Welcome back to "The Drive" with Alan Taylor as our first guest is George Kennedy III, co-founder of Cartender.com and Vice President of the New England Motor Press Association, highlighted…
Joining Alan on this episode of The Drive, is BJ Killeen - Automotive Journalist and Voice of Reason, bringing on tales from the crypt with spooky car tales. The evilest…
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THE DRIVE with Alan Taylor | Episode #356
Industry experts weigh in on the ever-blending automotive and technology worlds from the floor of CES 2019. First up, Ford Motor Company Executive Director of Connected Vehicle and Services, Don Butler, describes how C-V2X, the next big tech upgrade in their vehicles, can save and improve the lives of drivers and pedestrians everywhere. Shifting gears, What3Words CMO, Giles Rhys Jones, fills us in on the progress they’ve made since we last spoke with them – they are now integrated into Mercedes-Benz vehicles! Then, we chat with Lume Cube, Inc. President and CEO, Mike Bieker, about their compact, on-the-go light source made with content creators and auto enthusiasts in mind, the AIR VC. Next, Trucks.com Adventure Editor, Rick Stella, has seen a lot of exciting technology revealed at CES, but as an outdoor guy, What3Words really hits the sweet spot for him. Changing lanes, CTA Senior Director of Event Communications, Sarah Brown, explains why auto shows and CES can co-exist; auto shows show what OEMs have available now or coming down the pike, while CES is a window to a more distant future. Adding to the conversation, Automotive and Motorcycle Industry Insider for Fox News Channel, Mike Caudill, describes why CES is an amazing event for the automotive industry. After that, President & CEO of Brembo Brakes North America, Dan Sandberg, gushes about the tech that has him excited and shares what a brake company like Brembo hopes to accomplish at CES 2019. Then, National Inventors Hall of Fame VP of Museums & Engineering, Vince Greczanik, and Chief Strategic Officer, Hannah Paulin, celebrate 50 years of automotive innovation with a custom split-model Ford Mustang and teach adults and children about the importance of patents and intellectual property. We catch up with Dave Buchko who is now the Product Communications Manager for BYTON, a revolutionary new electric vehicle company set to give Tesla a run for their money. Closing the show, automotive journalist, BJ Killeen, gives us a lightning round of interesting tech innovations she witnessed at the Consumer Electronics Show, including Bell’s new Nexus air taxi. Learn more about the melding of automotive and tech industries at CES 2019.
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THE DRIVE with Alan Taylor | Episode #354
The action from the Shell Pioneering Performance Stage is back for our final episode of coverage from SEMA 2018. Among those affected by the string of hurricanes these past few years was legendary designer and CEO of Hennessey Performance, John Hennessey. That’s why he’s very appreciative of Nissan’s Paws One Titan XD, as well as his Shell and Pennzoil extended family that helped him through the crisis of Hurricane Harvey. We also learn more about the Hennessey Venom F5, which is set to break the 300 mph production car barrier. Next up, Brembo North America President and CEO, Dan Sandberg, shares how they’re using the power of artificial intelligence (A.I.) to design the toughest brakes in the industry. Then, Dan is joined by Automotive Journalists, Nik Miles, and Automotive/Motorcycle Industry Insider Mike Caudill, from Our Auto Expert to discuss the Nissan Paws One Titan XD and Nexen Tire’s ‘American Muscle for American Heroes’ initiative. Changing lanes, eBay Motors Parts and Accessories Senior Director, Jordan Hettinga, gives us some astounding stats about the presence of eBay motors, including a catalog of 80 million car parts. Shifting gears, Owner of the 1968 Ford Mustang Fastback (Bullitt – ‘559), Sean Kiernan, Historic Vehicle Association (HVA) President, Mark Gessler, and “Barn Find Hunter” Host, Tom Cotter, chronicle the unique history of Steve McQueen’s legendary film-car. Tom also issues a warning: rust never sleeps, so keep your vehicles out of the weather! Then, “Big Chris” Smith and Dennis Collins of Black Mountain Jeep, and Restore A Muscle Car and Operator, Dave Hall, trade wild car stories, pay their respects to industry icon Chip Foose, and talk about their favorite classics. Closing out the show, Koester Racing Driver, Larry Koester, Tjin Edition Roadshow Automotive Designer, Neil Tjin, and his son, Collin Tjin, talk about the therapeutic properties of getting behind the wheel and going for a drive. We also learn about Tjin family projects, including a Ford Mustang design-off between father and son, in conjunction with Vaughn Gittin, Jr. Don’t miss the final episode of SEMA 2018 coverage.
