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Cyber-Sport Utility Vehicle of the Future Debuts at the Washington Auto Show

22 December 1998

washingtonpost.com's Cyber-Sport Utility Vehicle of the Future Debuts at the 1999 Washington Auto Show    

        'washingtonpost.com on wheels' delivers Web to Washingtonians

    ARLINGTON, Va., Dec. 22 -- Today, at the 1999 Washington Auto
Show press preview event at the Washington Convention Center,
washingtonpost.com introduced the ultimate concept car of the future.
"washingtonpost.com on wheels," or "WOW," is a super-cyber-sport utility
vehicle designed for cruising the information superhighway and the streets of
greater Washington.  Built from a 1998 Lincoln Navigator stretched to 27-feet
long, loaded with six computers, armed with a satellite dish and instant
Internet access from anywhere, WOW opens the world of the Web and
washingtonpost.com to local residents.
    (Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19981222/DCTU002 )
    WOW will be revving its engines at the 1999 Washington Auto Show from Dec.
26 to Jan. 3 before hitting Washington-area streets and bringing connectivity
to schools, sporting venues, festivals and other community events.  Local
residents are encouraged to visit the WOW Web site at
http://www.washingtonpost.com/onwheels to access the latest schedule of appearances
or to enter the contest to officially name the vehicle (contest runs from Dec.
26, 1998, to Feb. 26, 1999).
    When parked and deployed, WOW's two side gull-wing doors open to reveal
six surfing stations, three on each side, for users to access.  A computer,
21-inch computer monitor, and adjustable keyboard and mouse make up the
surfing station.  The vehicle's roof-mounted satellite dish connects the
surfing stations to the Internet at the touch of a button. Just to be sure the
vehicle wouldn't be overlooked in traffic, it was painted "True Blasberry," an
iridescent blue color that changes depending on the light and the angle.
    "We believe 'washingtonpost.com on wheels' is a first for a news and
information Web site.  WOW gives us the ability to capture the imagination of
the community and deliver the best the Web has to offer to local residents,"
said Marc Teren, president and publisher, Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive.
    In many respects, the development of WOW was a local affair.  Brown's
Car Stores, of Virginia and Maryland, provided the 1998 Lincoln Navigator that
is the "HEART" of "washingtonpost.com on wheels."  Easy Computer Solutions,
Inc., of Beltsville, Md., provided WOW's six computers and monitors.  In
addition, Intellicom, Inc., of Fremont, Calif., is providing the high-speed,
two-way, satellite-based Internet access.  DuPont Automotive Finishes, of
Wilmington, Del., provided the ChromaLusion(TM) Color "True Blasberry" paint.
    "washingtonpost.com on wheels" is administered by Washingtonpost.Newsweek
Interactive, the new-media and electronic-publishing subsidiary of The
Washington Post Company.