Latest / In Wheel Time Podcast / Chrome & Cannonballs: Pink Panthers, Plum Crazy, and Texas Swimming Spots

Transcript

Chrome & Cannonballs: Pink Panthers, Plum Crazy, and Texas Swimming Spots · In Wheel Time Podcast

• 0:04
  Speaker 1: All right, thank you, sir.
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: Mr Mars has driving destinations this week.
• 0:09
  Speaker 2: Cool places to cool off for this summer Go for it and on a day like today I would really like to go to one of these places.
• 0:17
  Speaker 2: So one of the things you can look at, particularly up and around the hill country, barton Springs Pool.
• 0:22
  Speaker 2: Now this is talking about places that you can actually go swimming, different pools around the state of Texas.
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: So Barton Springs is located in Zilker Park in Austin.
• 0:32
  Speaker 2: It's a three-acre natural pool.
• 0:34
  Speaker 2: It's fed by underground springs, stays 68 to 71 year-round, which makes it great for summer and you can actually go in the winter.
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: It actually will feel warm at certain times.
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: So the setting is scenic and serene, but it fills up fast on weekends, so they you got to arrive a little early if you're going to go there.
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: The other one that you can find up there is the deep eddy pool.
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: Now, this is texas oldest man-made swimming pool.
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: The deep eddy is also spring fed and it's known for its clear, cool water and its relaxing ambience.
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: Now, this is near downtown Austin, so it's got swimming lanes, got shallow in for kids, grassy areas for lounging.
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: It was built in 1915, and it carries a nostalgic charm and attracts a quieter crowd than its neighbor over in Barton Springs.
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: Oh boy, from there we go over to Wimberley where we're going to find the Blue Hole Now.
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: The Blue Hole is a pristine swimming pool nested amongst towering cypress trees in wimberley.
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: It's got emerald colored waters, iconic rope swings, the swimming hole is spring fed and maintaining a cool 75 degree temperature now the it's surrounded park is hiking trails, picnic lanes and it's got lots of courts.
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: Got to make some advanced reservations for this, because they limit it to 900 people a day is all that can get.
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: Oh, geez wow, now you go over to.
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: From there you go over to hamilton pool preserve.
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: Now this is in dripping springs.
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: Now it's a geological wonder because it features a collapsed grotto grotto with a 50-foot waterfall that goes into a jade-colored pool.
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: This is in Travis County.
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: Sometimes, because of bacteria levels, swimmers aren't allowed in, but it's still worth a visit.
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: Martha, I got this kind of odor to me and I don't know exactly where it's coming from.
• 2:21
  Speaker 3: You've been in that pool again, yeah, yeah.
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: And then, if you're looking for something more park-like, Schlitterbahn over in New Bronzeville.
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: Now this is the water park experience.
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: It's consistently ranked among the best in the world, located in New Bronzeville along the Comal River.
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: Comal.
• 2:37
  Speaker 2: It spans over 70 acres, it's got slides, it's got lazy rivers, kids areas.
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: Have you ever been there?
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: Been there once, but I was not in the water at the time.
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: Did you ever go tubing down the Comal?
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: Yes, I did.
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: Yep, I like that.
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: But Slitterbond, I was there on a business trip, so I didn't actually get to participate in any of the activities that were there.
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: Well, that's too bad.
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, that's got log cabins.
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: It's a lot of.
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: It's a really nice place and they have another one down in galveston.
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: If you're looking for something down in there, then from there, cross springs now this is in spicewood.
• 3:16
  Speaker 2: Now this is a family-owned uh operation.
• 3:19
  Speaker 2: It's got 32 natural springs feeding into man-made and natural pools.
• 3:25
  Speaker 2: Uh, it's a retreat again.
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: It's one of the spring waters stays around 68 degrees fahrenheit year-round.
• 3:31
  Speaker 2: Uh, it's got tent and rv camping and uh.
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: Then if you're looking for something that's a little further west texas, then balmora state park now this is way out in West Texas and I think there's a map going to come up here and it's the largest spring-fed swimming pool in the state and it's located in the desert and it was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s.
• 3:55
  Speaker 2: The 1.75-acre pool is fed by springs.
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: It holds 3.5 million gallons of water.
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: Now, keep in mind that's a lot of water.
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: That ranges in temperatures from 72 to 76, but 15 million gallons of water go through that place a day.
• 4:13
  Speaker 2: There's a lot of water going through there in the water flow.
• 4:16
  Speaker 2: So there's some cool places that you can go and cool off during the summer.
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: Thank you, sir.
