#blown v8

[axesent]

axesent.com - scraps AE 86 Injected/Blown/ v8

[ca-dmv-bot]

Customer: MY CAR HAS A HIGH-PERFORMANCE V8 ENGINE. DMV: BLOWN, SEXUAL CONNOTATIONS Verdict: ACCEPTED

[wheelsgoroundincircles]

The Orbitron

The Orbitron is a custom car built by Ed Roth and feared lost until its rediscovery in Mexico in 2007

A second generation to Roth's original Beatnik Bandit, which was built in 1960, the Beatnik Bandit II features a one-of-a-kind fiberglass body with PPG lemon meringue pie paint, stylized Rat Fink designs on the sides, and chrome by Metal Masters of Salt Lake City, UT. 

Beatnik Bandit II includes many unique design features, including an electronic console which operates the digital instrument panel and other features such as a digital readout of the car's latitude and longitude. 

The lack of a rearview mirror is not a problem on this car. A "TV mirror" video monitor is mounted on the console with the actual camera mounted in the rear panel. The bubble top is also lifted electronically. 

Beatnik Bandit II was built entirely by Roth, who credits "Revelations from Father in Heaven" for his achievement. The car has been shown in major U. S. cities, including Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston, as well as in Yokohama, Japan.

The Beatnik Bandit

Ed 'Big Daddy' Roth was an artist, cartoonist, illustrator, pinstriper and custom car designer and builder who created the hot-rod icon Rat Fink and other characters. Roth was a key figure in Southern California's Kustom Kulture and hot-rod movement of the late 1950s and 1960s The Beatnik Bandit was one of his first creations from the early 1960s. It was built from a 1949 Oldsmobile, the chassis was shortened 5 feet, the Olds engine was given the classic hotrod look with GMC blower and twin carbys, everything was chromed except the blower belt. The white interior featured single joystick, that operated turning, throttle and braking. The bubble top was created using compressed air to inflate a sheet of plastic into a dome in a pizza oven. On display at the National Automobile Museum in Reno

Mysterion

Ed Roth built the Mysterion in 1963, he got the idea from the multi engine dragsters he had seen at the dragstrips. He combined two Ford engines, two transmissions, plus two welded rear ends for the foundation. It featured an offset headlight and the typical Ed Roth bubble top. On display at Galpin Auto Sports.

The Road Agent by Ed “Big Daddy” Roth.

Mysterion

Custom builder and artist Ed "Big Daddy" Roth completed the Mysterion in 1963. The bubbletopped custom featured a completely original fiberglass body and twin Ford big-block engines. The weight of the engines was too much for the frame to bear, and the Mysterion fell apart. Tribute versions have been built, including this precise replica from Galpin Auto Sports.

The Surfink

The Surfink, created by Mark Glaz as a tribute to Ed Roth and Ratfink, features a large Ratfink figure atop a surfboard complete with a blown V-8 engine.

The Orbitron

Built in 1964, the vehicle was powered by a 1955 or 1956 Chevrolet V8 and was backed by a Powerglide automatic transmission. The body was hand-laid fiberglass, hiding Roth's extensive chrome work to the chassis. The cockpit, set at the extreme rear of the vehicle in the manner of a dragster, was lined with fake fur and featured an 11-inch General Electric "1-Touch" portable television inserted in the console. Topping the cockpit was a custom-made, hydraulically operated Plexiglas bubble top. One of a series of ordinary doorbell push-button switches atop the hood activated the top from the outside.

Other mechanical features included a 1956 Chevrolet rear end, dropped Ford front axle beam, Buickbrake drums and early Ford brakes. The frame was handmade of rectangular 2x4 inch steel tubing. The engine was a leftover from one of Roth's 1955 Chevrolets, having been removed to make way for a then-new Mark IV big-block given to him by General Motors. It was one of the very few completed cars Roth deemed to be a "mistake" because he felt the car did not show well since the heavily chromed engine and most of the chassis were hidden. The Orbitron was, in fact, one of his few customs to have a hood. Reportedly, the hydraulically operated hood did not fit well due to rushed fiberglass work.

The vehicle's most distinctive feature was its asymmetrical front end with red, green and blue tinted headlamps. It was thought that the three beams when combined would produce an intense white light; the idea came from the then-new medium of color television.

