Good Clean Fun – Redbull Soap Box Derby LA

Red Bull Soapbox has been taken on by many brave souls; this ain’t no boy scout race. An event of this magnitude is only meant for real men and women that have the courage to try and conquer the intricate course at the latest pit stop in LA. The first Red Bull Soapbox Race took place in Belgium in 2000 and has since visited over 30 countries including Austria, England and Jamaica just to name a few.

With an estimated 111,000 people, the L.A traffic, and the rising temperatures, Angelinos still came out in droves to watch the 40 home made soapboxes from all across the US race through the streets of Downtown LA. The downhill course was mayhem, navigating the jumps, a banked 90-degree turn, and tight chicanes; only a few teams that managed to complete the course with their Soapboxes intact. Even more surprising was a record –setting speed of over 45mph.

No Compromises – Builder Ian Barry On Falcon Motorcycles and his Award Winning Bullet Cycle

Located in downtown L.A in a building originally used as a welding factory, we found the home of Falcon Motorcycles. Amid a garage full of eclectic bikes and memorabilia, resides the man behind the bikes, Ian Barry. When you first walk in to his shop its sprinkled with a number of interesting two-wheelers, including a pre-WWII Norton and the bike that started it all, the now famous, Falcon Bullet.

If you are into custom bikes, you have probably seen it in a magazine or on Youtube, but this bike takes-on a very different feel up close and personal. Seeing the intensive amount of fabrication on the frame, the hand made rivets that hold the license plate, the seat mount fabricated from a 1940’s tractor leaf spring, all the way down to the custom hand made leather wrench bag, you quickly realize this is no run of the mill “custom bike”. Nothing here was ordered from a catalogue, nothing was ripped off a modern bike. Every piece of the Bullet was built faithfully to Ian’s vision.

Seeing is believing – Downtown LA Art Walk

Downtown L.A hasn’t always been a sprawling vibrant haven for fashion and art minded people to congregate. Just a few years ago Downtown L.A was seen as a place not to be caught after the streetlights came on. But now it’s quite a different story. LA has seen a boom in its downtown community thanks to the new art walk. Bringing an entirely new group of people, replacing loiters and vagrants on the sidewalks.

On the 2nd Thursday of every month the old eclectic buildings surrounding this aged metropolitan area host “LA Art walk” where local art students and up coming artists display their latest creations whether it be on canvas, metal, architecture, or in the vitual world of digital arts. The city almost has an alter ego during this time as it switches from the hustle and bustle of city life into a more laid back creative arena.

Sunday Fun-Day at Eurosport Dyno Day

Sunday 8/16/09 – Eurosport hosted Dyno Day;  an event filled with tons of people from all walks of life. Two pulls on the dyno cost you $55 which gave attendees some bragging rights at the next car meet. Most of the cars were Volkswagens, their owners wondering just how much wheel horsepower it was actually putting down to the asphalt.

Besides the VWs, Eurosport also saw all kinds of different rides at their shop from a Ford Fusion putting down a whimpie 139.0 whp to a Dodge Magnum SRT-8 which put down 344 to the wheels and last but not least a CL55 AMG which put down the most of the day, an amazing 410whp with 497lb-ft of torque. Very impressive for a car that weighs 2 tons. The day was filled with a raffle give away- H&R tee shirts, spring pencil holders and some car products. A $100 gift certificate was the much sought after grand prize.

Return Of The Gullwing – 2011 Mercedes SLS

The Mercedes Benz 300SL (SL meaning Sport Light) Gullwing was one of the very first iconic supercars in the world.  In 1954 the 300SL Gullwing reestablished Mercedes as King of road racing and sold for a ridiculous amount of money, four thousand pounds ($8,000USD). In 1954 you could buy a home for that kind of money. Mercedes only produced 1400 examples of these cars and today the 300SL Gullwing is prized among car collectors all across the world. A pristine Gullwing can fetch anywhere from half a million to a full 1 million US Dollars.

The beautifully crafted 300 SL Gullwing door was actually first created from a practical engineering stand point. The door sills were very high for chassis stiffness and the roof sat low for aerodynamics, which in turn gave its distinctive silhouette. Its power plant wasn’t new as it was borrowed from one their existing models, the Mercedes 300, but the 3.0L direct injection inline 6 propelled the Gullwing from a stand still onwards to 150. Impressive considering that most cars of its time were struggling to do half that. Out powering most of the competition by miles, the SL Gullwing was revered as one of the first and fastest production supercars of its time. Now on to present time.

Picture This- Microsoft Photo Synth

Picture this, your at a rave , or a concert or in Italy for instance, your taking all these photos of buildings ,the lively environment , your friends , but when you get home and look at the photos you wished you could’ve gotten perhaps a different angle maybe a different perspective on the location you were just at .

Well Microsoft live labs has conjured up another one of Bill Gates ideas and created The Photo Synth. It really is a break thru in to what a photo community should be like. Putting you right there in the mix. Its a free online beta photo sharing community, (yes but it’s not that simple) . The program is kind of like Photobucket or Flickr; where it gathers up large collections of photos from its members of a particular place you have visited, finds the minuet similarities and builds it up like a 3-D jigsaw puzzle. Imagine strolling the halls of the Sistine Chapel , or seeing the Great Pyramids of Giza while having lunch in Los Angeles. Talk about frequent flier miles.

Ford Sync Killer ? Maybe

Perhaps Ford Multi-media Computer (The Sync) won’t be the only one on the market as Chrysler has just announced its going forward with U-Connect ( I know it sounds kinda ripped off), the U-Connect system will include in car Wi-fi/ 4G connectivity to check your very important Facebook messages. It also offers Satellite radio, from Sirus and also comes with a rear seat Swivel screen that allows you to connect a gaming system such as (Nintendo Wii or any other gaming stations) U-Connect System turns your car in to a mobile hot spot enabling you to download movies, music, or checking the weather. There is a hic-cup in the system that consumers might not be aware of, it’s connectivity will only reach a 100 yards with the car turned on . It’s not as functional as the Ford’s Sync but is a fully integrated option to check off , the next time you pick up a new car.

The Vincent: Black Shadow

The Vincent : Black Shadow

When you think of classic motor bikes, the names that come to mind are the obvious ones Indian, Harley Davidson, Triumph, but unless your a die hard motorbike enthusiast the name Vincent Motorbikes will just be another flip thru the magazine pages.Vincent Motorcycles has been and is still an inspirational model for bike builders of today. As they try to emulate the bikes of the yester-years for its minimalistic designs and advanced engine technology.