Cars on Call

Car spotting — Adams saw a New VW GTI and loved how it’s a cool sporty car for everyone 
Steve-0 talks about Air Water Porsche show in Orange County, Ca
Adams Nissan Z rant  - They took a great car and ruined it!
Steve-0 rant — Robert Eaton was a momentous figure in the auto industry, and not for good. If not for him Chrysler would be alive and American rather that Euro and dying
Crazy car deals — Adams went to a Porsche Cars and Coffee and came home with *two* more Porsches. 
Then Steve-0 talks about a Duke faculty member who sold a crappy old Dodge Omni by bundling it with tickets to the Duke-Michigan basketball game which featured the “Fab Five”

New Renault Alpine A110s were spotted testing in Fla. Will the divine A110 come to the US? We definitely hope so!
5/1/2024 is the 30th anniversary of Aryton Sennas death. We discuss this great and complicated figure.
Trauma surgeon safety
The Porsche 911 turbo turns 50 this year. We say happy birthday! Adams talks about its history and evolution then lists the 5 most collectible models. And then the three of us pick our all-time favorite 911 turbo. A Porsche dealer in Charleston, SC is suing a former sales manager for taking bribes from customers who wanted in-demand cars (think GT3, GT3 RS, 911 S/T, and 911 Turbo S). CoC wonders if this practice isn't more widespread, and why dealerships don't have small committees make these important decisions rather than individual employees.

Finally, Steve-0 takes Mercedes to task for dumping too many EQS BEVs on their dealers (who don't want them), having to cut EQS prices by OMG $20,000, and for insisting on making their heretofore wonderful V8 C63 sedan a four-cylinder hybrid. We predict tepid sales.

#carsoncallpodcast #steveautos #traumasurgeon #traumasurgeonsafety #autosafety #carsafety #porsche911turbo #porscheturbo #porscheturbo50jahre #mercedeseqs #mercedesc63 #porscheedealerbribe #porschecharleston #porschecharlestonbribe

News: Supra isn’t selling. Just 484 in Q1, less than 671 Nissan 400Zs (and way less than 1930 Porsche 911s or 8600 Corvettes). Car spotting: the sublime 2018 Lexus GSF. Better than that year's BMW M5? Trauma surgeon safety Infiniti is now irrelevant as a luxury brand. After starting at the same time (and in the same place) as Lexus in 1989 they went from promising newcomer to not quite keeping up to sad also-ran in the luxury car battle. To prove the point: in 1990 they rivaled Lexus, but in 2024 sales wise they’re equal to, and about to be passed by, Porsche. And that’s despite many Infinitis being sold to rental car companies. We get into it. Finally Adams gives us a great "This or That": 1973 Datsun 240Z vs 1991 Nissan 300ZX #carsoncallpodcast #steveautos #traumasurgeon #traumasurgeonsafety #autosafety #carsafety #collectorcar #nissan300zx #datsun240z #infiniti

A new Toyota 4Runner is coming and we have a lot to say about it.

Adams spotted a Gen 2 Toyota MR2. He likes it, but Steve-0 doesn't.

Trauma surgeon Stephan Moran MD talks self-driving cars, starting with the recent Tesla settlement with the family of an Apple engineer who died behind the wheel of a Model X using Autopilot in California, and moving on to active driver assistance systems (ADAS), which he believes should always include driver monitoring systems (DMS).

Adams eulogizes the Audi R8, which just went out of production. It was a great car.

Steve-0 discusses Mansory, the luxury car personalization company in Germany that takes high end cars like Rolls Royces or Bentleys and "enhances" them with garish colors inside and out and other outlandish embellishments. We hate.

#toyota4runner #toyotamr2 #teslaautopilot #audir8 #mansory #mansoryrollsroyce #carsoncallpodcast

News: Q1 new car sales highlights: Bronco/full size pickup sales down, small regular and luxury crossovers up, Maverick killing it. Adams spots an early 2008 Mercedes SLR McLaren. Both companies expected big success, but things didn't turn out that way. Our trauma surgeon Dr Stephan Moran talks about the recent decrease in highway deaths and how we have a long way to go to reach zero deaths (we're at 42k/yr right now). Adams rants about BEVs: he doesn't like them and is bothered by how they're not even good for the environment. The guys pick $10,000 collector cars they'd happily put in their garages. #carsoncallpodcast #steveautos #traumasurgeon #traumasurgeonsafety #autosafety #carsafety #collectorcar #vintagecar

News: Easter wknd is *the* Jeep off road event of the year in Moab, UT. Jeep typically brings a few concepts for their most active fans, and this year they brought 4 good ones. Trauma Surgeon Safety: CoC trauma surgeon Stephan Moran, MD talks about automated driving systems and why they don't work unless they come with robust driver monitoring systems. Car spotting: Adams spots and discusses the great 1965 Pontiac GTO. Steve-0 Rant: GM full-size SUVs are carrying the company and get no respect from anyone, especially GM management. That's a shame. The guys are CEO of Stellantis and get to make special bespoke Jeeps for ourselves. What would they be? The only rule is everything has to be available in 2024 (body/transmission/engine).