By Jerry Thompson - originally posted to Flickr as 2C7O4069, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5973582

By Jerry Thompson - originally posted to Flickr as 2C7O4066, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5973591

The Baja Bandeeto

Custom car builder and renowned painter Fritz ‘Spritz By Fritz‘ Schenck recreated with his bubble top roadster; the Baja Bandeeto.

[seat-safety-switch]

The best way to know how you've screwed up is to pull the oilpan. That's not a metaphor: thanks to gravity, the exploding rotating assembly of your once-complete engine is likely to end up in the sump. From there, death glitter is sucked into the oil pickup and back up into the head, but it doesn't really matter at this point, because your car is running off of what scientists would call an external combustion engine.

Every time I've blown up an engine in the past, most of the big parts stayed where they were supposed to be. Sure, they'd lost a lot of weight as they were sheared into a million pieces of expensive confetti, but at the very least I could pull it off the car and throw it in the Tim Hortons dumpster in one chunk. Not so this last time at the drags, where a combination of 150-shot nitrous oxide, a heavy foot, and a fuel pump which may not be actually working turned most of my 360 V8's insides into outsides. The track guy was really unhappy at having to put down a bunch of kitty litter, even if I didn't finish my pass and hose down the entire lane because my asthmatic donkey of a car was maybe going at trotting speed at the time it blew up. I did it to help you, dude. Now please tow me back.

I am sure that, to the average person, nuking an engine like this represents a financial hardship. To me, it is a little worrisome that my hoard is reduced to only a few dozen engines, down one more to the point where the walls of the basement room can now be seen through the maze of Mopar mills. Many, many years ago, I too remember the pain of having blown up my first motor. It was very sad, this beautiful, intricate machine that I had smashed into bits, like a toddler with a family heirloom timepiece. I went through denial, and bargaining, and acceptance, and learned how to pull a junkyard engine and slam it into my garbage without worry.

This time, the most difficult part of the whole process was hosing off all the chunks of disintegrated single-slammer. I flat-towed it to my local you-spray-it car wash – what's it gonna do, blow the motor? – and gave it a bath. As the molten chunks of aluminum and iron seeped into the expensive, treated drain system, I could finally feel at peace. At least for four or five minutes, until the owner came out from his office, screaming. How insensitive. Doesn't he know I've just had a loss in the family?

[diabolus1exmachina]

MAT Stratos 

This MAT Stratos is the first car produced, of which 25 examples were supposed to be produced, however only 8 are believed to have been produced in total. Which makes highly desirable and an incredibly rare vehicle.The Mat Stratos is a truly phenomenal car, it all started when the industrialist and car collector Michael Stoscheck contacted the then Pininfarina’s Special Projects Manager Paolo Garella, with a rather odd but fascinating request. He wanted to build a one-off reinterpretation of the infamous 1970’s Lancia Stratos. In the 1970´s Lancia was already enjoying considerable success in international rallying with a modified version of the Fulvia, but with the Stratos, Cesare Fiorio, co-founder of the HF Corse team, saw possibilities to create a purpose-built rally car from top to bottom. The outcome was the mid-engined Lancia Stratos, which looked nothing like the traditional rally cars at the time, but there was never no doubt that Cesare Fiorio knew what he was doing. The car ended up being a massive success and winning the world rally Championship 3 years in a row. Fast forward over 3 decades The Manufacturer M.A.T turned this idea into reality with a limited number of 25 one-off reinterpretations of the infamous Stratos being planned for produced. The New Stratos as it´s called colloquially, is equipped with a powerful mid-engine V8, while at the same time being extremely light weight, and features a short wheelbase just as the original Stratos did So the New Stratos has the best of the 70´s styling, now equipped with modern technology and design, overall the New Stratos, is a phenomenal engineering creation equipped with an incredible history. This Exact New Stratos is finished in Alitalia spec, which is the same as One of the most admired Stratos, the extraordinary Lancia Stratos Gr.4 Alitalia (1974) that won the Portugal Rally in 1976 and came second in the Monte Carlo Rally in 1977. It is finished with the striking red-white-green livery in honor of it´s at that time main sponsor Alitalia. The result of the production of the MAT Stratos is absolutely stunning, Often when cars are produced in such low numbers as this, the quality in the build can lack quality and precision.. But that’s not at all the case with this, quite opposite actually. When you are inspecting the Stratos you are blown away by the sense of quality and precision, they put into the car. Even the smallest detail is finished to perfection on this car.

