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Episode 36 – Western Jaunts, Evil Plots and Elon vs Bernie

Greetings from Throwin’ Wrenches Studio A, where this week we’re calling ourselves the auto podcast that doesn’t stay parked for too long

Eric and Daryl have been enjoying some late summer outdoor time and we have tons to talk about! We’re also hoping that everyone is taking care and enjoying what’s left of the summer season. 

If you aren’t a Patreon supporter, then you missed an exclusive 49-minute pre-show recording that talks about Eric’s stinky feet.  (True story) Does that help make the sale? Patreon supporters help make this great programming possible and we promise to only mention trench foot a few times a year. As the old Bartles & Jaymes ads used to say: “Thank you for your support.”

As always, we’d like to thank our sponsors!

Fort’s Toyota of Pekin

Casey Law Office

Episode Highlights

No, you didn’t wander into the Hair Club for Men podcast, but we did begin this week by straying into the land of facial hair, including an assessment of our favorite lawyer’s recent look.  Unfortunately or fortunately (your choice) – it turns into a whole male grooming segment! Mustaches are making a comeback, just you wait and see!

Later, we discover that George Hamilton and Daryl have a lot in common, apparently? #ExtraCrispy

Feedback

Listener and fellow podcaster Mark Narx gave our show some props and we wanted to say thanks for the kind words, Mark.  Mark runs Narxoleptic Customs in Arkansas and specializes in cool old stuff and modern LS Swaps. He recently finished an LS swap in a Jeep Grand Waggoneer. You can check out his work on Instagram @narxolepticcusoms. Thanks, Mark!

Projects 

Eric fills us in on his recent trip to Moab, Utah and Ouray, Colorado. Of course he hit some great trails with a perfectly-prepared supercharged Toyota Tacoma, which you see by following Fort’s Trail Team on Facebook. Eric also said the towns out west were packed with tourists, whom the locals were likely eager to see head back home.

If that wasn’t enough to keep him busy, right after he arrived back in the Midwest, Eric and family headed to Wisconsin to participate in the Badger Burrow Rallye. Who do you think had the better time, Eric or his daughter? 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Daryl celebrated a few small, quick wins on his wife’s recently-purchased 2007 Toyota Solara convertible. The car came along at the right time, so the droptop is now part of the trio of Toyotas in the Scott household.

He’s been working on cosmetic improvements, such as touch-up paint and buffing some older bodywork that isn’t perfect. He also ordered a TON of brake parts to do a major overhaul so the car can stop safely. Speaking of brakes, he’s also doing more brake work on the two oldest cars in the fleet, the ’47 Chevy and ’55 Plymouth. 

Race Daily Kill

Our newest segment #RaceDailyKill is back with three fresh choices of vehicles to categorize by the three magical categories. Pick one to race, pick one car to drive daily, and one to kill without mercy. This week’s challengers (pun intended) are below.

2020

Dodge Challenger

SXT Coupe 

3.6 292hp V6 / 8 speed (auto)

MSRP: $28,095 

2020

Chevrolet Camaro

1LS Coupe

2.0 275hp 4 / 6 speed

MSRP: $25,000

2020

Ford Mustang 

Ecoboost Fastback

2.0 300hp 4 / 6-speed 

MSRP: $26,670

Eric’s picks

  • Race the Challenger. (It’s got a 3.6 liter V-6.  That makes it cooler than the other two!)
  • Daily the Camaro. It’s cool-looking and I respect Bumblebee.
  • Kill the Mustang. With fire. What the heck is this aberration of the Mustang name? It may as well be electric.

Daryl picks

  • Race the Mustang.  The Mustang is the powerful one of the lot and would be fun to mod.
  • Daily the Challenger. The V-6 torque and automatic would make for easy daily driving.
  • Kill the Camaro. The Camaro is 100% plastic inside and has the smallest cabin. Also, I’m huge.

Sound Off: What’s your Race, Daily, Kill pick with this chosen lineup? Are we off-base? Show us the error of our ways at info@throwinwrenches.com

Headlines

International News

GM and FCA are in a turf war!  

For our younger fans: This is a Godfather reference.

GM alleges that FCA paid off the local union bosses to get big pay raises for their works at GM plants… Thus making it harder to compete with FCA in manufacturing.

This sounds like some serious mafia stuff going on!  But it also sounds like a plot that would take eons to have an effect!  Talk about glacial pace.  We compare it to an idiotic Dr. Evil plot to take over the world… The hard way!

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is calling bribery allegations by General Motors “preposterous” and from a “third-rate spy movie.”. GM, in a motion last week, alleged that Fiat Chrysler used foreign bank accounts to bribe union officials so they would stick GM with higher labor costs.