#carsoncallpodcast #steveautos #traumasurgeon #traumasurgeonsafety #autosafety #carsafety #collectorcar #vintagecar #pontiacgto #selfdrivingcars #jeep #jeepmoab #gmsuv #gmfullsizesuv

News: the 2025 Euro Audi A3 will require buyers to pay subscription fees for adaptive cruise control, automatic high beams, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, and dual zone climate control. We hate this but it's not going away, regrettably.

Collector car expert Adams Hudson eulogizes the great Italian automotive designer Marcelo Gandini, who's portfolio includes the original BMW 5-series, Lamborghini Miura and Countach, and Renaut R5 Turbo.

Our trauma surgeon Dr Stephan Moran discusses Angela Chao's death in a Tesla Model X after it sank into a pond and teaches us how to survive if your car gets submerged in water.

Adams spots a 1989 Buick Reatta. You don't see many of those anymore.

We revisit interiors. Our trauma surgeon talked about the safety benefits of the Ineos Grenadier interior with buttons instead of screens last week, and we know that the popular current 4Runner interior looks just like one 10yrs ago. We get into how interiors make a difference in attraction and collectability in addition to safety.

Finally we each pick our #1 favorite interiors of all time. #carsoncallpodcast #steveautos #traumasurgeon #traumasurgeonsafety #autosafety #carsafety #collectorcar #vintagecar #ineosgrenadier #buickreatta #marcelogandini #carinterior #cardesign

News: Two Felicity Ace lawsuits. We knew this was coming after the car transporter ship named after a stripper sank 2yrs ago, and we get into it Collector car expert Adams Hudson gives us the best of Amelia Island after his recent trip there. He saw many amazing cars and brings us an update on the ever-changing collector car market. CoC trauma surgeon Dr Stephan Moran discusses the top 10 ways people get distracted during driving, as well as how interior design contributes to safety (or detracts from it). Car Spotting: 2024 Ineos Grenadier. A new SUV with an old look. We like it! Adams' stroke of dumbness this week is modern sports cars with overly complicated controls. His first recommendation to make these cars less dumb is to reintroduce the manual transmission to sports cars like the Corvette, then remove screens and other tech "improvements" to make things simpler. Lottery Car: you suddenly have $500k to spend on a car. It can be new or used but has to be driven, not necessarily daily but at least weekly. We each pick one.

#carsoncallpodcast #steveautos #traumasurgeonsafety #traumasurgeon #strokesofdumbness #ameliaislandconcours #distracteddriving #ineosgrenadier #felicityace

Bronco update -- previous guest James Steele waited for 2yrs for his 2023 2dr Ford Bronco Sasquatch, and he just traded it in. For what? A 2024 4dr Bronco Raptor of course. We discuss.... Mercedes has been fading in the US luxury sales race, finishing 3rd in 2023 behind BMW and Lexus. In fact, Audi is catching up, which is big news. Mercedes' plan for 2024? Start selling less expensive vehicles and throttle back on the BEVs that their customers seem not to want. Trauma surgeon safety -- our trauma surgeon Dr Stephan Moran gets into regional differences in car crash and fatality rates. Albuquerque is the least safe city. Which is best? Toyota, Stellantis, and Mercedes Benz are investing in Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL) companies like Joby. Is that a smart move? CoC says yes. The average price of a new car or light truck in the US in 2023 was $47,000. Stephan and Steve-0 (and Jeff Bank) pick three vehicles they would buy for that much or less.

#carsoncallpodcast #steveautos #broncoraptor #fordbronco #mercedeseqs #fordbroncoraptor #mercedeseq #traumasurgeonsafety #autosafety #joby #vtol

Friend of the show and former guest James Steele traded in a 2023 Bronco for a new Bronco Raptor

Trauma surgeon Dr Stephen Moran talks about Lyme scooters and how unsafe they are.

We spotted a Porsche Taycan Turbo S. It's quite a car, but OMG does it depreciate!

Speaking of depreciation, collector car expert Adams gets into the cars that depreciate the most. Spoiler alert: the Taycan is on the list...

