It's Back!

Earlier this summer I decided to have my old college car restored (click HERE for the original post).

Yep, after nearly a month in the shop awaiting and refurbishing parts, rebuilding the fuel tank, replacing fuel pump and barely functioning water pump, timing belt, and full tuneup, the 1989 Isuzu Impulse Turbo is back. I needed to replace the driver and passenger side window tint film damaged when the window regulators were repaired. A Transhine complete car and engine detail finished the project and the Isuzu is once again a fully functional part of the family. I've got a couple of minor issues that I am working on now to pretty much bring the car up to a high state of tune and completeness:

1. I need to replace a missing passenger side door trim panel and have already located a suitable replacement piece.
2. I just installed a subtle chrome exhaust tip to clean up the fairly rusted and timeworn stock exhaust tip which is still visible in the picture below. The exhaust could also benefit from some minor spot welding.
3. I'm expecting receipt very soon of a stock Isuzu replacement retractable antenna. I had a Mazda antenna fitted several years ago to replace the broken stock unit but the new antenna never totally retracted since it wasn't designed for the car. You can see what I mean in the pictures below. Problem solved.
4. I need to re-upholster the leather shifter handle and boot which has deteriorated from years of wear and tear.

Other than those items I do believe I have one of the very few really clean and operational Impulses in the area.

Here are a few low resolution camera phone shots of the repaired and detailed 1989 Isuzu Impulse Turbo on its first evening back:

The Isuzu still looks great for her age! Italian design must have something to do with it... :-)

BusinessWeek Interview with Trudy Hardy, MINIUSA Marketing Manager

I came across an interesting interview with MINIUSA's Trudy Hardy . I had the pleasure of meeting Trudy in the Netherlands last year during MINI United and her interview with BusinessWeek Magazine is very relevant to MINI's continued growth in the U.S. market even though it is a few years old.

MINI Rooftop New York City

After making a stop in Indiana recently I decided to head out to New York City for a few days to check out MINI's Rooftop event in the city. Jennifer was in-town visiting a friend so we had the perfect opportunity to meet up for another MINI adventure. We had the opportunity to spend the evening with Jim McDowell, VP of MINIUSA and Dr. Wolfgang Armbrecht, President of MINI. The evening of 7 September was a perfect New York late summer evening after tropical storm Hanna drenched the city the day before. The location was in midtown just south of the Port Authority and near the Hudson River. The location provided wonderful views of New Jersey, Times Square, the Empire State Building, and much more of the unrivaled NYC skyline. The event for the evening was the Fashion Week afterparty for Shipley & Halmos and Vena Cava and the event provided an interesting atmosphere to soak up the New York city vibe.





The essence of MINI Rooftop is to present new and artistic ways of using limited but unused space. This concept has become popular in Europe recently. Indeed, a rooftop artistic experiment resonates well in a city like New York.

Dr. Wolfgang Armbrecht, President of MINI, Jennifer, me, and Jim McDowell, VP of MINIUSA

While I'm not sure of the marketing potential of this MINI event in the USA, I do give a thumbs-up to MINI for continuing to think outside the box in the quest for new and avant garde ways to keep the brand at the pointy end of the marketing spear.

Pedal Power MINI Clubman in Beijing

A Chinese MINI dealer in Beijing built this 1 manpower Clubman rickshaw that made its debut during the Beijing Olympic Games. The "highly" modified Clubman was based on the ubiquitous rickshaws that ferry passengers around the Chinese capitol and have been doing so for many years. Now, with the advent of the car in Chinese society, pressure is being put on the rickshaw. Here's to hoping that creative outlets like the Clubman will allow the rickshaw to continue as a part of the Chinese cultural landscape.

Nike+ Human Race L.A.

On 8/31/08 at 8:38:01 p.m. I took part in the largest one day running event in history: the Nike+ Human Race. With races taking place all around the world on the same day with participants all wearing the same red top and running a 10k through major city streets and competing against all the other cities, the event was quite interesting and very well organized. Entertainers representing cultures and music from all around the globe provided a festive atmosphere at various points around the race course. There was food and plenty of healthy snacks to be had at the Coliseum and at the end of the race Kanye West put on a concert for the runners. Good health, good causes supported (in my case the World Wildlife Fund) and good fun!

For full information on this event please log onto:

Nike+ Human Race L.A.


Here are a few pictures from the race:


At the L.A. Coliseum awaiting the start of the race

Kanye West entertains the Nike+ Human Race participants