The one and only quality about Scott McGillivray that I actually like is that he must have a penchant for full-size station wagons.
Luckily for Scott McGillivray, the creator of Arthur, Marc Brown and myself are working on a movie where Arthur and his parents own two of these: a 1978 Pontiac that they trade in years later for a 1984 Buick.
And not to mention the 1980 Crown Vic wagon that Arthur and his parents own that they later trade-in for their 1982 diesel Suburban.
Another Blue Bird conventional style School Bus on the Ford B-Series chassis & cowl with the Cummins B-platform engine.
1997 School Bus 5.9 Cummins – Colcord Public Schools Surplus
Source: Public Surplus: Auction #1522154
This house, a Ranch with over 3,800 square feet of living space (including the ‘Bonus’ space in the attic) could be doable as a house for my parents and I to live together with my paternal grandmother in “Early Life And Continuous Livelihood”.
The only modification that would have to be made in this particular house plan is the replacement of the 2-car garage with a 3-car garage.
The Volkswagen Iltis was the final Jeep-type vehicle produced by Volkswagen, coming from a long line of military vehicles produced by Volkswagen-beginning with the Kubelwagen, Schwimmwagen, Type 181/Thing; and the Porsche Jagdwagen.
The Volkswagen Iltis is, in many ways; a Golf adapted into a Jeep-type vehicle.
The Iltis’s 4-wheel-drive system was later transplanted into Audi models as the original Quattro all-wheel-drive system.
The idea to transplant Iltis’s 4-wheel-drive system into an Audi passenger car came in 1977, and it was the brainchild of Audi’s chassis engineer, Jörg Bensinger. Bensinger had found that the Iltis could outperform any other vehicle in snow, no matter how powerful. Bensinger’s idea was to start developing an Audi 80 variant in co-operation with Volkswagen/Audi’s Director of Pre-Development, Walter Treser.
The Mercedes-Benz Gelandewagen was the other contender for the German military’s proposal for the latest Jeep-type vehicle in the late 1970’s. Both vehicles were as equally competent off-road, but the Iltis had a lower asking price per unit than the Gelandewagen did. So the contact was awarded by the German military to Volkswagen.
In the civilian world, cost was the complete opposite for the Iltis and the Gelandewagen. A limited amount of Iltises were produced for the civilian market, all of which were very expensive and out of reach for most European consumers; while the 460 Gelandewagen was reasonably priced for the average European consumer.
The Belgian military was one of many militaries that had purchased the Iltis. Pictured below is one transporting King Albert II during Belgian National Day.
A video about the Iltis:
This post focuses on Queen Paola of Belgium.
Queen Paola is descended from the last line of the Italian monarchy before the abolishment of the Italian monarchy in 1947.
To be exact, Queen Paola was born in Forte dei Marmi, Tuscany, Italy, the seventh and youngest child of WWI Italian flying ace Fulco, Prince Ruffo di Calabria, 6th Duke of Guardia Lombarda. Queen Paola’s mother was Luisa Gazelli dei Conti di Rossana e di Sebastiano, a matrilineal descendant of the Marquis de Lafayette, a hero of the American Revolution.
King Albert II and Queen Paola’s eldest child Phillipe of Belgium is the current Prince of Belgium.
If I were at the right place at the right time, I would hack off the long hair on that young male Belgian lifeguard that Queen Paola is talking to in the pictures below.
These pictures were taken at some sort of “Blessing Of The Seas” event that the nation of Belgium holds every year.
It surprises me that the Greek Orthodox religion has had a significant presence in England since the 1960’s. They say that the significance of the Greek Orthodox religion in England is to pay homage to the tradition commemorating the baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River.
Perhaps, the population of British people of Greek descent have a lot to do with it.
Photo of Bob Lutz (then the Vice-President of Chrysler) with then Detroit mayor Coleman Young driving the very first production ZJ Grand Cherokee straight from the Chrysler Jefferson Avenue Assemply Plant to Cobo Hall, up the stairwell to the front entrance doors to the lobby area at Cobo Hall, crashing through the window to the lobby area; and driving straight through into the l0bby area in front of several members of the press eagerly awaiting to cover the new SUV.