This or that: Radwood era Mazda RX7 vs Nissan 300ZX

#carsoncallpodcast⁠⁠ ⁠⁠#steveautos⁠⁠ ⁠⁠#traumasurgeon⁠⁠ ⁠⁠#traumasurgery⁠⁠ ⁠⁠#traumasurgeonsafety⁠⁠ ⁠⁠#autosafety⁠ #fordbronco #fordbroncoraptor #porschetaycan #depreciatingcars

Champion Porsche of Florida had a huge scandal in 2019 where customers who wanted to buy highly coveted Porsche GT cars got scammed by a dealership employee. We get into it.

Trauma surgeon Dr Stephan Moran discusses the horrific Cruise/GM accident in San Francisco and takes the companies to task for how a terrible situation was made worse by their handling of it.

We spot a 1986 Ford Bronco ll. The guys talk about how this SUV foreshadowed the Explorer which arrived 4yrs later as well as Ford's habit of calling some of their vehicles back then "ll" presumably in honor of CEO Henry Ford ll.

Cars on Call has a lot to say about the AMG division of Mercedes, especially that they're not nearly as cool as they used to be. Each of us then list our three favorite AMG cars of all time.

#carsoncallpodcast⁠⁠ ⁠⁠#steveautos⁠⁠ ⁠⁠#traumasurgeon⁠⁠ ⁠⁠#traumasurgery⁠⁠ ⁠⁠#traumasurgeonsafety⁠⁠ ⁠⁠#autosafety⁠ #broncoii #fordbroncoii #mercedesamg #mercedesna

Mark Greene's podcast Cars Yeah! is well known to automotive enthusiasts around the world, and Mark joins Cars on Call for a very special episode. Mark talks about his childhood as a young car guy, the 20-plus years he spent building Griot's Garage into a (very) successful business, and his popular podcast, which is now approaching its 2,500th episode.

Mark has interviewed every person of note in the in the car world, and Cars on Call was thrilled to get to turn the tables and interview him.

#carsoncallpodcast #steveautos #traumasurgeonsafety #autosafety #carsyeah #carsyeahpodcast

We preview the 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe compact SUV. It's smaller than the Palisade and promises to be as successful. CoC is excited to see the Genesis version when it launches!

Trauma surgeon safety: Dr Stephan Moran discusses the significant safety benefits of guard rails. He's concerned that electric vehicles, which are a lot heavier than internal combustion cars and trucks, can break through barriers too easily.

We spotted a 1983 Volkswagen Rabbit GTI (the US version of the iconic Golf GTI sold in Europe).

2024 is the fiftieth year of the Volkswagen Golf. Adams gets into its history and why it had and has so much staying power.

The guys have 200,000 fictitious dollars to spend on a collector car. They each come up with really cool cars. Of course.

#carsoncallpodcast #steveautos, #volkswagengolf #vwgolf50jahre #golfgti #rabbitgti #traumasurgeonsafety #traumasurgeonsafety #traumasurgery

Steve-0 discusses 2023 full size pickup truck sales. These popular vehicles drive the entire market, so Steve-0 gets into it. OMG they're wasteful! But they're great to drive on the highway.

Our trauma surgeon Dr Stephan Moran says inflate your tires properly in order to keep you safe and maximize safety. And check your tires' age often, because they may just be worn out or too old. Btw - just because the outside of your tires looks fine doesn't mean the inside is.

Adams spots a 2023 Aston Martin DBX SUV. The guys aren't psyched about it, but all three of us want Aston Martin to survive. Adams gets into AM's history.

You're a 40-45 year old successful professional or tech start up "dude' (or dude-ess) and you want a vehicle that reflects your success. You're not rich yet, but you're getting there. What do you drive? The guys talk about the answer to that question if you were living in 1975, 1985, 1995, 2005, 2015, and 2025.

It's a spirited conversation and you're welcome to tell us your ideas.

News - Steve-0 drove a Smart Fortwo. He had fun but it’s only good in town and SGM has a lot to say about its safety profile

Car spotting - Adams spots an 1972 Opel GT, a weird euro sports car sold in Buick dealers that had pop-up headlights with mechanical (non-electronic) mechanism to pop them up

Safety - our trauma surgeon Dr Stephan Moran talks about how a Smartcar isn't safe, but it's safer than driving a golf cart or a motorcycle

Buick - last week we discussed how >50% of dealers are walking away from the brand as it electrifies. That’s not good news, and we think it means that Buick is dying. We give Buick the Jaguar treatment (from two weeks ago) and get into their past greatness. Finally we’ll each name our favorite Buick

#carsoncallpodcast #steveautos #buick #opelgt #classicbuick #strokesofdumbness #buickgrandnational

Steve-0 rode in a self-driving Waymo car and talks about it #thefuture

Audi Sport turned 40 in 2023. We discuss how it made Audi the legitimate luxury automaker it is today thanks to victories in Rally racing and LeMans, where they won 13 twenty four hour races (14 if you count the 2003 Bentley win, which was actually an Audi win--yes we talk about that).

