Tag: shuts

Last domestic car dealership in San Francisco shuts its doors

Filed under: Etc., Ford, Earnings/Financials

San Francisco Chrysler closed sign

According to The San Francisco Chronicle, the very last domestic dealership in the greater San Francisco area closed its doors a little over 10 days ago. Previously, San Francisco Ford, Lincoln, Mercury was the only dealership selling new products with an American badge on the grille in all of the 47.6 square miles of the city (the Chrysler-Jeep dealer shown above went bust in 2008). Ford took over operations at that dealer almost three years ago after the original owners walked away. After talks with various other local franchise owners fell through, Ford has finally cut off the lights for good.

But domestic dealers have faced a tough climate in San Francisco for years thanks to a much larger share of import sales compared to the rest of the country. According to one source quoted by the San Francisco Chronicle, import vehicles outsell their domestic counterparts 4:1 in the Bay area.

Those rare San Francisco domestic owners will now have to travel outside of the city for their factory maintenance and repair, which likely won’t do anything to help American manufacturers better their outlook in the near future.

Last domestic car dealership in San Francisco shuts its doors originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 May 2011 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: University shuts down Formula SAE program over racy photo

Filed under: Motorsports, Performance, Etc., Racing

Waterloo SAE Car

According to TheRecord.com, The University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario, temporarily shut down its Formula SAE team after a female team member was photographed next to the chapter’s race car, clad only in a bikini and high heels. The young lady who stripped down for the shot said she wanted to show her femininity juxtaposed with her engineering talents. The school, however, was not impressed with her racy display.

The irony, according to the team, is that the photo shoot was for an entry in a calendar contest designed to promote women. The female SAE member was hoping to use the photograph as her entry into the contest, which apparently celebrates beauty and brains.

Whatever her motives were, the university put the administrative clamp on the team, supposedly because they used the design department’s studio for the photo shoot without getting permission. The suspension means the team won’t be allowed to take their car to Michigan in May for the international SAE competition. Basically, the students’ months of toil on their 600-cc sportbike-powered track star will be for naught.

Despite the harsh penalty, the school was quick to praise the team’s efforts, and members were assured they’d still get academic credit for the work they put in. Still, for a team of aspiring automotive engineers who poured countless hours, more stress than anyone should ever live under and immeasurable passion into the build, academic credit is small consolation for missing the competition.

We’d love to show you the original image, but couldn’t find the photographer to ask permission. Instead, you’ll have to click here to see what all the fuss is about.

[Source: The Record, University of Waterloo | Image: University of Waterloo]

Report: University shuts down Formula SAE program over racy photo originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 14 Apr 2011 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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‘Bye Dad: David Evan Davis, Jr., shuts his eyes one last time at 80 years, 140 days

Filed under: Classics, Etc.

David E. Davis, Jr., with wife Jeannie and son Matt

Talking about my dad just after the day of his death, I’m sort of forced to quote him. Right up to the last, he was “one tough summbitch” as he would say in praising anyone worth their salt. He saved that Burnside, Kentucky, inner country boy just for such moments as these.

His amazing wife Jeannie Luce Kuhn Davis (one of the great names in the annals of stepmothering) and I drove up to the hospital yesterday before I had to get to the airport to head to New York City, where I am writing this now. Jeannie was in her Chrysler minivan – her favorite for hauling dogs and people, in that order – me in a nice Saab 9-5 sedan. We’d brought the two big Italian Spinone hunting dogs, Tavi (for “Ottavio”) and Pucci (for “Puccini”), to the hospital the two previous days so they could give some love to their bedridden master. Jeannie was going to bring them again in the afternoon since my dad and everyone else on the floor got such a kick out of them with their silly bearded faces and warm affection.

In the morning my dad was fine and we had a good last bye-bye, saying we’d see each other really soon again anyway. After all, all post-op tests revealed that he was now completely cured of any cancer and he’d be heading home in maybe five or six days to heal up completely. We were all telling as much to the many well-wishers who phoned the room.

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‘Bye Dad: David Evan Davis, Jr., shuts his eyes one last time at 80 years, 140 days originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 28 Mar 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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