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: Time now for Jeff's Car Culture Rare muscle car colors.
• 4:30
  Speaker 3: You betcha.
• 4:31
  Speaker 3: And here we go.
• 4:32
  Speaker 3: First one out of the box.
• 4:35
  Speaker 3: Now, we've all seen these colors.
• 4:37
  Speaker 3: You don't know what codes they are, but here we go.
• 4:39
  Speaker 3: 1970, plymouth Duster.
• 4:42
  Speaker 3: We call this the Pink Panther, the 1970 Plymouth Duster and factory Pink Panther.
• 4:48
  Speaker 3: Pink code FM3.
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: Hey everybody, Look at my car In case you're wondering what the code is.
• 4:54
  Speaker 3: it's one of the rarest, most eye-catching combinations to leave a Chrysler plant.
• 4:58
  Speaker 3: While the Duster was designated as affordable, compact muscle car, ordering it in Pink Panther turned into a bold statement piece.
• 5:06
  Speaker 3: The color was part of Mopar's high-impact paint lineup and officially only offered it for the short time in 1970.
• 5:13
  Speaker 3: The next one on the block is a 70 Plymouth Cuda who figured In violet code FC7.
• 5:20
  Speaker 3: Now in violet, also known as what Plum Crazy over at Dodge.
• 5:24
  Speaker 3: It was one of Chrysler's high-impact colors but surprisingly, a few buyers ordered it in 70 Cuda.
• 5:30
  Speaker 3: Most stuck with the hemi-or Orange or Limelight, which was the green color, leaving the purple bruiser only to be the only one that's bold.
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: I think that John Hovis got one.
• 5:39
  Speaker 3: I believe so he does.
• 5:40
  Speaker 3: When paired with a 426 Hemi or even a high-compression 440 in violet gave the Cuda an unmistakable presence.
• 5:51
  Speaker 3: That is a pretty car, I'd drive it.
• 5:52
  Speaker 3: Next one 70, chevelle SS in Tuxedo Black, which is paint code 10.
• 5:56
  Speaker 3: Tuxedo Black sounds common but it's rarely chosen.
• 6:00
  Speaker 3: In 70, especially on the SS Chevelle, gm's bright hues like Cranberry Red and Phantom Blue dominated the dealer lots, while fewer than 1% of the ss buyers opted for the deep formal black.
• 6:13
  Speaker 3: When paired with an ls6 454 in a cowl induction hood, a black on black chevy ss became a menacing presence.
• 6:22
  Speaker 3: It didn't need stripes or flare to make it a paint.
• 6:25
  Speaker 3: There you go.
• 6:26
  Speaker 3: Next one 69 dodge charger in r4, bright red with a white top.
• 6:32
  Speaker 3: Bright red code R4 wasn't rare on its own, but paired with a white vinyl top and white interior, you got a surprisingly uncommon setup for 69.
• 6:42
  Speaker 3: Most buyers went with black or tan contrast instead of the high contrast combo.
• 6:47
  Speaker 3: Add a 440 Magnum or a Hemi into the equation and you've got a charger that's hard to miss.
• 6:56
  Speaker 3: Next one Michael is a 1970 AMX.
• 6:59
  Speaker 3: Big Bad Green is what they called this Paint code 00.
• 7:03
  Speaker 3: Amc's Big Bad color lineup was in-your-face.
• 7:07
  Speaker 3: Marketing moved on and a Big Bad Green was by far the boldest.
• 7:11
  Speaker 3: Available in special order only this radioactive shade was rarely selected by AMX buyers, with fewer than 100 cars believed to have actually left the factory in this color.
• 7:21
  Speaker 3: The AMX, with its two-seat layout a 390 V8, already stood apart from the pack, painted a big bad green green.
• 7:28
  Speaker 3: It became a statement car in every sense of the word.
• 7:31
  Speaker 3: That's nice.
• 7:33
  Speaker 3: Another favorite of mine is a 66 fairlane gt ember ember glow, code v.
• 7:39
  Speaker 3: Ford's ember glow was one of the those mid-60 colors that defines uh sort of like a description part copper, part bronze, part burnt orange.
• 7:49
  Speaker 3: It was available on a 66 Fairlane GT, rarely seen on high-performance versions like the GT 390.
• 7:55
  Speaker 3: With its 335 horsepower, v8, bucket seats and optional GTA automatic, the Fairlane GT had solid muscle car cred but painted in ember glow it looked like a concept car that slipped through the production line.
• 8:08
  Speaker 3: And the last one is my favorite 70 Pontiac GTO in what Orbit Orange, code 5.
