Episode 24, Eric Wohlberg: cycling champion, vintage Buick driver

,

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:37 — 31.1MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreEric Wohlberg spent more than a decade traveling around the world to compete on two wheels. He participated in three Summer Olympics for Canada and won multiple cycling national individual time trial titles and stage races. But Wohlberg, 53, of San Jose, in his sixth year as a director for the Rally Cycling Team, now prefers four-wheel transportation. He often travels to the team’s camp and its races in the United States and his native country while driving one of his two vintage cars.

Read more

Episode 23 (Part 2), Everything’s autonomous in CES madness

The recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas had several themes. Autonomous and electric vehicles, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, pending 5G technology, 3D television, personal mobility and every entrepreneurial gadget feasible were in the mix. The CES gathering was held in five locations on the Las Vegas strip. Flash flooding greeted visitors on opening day; a power outage occurred on the second day. The estimated attendance for the week was 250,000, and the showroom floors were crowded. Nonetheless, an estimated 1,700 vendors showcased their wares with flash and fast-talking, expertise and wishful thinking. In episode 23 of The Weekly Driver

Read more

Episode 23, Going mobile at CES with electric bikes, scooters

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 23:59 — 32.9MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreAutonomous cars, trucks and helicopters, drones and virtual reality technology are at the center of the current whirlwind of technology innovation. But personal light electric vehicles (PLEVs) are also increasingly abundant. They’re compact, often foldable and easily transportable in boats, planes, automobiles and RVs. They’re the scooters, simple bicycles and mopeds of yesteryear gone electric and grouped under the umbrella term “personal transporters.” And they’re used as complementary transportation for travelers or stand-alone vehicles for leisure treks and short commutes. More than a dozen

Read more

Episode 22, Famed climber Alex Honnold prefers life in a van

Last summer, Alex Honnold became the first free solo climber to ascend El Capitan in Yosemite. The accomplishment resulted in international acclaim. Honnold appeared on magazine covers, as a guest on late night talk shows, and he continues to be a speaker in demand at trade shows and corporate meetings. Despite his celebrity, Honnold prefers a simple life. He owns and shares a home in Las Vegas with his girlfriend. It’s a short distance from casino mecca and home of the Voetbalwedden headquarters. Another view from his front door highlights a favorite location, the varied, step climbing available at Red

Read more

2018 Ford Mustang GT further defines iconic muscle car

Nearing the end of its sixth decade, the Ford Mustang is among the few remaining iconic American-made cars. It began as an affordable sporty coupe. For 2018, it’s undergone a refresh to showcase its muscle car masculinity. The Mustang legacy has endured multiple generations, reconfigurations and engine types. But it still resembles its debuting style, highlighted by a long hood and short rear deck. It was a new look for its time in 1964, and the Mustang’s success helped launch competitors like the AMC Javelin, Chevrolet Camaro, Dodge Challenger, Pontiac Firebird and Plymouth Barracuda. The Mustang’s current generation debuted in

Read more

Elon Musk delays production of Tesla Model 3 – again

Production of Tesla Model 3, the affordable electric sports car the manufacturer’s owner, Elon Musk, hoped would bring his vehicles into the mainstream car-buying market, has a weak battery. Tesla has announced it won’t begin full production of the vehicle until the end of June. It will mark nearly a year since the Fremont, California-based company began manufacturing the entry-level Tesla in limited numbers. Musk previously announced an expected production of 5,000 model 3s a week by December 2017. In November, he announced a delay of that goal to March 2018. Now the company said it would produce 2,500 Model

Read more

Episode 21, Rags to riches: The restoration of a rare Porsche 356

Leigh Rutledge, a real estate executive in Sacramento, California, owns a rare Porsche — a 1956 Porsche 356 Cabriolet. The car was made in the year Rutledge was born, and the model also corresponds to the month and year she was born. In Episode 21 of The Weekly Driver Podcast, hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia discuss with Rutledge her 27-year ownership of the unique Porsche. The car has had a hard-to-believe legacy. Rutledge purchased the Porsche in 1990 after noticing it for sale on a 3×5 index card. But the Porsche wasn’t much more than a collection of parts.

