Crazy Daisy Tour Day 27: Tonopah, NV to Ely, NV

Another thing that has put Tonopah, NV on the map is the 1908 New York to Paris Race. Competitors from four countries passed through the town on their way across America. This morning we spot Steven Weinberg's 1946 4CV parked outside our hotel , the Jim Butler Inn & Suites(above). He is driving the same route as the 1908 race and is blogging his journey here. I'm sorry that we didn't get to meet him, but we wish him safe travels. (And you thought travelling across the US in a smartcar was brave!).
We visit the Tonopah Historic Mining Park (below) before leaving town on Hwy 6 for Ely. From their website: "The park encompasses portions of four of the original major mining companies and covers more than 100 acres. This rich history is brought to life through preserved and restored equipment and buildings, historic exhibits, video presentations (in our on-site theater), and a self-guided tour. All of the buildings located on the property are open for our visitors to enjoy."

Daily distance: 284 km Fuel cost: $10

Crazy Daisy Tour Day 1: Toronto to Whitehall, MI

On the road early. Breakfast at TA Truck Stop, Woodstock, ON gets us in the road trip mode. Spotted this 007 2CV at Cordeiro's Auto European Ltd in Strathroy where owner Michael tries to sell us another smart car (he's got two of them).
Border crossing at Sarnia/Port Huron takes about an hour and a half as hubby travels on a UK passport. No hassles, just a lot of travellers to be processed.
Check in to Super 8 at Whitehall, MI and the desk clerk says, "I'll put you on the second floor. The bikers are all on the third floor. They'll all come back drunk tonight and trash the place". We didn't hear a peep. Only evidence of bikers we saw in the morning is shown below.

Daily Distance: 625 km Fuel Cost: $12.98 CDN, $12.50 US.

France to celebrate the Citroen 2CV’s 60th anniversary

France is going to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Citroen Deux Chevaux, or Citroen 2CV as it is commonly known, this coming October with an exhibition of the car being put on specially at the Cite des Sciences et de L'industrie in Paris.
Visitors will be taken from the birth of the Citroen 2CV through the stages of its development and history.
Citroen 2CVIn 1948, when the Citroen 2CV first appeared at the Paris car show, it wasn’t and immediate success with French motorists because it only had one headlight, no starter motor and the car’s designer, Pierre Jules Boulanger, was forced to admit that it looked like an umbrella on wheels.
However, the low price of the new car meant that the poorer French people could afford one, so its popularity soared and soon there was a waiting list of five years for the Citroen 2CV, which was fast becoming a French icon.
The 2CV was economical on fuel and cheap to repair, and featured an air-cooled engine that was unlikely to go wrong as well as excellent suspension that made it the perfect family holiday car for exploring bumpy country roads.
View source.
With thanks to volksmith.

UK survey says screw hybrids if you want a green car

How many top ten lists of green cars to you know of that don't include the Toyota Prius? A new survey by Cardiff University and UK automotive consultancy Clifford Thames has come to the conclusion that the poster car for the environmental driver is actually only the 12th greenest vehicle. Number one? The discontinued Smart Roadster. And the Smart Fortwo Cabriolet comes in second. Or, as Car magazine put it: "A new report today exposes the real green cars - and there's not a hybrid in sight in the top 10." The Financial Times has also written about this story, but it's behind a subscription wall. So, what is this list and how did it come into being? Vehicles were given points depending on emissions/pollutants (half the total) and the "vehicles' construction, energy costs, recyclability and size," according to Car. I'll guess that that construction factor is the key in the Prius faring so poorly, compared to expectations. Let's hope this doesn't revive that CNW Prius vs. Hummer "report" again.

Top Green cars, as calculated by Cardiff University and UK automotive consultancy Clifford Thames:
1st Smart Roadster - 66.2 points
2nd Smart Fortwo Cabriolet - 59.8
3rd Citroen C1 1.0 - 40.1
4th Peugeot 107 1.0 - 38.6
5th Citroen C1 1.4 HDI - 31.3
6th Fiat Panda 1.2 Dualogic - 28.4
7th Ford Ka 1.3 - 27.5
8th Toyota Yaris 1.0 - 27.2
9th Fiat Panda 100hp - 23.6
10th Pegueot 206 1.4 - 23.5
11th Mini Cooper D - 23.3
12th Toyota Prius 1.5 - 23.2

View source.

