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3ds max tutorials links and other stuff
Forums home -> 3D Studio MAX -> 3ds max tutorials links and other stuff
3ds max tutorials links and other stuff
By raluxitza on Aug 20, 2008 01:03 PM
I've found a new 3ds max tutorials site http://www.freeitsolutions.com/3ds/ .....they have many tutorials some of them very good but i would like to know if there is a site where i can learn more about 3d landscape....in all seasons...winter landscape, spring etc....all the sites have categories like basic, modeling, etc but very few are specialized ...if you have some good tutorials links please let me know....
And if it is someone here with experience(i sow some extraordinary works here so there must be excelent artists) i would like to know how hard is to make a fairytale in 3d??? (something like SHREK)...how many hours, resources, etc....
By the way ...if i am not so good lets say medium value 3d artist how much money can imake from this business?? Selling 3d models is the easiest way, isn't it??
thanks :shock:


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Banjo-Threeie "Won't Be a Traditional Platformer" and Much More
A seemingly popular topic in Rareware's Scribes letter column is Banjo-Threeie, which the loving chaps across the pond seem to be more than thrilled to discuss: "With Banjo-Kazooie 3 coming out, though, I am hoping that there will be another platformer released by Rare, only with graphics and controls and things like that that make me mash my hands on the keyboard like this: fljskajkjf;riuiusaduhfiausdbfisdjnkcvnjdshdjjdk,ruwyh43!! So, will you be staying true to the platforming nature of the series or will Banjo be turning into an over-the-shoulder view shooter with lots of blood and gore?" Click the jump for Rare's response, and TONS more. Read More

subset: commoncrawl


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text: Link Ink: Chris Evans On His Cap Future, Fresh 'Son Of Batman' Footage And New 'DC Universe Online' DLC by Caleb Goellner March 26, 2014 Variety Wednesday's links await, after the jump. Read More Filed Under: avengers super heroes half marathon, Clayton Crain, DC All Access, DC Universe Online, matt kindt, Rai, Son of Batman, Valiant Category: Culture, Link Ink Send to a friend! Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Pin it! Reddit This! Share on Tumblr!


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Tag Archives: Steve Jobs
October 21, 2013 | cwinters | Tagged Amazon, Earnings, Google, Jeff Bezos, Larry Page, Steve Jobs
Can a CEO opt-out of earnings calls?
In case you missed it, last week Google's CEO announced that he may not be joining future earnings calls. Some news reports are citing vocal chord troubles, while Page himself suggested it was a need for him to "ruthlessly prioritize." But how can Larry Page be a CEO if he can't talk? Do they do all of their strategy meetings via Google Hangout? And if it is a question of priorities, shouldn't his shareholders be a priority 4 times a year?
Many are citing the precedent of Steve Jobs opting out while battling cancer, which was obviously an extreme example. Others may recall Jeff Bezos who was very clear that he wasn't going to concern himself with Wall Street's short term priorities. But that didn't mean he didn't show up.
What are the implications of a CEO stepping back from investor relations commitments like a 4 time per year call? I've had many a client over two decades that would prefer to decline the quarterly firing squad known as the analyst call. And I've had a few that probably would have been doing their Company, and their shareholders, a service by playing hooky on those days.
We know that at least one-third of a Company's valuation is tied to intangibles. When pressed to get specific about what those things are, quality of management, leadership and vision are the most frequently cited variables. Perhaps Google feels that the CEO-investor version of playing hard to get will increase his perceived value?
Woody Allen said it best, "Eighty percent of success is just showing up." My view: if you want to be the CEO, you have to show up.
October 13, 2011 | cwinters | Tagged Bank of America, Bill Clinton, Occupy Wall Street, Steve Jobs
Occupy Wall Street Must Get Relevant, and Fast
If you live in the NYC area and watch the evening news, you might have the impression that Occupy Wall Street is the biggest thing to hit since Lady GaGa. Think again.
In a recent poll, just 17 percent of Americans say that they are following the protest closely – down from one in four in April. It is not surprising that more people followed the death of Steve Jobs than Occupy Wall Street…but more people are also following the situation in Afghanistan closely than OWS.
It seems to me that the OWS protest is more like organized labor's inflatable rat than a real movement…you see it, and move on without engaging unless you are already a supporter.
Why? The protestors are certainly getting plenty of ink and air – which is the key criteria for legitimacy for many in my profession.
- Sustainable movements need a leader. A face for the cause. Would the Civil Rights movement of the 60s been the same without Martin Luther King Jr.?
- You have to be for something. Much like the broader, more generic protests of the 60s, it is clear that the OWS protestors are against "the establishment" – but they offer little in terms of specific recommendations. President Clinton pointed this out in a recent interview, and recommended that the protestors get behind the Obama Job Plan.
- They need defining moments that create a real connection with the broader population. Historically, these moments come from the missteps of the establishment, particularly law enforcement. One of the founders of the movement seems to think that the arrests on the Brooklyn Bridge are that moment – but I'm not sure that is sustainable. And I'm not sure jumping on the beat up Bank of America bandwagon will do it, either.
In totality, OWS needs a relevant, sustainable narrative, delivered by a credible and compelling spokesperson.
June 13, 2011 | cwinters | Tagged George W. Bush, iPad, Leadership, Steve Jobs
On Leadership and Legacy
From the moment a leader takes office, his or legacy is being created. Some leaders think about it, a lot….others don't. This piece on Forbes makes the point that legacy is created by the defining moments of leadership – like Steve Jobs introducing the iPad – and that you need to be thinking about your legacy from the first day in office.
I agree with the notion that defining moments have an impact on legacy…but we don't always recognize a defining moment, or have the ability to plan for it. Take President George W. Bush – for me, September 11 provided two defining moments of his presidency (not including the Michael Moore footage of him in the classroom). The first, when he told the rescue workers "We've heard you, and the whole world hears you." This was seemingly a spontaneous reaction to unimaginable devastation and heartbreak. He probably didn't plan it, but it was an authentic defining moment – whether you are a Bush fan or not. The second was an orchestrated planned event where he declared "Mission Accomplished" – about a mission that was far from accomplished. Manufactured, forced and inauthentic. Two defining moments of a monumental event…both contributed to his legacy.
If those of us who work with leaders do our jobs properly, the moments we can plan for – the unveiling of a new product, a keynote address, announcement of a major corporate strategy – will accrue positive reputational points for our clients and contribute to a lasting legacy.
But to me, legacy is equally shaped by how leaders lead in the moments they couldn't plan or anticipate. How do they weather adversity? Calm the troubled waters?
I would argue that leaders who are distracted by their legacy, from the first day they assume a position, may not be as effective at creating that legacy as those who focus on leadership instead. Make the most of those defining moments when they arise, but lead first….an enduring legacy will follow.
March 1, 2011 | cwinters | Tagged Apple, Bank of America, Berkshire Hathaway, Steve Jobs, Succession Planning, Warren Buffett, Whole Foods
Should Succession Planning Be A Communications Priority?
Succession Planning is a hot topic, with some of America's Most Admired companies in the thick.
Speculation abounds about Warren Buffett's successor, with general consensus being that Berkshire Hathaway can succeed in naming a potential new CEO, but that Buffett couldn't be replaced. The communication about identification of successors, "should Buffett need one" are presumably about Buffett's age…and perhaps a bit of a reaction to all of the emphasis on succession planning due to recent photos of a frail, thin Steve Jobs (who missed Apple's annual meeting) entering a cancer clinic.
In contrast, it would seem that discussion of a successor at Apple might, unfortunately, be prudent, in the midst of Steve Jobs third medical leave in seven years. Yet Apple's shareholders rejected a proposal requiring that Apple detail a succession plan. The company had opposed this proposal from the Laborers International – who has been advocating for succession planning and disclosure of such for the past few years and made similar proposals to Whole Foods and Bank of America.
There is no doubt that succession planning is a Board of Directors' imperative…but should it be a communications priority? Do your stakeholders need to know about your succession plans, or simply need to know that you have plans in place? This is particularly sticky when your leader is iconic, like Buffett and Jobs.
My two cents: stakeholders need to know that you have a succession plan in place, like Frontier Communications' innovative board member/potential successor mentor program. Unless that succession is imminent – whether a planned succession like Gates or Welch, or potentially accelerated by a health problem, or scandal, like HP, the specifics of your succession plans need not be disclosed. It undermines the authority of the leader in place, and diminishes his or her relevance.
In a perfect world, a succession is planned with an appropriate transition period…the successor is named, has his or her "tires kicked" by key constituencies, and works closely with the current CEO through a transition period. By the time that transition occurs, it becomes somewhat of a non-event. But we all know that this isn't a perfect world.
What to do when succession is forced, unexpected or accelerated? This is the time for amped up communications programs to support the new leader…to build trust, engage key stakeholders and create a leadership platform and profile for your new leader. Make the time. Or you may be dealing with another succession sooner than you planned.
January 19, 2011 | rtauberman | Tagged Apple, BP, CVS, HP, Johnson & Johnson, Rite Aid, Steve Jobs, Tylenol, Walgreens
For Johnson & Johnson, the Hits Keep on Coming
For Johnson & Johnson CEO William Weldon, 2010 was, as Queen Elizabeth put it a few years back, an "annus horribilus." The Company's various divisions issued a seeming never ending string of recall notices from pain relievers to cold remedies to contact lens solution to antacids. J&J's McNeil Consumer Healthcare division, makers of Tylenol, Sudafed and Benadryl captured headlines throughout the year with a series of problems at its facilities.
Through a series of public relations fumbles, belated mea culpas and operational gaffes, J&J, a consumer healthcare icon, whose 1980s Tylenol tampering response was widely seen as the crisis communication gold standard, has seen its reputation significantly tarnished and its sales plummet. Generics and store brands from CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid have never had it so good.
This track record garnered for Mr. Weldon a place next to the likes of BP's Tony Hayward and HP's Mark Hurd a place on list of the worst CEOs of 2010 by Sydney Finkelstein, the Steven Roth Professor of Management at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth as reported by CNBC.
