Episode 57 – Sony EV, Tarantino RDK and how to get hired by Elon at Tesla
Welcome to the automotive podcast that was full of holiday treats… and bellies that shake like jelly. We hope you enjoyed our last episode during the holiday break. We truly enjoy your company and we’d like to offer a special thanks to Mike Fort for joining us for a few tales. Speaking of breaks, let’s hope everybody stays safe out on the roads as winter storms move across the U.S..
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Race/Daily/Kill: Tarantino Edition
Eric watched True Romance and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood recently and now believes that Quentin has an affection for big-body General Motor cars from the 1960s and 70s. Why not celebrate this with a “Tarantino Edition” of America’s favorite podcast segment, Race/Daily/Kill?
The Lineup
 1974 Cadillac Fleetwood Eldorado |
 1966 Cadillac Coupe DeVille |
 1974 Chevrolet Nova |
|
| Engine | 500 V-8 | 429 V-8 | 307 V-8 |
| Horsepower | 210 bhp | 340 bhp | 115 bhp |
| Torque | 380 ft/lbs | 480 ft/lbs | 205 ft/lbs |
| Curb Weight | 4,960 lbs | 4,534 lbs | 3,150 lbs |
| Original MRSP | $7,873 | $5,340 | $2,919 |
The Verdict
Eric: Race the Eldo (Just for the FWD tire smoke!). Daily that Deville and hope to look a little like Pitt in the process. Kill the Nova, because the only nova I live is the Novarolla from the 1980’s!
Daryl: Race the Nova. Daily the ‘66 and kill the Eldo.
Projects
Eric: 
The Cheese Freeze Rally is back on for 2022, and Treehugger 1.0 is going to make an appearance! Meanwhile, there are some other projects that will take a back burner for now.
If anyone is in the market for a turbocharged, methanol-injected race car project, I’ll make you a deal on a 2005 Scion TC. Call me.
Oh, and I do TV repairs now. More details in the podcast.
Daryl: I did silicone wiper blades on the Tundra. It’s too cold to do anything else because winter sucks. I also need to silicone spray the seals on all windows because my stuff keeps freezing. Arizona is looking better and better these days.
Headlines
Word News
You know that they say about cars with big screens, right?
Source: Automotive News
After years of boasts over the expanding size of their infotainment screens, automakers seem to have collectively moved on to a new measuring contest with which to extol their own virtues: third-row real estate. Across the industry, there’s now a growing list of growing crossovers and SUVs — vehicles that either had three rows and are now adding inches specifically for their third-row seating, or long-standing two-row vehicles that are growing to seven-seaters from five.
Chrysler to Go All-EV by 2028
Source: NADA
The future of the Chrysler brand was murky when Fiat Chrysler Automobiles merged with France’s PSA Group in 2021 to form Stellantis. One year later, the vision is much sharper: The product-starved brand plans to debut its first battery-electric model by 2025 and will eliminate internal-combustion engines by 2028. Stellantis is providing a glimpse of the road ahead with an electric crossover concept called the Chrysler Airflow being revealed Wednesday at CES in Las Vegas.
Sony announces Vision-S electric SUV in challenge to Tesla
Source: Tom’s Guide
At CES 2022, Sony shows off its latest prototype electric vehicle. Sony caused quite a splash at CES two years ago by rolling out a prototype car onto the stage of its press conference. For CES 2022, an updated version of the car returned, along with some surprising news — Sony could soon get into the car business.
Specifically, Sony says it’s forming a new company called Sony Mobility this spring with the goal of helping bring Sony’s technological flair to the automotive world. In theory, that means Sony would work with automakers to incorporate some of the mobility advances the company is experimenting with on its prototype cars, but ultimately, Sony Kenichiro Yoshida CEO said, Sony might explore the commercial launch of its own electric vehicle.
National News
I-95 in Va. reopens as motorists battle bailout traffic jam on Route 1
Source: WTOP
Interstate 95 in Virginia fully reopened Tuesday night after more than a day of blockage, which caused havoc for thousands of commuters who were trapped on to the roadway for hours.
To clear the roads and evacuate motorists, northbound and southbound lanes of Interstate 95 from exit 152 (Dumfries Road) to exit 104 (Carmel Church) were closed to travel. Crews continued work to remove stopped trucks, treat the roads for icing and remove snow. Motorists were also encouraged to avoid the area, or use local routes to reach their destinations.
Ford to Double F-150 Lightning Production
Source: NADA
Ford Motor Co. will double annual production of the F-150 Lightning in Dearborn once again, the automaker said Tuesday ahead of the first group of reservation holders being invited to begin placing orders for the electric pickup truck Thursday. Increasing production will bring the output to 150,000 vehicles per year at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in the Blue Oval’s hometown after deliveries begin in the spring.
