The Thing About Cars

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: 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 segue into why The Mummy is a true love story for the ages, followed up with a book review about women and data bias. Who won? Listen and find out!! We take a strange turn into cyberpunk/steampunk DnD with a cyborg Henry Ford before finally finding out which auto was the last to have a rumble seat. And a delightful time was had by all. We welcome your support via Patreon and your questions and feedback via our website.

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.

More Miata Madness: As we continue with Bob Hall's history of co-designing the original MX-5 Miata, we find out: What car Bob refuses to design in the future. Why "Designed in California" is a positive message about a cars and other products to the global audience. Concept cars: why we see some in production and why some just fade away. What the difference is in marketing a car and selling a car. What does Miata mean? How certain market segments of car designs boom and then go bust as others market segments become popular. What will your future EV sound like, how will you charge it and where will that power come from? What lurks in a Volvo's underpinnings? What is Bob Hall's dream (Frankenstein) car and what are his literary aspirations? Thanks for listening? Shameless plugs: Minis, VTEC's, and Nashes, oh my! We welcome your support via Patreon and your questions and feedback via our website.

Much ado about Miatas: We are joined by Bob Hall, one of the founding fathers of the original MX-5 Miata. Among the unique questions that are answered: What pricing number is considered lucky in Japan and China? Why was the original Miata priced higher than it needed to be and why did the price point help Mazda sell more of them? How did Japanese car models in particular end up on a 4 year product refresh cycle? How much cargo can you fit in an MX-5? How simplicity adds elegance and profit? All this and much more in this first of a two part episode with Bob Hall. Shameless plugs: 1978 Toyota Corollas. 1960's Lotus', maybe all of them. Emma Peel. We welcome your support via Patreon and your questions and feedback via our website.

Sometimes we replace the cars we love. Ben reveals how he was involved in a multiple mangled Mazda mishap which led him to buying a new (to him) car. Misty misses her mate's Mazda and is not a fan of the replacement. Nissan's recent styling ideas are brought into question and Dave speaks up for them but wonders what their designers use for motivation. The gang ponders what's in a car name, and how the same car has different names in different countries. Misty invites everyone to The Dutch Moto GP in Assen. Is this because she is now on parole? This episode is brought to you by Mazda, Nissan, VW, Tesla and the letter "M". We welcome your support via Patreon and your questions and feedback via our website.

The gang discusses which vehicles sell best in the USA overall and region by region. The results then lead us to a journey meandering around: Which vehicles can haul and tow which items and where? Which vehicles are best for tailgating and what items could and should be brought along? If you are an American ex-pat and Thanksgiving is coming up, what items should you cook for your family and friends? We hope you enjoy this trivia-free episode! We welcome your support via Patreon and your questions and feedback via our website.

Dreams, the demi-monde, a double header of trivia, dangerous Jeddah, and where in the world is Dennis' McLaren. Mickey starts off with his odd dreams, and Dave speaks fondly of weaponized silence and the demi-monde nightlife. Mickey hits us with a double dose of trivia. Misty cries foul on the Jeddah GP, and waxes poetic about Sebastian Vettel. We mark the passing of Sir Frank Williams. Dave wonders if Misty could ever lost the ability to speak and then meanders off in F-Land (no worries, it's still family friendly), while Mickey wonders how long it would take us to actually define all the classes in the FIA. Misty brings us the first edition of 'Automotive Mysteries' with the Curious Case of McLaren #039. Maybe the biggest mystery is why Ron Dennis would ever want that color? And again, nuns make a surprise appearance alongside Paddington Bear. Misty compares her BFF's new car Midge to Waldorf Salad and Ben suggests a photo shoot once losing body parts to frostbite isn't on the table. Shameless plug: YT VinWIKI - https://youtu.be/Yn742vmAbEA We welcome your support via Patreon and your questions and feedback via our website.

We're all fired up today but the BBQ will have to wait. Grand Trivia Auto asks who first made cars in Japan. Dave wants to know what all the formulae in racing mean, Tim tries to explain it but we go down the rabbit-hole of engineering and competitiveness in different types of racing Misty confesses that Sebastian Vettel is cute and wholesome, and we get obsessive about a poor abused anthropomorphic bollard. A listener wants to know about the hold button and we manage to 'go there' about it. Ben wants the car that runs on Fruit Loops and makes a poor attempt to speak Japanese, which doesn't stop Mickey from being a Honda-fanboy. We welcome your support via Patreon and your questions and feedback via our website.

We are joined by our friend Spencer for a wide-ranging discuss of ambulances and the life of emergency medical providers. We kick off with a discussion of Sharena sol. We unbraid the Pontiac rope drive. And, we learn the real meaning of the Pontiac Fiero! We promised the link to the Suicide Prevention Lifeline. If you need help, we will support you in finding strength and peace. #NationalSuicidePreventionHotline 1-800-273-8255 We welcome your support via Patreon and your questions and feedback via our website.