Not coincidentally we spot a 2001 Audi TT, an iconic Audi and one of the best platform sharing cars ever (despite its great reputation it actually shares a platform with the pedestrian VW Golf).

Trauma surgeon Dr Stephan Moran then goes into the many safety benefits of AWD.

Then, the three of us pick a dream three car garage. The rules: new vehicles only, they're our only cars, and we have to keep them for five years.

Finally, we make 2024 predictions

#carsoncallpodcast #steveautos #traumasurgeonsafety #traumasurgery #audisport #auditt #audirally #audilemans

GM and Mary Barra confront more problems, including a "stop sell" for the BEV Chevrolet Blazer and Edmunds announcing that their test Blazer, the Motor Trend SUV of the year, if you can believe it, had 23 problems that kept it at the dealership for 2wks of their 2mos experience with it. Shame on Motor Trend for their award!

We spot a 1986 Pontiac Firebird and revel in its '80s graphics. No, it won't ever be a collector car.

Trauma surgeon Stephan Moran, MD discusses Waymo and how that Google-related self-driving car company is leading the way toward safe roadways.

Our collector car expert Adams Hudson asks in this week's, "This or That?" would you want an older Cadillac CTS-V wagon or a newer Porsche Cayenne GTS SUV?

Finally, the guys configure the new Ford Bronco that they would want in their garage.

#carsoncallpodcast #steveautos #rangeroverevoque #rangeroverevoqueconvertible #nissanmuranoconvertible #fordbronco #fordbroncoconfiguration #traumasurgeon #traumasurgery #traumasurgeonsafety #autosafety

The Wall Street Journal recently published a hit piece taking down GM CEO Mary Barra. Among other things the article discussed how Barra overinvested in battery electric vehicle (BEV) and self-driving tech, while underinvesting in proven hybrids and internal combustion vehicles. We say: GM's CEO should have hedged her BEV/self-driving bets rather than going, "all in".

Trauma surgeon Stephan's daughter Lauren spotted a 2016 Range Rover Evoque convertible. She and we hate it! WTF?

Dr Moran then puts on his trauma surgeon hat and discusses rear seat safety ratings, in this case those for mid-size luxury SUVs. He is gratified that the IHSS is now measuring the safety ratings for rear seat passengers but disappointed that so many "family haulers" have unsafe rear seats. You can't improve something unless you first measure it, so we hope rear seats become safer for kids soon.

The guys then get into their favorite childhood car toys. You-build-it plastic model cars are all of our faves, especially Tamiyas, but Hot Wheels and Corgis also earned our love.

Finally, all three of us select the $125,000 collector car that we would pick to put in our garages. Spoiler alert: they're all cool!

#carsoncallpodcast #steveautos #traumasurgeonsafety #suvconvertible #rangeroverevoque #gmtroubles #timesupforbarra #firebarra #tamiya

Jeep drops the Renegade, a lousy Jeep based on the lousy Fiat 500L. We're *very* glad to see it die.

Trauma surgeon Stephan Moran talks about how distracted pedestrians contribute to pede-cyclists deaths. Dr Moran introduces his, "pede-cyclist fatality risk duality coefficient". Yes, we're trademarking it.

We spot a 2002 Jaguar S-type sedan. We think it either killed Jaguar or contributed significantly to Jaguar's death.

For the record, we are aware that Jaguar isn't dead, but, honestly, Jaguar in 2023 is a zombie brand. We discuss and then list our favorite Jaguars of all time.

#carsoncallpodcast #steveautos #jaguarusa #jaguarhistory #traumasurgery #traumasurgeon #traumasurgeonsafety #jaguarstype #jeeprenegade

Collector car prices are dropping. Cars on Call collector car expert Adams Hudson weighs in with the deets, including a deep dive into what the market looks like for the next year or so.

Stephan spots a Mango green Mercedes AMG G63. He hates it, Steve-0 loves it, and Adams doesn't care.

We laugh about collector car advertisement phrases and what they really mean.

Trauma surgeon Stephan Moran gets into the safety crisis we face in the US as more and more pedestrians and cyclists are being killed on our roads. He talks about how regulators and drivers can fix the problem, and Steve-0 wonders if distracted pedestrians are exacerbating things.

Then, we each pretend we are the CEO of Ford and then Toyota and can have the company make bespoke vehicles for us. We "build" the cars (or trucks) we'd have Ford or Toyota build for us and discuss. Boy was this a fun challenge!

Finally we raise a glass to Paul Walker, who died in a Porsche Carrera GT (driven too fast by a "friend" of his) almost exactly 10 years ago. We think he's the Millennial generation's Steve McQueen.

