Unabashed Gearhead Gnarlyness

UGG Ferrari Friday

Here's a video of driftmaster Keiichi Tsuchiya taking a Ferrari 430 around the Usui Touge.

I am scared yet excited watching this video.  He's on the limit so much, with all of those trees around and no helmet or roll bar.  And 9,000 RPM out of a Ferrari sounds darn good.  You can hear the enjoyment and excitement in his voice as Tsuchiya barrels through the corners.  His visceral excitement is obvious, and it reminds me of the shouts I hear as my toddler daughter takes her tricycle down steep ramps in our neighborhood. 

Gnarlyness is an action-induced state of mind.

Commento del Pilota: Foust rallies the Subaru

Here's a new feature on Unabashed Gearhead Gnarlyness: Commento del Pilota.

Those of you who read metacool know that we have a series running there called "Director's Commentary".  The Director's Commentary is about design thinkers articulating the design process behind their creations.  It is based upon the very cool feature of movie DVD's where we can listen to the movie director commenting on why a scene is the way it is.  Powerful stuff.

Commento del Pilota is going to be a place to hear racers, designers, builders, pilots, and all other purveyors of gnarlyness talk about what they do, how they do it, and why they do it.  My big learning so far in the creation of this blog has been that gnarlyness is often a state of mind induced by action and dynamism; sometimes the object may not be so gnarly when static, but can create a sense of gnarlyness via the act of moving.

This first Commento del Pilota features Tanner Foust, ace rally pilot, drifting artist, and stunt car driver (and former pre-med student), talking us through what it takes to drive a Subaru rally car at the limit.  Rallying being a team sport, there's a huge amount of teamwork and behind the scenes prep that goes in helping someone like Foust get out there and rip it up.  And then there's the driving, and his incredibly quick hands.  Wow!  Be sure check out the video at the 4:04 mark... simply amazing.

Oh yes, the title.  It's in Italian.  If you have to ask why, you're probably better off reading this blog.

Forza Subaru!

UGG Ferrari Friday

Stuff that gets hot, greasy and routinely has the stink vibrated out of it as it makes a lot of loudness represents the quintessence of gnarlyness.

See more photos of this gnarly Ferrari 512 here at the Hemmings Auto Blog.

Thanks to Gen for this most excellent link!

 

A Ford to remember, and be remembered

Beausage is the beauty that comes from usage.  Usage creates stories, memories, and meaning.  There's just something about a mechanical object that's been there, done that, and seen everything that makes you want to reach out and grab the key and take it for a spin... just for the chance to feel a bit of the magic leftover from the amazing journeys it has made. 

Case in point is this 1950 Ford 2-door coupe, which I came across thanks to our gnarly brethren over at Bring a Trailer.   It's for sale on eBay. 

A veteran of the 2007 Peking to Paris rally, this is the real deal, a car that has gone the distance and lived.  Any 1950 Ford coupe is a beautiful aesthetic experience.  This one adds the depth of character that comes with skid plates, an oil bath air cleaner, and a roll bar.  Such is the stuff of gearhead dreams.

If I had an extra $55,000 burning a hole in my pocket, I'd probably put it toward a GT-R or a CTS-V (what's with all these hot cars whose names are only initials?), but if I was feeling crazy I might just plump for this tasty Ford.   

Wouldn't it be heartwarming to see this smiling face in the garage each morning?    

Rockets and the First Law of Gnarlyness

Being loud, fast, and potentially out of control is an essential part of gnarlyness.  Thrust to weight ratios greater than unity are gravy.  As an envoy of the First Law of Gnarlyness, rockets are right up there with nitro funny cars, Ferrari F1 cars, and, well, things that go boom.

The First Law of Gnarlyness: Embrace the visceral

UGG Ferrari Friday

Law of Gnarlyness No. 4: Be visceral

Law of Gnarlyness No. 3: Celebrate Workmanship

Gnarlyness need not be about metal or even fiberglass or carbon fiber.  A spirit of fine workmanship must infuse a gnarly object.  In this world, even a knit Ferrari can be very gnarly indeed.  This is why we dig the underside of a Galaxie rocket car even when it is standing still:

Look at the beautiful finish on the leaf springs. And at the triangular truss structure bracing the live axle.  Beautifully worked, mindfully executed. 

Pure Gnarlyness

Thermodynamics 101, brought to you by the warmup sequence of a Formula 1 motor.

If you "get" why I find this compelling, then... well, you're probably a gearhead!

If you don't understand the attraction of a V-10 motor spinning up to 18,000 RPM while shrieking loud enough to make ears bleed, then consider this a good example of our irrational fascination with technological aesthetics (where "our" means the human species).  We just love this stuff.  It just manifests itself in different ways.  If you're proud of your Prius, you're expressing something irrational, because the Prius is certainly not about an economically justifiable technology choice, no more than a Formula 1 car is. 

In the end, it's worth going back to Norman's Visceral-Behavioral-Reflective model of cognition.  This video is all about the power of the visceral.  It's absolutely, postively worth designing for, no matter if you're working on a financial website or a F1 car.