the top 10 largest international car corporations in 2016, but PSA just bought Opel, and switched up the list

Toyota Motor.
Volkswagen Group.
General Motors.
Renault-Nissan Alliance.
Hyundai Motor Group.
Ford Motor.
Fiat-Chrysler.
Honda Motor.
PSA Peugeot-Citroën
Suzuki

https://www.tharawat-magazine.com/facts/10-largest-car-companies/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/bertelschmitt/2016/01/27/nice-try-vw-toyota-again-worlds-largest-automaker/#785d03604165

Peugeot was nearly bankrupt in 2014, and was bailed out by the French govt and the Dongfeng car maker, each of them are 14% owners, along with the Peugeot family

but just this week PSA bought Opel and Vauxall from GM, as it's been losing money in Europe since 1999

Now VW is the biggest in Europe and PSA is 2nd

http://www.automobilemag.com/news/gm-sells-opel-2-3-billion-deal/

editting on this video is the worst, but hell, if you have a few minutes - the top 10 stadium flyovers

Motor Trend 2017 Power List, has only two racecar drivers, Ken Block, and F1 World Champ Lewis Hamilton, out of their 50 most influential people in the car industry.

It doesn’t matter if he jumps the shark—or does donuts around it. Block’s stunts are becoming more predictable yet also more insane. He shows no signs of losing his millions of followers on YouTube or his Gymkhana partnership with Ford, which draws an all-important young audience. You know you’ve made it when millions watch parody videos of your antics.

http://www.motortrend.com/news/2017-power-list-and-the-person-of-the-year/

the biggest volume selling cars in America, 2015

Camry 361,111
Corolla 306,693
Accord 294,935
Altima 283,372
Civic 277,538
Fusion 255,143
Elantra 209830
Cruze 193680
Focus 180,287
Sonata 173,751
http://www.caranddriver.com/flipbook/10-most-cars-here-are-the-bestselling-cars-in-america-for-2015#1

top 10 celebs and movie stars that started working as truck drivers

Sean Connery
Richard Pryer - left schooling at 8th grade, drove truck, then joined the Army
Liam Neeson - trucker and forklift operator for Guiness
Robert Duvall
James Cameron
Charles Bronson was a truck driver in the Army
Viggo
John Force
Chevy Chase
Rock Hudson
Elvis
Boris Karloff

(and Chuck Norris' dad!)

http://cdllife.com/2015/trucker-life/7-celebrities-you-wont-believe-used-to-be-truck-drivers/
http://www.ranker.com/list/notable-truck-driver_s)/reference

for a tiny write up on most of these celebs https://www.returnloads.net/blog/18-of-the-worlds-most-famous-trucker-drivers/

Overdrive magazine's top 10 trucking songs of all time... appearantly, country music is dead, and no one writes good trucking songs since Alabama (1984)

http://www.overdriveonline.com/results-the-top-10-trucking-songs-of-all-time/

1) 6 days on the road
2) East bound and down
Teddy Bear
Convoy
Roll On 18 wheeler
Prisoner of the highway
Drivin my life away
Movin on
Phantom 309
10) Give me 40 acres

the 15 worst new cars, measured by J.D. Power ratings of initial quality and long-term reliability, rankings for resale value depreciation came from ALG, and Consumer Reports paltry scores for performance and overall value.

15 Smart for two
14 Scion IQ
13 Nissan Titan
12 Nissan Armada
11 Mitsubishi Mirage
10 Mitsubishi iMi EV
9 Lincoln MKT
8 Lincoln MKS
7 Jeep Wrangler
6 Jeep Patriot
5 Jeep Compass
4 Fiat 500L (4 door)
3 Dodge Journey
2 Cadillac XTS
1 BMW 7 series : Consumer Reports takes the 7 Series to task for being “a ponderous, technology-laden vehicle with ungainly handling,” and is included in the publication’s lists of lowest-scoring cars, worst overall values and most expensive operating costs in its class. Not to pile on, but it also gets a rock-bottom resale value rating from ALG and a below average performance score from J.D. Power.

http://www3.forbes.com/business/15-new-cars-to-avoid/2/

Hot rod compiled a top 10 most Awesome Fords, I think they missed a couple

I think they missed the 1971 Ford Supervan, http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2014/01/original-gt-40-chassis-under-van.html

A GT40 chassis and its  400hp 302 gave a standard pressed-steel Mark 1 Transit bodyshell a claimed top speed of around 150 mph.

the Mach 40,

unveiled at the 2012 SEMA  http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2012/11/most-of-cars-at-sema-are-impressive.html

and the GPT Special, (Talladega by Trepanier)

http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2013/11/gpt-special-rad-rides-by-troy-1969.html


any of these is more impressive than the lame F250 Hot Rod chose for #11
#10 was the Fairlane built by Pure Vision / Steve Strope (2014 Best of Show at SEMA)

http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2014/11/pure-vision-wins-ford-best-of-show.html

