Post

More from @iowahawkblog

David Burge

@iowahawkblog

Jul 18

Presenting the cast of Real Politicians of Pennsylvania Avenue:

Margot Laga. This high maintenance kitten has claws, and crafty feline-size brain to match. Once hitched to playboy Malibu beach bum Balvyn St. Chud, she leverage a post-breakup discount rhinoplasty to catch a rocketship rebound to with his bitter rival Enrico Fronk Junior

Chunder Biebler. Scion and chief consiglieri of the Biebler family fortune. International man of mystery, hailed for his daring art, collector of wines and elegant women. Ever vigilant for hostile takeovers of BieblerCo

Tequila Bazongas. Equally at home in front of the Supreme Court or swimming with sharks on the Redneck Riviera, this buxom barrister wants to know: is this some kind of bust? Enrico Fronk's most trusted advisor.

Read 5 tweets

David Burge

@iowahawkblog

Jul 17

https://twitter.com/CurtisHouck/status/1813345194986643794

"What are you carrying there?"
"A 15' aluminum ladder."
"No, I mean in the duffle bag?"
"Just some assorted rifle scopes."
"Any 3 ounce liquids or gels?"
"Nope."
"OK you're clear."
"Which way to the highest point?"
"Here's a map, have a great day."

https://twitter.com/CurtisHouck/status/1813345194986643794

CAUTION SLOPED ROOF
No Secret Service on Duty
Assassinate At Your Own Risk

This is the most institutional incompetence I have ever witnessed, and I've watched countless hours of the Iowa Hawkeye offense

Read 5 tweets

David Burge

@iowahawkblog

Jul 17

https://twitter.com/nypost/status/1813256563185926560

I happily talked into the wind against canceling people for saying dumb right wing shit, and now I am happy to talk into the wind against canceling people for saying dumb left wing shit

https://twitter.com/nypost/status/1813256563185926560

I support a National Unity Tour of Tenacious D and the Obama Rodeo Clown guy

If your support of someone's right to say something is contingent on whether you agree with it, you don't support free speech at all

Read 11 tweets

David Burge

@iowahawkblog

Jul 15

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1812932793250509144

This will certainly help Trump shore up his precarious support with the Disaffected Appalachian Rust Belt community

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1812932793250509144

https://x.com/geronl/status/1812935595867451580

With all due respect, fuck that shit

https://x.com/geronl/status/1812935595867451580

Just to be clear to anyone considering writing me in this November: I am in no way going to do jack shit to wreak vengeance on your oppressors, real or imagined. I only promise to never be seen or heard, and veto every single bill that comes across my workbench

Read 8 tweets

David Burge

@iowahawkblog

Jul 7

Happy 77th kinda-birthday to the Tucker Model 48 Torpedo from #DavesCarIDService. Preston Tucker's star-crossed car of the future had its first public preview at the Stadler Hotel in Washington DC July 7, 1947.

A few weeks earlier, Tucker had held an open house at his factory in Chicago - formerly Dodge's WW2 production plant - which proved to be a bit of a PR disaster due to the prototype's noise, boiling radiator, and snapped suspension. After some all nighters, it was ready for a public tour.

The Tucker 48 was truly a case of "building the plane while it's in the air," and remains maybe the most fascinating story in the history of the American automobile industry.

I risk going off on a book-length thread on this subject, but there are a lot of myths surrounding the Tale of the Tucker Torpedo (including some of Hollywood origin) that need dispelling. The main one involves a conspiracy of Detroit titans to crush Tucker and his futuristic miracle car. Tucker was more or less considered a carnival sideshow rather than a serious competitive threat by the Big 3, who were more focused on imports and Henry J Kaiser's startup car company post WW2.

Tucker did have a gift for blarney, and had previously worked with Ford to run their 1935 Indy race effort. Beautiful cars that had little success, prompting Ford to stay out of factory racing sponsorship for nearly 30 years. After WW2, along with several fellow enterprising entrepreneurs (Kaiser, Crosley, Playboy etc) Tucker saw an opportunity for a new brand, but his had more razzamatazz than anyone. Rear engine! From a helicopter! Cyclops headlight! Looks like a WW2 bomber! Actually built to be safe!

