Podcast

#169, Hagerty expert talks strong new 2021 auctions

Auto auctions are back! Live, that is. Online auctions have continued during the pandemic, but January sales are a key indicator for collector car sales. And what a January it was. Brian Rabold, Vice President of Valuation Services at Hagerty, is our guest on this episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia talk with Rabold about the new year, the return of live auctions and some of the surprising prices paid for vehicles. According to Hagerty, January 2021 auto auctions generated $181.9 million. The impressive tally doesn’t include sales from the launch of the Barrett-Jackson campaign. It’s been postponed until March. “For us at Hagerty and others in the collector car market, January is a

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#168, Hershey’s world class auto museum reopens

Its official name is the Antique Automobile Club of America Museum, but it’s almost always called the AACA Museum or the Hershey Auto Museum. By any name, the museum in Pennsylvania is among the country’s most active facilities honoring the history of automobiles — and it’s reopened. Jeffrey Bliemeister, the museum’s Executive Director, is our guest on this week’s episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia discuss with Bliemeister the status of auto museums around the country during the coronavirus pandemic. Specifically, we talk about the AACA Museum and its approach to presenting the ever-fascinating world of vintage vehicles. The museum’s vast digital experiences — tours,  ride-alongs and collection chronicles — are all highlighted on

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#166 EV expert Steve Birkett discusses growing industry

Steve Birkett is an electric vehicle expert who embraces the automotive technology of sustainable choices. Birkett, who lives and works in Boston, Mass., has owned several electric vehicles. He provides his expertise in the field and his advocacy of the industry on the website findthebestcarprice.com and other industry publications. And he’s our guest on this episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia discuss with Birkett the industry at-large. We ask Birkett about his family experiences with EVs. (He drives to visit relatives in Ohio on occasion in addition to daily car use). Bruce and I chat with our guest about how the alternative fuel industry has changed. EV industry rapidly changing And, of course, we

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#165, 2020 in car news: COVID-19, new Corvette, recalls

There’s never a dull moment in the automotive industry. Car news never stops. Competition is intense. The emerging electric vehicle market continues to emerge but with its future unknown. Recalls aren’t going away anytime soon. And how consumers buy and sell vehicles is further transitioning from in-person sales to the online marketplace. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed everything. Overall, the automotive industry, just like most businesses, endured a turbulent 2020. Car News Abounds The Weekly Driver reported on much of the car news . . .  recalls to bogus speed records, an iconic sports car’s mid-engine revelation to a record sales in the vintage car sales market. Bruce Aldrich and I discuss on this episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast.

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#164, The art of buying and selling used cars

Jim Brooks owns Approved Autos Bakersfield, California. It’s a used car business, a constantly changing segment of the automotive landscape. Brooks worked as a new salesman at a dealership for two years. But he didn’t like the sales practices and decided his own business was a better option. Fifteen years later, Brooks has witnessed lots of industry changes, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. Brooks is this week’s guest on The Weekly Driver Podcast. The used cars sales market has changed Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia talk with Brooks about all aspects of buying and selling used cars, live and online auctions to financing, price negotiations to paperwork. Brooks also discusses some of the unusual vehicles he’s bought and sold.

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#163, The Weekly Driver Podcast’s Cars of the Year

Welcome to the 14th annual Cars of the Year list, selected by TheWeeklyDriver.com. This year, co-host Bruce Aldrich and I announce the top-10 list on this week’s episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Bruce and I individually picked 10 vehicles from the nearly 40 cars and trucks in 2020 models I reviewed and Bruce drove. Neither of us was surprised. Our choices for cars of the year were nearly identical, including our No. 1 choice, the 2020 Corvette Stingray. Unlike many publications, we wait until the end of the year to announce our selections. A year’s perspective is important. Cars of the Year Here are The Weekly Driver Podcast’s choices for 2020 (with prices), followed by cars of the year

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#162, Chris Miller’s 3rd stone truck: 1929 Ford Model A

Chris Miller has been a sculptor for several decades. He makes public art, primarily out of granite, marble and wood. But on Thanksgiving night, he returned home to Vermont from Maryland with swollen hands and tired from another creation of his latest passion — automotive art, as in a stone truck. Miller, who lives outside of Calais, Vermont, had just completed his third piece. The 125 percent-sized sculpture is located on the property of a business in Lexington Park, Maryland. The business owner is a car and truck collector and semi-truck racer. Miller’s stone truck creation is the signature for the combined home and business. It’s a 1929 Ford Model A. Co-host Bruce Aldrich and James Raia interview Miller, a

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#161, Clasiq.com, a start-up buying, selling classic cars

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:49 — 36.8MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreNew car sales are hurting during the COVID-19 pandemic. Used cars, car subscriptions, leasing, etc., are increasingly popular. Clasiq.com hopes for its share of the marketplace as an online start-up. As its name implies, Clasiq.com sells classic cars. It streamlines the process of buying and selling a classic vehicle. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia talk with Jeremy Birenbaum, Clasiq’s Creative Director, on this episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Birenbaum says Clasiq.com defines a classic vehicle as dating from 1994 and older. As the car-buying and car-selling landscapes evolve during the pandemic, Birenbaum discusses the procedures of buying and selling from the company,

