The Weekly Driver Podcast

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 journ...

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 thre...

Todd 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. Todd Reiners has several v...

Russell 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-re...

The next time you hear the quality of the auto system in your vehicle, it's likely Johnathan Pierce of Harman had something to do with it. Pierce, Senior Manager of Global Experiential R&D for Car Audio at Harman, leads a team of scientist and engineer colleagues. They "apply research and robust measurement techniques to further understand the relationship between an artist's intent and listener p...

About halfway between Sacramento and San Francisco, travelers on Interstate 80 can visit an iconic brewery, renowned confectionery or an indoor-outdoor homage to military transportation within minutes. But a full day's visit to one or any combination of the attractions is warranted. The setting is a trio of museums all located within a few-mile radius on farmland off frontage roads in Fairfield, a...

The Weekly Driver Podcast debuted in September 2017. Bruce Aldrich and I had already collaborated on automotive YouTube videos and attending car shows together for several years. A podcast seemed like an ideal new creative outlet. We're now 3-years-old and 150 episodes into our show. Bruce Aldrich (left) and James Raia interview Alex Guberman, an electric vehicle expert who has a vast following on...

The Weekly Driver Podcast debuted in September 2017. Bruce Aldrich and I had already been working together on automotive YouTube videos and attending car shows together for several years. A podcast seemed like an ideal new creative outlet. We're now 3-years-old and 150 episodes into our show. Bruce Aldrich and James Raia interview automotive guests every week on The Weekly Driver Podcast. To celeb...

Ray Elliott, a tow truck driver in the south San Francisco Bay Area, has viewed the mistakes motorists make so often he started a website several years ago called Idiots on the Interstate (idiotsontheinterstate.com). The site is void of advanced graphics and is perhaps best described as primitive. But it's chock-full of information, videos and Elliott's opinions about the pathetic, often tragic an...

Driving across the United States in an electric vehicle takes planning and patience. For car owners driving an EV or considering a green car alternative, the challenge has been simplified. Electrify America recently announced the completion of the first of two cross-country routes. It allows EV drivers to travel from coast to coast using the largest open DC fast-charging network in the United Stat...

Jim Brainard has a law degree, but he's spent the past quarter-century thinking about circles. It's a compliment, and it's likely the reason why Carmel, Indiana is internationally famous. The mayor of the 102,000-population city, located 23 miles northeast of the state's capital of Indianapolis, is the country's leading expert on the benefits of roundabouts. Mayor Jim Brainard of Carmel, Indiana b...

As if the pending Tesla Cybertruck hasn't received enough attention, leave it to company owner Elon Musk to generate more attention for the futuristic-looking machine. After announcing the electric-vehicle manufacturer's plans to build a new factory in Austin, Texas, Musk hinted at a few of his new truck's color choices. The possible options are as unique as the car. The Tesla Cybertruck may be of...

Jerry W. Cox has a stark warning for the driving public. He says 12 million cars and trucks on U.S. roads have defective Takata-made airbags that still have not been replaced. Cox, a former consultant for the now-defunct Japanese automotive parts company, discusses the details in his new book "Killer Airbags: The Deadly Secret Automakers Don’t Want You To Know." Now an automotive consultant, Cox i...

Rolls-Royce has long represented elegance and sophistication in automobiles most often named after ghosts. There have been years of exception. Used Rolls-Royce models, particularly in the company's native England, were hard to sell for years. But now the bespoke machines are back in a big way. In 2019, Rolls-Royce sold more than 5,100 vehicles worldwide, the best annual sales volume in the company...

There's always news in the automotive world. Sometimes, The Weekly Driver Podcast doesn't schedule a guest so co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia can discuss a few topics, like cars that will no longer be manufactured and a 55-year-old Mustang selling for an eye-opening record. That's what we do in this episode. The Chevrolet Sonic and Honda Fit will no longer be manufactured after the cars' cur...

Amir Daneshvar is accustomed to selling unique, high-end, modern-day cars — Audi to Porsche, BMW to Mercedes-Benz. But how about a 1958 Chevrolet Apache Fleetside? It's more unusual considering its appearance. It's an homage on wheels to the San Francisco Giants. The pickup truck was made for one of the team's "super fans." The year of the truck is the year the Giants relocated from New York to Sa...

Nearly a quarter-century after it was last made, the new Ford Bronco makes its debut today (July 13) with as much anticipation as any new vehicle in recent memory. Often cited as the first Sport Utility Vehicle, the Bronco has a loyal following and its new edition is likely to continue the iconic vehicle's increasing legacy. The Ford Bronco debuted in 1966 and the 2021 edition was unveiled July 13...

Chuck Woodbury has traveled in his motorhome for as long as two years at a time. He recently returned to his Washington state home from a seven-month RV trip that began as an expected far shorter journey. It quickly changed. In February, the first outbreak of COVID-19 occurred in a nursing home in Kirkland, Washington, six miles from where Woodbury lives in Everett. At least 37 people died. The RV...

Kelsey Mays, senior consumer affairs and vehicle evaluations editor for Cars.com, knows what it means for the industry and consumers when a vehicle is made in America. It means a lot. According to research from Cars.com in its recently released 2020 American-Made Index (AMI), 70 percent of shoppers consider a car’s U.S. economic impact a significant or deciding factor in their vehicle purchase. Ma...

Tom Britzman learned to drive at age 10. His father was enamored with automobiles and quality father-son time behind the wheel of an Austin seemed right. It was 80 years ago, but it could have been yesterday. "It was stupid," said Britzman, a Korean War veteran who worked for 32 years for Sears, Roebuck and Co., following his Army service. "But at the time, when you're a 10-year-old kid and you li...

Sean Pour is a co-founder of SellMax, a nationwide, used-car-buying service headquartered in San Diego, California. His father once owned a used car dealership and the younger Pour followed the family's business interests, albeit from a different angle. Pour, who started SellMax at age 14, is our guest on this week's episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia talk...

Brian Marks is the Executive Director of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program at the University of New Haven in West Haven, Conn. He has a Ph. D. in Economics, a law degree, several additional titles and plenty of academic responsibilities. Marks' opinions are thought-provoking and concisely address the COVID-19 and how it has and will continue to affect the automotive world. While covering...

  (At the top of this post is an encore presentation of our recent podcast with Barry Toepke, the marketing and communications director at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Several changes for the 2020 season were announced after the orginal podcast brodcast April 14, 2020.) Like all businesses, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca has altered its plans several times this year as the COVID-19 pandemic s...

If you're interested in purchasing a vehicle, why not considering buying a new car that's nearly two years old? There's a huge inventory of 2019 vehicles available, particularly for consumers interested in Dodge. Here's the deal. The covid-19 pandemic stalled production of 2020 models for carmakers and resulted in the temporary closing of many car dealerships. Sales suffered. The 2019 Dodge Carava...

Chris Miller, a sculptor who lives Maples Corner, a hamlet outside Calais, Vermont, began carving about 45 years ago. He works in granite, wood and marble, and his work is featured in private collections and sculpture galleries. It all gets its share of acclaim, including one of his most unique creations — a stone truck. Miller's truck sculpture was inspired by a stone creation of a Volkswagen Bee...