Auto Dismantler to Artist: James Corbett

Thumbing through Road & Track magazine, I discovered a man who, while finding a new use for old car parts, gave himself a new career. James Corbett, who was once an auto dismantler in Brisbane, Australia, is now an artist. He gave up the grubby element of the wrecking business in 2000 and now devotes his time to producing works of beauty.

See his website for more examples of his ingenious creations, including, naturally, cars, but also a range of other three-dimensional assemblages, from a cowboy reaching for his revolver to dogs, and, of course, a kangaroo and her joey.

Each piece takes a couple of weeks to build. Corbett has mounted exhibitions around the world. Check out the CODA Gallery in Palm Desert, California if you're in the vicinity.

Bass Power!

Here's an idea--six brilliant young musicians from Slovakia, Russia, Czech Republic, White Russia, Yugoslavia, Georgia and Ukraine perform together--on basses! Founded in 1996, Bassiona Amorosa plays a wide repertoire, including music from the early renaissance, baroque and classical period to arrangements of light music.

I have heard eight basses perform at one time, and have a CD of The London Double Bass Sound--which includes a dozen musicians playing my favorite instrument together.

There is a wide range of tones on the bass, depending on whether you play the low, middle or high notes, and you pluck (pizzicato) or use a bow (arco) to get sharp or extended tones. Of course every musician is a little different and every piece is unique, so I never get tired of listening to bass music. And, of course, it puts the "bottom" in whenever it's part of the group.

Next Sunday, I will play with the Chamber Musicians of Northern California (CMNC) on the Mozart Gran Partita, which includes 12 various wind instruments and me--the only string player--holding down the foundation with my bass. Sweet.

Made Me Click--Great Hyundai Elantra Online Ads

Like many people today, I spend a significant amount of time online. And, of course, there are lots of ads floating in the righthand panel (and elsewhere). Sometimes they even run rudely across the page! Mainly, though, I see them but don't bother to click the button to open them.

Well, a couple of days ago I saw something so fascinating I actually clicked. It said, in all caps:

"REVEALING THE TRUTH BEHIND "COMPACT" CARS -

PREPARE TO BE DEPROGRAMMED ON 2-6-11.

As an auto writer for 19 years, I couldn't resist. So I went to compactconspiracy.com.

And I ended up at Hyundai's website. The new, 2011 Elantra was there to greet me.

I saw this car at the 2010 San Francisco Auto Show and have also read about it. It is another huge leap forward for Hyundai. The Korean manufacturer is one of the bright spots in the automotive marketplace over the last few years. The brilliant new Sonata midsize sedan is the first Hyundai to make it into the top 10 vehicles sold list. The Tucson is a sweet take on the compact crossover. The Genesis is a fine upscale sedan, and the Genesis Coupe is a real competitor for the legendary Nissan 370Z.

The Elantra, a huge favorite with Consumer Reports for its quality and reliability, is now great looking too. I'll test one for a week sometime this Spring.

Mazda MX-5 Miata Hits 900,000 Milestone Today

The world’s best-selling two-seat roadster, the iconic Mazda MX-5 sports car reached a new milestone of 900,000 units produced today. Nearly 45 percent – more than 388,000 units – of those were sold in the United States since the car launched in 1989.

The MX-5 was initially certified by Guinness World Records as the world's "Best selling two-seat sports car" when production reached 531,890 units in May 2000. Currently, Mazda is reapplying to Guinness World Records to have the record updated to 900,000 units.

The first-generation MX-5 Miata (1990-1997 model years) came with a 1.6-liter, inline four-cylinder engine that produced 116 horsepower and 100 lb-ft of torque. Currently equipped with an MZR-series 2.0-liter, inline four-cylinder engine, today’s MX-5 produces 167 horsepower (158 for automatic transmission) and delivers 140 lb-ft of torque. Every single one is a joy to drive.

I've driven several of these charming little two-seat roadsters over the last 19 years and they are always a high spot in the road testing schedule. I'm hoping for another in the Spring.

Next stop--one million!

Red Paint Rocks

Since I was 14 I've wanted to play in a band. I have strummed a guitar since then, but haven't ever been in a band--until 2006, when Red Paint formed. I hold down the bass part--which is what I love--and we have two guitars and drums--just like the Beatles (only not). In any case, we've played together for years and have a 25-30 song set list. We played more than a dozen gigs last year alone.

Tonight, with our lead guitarist, Shaun, temporarily missing, we had a fill-in, our mutual friend Thomas. And we had a keyboardist, Neal, sitting in. Red Paint as a five-piece band rocked. Our songs sounded extra full with the keys and Thomas did a great job covering the solos.

Makes a guy feel good. Watch for Red Paint to be in the local clubs again soon. (San Francisco Bay Area).

Expecting Too Much

It may have been expecting far too much
To think that our blind date could last this long
Today, we’re joined by duty not desire
But something’s hanging, sitting disconnected

For after all, we didn’t choose this life
As much as find ourselves in an alliance
If you’d controlled the search you wouldn’t pick me
I was, in truth, a gift, not a recruitment





The icy winds you chill me with these days
Are neither your intention nor dislike
Somewhere, inside, you’ve left me here alone
And keeping warm is hard when you’re rejected

Today I stand as ready as I was
The day we met to make it work together
My hand extended, open mind, I’m here
Let’s start again, for this time we can see.

My First Car - a Reverie

I got my first car kind of inadvertently. I was 21 and had just come back from living in Israel for 10 months. My friend Steve Lange had a little red 1964 Volkswagen Beetle that he wasn't using, because he was stationed elsewhere in the Coast Guard. I drove it around for a while and "inherited" it. When his mother said I should pay the man for it, I ended up giving him a big $50, as I recall. But that was a lot more money in those days, and also, VW Bugs were hardly collector's items.

I lent it to a mutual friend and he rolled it on its side, crimping the roof. I ended up running it into the ground--it threw a rod about a year later and I junked it, but it did put me on wheels.

So, when I saw a cute little blue Beetle in my neighborhood (in great condition, too), I was intrigued. I've yet to talk with the owner, but I've seen him out fixing it in his driveway.

Originally commissioned by Hitler and designed by Ferdinand Porsche (yes, that guy), the Beetle was a huge hit in the U.S. from the late 1950's into the 1970's. At one point, I believe it was 1968, they sold nearly half a million here. But, as we all know, Japanese cars, led by Toyota and Datsun (Nissan) grabbed more and more sales starting about that same time, to where when the Beetle finally left the American car stage in 1979--as a convertible only--it was a small player.

The front-wheel-drive, water-cooled New Beetle sells in the thousands every year, and has been on the road for more than a decade now. A new one is coming right around the corner. But for a first car, the original air-cooled, rear-engine (40 horsepower) Beetle was just the ticket. It's little engine buzzed in back, the four-on-the-floor was fun, if a bit notchy, and the cars were built tough, although very basic by today's standards. And, of course, they were deadly in a collision although they were rumored to float if you dropped one in a body of water accidentally.