I’m probably in a tiny minority, but I still think the 917-30 is the greatest vehicle of all time.

Takeoff trim is set manually by the pilot and does not move under any computer control until flaps are retracted.  

Actually, he does own a commercial transport aircraft and had a fairly close relationship with his crew, i.e., Chief Pilot of his personal 757.

I particularly like the introduction of port/red starboard/green navigation lights. Space ship!

Bullshit.  I owned an 1992 850i for 17 years.  Damned reliable, easily wrenchable and backed up by a support community that rivals any make out there.  Stop propagating urban mythology.

I recall Ohio subs used mapped gravity variations to augment their inertial nav systems to correct for drift. Completely passive.

My recipe for responsible car ownership:

High speed rail demands no at-grade crossings. Meaning viaducts that stretch for miles or overpasses and underpasses in the hundreds. It’s not the rolling stock that’s the problem, it’s the right-of-way. And remember, most trackage in the U.S is privately owned. Governments buying it from the owners is expensive.…

Having taken the Orient Express, Venice to Paris, 2 day stopover, then reboard to London, it’s a supremely luxurious method of travel with city center access. You can layover, which you cannot do with a ship, IIRC.

Another very noteworthy sonic boom was the last flight of the SR-71 from L.A. to WDC. I remember lying in bed around 6:00 a.m. and “ka boom!” as the plane blasted through the starting “gate” over Edwards. 68 minutes coast-to-coast.

Ah, memories of that infernal V-12 oil seep.

Hey, and speaking of offshoring our electrical problems, Arizona’s Palo Verde Nuclear Power Plant (the U.S.’s largest) is 25% owned by various SoCal providers.  Already Arizona is balking at California’s demands for more electricity, specifically their denial of Path 46 transmission upgrades delivering more power to…

I dunno. The back of a Bentley Brooklands Coupe was absolutely gigantic and those Benz CL coupes aren’t bad. High end coupes have seats that motor forward when released to allow entry. I’m sure LR would have offered the same.

The non-functional giant wing nicely complements the mass of non-functional vents!  Bravo!

Yup.  Singer has officially jumped the shark with this one.

Exactly. In both cases (HD and Ducati), it’s more a case of brand identity over updated technology.

Exactly. I can take the politicians here, but the dumb-assed locals that show up at planning meetings and protest everything drive me up a wall. Why the various boards and commissions give them a moment’s notice blows my mind. And it’s always just one or two people. The same people at every hearing.

Dude, the reason it’s 10 years behind schedule is because of the friggin Montecito locals. Memories of that stupid-assed stoplight at 101 and State Street that blocked traffic for miles in each direction. It took 30 years for everybody to agree and once the underpass was complete the locals were asking “Why didn’t we…

Absolutely sublime.

Does not attain E31 levels of design sophistication. Looks generic. Meh.