Unfortunately, it appears that 2011 is starting right where 2010 left off for J&J as the company issued its latest recall of 43 million bottles of Tylenol, Sudafed, Benadryl and Sinutab manufactured at McNeil's now infamous Fort Washington, PA plant. Using a time-worn public relations ploy, the news of the recall was released on a Friday evening prior to a long holiday weekend. Mr. Weldon, once again spoke of action plans, quality reviews and commitment to consumer safety.
For those of us in crisis communications who know all too well how reputation is tied to a company's proactive, transparent and thoughtful response, it is sad to see what has become of J&J. The blogosphere is once again full of chatter with reminiscences of J&J's gloried past, recollections of its expert management or previous crises and calls for executive changes long overdue.
This past weekend also brought news of another medical leave to be taken by Apple CEO Steve Jobs. The issues of Apple's history of communications or non-communications about Mr. Jobs' illness and succession planning at the Company are fodder for another blog post. This latest episode and the quick hit to Apple's stock price shows the close relationship between corporate and executive reputation at Apple and what may happen with the Company's visionary leader on the sideline. Conversely, for J&J and Mr. Weldon the reputational issue may be a CEO staying too long in a position.
January 18, 2011 | cwinters | Tagged Apple, CEO Succession Planning, Disney, GE, Microsoft, Southwest Airlines, Steve Jobs
Is Executive Branding Ever Too Much of a Good Thing?
The Apple PR machine is on overdrive convincing the world that the team at Apple is up to the task of running the company without Steve Jobs. And they're doing a pretty good job of it, in large part because they've weathered this crisis once before, and have the results to prove it. They've got the financial community on board, with supportive analyst quotes about the depth of management. And they even got a NYT story today with a headline that talks about Apple's deep bench.
Yet an informal poll around the office today failed to yield a single member of our MWW Group news junkie team that could name a single member of theirs (other than Jobs) — even with all of the media attention around this news and the management team at Apple.
Has Jobs become so larger than life, that Apple just couldn't be Apple without him? Is his "brand" too much of a good thing?
The tech sector is filled with iconic, branded leaders –Ellison, Jobs, Gates, Bezos. No first names, or companies, needed. Even in that crowd, the Jobs mystique is legendary – it's hard to say whether the iPad, and its migration to an entire i-lifestyle, made Jobs cool again, or if it was the other way around. (Remember, he was actually ousted from Apple in the mid 1980s).
I think the question isn't whether Jobs has been "over-branded." Plenty of organizations have transitioned an iconic CEO – Welch at GE, Gates at Microsoft, Kelleher at Southwest Airlines – to name a few. All of these companies have retained strong, positive reputations. The question really is whether Apple has done enough to prepare for an eventual transition. Should members of their team have better name recognition outside of Wall Street, particularly since this is not Jobs' first time taking a leave of absence for serious health issues?
It is my sincerest hope (and seemingly that of the Twitter-verse) that Jobs will return to the helm, fit as a fiddle. But even under the best of circumstances, he can't stay forever.
To me the real question is whether Apple can "culture-ize" the Jobs mystique, so it can continue beyond his years of service, like Walt Disney. Or will it need to re-invent itself under the vision of a new leader, and become a new, equally successful Apple?


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Archive for the 'Monterey 2014' tag
Tank-engined 1928 Rolls-Royce hot rod sells for $187,000 in Monterey
"Thunderbolt," the custom-bodied, Meteor-engined 1928 Rolls-Royce. Photo courtesy of Russo and Steele.
In a week of auctions filled with high-dollar sales of European sports cars, a most unconventional street rod narrowly missed breaking into the top-10 at Russo and Steele's Monterey sale. Dubbed Thunderbolt, the torpedo-bodied, dual-cowl, dual-windshield 1928 Rolls-Royce roadster had a tangible presence, even when its 27-liter Rolls-Royce Meteor V-12 was silent. On Saturday, August 16, Thunderbolt proved that truly unique street rods have a market of their own, selling at a fee-inclusive price of $187,000.
An "old time photo" of the car as originally built by Stig Fagerstedt. Photo courtesy of Victory Cars.
Thunderbolt began its life in Finland, where builder Stig Fagerstedt created an oversize roadster around the massive Meteor V-12, shoehorned into a period Cadillac frame. Sagerstevt's original creation was a two-seater that garnered points for creativity, but would have taken few honors for overall design. Enter artist, musician and car collector J.P. van de Bundt, owner of Victory Cars in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. After acquiring Thunderbolt from Fagerstedt, J.P. set to work with an artist's eye, attempting to design a suitable body style for the one-off creation.
Photo courtesy of Russo and Steele.
Photo above and photos below courtesy of Victory Cars.
The creation of the car's new bodywork was entrusted to Fort Lauderdale boat restorer CF Boats, and everything from the windshield back was built from scratch. Teak wood was used to form the torpedo body, and red leather was chosen for front and rear seat upholstery. In choosing the gauges for Thunderbolt's cockpit, J.P. went to great lengths to ensure both functionality and a period-correct look. The result is a hot rod of the finest order, in the spirit of the Blastolene Brothers, and the car's $187,000 selling price (which initially cracked the top-10, but fell out when post-sale deals were tabulated) was an impressive result.
As high as the transaction price was, however, J.P. related to us that it didn't cover the cost of acquiring and building the car, but that's almost beside the point; if Thunderbolt is enjoyed by its next owner, it will continue to serve as a rolling testament to J.P.'s creativity and eye for detail.
1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 fastback, which sold for $401,500. Photo Courtesy of Russo and Steele.
Russo and Steele's top-10 lots in Monterey included a 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing coupe, which sold for $1,320,000; a 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster, which sold for $1,210,000; a 1972 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona coupe, which sold for $731,500; a 1964 Ferrari 330 America, which sold for $505,000; a 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 fastback, which sold for $401,500; a 1974 Ferrari Dino 246 GTS, which sold for $335,500; a 1984 Lamborghini Countach LP500S, which sold for $327,500; a 1984 Mazda Lola T 616 Prototype race car, which sold for $280,500; a 2006 Ford GT, which sold for $297,000; and a 1983 Ferrari 512 BBi, which sold for $269,500.
1987 Mercedes-Benz 560 SL, which sold for $13,750. Photo Courtesy of Russo and Steele.
At the other end of the pricing spectrum, in the sub-$20,000 range, buyers went home with a 1974 Porsche 911 Sunroof Coupe, sold for $19,800; a 2001 Jaguar XK8 convertible, sold for $14,850; a 1987 Mercedes-Benz 560 SL convertible, sold for $13,750; a 1981 Rolls-Royce Spirit, sold for $12,650; a 2000 Mercedes-Benz 500 SL convertible, sold for $12,100; and a 1993 Chevrolet Corvette convertible, sold for $8,800.
For complete results, visit RussoAndSteele.com.
Gallery: Italian masterpieces at Concorso Italiano
Alfa Romeos on display at the 2014 Concorso Italiano. Photos by author.
For lovers of Italian automobiles, a visit to Concorso Italiano, held annually during Car Week, may be reason enough to book a trip to California's Monterey Peninsula in mid-August. If last year's event was a disappointment, this year's show exceeded expectations in every regard, and we were left with the impression that organizers had put a considerable amount of effort into making Concorso Italiano stand out in a sea of automotive-themed events leading up to the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.
The move to Saturday likely helped draw more attendees (as Concorso no longer conflicts with The Quail, a Motorsport Gathering, held on Friday), and a change in venue to the Bayonet Black Horse Golf Course improved accessibility for both exhibitors and attendees. While there was no shortage of Ferraris to appreciate, it appeared that participation among other Italian marques was up this year as well. Maserati, celebrating its centennial in 2014, was well-represented, as was Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Lancia, De Tomaso, Lamborghini and Ghia.
1953 Alfa Romeo AR51 Matta.
Among the standout vehicles was a 1953 Alfa Romeo AR51 Matta, the Italian equivalent of our beloved military Jeep. Constructed from 1952 through 1954, the Matta was intended for use as a scout car, and like the Willys Jeep, later saw service as a civilian vehicle (in AR52 guise). The example shown was one of 2007 AR51 models built (versus just 154 AR52 models), and was owned by Gerard Kassarian and Manuel Minassian of Beverly Hills, California.
As with the gallery of images from Pebble Beach posted earlier this week, each thumbnail image is labeled with the make and model of vehicle shown, and when possible, the year. Godetevi le immagini!
Things we learned during the 2014 Car Week on the Monterey Peninsula
A 1941 Chrysler Town & Country station wagon takes the field at Pebble Beach. Photos by the author.
Once again, the Hemmings editorial team has done our best to cover the extensive events on California's Monterey Peninsula during the seven-day period that has become affectionately known as "Car Week." With thousands of images to edit and numerous auction reports and show coverage stories to write, it will be a while before we have the opportunity to get through it all. Still, it was impossible to attend this year's events without coming away with a few key observations.
1. If there's a bubble in the collector car market, it hasn't burst yet. We reported the $38.115 million sale of the 1962 Ferrari GTO as it was happening, and to be honest, I expected the car to reach $35 million before the hammer fell (before fees, the car sold for $34.65 million). While bidding stalled a few times during the car's run to a record-setting price, it never entirely stopped, proving how much interest there was among high-end collectors.
The $38.115 million Ferrari GTO.
Top sales at other auction houses seem to serve as further evidence of market stability, as well. RM Auctions sold the first 1964 Ferrari 275 GTB/C for $26.4 million, while Gooding and Company auctioned a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder for $15.18 million. It wasn't just the upper strata of the market experiencing robust sales, either, as Bonhams sold a 1972 Toyota Land Cruiser for $110,000, while the $99,000 Alfa Romeo Montreal sold by Bonhams was nearly identical to the price realized for a similar example at the Gooding and Company auction last year.
Even collectible Japanese cars appear to be gaining in value, or at least holding their own. While the 1967 Toyota 2000GT sold by Gooding for $1.155 million failed to set a record, it was a strong price for the model, and the $264,000 realized for the 1967 Mazda Cosmo 110 Sport was claimed as a new benchmark for the Cosmo by the auction firm. At RM, a 1972 Nissan Skyline 2000GT-R 'Hakosuka' sold for $242,000, an impressive price for a model that was never officially imported into the United States.
