Latest / In Wheel Time Podcast / When Trucks, History, And Market Shifts Collide

Transcript

When Trucks, History, And Market Shifts Collide · In Wheel Time Podcast

• 0:00
  Don Armstrong: Welcome to another In Wheel Time podcast.
• 0:02
  Don Armstrong: This is your place for all things automotive the Award Red MW5Card talk show.
• 0:11
  Don Armstrong: Coming up, Mr.
• 0:13
  Don Armstrong: Mars reviews the Ford F-150 Super Crew.
• 0:16
  Don Armstrong: Later.
• 0:17
  Don Armstrong: This is it's this is his FL show.
• 0:20
  Don Armstrong: Later, Mars has this week in auto history.
• 0:22
  Don Armstrong: Jeff has the racing calendar, and I'll just kind of take up the fat 40.
• 0:27
  Don Armstrong: I got the mop and bucket ready, so I'll figure out some jobs.
• 0:30
  Don Armstrong: How to get along with Mike Out of this world, Mars.
• 0:33
  Don Armstrong: We always need more Jeff's Seeker, Chief Engineer David Ainsley.
• 0:36
  Don Armstrong: I'm Don Armstrong.
• 0:38
  Don Armstrong: Thanks so much for joining us today here on the In Real Time Car Talk Show.
• 0:44
  Don Armstrong: I got a couple of stories I'm going to do.
• 0:46
  Don Armstrong: We're going to get to Mr.
• 0:47
  Don Armstrong: Mars here first, though, because Mr.
• 0:49
  Don Armstrong: Mars has a um a special review of the Ford F-150 Super Crew, but just to let you know what I'm going to talk about, I'm going to talk about a bar in Wisconsin.
• 1:01
  Don Armstrong: And you say, well, what the hell does that have to do with inwheel time and anything else?
• 1:08
  Don Armstrong: Well, uh, this one got bulldozed this week.
• 1:14
  Don Armstrong: Oh no.
• 1:15
  Don Armstrong: So um but we are going to do a story about it.
• 1:20
  Don Armstrong: I saw it.
• 1:21
  Don Armstrong: Uh my brother, my brother worked at the General Motors Janesville assembly plant.
• 1:26
  Don Armstrong: And so um I'm familiar with it.
• 1:29
  Don Armstrong: I I never was inside of it, but some interesting stories come from it.
• 1:33
  Don Armstrong: All right.
• 1:34
  Don Armstrong: First up, though, let's get Mr.
• 1:35
  Don Armstrong: Marrs's review of the Ford F-150, Mike.
• 1:38
  Mike Marrs: Yes, sir.
• 1:39
  Mike Marrs: We're talking about the 2025 Ford F-150 4x4.
• 1:43
  Mike Marrs: It's a super crew with the STX package on it.
• 1:47
  Mike Marrs: Now, this is the 14th generation of the F-150, long-standing big seller.
• 1:53
  Mike Marrs: This was introduced in 2021 for this uh generation of it.
• 1:57
  Mike Marrs: The final assembly plant was in Dearborn, Michigan.
• 2:00
  Mike Marrs: It actually comes available six standard trim levels: the XL, the STX, XLT, the Lariat Platinum, and then you get the King Ranch.
• 2:10
  Mike Marrs: Now you got two more: the Trimmer, the Raptor, the Raptor R.
• 2:13
  Mike Marrs: They're all kind of out by themselves on it.
• 2:16
  Mike Marrs: But the really interesting thing about this is you got the six different trim levels.
• 2:19
  Mike Marrs: All six of them you can get three different cab levels.
• 2:22
  Mike Marrs: All six of them can get six or three different bed lengths, and then all six of them you can get your choice of six engines.
• 2:29
  Mike Marrs: So there's like 70 or 80 combinations that you can put together to find you an F-150 that you want.
• 2:35
  Mike Marrs: Now we are in the STX Super Crew, so this is down in the lower trim levels, which we don't get very often out of the press fleet.
• 2:42
  Mike Marrs: So I was kind of interested to see how it worked out.
• 2:44
  Mike Marrs: It is five passenger cloth seats.
• 2:47
  Mike Marrs: Up front, we had the LED reflector headlamps, had LED fog lamps, got a power tailgate lock.
• 2:53
  Mike Marrs: We were rolling on some really nice 22-inch aluminum wheels.
• 2:57
  Mike Marrs: And just for future reference, it comes with a 36-gallon fuel tank on it.
• 3:02
  Mike Marrs: Fill that baby up once in a while.
• 3:04
  Mike Marrs: Now the interior, we had the 12-inch, all of the F-150s now come with a 12-inch center static screen.
• 3:10
  Mike Marrs: That's just standard across the trim levels, the whole line.
• 3:14
  Mike Marrs: We had the rear view camera, so it makes it really nice to be able to have that.
• 3:17
  Mike Marrs: Now, because we were in the STX, we had the column shifter, not the console shifter.
• 3:22
  Mike Marrs: We also had to use a key, not a push button.
• 3:26
  Mike Marrs: So this was kind of dangerous.
• 3:27
  Don Armstrong: Are you complaining?
• 3:28
  Mike Marrs: No, no, I'm saying that this is kind of a stripper model, but it was kind of nice to get in.
• 3:32
  Don Armstrong: I like it.
• 3:33
  Don Armstrong: I like that stuff.
• 3:34
  Mike Marrs: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 3:35
  Mike Marrs: Uh, it did have the front center console, and it's a black STX cloth seats.
