Pierce Arrow

[salinen]

A fine car company that ended in 1938. Hand-built and meticulously engineered with all the appointments and gadgets of the time. Also very expensive. When the depression came around, Pierce Arrow hadn't the vision to know that the high end luxury cars would be a tough sell.

Actually, there were plenty of rich people who could afford this luxury, and the advertising showed such gentry frolicking on their estates with riding outfits and Pierce's under the Porte Cohere.

The problem was, so many were struggling, no jobs, and would see these ads and get angry. At the height of the depression people were throwing bricks at luxury cars.

Now move the clock forward. I'd never suggest throwing a brick at a Hummer, or even a Styrofoam cube painted a brick color, or cracking eggs on the windshield, or sugar in the tank, no, that's just not quite, ya know, well, forget it.

[lectrobyte]

1. that sugar in the gas tank thing is an urban legend, anyway...

not to mention that most cars have locking gas caps. I'm only suggesting for humorous reasons, but I read somewhere that holding up a thumb and finger about half an inch apart was the new sign language to use for SUV drivers, I think it means "way way overcompensating for micropenis".

[benburch]

2. A raw potato wedged into the exhaust has the desired effect.

Don't ask me how I know this.

[lectrobyte]

3. Yeah, but carrying around potatoes is kind of awkward. But, it

is a good form of non-destructive social criticism, just watch out for video cameras etc., I assume they have some sort of law about vegetable abuse or something.

[benburch]

4. On the plus side, they are very cheap...

And there are markets everywhere in which you can buy single potatoes without raising any alarm whatsoever.

[lectrobyte]

5. That would be a great trend -- gas guzzlers getting potatoed to

the point that folks just quit buying them.

[WillowTree]

9. Non-destructive?

You're kidding, right?

[benburch]

10. 99% of the time it is non-destructive.

The potato causes pressure to back up in the manifold and the car stalls or will not start.

One the potato is removed, the car will run normally.

The problem comes with a vehicle in which the exhaust system is corroded, where the pressure causes a blowout in a pipe or the muffler.

Done to a new vehicle, this should not cause damage;

http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_278.html <--- According to this, the potato is sometimes blown out at high speed.

http://www.prankified.com/car2.php?record=105&subcategory=car <--- Suggests coring a hole in the potato so the car almost starts. This would probably prevent ejection of the spud.

[lectrobyte]

6. Well, there is this site, too: hundreds of pictures of people

flipping off Hummers http://www.fuh2.com

[Gabi Hayes]

7. heh...sugar in the tank doesn't do anything....they did a segment

on it at that Mythbusters TV show

the other things, though

don't EVER dump warm coke on a car on a hot day. don't ever

[alfredo]

8. My neighbor had his cars' gas access door glued shut.

There was crazy glue on his windshield wipers. the kids that did it were pricks, but so was my neighbor.

Their stunt could have landed them in juv court.

[Piperay]

11. I would bet that most people

who have Hummers are not rich they are probably up to their eyeballs in debt from always having to have the latest thing.

[Bridget Burke]

12. Looks like Hummers don't have hubcaps....darn!

If they were, they'd be locked on. Not that I would EVER advocate theft. But a few handfuls of raw shrimp stowed away discreetly would send a fragrant message--especially in the middle of a Texas summer.

[benburch]

13. Braunschwiger Sausage.

German liver sausage paste can be squeezed into all manner of small spaces in the underframe of an auto...