Pinky Randall, aka “Mister Chevrolet” Passes Away at 94
Source: Old Cars Weekly
Murl “Pinky” G. Randall, a lifelong resident of Houghton Lake, Mich., passed away in Pensacola, Fla., on Jan. 9, 2022. In the old-car hobby, he was best known as M.G. “Pinky” Randall, as well as “Mr. Chevrolet.” Over his 94-year lifespan, Pinky Randall owned just under 200 cars, of which 180 were Chevrolet models from the earliest to latest models. Randall was a veteran of World War II and Korean War military service, and a grocery industry professional. Randall and his wife, Joyce, started collecting “everything Chevrolet,” he would say. The items ranged from license plate topper to toys. “I’d watch the newspapers and if I saw a Chevrolet item, whether it be a yardstick or cap or pencil or what, I had to have it,” Randall often said. Before long, the basement of his home was essentially a Chevrolet museum.
Local News
Peoria’s growing car theft problem and how to avoid becoming a victim
Source: WMBD
Peoria resident Fredrick Leathers’ black Chevy was stolen from his home early Monday morning, just off Sterling Avenue.
“Came back to pour my coffee and I’m seeing someone pull out the driveway in my vehicle,” he said.
Leathers said he’s left feeling stunned and deprived. He bought the car just a year and half ago.
“It kind of shocked me because no one never walks around this neighborhood, nobody’s ever in this neighborhood,” Leathers said. “Something was taken from me, something that I worked hard to pay for.”
Auto theft investigator Brian Terry said almost 600 cars have been stolen in Peoria just this year alone. That’s 250 more than last year.
“It’s completely at random. It could range anything from a 10 to15 year old car that’s left running to a brand new car that’s left running,” he said.
Terry said its not an organized group, but the same 20 teenagers who have taught others how to steal cars. He said the teens “drive them until they wreck them,” often resulting in a totaled vehicle.
“The suspects are walking around, they see a vehicle that’s running. It takes them literally 15 seconds to run up, jump in the car and just drive off,” he said.
Moment of Musk
When he’s not capturing carbon or snatching starships at the launch pad… Elon can be found hiring with the 2 hands method???
Elon Musk’s Brilliant Hiring Strategy Uses the 2-Hands Test–Instead of Degrees
AKA: How Tesla and SpaceX discover top talent through this expertly engineered process.
Source: INC.
Elon Musk famously discredits traditional education as means to fielding and finding top talent, saying that “college is basically for fun and not for learning.” And while businesses across the nation rely on academic degrees as a tool for finding talent, Musk holds to his conviction that skills matter more than degrees.
- First-hand experience
Though there’s much debate surrounding experience versus education, for Musk, it’s not simply that experience matters more than education. Rather, experience is a form of education. And in many ways, it’s the best education. In fact, a report from the Association of American Colleges and Universities inadvertently proves Musk’s theory. - Hands-on testing
Sure, a job interview is a test, but rather than actually examining a candidate’s capabilities, many companies simply work to evaluate a candidate’s knowledge. However, this is a fatal flaw, as there is a major difference between memorizing and parroting information and actually understanding how something works. To overcome this challenge, put candidates to the test with highly relevant hands-on testing.To test candidates effectively, give tests (e.g., a task or assignment) that most closely matches what the role itself may encounter.
GRINDING the GEARS
Eric highlights (or lights up) a Customer of the Week. This time, the feature is a 2011 Toyota 4Runner with a wiper problem that turned into a nightmare to diagnose, repair, and then adjust the final bill because the customer thought it was a “great learning experience” for the Technician?!?!?
CARS OF THE WEAK
Daryl: 1956 Packard Clipper – $13,000
Source: Facebook Marketplace
A true survivor. All original, it even has the original front floor mat. Auto trans,8 cyl and drives well. Beautiful green metallic paint that looks great in the sunlight. Original seats still have plastic covers.very large trunk. Chrome all looks good. Radio even works. This is a nice unrestored car about 79,000 miles. Recent fuel pump,water pump repaired, carb repaired. This car is in excellent shape,a real head turner. Rides very nice you won’t be disappointed with this car.
Eric: 2008 Saturn SKY Red Line Roadster 2D – $20,000
Source: Facebook Marketplace
2008 Saturn Sky with a Chevy Colorado Bed and roof. This car was built for endurance racing, we have ran several Lemon’s races with it. No expense was spared in building this car, I am wanting to move on to something else is the only reason for selling. The car is built to a very high standard, and it gets a ton of attention. The following is a list of some of the stuff that has been done to the car. The car itself came from Las Vegas, NV so there is zero rust or corrosion.
Specs
Drivetrain
- Engine: 22K miles LFX
- Transmission: 80K miles AY6
- Differential: I have several different ratios
- V8 Roadsters stand alone harness
Interior
- Kirky seat
- Extra passenger seat and belts
- RaceQuip cam lock belts
- AEM dash
- It has defrost ( heater core with vents)
- Cool suit setup
- Very well built cage
Suspension/Brakes
- BC coilovers (only about 5 races on them)
- FE3 Bilsteins that are like new
- 12 Wheels/ 12 brand new tires
- Brembo 4 piston front calipers
- Way more than I can list
As always, thanks for listening, and we’ll catch up again soon!
Let us know what you think of the show at any time at info@throwinwrenches.com.
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