• 3:41
  Mike Marrs: The front seat was a 40 with a console and a 40.
• 3:43
  Mike Marrs: The rear seat is a fold-up 60/40 that has underseat storage.
• 3:48
  Mike Marrs: So now this is a pickup that if you're looking for a pickup, if you don't want need all the leather and you don't need all the high-end stuff, I don't think you telling me what I don't need is what I don't need.
• 4:00
  Mike Marrs: I don't need that either.
• 4:03
  Mike Marrs: And the thing is, it had the 5.0 liter V8 under the hood.
• 4:08
  Mike Marrs: So we had 400 horsepower up to around 6,000 RPM, had a 10-speed automatic transmission.
• 4:13
  Mike Marrs: Nice.
• 4:14
  Mike Marrs: So it ran well, and this was a great driving truck.
• 4:17
  Don Armstrong: Did you bring that over here?
• 4:18
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, you did.
• 4:19
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, I did.
• 4:20
  Don Armstrong: That was that one that drove over there.
• 4:21
  Don Armstrong: That's a good-looking pickup truck, I have to admit.
• 4:23
  Don Armstrong: Yeah.
• 4:23
  Mike Marrs: And it worked out.
• 4:24
  Mike Marrs: Ken Peabody, the Ford Press Fleet Manager, did a wonderful job.
• 4:28
  Mike Marrs: He got that one.
• 4:28
  Mike Marrs: I got a different vehicle.
• 4:30
  Mike Marrs: This week I've got the King Ranch version hybrid.
• 4:32
  Mike Marrs: So it makes for a really nice comparison versus the two different trim levels.
• 4:38
  Don Armstrong: Hey, are you gonna do either any one of those next week?
• 4:41
  Mike Marrs: Um I'm gonna I was gonna do the Mustang next week, but I can do the Ford hybrid.
• 4:46
  Don Armstrong: Well, because the only reason I say that is because I've got the Ram 1500 Longhorn Edition sitting in the driveway, $86,000 worth of pickup truck.
• 4:55
  Don Armstrong: Yeah.
• 4:56
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, yeah.
• 4:57
  Don Armstrong: And it's rodeo time, baby.
• 5:00
  Mike Marrs: We'll do the King Ranch um F-150 then.
• 5:02
  Don Armstrong: All right then.
• 5:04
  Mike Marrs: And uh okay, and the one we've got the STX back to it, and uh you quick enough right, it can tow tow tow 12,700 pounds and it'll haul sixteen hundred and eighty-five pounds.
• 5:15
  Mike Marrs: Again, this is a half-ton truck.
• 5:17
  Mike Marrs: Now, the EPA says you should be looking for 16 in the city, 24 out on the highway, 19 combined.
• 5:22
  Mike Marrs: I drove it around town a lot, obviously, 220.3 miles, uh, other than the quick run over to your place.
• 5:29
  Mike Marrs: So I averaged 16.8 the week I got it.
• 5:32
  Mike Marrs: But this is a really nice driving truck with plenty of power.
• 5:36
  Mike Marrs: It's got direct steering, and so it really drives and handles really well when you get out on the road.
• 5:41
  Mike Marrs: I really like to drive in this truck, particularly when I start looking at the price point on it.
• 5:45
  Mike Marrs: Now the base trim price for the uh STX is $51,230.
• 5:51
  Mike Marrs: We had a few options, pushed it up to $61,780, which in the grand scheme of things, that's not a bad price for a pickup truck.
• 6:01
  Mike Marrs: But if you really get into the stripper stripper model, you can get this thing down to $38,800.
• 6:07
  Mike Marrs: Now, again, uh, subcaps.
• 6:11
  Mike Marrs: Yeah, this is the bottom line.
• 6:13
  Mike Marrs: Now, the RAM $1500, if you're looking at something comparable, you're looking at something that started about $40,275.
• 6:20
  Mike Marrs: The Tundra, $40,900.
• 6:22
  Mike Marrs: I actually met somebody that drives the Tundra the other day.
• 6:25
  Mike Marrs: And then you can look at the Chevy Silver Auto for $40,300.
• 6:28
  Mike Marrs: Again, it's back like you were talking about the other review.
• 6:30
  Mike Marrs: Pricing in in that category is pretty competitive whenever you get to looking at them.
• 6:35
  Mike Marrs: Now, uh I also found out that uh that I meant to mention that you can get the STX Super Crew two-wheel drive down for $36,000 if you really want to push it.
• 6:46
  Mike Marrs: But this is a really nice driving truck.
• 6:49
  Mike Marrs: It is a pickup truck, it's not a luxury truck, but it will serve your purposes really well.
• 6:54
  Mike Marrs: Great driver, and I enjoyed it, and thanks to Ken Peabody for letting me have that for the week.
• 7:00
  Mike Marrs: Cool.
• 7:01
  Don Armstrong: We love you, Ken Peabody.
• 7:02
  Don Armstrong: We've known Ken Peabody forever.
• 7:06
  Don Armstrong: Long time.
• 7:07
  Don Armstrong: Long time.
• 7:08
  Don Armstrong: Anyway, great guy.
• 7:09
  Don Armstrong: He's up in the Dallas area now.
• 7:11
  Don Armstrong: He was down here for a while, lived down here, lived down in Galveston.
• 7:14
  Don Armstrong: I said, I just can't, I can't.
• 7:16
  Don Armstrong: I I've got too much to do up here.
• 7:18
  Don Armstrong: Okay, well, go back up there then.
• 7:20
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 7:21
  Don Armstrong: We'll see you on the uh Texas Muscle Car Club Challenge.
