The 1993 Nissan Pathfinder

In 1997, Andrea Alvarez was driving her 1993 Nissan Pathfinder on a highway in Broward County, Florida. When Alvarez inadvertently veered off the road into the center median, she steered to re-enter the roadway, but lost control and rolled over onto the driver's side. During the accident, Alvarez suffered a life altering injury-her left arm was amputated at the elbow.

The Alvarezes filed suit against Nissan, alleging that a design defect caused the Nissan Pathfinder to be unreasonably dangerous and that Nissan's failed in its duty to use reasonable care in the design, manufacture, assembly, distribution, and/or sale of its vehicle. Nissan, it was alleged, was also negligent in that it failed to give proper warnings to car buyers concerning the vehicle's dangerous susceptibility to "rollovers."

The Alvarezes presented expert testimony, including various tests that supported their contention that the Pathfinder was unreasonably dangerous. Nissan countered, presenting its own expert witnesses and evidence that the vehicle did not have a design defect. The automaker insisted that Alvarez caused the accident by incorrectly steering the Pathfinder, saying that no SUV can be designed so that it does not overturn just from steering.

Alvaraz's attorneys insisted that vehicles should and can be designed not to overturn solely based on a driver's steering while on a flat, level, paved roadway. Nissan claimed that the Pathfinder's wheels were off the road when Alvaraz turned over. The plaintiff maintained that she tipped over while on the road and that all four tires were in contact with the road when she turned over.

"Nissan"s own engineers contradicted the automakers assertion," noted nationally recognized auto defects attorney, John Bisnar. "A paper presented at a conference by Japanese Nissan engineers in the 1970s included an experimental safety project that stated the Nissan vehicle 'has over-turning immunity.' The paper proved that Nissan was aware that a vehicle could be designed so it wouldn't roll over based on how it was driven."

Plaintiffs' experts, including an engineer and a test-driver, proved that the 1993 Pathfinder could roll over based on how it was driven. They presented their own rollover tests. Going a step further, they modified the SUV with a wider track and a lowered center of gravity, which during tests, revealed that the SUV did not roll over.

Although the jury found there was no design defect, it did find that Nissan was negligent in its "failure to warn," which does not require a finding of design defect. The trial court agreed with the Alvarezes. In addition, the jury found that Andrea Alvarez was comparatively negligent and assigned her 49 percent fault and Nissan 51% fault. Alvarez was awarded damages of $3,057,000 and her husband was awarded $415,000. The trial court entered a Final Judgment in accordance with the jury verdict.

"How many serious, life-altering injuries must the motoring public endure before a car maker finally decides to adequately warn its publics about the dangers of its SUVs?" exclaimed Brian Chase of the nationally recognized auto defects law firm of Bisnar Chase. "The Alvarezes' action in taking Nissan to court is an example of our justice system at work. The jury's award is America's message to Nissan that their failure to act was not acceptable. Hopefully, this lawsuit will help convince Nissan to properly warn customers about the potential risks in driving rollover-prone SUVs.

Visit the main website at http://www.bestattorney.com or call 888-265-0161

The 1966 Dodge Charger

The mid 1960's saw the American public fully entranced with the "Muscle Car Movement." Bigger, meaner and faster was the mantra of the day. With the Mustang, Camaro and others fighting for dominance of the street Dodge decided that 1966 was the year to really take a stab at the Fastback market. Up to that point the segment was basically dominated by such classics as Plymouths' Barracuda and Fords' famous Mustang.

Right out of the gate the Charger was intended to be a powerhouse with a 318 V-8 power plant in it's base model. Buyers had a few options including a 383 or the now famous 426 Hemi engine. The 1966 version of the 426 was a dream come true for the average guy on the street. Pumping out around 500 horsepower this put some serious power on the pavement and helped fuel the muscle car boom for the remainder of the decade.

Buying the big package for the 1966 Charger was not cheap however. To run with the big boys on Main Street it would cost you an additional $900 or so. When looking at a base model for only $3200 this is one heck of a price increase!

There was another drawback, besides the price increase, to buying the big engine package. Seems the boys up at Dodge knew exactly what the kind of person who was going to buy the 426 was going to do with it. Can you remember what the warranty was on the big engine car model? Only a 1 year or 12,000 mile! This only 20% of the warranty the base and 383 models had!

With the big price jump and the less than stellar warranty it's not a big surprise that not a whole lot of the high end1966 model sold. Of over 37,000 Dodge Chargers built that first year less than 500 featured the 426 Hemi. Most of the guys looking for power opted to go for the 383 and tweak more power out of that rather than spending big at the dealerships.

So what could this hemi do? How about get to 60 in less than 6.5 seconds and get to just under 100mph on the quarter mile. Not too shabby for an out of the box motor in 1966. The Charger went on to be a real success and brand builder for Dodge for the remainder of the 1960's. As the '70's rolled around and harsher emission controls were put into place the Charger saw smaller and less powerful engines into the middle of the Disco Decade.