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#160, Automotive books sure bets as holiday gifts

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:07 — 33.1MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | More Easy. Appreciated. Two words and a holiday gift issue solved. Buy automotive books for the enthusiasts on your holiday shopping list. Bruce Aldrich and I discuss a half-dozen automotive books on episode #160 of The Weekly Driver Podcast. We’ve had everal authors on the podcast in the past three years. All share a passion for the automotive industry — Chevrolet to Volkswagen, Jeep to the massive Takata airbag catastrophe. Here’s a synopsis of three of the books we discuss: * Russell Hayes, like all automotive industry book authors, is passionate about his subject matter. Hayes’ interests cover several iconic carmakers, including his latest

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#159, San Jose cannabis dispensary delivers in Teslas

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 33:40 — 46.2MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | More Chris Lane is the chief marketing officer of Airfield Supply Co., a cannabis dispensary in San Jose, California. Its name is derived from the company’s proximity to the San Jose International Airport. Its motto is “High Is A Place.” The company is thriving in the Silicon Valley, where marijuana delivery is a competitive segment of the business community. Airfield Supply also recently determined it can more efficiently deliver its product. It added six Tesla Model 3s to its delivery fleet. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia talk with Lane about the cannabis industry in the Silicon Valley and the Airfield’s decision to utilize

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#158, Electric car subscription: savvy one-stop shopping

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:29 — 23.3MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | More Convenience, flexibility, and value are key attractions to car subscription company services offered by T4L, Inc., and several other regional and national companies. The concept is the latest trend in the automobile industry. It caters to drivers who don’t have the time or desire for the details of buying a vehicle but need transportation. Allen Witters, the CEO of T4L, headquartered in Naples, Fla., is our guest on this episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia discuss with Witters the new industry and the ideas behind the need for some to consider a car subscription. T4L membership prices

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#157, 50 years of driving: Co-hosts talk good, bad, ugly

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 39:49 — 54.7MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | More Turning age 66 doesn’t have the same milestone traditions as ages 40, 50 and 65. But there are connections to the automotive world for me with double six on the horizon, including 50 years of driving. Driving the iconic Route 66 is a bucket list item for many travelers. I’d like to do that at age 66. And for those who acquired their first driver’s license at age 16, a half-century of driving has likely provided plenty of opportunities for reflection. During the past half-century, the automotive industry has advanced with the acceleration of a Tesla. So my friend and co-host Bruce Aldrich

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#156, Automobile writer Aaron Gold talks cars

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 31:20 — 43.0MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | More Aaron Gold is a veteran automobile writer who has contributed to many print and online publications. He’s as enthusiastic about his work as anyone in the industry, and it shows in his articles and in conversation. A staff writer for Automobile, Gold is our guest on this week’s episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia discuss the automotive industry with the journalist, with a particular interest in several of his recent articles. Canada isn’t an automotive powerhouse, but Gold recently wrote: “Who Knew Canadian Cars Were a Thing? Well, They Are.” The article detailed Bricklin Motors to Conquest

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#155, New book, speed record (not), electric trucks, oh my!

A new book, a speed record (not), new truck towing capacities, autonomous vehicles and the future of electric trucks. There’s always a lot happening in the automotive industry, and periodically Bruce Aldrich I just talk about a lot on The Weekly Driver Podcast. We’re are each other’s guests this week to visit the above-mentioned news items. And it’s the 155th episode of our slightly more than three-year-old, 30-minute broadcasts. First up this week is a new book by author Mike Mueller. It’s The Complete Book of Corvette, a coffee table-sized book details all generations of the “America’s Sports Car.” The book is an all-encompassing volume showcasing more than 60 years of Corvette history. Created in cooperation with General Motors and

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#154 Todd Reiners combines racing, philanthropy

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 34:29 — 47.3MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreTodd Reiners is a race car enthusiast and philanthropist in Sacramento. He competes in vintage cars and is as passionate about his collection as anyone. Reiners is our guest on Episode #154 of The Weekly Driver Podcast. He discusses his long-time appreciation for cars as well as his fund-raising efforts and a unique, moving experience he shared with those less fortunate. As a daily driver, Reiners negotiates Sacramento in a 1994 Honda Accord “with a dent.” But it’s Reiners’ other vehicles he prefers to discuss. They include: * 1971 Detomaso Pantera, 351 CI Cleveland V8 Supercharged 600 HP; * 1972 Plymouth Barracuda, 383 CI

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#153, Author Russell Hayes’ new book on VW beetle, bus

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 34:25 — 31.5MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreRussell Hayes, like all automotive industry book authors, is passionate about his subject matter. Hayes’ interests cover several iconic carmakers, including his latest effort celebrating the 75th and 70th anniversaries of the Beetle and Bus. Hayes is the author of numerous automotive books ranging in topics from auto shows to Lotus to several offerings on Volkswagen. His latest book is the just-released “Volkswagen Beetles and Buses: Smaller and Smarter.” In a wide-ranging interview, Hayes is our guest on Episode #153 of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia talk with the author about VW’s two most iconic vehicles, the first Beetles

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