James Raia

Articles by James Raia

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Auction backfire halts rare Porsche sale after $53 million mistake

What’s a $53 million error among friends, collectors and vintage Porsche fanciers? It likely what was the biggest blunder in car auction history, an auctioneer with a hard-to-decipher Dutch accent at RM Sotheby’s on Aug. 17 during Monterey Auto Week began bidding on a 1939 Porsche Type 64 at was heard at $30 million. The starting bid for the one-of-kind vehicle was actually $13 million. It’s what was expected for the spacecraft lookalike. Only three of the cars were built and the prototypeup for auction is the only survivor. But monitors in the room showed the bid at $30 million. It quickly escalated to $40 million, $50 million, $60 million and then $70 million. While a stunned and quickly confused

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2019 Chevrolet Camaro defines muscle car in shrinking market

One of the most compelling automotive industry competitions occurred more than 50 years ago with the debut of the Ford Mustang. It was followed in quick order by the Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird. The trio represented affordable sporty coupe sensations. The Firebird ceased production in 2002, but the Mustang and Camaro remain rivals. The Dodge Challenger is a newcomer foe now in its third iteration. As muscle cars, the trio represents a polarizing segment. Loud, powerful, masculine gas-guzzlers have loyal followers and equally passionate detractors. Sales figures give the latter group some boasting clout. Ford sold 75,842 Mustangs in 2018, followed by the Challenger (66,716) and the Camaro (50,963). The Pontiac’s sales increased three percent; Ford and Chevrolet‘s options

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#99, Pacific Grove Auto Rally celebrates 25th anniversary

The Pacific Grove Concours Auto Rally is among the most popular free-to-spectator events in the celebration of all things automotive during Monterey Auto Week. The trek through portions of the picturesque Monterey Peninsula is scheduled Friday, Aug. 16. It began in 1995 with automotive legend Caroll Shelby participating to help raise money for charity. To celebrate the rally’s 25th anniversary, the legendary Cobra (Shelby’s creation) Cobra will be the marque for the parade of drivers and their classics, sports cars and vintage machines. David Laws, a key event organizer, is our guest on Episode #99 of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia discuss with Laws the history of the event and the iconic vehicles involved through

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#98, Mary McGee shares her career as motorcycle icon

Mary McGee has been busy lately. In July, she was a guest at the Superbike World Championships at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on the Monterey Peninsula. A few weeks later, McGee was a guest at The Sacramento Mile, the long-standing motorcycle event. McGee’s presence at various events provides a chance for the public to recognize the pioneering race car and motorcycle driver now age 82. Inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame last November, Mary is our guest on episode #98 of The Weekly Driver Podcast. I had the opportunity to interview McGee during the Superbike World Championships. Bruce joined me when we interviewed Mary in the coffee shop at the DoubleTree in Sacramento the day before the Sacramento Mile.

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2019 Mazda3: Can hatchback help rally poor sales?

Nearly every mainstream manufacturer has a basic car marketed to appeal to budget buyers and a flagship model touted to redefine luxury. Competition is fierce, and the extremes of success and failure can often be defined by Mazda. The former Mazda Miata (now the MX-5) is 30-years-old and is the best-selling sports car in history. But the carmaker’s overall sales and industry influence continue to stumble. Individual models, like the CX9, are highly respected. But Mazda sales fell in 2016 to 1.7 percent of the U.S. market share — the carmaker’s lowest tally. More than two dozen compact crossovers are available in 2019, among including the Mazda3 hatchback. It’s fully redesigned this year as the manufacturer tries to regain its

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#97, Don Martine, Pacific Grove inn owner, MG museum curator

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 46:15 — 63.5MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreIt’s unlikely anyone is more knowledgeable and as fond of their favorite carmaker than Don Martine is about MG. A guest staying at the Martine Inn in Pacific Grove, California who appreciates automobiles and nature gets two treats. Not only do they experience classic accommodations across the street from the Pacific Ocean, but the location also pays homage to the British manufacturer. The Inn is home to the proprietor’s museum of MGs and memorabilia. From paintings on the Inn’s walls to vintage automotive posters positioned around the property, all things MG are featured as is Martine’s legacy as a driver, mechanic and historian. As

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100-year Bentley legacy set for Monterey Auto Week

Bentley Motors’ continued centennial celebration will be highlighted in several ways during Monterey Auto Week, most notably the British carmakers’ spotlight on its past, present and future. The varied occasion will be held Aug. 15-18 during the now nearly two-week yearly celebration of all things automotive on the Monterey Peninsula. A featured marque during the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, Bentley will showcase several all-new and soon-to-be-available vehicles for the United States market. Highlights will include the debut of the Flying Spur luxury four-door Grand Tourer and the EXP 100 GT: a vision of luxury mobility in 2035. The Bentley spotlight will also include the new Continental GT V8 (coupe and convertible) and the Bentayga portfolio of Design Series, Speed, V8

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2020 Kia Telluride: steller SUV debuts in saturated market

More sport utility vehicles cruising down the road look alike. Even high-end, niche manufacturers that once disdained the idea of combining luxury and utilitarian characteristics in one vehicle offer SUVs. And they all look the same. Bentley, Maserati and Porsche sell SUVs. What’s next? Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini and Rolls-Royce SUVs? Yes, they would be the Verekai, Purosangue, Urus and Cullinan. It’s hard to fathom how they’ll fit into the crowded marketplace. The 2020 Kia Telluride debuted in February as a three-row SUV that looks like it could be part of the supercar SUV fraternity. But it costs about 10 percent of some prestigious machines and has a better chance of survival. The Telluride also looks like other SUVs. Designer

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Motorcycle icon Mary McGee honored guest for pending Sacramento Mile

Mary McGee arrived on the Monterey Peninsula in 1962 ready to compete at Laguna Seca Raceway. With five friends, including another rider, the group was also abruptly asked to leave a restaurant because they were “motorcycle people.” McGee, now 82, and her dining companions complied and they ate elsewhere without issue. The Hall of Fame rider also competed and she continued to do for many decades around the country and in several disciplines — as a pioneering woman motorsports athlete. McGee, who lives in Gardnerville, Nev., was a guest in July at the World Superbike Championships at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. With her career of memories, she also carried two copies of black-and-white images of her race 57 years ago.