• 7:24
  Don Armstrong: There you go.
• 7:24
  Don Armstrong: Okay, here's the story I wanted to tell you.
• 7:26
  Don Armstrong: Ready?
• 7:27
  Don Armstrong: The General Motors plant in Janesville, Wisconsin, cousin Steve still lives in Janesville, had a bar so close to its front doors that the automaker tried to discourage lunchtime beer runs by building tall fences and repeatedly trying to buy out its owner who worked on the line at the Janesville Assembly plant.
• 7:51
  Don Armstrong: When he refused to sell, GM fired him.
• 7:55
  Don Armstrong: The watering hole known as Zackhouse and Zocks ultimately outlasted the plant, which ended production in 2008 and met the wrecking ball in 2018.
• 8:08
  Don Armstrong: But it too became rubble February 26th as part of the latest effort to redevelop the vacant GM property.
• 8:16
  Don Armstrong: And by the way, that GM property is huge, it's an assembly plant.
• 8:20
  Don Armstrong: You can imagine how big it is.
• 8:22
  Don Armstrong: An eight billion dollar data center is proposed for the 240-acre site.
• 8:28
  Don Armstrong: And it's kind of just outside of town.
• 8:31
  Don Armstrong: It's in a neighborhood.
• 8:33
  Don Armstrong: Now, granted, it is more of an industrial neighborhood, but wow, okay.
• 8:37
  Don Armstrong: We can still serve lunch beer.
• 8:39
  Don Armstrong: Well, it's gone now, so you can forget that.
• 8:42
  Don Armstrong: It's just sad, Andrew Sigwell, who sold the business to new owners in 2020, told the Janesville Gazette it was part of history.
• 8:51
  Don Armstrong: The 900 square foot bar, which GM employee Roy Zackow purchased in 20 uh in 1961 as a place to eat lunch with his co-workers, originally was in a residential neighborhood.
• 9:03
  Don Armstrong: As the automaker bought up nearby properties to expand over the years, Zakow was the loan holdup.
• 9:10
  Don Armstrong: In 1987, GM flew him to Detroit and offered $200,000.
• 9:16
  Don Armstrong: They didn't want us anywhere in the neighborhood, Jerry Zackow, Roy's widow and Sigwell's grandmother, told the Gazette in 2012.
• 9:23
  Don Armstrong: He came back saying, Those bastards will never get the bar.
• 9:28
  Don Armstrong: Eventually, the business, so reliant on Ganesville assembly that it typically closed on weekends in other days when the plant was dark, was surrounded by the GM parking lot.
• 9:41
  Don Armstrong: Some workers parked next to the fence so they could climb over it and get in and out faster on their break.
• 9:48
  Don Armstrong: After GM abandoned Janesville, Sigwell kept the bar going by attracting a younger clientele.
• 9:54
  Don Armstrong: He photographed the adjacent demolition with a drone.
• 9:57
  Don Armstrong: His successors, Andy and Desiree Wilson, held open mic nights in Green Bay Packers Potlucks, and the Janesville Deaf Society adopted the bar as its monthly gathering place.
• 10:07
  Don Armstrong: Last summer, after previous plans to fill the desolate GM site with an industrial park where housing fell through, the city forced the Wilsons out through Deminent Domain.
• 10:17
  Don Armstrong: They threw a huge Zox end of days party.
• 10:21
  Don Armstrong: You might build another factory.
• 10:23
  Don Armstrong: There'll be other beautiful bars or gathering spots, but never again will there be one in the parking lot of a commercial property in a space like this.
• 10:30
  Don Armstrong: An attendee who flew in from Minnesota told the Gazette.
• 10:34
  Don Armstrong: There's something about knowing you're standing on ground where the plant was being built, and Zax kept going after it was gone.
• 10:43
  Don Armstrong: That kind of uniqueness you will never see again.
• 10:46
  Don Armstrong: Goodbye, Zocks.
• 10:47
  Don Armstrong: We had one across the street from Fisher Body.
• 10:49
  Jeff Dziekan: You had to walk across 4th Street, and there was a bar.
• 10:51
  Jeff Dziekan: It was a bigger bar though.
• 10:52
  Jeff Dziekan: I mean, and it was not closed on weekends.
• 10:55
  Jeff Dziekan: It was a jump in place.
• 10:57
  Jeff Dziekan: And yes, people would go over there for the lunch break.
• 11:00
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah.
• 11:00
  Jeff Dziekan: Having a beer and a burger.
• 11:02
  Jeff Dziekan: Even in the evening.
• 11:02
  Jeff Dziekan: Well, more like beer or whatever.
• 11:05
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah.
• 11:05
  Jeff Dziekan: But yeah, it was across the street from I wonder.
• 11:08
  Jeff Dziekan: Is it still whatever?
• 11:09
  Jeff Dziekan: No, well, Fisher Body was leveled.
• 11:10
  Jeff Dziekan: It's it's gone.
• 11:11
  Jeff Dziekan: There's something else with it.
• 11:12
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah.
• 11:13
  Jeff Dziekan: But yeah, back in the day, this was in the mid-70s.
• 11:16
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah, you walk across the street, have a couple of shots in a beer, and go back to work.
• 11:21
  Don Armstrong: No wonder the door was crooked when it was a bigger one.
• 11:23
  Don Armstrong: Fridays and Mondays.
• 11:24
  Jeff Dziekan: Fridays and Mondays, don't buy a car.
• 11:26
  Jeff Dziekan: I was built on that.
