The Thing About Cars

Mickey cleans out his inbox of random topics that he's collected over the last couple of weeks. In this week's TTAC, Tim starts the show with an intriguing Italian trivia question. Ben digs into how car drivers are revving up inflation. Not enough men prioritize stimulating Dave, and "dicknugget" becomes a TTAC term of art. The team digs into the Consumer Reports annual Car Issue and the...

There is no more Georgia story than "I went to buy a tractor, and brought home a car." After a strange discussion of supply deliveries to a brothel in Amsterdam, we welcome back our old friend Greg Hinze to discuss rehabilitating his MG Midget. We leverage Misty's knowledge of rehabilitating sewing machines and looms to rebuild a Midget! Ben has notes on using superglue, condoms and diap...

Mickey confesses Ford-lust, but it wasn't enough to entice our guest to show up. Misty shifts wet noodles trying to haul a loom across The Netherlands and learns what we all knew already: she won't like any car as much as her MX-5. Cognitive issues going from one car to another has Ben using his wipers to signal turns, while Misty's car has lady-humps to guide the way. Tim has the rational and his...

Tim tells us more than we need to know about brakes, and Dave reveals why Italian cars got him a restraining order. Mickey wants to impulse-buy a car, and Misty thinks he's over-thinking it. Should he buy an El Camino? We hope The Muppets don't sue us! We welcome your support via Patreon and your questions and feedback via our website . This podcast is powered by Pinecast .

We get off to a depraved start with a quick discussion of non-automotive products from automotive companies, such as magic wands and earth-movers. We're also happy to announce that VW have brought back their currywurst! Mickey is planning to go car-shopping and the list of things to look at is getting crazy. Things devolve quickly as usual. We give Italian and French cars some love, despite (or be...

We meet Susanne, who has recently competed in the 2023 Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles. This is an ISO 14001 certified rally raid in which all of the drivers and navigators are women. They compete to drive on or off-road to multiple way points each day in the shortest distance possible, without using GPS. We find out what vehicles are the most popular to use and where to find them, how to communicate wh...

Loxley Brown returns and almost makes Dave go straight! Some of the girls from Club Athena regales us with her experiences at Indy in the DHL-sponsored experience that Loxley announced a couple of episodes ago. Too many interesting moments to detail in a short description, so enjoy! We welcome your support via Patreon and your questions and feedback via our website . This podcast is powered by Pin...

Mick Opalak tells us about his experiences driving in the 24 Hours of Lemons, which is probably the mostest funnest racing series EVER! Misty enjoys a sausage-fest and Dave calls Human Resources about it. Tall tales abound, as does the spirit of camaraderie! Wanna be a race driver but don't have any motorsports connections? This is the race for you! Waffles never tasted so fast! Can the TTAC crew...

Misty isn't moist but Tim is damp. A chinese EV-prototype is built on the last remnants of Saab's engineering and we're OK with talking about unsprung mass. Misty updates us about what's going on in F1, including the latest indignity suffered by Phil the bollard, female progress in F3, and Danica Patrick's anti-progress comment. We discuss problems with towtrucks and get into price-differences for...

Dave is abnormally normal, Mickey and Misty have power washer issues, and Ben may have had a close encounter with an airbag. Loxley Brown joins us to share all the news about the big things happening with Athena Racing, but not without giving Dawn an awkward moment of silence. Loxley's big news is that her girls get to go to Indianapolis Motor Speedway and see how everything works behind the scene...

We welcome Bob Hall back to the show! Misty is knitting a gay blanket, and Tim gets us going with a very technical trivia question about a fictional car. Bob has lots of interesting perspectives about product planning and new vehicular technologies while Misty has a moment about her MX-5, Dave's car is DAMN WOKE!, and Mickey wants a pocket-nuclear weapon. Ben is stuck in traffic. Bob knows a thing...

We speak with professional photographer and author Richard Prince about how he turned his love for cars into a career. His new book - Corvette 70 Years: The One and Only - covers all 8 generations of America's first sports car and he talks to us about how his passion for Corvettes started, his favorite cars and what's in his garage (not all of them are Corvettes!). We also find out what car is too...