Fiat Chrysler has called allegations it planted a spy on General Motors’ board “despicable” and accused its rival of running “a smear campaign”, in the latest twist in a bitter legal battle between the two carmakers. Last November, GM accused FCA of causing it harm by paying bribes to union officials that corrupted pay negotiations and resulted in it having to pay higher wages. Judge Paul Borman dismissed GM’s case in July. Last week, GM claimed to have uncovered fresh details about FCA, including that a union member on GM’s board was a “paid mole” for FCA, and that the company used a network of offshore accounts to hide bribes paid to unions. FCA stringently denied the claims in its rebuttal filed on Monday. “GM must know that the prospect of the court changing its mind . . . is slim to none, so this motion is apparently a vehicle for GM to make more defamatory and baseless accusations about a competitor that is winning in the marketplace,” it said. The allegationsreads like a script from a third-rate spy movie” and “would make John le Carré cringe,” it added, saying that GM “is engaged in a smear campaign”.

Sources: Financial Times & Detroit Free Press

Where in the World is Carlos Goshn? 

Where in the World is Carlos Goshn

The father and son accused of helping former Nissan Motor Co. chairman Carlos Ghosn escape house arrest in Tokyo were denied bail for a third time as they battle an extradition request from Japan.

A federal judge in Massachusetts ruled this month that the ex-Green Beret Michael Taylor and his son Peter must remain in custody outside Boston while another judge weighs whether they are eligible for extradition under the U.S. treaty with Japan.

“While the Taylors may well seek to remain in the United States to fight extradition,” Talwani wrote, they “have not established sufficiently that if they find their extradition fight difficult, they will not flaunt the rules of release on bail and flee the country.”

Source: Japan Times

National News

Chevy Trailblazer Small SUV Scores a Hit as Fastest-Selling New Vehicle in US

2020 Chevy Trailblazer

Chevy’s affordable Trailblazer small SUV may be 2021’s most unexpected hit, flying off dealer lots faster than any new other vehicle since the pandemic struck. The little SUV spent an average of just 19 days on dealer lots from March through June, a fraction of the 96.9-day industry average for new vehicles and nearly a week less than No. 2, the acclaimed Kia Telluride.  

Yeah, but is it a smart buy? We weigh-in, and it isn’t pretty.

Source: Nada

Flying Cars Are (Kinda) Almost Here!

Are you ready for an automotive/aviation podcasts?  In New Hampshire, Governor Chris Sununu, signed the nation’s first state law regulating flying cars late last month, in a move experts say could serve as a “stepping-stone” towards the technology becoming more widely available.  eVTOLs…  Electric, vertical, Take-Off and Landing vehicles!  More acronyms!  Yay!

Even with the car/planes being a way off…  This legislation is laying the groundwork for the technology to mature.

Source: Smart Cities Drive

Local News

Juveniles Arrested for String of Auto Thefts

Peoria Police have arrested several juveniles in connection with a string of vehicle burglaries and thefts in recent weeks. The youths, ranging in age from 10 to 15, allegedly broke into dealerships to obtain keys, then later returned to steal multiple automobiles from two dealerships. The four juveniles, ranging in age from 13 to 15, were arrested for a number of incidents, and currently face charges that include Motor Vehicle Theft, Motor Vehicle Theft Conspiracy, Obstructing Police, Business Burglary, and Possession of Stolen Property over $5000.” We question how such crimes can occur in the year 2020, and why youngsters are being recruited to carry out such acts.  

Source: WBMD Story 1 / WMBD Story 2

Moment of Musk

This happened.

Cars of the WEAK

Eric

1982 Citroën 2CV- Sold for $9,500

Bring a Trailer

This is reportedly one of 300 Márcatelo edition cars built in Spain to commemorate the 1982 FIFA World Cup. Finished in red and white over an orange cloth interior, the car is powered by an air-cooled 602cc flat-twin paired with a four-speed manual transaxle and is said to have been imported to the US in the early 2000s. Features include Márcatelo-specific exterior graphics, a roll-back convertible top, and rectangular headlights. This Citroën 2CV is now offered at no reserve with a clean Florida title. One recently sold for $12k a year or so ago, so maybe this is an opportunity for a good deal.


Daryl

1979 Porsche 928 – $19,995

Ebay Auction

The Porsche purists still hate these, but that’s all the more reason to appreciate them. Designed as a replacement to the aging 911 platform, the 928 marked Porsche’s first foray into a V-8 powered GT car. It also was one of the most unique styling exercises in the 20th century. This first-generation model features those incredible rotary phone dial rims, brown leather seats (although the checkered cloth interiors look amazing as well), and

all of the creature comforts you’d want. It needs a lot of TLC but it’s a 33,0000-mile original one owner car so that may help. Good examples used to fetch $6K to $8K, but today their values have soared. I still love the lines and think these are twice the car a 911 is. Mostly I blame this on seeing them in such iconic 80’s Chicago films as Risky Business and Weird Science.

As always, thanks for listening!

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