Will gets a kick out of old Dodge models of all kinds. Be sure to check out DodgeRestoration.com to see photos and find more information. Thanks!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Will_K.

The 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air

There are just a handful of classic cars that just about anyone will immediately recognize and the 1957 Chevy Bel Air is one of them. From the classic tail fins to the hooded headlights this model is as much an American icon as parades and apple pie. While the term '57 Chevy has come to be used as a catchall phrase for that model year, as though there were just one model, there were actually several different variations of note. It's interesting to consider that the boys at Chevy wanted to see a totally new design for the 1957 model year. Production problems and setbacks caused them to use the 1955 model design as a base one more time. Imagine how close we were to never seeing this model!

The 1957 Chevrolet came in three different main trim packages. The Bel Air was the top of the line luxury package featuring gold anodized trim pieces on the front grill, fenders, hood and trunk lid. The 210 package was a mid-line offering with the 150 package rounding out the line as a base offering. There were several body styles available for the 1957 model year, most of which had an option of the Bel Air trim package. The standard Chevy two and four door sedans were offered as well as a two door and four door Hardtop. Often confused by novice observers are the Sedans and Hardtop or Sport Coupes. The sedan model is easy to spot when you understand that model has upright pillars between the windows while the Hardtop or Sport Coupe does not. Also produced was what they called a Utility Coupe which featured a bench in the back rather than a regular seat for salesmen who needed to carry samples and deliver items. Station wagons were also popular at the time and Chevy offered two variations in '57. The Nomad was the high end version with a Bel Air trim package while the Handyman was offered in the 150 and 210 packages. And we can't forget the famous Chevy Convertible from this year!

On top of the many body style variations from this year a ton of different options were available. Air Conditioning and Fuel Injection are perhaps the most notable two of them all however very few were sold. Air conditioning was still considered an unnecessary luxury by most and Fuel Injection was so new that most garages simply did not know how to fix the system. Most 1957 Chevy buyers that year opted for the tried and true carburetor. Other items offered included a "Surround Sound" system for the radio (which consisted of a speaker in the rear of the car), power radio antenna, power brakes and a padded dashboard. This was the same year the ill fated Turboglide transmission was introduced. Unfortunately this tranny had a bad reputation from the start and the vast majority of buyers avoided it. The Turboglide ceased production less than 4 years later

While we think of this car as perhaps the most famous in American history the buying public at the time was not equally impressed. While sales are decent they fell short of expectations. In fact the Ford Motor Company out sold Chevy that year for the first time in over 20 years. Following an interesting trend in classic car market however, the 1957 Chevy remains one of the most sought after models for car collectors the world over.

Due to its popularity this model has been a favorite for charity fund raisers. Bill runs OldCarRaffle.com and HarleyDavidsonRaffles.com. Stop by and take a look. You will be amazed at the beautiful cars and bikes on there! Thanks for reading and have a great day.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=BP_Kelly

Depressing Scenes At The Motor Mall

I drove through the Troy motor mall today. If you are local, you know about it, it is a huge collection of car dealerships clustered together on Maple Road between Coolidge and Crooks. Every major brand has a dealership there, and some minor ones, including Aston Martin, Jaguar, Saab, Lamborghini, Maserati, Bentley.

It was so quiet you would have thought it was Sunday and not Friday afternoon. There were no customers walking any of the lots I could see. Even huge dealerships like Chevrolet and Honda didn't seem to have anything going on. The Saab store looked closed--I couldn't tell if the lights were on. Jaguar also. Even Honda and Toyota were still. Pontiac? Dead.

If people don['t buy cars, everyone will be broke, from top to bottom. The economic impact of the Troy Motor Mall is huge, when you consider the hundreds of salesman, mechanics, accountants, porters, truckers involved. And the restaurants surrounding it.

If you don't need a new car, that's fine. But maybe throw these guys an oil change or something to keep them fed, keep them working. Maybe let the dealer do your next regular service, or take it in for detailing.

But what is our Governor doing? According to Frank Beckman on WJR, she's working on a plan to double car registration fees and gasoline taxes. "In five years you'll be blown away!" she famously said. Now she's working on blowing us away.

The Volkswagen Type II Split-Screen Camper

The VW Type II Split-Screen Camper - from Utility Van to Design Icon

How Did it all Start?

When the British found themselves running the VW factory in Wolfsburg, Germany after the Second World War, there was a shortage of equipment and resources. The engineers had made up flatbed trolleys using the VW Beetle chassis and running gear to transport parts round the huge factory.