• 8:16
  Speaker 3: Looks yellow 05.
• 8:17
  Speaker 3: Orbit Orange is hard to miss and that's exactly why so few buyers chose it.
• 8:21
  Speaker 3: Available in 70, only the screaming high-letter shade was meant to grab attention, and it did Just not in big numbers.
• 8:28
  Speaker 3: Combine the Orange Orbit with the Judge package and the Ram Air, all that good stuff and you've got one of the loudest, fastest and rarest Pontiacs ever built.
• 8:36
  Speaker 3: It was too much for most buyers, but 1970, who cares?
• 8:41
  Speaker 3: Collectors are lining up for them today.
• 8:42
  Speaker 3: How about that?
• 8:44
  Speaker 1: Very nice, yeah, good stuff, well done.
• 8:46
  Speaker 1: All right Time now for this hour's car review.
• 8:53
  Speaker 1: Had a chance to drive the 2025 Chevrolet Suburban.
• 8:58
  Speaker 1: You know what that is?
• 9:00
  Speaker 1: Built in Arlington, texas.
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: There is a whole list that I forgot to put down here of trim levels.
• 9:06
  Speaker 1: We had the top of the line, four-wheel drive, high country.
• 9:09
  Speaker 1: This is considered by your government as a standard SUV.
• 9:15
  Speaker 1: They should have put in their standard big SUV Biggin' Seats, including the driver.
• 9:20
  Speaker 1: In this one that we had seven, I think that you can get let's see eight If you have a second row.
• 9:30
  Speaker 1: That is a bench, but ours had captain's chairs for the second row.
• 9:34
  Speaker 1: It had four buckets and a bench.
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: Yeah, in the back.
• 9:38
  Speaker 1: Exterior changes from last model year.
• 9:40
  Speaker 1: This vehicle was all new, completely redesigned in 2021, refreshed for this year, 2025.
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: By the way, it grew exponentially in 2021.
• 9:52
  Speaker 1: Huge, yeah, huge Exterior features big, large, house-like vehicle with refreshed front fascia.
• 10:01
  Speaker 1: Slab sides with straight lines on it Make it big.
• 10:05
  Speaker 1: Don't put any accoutrement on it other than some chrome here and there.
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: Attractive, big wheel design.
• 10:12
  Speaker 1: I think this thing had 24s on it Wow, 24s Rear hatch very attractive.
• 10:20
  Speaker 1: We've seen the taillights before and I can't remember the vehicle.
• 10:24
  Speaker 1: It was on a truck and I think that they've brought them back because everybody liked them.
• 10:28
  Speaker 1: Anyway, it's good looking.
• 10:30
  Speaker 1: What I liked.
• 10:31
  Speaker 1: The overall look is attractive, follows its predecessors.
• 10:34
  Speaker 1: If you have something that's successful, don't mess it up.
• 10:38
  Speaker 1: What could use improvement?
• 10:40
  Speaker 1: Nothing.
• 10:40
  Speaker 1: Interior highlights Two separate screens are blended, kind of one almost on top of the other.
• 10:49
  Speaker 1: It works very well.
• 10:51
  Speaker 1: It's a different kind of look and it does not.
• 10:53
  Speaker 1: It is not the same as the GMC and I'll tell you about that in a couple of weeks.
• 10:58
  Speaker 1: Central air duct at the bottom of the center stack, which was kind of unusual, but you know they did that with the Camaro and somehow it worked.
• 11:07
  Speaker 1: Our high country had two-tone brown and black interior.
• 11:10
  Speaker 1: It was absolutely stunningly beautiful.
• 11:13
  Speaker 1: Seating, very comfortable.
• 11:14
  Speaker 1: Second row captain's chairs are great.
• 11:17
  Speaker 1: Cargo, plenty of space, even with the third row up.
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: What I liked about it?
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: The roominess.
• 11:23
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 11:24
  Speaker 1: What could use improvement?
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: If you want more lux than this, check out the GMC or the Cadillac.
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: It goes down the same assembly line in Arlington, texas.
• 11:34
  Speaker 1: Nice.
• 11:35
  Speaker 1: Three-liter Duramax turbo diesel.
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: That turns out 305 horsepower with 495 pound-feet of torque through a 10-speed automatic transmission, four-wheel drive, toe rating, 7,900 pounds.
• 11:51
  Speaker 1: So get your cabin cruiser, hook it to the back of the truck and take it to the lake.
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: As far as mileage is concerned, it is a diesel and it didn't do too bad 20 miles per gallon city 24 highway for a combined of 22.
• 12:05
  Speaker 1: I got 21.5 miles per gallon over 256.6 miles.
