Podcast Archives - The Weekly Driver

#285, Hagerty’s 40-year celebration

Tarra Warnes and her husband once owned two Yugos. The sub-compact three-door hatchback and two-door convertible are often cited as the worst vehicles in history. The Yugo enthusiast family’s idea was to use one vehicle to provide parts for its counterpart’s restoration as a race car. The outcome isn’t as relevant as the irony of Warnes telling the tale. She’s vice president of creative strategy at Hagerty. It’s the insurance company, marketplace, magazine, website publisher and automotive event organizer focusing on classic cars and their owners. Tarra is our guest this week on The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-host Bruce Aldrich and I interview Warnes about Hagerty’s advancement from a small company to its current status with more than 1,700 employees.

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#284, Volvo software chief talks new EV SUV, relationship with Nvidia

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 18:38 — 42.6MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreIt was just before the opening evening session of the recent2024 Nvidia GTC conference at the San Jose Convention Center and it got quiet quickly. Alwin Bakkenes, Russell Datz, the carmaker’s national media relations manager, Bruce Aldrich, the co-host of The Weekly Driver Podcast, and I all stepped in and closed our respective doors of the 2024 EX90 electric SUV perched in the corner of the expo hall. Volvo and Nvidia, the multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, have had a business partnership since 2016. And with the conference an in-person gathering for the conference for the first time in

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#283, Veteran WSJ reporters debut insiders’ look at Formula 1 failures, successes

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 37:13 — 85.2MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreJonathan Clegg and Joshua Robinson are colleagues in The Wall Street Journal’s virtual sports department. Clegg, the sports editor, is an Englishman who lives with his family in New York. Robinson is an American based in London. They share global sporting interests, particularly soccer and motorsports. The duo’s reporting expertise has led to a long collaboration away from daily journalism. They’re now book co-authors for the third time. The most recent effort, published on March 12, is titled “The Formula: How Rogues, Geniuses, and Speed Freaks Reengineered F1 into the World’s Fastest-Growing Sport.” (Mariner Books, 304 pages, ISBN: 9780063318625; $29.99). With co-host Bruce Aldrich

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#282, 2024 Nvidia Conference With Danny Shapiro

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:58 — 64.0MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreThe autonomous vehicle industry has reduced its speed. Its future is here, but it’s not quite as in focus as the next signpost. Even the most fervent believers have re-evaluated their enthusiasm for the human-free driving mode. What’s ahead for autonomous driving and an array of other pending driving technology is among the many topics in many industries set for explanation, examination and speculation beginning March 18 during the four-day Nvidia GPU Technology Conference (GTC). Danny Shapiro, Nvidia’s vice president of automotive, is our guest on this episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast. With Co-host Bruce Aldrich on vacation, James Raia interviews Shapiro about

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#280, Pivotal Debuts Helix Personal Flying Vehicle

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 30:17 — 69.3MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreKen Karklin, the CEO of Pivotal, has had a several-decade career in engineering, aircraft and robotics. He knows technology as license holder of multiple patents. His latest passion is the Helix. Highlighted at the recent Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas, the Helix is the only personal flying vehicle in production in the United States. Public sales began January 8. Karklin is our guest on this week’s episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia discuss with Karklin the new vehicle and his experiences flying the Helix. We examine the practical uses of the aircraft, the regulations of the ultralight

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#279, Ben Welch and his Million-Mile Suburban

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:23 — 67.2MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreBen Welch blames himself for driving his 1994 Chevy Suburban when he shouldn’t have. He knew his van well except for one momentary lapse when the engine warnings were more serious than he thought. It was a long time ago and the vehicle has fared well regardless — it surpassed one million miles on the odometer without any engine overhauls. Welch, a Vietnam veteran who has lived in Lincoln, Nebraska, since 1962, is our guest this week on The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia talk with Welch about his 30-year ownership of his Suburban and his vast experiences driving the

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#278, Lucid Air takes best of 2023 honors

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 31:31 — 72.1MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | More As co-hosts of The Weekly Driver Podcast, Bruce Aldrich and I have for the past several years picked the top cars of the year at the end of the calendar year. This year, as we do most often, Bruce and I interview a guest on the podcast and then drive the week’s review vehicle to lunch. We often extend the day to further drive the vehicle, take images and share our opinions. Bruce has certain interests and knows the mechanics of cars and trucks far better than I do. I write reviews of vehicles for several publications, including TheWeeklyDriver.com since 2004. I usually

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#277, New author on Tales from the Garage

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 33:01 — 75.6MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreLike many automotive enthusiasts, when Rodney Kemerer talks about cars his enthusiasm abounds. A lifelong enthusiast, Kemerer is the author of Tales From The Garage. As described in its Amazon profile, the “heartfelt book — the half memoir, have the memories of others — is truly a pop culture snapshot of modern society through the lens of the automobile.” Kemerer is our guest this week on Episode #277 of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia talk with Kemerer, a veteran journalist, about his first book and the surprising reactions he’s received from readers. “Kemerer understands that car stories can be

