Good Scars

Posted on by noahmielke

Scars can be good reminders of a some of the best memories. People have so many adventures and it’s pretty cool to have little reminders from them. I said I would explain the picture in my last blog, and I won’t let you down. See, Franklin and I have been itching to get out there and start filming car drives for a while. About a month ago we excitedly met at our first early morning Saturday drive. We wanted to get those sweet sunrise shots; except we didn’t really plan. In fact, we hung out in the parking lot for a bit, taking some shots and trying to plan out the scenery. Not such a great idea when the sunrises before you get everything together. We finally started driving out of the parking lot and that’s when a good scar happened. I pulled up to the stop sign and my friend franklin came to a stop behind me in his beautiful pearl white WRX. As he grabbed his camera (that he had forgot to set up) a last-minute thought captured him. We should grab footage on the way out -plus he had the only camera between us at the time. His foot slipped off the clutch, and my new 2020 Hyundai Veloster N protected his car from going out in traffic. Clearly, my Veloster saved Franklin from a very dangerous situation. I am so glad I can help. 😊

He did bump my car and it was like one of those slow-motion moments. First thought “Oh shit! That was a bump” but quickly I had a second thought and this time it was about my friend. I knew Franklin was going to feel like terrible. We had just started our sweet adventure, the first one! Right away I could see his face; all the ego and excitement out the window. He didn’t care about his car… he just stared – looking so sorry and sad. I couldn’t be mad. I could have easily made the same mistake. Talking on the phone through our car’s infotainment connection (SAFETY FIRST 😉), we drove it to our spot and checked out the damage closer. It wasn’t that bad just a little crack. Plus, he got a tiny bit of blue smudge on his white bumper. We talked about insurance and all that stuff but instead I opted for a roadrunner horn and racing seat brackets for way less than the cost to repair my bumper. I wanted to preserve this memory, so I drift stitched the back bumper and gave my new car a little more street cred. I love that memory! It’s a funny situation to be in and now I’ve got a cool scar to show off.

Our next trip we went out early, this was the first time using our Dragon Touch camera. I didn’t turn up the exposure, so all our footage was dark. The wind noise was atrocious because we didn’t have furry covers for the microphones. The point is; none of us are perfect, but friends are in it to win it together. So, I hold dear all these great memories. After all, they are with the very best people.

Still got some great shots that day!

Adventures In Filming

Posted on by noahmielke

One of my big goals this year is to start a YouTube with my friend Franklin. To make really cool videos of us driving in really neat locations, and a list of other things we both daydream to add to the channel, . This is a process, a long process. I already had massive respect for The Straight Pipes, Throttle House, Gears and Gasoline, Mighty Car Mods, Good Mythical Morning, and ….and…. the list could go on for a while. Its captivating to watch them get better and improve their craft. I know it’s going to be hard, but I am determined to learn everything I can about filming cars, and my friend and me. If I make money at this, and that’s a BIG IF, I want it to be because we create truly valuable video, that’s fun and makes you look forward to our next adventure. We are at the very beginning and its already had a couple hard spots, but we’ve also had incredible times that made me wish I had started doing this years ago. Being dedicated means I get a pass to meet up and film at 4am in the morning in downtown Salem or meet at a coffee bar to get ready for a shoot hanging with my long-time friend. That’s epic! But it does mean being there to do that early which is way easier when your motivated. So far, the adventures are more memories than footage, but as we get better hope, we make those memories along with great footage. If your interested in what we are up too check the bottom of our blog to check out our YouTube and Instagram. You can also find us on Facebook. We are in the super early throws of this, but we learn each time we go out. Can you believe I drove around at 4am with my exposure turned way down? Yep, learning every time. Also, massive respect to all of you who have created great videos for me to watch, I appreciate you guys. -Noah

Silly pose and a story for another time.

Rhythm

Posted on by noahmielke

I believe everyone has a way they move, like a dance. A rhythm built in that you can find in any mundane task or something fantastic. Art, music, and creation of any kind. It grabs you where you are and can happily simplify your internal compass. We all have wants, needs, and somehow this slides in tight between the two. Movement with sound hits me deep between the wheel, and seat of a car. My tastes change, so does the car I drive but the feeling of expression is always there whispering to me. A mix of g forces with explosions controlled through a gear lever. What an unusual thing to feel but undeniably fun for me. Take away the worry for image, peel away the machismo and let the purity take over. It could be four hundred horsepower or ten if it guides you to that place seize it. To me finding that line dipping in and out of corners surrounded by the natural beauty of the world frozen in time by speed is how I move. I hope in this world you all find your dance, cause this is mine, and it reminds me when I forget. Life is such a gift. -Noah

Carving A Path

Posted on by noahmielke

Sometimes life takes you in a different direction than you expected. I could have told you at four years old what I dreamed of being. Car designer extraordinaire. Mocking up clay models and bringing beauty to steel and plastic. I drew all day EVERY day until I got my first set of real car keys. By then the teenage desires and life’s miss steps blindsided my focus. I never stopped loving cars. I was always working on them so I could really drive them. I have never been satisfied with normal cars as my transportation. Some where my choices forced me to give up on my true desires. Life is a road we all learn from. I don’t regret my path, but its interesting to see where you’ve landed.