• 11:26
  Jeff Dziekan: That was the thing back then.
• 11:27
  Jeff Dziekan: Built on Friday or Monday, don't buy a car.
• 11:29
  Mike Marrs: You used to irritate me when I would go to lunch down by the main office building.
• 11:33
  Mike Marrs: We'd go to lunch.
• 11:34
  Mike Marrs: The guys that worked in the office building wouldn't be in there drinking beer.
• 11:37
  Mike Marrs: I had a driving position with the company, no drinking beer at lunchtime.
• 11:41
  Mike Marrs: And it'd just be you sit there drinking your iced tea while they're drinking beer.
• 11:44
  Don Armstrong: And you're trying to make up for lost time now, aren't you, Marks?
• 11:46
  Mike Marrs: I'm doing my best.
• 11:51
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah.
• 11:52
  Don Armstrong: Well, you know, it wouldn't be an in-wheel time show unless I razzed uh the electric vehicle uh department.
• 11:59
  Don Armstrong: Here we go.
• 12:00
  Don Armstrong: Electric vehicle registrations fell last year for the first time in at least a decade following the repeal of the federal EV tax credit, although the drop was modest.
• 12:08
  Don Armstrong: EV registrations declined 0.4% compared with a year earlier to 1.3 million vehicles according to SP Global Mobility.
• 12:17
  Don Armstrong: The data does not include hybrids.
• 12:19
  Don Armstrong: EV share of the light vehicle market fell to 7.8% from 8% a year earlier, the data showed.
• 12:26
  Don Armstrong: But for all vehicles, regardless of fuel type, 2025 registrations rose 2.2% to 16.25 million vehicles.
• 12:34
  Don Armstrong: SP Global Mobility uh goes back to 2016 when Tom Libby, an analyst for the company government estimates, showed U.S.
• 12:42
  Don Armstrong: EV sales rising each year in the early 2010s.
• 12:45
  Don Armstrong: U.S.
• 12:46
  Don Armstrong: registration data serves as a proxy for sales because some EV makers, including Tesla, don't separate U.S.
• 12:54
  Don Armstrong: deliveries from global numbers and don't report on a monthly basis anymore.
• 12:58
  Don Armstrong: Although congressional repeal of the 7500 EV tax credit helped trigger a sharp drop in EV sales in the final months of 2025.
• 13:06
  Don Armstrong: The slowdown in demand actually began in 2024, according to Libby.
• 13:11
  Don Armstrong: A key one is price.
• 13:17
  Don Armstrong: Even with generous government and automaker incentives, high EV sticker prices remained a hurdle for mainstream buyers who gravitated toward hybrids instead.
• 13:26
  Don Armstrong: The customers who wanted an EV got an EV.
• 13:29
  Don Armstrong: When you get beyond the early adopters, there are barriers like charging infrastructure issues.
• 13:35
  Don Armstrong: No.
• 13:36
  Don Armstrong: So here's some of the figures.
• 13:44
  Don Armstrong: You ready?
• 13:44
  Don Armstrong: I don't want to bore you with all this, but Ford for instance.
• 13:48
  Don Armstrong: EV sales down 61%.
• 13:51
  Don Armstrong: Ford.
• 13:52
  Don Armstrong: Eeve sales down 53%.
• 13:58
  Don Armstrong: Here's a big one.
• 13:59
  Don Armstrong: Chevrolet down 73%.
• 14:01
  Don Armstrong: BMW, Kia, 53, 54%.
• 14:06
  Don Armstrong: Wow, here's one.
• 14:08
  Don Armstrong: Honda.
• 14:09
  Don Armstrong: Eeve sales down 87%.
• 14:11
  Don Armstrong: Are you still making them?
• 14:13
  Don Armstrong: Why?
• 14:14
  Don Armstrong: You're not selling them.
• 14:15
  Jeff Dziekan: They were a leader in that.
• 14:16
  Jeff Dziekan: Honda and Toyota.
• 14:18
  Don Armstrong: Mercedes-Benz down 88%.
• 14:20
  Don Armstrong: Nissan down 89%.
• 14:25
  Jeff Dziekan: They got the leaf, remember?
• 14:26
  Jeff Dziekan: Okay, but how many have they built to get that percentage that they're not making it?
• 14:30
  Jeff Dziekan: Did they build a thousand of them?
• 14:33
  Don Armstrong: I don't have those figures, but that's a good point.
• 14:34
  Don Armstrong: I understand what you're saying.
• 14:35
  Don Armstrong: Yeah.
• 14:36
  Don Armstrong: But here's one.
• 14:37
  Don Armstrong: Accurate.
• 14:38
  Don Armstrong: EV sales down 97%.
• 14:43
  Mike Marrs: Are they including the hybrids in that?
• 14:45
  Mike Marrs: No, they're not strictly.
• 14:46
  Mike Marrs: No, it's just purely a you either you got to charge it some way or another.
• 14:50
  Don Armstrong: Tesla, the market leader, outpaced the overall EV market in December with a smaller 35% drop in registrations from a year earlier to 42,000 vehicles.
• 14:59
  Don Armstrong: That's still a lot of vehicles.
• 15:00
  Don Armstrong: Ford was number two EV brand in December.
• 15:03
  Don Armstrong: Registration fell 61% to 5,000.
• 15:06
  Don Armstrong: Cadillac took the number three spot for EV makers in December with registrations up at 12% to 3,694 vehicles.
• 15:19
  Jeff Dziekan: What number are we basing that on?
• 15:20
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah.
