Latest / In Wheel Time Podcast / Hot Rod Tour of Texas rolls out around the square!

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Hot Rod Tour of Texas rolls out around the square! · In Wheel Time Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_03: Welcome to another In Wheel Time podcast.
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_03: The latest on the Hot Rod Tour of Texas, it's the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_03: Just ahead, we visit with Kate Garcia.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_03: I had to think about it.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_03: Kate Garcia, we we have her Thursday night.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_03: Oh no! We're gonna play back a video that I did with her.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_03: She's the manager, the street manager for the city of Victoria.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you, Don.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_03: I I am awake, I promise.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_03: Not really.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_03: I'll give you my thoughts on driving the 2025 Genesis G V80 Coupe.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_03: And Jeff has the motor minute on this segment of the in-wheel time car talk show.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_03: Howdy, along with you know who down there.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_03: We call him Mike Mars.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_03: Just don't tell anybody.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_03: Over here we have we always need more Jeff Zieg.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_03: We do.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_03: Back here we have Chief Engineer David Ainsley.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_03: I'm Don Armstrong today.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_03: That's before I get arrested later on this afternoon.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_03: That'll probably start around noon.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_03: Let me go off here.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_03: Three hour, two hour show today.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_03: Two hour show.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_03: Two-hour show.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_03: And we're here at the Spindletap Brewery.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_03: Lots of seating ahead of us here that you can't see.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_05: It'll fill up in the end.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_03: And then there's also the camera that we have outside.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_03: Can you pull that up?
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_03: There it is.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_03: There it is.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_05: We got some folks rolling in.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_05: We were actually here a little before eight.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_05: They were rolling in a little after eight.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_05: Uh the folks that you see there, the Corvette and the pickup truck with the hood open, they were here a little after eight this morning.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_03: Well, uh I'm familiar with that because the first year, this is the fourth year for the Hot Rod Tour of Texas.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_03: The uh the fourth year now that we're in, there are those of us that get up early and kind of jump the line, so to speak, because everybody else is making their way up here.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_03: So they're headed down 1960 and over here uh at Hirsch Road and uh where we are at the Spindle Tap Brewery.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_03: We're off of 59 East Texas Freeway, if you're familiar with Houston, and um and uh really kind of close to the beltway, just inside the beltway, for those that don't know.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, so um we have a very special guest that I got to talk to and be with on Thursday evening, which was really the kind of the gathering, the kickoff, and get your package of of uh stuff from the Hot Rod tour, and you get to walk around the square and I can tell you all of that right now.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_03: Check this out.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_03: Which I like to which I like to call the square of Victoria.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_03: Is it okay?
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, the heart of Victoria.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_03: It is, and it's wonderful down here.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_03: It kind of reminds me of so many county seats in Texas.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, yeah, and but the county seat is not here.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, I mean, we've got the beautiful county courthouse.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_03: That's the that's the courthouse, but it's not it's not in the middle, which is so typical of so many.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_03: So the Hot Rod Tour of Texas and welcome.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_03: This is the kickoff evening.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_03: Here we are on Thursday night.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, I know that you're seeing this on Saturday morning, but we wanted to make this kind of part of our show on Saturday morning so you can get a feeling, a taste of what is in store for us on the tour every time we come down here to Victoria for the start of the Hot Rod Tour.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_03: Thursday night, it's a big kickoff night.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_03: Everybody gathers up and we're gonna be here for a few hours.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, and then we all go back to our hotels, get a good night's sleep because we're up early in the morning to head out of town with all of the Victoria Police Department and others to guide us out of town.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, so much fun.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_03: But let's let's concentrate on the square here, okay, shall we?
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_03: So, as you can see, as we're gonna walk down the street here, and you'll see all of the cars that are gathered up.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_03: By the way, speaking of which, there's a parking problem here tonight.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_01: A little bit.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I got here more than normal.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I got here at 4 30 tonight.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_01: Uh-huh.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_03: And uh the problem was is that all of these were already taken.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_03: So the question is, what time do they start showing up?
