RoAb #91 - The 'Bonaboutique' Episode
Sunday, July 31, 2011 at 8:40PM 
Coming up on Roundabout, does the world need ANOTHER crossover? Find out which automaker is rumored to be basing one off a B-segment car. Dearly departed actor Jimmy Stewart teaches driver’s ed, and we interview a VERY special guest later in the show, a man who’s spending an entire year driving a vintage car as his only transportation in a project called "365 Days Of A." Take a seat, get yourself comfortable and enjoy all of this wholesome goodness, only on RoundAbout!
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Play RoundAbout Episode 91
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Featuring: Jonathan Klinger, Michelle Naranjo, Eric Trytko, Colin Bird, Craig Cole and Ben Sanders
Show notes and video after the jump!
RoundAbout records LIVE on Fridays at 6:30PM ET/3:30PM PT. Visit RoundAboutShow.com and click Watch Live to watch our webcast and look in on all the antics.
Show Notes:
Mopar kit transforms Jeep Wrangler into a pickup
Jeep has been teasing the idea of a new pickup truck for several years now, the Gladiator concept vehicle still being droolworthy, and yet, even though there seem to be quite a number of hand raisers for the truck the higher-ups still won’t sign off on production. So, until Sergio or someone at Jeep can get Sergio to sign off on the Gladiator, of which they would sell several hundred thousand worldwide, we will get the JK8 kit for the four door Wrangler. This $5,500 kit turns your Wrangler into something resembling the old Scrambler of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. Depending on how this kit sells, may have an effect on seeing the Gladiator come into production.
iPhone game rewards kids for back-seat driving
“Let's grow your car more and more, by enjoying the actual car ride!”
Toyota has a division named ToyToyota (geddit? HoHoHonda just doesn’t have the same ring to it) and they have released an iPhone app on iTunes called BackSeat Driver. That is right! What every parent wants is a backseat driver with armed with an attitude, a Twitter account and an iPhone. In the game, My Car follows Papa Car (because only daddies drive) using GPS data. After points have been collected, My Car can be customized and the design and trip data sent to Twitter. Yet another reason why every child should be given a Twitter account at birth!
Fiesta SUV in the works?
Just what the world needs . . . another crossover! In case there weren't already enough car-based utilities on the market today, Ford is rumored to be developing another one. Auto Express reports the company has a 4 x 4 Fiesta in the works and claims it’ll be ready to drop at next year’s Geneva Motor Show. Allegedly the vehicle will compete with the Nissan Juke, but knowing Ford, it won’t be nearly as ugly. Look for three- and four-cylinder engines under the hood and a base price of about £16,000 (sterling) -- that’s roughly $26,000 in real money, but you know what they say, consider the source.
ADAC multi-vehicle crash is terrifying
Ever wonder what a 40 foot long accordion looks like? Well, those crazy Germans have answered this very important question by slamming a Class 6 truck traveling at 43 miles per hour into two stationary vehicles, according to Autoblog.com. Germany’s equivalent of the AAA, the ADAC, conducted this test to raise awareness for Emergency Brake Assist systems for large trucks, making them mandatory in the nation. The result of the test is a delicious puree of metals, rubbers, plastics and glass assortments. As the German’s would say “bonaboutique!.”
Saab delays paying workers
You’d think Yogi Berra was running SAAB these days, because it’s deja vu all over again! Saab, who have had money problems since they started building cars (have they ever turned a profit?) once again had to shut down production. This time they didn’t have time to pay their workers, and naturally the workers weren’t going to show up if they weren’t going to get paid. It’s time for SAAB to go away. Ever since GM said they were going to put SAAB out of its misery, there has been an outcry from people for it not it happen. And yet none, zero, zip, zilch, nada, of the people who whine about SAAB’s demise put their money down to buy one. What did you expect would happen when no one buys the product?!
