We’re certainly feeling the “meh” around here. We’re trying to not get sick, trying to get work done, and trying to avoid the rainfall that just won’t freaking stop. At this rate, the bird seed we put out a couple of days ago is going to sprout into plants in the feeder. Ah, well, at least it isn’t snowing where we are at, and we have projects nestled nicely indoors that need more attention. We’ll be focusing on those bits this week, but for now, here’s some bites from last week’s news feeds that could use a quick mention. It’s Scrapple…enjoy!

1. RIP
Two stalwart names in the automotive world have finally been visited by the Grim Reaper.The Dodge Caravan, Mopar’s golden egg when they needed one the most in the 1980s, has finally found the end of the road after an especially long fifth generation, and the Chevrolet Impala is being killed off after ten total generations dating back to 1958. The Caravan was supposed to be superseded by the Chrysler Pacifica years ago, and the Impala is going away mainly because it’s not a sport-utility vehicle.

2. I must be a f***ing saint, then.

Apparently, owning an expensive, flashy vehicle is a great way to tell if you’re an absolute prick of a human being. The University of Nevada came up with the phrase “a sense of superiority over other road users” while trying to determine if the driver of a vehicle would stop for a pedestrian. A study that came out of Helsinki University in Finland seemed to corroborate the findings, determining that those who would own such a vehicle were “self-centered men who are argumentative, stubborn, disagreeable and umempathetic”.

News flash: I could be on a bicycle and be all of those things. Stop showcasing jealousy over nice vehicles and stop encouraging morons to walk in the freaking road.

3. What’s Italian for “I have the title, I own the car”?

Ferraris are cool, in many aspects, but there is one thing that universally sucks about them: the maintenance costs. That whole engine-out service thing that only recently got tamed down? Not good. In the case of a 1995 Ferrari 456GT in New Zealand, the situation was even worse: lots of front-end damage, the engine dead. Reuben Bemrose decided to bring the car to life and exchanged the V-12 for a rotary mill. Ferrari themselves weren’t amused in the slightest, and sent a cease-and-desist letter. He sniped back in a local news interview, offering up the most sarcastic-ass apology heard this side of a teenage sibling fight. We wonder if MCR Tuning has ever gotten a letter over their 550 Maranello with the LS swap in it yet?

4. RIP #2Auto show season has been taking a kicking over the fears of the Corvid-19, and the Geneva Motor Show has fallen victim. The Swiss government has banned gatherings of 1,000 or more individuals at any one place as an emergency measure and will remain in place through at least March 15, 2020. Ticket holders will be refunded, but automakers will not, and the organizers will be hit with a $2.2 million loss. Ouch.

5. Rebel Yelping.

Hey, kids, you remember Billy Idol, right?