VIN-Swapped RHD Land Rover Defender Smashed
So, the laws in the US are pretty clear that you can't bring in a RHD (easily), and that VIN-swapping is illegal.
This is what happens if they catch you.
http://jalopnik.com/watch-the-feds-brutally-execute-an-illegally-imported-l-1153942812
It makes me sad, because I want a Defender pretty badly.
Great ‘Why do we drive on x side’ video
It's a good one. Quick and to-the-point.
I love that Samoa banned alcohol during the switch-over. Didn't know that bit!
Pajero vs Hilux CHALLENGE!
Hey all. Long time no post. My apologies. But, this is almost worth the wait! The previous post is Ben from Fraser Valley Imports reviewing my truck. Admittedly, it was broken at the time, but he called it slow. So, knowing that me and Ben have approximately the same sense of humour (and that if we didn't live half way across a very large country we'd probably high-five on a semi-frequent basis), I decided to make a 'rebuttal' video. This is me trying to be as cocky and jerky as possible. For those who don't understand sarcasm and internet humour, stop now.
To which Ben replied with an AMAZING video. I seriously laughed out loud (that's lol for you internet folk following along) at the textovers. Wow.
Ben is seriously a good sport. If you need someone awesome in the Vancouver area to help you out importing... seriously contact him. He cares more about this stuff than I do... and that's saying a lot.
I'm yet to record the response to this. Unlike Ben who has a super awesome Go-Pro, I have a Canon point-and-shoot that I tape to the window. Super classy.
On the nerd/technical side... I've moved servers again. The servers I've rented are 1/12th of what I was paying... and I think it might be worth less than that. Sorry it's so slow. I might go back to hosting at home.
New truck!
Went out to pick up the truck from Vancouver. Ben (from Fraser Valley Imports) had to pick up my truck for me, so he did a 'Drive Home'!
Note that he mentions that it's slow. It's hard to miss... he said it a few times.
Because of that, this is what my trip partially looked like:
Yep. That happened.
So, we needed to replace a part. Specifically, the fuel filter. I was pretty stoked that we even managed to FIND the part in Calgary at short notice. Thanks to my buddy who let us use the underground parking at his condo. Man, that was a saving grace of the trip.
You can see we had to move the intercooler to do it. The job was quick, but I would have been happier to not actually do it.
Jay Leno’s Garage – Mazda Cosmo
If you like the look of Japanese vehicles, this car should really hit the spot... it's the original Cosmo rotary. I've seen the 90s Cosmo, and it fails to really stir any emotions (though the 3 rotor engine gets my inner engineer's attention), but the original is a masterpiece. I'll let Jay say the rest:
Caddyshack right hand drive joke! (Right hand drive on the big screen v4)
So, had a retro movie night, and stumbled upon this fantastic right-hand drive joke.
Chevy Chase (Ty) and Rodney Dangerfield drive up to the golf course in Rodney's Rolls Royce.... The judge they're playing blows up at Chevy, thinking he's the one driving.
Hilarious. I've heard this story about passengers texting in RHDs, and getting berated by police officers.
That's a Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III Drophead Coupe H.J.Mulliner Park Ward according to imcdb.com.
Right hand drive drive prank
Just for Laughs, a Canadian-run show/festival/whatever has a gags show... and this is one of the gags. They borrowed a RHD mail truck, and put a fake steering wheel on the left side, then asked someone to look after it. Hilarity ensues!
No longer without
Not going to lie to you... I'm not the most patient person. I sold my Subaru months ago now, and have been looking for 'the dream' for quite a while now.
In fact, I was almost giving up, and was prepared to get an automatic transmission instead of a manual... shocking.
But, then Mark @ Brave Auto came through for me!
Here's the new addition to my family! Carlos 'El Burrito' Pajero!
Carlos!
So, it's a 4BB, super clean, manual and I got it for under budget! I think that it was improperly labelled in the auction site, because I had trouble finding it, even after Mark said it was there! I'll be getting some high resolution photos from Mark some time this week, and I'll share with ya'll, but I couldn't wait to tell you about it!
I'm dreaming of having this for xmas, but that's probably not going to happen. But, a boy can dream.
Right Hand Drives on The Big Screen, Volume 3
The next installment of RHD on Film is here!
Batman 1989
Right at the end of the movie, there is a nice treat of a car. There is some debate as to what it is, but
Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith or Rolls-Royce Phantom are the two candidates. Beautiful car, and the interior shot is a nice touch to prove that it is indeed a right-hand drive. This being Gotham City (New York), this car would be very out of place.
Alfred in the Roller
Long shot of the Roller
Archer
A FX classic for people who have tweaked senses of humour. This episode (Season 3 Episode 4) has Archer losing his new 'spy car', spending the episode trying to hunt it down. While trying to hunt down his car, he infiltrates the Yakuza via an underground drift tournament, thinking they might have knicked his car and were racing it.
Turns out they only race imports, to which Pam replies: "Right hand drive, duhhh". Here's a clip of the quote, and some cartoon drifting fun.
(temporarily removed! website issues!)
That's it for this round. Obviously I can't watch every movie ever... if you spot something that I can add to my list, contact me!
Pajero in Minnesota
The Pajero was only sold as the Pajero in Asia... so this is quite a funny find. This 'Pajero' was found in Minnesota, near Minneapolis (not totally sure where, photo courtesy of my brother-in-law)
Pajero Go-Kart
A quick history lesson. The truck was badged as Pajero in Asia, where it was supposed to be named after the greek name for some mountain cat. But, 'Pajero' is slang for 'wanker' (that is... masturbator, jerkoff, etc.) in Spanish. Unlike Ford with the Ford Pinto (small wang, in Spanish) Mitsubishi was smart enough to rebrand the Pajero as Montero in North America, and Shogun in the UK.
Funny stuff. I want to drive my future Pajero to Mexico... for the lulz.