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• In Wheel Time Podcast | Automotive talk with Don Armstrong, Michael Marrs, and Jeff Dziekan • Season 2026 • Episode 51

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The best part of doing a live car show from a mega meet is that the day keeps changing under your feet, and the conversation goes with it. We’re set up at Team Gillman with cars rolling in and out, then we kick things off with a straight-shooting review of the 2025 Ford Mustang GT Convertible. We dig into what the GT Premium feels like as a real daily driver, from the lined cloth top and cabin tech to the stiffer performance ride, tire noise, and the big headline numbers: a 5.0-liter V8 with 480 horsepower and an as-tested price that can rocket into the $70K range.

Then Mike brings a list that’s made for anyone who collects memories instead of merch: seven underrated U.S. racetracks worth visiting. We talk Road America, VIR, Laguna Seca, Sebring, Mid-Ohio, Barber, and Road Atlanta, with a focus on what makes a track worth the trip: elevation, access, sightlines, and that gritty old-school atmosphere you can’t fake.

The live setting brings surprises too, including a quick chat with Ethan, a young car photographer and videographer working to grow his crew through events and consistency. 

We also squeeze in a 2026 Kia Sportage Hybrid SX Prestige AWD review, then pivot to our Hemmings sold car price game and the auto news you can use, including an FTC warning aimed at misleading dealership advertised prices and required fees. 

If you care about cars, car buying, car culture, and where the industry is heading, this one stays moving. Subscribe, share the episode with a car friend, and leave us a review. What was the biggest surprise for you?

Be sure to subscribe for more In Wheel Time Car Talk!

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Welcome From The Mega Meet

Don Armstrong

Welcome to another In Wheel Time podcast. We got a lot going on here. It is the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show today coming to you from Team Gilman and the big Mega Me. We're going to have Mr. Mars do his Mustang GT review. I didn't get a Mustang GT to review, but you did. Thank you. He's also going to uh worm his way in here and do seven racetracks worth visiting. Okay, that's coming up in this next second. Uh howdy, and uh welcome to the Unreal Time Car Talk Show. Along with Mike out of this world Mars, we always need more Jeff Zeken. And Chief Engineer David Ainsley has decided to join us today. I'm Don Armstrong. Glad you could join us. Oh my God. Oh my gosh. Did you bring people with you? It's just you? You just stopped by to see Grandpa. She's Grandpa.

Jeff Dziekan

She's gonna win a car. She wants to win a car. Oh, I see.

Don Armstrong

Well, that's a good idea.

Mike Marrs

I'm gonna go to each dealership back to my page. She can't say that.

2025 Mustang GT Convertible Review

Don Armstrong

All right. Well, let's move on with things. Uh so it's Jeff's daughter. She's up here. Um let's do Mr. Mars and the Mustang GT, Mr. Mars.

Mike Marrs

Got me, right? All right. Ready to go. We are ready to go. So this is the 2025 Ford Mustang GT Convertible. Drop top premiere. Now this vehicle was final assembly in Flat Rock of all places. It is the seventh generation of the Mustang, and it was reintroduced in 2024. So 25 is kind of a carryover. You can get the Mustang in an EcoBoost, an EcoBoost Premium, GT, GT Premium, or you can get the Dark Horse they just came out with.

Don Armstrong

Well, was it C. You think the Dark Horse? I think I'll have that.

Mike Marrs

So the GT Premium is where we were at with the convertible. And uh it's considered a sports car, and it's a four-passenger. Now, I'm sure anybody trying to get in the backseat might argue that with you, but it is considered a four-passenger vehicle. Got uh one thing I really liked about it, I was a little concerned, the roof, the convertible roof on it, is fully lined, cloth top. And uh, so it's really good at keeping out some of the sound. It seals up really good whenever you got the top up. Up front, you're gonna find automatic LED headlights. It's got a hood vent that actually not a hood scoop, but a hood vent up front that looks like an inverted. I think Subaru once upon a time was doing inverted hood scoops on it. Garrain sensing wipers and all those good things, but it also has Rimbo brakes with a premium lining on it. So you got the red calipers with the white lettering on it, and it's got some 19-inch black aluminum wheels. So you put all that with the bright red paint that's on it, the black hood scoop or hood vent and the black top on it. It's really nice looking. Going down the road, give you a ticket red. So uh inside we had a 12.4-inch LCD instrument cluster, so we got lots of room up there to see things. Got a 13.2-inch LED center stack. That's where you're gonna find all your convenience controls, your rear view camera, which works really well in that big of a screen. Now the front seats are very comfortable, front bucket seats, sports car, and uh even had the red matching seat belts on it. And but there is an optional Ricaro seats available in this car. It would have been nice to see how they worked in this convertible, make it a little bit cooler. Uh the back seat, like I said, enough said on that. Has the BO audio system with 12 speakers. Now we didn't have the opportunity because of the weather to drop the top and just how much ire we could raise with the neighbors, but uh it sounds pretty good with the top down. Under the hood, this is where it gets good. 5.0 liter V8, 480 horsepower.