[authortobenamedlater]

What’s your favorite pre-2005 car make and model?

(go on anon and ask one thing you want to know about me)

2000 Toyota Tundra, like my dad’s that he taught me how to drive in.

Ah, Big Red. Died of a blown rear differential at 300K miles. I could steer it in and out of a parking space with one hand. That iForce V8 saved me from being rear ended a few times.

When I totaled my Chevy last month I got a Sequoia SUV so I could feel like I was driving a Tundra again.

I have attachment issues with inanimate objects all right? It goes back to my droid thing.

[onewomancitadel]

I know I say this every now and again but each time I go back to rewatch R/WBY I'm still blown away by the fact that V8 is the best volume in every single way, from writing to animation - its only weakness is Jaune's haircut - and the fact that this pissbaby fandom couldn't take it just really hurts.

Not willing to meet it halfway, not willing to hear it out, prepared to already hate it with I/ronwood's turn at the end of V7, prepared to repeat all the analysis they heard other people repeat from some other moron who only half-listened to the episode (my understanding is that many of these individuals do not listen to the dialogue). And all for what. Lol

My credential here is that I started watching the show during V1, I came over with RVB, and I would say that I had started to really enjoy R/WBY by V3 - I remember when V2 aired I was so impatient for the Vytal Festival to happen and I was annoyed that it had been extended to the next volume - and comfortably enjoyed V4/5, but loved it and had the most important thing, my trust, won over by V6.

I don't put the ambiguity of R/WBY's future on the reception of V8 or the course correction with V9, because the expense of streaming had always been a concern for the show (I remember when it got taken down from the Youtubes), but I am honestly frustrated that the direction of the show is really promising and actually diverting - to me, on the level of Dark, which I consider the greatest television show end of story - but the fandoms couldn't be more different.

On the note of rewatching again, what I can't help is that every time I go back to V8 I have to watch the full fucking thing again because I can't just do one episode.

[dragynkeep]

Sorry for the random ranting about RW//BY, but something that'd occurred to me over the past day or so: I recall, back in the early days of the fandom, "the Jaune arc was really bloated and unnecessary" used to be a very easily agreed upon opinion, even among people who overall liked Jaune. Now they're stanning him and mocking people who think he shouldn't be having all the screentime in the world.

It's quite the thing to think on.

It's so weird because so many in the FNDM actually agree with the point that Jaune is being wildly mishandled in terms of relevance, screentime and characterisation. If he isn't being given all the emotional weight to his story and the screentime to show it, his writing tries to say things while showing the exact opposite.

Like his relationships with Pyrrha and Weiss are strange. Pyrrha apparently likes him because Jaune didn't treat her like everyone else has, by putting her up on a pedastal, but Jaune isn't exclusive in that? The only one in the main group that did that was Weiss, and she got over that after the first scene, so why exactly does Pyrrha like Jaune? He wasn't kind to her, he rudely brushed her off to flirt with Weiss when they first met, and then pushed off her help because he had this toxic mentality of having to do it himself.

And his relationship with Weiss is lackluster to the point that her comment on him being mature in V9 just came off as self praising for their author's pet. Jaune wouldn't leave Weiss alone for most of their time in Beacon, despite her very clearly not being interested, and the writing for their conclusion in v2 prom arc was so misogyinistic I hated it.

But after that, they had no build up between them as friends. The only scene they got was when Jaune saved Weiss' life in V5, but it was his own fault she got stabbed in the first place because the writers decided having him sit there and just watch Cinder slowly walk over to Weiss and slowly throw the javelin somehow didn't make him look like a dumbass.

And then afterwards? Nothing again. We got them going to the movies offscreen with Oscar, and Jaune helping Weiss to the exit only to get blown up by Cinder in the V8 finale.

Honestly Jaune has the best relationship with Ruby until V9.