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_03: Two, three o'clock in the afternoon?
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_01: About two or three o'clock in the afternoon, yes.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_01: It's a long day, but there's lots of wonderful shops that surround the plaza.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_01: That I mean, they there's beautiful restaurants down this way, lots of boutiques, you know, over here that just surround the square that anybody that comes to visit has almost a full day, if not a whole weekend, of shopping and eating and playing.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_03: I get the feeling that it wasn't always this way.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, back a hundred years ago it may have been, but there was probably a period of redevelopment.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_03: How long ago was that?
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so I would say that it probably really kicked off in about 2020.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, Main Street.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_01: That's a good time.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, right in the middle of COVID.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_01: We're in the planning phase.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_01: It was a nice quiet time to plan.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_03: I got it.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_01: Um, yeah, but Main Street program had existed in Victoria as a nonprofit in 2010.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_01: And in 2020, the city combined with them um to really kind of compound, if you will, their efforts to revitalize the downtown area.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_01: And so I would say that we have slowly legally.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_03: So let me think.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_03: Hmm, do you think it's worked?
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_01: I d I always say I feel like my hair's on fire, and when I'm making my reports to council and I see how many events get held in the downtown area, over 800 a year.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_03: 800 events sizes.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_03: Well, you know, uh, just a few moments ago before we talked again uh since we met this evening, I thought, you know, this would be a great destination, not only for the hunt buttons to start, but for the car clubs that are in Houston, and there's gotta be hundreds of them.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_03: And this is a perfect Saturday or Sunday road trip from Houston.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_03: You got the highway, no construction once you get on to Rosenberg.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_03: Straight on here.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_01: The ever-growing Houston.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_03: I know, and uh, you know, speed limit out there in the highway, 75 miles away.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_01: It's a great little zip, literally.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_03: Yep, and you can get out here and open it up.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_03: This is something that you would like to have here, isn't it?
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_01: Oh my gosh, I was just kind of drooling over this 1967 Camaro I saw back in the back.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_01: I just I said that has to be a 67 or a 68, right?
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_01: Because then you get the headlight flares in the 69 and he goes, it's a 67, you got it?
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_03: So um I I'm thinking, you know, this is a great destination because of all the things that are offered here in the square, so when you have a car club that wants to come down to Victoria, make this kind of like a lunch stop before they head back out to Houston for the end of the day, what what do you have to offer here?
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_03: Uh uh clearly you have all the restaurants and bars and that sort of stuff, which is tons, tons of fun.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_03: But I guess if you got a car club that's big enough that you can probably do some special things for them.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, yes, yeah.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_01: If you get with my department, we'll usually get with Joel over at the Convention Visitors Bureau, Discover Victoria.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we can put together tours, we can, you know, hook you up with events, we can give you itineraries, um all sorts of things.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I think the sky's the limit if we tailor it.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_01: Let us know what you're interested in.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_01: Are you interested in history?
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_01: Are you interested in events?
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_01: Are you interested in pub crawls?
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_01: You know, we can we can almost crawls.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_03: That checks my box.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_03: Right, same.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, are we going too fast, Mike?
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_02: It's the excitement.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, good.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_03: So um, right now, the symphony is playing down here.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_03: And this is the thing that you started last year with the hot rod tour.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_01: Well, I I would love to take credit for it because it's such an amazing event.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_01: But we actually, Symphony has been doing their downtown rhythms for about 29 years now.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_03: Really?
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_03: Where did they play before the pavilion movie?
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_01: They played here.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_01: They played in the street, Parks and Recreation would pull a mobile stage out into the middle of the street, which was Forest Street, and they would, I mean, it would be early Wii hours in the morning, they would pull that stage here, and Symphony would set up in front of it.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_01: We'd block the roads and they'd play right in the middle of the street with the stadium.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_03: No doubt.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_01: Full house, no doubt.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_01: And then uh Bobby came over and he was like, hey, he's meeting with Joel, and he said, I want to bring Hot Rod Tour downtown.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_01: It's super cool, y'all are doing amazing things, and I want to be part of it.
