RE: Meet the 'MicroStang'
Discussion
Flat_Steve said:
At least a classic Mustang wasn't ruined, though I wonder where they got that bodykit from, is it an off-the-shelf item?
you can buy new "1967" Mustang shells now: take your pick:http://www.dynacornclassicbodies.com/ford_models2....
I've seen a couple of the WCC TV episodes where they've done some of these old body / new chassis hacks and I have to say, I'd be seriously worried about the strucutal rigidity of the end product. To much of the modern car gets hacked out that they really don't look safe.
I'm all for modern technology in cars, but all the added bling looks terrible
I'm all for modern technology in cars, but all the added bling looks terrible
DonkeyApple said:
From many years ago:
Microsoft vs. General Motors
At a recent computer expo, Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry and stated "If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25.00 cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon.
In response to Bill's comments, General Motors issued a press release stating: If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics:
1.For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash twice a day.
2.Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy a new car.
3.Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You would have to pull over to the side of the road, close all of the windows, shut off the car, restart it, and reopen the windows before you could continue. For some reason you would simply accept this.
4.Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.
5.Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive - but would run on only five percent of the roads.
6.The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would all be replaced by a single "General Protection Fault" warning light.
7.The airbag system would ask "Are you sure?" before deploying.
8.Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.
9.Every time GM introduced a new car, car buyers would have to learn to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.
10.You'd have to press the "Start" button to turn the engine off.
You know the funny thing is, quite a few of those are actually true of modern cars.Microsoft vs. General Motors
At a recent computer expo, Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry and stated "If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25.00 cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon.
In response to Bill's comments, General Motors issued a press release stating: If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics:
1.For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash twice a day.
2.Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy a new car.
3.Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You would have to pull over to the side of the road, close all of the windows, shut off the car, restart it, and reopen the windows before you could continue. For some reason you would simply accept this.
4.Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.
5.Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive - but would run on only five percent of the roads.
6.The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would all be replaced by a single "General Protection Fault" warning light.
7.The airbag system would ask "Are you sure?" before deploying.
8.Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.
9.Every time GM introduced a new car, car buyers would have to learn to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.
10.You'd have to press the "Start" button to turn the engine off.
They did the same thing with a 67 charger shell on custom my ride. I thought the finished car looked really good (apart from the oversized chrome wheels). They always seem to be making the perfect car and at the last minute do something that ruins it with either blue neon lights or stupid wheels or paint.
It's gonna be controversial, but I'm gonna say it...I like it. The matte black paint and the ridiculous neon lights give it a Batmobile-esque feel (TO CLARIFY, that's the over the top batmobile circa George Clooney/Val Kilma rather than the Batmobile a la Christoper Nolan and Christian Bale).
Flat_Steve said:
Dave Hedgehog said:
i like it rather a lot 
reminds me of the wrath
can you rip all the MS crap out of it and fit apple stuff instead?
Only if you painted it white presumably.reminds me of the wrath
can you rip all the MS crap out of it and fit apple stuff instead?
PITA to clean thou
90% of people would buy it and except that its not perfect but suits their needs fine.
8% Would buy Apples version and tell the 90% how much better it is, and that's way it cost twice as much.
2% Would buy it, but swap the engine out for a linux version, spend 6 months fannying about to get it to work just like the MS/Apple version, and then be unable to explain in straight forward terms why they bothered to go through the whole process, while for some reason still looking down on those who bought the MS or Apple version.
8% Would buy Apples version and tell the 90% how much better it is, and that's way it cost twice as much.
2% Would buy it, but swap the engine out for a linux version, spend 6 months fannying about to get it to work just like the MS/Apple version, and then be unable to explain in straight forward terms why they bothered to go through the whole process, while for some reason still looking down on those who bought the MS or Apple version.
While I agree with pretty much all of the above comments (it *is* hideous and inevitably unreliable) I think there is a very valuable point here.
I do have a Microsoft system in my car though providing all sorts of gizmos attached to the entertainment system and by and large it is pretty reliable (never thought I'd say that) but the navigation through the menus is painful more a result of limited input controls and display (a single line on the dashboard). When it goes wrong the only real option for a reboot is to pull the battery connections but fortunately there is a quick release and the -ve battery terminal that makes it as easy as you could hope for without a big red button the dashboard. It even allows for "apps" to be used from a USB memory stick and this is where it gets interesting.
