Straightline

Former GM chairman Roger Smith and stunt man Evil Kneivel crossed over that big Snake River in the sky this week, so how about we head out on this week's drive around the auto blog block and look for something a little cheerier to talk about in the land of automotive living.

Congressional kingpins - would House Speaker Nancy Pelosi be a "queenpin?" - agreed on a compromise increase of the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards to 35 mpg for passenger cars by 2020, up from the present 27.5 mpg. No word on whether the measure will include burial benefits for the thousands of Americans who will die prematurely, thanks to the higher CAFE.

Readers of a certain age will enjoy this post at the Amazon Automotive Editors blog by Chris on one of the smallest of muscle cars, the Chevy Nova with a 327 small block fuelie for power. For those too young to recognize the Nova, just think of a Cobalt with a 5.3 liter Vortec and you've got the general idea.

Only Karl Ludvigsen could write something entitled "Car guys and carpet baggers." Go here at Winding Road. I promise, you will love it if you love cars. Also useful background on the enduring significance of the dearly departed Mr. Smith.

Head on over to My Honest Mechanic if you have a teen who is about to get that magic carpet ride, I mean learner's permit. Austin Davis has the details on what is involved on the insurance end of the deal. Bet you had no idea it could be so complicated!

Why do you buy the cars you buy? Frank Williams at The Truth About Cars reports on a new marketing study that shows young equals import buyer, old equals domestic buyer, more or less. The study also shows auto reviewers appear to have an inordinate influence on decision NOT to buy particular models.  Count me slightly skeptical on both counts. Not that it matters, of course.

Can you guess which car company inspired this line by Peter DeLorenzo in his latest rant at AUTOEXTREMIST? Here's the line: "Yikes. How can you go from being perpetually clueless to the
world leader overnight?"

Guess what's right around the corner on the calendar? Christmas, yes, but tax day isn't that far off, either. Only Kay Bell at Don't Mess With Taxes could cover both topics in one post. No, it's not really about cars but everybody loves Christmas and we all have to pay taxes, right? Besides, Kay does occasionally deal with auto-related tax issues.

From the Real Beefs Department: The Green Car Advisor notes a new UN study finds that cows produce more greenhouse gases than cars and trucks. Funny, I don't remember seeing that fact in Al Gore's movie.

See ya next week!