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Episode 33 – Autocross , Air Compressors and Badgers

Welc0me to the Auto Podcast that …  Needs more time in the saddle!  

Sponsors:  

Fort’s Toyota of Pekin.  www.toyota-pekin.com  

CASEY LAW Office.  www.CLOpeoria.com 

PATREON – If your a top tier Patreon Subscriber, you got a ton of free content with Epiosde 33.  We recorded the Pre and Post show with you in mind!

Thanks for listening.  Shout out to Jason Sach who goes by @64morgan44 on Instagram. Check out his restoration of his vintage Morgan 4/4. Wood work. Metal work. It’s a craftsman’s paradise. 

Projects:  (Where we talk about what’s going on with our cars or projects) 

Eric: 

  1. Autocross recap!
  2. Champaign County Sports Car Club…  The first event.
  3. I suck!  #toomuchcar
  4. FRS vs Supra
  5. Doctor Horrible’s Sing Along Blog reference!  Who gets it?
  6. volunteer!!!!  We need you to help in Central Illinois and CCSCC!
  7. The 1990 4Runner needs some help before Friday Night Lights!

Daryl:

  1. Got most of my parts sorted and categorized for the ‘58 Plymouth. Found a junkyard in Wisconsin and already started buying the hard-to-find parts. Great resource and reasonable prices.
  2. Got my air compressor back and setup with a hose reel, air tools and some paint guns. I may try doing some paint work on the Volvo rockers and quarters.
  3. Amazon Sucks!
  4. I got me a garage fridge. Because that’s where I am living now in my spare time.
  5. Check out Cuban Chrome on Pluto TV.

The Drive Report, Eric’s latest viewing on Amazon Prime

Headlines

TWISM:

He doesn’t know why, but Daryl spent too much time thinking about this FB post from TestDriveJunkie.

1989: If you had to choose one. Chevy Lumina or Ford Taurus? 

Also, Daryl says “No Thanks” to 16 seasons of Fast and Loud with Richard Rawlings” on Motor Trend on-demand.

International News:

Europe Automobile Sales Show Rebound in May

European car sales showed the first signs of a tepid recovery in May as showrooms reopened after a two-month shutdown because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to data from the industry association ACEA.

Passenger vehicle registrations in the European Union, the European Free Trade Association and the UK fell 57 percent. While that is the worst May since ACEA started tracking the data in 1990, it was an improvement over the 78 percent plunge in April.

Lyft Promises to Switch to 100% Electric Vehicles by 2030. 

US and Canadian ride-hailing company Lyft Inc. said Wednesday every vehicle on its ride-hailing and rental car platform will be electric by 2030, but it would not provide direct financial support to drivers for switching from gas-powered cars.

Instead, the company plans to push competitors, lawmakers and automakers to make it easier for drivers to switch to electric vehicles by creating financial incentives, Lyft executives said during a call.

John Zimmer, Lyft’s co-founder and president, said the company has reached a scale to impact policy change.

Lyft, whose vehicle fleet is currently made up of less than 1 percent electric cars, in a statement said it would aggressively promote and help drivers access incentive funds.

“If policymakers do their part in the next few years, EVs should reach cost parity with gasoline vehicles by mid-decade,” the company said.

Environmental activists have called on Lyft and larger rival Uber Technologies Inc. to electrify their fleets. A February study found ride-hail services create around 50 percent more carbon emissions than private car trips.

“Lyft are likely to get hit with regulations pushing them in this direction anyway,” says Colin McKerracher, head of transport analysis at Bloomberg NEF. “So they may just be trying to get out in front of that and announce it on their terms.”

Uber has not made a blanket commitment to electrification, but is partially subsidizing drivers’ electric vehicle purchases in London.

And yet, nobody cares. 

National News:

GM CEO Mary Barra ‘Cautiously Optimistic’ on Coronavirus Recovery, Consumer Demand

General Motors CEO and Chairman Mary Barra is “cautiously optimistic” about consumer demand returning as well as a global economic recovery as businesses continue to reopen following shutdowns due to the coronavirus pandemic. “We’ve been pleasantly surprised how demand has come back,” she said Wednesday morning on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” “We’re cautiously optimistic as we see demand resuming.” Barra said the company is “hopeful that we’ll have a strong recovery” overall but is planning for multiple scenarios “to make sure the company is strong from a business perspective and can weather any outcome.”=

Source: CNBC

Get your dream car now…  Because you might have to settle on your 3rd choice color in July!

