Biggest Professional Football Event

2013 Lincoln MKZ

In some countries football is also known as rugby. In other countries, football is synonymous with soccer. But in the US, football is major sport, not only collegiately, but also professionally. And this weekend is the grand daddy game of the season, the Super Bowl®. It’s Super Bowl® XLVII (that’s 47 to people who think that Roman numerals are too archaic) and it will be in New Orleans, LA. AFC champs are the Baltimore Ravens®. Representing the NFC are the San Francisco 49ers®.

Many people get together to have parties on Sunday. There are pregame shows, pre-pregame shows, pregame analysis shows, not to mention endless speculations from former players and even animals that some claim can pick the Super Bowl winner. There are bets, beer, and bountiful tables of snacks for the fans. Then there is the game.

But amidst all the hoopla about who wins or loses, there is something even more significant about the Super Bowl – the ads. Who remembers the cat herding commercial or last year’s Doritos® fan commercial, the one about the missing cat and the Doritos® bribe form the dog? Those ads were talked about for weeks. For a 30 second ad, they are charging between $3.7 to a record $4 million each. Yes, they are sold out. Some companies declined to advertise this year due to the costs, but the exposure will be incredible. We’re not talking just in the US, but in at least 13 other countries.

This year, Ford is pulling out the stops with a Super Bowl ad for the Lincoln® line relaunch. They hired Jimmy Fallon to collect and review tweets from the public about crazy road trips. It includes an alien space ship on location in the California dessert, some turtles and a group of motorcycle riders – and don’t forget the alpacas! Sound interesting to you? You can check out a clip here.

Enjoy the game, the parties, and the ads. Should be fun.

New Mustang Magazine Set to Reignite Mustang Magic

Mustang Magazine Cover

A powerful new Mustang magazine, created by a dedicated group of experienced Mustang aficionados, has begun. They say their veteran staff aims to capture the excitement and spirit of the great ’64½-’73 Mustangs.

“As big corporations have taken over, they’ve gravitated toward late-model Mustangs and neglected the classic ’64-’73 models,” said Publisher Curt Patterson. “Mustang Magazine will correct that out-of-balance situation with a fresh, new look at the great, vintage Mustangs.”

One of Patterson’s first moves was hiring experienced editor, Tom Shaw. Shaw, like Patterson, worked at Dobbs Publishing, a highly influential Lakeland, Florida-based company renowned for innovation, aggressive growth, and taking on giants. Shaw’s extensive background in Fords, 20-plus years as a magazine editor and contributor, and reputation for quality photography is expected to propel Mustang Magazine to become the new leader in its class. Patterson has successfully launched over 20 new titles.

Patterson stresses that it will not be a rehash of well-worn themes frequently repeated in other magazines. “Every page, every component of Mustang Magazine will have to live up to our new, higher standards,” Patterson promised.

Tapping into the high-spirited excitement of the original Mustang is what Mustang Magazine is all about. The first issue has already been printed. It features a guest editorial by Larry Dobbs; some great articles on Mustangs like a 1965 K-GT, a 1969 Boss 302, a 1967 Mustang Restomod; and more. The photography is great.

They are offering you a free issue on their web site, or you can subscribe online.

Need more info? Check it out at www.mustangmagazineonline.com

Happy Birthday, Ford Falcon!

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 50 years since the Ford Falcon made its debut in the fall of 1959. In fact it was on this very day. It’s strange to have watched these little cars change over the years.

From 1960-63 they stayed the cheap little compact car.

Then in 1964-65, the bodies changed and the car had more stylish good looks. You could get sedans, hardtops, convertibles, Rancheros, station wagons, or a sedan delivery! The choices were almost endless.

Then came the 1966-69 Falcon. It was kinda crossed between a Falcon and Fairlane. Ford only offered 6-cylinder, 289 and 302 in these cars. I don’t know why they didn’t offer a big block option. I think that would have been great. Don’t you?

It’s a shame the Falcon didn’t last longer than it did. But then again, if they hadn’t made them they would not have made the Mustang since the Mustang was based off the Falcon.

Now if you ever visit Australia you can still see new Ford Falcons over there. They are really neat! At least somebody is keeping the Falcons from becoming extinct.

So the next time you go to a car show , drag races or even a cruise-in, keep your eyes wide open because you may just see some of that classic Ford history rolling right pass you!

So on behalf of myself, Auto Krafters and all Ford fans….HAPPY 50th BIRTHDAY!

Summer, Children and Hot Cars

Summer time temps can lead to even hotter car interiors.

