Classic Cars – The Mazda RX-7
Posted by in Mazda on August 8, 2011
Hailed by many as the most beautiful car ever to come out of Japan, The Mazda RX-7 took seventeen years of development before it finally appeared on the streets in 1978.
Without the perseverance of a team of Japanese motor engineers and designers under the leadership of Kenichi Yamamoto, in the development of the Wankel or rotary engine, this stunningly designed, high performance sports car, would never have happened.
In 1961 the Japanese Company Toyo Kogyo, later to be renamed Mazda, licensed from the patent owners NSU-Opel of Germany, the full rights to develop a new rotary engine.
The Rotary engine was named after its inventor Wankel and had no pistons or crankshaft as such, but consisted of a simple fuel injected rotor blade that span around a central drive-shaft that was connected to a rear wheel differential for drive.
In theory the rotary engine is far superior, through its simplicity in design, than a conventional piston combustion engine, with much less moving parts to go wrong and direct drive power output. Read the rest of this entry »
Maybach Wine – Yes, That Maybach – A Review
Posted by in Maybach on August 6, 2011
For those of you familiar with the Mercedes brand, Maybach is a familiar name. For those of you who are not familiar with the name, Maybach is the name of the absolute top of the line Mercedes and is graced with the family name because Wilhelm Maybach (possibly, depends who you ask, but we’ll go with it for now) invented the high-speed internal combustion engine in 1901. Further generations of the family have helped to create the first high speed diesel engines.
Ok, so the family has always been known for its attention to detail, hand crafted parts and the highest quality money can buy.
As you might expect, this is the profile of the perfect Napa cult winery.
Three years ago the Maybach family started to bottle its own wine from a small lot just above the Silverado Trail. Interestingly, perhaps expectantly they hired a winemaker, Thomas Brown, known for his minimalist tendencies and ability to allow the terroir express itself in the wine. I say interesting because this is also how the car that bears the family is often described by enthusiasts. Read the rest of this entry »