• 15:21
  Don Armstrong: You know, it is what it is.
• 15:24
  Don Armstrong: Um look, I I don't want to see any company go belly up, but I think that they made a very bad mistake.
• 15:29
  Don Armstrong: And if you remember correctly, everybody was calling out Toyota.
• 15:33
  Don Armstrong: Well, where's Toyota in the EV race?
• 15:35
  Don Armstrong: They don't have an EV vehicle.
• 15:36
  Don Armstrong: You know, Toyota is one of those that they're they just plod and they just keep on rolling with the flow.
• 15:44
  Don Armstrong: Oh, yeah, we we'll we'll make an EV vehicle here in a couple of years.
• 15:49
  Don Armstrong: But everybody else was racing to build factories and spend billions of dollars.
• 15:54
  Jeff Dziekan: It's a different uh marketing, it's a different way they go about doing their business because we did a story last week of the 250,000 or 250,000 mile vehicles.
• 16:04
  Jeff Dziekan: But they build stuff to last, they don't jump into new and improve.
• 16:09
  Jeff Dziekan: Hey, let's change that widget and it'll be better, and then it's not.
• 16:12
  Jeff Dziekan: So they don't do that, they just stick with that widget and improve where they can.
• 16:17
  Mike Marrs: And you look at the recalls, the the amount of recalls they have uh substantiates that statement.
• 16:22
  Mike Marrs: Exactly.
• 16:22
  Jeff Dziekan: Exactly, Mike.
• 16:23
  Jeff Dziekan: Yep.
• 16:24
  Jeff Dziekan: Yep.
• 16:25
  Don Armstrong: Okay, uh, we're gonna take a quick break here.
• 16:27
  Don Armstrong: Um just ahead.
• 16:29
  Don Armstrong: Jeff has the racing calendar and Mars has this week in auto history, and I'll bring you this week's automotive news.
• 16:34
  Don Armstrong: The N-wheel time car talk show continues right after this break.
• 16:38
  Don Armstrong: The tailpipes and tacos renowned cruising expands to Beaumont.
• 16:44
  Don Armstrong: Golden Triangle cruisers will want to experience tailpipes and tacos at the Loopy Tortilla, I tens South in Beaumont, near Washington Boulevard.
• 16:51
  Don Armstrong: Grab free loopy breakfast tacos with any donation to Shirley's kids.
• 16:55
  Don Armstrong: Enjoy a coffee or an adult beverage.
• 16:57
  Don Armstrong: Every cruising vehicle is automatically entered to win one of the beautiful chili pepper trophies for the best hot rod, classic and modern classic.
• 17:04
  Don Armstrong: Tailpipes and Tacos Beaumont happens Saturday morning, March 21st, 8 to 11 a.m.
• 17:09
  Don Armstrong: If you're a car cake like we are, this is the event you'll want to attend.
• 17:13
  Don Armstrong: The end of the time cover talk show will be online live, and you may be interviewed upon your ride.
• 17:18
  Don Armstrong: Tailpipes and Tacos Beaumont edition Saturday, March 21st, 8 to 11 a.m.
• 17:22
  Don Armstrong: at the Loopy Tortilla 2050 I10 South in Beaumont.
• 17:26
  Don Armstrong: The Katie Tailpipes and Tacos happens Easter Saturday, April 4th, 8 to 11.
• 17:30
  Don Armstrong: The free tailpipes and tacos cruising is a production of Loopy Tortilla Tex Mex, Beaumont and Katie.
• 17:36
  Don Armstrong: It's pretty good.
• 17:37
  Don Armstrong: Apple or Android InWheel Time podcast can be found everywhere, on the stream and through downloads.
• 17:43
  Don Armstrong: Whether you're on the road or at home and Jones in for a different kind of car talk show, give In Wheel Time a try.
• 17:49
  Don Armstrong: Honest new car reviews, fun, informative interviews with real car people, weekly automotive news, features like Jeff's car culture and Mike's driving destinations, all on In Wheel Time.
• 17:59
  Don Armstrong: Check us out on Sirius XM Podcasts, iHeartRadio, or while you're shopping on Amazon through Amazon Music.
• 18:05
  Don Armstrong: Mm-hmm.
• 18:05
  Don Armstrong: InWheeltime.com has a list, and we know you love lists.
• 18:09
  Don Armstrong: In our three-hour special will be live from 10 to 1 next Saturday.
• 18:22
  Don Armstrong: Please stop by and say hello.
• 18:25
  Don Armstrong: You can listen and watch on inwheeltime.com, Facebook, and YouTube.
• 18:29
  Don Armstrong: And we hope you check us out.
• 18:31
  Don Armstrong: If you miss us, you'll be able to connect with us through a podcast from your favorite podcast channel.
• 18:35
  Don Armstrong: Time now for the racing calendar, Jeffrey, sponsored by the Texas Muscle Car Club Challenge.
• 18:40
  Jeff Dziekan: You betcha, and guess what starting?
• 18:42
  Jeff Dziekan: All kinds of racing starting this week.
• 18:44
  Jeff Dziekan: And you got what?
• 18:45
  Jeff Dziekan: The NHRA, National Hot Rod Uh Racing Association.
• 18:48
  Jeff Dziekan: It's in Gainesville Raceway, which is the international starts.
• 18:53
  Jeff Dziekan: It actually started the fifth, but it goes through the eighth through tomorrow.
• 18:56
  Jeff Dziekan: So that's cool.
• 18:57
  Jeff Dziekan: All classes are running.