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_01: I want the fourth Thursday of the month in April, and I said, uh, we can't step on the symphony's toes.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_01: That's a 29-year holding date for them.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_01: So we put uh symphony and the same room, and it's been Kismet since.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_01: I love it.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, they work beautifully together.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, two demographics you would never think would go together, go together like peanut butter and jelly.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_03: You know, us hot rod guys, we like everything.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_03: You know, uh last year we went to uh a drive-in movie on a Saturday night.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_03: That's the kind of stuff that us hot rodders like.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_03: We like regular stuff, but to put everybody together, and you know, it's it's all the get together with like people that love cars and hot rods.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, and I and apparently we're pulling you in.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, absolutely.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_03: What kind of hot rod truck do you have?
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_01: I have a truck.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_01: Hot rod truck, uh-huh.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, but I I need a Chevy 1500 core door, so I pull my horse with it.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, there you go.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_01: So that's my end.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_03: That's why I've got a there are things like this that you can pull the horse trader with.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_01: There was a there was a sh this, I think this truck right here was a 1500 diesel, and I yelled at him, You want a trade?
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_01: I don't think he heard me.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_01: You want trade?
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, this is a beautiful car here.
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_03: This classic uh 60s GTO.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_01: I love that color.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_03: But this is the one I have kind of picked out for you here with the horse dress because it's got a lot of character to it.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_01: Like you.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, that's it.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, so the symphony is playing over here, and I think that what we need to do is we need to kind of walk over there and probably get a taste of that.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_03: You had mentioned the courthouse earlier, so on the way over there, let's stop by the courthouse over here.
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_01: If you don't I think the second courthouse was built in like the 1890s or so.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_03: Wow.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_03: Um, this is beautiful.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_03: But I mean, with the clock tower, I'm thinking back to the future.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_03: How about you?
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely!
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, for sure.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, they've been doing some work on the courthouse recently, getting it all spruced up.
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_03: Now, I I met this guy.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_03: This is an absolutely stunningly beautiful car.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_03: It's gorgeous.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_03: And let's see what it says.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_03: This is a 37 Ford Roadster with a beautiful motor in it.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_01: I think I could fit in this one.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, you look it in this one, right behind the wheel there, and maybe put a filler hitch on it for the horse trailer.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_01: Right?
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_03: So uh let's walk into the park, Mike.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_03: So, those of you that are uh watching this on the Saturday morning, hot rod tour is underway, and uh we're making the stop at uh the Spindle Tap Brewery in the north side of Houston, and from there I can't tell you where we go because it's been held a deep secret.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_03: Because as it turns out, there are people that like to cheat the system such a thing.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_03: And they're going, well, I don't want to drive down to Victoria, but yeah, you do.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_03: But but but I I'm here in Houston, so I'll just join them up up there at the Spindle Tap Brewery on a Saturday.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_03: So there's that.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_03: They kind of jump the line, they jump the line.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_03: Not fair, but uh you know, those of us that have well, we came down here last year here.
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_03: I've been on the the tour since its inception four years ago, and uh out there on Navarro Street.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_03: And are you familiar with uh yeah, yes, it's uh it's a Kawasaki dealer or something out there, they cleared out the lot for us.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_03: Well, that lasted for two years and they busted at the scenes.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, because all of us.
• 12:35
  SPEAKER_01: That's exactly what Bobby said when he came to us.
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_01: He said, I need bigger, I need more space.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, so next year, the goal is that we're gonna have specialized parking for those that can't park in the spaces right around the square here.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_03: Oh there's a challenge for you.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_01: I'm always up for a challenge.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_03: I know you do.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_03: So, at any rate, so we're gonna walk over here, and Mr.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_03: Morris, if you'll stay there, and we're gonna walk up here and we're gonna listen to the symphony for a second.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_01: Listen, it's always so much fun listening to them.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_03: I know, and look at the turnout here.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_01: It's amazing.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_01: Isn't it?