On a visit to the factory, Ben Pon, a Dutch VW importer, saw the little trucks. He sketched a design for a beetle-based van, which was basically a simple box on wheels, after he was inspired by the basic but effective plattenwagens. A year later, Heinz Nordhoff took on this idea when he became chief executive of Volkswagen and the first VW van was launched at the Geneva Motor Show in November 1949.

Europe was restructuring and there was a lack of simple but sturdy transport vehicles that were flexible and low cost. The Type VW II met this need.

On the 8th March 1950 production of ten vehicles a day began. The basic rear engine design remained the same for four decades and over five million buses were produced.

The Successful 'Splittie'

The type 2 vans had a split windscreen with a sweeping v-line front and a large VW emblem. These buses were 170 cubic feet (about 4.8 cubic meters) in volume and were spacious enough to hold a 15-hand horse.

The bus had the engine and axles of the Beetle but had a unitary construction supported by a ladder frame instead of the central frame platform. The original plan was to use the Beetle chassis, but this was not adequate to carry the proposed payload of 750kg so there was a rapid redesign in 1949 before the launch.

The ladder frame is two longitudinal parallel girders or beams on which the suspension, engine, transmission etc are mounted. It is good for carrying direct loads but the handling is poor, partly due to a lack of stiffness so it performs badly when cornering.

The air-cooled engine was just over 1131cc with an output of 25hp but later (in 1954) the engine size was increased to 1192cc and 30hp. The VW van was designed as a utility vehicle, not for speed - or handling.

An important contribution to the design was the result of testing at the wind tunnel of the Technical University of Braunschweig. The flat angular front end of the prototype performed poorly, but the resulting redesign paid off, as the Type 2 was aerodynamically superior to the Type 1 Beetle despite its slab-sided shape. This design also resulted in the iconic and much-loved rounded front with the styling of the sweeping V and oversize VW badge.

As the design was so adaptable, VW turned out many different body variations over the first five years. These included buses, pick-ups, fire engines, rear-door ambulances, beer wagons, refrigerated ice-cream vans, milk floats, mobile butchers shops, bread vans, mobile grocers, ordinary delivery vans and of course the VW camper - over 90 variants in all.

Evolution of the Type 2 VW

The split screen type 2 was produced from 1950 to 1967 and went through a number of developments, which were obviously reflected in the type 2 VW campers as well. The engine size was gradually increased from 1100 to 1500cc and in 1963 the sliding side door became available as an option to the barn doors.

The later 'fifties models had a slightly extended roofline above the windscreen, the engine bay became smaller and 15 inch wheels were introduced.

In 1967 the electrical system changed to 12 volts just before the new type (bay window) was introduced.

The Birth of the VW Camper

Volkswagen subcontracted the VW camper to Westfalia, a coach building company located in the German region of Westphalia. From 1951 onwards the company fitted the buses with a variety of internal layouts. An innovative 'Tourist Delivery Scheme' encouraging people to collect their campers from Germany, helped spread VW campers, and many were bought by US servicemen stationed in Germany, who shipped them back to the US. VW campers were also soon available from VW dealers round the world.

The VW camper took off due to its tiny fittings and furnishings that epitomised the 50's home from home. Before the era of cheap charter flights and package holidays, the VW camper enabled families to take economical camping and touring holidays in relative comfort.

The side opening barn doors enabled the van to be opened up to the outdoors and ingenious fittings made maximum use of what was rather limited space. The pop-top package was introduced later and then became really popular on the later bay window campers introduced in 1968.

Approximately 1000 VW campers were produced between 1951 and 1958, followed by the SO models which had a range of special equipment.

VW Camper Equipment

The standard VW campers included different fold out seat arrangements for sleeping, including the famous rock 'n roll bed. The interior was lined with plywood panels and there were plywood storage cabinets in a variety of layouts.

Some models had a sink and there was water storage with a pump plus an electrical hook-up. Curtains were standard as were screened windows and a folding table.

Optional equipment for type 2 VW campers included pop up tops and attachable or stand-alone tents and side awnings. Mod cons available included a portable chemical toilet, a camping stove and other camping equipment.

There were also ingenious options such as a child's sleeping cot slung in the driver's cab, storage boxes and a swing table.

Even with all these options, the split screen VW campers were still basic, slow and small by modern standards.

VW Camper Culture

This did not affect their popularity and the VW bus was adopted by the 1960s counter-culture as by then older campers were available cheaply, and both the VW camper and the samba bus suited the carefree outdoor hippy lifestyle.

Since then split screen camper and buses have became classics and design icons, and are now collectors' items with many examples preserved and beautifully restored.

Large numbers of VW camper fans gather at events all over the world; you can hire a restored splittie for your holiday or special event, and imagery of the early models can be found on a huge range of items: clothing, mugs, toys, pictures and even usb sticks.