Keis, Corvettes and Cappuccinos We discuss what it takes to bring in a car to the USA that is not already sold here by the manufacturer. What if you want to bring in that Lada, Nissan Skyline, Porsche 959, Honda Acty or Suzuki Cappuccino into the the USA? Is it better to order up a new one, get a used one or get an "antique" one? Can you do this yourself or should you get a broker? What...

Cars from the 1950's and 60's that you've probably never heard of. Do you think you know about classic cars? What about rare cars? Some car buffs might recognize the brands Frazier or Devin but mention "Grantham" and they might think you are talking about Downton Abbey. What about Allied, Glasspar, Ferber, LaDawri or Voodoo? We speak with Geoff Hacker and Mike Puma of Undiscovered Classi...

Dan Plan from the Midwest Racing Connection, an expert on short track racing, visits the gang on Dawn's birthday and sees us at our befuddled best. Dawn relives her 21st birthday. Misty's new nickname is "Racing Nugget." We start a conspiracy theory that JFK was killed by Mr. Bean. Phil the Bollard survives bollard carnage. And, we learn which car featured the first production turbocharg...

We apologize in advance for our our kitchen apparel fashion tips. With a three of our crew missing, the remaining cast members try to channel our missing mates (seance not included.) We discuss the action and results of the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans sports car race, which leads to creating The Thing About Cars Drinking Game. A tip of the hat is given to Mazda for supporting the classes of road raci...

Ben's buddy Derek tells us about his road trips around the world. Namibia! West Africa! Kazakhstan! Connecticut! What do they have in common? You can find warm Coca-Cola everywhere in the world! We welcome your support via Patreon and your questions and feedback via our website . This podcast is powered by Pinecast .

On FI, Fuel Economy and Wafflehomes! Misty gets a surprise shipment from the states! The panel digs deep into the global socio-political implications on the "girlificiation of F1." Ben tees up a discussion on the closing of environmental loopholes for vehicles over 4,000 pounds. Ben teaches us how to hotwire a care through any exposed wire bus. And, Tim, teases us with what standard piec...

Nobody here but us cheeckens with Micky away on the west coast. Misty is still moist, Dave drives the Grand Trivia Auto, and Ben pretends to know how to host a podcast. Tim staggers in late as we discuss how to get us all over to Paris for the big international hot-dang auto show next year. Those aren't pillows! Which of us speaks the worst French? How much escargot can we eat in a Peugeot? Is it...

Misty sets a new record for getting to moist, our guest is a no-show, and Dave sheds some light on J.D. Power. We explore our peanut-fetish before moving on to some listener questions, but the peanut-cheese just won't go away. We welcome your support via Patreon and your questions and feedback via our website . This podcast is powered by Pinecast .

Mickey is going to send Misty a mystery-box and also announces that he's purchased a house that will eventually have his dream-garage, and we're all waiting for the garage-warming party! Yelotus makes its first car-show appearance. Dawn wants to know if a fuel-additive that promises to make a car with a bad catalytic converter pass an emissions test is legit, and F1 gets historic with three red fl...

Loxley Browne of Club Athena makes a quick visit to talk about a special event in partnership with DHL and Andretti Autosport . Seven dedicated “Athenians” will be chosen to spend two days trackside with Andretti and DHL Express team members as they learn from industry experts and have fun with hands-on experiences.   Girls interested in joining the program can apply for membership at  ClubAthena....

Our guest no-shows, so the panel goes on a corvette-conversational-out-of-body experience. Where did the GM "bow tie" logo come from? When was the first Corvette produced? What cities are home to Corvette assembly facilities? What city is the home to the most Corvettes? Mickey, Dawn, Misty, Ben and Dave longingly over Corvettes they have known and love. Misty continues to contemplate Cla...

Misty's in a mood; can she get a new MX-5 or upgrade her existing one before she "meets Sarah?" (Plus a secret message in Dutch.) What have cars been used for other than transportation and sport? If you were forced to drive a fast Ford for four hours in a traffic jam, which would it be? Some impromptu air travel advice. Importing vehicles and M.O.T. inspections. Plus, we find out what's...

Returning guest Dean Case tells us about his involvement with the Society of Automotive Engineers' student programs including racing. If you or someone you know is interested in a career in automotive engineering, you should listen to this. Tim searches for Sasquatch but finds a Fratzog instead. We welcome your support via Patreon and your questions and feedback via our website . This podcast is p...