Don Armstrong

Do your neighbors have ire?

Mike Marrs

Well, uh, the lady next door, I think she does. She, when I get up at 4 o'clock in the morning and leave, she gets a little irritated.

Don Armstrong

Irritated. So you raise her ire. Yes. She's ired all the time, but you raise the ire.

Mike Marrs

Yeah, at her age, it's kind of hard to tell.

Don Armstrong

Okay.

Mike Marrs

So again, we got this true.

Don Armstrong

VS true 400.

Jeff Dziekan

Do you know the next door neighbor? She doesn't want to she can neither confirm nor deny.

Mike Marrs

Yeah, she can't because she still needs a ride home. It's also got a 10-speed automatic. We didn't have the six-speed in it, but it does have the 10-speed automatic. Your engine combination that you can get with the car in the Mustang kind of dictates which transmission options you have available. Now the EPA says you should be looking for about 16 miles to the gallon in the city, 24 out on the highway, 19 combined. I drove this car 325.3 miles, including the the trip over here to kind of check things out to know how we were going to set up over here to pre-survey everything. And I got 20 miles to the gallon on that car, and I was really proud of that. Also, uh, as far as ride handling goes, of course it's almost like driving a go-kart. It has the performance vehicle, so it's got a little bit stiffer uh suspension on it, more for road handling and stuff, but it does make it ride a little bit rougher. Um, the bigger and the wider tires that are on this car, on this GT, has uh a little bit more road noise on it. It also has 355 gears on it, so it is uh got plenty of get up and go juice. Now the base trim price on this vehicle that we were driving is$56,580. The base model price on a Mustang is$33,915. Our MSRP as tested,$72,245. Really wow. So almost$20,000 of options between the performance package and some of the paint and some of the other things that were on here, the audio system, all of it that kind of adds up. If you're looking for something to compare it to, you know, maybe the Toyota GR Supra starts at$56,250. Okay. The uh Nissan Z Nismo, unfortunately, it starts at 62. Okay. You could get into a Z cheaper than that, but the Nismo seem to be more like a fair comparison. And really and truly, I uh again, Mustang's been around for years. It's got staying power. Got staying power. It's a very fun, daily driver capable car to have.

Jeff Dziekan

They seem to be getting bigger and bigger every year. There's one right there.

Mike Marrs

Well, they all get bigger, everything's getting bigger. It's it's it's uh we need to be.

Jeff Dziekan

Well, they don't make any competitors to it. That's true. The Camaro is gone. Well, exactly. The Camaro, the Challenger, and the ones you mentioned are are you know things you don't think of.

Don Armstrong

Listen, that car is cool.

Jeff Dziekan

It is, but it's it's it's not it's bigger. You can barely see the hood on the on the shot there.

Don Armstrong

Yeah, yeah, it's uh it and it's a six-cylinder. Is it in there long?

Jeff Dziekan

Is that the hurricane?

Mike Marrs

It's the hurricane, yeah. Yeah. I've never seen one.

Don Armstrong

Well, there's I haven't either. And it's not sh sitting in the long ways, I don't think. I can't tell, but if it is, uh I'm surprised.

Jeff Dziekan

Yeah, I thought that was rear-wheel drive. Well, the young man, I think he's over there uh looking at the other car. Yeah. Yeah, I think he is.

Don Armstrong

All right, uh find him. So, Mr. Morris, we're gonna have you continue on your trek here of being on the air, because you have done nothing to contribute to the show up to this.

Jeff Dziekan

Gummit running errands, he's making lunches.