• 18:58
  Jeff Dziekan: I mean, you got bikes, you got all kinds of stuff.
• 19:00
  Jeff Dziekan: Uh it's gonna be fun.
• 19:01
  Jeff Dziekan: Then you got a Formula One series.
• 19:04
  Jeff Dziekan: They start uh this weekend in Australia, an Australia Grand Prix.
• 19:08
  Jeff Dziekan: Now, some of the things I've been seeing and watching on uh the sports channels and reading up about is that these drivers are not happy with the new car.
• 19:16
  Jeff Dziekan: They're calling it uh the step up from the e-class, the e-series that they run in Formula One.
• 19:22
  Jeff Dziekan: They're thinking it's a little bit like that.
• 19:25
  Jeff Dziekan: They're not pleased with it.
• 19:26
  Jeff Dziekan: It's more of how much uh energy can you save rather than speeding up and winning the race.
• 19:31
  Jeff Dziekan: So there's a lot of controversy on that.
• 19:33
  Jeff Dziekan: The drivers are not happy.
• 19:35
  Jeff Dziekan: I'm sure they're gonna work it out.
• 19:36
  Jeff Dziekan: And indie series starts.
• 19:39
  Jeff Dziekan: Well, it already started uh last week, but they're gonna be in Phoenix.
• 19:43
  Jeff Dziekan: I watched some of the time trials and qualifying.
• 19:46
  Jeff Dziekan: It's gonna be a fun race.
• 19:47
  Jeff Dziekan: It's a mile oval.
• 19:48
  Jeff Dziekan: It's gonna be fun.
• 19:49
  Jeff Dziekan: Uh, I think there's a rookie on the poll as I saw this morning.
• 19:52
  Jeff Dziekan: What?
• 19:53
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah, there's gonna be a really yeah, I believe there's a rookie on the poll.
• 19:55
  Jeff Dziekan: I'm not no, I'll take that well.
• 19:56
  Jeff Dziekan: He was a rookie last year.
• 19:58
  Jeff Dziekan: Uh but it's gonna be a fun stuff to watch.
• 20:00
  Jeff Dziekan: I'm excited.
• 20:01
  Jeff Dziekan: I've got it actually set to record uh because it's gonna be on later later this afternoon on the Fox local channel at three o'clock.
• 20:07
  Jeff Dziekan: And then you got the NASCAR folks.
• 20:09
  Jeff Dziekan: Uh the truck series is off, but you got the O'Reilly series is going to be running today at 7.30.
• 20:14
  Jeff Dziekan: It's gonna be on the CW channel, those of you that get that.
• 20:17
  Jeff Dziekan: And then tomorrow, same thing is gonna be on FS1 for the Phoenix race for the big boys, the cup race.
• 20:23
  Jeff Dziekan: Not everybody gets the Fox sports channel.
• 20:26
  Don Armstrong: So uh I refuse to buy that.
• 20:27
  Jeff Dziekan: I understand.
• 20:28
  Jeff Dziekan: I'm gonna be losing my well, I'm gonna have it put in a different setup.
• 20:31
  Jeff Dziekan: But anyways, uh check that out.
• 20:33
  Jeff Dziekan: And then you've got oh, I just did the indicar, so so that's what you got.
• 20:36
  Jeff Dziekan: You got all kinds of stuff.
• 20:37
  Jeff Dziekan: You got local tracks going, uh encouraged by going out there and supporting those young drivers and those young families that uh dedicate.
• 20:44
  Jeff Dziekan: And the track and the track, absolutely.
• 20:46
  Jeff Dziekan: Go out and get yourself a hot dog and enjoy the race.
• 20:50
  Don Armstrong: Thank you, sir.
• 20:50
  Don Armstrong: Well, guess what?
• 20:51
  Don Armstrong: It's time now for Mr.
• 20:52
  Don Armstrong: Mars Famous.
• 20:53
  Don Armstrong: Or is that infamous?
• 20:55
  Don Armstrong: I think it's infamous.
• 20:55
  Don Armstrong: Infamous.
• 20:56
  Don Armstrong: This week in auto history.
• 20:58
  Don Armstrong: Michael?
• 20:58
  Don Armstrong: Infamous.
• 21:00
  Don Armstrong: Are you there?
• 21:02
  Mike Marrs: Yeah, yeah.
• 21:03
  Mike Marrs: I was trying to uh get Jeff started.
• 21:05
  Mike Marrs: There you go, Jeff.
• 21:06
  Mike Marrs: Gotcha.
• 21:07
  Mike Marrs: All right.
• 21:09
  Mike Marrs: So the worst first week of March, lots of things going on, including on March the 1st of 1941, is when you actually started seeing the development of the prototypes that became the military Jeeps.
• 21:20
  Mike Marrs: Now, these led, of course, to what we have in Jeep World now, but it was all done because of the U.S.
• 21:26
  Mike Marrs: Army.
• 21:26
  Mike Marrs: What they were trying to do is get a lightweight vehicle.
• 21:28
  Mike Marrs: Uh had a simple ladder frame, solid axles, lightweight body so that it could go just about anywhere.
• 21:35
  Mike Marrs: It had a three-speed standard transmission that we used to call with a granny gear, and it would get down and climb just about anything.
• 21:43
  Mike Marrs: Then in Mike, Mike, the top left picture, is that you doing a test on that?
• 21:48
  Mike Marrs: Well, that was that was kind of one of the test drives of the early ones.
• 21:52
  Jeff Dziekan: I can only imagine what the suspension looked like when it landed.
