• Buick GN and GNX will return
• Ford Fiesta gets new models, biggest problem still the Focus
• GM going after tires for improved fuel economy
• Popular Science thinks cars are some of the best of what's new this year

Continue reading Autoblog Podcast #310

Autoblog Podcast #310 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 28 Nov 2012 10:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Buick GN and GNX will return
• Ford Fiesta gets new models, biggest problem still the Focus
• GM going after tires for improved fuel economy
• Popular Science thinks cars are some of the best of what's new this year

Submit your questions for Autoblog Podcast #310 LIVE! originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 26 Nov 2012 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

For years, I never knew how the story ended. I've taken many hours of enjoyment reading the fictional exploits of Gus Wilson and his Model Garage in my collection of vintage Popular Science magazines, but this one from July 1968 has left me hanging. The mystery of how "Gus Has An Argument With The Brass" ends is finally solved. No, I didn't find the missing page that has vexed me for twenty years, but I have discovered I'm not the only one who loves these tales of diagnostic derring-do.

The Gus Project, put together by Mike Hammerberg, Don Miller and the flying typist fingers of Mary Viramontes, has archived all 529 stories online for easy searching and, most importantly, reading. The tricks and techniques chronicled by "author" Martin Bunn (a nom de plume for several writers over the years) may not be fully modern, since Gus hasn't appeared in PopSci since 1970, but many of them are still useful. Learning the fine art of diagnostics at the elbow of a master, fictional or not, is a fulfilling way to while away the hours, and thanks to modern technology, you won't have to leaf through musty, silverfish-infested pages. Pull up a chair and a tablet and lose yourself in nostaglia while learning a thing or two.

Classic Gus and the Model Garage stories indexed and posted online originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 09 Sep 2011 08:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Popular Science names Best of What's New in Auto Tech for 2008 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In the first half of the 20th century, inventors were kind of like the people with eBay stores: they were everywhere. Of course, there were many inventions that helped change the world, but there were some that never really took off. One of these unfortunate invention failures was the car vacuum. A 1932 Popular Science magazine highlighted this nifty little device.by saying:

"Using the exhaust gas of the automobile to clean the upholstery is the accomplishment of a recently invented device. An aluminum attachment is fastened to the exhaust pipe and the engine is allowed to idle. As the exhaust gas passes through this device suction is created at the inlet hole. Collected by a nozzle, the dust and dirt are drawn through the hose and expelled into the air at the rear of the car. It is made in three models, for cars of different size."

That's cool. By putting the vehicle's exhaust to good use this handy little invention was like the plug-in hybrid kit of 1932. Eat your heart out, Dyson guy. This thing never loses suction and you don't have to dump the bin once a week.

[Source: transporttrends.com]

The original car vacuum sucked originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 28 Feb 2007 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Popular Science lauds the VW Eos

Popular Science lauds the VW Eos originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 11 Nov 2006 15:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.