The Thing About Cars

On FI, Fuel Economy and Wafflehomes! Misty gets a surprise shipment from the states! The panel digs deep into the global socio-political implications on the "girlificiation of F1." Ben tees up a discussion on the closing of environmental loopholes for vehicles over 4,000 pounds. Ben teaches us how to hotwire a care through any exposed wire bus. And, Tim, teases us with what standard piece of equipment may not be available in future cars for sale in America. We welcome your support via Patreon and your questions and feedback via our website. Support The Thing About Cars by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/the-thing-about-cars This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Nobody here but us cheeckens with Micky away on the west coast. Misty is still moist, Dave drives the Grand Trivia Auto, and Ben pretends to know how to host a podcast. Tim staggers in late as we discuss how to get us all over to Paris for the big international hot-dang auto show next year. Those aren't pillows! Which of us speaks the worst French? How much escargot can we eat in a Peugeot? Is it equipped with a steinschlagschutzhulle? We welcome your support via Patreon and your questions and feedback via our website. Support The Thing About Cars by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/the-thing-about-cars This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Misty sets a new record for getting to moist, our guest is a no-show, and Dave sheds some light on J.D. Power. We explore our peanut-fetish before moving on to some listener questions, but the peanut-cheese just won't go away. We welcome your support via Patreon and your questions and feedback via our website. Support The Thing About Cars by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/the-thing-about-cars This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Mickey is going to send Misty a mystery-box and also announces that he's purchased a house that will eventually have his dream-garage, and we're all waiting for the garage-warming party! Yelotus makes its first car-show appearance. Dawn wants to know if a fuel-additive that promises to make a car with a bad catalytic converter pass an emissions test is legit, and F1 gets historic with three red flags. We welcome your support via Patreon and your questions and feedback via our website. Support The Thing About Cars by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/the-thing-about-cars This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Loxley Browne of Club Athena makes a quick visit to talk about a special event in partnership with DHL and Andretti Autosport. Seven dedicated “Athenians” will be chosen to spend two days trackside with Andretti and DHL Express team members as they learn from industry experts and have fun with hands-on experiences.   Girls interested in joining the program can apply for membership at ClubAthena.org. The deadline for selection in the DHL - Andretti – Club Athena program is July 30. Members who are selected will be notified on July 31st.  We welcome your support via Patreon and your questions and feedback via our website. Support The Thing About Cars by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/the-thing-about-cars This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Our guest no-shows, so the panel goes on a corvette-conversational-out-of-body experience. Where did the GM "bow tie" logo come from? When was the first Corvette produced? What cities are home to Corvette assembly facilities? What city is the home to the most Corvettes? Mickey, Dawn, Misty, Ben and Dave longingly over Corvettes they have known and love. Misty continues to contemplate Claudette's future. We welcome your support via Patreon and your questions and feedback via our website. Support The Thing About Cars by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/the-thing-about-cars This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Misty's in a mood; can she get a new MX-5 or upgrade her existing one before she "meets Sarah?" (Plus a secret message in Dutch.) What have cars been used for other than transportation and sport? If you were forced to drive a fast Ford for four hours in a traffic jam, which would it be? Some impromptu air travel advice. Importing vehicles and M.O.T. inspections. Plus, we find out what's a Moroni Label. We welcome your support via Patreon and your questions and feedback via our website. Support The Thing About Cars by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/the-thing-about-cars This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Returning guest Dean Case tells us about his involvement with the Society of Automotive Engineers' student programs including racing. If you or someone you know is interested in a career in automotive engineering, you should listen to this. Tim searches for Sasquatch but finds a Fratzog instead. We welcome your support via Patreon and your questions and feedback via our website. Support The Thing About Cars by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/the-thing-about-cars This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

We speak with Hot Wheels historian and brand ambassador Mike Zarnock about all things Hot Wheels. We learn about the origins of the coolest little cars, the world record for loops, how the cars are created, how passionate collectors can be, and we even have a look at the Hot Wheels coloring book! Mickey wants a Hot Wheels track that runs all through his house, Dave is feeling butch, and Ben has happy memories. Get out those Hot Wheels cars and play with them! We welcome your support via Patreon and your questions and feedback via our website. Support The Thing About Cars by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/the-thing-about-cars This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

The crew starts with culinary bravery- what don't you want in YOUR sammich? We welcome Greg Barner back to the table to discuss tires. Is Goodyear's new sustainable tire as good as it sounds? What about Michelin's airless tire? Will Mickey's fat ass fit in a 350Z? Misty is still moist and Dave wants to try the pine schnapps- just don't let him drive the RV when we go to the 24 Hours of Daytona next year. Yelotus is back on the road and Ben couldn't be more chuffed about it! All this and find out what questions we'll be answering in an upcoming episode. We welcome your support via Patreon and your questions and feedback via our website. Support The Thing About Cars by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/the-thing-about-cars This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Mickey generates his own susnspots! Dave and Jay from The Auto Authorities podcast join us to tell us all about their iAtoAgent business for being your agent to buy cars. What cars are always in demand? Have we found our new theme song? Misty has a thing about things that start with F.

