The Weekly Driver Podcast

Greg Abbott, an ordained minister for nearly 40 years, is also a steel fabrication artist, craftsman, prop builder and television personality based in Los Angeles, California. Mostly, he's known as "Reverend Gadget" or just "Gadget" for his leading role in a custom car build team on the short-lived Discovery Channel series Big! Abbott, my guest this week on The Weekly Driver Podcast, has also been...

Jimmy Creed, born and raised in Talladega, Alabama, is a decades-long journalist whose interest in motorsports and specifically NASCAR racing began when he was a young boy. Creed knows the city's famous racetrack as well as any journalist. He cultivated his knowledge in his long tenure as the sports editor of The Anniston Star in nearby Anniston, Alabama. As one of four writers who've collaborated...

Divya Sangam, an industry expert at ValuePenquin.com, the LendingTree.com insurance division, is immersed in EVs, the Electric Vehicle segment of the automotive world. In a recently released survey, Sangam detailed the still-niche electric vehicle market. Specifically, Sangam, citing numerous statistics, reports exactly what is stressed in the survey's direct headline: "High Costs & Safety Concern...

EagleRider is a California-based motorcycle rental, touring and subscription company addressing the increasing two or three-wheel needs of experienced and novice motorcycle riders. Shawn Fechter, Senior Vice President of Brand Experience for EagleRider, is our guest on this episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast. EagleRider is a leading motorcycle rental company with locations available on six conti...

A REMEMBRANCE Stephen Casagrande was my dentist for about 35 years. His office was in midtown Sacramento, a few blocks from my office and a restaurant we both often visited called Cornerstone. Like he was with many patients, Dr. Casagrande became a friend. He called me Jimmy. Several years ago, I noticed Steve and his son Michael, who is now my dentist, preparing to leave on a father-son trip. The...

After a three-year hiatus, the most varied collection of automobiles, planes, boats and exotic machinery and their equally varying owners will again gather for the daylong Pacific Coast Dream Machines. Sometimes described as a showcase of motorized mechanical marvels, the event's 30th edition will feature more than 2,000 antique, vintage, classic, custom and exotic machines on display for public v...

Bonnie and Grant Sinclair are high school teachers in Georgia who also enjoy the outdoors as part-time RV enthusiasts. As wife and husband, Bonnie Sinclair has co-authored an RV travel book with her husband Grant Sinclair. Grant Sinclair The Sinclair's first book USA RV Adventures has just been published by Moon Travel Guides. The authors' comprehensive debut includes 25 flexible RV trip itinerari...

Karl Brauer is an automotive analytics wonk. It's a compliment to the work and enthusiasm the lead analyst for iSeeCars.com has for number crunching, comparisons, trends and all things related to buying, selling, appreciation and deprecation of cars and trucks. He's eloquent while discussing what might otherwise seem mundane. Brauer is our guest on this episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast. He's a...

Scott Colosimo is the founder and CEO of LAND Energy, a Cleveland tech company that will debut its light electric vehicles at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, January 5-7. Colosimo, whose company started in 2020, is our guest on episode #251 of The Weekly Driver Podcast. As Colosimo defines, the District and the District Scrambler are "eMotos." The bike straddles between e-bike...

Selecting the cars of the year helps celebrate another year reviewing new cars and trucks, visiting auto shows and talking with vintage car owners, book authors and industry experts about their cars of the year. There are always great and not-so-great moments driving vehicles. The industry is always abuzz. There are always changes, oddball statistics, recalls and new models and makes. What has Elo...

With the recent announcement of the 2023 Formula 1 schedule, automobile racing's most lucrative series will have three events in the United States for the first time. The international circuit doesn't include any drivers from the United States, but enthusiasts in this country can next year travel to Austin, Texas; Las Vegas, Nevada; and Miami, Florida to witness the sport's finest. Formula 1 is ex...

Charge Cars was founded in 2016 and its first project is now available. Without the manufacturer mentioned, the London-based company has for order 499 of its bespoke "The '67 By Charge Car." Created individually and built like the original Ford Mustang but electric and built from the "ground up," the '67 is on display during the LA Auto Show. Bill Morse, a marketing spokesperson for the London-bas...