• 12:11
  Speaker 1: What I liked about it?
• 12:12
  Speaker 1: Plenty of grunt with mileage.
• 12:15
  Speaker 1: Can you remember correctly, mars, when you had the old version of the thing with the V8 in it?
• 12:21
  Speaker 1: 13 miles per gallon was good.
• 12:23
  Speaker 1: Oh yeah, oh yeah.
• 12:24
  Speaker 1: I was happy with that.
• 12:25
  Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah.
• 12:26
  Speaker 1: So they've come a long way.
• 12:28
  Speaker 1: And that diesel you can't even tell it's a diesel.
• 12:30
  Speaker 1: It is super quiet, it runs no turbo lag.
• 12:34
  Speaker 1: It runs like a real, honest-to-goodness, old-school V8.
• 12:38
  Speaker 1: So I would suggest that if you're in the market for a big Suburban, check out that Duramax turbo diesel.
• 12:46
  Speaker 1: All right, ride and handling.
• 12:51
  Speaker 1: Well, the independent rear suspension makes for a smooth ride, along with the air ride suspension on a Chevrolet yeah, it's an option, it's part of an option package Get it.
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: Ooh dreamy.
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: What could use improvement?
• 13:06
  Speaker 1: Nothing, honey.
• 13:06
  Speaker 1: Base trim price Base trim price $8,400.
• 13:11
  Speaker 1: Now, this is the top of the line.
• 13:13
  Speaker 1: Price is tested 92.220.
• 13:15
  Speaker 1: So, don, how much does it cost to get into a plain Jane, if there is such a thing a plain Jane.
• 13:23
  Speaker 1: Suburban 61.5.
• 13:26
  Speaker 1: Wow, well, hey.
• 13:30
  Speaker 1: The average price across all makes and models of cars these days is $50,000.
• 13:35
  Speaker 1: Is that the three-row for a 61.5?
• 13:38
  Speaker 2: I think all the Suburbans are three-row.
• 13:39
  Speaker 1: They are, if you want a two-row, you get your Tahoe Right Competitors GMC Yukon XL Base 96.9,.
• 13:50
  Speaker 1: Ford Expedition Max 89.170, or the Wagoneer L that's the long version of it 79.535.
• 14:01
  Speaker 1: But I don't think that Wagoneer can really compete as far as size is concerned.
• 14:06
  Speaker 1: I assume that it's got.
• 14:09
  Speaker 1: I haven't have you ever driven one.
• 14:11
  Speaker 1: No, I've just seen them.
• 14:11
  Speaker 1: Yeah, does it come with a driven one?
• 14:12
  Speaker 1: No, I've just seen them.
• 14:13
  Speaker 2: Yeah, Does it come with a Hemi?
• 14:14
  Speaker 2: No, I don't think so.
• 14:16
  Speaker 2: I would hope it would.
• 14:18
  Speaker 1: The wagon here, I think it's a Hurricane.
• 14:19
  Speaker 2: Well, now it is yeah.
• 14:23
  Speaker 1: Because, well, we don't know, because they just said that they're going to put the Hemi.
• 14:26
  Speaker 1: Bring the Hemi back.
• 14:27
  Speaker 2: In the Ram trucks.
• 14:28
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I know Well.
• 14:29
  Speaker 2: Once you got it in the assembly area then, yeah, I guess you know.
• 14:33
  Speaker 2: I saw a blacked-out Suburban this morning pass me.
• 14:35
  Speaker 2: It's a late model, it wasn't this brand new and it was a couple years old probably.
• 14:39
  Speaker 2: And I thought, man, if we ever decide we don't really want a truck and we want to go with a trailer instead, that would be the tow vehicle to have.
• 14:48
  Speaker 1: Absolutely, absolutely.
• 14:50
  Speaker 1: Remember, I've had two Suburbans in my life and I will tell you that the third row seat you had to dig it out of the back literally because it clicked in and the thing weighed a gajillion pounds if you didn't want the third row.
• 15:06
  Speaker 1: Well, we never used the third row, so we put it in a big plastic bag and put it in the attic and I don't know how I got it up there, but somehow I did.
• 15:13
  Speaker 1: But yeah, we sold it, obviously, and had the third row.
• 15:16
  Speaker 3: Put it in the kitchen as a little seating area.
• 15:19
  Speaker 1: A little extra seating yeah, Bolt it to the floor.
• 15:21
  Speaker 1: Hey, if you'd like to get in touch with us, shoot us an email.
• 15:23
  Speaker 1: The address here is info at inwheeltime.