Ford, The Survivor

"Savageduck" wrote in message
news:2009051520202050073-savageduck1REMOVESPAM@mecom...
Well since Ford is the only one of the Big 3, even remotely looking like a
survivor, here is a little salute.

http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/ModelA_0597c.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/ModelA_0604c.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/ModelA_0605c.jpg



A lot of credit goes to Ford--they got in financial trouble in the early
2000s, restructured, and now they're doing fine. Last I heard, they
actually turned down free money from the government.
Plus, it's my understanding that their line of cars in Europe is fairly
popular. Their mistake, as far as I can tell from my armchair, was assuming
those cars wouldn't sell well here in the US.

On 2009-05-16 07:48:34 -0700, "Matt Clara" said:

"Savageduck" wrote in message
news:2009051520202050073-savageduck1REMOVESPAM@mecom...
Well since Ford is the only one of the Big 3, even remotely looking
like a survivor, here is a little salute.

http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/ModelA_0597c.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/ModelA_0604c.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/ModelA_0605c.jpg



A lot of credit goes to Ford--they got in financial trouble in the
early 2000s, restructured, and now they're doing fine. Last I heard,
they actually turned down free money from the government.
Plus, it's my understanding that their line of cars in Europe is fairly
popular. Their mistake, as far as I can tell from my armchair, was
assuming those cars wouldn't sell well here in the US.

I have a feeling the US market will actually be more willing to accept
some of the Euro-Fords now. I think Ford was trying too hard to
differentiate between the markets and protect the illusion of the
"American" vehicle.
Leaving some of the current Euro-Fords off US show room floors was a
mistake soon to be rectified.
--
Regards,
Savageduck

Savageduck wrote:
On 2009-05-15 23:27:25 -0700, Savageduck
said:

On 2009-05-15 23:18:10 -0700, "David J. Littleboy"
said:


"Savageduck" wrote:

http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/ModelA_0597c.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/ModelA_0604c.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/ModelA_0605c.jpg

Huh? I thought they were black? You camera's got _serious_ color
rendition problemsg.

No! Model-T was the Ford of "You can have it in any color, as long
as
it is black."

This is a Model A, which was offered in various color options, but
not black http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Model_A_(1927-1931)

...but if you want black, I found this parked in town last week:

http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/DSC_0509.JPG
http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/DSC_0508.JPG
http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/DSC_0511.JPG
http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/DSC_0507.JPG

I found this parked at the Mount Soledad Veterans' Memorial:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3566/...e4b1ef46_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3556/...c5035e61_o.jpg

And again, at Mission Bay De Anza Cove:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3638/...eda89d9a_o.jpg

It's black, too.

--
Frank ess

Savageduck wrote:
Well since Ford is the only one of the Big 3, even remotely looking like
a survivor, here is a little salute.

http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/ModelA_0597c.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/ModelA_0604c.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/ModelA_0605c.jpg

Nice. It's very hard shooting cars in bright sunlight. Contrasts,
reflections, color shifts in the auto paint, shadows rendering blue,
etc. Why car adverts are usually shot in a studio with even-diffuse
lighting.

Is that a GPS on the dash? Wow! Ford was really ahead of its time!


--
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-- r.p.d.slr-systems: http://www.aliasimages.com/rpdslrsysur.htm
-- [SI] gallery & rulz: http://www.pbase.com/shootin
-- e-meil: Remove FreeLunch.
-- usenet posts from gmail.com and googlemail.com are filtered out.

On 2009-05-16 09:34:45 -0700, "Frank ess" said:



Savageduck wrote:
On 2009-05-15 23:27:25 -0700, Savageduck
said:
On 2009-05-15 23:18:10 -0700, "David J. Littleboy"
said:

"Savageduck" wrote:

http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/ModelA_0597c.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/ModelA_0604c.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/ModelA_0605c.jpg

Huh? I thought they were black? You camera's got _serious_ color
rendition problemsg.

No! Model-T was the Ford of "You can have it in any color, as long
as it is black."

This is a Model A, which was offered in various color options, but
not black http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Model_A_(1927-1931)

...but if you want black, I found this parked in town last week:

http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/DSC_0509.JPG
http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/DSC_0508.JPG
http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/DSC_0511.JPG
http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/DSC_0507.JPG

I found this parked at the Mount Soledad Veterans' Memorial:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3566/...e4b1ef46_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3556/...c5035e61_o.jpg
And again, at Mission Bay De Anza Cove:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3638/...eda89d9a_o.jpg
It's black, too.

Too Ford traditional.

Were you driving it or stalking it?