• 21:54
  Jeff Dziekan: I think that's an on on ramp acceleration test.
• 21:57
  Mike Marrs: Is that what you see how it's angled going up the hill?
• 22:00
  Jeff Dziekan: Yeah.
• 22:00
  Jeff Dziekan: Jumping back.
• 22:01
  Jeff Dziekan: I'm sorry about that.
• 22:03
  Mike Marrs: So March the second this week in 1966 is whenever Ford Motor Company produced the one millionth Mustang.
• 22:09
  Mike Marrs: Now, you gotta remember they did this in just 22 months after they first launched the pony car.
• 22:16
  Mike Marrs: I mean, everybody wanted one of these.
• 22:18
  Mike Marrs: They just sold them as fast as they could make them.
• 22:21
  Mike Marrs: And uh it's still being built today.
• 22:23
  Mike Marrs: They're still selling a lot of Mustangs, and they still kind of have that same basic look to them, amazingly.
• 22:29
  Mike Marrs: The taillights, the side panels, everything's kind of evolved, of course, but you can still tell a very distinct Mustang, and you can see exactly where its heritage came from.
• 22:39
  Mike Marrs: Then in March the 4th in 1902, the American Automobile Association was created, and uh is better known as the Triple A.
• 22:48
  Mike Marrs: And it was created to actually promote road safety and improve travel conditions for early motorists, didn't and it's kind of evolved now into uh being more for the motorist itself, not necessarily for better highways, better signage, and driver's services.
• 23:05
  Mike Marrs: So it's still an automotive advocate, but in a different perspective.
• 23:09
  Mike Marrs: And it's a good thing to have, Mike.
• 23:10
  Mike Marrs: Uh we have it.
• 23:11
  Mike Marrs: You know, it's what $90 a year and yeah, it's it's relatively cheap when you look at what else you can get.
• 23:17
  Mike Marrs: You bet.
• 23:18
  Mike Marrs: Particularly if you got kids or somebody that might need it.
• 23:21
  Mike Marrs: Exactly.
• 23:22
  Mike Marrs: Then on March the 5th of 1981, carbon fiber really made a big change in racing because this is when McLaren introduced the MP4.
• 23:30
  Mike Marrs: Now, this is the first Formula One car built on an all-carbon fiber composite chassis.
• 23:36
  Mike Marrs: Now it's amazingly, it's stronger than aluminum, and it improved the driver's safety because of the rigidity and the performance of it.
• 23:45
  Mike Marrs: And within a few seasons, it didn't take very long before all of the Formula One team drivers adapted this technology.
• 23:52
  Mike Marrs: And today it's pretty common from race cars.
• 23:54
  Mike Marrs: You can have it on some street cars.
• 23:55
  Mike Marrs: Uh BMW is notable about one of them that happens to put the carbon fiber on some of their production cars.
• 24:01
  Mike Marrs: Then in March the 6th, in Ferrari introduced the legendary Ferrari F-50 at the Geneva Motor Show.
• 24:11
  Mike Marrs: Now, this is basically a Formula One car that they built for the street.
• 24:14
  Mike Marrs: Had a naturally aspirated V-12 in it because that was derived from the racing program, had all the carbon fiber construction and the extreme performance, and it became one of the very collectible supercars of the 1990s.
• 24:29
  Mike Marrs: And uh so a lot of things came out the first week of March from Detroit, as well as uh the round the rest of the world, the Mustang and uh the carbon fiber and iconic supercars.
• 24:41
  Mike Marrs: So a lot of things in automotive history in March.
• 24:44
  Mike Marrs: Cool.
• 24:45
  Mike Marrs: That's good.
• 24:47
  Don Armstrong: Hey, get this Honda Motor Company will export two US built models to Japan for the first time in nearly four decades, reviving a strategy from its early days of American manufacturing and amid streamlined import rules and trade balance pressures.
• 25:05
  Don Armstrong: Exports of the high performance accurate integra type S and the off-road ready Honda Passport Trail Sport Elite Crossover will begin in the second half of this year, Honda said.
• 25:18
  Don Armstrong: And both models will retain the U.S.
• 25:21
  Don Armstrong: specifications, including and I don't understand this, why including left-hand drive configuration, despite Japan's right-hand drive norm.
• 25:30
  Jeff Dziekan: Well, who would want to buy that?
• 25:32
  Jeff Dziekan: In Japan, they might.
• 25:34
  Don Armstrong: I guess a hot hatch will be the first accurate branded vehicle ever sold in Japan.
• 25:41
  Don Armstrong: They don't have the accurate, even though it's a Honda, they don't have the accurate br brand in Japan.
• 25:47
  Jeff Dziekan: I thought that was so would you I've never driven a right-hand drive car.
• 25:50
  Jeff Dziekan: Have you?
• 25:51
  Don Armstrong: I have.
• 25:51
  Don Armstrong: Yeah, it's weird.
• 25:53
  Don Armstrong: You ever tried to shift a manual shift car with a right-hand drive with your left hand drive?
• 25:59
  Mike Marrs: I was gonna say Davidson, Ryan's got one now, but yeah, he's got a shifter with a left-hand drive.
• 26:03
  Jeff Dziekan: He's a young man, so he's you know more ambidextrous than a 40-year-old.
• 26:09
  Don Armstrong: For many reasons.
• 26:11
  Don Armstrong: Today, trade imbalances and easing of import restrictions are driving Japanese automakers to make similar moves.
• 26:37
  Don Armstrong: Toyota is pursuing exports of U.S.
