"Nick Has an Exocet" (nickallain)
07/08/2019 at 11:12 • Filed to: None
3
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"Nick Has an Exocet" (nickallain)
07/08/2019 at 11:12 • Filed to: None | 3
| 20 |
What’s going on this week, folks?
I’m waiting to hear back on last week’s interview. I flew to LA last Sunday, picked up a Turo rental Jaguar F-Type Coupe R. It went well - third time’s the charm with Turo I guess! The car was fantastic. I really can’t wait to pick one up some day. It’s so pretty and sounds so great. Top tip: if you like the exhaust cracks, take it up to 3k+ RPM, let off quick, then tap the gas pedal gently. Not enough to actually register any forward momentum change. The car will shoot some extra fuel and you can pop and crackle your way all the way down to 2500 RPM.
I took the car up into some of the canyons around LA (Angeles Crest / Little Tejunga). It was good fun. It’s too heavy for serious canyon carving. It has loads of grip but the engine is too much for those brakes. The AWD 550hp F-Type R just kind of goes full light speed when you mat it. You get a half second of full tilt before you have to be on the brakes to turn. It’s weird. You feel the weight in braking but not as much in cornering.
After a trip to the canyons, I went out to the Petersen auto museum. It was $16 to park and $16 to get in. I was kind of underwhelmed. I’ve been told “you should have done the basement tour, that’s where the best stuff is” but I already felt a tiny bit screwed by the main museum not living up to expectations and didn’t want to spend the extra money. It felt a bit empty. The movie/TV cars (special exhibit) were rad but I just wanted MORE. I think maybe I’ve been spoiled by some great museums like the Mercedes transportation museum in Stuttgart and even California Auto Museum in Sacramento.
I met up with an old friend for dinner on Monday night with my brother. My brother was navigating in front of me with his Corolla. Our friend was meeting us in his 335i. I saw a BMW with it’s window half down at a stop light and without realizing it was him, let off a wicked exhaust crack right into his window. I looked and my rear view and realized it was him. We kind of locked eyes and he realized it was me and started cracking up. After dinner, we took some bird scooters to the water, then I returned the car.
I’d driven tons of flavors of the F-Type (V6 vert, V6S vert, V8S vert, V6S coupe, coupe R) but only ever for a few minutes. In daily life, it’s no less special but definitely has some limitations. Rear visibility is guesswork . The backup camera has like 6 pixels. The parking sensors don’t work great. Reversing is a serious problem. I also hit one left-lane road merge (merging at 40 degree angle from one road into the left lane of a straight road). In that situation, I have no visibility for on-coming traffic. That was terrifying.
I really enjoyed the interview the next day. The company was outstanding. I’m hoping to get the job, but won’t be heartbroken if I don’t. Moving to LA is a pain, and even though it’s worth it, I have my numbers for at what point it’s worth it to me and I also want the company to make a smart decision. If that’s someone else, that’s fine. The CEO and I seem to be on the same page and working with him would be a joy, but even if I don’t get it, I’ll get to see him around industry events. In the couple of times we’ve spoken, we’ve clicked really well. He’s also a car guy and daily’s a TT-RS. We went through a little tangent about the coolest cars with inline-5's. Haha.
I have a trip to Ireland and Scotland coming up in September (taking my parents on their first international trip) so if this doesn’t happen, it will probably be October before I start something.
Anyways, some pictures!
Up in the canyons, I saw this 86 pulled off to the side. He chased me down and I pulled off so we could chat. He had never seen the R in the flesh and was thrilled to grab some pics. Seemed like a cool dude who got into cars early by just working on them.
To the bat cycle, Robin!
The actual fit and finish on the KITT exterior was terrible. Movie/TV cars from the 80s are such trash because no one cared in 480i.
The interior was bad ass though. I really just want this in everything.
Back to the Future II is actually one of my favorites. This is the car that scoops up Marty’s unconscious girlfriend.
I really like the little details, like the Hill Valley police logo. It’s futuristic but still recognizable as being police.
If I’m being honest, my favorite car in the entire museum is the EV1. It’s such a strange car. At first, you see a lot of Saturn in it, but then you start to look at details and suddenly it feels entirely original.
It’s a bit hard to tell in this pictures, but if you can imagine this shot as being from above, you would see that the car actually shrinks in width from the doors backwards so the entire rear end teardrops - not just the roof line. It’s a shape that’s kind of futuristic but also kind of weirdly F rench. I also have n o idea what the bumper cutouts are for. Doug? Help?
The interior is equally strange. It has a huge trans tunnel that isn’t for a trans and it’s covered with enough buttons to make a Panamera jealous. Notice the lack of the speedo in front of the drive. It’s waaaaay forward-center but not angled. Even the steering wheel has a retro-futuristic dish to it. The actual materials look like something off of a 1990s Disney World attraction. I find it kind of sad that only a few of these survived the crusher. It would be a really amazing novelty to have around nowadays.
Bonus, a speeder(?) from the original Star Wars. I’m more of a Trek fan myself and this thing was definitely made from wood, foam, and clay - not metal. Kind of neat, but I would have lost my mind for a Delta Flyer or Type 15 shuttle pod.