Jimmy Stewart driving lessons
Jimmy Stewart, he’s every-one's favorite dead celebrity. And gosh-almighty, why shouldn’t he be? He’s just such a nice fella and so American, too. Well, the fine folks at TBD.com posted an instructional video of sorts starring none other than Mr. Smith . . . but he wasn’t going to Washington! This 11-minute classic was released in 1954 by Chevrolet. Entitled “Tomorrow’s Drivers,” it chronicles the advanced driver’s education program in Phoenix, Arizona at the time, which started young people off so early they learned about safe motoring when they were in kindergarten! It’s hard to imagine anything even close to this existing today given the WHOLE COUNTRY’S budgetary situation, but ahhhh, it sure is nice to look back and reminisce. One thing’s for sure, ol’ Jimmy didn’t appreciate any monkeyshines! Check out the whole thing at RoundAboutShow.com.
Putin’s High-Heeled Army
YSBSWF? According to our friends over at Cars Coop, young ladies in swimsuits holding a car wash at a university to raise money for their sorority is as American as . . . Vladimar Putin? In a patriotic effort to get Putin back in the Kremlin, Putin’s Army held a car wash at the Moscow State University to the delight of the drivers of Russian-made cars, like Ladas and Volgas. This politically motivated antic was preceded by the young, smart, beauties tearing up their shirts in support of Putin. None of you listened to a word I just read because you are all watching the video.
Toyota Driver Crashes into Honda CR-V Prototype
Japan has had a tough go of it as of late, its calcified corporations, staid political structure and… well…. the ground itself has been shaken to its core this year, so to speak. Now it seems the downtrodden nation is spiraling into civil war if the latest car-on-car carnage coming from Toyota and Honda is any indication. According to Jalopnik, a camouflaged 2012 Honda CR-V mule was T-boned by a last-generation Toyota Highlander. A Lexus RX was also involved in this accident , apparently, making this a trifecta of Japanese self flagellation. Oddly, despite the accident, the bystander taking the post-accident shots still couldn’t get a clear shot of the CR-Vs refreshed front and rear fascia. I guess we’ll just have to wait till this fall to see what the updates will bring.
Hacked electric road sign . . . HAMMER TIME!
You can blame Jalopnik’s editor Ray Wert for a lot of things, taking automotive blogging below the level that makes TMZ ready to be awarded multiple Pulitzer Prizes, challenging its readers and writers to have posts that are little more than either link bait or links to other sites controlled by Gawker Media. The latest meme is one that they rolled out about a year ago, and that is hacking into construction road signs and changing the messages. They have provided step-by-step instructions on how to do it and encouraged their minions to post pictures of their “accomplishments.” The latest effort takes everyone back to 1992, the sign reads “Stop” . . . “Hammer Time.”
BMW driver tries to squeeze through
You don’t need me to tell you there are droves of imbeciles, morons, idiots and A-holes on the world’s roads. They can, at the drop of a hat and completely unprovoked cause untold pandemonium on highways and side streets alike. The consequences of their mental deficiency can be infuriating at best, deadly at worst. Fortunately, sometimes we can laugh at their poor decisions, which is what we have today. Autoblog’s got a video clip of a BMW driver (of course) that just couldn’t wait his and/or her non-gender specific turn. The driver in question tried to squeeze between two cars on the highway with predictably devastating results . . . a multi-car accident. Yeah, lane splitting . . . there’s a reason it’s for MOTORCYCLES! Again, RoundAboutShow.com for all the juicy details.
Aluminum Automotive Sculpture Defies the Eyes
Timothy Inzana, a “motion artist,” has created an 18-layer metal tribute to a Porsche 911 out of countless number of bolts and colored sheet metal. Using Photoshop to break down the image into layers took the longest time and Inzana developed an algorithm to assemble the laser-cut metal pieces after he painted them. In the words of the great Jeffrey Ross, “It looks very nice.” Inzana was an art student for three years at UC-Santa Barbara but dropped out because he was too busy with other stuff.
Say Goodbye to LA’s Red Light Cameras
Red-light cameras were supposed to be a treasure-trove for cash strapped municipalities. Not so, apparently for Los Angeles, which is canceling its red-light camera program, according to KickingTires.com. The city has agreed to stop issuing citations by the end of July because the program was actually costing the city MORE revenue than it brought in. Fines issued by the camera system hold little consequence, paying the tickets is merely voluntary, resulting in a 60 percent delinquency rate. Critics say the red-light cameras do little to promote safety as they’re typically used to catch right-turn violations, which are considered to be safer and easier to complete.
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RoundAbout Interview
Jonathan Klinger of Hagerty Insurance and 365DaysOfA.com
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