Boyracer's Blog

1. First Diesel car in the world : Citroen Rosalie was the first production diesel car in the world. But the official diesel car to be sold commercially was the Mercedez Benz 260D. Both were introduced in 1936. The engine was a 2545cc engine designed by bosch was made 45 bhp and 2000 units had been sold until 1940. The Citroen Rosalie on the other hand had a 1766cc 10 DI diesel engine.

I often hear how my mother used to watch a lot of races on doordarshan(The only channel in the 90's) when I was about to be born. It has also been joked often that I didn't come to life with a slap to my back but by the vibrations of my Grandfather's AJS entering the Clinic's parking.



Jokes apart, it is also true that I am not a professional journalist. I blog on the weekends because it keeps me up to date with the information about bikes and cars. Also, it makes sure I keep things quiet amongst friends who warn often how I might not get that free cup of tea. Neither am I a racer. I have never raced a motorbike or car on the road or circuit (Video games are a completely different matter). But then one doesn't need these qualifications to love the art of motorcycling.

1. Norton Commando 961: Cafe racer bikes are still a rarity in India. But with the rise of motorcycle sales and popularity, hi-end bikes are finding many takers. Norton Commando 961 is exactly the bike which is not meant for the takers of Yamaha R1 and Honda CBR. Norton Commando 961 is more of a grown up and efficient competitor of Royal enfield bikes.


The bike looks like nothing on the market at the moment. While the Ducati Streetmonster looks a thousand bucks, the Norton has the charisma of a retro bike that is less archaic than the enfield and demands respect. The Norton F1 engine is a 961cc machine capable of 80 bhp and instead of being high tech, the engine boasts of the British spirit which makes driving cafe racers extremely fun.

Many might argue that the brand is not as well known as a Ducati for the same price, but all it will take is a drive on this Commando.

Automobiles have been part of history of every country since the beginning of 1900's. Sweden too had Volvo (founded in 1927) at Gothenberg And Saab (founded in 1947) at Trollhattan making their marks all over the world through quality engineering and providing employment all over the country. Jaguar on the other hand was founded in Britain in 1922 when car manufacturing was at its peak. LandRover was just one model under the  After the fall of the likes of Austin, Morris, Standard, BMC, Triumph, Land Rover and many others, what remained was niche manufacturers like Jaguar, Aston Martin, Lotus and Bentley sales of whom do not even touch 10,000 units per annum.Volvo was introduced by SKF as a subsidiary while Saab was introduced by Saab Aerospace as a diversified unit. Volvo was known for safety and Saab was known for its performance cars while Jaguar was a luxury notch above the Germans. During the peak of American Automobile revolution, Saab was purchased by General Motors (GM) in 1989 and Volvo and Jaguar were purchased by Ford in 1999. Land Rover passed through the hands of Leyland, BMC, British Aerospace and  BMW ultimately landing in the hands of Ford. The parent companies of both Swedish brands were looking to focus on their main stream business leading to the sale while the lazy butted Americans wanted ready made technology to be bought by their treasuries which prints US dollar bills 24X7. Jaguar and Land Rover on the other hand were the remnants of a fallen British car industry.


Ford was early to enter recession but Mr. Alan Mullaly had foresight and decided to get Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo off their hands. General Motors being bigger in size was also a more corrupt corporation. Directors took heavy pays and left the company draining it of cash and leading into bankruptcy. While Hummer, Pontiac and Saturn died, Saab did find a desperate buyer. A Chinese company named Geely which makes cars using plagiarized technology purchased Volvo while Spyker cars owned by an alleged Russian mobster by GM Vladimir Antonov and Victor Muller purchased Saab. Indian carmaker Tata which was flush with money and wanted knowhow in premium cars purchased Jaguar Land Rover. Now After Spyker cars has failed to revive Saab, Mahindra has shown interest in buying Saab. The concentration of power in the Automotive field has shown a definitive shift from the United States to India. Will TATA and Mahindra repeat the same story that GM and Ford wrote in the 19th century?

Following the post on Concept Motorcycles (http://boyracer.blogspot.com/2011/11/awesome-concept-bikes.html), Here is a post on the best concept cars which can change the way we see the roads today.

1. Chrysler Ecovoyager:  The concept car was launched by Chrysler at the 2008 North American International Auto Show. The Concept is a four-door, four-passenger vehicle that is simultaneously sleek, futuristic, and distinctively American. Its one-box design - and the absence of a traditional powertrain setup - allowed designers to make uniquely efficient use of the cabin's parameters. The ecoVoyager also mates an advanced lithium-ion battery pack to an advanced hydrogen fuel cell, resulting in a vehicle with a range of more than 300 miles that emits nothing from the tailpipe but water vapor.