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Dodge Challenger owners’ alert: AmericanMuscle has $5K giveaway

Attention Dodger Challenger owners. Start you engines. This is your chance to win a $5,000 Challenger parts shopping spree on AmericanMuscle (AM) courtesy of SR Performance. SR Performance is among the most trusted names in the Challenger aftermarket. It offers performance parts surpassing factory OEM standards. Although SR Performance specializes in go-fast parts, prizes are not limited solely to SR’s line as the finalist can choose from anything on AM’s site including popular categories like: Cold Air Intakes, & Challenger Suspension and Handling Kits. Enter today, enter every day until Sept. 30, 2019. It’s your the best chance to take home a $5,000 shopping spree on AM from SR Performance. A winner will be selected at random on or around

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#96, Husband-wife turn personal vintage car fleet into rentals

Erin Sollecito looks into the spacious warehouse and begins to talk about the vintage car fleet spread in front of her like they’re part of a family. She’s driven many of the vehicles rented by Monterey Touring Vehicles and knows their pedigrees. Sollecito, the company’s vice president of business development, is our guest this week on The Weekly Driver Podcast. The episode is particularly timely since Monterey Auto Week, now nearly two weeks long, begins unofficially on Aug. 5 and ends on Aug. 18. Monterey Touring Vehicles is the creation of Heather and Rob Gardner, a husband-wife team who live in Carmel Valley. Rob Gardner is a physician; Heather is a research scientist. And they decided their private vintage car

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Ford celebrates enduring truck success with clever emoji

Ford Motor Company makes the country’s best-selling vehicle, the F-150 pickup. It takes the truck seriously. But the carmaker can also have fun. Consider the manufacturer’s recent clever marketing: “Developing a new vehicle is a challenging process under normal circumstances, but this is something completely different. Today we’re proud to introduce the #TruckEmoji.” The campaign has fun with the wondrous, sometimes silly world of emojis. It’s posted on Ford‘s official YouTube channel. Viewers of the video had many responses, some clever, others were less than complimentary. Here are a few: “Wanted a Bronco reveal, got a pick-up emoji.” “It looks like the hill climb challenge game pick up truck.” “Where can I use or find that emoji? what applications does

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The Weekly Driver Podcast: cruising toward episode 100

The mountainous highway drive from Boulder City to downtown Las Vegas takes about 45 minutes unless there’s inclement weather. A flash flood had hit the area the day before, the skies looked ominous and we were late for an interview with Alex Honnold. Traffic moved slowly. As the passenger in a review vehicle, I texted and called the mountain climber. We’d met a year before for an early breakfast at a trade show in Salt Lake City. Knowing Honnold’s zen demeanor, I was confident our tardiness wouldn’t matter. “No problem,” Honnold replied when I apologized. “I’m just getting up.” It was about noon on a January weekday. When Bruce Aldrich and I arrived for the taping of Episode #22 of

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#95, Mecum Auctions defines fun during Monterey Auto Week

Somewhere on the spectrum between the Concours d’LeMons and Concours d’Elegance, the three-day Mecum Auctions during Monterey Auto Week is perfectly positioned. Attainable daily drivers to rarities, it’s an automotive whirlwind of buying and selling. The country’s largest automotive auction, Mecum annually progresses to 13 stops around the country, January through December and Kissimmee, Fla. to Louisville, Ky., to Monterey. Its offerings include seven-figure works of art on wheels, family heirlooms, celebrity-owned cars, oddities and cars of infamous pedigree. “I call it a car show with a pulse,” said John Kraman, Mecum’s long-time director of consignments and a television commentator’s during the auction’s extensive television broadcasts on NBCSN. “I think that’s accurate.” Kraman is our guest on episode #95 of

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Next car trend? Michelin, GM, Goodyear making airless tires

Airless tires make sense. But how the product becomes viable is another matter. It now seems like Michelin and General Motors with one project and Goodyear with another could soon help alleviate millions of punctured tires yearly bending up on landfills. According to a report on Dezeen.com, Michelin’s UPTIS (Unique Puncture-proof Tire System) promises to eliminate the waste and danger of a flat or blown-out tire. It hopes the tires will be available by 2024. Goodyear has also recently touted an airless concept called Aero and Oxygene. The former tilt to turn into a propeller for flying cars. Oxygene is an oxygen-producing moss tire concept. The Michelin-General Motors airless tire concept features a complex internal architecture made from carefully engineered

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#21, West Sacramento dump truck company helps Paradise cleanup (video)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:45 — 34.0MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreMaricela and Adam Fry, husband and wife, own Big Country Restoration and Transport in West Sacramento. They own three massive dump trucks and have one of many contracts to help the cleanup of The Camp Fire in Paradise, California. Not too long ago, I overheard a conversation in a Starbucks in Sacramento. The barista asked the woman in front of me what she does for a living. The response: “My husband and I own a dump truck.” I asked Maricela for her card and recently called her. The result: Adam Fry and his crew from Big Country Restoration and Transport in West Sacramento are

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