My family is incredible. I have learned to be a lot less selfish, and my better half is the most supportive human I have ever met. (She’s also a decent editor 😉) She knows me.  It’s why I am here writing this despite being tired and getting ready for the rest of my work week. My passion for car design has never stopped, it continues. I might not be a famous designer, but my children have all picked up my weird habits. I draw cars. It’s my passion and one of my favorite ways to spend my time. The best gift I could get as a kid was a drawing pad with pencils. When my children get bored these are the first things I hand them. They are so much more talented than I ever was.

We painted a mural in the garage that has our car Horton on it. My daughter Lola (11) drew the penguins hanging around the car. They are a cool touch, she’s an amazing cartoonist. My son Aidan (15) also blows me away with his artwork, and same with my youngest daughter Scarlet (10). They all have an impressive grasp on art, and they aren’t just limited to mechanical things like I was. Its funny to me to see these things not as echoes of the past but like a song building momentum. The final big guitar strum is them with their extraordinary gifts. My dream wasn’t really all that great, what I have now is so much better. It’s where I am meant to be; with the people I love. -Noah

Yep that was a common site as a kid. Can’t believe I wore that hat.

Star Horsepower

Posted on by noahmielke

Some cars become more famous than the stars who drive them. There are so many amazing movie cars that have won our hearts. Some are positioned to be the main star, and others have been part of a cool scene to gain their own cult following. I’m listing some of my favorites here.

The Ecto-1 from Ghostbusters. While not meant to be a shiny star, the side story of the group finding, and fixing up an old ambulance stole some interest, becoming an unlikely hero. Even watching the new trailer as soon as I heard that siren my heart jumped.

The Jeep from Jurassic Park. The chase scene from the monstrous T-Rex to getting stuck in rough spot with a Dilophosaurus solidified its following. Somewhere near me someone has made a replica, they drive around daily and it’s amazing.

The Delorean from Back To The Future. With all the flash the car had and didn’t have but was added for the film. The DMC-12 captured my childhood imagination. When the second movie came out it only got better with Mr. Fusion, and flight capabilities.

The Volkswagen Beetle from The Love Bug. A lovable Disney character with an engine of gold, and the makings of a winning race car.

The Volkswagen bus from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The Turtle Van, Party Wagon captured my heart as a kid. I can’t deny Donny’s upgrades were on the wish list for many family minivans in our young minds.

Eleonor from the newer Gone In 60 Seconds, you know with some guy named Nicholas Cage. This car was built to be the star in a movie full of fun and incredible automobiles. It did the job with ease. Its look and sound have created an entire aftermarket industry around it.

I could keep going on the list is huge. Some of these got me into cars more as a little one, and some inspired me when I was already close to driving age. What are your favorite famous cars?

18FT Measuring Stick

Posted on by noahmielke

The biggest thing that bothers me about not owning a house at my age is the inability to track the height of our kids on the wall. I don’t blame the economy or society, I blame me. It’s funny how much this bothers me. It’s like having peanut butter stuck to the roof of your mouth; the feeling lingers, and it takes work to quell it. Such a simple thing, but with the high costs and jobs that never paid enough no matter how hard I worked, home ownership has been out of reach. The concept of not having that little recording of their presence in my life bothers me. Maybe it’s because out of all my hard work, I’m the proudest of them.

I’ve watched these little people grow; and they’ve taught me more about human worth, empathy, and sacrifice than I could have ever known without them. While my better half is the rope that keeps me tethered, my kids are the reason I can’t stomach violence against strangers. I see them in everyone, and I want them to have more than I ever had.

The other day I was scrolling Facebook and reminiscing through each picture. I was surprised to see a measuring stick I’d never thought of. Picture after picture there was our old car Horton, a two-ton baby blue Plymouth. A purchase a poor car guy had to make. It didn’t make financial sense but turned out to be the best purchase I have ever made. The kids were raised in it, and for all its quirks they see it as a family member. Eight miles per gallon and two hundred thousand miles of memories. The car is not nearly as big to them as it used to be. From watching the fireworks on fourth of July across the hood after their mom and I divorced in 2011 to racing to the hospital when my mother in law was succumbing to cancer in 2017. A drive that nearly killed him .

It has captured every emotion in that interior and has released those memories through its old shiny paint. So many memories, so much more than a car it is my measuring stick. I can see my children’s faces in the seat’s rips and dented body work. I will never repaint it. Every worn corner is cherished. So, I guess I didn’t miss out it’s just that our families measuring stick is 18 feet long and seven feet wide.

