RideLust

*Photo Credit: Chuck Goolsbee

Owning a classic car means you fall into one of two categories; those who use a trailer or those that don’t. When I first bought my Charger way back when, I made a vow to myself that I would never, ever trailer it as I feel that cars were meant to be driven and enjoyed, not rubbed with diapers. Some owners however feel that the road is not a place for these machines. This generally happens after they’ve sunk thousands upon thousands of dollars into them. Back in the day I would’ve made a stink about trailering a car, but the older I get, the more I can relate to their thought process. If you’ve ever restored a car then you’re well aware that a paint job alone can cost upwards of $20,000. Combine that with a redone engine bay, suspension components and a new interior and it’s not hard to see how a good restoration can run well upwards of $100,000 depending on the car.
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Light traffic, in Beijing.

Commuters in the United States have nothing to complain about compared to commuters in Beijing, China. Even the worst Los Angeles or Atlanta traffic nightmare can’t compare to the recent two-week traffic jam outside of Beijing. While that was exceptional even by Chinese standards, an exploding population of cars and limited routes into major cities make traffic jams a way of life for Chinese commuters. If you have a flight to catch, or an important meeting to make, allowing hours of extra time used to be the only way to ensure you’d be there on time. Thanks to some entrepreneurial car service owners, Chinese motorists now have another option. Read More…

Cannonball Run, Smokey and the Bandit and Bullitt. For me, three of the greatest pieces of cinema ever made. I remember watching the opening scene from Cannonball Run where the black Lamborghini Countach was chased by the Pontiac Trans Am State Trooper through the desert. Its V12 engine was singing, the theme music was blasting in the background and all the while I sat there completely enamored. I was nine years old, and from that day forward I remember thinking, that’s what I wanted to do for the rest of my life – I wanted to drive. As time progressed other movies like To Live and Die in L.A., the French Connection and Ronan came into my life and pushed me further still towards the automotive lifestyle.
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Take an Audi RS5, throw in an S5 and an A5, then turn them loose on Switzerland’s Flüela Pass. The first thing that comes to my mind isn’t “drive them slow and bang off unnecessary downshifts while wearing mechanic’s gloves”, but I’m not a German filmmaker, so what do I know? At least the video didn’t have any ledehosen-clad monkeys playing the accordion, which I’d say is a big plus.

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The calendar hasn’t been flipped to November yet, but if you live where it gets cold, winter is just around the corner. Some places have already seen their first snowfall of the year, a reminder that five months of harsh weather is coming. Why, you may ask, is a guy who lives in Florida writing about winter driving? It’s simple: for 16 years, I lived in states like Colorado, Minnesota and New jersey, all of which get winters that range from “bad” to “horrific”. In Minnesota, for example, the best you can hope for is snow, since the alternative is black ice. That’s pretty much a guarantee from November through March, so you get used to driving under the worst possible circumstances.

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For most of my career, I’ve worked for employers that pay a base salary and then give performance-based bonuses on a quarterly basis. Sometimes, these bonuses were substantial, or so I thought. A property inspector employed by the NJ Turnpike Authority had a base salary of $73,469, but managed 2008 earnings of $321,985, exponentially better than I was ever able to achieve. How? Through a bizarre structure of bonus awards, given for such things as working holidays, working on your birthday, shoveling snow at toll plazas and even counting change in your booth at the end of a shift (for toll collectors, obviously). Turnpike employees also get perks like free EZ Pass toll transponders, scholarships for employee’s children, and “longevity bonuses” for staying beyond ten years. With perks like this, who’d want to quit?

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Driving across the continental United States is something that you should do at least once during your lifetime. Hell, I’ve done it six times in the last four years and would do it again tomorrow if the opportunity presented itself. If you’re like me then driving is something that brings you solace. For me it’s a getaway from all the BS that daily life usually has in store and is, in my opinion one of the most relaxing things a person can do. I’ve driven across this country in new cars, classic cars, exotic cars, economy cars and SUV’s and with each trip I’m always asking myself what I would like to run the open road in next. Keep in mind that from end to end your talking about covering around 3000 miles of super slab, so the car you’re driving plays a very important role.
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The Reason Foundation publishes an annual report that looks at road conditions and driving safety in all fifty U.S. states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The report looks at such things as the condition of state and interstate highways, the traffic fatality rate, conditions of bridges and tunnels and even traffic congestion. Based upon the data collected, each state is assigned a ranking that directly ties to tangible data. Other surveys (Forbes, for example) try to include too many variables, which impact the overall result. If you want to know how enjoyable or painful a state is to drive in, the Reason Foundation study is the best data out there.

So which states fared best or worst in their most recent report (which covered the full year of 2008)? Read on to find out:

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In 1950, seat belts weren’t in common use, airbags were the stuff of science fiction and stability control generally referred to a cocktail after a hard day at the office. That year saw 33,186 traffic fatalities on U.S. roads, and the number of annual deaths began to increase as more Americans took to the roads. In 2009, for the first time in nearly 60 years, traffic deaths in the U.S. fell below 34,000, ending the year at 33,808. Even motorcycle deaths fell last year, ending an 11 year trend of annual increases.

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Over the past two weeks we here at Ridelust.com have compiled some of the best road tripping songs ever assembled. They’ll make you put the pedal to the floor, run with the windows open and sing out loud as your chewing up the miles in whatever car you choose to roll in. These last twenty songs are ones that were submitted by our readers, so for that, I’d like to thank you all for letting us know your favorites, you’ve made my job a little easier. Hopefully these songs will help motivate you guys and gals to get out to the garage, fuel up that old sled and hit the open road with the radio on 11. If you’ve been following this list then wonderful, if not make sure to check out parts I, II, III & IV, as you won’t be disappointed.

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