2. Though there's no way to quantify this, the quality of cars offered at high-end auctions appears to be increasing. When gathering data to write auction reports, our job entails grading the cars photographed based upon their condition, much like a meat inspector grades a side of beef. In previous years, the majority of cars would receive theoretical "points off" for things like paint overspray on trim, pitted or dull trim and cracked weatherstripping, resulting in a potential downgrading of condition. This year, I saw fewer cars with such flaws, and overall the lots presented appeared to be much more carefully restored, preserved or maintained. On the other hand…
Though it went unsold, this 1962 Shelby 260 Cobra was a condition 1 car.
3. Patina is in. Several auctions had populations of cars complete with barnyard dirt, door dings, scratched paint and other obvious signs of long-term neglect. A 1953 Jaguar XK120 Drophead Coupe offered by Bonhams was encrusted with dirt on both the exterior and interior, yet the "project car" realized a price of $42,900. Gooding and Company offered an unrestored 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing coupe, complete with a sizable dent at the top of the driver's door, but the lot failed to meet its reserve price; the pre-auction estimate was $1.4-$1.8 million. As the saying goes, a car is only original once, and for certain buyers, originality is more valuable than a concours-quality restoration.
This 1953 Jaguar XK120 Drophead Coupe sold for $42,900, including patina.
4. Postwar cars can (once again) take Best in Show at Pebble Beach. It's far too early to tell if there's meaning behind a 1954 Ferrari 375 MM Scaglietti coupe taking Best in Show honors at Pebble Beach, but on the surface it signals a potential change in attitude at Pebble Beach. Not only was this the first time that a Ferrari won top honors, it was the first time since 1968 that a postwar car took Best in Show. In fact, only five times in the event's history (1950-'53 and 1968) did postwar automobiles capture the top prize. Does this signal a change in attitude among Pebble Beach judges? Will this spur a shift in the market, driving prices for rare and pristine Ferraris even higher, or is it a one-time blip on the radar that carries no further significance with it? We'll have more of an idea after next year's Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, but it may be years before any real pattern can be identified.
5. Concorso Italiano is back, and in a big way. When we attended the 2013 Concorso Italiano show, it appeared to be a shell of its former self, then located at the Laguna Seca Golf Ranch (where the show had been held since 2009). Access to the show's field and parking lot required navigating an impressively steep hill that made no accommodations for sports cars with limited ground clearance and, in some cases, stiff clutches and manual transmissions. Worse, the event was held on a Friday, which meant it conflicted with The Quail, forcing attendees to choose between one or the other.
Ferraris on display at the 2014 Concorso Italiano.
For 2014, Concorso Italiano moved to Saturday and relocated to its former home (from 2002-'07) at the Bayonet Black Horse Golf Course. The changes had a dramatic effect on the population of cars displayed, as well as the crowds in attendance, and Concorso Italiano is once again among the week's must-attend events. To the event's organizers, we say "bellissimo," and we'll see you next year.
6. Even with a ticket price increase, the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance has lost none of its appeal. In 2012, the price of a general admission ticket, purchased in advance, was $200. In 2013, the price had risen to $225, and in 2014 the price climbed once again, to $275 ($300 on the day of the show). Despite this, the crowds show no real sign of shrinking, and traffic on the peninsula (throughout the entire week) was significantly worse than in years past. Pricing for lodging has reached near-absurd levels, with even two-star chain motels commanding upwards of $400 per night on Friday and Saturday nights; those planning on attending next year's events would do well to book in advance.
A helicopter takes off from Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. This is, by far, the best way to navigate the peninsula during car week.
If attending the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is on your automotive bucket list, make plans to attend next year's show. The variety of car-themed events spread throughout the week makes Car Week on the Monterey Peninsula unlike any other series of events in North America, and it's certainly worth experiencing firsthand if your time and budget allow.
Peter Revson's 1972 McLaren M20 Can-Am sells for $2 million in Monterey
1972 McLaren M20-01. Photo by the author.
Proving that the legendary Canadian-American (Can-Am) Challenge series has lost little of its appeal even four decades after its glory years, a McLaren M20 Can-Am campaigned by Peter Revson throughout the 1972 season sold for $2 million at Mecum's Monterey sale.
Photo by David Newhardt, courtesy Mecum Auctions.
From 1967 through 1971, McLaren had established itself as the team to beat in the world of Can-Am racing. With the knowledge that Porsche would mount a serious effort for the title in 1972, McLaren developed the M20 to replace its aging M8, the first variant of which (the M8A) debuted in 1968. Powered by a 750-hp, 509-cu.in. Chevrolet V-8, the McLaren M20 promised to extend the team's dominance for yet another season at the hands of drivers Denny Hulme and Peter Revson.
Photo by David Newhardt, courtesy Mecum Auctions.
The first round, at Mosport, saw Hulme take the win and Revson deliver a third place finish, with Penske driver Mark Donohue capturing second in a Porsche 917-10. The second round, at Road Atlanta, proved disappointing for McLaren with both Revson and Hulme finishing out of the points. Reliability issues would dog the McLaren team throughout much of the 1972 season, while the Penske-sponsored Porsches only seemed to get faster and more reliable as the season ran on. Despite – or perhaps because of – his talent behind the wheel, Revson managed just two more podium finishes (both in second place) with M20 chassis 01, and at the end of the 1972 season McLaren pulled out of Can-Am racing, selling its cars to privateer teams.
Photo by David Newhardt, courtesy Mecum Auctions.
In the years since, M20-01 has been raced by drivers like David Hobbs, Derek Bell, Scooter Patrick and George Follmer, and is reportedly one of just three M20s to retain its original tub and bodywork. Restored in time for the 2006 40th anniversary Can-Am reunion, chassis M20-01 even boasts a period-correct Reynolds Aluminum V-8 engine, without the steel liners employed on many other examples. A proven concours d'elegance class winner and popular vintage racer, M20-01 was offered for sale the first time since 1987.
1968 Chevrolet Corvette L88 convertible. Photo by author.
Other cars in Mecum's top-10 at Monterey included a 1961 Ferrari 250 Series II Cabriolet, which sold for $2.25 million; a 1930 Duesenberg Model J Torpedo Berline Convertible, which sold for $1.425 million; a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing, which sold for $1.3 million; a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing, which sold for $1.075 million; a 1966 Shelby 427 Cobra, which sold for $1 million; a 1995 Porsche 962 K8 Spyder, which sold for $930,000; a 1968 Chevrolet Corvette L88 convertible, which sold for $785,000; a 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS Touring, which sold for $650,000; and a 2006 Ford GT Heritage Edition with 100 miles on the odometer, which sold for $510,000.
1951 Studebaker Champion. Photo courtesy Mecum Auctions.
At the opposite end of the pricing spectrum, a 1951 Studebaker Champion sold for $4,000; a 1989 Dodge Dakota convertible pickup sold for $4,500; a 1978 Mercury Cougar XR-7 sold for $4,500; a 1959 Riley four-door saloon sold for $5,500; a 1974 Triumph TR-6 sold for $6,000; a 1981 Mercedes-Benz 380 SL convertible sold for $6,000; a 1989 Chrysler TC by Maserati sold for $7,000; a 1967 Volkswagen Beetle sold for $7,500; a 1953 Studebaker Commander Starliner sold for $7,500; and a 1965 Chevrolet Corvair sold for $9,000.
For complete results from Mecum's Monterey sale, visit Mecum.com.
First 1964 Ferrari 275 GTB/C Speciale by Scaglietti tops $26 million in Monterey
1964 Ferrari 275 GTB/C, chassis 06701. Photo by Darin Schnabel, courtesy RM Auctions.
The appeal of works competition Ferraris is their exclusivity, as the available population of cars is often just a fraction of total production. Maranello built 453 examples of the 275 GTB for consumers, but only three 275 GTB/C Speciales were assembled to contest the 1965 running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The first car built, chassis 06701, never saw competition in period, but its rarity and documented history helped it achieve a price of $26.4 million (including fees) last Saturday, making it the top seller at RM's Monterey auction.
Photo by Darin Schnabel, courtesy RM Auctions.
The 1964 275 GTB/C Speciale models were intended to be the evolution of the legendary 250 GTO, which had dominated GT endurance racing since the 1962 season. Each of the three 275 GTB/C Speciales were hand-built, utilizing a lightweight tube-frame chassis wrapped in aluminum body panels, with power coming from a 3.3-liter V-12 engine. In competition trim, six Weber 38 DCN carburetors fed the Type 213 engine, which used oversize valves in modified cylinder heads, along with a less restrictive exhaust system, to produce an output of 320 horsepower.
Photo by Darin Schnabel, courtesy RM Auctions.
A dispute between Ferrari and the FIA over homologation threatened to preclude the 275 GTB/C from the 1965 running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but a late agreement was struck and a single 275 GTB/C, chassis 06885, was entered into the race by Ecurie Francorchamps. With drivers Willy Mairesse and Jean Blanton at the wheel, the 275 GTB/C finished third overall (behind a pair of Ferrari 250LMs) and first in the GT class. The viability of the platform was proven, and Ferrari would go on to produce another dozen 275 GTB/C models for the 1966 racing season.
Photo by Darin Schnabel, courtesy RM Auctions.
Chassis 06701 was sold to its first owner in May of 1965, and subsequently converted to road use with the addition of a rear bumper and front half-bumpers. Records indicate the car's color was changed from Rosso Cina to Grigio Scurro Metalizatto at the factory, though the light silver center stripe would be added later. Nose vents, similar in style to those seen on 250 GTOs, would also be added to improve airflow to the engine, eliminating overheating issues when the 275 GTB/C was driven hard (or driven in traffic).
Though the car has passed through a string of owners (and liveries) over the years, it retains its original engine and has a well-documented ownership history, factors that almost certainly contributed to the selling price. Its rarity (and, perhaps, its status as the first model built) also added to the equation, and in light of the new world auction record set by a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO at Bonhams, chassis 06701's $26.4 million selling price was understandable.
Originally owned by Steve McQueen, this 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 sold for $10.175 million. Photo by author.