I want to take a moment to remind people that summer is almost here and in some places has arrived already. Your car is equivalent to an oven when the sun is out. Open your car door on a summer day and it feels as though you just opened the door to a blast furnace. It doesn’t matter if it’s even 65 degrees out, your car’s internal temperature can reach alarming and deadly temperatures, even in the shade. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “a locked car sitting in the summer sun quickly turns into an oven,” and “temperatures can climb from 78 degrees to 100 degrees in just three minutes, to 125 degrees in 6-8 minutes.” That’s only 3 minutes to go from 78 degrees to 100 degrees, people. 3 minutes – time enough to run inside a store to grab a gallon of milk… time enough to drop off a bill inside the utility company’s office. Imagine what just 3 minutes can do to a child – time enough to send your child’s temperature soaring, leading to heat stroke, dehydration, seizures, stroke, and even death. But it’s only a moment, you say. It’s a lifetime to them.

I don’t know how many times I have seen this same act repeated year after year. Every summer there are stories reported about parents doing exactly that. And it’s not just the idea of leaving them in there to run an errand. Unfortunately, sometimes it is forgetting the child is in the back seat, thinking that the other parent has taken the child inside, or even a child getting into an unlocked car to hide. Sure, you may say it will never happen to you, but so many others have said the same thing only to wind up grieving at the loss of a child.

I read one of the most heart-wrenching stories from the Washington Post, Fatal Distraction. I highly recommend all child-care givers read it. Hopefully it will stick in your mind and make you more vigilant. Here’s the link. Keep some tissues around, you’ll need them.

Here are some safety tips this year from Vincent Iannelli, M.D.:
• don’t leave kids in a car, which can quickly heat up, especially on a hot, sunny day
• always lock your car and secure the keys so that your kids can’t get to them
• warn your kids about playing in the car by themselves without adult supervision
• install a trunk release mechanism, so that they can’t get trapped in the trunk
• get your kids out of the car first, and then worry about getting the groceries, etc., out of the car when you get home
• make sure that child-care providers and day-care workers have a plan to make sure that kids aren’t left in the day-care provider’s car or van

If you are afraid that you might leave your sleeping infant or toddler in their car seat when you get out of the car, place a reminder on the dashboard or do as some parents do and put a teddy bear on the passenger seat of the vehicle when the child is in the back seat. They say it makes a great reminder. Some parents even make sure that they put their briefcase, purse, cell phone or other reminder in the back seat when they have their child in the car. It forces them to look in the back seat.

Also be on alert for cars that might have an unattended child left inside. If you see a child alone in a car, be sure to call 911 and help make sure the child gets out as soon as possible.

If you think it’s OK to leave your child in the car while you run that quick errand as long as the air conditioner is running, think again. Your child becomes an easy target for kidnappers; your child may put your car into drive; or if your car has power windows, they could even get themselves caught in it. Take your kids inside, even if you think it’s only going to be a few minutes. In fact, don’t ever leave your kids alone in the car. It’s not safe and it is actually against the law in many states.

Here is a site with some great public service announcements and information on hyperthermia: kidsandcars.org
They also have some great tips for parents or other care-givers. Check them out.

One of these years, I hope that there will be a summer where news channels will actually say, “this year, there were no reported deaths of children due to overheating in a car, truck, or van.” One of these years…

Presidential Limo

 Exterior view of the 1989 Lincoln Limo

 

It’s January 20 and we have a new president. Without debating politics, I wish him luck. If you saw the limo he rode in for the inauguration, you may think that the only cars used are GM. However, over the years there have been several cars in the presidential fleet – not just the one used in the inauguration.
  

Interior of the 1989 Lincoln Limo

 

 

Did you know that a 1989 Lincoln was used by both President Reagan and President George H. W. Bush? It was a beautiful Lincoln Town Car that sported a 460 Cu. in. EFI V-8 from a Ford F-250 Heavy Duty pickup truck and an E4OD 4-speed automatic. If you get a chance to visit the George Bush Presidential Library in College Station, TX, you can actually see one of the models.

By the way, you won’t see any of the current presidential limousines in future libraries as it is now policy for the retired vehicles to be used for security testing purposes, then destroyed. The last one to be placed in a presidential library was a 1993 Fleetwood which is currently shown at the Clinton Library. If you would like to see more Ford vehicles used by our Presidents, be sure to check out the Ford Museum.

For those of you who might be interested in flying vehicles, check out some of the new specs on the upcoming Marine One (VH-71). That is what I call an office in the sky.