Honking - The Necessary Evil

Warning: You might want to replace the term ‘honking’ with ‘judicious use of the horn’ in the following post.

Just the other day I was going through an old issue of one of the automotive magazines I have, and I went through an article by one of the staff. The author brought out the fact that how he never or very rarely uses the horn while driving. How when he used the car of one of his acquaintances, that how the fellow was shocked that the author did not realize the fact that the horn in his car was non functional. This, in spite of the fact that the author had driven the car for a whole day.

All very well I say. Congratulations sir. Guess you have mastered the art of ‘silent driving’. No noise pollution either. Now all this sounds very good when you read about it. But does this actually work. Have you ever tried this? I did yesterday and it scared me silly.

Picture this, morning nine o’clock, I’m about to make a left turn on the T-junction, the first turn at the end of the lane where I live. I take this turn everyday. Doing less than 10 on the speedo. I forgo the usual practice of giving a ‘warning honk’. As I am about to turn the car, another car approaching from my right, brakes hard on seeing me. Misses me by a miniscule margin. Gives me a glance, and a few expletives as bonus. I give a wry smile back. So much for a good start.

Ten minutes into the drive, and I’m already being extra cautious. On the Ring Road. Traffic is pretty smooth. Doing about 55. An Accord decides to change the lane without warning. Careens across the lane in front of me. Again I forgo the customary ‘angry honk’. Left muttering a few curse words, and he didn’t even hear em.

Reached the destination, entering the Parking Lot, this lady is fighting with the attendant and blocking the passage in. I come in behind her. No warning what so ever, she has had enough and decides to reverse out of the place. I’m flashing the beam, but no, she’s in a hurry. Thank god for the attendant’s presence of mind he stopped her. Or else she would have reversed right into me. Lady drivers.

Later in the day, coming out of the Parking Lot, this guy is just sitting there not doing anything. Again, since it’s a ‘no honking day’ I roll down the window and shout at him to move. Guess what, he can’t hear me since he has his windows up, no response to the high beam flash either. I finally give up and punch the horn in disgust. Not that it matters, since it always sounds the same. You don’t expect me to get out of the car and knock on his window do you?

On the way, I decide to give this peaceful method another shot. Thankfully no problems till I reach my locality. Feeling good about the whole thing. Maybe I’ll try it again tomorrow. Entering the roads in the locality, around four thirty or so, again less than 10 on the speedo. This time I’m entering the lane leading upto my house from the other side. These kids are playing hide and seek or something to that effect. One of these little fellas decides to dodge the seeker and change his hiding place. Wrong timing buddy. Appears out of nowhere right in front of me. I brake hard and give him the good old ‘what the hell are you doing honk’. Poor kid froze in the middle of the road and guess what, he’s been caught.

What did I learn from this no honking business?

1. I almost got hit not a hundred meters into the drive. Had I done the usual warning honk, maybe he would have been more cautious, and not fired those expletives at me.

2. Had I gone with the ‘angry honk’ I would not have lost my cool while driving. Well I didn’t completely loose it, but I came pretty close. At least a honk would have reduced the anger and let the idiot know what I thought about his driving skills.

3. Had I honked at the lady at least she would have known somebody was behind her. Maybe that would have changed her ‘oh shove it’ reactions to the attendant.

4. Kids, they are all over the place during the evenings. Had the little guy got a warning from me beforehand he might have stayed put and had not come close to being hurt.

So what do I think of all this ‘I don’t honk’ thing? B******t.

Mercedes SL upgrade

Mercedes has given the SL a thorough upgrade, and the new model will be shown at the Geneva Motor Show in March this year. The SL now sports a new grille, headlamps, wheels and bonnet power domes like the ones on the C63 AMG.

Although the engines remain basically the same, the SL55 AMG has been dropped and in comes the SL63 AMG with a more modern 6.2 liter V8. Power is in the region of 500+ bhp.

Other engines on offer are the 600, 500, 350 and 280.

Back after a while

Missed the Auto Expo. Something came up. But it's good to be back

Yamaha India Auto Expo R15 Pictures, FZ Pictures and Gladiator SS Pictures

Yamaha FZ

Yamaha R15

Check out Yamaha India website for more pictures

Force India confirms driver lineup

Force India F1 Team today confirmed that Adrian Sutil and Giancarlo Fisichella would be their drivers for the 2008 season. The reserve and test drivers’ role has been given to Liuzzi. The announcement was made today in Mumbai.

