Robert E. Petersen: 1926-2007
Nearly 60 years after pioneering one of the first automotive enthusiast publications in the country, and 30 years after launching the 4WD magazine that still carries his name, Robert E. Petersen died of a rare form of stomach cancer in March. He was 80 years old.
Petersen Publishing Company, which eventually grew to encompass dozens of specialty-interest magazine titles, got a very humble start back in 1948. Petersen, then a Hollywood publicist, created a magazine called Hot Rod to promote one of Southern California's first custom car shows. Petersen wrote the magazine's copy, took the photos, sold the ads, and even traveled to speed shops and race tracks, selling the new magazine out of his car for 25 cents per copy. Soon Hot Rod was joined by Motor Trend, Honk! (which went on to become Car Craft), and other hands-on automotive magazines. Petersen's other passions-for the outdoors (he was an avid hunter), aviation, skin diving, photography, and other activities-were reflected in additions to the Petersen stable like Guns & Ammo, Skin Diver, and Petersen's Photographic.
Petersen's interests, business and otherwise, didn't stop at publishing. He had extensive real-estate holdings, owned and managed a fleet of corporate jets for hire, and gave generously to many Southern California charities. It was through several philanthropic gifts that the Petersen Automotive Museum got its start and remains one of the nation's premier collections of vehicular history.
On a more personal note, I consider myself fortunate to have worked for the company when Petersen was actively involved in its running, prior to his selling it to an investment group in 1996. Though he was certainly the richest man I've ever known (his real-estate wealth dwarfed that from the publishing company), he was still a regular guy you could talk to about cars, story ideas, and the like. It was always refreshing to have his input in magazine planning meetings instead of having to listen to just the bean-counter side of the table.
In the days since his death, many of my friends in the automotive publishing business, and the automotive industry in general, have echoed the same sentiment: We wouldn't be who or where we are today if it weren't for Mr. Petersen.
-Drew Hardin, former editor of Petersen's 4-Wheel & Off-Road
Desert Safari Saved from the Radicals
The 45th Tierra Del Sol Desert Safari was successfully held the beginning of March, but not at the regular Truckhaven Hills location near the Salton Sea in SoCal. Due to interference and lawsuits filed by the Center for Biological Diversity (www.biologicaldiversity.org), the TDS club (www.tds4x4.org) decided to move the event at the last minute to Ocotillo Wells SVRA, about 30 miles away. While it was a completely new venue for many, much of the same type of terrain as Truckhaven was available for nacho driving, steep hill accents, and some new killer rock trails in addition to the famous Blowsand sand hill.
A record 75 vendors made the new area resemble a circus with all the semis and tents, while law enforcement had their hands full with non-participants who regularly use the area and whoop it up late into the night. Kudos to the Tierra Del Sol Four Wheel Drive Club of San Diego for pulling off the venue swaparoo under adverse conditions and making the 45th year a huge success. We'll be back to this event next year, regardless of the location!-Rick Pewe
Spied! New Power Stroke Exhaust
During a recent trip to MagnaFlow's Southern California headquarters, we spied a brand-new exhaust system under development for Ford's 6.4L Power Stroke diesel. The new diesels are bound by some pretty restrictive exhaust emissions laws, and so we wondered how long it would take the aftermarket to figure out how to work within those parameters and develop power-adding systems. Apparently, not long at all.
The trick? MagnaFlow took the tried-and-true after-cat approach that has worked for so long on gasoline engines and applied it to current diesel technology. The new exhaust pipes start just aft of the Power Stroke's particulate filter, so they have no effect on emissions. The effect on power is a different story: gains of up to 29 hp and 45 lb-ft of torque, depending on which system you choose.
MagnaFlow has developed a total of nine particulate-filter-back systems for the Ford diesel, all made from mandrel-bent stainless steel tubing. You can choose from different pipe diameters and finishes, as well as single- or dual-tip exits. Each system fits the single- or dual-rear-wheel F-250, F-350, and F-450 Super Dutys with the crew cab shortbed, crew cab longbed, or extended cab longbed configurations. For more info, contact MagnaFlow at 949.858.5900, www.magnaflow.com.
Record-Setting Jeep
Two Rubicon versions of the new Jeep Wrangler Unlimited recently earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records by scaling the world's highest volcano. By climbing nearly 22,000 feet to the rim of the Ojos del Salado volcano in Chile, the Jeeps achieved the highest altitude ever reached by a 4WD vehicle.
During the five-day trip, the German team that took on the challenge endured hurricane-strength winds, temperatures that reached minus 22 degrees F, and the thin air of such high altitudes, as they maneuvered over icy glaciers, fissured rock cliffs, and volcanic sand. The Jeeps were standard-issue Rubicon models fitted with Goodyear MT/R tires, electronic altitude measuring technology, and winches.
This Just In
Seen the video of the "flame-throwing" Power Stroke Super Duty trucks on YouTube? The viral video created such a stir that Ford stopped selling the new trucks in order to change their engine control computers to prevent such a thing from happening in the future. Ford believes a small amount of unburned fuel from a clogged fuel injector leaked into the exhaust system and caused the fire. Their new computer program will keep closer tabs on the temperatures inside the diesel particulate filter and will alert the driver if the temps get too high. Some of our friends in the exhaust business who have seen the video believe the stock exhaust system was not to blame, and that the flames were the result of someone tampering with the filter system, which is designed to burn off soot at certain intervals.
The four-door Wrangler is a big hit, according to reports from SEMA and WardsAuto.com. Earlier this year, dealers were telling prospective customers of a month-long wait to get the new, roomier Jeep (now popular with families, apparently), and Wrangler sales were up 91 percent through February, compared to sales in the first two months of 2006.
Would you buy a Korean pickup truck? According to Automotive News, a proposed free-trade agreement with South Korea would eventually eliminate the 25 percent tariff we now impose on foreign-made pickups (which is why Toyota and Nissan build theirs here). That could potentially open the door for Korea to bring in inexpensive pickup trucks in five years or so. Neither of the major Korean manufacturers (Hyundai, Kia) currently has a pickup truck ready for the American market, but AN says their interest in our market is high.