Don Armstrong

I know. Yeah, you got the bannays and bologna sandwiches, or what?

Mike Marrs

Well, I I looked for some of the cheese mixed with the baloney, the cheese and baloney slices, but I couldn't find it.

Jeff Dziekan

Well, on your way home, stop at a come and go and get a hot dog.

Seven Underrated Racetracks To Visit

Don Armstrong

All right. Oh, come and now for seven racetracks worth visiting.

Mike Marrs

So we looked at seven, I mean, we started looking at racetracks. There's racetracks all over the state, all over the country, different kinds, everything.

Don Armstrong

But are they still open?

Mike Marrs

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, so this is more of uh seven underrated U.S. racetracks that are worth visiting if you really decide you just want to go. Some people go to baseball parks and football stadiums, go to racetracks. So, one of them we want to talk about is Road America. Now, this is the classic natural terrain remote. Wisconsin. Yes. It's four miles, goes through the hills and forests of Wisconsin. You got a lot of long straights, so you get a lot of speed up, technical corners to make them slow down and try to maneuver around through the laps. But the thing about this track is there's a lot of fan freedom. There's a lot of places the spectators can run along big areas of the track to see it. And because of the elevation in the hills and stuff, you can get up and you can kind of see it. Uh and then uh it's special, it's considered one of the purest road courses in North America. Now, the another one I wanted to mention is the Virginia International Raceway. This one has a lot of elevation changes, which is what makes it kind of work really different from everybody else. You got uh a lot of places you can get the speed, but they've got flowing corners. It doesn't have the really long straight speed uh straightaways to where you're gonna get up the maximum speed that you're gonna get in a lot of people.

Don Armstrong

And what's the name of that place?

Mike Marrs

Virginia International Raceway. Now it's called VIR. That's kind of the abbreviation for it. I've heard of that one. But it's Virginia International Raceway.

Jeff Dziekan

I've heard of VIR.

Mike Marrs

And uh it's considered one of the better driving tracks that's in the country. And it because people go out there, they think feel like it's like a more like a country club track where everybody's just it's not like real media heavy whenever people go out there. Then the other thing is going up to uh the Weather Tech Raceway at Laguna Seca.

Don Armstrong

Now this is not the Weather Tech, that's Laguna Seca. Weather Tech is sponsoring it. Exactly. They're paying them a lot of money to have their name at the top of it.

Mike Marrs

And if you go look at any sign it says WeatherTech.

Don Armstrong

Anyway, they're not spending any money with us. No, I know.

Mike Marrs

But it's one of the things that it's famous for is because of it's got a corkscrew term with a sudden downhill left-right sequence that drops several stories in elevation. So you really kind of drop down on it. I've never driven that track. I've seen the signs as I drove by. But uh, it's uh in the hills near Monterey, California. Got a lot of scenic views, so you get a lot of exciting racing. Fans can sit on the grassy hillsides and watch them, which is one of the things that makes these tracks a little different. You're not parked your butt in the sands, stands all day. You can actually get out and enjoy some of the outside of it. Uh another racetrack is going to be the Seabring International Raceway. It's one of the oldest and toughest circuits in North America, originally built on an old World War II airfield. So it's all got concrete surfaces that can get kind of rough and uh makes things really challenging for the cars and the drivers because it's going to eat on tires pretty hard as well as the car. Now, this is where you're going to find the 12 hours of sievering sometimes. Yeah, I mean, that's a race that you can go there to see. And it's more like old school racing. So a lot of people like there going to that gritty atmosphere, uh racing tradition, and you can actually camp there. So if you're really interested in that, it's a really great place to go. It's bumpy, it's brutal, and one of the toughest tracks for the drivers. The other one, uh the Barber Motorsports Park. Oh, yeah, that's a good one. Wait, let's get the mid-Ohio. Uh-oh.

Jeff Dziekan

Where did Mid-Ohio go? Here it is. It's in Ohio.

