PSA: Bono wants cars to bring sexy back

Jonny Lieberman — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 18:31:00 EST

No, really. If you didn't know, U2's front man and Africa activist Bono is a regular columnist at The New York Times. And he (too) has a top 10 list to kick off the new decade we now find ourselves living in. Bono first smartly apologizes for burdening our collective eyes and minds with yet another such list, before then presenting his.

Items found on his list include: a cap and trade system taxing every individual's right to pollute, protecting the intellectual rights of movie and television studios, a rock star teleportation scientist and eradicating rotavirus. All good and/or interesting stuff, no doubt, if not a little, um, predictable. Which may very well be why Bono stuck his car-related concern up on they very top of his list. That concern? "Return of the Automobile as a Sexual Object."

In short, Bono thinks modern four-door sedans are lame looking and laments the fact that minivans and SUVs are so widespread (and dull). He meditates on the decline of the sexy family car, pioneered during the U.S. auto industry's design heyday, circa 1946 to about 1971. Where are the curves, he asks, before stating, "In Ireland in the '70s, it was the E-Type Jag that made sense of puberty." A line, we should add, that we'll be stealing.

Bono then goes on to muse that the problem with modern car design might the practice of "design by committee," noting that, "rarely does majority rule produce something of beauty." We're with him so far, but then he gets a little fatuous. Essentially, Bono says that since the Obama Administration, "still holds the keys to the big automakers," they ought to be injecting some, "style fascists into the mix." Among those mentioned, Marc Newson, Steve Jobs and Jonny Ive, Frank Gehry and Jeff Koons. Luckily, we've got some insider knowledge about that last little bit. Make the jump for a slightly NSWF explanation of why this writer thinks that Bono's wrong.

[Source: The New York Times | Image: William West/AFP/Getty]

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Bono auctioning his Ducati for charity

Dan Roth — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 09:37:00 EST

Yes, but does it come with the trademark wraparound glasses? And will your hair support the appropriate windblown mane of wavy locks? These are the questions you must ask yourself before entertaining a bid on Bono's Ducati 916. This particular 916 is even more special than your run of the mill V-twin Italian scooter with a desmodromic valvetrain and a host of racing features like a single-sided swingarm and underseat exhaust. The ownership of this bike has a quite an '80s-rock provenance to go with it. First, it was wheeled by the late Michael Hutchence of INXS, before being owned by U2's Adam Clayton and ultimately ending up in Bono's care. The Ducati is up for auction to raise funds for Riders for Health, an organization that provides healthcare to remote locations in Africa and uses motorcycles to reach those in need. The auction will be held in Birmingham, UK at the International Motorcycle and Scooter show on the 2nd of December. While a Ducati might be a rush to ride, we're betting that Bono gets off more on the thrill of sharing the wealth.

[Source: Luxist]

Bono auctioning his Ducati for charity originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 07 Nov 2007 09:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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