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_01: I love it.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_03: Don't you?
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, I'm gonna be able to do it.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_03: I know you're probably thinking I'm gonna get home, but no, how can you think that?
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_01: It's um you everybody that you see, if you don't know them, you want to know them.
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, everybody's so crazy.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_03: Kind of like the crazy phone call that you got a couple of days ago going, hey, you don't know me, but hey, I say but uh but I want to know you.
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_03: And uh once once you were described to me, I picked you out immediately instead of there's my person.
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, so um, anyway, the sympathy, uh well, Victoria, Victoria Symphony.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_03: And yeah, and you know the the fun thing about it is you've got high school bands, you even had the grade school singers down the day earlier, so it it doesn't stop, it continues to be lineable this other than the I like to say I played if I put the the right people in the room together, and then everything else just kind of looks at some.
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_01: You know, the symphony that's the beautiful thing about is that the symphony and the popcorn both find value.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, there's there's so many people up the I don't know, I don't wanna I want my own thing, but there's so many nonprofits and there's so many community organizations here that love to partner with each other, and I mean this and there's just this blubber that's happening at the closer right now.
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_01: What's coming?
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_03: Come on over the state of Texas, too.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and that that's the one of the really nice things about this.
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, you know, I think the Bobby uh in Germany Henry.
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_03: Blizzard is a business, but they didn't know how big it would become so much.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_03: Because one of us coming on this.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, it's just you can't run into the street.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_03: Let me tell you some.
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_03: This is the start.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_01: We wanted to, we've always been known as the crossroads, but we're not the crossroads.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_01: We're Victoria.
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_01: We're a destination.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_01: Come here.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, come here.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_01: You can't help but put the metals of the metal on it.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_03: That's exactly right.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_03: Kate, it's great to see you.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you so much.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_03: We really appreciate your time and sticking around for us because we had some technical.
• 15:43
  SPEAKER_01: I'm always around.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_03: Well, we'll be in touch and we're gonna do this again.
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_01: I'll hold you to it.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, thank you.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_03: We'll be back right after these messages.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_03: And just ahead, a review of the 2025 Genesis G V80 Coupe and Jeff's Motor Minute after this quick break on the In-Wheel Time Car Talk Show.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_03: The Tailpipes and Tacos Christmas Edition 2025 happens Saturday, December 13th, from 8 to 11 a.m.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_03: and you want to be a part of it.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_03: Tailpipes and Tacos is the cruise hit everyone wants to attend.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_03: And the Christmas edition is extra special.
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_03: Donate an unwrapped new toy and help yourself to a free Lupi Tortilla breakfast taco.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_03: There'll be adult beverages available for purchase too.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_03: And don't forget your ride.
• 16:41
  SPEAKER_03: Just cruise in and you're automatically registered to compete for one of three famous chili pepper trophies.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_03: Best Hot Rod, Best Classic, and Best Modern Classic.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_03: Tail Pipes and Tacos Christmas Edition will be held Saturday, December 13th, 8 to 11 a.m.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_03: at the Luppy Tortilla Tex-Mex, located at 703 West Grand Parkway, just south of the Katy Freeway in Katy.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, and don't forget to bring the kids.
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_03: There'll be special trophies and hoodie bags for them too.
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_03: It's the Tailpipes and Tacos Christmas Edition 25, Saturday, December 13th, 8 to 11 a.m.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_03: at the Luppy Tortilla Tex-Mex at 703 West Grand Parkway in Katy.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_03: Bring a toy, get a free breakfast taco, and enjoy the camaraderie.
• 17:17
  SPEAKER_03: In real time, we'll be there too.
• 17:19
  SPEAKER_00: Time to fire up those engines and pay tribute to the folks who make freedom possible.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_00: Bastrops owned heroes and hot rides is rolling in for Veterans Day weekend.