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THE DRIVE with Alan Taylor | Episode #344
We’re back in the saddle for another car-crazy week of THE DRIVE with Alan Taylor. Kicking off the show, Joe Martin, host of popular Velocity reality television series, “Iron Resurrection”, says he keeps ‘fake drama’ clear of his show. We learn how Joe and crew will be keeping it real in the latest season and get a preview of two projects in the queue, a 1971 Chevrolet C10 and 1950 Mercury. Plus, we find out how Joe went from tinkering on bicycles in Dallas, to becoming the master car restorer in charge of Martin Bros Customs. Next up, Shift Industries Co-CEO, Toby Russell, fills us in on how they’re revolutionizing the way we buy and sell cars with their easy-to-use, augmented marketplace. Shift not only offers an exclusive concierge service to pick up and deliver vehicles, they’re making it simple for consumers to get a fair deal on their dream car with instant, location-specific pricing data. Toby explains how a recent partnership with Lithia Motors will expand the effectiveness of their price predicting algorithm. Shifting gears, freelance automotive journalist, George Kennedy III, has found the east coast alternative to Monterey Car Week. Spice up a future Labor Day weekend with the historic races at Lime Rock Park. Two days of thrilling races feature a wide variety of cars like the Fiat 124, BMW 3.0 CSL, and Chevrolet Corvette Stingrays. A Bugatti-specific event will showcase a fleet of 1920s and 1930s Bugatti’s in an all-out race to the finish leading up to a concours along the edges of the track. Also, George fills us in on a storytelling event he emceed, “Motormouth” that focuses on the growth of Boston car culture. Changing lanes, Dennis Collins of Collins Bros Jeep gives a heartfelt farewell to Burt Reynolds, a man who enriched many lives with his great movies. Using his custom Hellcat Jeep Wrangler JK, Dennis started a “Burnouts for Burt” social media initiative, asking others to share their burnouts in honor of the iconic American actor. Also, we find out about the 2018 Jeep-turned-truck that Dennis has been working on, and a 1967 Chevrolet Corvette that once served as the Chevrolet Engineering Center’s test car. Up next, Karl Brauer of Kelley Blue Book discusses his decision to sell his original Ford GT in favor of the new 2019 Ford GT (being able to keep his Dodge Demon is an added bonus). Alan shares his thoughts on the 2018 BMW X6 M with Karl – it’s an amazing machine with tons of power and performance. Then, we chat about Rivian, Faraday Future, Elon Musk and more. To close the show, JoshCAR’s Josh Hancock gives his review of the Mustang GT 5.0 10-speed automatic, touches on performance SUVs, and lets us know about a few car-centric movies destined for the silver screen. Don’t miss this packed-to-the-brim episode!
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THE DRIVE with Alan Taylor | #335
It’s time to talk cars and we catch up with some of our favorites from the automotive industry. We begin the show with automotive journalist, BJ Killeen, who explains Mark Reuss’ recent crash in a Pace car at the Detroit Grand Prix. The Executive Vice President of Global Product Development wrecked a $120,000 2019 Corvette ZR1 when he lost control around a tight left-hand turn. He didn’t suffer any major injuries but we are sure this is something that will go down in automotive history. Shifting gears, Hollywood car consultant, Josh Hancock of JoshCAR, is back and brings us the latest from the star-studded automotive scene. He recently helped NBC bring in a display of Ferraris for the Magnum P.I. reboot upfronts, including the original 1982 Ferrari 308 GTS and a 2018 Ferrari 488. Josh raves about how fun it was to drive the 2018 and shares that many people were taking their picture with these iconic cars at the display. He also tells us that FCA has released their five year plan and they have basically said that they’re discontinuing Chrysler cars. It will be interesting to see what the future will be for FCA’s other brands. Alan and Josh then get into a fun debate about the latest pony car wars and decide which ones are their favorites. Next, Autotrader’s Executive Editor, Brian Moody, shares their list of “12 Fuel Sippers to Fight Rising Gas Prices” for 2018. The Chevy Bolt, Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid, Ford Fusion Hybrid, Honda Kona are just a few on the list of cars that could save you some dollars on fuel. Brian talks about some rare rides that are for sale on Autotrader and ponders how much some of these are actually worth. Brian then lists Autotrader’s best certified pre-owned vehicle manufacturers which include Lexus and Porsche. He and Alan also review the 2019 Subaru Ascent which can seat up to eight people and still has all the great Subaru characteristics. Then, we chat with the ever wild Dennis Collins who updates us on the latest happenings at Collins Bros Jeep. Every Friday morning, he does a Coffee Walk where viewers can follow him around the shop and see the projects they’re putting their hard work into. He also raves about an up-fit they just did to his Jeep Trackhawk that took it up to about 805-HP. Lastly, Alan gives us an update on Barrett-Jackson Northeast at the Mohegan Sun which will take place June 20-23rd. Join us now for the latest and greatest in automotive news!
