AUTOGRAPHS: MIKAELA AHLIN-KOTTULINSKY

 

I love factory issued driver cards.

This autographed card was signed by Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky, and I think it's from 2015. It's one of my favorite pieces of autographed memorabilia - regardless of category.

She drove an AUDI TT in the AUDI SPORT TT CUP.

The card measures approximately seven inches tall by four inches wide.

Above is a screenshot from her YOUTUBE channel. Her YOUTUBE channel does NOT appear to have been updated in three years.

Above is another screenshot from her YOUTUBE channel.

Link to her FACEBOOK page.

Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky is fucking awesome!

Vi ses.

NOTE: This was originally posted on one of my deleted blogs.

ICM MODELS FACTORY HIT BY RUSSIAN MILITARY

 

NOTE: This was originally posted on one of my deleted blogs in 2025.

In August, the ICM MODELS factory got partially destroyed by the Russian military. ICM posted an account of what occurred on their official FACEBOOK page. Someone at my local hobby shop told me about it last week.

I know this news is a little late, but I do NOT have a FACEBOOK account - and I do NOT plan on getting one.

El hijo de puta PUTIN, and his mushroom-dicked boyfriend TRUMP can burn in hell.

Slava Ukraini!, ¡Viva Ucrania!, long live Ukraine!

¡Viva Volodymyr Zelenskyy!

Long live Volodymyr Zelenskyy!

Above are two ICM kits from my stash.

Please support ICM MODELS, by purchasing their kits at your local hobby shop, or by ordering from an online shop!

Some of their official links are listed below...

ICM MODELS WEBSITE

ICM MODELS YOUTUBE

ICM MODELS FACEBOOK

CARS IN CINEMA: TAKE ME HOME TONIGHT (2011)

 

TAKE ME HOME TONIGHT is an ABSURD ROM-COM. So, why did I watch it? Several reasons, one is Anna Faris, another is Teresa Palmer and the last is a pristine red colored Plymouth Reliant (1985-1989 facelifted version).

Above is the cover of the 1985 Plymouth Reliant brochure.

I miss simple, reliable and affordable cars!

The character played by Anna Faris owns the Plymouth.

Both Ms. Faris and Ms. Palmer do a great job in this ridiculous film and they also look great.

As for the movie.... Oh, my secret shame is no longer secret. I grudgingly admit that I like this movie.

Every so often, we all need a mental vacation. I called it ABSURD, because that's what it is. However, its absurdity works for it, not against it.

For over an hour I got to travel to another place, and while I was there, I got to laugh at stupid people.

It feels good to laugh.

NOTE: This was originally posted on one of my deleted blogs.

MAGAZINES: CAR (September 2025)

Above is the cover for the September 2025 issue of CAR MAGAZINE (England).

There aren't very many new car magazines left in the United States, and digital car magazines are as desirable as digital toilet paper!

Most of the automotive magazines in print domestically are geared towards vintage cars. Here in the U.S., MOTOR TREND appears to be the only new car magazine left in print.... How sad is that?

From what I've been told it's only published FOUR times a year! Well, I haven't seen an issue at my local bookstore since early 2025.

Anyway, back to CAR MAGAZINE. Back in the eighties and early nineties, I used to purchase it on a regular basis. It seemed to be three times thicker than it is now, and printed on better quality paper. Plus, it was far less expensive. Now it cost as much as a book! 

I also used to buy, AUTOCAR (England), AUTOPISTA (Spain), AUTO MOTOR UND SPORT (Germany), CAR GRAPHIC (Japan), QUATTRORUOTE (Italy), and many others.

The September issue has mostly cars in it. Thankfully, NOT too many crossovers are on it's pages.

For me, the highlights of this issue are, pages 26 to 33 (Mercedes Benz CLA), pages 44 to 47 (Aston Martin Vanquish Volante), pages 54 to 65 (Ferrari F80), pages 98 to 107 (Lamborghini Temerario), and pages 118 to 119 (Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport). 

FYI: There are only three manufacturer advertisements in this issue. They are for the Lexus NX, Porsche Cayenne, and the Cupra Terramar... All of them are CROSSOVERS! This and high prices are just two of the reasons people are buying VINTAGE CARS, and learning auto mechanics!

Above is a screenshot of the FERRARI F80 from CAR MAGAZINE's YOUTUBE channel.

Above is another screenshot of the FERRARI F80 from CAR MAGAZINE's YOUTUBE channel.

Above is a screenshot of the LAMBORGHINI TEMERARIO from CAR MAGAZINE's YOUTUBE channel.