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_00: Friday night, downtown cruise.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_00: Saturday, 400 of the coolest rides in Texas.
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_00: Proceeds, help veterans, shelters, food pantries, and scholarships.
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_00: Sponsored by Craig's Jewelry, November 7th and 8th, Main Street, Bast Drive.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_00: Don't miss it!
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_03: Welcome back to the Hot Rod Tour of Texas.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_03: We are coming to you live now from the Spindletap Brewery in Houston's north side.
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_03: And Mr.
• 17:56
  SPEAKER_03: Mars was upset because I cut his uh very hard work off on the video, and I apologize, Mars.
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_03: It's fine.
• 18:05
  SPEAKER_03: Don't worry about it.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_03: Now now he's not speaking to me.
• 18:07
  SPEAKER_03: I didn't know that you had spent five hours on the close of the video, but okay.
• 18:13
  SPEAKER_03: Dad and dad are fighting.
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_03: Again.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_03: He's just mad at me.
• 18:16
  SPEAKER_03: Oh well.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_03: Alright, time now for this hour's car review.
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_03: I had a chance to drive the 2025 Kia Sorrento.
• 18:25
  SPEAKER_03: Final assembly location is Wasong, Korea.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_03: Available trim levels, two of them, the EX and the SX Prestige.
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_03: I have the hybrid SX Prestige all-wheel drive.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_03: This is called a small SUV, although it certainly doesn't seem small.
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_03: Three rows with six seats in it, all new in 2021.
• 18:51
  SPEAKER_03: Exterior features include a signature Kia grille with orange daytime running lights.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_03: Kind of unusual there.
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_03: Most of them today are white.
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_03: Quad vertical tail lights, sunshade over the rear glass, and fake dual exhaust.
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_03: Straight horizontal side sculpturing, and attractive, unique wheels.
• 19:15
  SPEAKER_03: What I liked, this is one of the sharpest-looking SUVs on the market today, in my opinion.
• 19:21
  SPEAKER_03: We could use improvement, maybe some more wheel options?
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know.
• 19:25
  SPEAKER_03: It seems pretty complete the way it is.
• 19:27
  SPEAKER_03: Interior highlights, optional big screen for driving, and infotainment, 12.3 inches to be exact.
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_03: Quilted seat accents in this upscale model, with a sculpted dash.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_03: Very nice.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_03: Uh dial shifter with a knob on the center console.
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_03: A lot of people don't like it.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_03: I think it's perfect.
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_03: It works great.
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_03: Cargo and trunk room?
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_03: Well, it's got a small area with the third row up, with the third row down, no big deal.
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_03: It's got plenty of room for all the groceries and plenty of luggage.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_03: What I like?
• 20:04
  SPEAKER_03: The near luxury feel of the interior.
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_03: It really is a nice vehicle.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_03: I don't think anything could use improvement.
• 20:11
  SPEAKER_03: It has a 1.6 liter turbocharged engine with a hybrid battery.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_03: Turns out in total, 227 horsepower and 258 pound feet of torque.
• 20:24
  SPEAKER_03: Through a six-speed automatic transmission.
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_03: This one was all wheel drive.
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_03: You can get this in front-wheel drive only.
• 20:31
  SPEAKER_03: So rating?
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_03: 1654, so a couple uh jet skis back there'd be just fine.
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_03: As far as miles per gallon are concerned, this is where it really shines.
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_03: 34 city, 34 highway, for combined a 34.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_03: I got 32.8 miles per gallon.
• 20:49
  SPEAKER_03: Over 429.7 miles.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_03: Most of that is going to be on the highway.
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_03: What I liked about it, the mileage and the engine.
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_03: A fine marriage with the transmission.
• 21:00
  SPEAKER_03: What could use improvement again?
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know because it all seems to work so good.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_03: Ride and handling, very smooth.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_03: This is a luxurious ride for an SUV.