[ivettel]

honestly seb wins aside i think my fav thing about the v8 era was the sound of those engines like. the v10s make me feel like i'm clutching at the arms of my seat in panic / awe and the current v6s make. noises to fall asleep to. but the v8s are that perfect medium of wild and drop dead sexy esp when drivers do burnouts or they downshift and the pitch drops at the climax of a high-pitched scream down a straight like holy shit. i could go for hours of this

[itsclydebitches]

I thought about the Ren & Yang fight in V8 again and it brought me to a sort of smaller issue: The Grimm aren't anywhere near as omnipresent as they should be. They're attracted to negative emotion. The squad's having this big emotional argument in the middle of nowhere, while the city is being invaded by the Grimm, and yet none of them are drawn to the group. The group is in complete disarray and yet this isn't punished by a Centinel ambushing them or a Gryphon swooping at them, or anything.

I think RWBY could have gotten away with this if there had been another conflict to forward that fight. Meaning, it's heavily implied throughout the series (though not explicitly stated? I honestly can't remember) that grimm are attracted to the most intense negative emotion nearby. So if one person is kinda bummed out and another is having a full-blown panic attack, and they're both approximately the same distance from the grimm, the one having a panic attack will be dealing with that Griffon. That's why Cinder was able to accurately predict that Penny's death would draw so many grimm to Beacon (a horrified crowed trumps whatever else might be going on nearby) and why fans were annoyed by the grimm in Argus just kinda flying aimlessly around our heroes when there was a panicking crowed of civilians below. If RWBY had actually kept this rule consistent--which it hasn't--I would have been inclined to say, "Of course none of the grimm stopped to attack the group. Yang and Ren's spat, though intense for the audience who is emotionally invested in them as characters, can't hold a candle to the fear and despair emanating from Atlas as Salem attacks." Plus, if we want to throw out another potential bit of worldbuilding, we might say that Salem is actively directing the grimm towards her target (the city). But really, neither the specifics of what grimm are attracted to, nor the amount of control Salem has over an entire army, is ever established. After all, this is the show that made a HUGE deal out of the Relic attracting grimm... and then had Ruby and Oscar carrying that around with zero consequences. The rules of this world exist only when it's convenient for the plot.

But to get back to my original point, even if RWBY had done the work to explain why none of the grimm made a pit-stop to attack the group, that scene still needed something to break up all the walking and talking. (Especially when, from my personal perspective, the conversations are so bad. I can't agree with the stance the show takes against Ren and I hate that instead of working to resolve their disagreements, Yang inexplicably worries about Blake and then Ren just realizes how wrong he was off screen??) Getting separated out in the wilds of Atlas should have led to some sort of danger for our group. If not grimm than the cold--another threat RWBY introduced, but then did nothing with. Really, what's the point of separating the group like that if nothing was going to happen? They can argue in Mantle. They can be found by the Ace Ops in Mantle. RWBY raised the stakes by going, "Look! They chased this horrifying grimm out into the tundra and are now stranded without transportation. Countless more grimm are wandering about--remember the problem of that hole in the wall?--and they'll be dead in no time if their aura should fail. To top it all off, they're fighting among themselves and may not be able to drum up the necessary cooperation to survive. What will happen to our heroes next?? Stay tuned to find out!"

Nothing. The answer is nothing. Nothing happens. They find a convenient house to sit in and then they leave.

In thinking about RWBY's status as a combat show in the wake of Volume 9's lackluster combat trailer, it stands out to me that so many of these action sequences are like... superficially exciting? The Hound attacks, but our heroes mostly stand still and watch it like we didn't just have a whole season about how they're the strongest of professionals now. We have a chase scene that doesn't end in a second confrontation and then they walk back, encountering nothing except their rescue. I do believe that as a show conceived as, advertised as, and heavily focused on action for the first three years, RWBY should maintain a certain number and quality of fights to meet viewer expectation--the same way I expect certain storytelling beats if you label your show as "horror" or "comedy" or a "fantasy." But that belief aside, I could far more easily accept RWBY's transition to something other than a "mere" combat show if it did something with those plot points. But as we've been saying for years now, RWBY seems wholly uninterested in exploring the new stuff it introduces. We don't get to learn about Oscar's merge, or tackle Whitley's abuse, Nora doesn't struggle with her new scars, Penny is killed off as soon as she becomes a Maiden, there's no confirmation for Blake/Yang... Ren's differing perspective is highlighted, rejected, and then resolved at some point in his own head, giving us only an unsatisfying apology later on. RWBY doesn't seem to want to be an introspective romance-drama, given that it ignores those ideas as soon as they're introduced, but it doesn't want to be a simple action show either.