Read more

Episode 20, 2017 year-end observations, goodbye to 21 cars

Every year, cars come and go. In 2018, nearly two dozen vehicles available in 2017 won’t be available as new models. Some of the cars, like the Chevrolet Spark, have been failing for years. Some of the other departing vehicles, like the Honda Accord coupe, come as surprises. In Episode 20 of The Weekly Driver Podcast, co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia bid farewell to the departing vehicles. Some we’ll miss. But for others, good riddance. With the new year upon us, we also look back on some of the popular topics in the auto industry during 2017. What exactly

Read more

No place like home, office and car all in one new odd EV concept

,

No other vehicle at the recent Los Angeles Auto Show attracted any more bizarre reaction than the Redspace REDS EV concept. It’s the automotive version of a tiny house. It’s transportation. It’s living space. And it’s a mobile office all in one small, futuristic-looking machine. Chris Bangle, a former designer at BMW, originated the idea of the wacky electric vehicle for equally wacky, congested Chinese market. Bangle and his colleagues at the auto show touted the vehicle with statistics. In China, they stated, cars are stopped 90 percent of the time. With living and office space also at a premium,

Read more

2018 Lexus GX 460: Beauty and the Beast

,

The 2018 Lexus GX 460 is a large, plush three-row sport utility vehicle that transports seven occupants in style but has the ruggedness to venture off road. It’s largely unchanged from the 2017 edition. Sales have increased yearly since the GX 460 was introduced in 2010. The luxury SUV segment is appealing to more buyers simultaneously seeking prestige and versatility. Available in base, premium and luxury offerings, the GX 460 has uniform specs. All trims include 4.6-liter, 32-valve, V8 engines with 301 horsepower, six-speed transmissions and all-wheel drive. Second-row captains chairs are the only major interior design option. The improved

Read more

Episode 19, IIHS: Crash Test Dummies to Autonomous Driving

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 23:53 — 32.8MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreSean O’Malley and David Aylor represent the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in Arlington, Virginia. Established in 1959, the IIHS is a non-profit organization that works to reduce motor vehicle deaths, crashes, injuries and property damage. O’Malley, the senior test coordinator, and Aylor, the manager of active testing, work with colleagues to conduct research and produce ratings for mainstream passenger vehicles. The organization also researches and produces ratings for consumer products such as child car booster seats. Additionally, the IIHS researches road design

Read more

2017 Volvo V90 Cross Country: new station wagon redux

Stations wagons were all the rage 75 years ago. The 1941 Chrysler Town and Country bubble-back design had a cavernous interior and featured top-line woodgrain paneling. It was the most expensive vehicle in carmaker’s lineup and cost $1,495. Much has happened since. Somewhere in recent years, manufacturers began to believe the word station was a disservice as a prefix to the word wagon. Mercedes-Benz has estate wagons. Audi has the all-road. Volkswagen has its SportWagen. It’s all new lingo far-removed from the name station wagon, the name given to the spacious but trunkless vehicles used to carry multiple occupants and

Read more

Episode 18, California Automobile Museum curator Carly Starr

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 31:21 — 43.0MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreCarly Starr is the curator of the California Automobile Museum in Sacramento. She has incredible knowledge of the cars and trucks in the unheralded museum as well as its diverse outreach programs throughout the year. The museum, located at 2200 Front St., opened in May 1987. It has more than 150 classic cars, race cars, trucks and rotating displays of different generations of vehicles from various regional clubs. The California Automobile Museum is also unique among car museums. It selectively buys and sells vintage

Read more

Forget dealer stress, buy or lease a car via an app

After more than 40 years of buying and selling vehicles in dealerships across the country, Rod Buscher needed a new challenge. He started Blinker and said goodbye to the “brick and mortar” buying and selling traditions of the automotive industry. With the ever-expanding of business transactions available on computers, Buscher in 2013 joined a few other industry pioneers. With Blinker and similar apps like newcomer Fair consumers can safely acquire or sell vehicles — and all of the paperwork involved — via apps. “With Blinker you can do an entire transaction on a smartphone without going to a bank or

Read more

Head-up display devices helps drivers, quality varies

The list of cool automotive features is expansive — head-up display, vehicle-to-vehicle connectivity, self-parking, backup cameras and energy-converting brakes. Much of the technology in the newer vehicles is designed around data sensing and processing. Drivers get a complete view of the road and their surroundings as well as safer and less-distracted driving. Head-up display (HUD) is among increasingly popular technology options. Drivers get a new perspective on the road, and it could change how we interface with our cars and our surroundings while we drive. Instead of a traditional dashboard, HUD enables more intelligent displays by featuring the information a

Read more

2018 Honda Accord grabs two Kelley Blue Book best buy awards

After nearly 15 years of reviewing cars, the one question I get asked more than all other questions combined is “what new car would you buy?” There’s no right answer. With about 350 makes and models of new models, a case could be made for every car or truck available to be the best choice for someone. I often ask the person who’s asked a few followup questions — their available budget to their driving habits. I ask if they’re car buying for a one-person family or if they have a spouse and children and are car shopping for a

Read more