#carsoncallpodcast #steveautos #paulwalkerrip #collectorcars #collectorcarprices #traumasurgeon #traumasurgery #traumasurgeonsafety #fordna #toyotausa

Just over 5yrs ago Nissan arranged for their CEO Carlos Ghosn to be arrested and charged with financial crimes that involved, among other things, not actually stealing anything. Mr Ghosn is now hiding in Lebanon, where he can't be extradited, and Nissan has taken a beating financially. Maybe next time quietly fire your CEO and avoid a raft of problems.

Our collector car Adams discusses the 2006 Pontiac Solstice. A future collectible? We say yes.

Finally, we talk big block C2 Corvettes and many other "car guy" topics with our trauma surgeon Stephan Moran's French cousin Carole Gratzmuller. It's a great conversation with a very interesting woman.

#carsoncallpodcast #steveautos #pontiacsolstice #traumasurgery #traumasurgeon #c2corvette #rallyedesfemmes #nissanghosn @carlosghosn

Hyundai announces that customers will be able to buy their vehicles on Amazon soon. Stephan says it's more "Teslafication", a term he coined about 2yrs ago. He's right!

A 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO that went for $500,000 in 1985 sells for $52,000,000 at a recent auction. We talk about GTOs and focus on Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason's because we love that band and his cars.

Steve-0 isn't happy that Stellantis is laying off half (yes *half*) of its North American salaried workforce in a cost cutting move. If Chrysler had merged with GM rather than Fiat in 2009 most of those jobs would have been saved. Shame on Stellantis.

Our trauma surgeon Stephan Moran hates the "Carolina squat" that many dude bros are doing to their pickups. OMG guys, stop! You're endangering everyone around you, especially pedestrians!

Finally the guys pick the $100,000 collector car they'd pick for their respective garages. We think you'll like them....

#carsoncallpodcast #steveautos #traumasurgeonsafety #traumasurgeon #ferrarigto #stellantis #teslafication #carolinasquat

Mercedes decides to put BEV charging stations at Buc-ees. Say what? The guys agree that Mercedes and Buc-ees don't belong together.

Trauma surgeon Stephan Moran and former CoC guest USAF Lt Gen/F15 pilot (ret) Brett Willams did the two-day Masters Porsche track experience at Barber Park together. They loved it, and Stephan talks about it.

Next Stephan gets into the safety lessons that he learned during that experience, including: if you find yourself in a situation where a collision is unavoidable, pull your arms into your chest and make sure your feet are off of the pedals!

Finally, the guys discuss which $80,000 collector car they would buy for their garages.

#carsoncallpodcast #steveautos #traumasurgeonsafety #porschetrackexperience #bucees #collectorcars #mercedeseqs #mercedescharging #mercedesbucees #personalfinance

Manufacturers are pausing production of battery electric vehicles (BEV), cancelling factories, and walking back sales forecasts. We discuss why BEVs are suddenly on the struggle bus and get into how and why, "the dogs aren't eating the dog food". Our two cents? Slow down implementation of pure electric cars and rely on hybrids in the near and medium term.

We spot a pristine 1978 Dodge Aspen, sister car to the more famous Plymouth Volare. Steve-0 says that 1978 was the epicenter of the Malaise Era, and this car is as "malaise" as it gets.

Trauma surgeon Stephan Moran has more to say about self-driving cars and how that technology is both good and bad for making vehicles safer. The guys discuss.

Finally, we imagine GM's new vehicle lineup in 2030, but rather than it being 90% BEV as many predict, we say it'll be just 30% that way. So which internal combustion GM cars and trucks would we manufacture in 2030 if we were CEO? Listen and find out.

#carsoncallpodcast #steveautos #bevsarestruggling #bevstrugglebus #dodgeaspen #plymouthvolare traumasurgeonsafety #futuregm

The guys take issue with Jeep’s congress-like delays in getting the Wagoneer to market, and we hate the styling. The market agrees by steering clear of it and the more lux Grand Wagoneer.

Car Spotting: Adams sees a Mitsubishi Montero. Remember those? Neither does anyone else, though Stephan recalls they were generally seen in front of a blue haze of oil smoke.

Safety: Trauma surgeon Stephan Moran tells us of upcoming safety risks in the creep toward autonomous driving: Situational Ignorance. (Yes we all know many to whom this applies in all situations!) But looking out the window, scrolling your phone and general day-dreaming WILL NOT allow you time to correct in the face of an emergency.

Then the guys bring up some lively conversation picking THREE cars in each category below:

1) Dead but cool cars we wish they’d bring back.

2) Car models that came back and were very good.

