The Weekly Driver Podcast

After a 10-day public run and a two-day media preview, the LA Auto Show ended Nov. 28. It was the industry's first major show since the beginning of the Covid-1 pandemic. The Weekly Driver Podcast was on site to take in the sights and sounds. Co-host Bruce Aldrich and I drove from Sacramento to Los Angeles round-trip in a 2020 Hyundai Nexo. Despite being two years old, the hydrogen-propelled SUV h...

Al Unser Jr., born into one of motorsports' most prominent racing families, won the Indianapolis 500 twice and two IndyCar Championships. But he was also troubled. Unser abused alcohol and drugs and it destroyed a marriage. Friendships ended and he was arrested multiple times for drunken driving and domestic violence. Unser's struggles and his winding road in recovery is the subject of the new boo...

The LA Auto Show advanced to the second and final media day Thursday and The Weekly Driver Podcast was back in the vehicle showcase halls at the Los Angeles Convention Center. It was a day for a visit back to the future — maybe. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia visited with representatives from a variety of concept vehicles, some from established manufacturers, others from new carmakers. VinF...

The 2021 LA Auto Show media days began Wednesday, Nov. 17, marking the first major automotive show of the season after a two-year COVID-19 pandemic. The Weekly Driver Podcast was in attendance for the first of our daily episodes. A few minutes after the show opened, co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia visited various halls at the Los Angeles Convention Center. We viewed the new models of legacy...

After one delay and one cancellation, the LA Auto Show is back for the first time in two years. Like many businesses, the automotive industry has suffered. But its first major auto show since the Covid-19 pandemic began will be held Nov. 19-28 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The 2021 LA Auto Show will emphasize auto mobility but will feature its traditional large selection of vehicle debuts....

Ben Auslander, vice president of sales and marketing for PitStopConnect.com, is enthusiastic about all things related to predictive analytics in automobiles. And he has been for a long time. Auslander, our guest this week on The Weekly Driver Podcast, worked on the GM Onstar program for more than 12 years. He helped launch VW's connected car program in North America. He also worked for Charge Poin...

Joe Wiesenfelder is the executive editor of Cars.com and he's immersed in the future of EVs — electric vehicles. According to the website's recent data, about one-third of car buyers are actively looking to purchase their first electric vehicle. But many questions remain with the anticipated growth. Wiesenfelder and his colleagues are counting on it. Wiesenfelder is our guest on this episode of Th...

As co-hosts of The Weekly Driver Podcast, Bruce Aldrich and I sometimes have a guest cancel at the last minute. Two-time Indy 500 winner Al Unser Jr. was our scheduled guest. With his non-appearance, we decided to talk about him. Specifically, we discuss Unser's new book, "A Checkered Past." The 302-hardcover offering includes a foreword by Roger Penske, the team owner who once employed "Little Al...

Cars.com recently released its 2021 Car Seat Fit Report Card. It provides a detailed analysis of which cars are the best for parents when it comes children's car seat installation. Jenni Newman, the editor-in-chief of Cars.com and a certified child passenger safety technician, is our guest on Episode #200 of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-host Bruce Aldrich and I discuss the report card and the rea...

A minute's drive from County Rd. 21 in the Elizabeth, Colo., Rambler Ranch is perched in a clearing of trees on the outskirts of the small town about 45 miles southeast of Denver. It's a secluded museum of Americana, a life's work for Terry Gale as a remembrance of family and the iconic automobiles of yesteryear. Gale, 60, didn't plan to own the world's largest collection of Nash, Rambler and AMC...

Colton Herta is 21 years old and he's been behind one steering or another since he was age six. Go-karts to Indy cars and several racing classes between, Herta is now competing at his best as the NTT IndyCar Series concludes this week in Long Beach, California. Herta (Andretti-Autosport), the youngest driver to win an IndyCar race, successfully defended the Grand Prix of Monterey title he won two...

Ashlee Tilford is the managing editor of QuinStreet.com, the marketing and search engine service company. It recently released a consumer-based post detailing a new study by CarInsurance.com — the cheapest and best car insurance companies. Tilford is our guest this week on The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia discuss with Tilford the CarInsurance.com, one of QuinStreet....

Driving a new car is generally enjoyable; the process of acquiring it? Not so much. Bruce Aldrich, the co-host of The Weekly Driver Podcast, hadn't purchased a new vehicle in more than a decade. His Subaru Outback will soon approach 200,000 miles, and it's doing fine. But Bruce and his wife, Alene, decided a new Ford F-250 pickup truck is the vehicle to get. It'll tow an RV just fine, which is a g...

