Gaywheels

If you’re a racing fan, you’d probably been following this year’s Fireball Run. The Run is a road rally, not a race. In fact, it bills itself as an “8 day, 3500 mile adventurally…. Teams use more brain power than horse power to solve clues and accomplish missions needed in order to score points and reach their final destination!” The fun began on September 23 in Henderson, Nevada, and it wraps up tomorrow in Galena, Illinois. Along the way, participating teams have had to compete in races and other challenges, all toward a charitable end: raising funds to help find missing children [...]

On the hybrid front, the Lexus CT 200h has gotten a lot of attention recently — not so much for its appearance or performance as for the publicity stunts used to hawk it. For reasons yet to be fully explained, Lexus and its ad agency chose to market the CT 200h with the tagline, “The Darker Side of Green“.* Then they put together a number of debates around the subject of the environment, pitting eco-scientists against climate change-deniers, with comedians like Sarah Silverman and Tracy Morgan serving as moderators. There was even an interactive film meant to prove that environmentally friendly rides like the CT can also pack serious pep. Unfortunately, the film was mostly terrible, and putting out terrible things is perhaps not the best way to sell cars. [...]

On this night, 83 years ago, the world focused its attention on the death of one of the 20th century’s most important artists, dancer Isadora Duncan. Also in the spotlight: the car that brought about her demise: an Amilcar. Long story short: Duncan was famous for her dramatic clothing, especially her long, flowing scarves. On the night of September 14, 1927, Duncan hopped in her convertible, and as the driver took off, her silk scarf became wrapped in the spokes of the rear wheel. Within seconds, she was lifted from her seat and hurled to the cobblestones, dragged for some distance before the driver fully realized what had happened. At just 50 years old, she was pronounced dead at the scene. [...]

We have a confession to make. As most of you know, Gaywheels had a bit of a transition earlier this year when founder Joe LaMuraglia stepped down and handed the editorial reins to Joe Tralongo. Thanks to Joe’s L’s planning and Joe T’s smarts, the transition went pretty smoothly. Except for one small detail: we’ve been neglecting to post one of your favorite things, the Most-Researched Vehicle reports. [...]

Twitter is a great tool for communication. (You follow us, don’t you?) Sure, some folks have criticized it for being just another way to broadcast your choice of oatmeal — and it is. But it’s also a lightning-fast way to share information, as we saw during last year’s protests in Iran, or in the case of a kidnapping that took place earlier this week, when the victim tweeted his location with his captor’s mobile phone. Unfortunately, Twitter is so easy to use that people often do so without really considering what they’re saying. This week’s cautionary example: Australian swimmer Stephanie Rice, who dropped the f-bomb after a rugby match. I believe her exact words were, “suck on that, faggots”. [...]

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation may not have any awards in its gift bag for automakers this year, but the Point Foundation certainly does — at least for one forward-thinking German brand. The nation’s largest scholarship-granting organization for LGBT students of merit will honor Audi with its Point Inspiration Award at a gala event later this month. According to the Foundation’s press release: The Point Inspiration Award recognizes a corporation that champions respect and inclusion of the LGBT community, and operates with the vision that the success achieved by talented young people is limited only by the resources and opportunities they are given to help them fulfill their potential. [...]