User:Geekstreet/sandbox

❮❮ GEEKSTREET  Talk Lane ❯❯

Description
Eucalyptus sieberi grows as a forest tree to around 30 – tall, and is widespread across south-eastern Australia. The trunk and larger branches are covered with thick, compacted, dark grey to black bark which develops from orange-grey-brown bark in larger saplings. The bark peels in ribbons from the crown to expose white-cream to yellow bark in the upper branches. The tree is not strongly erect, and frequently adopts a bowed or leaning habit on sloping sites.

with the broad green leaves. Arranged alternately along the stems, these measure 10 – long by 2.7 to 4.5 cm wide. Adult leaves are broadly lanceolate to ovate, green and glossy, and with closely spaced "feather-like" side veins running at greater than 45° angle to the main midrib.

The white or cream flowers are clustered in inflorescences of from 7 to 13 flowers. The flowers appear anywhere from March to September, and peak over May and June. The buds measure 2 by wide and are distinctive in that the operculum has a prominent long beak, making them fusiform (spindle-shaped). The woody fruits are cylindrical-shaped, 1 to 1.6 cm long by 0.7 to 1.1 cm wide, pedicellate with descending disc and 3 to 4 valves at rim level or slightly exserted. Seeds are light-brown to yellow to 1.8mm long, pyramidal or obliquely pyramidal in shape.

The bangalay (E. botryoides) is similar in appearance, but its flower buds are smaller with a conical operculum and only grow in groups of seven. The fruits are smaller and sessile, rather than on stalks.

The name E. robusta is derived from the Latin robustus (robust), and refers to the appearance of the tree species.

Description (E.camaldulensis)
The River Red Gum grows to 45 m as a tall, frequently straight tree, but can develop a more twisted habit in drier conditions. . It has smooth bark to the smaller branches ranging in colour from white and grey to red-brown, frequently with loose basal slabs in the lower trunk, and which it sheds in large plates or flakes or short ribbons.

The tree has a large, dense crown of long and narrow adult leaves, lanceolate or infrequently falcate in shape, 5 to 30 cm long by 0.7 to 3.2 cm wide, and grey to grey-green on both surfaces. Side veins are prominent and usually at 45° to the leaf mid-rib, and oil glands are numerous and located separate to the veins.

Its inflorescences comprise umbels of 7 to 11 flower buds located at the junction of leaves and stem, with the buds being of ovoid or globular shape and 0.6 to 1.1 cm long by 0.3 to 0.6 cm wide. Buds are green to yellow or cream, and have a prominent tip beak. Flowers are white to cream, and have been recorded in bloom within the range from June through to March. The fruit (gum-nuts) are brown, hemispherical in shape, 0.2 to 0.5 cm long by 0.4 to 1.0 cm wide, with a highly raised end-disk and 3 to 5 valves strongly exserted.

Legacy
With its one-of-a-kind Pininfarina derived design; everyday versatility, the Mondial has amassed a cult following of enthusiasts. It historically has not received widespread admiration however and is sometimes the target of derision due to what many consider the compromises (4 seats and heavier weight) Ferrari undertook creating the car in both form and function. Some early negative reviews for the first model, the Mondial 8, has often been repeated by derivative articles that further tarnished the Mondial image across the subsequent six iterations.

Many current enthusiasts have welcomed the contrary views, as it has allowed the price of the model to remain relatively stable and Ferrari ownership and parts manageable, many speculate (and some lament) that it will inevitably rise significantly in value.

The Mondial has also garnered more positive press in recent media.

''In my car collection, I have a Mondial QV... I love my Mondial with a passion. My car guy pals think I'm just a little bit strange, why you got a Mondial QV? Because it's just a cool car. What they don't understand is that I need cars to communicate with me....and it puts a smile on me face. This really is a cool car.''

-John Pogson - The Drive May 2016

6 Time British Championship Winner for Ferrari

15 Years Ferrari Engineer in Maranello

25 Years Ferrari Specialist in Italia Autosport

"The Mondial has been the perennial underdog Ferrari along with the V-12 400i/412. Both are having the last laugh, but Mondial prices in particular have been climbing. Offered in 2+2 coupe and convertible body styles, the Mondial shares the revvy 308/328/348 flat-plane crank V-8 with all of the visceral thrills that entails. Striking Pininfarina looks, decent reliability, Ferrari sounds and room in back for the kids? What’s not to like?" -Hagerty - August 2015

"..the V8 sings and the chassis is a delight, with many thinking it sweeter in the ride and handling than the equivalent two-seat models...Find a good one and you’ll get one of Ferrari’s most reliable and inexpensive cars." -Mark Pearson "Autocar" May 2015

"The Mondial might be a four-seat GT car on paper, but it's still a mid-engined screaming Ferrari at Heart." -Terry Shea "Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car" August 2014

"The Mondial is a highly usable, underrated Ferrari with good parts availability..." -Malcom McKay - "Classic Sports Car" June 2013

"Ferrari Mondial makes an excellent practical classic Ferrari. With four seats, a comfortable ride, that quintessential Ferrari sound track and in later forms - impressive handling and performance, the Mondial represents excellent value for the money." -"Italia" July 2012

In 2012, Top Gear reviewed a 1980 Mondial 8, nominating the Mondial and the F50 as the two Ferrari contenders for "the worst car in the history of the world." James May compared it to "Lennon & McCartney's Eggman - rubbish," criticized the performance, handling, and interior space, and stated that anybody who bought one would be "bitterly disappointed." Jeremy Clarkson decided that the F50 was a "worse catastrophe in Ferrari's history."

In 2015, a pristine 1991 Mondial t coupe sold for €95,200 + (12% buyers premium + 20% VAT on premium) = €108,909, or approximately $117,000 US Dollars

The Ferrari Mondial has many misconceptions and urban myths. Historical negative commentary fall under four categories:

1. Performance 2. Reliability 3. Price 4. Aesthetics

In regards to performance, there was a question of the straight line speed for only the first model, the Mondial 8 (80-82). There were only three formal road tests for the Mondial 8 in 1980. Two trials (Car and Driver/Road & Track) lamented straight line speed, one (Motor Trend) test applauded it. Handling is universally praised by the press at the time for all models (including the Mondial 8) and straight line performance on par with other exotics for all subsequent iterations.

Reliability is another common critique. The Mondial 8,qv, and 3.2 lines shares the exact powertrain as the 308/328, both regarded as the more reliable Ferrari.

The Mondial is often described as the 'entry-level' Ferrari. The reality is the Mondial was substantially more expensive than the 308/328 when new.

The view of the Mondial's aesthetics has always been a matter of debate. Given the subjective nature of visual design, it is the one criticism that has merit based only on personal judgment.

I think it's Ferrari's most elegant car...the Mondial's shape is perfect...In short, the Mondial is the one Ferrari that causes heads to turn in appreciation rather than shock.

-John Phillips III of Automobile 1987

The styling of the Ferrari Mondial Coupe indeed of most Ferraris is best described as timeless; the Pininfarina penned lines still look fresh after eleven years and have influenced the design of sports cars from Detroit to Tokyo.

John Davis

-MotorWeek

"At its launch in 1980, the Mondial 8 was criticized for its styling, weight and lacklustre performance, but time has been kind to the eight-cylinder Fezza. In fact, the restrained styling is central to its appeal."

-Motoring Research 2016