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

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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

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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#94, West Sacramento truck company helps Paradise Fire cleanup

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.” It turns out, the Maricela 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. Adam Fry is our guest on this episode of The Weekly Drive Podcast. The fire started in Paradise on

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2019 Honda Insight comes of age as handsome four-door hybrid

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The original Honda Insight debuted as a 2000 model and received more mockery than respect. It was a far-from-perfect, two-door subcompact that looked like a mechanical peanut on wheels. With its unique appearance, the Insight garnered more attention as an oddity than it did for its now-important legend. It was the first mass-produced hybrid available in the United States. It was ugly, simultaneously cool and it got whooped in sales a few months later when the Toyota Prius debuted. Two decades later, Toyota still dominates the country’s alternative fuel vehicle sales. But Honda is still an innovation leader. Beginning with

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Justin selects his top-5 parts under $500 for 2009-2014 F150s

In this episode of AmericanTruck’s (AT) “The Haul” YouTube Video Series, host Justin 
Dugan selects his favorite top-5 parts for under $500 for 2009-2014 F150s. Including parts from AT’s most popular categories like Truck Lighting, F150 Lift Kits, Exterior Accessories+ more, Justin’s Top 5 focuses on functionality while sprinkling in a few F150 exterior styling mods for good measure. Parts featured in this video: Barricade HD Bull Bar w/Skid Plate & 20-inch. Dual Row LED Light Bar, Textured Black, JLT, V3.0 Black Oil Separator Passenger Side, ReadyLIFT 2 in. Billet Aluminum Leveling Kit Anodized Black, Husky X Act Contour Front

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2019 Nissan Armada: powerful, safe, guzzles gas

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The Nissan Armada is a well-adjusted teenager. It’s positioned firmly in the mix of large sport utility vehicles that remain popular with their massive engines, family comfort, safety and putrid fuel efficiency. The 2019 edition is the vehicle’s 16th year, and its technically and oddly named after a fleet of warships but used in the singular form. It’s also the third year of the Armada’s second generation after Nissan introduced the current model in 2017. Sales doubled. With an unyielding variety of SUVs entering the market as crossovers and other large SUVs improving, the Armada’s sales fell a few thousand

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2019 Hyundai Ioniq: odd name, worthy EV wheels

The 2019 Hyundai Ioniq, the third model year of the South Korean liftback, is unique in the ever-evolving, alternative fuel segment. It’s the least expensive mainstream electric vehicle available in the United States, and it has the best fuel economy. Cheap and economic don’t always equate to quality. But the five-door Ioniq provides another example of why skeptics of Hyundai and its close relative Kia should be forever enlightened. The manufacturers’ lineups have vastly improved in recent years. Electric-only vehicle promoters are often quick to tout the Chevrolet Bolt and Tesla Model 3. Both have more than 200-mile ranges and

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Matt Damon, Christian Bale set for FORD v. FERRARI film

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Among the epic rivalries in motorsports, Ford v. Ferrari and the 1966 contest between Carroll Shelby and Kevin Miles at Ford and Enzo Ferrari and his entourage at the 24 Hours of LeMans is unsurpassed. Actors Matt Damon and Christian Bale weren’t born yet when the respective drivers and carmakers from Ford and Ferrari matched their driving skills and risk-taking desires in the famous French race. But the accomplished actors will portray the icons in the film FORD v. FERRARI. 20th Century Fox recently released the official trailer and poster for the pending film. It’s based on the story of

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#20, Vintage firetruck gets new life as mobile party pub (video)

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Kevin Mullan owns a 1987 E-One first pumper. It’s a fascinating vintage firetruck. And he’s made it further intriguing by converting it to a mobile pub. Mullan, 38, of Toledo, Ohio, purchased the truck, had a walk-in cooler with 10 beer taps installed, and named the business-on-wheels Ladder 419 beer truck. The name is a nod to the city’s area code. As co-hosts of The Weekly Driver Podcast, Bruce Aldrich and I are now bonafide members of the Mullan’s fan club. He’s our guest on Episode #92 of our weekly discussion of all things automotive. The beer truck, which debuted

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2020 Jeep Gladiator stands alone among truck malaise

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Lots of new vehicles look similar cruising down the highway. One family sedan is likely related to another. The flood of SUVs, with rare exception, could all be made by the same manufacturer. Tesla and pending electric competition from Byton and Rivian are non-conformists. A Porsche Panamera stands out anywhere. Hummers stand alone in gaudiness. A few gimmick cars get attention. And now there’s the industry’s first convertible truck, the 2020 Jeep Gladiator. It’s a midsize vehicle that resembles its sibling, the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, but simultaneously looks nothing like its relative. Beyond its signature spindle grille, an extended wheelbase

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