• 26:39
  Don Armstrong: built vehicles, and Nissan is evaluating options.
• 26:43
  Don Armstrong: Okay.
• 26:44
  Don Armstrong: It's time now to take a quick break here on the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show.
• 26:48
  Don Armstrong: We'd love to hear from you.
• 26:49
  Don Armstrong: Shoot us an email.
• 26:50
  Don Armstrong: The address is info at inwheeltime.com.
• 26:53
  Don Armstrong: We're back right after this.
• 26:55
  Don Armstrong: The Easter Bunny's coming.
• 26:59
  Don Armstrong: To the tailpipes and tacos cruise in at the Loopy Tortilla Tex Max in Katie, April 4th, 8 to 11 a.m.
• 27:05
  Don Armstrong: And you're invited to.
• 27:07
  Don Armstrong: Bring the kids and grandkids.
• 27:09
  Don Armstrong: It's a cruise in like you've never attended before.
• 27:11
  Don Armstrong: With a donation to Shirley's Kids, you'll get a free Loopy Tortilla breakfast taco.
• 27:15
  Don Armstrong: There'll be coffee and adult beverages, plus chili pepper trophies for the best hot rod, best modern classic, and best classic.
• 27:21
  Don Armstrong: There's no entry fee and no registration.
• 27:23
  Don Armstrong: Just bring your ride and the kids.
• 27:25
  Don Armstrong: Bad bunnies aren't allowed, but the Easter bunny will be there, and he'll be full of joy to help make this tailpipes and tacos a very special one.
• 27:32
  Don Armstrong: Photo opportunities abound.
• 27:34
  Don Armstrong: The Invil Time Car Talk Show will be streaming around the globe, and you can be selected to tell your car story to a global audience.
• 27:40
  Don Armstrong: It's the Tailpipes and Tacos Cruise in Easter Medition, Saturday, April 4th, 8 to 11 a.m.
• 27:45
  Don Armstrong: at the Loopy Tortilla Tex-Mex in Katy, located on 99 the Grand Parkway, just south of I-10, the Katy Freeway, in Katy.
• 27:51
  Don Armstrong: Make plans now.
• 27:52
  Don Armstrong: Loopy Tortilla is pretty good.
• 27:58
  Speaker 1: Houston, get ready.
• 27:59
  Speaker 1: After a master, Subaru.
• 28:06
  Speaker 1: We're collaborating with the Car Meet Network, so you know it's gonna be crazy.
• 28:11
  Speaker 1: And that's not all.
• 28:12
  Speaker 1: We're gonna be wrestling up six cars to be sold at $1,000 each.
• 28:16
  Speaker 1: See below for more details.
• 28:18
  Speaker 1: You're not gonna want to miss this Houston March 14th.
• 28:23
  Speaker 1: We can't wait to see you here.
• 28:28
  Don Armstrong: Hi.
• 28:28
  Don Armstrong: Ai.
• 28:29
  Don Armstrong: All right.
• 28:30
  Don Armstrong: Well, it's time to say goodbye.
• 28:32
  Don Armstrong: Are you ready to say goodbye?
• 28:34
  Don Armstrong: That's all for this week's In Wheel Time Car Talk Show.
• 28:37
  Don Armstrong: Be sure and check us out online at inwheeltime.com.
• 28:41
  Don Armstrong: We're always looking for new, informative, and great automotive things to bring to our global audience.
• 28:46
  Don Armstrong: If you have an idea, event, road trip, or tall tale you'd like to feature, let us know.
• 28:51
  Don Armstrong: Our email address is info at inwheeltime.com.
• 28:54
  Don Armstrong: Hey, when you're looking for award-winning car talk, you can find the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show 24-7 on the In Wheel Time app and website.
• 29:01
  Don Armstrong: Grab a podcast from your favorite podcast store.
• 29:04
  Don Armstrong: We video stream or live show every Saturday, 10 to noon on Facebook, YouTube, and InWheelTime.com.
• 29:10
  Don Armstrong: The In Wheel Time Video Coordinator is we always need more Jeff Zeke and the booking agent and video editor, Michael Out of This World Mars.
• 29:19
  Don Armstrong: And let's not forget Chief Engineer David Ainsley.
• 29:24
  Don Armstrong: I'm Don Armstrong.
• 29:25
  Don Armstrong: Thanks to our weekly show contributors, Jeff Heitzmann and George Sculpt.
• 29:29
  Don Armstrong: Next week, we'll have a three-hour show beginning at 10 o'clock at the Mega Meat Cruise Inn.
• 29:34
  Don Armstrong: Come see us at Team Gilman, the dealerships at 18202 North Freeway.
• 29:38
  Don Armstrong: Please stop by and say hello.
• 29:40
  Don Armstrong: Have a great week.
• 29:41
  Don Armstrong: Stay safe.
• 29:42
  Don Armstrong: Watch the weather.
• 29:43
  Don Armstrong: So long for now.
• 29:44
  Don Armstrong: This is Don Armstrong.
• 29:46
  Don Armstrong: Who's that Don Pardo speaking of?
• 29:48
  Don Armstrong: Good night.
• 29:49
  Don Armstrong: That's it for this podcast episode of the In Wheel Time Car Show.
• 30:05
  Don Armstrong: I'm Don Armstrong, inviting you to join us for our live show every Saturday morning on Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and our InWheelTime.com website.
• 30:15
  Don Armstrong: Podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeart Podcast, Podcast Addict, TuneIn, Pandora, and Amazon Music.
• 30:24
  Don Armstrong: Keep listening, and we'll see you soon.