The Famed VW Beetle

He was attempting to start his small VW. After about the 4th crank, she started.

The first Volkswagen Beetle was introduced to Mexico in 1954. The car obviously caught on and by 1967, it was being produced in Puebla, Mexico. In 1968, the 100,000th Beetle rolled off the assembly line in Mexico.

In 2004, Mexico was still producing the VW Beetle and while the engine was different, the car itself looked nearly identical to the 1954 model.

By 2006, the VW Beetle was highly utilized by taxi companies. In Mexico City where this photo was taken, there were 50,000 Beetles on the streets that were painted green and used as taxis. In 2017, there are only about 3,500 Beetle taxis still taking passengers from point A to point B.

In all, 21 million Volkswagen Beetles were manufactured in Mexico, all looking much like the first one from 1954.

Photographing Supercars

When I am not photographing people, I find myself shooting cars.

Mr. Enzo Ferrari, who was born in Modena, Italy in 1898, left the Alfa Romeo Company in 1939 and agreed not to use his last name with any races or race cars for at least four years after his departure. So, he founded “Auto Avio Costruzionoi.” The new company produced the 815 Spider, but production ended during World War II in 1943.

In 1947 the company we call Ferrari today was officially birthed with the “Ferrari 125 S.”

As for the famous horse used in the Ferrari logo, it was tied to a highly decorated World War I pilot named Francesco Baraca. The horse was painted on the side of his plane. At the close of the war, Baracca’s parents offered Enzo Ferrari the opportunity to use the prancing horse symbol, so he did.

In this picture is a Ferrari 458 Italia. I snapped this on Tiger Hill in Murfreesboro, TN. The mid-engine car replaced the older Ferrari F430.

The 458 was produced between 2009 and 2015. While Ferrari is tight-lipped about their cars, it is rumored that a little over 15,000 458 Italia's were produced between '09 and '15. While that may sound like a lot, it is far from a high number. If you look towards a company like Ford, they made 160,412 Mustangs in 2005 alone.

As for handling, the 458 feels like a go-cart around the curves and reaches 62 miles per hour in 2.9 to 3 seconds, depending on track conditions. Top speed is 202 mph.

The Ferrari 458 is somewhat famous in the automotive world as the transmission is only available as a dual clutch 7 speed Getrag gearbox. In other words, it is not offered in the form of a traditional manual transmission car like other Italian cars are. The Ferrari company see’s it as the perfect automobile. It does however have paddle shifters on the column.

As for the interior, it looks like a fighter jet and every control needed is located on the steering wheel, even the button to start the engine, suspension controls and the turn signals.

• Horsepower: 570
• Engine: ‎4.5 L Ferrari F136 F V8

Artistic or Weird?

As you walked through his gate an air raid siren sounded. Some of the signs on the fence along the road read, “No Trespassing, No Loud Music, No Loitering.” Other signs were simply pictures or stickers of an assault rifle. With that being said, I wanted to meet the man behind the collection of oddities.

As I made my way to the front porch crawling over old refrigerators, tires, washing machines and more, I could hear a television was on inside the house. However, my knocks on the door were unanswered.

I then made my way back to the road, this time noticing some of the scrap metal had been turned into art. Sculptors of old motors were to the left and a sculpture of an airplane to the right. Plastic skulls adorned the fence post along with the heads of mannequins.

“I never set out to be weird. It was always other people who called me weird.”  - Frank Zappa, American musician, composer, guitarist, filmmaker and more (1940-1993)

Photo taken in the Mississippi Delta region.

Farming, a way of life

On the move with big equipment: Even under dark rain filled clouds, every turn in the Delta region of Mississippi offers a new feast for the eyes of little boys who grew up with Tonka trucks and tractors. 

Crop Dusting Planes in the Delta

On Monday, I found myself in the middle of nowhere in the Delta of Mississippi surrounded by cotton fields to my left and right. Out of nowhere, a crop dusting plane flew over my car. I followed the plane to where it landed and quickly made my way to the small country airport to speak to the pilot as he was refueling.