His sales spiel began almost as soon as he saw Alex Tremulis's concept drawing, leading to some fantastic promotions for a car for which the design, let alone production had even been worked out. My favorite is the 1947 giveaway the Des Moines Cubs. Sadly, winner Bob Borkowski never got his car due to Tucker's demise, and was given $2000 cash instead. The car would be worth around $2 million today.

In the end, only 51 Tucker Torpedoes were ever made, with a few extra made from spare factor parts post-shutdown, nearly all meticulously accounted for and in museums; including one owned by Francis Ford Coppola (chassis #1014).

I'm a sucker for good yarn, especially one involving cars. By my count, I've seen 17 in person, including the the very first prototype chassis serial #0000, powered by a 589 cubic inch flat opposed 6 helicopter engine with hydraulic valves. The later production models had a more conventional Frankin opposed 335. And I've had the delightful experience of riding in my Wisconsin buddy Adam Harder's Tucker 48, serial #1048, one of the very few Tuckers in the world that is still road driven.

1. prototype chassis 0000
2. A couple of Tuckers off for a cruise at the AACA Museum in Hershey PA
3. Adam's #1048
4. hubcap selfie of Yours Truly with #1050, the last production Tucker ever made

Read 33 tweets

David Burge

@iowahawkblog

Jun 30

Yesterday was the US interstate highway system, today we bid a happy 71st birthday to the Chevrolet Corvette, the first of which rolled off the production line June 30, 1953 in Flint Michigan.

Only 300 were made in that model year, largely hand built. Available in any color you wanted, as long as it was white (with red upholstery). Kind of a hasty introduction, prompted by the overwhelming buzz the prototype / dream car prompted when it first appeared in NYC in January, and the subsequent traveling GM Motorama show across the country. Over 1 million people saw it during that tour and demand was palpable.

The project itself was prompted by the post WW2 sports car craze. Returning GIs imported more than a few of the nimble little sports cars they saw while stationed in Britain, an alien sight to Americans used to big bulbous sedans from Detroit.

By the early 50s Jags, MGs, Triumphs, Austin Healeys, etc., were a not-uncommon sight in the USA. This sparked sports car road racing at places like Lime Rock CT, Laguna Seca CA, and Elkhart Lake WI. The threat/opportunity for Chevy was obvious and they jumped on it.

Those first 300 Vettes are highly coveted, but in all honesty not that much of car. Fit and finish was spotty due to the vagarities of early fiberglass. They hopped up the reliable old Stovebolt 6 (born in 1929) with triple carbs to squeeze 150 HP from it, but otherwise its antiquated suspension left it more a fashion statement than a competitive sports car.

That sort of "poser" image haunted the Corvette for decades, as the ultimate midlife crisis buy. But it did improve greatly over time. In 1957 Zora Arkus-Duntov took it from a driveway ornament to real racing success with the "Airbox" 300+ hp fuelie version. Its legitimacy of as a real race car was further cemented by Briggs Cunningham's 1960 Le Mans entry, the 1963 Grand Sport, and the unapologetically American bicentennial Greenwood Corvette.

So now when in "Dead Man's Curve" Jan & Dean sang "all the Jag could see were my 6 tail lights," it had the ring of truth.

Personally I have a sort of love-hate relationship with Corvettes. I salute their racing heritage, and I have visited the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green KY, but there's a sort of cringe of seeing an older gent dusting his brand new Vette at a car show.

But let's face it: dollar for dollar, the Corvette remains the best performance car on the planet, especially with the long overdue mid engine model introduce in 2020.

My all time favorite Vette (as you might expect) is a hot rod: Big John Mazmanian's blown gasser '61. Lest we forget, James Gardner's '68 AIR L-88, and of course Mark Hamill and Annie Potts's wacky C-3 custom in Corvette Summer.

Read 31 tweets

Share this page!

Enter URL or ID to Unroll

David Burge

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

More from @iowahawkblog

David Burge

David Burge

David Burge

David Burge

David Burge

David Burge

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Send Email!