Other cars in the top ten at RM's sale included a 1964 Ferrari 250 LM, which sold for $11.55 million; a 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4, once owned by Steve McQueen, which sold for $10.175 million; a 1965 Ford GT40 Roadster prototype, which sold for $6.93 million; a second 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4, which sold for $3.75 million; a 1965 Ferrari 275 GTB Alloy, which sold for $3.383 million; a 1963 Ferrari 400 SA LWB Coupe Aerodinamico Series II; which sold for $2.915 million; a 1953 Ferrari 250 Europa Coupe, which sold for $2.75 million; a 1911 Mercer Type 35R Raceabout, which sold for $2.53 million; and a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing, which sold for $2.53 million.
This Ford GT40 Roadster prototype sold for $6.93 million. Photo by author.
For complete results from RM's Monterey sale visit RMAuctions.com.
Mini beach car sells for major price – $181,500 – setting new record
Photos courtesy Bonhams.
Even the littlest of cars got in on the record-setting action this past weekend at the Monterey auctions, where a doorless Mini beach car, one of a dozen or so built for promotional purposes, sold for $181,500.
As Jeroen Booij wrote in his recently released Maximum Mini 2, the Mini beach car arose out of BMC's desire to have a car to compete directly with the Fiat Jolly, a car proving popular with wealthy Europeans looking for tenders for their yachts. Rather than go with the fringed surrey top of the Jolly, BMC's chief stylist Dick Burzi designed a floating roof, supported only by the A- and C-pillars. He stripped off the doors and added the grab handles and wicker seats typical of the Jolly, but left the rest of the car standard Mini. A prototype Wolseley Hornet featured Burzi's ribbed roof, but the production version ended up merely using a modified version of the Mini saloon body shell.
Exactly how many beach cars BMC built, nobody seems to know for sure. Bonhams, which handled the sale this past weekend, claims 14. Booij says that figure is likely, but it could be anywhere from nine to 16, and other sources range from two to 20. While BMC apparently considered making beach cars available on order, it ended up building them in 1961 and 1962, largely to help promote the Mini's launch in the United States and North America (though BMC did loan one to the queen of England, and Booij mentions one custom-built to match a customer's yacht). The later Mini Moke ended up filling the role that BMC initially envisioned for the Mini beach car.
The beach car in question, chassis number A-AY1L-197664/BMC62197664, originally went to San Francisco Austin dealer Kjell Qvale, who, according to the Bonhams description of the car, held on to it after its days promoting Minis were over. He first put it to use on his ranch and then later put it in cold storage, not to come out for a couple of decades. Since then, it's passed through just two more owners and accumulated less than 12,000 miles, along with a 2007 refurbishment. The original 34hp 848cc four-cylinder remains, though a later transmission was installed.
Before the auction, Bonhams estimated the beach car to sell for $70,000 to $90,000. It ended up hammering for $165,000, making the final sale price $181,500 with commission, and setting a world auction record for a non-works Mini. Works Minis have long since surpassed that amount, notably in 2007 when a 1964 Mini Cooper 1275S that won the RAC Rally sold for £100,500, or about $197,000 at the time.
For comparison's sake, a few Fiat Jollys ran across the blocks at the various Monterey auctions this past weekend. Bonhams sold a 1959 Fiat 500 Jolly for $88,000, while Gooding sold a 1959 Fiat 600 Jolly for $82,500 and RM sold a combo-pack of a 1959 Fiat 600 Multipla and a 1961 Fiat 600 Jolly for $231,000.
Though it sold for a record price, the Mini didn't come close to joining the Ferrari-dominated list of the top 10 sales at the Bonhams Quail Lodge auction. Among the top sales were the record-setting 1962-63 Ferrari 250 GTO Berlinetta, which sold for $38,115,000; a 1953 Ferrari 250 Mille Miglia Berlinetta, which sold for $7,260,000; a 1962 Ferrari 250 GT short-wheelbase Speciale Aerodinamica, which sold for $6,875,000; a 1958 Ferrari 250 GT Series 1 Cabriolet, which sold for $6,820,000; a 1966 Ferrari 275GTB, which sold for $3,850,000; a 1973 Ferrari 365GTS/4 Daytona Spider, which sold for $2,640,000; a 1978 Ferrari 312 T3 Formula 1 racing single-seater, which sold for $2,310,000; a 1993 Ferrari F40LM, which sold for $2,200,000; a 1963 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL roadster, which sold for $1,815,000; and a 1948 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport coupe, which sold for $1,485,000.
On the other end of the scale, a number of cars sold at Bonhams Quail Lodge for less than $50,000. Among then, a 1985 Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce, which sold for $13,750; a 1930 Ford Model A Victoria coupe, which sold for $17,600; a 1958 BMW Isetta 300, which sold for $24,200; a c.1905 REO runabout, which sold for $38,500; a 1967 Titan MK III Formula B, which sold for $39,600; a 1957 Ford Thunderbird convertible, which sold for $39,600; a 1953 Morgan Plus 4 sports, which sold for $40,700; a 1953 Jaguar XK120 drophead coupe, which sold for $42,900; a c.1905 REO roadster, which sold for $44,000; and a 1967 Austin-Healey 3000 MkIII BJ8, which sold for $44,000.
For full results, visit Bonhams.com.
UPDATE (27.August 2014): Looks like Jeroen Booij got to talk to the new owner, who apparently read the comments on this post and who plans to drive it around his Florida community populated with Jollys and Mokes.
Gallery: On the Dawn Patrol at the 2014 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance
Pavel Kasik's 1936 Tatra T77 was stunning in every regard, easily justifying its category win. Photos by author.
Conventional wisdom states that in order to photograph cars in a relatively unobstructed manner, one must get to the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance show field early, and that duty is affectionately known as the Dawn Patrol. This year, the Hemmings staff opted to play it safe, arriving onsite sometime prior to 5:00 a.m., nearly two hours before first light and a full five and a half hours before the gates open to spectators.
Shivering through the pre-dawn chill was worth it, as we managed to capture the majority of the cars in this year's show, and many of them will appear in upcoming issues of our magazines. Rather than make our readers wait, however, we thought it appropriate to present a gallery of images captured on this year's Dawn Patrol.
This 1909 Stanley Model R Gentleman's Speedster steam car is one of eight surviving examples.
Each of the thumbnail images below is named with the year, make and model of vehicle shown. They're presented in chronological order, and don't necessarily represent category winners. Instead, they're cars that caught my eye as I made my way through the show field in the early morning light. If they have anything at all in common, it's this: As with any vehicle displayed at Pebble Beach, each is spectacular in some manner, and a worthy candidate to represent the marque in show competition. Enjoy!
Remembering Henry Austin Clark Jr. and the Long Island Automotive Museum
Henry Austin Clark Jr.'s 1911 Mercer Type 35R Raceabout. Photo by Darin Schnabel, courtesy RM Auctions.
[At about the same time that the 1911 Mercer Type 35R Raceabout that formerly belonged to Henry Austin Clark Jr. was getting prepped to cross the block at RM's recent Monterey auction – where it sold for $2.53 million – we were speaking with author Geoff Gehman about his recently released book, The Kingdom of the Kid: Growing Up in the Long-Lost Hamptons, which describes Long Island in the 1960s and 1970s and – of particular interest to us – includes a chapter on collector Henry Austin Clark Jr., with reminiscences from former Hemmings editor Dave Brownell. Geoff gave us permission to reprint the Austie chapter here. For more on the book, visit SUNYPress.edu.]
One of the landmarks on the Montauk Highway in Southampton was a big blue building that imitated an airplane hangar with three humps. Behind that bulky steel façade was every conceivable classic car: primitive, elegant, sporty, crazy, exotic, erotic, extinct. Inside that cavernous garage, my heart burned rubber and my imagination popped a wheelie.
One of my favorite vintage vehicles was the 1907 Thomas Flyer that won a 1908 around-the-world race from Times Square to Paris. I couldn't believe that such a basic automobile—basically, an open-air wagon with a steering wheel and a motor–traveled nearly 22,000 miles over 169 days. Another top choice was a Pierce Silver Arrow made for the 1933-1934 Century of Progress International Exposition in Chicago. I was less impressed by the pedigree than by the sleek, smart body. The recessed door handles, the tapered back, the front fenders that stored spare wheels—here was my first piece of moving sculpture.
The adventure continued around the grounds. For no trip to the Long Island Automotive Museum was complete without cruising a backyard dirt road in an antique hook-and-ladder fire engine that spewed smoke and lurched like a cranky freight train. Cranking the ear-slapping, window-rattling siren made me feel like the captain of the resident Sandy Hollow Fire Company.
The museum was, in short, a candy store. Somehow it makes sense that it was owned and operated by an heir to the Jack Frost sugar empire, a man with a sweet tooth for classic cars. Raised in Flushing, Queens, Henry Austin "Austie" Clark Jr. was a Harvard freshman when he acquired his first early auto, a Ford Model T made in 1915, two years before he was born. After leaving the Navy, where he served as a radar technician in World War II, he began collecting vintage vehicles in earnest. By 1948, he owned 35, some of which he exhibited in his new Southampton museum in a three-bay Quonset hut.
Clark was a detective with flair. He found that 1933 Pierce Silver Arrow, for example, in a junkyard in Cicero, Illinois. He bought it because it was stylish, because it was one of only six made that year, and because he could easily polish its provenance. The holes in the trunk, he loved to say, were made by bullets fired by gangsters employed by Al Capone, the car's original owner and Public Enemy No. 1.
Clark doubled as a canny archaeologist and an uncanny psychologist. "My father amassed his collection in large part because widows wanted these hulks hauled out of their garages," says his son, Henry Austin "Hal" Clark III. "He had all sorts of stuff, from the ridiculous to the sublime. He had 17 cars that no one knew existed."
In his heyday, Clark owned some 250 autos and countless other motorized devices (i.e., a gas-powered pogo stick). What separated him from other collectors was his role as a one-stop shop. His museum hosted "The Iron Range," a sporadic flea market of rare parts, many made of brass from the 1890s to World War I, a period dubbed "The Brass Era." His house in Glen Cove, Long Island, was a museum of rare books and catalogs, photographs and postcards, paintings and trophies. Visitors could read car magazines owned by Kaiser Wilhelm in a pair of bucket seats from a Locomobile, made by the maker of an early internal combustion engine. Today, they can see most of Clark's archives at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, a first-rate repository of Americana created by the visionary behind Clark's first classic car.