The first commercial crop-dusting plane was not a plane at all, it was instead a hot air balloon used to spread seed over a field of swampland in New Zealand. The balloon was tethered to the ground and moved from one side of the field to the other in 1906.

The idea of utilizing a plane in agriculture was born in 1921 by the U.S. Agriculture Department and the Army Signal Corps. A man by the name of John A. Macready piloted the first crop duster in 1921. I guess you could say the rest is history.

My Mothers Cadillac

“This was my mother’s car, she bought it new in 1974,” he told me. He then went on to state, “When I drive it, I leave the hood partially open to keep the engine cool.” As we continued to talk about the Cadillac, he told me that he has had many offers on it, but refuses to sell it. 

Michael Webb Pierce and his Flamboyant Six Shooter Car

1962 Pontiac Bonneville that once belonged to the late Webb Pierce. Don’t know who Mr. Pierce is?

Michael Webb Pierce was born in 1921. He was once one of the most popular honky tonk vocalists and guitarists of the 1950’s. His biggest hit was “In the Jailhouse Now.” The song charted for 37 weeks in 1955. It hit number 1 a total of 21 times.

Pierce paid $20,000 to Hollywood tailor Nudie Cohen to customize the car by adding leather interior fashioned after a cowboy saddle and ordained with guns and silver dollars. In fact, there are over 150 silver dollars on the interior of the car.

Pierce not only drove flamboyant cars, but also dressed flamboyant with hand crafted suits. He was also a one time member of the Grand Ole Opry.

As for Pierce, he died of cancer in 1991 and was later inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001.

You never know where the journey will lead you

"All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware." -Martin Buber, Jewish philosopher (1878-1965)

Some journeys may lead you to a retail store parking lot to dry your jeans by hanging them from the side view mirror of your RV. 

The Disney Monorail

As a kid I was always fascinated with the Walt Disney World monorail.

The Disney monorail opened in 1971 and as of 2013, it was calculated to be the second most heavily used monorail systems in the world. The three Disney routes transport up to 150,000 riders per day. Beating that number would be the Chongqing Rail Transit in Chongqing, China. The China monorail, which comes in at number one, has an average of 500,000 daily riders on Line 3 alone.

Monorail technology started in the 1950’s. As for Disney World in Orlando, FL… all of their current monorail cars (12 full fleets), are 1990 to 1991 models. The system in Disney has been in continuous operation since 1971. The electric system of 13 miles in length is powered by 600 volts of DC propulsion which includes eight DC motors with 112 horsepower each.

"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." - Walt Disney (1901-1966)

The General Jackson

The famous General Jackson Showboat in Nashville goes up and down the Cumberland River on a regular basis. It has long represented Music City and is somewhat a museum piece. The riverboat has a full stage and auditorium inside with shows that are sometimes scheduled three times a day.

The views from the massive boat are none other than amazing if you love water and the picturesque shores of Nashville. But, how much do you know about the boat?

The name “General Jackson” came from a riverboat that was built in 1817 and named after Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States (1829-1837).

Jackson was born in the South Carolina area in 1767. By the age of 13, Jackson was captured by British troops during the American Revolutionary War. At the time of capture, Jackson was a courier. The capturing of the young boy likely gave him perspective later in life as he was said to have been mistreated by the British before being let go. Not much has been written about that mistreatment so the extent is unknown.

Jackson went on to become a lawyer and elected to hold a Congressional Office in the House of Representatives and twice holding office in the U.S. Senate.

In 1801 he called Tennessee home and was appointed as Colonel of the Tennessee militia. He was quite wealthy at the time and owned what we call today, the Hermitage Plantation. Hundreds of slaves were owned by Jackson.

He became famous during the War of 1812, which was a time where he defeated the men who troubled him as a youth… The British. During the Battle of New Orleans Jackson and his troops had an overwhelming victory over the main British Invasion Army.

Jackson later ran for president in 1824 and won.

