..........well...........if you want to call that derogatory..........go right ahead.........

You conveniently forgot the quote, "The guy's a bit off"..........

I simply observed his work and the significant time and effort and quality that he put into it. So, yes, in that sense, I do know him.

You've criticized him simply for being an overweight mechanical engineer..........and you know nothing about mechanical engineering.

That's the difference.

I'm not a moderator here (on OD).

..........didn't forget it.

..........comment related to the Vespa...........didn't resonate with me..........the vehicle was not completed..........and the effort didn't compare to the automobile.

Wrong again, sir. I called him a dork because of the car he built. Simple. They you had to get involved. Nerd, dork, whatever--not that damning, and tongue in cheek as I have nothing against the guy who I have never met. You don't know any thing about mechanical engineering either, btw. Blame your condescending, arrogant self for any comments that followed my original one, because you are responsible for drawing them.

That pretty much sums up your intelligence...........check my profile........

Be similar to me stating that you know nothing about the law.

Your second sentence was my point, dude!!!! How obtuse can you be? If you believe everything you read on the internet, I am sure you are a great engineer. Check your profile? You speak of arrogance?

BTW, Bill Gates is a nerd too. You want to start a fan club for him now too?

So, I suppose that I'll have to be more careful reading your posts. Since you know nothing about mechanical engineering, you get a free pass, just like every other ignoramus, to criticize at will, just because you have the right to your opinion.

Personally, I wouldn't criticize a lawyer for a specific argument that he presented in a court of law...........but.........that's just me.

You should have half the capabilities of Bill Gates...................

I think Bill Gates is a wonderful person, and my point was that one can be a nerd and still be a good guy. Keep trying and rolling your eyes...........I am sorry if you are a pasty, bearded, overweight engineer--its not my fault, but again, you started it.

........and I'm sorry that you are an arrogant, condescending, smug southern lawyer -- it's not my fault, but, I'm finishing it.

Oh, you shouldn't be sorry, it is quite the lifestyle. You missed the if in my post, btw.

I can't believe you get this personal over my calling a guy who built a jet powered bug a dork.

What exactly are you finishing, btw?

We saw an episode of MythBusters a couple of days ago where they convincingly disproved this event. The episode covered the Arizona SP who say they still receive up to 5 calls per week, but have never found any such wreckage or have reports to confirm the event happening. They said there are 3 bases in Arizona that could easily have had personnel with the training and access to equipment to try.

The core of the episode involved finding and modifying a running ‘68 Impala. The one they found had a typical hydraulic system enhancement that permitted the car to have the front or rear raised, lowered or bounce. I think they said they paid $800 for the car. Following this they heavily modified the roof as they pointed out that the ~1,200 lbs of thrust provided by a JATO, let alone several of them would literally tear the roof off of the car. They tried to get the military to provide JATO rockets and assistance. However at first they couldn’t even get a call back. Eventually they got 3 calls saying that the military would not provide any JATO rockets or provide any assistance. They did get help from a rocket scientist at NASA and used 3 solid fuel rockets that provided 1,500 lbs of thrust (more than the JATOs), but which fired for a shorter time than the JATO does. They also had a few short segments of an interview with Andy Granatelli, who had previously done speed runs using rocket powered vehicles as well as more traditional engine cars, and interviews with other speed run veterans.

They equipped the Impala with remote steering, throttle and related controls, set the hydraulics to keep the nose down to reduce front end lift. Due to range limitations on the remote control equipment used, they got a helicopter to try to keep up with the rocket assisted car. The test was to get the Impala up to about 80 mph and then fire the 3 rockets, each fired 4 seconds after the previous one. The test was successful, except that they didn’t have speed tracking equipment to test the Impala's top speed. The helicopter was reported to go ~140 mph and the video showed the Impala running away from the helicopter. They guestimated the speed at around 200+ In the end they claimed the Impala would have needed about 10x to 20x the power they had to get the Impala to fly any distance and noted that due to the short burn time of both JATO and the rockets they used it would have taken a lot to propel the Impala any distance through the air. The combined rated power of the 3 rockets was ~ 4,500 lbs of thrust or about 3,000 hp.

The episode was a delight! MythBusters runs about 3x per week on Discovery. We catch it with tivo.

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...Tracy

'00 ML320 "Casper"
'92 400E "Stella"

That setup is very nice and clean. A lot of planning went into that project.

It's not like he's compensating for something with a 20" lifted truck with 46" tires on it.

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1974 240D 3.0L 4(M) - 250K -OM617.910 + 300D FW + Rajay turbo power!
1977 6.9 3(A) - 84k

Could you be a little more vague, please?

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1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

I have nothing against lawyers based on that alone. Some lawyers are a$$es IMHO, some are decent, wise, and cool -- a lot like every other profession.

You're right, people spend money on all sorts of ego stroking. At least a Benz doesn't run the risk of incinerating the vehicles behind it. A jet has its place in the world -- on airplanes and not much else, IMO.

And I think a nice house does add to the human condition. It's been shown that kitchen and bathroom remodels add more to a house's resale value than the price of the remodel -- twice the cost is an estimate one hears a lot.

Some houses are way over the top, I'll agree. The stories I could tell you. Plenty of times I've thought, "why am I participating in this Booo-****?" Life is complicated.

I know one thing: if that guy were to impair my safety or my vehicle on the road, I would be tempted to lay him out on his backside. Practicality and common sense count for something.

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1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K