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know how they do it, but it really works.
• 21:13
  SPEAKER_03: What could use improvement?
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_03: Nada.
• 21:15
  SPEAKER_03: This SUV hits all the right notes.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_03: Be sure to check it out if you're in the market for a small three-row SUV.
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_03: Here's the pricing.
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_03: The base trim price is 46,890.
• 21:29
  SPEAKER_03: Now remember, this is the top of the line trim.
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_03: Price is tested with a few options.
• 21:33
  SPEAKER_03: 49,130.
• 21:35
  SPEAKER_03: And remember, overall, the average price of a vehicle these days is 50 grand, so that hits the sweet spot.
• 21:41
  SPEAKER_03: But get this.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_03: The base model price on this is$38,690.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_03: And that could be in a lot more people's budget.
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_03: Competitors?
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_03: The Toyota Highlander Hybrid for$46,820, that's where it starts.
• 21:58
  SPEAKER_03: The Toyota Rav 4 hybrid starts at$32,850.
• 22:03
  SPEAKER_03: And the Honda CRV hybrid, which I haven't had a chance to drive but would like to,$30,920.
• 22:11
  SPEAKER_03: Overall, this is a great vehicle.
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_03: I give it high marks.
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_03: If you're in the market for an SUV of any kind, I want you to check out this one.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_03: Even though it says it's a small SUV, it acts like a big one, and it acts like and looks like a luxury SUV, the 2025 Kia Sorrento.
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_03: This is the SX Prestige all-wheel drive version.
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_03: And that's my review for this week.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_03: Time now for the Motor Minute, Jeffrey Hell.
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_05: Alrighty, now we were at the Hot Rod Tour of Texas.
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_05: We've been here many, many, many years.
• 22:43
  SPEAKER_05: Spindletap.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_05: Everyone's bringing a hot rod.
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_05: Do you know what it uh if these people do their hot rod uh restorations themselves, or if they have a shop, you know, there are twelve hundred and seven auto restoration services in the state of Texas as of uh this early this year, I counted them, uh which is one point nine nine percent increase, almost a two percent increase from twenty twenty-three.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_05: There's eight hundred and seventy-five auto restoration services, uh which is seventy-two percent of all restoration services in a single ownership operation, while the remaining three hundred and thirty-two, which is about twenty-seven percent, are part of a larger brand.
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_05: So you've got uh maybe multiple locations for some of these restoration shops as well.
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_05: Dallas has 104.
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_05: Uh there are 247 in Houston, San Antonio's got 106.
• 23:34
  SPEAKER_05: That's a lot for that little town.
• 23:36
  SPEAKER_05: Uh but auto restoration services establish a strong digital presence so you can get on any of the platforms, much like we are on a lot of platforms, you can find an auto restoration shop to fit your need, to fit your budget, to fit what you're looking for on your car.
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_05: So these folks that are here, some of them brought two and three cars.
• 23:53
  SPEAKER_05: Some of them have multiple drivers, some of them have family members here.
• 23:56
  SPEAKER_05: Even if you brought a hot rod here, you might have a couple back at home, but still needing restoration.
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_05: So that's a lot.
• 24:03
  SPEAKER_05: Twelve hundred and seven for the state of Texas across the board uh for auto restoration.
• 24:10
  SPEAKER_03: Oh yeah.
• 24:11
  SPEAKER_03: One guy who works on his own car.
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_03: I'd like to get a lot of things.
• 24:20
  SPEAKER_03: You got any high rod shops over there in Neaterville?
• 24:23
  SPEAKER_04: One or two.
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_04: They're they've kind of they've kind of moved more into Beaumont and up into the Silsby area.
• 24:30
  SPEAKER_03: Really?
• 24:30
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_03: It's is how far is Silsby from you, Mars?
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_04: Forty five minutes.
• 24:36
  SPEAKER_04: That's all.
• 24:36
  SPEAKER_04: That's not bad.