3) Cars that came back and should’ve stayed dead. Ugh, we're looking at you 2004 Ford T-bird revamp. Heaven help us.

Agree or disagree? Which ones would you have picked?

#carsoncallpodcast #steve.autos #traumasurgeonsafetytips #traumasurgery #montero

Stephan and Adams are away so guest host Jeff Bank and Steve-0 do the best they can to fill in.

Jeff gets into infotainment systems and why JD Power says they're making new car buyers unhappy. Jeff explains why the logical fix is to let Apple and Google take over. Steve-0 agrees.

Steve-0 discusses Q3 2023 auto sales data: what's up and what's down. There are some surprises!

Next, Jeff and Steve-0 talk about their experiences owning a new Miata and 911 respectively. They both love their cars!

Then Jeff's dad Jerry joins in the conversation when it turns to a Gen 1 Jaguar E-type that Jeff spotted.

And finally, Jerry and the guys talk Corvettes. Long time Vette fan Jerry has a lot to say about where the Corvette brand has been, where it is now, and where it's going. Thank you Jerry!

#carsoncallpodcast #steve.autos

Steve-0 went to the 7th Porsche Rennsport Reunion with previous CoC guest USAF Gen (ret) Brett Williams. They had a great time, and Steve-0 tells us about it.

Trauma surgeon Stephan Moran spots a Gen 1 Bentley Continental GT and loved it. Sadly, its innovative W12 engine is going away.

Trauma surgeon safety message: One Wheel electric skateboards are unsafe. Avoid them.

Regardless of why you buy a particular car, owning it says something about you, whether you like it or not. The guys get into the many realities of owning different cars: a new Mercedes S-class says, "rich guy", an old Toyota Corolla says, "poor guy", BMW owners don't use their directionals, Porsche owners are dicks, and Ferrari owners are even worse. We go deep into this multi-faceted topic.

Finally another "This or That" from Adams: would you pick a 2017 Audi R8 or a similar vintage Lamborghini Gallardo?

#carsoncallpodcast #traumasurgeonsafetylesson #traumasurgeoncarsafety #bentleycontinentalgt #rennsportreunion7 #steve.autos

Stephan and Adams lay into Tesla for calling their "Autopilot" nothing more than smart cruise control in court. Umm, then why call it "Autopilot"?

We spot an Oscar Meyer Weinermobile!

Then our trauma surgeon Stephan calls out e-bikes for being much more dangerous than advertised: message to listeners--be very careful on these machines, they can kill you if you're not careful.

Finally, our special guest Bobby Crumpley and the boys discuss vintage Fords, especially Cobras, but also many other Ford muscle cars. Bobby has bought, sold, and held many collector cars of that genre, and he educates us (and you) on the ins and outs of collecting old cars. Hint: it's easy to get it wrong.

#carsoncallpodcast #vintageford #fordcobra #fordmustang

Adams bought a 20 year old Ferrari F360 with a gated manual transmission in NART Blue. We're psyched for him and gush.

Frequent guest Jeff Bank sends his lists of new cars for sale now that are cool and not cool, and we go through them. He sent great lists!

Trauma surgeon Stephan Moran discusses the surprising lack of rear seat safety in, of all things, minivans. OMG this needs to change!

Steve-0 spots a 1968 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia.

Ford launches the "Rally" version of the BEV Ford Mustang Mach E. We hate it.

This or That: 2017 Mercedes AMG GT Coupe or 2017 Corvette Gran Sport?

#carsoncallpodcast #traumasurgeonsafety #karmannghia #ferrari360 #10coolcars #10uncoolcars #macherally #fordmacherally

In Japan the Toyota Century sedan is *the* car for royalty, captains of industry, and old money. Now it's being reborn as a Rolls Royce Cullinan-esque luxury SUV. We're ambivalent.

Daniel Mack asks drivers the question, "Hey, I love your car, what do you do for a living?" and has become a TikTok sensation. Is he the most important person in the automotive world?

Trauma surgeon Stephan Moran discusses the fact that the US is a world leader in commercial aviation safety, yet we lag behind the rest of the world in highway safety. He talks about the problem and his solutions.

Retired marketing expert Adams Hudson goes through a list of 10 leading automotive brands and gets into what those brands actually stand for. Naturally, Steve-0 and Stephan have thoughts

Finally, all three of the guys list 10 new cars for sale in 2023 that we think are cool, and 10 that we view as not cool.

#carsoncallpodcast #listofcoolcars #listofnotcoolcars #automotivebranding #carbrands #coolcars #notcoolcars #traumasurgeonsafety #toyotacentury #danielmack

The Porsche 911 celebrates its 60th birthday on 9/12/2023--it was introduced to the world at the Frankfurt Auto Show on 9/12/1963. We discuss what makes this very special car special to us.

