More MPG

Some time ago, probably near the 1990's also, manufacturers started to streamline the transmission industry of the automotive world by mainlining the automatic transmission.

I started riding motorcycles about a year ago and have also driven many manual transmission vehicles. One day while driving my PT cruiser, I thought, why not drive it like a manual and place my automatic into neutral at all stops when I will not be moving for more than a second.

The PT Transmission slips in an out of gear with the flick of the wrist and no brake pedal required or push of the trans button in the lever, so you can't accidentally change into the wrong gear. With motorcycles or manual transmissions, you have to pull the clutch in and slip into neutral at a light to be able to let the clutch out. Usage of the clutch takes all the power away from the wheels meaning that the engine is running at the lowest possible RPM range when the clutch is pulled.

Did this for a short while in my PT at lights as a test. Averaged 230 to tank of 11.5 gallons under normal driving. Averaged 270 to tank of 11.5 with the Neutral trick. Got 300 once after filling up with Chevron and using an additive which I always use.
Yes 300 miles to my 11.5 out of a N/A auto Pt city driving.

My PT Cruiser has over 110k on the odometer.

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Colby Butler aka Kingkole02

Muscle Car City Monthly

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Muscle Car City Grand Opening

This weekend 5-16-09 marks the beginning of a grand opening for our newest local car museum, the Rick Treworgy's Muscle Car City Car Museum!

If you don't know what a car museum is, it is a place which has cars of older generations which have been lost through production and new model replacement. Car Museum's give people the chance to re-live history of mechanical greatest. Big-block muscle engines, boat large 4-door sedans and the cars we all loved as children.

During this opening Rick deiced to open with a bang and incorporated a car show into the functions as well. With the Museum's holdings of over 200 cars and the car show turn out of about 175-200 vehicles this made for a very nice day for onlookers and participants.

With the help of the Southwest Florida Motor-sports Club Council volunteers and others on staff, our cooperation was indeed helpful to the overall outcome of the event.

Unfortunately for me I had to cut my services short to be somewhere by 2:00 PM, or I would have like to stay and taken more pictures and look at more history masterpieces. Although my time was short it provided me a wonderful day of doing something I quite enjoy.

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Chrysler to End the PT Production

One of the United States best selling, cult following, car club enthused vehicles...is coming to a production ending!

From Mike Ramsey with the bloomberg.com online web-base, "The need for that product has passed," said John Wolknowicz, a product analyst at consulting firm IHS Global Insight Inc., in Lexington, Massachusetts. "It (the PT Cruiser) created a buzz back in 2000, but it's outlived its usefulness."

This has been about a month ago and my question is why? The PT is a vehicle which applied to the average person. The PT was priced so that most to everyone could afford to buy one and it was sized and proportionally made well to fit the average American family. Vehicle owners of the PT can't help that the PT brought back many older Americans memories of the 1930's-1940's gangster sedans we all loved so much (I wasn't around then, but I like those vehicles too).

I mean just look at this thing and what people are doing to the PT!


Awesome!

So what does Chrysler decide to do?

Per Mike Ramsey bloomberg.com "Chrysler has said it is trying to sell its Dodge Viper sports-car brand, and it will discontinue production of its Jeep Commander SUV, according to people familiar with the company’s plans."

What?

Chrysler is trying to keep the "Dodge Viper sports-car brand" for what?

So that Americans can't afford to drive a car anymore?

With an estimated based price of $83,145 per rsportscar.com, how can an average blue-collar and white collar American worker afford such a vehicle!

I think Chrysler kept the Viper in production because we all know that car companies overcharge for vehicles and the Viper surely has a 100% profit margin. That and the Chrysler execs. just like to drive the Viper on the test track.

It seems the world has become obsessed with the next vehicle that goes faster than the last vehicle. I thought we were in a oil/gas crisis?

Get this, the 2008 Dodge Viper, currently being sold, boast a 6.4L V10 estimate HP of 600, for a production car with 2 doors?

With that kind of power, they should fit the Viper with a trailer hitch and consider it a truck with a towing capacity of 10k lbs.

I think until Chrysler learns how to build one of these...

...I will stick with my PT.

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References:

Comments by:

Mike Ramsey (1/14/2009) Chrysler to End PT Cruiser, Seek Buyer for Equipment, Bloomberg.com online web-base, retrieved 2/18/09, from bloomberg.com, http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aCLJhN4i0sRk&refer=home

Some photos and comments by:

No author specified, (no date specified) 2008 Dodge Viper SRT10 Roadster Specifications, Rsports.com online web-base, retrieved 2/10/09 retrieve from rsportscar.com, http://www.rsportscars.com/dodge/2008-dodge-viper-srt10-roadster/

Other photos and references were obtain by my own previous usage.

4th Annual Rock 'Til You Drop Car Show & Concert after show

The show turned out to be a great show as the first show presented in the Cape!

This show was relocated from the Downtown Fort Myers location which we have all known for a few years now to be held at the Sunsplash water park grounds during the water parks off season.