Giles Chapman is a prolific automotive journalist whose book topics have ranged from the importance of car badges to the history of Land Rover. His latest title is "Jaguar Century: 100 Years of Automotive Excellence." Jaguar Century chronicles the company and its remarkable vehicles. It covers the manufacturer's start in 1922 by William Lyons and William Walmsley, and it reports on the current F-T...

Tesla isn't new to controversy and nor is the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and both are back in the news. The NHTSA, previously critical of the electric vehicle manufacturer, recently said its conducting a preliminary evaluation into the carmaker's self-titled "Autopilot" systems after 11 crashes in nine states. NHTSA has questioned Tesla after 11 of its cars were involv...

Donald Osborne is an opera singer, museum CEO, international business owner and one of the voices of the Concours on the Avenue in Carmel, California. He knows cars and people and the gift of gab. Osborne recently returned from Europe but in plenty of time for Monterey Auto Week. The coronavirus and its variants are in different stages in Italy and England, where he attended globally renowned auto...

Learning how to operate a manual transmission car or truck was a rite of automotive passage for drivers of a certain age. It's now a rarity, with a few exceptions including a campaign introduced by Hagerty. The American automotive lifestyle and membership company, Hagerty in July announced, as part of its 10th anniversary of the Hagerty Driving Experience, a mission. Its goal: to teach 500 people...

A few events have been amended,  few postponed for another year. But by any name, Monterey Auto Week to Classic Car Week, and with events from The Little Car Show to the Concours d'Elegance, it's back. The all-encompassing showcase of automobiles and many related areas returns after a one-year COVID-19 hiatus. A crew attends to details on a vintage Rolls-Royce just prior to the bidding during Mecu...

Chris Bright is a vintage car enthusiast with an empathetic ear toward other automotive fanciers who can have difficulty finding parts for their unique vehicles. Or maybe they have a garage full of parts and don't know what to do with the load. To help, Bright recently debuted CollectorPartExchange.com. It's a modern-day swap meet. As the site is promoted it's "Open 24/7/365 and spans the globe. O...

Sandra Button has judged thousands of cars, Bentley to Bugatti, Maserati to Mercedes-Benz. But a masterpiece from yesteryear can still give the chairwoman of the Pebble Beach Concours a jolt. It happens early Sunday mornings when 200 cars emerge at Pebble Beach Golf Links for the annual homage to automotive beauty and tradition. "I have seen cars drive onto the field from the mist and thought, 'th...

John Kraman spends his work career immersed in automotive auctions. He's the lead TV commentator and analyst for NBCSN during Mecum Auction broadcasts. He can barely curb his enthusiasm. There's no doubt the broadcaster is ready for the return of the three-day Mecum Auction during Classic Car Week beginning Aug. 12. A vintage Rolls-Royce on the carpet during the Mecum Auctions three-day sale in Mo...

Tesla innovation has changed the automotive world with a lot of industry firsts. Its latest designation is the top spot on the latest American Made Index (AMI). Introduced 16 years ago by the editors of Cars.com, the AMI analyzes a range of factors to determine the  percentage of new cars and trucks made American The Tesla Model 3 has a new title: the most Anerican made Kelsey Mays, the assistant...

Tim McGrane has a long, varied career in the automotive industry. It's steered him to his current role as the CEO of M1 Concourse in Pontiac, Michigan. The 87-acre playground for auto enthusiasts includes the world’s largest community of Private Garages and a 1.5-mile Performance Track with its own private Motorsports Club. A native of England whose previous experience tenures at Blackhawk Museum...

Motorcycle racing and lots of related activities will add to the always-full calendar of motorsports with the debut of West Coast Bike Week at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. The community-focused, 10 days of racing and fan interaction will be geared toward those who enjoy all things on two wheels. Barry Toepke, Director of Heritage Events & Public Relations for the raceway, is our guest on this...

Monterey Auto Week. Monterey Car Week. Classic Car Week. By any name, the now nearly two-week presentation of all things automotive will be back in mid-August. After a one-year hiatus because of the Covid-19 pandemic, most of the usual annual attractions — shows to auctions, speakers' forums to memorabilia — will unfold throughout the Monterey Peninsula. Andrew Herrala and Kim Foxx own Ferrari Lit...