Danger Ranger

The year was 2016, and I was beyond bummed when the news circulated on how Ford was to cease sales in Indonesia. Though never had the chance to own one, Fords have never failed to turn heads (mine at least), even during their Mazda-re-badge days.

What intrigued me the most was their "dull" design cues back in the 90's and early 2000's, you know the one, boxy with curved edges, found in Escorts, Lasers, Fiestas, and the likes. By the likes referring to their small trucks, the almighty non-North American Ranger - or at least for the first few generations of them. 

I remember growing up in BSD where a gardening shop owner has had a bright red single-cab 4x4 - the first-gen-Mazda B-Series-based one - using everyday to haul pots, plants, sacks of fertilizer, but still manages to keep it well maintained, even until today.

Fast forward to the other day, I was somewhere in East Java for work, and was supposed to be inspecting heavy equipment, when I totally got side-tracked by a couple of abandoned Ford Rangers at the lot.

Though not in prime shape as the BSD-roaming Ranger, but boy, call me weird, but it was like time froze for a few moments as I looked around the pair of single-cab 4x4 B-series in cowboy rattlesnake-skin boots.

Japan Catch-up

Since according to our Instagram Insights data, the majority of our reader are males, let’s start with excuses, as we are all very good at them. My excuse of why I haven’t come up with any write-ups since I arrived in Japan four months ago, is, well, I guess I have to use the all time greatest reason which is: Time. I am currently in a training program from the company I work for, so I have a specific schedule to follow and right after I arrived here I went straight to language class for two months. That, and a combination of other priorities and how driven my mood was when it comes to writing. But hey, readers don’t care about this and I guess from now on I just have to stop being lazy and start writing again. So let’s take a step back to the first of February and start talking about my first impression here.

First February, the day I got to Nagoya Airport. It was almost in the middle of winter, and boy, was it was cold. I arrived there and had to catch a bus to the city where I will be spending the next two years in. Honestly, this was not the first time I have been to Japan, but this was the first time I saw the country and its automotive scene as a person who actually lives here. This is one of the first pictures that I took here.

The famous and iconic Japanese Taxi. With its automatic door and pricey fares. Did you know that since Japan will be the host of the next Olympic Games, they have new fleets with more spacious leg and head room? I’ll try to take a picture of them and post it on our Instagram Stories.

This was the bus that took me to my city (not this particular one, obviously). Unlike the buses in Indonesia, they didn’t try to cramp as many seat as possible, therefore you get lots of leg room. Seat belts are also a must here. Off we go!

It took around one and a half hours to get to my city. My stop was the IC. IC stands for Inter Chushajo, chushajo meaning: car park. Almost every city has an IC near their highway exit and they are usually used as an intercity bus stop. So you can park your car there and take the bus to another city. I waited for the team that was in charge of my training program to pick me up there. It took a while waiting there that I decided I take a picture of that little Pajero mini that we posted in our Instagram (stalk us and check it out!)

In the same place parked this Nissan Stagea. Ever seen an estate Giddeyaahh? They are most likely converted from this car.

After about twenty minutes, the team finally arrived with their Toyota Probox (they’re like the Avanza of Japan, every compay had them for operational use), we grabbed a quick lunch and they took me to my apartment where I will be spending the next two years in. On the way to my apartment, I made the first encounter with the this blue Mazda RX7 on our Instagram feed (again, stalk us!)

So they explained about my room and the apartment rules (since it was owned by the company) then I had some free time. But, since on the way here, I spotted some cool cars in the apartment’s parking lot, I decided to take a walk around the area.

Like these Subarus. One for the weekdays and the latter for the weekends?

Do you remember this Daihatsu Mira from our Instagram feed (not gonna say it again). I just love how the Mira sits and rocked the steelies, looks like a fun little car.

And don’t forget this Celica in front of a romantic sunset.

Since I was already outside I decided to walk a little further to get some fresh air. Then I came across this pile of parked cars that reminded me of my project car. We will make sure to make an update for #project5outof10. We also posted this in our Instagram feed (yeah, do it)

As I was walking, I kept checking my Google Maps to make sure I didn’t get lost, but since I was still using my Indonesian SIM card, the directions hadn’t been very accurate, so of course it took me to some small alley where I saw this GMC Vandura. I learned that because my city is located near both the mountains and the sea, people around here love to travel with a van or small RV. How cool!