....and I call your black with my black at Morro Bay.
http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechut...40MorroBay.jpg
--
Regards,
Savageduck

On 2009-05-16 09:35:39 -0700, Alan Browne
said:

Savageduck wrote:
Well since Ford is the only one of the Big 3, even remotely looking
like a survivor, here is a little salute.

http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/ModelA_0597c.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/ModelA_0604c.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/ModelA_0605c.jpg

Nice. It's very hard shooting cars in bright sunlight. Contrasts,
reflections, color shifts in the auto paint, shadows rendering blue,
etc. Why car adverts are usually shot in a studio with even-diffuse
lighting.

....and therein lies the beauty of shooting in RAW.

Is that a GPS on the dash? Wow! Ford was really ahead of its time!

I was thinking that myself. You'd think he'd know his way around by now.


--
Regards,
Savageduck

Matt Clara wrote:
"Savageduck" wrote in message
news:2009051520202050073-savageduck1REMOVESPAM@mecom...
Well since Ford is the only one of the Big 3, even remotely looking
like a survivor, here is a little salute.

http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/ModelA_0597c.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/ModelA_0604c.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/ModelA_0605c.jpg



A lot of credit goes to Ford--they got in financial trouble in the early
2000s, restructured, and now they're doing fine. Last I heard, they
actually turned down free money from the government.
Plus, it's my understanding that their line of cars in Europe is fairly
popular. Their mistake, as far as I can tell from my armchair, was
assuming those cars wouldn't sell well here in the US.

Ford borrowed a lot of cash a few years ago as part of that
restructuring so the cash on hand (that they are still burning at about
1.5 - 2B / quarter) is not their own. They recently paid back a chunk
of that cash to reduce overall borrowing costs.

So, they have not been any more brilliant than the other 2 idiots in
Detroit, they just borrowed a lot of cash when they could.

That money was supposed to be spent on a variety of things, including
new model development, some factory re-tooling, marketing and so on.
Instead it is mostly being used as blood while the co. continues to
hemmorage, albeit less than last year.

Ford suffers from the same problems as the other 2 idiots: Too many
models, too many dealerships and 2nd class quality. The other 2 idiots
have been forced to address that (Pontiac is shutting down and Hummer
and Saturn are close behind). This past week, GM and Chrysler announced
nearly 2000 dealerships that will have their agreements canceled by year
end. (And the lawsuits are about to fly...).

I am impressed by the spec of the Fusion Hybrid, need to see what that
will really be like. The US co's do not grok hybrid like Toyota and
Honda. The Fusion Hybrid might be the turning point in US Hybrids, at
least for Ford.

What really ticks me off is the recent advert campaign by Ford claiming
quality equal to Honda. This confused the heck out of me until I found
the claim basis: the defect rate in the first 90 days. Well, whenever I
want to buy a car for 90 days, I'll certainly consider Ford.

The 4 companies at the lowest defect rate in the first 3 years of
ownership a Lexus, Accura, Toyota and Honda. I've had Honda's since
1989 and compared to everyone I know with all other vehicles, I have a
nuisance free life with Honda. They do not seem to break often. (I
have had a few things, but all minor and east to fix w/o going to a
garage. -oh, recently a problem with the EGR, bought the part and will
have it changed at the next oil change. Very awkward position to access
with my tools, so I'll let a mechanic do it.


--
-- r.p.e.35mm user resource: http://www.aliasimages.com/rpe35mmur.htm
-- r.p.d.slr-systems: http://www.aliasimages.com/rpdslrsysur.htm
-- [SI] gallery & rulz: http://www.pbase.com/shootin
-- e-meil: Remove FreeLunch.
-- usenet posts from gmail.com and googlemail.com are filtered out.

Savageduck wrote:
On 2009-05-15 23:27:25 -0700, Savageduck
said:

On 2009-05-15 23:18:10 -0700, "David J. Littleboy"
said:


"Savageduck" wrote:

http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/ModelA_0597c.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/ModelA_0604c.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/ModelA_0605c.jpg

Huh? I thought they were black? You camera's got _serious_ color
rendition
problemsg.

No! Model-T was the Ford of "You can have it in any color, as long as
it is black."

This is a Model A, which was offered in various color options, but not
black
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Model_A_(1927-1931)

...but if you want black, I found this parked in town last week:

http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/DSC_0509.JPG
http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/DSC_0508.JPG
http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/DSC_0511.JPG
http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/DSC_0507.JPG

Could you at least post these reduced to about 1600 x 1000 pixels?

You complain about Flash BW, but then you post monster JPG's that don't
look particularly good until reduced to less than screen size...


--
-- r.p.e.35mm user resource: http://www.aliasimages.com/rpe35mmur.htm
-- r.p.d.slr-systems: http://www.aliasimages.com/rpdslrsysur.htm
-- [SI] gallery & rulz: http://www.pbase.com/shootin
-- e-meil: Remove FreeLunch.
-- usenet posts from gmail.com and googlemail.com are filtered out.