Clark filtered his encyclopedic knowledge into The Standard Catalog of American Cars: 1802-1945, a bible for collectors and historians. He was the chief researcher for writer and good friend Beverly Rae Kimes, an acclaimed auto authority who shared his fondness for driving the corkscrew turns between fact, fiction and fable. He strained his love of interviewing, editorializing and yarning into "Young Nuts and Old Bolts," a 1972-1978 column in Old Cars magazine (now Old Cars Weekly). A preservationist to his chassis, he even bought the rights to a dead company, Simplex, which customized luxury autos for the Rockefellers.
Clark's many lives were shared by Dave Brownell, founding editor of Old Cars, former editor of Hemmings Motor News, and boon companion. Brownell edited Clark's columns, traded information with Clark on auctions and appraisals, raced Clark's cars. He even bought one of Clark's cars, a 1924 Bentley 3 Litre. In a pair of interviews from his Vermont home, he recalls Austie as a 120-mph rogue.
I met Austie in 1967 in Manhattan at an auction of vintage auto memorabilia. All he did was basically outbid me on every piece. Afterward I said to him: "You're Henry Austin Clark."
"The one and the same."
"I was chasing a number of the things you bought."
"Oh, are you an automotive art collector?"
"A budding collector."
"Oh, you must come back to the house, and I'll show you some things you probably haven't seen."
So I went out to Glen Cove and spent a delightful afternoon with him. I bought a couple of pieces at very, very reasonable prices. I was charmed by an early French print of a guy behind the wheel of a car, wearing a checkered hat, with a lady. They're flying along in the breeze and she has a big Gibson Girl hat on, with a bow strung around her chin. I thought it was a very, very nice embodiment of what early motoring was about. There was also a poster of a Zust [made in 1905-1917], one of the participants in that New York to Paris race in 1908. It was done by a famous German Expressionist artist. A very arresting piece.
I remember there was this great painting in his library: J.C. Leyendecker's "Mercedes at Madison Square." A classic piece: It was on the cover of the 1905 Collier's automobile supplement. I vowed to myself: I'm gonna have that. I did eventually get it. I used to look at it every night. I'd study Leyendecker's brush work, just the way he'd do a brass lamp with one twist of color.
That's how our friendship began. It was worth losing out to him.
Another time, we were going into the city to an auction of auto memorabilia from the estate of [auto journalist] Ken Purdy. Ken was a guy who interested a lot of people in old cars and car collecting with his enthusiasm. He had a very romantic way of talking; one of his books was called Kings of the Road. Austie's wife Waleta–"Wally"–could be tough; he nicknamed her "The War Department." Before we went to the auction she told Austie: "You've got enough stuff here; don't you dare bring anything home." And he said: "Yes, dear"–which was always his response to her.
Austie was an inveterate collector. So, of course, we loaded that car with so much stuff, it was dragging. After we stopped at every topless place on Queens Boulevard—he was a collector of pulchritude, too–we came back to Glen Cove at midnight and hid stuff in the cellar, so Wally wouldn't see it right away.
The next morning, Wally asks Austie: "What did you buy at auction?" "Nothing," he says. And she says: "Well, you must have bought something, because there's something wrong with the rear springs."
Austie used to hold these gatherings in the backyard of his house in Glen Cove. It was a wonderful microcosm of terrific automobiles and terrific people. I remember one time they had to go out and rescue Charles Addams [cartoonist, vintage car collector and Clark friend] because his Bugatti had crapped out on the Long Island Expressway.
So they brought it back to Glen Cove and somebody started fiddling with it. And "Gggggaaaa!" Somebody said, "Wait a minute," and stuck his hand in the carburetor and pulled out an honest-to-God butterfly. It was blocking the air intake. He started it again and this time it turned over: "Gggggaaaa—vrrroom!" And I said to myself: "Only a Bugatti could be stopped by a butterfly."
The Thomas Flyer–that was the crown jewel in Austie's collection, in a way. Yet he could never get George Schuster to actually verify that was the car that he drove when he won the around-the-world race in 1908. That was one of the great collecting frustrations of Austie's life.
Photo by Darin Schnabel, courtesy RM Auctions.
I'd say my favorite vehicle of his was his [1911] Mercer [Type 35] Raceabout. It was designed by Finley [Robertson] Porter, a Long Islander who said he wanted to make great cars for the public. It's probably one of the great genius designs of the early 20th century. The steering is pinpoint accurate. The balance of those cars, the performance—they were the Corvettes of their time. It's one of my dream cars.
Austie was always a grand host. One year he hosted the Pioneer Automobile Touring Club for Brass Era cars. I didn't have a Brass Era car, so he lent me his Mercer for five days. We were doing demo laps at the [Bridgehampton] Race Circuit and I was trying to be very careful and take care of Austie's car, and this guy [Bill Campbell] in a [1910] Stevens Duryea–a great lumbering car–chops me on the corner. Well, that got my dander up and I went by that Stevens Duryea like it was tied to a post. And I looked at the sweep hand on the speedometer and it was 94 mph–the highest speed in any segment.
Well, I told Austie I was a bad boy. And Austie looked at the speedometer and he smiled and he said: "You weren't a bad boy. You were a good boy." Anybody else would have torn their hair out. His attitude was: Did you enjoy the car? And, boy, did I ever!
He loved his Model T fire chief's car. He loved fire engines–probably as much as cars. He had this bright idea he wanted his own fire department, so he started the Sandy Hollow Fire Company. He appointed his friends as captains with badges. I was disappointed that I never became an honorary captain. I'd pester him, but he never gave one to me. I know plenty of people who dodged speeding tickets because they had that badge. The badges–and Austie's good relations with the local authorities–saved their bacon.
One time, Austie wrote the outfit that made police and fire department badges and asked for maybe 40 captain's badges. I guess somebody at the company called up and said: "Excuse me, the only time we've gotten a request like this was from New York City." And Austie said: "Don't worry about it–my credit's good."
Austie was always holding these sales of old parts, rusty parts, bits for cars at the museum. They were called the Iron Range or Early Iron and they went back to the '50s. It was never a formal announcement; you just sort of found out through the old-car telegraph. There were a lot of old, decrepit chassis—a bunch of skeletons of early cars–hanging around the back of the museum. If they weren't so old, it would simply be a junkyard.
The last Iron Range I went to, Austie had a radiator shield from an SS Jaguar just sitting in the corner. "Austie," I said, "how much is the SS Jaguar?"
"That's not a Jaguar, that's a '32 Chrysler."
"No," I said, "that's an SS Jaguar."
"Don't argue with Uncle Austie."
"Alright, how much is the '32 Chrysler?"
So I bought it–and sold it to a Jag guy.
At some point, he'd halt all the business at the Iron Range and announce it was time for lunch. We'd pile on the old Autocar bus and ride to Herb McCarthy's [a favorite Clark restaurant-watering hole in Southampton]. Going down was okay; coming back was a little bit interesting because we had done a bit of drinking. Let me tell you, that thing wasn't easy to drive when you were dead sober.
If you were smart, you waited Austie out on the Iron Range. People in the know knew that after a few drinks at McCarthy's, by the time he got back to the Iron Range, he was a lot easier to deal with on the price.
It's a privilege to know some people, and that's the way I felt about Austie. I mean, the depth of his knowledge was awe inspiring. He had a steel-trap mind when it came to finding stuff and minutiae. And the resources he had in that library were just mind boggling. Well, he couldn't have had a Standard Catalog without it; that book did more for the history of the American auto than anything else. And he was never one of these guys to throw his weight around. If you made a mistake, he wouldn't jump all over you. He knew better than most people, and he was content to know.
There was no pretense about him. Here he is, the son of wealth, living in the private enclave of Glen Cove, has a summer home in Southampton–he could have been a hideous snob. Instead, he was one of the great guys. Believe me, there are an awful lot of cars that wouldn't be on the road if it wasn't for his parts. He just wanted to see those cars get back on the road. And he was so generous. He had all this literature, all this ephemera, and he donated the whole shooting match to the Henry Ford Museum. In his own quiet way, he had a real mission for the preservation of automotive history. That was his work, that was his job. I think he always enjoyed what he was doing. He enjoyed it so much, he wanted everybody else to enjoy it too. And there's nothing wrong with that.
I learned so much from him. One time he told me: "You know and I know these early cars don't start a damn. So lesson number one, when you're guiding one of these cars, is try to keep it rolling. Don't stop unless you absolutely have to." Because it's much more difficult to go through the gears than it is to keep the car rolling.
Austie proved his point in a [1906] Pungs-Finch [Limited, the first automobile with a hemi-powered engine]. It was a very powerful early car; I think he had the only surviving one. He was going into Southampton to fill it up with gas. And my wife was invited to ride along with him. So off he went, and they got to the first traffic light and he hit the brake pedal and there was nothing there. So he kind of held the steering wheel and stood up and surveyed the situation and said: "Out of the way–I have no brakes!" And hoped that people could hear him.
The other thing he taught me is you shouldn't take yourself too seriously. Life should have some fun to it. When Austie died, my ex-wife had a very trenchant observation. "You know," she said, "his entire life was one long fraternity party." That about sums him up. If you liked cars and you liked an occasional drink and you liked to have a good time, you were his guy.
I remember one time we were on the Glidden Tour [for Brass Era cars], staying at the Lake Placid Hotel; I remember I was using Austie's Mercer. And Wally told Austie: "Our neighbor [in Glen Cove] just lost the presidency of the Chase Manhattan Bank." And Austie says: "It serves the son of a bitch right–he could never make a decent martini."
I just about fell on the floor. That's just about pure W.C. Fields; that's such pure Austin Clark.
Austie Clark's Long Island Automotive Museum had an inglorious end. In 1980 he closed the three-bay Quonset hut to the public after decades of decreasing revenues. He blamed his fall from grace on the Town of Southampton's refusal to let him advertise on billboards around town. He apparently didn't benefit enough from the extra traffic on the Montauk Highway after the 1972 opening of Exit 72 of the Long Island Expressway, which enabled motorists to bypass Riverhead and race faster to the East End.
In 1980, Clark auctioned many of his vintage vehicles in front of his museum. Being a natural ringleader, he naturally served as his own auctioneer. Dave Brownell, a fellow collector, appraiser and antique-auto historian, watched the sale with Charles Addams and another Clark crony. "We started making side bets about which cars would make the most money," says Brownell. "And Charlie Addams was really good. He won two-thirds of the bets. He cleaned our clocks."