A new SUV that was originally intended to replace the XJ, but Chrysler ultimately decided to keep the XJ in production in the historic Toledo, Ohio plant alongside the TJ Wrangler; while the ZJ would be assigned a newly rebuilt plant on Jefferson Avenue in Detroit. The ZJ, being largely designed by AMC and as aforementioned; the intended replacement for the XJ; became Jeep’s flagship model, and although only slightly bigger than the XJ; was powered by the AMC inline-6 and Chrysler LA 318 V8 engine.
Chrysler probably redesigned the engine bay ZJ to accommodate the V8 engine, whereas AMC probably designed it to only accommodate the AMC 4-cylinder (the inline-6 with 2 cylinders removed to create a 4 cylinder) and the inline-6. Had the ZJ actually replaced the XJ as the sole ‘Cherokee’ in production, this would have very well turned out to be the case and a V8 engine would have probably never been offered.
Also, if the ZJ had actually replaced the XJ; it would have keep Jeep’s historic philosophy of only having 2 models alive much longer-the Wrangler, the traditional, utilitarian Jeep; and at first the XJ and later the ZJ-the station wagon Jeep-a station wagon built only as Jeep could build it. This doesn’t include the MJ Comanche being on the tail end of it’s production lifespan as of this time.
I’ve never liked Indy Car driver James Hinchcliffe always wearing a lot of product in his hair, and nor do I like James Hinclcliffe recently wearing a hipster undercut haircut.
James Hinchcliffe should get a life about Hockey and come into realization that School Buses are more important than Hockey.
Just like how NASCAR driver Michael Annett should also get a life about Hockey and come into realization that School Buses are more important than Hockey.
Let’s get on the subject of the interior designer that Oprah Winfrey has made famous whose name is Nathan Jay Berkus.
I personally have never liked Nathan Berkus’s hair and all the product he has put in his hair. I’m also flabbergasted that Nathan Berkus now wears a hipster undercut haircut.
It would be nice if Nathan Berkus was aware of his entourage Oprah Winfrey being casted in the Arthur movie for adults as a friend of Arthur and his parents, and the host of a locally-produced talk show at NPVT-TV that emulates A.M Chicago and the other ABC owned & operated stations such as Kelly & Company, A.M New York, A.M Los Angeles; and A.M San Francisco.
It would also be nice if Nathan Berkus was aware of the 3,000 square foot Ranch style house on 13 acres of property in a rural area that Arthur and his parents live in has an interior with design elements of the 1960’s, 1970’s; and the 1980’s-such as wood paneling, some brass trim that was popular in the 1970’s, some gold trim that was popular in the 1980’s; and colors of carpeting throughout the house that was popular during the 1980’s-Dark Green, a shade of Blue called Cerulean, a shade of Red called Rosewood; and Tyrian Purple.
http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/nate-berkus-news-photo/78879657
My idea for a James Bond film takes place in several Commonwealth countries (Canada, Australia, New Zealand; and South Africa) and several former Soviet nations (Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan; Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan) James Bond is given a Bugatti Veyron (his main car), and an Audi TT to drive in the movie. Q actually advises that the TT will be beneficial when Bond is in the Central Asian nations because it’s equipped with all-wheel-drive and the car as a whole (being lower key than James Bond’s Bugatti, a Lamborghini; or an Audi R8) will allow Bond to keep a lower profile in these poorer nations, thus; lowering the risk of him being killed. Moneypenny is given either a Lamborghini Urus or a Lamborghini Estoque when she is pulled from her clerical position and put on field duty. The villains drive other Audi models (including an R8) and a Volkswagen Sharan. A Volkswagen Transporter California and a Volkswagen Caddy, both with the Westfalia are both featured as background vehicles camping and caught in the line of fire between Bond and the Villains. M and the heads of all branches of the British military are all transported in the SUV that Bentley (another Volkswagen Group company) now makes that is powered by a twin-turbocharged W12 engine whenever they need to be transported to another government building, such as the home of the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street in London; for instance.