On 2009-05-16 09:52:26 -0700, Alan Browne
said:

Matt Clara wrote:
"Savageduck" wrote in message
news:2009051520202050073-savageduck1REMOVESPAM@mecom...
Well since Ford is the only one of the Big 3, even remotely looking
like a survivor, here is a little salute.

http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/ModelA_0597c.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/ModelA_0604c.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/ModelA_0605c.jpg



A lot of credit goes to Ford--they got in financial trouble in the
early 2000s, restructured, and now they're doing fine. Last I heard,
they actually turned down free money from the government.
Plus, it's my understanding that their line of cars in Europe is fairly
popular. Their mistake, as far as I can tell from my armchair, was
assuming those cars wouldn't sell well here in the US.

Ford borrowed a lot of cash a few years ago as part of that
restructuring so the cash on hand (that they are still burning at about
1.5 - 2B / quarter) is not their own. They recently paid back a chunk
of that cash to reduce overall borrowing costs.

So, they have not been any more brilliant than the other 2 idiots in
Detroit, they just borrowed a lot of cash when they could.

That money was supposed to be spent on a variety of things, including
new model development, some factory re-tooling, marketing and so on.
Instead it is mostly being used as blood while the co. continues to
hemmorage, albeit less than last year.

Ford suffers from the same problems as the other 2 idiots: Too many
models, too many dealerships and 2nd class quality. The other 2 idiots
have been forced to address that (Pontiac is shutting down and Hummer
and Saturn are close behind). This past week, GM and Chrysler
announced nearly 2000 dealerships that will have their agreements
canceled by year end. (And the lawsuits are about to fly...).

I am impressed by the spec of the Fusion Hybrid, need to see what that
will really be like. The US co's do not grok hybrid like Toyota and
Honda. The Fusion Hybrid might be the turning point in US Hybrids, at
least for Ford.

What really ticks me off is the recent advert campaign by Ford claiming
quality equal to Honda. This confused the heck out of me until I found
the claim basis: the defect rate in the first 90 days. Well, whenever
I want to buy a car for 90 days, I'll certainly consider Ford.

The 4 companies at the lowest defect rate in the first 3 years of
ownership a Lexus, Accura, Toyota and Honda. I've had Honda's since
1989 and compared to everyone I know with all other vehicles, I have a
nuisance free life with Honda. They do not seem to break often. (I
have had a few things, but all minor and east to fix w/o going to a
garage. -oh, recently a problem with the EGR, bought the part and will
have it changed at the next oil change. Very awkward position to
access with my tools, so I'll let a mechanic do it.

I have been lucky with mechanical problems with vehicles I have owned.
My Ford list includes a Cortina GT?(just a lot of fun!!), a Contour,
which i re-contoured after falling asleep at the wheel after a 16 hour
shift!
http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/Ford_14.JPG
http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/Ford_12.JPG
http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/Ford_08.jpg (note the lowered
suspension!)
and an Escape, which my step-daughter from Hell has commandeered, and
has over 200K on the clock, and only a stone chipped windshield, tires
and brakes to replace.
I have also owned Subarus (2), a Datsun, a VW Beetle, a BMW 5 series
and of all things a FIAT 2300 which was a great problem free car.
I have become a Mercedes lover, with first a 560SEL, then an S600 coupe
(I loved that V12 until the AC compressor died and the $2800 fix and
gas prices goaded me to trade it) and now for the last 18 months I have
owned an E350, which has been trouble free.


--
Regards,
Savageduck

On 2009-05-16 10:13:48 -0700, Alan Browne
said:

Savageduck wrote:
On 2009-05-15 23:27:25 -0700, Savageduck said:

On 2009-05-15 23:18:10 -0700, "David J. Littleboy" said:


"Savageduck" wrote:

http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/ModelA_0597c.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/ModelA_0604c.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/ModelA_0605c.jpg

Huh? I thought they were black? You camera's got _serious_ color rendition
problemsg.

No! Model-T was the Ford of "You can have it in any color, as long as
it is black."

This is a Model A, which was offered in various color options, but not black
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Model_A_(1927-1931)

...but if you want black, I found this parked in town last week:

http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/DSC_0509.JPG
http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/DSC_0508.JPG
http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/DSC_0511.JPG
http://homepage.mac.com/lco/filechute/DSC_0507.JPG

Could you at least post these reduced to about 1600 x 1000 pixels?

You complain about Flash BW, but then you post monster JPG's that don't
look particularly good until reduced to less than screen size...

OK! OK! Mea Culpa.
I was lazy and was looking for a quick response for David.

BTW I have no particular personal issue with Flash, but I know there
are some here who have broadband issues, and I apologize to them for my
fat Jag post.
--
Regards,
Savageduck