So I kept walking and my map lead me to some more unfamiliar places. It was getting dark and cold, and I was trying to find some familiar landmark, I saw this Beetle. Parked outside a house just beside a small canal, I assumed it must have had an oil drip catcher under it.

Just after I took a picture of this Bug, my phone decided to die. Perfect timing! It was getting very cold. Fortunately I finally  found the way back to my apartment.

So my first impression here? Well, this might be one of the greatest opportunities of my life in terms of work and personal experience, so of course it was very exciting for me. And knowing even that I live in a small city yet I am surrounded by cool cars? I can’t complain. So it’s a combination of excitement, surprise, and getting lost just one kilometer from where I live in freezing cold weather.

Believe me, I was just scratching the surface of how cool and diverse the cars around where I live are. On the next article I will try to show you guys some other cool stuff here, and of course also from other bigger cities. So stay tuned!

Triumvirate

Here’s the deal, the following pictures are photos of three groups of five cars. These cars could be closely related or completely different from each other. You, before proceeding, please just try to guess what are the connection in these groups of cars.

Alright, have you guessed it?

The answer is: yes indeed, cars in those groups are designed by same people. Three most celebrated car designers of all time. Check the list of your favourite cars, those made from the ‘60s up to early 2000s, especially those we consider supercars are very likely to be designed by these three people: Leonardo Fioravanti, Marcello Gandini, and Giorgetto Giugiaro.

All three were born in 1938, months apart from each other. Fioravanti in January and Gandini and Giugiaro both in August. They were all born in northern Italy, in the centre of Italian industries. Fioravanti in Milan, where Alfa headquarter is, Gandini in Turin, where Fiat build their stronghold, and Giugiaro in Garessio, a commune still in Piedmont, near Turin.

The three are known for their long association with major Italian styling houses before they went independent and create their own companies. Fioravanti was in Pininfarina for a long time, hence his close ties with the best Ferraris from the sixties until the eighties. Gandini was in Bertone for fifteen years, in the process designed the most beautiful cars of all time, the Miura and the Stratos, and also the prototypes for the Countach. Giugiaro, perhaps the most productive of the three, was the chief designer of Bertone before Gandini joined, and after a short stint in Ghia, went on to found Italdesign Giugiaro, where he designed most of his works, including some Beretta firearms, most Nikon professional camera since the 80s and some Seiko watches.

Out of the three, my favourite designer, even though my favourite car of all time is the Miura, is Giorgetto Giugiaro. I especially like the Isuzu 117 and how varied his designs are. Can you imagine that the same person actually designed both the Mangusta and the Yugo? That Isuzu 117 was quite the surprise for me who grew up knowing almost all of Isuzu products are commercial vehicles, even though the fact that Gandini designed Renault Magnum was also a shock. But then again, it’s the most beautiful cab-over truck for me, so it made sense.

Anyway, here's the list of some of their other creations:

Fioravanti: Ferrari 308, Ferrari 365 GT4, Ferrari 348

Gandini: Bugatti EB110, Fiat X1/9, Citroën BX, Cizeta-Moroder V16T, Renault 5 Turbo, Lamborghini Espada, Lamborghini Urraco, Maserati Shamal, Maserati Quattroporte II & IV

Giugiaro: Alfa Romeo Alfasud, Alfa Romeo Alfetta GT/GTV, Alfa Romeo Brera, BMW M1, Nazca C2, Daewoo Matiz, Fiat 850 Spider, Fiat Uno, Iso Grifo, Lotus Esprit, Maserati Merak, Seat Ibiza, VW Scirocco, Toyota Aristo, Zastava Koral, Ducati 860 GT

Now, what about you guys? Is your favourite car designed by those three?  Which car is it?

2019 F1 Liveries, Ranked

F1 is back, Barcelona test is now finished and first race weekend is going to start in a week and a half. All the teams have launched their race liveries for this season and our motorsport otaku is going to rank them. He warned us that this list is going to be very subjective, so please bear with him.

10. ROKiT Williams Racing

Losing Martini sponsorship might not be that much of a hit financially, but aesthetically, losing Martini stripes is the equivalent of Masayoshi Son losing money during the dot com crash. Especially when your new livery looks just like some toothpaste packaging. I just hope they will rebound from this just like Son did.