The future of in car entertainment lies in this direction - a few car manufacturers have already sussed it but Microsoft is pushing hard to get ahead of the game (before Apple gets involved - and while I do like Apple's recent efforts I think there is only one thing more evil in the world of IT and that is the late Steve Job's enterprise, well actually two if you include facebook, maybe 3 with google but I digress...)
Whether we like it or not we are going to start seeing integrated entertainment platforms that are not tied down to a single auto manufacturer. For example BMW make great cars but their info-gadget system is just awful because they just don't get that side of things. How good would that system be if made properly and without needing a whole day just to reload or upgrade? Enough has been said about Apple products getting bricked after dodgy upgrades but how would you feel if your whole car went that way (BMW owners know what I'm talking about - and how expensive the workshop bills are).
Keeping the info/entertainment system out of the cars control system is where we are heading and an open(ish) platform is the future. It doesn't really matter who gets there and makes a success of it, it is going to happen. The question is whether or not it will be a walled garden (Apple apps) or an open market (google/microsoft). The matter of the level of integration is pretty much secondary, integrated multi-user wifi is hitting the latest car models in Japan and won't be long here. Varying levels of integrated GPS tracking are already here, offering these up as services to a system that basically turns your car into a big smart phone is pretty obvious.
So ignoring the dubious taste of WCC's attempts at making something memorable (for the wrong reasons as usual) you actually have something worth thinking about in there.
The whole source-code for the project is supposed to be available soon from Microsoft themselves so it won't be long before more home-grown cars appear like this. Just hopefully with much better taste
I do have a Microsoft system in my car though providing all sorts of gizmos attached to the entertainment system and by and large it is pretty reliable (never thought I'd say that) but the navigation through the menus is painful more a result of limited input controls and display (a single line on the dashboard). When it goes wrong the only real option for a reboot is to pull the battery connections but fortunately there is a quick release and the -ve battery terminal that makes it as easy as you could hope for without a big red button the dashboard. It even allows for "apps" to be used from a USB memory stick and this is where it gets interesting.
The future of in car entertainment lies in this direction - a few car manufacturers have already sussed it but Microsoft is pushing hard to get ahead of the game (before Apple gets involved - and while I do like Apple's recent efforts I think there is only one thing more evil in the world of IT and that is the late Steve Job's enterprise, well actually two if you include facebook, maybe 3 with google but I digress...)
Whether we like it or not we are going to start seeing integrated entertainment platforms that are not tied down to a single auto manufacturer. For example BMW make great cars but their info-gadget system is just awful because they just don't get that side of things. How good would that system be if made properly and without needing a whole day just to reload or upgrade? Enough has been said about Apple products getting bricked after dodgy upgrades but how would you feel if your whole car went that way (BMW owners know what I'm talking about - and how expensive the workshop bills are).
Keeping the info/entertainment system out of the cars control system is where we are heading and an open(ish) platform is the future. It doesn't really matter who gets there and makes a success of it, it is going to happen. The question is whether or not it will be a walled garden (Apple apps) or an open market (google/microsoft). The matter of the level of integration is pretty much secondary, integrated multi-user wifi is hitting the latest car models in Japan and won't be long here. Varying levels of integrated GPS tracking are already here, offering these up as services to a system that basically turns your car into a big smart phone is pretty obvious.
So ignoring the dubious taste of WCC's attempts at making something memorable (for the wrong reasons as usual) you actually have something worth thinking about in there.
The whole source-code for the project is supposed to be available soon from Microsoft themselves so it won't be long before more home-grown cars appear like this. Just hopefully with much better taste
iain1970 said:
Flat_Steve said:
Dave Hedgehog said:
i like it rather a lot
reminds me of the wrath
can you rip all the MS crap out of it and fit apple stuff instead?
Only if you painted it white presumably.reminds me of the wrath
can you rip all the MS crap out of it and fit apple stuff instead?
And you wanted to drive to places that Apple approved of.
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