Fisichella impressed the team during the testing in November last year. He has been in Formula 1 for almost 12 years now and is one of the most experienced on the grid currently.

Sutil continues his second year with the team. He had scored the teams first point last year at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Tata Nano Unveiled

It's here folks! Ratan Tata, Chairman Tata Motors today unveiled the Nano at the Auto Expo. The car, which had created quite a buzz even before the unveiling, was presented to a packed house. Ratan Tata himself drove the car on stage. He was also his candid best, answering all his detractors and critics.

He said there were suggestions to name the car 'Mamta' or 'Despite Mamta' taking a dig at Mamta Banerjee. The screen also flashed O.Suzuki's quote that the car was 'not feasible'.

The car itself looks quite cute. It’s a four-door five-seater hatch back. According to the company the car is 8 percent smaller than a M800 on the outside and about 21 percent bigger on the inside than the 800. The car sports a 624cc petrol engine placed at the back. There are air scoops behind the rear doors to provide air to the engine. The car will go 20 plus kilometers to a liter of petrol. The car features a 4 speed manual transmission with a top speed of around 90 km/h.

The car meets the Euro 4 emission norms and also the frontal and side on crash test requirement.

The base model of the car would retail at a price of Rs. 1 Lakh not including the VAT and transport charges at the dealership. This also does not include the registration and insurance costs.

There will be a luxury variant as well which will feature air conditioning. The car will go into production by the middle of the year and the bookings will open by June.

Lets hope the car is not a let down as far as the quality levels go. Also performance for such a small engine will be an issue, which is sure to take a beating with the air conditioning on.

More info and pictures from the Auto Expo in a few days.

Bajaj shows Lite small car concept

Bajaj Auto, the second largest two wheeler manufacturer in the country today showcased its small car concept in New Delhi just ahead of the Auto Expo. The car, which Bajaj is developing in collaboration with Renault-Nissan, will be out only in two years time according to Rajiv Bajaj.

The company is looking to price the car at around $3000 or approximately Rs. 1.17lakh. The car though looks good enough with its Renault esque headlamps. The car doesn’t feature the Renault company grill, but what it will have is a small capacity two-cylinder engine. The company will offer a diesel as well as a petrol engine option. Details though are still pretty sketchy but the company is aiming at 35kmpl economy.

The car looks a bit like the last generation Matiz, with its small sloping hood. I personally hope the looks change a bit in the production model. I think they can make the front end look much better.

You call this Cricket??

Alright alright, it’s got nothing automotive in it but I just have to write this post, and also it’s the only thing that is in the news and the more I watch it the more irritated I get. What has transpired on and off the field in the past couple of days has only given me heartburn and nothing else. Like I have said before, Cricket is a bit more than just a game for me, and it annoys me no end seeing how the team ‘lost’ at the hands of two incompetent idiots, and how one man was victimized by a bunch of bullies, who, I might as well add will pay for it sooner rather than later.

Since everybody is having their say in this, I might as well tell a few people exactly how I feel.

Mr. Steve Bucknor - I know sir, that Symonds has Caribbean roots, but three times is a bit over the top. Have you, dear sir, lost it completely? Oh wait a minute, you lost it back in the World Cup finals, didn’t you? You should go back home, and NO you are not in prime form.

Mr. Mark Benson - When Ponting was out, you didn’t give him out. When he wasn’t out, you did give him out. Brains don’t seem to be in the right place. When, dear sir, you were asking Ponting about the catch, it seemed like you were asking for your ‘fee’. By the way did you get it in the end? No you say? You did take the word of a cheat, now suffer.

Mr. Ricky Ponting - Congratulations mate. Sixteen straight wins. Hope you are able to explain everything at the Pearly Gates though. You talk about integrity? Where was your integrity when you nicked the ball to the keeper? Where was your integrity when you appealed after grassing the catch? Oh by the way it’s official now, you are Bhajji’s bunny.

Mr. Michael Clark - Aaahh. Captain in the making. You were a ‘hundred percent’ about taking the catch cleanly you said? But you weren’t so when you edged it to first slip, were you? Pup they call you? Also seems you’re stray, in your judgments. Although I am not a dog hater myself, you’ll be amazed to know how many dog haters I know and how they treat stray dogs.

