GM had an excellent May. Despite the title of this series, I’m not going to dwell on the fact that The General’s ten percent year-on-year sales increase is actually a rebound from a disastrous May ’06 (overall sales are still down 3.2 percent compared to the first five months of last year). And I won’t bother pointing out that the majority of GM’s one percent market share gain came out of Ford’s two percent market share loss. Or that GM’s “rising tide lifts all boats” progress pales in comparison with the sales tsunami that Toyota’s [still] riding deep into the American heartland. No I want to focus on debt.

It’s hard to believe global positioning satellite technology was once the sole purview of the U.S. military. It’s equally difficult to comprehend how James Bond’s first in-car tracking device thrilled pre-pubescent boys. These days, a luxury car without a satellite navigation system is like a luxury car without dual-zone climate control. Still, it’s a pretty pricey item that’s bound to bite you in ass at trade-in. So should you listen to your oleaginous salesman and tick that option box?

Before I write another word, let’s get one thing straight: the Saleen S331 Supercharged Sport Truck is a RIDICULOUS MACHINE. Climbing into its cab is like boarding the Space Shuttle. The S331’s engine fires-up with all the subtlety of the shuttle’s SRB’s. After the small voice in your head counts down to zero, the truck launches with all the fury of… Well, I’m getting a bit ahead of myself here. Suffice it to say, you don’t have to be a Three Stooges Fan to know that something completely ridiculous can also make you laugh with delight.

As TTAC’s GM Deathwatch approaches the mid-century mark, its detractors continue to justify their scorn by mocking its episodic tally. I look forward to GM DW 1346, they scoff. Others of us understand that this chronicle would have reached that number already if RF had begun when some of us first realized GM was doomed. For me, that recognition arrived via the GM X-Body. 

Japanese society is known for its rigid social stratification. Depending on the listener’s relative status, there are four ways to say “this is a book." Individuals within this system are well aware that anyone who moves upwards from their "natural" place in the pecking order risks ridicule, jealousy and attack. Hence the ancient Japanese proverb: “The nail that sticks out gets hammered down." Automotively- speaking, Toyota is the tall nail these days, and boy, is it getting hammered.

Mercedes SL’s were as thick on the ground as mascara on an over-the-hill movie star. The teenaged scions of the local glitterati drove brand new BMW 320i’s and VW Cabrios. A red Ferrari 308 GTB was de-rigueur for the up and coming producer. If you simply HAD to have attention or score the prime valet-parking spot, a Rolls Royce Corniche convertible was the winning ticket. And what was I driving down Rodeo Drive? A beat-up 1968 Dodge camper-van. I looked like Jethro in “The Beverly Hillbillies”. Except that I actually was poor.

Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1252. The sternly titled "Federal Price Gouging Prevention Act" established penalties for people who hoik-up gas prices to take "unfair advantage" of U.S. consumers during an "energy emergency." The Right condemned the act as stealth nationalization of the American oil industry. The Left condemned the bill for not going far enough to rein in Big Oil. So, is H.R. 1252 a well-intentioned congressional misfire or part of a great political swindle? Yes.