• 24:37
  SPEAKER_04: That's not bad.
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_03: Matter of fact, I I met a great guy from your area uh yesterday, had a long conversation with him.
• 24:44
  SPEAKER_03: No, he does not know you.
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_03: But uh he had had a connection, a connection with the guy that had the 61 Imperial.
• 24:51
  SPEAKER_03: That was a that's a friend of his.
• 24:53
  SPEAKER_03: He has a green Nova that is to die from a beautiful car.
• 24:59
  SPEAKER_03: His name is Buddy Dominique.
• 25:01
  SPEAKER_03: He should be here today to get a chance.
• 25:03
  SPEAKER_03: You need to meet him.
• 25:04
  SPEAKER_03: And uh and and you need to connect with him.
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_03: Really nice guy.
• 25:08
  SPEAKER_03: He's got many cars, actually actually.
• 25:10
  SPEAKER_03: And he he used to do a lot of work himself, and now he's farming stuff out because hey, let's face it, we're all getting older.
• 25:16
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, right.
• 25:17
  SPEAKER_05: You can get on TikTok, YouTube, all the channels.
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_05: There's 900 rest restoration shops uh on the websites that you have.
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_05: So get out there if you need a restoration shop, ask around here, ask these folks here, and you don't get references.
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 25:29
  SPEAKER_03: And not that all references uh pan out.
• 25:32
  SPEAKER_03: I've been referred to several places around town to get certain uh things in my car.
• 25:40
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 25:41
  SPEAKER_03: And not all of them have panned out.
• 25:42
  SPEAKER_03: That's true, but but in some cases it's a trial and error, but again, network and and ask questions.
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_03: Because I I really I don't want to take it back to the dealer because does the dealer know more than the guy that specializes in the Corvettes?
• 25:54
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know.
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_03: Probably not.
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_03: I know that he's been trained, but that doesn't mean that he's had a lot of work on a C5 Corvette.
• 26:02
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, and you pull up in a 1969 whatever to a dealer and they're gonna probably ooh and ah over it, but turn you away.
• 26:08
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, nobody knows how to fix it.
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_03: Wait a minute, it doesn't have a computer in it?
• 26:11
  SPEAKER_03: Well, we're looking at the other.
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_03: What do you mean it's got points?
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_03: Kind of like you, Mars.
• 26:15
  SPEAKER_03: We you know, it's a you we just don't have points.
• 26:19
  SPEAKER_04: Well, it it's exactly so so when I I had to take the wife home yesterday.
• 26:25
  SPEAKER_04: When I got home, one of the grandkids' car wouldn't start.
• 26:28
  SPEAKER_04: Oh boy.
• 26:28
  SPEAKER_04: Wouldn't start.
• 26:29
  SPEAKER_04: And it crank, you would crank, and so I got the code reader out and I started reading the codes and everything, and I could smell the gas.
• 26:35
  SPEAKER_04: There's trouble there.
• 26:36
  SPEAKER_04: Well, it it's not carbureted.
• 26:38
  SPEAKER_04: I can smell gas, so it's flood itself.
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_04: The computer's doing weird things, I can't fix it.
• 26:42
  SPEAKER_04: But I told her, I said, I don't have a carburetor, I don't have a distributor that I can work on.
• 26:47
  SPEAKER_04: You need to tinker with it.
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_04: It's too new for me.
• 26:49
  SPEAKER_05: You can't tinker anymore.
• 26:50
  SPEAKER_04: I can't hit it with a hammer.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_04: There you go.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_04: Now you can do that.
• 26:54
  SPEAKER_04: Well, it gets real expensive.
• 26:56
  SPEAKER_05: Well, there was a guy, there was somebody was hammering on their car at 10 o'clock the first night.
• 27:00
  SPEAKER_05: Well, that's another story.
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_05: And you know he broke down?
• 27:03
  SPEAKER_03: Did he?
• 27:03
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 27:04
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, there was uh there was a guy out in the parking lot of the hotel on uh Thursday evening.