At the start of June, new-vehicle inventory levels were down by one-third compared with a year ago. The situation is expected to get worse before it gets better, as automakers struggle to get production consistently up and running. Not all vehicles are affected, but certain segments such as midsize trucks are dwindling rapidly in supply. Although millions of Americans are facing financial hardship, many still need vehicles, and they will be looking for value messaging similar to the 0-percent-for-84-months incentives widely promoted in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Source: Automotive News

Mobile Recall Service

Ed Roberts added his second mobile service van on March 11. It has become an $80,000 tool for picking up recall work at Bozard Ford-Lincoln in St. Augustine, Fla.

When the first one arrived late last year, Roberts expected it to primarily serve the dealership’s fleet customers. But things have tilted toward individual clients, with about half of the orders involving recall work.

Source:  Automotive News

Dodge Challenger Turns 50. Celebrates with Special Edition

https://www.motortrend.com/news/2020-dodge-challenger-commemorative-special-edition/

Several months ago, Dodge debuted a special-edition Challenger coupe celebrating the muscle car’s 50th birthday. The model features special badges, gold wheels, and a plush interior—but only 1,960 cars were allotted for production. Now, Dodge is offering more buyers a chance to get in on the Challenger’s anniversary magic with the 2020 Dodge Challenger 50th Anniversary Commemorative Edition, which features pretty much all of the same upgrades as the previous special edition and none of the pesky production caps. Dodge will build as many as people want.

Local: 

(WEEK.com)

Northwoods Mall transforming parking lot into free drive-in theater

PEORIA (WEEK) — Northwoods Mall is transforming their parking lot into a free, community drive-in theater to present family-friendly movies.

Starting Friday, June 19 and occurring Fridays and Saturdays (weather permitting), cars will be admitted starting at 8 p.m. with the movie beginning at 9 p.m.

The series, ‘Free Cinema Under the Stars,’ will run until July 11.

The movie lineup will begin with Instant Family and conclude with Transformers/Bumblebee.

Moment of Musk:

“Staggeringly dumb.”

That’s the latest insult Elon Musk threw at Nikola Motors (NKLA), which has rocketed a crazy 500%+ since April. Love him or hate him, no one denies Musk is a genius. He built Tesla (TSLA)—easily the world’s most innovative car company—from scratch. When he’s not running Tesla, he works a “side job” as a rocket scientist for his private space company, SpaceX.

The Rabbit hole…

Nikola…  Who is freaking Nikola Motors???… Are there anyone decedents of Tesla getting paid off his naming rights?

BADGERS?  We don’t need no stinking badgers!

Full disclosure… Eric signed up for updated on Starlink internet service.  If you have ever been to his house, you know why!  #1barlifestyle

Touchscreen controls in new car suck, and now an expert verifies our claim!  

In a recent video, Edmunds expert Mark Takahashi posted his take on the worst automotive design trends that are currently being adopted by carmakers. The list involved a number of unsurprising mentions, such as the massive grilles on vehicles from Lexus, BMW, and Genesis, as well as fake vents on the Honda Civic Type R. But within this list, Takahashi also took issue with a trend that is arguably popularized by Tesla—the use of touchscreens.

It may look sleek, but digging through menus to access basic functionality is not.

RIFF ZONE: 

Daryl: Car insurance and car buying service commercials that stress the word “Fair.”

“Is your car insurance premium fair?”  “Only pay a fair price.”   

What are you, 5? 

Eric: Do not come into a conversation saying you are known A-hole!  Sick of that mentality!  

Cars of the WEAK!©®™

Eric:  2000 MR2 SPYDER

It was a wild and wacky situation… And Eric had a first chance at a classic MR2 that found its way in for trade…  After texting a picture to the wife, she asked why they didn’t own it…  Eric had to tell her that he got weak on the trigger!  Will another opportunity come around???

Daryl: 1954 Studebaker Commander coupe – $5,000

Source: FB Marketplace

Powered by a 169 cubic inch inline 6, and a 3 speed manual, this plain yellow and black coupe is a pure example of a timeless 50’s design from the Raymond Lowey studios. It’s in Springfield, too. Not too far for a weekend road trip filled with blue smoke, roadside breakdowns and a AAA flatbed ride the rest of the way home.

 

Thanks for all the love…  We have enjoyed the emails lately!

 

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