Ultimately, I don't know what in the world RWBY does want to be, but the end result are scenes like this one. Do you want to see this fight have an interesting impact on the story? Too bad. Okay, do you want to see a cool grimm battle if we can't see character development? Too bad. The characters are going in circles nowadays and I'm afraid that Volume 9's trip to Wonderland and back is just going to reinforce that.

[bestworstcase]

neither of the sibs can have been ozma bc yang would kill him dead when they found out

he alluded to the girl who fell through the world as if it were fictional while apologizing for hiding the truth and lying to them—if he was one of the sibs, then he did that knowing damn well jaune was going to be there too, which meant ozpin knew the portal plan was going to go south (jaune told alyx and lewis enough of what happened to him for oz to be able to put the pieces together) and he said nothing. he did nothing to even try to prevent it from happening. he didn’t even WARN them.

like this would be a betrayal on the level of the lost fable. worse even, because hiding this from them directly caused penny’s death and ruined jaune’s life for three decades.

and it would retroactively reveal his development in V8 to be every bit as facile and deceitful as his apologies and promises in V5. i think it would almost narratively require a full blown ozpin villain arc after the truth came because it would mean he was THAT determined to never, ever change.

or yknow. he just wasn’t there because not every fucking story in the world is about him.

[axesent]

Holden EH Panel Van - Axesent.com FB @axesent

[transportaplooza]

1971 Plymouth Cuda in North Carolina

If you're a fan of muscle cars, get ready to be blown away by this legendary beast. With its bold design, thunderous engine, and unmistakable presence, the Cuda was more than just a car – it was a symbol of power and performance.

A Legend is Born

The Plymouth Cuda burst onto the scene in the early 1970s, taking the automotive world by storm. Building on the success of its predecessors, the 1971 model year represented a culmination of years of engineering excellence and design innovation. With its aggressive styling and race-ready performance, the Cuda quickly earned a reputation as one of the most formidable muscle cars of its time.

Power to Spare

The true heart of the 1971 Plymouth Cuda lies under the hood, where you'll find an array of ferocious engine options that are guaranteed to get your heart racing. From the potent 340 cubic inch V8 to the monstrous 426 Hemi, the Cuda offered a range of powertrains to suit every taste and driving style. With horsepower ratings that pushed the limits of what was possible at the time, the Cuda was more than just a car – it was a force of nature.

Racing Heritage

With its formidable performance and track-ready design, it's no surprise that the 1971 Plymouth Cuda was a dominant force on the racing circuit. From drag strips to road courses, the Cuda proved its mettle time and time again, cementing its status as a true icon of American muscle car history. Whether tearing up the quarter-mile or carving through corners, the Cuda was always in its element when pushed to the limit.

Legacy and Impact

Though production of the Plymouth Cuda ceased in the early 1970s, its legacy lives on in the hearts and minds of automotive enthusiasts around the world. From its timeless design to its legendary performance, the Cuda remains a symbol of an era when muscle cars ruled the road and horsepower was king. And while many years have passed since the last Cuda rolled off the assembly line, its spirit lives on in the hearts of all who dare to dream of unleashing the beast within.

In the records of automotive history, few cars can match the raw power and unbridled performance of the 1971 Plymouth Cuda. With its menacing looks, thunderous engine, and legendary racing pedigree, the Cuda remains a timeless icon of American muscle car culture. Whether you're a die-hard enthusiast or simply someone who appreciates the thrill of the open road, the Cuda is sure to leave a lasting impression that will never be forgotten.