• 27:10
  SPEAKER_03: 10 o'clock.
• 27:11
  SPEAKER_03: What I what I I would say is a sledgehammer doing body work out there at 10 o'clock at night.
• 27:16
  SPEAKER_05: In the parking in front of the hotel.
• 27:17
  SPEAKER_03: But I really can't say a whole lot because I remember back in the day with Bill and Sharon Seitz and we went to a Corvette show uh up in Oklahoma City, and the buddy that I was rooming with, he decided that he needed to do some paint work, so he kind of taped off the bathroom and did some paint work with the compressor in the bathroom.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_03: In the hotel at midnight.
• 27:41
  SPEAKER_03: Knock, knock, knock, knock.
• 27:43
  SPEAKER_03: Sir, could you hold it down in there?
• 27:44
  SPEAKER_05: They were in the honeymoon suite.
• 27:46
  SPEAKER_03: Everybody would be asleep and nobody would hear him.
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_03: That's exactly right.
• 27:49
  SPEAKER_03: Hey, if you'd like to get in touch with us, shoot us an email.
• 27:51
  SPEAKER_03: The address is info at nwheeltime.com.
• 27:54
  SPEAKER_03: Back after this quick break.
• 27:56
  SPEAKER_03: Who doesn't like a social event?
• 27:58
  SPEAKER_03: How about one that centers around your love for all things automotive?
• 28:02
  SPEAKER_03: Another Gulf Coast Auto Shield Car Social is back Saturday, December 6th, 9 to noon, at 11275, South Sam Houston Parkway, just south of the Southwest Freeway.
• 28:13
  SPEAKER_03: It's a morning packed with incredible cars, some of the finest rides in town, from classics to modern exotics.
• 28:19
  SPEAKER_03: Here's your chance to talk to fellow car lovers.
• 28:21
  SPEAKER_03: Grab a coffee and check out how Gulf Coast Auto Shield keeps these rides looking perfect.
• 28:26
  SPEAKER_03: Meet the team.
• 28:27
  SPEAKER_03: Take a look around the shop to see firsthand how Gulf Coast Auto Shield gets the most of the look you're trying to create.
• 28:34
  SPEAKER_03: In real time, we'll be there with their live car talk show.
• 28:37
  SPEAKER_03: You might just be one of the guests.
• 28:39
  SPEAKER_03: Don't miss this free, fun, and fast-paced car gathering of fellow car lovers and their rides.
• 28:44
  SPEAKER_03: Saturday, December 6th at Gulf Coast Auto Shield, 11275, South Sam Houston Parkway.
• 28:50
  SPEAKER_03: Bring your car, bring your friends, and bring your love for all things automotive.
• 28:54
  SPEAKER_03: We'll see you then.
• 28:56
  SPEAKER_03: The award-winning In Wheel Time Car Talk Show now reaches 5.3 million folks each year.
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_03: Check us out on InWheeltime.com, YouTube, Facebook, and podcasts available from your favorite go-to source, including our live broadcast every Saturday, 10 to noon, Central Time.
• 29:12
  SPEAKER_03: The In Wheel Time Car Talk Show has informative automotive guest interviews, new car reviews, along with popular features including driving destinations, Jeff's car culture, latest car news, cruise ins, and racing dates.
• 29:23
  SPEAKER_03: It's all on InWheeltime.com.
• 29:25
  SPEAKER_03: Join us.
• 29:26
  SPEAKER_03: That's it for this podcast episode of the In Wheel Time Car Show.
• 29:30
  SPEAKER_03: I'm Don Armstrong, inviting you to join us for our live show every Saturday morning, 8 to 11 AM Central on Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and our InWheeltime.com website.
• 29:41
  SPEAKER_03: Podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeart Podcast, Podcast Addict, TuneIn, Pandora, and Amazon Music.
• 29:50
  SPEAKER_03: Keep listening, and we'll see you soon.