My next topic came to me some time ago in dramatic form. The shelf life of tires was featured on an ABC News info drama. I choose to leave the fearful drama aside but think it’s a topic worth noting. The video can be found on ABC’s website.

I broach the topic for the Bellingham Business Journal with the help of our ever present inquisitive customer.

Q: My father in law asked me how old my new tires are? I just bought them they are new, right?

A: Not necessarily. Like milk, eggs or corn chips, tires have a “best if used by” date printed on them. Only outdated tires could be a lot more hazardous than tainted treats. On the side wall of every tire is a sequence of letters and numbers beginning with the letters DOT.  For example: DOT B97R FW6X 2202.

The numbers at the end of our example are the week of the year the tires were manufactured. In our example the tires were manufactured in the twenty second week of two thousand two. Tires older than six years may be unsafe and should not be used.

A reputable tire store will readily make this date available for you. I recently bought a set of tires for my wife’s Toyota. The dates of manufacture; 0309, the third week of 2009 were conveniently printed on the invoice.

MMMM fresh tires.

Bellingham resident, Fredric Hood owns what might be called an Uber-Muscle car.  Cool Cats and Hot Gals don’t think of German luxury when considering 1970s muscle car era, but Fredric’s Mercedes Benz 300 SEL certainly merits mention.

In 1988, while Fredric was living in Anchorage Alaska, his mechanic suggested he look at a very special Mercedes Benz. So Fredric took the 6.3 liter Benz for a test drive. You might say it was love at first linear G force. The huge mechanically fuel injected, V-8 pushed him back in the sear at wide open throttle.  300 horse power was still a lot back in 1988, especially for a luxury sedan built in 1970. The Air suspension maintained a firm grip while the rear of the car gave a little wiggle as the automatic transmission shifted in to third gear. Even by today’s standards it will get your heart pumping.

“This luxury sedan from Germany turned in quarter mile times comparable to the iconic Pontiac GTO muscle car of the same vintage,” coments Bob Taylor, owner Master Auto Tech

What set this car apart was that it could cruise at over 120 mph carrying five people in complete comfort. The claim by Mercedes Benz that this was the fastest luxury car in the world along with its modest styling, make the 300SEL a real sleeper. The uninitiated who fail to notice the 6.3 stamped on the rear deck could be in for a surprise at the next stop light.    

Fredric kept the car as his daily driver and brought it to Bellingham with him in 2003. The interior wood trim is like new and the leather seats have all been replaced. The fresh factory anthracite gray paint and service and repairs using original manufacturer equipment parts make this a well kept true classic.

“It’s still a real head turner, especially among classic car aficionados.” Fredric notes and laments tongue in cheek that until he owned this car he had never had a speeding ticket. That horse power can get expensive can’t it.                                                                                                                         

The dusty but intact Bugatti Type 57S Atalante is one of only 17 ever made. It had a top speed of 130 mph at a time when most cars could only go half as fast.

The powerful two-seater car from the heyday of the celebrated Bugatti marquee is expected to be sold for more than 3 million pounds ($4.3 million).

It was hidden away in the garage of an elderly doctor who last used it around 1960. His relatives found it after his death.

British race car driver Earl Howe was the car’s first owner.

Hans Greimel
Automotive News Europe
December 5, 2008 09:52 CET
UPDATED: 12/05/08 10:26 CET

Toyota to cut bonuses

Automotive News Europe
December 2, 2008 16:00 CET

The idea behind the “Smart car” was to create a vehicle easy to park and short enough to allow “nose-in” parking. Its length of 98.4 in would equal the width of a regular parking slot, allowing two or three Smarts to park in the space as one normal car.

The project, started by Swiss watch manufacturer Swatch was nicknamed the “Swatchmobile”. The name Smart is an acronym for Swatch Mercedes ART. Intended to use innovative features (such as a hybrid engine) and be affordable for young people.

Origionaly known as the Swatch