Sell Greased Lightning in Borlänge, Sweden, Sweden, for US $6.00

Condition:New Country/Region of Manufacture:Sweden

Greased Lightning (2014) is the English version by John Hooker of Martin

Beheim-Schwarzbach's book Der geölte Blitz(1953). It is an amusing philosophical look at life on the roads as observed by a 1940s VW split-rear-window Beetle.

The setting is early post-WWII Hamburg, Germany. The voice of the VW Split speaks through its owner's pen and tells of, and comments on, the foibles of humanity on the roads. The Beetle's memoirs cover such subjects as delinquent drivers, scatter-brained pedestrians, careless cyclists, women drivers, girl friends, road safety campaigns and the life of a car-park attendant.

The notes on the original dust jacket sum it up as follows:

"A Volkswagen Split Beetle relates events in his life. And why not? A motor car, and a Volkswagen in particular, is a witness to many things, and there's no reason to assume that these experiences would leave him unmoved. But of course, he can't write about them himself, it would be fantasy to pretend otherwise. In order to get his observations and memories down on paper, he relied on his owner and driver, who just happened to be an accomplished writer. The writer, Martin Beheim-Schwarzbach and the car, known as Jaromir, have, after many years of being together, become as one, enabling them to read one another's thoughts. Their thoughts and wisdom complement each other so well that a highly original little volume has emerged as a result. It would certainly become a heavy tome if all of Jaromir's technical observations were to be included, but it has been necessary to omit these to make the book accessible to all, including non-motorists and the technical layman. The selection of material should be of interest to anybody who spends time out on the roads – and who doesn't? The book will appeal especially to those who rejoice in driving as well as those who suffer from the actions of drivers, because this VW is not a mere narrator, he is a philosopher too."

'Greased Lightning' was translated from the original German by the seller. His great-uncle Martin Beheim-Schwarzbach wrote the original version in German.

AW gets a long-term natural-gas Honda Civic

Fri, 03 Dec 2010

For all those wanting to save the universe, may we introduce the latest member of the AutoWeek green car fleet--a Honda Civic GX. The GX is a regular Civic in every respect but one--its 1.8-liter four-cylinder internal-combustion engine is powered solely by compressed natural gas. The main benefit of this is that it achieves as close to zero emissions as you can get in a mass-produced passenger car.

Skoda Yeti, Octavia and Superb Tour de France Special Editions launched

Wed, 04 Jun 2014

The Skoda Yeti Tour de France (pictured) – just one of three Skoda TdF Specials It’s always nice to have a hook to a limited edition car, and Skoda are hanging their latest limited editions of the Yeti, Octavia and Superb on the Tour de France. The 2014 Tour de France will see its first three stages run in the UK, so Skoda are doing a ‘cycling enthusiast’ version of the Yeti, Superb and Octavia with some ‘le Tour de France’ badges, waterproof covers for the seats and bike wheel bags as well as throwing in a centenary edition of the Rouleur Tour de France book and a chance to win a VIP Tour de France experience. Just 198 examples of each car will be built – that’s the number of entries for this year’s Tour de France – and you can only have one in Red, White or Blue.

Police Tape app can document traffic stops

Thu, 05 Jul 2012

In a video that looks like something cooked up by elementary-school students, the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey touts its new, free smartphone app called Police Tape. The application allows users to review their rights on the spot and to record both video and audio when stopped by police. Once recorded, files can automatically be uploaded to external servers, where they are retained and examined by the ACLU for possible civil liberties violations.

Greased Lightning on 2040-parts.com

VW for Sale

AW gets a long-term natural-gas Honda Civic

Skoda Yeti, Octavia and Superb Tour de France Special Editions launched

Police Tape app can document traffic stops