Ford dealers seem to have new Bronco inventory. Will they finally outsell the Jeep Wrangler?

BMW is ditching their subscription heated seats because customers believed they were paying twice for the feature, which was, umm, actually the case. We chastise them.

BMW turns 100 in 2023, and, coincidentally, we spot a 1972 BMW 2002. The guys talk about the "Neue Klasse" of BMWs from the 1960s (and today), the fact that the 2002 was the most loved of those "Neue Klasse" cars, and how much we appreciate David E Davis' famous 1968 review in Car and Driver, which included the famous line, "turn your hymnals to page 2002".

Trauma surgeon Stephan Moran worries about how the combination of heavier new BEVs, more trucks, and lots of older (lighter) cars still on our roads may result in more traffic injuries and deaths.

Finally, Adams brings his prodigious collector car experience to bear as he talks about the realities of actually buying and owning cool older cars: it seems awesome, and mostly is, but sometimes the car you buy disappoints you, and sometimes buying a "sweet ride from my past" is a big mistake. We discuss.....

#carsoncallpodcast #bmw2002 #911turns60 #bmwturns100 #porsche911 #traumasurgeonsafetylessons #collectorcarreality

We've discussed the death of the Charger and Challenger, and now it's time to pay tribute to their platform-mate, the Chrysler 300C. Come 12/31/2023 the only Chrysler you'll be able to buy is a Pacifica Van. Wow....

Adams spots a 2015 Aston Martin V8 ‘S’ GT manual shift car on the streets of Highlands, NC. It had red lipstick but has (thankfully) been reverted to a tasteful AM that can be shown in public.

Our trauma surgeon Dr Stephan Moran discusses the costs of vehicle versus animal collisions. Spoiler alert: they're huge. He talks about some solutions.

No one has ever tried to call a performance car practical: They're big, thirsty, lack luggage room and visibility, and are finicky and expensive to insure. Not so for hot hatches. The guys discuss the greatness of this automotive niche and list their faves.

Here we go (partial list):

1.    Renault Clio V6 2001-2005

Rear/mid engine crazy car. 1,309 built. 254 hp at 7200 rpm 3.0 V6

Originally created as a mad man project of a Renault engineer – Axel Breun - who wanted to put Renaults hot engine into a chassis meant for mid/rear engine. He found the Renault hatch, called the Twingo (which sounds like a packaged desert cake) and the Ferrari 308 had the identical wheelbase and was going to buy one of those for his test mule chassis.

2. Corrado VR6 – 1992 –1995. Low of $16k, high of $40k for a mint car, if you can find one. Narrow angle V6, great exhaust note, 190HP stuffed into a taught little nicely designed and serious looking car, the Corrado delivered. Super aero, obvs, with virtually no protrusion from the front whatsoever, this little chiseled brick was good for 0-60 of 6.4, top speed of 145, and STILL got 28.5mpg on the road.

3. Subaru Impreza WRX 2011-2014, 3rd Gen 2.5 liter flat 4 maybe the best WRX, 268 hp, 6 speed manual, great seats, great utility, seriously proven 4WD. OMG fun...

4. We have a lot more....

#carsoncallpodcast

More BEV challenges: in this case Ford CEO Jim Farley drives an F-150 Lightning from Palo Alto to Las Vegas and concludes that is was a, "reality check" thanks to a poor charging infrastructure.

Our trauma surgeon Stephan Moran says brake lights should turn on with BEV regenerative braking, not just when you're hitting the brakes.

The guys discuss special edition cars we love and hate. A few examples of the ones we love: Bullitt Mustang, 1978 Corvette Indy Pace Car, and Porsche 997.2 GTS.

On the other hand we hate the Chevy SSR pickup, 1984 Dodge Shelby Charger, and Gen 1 Dodge Viper "mustard and ketchup" edition, among many others.

#carsoncallpodcast

The upcoming Cadillac BEV SUV rides on the Hummer platform and will cost around $120,000. We think it looks good but foresee problems with charging and range, especially with a full load of passengers/gear or while towing.

Trauma surgeon Stephan Moran looks into vehicle aggressivity, in this case the cars and trucks that are likeliest to kill occupants in the vehicles that they collide with.

We spot a 2004 Nissan X-Terra.

Finally we do a deep dive into Land Cruisers new and old with noted expert Bob Ruppel. He likes the recently introduced 2024 model and gives us an excellent tutorial about the history of this storied automotive nameplate.

