Great summary from Nielsen:

In the Nielsen Online March Automotive Industry Overview, we looked at key drivers of discussion within the industry and took an in-depth look at trends in unique visitors and automotive ad spend as they related to Facebook and MySpace.

During the past 13 months, a large shift has taken place between two social networking giants, Facebook and MySpace. Most significantly, Facebook recently overtook MySpace in monthly unique visitors and average time spent per person. Time spent on Facebook increased 187 percent year-over-year, from one hour and eight minutes in March 2008 to three hours and 16 minutes in March 2009.

The question remains, how does this shift in visitors and engagement impact advertising on these two sites? While Facebook’s ad spend has remained steady, MySpace continues to attract large-scale campaigns.

Among automotive manufacturers, Chevrolet, Ford, Nissan, Honda and Toyota, Honda led in online ad spend on MySpace and Facebook combined during Q1 ‘09. This lead can be attributed to a Honda Fit campaign that generated more than 600 million ad impressions on MySpace. Meanwhile, Toyota allocated more dollars on Facebook in Q1 ‘09 – the same timeframe in which Facebook overtook MySpace in unique visitors and time spent.

It will be interesting to continue tracking Facebook’s stats to see if the site builds upon its steady growth or if it begins to plateau. Perhaps more interesting though, will be if automakers begin spending more dollars on the more visited and stickier Facebook, especially as effective ad spend becomes increasingly important.

A follow up from our post about a car for Mark’s brother Facel Vega, prepared for historic rallying and ran in the 2004 Carrera Panamericana Rally!!!

Looks great, here is a test drive to the sounds of the Peter Gunn theme!

A great right up on a car Stirling Moss loved over at Jalopnik

Learn more Facel Vega ClubFacel Vega Club

Well the 03 REX is still going strong at 108,000. A completely new experience for me, for most of my life working for Auto Manufacturers company cars got moved to the auction block and  dealer lots with around 12,000 miles on them. For me about 6 weeks on the road.

The REX is a fabulous Michigan commuter care, fast fun, awd, reliable  but not that comfortable or frugal. So the question is do I run it on and on and on. Or do I take the value I have in it and trade for a lower mileage different set of wheels. Histronics out in the market demands consideration of the SMART or Yaris, but the SMART would require extensive modification, (hint SMARTUKI). To my mind a low mileage Cooper S or Honda Fit are worthy of consideration. Yes they are a step down  performance wise from REX. But  I am of the opinion that driving a slower car faster  is more entertaining than driving a fast car at only 70% is more interesting. I am reminded of driving Peugeot Turbo Diesels around Ford XR3is in Essex in the late 80s.

From a green perspective rather than a new car late used seems to make most sense. So what do you think, any other interesting ideas for new wheels

What would you recommend as an interesting performance orientated daily driver with stick for a 6 foot 6 with a 65 mile each way commute, all responses of course subject to spousal review and approval?

I talked with Mark the other night about the cars that should be on his brothers shopping list, (translation our vicarious list) the only criteria was that it had to be different, which means no one else in Laguna Beach has one. We talked of Renault Alpine, Venturi, Alvis, Gordon Keeble, Morgan Trikes (yes we did!), AC3000ME, TVR, MARCOS but then I thought what about a Rocket from the Light Car Company?

Now in production again 10 years after the originals were built by Chris Craft from a Gordon Murray design. Check out the video below from Winding Road, for those who love light fast cars but want to stand out from the crowds of Caterhams, Westfields, Spyders and Speedster a Rocket might just be the thing. It makes the Ariel Atom seem civilized!

A Rocket would certainly be on my short list,  unfortunately i think it would fall foul of my height. The Light Car Company site is under construction

The Light car Company

Compared to most people I enjoy my daily drive to and from work. It gives me time to prepare, unwind, listen to podcasts and inevitably see one or two interesting sights.

At one time driving I94 into downtown Detroit I would see a blue Honda S200O driven by a tall driver who looked over rather than through the windshield. I know that issue being 6″6′ many of my car choices are filtered first by what I can fit in comfortably rather than by driving dynamics or automotive lust.

