani is the first that comes to mind, and with the imminent delivery of the Zonda successor, they appear to be in it for the long haul.  Koenigsegg seems to be holding its own as well, well e...

If you had asked me a year ago what I thought of the future of the auto industry, I would have given you a pretty bleak answer. Tonight I got to meet someone who could change that. Tonight I met Jay Rogers, CEO of Local Motors. Go to www.local-motors.com to find out more about this company, and pay special attention not to the automobiles, but to the business model they are proposing. The broad strokes go something like this: build limited production automobiles based on designs submitted and voted upon by an internet community in local micro factories around the country (and globe) using techniques and technology with minimal environmental impact. That's a pretty simplified version, but you get the idea. While the automotive giants dig out of their holes, producing appliances for the road, Local Motors is looking to build niche market products in limited quantities, in regional facilities, making the consumer an integral part of the design, development, and build processes. ...

Driving home from work on Wednesday, I heard a very loud bang. I knew immediately that I had blown a tire, but was surprised at how loud it was. It sounded like a gunshot. End result was a blown tire, no surprise, and a surprisingly large hole in the inside of the wheel. When I get a chance to dismount the tire, I can find out what, besides chunks of wheel, is rattling around inside the tire. Until then, I can only speculate...

An urge to write? Could it be? Could I be awake long enough to actually write something worth reading? What the heck tore up the tire AND WHEEL on my M3 on Wednesday night? Tune in tomorrow to find out the answers to all these riveting questions and more.

It's no wonder I haven't updated my blog in almost 5 months. Here's what's been on my mind lately. I've decided that the Nissan Cube is an unusually appealing automobile. The new Jag XJ is beautiful, and I think that my friend Paul is right about Jag losing its heritage, but I like the new direction the company is going regardless. I like the look of the new Camaro, but why does it (and the Dodge Challenger, for that matter) have to be so damn big? Can anyone tell me who beat the Subaru Legacy and Outback with an ugly stick? There's more, but it will have to wait until I'm more motivated to write.

While I would have eagerly watched the "American" Top Gear series. I was quite relieved to find out it was stillborn. "American-izing" Top Gear is completely contrary and would probably have done nothing but to dilute the brand. Top Gear has a great following in the USA, it's true. But its popularity stems largely, I believe, from the un-accessible nature of the show itself. I know that I relish seeing Pagani's, Weismann's, and Koenigsegg's in the hands of the Stig on the TG test track because of the pure fantasy of it all. I mean, a private track, ridiculously fast and expensive cars, and Oscar-worthy cinematography? All on one show? Then they top it off with smart, witty commentary by three intelligent chaps (all three of whom can actually write as well). And for good measure, the comedic challenges have me in tears, laughing harder than I would at any comedian. I downloaded a program for my Mac specifically so I could download episodes of...

My M3 had been sitting in the garage for two weeks.  I felt guilty.  This guilt came on top of my existing guilt for not only had it been sitting, but it was filthy and in need of some TLC.  So what was I to do?  I took it out for a nice drive on a cool Sunday morning, that's what I was to do. And then I put it away and drove my wife's car back to Dallas.  My poor car.