[truthin32bit]

When Worlds Collide - The Early Merger Era of USCR

I remember when I was in high school I would always try and get my school's "Car Club" up and going. I'd post flyers, give announcements over the PA and ask the teacher lending us the room for help with ideas. Unfortunately it was only ever me and one other classmate who would occupy the classroom at lunch, never really finding a single person to share my rather obsessive interest with. There was this one other kid, a senior at the time, that would be at one of the computers in the class room looking at spotters guides of some sorts. At the time I was solely a NASCAR fan, not really paying much attention to other forms of motorsport. I knew Super GT existed thanks to Gran Turismo 5, and of course there was Formula 1 but I never feigned too much interest in it. So when I peeked at his screen I noticed that it was what known as the Tudor United Sports Car Championship at the time. Of course, I didn't know what it actually was at that time. My small little NASCAR infested brain had never heard of this series before -- and that's because it was a completely new idea, birthed from years of two separate American sports car series competing for the same audience throughout the 00s and early 10s. The American Le Mans Series was much like the rest of the ACO sanctioned championships across the globe, using state of the art prototypes and factory GT efforts to fill their grids. However, by the end of the ALMS era there was a clear struggle to fill the prototype grids, with only a literal couple of P1 entrants running in any given race weekend.

The Grand-Am Road Racing Series was the complete opposite of the sleek and sexy cars ready to travel to France every June. Their top class were these tube frame "prototurtles", which in their first year looked more Florida man rather than Florida endurance classic. However, what they did have in their pocket was the iconic Daytona 24, which throughout its years would play host to multiple big time NASCAR superstars hopping in to turn right for the first time in a few good months. Their GT cars were also a bit non-orthodox for that matter too -- whereas you had Porsches and Corvettes battling it out for top honors literally shoulder checking each other Grand Am boasted Pontiac GXPs and Mazda6s... though, admittedly they were also tube frame based machines.

So when the merger news came about, obviously it was a pretty big shock to everyone's system. I mean, how the heck would these two completely different types of series fit in with one another given that Daytona Prototypes were literally pieces of metal put together to look somewhat like a race car in comparison to the prohibitively expensive prototypes that literally no one could afford to run these days... but maybe that's what sports car racing needed. After years of having to recover from the sudden decline of the sport (thanks Bernie) everyone was kinda doing whatever the hell in their own corner, with the BPR scurrying off into their own corner trying to make their own flavor of sports car racing before getting blown up by some guys from Stuttgart that would create so much baggage for Stephane Ratel that he garnered a hate boner for factory teams, the ACO still hanging onto the Le Mans 24 with its ever changing prototype category that once literally got gamed by those same German assholes from Stuttgart a few years earlier, the guys in Japan having to make a completely new regulation after their prototype series just kinda died off which even led one team fielding a 962C against some Skylines... America just kind of had to go their own way. And we all know the trope of the USA saving the world.

I mean, the mere sight of seeing these brute beasts with their loud and brash V8 motors running alongside these sleek and sexy prototypes is enough to get anyone the least bit interested just for the weird factor. The racing it gave wasn't too bad either.

The premise of these awkward Daytona Prototypes bumbling through the bumps of Sebring just like their European brethren is worth the price of admission itself. And we haven't even gotten to the rest of the field! You had the infamous Prototype Challenge category that would provide the race with its full course yellow quotas and almost down right dangerous levels of idiocy, but they're just honestly trying their best. Of course, there was also the ever iconic GTLM field with multiple factory GT teams duking it out going all touring car on each other battling for 2nd to last, while the GTD class derived from the Grand-AM GT category had its own oddities that would be simply wrong to look over. The 911 GT America is a car that seems to come out of someone's fever dream that I wouldn't be surprised if it came up in a /r/ThomasThePlankEngine post. There was also the R8 LMS with the teeny ass wing. I don't know why I remember that, but it's always so funny to see that specific car show up in Forza games when there's literally newer R8s to feature.

Even the calendar itself was a "greatest hits" of both series, with both sides having to play on each other's grounds with the Daytona 24 and the 12 hours of Sebring being the big crown jewel events. Of course, you also had the rest of the endurance races that both series managed to carry over, the 6 Hours of the Glen from the Grand-Am side and the Petit Le Mans over on ALMS' side. Long Beach and Belle Isle were two street courses that both series brought along that would prove to be marquee events, and something of an interesting tidbit that I would be remiss to mention would be the Prototype Challenge only race at Kansas Speedway. Yeah. That layout. You know the one.