Clark died in 1991, three years after Charlie Addams expired in one of his cars. By then, the museum was a wreck; today, it's a dead mausoleum. The Quonset hut has a rusty façade, broken windows and skateboard graffiti. The gap-toothed sign reads "LONG ISLA MO IV M." The parking lot is a grove of rogue birch trees. It seems entirely fitting that nearby is a company that sells funeral monuments.
UPDATE (4.November 2014): The Long Island Motor Parkway Preservation Society has planned an evening of tribute to Henry Austin Clark Jr. and the Long Island Automotive Museum, scheduled for the evening of November 20 in the Bethpage Public Library.
Lamborghini Countach auction record ratchets up to $1.87 million
Photo by Mike Maez, courtesy Gooding & Co.
For the third time this summer, the public auction record for the Lamborghini Countach has fallen, after a 1974 Countach LP400 Periscopica sold for $1.87 million over the weekend.
While the first of the record-setting sales – in early June at the Bonhams auction in Greenwich, Connecticut – made headlines when another Periscopica (chassis number 1120066) sold for $1.21 million, including commission, thus marking the supercar's transition from bedroom poster fodder to seven-figure blue chip collector car, the two more recent sales have garnered a little less attention. Less than a month later – in late June at the Bonhams auction at the Goodwood Festival of Speed – another Periscopica (chassis number 1120070) sold for £953,500, or about $1.624 million.
Photo by Kurt Ernst.
The most recent sale amounted to a fraction of some of the more sensational record-breakers around the Monterey peninsula over the last week. The Countach in question (chassis number 1120010) hammered for $1.7 million Saturday evening before commissions brought the final sale price up to $1.87 million. Believed to be the sixth Countach built, the Periscopica originally sold in late July 1974 to the carmaker Innocenti, according to Gooding's auction description. Though originally painted light metallic green, the Lamborghini factory apparently repainted it light red for Innocenti.
By the early 1980s, it made its way from Italy to the United States and has remained largely untouched since then, with less than 12,000 miles on its odometer. Gooding's writeup noted a recent service and detailing for the Countach, but described it as largely unrestored. The pre-auction estimate for the car ranged from $600,000 to $800,000.
Despite the record, the Countach didn't break into the top 10 sales of the auction. That list includes a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider, which sold for $15,180,000; a 1959 Ferrari 250 GT Series I Cabriolet, which sold for $5,610,000; a 1955 Aston Martin DB3S, which sold for $5,500,000; a 1965 Ferrari 275 GTB Long Nose Alloy, which sold for $4,620,000; a 1956 Maserati 250F, which sold for $4,620,000; a 1939 Alfa Romeo Tipo 256 Cabriolet Sportivo, which sold for $4,000,000; a 1967 Ford GT40 Mk 1, which sold for $3,520,000; a 1927 Bugatti Type 35 Grand Prix, which sold for $2,970,000; a 2001 Ferrari 333 SP, which sold for $2,365,000; and a 1964 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso, which sold for $2,365,000.
On the other end of the scale, a number of cars sold for less than $100,000, among them a 1959 Volvo PV544, which sold for $29,700; a 1924 Renault 6CV, which sold for $41,800; a 1953 MG TD and a 1968 Morris Mini Cooper S, which sold for $46,200; a 1958 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider, which sold for $59,400; a 1971 Mercedes-Benz 280 SL and a 1959 Fiat 600 Jolly, which sold for $82,500; a 1968 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GT Veloce, which sold for $93,500; and a 1936 Ford Deluxe Station Wagon, a 1968 Mercedes-Benz 280 SL, a 1967 Volkswagen Type 2 Camper, and a 1953 Jaguar XK120 M Fixed Head Coupe, which sold for $99,000.
For full results from the Gooding Pebble Beach auction, visit GoodingCo.com.
For first time ever, a Ferrari wins Best of Show at Pebble Beach
Photo by Jeff Koch.
Everything's coming up Maranello thoroughbreds at Monterey this year. First, a Ferrari takes the world auction record Thursday night, setting the vanguard for at least a couple of other eight-figure Ferrari sales around the peninsula. Then on Sunday afternoon, to cap the weekend, a 1954 Ferrari 375 MM Scaglietti coupe takes Best of Show at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, making it the first Ferrari to win the car world's top honor.
The 375 MM, chassis number 0402 AM, started out as a Pinin Farina-bodied spider when its first owner, Italian film director Roberto Rossellini bought it, but when Rossellini ran the spider into a tree about a year after buying it, Sergio Scaglietti got the nod to rebody it as a coupe. Though Scaglietti had worked with Ferrari on racing cars in the years prior, this would be his first shot at a road car for Ferrari. Scaglietti decided to form the aluminum panels over a metal lattice work, taking a year to finish the one-off body.
Rossellini then kept the coupe, now painted gray, but still powered by its 330-hp 4,522-cc V-12, until the mid-1960s. It then passed through at least a couple of owners in Italy and France over the next few decades, eventually falling into disrepair and suffering from a half-hearted attempt to restore it, until current owner Jon Shirley of Medina, Washington, bought it in the mid-1990s and commissioned a full restoration. He then debuted the freshly restored car at the Ferrari Club of America's meet in 1998 before presenting it at that year's Pebble Beach concours, taking first in class and reportedly coming within a hair's breadth of Best of Show that year. In the intervening years, he did come back to Pebble and take the top prize – in 2008 with a Touring-bodied 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Berlinetta – but this year returned to complete what he started with 0402 AM more than 15 years ago.
The coupe again took Best in Class this year in the Ferrari Grand Touring class on its way to the overall win. Not only does the win represent the first for a Ferrari in the history of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, it also represents the first win for a postwar car since 1968 – when a 1964 Maserati Mistral coupe won Best of Show – and only the second win for a postwar car since the concours began recognizing prewar cars in 1955.
To win Best of Show, the 375 MM beat out a 1934 Packard Twelve Dietrich Convertible Victoria owned by Frank Ricciardelli of Sarasota, Florida; a 1934 Hispano-Suiza J12 Fernandez et Darrin Coupé de Ville owned by Robert M Lee of Reno, Nevada; and a 1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III Vanvooren Sports Cabriolet owned by Lord Bamford of Gloucestershire, England.
Kurt Ernst contributed to this story.


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The Grand 16" is the largest soundbox we build not counting our acoustic basses. It's very well suited to the Baritone 6 and 12-strings that have long been one of our specialties. The extra body depth and airspace let the lower frequencies speak clearly, and the scale lengths are optimally matched to the custom-designed string set, for flawless intonation and playability that rivals most standard-tuned guitars.
A hallmark of almost all Veillette acoustics, the offset soundholes particularly favor Baritone guitar construction. The greater structural strength of the continuous grain between bridge and neck allows us to make the bracing lighter and less rigid, and lets the whole top be lighter and more responsive without losing strength. This is especially important for Baritone instruments, and gives them outstanding bottom-end power and clarity.
The offset soundholes also naturally reduce the chances of onstage feedback, since the air movement through the holes does not directly excite the strings.
Informed by years of experiments and refinements, our Baritone guitars are designed from the ground up to be a fully independent and equally useful counterpart to the standard-tuned guitar — every detail, from intonation and string tension, scale length, and body construction, has been fine-tuned to work in concert, producing a deeply satisfying and inviting guitar.
Available in 6-string, 7-string, and 12-string models.
Also available in cutaway, non-cutaway and symmetrical oval-hole body styles
Colors, Woods, and Options.


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Mrs. Doris May Brucker of Newnan, Georgia, passed away peacefully at her home on Jan. 18, 2013, and is now cradled in the arms of our Lord. Born on June 23, 1926, in Cleveland, Ohio, to the late John and Sophie Ziegler, she later moved to Florida and eventually settled in Newnan.
Doris was preceded in death by her parents, John and Sophie; brothers, Johnnie Ziegler and his wife Patricia, Albert Ziegler and his wife Edna; and her devoted husband of 60 years, Robert (Bob) Brucker.
Doris was a cosmetologist in her early years before she started her family. She was an avid doll collector, loved all God's creatures (mostly cats) and especially loved the plants and flowers she tended in her yard.
Doris is survived by her children, Raymond Brucker and his wife Joan of Newnan, Ga., Deborah Miller of North Carolina, Denise Reidelbach and her husband John of Sharpsburg, Ga., and Tami Warman and her husband Craig of Newnan, Ga. Doris, or Lil'l G'ma as she was affectionately called, is also survived by 12 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
The family would like to express their gratitude to the staff at Southland Nursing Home in Peachtree City for loving our mom, and also our thanks to Evercare Hospice for their support and care they provided in her home.
The family will honor her with a celebration of life memorial service at 45 Elmtree Dr., Sharpsburg, GA 30277 on Saturday, Feb. 2 at 3 p.m. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in her memory, to the Coweta County Animal Shelter on Selt Road in Newnan, Ga.