That is, provided the producers of this Bond movie strike a deal with the Volkswagen Group to provide vehicles for this movie.
James Bond literally fights to keep the Commonwealth Nations within the realm of the British and the former Soviet nations under the realm of the Russians, besides fighting for the liberty of the people of the former Soviet Central Asian nations being able to speak Russian in lieu of their native languages. Militaries from the Commonwealth Nations and the former Soviet states assist James Bond in defeating the villain. M relays the constant flow of information he or she receives from James Bond and his or her “others” in the Commonwealth Nations and in the former Soviet Central Asian nations to the heads of all branches of the British military. The heads of the British military, in turn; direct troops to where they need to go in order to assist James Bond in defeating the villain.
The villains would be from a fictional terrorist group that consist of people from countries like Australia and South Africa who want their countries to completely sever their ties with the British and people from countries like the Ukraine and the Central Asian countries to completely sever their ties with the Russians. This fictional terrorist organization would be similar in structure to the Irish Republican Army.
I would have James Bond dressed in normal clothes throughout a good portion of the movie, and dressed to the nines for a very little portion of the movie.
Photos of the Gansu province in China, where my paternal grandmother would have likely traveled to along with Xinjiang:
A gorgeous picture of the sand dunes that was taken during the evening/dusk hours:
When Arthur and his parents travel to the city of Cherbourg, France on the Cotentin Peninsula in Normandy to attend a Ham Radio convention, they are given an CE90 Corolla wagon with the 2C diesel engine that’s in the same engine architecture as the C diesel engine in the CE80 Corolla 5-door hatchback of the preceding generation that Ed had given Arthur’s parents.
Arthur and his parents were given a choice of either the E90 Corolla wagon or a European Ford Escort wagon with the Endura diesel engine. Both cars are equipped with a manual transmission, as are most vehicles in Europe.
Arthur and his parents enjoy the quality time spent in this European-spec E90 Corolla.
In addition to attending the Ham Radio convention in Cherbourg, they drive in the E90 Corolla wagon to the towns of Auderville, France and Gatteville-le-Phare, France; to Caen, France; and to the islands of Jersey and Guernsey.
As this time was before the Chunnel had been completed, Arthur and his parents take a ferry with the car (E90 Corolla wagon) on board from Cherbourg, France to Portsmouth, England; and from Portsmouth, England is where Arthur and his parents drive in the Left-Hand-Drive (LHD) car to the BBC Daventry, England shortwave transmitter site to visit their friends over there. And then Arthur and his parents drive all the way back south to Portsmouth and re-board the ferry with the car on board to Cherbourg, France.
Once Arthur and his parents get back home, they tell Ed that they rented an E90 Corolla with the C diesel engine. Ed says “Yeah, they do sell the Corolla with the C diesel engine in the European market, although it’s the 2C now in the case of the new E90 anywhere else in the world it is sold with the diesel engine, whereas the E80 that I gave you guys a few years ago had the C”. “They also sell the E90 in the European market with only the same 4A engine as in the North American spec models and the E engine, and not the 6A or the 7A”.
Ed eventually winds up giving Arthur and his parents a North American spec AE98 Corolla GT-S 2-door coupe with the 4A-GE engine.
Photos of the E90 Corolla wagon like what Arthur and his parents rent while they’re in France:
The 5-door liftback version (AE92) that was sold in the European market:
The 3-door hatchback version (EE90) that was sold in the European market:
A North American-spec AE98 Corolla GT-S like the one that Ed winds up giving Arthur and his parents:
Another Rear Engine All American that was produced during the time when Blue Bird’s quality began to go down the drain, and when quantity over quality became the name of the game in Blue Bird’s business strategy.
2003 Blue Bird Transit Bus – Portage Public Schools Surplus
Source: Public Surplus: Auction #1519036
Matthew Parij 