Frankfurt Preview: Citroën C-Cactus Concept

Posted Sep 3rd 2007 6:31PM by Alex Nunez

Citroën can always be counted upon to show off interesting concept cars at the major European automobile shows, and when the IAA in Frankfurt kicks off in the coming days, the French marque will live up to those expectations. We've already seen the attractive, open-topped C5 Airscape, and the second Frankfurt show car is the green-minded C-Cactus concept. Named after the desert-dwelling plants that survive while consuming very little, the C-Cactus is a green concept that minimizes both the amount of materials that go into its construction and the amount of fuel it needs to operate. The latter half of that equation comes from its hybrid HDi diesel-electric powertrain equipped with a ZEV mode. Like sister company's Peugeot 308 Hybride HDi, the C-Cactus also delivers 70 mpg in the combined cycle, and it actually beats the Peugeot show car's C02 output, emitting a paltry 78 g/km. But the car's ecological approach doesn't end there.

Read full article here.

London 'CO2 charge' hit by delay

London Mayor Ken Livingstone's plan to turn the capital's congestion zone into a low emissions zone has been put on ice, Autocar has learned.
Three weeks ago we reported on Transport for London's plan to introduce a sliding scale tariff in place of the current £8-a-day congestion charge. As part of it, cars emitting less than 120g/km of carbon dioxide, like the Smart Fortwo, Citroen C1 and Toyota Prius, will be able to enter the city centre for free, while those emitting more than 225g/km of CO2 – sports cars, luxury saloons, SUVs and a great many others – will be liable for a whacking £25-a-day sting.
Autocar understands that TfL has appointed consultants to advise on how best to implement the new system, and how markedly it might affect CO2 emissions in the city centre. According to various sources, among them The Guardian and the BBC, the Mayor's plan was to put this new carbon emissions-based charge in place in spring 2008, in time for the London Mayoral election.

Read full article here.

(Photo: Cheshire Fire Service)

Citroen's 2CV is back!

The legendary tin snail is set to return - and we have full details
By Sam Hardy 02 May 2007

Here's proof that Citroen is set to come out of its shell when it comes to car design - because the 'tin snail' is back! These pictures show how a successor to the 2CV is shaping up. Boasting a thoroughly modern interpretation of the classic design, it has its eyes on the lucrative family car market. Based on insider information, our pictures show what you have to look forward to. Taking over where the Evoque concept car of 2005 left off (Issue 865) the shape is instantly recognisable and couldn't be confused with anything else. As Fiat has done with the 500 and VW with the Beetle, Citroen has followed the current trend for reinventing classic models. By cashing in on the charm of the original 2CV, the French firm is set to launch into uncharted territory - going up against prestige models such as BMW's MINI. With the same curved bonnet, slab sides and covered rear wheels, it looks just like the original 2CV, which first appeared in 1948.

Read full article here.

New-car sales dip in Europe

Oct. 13, 2006. 10:20 AM - AOIFE WHITE- ASSOCIATED PRESS
HELSINKI — Renault and GM lost the most ground as new-car sales in Europe fell 2.6 per cent in September, though Fiat, Toyota, BMW and Volkswagen saw sales grow, the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association ACEA said Friday.
France's Renault SA saw the largest drop, slipping 14.9 per cent in September compared with the same month last year. It sold 104,815 cars in Europe in September.
Detroit-based General Motors Corp. sold 9.1 per cent fewer cars at 141,551.
Sales of PSA Peugeot Citroen SA cars fell four per cent, while DaimlerChrysler AG only slipped slightly with a one per cent decline with flatter sales of Mercedes and a sharp drop at its Smart car unit. Ford Motor Co. was down just 0.5 per cent, selling more Ford models and fewer Volvos, Land Rovers and Jaguars.
Read full article here.

Citroen Considers Selling Cars in Canada

By William DiemWardsAuto.com, Oct 5, 2006 8:46 AM
PARIS – Automobiles Citroen may use Canada as its beachhead into North America.
“If we can homologate our cars in Canada, it’s a potential,” says Frederic Banzet, vice-president-international sales. “We’re looking at it.”
Canada’s rules on automotive homologation are not as strict as those in the U.S., and cars such as the Smart Fortwo and the GM Daewoo Auto & Technology Co.–built Chevrolet Epica and Optra are sold there but not in the U.S.
The Canadian market absorbs about 1.6 million light vehicles per year, of which a little more than half are passenger cars, the sector in which Citroen would compete. The French auto maker won’t have a cross/utility vehicle to sell until next year.
Well-established generalists that don’t manufacture in Canada, such as Volkswagen AG and Nissan Motor Co. Ltd., sell about 30,000 units a year in the country.
Read full story here.