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#276, John Vincent, U.S. News & World Report, talks Best Cars, Brands, LA Auto Show

Podcast: Play in new window | Download ()Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreJohn Vincent is the Senior Editor and Correspondent/Vehicle Testing on the Autos team at U.S. News & World Report. With more than 25 years of experience in the automotive industry, Vincent knows new cars, manufacturers and trends in the industry. The former long-time newspaper reporter is our guest this week on The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia talk with Vincent about his publication’s recent release of its Best Cars of 2023 and 2024. Besides individual rankings throughout the spectrum of the industry, the publication also selected Best Car Brand (Honda), Best SUV Brand (Mazda), Best Truck Brand (Ram) and Best Luxury Brand (Rivian).

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#275, An Interview with Barrett-Jackson CEO Craig Jackson

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:36 — 67.7MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreCraig Jackson is the CEO of Barrett-Jackson, the country’s most well-known auction company, and he owns 108 vehicles — from muscle cars to sports cars and modern classics to resto-mods. Immersed in the automotive world since he was a boy, Jackson recently attended the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) annual gathering in Las Vegas. He was our special guest for the latest episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts James Raia and John Berg spoke with Jackson inside the Barrett-Jackson trailer on the showroom floor in one of several exhibit halls that housed the massive automotive showcase. Jackson, 63, discussed Barrett-Jackson’s legacy and details

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Travel author Jessica Dunham: The Open Road is her passion

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 33:11 — 76.0MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreJessica Dunham is a veteran journalist whose passion as a travel writer is the open road. She knows the well-traveled roads along Route 66 and Interstate 5. And she knows the less-visited locales, like the night sky over Marfa, Texas, which includes mysterious blinking lights. Dunham, the author of “The Open Road: 50 Road Trips in the USA” is our guest this week on The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-host Bruce Aldrich and I interview Dunham about her latest book (it’s an updated edition) and also about the pleasures of traveling — on good days and bad days. She discusses how the many places she’s

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#273, Car talk with Car Talk’s enduring executive producer, Doug Berman

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 40:31 — 72.0MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreDoug Berman is the unofficial third brother of the admired comedy team and automotive soothsayer duo of Thomas Louis Magliozzi and Raymond Francis Magliozzi. They were more well-known as “Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers.” They were co-hosts of Car Talk, the NPR radio show, for 25 years. Thinly disguised as a weekly program about automobile repair, the program was more about the banter between the brothers and an endearing relationship with their call-in audience. The former mechanics diagnosed engine problems, but they also provided advice, notably about relationships. Comedy reigned. Behind the scenes, Berman has coordinated the show since its early days. A

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#272, Genesis: not the band, not the Bible but the fast-growing South Korean carmaker

Jarred Pellat is the senior manager public relations and communications of Genesis Motor North America. It’s the eight-year-old luxury vehicle division of the South Korean vehicle manufacturer Hyundai Motor Company. A native of Canada who lived in South Korea for several years, Pellat is our guest on this episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-host Bruce Aldrich was on assignment, so John Berg, a new automotive columnist and photographer for The Weekly Driver, joined me for our interview during Best of the West. Pellat, the fourth employee of the Genesis, was a guest during a two-day gathering of the Western Automotive Journalists (WAJ), the San Francisco Bay Area organization of automotive media professionals and industry influencers. During the two-day gathering,

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#271, Industry expert John Vincent talks lingering UAW strike, updates EVs

John Vincent, senior editor and automotive correspondent for U.S. News & World Report, has more than 25 years of experience covering the auto industry. In addition to reviewing vehicles, he has vast expertise in auto financing, leasing and buying. He’s also an expert observer and commentator regarding the current United Auto World strike. As the strike approaches its one-month duration, Vincent is our guest on this episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia discuss with the veteran writer the current status of the strike and what it means to the automakers and union members. How have the communities throughout the Detroit area been affected? Has the strike changed the industry for consumers? Does Vincent see

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#270, Chicago-based business provides automotive Xtreme Xperiences

Adam Olalde is the founder and CEO of Xtreme Xperience. The Chicago-based company provides unique driving experiences in luxury cars mixed with racetrack and lifestyle experiences. Olalde, who began his business after working for a luxury car rental service, is our guest this week on The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia discuss with Olalde the fascination consumers have in exotic and high-performance vehicles — from Lamborghini to Porsche to Rolls-Royce. The business began with Olalde renting vehicles for one-hour test drives throughout Chicago. The idea expanded to test drives at a nearby racetrack. Since the company’s debut in 2012, the company reports it has helped more than 300,000 people cross ‘drive an exotic car’ off their