E90M3
> Nick Has an Exocet
07/08/2019 at 11:15 |
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They had the BMW art cars when I was at the Peterson, and the basement is well worth it.
RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
> Nick Has an Exocet
07/08/2019 at 11:29 |
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Very awesome! Glad things are going well man! The next round of teaching positions I can apply to opens this week...applied to 4 in the last round and never heard a thing :(
Trying to find a summer job as well, but it’s hard to find one that doesn’t suck when I teach again in the fall and only need to work until the end of August...
Grindintosecond
> Nick Has an Exocet
07/08/2019 at 11:33 |
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Cutouts I would believe are for airflow to escape the bumper cap trap. Lots of Civic drag cars have big holes cut in theirs. Definitely a real advantage to drag reduction.
Milky
> Nick Has an Exocet
07/08/2019 at 11:41 |
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My college had an EV1, in a lobby by a computer lab actually. It was always unlocked, fun to get into and check out. Saw a kid nap in it once during finals.
*from 2010-14, not sure about it now.
Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> Nick Has an Exocet
07/08/2019 at 12:27 |
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What part of town is the job in? Planning for traffic and the extreme cost of living are certainly the biggest hurdles to deal with living in LA. I am happy I commute away from LA but if I had to go into the city, I would definitely refuse to arrive at work any later than 5am. Or work within biking/metro travel of the office for sure. I have accepted that I need to wait and save for a solid 15-20 years before I can buy a house here.
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Nick Has an Exocet
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/08/2019 at 12:31 |
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It’s in Inglewood, though may be moving to long Beach. I've been dealing with SF traffic but have had a great deal in terms of housing so I'm not looking forward to the cost of living.
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Nick Has an Exocet
> RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
07/08/2019 at 12:32 |
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That’s difficult timing. I suppose there is always the gig economy. Haha
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Nick Has an Exocet
> Milky
07/08/2019 at 12:33 |
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That is so cool. I think it was 20 or 40 or so that got sent to schools instead of crushers.
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Nick Has an Exocet
> Grindintosecond
07/08/2019 at 12:33 |
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Good to know!
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Nick Has an Exocet
> E90M3
07/08/2019 at 12:33 |
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Good to know. I'll try to hit it next time.
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Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> Nick Has an Exocet
07/08/2019 at 13:21 |
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CoL can’t really be any worse than the Bay area. If anything it’s probably easier down here. But either way it certainly won’t be shockingly different.
Sounds like you get to have a super happy fun time on the 405 then!
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Nick Has an Exocet
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/08/2019 at 13:30 |
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In the 3 days I spent down there, I noticed that while the traffic wasn’t really that much worse, people are far worse drivers.
AestheticsInMotion
> Nick Has an Exocet
07/08/2019 at 14:58 |
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Just added another week exploring Koh Samui to my Asia trip coming up. Grabbed a knockoff jeep for the week, I’m pumped.
Entering month four with no job, and with a month before I leave the US I should really find something to earn a few extra bucks.
Paying for parking and an entrance fee always feels bad
CompactLuxuryFan
> Nick Has an Exocet
07/08/2019 at 15:16 |
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I kinda agree about the museum itself being kinda sparse. I didn’t really feel bad about the price, though. I went in November and they seem to have changed some of the movie cars since then. They had the only Nissan R390 in existence so that was quite a treat. First floor was a special Porsche exhibit that was okay. I may dig up the pictures later.
I did do the basement tour and they loads more metal down there, so not sure why they don’t fill up the top more. They especially had a lot more old old (like 40s and before) stuff down there which my dad really enjoyed.
Overall I really liked it, and I’m a big fan of its existence. I had no idea about the one in Sacramento, I’ll have to check that out next time I’m in town.
MiniGTI - now with XJ6
> Nick Has an Exocet
07/08/2019 at 15:33 |
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I seem to recall reading the EV1 had exceptional drag coefficient and I’m sure the profile as seen from above as you mentioned is a big part of it.
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Nick Has an Exocet
> CompactLuxuryFan
07/08/2019 at 16:39 |
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Yeah. T hat R390 was pretty cool. I didn’t have a lot of context for it though.
Definitely check out the one in Sacramento. Most of the cars there are drivers. They had a microcar exhibit that was awesome.
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Nick Has an Exocet
> AestheticsInMotion
07/08/2019 at 16:39 |
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I hear you. I’m on Month 3 of unemployment ;)
That trip sounds great.
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Nick Has an Exocet
> AestheticsInMotion
07/08/2019 at 16:39 |
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I hear you. I’m on Month 3 of unemployment ;)
GolfR Guy
> Nick Has an Exocet
07/08/2019 at 16:54 |
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Long Beach is a solid choice. Apartments are more affordable there, although it’s a bit far from Inglewood IMO. I second Wrong Wheel’s advice on living near metro/biking. I live near the Palms train station and can take it to work in Santa Monica or DTLA. Super convenient. Also, enjoy your trip to Scotland in September! I’ll be there at the same time doing the nc500!
Corkscrew'd
> Nick Has an Exocet
07/08/2019 at 17:36 |
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Awesome pics from the museum! I’m glad that Turo worked out considering all the strangeness I was reading about lol.
That EV1 looks cool though. I see a little influence from the Citroen DS21!