How much intelligence is required for defensive driving? Misty is no longer contemplating sewing underwear for her cats but still has a serious grudge against Ford. How much charge can you get from an electric Dodge Charger? How much cheezy fake exhaust-noise does it need? Does Mickey need a muscle-car or an SUV? Tune in and be offended!

Dave sounds phlegmish and has BeeGees in his carburettors. Do you really need those BG services that dealers offer? Should you kiss your mechanic? Misty rants about Dutch Mazda dealers. Tim's rental car REALLY wants him to BRAKE!!! And just what the heck does Escalade mean anyway? Support The Thing About Cars by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/the-thing-about-cars This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Film-maker Scott Hardie made a documentary about Paul Moller, who has worked for decades to make flying cars a reality. Is Moller a genius or a crackpot? Are flying cars still 15-20 years away, as people have said since the 1960s? Misty is still moist and worried about her family's gene-pool. We park in gear, but wonder if our warranty will cover it. Bollard carnage ensues. We welcome your support via Patreon and your questions and feedback via our website.

Guest Paul Sher talks about his work with movie and TV cars. How much fun is it to drive the A-Team van? Paul tells us! He also tells us how perfect the Mach 5 is for L.A. traffic, how K.I.T.T. can get you into places, chicken heads on Ferraris, and why it sucks to drive a BatMobile. Dave's childhood is validated, Mickey can't ask that question, and meatballs become weapons. We welcome your support via Patreon and your questions and feedback via our website.

The man who knows all about all the cars. We are visited by Sam Fiorani, who has a background as an automotive salesman, author, show judge, industry forecaster and museum board member. We find out how to make a profit on an Austin Healey in less than a week. How does the automotive industry find out who is making how many of which product and when? Who makes the motors in today's hybrids and EV's? What does the ICE to EV changeover curve look like? What are the strangest doors ever seen on a production vehicle (hint: it's not Lamborghini.) What is in the Boyertown Museum of Historic Automobiles? Did Maytag make both appliances and cars? Why might one need OEM assembly line booties? In trivia, we find out about flip-up headlamps. All this and more... We welcome your support via Patreon and your questions and feedback via our website.

Dave has a special challenge for us because he missed us all horribly and trivia asks us when the rumble seat last graced us with its presence. Dave threw down the gauntlet asking the gang to put together their very own roadtrip movie! Each submission would be scored on: The car and why that car The trip - Starting point, route, and destination The co-star and why? What's the point of this trip? Bonus - unexpected plot twist Ben leads off with 2 questionable (according to him) submissions. First he brings a 007-ish satire comedy through the US and follows up with a coming of age roadtrip through the US. Dawn had a slight misunderstanding, so showing her amazing ability to pivot, gives us an off the cuff Porsche flavored spy/romance cliffhanger begining with a high school reunion based in Europe. Mickey wrestled for a WHOLE 36 hours to deliver a Miami to LA race with a very special twist. Misty draws on her love for Egypt, Brendan Fraser, and The Mummy for an epic drive from Europe to Cairo with a brief se

Gen-Xers complain about left lane bandits and new car features. After some exhaustive research, Ben lets us know which vehicles are most likely to be Left Lane Bandits and slow us down in the fast lane. The gang relates their tales of woe regarding newer vehicles and their safety features such as lane departure warnings and corrections, virtual overhead backup cameras, blind spot monitors, and reminders to keep your hands on the wheel. Misty tells us about the world's (or at least The Netherlands') smallest bagpipe parade and we wonder anyone will let us on TV. In trivia, we find out how to limber up our nylon parts (is it via yoga?) We welcome your support via Patreon and your questions and feedback via our website.

A Blast From The Recent Past In this casually non-themed episode from a few months back, we do a poor job of foreshadowing already released The Abby K episode, then the gang meanders around some random topics to give us their take on: Flying Ferrari F1 cars at Imola, Italy. How can we do a racing series in Antarctica? Why can't Misty go out to her MX-5 and upgrade her bulbs to LED's? Off-brand gasoline: does it have anything in common with a smorgasbord and does that make it bad? How does Ben like his new to him Mazda 6? Is Mickey's newly found improvement in fuel economy due to using gasoline with a different octane rating or is it the manner in which he drove his car? Our trivia questions let us know: What was / is / will be GeVeCo service? What cars did / do / will come with a Vegan Leather interior? How many Nauga pelts are used in a typical Naugahyde interior? We welcome your support via Patreon and your questions and feedback via our website.

Abby K rocks our show. Professional rock singer and bassist Abby K joins us for this episode and we learn: Is she the sister of Alice Cooper's and Demi Lovato's guitarist Nita Strauss? Why does former TTAC guest Ricky Rachtman give her career advice? What kind of cars does an up and coming rock star have and why does Abby's daily driver need to be serviced by a NASCAR team member? What are the features of a musician's touring rig? What was the last new vehicle sold in the USA with a 4 barrel carburetor? Was it also the last vehicle sold with a cassette tape player? We wonder who can get Abby K a gig to play at the Daytona 500 or the Indy 500? Thanks for listening! We welcome your support via Patreon and your questions and feedback via our website.