Taj Mahal

Filed under: Classics, Sedan, Videos, Celebrities, Russia, MISC One of the many reasons we love Jay Leno's Garage is the depth of the comedian's collection and his appreciation for the unappreciated. Most men of his financial and social standing with even a passing interest in automobiles would occupy their driveways with six- and seven-figure high performance and luxury cars - they wouldn't even know what something like this 1966 Volga GAZ-21 is, let alone offer it a spot in their garage mahal. Yet here is Leno, pouring over this ex-KGB staff car in detail and trying on his best labored Russian accent, genuinely fascinated by this small sedan. With a three-on-the-tree, primitive leaf-spring suspension and 95 horsepower from its 2.5-liter four-cylinder, this unrestored sedan - still riding on made-in-USSR tires - doesn't sound terribly exciting on paper, but Jay does a good job of outlining its features and putting it into historical context. He even tells a brief-but-amusing yarn about driving the car through Russian immigrant neighborhoods in the Los Angeles area. Learn more about this Cold War curiosity by scrolling below to watch the video.Continue reading 1966 Volga GAZ-21 pops into Jay Leno's Garage1966 Volga GAZ-21 pops into Jay Leno's Garage originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 02 May 2013 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

Charter’s Tom Rutledge didn’t make the point as forcefully as Time Warner Cable CEO Glenn Britt did this morning. But asked whether he might follow his colleague who vowed this morning to cut underperforming cable channels Rutledge told the UBS Global Media and Communications Conference that “we’re looking at similar kinds of savings.” The current system that requires viewers to pay for channels that they don’t watch “is perfection if you’re a content company.” Yet Rutledge says that Charter is “in the same position” as Time Warner Cable — and other pay TV providers — grappling with rising outlays for programming. It’s “a real issue” that “puts pressure on the business and pressure on more unique kinds of content,” Rutledge says. Beyond that, the Charter chief says he’s eager to bring digital efficiency to a company that’s been “abused” by financial problems. It briefly filed for bankruptcy protection in 2009. Speaking of the quality of his systems, Rutledge says that “in some places its Taj Mahal and in other places it’s not.” Satellite companies have more customers than Charter does in its territories. The CEO hopes to change that by going all digital, and storing program guide and other data in a server instead of set-top boxes. That would save money, and enable Charter to easily update information and software. “When you look at an iPad and watch television on it, it’s [in effect] a set top box ... Read More »