Mike Marrs

Yeah, it's in Ohio. Mid-Ohio is a technical layout track and it uh flows through the wooded hills and elevation changes. And it's whole major series like indie car series there. It's kind of a small track, but it's considered to be very technical. Then we'll go to Barber. Barber. Barber. Barber Motorsports Park is considered one of the most beautiful racing facilities. Why did it do that? In the world. It's got a lot of grass, a lot of sculpted places around the circuit to kind of make it look really nice. Kind of a botanical garden area. It's got smooth pavement, flowing corners, so you get a lot of racing for motorcycles there and the cars alike. Got a uh actually also has the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum on the site. So you get a combination of the two, including the Indy Car Grand Prix of Alabama. Road Atlanta is the last one that we're going to talk about right quick. It's known for its fast flowing layout, dramatic elevation changes, and uh got a lot of high speed, steep downhill run. The uh Imsa Sports Car Championship season runs through there. And they have again fans like the classic feel of it, being able to sit on the grassy hillsides, being able to get to the areas where you can see the cars really well. And that is seven racetracks that uh are much underrated and uh offer opportunities to go and see some different kinds of racing and different feels to the track.

Don Armstrong

You know, you know, I was just telling David, I said, you know, I would really like to get the Corvette to sound like that, or at least be able to do that. The only thing that I could really think to do that is to introduce some nitromethane into it. And if that didn't work it, then mistime it so I could get it to backfire a lot.

Jeff Dziekan

You I could you could do that tomorrow, you just buy one of the WRX cars.

Don Armstrong

No, no, no, I know I'm telling I know that. But I'm talking about the Corvette.

Mike Marrs

Oh well. So if that's the case, you need to put some flamers on it. I'll plug in the panels.

Don Armstrong

I know how to do that. Yeah, I know how to do that.

Mike Marrs

You might as well do that whenever you're gonna backfire it. Just shoot the flames out the tail.

Don Armstrong

Absolutely. I could introduce that uh lighter fluid right in there.

Jeff Dziekan

And uh I'm sure there's someone out here that helped you do that.

Meeting A New Car Creator

Don Armstrong

I you know, it that doesn't surprise me that there would be. So what am I going to do next?

Jeff Dziekan

Well we've got a young people.

Don Armstrong

We do have somebody. And you know, I'm sorry that I can't introduce you because I don't know you. I know that you can introduce yourself, and you are.

SPEAKER_05

My name is Ethan. Uh Ethan? Yes, sir.

Don Armstrong

Yes, sir.

SPEAKER_05

Uh I do content for the Carme Network and my own content for uh cars. We do car photography videos. Right now we're kind of just trying to expand ourselves.

Don Armstrong

So, in other words, you could you could take pictures of us and put them all over the internet.

SPEAKER_05

Yes, sir. I mean, wait, why would why would you not?

Don Armstrong

I mean, we have we have such glamour to offer the world right here.

SPEAKER_05

Everyone does.

Don Armstrong

Yeah. But I know, but this is the grandfather. This is the grandfather look that I know that you're looking for with all of your followers.

SPEAKER_05

Of course. We're looking for everything. No, but um, I mean, we do post a lot of stuff, but everything, you know, we make it good now. Yeah, we we make everything good.

Don Armstrong

No, I know, but I'm I'm telling you to make it good right now. The story.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, so right now, uh, my name's Ethan, of course. Uh, my content crew behind us is uh, which you can't see them. We have Eric, he's my other videographer and my driver. Um we do work with uh Carmi Network, we work with Gus. We go to all of his all of his events, we try to get our name out there. We also try to help Gus grow and you know, we try to bring people in, enjoy time, and you know, just make everyone happy. You know, you have a large group? No, really, uh it's a group of four people, okay, me included. Uh you know, we kind of stick small because we don't have money to pay people like that yet. So we're trying to keep it friends that you know want to do the same thing that we do. Because right now we're we enjoy it. Yeah, we enjoy it, but we are trying to make it a business.

Don Armstrong

Well, see, this is what we've got here.

SPEAKER_05

I see. It's an amazing setup, by the way. Is it? Yes, I think so. I mean, y'all got the lights, everything. This is an all of it. Imagine this times a hundred. I know, something's in that truck. Yeah, for a mobile, for a mobile, this is amazing.

Don Armstrong

So Welcome to Hollywood, brother. This is it. This is it.

SPEAKER_05

Is that what we're calling it? Yeah, Hollywood, but not in Hollywood.

Don Armstrong

Right. Not at the Hollywood price. Holy something. Yeah, so that's what it's all about. You know this girl here? I do not. You don't? Well, she's taking pictures and we're talking about her, and she's going, oh, let's go over here. We gotta be talking about something good or not. We could be talking about something not so good. You wouldn't want to be any part of that. But but anyway.

