Steamed Meatloaf And Other Delights: COTD

Time for our final post of the night and your Comment(s) of the Day!

This morning, Jason wrote about some fascinating details about a 1908 White Model L steam car in Monterey, focusing on how the dashboard is illuminated with a lantern. A Tangle of Kraken said:

What? No radium-painted dials!?!?

Phyrkrakr had a fantastic reply:

They didn’t exist yet, that’s how old this thing is. Marie Curie didn’t isolate radium as a separate element until 1910, two years *after* this thing hit the road.

Flyingstitch:

With a dashboard light like that, Meat Loaf should have owned it.

Rad Barchetta:

why is the rear license plate mounted at an angle?

An attempt to defeat early speed cameras? You know, the kind that mount on a tripod with a cover over the photographer’s head.

Ash78:

Cop chases car down on his penny farthing bike

“Where ya going in such a hurry, steam punk?!”

In today’s Autopian Asks, I wondered if there are cars out there made worse by having manual transmissions. Quite a few of you answered with work vehicles like pickup trucks or transmissions with vague feel and throws as long as a baseball pitch. I expected some to push back, but this reader-name-and-reply combo got me:

Rob Stercraw makes me laugh because this makes it seem like Focus owners cannot win:

Pete chimes in to complain about the 2013-ish Focus manuals being awful but if you chose it instead of the Powershit auto, it’s probably still working just fine.

Speaking of Ash78, I have to give you a second COTD nom today for your comment in Thomas’ piece about the M850i Gran Coupe:

Therapist: “Now I’d like to say three nice things about 850. Do you think you could do that?”

Me: “The grille is much nicer now. The rear headroom is the best of all the Gran Coupes. And at least it’s not one of those GT models, what the f*ck was up with that?”

Therapist: “OK, let’s not get off track, that’s only two things so far. Can you think of a third?”

Me: “Yes, at least Chris Bangle wasn’t involved.”

Bangle: “I’m sitting right here, dude.”

Have a great evening, everyone!

Top graphic images: Jason Torchinsky; depositphotos.com