2 Corinthians 5:1-2.


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Photo by Pornchai Mittongtare
Leave a Review
This is a fantastic dish. I served it as a starter (an elaborate soup) for a group of foodies. I made it exactly as printed and even did the rosemary vapor - we have bushes of it around here. EVERYONE was totally impressed, me included, and these are people not easily impressed by food. Recommendations: 1. Use top notch wild mushrooms 2. undercook the lobster as it cooks more later 3. prep in advance -it assembles quickly 4. Don't tell guests how much butter used ! 5. if you have rosemary in your yard, do the vapor - certainly starts a conversation if nothing more. Don't knock the recipe without trying it. This is something you could have at a place like 'The French Laundry' in napa - it is really impressive.flag if inappropriate
A wonderful main course that is fairly simple to put together. It's a rich (no wonder, with all that butter!) blend of flavors that compliment each other. By preparing some parts of the recipe ahead, the meal is almost effortless the day its served. Don't laugh at the vapor. We've all had experiences with fellow diners wearing too much perfume, or choking on the smell of scented candles as we dine. These odors are offensive as we eat, and they make the food taste 'off'. If, instead, a compatable, yet subtle fragrance is present, it enhances the flavors of the food. I used an assortment of fondue pots, butter warmers, and teapots with warmers placed around the dining room to keep the vapor hot, and the scent lively. The dinner was a big hit, and I'm preparing it again for Valentine's Day.flag if inappropriate
This dish was amazing. I loved the Idea for the rosemary vapor. It definately added a new dimension to the meal. For all you people who wrote and without even trying the recipe, maybe you should give it a try and educate yourselves!!!!flag if inappropriate
Excellent! Fabulous, only for somebody who can appreciate beautiful things, art. It`s a winner for your a special, romantic diner. We enjoyed the combination of delicious taste and vapor. Absolutely will cook it again!flag if inappropriate
This was fantastic. And although I was mocked (a lot) for the pretentiousness of the recipe... the vapor had a huge impact on the flavor.flag if inappropriate
What in the hell is this? Has anyone actually tried this recipe? Seems like someone has WAY too much time to come up with a recipe, must be a saucier!flag if inappropriate
I didn't make this, but from the picture it looks divine!flag if inappropriate
I have to agree that this recipe is different, but I'm willing to give it a try just for the creativity aspect. One question though, when I read the recipe in Bon Appétit, it almost seemed to me that the last line of the instructions was left out. After pouringthe boiling water into the bowls of rosemary, what then? Do you simply place the bowls around the table or near the serving bowl or in your lap or what? Considering the fact that I've never used or seen the use of a vapor to accent a recipe, I think the Chef should have instructed a bit more in the placement of the vapors. I'm willing to try any recipe once and especially any recipe with lobster, which I am thoroughly addicted to. Anybody got any idea's on the correct placement? Thanks in advance!flag if inappropriate
Apologies for posting a comment before trying the recipe, but I wish to defend the use of a "vapor" in the dish. The vapor has two justifications that I can think of: 1) rosemary is firm and bitter but smells divine and 2) scent accounts for so much of what we call taste. The vapor, then, is the best of both worlds--the aroma of rosemary minus its bitterness and texture. And it's easy to do--just like making a tea. I've dined Trio, had the vapor, and the concept is a success. If I were to take issue with this recipe, I'd probably address the over 3 sticks of butter called for. Nevertheless, I'm excited to finally try a Trio recipe. To my knowledge, this is the first one available online.flag if inappropriate
Thank you that's just what I thought when I read this recipe. Nuts.flag if inappropriate


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How to Make Money Writing
In most of the first-world countries, writing--as well as reading--is a skill that is taught to nearly every child from their youth. Even though the skill has become pervasive through society, only small percentage of the literate population can write well enough to be profitable. Some writers are content with writing part-time as a means of earning extra disposable income, while other writers create so much publishable content that they can write full-time. If you think your writing ability is good enough, then here are a number of suggestions on how to make money writing!
1Start a blog. If you want to make money, then don't start a personal blog. Instead, create and maintain a blog that helps people solve a specific set of problems. For example, you could start a gardening blog to teach others how to garden effectively or a snowboard review blog so readers have more information when shopping for one. In addition, you should have expertise on the topic that you blog about.
- While starting a blog will not make you a millionaire overnight, there is real potential to generate a sizable income if you invest the necessary time and effort. With blogs, revenue is mostly generated from advertisement programs (e.g., Google AdSense), affiliate marketing programs (e.g., Amazon's affiliate program), and direct sales of a personal product (e.g., eBooks and software).
2Ghostwrite on behalf of non-writers. There are a lot of experts on numerous topics who have much to say but don't have the necessary writing skills to create a salable book. Ghostwriting is the act of taking another person's words--such as an entrepreneur's insight on business--and putting them on paper in such a way that people will want to read it.
- Finding legitimate ghostwriting jobs can be difficult. Typically, the best ghostwriting jobs are found by networking with other ghostwriters and being introduced to prospective clients through them. Otherwise, you may be able to find ghostwriting jobs on various job boards for writers, such as the writing section of Craigslist.
3Write for greeting cards. If you have a natural talent for devising clever limericks and interesting prose, you may want to try writing for holiday and greeting cards. The best way to go about this is to find greeting card companies that you would like to write for and search their website for information regarding style requirements and submission guidelines.
4Write for magazines and newspapers. In recent years, particularly with the boom of the Internet, the print publication market has been shrinking. However, the market itself is still large and in need of writers. If you are good at writing instructional pieces, reports, reviews or opinion pieces, then you may want to try writing for print.
- In the magazine and newspaper markets, full-time positions are still available, but there is an increasing demand for freelance writers who can write articles on a contract basis.
5Write and sell fiction. The fiction market contains literature--ranging from flash fiction to short stories to single novels to epic multi-book series--covering a multitude of genres, including but not limited to romance, thriller, fantasy, mystery, and suspense. If you want to tell stories, this is the avenue that you should consider taking.
- The more traditional route for selling fiction is to submit your work to publishers. Another route is to find a literary agent; literary agents will do most of the behind-the-scenes work for you once you've completed your story. In recent years, self-publishing has been a viable option for writers who can't find publishers willing to publish their work.
6Write for comedians. Some people find that their minds are witty and they understand the secrets of humor and how to make people laugh, but don't have the confidence or stage presence to succeed as a comedian. If you're one of those people, you can write and sell jokes and stories for comedians.
7Write resumes for other people. Anyone who is looking to find a job will need to have an up-to-date and polished resume. If you're skilled at creating compelling resumes, you can offer consulting services and you can edit and revise resumes.
8Become a travel writer. Many writers who have a love for traveling become travel writers. A travel writer is one who writes about his journeys in a way that offers insight into those places and locations. Most travel writers will write articles full-time for travel magazines and online publications.
9Sell your services as a writing coach. If you truly know and understand the depths of the craft of writing and if you have the gift of teaching, you may want to combine those traits and become a writing coach. As an extension, you could run writing workshops on specific topics, effectively teaching multiple people at once.
10Translate articles between languages. If you are fluent in many languages, then you may wish to offer your services and make money as a writer and translator. For example, if you are fluent in English and French, you could try finding work in translating English novels into French for overseas distribution, or vice versa.Ad
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Español: Cómo ganar dinero redactando, Русский: зарабатывать написанием текстов, Italiano: Come Guadagnare Denaro Scrivendo, Português: Como Ganhar Dinheiro Escrevendo
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Check here for announcements about recent updates to policies in the Grand Valley Manual!
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"We Should All Be Feminists" - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's TED Talk
It's September. The leaves are falling, the night air is cooler and the blinking fireflies have gone wherever they go for the winter.
Help this message have a far reaching and long lasting effect in confronting bullying. Please share generously.
You've heard of the Academy Awards and the Grammy's but have you heard of the Rhodes Scholarship? It's one of the most pretigious University scholarships in the world and Joanne Cave just won it. Swiggtalk interviews her to find out her story.
This is worth spending time watching. It will make you feel amazing and help remind you to appreciate each day.
Four months ago, I decided to organize a Girls' Night In at my high school.
This is a video that Lady Gaga sent to seventeen-year-old student, Jacques St. Pierre of the Etobicoke School of the Arts thanking him for his anti-bullying efforts.
For many high school students, being popular is the most important thing in the world. They think that by being popular, all their problems will automatically disappear and that their lives will be perfect. I know by experience that this is not true at all.
Watch this social experiment and think about what it would mean if every day you decided to "say something nice" not only to others around you but to yourself.
Changing your internal dialogue could be the first step and most simple way to start fresh.Take this challenge Swigg Girls and shout out some positive and empowering words to yourself by sharing these here.
The fashion industry projects a negative image of women to young girls by trying to make them think that to be pretty, a girl should be skinny.