#carsoncallpodcast #toyotalandcruiser #offroadlife #landcruiser

A new smaller Toyota Land Cruiser was introduced. We all strongly prefer it to the last gen version (FJ200), which was too big. But the new one might look better with round headlights

Then we discuss the Porsche 911 S/T. Of course, we love it, but with just 1963 units to be manufactured worldwide, mere mortals like us have no chance to buy one. Still, a manual transmission GT3 RS with no rear wing strikes us as Porsche 911 perfection.

Adams spots a 1975 Bricklin SV1. It was good looking for the time--the ugly 1970s--but it died after selling very few copies.

Trauma surgeon Stephan thinks smart phones may evolve from "bad distractors" to "good things that help keep us safe" and explains how that might happen.

The guys dive into car names, both good and bad. We get into some of the names over the year that we both love and hate.

Finally, Adams makes us choose between the OG Acura NSX and the newest version of one of Japan's all-time best sports cars in this week's "this or that".

#carsoncallpodcast #acuransx #traumasurgery #toyotalandcruiser #porsche911st #bricklincars

Long time friends Steve-0 and Joe start by discussing the roots of Joe's car enthusiasm and growing up with a famous father, Joe Buzzetta, Sr. They then dive deep into Joe's love of motorcycles, car collection, love of vintage car racing, and plans to build bespoke air-cooled 911 "hot rods", first for himself, and then for discerning customers. @joebuzzetta #carsoncallpodcast #vintageracing #porsche #porscheracing #competitionimports #competitionautogroup #competitionbmw #porsche906

We celebrate the 70th birthday of the Corvette and the 30th of the Ford Thunderbird that ushered in the aero look that led to the 1986 Taurus that saved the company.

We lose Steve-0 to connectivity problems before talking cars and money with Katie Gatti (#moneywithkatie). Spoiler alert: she recently bought a Porsche, which endears her to us. In addition to significantly decreasing the age of the podcast participants, Katie explains her approach to finance as well as why it's ok to buy cool cars (and when).

#carsoncallpodcast #moneywithkatie

Challenger and Charger order books are closing soon. Get 'em while you can!

Reeves Callaway has died at 75. He started "souping up" BMWs, Alfa Romeos, VWs, Corvettes, etc etc in 1977 at the age of 29 and then established a tremendously successful tuning/racing/manufacturing company that continues to this day. RIP Reeves.

Adams spots a vintage International Scout. Soon VW will begin making new Scouts in South Carolina, but those Scout SUVs will be BEVs.

Our special guest Air-EMT Dustin Passeur discusses Airevac helicopters and how they can save your life. Buy Airevac insurance!!

The Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato is that brand's version of the Porsche 911 Dakar. We don't like it.

Steve-0 takes us through the winners and losers of the first half of 2023's automotive sales numbers.

Trauma surgeon Stephan Moran discusses motorcycle safety.

Finally the guys list 5 cars each that they secretly like but would be embarrassed to be seen in.

Same as audio version but with video. That's either good or bad depending on your point of view.....

Toyota confirms that a smaller Land Cruiser based on the Tacoma platform is coming soon. CoC has been calling for that so the guys are very pleased.

Adams spotted a 1966 Pagoda Mercedes 280 SL. Stephan says it's his favorite SL, and Adams and Steve-0 agree that it's worthy of all of the praise and admiration it gets.

Trauma surgeon Stephan answers the question, Which cars are in accidents most often? The number 1 car will surprise you.

The guys describe their all-time favorite road trips

Finally, Adams leads us through another great "This or That (or that)?" (1st generation Acura NSX 6-sp or Ferrari 360 Modena with a 6-sp gated manual or Porsche 993 coupe 6-sp)

Used BMW i8s are going for $50,000? Yes they are. We discuss.

Porsche announces that the all-BEV Porsche Macan will be delayed, and the ICE version will soldier on longer than previously announced. And Lexus announces "Lexus Reserve": if you buy a new Lexus BEV, you get access to an ICE Lexus for 30d/yr x 3yrs.

Adams spots a mid-1960s Toyota Corona

Finally we debut a new concept created by Adams called, "This or That". He chooses two similarly priced cars, and we pick which one we'd take.

Steve-0 is seeing a lot of new F-150s, including 5 BEV Lightnings, for sale at his local dealership. Only one Bronco and no Mavericks though. We discuss.

Trauma Surgeon Stephan Moran talks about pedestrian safety: The US lags behind the rest of the civilized world, and he has thoughts about how to improve the situation.

Adams spots a 1988 Isuzu Impulse, a Guigaro designed RWD Japanese coupe that had a lot going for it but never succeeded in the US market.

Finally the guys go through these trends that got traction in the 1990s and still reverberate today:

1) Family sedans being replaced by SUVs and crossovers

2) Full size pickup trucks becoming everyday drivers

3) Luxury vehicles go mainstream