Function Fitment

Lately in automotive culture the actions by the "stance" folks have caused an uproar over what has essentially become a form vs function debate. Some believe in order to achieve a certain look, some of the vehicle's function must be compromised while others believe that in order for a vehicle to function properly, it must not go beyond certain limitations that the "form" crowd finds to be too mild for their tastes. And so, like Imports VS Domestics, it is implied that an enthusiast must choose a side. However, there are those such as myself who believe both goals can be achieved simultaneously. A car can be set up to improve it's performance AND improve the looks at the same time, a functional fitment that betters the form. 

But, then again, I also believe if it isn't your car, you shouldn't have a say in how a car is treated, so I just avoid that whole battle altogether. 

Parker Break!

Just a Parker break from all of the Europe trip posts!

Paris Day 4 / Pt 2

Just some images of our wanderings through the Louvre. 

Keeping it classy :P

Pretty neat that people can set up a canvas and paint away. Though it's kinda pointless having that photo taped on the canvas for reference when the real piece is in front of her. 

Amazing ceiling pieces. 

And of course, the main reason why a lot people go to the Louvre, the ever famous Mona Lisa. 

Michelle proud to knock it off her lists of things to do in life. 

Nice place to have a field trip!

One thing that was kinda cool to see was how they preserved some of the old castle that the Louvre was built upon. Next post, the second half of our visit to the Louvre!

Paris Day 4 / Pt 1

Day 4 now in Paris as we go to the second most visited location in Paris, second only to the Eiffel Tower. 

I love modern architecture, but there's something to be said for these solid marble buildings, especially on a sunny day such as this day was. 

Heading to the ever famous glass pyramid. 

As we neared, however, we noticed these people standing on some blocks doing some strange poses. Then we figured why and of course had to take a pic of our own...

Don't drop it!

Fortunately we were in Paris during the off-season, so the crowds weren't too bad. Had to wait about 3 min. to get in and once inside, we rarely saw a crowd (save for Lisa of course). 

Next up, inside the Louvre!

Paris Day 3 / Pt 5

Final part of Day 3 in Paris! The streets weren't quite as magical as London's during Christmas, but it was still caught our imaginations. 

Continuing on with the car dealerships tour, our final stop, Renault. Best known for their dominating force in F1. 

So French indeed. I always loved French Racing Blue, I wish it was used more often on modern cars. 

Their tiny little Twizy. Probably too expensive to make sense in the US, but I could imagine having fun driving this around SF. 

And they're off! Clever little cork racers assembled by schoolchildren. 

And of course, their current pride and joy, their Red Bull F1. It always surprises me how small they are in real life compared to how they seem in pictures. I may not be a fan of their team (mostly due to my dislike of Vettel) but they do have a good looking car and livery. 

When you see this raging bull, you know things got serious. 

We stepped back out onto the Champ Elysees, now on a new mission: In search of some macaroons. 

Fortunately, this is THE city to get some good macaroons, and we were right next to THE store for them! But once we saw the prices for THE macaroons, we decided it was better to look elsewhere and not blow our entire dinner budget for a couple cookies. 

Hello Mickey D! Haha, seriously though, almost every McDonalds that we went to in Paris (two of them) had a separate McCafe set up inside with an individual counter, register, menu and everything. They were reasonably priced so we could still afford dinner. Plus, they tasted just as good (if not better) than any macaroon I've had here in the States, so I wasn't complaining. 

Down this end, the Louvre...

And over here, the Arc de Triomphe!

First and still the only time I've ever encountered a 3 series GT. Practical, but I'd still rather just take the wagon which is cheaper and IMO better looking. Before we ended the night though, we needed to stop over to a certain cabaret.

The ever famous Moulin Rouge! Which was smaller than I thought it'd be (and not nearly as glamorous as the movie makes it out to be) but it was still worth going. Shame the show's ticket prices were out of budget, would have been fun to watch. 

Rather interesting area, love the neon signs!

Cafes everywhere! Which I dig. 

This guy seemed out of place. Dodge Durango pulling a horse trailer? Feels like something that is better fitting in my old hometown. 

That's more like it! Diesel E-Class Wagon taxi, doesn't get more Euro than that. 

The area was nice and comfortable, though in a way similar to areas outside of London. Still European vibe, but not so densely packed; as if it were a little diluted. 

Which meant Americana styled restaurants like this one could bring in more open-minded customers. 

Hmmm, I wonder where they got their brand's inspiration from...   Anyways, that's it for Day 3. Some more to be posted later, but I'm gonna break it up with some more current posts in between. 

Paris Day 3 / Pt 4

Getting pretty behind on these posts, as we're already back in the States, so gonna try to upload them in bulk. From where we left off, we're now heading down Champs Elysees, the famous shopping row of Paris. And what better way to start off than with some car pics eh? The new S class is still just beginning to reach its new owners and is easily my favorite looking S class in years. 

Of course, nothing beats a good ole classic Bentley. I may have grown fond of the newer Continentals, but the old ones still ooze class. 

What's this? And where did the windshield go?

Apparently it was used to break some records for diesel cars. Not sure what the records were, most likely speed-related, but it sure looked cool. 

Got that 50's flare down.

I thought this was pretty nice for a dealership, adding a mini-museum inside, but I'd later learn this was a special treat that Champs Elysees would serve for all the dealerships along the street. 

The Kart Up! Growing up I had a book about concept cars creatively titled "Concept Cars" by Jonathan Wood. Fun book for an adult, but absolutely amazing for a kid that couldn't stop soaking up everything in the automotive world. This was one of four little concept cars Peugeot introduced at some car show as part of a "City Toyz" group. Nothing significant came out of them, but of all the things I could have guessed to see while I was in Paris, this wasn't even on the list. 