SPEAKER_05

Taking still images on if you don't care.

Don Armstrong

So do you do weddings?

SPEAKER_05

Not yet. That is that is one of my big goals is to do weddings. Uh, my sister is getting married in like a few weeks, so I didn't know.

Don Armstrong

So she's gonna be the test mule.

SPEAKER_05

Yes. She did hire a camera. Maybe not a mule, but she did hire a camera person, of course. You know, she got her own photography, but I am gonna bring mine just so I can just some experience. Shadow her. Yeah, yeah.

Mike Marrs

Let me give you just a quick background. When I was getting started doing freelance work and all that stuff, my wife went with me. She would go out there and take pictures of the crowd while I'm taking pictures of the cars. Yes. It was great and fun. But she decided she wanted to do weddings, so she would come and help me do cars, and I had to go help her do weddings.

Don Armstrong

That's why he's on his fourth wife.

Mike Marrs

Exactly. I'm just telling you. He's getting married next week. Oh no. When you get find out them when them bridesmaids come out and start griping at you because you're not doing something, and they want you to go do it, and the mother-in-law won't let you in there with the bride who's getting dressed, and you don't want to go in there while she's getting dressed. They're out there griping at you.

SPEAKER_05

No, it seems like there's not going to be any wins to this. Stick taking pictures of cars. Yeah.

Mike Marrs

That's what I'm that's the that's the story.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, honestly, I think that is where I'll end up sticking, you know, because I do love cars. Cars have been in my life since I was about five or six years old. So, and I mean, I don't think I ever see myself getting tired of it. Good.

Don Armstrong

Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain. Yeah. You just keep on doing it. Stay away from the weddings.

SPEAKER_05

Is this the kind of cars though that I mean you're you're Yeah. I love I do also love like the older Americans and the older Japanese, you know. I love a little bit of everything, you know. I think if it has good body lines, it sounds good, we like it. We fit right in.

Jeff Dziekan

We're older Americans. Yeah, and we look good in our own mind. Ethan, it's great to meet you and your crew.

Don Armstrong

Hugs and kisses. Keep up the good work, it's all gonna be good.

Jeff Dziekan

You need to take the lens cap off that camera. Yeah. Yeah. Surprisingly, it's not on. My suggestion. You've got to take a break.

Tailpipes And Tacos Event Plug

Guessing Hemmings Sold Car Prices

Don Armstrong

Thank you. Appreciate you stopping by. You can get the in-wheel time car talk show 24-7 through the in-wheel time app. Just look for the in-wheel time car talk show. The tailpipes and tacos renowned cruising. The tailpipes and tacos renowned cruising expands to Beaumont. Golden Triangle cruisers will want to experience tailpipes and tacos at the Loopy Tortilla, High Ten South in Beaumont, near Washington Boulevard. Grab free Loopy Breakfast Tacos with any donation to Shirley's kids. Enjoy a coffee or an adult beverage. Every cruising vehicle is automatically entered to win one of the beautiful Chili Pepper trophies for Best Hot Rod, Classic, and Modern Classic. Tailpipes and Tacos Beaumont happens Saturday morning, March 21st, 8 to 11 a.m. If you're a car keep like we are, this is the event you'll want to attend. The info time car talk show will be online live and you may be interviewed about your ride. Tailpipes and Tacos Beaumont edition Saturday, March 21st, 8 to 11 a.m. at the Loopy Tortilla 2050 I-10 South in Beaumont. The Katie Tailpipes and Tacos happens Easter Saturday, April 4th, 8 to 11. The free Tailpipes and Tacos Cruising is a production of Loopy Tortilla Tex Mex, Beaumont and Katie. He's pretty good. Apple or Android in Wheel Time podcasts can be found everywhere, on the stream and through downloads. Whether you're on the road or at home and Jones in for a different kind of car talk show, give in wheel time a try. Honest new car reviews, fun, informative interviews with real car people, weekly automotive news, features like Jeff's car culture and Mike's driving destinations, all on In Wheel Time. Check us out on Sirius XM Podcasts, iHeartRadio, or while you're shopping on Amazon through Amazon Music. InWheel Time.com has a list, and we know you love lists. Well, as I was trying to say before the exhaust uh overwhelmed me. Um, and there they go right now. You can get the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show 24-7 through the In Wheel Time app. Just look for In Wheel Time Car Talk. Podcast available from your favorite podcast provider. Video stream as well, live weekly shows on Facebook, YouTube, and inWheelTime.com. All right, so here's what we're going to do now. You ready? Yep. I've decided that we're going to do the sold car price because we always do it, and it's fun to do, and we don't have anybody waiting to get on the air with us, so I don't have that obligation. So I just figured that we would have a good time. Sure. And some of these cars actually could fit right, all of them actually could fit right in here today. So are you ready, Mr. Mars? Yeah. I know that you did the video on this. I'm ready. Okay. All right. Uh so David? David is included. What is the hemming sold car price on a 1996 96 Chevrolet Corvette? It looks completely stock. Stock wheels. I think it's black or dark in color. It looks clean, nothing special. How much do you think that that's sold for? 96 Chevy Corvette.

