In 2009, while President Obama was in China, some lunatic decided it’d be a great idea to zoom past the motorcade and pull up alongside the President’s limo.  That limo, known as “The Beast” is a veritable tank, but it’s those Suburbans you really want to stay away from.  The first video shows this idiot’s shenanigans.  The second video shows why he’s lucky to be alive.

And here’s why you don’t mess with the Presidential motorcade:

This post originally came from MotorPurist a Car Blog.
Chasing down The Beast
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At this year’s New York International Auto Show, Chrysler unveiled the brand new 2013 SRT Viper.  While plenty has already been written about the car, there’s one point I haven’t seen mentioned that I thought was interesting.

Unlike any Viper before it, this new one is a corporate cousin of the current Ferraris (and Maseratis) you see on the road.  Now sure, this isn’t a Pontiac Firebird/Chevrolet Camaro sort of situation, but it still isn’t bad for the Viper.

My thought is this… when it was only Chrysler, the Viper was an easy crown Jewel.  It only had to be the best sports car Chrysler made; the competition.  Now though, it’s a point of pride for Fiat.  When you’re the company ultimately responsible for Ferrari’s well being, and you’re cranking out masterpieces like the 458, you don’t want to mar it by also being responsible for a pile of junk wannabe American sports car.

My point?  The guy who runs Fiat is no dumby.  It was all but assured that the Viper would be good.  It’s supposed to be  crown jewel, and Fiat wouldn’t let it be anything otherwise.  Personally, I think it was clever to brand it as an SRT.  It’ll be interesting to see what else comes out under that marquee.

For those of you wondering about “that guy who runs Fiat”.  He’s a genius, and was recently interviewed by 60 minutes:

This post originally came from MotorPurist a Car Blog.
SRT Viper – Corporate Cousin of the Ferrari 458
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One of my absolute favorite races, the Tripoli Grand Prix looks like something straight out of an Indiana Jones film.  Check out the cars being unloaded from their ships, and be sure not to miss what happens at 6:58.

This is an era when automotive racing teams were considered de-facto representatives of their native countries.  While this is still somewhat the case today, back then, even the governments would get involved.  War was on the horizon, and it was considered a big deal to prove your country’s technical prowess was superior.  Tripoli was ruled by Italy at this point, and the Tripoli Grand Prix was a jewel in Italy’s motor-racing crown.  All the more reason why it was so important for Italy’s rivals to defeat the Italian teams at this specific race.  If the video stops working, please let me know via email me or in the comments below.

This post originally came from MotorPurist a Car Blog.
The Tripoli Grand Prix
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Bertha Benz

This isn’t your typical “behind every great man there is a woman” story where we gush over some famous guy’s wife who did little more than cheer him on.  No.  Bertha Benz, all on her own, was an amazing individual and without question deserves the title of “Mother of the Automobile”.

When Bertha was 10, she found out her father had wished she was a boy.  Carrying that with her, she had little regard for what was expected of her as a woman.  Coming from wealth, she was expected to become the prize of a wealthy, white-collar husband.  Instead, Bertha had eyes for a young man who liked to get his hands dirty, Karl Benz.

Karl was an engine designer who dreamed of building something called a “horseless carriage”.  Held back by an unreliable business partner, Karl had the genius but not the means.  He was educated, but he had grown up in poverty.  What Karl did have though was a fiancee, and she was not the type to sit down when the world stood in the way of Karl and his dream.

Had Karl Benz invented his motorwagen today, under current German law it would have been Bertha’s name on the patent, because she funded it.

Approaching her father, Bertha managed to acquire her dowry early.  She then used that money to buy out Karl’s partner and pay for the development of Karl’s motorwagen.  So yes, the invention of the automobile was funded by a woman using her dowry.  At the time, other inventors were exploring a similar path.  Karl Benz simply got there first.  Without Bertha’s help, it’s unlikely that would have happened.

And we haven’t even gotten to the good part yet.

Karl Benz

Karl invented his motorwagen, and further developed it.  Unfortunately, nobody wanted one.  The motorwagen was a curiosity.  Gasoline was sold primarily by pharmacies as a cleaning product.  Worst of all though, Karl’s invention simply wasn’t seen as a viable method for everyday travel.  Local authorities deemed the motorwagen as unsafe for roads.  Someone might be crushed beneath its wheels.  Karl was falling to despair.  His business was failing.  He had achieved his dream, but it didn’t matter.  Then, on one fateful morning before dawn, Bertha did what was needed.  She borrowed her husband’s car.

Without Karl’s knowledge, Bertha gathered up their two oldest children and took off with the car. The motorwagen had been thoroughly tested for driving around town, but that’s not where Bertha was going.  She was off to visit her mother… 65 miles away.

The fuel tank only held enough gas for 12 miles.  The first pharmacy she stopped at still exists, and to this day is considered the world’s first gas station.  Bertha hired a blacksmith at one point to service a chain.  She also invented the brake pad when she hired a cobbler to nail leather over the brakes.

Shortly after dusk, Bertha Benz arrived at her mother’s and sent a telegram to her husband.  The motorwagen was viable.  She had proven it beyond doubt.  After all, if a woman with two children could use it, couldn’t everyone?  Karl had failed to acknowledge the value of marketing.  Fortunately from him, his wife knew better.  The next day, Bertha did one more thing to extinguish any lingering doubt, she drove the car home.

Benz Patent-Motorwagen Nr. 3

As far as I’m personally concerned, Bertha’s drive made her the world’s first test driver.  Sure, there had been plenty of short drives within walking distance of the factory, but Bertha Benz was the first person to really put the motorwagen through its paces.  (All while the engineer stayed safely inside.)  That sounds like a test driver to me.  One could also say she was the first PR rep for the automotive industry.

Today, Bertha’s route has been memorialized and hosts a vintage rally.  One can only wonder what she would have thought seeing a Mercedes-Benz SLS travelling those roads today.  Many credit Karl Benz as the father of the automobile.  We mustn’t forget though, that it also had a mother.

This post originally came from MotorPurist a Car Blog.
Bertha Benz – Mother of the Automobile
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I’m finishing up a few things behind the scenes, but I think we’re ready for our first post!  Coming up later this week, I’ll be starting out with one of the two stories that made me want to create this blog in the first place.  Beyond that, expect plenty of  photos, videos, and other car-related stuff.  With any luck, this place will be accessible, even to those who aren’t necessarily gear heads.  Enjoy!

This post originally came from MotorPurist a Car Blog.
And we’re off!
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