Modern Classic Beauty

While Angie Harmon got a lot of attention in TV’s Rizzoli & Isles  (and deservedly so), I have to admit to a sneaking crush on her co-star, Sasha Alexander.  And I don’t think I can be faulted for that:

More?  Why, sure…

And to be quite honest, I think that Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander were without question the most toothsome twosome on television, ever.

Feel free to disagree, but you’d be wrong.

Older British Cars

…that I’d like to own.  But only under the following Terms & Conditions.

Ever wish that you could get an old British car, but manufactured with modern processes like proper (i.e. non-Lucas) electrical wiring, proper (i.e. non-British Leyland) corrosion resistance and so on?  In other words, get a car that wouldn’t rust to shreds after the first rainstorm and whose lights, radio and windshield wipers could operate simultaneously?

My, how those choices would open up.  Yes, I know:  E-type, Lotus Esprit, XK120, etc. etc.  But everyone knows those cars, everyone would love to have one, and so on.  What about those that aren’t as well known?

Here are my Top 6 in this category (in no specific order) and as a bonus, in each title there’s a link to see why it’s there.  [warning:  watching all the videos makes this post a very long read, but it’s the weekend, FFS]

Lotus Carlton

Ford Escort RS Cosworth

Rover 3500 SD1

(Of all these cars, the 3500 would be the one most in need of modernized manufacturing, as the linked video will explain.  But I need a larger car, and this one fits the bill admirably.)

Austin Mini-Cooper 1275 S 

(Best comment is in the above:  “Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, James Garner… these guys all knew cars, and they could drive anything they wanted.  All three drove a Mini.” )  I’m not as famous, and I don’t know as much about cars;  but I too would drive a Mini:  this Mini.  Right now, if I could.

Triumph TR4A

By the way, you can see the TR4 and two other of my favorites of the era, the MGB GT and the Austin Healey 3000, here.

Finally, my last choice is an interesting one.  And it’s ugly.

Daimler SP250

I actually know the SP250 reasonable well, because back when Longtime Friend Knob was still Drummer Knob, this was the car he owned when first I met him.  And he could actually fit his drum kit in the thing, as long as he didn’t want to carry a groupie his girlfriend as well.

As ugly as that car was, though, I loved it — most of all because of that fantastic 2.5-liter V8 Daimler engine, which sounded wonderful and had enough torque to pull a house off its foundations.

But exercising my prerogative (because once again, it’s my list), I would want a Daimler that wouldn’t make me think of a surprised cod each time I walked into the garage.  Step forward, the later 1967 Daimler SP252 with its Vignale-styled body:


Same engine (as reworked by Jay Leno), same everything except a beautiful body.

I’m sorry, but that SP252 makes my heart go all squonky, like if I were to find Diana Rigg in its passenger seat.

If only…

WANT, TIMES 6.

Seven, if you include Miss Rigg.

Classic British lines, every single one of them.


Follow up:  Knob reminds me that he sold the Daimler to a buddy, who whipped the engine out, trashed the Daimler chassis in its entirety, and dropped the V8 into a Morgan.

Cold Hard Resolve

Of all the comments I’ve read about the Trump verdict so far, Bonchie (over at RedState) has the best take:

So now what?

Some aren’t going to like this, but the answer is to suck it up and do what it takes to win in November. Shouting at the sky, making all-caps posts on social media, and continuing to talk about how unfair everything is won’t move the needle. Trump was nominated knowing this was the likely outcome. None of this is a surprise. This is not the time to quiver. It’s the time to strike back.

This isn’t about liking Trump or not. It’s not about whether he should have been the nominee. There will be time for post-mortems after the election. Right now is the time to get up off the mat and do everything possible to make Democrats regret this for the good of the country and the credibility of the judicial system.

That, and lay in more supplies of ammo.

Because if Trump is sworn in as POTUS in January, the S may well HTF.  We won’t start it, but we may well have to finish it.

Quote Of The Day

From SOTI:

What is white American culture?  According to the Smithsonian, white culture is characterized by individualism, hard work, objectivity, the nuclear family, progress, respect for authority, delayed gratification, and more.

“More”?  Allow me to expand on the above and/or add some more aspects of White American culture (note the caps) because those soft pinkos at the Smithsonian obviously have a problem doing so.

  • self-reliance
  • personal responsibility
  • religion, or at least firm adherence to Judeo-Christian principle
  • respect for our Western European cultural heritage and its institutions
  • clearly-defined masculine and feminine personae, and their respective roles
  • protection of self, family, the community and the nation against all enemies, foreign and domestic
  • reverence for the nation’s flag, and the principles for which it stands
  • belief in and support for the Founding Fathers and our nation’s founding principles as enumerated in the Constitution and Bill of Rights
  • deep suspicion of, or even hostility towards people and institutions who do not support, or actively try to subvert any of the above.

…and that’s just off the top of my head.  And by the way, all the above are precisely why I left the country of my birth and became a U.S. citizen, a White American.

Feel free to add any omissions in Comments.