Sitting next to the Kart Up was a rather interesting firetruck concept. Looked like a life-size toy. 

And here is a car they actually sold, the RCZ R. Kinda weird that a dealership had a handful of cars, but only actually sold one of them. Good looking cars though. I could see someone choosing this over a TT, looks sleeker. 

Next up, Mercedes Benz. Fortunately, despite having them available Stateside, they had plenty to show that still fascinated me such as this gorgeous 300SL. 

IMO, this is just one of those cars that's a rolling work of art. It looks amazing no matter what angle you're looking at it from. However, while it'd be fun to drive every now and then, this isn't the gen I'd want sitting in my garage. 

Nope, for me, I prefer the understated W113. It's elegance lies with it's simplicity. It is as straight forward and un-messy as a design can get and for that it is the one that I'd chose over any other generation (although admittedly I would never imagine myself turning down a Gullwing). 

Perhaps another reason why I like it so much is because this was the smallest of all the SL's, and while there are many large cars that are great, I don't believe that increasing a car's acreage directly increases the cars allure. I'll take small and simple over large and flashy any day. 

Speaking of large and flashy, I like how G wagons are so unapologetically utilitarian with the general design. Like the Land Rover Defender, it is a design that has no design but because of it remains timeless. Unfortunately, it won't be long before Mercedes too decides it's been long enough and will give the car an overhaul. While MB's current design language as produced some real winners (have I mentioned I really enjoy the new S class before? Because I really do), it doesn't always translate well with some of the other platforms. 

Such as their latest mass seller, the CLA. I like the S, E, and C, but as the package gets smaller and smaller, it begins to lose any stability in the design (formed with the longer lines of the longer sedans) and eventually turns into the roly poly that we see here. Some folks may like it and I'm sure it'll sell well, but it just doesn't feel like a balanced design to me. 

Unlike this beauty here, which I find very well balanced. If there was any modern (well, 90's-'10's) GT I could one day have as my own, it'd be this battling it out with a new '13+ Aston Martin Vanquish. Mmmmmm....

But if I never have the opportunity to have my own, I wouldn't mind having a miniature version :)

The sun has begun to set as we entered twilight the day begins to end, but there's still a last part before really ending the day. 

Paris Day 3 / Pt 3

The Arc de Triomphe. I'll be honest, I mostly wanted to see it just so I could say "Yes, I saw the Arc too" when people asked about our trip to Paris. I wasn't expecting to really like it. However, to get to it we were at first puzzled, as the constant ring of traffic meant trying to run across was an act of suicide. 

Eventually though, we found one of the entrances to the tunnel that leads you to the center. 

When we got up, we noticed something that we never knew about the Arc. There were names on it. Lots of them. 

Clearly, there was a lot more effort here than simply a stack of smoothed marble bricks. 

Plus, like many other structures of Europe, the scale of it was larger than I thought it'd be. Ok, we were warming up to this stone stool. 

Well, I was anyways. Don't think Michelle cared much for it. 

One good thing about being in the middle of a giant round about in Paris? Great car sightings!

Such as this massive 612. I think people will remember these as well as the 456; that is, they won't. IMO, it was a nice V12 GT that was too subtle for its own good. I doubt the 612 will hold their value as well as the faster, more in-your-face 599, 575M, or even its controversially styled and AWD successor, the FF. 

I'll wrap this post up with the most French car of them all, the beloved Citroen 2CV. Next post, we'll look at some newer French metal. 

Paris Day 3 / Pt 2

Ah, finally we arrive at the tower. 

One thing that I really admired was the walk up to it, it really helped give a sense at the size of the structure.

It's certainly a lot grander than the one in Vegas! Haha

The were constructing something to be held in the middle, I think it's a new viewing center. Must come back to visit in the future then!

Being a national monument in a city that is familiar with terrorist attacks, security was not to be taken lightly. 

Didn't expect this guy! He sits outside of the elevator that takes you up the tower, which is where we're headed next...

Standing above a city and looking outward to the developed horizon is a feeling that can be replicated in many cities, but so rarely is the city so filled with history or the skyline so open to air. There are more developed regions of the city, as modern and tall as any other international powerhouses. However, the heart of the city remains free and open, and that openness is what makes the biggest difference between London and Paris. Needless to say, I fully preferred the Parisian freedom to that of the darker, narrow London streets. 

Interesting shape for a bike taxi. I wonder if the shape helps any or protects the occupants much. The "driver's" seat certainly looks more comfy than a typical bike. 

Personally though, I'd rather take a car taxi. A brand new E class would be nice...

Though this little guy certainly looked fun! I spy with my little eye, something black and Italian...

Though speaking of Italians, this really puzzled me. So there's a business in Paris called "Drive Me" which offers 1 hour drives in either a Gallardo or California through the streets of Paris. Ok, I can understand the appeal of that. Both cars are also paddle-shifting so you don't even need to know how to handle a clutch! But what I didn't understand was how so many locals (or at least people who seemed to be local) were so excited to see them. Every day while walking around I had seen more exclusive and desirable cars driving around (such as that Murcielago just before or the F12 posted earlier) and this is an international city with many exotics cruising around. A California or Gallardo was as rare as a Land Cruiser in SF; you're not likely to see one every day but there are plenty around. So I couldn't understand why they were going nuts with these but rarely batted an eye at more valuable cars. Maybe it has something to do with messing with the customers or maybe I'm just jaded? 

So that should be enough pics of the Eiffel Tower. Next post, the Arc de Triomphe.

Ok, one more pic