#9 is another "me too" Mustang
#8 are the prototype 1970 Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II/1970 Ford Torino King Cobra

which are Cinderella's ugly twin step sisters

#7 is the 1995 GT90 prototype

http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2006/12/ford-gt90-concept-car.html

#6 is a rear engine 1970 Mach One
#5 isn't even a Ford, it's the Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe 50th anniversary edition
#4 is the RS200, a European made mid 80's Group B awd Rally car that is unique, but you wouldn't want your friends to see you drive it, instead of a cool late 60's Mustang. It was never sold in the USA, and frankly, not really a Ford if it's not made and sold in the USA
#3 isn't a Ford either, it's a Shelby AC Cobra Dragonsnake (body by AC, scary fast everything else by Shelby)
#2 2014 Factory race car Mustang, lightweight dragster "Cobra Jet"
#1 Ken Block's Hoonicorn. Not really a Ford either. 4 wheel drive 850hp drift car.

http://www.hotrod.com/cars/featured/1508-top-10-wild-and-fast-fords-plus-one/

10 things only gear heads think are cool

Driving a stick shift
Oversteer
burnouts
handbrake turns
old cars
Blow off valves
functional aerodynamic body pieces (wings, air dams, etc)
knowing car stats
knowing a car make and model by it's sound
weight reduction
http://www.carthrottle.com/post/10-things-only-petrolheads-think-are-cool/

top 10 games for keeping occupied on the road

http://www.edmunds.com/car-reviews/top-10/top-10-road-trip-games.html

there are too many lazy list makers on the topic of ugly cars. Here's my take on UGGllyy and not a recopy of the same old AMC and Aztec basher list

if a car needs to look surprised, permanently, at it's own hideous design, this one scored the grand prize. The Brooks Stevens designed Gaylord Gladiator

photos from my older post http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2012/06/ugly-or-odd-brooks-stevens-was.html

 1954 Buick Wildcat II photos from http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z1756/Buick-Wildcat-II.aspx

How many parts bins did the GM designers raid to barf this up? Corvette body, Caddy dagmar bumpers, buick portholes on the fenders, no clue what they were smoking to come up with the fenders and headlights unless it was from Brooks Stevens "Gaylord Gladiator" 

because it contrasts so badly with the great looking Mustangs of 1965-1969 this 1975 by Ghia for gods sake with a half vinyl top, just kills my embracing the Mustang line of cars as "great"

and of course, so does the 1978 King Cobra. all Mustang photo from http://www.themustangsource.com/timeline/74-78/index.htm

the Stutz Bearcat II

 these images are from http://www.madle.org/ebclista.htm

 which is about enough to get your eyes to go on strike I think

1972 Stutz Blackhawk from my post at the Desert Classic 2013 concours

the 1970s Stutz greedy madness was pathetic, and reminds me that not even John D'Agostino could even pull it back from ugly

 this is a 1975

though he's done wonders for it, those headlights aren't going to go away. Photos from my 2011 GNRS coverage  http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2011/02/dagostino-customs-tackled-one-of-hte.html

from Wikipedia, this Excaliber Roadster didn't need white stripe tires to look worse did it?

the 1960 T Bird, looks like they cribbed ideas from the last of the Packard/Studebaker cars

can you see the Studebaker champion / Citreon  / 1959 Packard design above the bumper of the tbird? Ugly bumper too

these tailights were a one year only debacle. 

the 1959 Packard

 how did that T-Bird of 1960 not get pointed out as ripping off this 1959 Packard hood and lights? from  http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2011/08/couple-stand-outs-at-todays-annual.html

which reminds me of the 53 or 54

 did it really need the turn signal indicators above the headlights?

the 1956 Hudson Rambler station Wagon is never going to win on looks

 a cross between a Cevy Suburban, a Nash, and good intentions to keep car companies afloat

http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2012/05/have-you-ever-seen-1956-hudson-station.html

the Checker Model A

the Sir Vival http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2010/12/try-for-safer-car-has-had-some-strange.html

and worse was the Cornell Aurora http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2009/07/once-there-was-guy-who-lost-his-mind.html

this might be the ugliest. Yeah, pretty much nothing really competes with the above. I mean, with all the bull about the Pontiac Aztec, AMC Pacer or Gremlin or Matador, none of those are as ugly as the Aurora.


and then this sloppy lazy design

of course this was being driven by a little old lady. Probably been in a safe garage environment since the day it left the dealership lot

of the Olds Cutlass Calais... which might have been a "Well, no one's tried just an angle down the back to the tailights in a long time... why not? How bad could it be?"

I forgot the Mercer Cobra. http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2011/12/mercer-cobra-may-be-ugly-enough-to.html