Williams FW42

9. Renault F1 Team

Too much black. It’s not that black is bad, I like Haas’s one. It just doesn’t feel right. Half-and-half liveries with that much black is just a big no for me. And Renault should be more yellow, no?

Renault R.S.19

8. Aston Martin Red Bull Racing

After several years of only minor adjustments, it’s just boring. And of course, I feel betrayed year after year because they always have exciting launch liveries. Losing Rauch sponsorship is also a contributing factor for me, since their logo complements the Red Bull logo well.

Red Bull Racing RB15

7. SportPesa Racing Point F1 Team

They keep the pink from Force India's 2017 season. Don’t get me wrong, I would always love pink and white livery, but that blue is just a big no. Nice shade of pink, but that clash of colours is not for me.

Racing Point RP19

6. Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport

I love silver cars. I love Petronas green. It’s a no-brainer that this should’ve ranked higher, but again, they added so much black. And what’s with that black shadow around the green stripes?

Mercedes F1 W10 EQ Power+

5. Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda

Basically a red bull can made into F1 car. But there’s nothing to hate about that. I’ve always preferred Toro Rosso’s logo over Red Bull anyway. However, it still feels wrong for me to mention that redundancy in their name even after a year has passed.

Scuderia Toro Rosso STR14

4. Rich Energy Haas F1 Team

They have the right amount of black. It should be like this or only black trim like Ferrari’s. However, while I admit that their secondary colour is lovely. I feel that it looks too much like a John Player’s Lotus.

Haas VF-19

3. Alfa Romeo Racing

It’s great. I would’ve preferred mostly-red livery over this but too bad Ferrari has them already. The only downside from this car, just like the final two entry on this list is that I hate those black tea trays. Oh and I prefer coloured biscione and cross on their logo, unlike that flat white one.

Alfa Romeo Racing C38

2. McLaren F1 Team

Hits almost all the right notes for me. I love papaya orange, and that shade of metallic blue is just beautiful. And those triangles feel just right, unlike last year’s blue-orange borders. Too bad that black tea tray is a tad bit too much. Another downside? That sham ‘A Better Tomorrow’ branding from British American Tobacco.

McLaren MCL34

1. Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow

Great use of matte paint with just the right amount of black stripes. While I do love retro vibes from red and white Ferraris of recent years,  they just don’t feel right. Retro vibes should be kept for commemorative cause. I might not support them but this is a lovely livery, too bad that Mission Winnow logo getting more like a Marlboro’s chevron.

Ferrari SF90

And that's it from our motorsport otaku for this season liveries. Please comment with your version of the ranking if you disagree. Best of luck for all our favourite teams. Cheers.

La Jamais Contente

One name that has been stuck since I learned how to read and saw something about land speed record in a book more than 20 years ago. Record holder back then was Thrust2, or at least it was in the book. I’m sure the publisher were not aware of Richard Noble’s another effort to reach the speed of sound with ThrustSSC.

I thought the name is somehow related to the content of the car itself, and I was content with that conclusion in my head. It wasn’t until I tried to learn French a few years ago that finally know what the name means, “The Never Satisfied”. And the creator of that car, Belgian Camille Jenatzy was, indeed, never satisfied. Not until La Jamais Contente became the first car to reach more than 100KM/H.

Yes, it was a publicity stunt, one that created to sell more electric carriages of their own, not unlike racing scenes after the second World War. The record stood, though, for almost three years. La Jamais Contente, the first car to reach 100 KM/H and the last electric car to held the land speed record, until the record got superseded by steam-powered, petrol-powered, and jet- and rocket-propelled cars.

A simple, torpedo-shaped car weighed 1450KG. Powered by two 25kW electric motors producing around 68HP. It wasn’t much, but internal combustion engine of that time, have to be at least a 9L 4-cylinder to produce similar output. As we can see in a Mercedes-Simplex 60HP. However, even with the torpedo shape, aerodynamics of the car is bad because of the exposed undercarriage and driver. The car survived and is now on display at a museum in Compiègne, France.

Electric cars then died out during the subsequent years, due to increased efficiency of petrol engines and worldwide discovery of oil reducing fuel price, while range of electric cars remained. That, until battery development in 21st century finally allows electric cars to catch up.