Whether it was due to a complete lack of forward vision if the hood was raised or an appreciation of the true nature of convertibles that raising ( or remembering ‘classic’ sports cars of my youth ‘erecting’) the top was the exception rather than the rule I do not know. But rain or shine this car was driven top down. The registration ‘Nurburg’ added to the already huge smile on my face knowing that here was some one else who got it and loved their car and driving as much as I.

Two incidents reminded me of ‘Nurburg’ this week. Merging on to 696 on thursday morning amongst all the trucks and SUVs I saw a flash of red and chrome out the corner of my eye…. an MGA? Of course, I had to accelerate change lane, catch up and find out.

Yes it was amongst the commuter traffic into Detroit on a sunny spring morning someone was driving a red MGA, even better the top was down. The driver sat erect sports jacket and cap matching the style of the 60s roadster perfectly. Even the large wheel set close to the chest in a manner that would have NHTSA reaching for the smelling salts was held in the appropriate ‘ten to two’ position by hands clad in leather string back driving gloves!!!! The driver sensed my gaze and looked across and smiled and nodded in response to me. No vulgar thumbs up or whoops just a dignified recognition of our common bond on the road on that spring morning.

Thursday on my way home near Ann Arbor I saw for the first time a Nissan GT-R the current darling of the automotive press and blogosphere. As I had hoped in the flesh it looked better than the pictures I had seen which left it looking to me more like a pastiche of Fast and the Furious ‘aero’ aids to create a race car look for the road. Albeit across the median once moving everything harmonized. In motion the car seemed to metamorphize like comparing an ungainly seal on land compared to its natural element slicing through the water.

These two experiences so different but similar in the auto response that they generate are what this blog is all about, interest and passion in all things automotive. For me and I think for Mark too this blog is less editorial and more autobiographical. There are many many magazines, books, blogs, podcasts that focus on particular automotive subjects, topics or vehicle, but this is more about who we are based on the things that motivate us to blog. Be it modern vehicles and the state of the industry, classic or historic racing, our own memories or experiences, books, games or TV what you will get here is an insight into the eclectic minds of two family men who have spent their lives involved directly or indirectly with the universe of the automobile and everything that surrounds it! if nothing else it might help our long suffering wives understand us a little better- although as it was their suggestion we start this blog I have to admitt that they already know us better than we do ourselves. Thank you!

What could be better, the Stelvio, a Lambo, Aston and Porsche?

Yes I made it with my mother in law and grand mother in law from FL to MI.

Notable sightings, MGB and an E -Type, in 1300 miles I had hoped for more…

It was a surprisingly good long distance car, the seats were a little uncomfortable.  The shocking thing is the rain sensitive windshield wipers, not so much the function but replacements use a top lock system that clips directly into the channel of the arm assembly, saw a Dealer price of $80 for the driver side and $25 for the passenger for that price I would expect a trained rodent to sit on the hood and clean the windshield on command! Those prices make $34 and $30 from Tire Rack seem almost reasonable!

Or so I have been told…

The Lotus Eleven.

This car is not of this world.

Edgar Allen Poe said that perfection was not achievable in this life.

Well, either Colin Chapman and Frank Costin proved him wrong or they were from a higher place. Since Costin was no angel, we can rule out heavenly intervention. Yet, I still think that they didn’t belong here among us earthlings. The Eleven is virtually perfect, and perfection isn’t something we see here.

The first time I saw an Eleven in the flesh was at Mid-Ohio in 1988. I stood slack jawed as “Team Deep Steam” rounded the hairpin in what looked to be a highly polished UFO. I concluded that I had somehow stepped through a worm hole in Lexington Ohio when the Eleven seemed to levitate around the track.

Prior to this event I believed that Malcolm Sayer had a corner on liquid metal design, but here was a car whose fluid form upstaged even the great Jaguars of the ’50s. It even moved like a flying saucer. After some thought, I determined that the round shapes peaking out from under the objects mercury skin were not wheels…

…they were landing gear.

Seen on the drive home a lucky owner taking their 550 Spyder (replica I assume) maybe a Beck out for its first spring run…