The Daytona Prototype mix of cars lasted up until the end of 2016, which would bring the beginning of the new era of sports car racing. While I don't have great opinions on the DPi platform, it nevertheless influenced the current resurgence of the prototype category, whilst the growth of the global GT3 regulation made up by our good friend Stephane Ratel would occupy the GTD category and would go on to encompass the entire field, becoming one of the many influences that would make it replace the declining GTE class as the top global grand touring class in the world. Indeed, the United part of the United Sports Car Championship really did become reality -- though it probably had a far bigger outreach than they initially expected. Or maybe it was their intention from the get-go. Who knows. Anyways, take a look at this Daytona Prototype.

[foulfirerebel]

Do you have any complaints About rwby? Or at last something you think could’ve been done better?

A lot,of fellow rwby fans seem to agree the white fang storyline wasn’t handled very well. But at the same time I keep seeing those same people acting like ghira did nothing wrong, that Blake is some badass rebel when canon doesn’t seem to support that currently, etc.

Oh boy. Strap in for this one.

So, I thought as much as I could focus on this since I've had the flu for the past three weeks. And I realize my complaints and thoughts are very small when it comes to this particular subject. But, if you're curious, read on below the cut.

Spoilers for RWBY V1-V9, the books, and games.

So, let's just get one thing out of the way first: I loved Monty Oum's fight scenes but they hurt my eyes to watch now. And I'm not sure why. To preempt a long rant, I'll say this. I prefer the fight scenes we have in V4-V9 to the ones in V1-V3. They contain more narrative tension to me then the earlier ones (Except for the train fights in V2, and the entirety of the Fall of Beacon in V3).

I'm not a huge fan that Yang doesn't get much in V1, with a bulk of her character starting in V2. I'm even less of a fan of the fact that Weiss' racism toward Blake in V1 felt a little swept aside instead of one of the many facets of her character that evolved over time. Ice Queendom, to me, helped this a lot but there's a lot that could be said there too.

As everyone seems to hate the Jaundice part of V1, I will also throw my two cents in: it went by fast for me given V7 was my first "live" volume and I binged all the others. It could've been shortened, made way for Yang characterization or otherwise. Cardin can get yeeted into the sun for all I care.

Now, of course, there's the White Fang part of the Faunus plot. For the record, I don't think it's the WORST racism storyline or allegory attempted (See: Overwatch, Detroit: Become Human, and others for worse) but it definitely needed more polishing. Give Sienna Khan more screentime and more of a presence, show more of the distinction between Ghira, Sienna, and Adam and either 1) Make Sienna's death a full-blown fight scene and last stand, 2) A sneak attack rigged heavily in Adam's favor that gets exposed later on and causes the White Fang to disown him, or 3) Have Sienna live and aid Blake and the Faunus militia afterward.

There are other changes too, mind you, like having the White Fang under Adam express doubt in what they're doing only for Adam or Cinder to silence them or something like that. We got that with Ilia, and I love her story, but we needed some more like that.

The following are going to be under the "just bugs me" complaints, nothing too huge or rant filled and I can elaborate if needed:

I wish we got more Happy Huntresses stuff, because I find the Ace Ops/Happy Huntresses ratio in V7/V8 to be...unevenly weighted toward the Ace Ops. Understandable, but still.

I'm sure we'll get this in V10, but I'd like an update on the rest of the world's current situations. Vale, Mistral, Menagerie, the changes that occurred, etc.

I'll be happy when Penny returns or is confirmed officially to be truly dead. If the latter, I'll be complaining more about "wasted potential". If the former, I'd like to see how she'd be revived.

Summer Rose. I need more answers.

Just something fandom related: Stop going after Ghira and Tai Yang for the love of all that is holy. If you'd like examples of awful parentage, Jacques, Marcus Black, Cinder's wicked Stepmom, Neo's parents, Roman and Nora's unnamed mothers, Raven Branwen and even Lil Miss are right there. Also, Jax and Gill's guardian too.

Grimm Eclipse was fun but...wow, Arrowfell was better as a video game in a lot of ways. Told a better story than GE too.

The only thing I can complain about in the books is not giving much to Sage of Team SSSN, though given "Before the Dawn" had to juggle so many characters I'm cutting it some slack.

Obviously the obligatory "Rooster Teeth isn't a good company"/"The Upper Management are terrible" and all that jazz, please support all the staff and former who have Patreons, Kofis, Twitch Streams, etc.

That's about all I can think of. Again, I'm still addled by the flu and medication I'm taking for it.