Nick J Wright is a VW Camper enthusiastic who blogs on all things VW Camper at http://VWCampersForever.com. His interests are in the history of VW Campers, their appeal, how to restore campers - from bay window and Splitties to the VW t25 - and in publishing interesting travelogs, exploits and guides to help other VW Camper enthusiasts.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Amanda_Prout

The Rolls Royce Cars

Mascot is a term used to refer to the hood ornament on a car. It is generally represents something which the car symbolizes. Mascots can be outstanding works of art on their own or else be quite ordinary. The first Rolls Royce had no hood ornamentation. However in the early 1900's many people in Great Britain were working to enhance public acceptance of the automobile. One of these was John Walter Edward Douglas-Scott Montagu who, in 1905, became the second Lord Montagu of Beaulieu. He was a passionate lover of cars and an enthusiastic advocate of motoring interests.

At that time, there was an Automobile Club in Britain, which sponsored the Thousand Miles Trial to prove the safety and reliability of motorcars. The club was managed by Claude Johnson who had a very beautiful secretary named Eleanor Thornton.

Both Claude and Lord Montagu were friends and admirers of the artistic works of Charles Robinson Sykes, a graduate of the London Royal College of Art. Montagu, who owned a Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, commissioned Sykes to produce a hood ornament especially for his automobile. Using Eleanor as his model, Sykes crafted a sculpture of a woman holding her fingers to her lips and named it The Whisper.

Montagu's car struck a chord with the public and people began attaching all manner of objects to their cars. By this time, Claude Johnson had moved from the Automobile Club to the Rolls Royce Company. He became alarmed at the impropriety of these impromptu hood ornaments and decided to commission a mascot that would reflect "the overall style and quality of the car." So he turned to his friend Sykes.

Johnson, as he conveyed to Sykes, had in mind something akin to the spirit of the mythical beauty Nike, whose image was on display at the Louvre in Paris. Sykes, however, disagreed feeling that the representation should be more feminine. Evidently Sykes prevailed, as he created another sculpture of Ms. Thornton. The sculpture was three inches high and crafted of white metal. Later, it would be manufactured from stainless steel. There is a myth that the ornaments are made of silver but silver has never been used. Again, the lady has her finger to her lips as though conveying a secret.

Sykes named his creation the Spirit of Speed.
But Johnson changed the name to the Spirit of Ecstasy.

In the meantime, Ms. Thornton had become secretary to Lord Montagu and they had also become lovers. Because of the mores of the time that forbade any romantic alliance between two people of such vastly different social and economic standing, their affair was a secret known only to a few close friends. Together, they had a daughter however she was placed in a foster home and knew Montagu only as uncle.

Their love story ended in tragedy. They were both aboard the SS Persia, enroute to India, via the Mediterranean when the boat was struck by a torpedo from a German U-boat. Eleanor drowned but Montagu survived. Privately, he was devastated but he dared not publicly mourn her death.

However, their romance may be immortalized on the hood of the world's most prestigious automobile if indeed the speculation that has been made is true. For it is said that the 'secret' embodied in the image was actually the love that Eleanor shared with Montagu.

Rent a Car Snellville Car Rental Snellville Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brenda_Williams

Standalone Saturn?

There has much discussion recently in the press about the possible future of Saturn as a stand-alone auto company. One scenario has GM spinning off Saturn to the dealer network, and the independent company would source cars from wherever it could, and sell them as Saturns, much like Sears' Kenmore brand.

There are some major problems with this idea. First, Saturn would have to find suppliers of cars that would be worthy of being sold as Saturns. Speculation centers on Chinese automakers. But the issue here is, none of the Chinese, as far as we know, are ready to enter the U.S. market. Malcolm Bricklin's big plans to bring Chery here with Visionary Vehicles fell apart; so apparently did plans for Dodge to bring a Chery sourced Hornet. I had the chance to examine a Chery car at last year's NAIAS, and I can tell you it was not up to North American standards for fit and finish. Even if Chinese Saturns were within a couple of years of being ready for U.S. customers, they would have to be very good to win over a skeptical public.

The other problem is the issue of market capacity. Without big-brother GM adding its corporate heft to Saturn, it would be yet another small import car company, similar to Subaru, Mitsubishi, Suzuki, Kia, and the former Isuzu. It would be another little brand trying for customers, in a market that is oversaturated with nameplates.

Saturn's problem is that it's brand has ceased to represent anything unique. It was started as a moderately priced seller of small cars and wagons with a no-hassle sales experience. It was morphed into a mid-market to up-market seller of decent but unexceptional cars and crossovers (they even had a Saturn minivan!). The only constant was the no-hassle dealership. In this market, basing a car brand around a sales attitude is not going to cut it.

Unless a foreign carmaker buys the Saturn brand and distribution network, I really doubt that Saturn has a future as an independent company. And if someone does buy Saturn, they are going to have a hard time making money.