Fall Drive Whatcom 2015

The Lynden Tribune and Ferndale Record present

FALL Wednesday, October 14, 2015

WHAT’S INSIDE: New Owner Chuck Beardslee has taken over the Sumas auto body shop of the late Ted Iverson.

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Porsche Classic The amazing Porsche 918 Spyder, with only 918 models built, will be on display in Bellingham for about 30 days.

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A supplement of the

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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, October 14, 2015 | Ferndale Record

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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, October 14, 2015 | Ferndale Record

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Diehl Ford looking toward new Super Duty bodies Ford F150 already in new materials, proving popular with buyers

By Tim Newcomb tim@lyndentribune.com

WHATCOM — Diehl Ford has an eye ahead to the 2017 models, even if those versions sit at least six months out. But that’s when the Ford F-Series Super Duty trucks make a switch, one that has proven popular already in Ford’s best-selling truck, the F150.

The change? Military-grade aluminum alloy bodies.

“The aluminum is the big change,” said Chris Bonesteele of Diehl Ford. “The ’17 F Series is going to be patterned after the 150.”

The 2015 F150 was the first Ford truck to usher in the change in body material, giving the entire truck a lighter body by over 700 pounds, allowing for a smaller, more efficient engine. Bonesteele said the change took a four-wheel-drive crew cab 150 from between 14 and 18 miles to the gallon to 24 miles per gallon on the highway and 19 around town.

“But it is not just the mileage,” he said.

“The horsepower and torque and how much

you can tow (all improved).”

While likely six months removed from arriving on Whatcom County lots, the Super Duty series of the 250, 350 and 450 will all match the 150 body material. Ford says the new line will also feature heavier-duty fourwheel-drive components, driveline, axles and towing hardware. The aluminum will prove more dent- and ding-resistant and a mixture of high-strength steel will reduce weight while upping towing and hauling capability.

Ford said 16 segment-first technologies will enter the Super Duty line.

The 150 remains the most popular Ford truck in Whatcom County, a combination of its size and strength. “A lot of people come in thinking they need a 250 for towing,” Bonesteele said. “Properly equipped, the 150 can now tow 11,500 pounds (up from 10,000 pounds before the body change).

Plus it feels like a regular drive. The F150s are less ‘truckish,’ but still a truck when you need it to be a truck.”

Having had two model years of experience with the new bodies on the 150 version, Bonesteele said the fresh take has paid off and the “proven technology” will give the Super Duty line the technology to match what customers already see in the 150. Even if the change is a few months away.

The Ford Super Duty truck series will come with all-new body materials in 2017, following a trend set by the F150. (Courtesy photo)

Smith Kia part of larger national success

By Brooke Hanson intern@lyndentribune.com

WHATCOM — Smith Kia of Bellingham gives its customers reasons to keep coming back, financial manager Mike Grisham said.

In September, the dealership started offering car buyers oil changes for life, whether they buy new or used. Giving oil changes for life is another way to reinforce customer confidence, Grisham said. It shows buyers the dealership’s wish to con-

tinue their relationships after the sale, he said.

Smith Kia also offers a 90-day warrantee on used vehicles.

“These guarantees make us different from other dealers,” Grisham said.

The loyal customer base is one reason Grisham was drawn to the Bellingham location, he said. He started as financial manager two months ago, and since then he’s witnessed what makes the dealership unique.

“We’re truly a local dealer, and that al-

lows us to develop relationships with customers,” he said.

Nationally, Kia sales are high for the Optima and Soul models. At Smith Kia, the Soul is most popular, Grisham said.

The Optima, Sorento and Forte are all strong contenders, though.

“It’s a great car line,” Grisham said.

“They’ve been getting accolades all year.”

At Smith Kia, clients are the foundation of the business. “Customers who come here are real people to us. They’re not just numbers.”

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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, October 14, 2015 | Ferndale Record

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Longtime Sumas shop has changed hands Iverson Autobody is now Class A Bodyworks

By Elisa Claassen for the Lynden Tribune

SUMAS — At age 34, Chuck Beardslee now has not one, but two businesses in town.

Earlier this year, Beardslee, who already owned Charlie’s Trucking, bought Ted Iverson’s longtime auto body business at 240 W. Third St., several blocks from El Nopal Restaurant. Iverson, 75, who had operated the shop for 42 years, finally decided it was time to retire as his health was declining.

The two men had been discussing the transfer for several years. Sadly, soon after the transfer, Iverson passed away in June 2015.

Beardslee renamed the shop Class A Bodyworks and the transition has been virtually seamless from how Iverson ran it.

Beardslee’s first business, Charlie’s Trucking, founded nine years ago, now has six semi trucks. It has the primary contract for hauling berries for Rader Farms, located on East Badger Road outside of Lynden.

Chuck Beardslee is the force behind Class A Bodyworks, taking over the Sumas body shop of the late Ted Iverson.

(Elisa Claassen/Lynden Tribune)

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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, October 14, 2015 | Ferndale Record

DRIVE WHATCOM Beardslee said he has always fixed cars dating back to growing up with a grandfather, who owned dump trucks. When he was a student at Nooksack Valley High School, the school set him up in an internship program for two periods a day in the district’s bus garage for three years. During that time not only did he work on district vehicles but he also was able to work on his senior project, restoring a 1966 Ford Mustang, which consisted of rebuilding the whole power train, fixing the body and repainting it.