text: Project R.A.K.E. All Posts http://www.buzznet.com/groups/projectrake/ en-us 7 http://www.buzznet.com/groups/projectrake/photos/?id=51730561 ]]> 2008-06-22T11:11:18Z dugg Buzznet dugg http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users16/dugg/default/swimin-hole--thumb-msg-121415827233.jpg http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users16/dugg/default/swimin-hole--synd-msg-121415827233.jpg http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users16/dugg/default/swimin-hole--mob-msg-121415827233.jpg http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users16/dugg/default/swimin-hole--gallery-msg-121415827233.jpg http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users16/dugg/default/swimin-hole--large-msg-121415827233.jpg http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users16/dugg/default/swimin-hole--feat-msg-121415827233.jpg dugg 5 600 http://www.buzznet.com/groups/projectrake/photos/?id=48713951 To the elements. I don't need no stinking gas. I locomote with peddle power. This post is dedicated to albertshaler . I was a bit reticent of doing so, and drawing unwanted attention to his unspoilt corner of buzznet, but really I enjoy glimpsing into his world, which is at once familiar (the countryside is not dissimilar to Wales), and alien (the artifacts and effects of Nazi and Soviet occupation). I don't know much about him but I don't need to, his pictures tell such an interesting history. He lives in Prague, and he posts many pictures from there. Particularly fascinating are the ones from the cemetries, but he also makes trips to the Albertshal region where it appear members of his family are renovating old properties, and areas that still hold deep memories of the Nazi occupation. He loves beer and mushrooms. If he sees this he may well correct any mistakes that I have made in this narrative. I suppose this pic reminded me of him, because of the dereliction, and the bygone era, and that there is history still hanging on.]]> 2008-05-23T03:36:18Z rhiwena Buzznet albertshaler assignment 5 bettws cedewain gas station petrol project rake assignment5 bettwscedewain gasstation projectrake http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users16/rhiwena/default/open--thumb-msg-121153897875.jpg http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users16/rhiwena/default/open--synd-msg-121153897875.jpg http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users16/rhiwena/default/open--mob-msg-121153897875.jpg http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users16/rhiwena/default/open--gallery-msg-121153897875.jpg http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users16/rhiwena/default/open--large-msg-121153897875.jpg http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users16/rhiwena/default/open--feat-msg-121153897875.jpg rhiwena 9 300 http://www.buzznet.com/groups/projectrake/photos/?id=48686851 i know im alone if im with or without you but just being around you offers me another form of relief baby im bad news and youre bad news but i dont care i like you]]> 2008-05-22T18:40:11Z mykindanormal Buzznet assignment 4 bad news bathroom bandits dirty mirror nakey new hairz project rake rilo kiley assignment4 badnews bathroombandits dirtymirror newhairz projectrake rilokiley http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users16/mykindanormal/default/portions-for-foxes--thumb-msg-121150681113.jpg http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users16/mykindanormal/default/portions-for-foxes--synd-msg-121150681113.jpg http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users16/mykindanormal/default/portions-for-foxes--mob-msg-121150681113.jpg http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users16/mykindanormal/default/portions-for-foxes--gallery-msg-121150681113.jpg http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users16/mykindanormal/default/portions-for-foxes--large-msg-121150681113.jpg http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users16/mykindanormal/default/portions-for-foxes--feat-msg-121150681113.jpg mykindanormal 15 400 http://www.buzznet.com/groups/projectrake/photos/?id=45555821 I picked up a couple of hitch hikers the other day. They came over from Maui looking for work and needed a ride to town. He was a carpenter who had visited Lanai before. It was her first time. They had a tiny black labrador. I didn't catch their names.]]> 2008-04-26T10:58:22Z slojo Buzznet hawaii hitch hikers horse kindness koele lanai project rake r.a.k.e. hawai i hawai'i hitchhikers h.o.r.s.e lana i lana'i projectrake r.a.k.e rake http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users16/slojo/default/random-act-of-kindness--thumb-msg-120923270217.jpg http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users16/slojo/default/random-act-of-kindness--synd-msg-120923270217.jpg http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users16/slojo/default/random-act-of-kindness--mob-msg-120923270217.jpg http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users16/slojo/default/random-act-of-kindness--gallery-msg-120923270217.jpg http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users16/slojo/default/random-act-of-kindness--large-msg-120923270217.jpg http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users16/slojo/default/random-act-of-kindness--feat-msg-120923270217.jpg slojo 2 100 http://www.buzznet.com/groups/projectrake/photos/?id=43244241 Where do people who live in Hawaii go on vacation? Georgia. Sounds like a joke. On March 10th I flew to Honolulu to see the Ween concert with 5 friends. The next night I caught the red eye to Birmingham and I stayed at my parents house for one night. We had made plans for the whole family to meet up in Savannah for St. Patty's day weekend but Chip and his clan couldn't make it because their infant daughter, Olivia, had gotten sick. My parents also decided not to go but I went anyway. On March 13th I drove 6 hours from Birmingham, Alabama to Savannah, Georgia and stayed with my friend Ian and his wife Nickie. On Friday March 14th I woke up in Savannah with a fever and stayed in bed for the next two days. Ian bought me Theraflu and Nickie made me soup. On Sunday March 16th I was finally feeling a little better and made it downtown to catch a little of the insanity that is St. Patty's Day in Savannah. Allegedly about 750,000 people were partying on River Street this year. Sunday was a nice day. We had pizza at Vinny Van Go-Go's and made our way to an Irish Pub. Ian and I had stepped outside to call his father. It was still daylight, maybe 5pm, and out of the corner of my eye I saw something large fall from a second story window in the neighboring building. I ran over and saw a twenty something year old male laying on his back on the pavement. He was conscious. He had fallen out of an apartment window and landed inside the gated courtyard to B&B Billiards. Ian ran over and was yelling at the idiot to stay still while Ian called 911. The idiot sat up and yelled that he was fine and that he did not want help. He was very intoxicated. Ian continued to argue with the guy that he was probably in shock and needed medical attention while I stared jaw agape as the injured guy got up and hobbled over to the fence and proceeded to climb the 6 foot fence and then fall like dead weight to the side walk. By the time Ian and I reached the idiot he was on his back trying to slide up the steps using his arms and dragging his legs. Ian was still screaming at him that he needed an ambulance and the idiot was still saying that he didn't. His right leg was probably broken and his ankle was turning black. He said he just needed help getting back to his apartment so we carried him up the flight of stairs, sat him on his couch, propped up his leg, and gave him some ice. There were two other people in the apartment; one passed out in front of the TV, and one who was on the phone. The guy on the phone assured us that the idiot would be alright and that they would take care of him. Before we left we again insisted that the idiot go to the hospital but the guy on the phone just shook his head and said "yeah, yeah, thank you" as he escorted us to the door. We, of course, resumed drinking at the Irish Pub and told the story to everyone around us. I suppose that story qualifies as a random act of kindness on our part. So, what does this story have to do with a photo of a burning car? Nothing. On Tuesday March 18th I was driving from Savannah to my brother's house in north Atlanta and I passed this car on 75 North just south of Atlanta. It appeared as though everyone was alright. The traffic was funneled into one lane that crept by the accident slow enough for me to take out my camera and snap a few shots.]]> 2008-04-01T12:51:18Z slojo Buzznet georgia r.a.k.e. random acts of kindness savannah st. patty's day r.a.k.e rake randomactsofkindness st patty s day st patty's day! st pattys day st.patty's day stpattysday http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users16/slojo/default/2008-vacation-to-georgia--thumb-msg-120707947824.jpg http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users16/slojo/default/2008-vacation-to-georgia--synd-msg-120707947824.jpg http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users16/slojo/default/2008-vacation-to-georgia--mob-msg-120707947824.jpg http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users16/slojo/default/2008-vacation-to-georgia--gallery-msg-120707947824.jpg http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users16/slojo/default/2008-vacation-to-georgia--large-msg-120707947824.jpg http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users16/slojo/default/2008-vacation-to-georgia--feat-msg-120707947824.jpg slojo 3 100 http://www.buzznet.com/groups/projectrake/photos/?id=40782741 every day on my way home from work i sit in a big long traffic jam. so every day this week, for my assignment in Project R.A.K.E. i let the people who were stuck in the parking lots along the side of me get in ahead of me. it didnt make for a great photo op, but hey the assignment wasnt about taking a great photo anyway...]]> 2008-03-09T03:05:17Z mykindanormal Buzznet assingnment 2 kindness project rake random traffic jam assingnment2 projectrake trafficjam http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users16/mykindanormal/default/project-rake-assignment-2--thumb-msg-120510031118.jpg http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users16/mykindanormal/default/project-rake-assignment-2--synd-msg-120510031118.jpg http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users16/mykindanormal/default/project-rake-assignment-2--mob-msg-120510031118.jpg http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users16/mykindanormal/default/project-rake-assignment-2--gallery-msg-120510031118.jpg http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users16/mykindanormal/default/project-rake-assignment-2--large-msg-120510031118.jpg http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users16/mykindanormal/default/project-rake-assignment-2--feat-msg-120510031118.jpg mykindanormal 5 300 http://www.buzznet.com/groups/projectrake/journals/39806501/ THIS JOURNAL IS IN ALL CAPS BECAUSE THIS GIRL REALLY DESERVES IT! SO I WAS BROWSING THE COMMUNITY PAGE AND I HAPPENED UPON THE BUZZNET ORIGINALS. I FOUND THAT MY BESTIE IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD OF BUZZNET HAS BECOME A BUZZNET ORIGINAL!!! CONGRATULATIONS XBLANKSFACE!!! WE'RE ALL SO PROUD OF YOU!!! NO ONE DESERVES THIS MORE THAN YOU DO!! JUST WHEN I THOUGHT WHAT THE HECK AM I GONNA DO FOR THE NEW PROJECT R.A.K.E. ASSIGNMENT? ]]> 2008-02-27T16:55:00Z omgparamore Buzznet buzznet originals og omgparamore project rake xblanksface buzznet original buzznetoriginal buzznetoriginals projectrake http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/icons/journal-thumb.png http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/icons/journal-synd.png http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/icons/journal-mob.png http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/icons/journal-gallery.png http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/icons/journal-large.png http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/icons/journal-feat.png omgparamore 16 300


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Americans are expected to spend an annualized $134 billion on home improvements in the first half of 2013—which represents double-digit annual growth over the fourth quarter of 2012.¹ Those looking into environmentally minded home modifications may get a boost from Uncle Sam's tax incentives. Here's how:²
Tax credits for Energy-Star-rated home additions have been extended through 2013. This means these types of improvements may be eligible for a 10% tax credit up to $500, excluding installation costs. This is a lifetime limit however, so if you have taken the credit in the past, your savings may be reduced.³
As for what qualifies, improvements must be to your primary residence and they must be found on the "Federal Tax Credits for Consumer Energy Efficiency" list. The list includes additions under the categories of biomass stoves, heating, ventilating, air conditioning, insulation, roofs, water heaters, windows, and doors.
But what if you want to be even more environmentally friendly? If you install an alternative energy source for your home, such as a geothermal heat pump, a small wind turbine, or a solar-powered energy system, you may be eligible for a rebate of up to 30% on the price. That means you potentially can get a third of your money back. And unlike other tax incentives, this one applies to both principal residences and second homes. ⁴
Installations aren't the only way to make tax-friendly improvements to your home. What about the tax benefits of clearing some techno-clutter?
When you donate your used electronics, you potentially can deduct the fair market value of each piece, which you determine. (To get an idea of fair market value, you can consider looking at what similar items are selling for at various online auctioneers.) Donating old electronics can help you save space, not to mention helping someone in need.⁵
More and more homeowners are looking into the benefits of energy-saving home improvements. If you opt to "go green" this year, don't forget to consider what tax breaks may be available. Tax laws are constantly changing, so before committing to an improvement project, consult legal or tax professionals for specific information regarding your individual situation. Also, the information in this material is not intended as tax or legal advice. It may not be used for the purpose of avoiding any federal tax penalties.
The content is developed from sources believed to be providing accurate information. The information in this material is not intended as tax or legal advice. It may not be used for the purpose of avoiding any federal tax penalties. Please consult legal or tax professionals for specific information regarding your individual situation. This material was developed and produced by FMG Suite to provide information on a topic that may be of interest. The opinions expressed and material provided are for general information, and should not be considered a solicitation for the purchase or sale of any security. Copyright 2013 FMG Suite.
This article is for information and educational purposes only and does not necessarily represent the opinion of Protective Life. Protective Life did not assist in the preparation of this material. For information about Protective Life and its products and services, visit www.protective.com.
Protective and Protective Life refer to Protective Life Insurance Company (PLICO) and its affiliates, including Protective Life & Annuity Insurance Company (PLAICO). FMG Suite is not an affiliate of PLICO and is responsible for its own financial conditions and obligations.