Although some entrance signs were poorly placed and the event listing didn't mention that the entrance to the show was in the rear of Sunsplash (one block down and around the back of the school), leading many people to the wrong entrance, all went pretty well. For any of those who did manage to get caught up in the miss understand of entrances, you may have seen me out there helping to direct traffic in the correct direction (I was the guy with the grey hat on).

These events are always so much fun to be a part of for me and seeing the cars, excitement in others, and generally happy people is always plus. All car enthusiasts should have taken the opportunity to visit such a large local car show. Better yet, this show also had great music to add to the event experience. I'm sure next year will be even better!

Many people had complaints about the $5 donation entrance fee, yet managed to make an exception. With this $5 donation you got a FREE hand stamp which gave you access to see the show cars up front and personal (no touching) live music, and food. To me that $5 was a darn good value. Many people remember the coconut festival I'm sure. The Coconut festival also charged an entrance fee for generally the same basic principles.

The Progeria Research Foundation was very happy to have gotten the proceeds and monetary donations from the event. Each year the sales of 50/50 tickets awards one person half all of the money raised, half to charity, half to winner. Although that lucky person returned their share of the money to Progeria, along with the biggest club attendance award for most cars, Best of show award money, and Sheriffs choice award money. All of these actions really show the car enthusiasts good spirit towards charity.

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Colby Butler aka Kingkole02

4th Annual Rock 'Til You Drop Car Show & Concert

This event is coming up very fast on all of us for Sunday Decemeber 7th, 2008.

As some of you may know the event was moved from the Downtown Fort Myers location to the Cape Coral Sunsplash location.

Sunsplash is a seasonally opened water park servicing the SWFL area and is one of Cape Coral's many attractions for summer time fun. During the winter times when many natives do not like to spend time in the water, Sunsplash closes for special events like this car show.

Here is a short video by Chip Foose himself talking about the show and the charity which will receive the monetary donations collect by the show.

Click Here To Watch Videohttp://www.fortmyersrock.com/chip-foose.html

Come Join us at the show and show support for the Progeria Research Foundation.
The Progeria Research Foundation is an organization that supports the finding of a cure for this diesese.

"HGPS or Hutchinson-Gifford Progeria Syndrome (Progeria or HGPS) is a rare and fatal genetic condition characterized by an appearance of accelerated aging in children." taken from The Progeria Research Foundation website.

This children are affected by this disease by aging as if they were much older then in appearance, making them often loose hair, body fat, stiffening of the joints and other growth signs much like those of elder adults.

The 4th Annual Rock 'Til You Drop Car Show & Concert is being held on Sunday December 7th from 9 am for participants and 10 am for spectators until around 3:30-4:00 PM.
See come out and show you support, enjoy some good food, good music, and see some beautiful classic cars.

For more information visit: http://www.capecoralrock.com/

You will see me around as a volunteer.

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Colby Butler aka Kingkole02

References:
The Progeria Research Foundation, web-base (November 21. 2008), Retrieved 11-24-08, accessed from, http://www.progeriaresearch.org/

Tony Allen Press Release

This article below was published about Tony Allen a local car enthusiast in our local area.
Please read.

PRESS RELEASE

September 22, 2008.

Tony Allen has recently been named the Director of Marketing & Business Development for Classic Auto Restoration Specialist, Inc. (C.A.R.S.).

In 1992, Mike Case, President and CEO of C.A.R.S., decided to restore a 1968 Camaro Z28 that he had owned for twenty years. He took the car to two different shops, but both were unknowledgeable and very slow with the restoration process. These experiences forced him to set up a shop in his garage where he began the restoration of his Camaro in his spare time. His wife, however, was opposed to their garage becoming a classic car restoration shop so Mike rented a small shop and with the help of a local auto body man and a mechanic, working evenings and some weekends, he began his restoration business. During the next two years, Mike accumulated 20 project cars and had once again out grown his shop space.

After thirteen years of personal, hands-on experience restoring classic cars, his present day enterprise, Classic Car Restoration Specialist, Inc. was born. Their new 40,000 plus square foot building meets the needs of a world class classic car restoration facility and they have spent the past two years acquiring zoning approval and remodeling their new facility. C.A.R.S. has successfully restored over 100 classic cars. Their new facility also contains a large array of memorabilia which is for sale, as well as a vast collection of over 1,000 classic car and gas station memorabilia items.

C.A.R.S. also features an online marketing business selling classic cars, auto parts and collectibles. With Tony Allen’s assistance, they plan on establishing themselves as the foremost destination in the U.S. for classic car restoration, sales and service. C.A.R.S. strives to create a pleasant experience and an enjoyable destination to bring friends and family.

Tours of the facility are encouraged. C.A.R.S. is open from 8:00am to 5:00pm Monday through Friday and by appointment for special tours.

The facility is located at

17570 N. Tamiami Trail, Suite 2,

North Fort Myers, FL 33903,

just north of the Shell Factory.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Tony Allen239 229-8529

tallen@classicautoresto.com

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Colby Butler aka Kingkole02