As we do periodically throughout the year, on this week's episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast co-host Bruce Aldrich and I get caught up on the automotive industry news. There's always a lot happening, and our topics cover a wide range. First, car names can mean a lot toward the success or failure of an automobile. We found a recent list on a prominent auto site that lists the top-25 worst car nam...

Mason Bloom has experienced a lot as a young automotive enthusiast. His father owns a Porsche 911 and his father's friend owns an Aston Martin Vantage. Bloom drove the latter at age 12. Mason Bloom The Porsche and Aston Martin experiences solidified Bloom's passion for high-performance vehicles. It also ignited his interest in writing about his experiences and the always-compelling automobile indu...

It's a family affair. Several relatives have been or are in the field and now for nearly a decade, Melanie Musson has cultivated her expertise in the car insurance industry. With Halloween and the winter on the horizon, Musson, a published car insurance expert with CarInsuranceComparison.com, is our guest this week on The Weekly Driver Podcast. Prepare for driving in inclement weather by following...

Co-host Bruce Aldrich and I get caught up on the automotive industry on this week's episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Bruce and his wife Alene took another trip in their new RV towed by their new pickup truck. I had my first experience renting a car for a day in the peer-to-peer, car-share industry. We also discuss the continuing troubles of Rivian, the upstart electric vehicle manufacturer, a...

David Felderstein is a passionate collector of vintage automobiles and he shares his interests with friends and neighbors in East Sacramento and at the California Automobile Museum. Felderstein is the Exhibits Committee Chair and Board Secretary for museum, which opened in 1987 as the Towe Ford Museum. It was renamed the Towe Auto Museum 1997 and has has held it current name for nearly 15 years. T...

Buying car insurance may be the least enjoyable component of automobile ownership. It's a huge industry ripe with misinformation, high-profit margins and small print. CarInsurance.com, self-defined as "a one-stop online destination for car insurance information," does its part to give consumers the basics and the details. Owned and operated by QuinStreet, Inc., a "pioneer in delivering online mark...

Visiting a grandparent as a youngster often includes affection, treats and wisdom, all offered for free. It leads to buying a Bugatti in parts for $150,000 less frequently. Nathanael Greene's childhood visits to New Hampshire resulted in his 65-year history with the iconic automobile introduced by Italian-French carmaker Ettore Bugatti in 1924. Greene owns three, including the 1925 Bugatti Type 35...

Todd Lappin is a self-described Japan geek. He visits the country often and says he speaks the language badly. He has also spent several years combining his interest in cars with his fondness for the Orient. A former magazine editor who lives in San Francisco, Lappin has imported two vehicles from Japan, including his latest find, a 1990 Daihatsu HiJet Firetruck. It's named "Kiri." Todd Lappin pur...

After nearly 20 years at Consumer Reports, Jon Linkov is an expert among automotive experts. The Deputy Auto Editor, Linkov is our guest this week on The Weekly Driver Podcast to discuss one of the publication's most popular features — its annual most reliable cars list. Join co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia as we discuss with Linkov the "Top 10 Most Reliable Cars For 2022." The 2022 Mazda MX...

Bruce Aldrich and I have co-hosted The Weekly Driver Podcast for more than four years. It's available on all major podcast platforms, including TheWeeklyDriver.com. The independent automotive website, which I edit and publish, has been online since 2004. In this episode, Bruce and I discuss two books about as opposite as feasible — although both are about the automotive world. Bruce Aldrich (left)...

Reporter Joe White of Thomson Reuters. Joe White has reported on the automotive industry for more than 40 years. Primarily based in Detroit throughout his career, White worked for The Wall Street Journal for 28 years, including tenures in Brussels and the United Kingdom. Since 2015, White has been employed by Thomson Reuters, the international data company and news service. He writes Auto File, a...

Jen Collins knows digital business partnerships from more than two decades of career experience, Fox Entertainment to the Los Angeles Times. In her current capacity, Collins is senior vice president of business development at TuneIn, the world’s leading live streaming audio service. Collins is our guest this week to discuss TuneIn's new relationship with Rivian, the electric pickup truck and sport...

Marc O'Dell is the expert you want to talk with when there's an issue with your car. For the past two-plus years he's worked as an auto expert for JustAnswer.com. The platform connects people with live doctors, lawyers, veterinarians, mechanics and other verified and vetted experts for real-time assistance, insight and answers to just about any question or problem. The service, available with diff...