TLDR: I just think RWBY needs...well, more of it. More time and budget and space to fully flesh out everything. What we got is superb, especially for starting so small, but I always find more better than less.

[patchedd]

The Art of the Slowpoke, or How I Stopped Caring About HP

This is the Lamborghini SC20. It's a one off, some 750 HP and uh, well no roof. I don't know the name of this style, but it has been a thing with a lot of one-off, or limited run cars. I don't really get it, but to be frank, I don't really hate it either. I do like this car, it's a nice design, the color scheming is rather different (when was the last time you saw a stock blue & white Lambo?), but to be frank, I would never own it. Yeah, I couldn't afford it ever my life, but even if I could, it wouldn't be my first pick of car. Hell, it wouldn't even be the first Lamborghini I'd go for. That'd be the Diablo. But, well, there's still a dozen dozen cars I'd go for first.

Frankly, it'd be something like this. An AMC Gremlin. A little shitbox American car from the mid-70s with a V8 that barely shits out as much power as a modern Miata. Top speed of 100 when it goes downwind, bodywork with more rust than solid metal, cheap as shit. It's perfect. It's pure, shithole 70's Detroit, when the oil crisis meant "lets make the worst fucking cars imaginable and kill the muscle car."

Meanwhile, only 5-6 years ago, Italy pushed out this absolute centerfold of a car, the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale, a car with as much horsepower as an RX8 but enough oomph to still hit 200 mph. In 1968. It's one of those multi-million dollar cars nowadays, a holy grail of ownership that half the examples are probably rotting away in some dickhead's collection. And I absolutely adore this car, don't get me wrong. I'd kill to drive this for a day, even. But I'd still buy a Gremlin first.

Cool shitboxes really aren't a thing anymore, frankly. Low horsepower, but high fun factor. Japan puts out a lot of cheap, sporty cars, sure, but a lot pale in comparison to their older generations. Would sooner buy a '93 Civic than a '23. But in a fun, almost poetic twist, you have thisun. The Abarth 124 Spider. Well, it's mostly a Miata, but all the fixin's are done up by Abarth. It's still only 165 HP, less than a fucking Kia Soul Turbo, but come on, would you really buy one of those over this? The Miata might've turned from the hairdresser car to the weird cult icon it's become in recent years, but this one stands out from the rest. The Fiata as they call it, sounding 100 HP more aggressive than it is, only able to hit 140 on a good day. And it goes racing. Brings to mind something else, really...

Yeah, the Ford Escort. A car that started life as a cheap family car, a replacement for the Anglia (The stupid flying car from Harry Potter), turned into a long running icon of Ford's rallying success. It's a tale not unheard of in the sport, the Fiat 131 in the 80's was a similar story, but its an inspiring story. Something so simple, so low-power, under the radar, turning into a motoring icon on the dirt. That is something I just adore. Seeing these cars some would consider lower echelon becoming full-blown powerhouses almost out of nowhere. Something that a lot of cars have kinda lost. Sure, the Focus is a cheap, fun car, but it's been pretty heavily involved with motorsport that it kinda loses its luster.

Cases like this fucking drift Corolla. Who fucking cares about the Toyota Corolla? It's arguably played second fiddle to the Celica for a long time, but here you have this one that's a part of the Formula Drift circuit, sporting over a thousand horsepower, it's barely even close to the original. But god you have to just love this thing. The engineering behind it, the sheer insanity of it. The gall to take something so basic, so common, and make it a contender in the drift scene. That is some real love for the little guy. A love that has really been left wanting in the modern times.

In a world where you have active-aero so ridiculously advanced it tilts in 20 different directions at different speeds on a road car, there's not much fun for the little guy. There's a reason that so many slower, yet interesting cars are all 15+ years old. Automakers, owners, hell, most people don't have cars to care about these days. The age of the SUV is upon us. And yeah, some of those are pretty interesting, fast and powerful. But even the 70's and 80's put out more interesting garbage than most modern stuff. Just look at the new Integra. What about that screams "Integra?"

This was a bunch of rambling that really didn't pay much attention to the topic I wanted to talk about, but maybe the point gets across. Power and luxury don't make a dream car, always. Just spirit, a love for the machine, and maybe just a pinch of personal experience.