Above is another screenshot of the LAMBORGHINI TEMERARIO from CAR MAGAZINE's YOUTUBE channel.

Below are links to CAR MAGAZINE....

CAR MAGAZINE WEBSITE

CAR MAGAZINE YOUTUBE CHANNEL

NOTE: This was originally posted on one of my deleted blogs.

BOOKS: THE YUGO THE RISE AND FALL OF THE WORST CAR IN HISTORY

NOTE: This was originally posted on one of my deleted blogs.

THE YUGO THE RISE AND FALL OF THE WORST CAR IN HISTORY - This was a quick read. I really enjoyed this book. The title is sensationalistic and false, and that initially put me off. But, I was willing to take a chance, and I'm happy I did.

This book covers a lot of territory, such as Malcolm Bricklin, banks / savings and loans, the BRICKLIN coupe, people doing business without money, the way communist countries did business with capitalist countries, marketing, and more.

Believe it or not, even Henry Kissinger played a part in ZASTAVA's adventures in U.S.

The first importer of YUGOS into the United States Miroslav Kefurt Jr is also mentioned, but curiously I do not remember any mention of him being accused of murdering his parents.

Below are quotes from newspaper reports concerning the accusations against Mr. Kefurt.....

"AGOURA MAN ARRAIGNED AFTER PARENTS' DEATH"

"A 24-year-old Agoura man who allegedly stabbed his parents to death following a family argument was arraigned on murder charges at Malibu Municipal court"

"MISTRAIL DECLARED IN KNIFE SLAYINGS"

"The case was held up for three years by appeals court battles over charges that some evidence was illegally obtained"

"CHARGES DROPPED IN SLAYING OF COUPLE"

"The district attorney's office dropped murder charges Monday against a 27-year-old Sun Valley man accused of knifing his mother and father to death in their Agoura home more than three years ago"

"The son insisted that he was trying to come to the aid of his mother and had to kill his father in self-defense"

Above are photos I took at a couple of auto shows in Los Angeles.

I saw the first Zastava Yugos imported into the United States at the LOS ANGELES AUTO EXPO. Do NOT confuse AUTO EXPO with the LOS ANGELES AUTO SHOW.

FYI... The men running the YUGO and BITTER booths did not have anything complimentary to say about each other's products.

Does anyone out there remember the diesel engined OLDSMOBILES, or the CADILLAC's equipped with the V-8-6-4 motor?... Can you say, OVERPRICED LEMONs? They were far more expensive and the quality was worse than any YUGO.

Think about all those new EXPENSIVE JAGUARs, MASERATIs, LAND ROVERs, and other HIGHLY UNRELIABLE makes. People should make jokes about those makes and models. At least YUGOs were LOW PRICED!

FYI - The UGLY FIAT 500L was allegedly built in the former ZASTAVA factory that made YUGOs. This info is NOT in the book, because it was published before this troll of an automobile went on sale. 

My only major complaint about this book is that it needs more photos, a lot more!

Video screenshots from YOUTUBE.

Video screenshots from YOUTUBE.

Video screenshots from YOUTUBE.

BOOK INFO BELOW.....

ISBN - 9780809098958

PUBLISHER - Hill and Wang

WRITER - Jason Vuic

SOFTcover

PAGES - Over 262

PHOTOS / ART - Yes, a 'photo-shop' type cover. Plus, an eight page photo section with eighteen black and white photos

PRICE - $3.95

OBTAINED AT - HAMILTON BOOK.COM

VEHICLES: BAD BUNNY's FORD F-SERIES

I think the F-series pick-up from the BAD BUNNY super bowl show dates from the early seventies. However, I can NOT confirm this as fact.

I like the two tone paint job.

I miss inexpensive to buy, inexpensive to maintain and reliable vehicles.

There are plenty of original brochures and original factory issued postcards of this vehicle for sale all over the internet.

There are also a bunch of new and out-of-print books that have been published.

Don't forget about true scale model kits. MOEBIUS MODELS makes plastic kits of this era of F-series. You can find these kits at online shops like HOBBYLINC.

If you're looking to buy parts to restore your F-series or buy a vintage F-series, then try looking through a copy of HEMMINGS MOTOR NEWS. It's the BEST domestic magazine for vintage vehicles.

Just for the record, I could care less about the game. I tuned in to watch BAD BUNNY and I was overwhelmed by the absolute JOY it brought me and countless others.

I am truly in awe at the amount of work that went into creating that set, and the precision of the performers and camera crew. The show was incredible, and everyone that was involved has my sincerest respect.