Can you guess who stayed up all night gaming? Can’t blame him, gaming is fun.

Why Did I Buy A Veloster N?

Posted on by noahmielke

Why did I buy a Hyundai Veloster N? Why is it the only new car I’ve ever decided to pay the premium of zero mileage ownership? While the world’s been busy forgetting what visceral is, Hyundai didn’t. They are in the right place and have invested in the right people to make a statement. Not with their advertising, not with their size, and not with flashy ass stat sheets. Hyundai won Road & Track performance car of the year providing fun with a dedicated focus on the driver’s experience. You remember that fun thing we used to do….drive? The feeling of a leather wheel in your hand, the roar of a V8, or the curves of Jaguar E-Type as you breathed in freedom. Throughout history there were some pretty awesome options to get that exhilarating feeling behind the wheel. I know humans like to one up each other, it’s in our DNA, but it’s not fulfilling. It doesn’t satiate that beast of bewilderment; that moment you’re alone and have nothing to prove. That moment you put on your song, the one you don’t listen too with your friends around. Just you and the road.

To me; those moments don’t add up in calculations. I have always been brash when it comes to my tastes. I want sound, I want feedback, and most importantly, I want to be a part of what’s happening. The little blue dot brings it and then some. Sounds, pop pops, and burls; calling me to get rowdy. We are a team; we both cringe when we hit a pothole, a rock chips off the front hood, or I park too close to the curb. It’s not just a tool, we are partners. I want a love like Han Solo and the millennium falcon or Spike and his Sword Fish II. I desire a reason to look forward to my commute, and a cause to get off my butt and wash a car that’s too beautiful not too. I want to turn around when I park and stop to take a picture or just be damn proud its mine. This year might be the only year Hyundai wins this award, but it’s a good thing because it raised the eyebrows of other companies.

It must be a slap in the face to Corvette engineers not to see an easy win with a well-priced mid-engine monster. Auto experience doesn’t quite add up too pure fun. I’m not saying it’s not an amazing car, just fell flat along with most of the car companies to provide that “fun feeling”. If you want to just buy a car as a flashy showboat to impress, most expensive cars will work.

Thank you, Hyundai, for remembering some of us don’t need the validation of anything other than the thrill we feel, alone carving canyon roads or making someone shake their finger at you in traffic because your car makes extra music from its exhaust. I’ve only had this little bugger for four months but its been an adventure. On top of fun I can validate its usefulness. I make deliveries in this thing. I’m rolling up on ten thousand miles and couldn’t be happier. The Hyundai Veloster N it truly is an incredible machine. So, my money is in Hyundai’s hands now and they deserve every cent. I will be an old man still driving the wheels off it. Thank you, guys, for hearing the cries from some of us car boys and girls. A new legendary love story begins of Noah and his faithful Blue Dot.  

*Queue the intense ride into the sunset music. *

 -Noah

See it’s useful!

Romeo & Giulia

Posted on by noahmielke

I was talking about an article on Alfa’s growing pains with my wife last week. The piece had expressed how hard it was with their range to gain ground in the U.S. market. The Stelvio and Giulia haven’t been increasing sales. Alfa – I don’t know if its true but if your reading this, here’s my two cents.

First ignore the naysayers; your line up is fantastic so far. The crossover market is quaking in their boots to your passionate Stelvio. Luxury sedan owners are taking notice of the Giulia’s heartbeat and sensual lines. My wife’s interest in this car conversation came from her desire to own the new Stelvio Quadrifoglio. Seriously if you can pique her interest, you’re on the right path and it encompasses your ability to pipe life back into the driving experience.

Here’s the little small issue following your justified invasion of our dealerships, we can’t afford it. We want it, but its unobtainium. I don’t make a six-figure income so what do we do? Look to other brands? We want a die-hard, exhilarating, true driving experience every day, not a hatchback, but a true front engine rear wheel drive. A call back to early 70’s GTV. I’m talking use parts in your bin, utilize a small four cylinder in your ranks and breath that Alfa magic into it. Give it usable space as a four-seater, six speed manual with trunk or smoothed in hatch, keep it around 30k. Talk about ending that sales gap with more people flooding into your dealerships.

Becoming brand loyal, lots of companies have watered their brands down to facilitate a wider group but loose it all.

You are not Porsche; think how well they’ve done staying loyal to their fan base. Hyundai has shown too that putting excitement into their cars has made them more valuable to the automotive community. Alfa bring the Quadrifoglio to the masses again, like I said your not Porsche you are Alfa – a company that brings la passione and history that goes way further back. No matter what you choose I’ll be here rooting for you guys. -Noah

The Tarmac Mecca

Posted on by noahmielke

This is the place for all things cars, and road. A daily fill of car related talk, and opinion for the lovers of all things automotive. My friends, and I spend a lot of time sharing ideas. Join us, be part of Tarmecca, and lets grow this car community together. -Noah