Today, in addition to himself, he has two full-time body shop experts: Chuck Moore, who has more than 30 years of experience, and Michael Bolin, with seven years.

Class A has six bays including two extra-large work areas for semi-trucks or other large commercial vehicles, which sets it apart from many Whatcom County shops, Beardslee said.

Although Class A’s specialty is painting, you can get full auto body repair, fabrication, trailer repair, lights and accessories, air-conditioning and windshields/glass repair on cars, pickups, trucks, buses, vans, utility and box trucks. Customers have included Charlie’s Trucking, Richner Trucking, EPL Feed and RCI Construction.

Beardslee said that although most cars now are unibody, his shop is able to do frame straightening from older and vintage vehicles and may be one of the few shops to have the equipment to do so. The crew has already completely restored a 1978 Ford F150 four-wheel-drive, a 1977 Bronco and a 1979 Kenworth W900 and is contacting Whatcom County school districts to continue Iverson’s service.

Class A works with all major insurance companies. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The phone number is 988-2550.

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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, October 14, 2015 | Ferndale Record

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Porsche Bellingham showcasing hybrid supercar 918 Porsche Spyder can reach 211 mph, features all-electric mode

By Cameron Van Til sports@lyndentribune.com

BELLINGHAM — Only 918 models of Porsche’s latest hybrid supercar exist worldwide.

One of them will be on display in Bellingham for at least roughly the next 30 days.

Porsche Bellingham, formerly Roger Jobs Motors, will be showcasing the Porsche 918 Spyder at its 2200 Iowa St. dealership beginning Thursday.

On Wednesday night, Porsche chief operating officer Joe Lawrence will be in attendance at a private grand reopening session to help reintroduce Roger Jobs Motors as Porsche Bellingham.

The dealership made the transition to Porsche Bellingham in March 2015 after completing a major reno-

vation project. This is Roger Jobs’ 30th year of owning the dealership.

The 918 Spyder, a 2014 model year, was produced from September 2013 until June 2015 with a starting price of $845,000. Of the 918 models worldwide, 297 orders came from the United States.

The 918 Spyder can reach a top speed of more than 211 miles per hour and can accelerate to 60 miles per hour in less than 2.8 seconds. The supercar can break the seven-minute lap barrier at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, a famous Grand Prix racetrack in Germany.

The 918 Spyder features a naturally aspirated 4.6-liter V8 engine at 608 horsepower, combined with two electric motors — one in the front axle and another in the back axle — for an additional 279 horsepower. The total output is 887 horsepower, resulting in 940 pound-feet of torque.

The supercar features five available drive modes: E-Power, Hybrid, Sport Hybrid, Race Hybrid and Hot Lap. In the E-Power mode, the front axle motor can drive the Spyder on electric power alone. Even in this

This Porsche Spyder is in Whatcom County. (Courtesy photo)

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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, October 14, 2015 | Ferndale Record

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New technology moving toward self-driving cars

mode, the Spyder can reach a top speed of 93 miles per hour and can accelerate to 62 miles per hour in roughly seven seconds.

In the hybrid-electric mode, the Spyder gets a gasoline equivalent of 67 miles per gallon (MPGe).

The Spyder, Porsche’s second plugin hybrid car, features a 6.8 kilowatt-hour (kWh) lithium-ion battery pack that delivers an all-electric range of 12 miles, ac-

cording to the Environmental Protection Agency’s five-cycle tests.

The battery can be fully charged in less than seven hours with a standard 110-volt household socket, or in less than 30 minutes with the option DC fast charger on an industrial circuit.

The Spyder’s entire structure is made of carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer, resulting in a 3,715-pound lightweight design and low center of gravity.

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Google has been making news in recent months for its work in a groundbreaking area: driverless automobile technology.

A prototype of Google’s new selfdriving car — a two-passenger electric vehicle with buttons to turn the vehicle on and off, but no steering wheel, accelerator pedal or brake pedal — was unveiled in May. Without a driver at the wheel, the car is instead guided by a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) rotating sensor on the vehicle’s roof that scans the vehicle’s surroundings to determine its driving route as well as to identify such obstacles as pedestrians, bicyclists and other cars.

While Google is widely considered a front-runner in the development of such advanced automation technology, the major automakers are also getting into the race. Albeit at a more conservative pace, they’re introducing automated features that perform specific tasks — such as adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning and collision-avoidance braking — to their new car models.

According to a recent report by Lux Research, cars with these so-called Level

2 features are expected to account for 92 percent of a worldwide autonomous car market of $87 billion per year by 2030.

Only 8 percent of the market will go to Level 3 cars, which would be primarily driven autonomously, but would allow drivers to regain control of the vehicle in an emergency.

In addition, the research firm doesn’t expect any fully automated vehicles on the road by 2030.

“We consider that ultimate level, Level 4, to be full autonomy, where you just get in and you don’t interact with the car at all,” explained Cosmin Laslau, lead analyst at Lux Research. “And we don’t think that’s coming by 2030."

Hermann Winner, director and professor of automotive engineering at Germany’s Technische Universitat Darmstadt, agreed.

“We will start with a partially automated car, then a highly automated one,” he said, adding that he doesn’t expect a completely autonomous car — one with no specific limitations with respect to traffic environment or driving speed — on the market for the next 40 years.

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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, October 14, 2015 | Ferndale Record

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