Back to the boat named General Jackson that travels up and down the Cumberland River today (2016)… The boat was built for Opryland Theme Park in 1985. When the theme park closed in 1997, the boat remained active and is still an attraction today.

The boat is 77 feet tall and has a 7 foot deep draft. It is 274 feet long and 63 feet wide. It can hold 1200 passengers and has a crew of 157 men and women. Its top speed is 13 miles per hour. All of those numbers are quite impressive for a riverboat.

The massive riverboat is powered by two Caterpillar diesel engines and two General Electric 600 horsepower electric motors that push a 36 foot wide paddlewheel.

The boat is docked outside of Opry Mills. The river is about 15 to 25 feet deep where the Jackson is moored. The average roundtrip for tourist in the boat is only 14 miles. However, the Cumberland River has 381 miles of navigable waters from Kentucky to the Ohio River.

"I was born for a storm, and a calm does not suit me." – Andrew Jackson 

one of the coolest quotes that ended with much history still being made was a quote by Ferruccio Lamborghini. Ferruccio was the man behind the legendary cars made in Italy.

Ferruccio Lamborghini stated:

"'You know how to drive a tractor, but you’ll never learn to drive a Ferrari' - If Enzo Ferrari hadn't made that crack - one day early in the 1960's when I was complaining for the nth time about the insoluble clutch problems I was havingwith his car, I might never have built my Lamborghinis." - Ferruccio Lamborghini

Lamborghini’s first car to roll off the production line was the 1963 V-12 350 GTV. He was 47 at the time. In 1993 he died at the age of 76.

Horses on the Edge

Horses in Nicaragua on the edge of what was once an active volcano. 

In the background, Laguna de Apoyo in Nicaragua… This was once an active volcano thousands of years ago, but it blew its top, literally. It is now a Laguna or what Americans would call a crater lake.

In 1991, this beautiful landscape was categorized as a nature reserve, which means it is protected land.

A Dodge Challenger Scat Cat

For my muscle car friends… This is a photo I recently took of a 2015 Dodge Challenger Scat Pack with 485 HP, stock (6.4L Hemi V8). It also has 475 lb-ft of torque along with paddle shifters for the automatic models or a six speed in the manual ones, but both are equally hard to find. They are not as difficult to locate as a Hellcat model, but still hard to find. Of course, the Hellcat comes with 707 HP.

Only 8,382 Scat Pack Challenger R/T’s were produced in 2015, globally. That of course makes it a rare breed. As for the Hellcat, 7,168 were manufactured in 2015.

The Scat Pack hits 60 mph in 4.1 seconds and 100 mph in 9.6 seconds. Keep in mind the retro looking Challenger weighs in at 4,261 pounds. The Hellcat covers 60 mph in just 3.6 sec. and can reach 199 mph for a top speed. Meanwhile, the Scat Pack version sits behind the Hellcat with a top speed of 185 mph. 

By the way, John Francis Dodge founded the Dodge Company with his brother Horace. The two left jobs at Ford Motor Company in Detroit, Michigan and in 1917 produced their first commercial car. The rest is history. 

The truck rolled down the hill

Dwight, who lives on Hippie Hill, told me this truck is used to haul water up and down the mountainside. "One time the guys were hauling water in a great big container and a wasp got in the cab - the guy driving started swatting at it and lost control. The truck rolled over on the hillside - but we still use it and it still runs." 

You have to love the durability of old trucks. They last forever. 

Ford GT40

It was built specifically to beat Ferrari in the long distance Le Mans race. It is the Ford GT40 (1966). The car was designed in England and boasts an American Ford V-8 starting with a 289 and later being modified to utilize a 302 between 1964 and 1969.

In case you are curious, Ferrari won the Le Mans six times whereas Ford won twice. 

I shot this photo in Williamson County, TN. 

One word... Lamborghini

Did you know that Ferruccio Lamborghini started Lamborghini Automobili as a company that built tractors? Well, I should back up just a hair. He founded Lamborghini Trattori as a tractor company in 1948 and Lamborghini Automobili followed in 1963. 

