1967 Subaru 360, so small it fits in a pickup truck bed

compared to a 50's Belevedere, its a very small car!

Mini Mach 5 spotted in the Lowes parking lot

the owner was cool and chatted with me a minute, this is her 3rd Mini in a row, she had her 1st when they were new in 2002, kept it for 8 years, got a new one just before they rolled out the proto-type of this one, and traded in her year and a 1/2 old mini for this one that she had made into a Mach 1 livery

Eshelman Sport, because the other model is smaller!

the  Messerschmitt in the background shows how tiny by comparison it is

1963 Mini made by Von Dutch for his nephew

Festival of rolling kitchens in Amsterdam, some of the 70 gourmet food vendors

thanks to Mike V for letting me know, and sending me the link to his Picasa to share with all of you! 

the Olympics mini Mini... 1.09 billion dollars of sponsorship gets some things past the "No Advertisement" rule

this is just the most obvious advertising/publicity gimmic that I've heard of... BMW mini's getting all the free press in the world (I'm guilty too aren't I) because they were brilliant enough to get these small 10 HP electric remote controlled Mini's to be on camera in every discus, javelin, and hammer toss event (So I heard, I don't watch the Olympics)

The International Olympic Committee has had a rule for a long time about no advertising or publicity by sponsors. Yeah, I bet they have a rule against performance enhancing drugs too... but since these R/C cars are on the field, I doubt that the IOC can pass a test that they followed that rule about advertising

"IAAF validates several different transporters. Yes, it happens to be the official partner of the London Games but there is no commercial delivery," he told a news conference.

(wow, this guy tells lies easily, he is relying on the "No visible Logo" technicality, like the shape, look, design, front, side, and back of the mini isn't instantly recognizeable and therrefore giving BMW Mini publicity, in violation of the rule)

 "There is no link between the sponsorship and the coverage of the physical fact that these are mini Minis on the field of play," Lumme said.

 The IOC's rule on advertising states that no form of advertising or other publicity shall be allowed in and above the stadia, venues and other competition areas which are considered as part of the Olympic sites."

"The Mini is an incredibly known globally, British icon. Again Rule 50 compliant. No logos," he said.

 The London Games have received some $1.09 billion from sponsors wishing to be associated with the 2012 Olympics.

Information from http://bottomline.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/07/13166816-micro-minis-crash-olympics-despite-advertising-rules?lite


MINI’s owner BMW is, of course, a major sponsor of the 2012 Olympic Games and the cars are as much of a marketing tool as anything else, but a rather clever one in classic British fashion. The company is showcasing many of its zero emissions cars in conjunction with the event  http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2012/08/06/mini-mini-electric-cars-enter-london-olympics/


In the past, motorized boxes have been used to tote javelins, discuses, shots and hammers from the field back to their throwers, cutting down on time (and volunteer exhaustion). BMW was among the handful of brands that managed to get an exclusive marketing deal in the Olympic Park, and in the heart of one of the most significant sites of the London Games as well. The opportunity gave birth to the Olympic “Mini Minis.” http://london2012.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/05/mini-minis-help-keep-field-events-on-track/

The Mini MINI R/C cars will be used at both the Olympic and Paralympic games, and they join a fleet of 160 full-size  BMW series E Active models and 40 MIni E hatchbacks as part of BMW's own all-electric Olympic team.  http://www.autoblog.com/2012/08/02/olympics-to-use-mini-cooper-r-c-cars-for-javelin-discus-retriev/

The advertising company that Mini uses are really damn good, here are a couple new ones

found on http://swissstash.tumblr.com/

Joe Martin Foundation's Metalworking Craftsmen of the Year award winner Louis Chenot and his 1/8th scale fully operational 1932 SJ Duesenburg

 Louis Chenot  has spent the past ten years building this incredibly detailed 1932 SJ Duesenberg LaGrande dual-cowl phaeton. Not only does it look good, but the engine runs, the lights work, the top mechanism functions and the transmission and driveline are complete. Lou started his research on this project over fifty years ago with the purchase of a book and through the following years collected many drawings and studied a number of Duesenbergs while they were being restored, taking photos and recording dimensions

Lou was presented with a special Lifetime Achievement award by the Joe Martin Foundation for Exceptional Craftsmanship in 2009. The model was nearing completion but the engine had not yet run. Now that the engine runs and the model is completed, Lou has been selected as the foundation's "Metalworking Craftsman of the Year." The award includes an engraved award medallion and a check for $2000.00. Lou is the 15th person to receive this coveted annual award. Because it is likely that this could well be the finest running model car ever built in this small a scale, Lou's award this year will be presented as the "Craftsman of the Decade." More can be seen on this car and some of Lou's other projects at www.CraftsmanshipMuseum.com/Chenot.htm


See the outstanding work of Lou and 99 other world-class craftsmen at http://www.craftsmanshipmuseum.com/

Thanks Randall!