Mr. Andrew Symonds - Mate you do look like a monkey, and there is nothing wrong about it. We worship monkeys as gods here in India. Ever heard of Lord Hanuman? Well would it make you feel better if we were to make a temple in your name? Thought so. See being called a monkey is not racist. On the other hand if I were to say that I’d stuff your face with so many bananas you’ll grow a tail, now that would have been racist.

Mr. Bradd Hogg - I know Kumble is a senior statesman in the cricketing world, but you don’t have to call him by your dad’s name. B~$#*%& is his name right?

Australian Cricket Team - People people people. Now look what you guys have done. Did you forget you have to visit our great country in a few months time? Oh too bad. Now I don’t think even the BCCI can guarantee your safety. You guys know how much we like Cricket in India, and I hope you understand if a few of our brethrens do something stupid to you. I hope you guys won’t mind it too much. Will ya?

Armaan Ebrahim for DPR in GP2 Asia

One of the emerging young talents and last years Formula Renault V6 Asia race winner and runner up Armaan Ebrahim has been signed up by David Price Racing for the GP2 Asia series.

Armaan will be competing with 25 other drivers for the honours which also includes another Indian driver Karun Chandok. Armaan will be racing in the 10 race series using the 2007 model, which will be no doubt be a step up from the V6 he was racing last year.

I wish to extend my congratulations to the youngster and wish him all the very best and hope he performs upto his potential.

Nervous nineties no more

Sachin Tendulkar, God of Cricket, scored his 38th test century at the Sydney Cricket Ground. This was his third century at the venue and his third unbeaten knock. Seems like every time Sachin bats at the SCG, he scores a century, and the bowler who can bowl him out at the venue is yet to be born.

So what is this post doing in the blog, you may ask. Well, i am a cricket lover to the core, and worship Sachin like a God. I enjoy every Sachin century as much as when Mika Hakkinen beat Michael Schumacher for the title. His every failure gives me the same pain as when Valentino Rossi crashed in the last race of the season to hand over the title to Nicky Hayden. Mind you, more people know Sachin Tendulkar in our great country than Mika, Michael, Valentino and Nicky put together.

Cricket is not just a sport, it's a wee bit more than that. It's a way of life for people like me. We change schedules to incorporate the all important series decider. To hell with the date, if there is a T20 on. The girlfriend can wait.

As a kid, evening time was cricket time. Also that was the time when Play Station was a novelty few could afford. So cricket it was. A pack of season balls cost a fortune, as in my pocket money for the month. But it was worth it. An English willow bat was the weapon of choice and we hit them far. I still remember the cracked windshield of the Omni.

Every time Sachin walks out i pray he scores a ton. Even if the team scores a 101 all out, i wish Sachin to account for at least a 100. He may perish once a while for a low score. But we should understand that God is only human.

Tata is preferred bidder, says Ford

Ford Motor Co. has named Tata Motors as the preferred bidders for acquiring Jaguar and Land Rover. Tata's had put in a bid of $2.2 billion. In the coming weeks the two companies will work out the details of the agreement and only then will a final decision be made.

The most important issues to be discussed are concerning the wages and terms and conditions of the pensions of the work force at JLR. Tata are believed to have stated before that there will be no lay-off if they are to secure the two brands.


Related:

Tata gets Jaguar-Land Rover

2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1

The American brute gets more muscles for current model year. Yes, more muscle. Chevrolet have given the Corvette a supercharger, which has resulted in a boost in power and torque outputs. It now produces 620bhp of power and 823Nm of torque. This makes the power to weight ratio of the car better than Porsche GT2.

To handle all the power is a new six-speed transmission featuring a twin disk clutch setup. This also helps the Corvette achieve, for the very first time, that 320kmph mark.

To make the car look 'different', the company has given a translucent window in the carbon hood. Carbon fiber has been used extensively in the roof as well. There is a new spoiler at the rear which aids in high speed stability and has a new brake lamp integrated into it.

American muscle cars have been known for their outright power and not for their abilities to go around corners. The Z06 changed all that. Expect the ZR1 to continue the trend, it being based on the same chassis as the Z06.

Being cheaper than the European counterparts is not bad at all. Now only if it were to come here to India, it would be a great rival to the Porsche.