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THE DRIVE with Alan Taylor | Episode #328
It’s been called ‘America’s smallest automobile museum’ and it sits in the middle of the National Mall for one month every year. Created in 2014, Cars at the Capital, organized by the Historic Vehicle Association, attracts approximately 500,000 viewers. A special car with historic value is placed in a gorgeous glass box for passersby to admire as they explore Washington DC. Partnered with the National Vehicle Register and the Library of Congress, Cars at the Capital was created to honor our automotive heritage. Our first interview is with the President of the Historic Vehicle Association, Mark Gessler, who details the event and introduces the 1968 Bullitt Mustang; Steve McQueen famously drove this vehicle 50 years ago in the popular blockbuster, ‘Bullitt‘. Next, we hear from Sean Kiernan, owner of the Bullitt, about the car’s exciting history. Then, since the event is also celebrating the 54th anniversary of the Mustang, we chat with Carl Widmann, Chief Product Engineer for the Ford Mustang, about the rich past of this nostalgic car. After that, Doug Clark and Tabetha Hammer of Hagerty Classic Cars sound off about their efforts to share automotive passion with future generations. Changing lanes, Kevin Marti, Founder of Marti Auto Works, describes how they work with Ford to create the ‘Marti Report‘. Then, Paul Ianuario, Senior Advisor for the Historic Vehicle Association, explains how the glass display box was approved to be in the National Mall. Next, the owner of a 1918 Cadillac US1257X, Marc Lassen, discloses the exciting story of how he obtained this historic vehicle that was Rev. Dr. J.H. Denison’s car in WWI and once chauffeured President Theodore Roosevelt’s daughter-in-law. Lastly, we catch up with Shell’s Nancy Bruner and Mark Henry about their involvement with Cars at the Capital and why it is so important to them. Take a trip down memory lane for this special event broadcast.
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THE DRIVE with Alan Taylor | Episode #320
It’s February already and there are less than two months until the New York International Auto Show and Alan’s annual appearance on ABC’s ‘LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan’. As the excitement builds, we chat with some of our favorite contributors about what they are up to. We begin the hour with Executive Publisher of Kelley Blue Book, Karl Brauer, who gushes about his Dodge Demon before paying homage to the new Acura NSX. Then, Mike Forsythe of Haynes Publishing discusses their digital assets and new repair manuals coming our way. Next, automotive journalist, BJ Killeen, shares her experience at the Grand National Roadster Show. Changing gears, Hollywood car consultant, Josh Hancock, joins us along with Brembo North America’s Dan Sandberg to talk about the best brakes around. Lastly, Josh and Alan discuss a Porsche exhibit that recently opened at the Petersen Automotive Museum.
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THE DRIVE with Alan Taylor | Episode #289
Technology is changing the way we look at cars, and automotive manufactures are making some big moves to keep up with trends. BJ Killeen, Brain Moody, Josh Hancock, and John Ellis, discuss their thoughts on the retirement of Ford Motor Company’s Mark Fields. There are many theories as to why this shift has happened, and our experts do their best to objectively address this major event in the auto world. We also talk about the waning popularity of the minivan, and which models will be sticking around due to their excellent designs. In other news, Josh Hancock discusses the loss of iconic James Bond actor Roger Moore, and gives us updates on fantastic cars coming to the big screen. Join in now.
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THE DRIVE with Alan Taylor | Episode #278
Keeping up with the Jones’ of the automotive industry is not as easy as you would think. Fear not because we have the tools you will need to stay ahead of the game. Technology is constantly advancing and the leaders in the industry are intent on wowing consumers. After all, your daily driver should express your love for all things auto whether it be in the way it drives, the gorgeous design, or the tech-connection that allows you to get through the day. We chat with BJ Killeen, Karl Brauer, Josh Hancock, and other top experts in the car business for the latest need-to-know updates that make new car shopping a piece of cake. From test drive reviews to off-road racing schools, we have a little bit for every car lover out there.