Mr. Lamborghini built his tractor factory and made millions in the late 40’s and the 50’s. However, he was not satisfied with tractors and wanted to domuch more. Lamborghini wanted to build sports cars. So, after World War II he founded a car company. Of course, he continued to make tractors that rivaled other brands and the company still does to date. In 2013 Lamborghini Trattori introduced the Nitro tractor that is sold in Europe for more than $440,000 (U.S. $). 

Looking back to the 1960’s, people thought Mr. Lamborghini was a mad man when he said that his next plan was to build a sports car that would rival Ferrari. He was already a multi-millionaire, but friends and family feared he would squander his money away building cars. 

Ferruccio Lamborghini’s first car to roll off the production line was the 1963 V-12 350 GTV followed by the 1965 350 GT and then the 400 GT. 

As time rolled on, Lamborghini proved to be a brand that was not going under and Mr. Lamborghini’s millions multiplied swiftly. Of course, he produced a few flops. But, the 1970’s was when Lamborghini built the Countach masterpiece. 

At the end of 1973 Lamborghini manufactured the first lime green Countach that came standard with a V-12 engine. The Countach, which was manufactured on a regular basis in 1974, became the backbone of Lamborghini. It appeared in movies, TV shows and more. 

Pictured is the V-10 Lamborghini Gallardo. This small demon does 0 to 60 in about 3.9 seconds. It was produced between 2004 and 2014. It was one of the best selling Lamborghini’s ever. A total of 14,022 were built. The Gallardo is named after a famous breed of fighting bulls. 

Blast from the Past Could be the Future

An empty passenger train car sits quietly on the side tracks of Chattanooga. Old passenger cars like this one could be our link to the the future in growing states like Tennessee. 

As states see population increases in the South, the government is working overtime to ease road congestion as cars become more gas friendly. Gas friendly cars mean less tax revenue at the gas pumps which equals less money for new road construction and road repair. However, it also means more cars on the road in growing areas. 

With traffic in mind, lawmakers are rethinking the idea of commuter rail services between Atlanta, GA and Nashville, TN. As a way to pay for such expense, Tennessee lawmakers are aiming their sites on a new bill that would allow for a private business / government partnerships to fund ideas like passenger rail lines, lite rail lines, a subway and even a monorail system.  

Trains and Homeless Camps

The train blew past at breakneck speed, bringing to mind the fact that many of our nation's homeless are encamped within mere feet of eminent danger. The wind generated by the passing of the massive cars filled the covering of a nearby tent causing it to billow and jerk. Some of the boxcars were stacked two high, barely clearing the height of the bridge leaving only about 2-feet to escape peril.

About a week ago at this very location a young homeless man, named Austin, was struck and killed by a freight train as it barreled through the underpass he called home. The 27-year old was wearing headphones and apparently didn't  hear the racing, steel giant closing in on him. The train was Florida bound when it struck the him at 7:00 Sunday morning (10/18/15).

Why, I wondered, would so many homeless choose such a dangerous locale to set up camp? Then it occurred to me...we push them to the fringes. For much of the housed population, misinformation, prejudice, and fear of the homeless has caused them to be viewed as dangerous and undesirable by default. In Nashville, Tennessee this overarching view has led city council members and government officials to push many homeless off of city or state land, sighting that their presence was a public nuisance and endangerment to the average citizen. Such a lack of empathy in decision making forces the homeless to seek other less noticeable places, spaces unsuitable for development...like those next to railroad tracks.

Imagine a Porsche 911 dealer closing and leaving this behind

Imagine finding an old Porsche dealership that closed down years ago and inside you find a wide body 911 C4S with tires that are over a foot wide... waiting for your arrival and begging to be driven. Keys inside.

"I couldn't find the sports car of my dreams, so I built it myself." - Ferdinand Porsche ‪#‎Porsche‬ ‪#‎Fuji‬