Camille Jenatzy died in 1913 in a hunting accident. His car company never really took off, but La Jamais Contente would always be there as a cornerstone in mankind pursuit of speed, and last but not least, as the first land speed record holder that stuck in my head.

Sunday Morning Caffeine and Octane with the Instagram Famous Peugeot 504

It was an overcast Sunday morning when I started up my Bug at my quaint home in the suburbs of BSD. I had planned to get coffee with Ditto at my current go-to coffee joint in Kemang.

Many of you will probably already recognize Ditto and his Instagram famous white Peugeot 504 more than you recognize me and my Bug. Pictures and videos of it has been widely posted on the 'gram, but boy did it look, sound, and perform better in real life.

In this weather, he thought it was a good idea to have his car washed prior to coffee, so I tagged along and had the Bug washed as well at one of the many car wash places along the infamous Jalan Antasari.

The 504, christened Simba, apparently was bought brand new back in 1980 by Ditto's father, and had gone through the 80s-90s bapak-bapak mods by his uncle such as large Jap rims, modern Jap wing mirrors, a full body rattle can paint job, you know, the works.

After the car wash, we headed straight to Seven Speed Coffee. Simba turned heads along the way, and even did some skids past gaul big bike sunmori guys having breakfast near the Hooters in Kemang just to throw shade, it's a darn shame I didn't get any footage on that.

The skids had been made possible because Ditto has had his high-comp two liter 504 motor cammed, timed (courtesy of the legendary Saerah workshop in Solo), fed by a Peugeot 604 dual carb, and delivered those hon hon hon ponies through a 5-speed Peugeot 505 tranny and most importantly, ran 505 GTi one-way LSD's out back.

Soon after we got to the cafe, Ibi from Rideclique joined us in his Mercedes station wagon, a great investment to say the least, now that all the "car guys" are frying prices of any long roof cars, well, through the roof.

Ditto and I share a mutual stance on not giving a shit about what "experienced seniors", usually in the form of the more elderly car club members, have to say about old cars. You know how they all force feed others to follow "proper" methods on styling cars, and how everything stuck on the car is supposed to be immaculate, original, and by the book? Yeah, no thanks, om, we don't drive our cars for a "good" cause, we drive them for a good time, you catch my drift.

Having looked at and sat in - very comfortably, no surprise in that - Simba throughout the whole morning, I noticed that, frankly, Simba wasn't in as good condition as all the photos on the 'gram shows. It had rust spots here and there, there was a hole in his floorpan, tattered up interior, and the list goes on, and I love and appreciate that.

It shows that Ditto drives his prized car the way it should be driven, all while maintaining it along the way, he even mentioned that he was planning a reminiscence road trip to Solo, where Simba had spent its early life in, and I am one hundred percent looking forward to that and other shennanigans Ditto and Simba goes through in the future.

KendaRANT: JORR Jams

Have you ever driven around the Jakarta Outer Ring Road, and as you close in towards the TB. Simatupang section, and thought to yourself, “why are all these cars slowing down?” as you and all the other motorists around you slow down to a halt? Then as you inch your way towards the Pondok Indah section, the traffic speeds up once again at acceptable highway speeds, you let out a sigh of relief? I know I have.

After years of taking this route and analyzing all possible causes of temporary congestions as such, I have thought of two: cars hogging the right (fast) lane, and trucks and buses hogging the middle lane.

Let’s start with the former, we’ve all seen this. It’s probably safe to say there will always be a right lane hogger in the vast Jakartan toll roads alone at any given time, may that be some chick on her phone, or some grandpa trying to figure out where to take the next exit. If you’re not overtaking, nor are you going above the speed limit, it would be really cool if you’d just stay in the middle or left lane.

Now to the latter, the culprits who really grind my gear: trucks and lorries. Look at them, probably feeling all high and mighty compared to us puny cars, doing the bare minimum 60 km/h in the middle lane, leaving the left lane empty for a while, until the occasional below-minimum speed truck appears. It baffles me to think how these drivers don’t understand basic instructions that say “Bus dan Truk tetap di lajur kiri.” Short, sweet, and simple.

Combine these to together, and gradual, painful congestion on the toll roads is what you get, especially on elevated sections, where all these trucks tend to slow down and drop a gear in order to make the climb. So regardless of what you drive and who you are, please, for the love of God, get smart, stay in your designated lanes.