Mike Marrs

Looks like it's automatic.

Jeff Dziekan

That would be a C4. I want to say right at 10 grand. I was gonna say that. I'll say 12.

Mike Marrs

Jeff Heitzman says twenty-four big ones.

Jeff Dziekan

Uh oh.

Mike Marrs

And George says sixteen.

Jeff Dziekan

We got George and we got George and Jeff. And Jeff and David. And David. All right. Well, it sold for 1417. Oh, very good, David.

Mike Marrs

Jeff, what did you say, David? You said twelve.

Don Armstrong

Twelve?

Jeff Dziekan

I said 10.

Don Armstrong

Toss up between you and George. All right, next up is another Corvette. This one happens to be a 1968 Chevrolet Corvette. This would be a C3. Okay? 68 Corvette. Again, it looks stock. Um does it have white walls on it? Somebody, surely to God, didn't do that, but whatever. It does have that god-awful luggage rack on the back. It's a 68 Corvette. What I'm thinking is that this might be a stock 68 Corvette. And it looks kind of original. I'm going to say 22.

Mike Marrs

Heisman says 30. Okay. George says 1299.

Don Armstrong

Would you like to have a guess, David? 18,000.$25,200.

Mike Marrs

Yeah. So a 68. I think it just got a bunch of options on it. Must have with the luggage rack you were talking about and stuff.

Don Armstrong

It's a luggage rack. But it's got chrome buffers. I like that. All right, next up. 74 Dodge Charger. 1974 Dodge Charger with uh with are you ready? It has a it has a Landau vinyl top. Oh my. Which is like a half vinyl top. It is so ugly, I can't even begin to tell you how bad that is. But they sold them in 1974. I'm gonna go this looks like all stock, all original. It's not it's not a show car or anything like that.

Jeff Dziekan

Let me see the 15 grand. 15. 15. David? 10 grand. 10 grand for David. Mr.

Mike Marrs

Heisman says 18. Big one. Is that that car right there? Uh-huh. He says 18? George says 13. 9.

Don Armstrong

It sold for 16, 275. Oh wow. The thing is massively big. It is.

Jeff Dziekan

And I like it. And the big hood and the big indicar. Here's a really nice model.

Don Armstrong

1966. Oldsmobile 442. Yeah, baby. Price of the couple of things. Old 442 66 model. It looks like it has been restored. It looks like it may be original. I don't think it's a resto mod. I think it's original.

Jeff Dziekan

Yeah, I mean it's it's still got the four speed in it, it looks like. I'm gonna go 21. 30 grand. 30 grand.

Mike Marrs

And our boys out there still working on it. Shock over the charger. Heitzman says 21.

Don Armstrong

George?

Mike Marrs

Yeah, I hadn't heard from George.

Don Armstrong

Okay, so yeah, we'll tell you that it sold for$44,100. Which tells me that it stuck.

Mike Marrs

Yeah, and it's George came in at$21,999 for about half price.

Don Armstrong

Now here's something that uh I think that most people would appreciate a 2003 Chevy Silverado SS. Now it's a 2003 SS, so don't think that it's got you know gobs of horsepower or something. But it is an SS. And it looks stock. Um I don't I can't really see the wheels.

Jeff Dziekan

I'm just gonna take a guess here and go 18. That's probably high.

Don Armstrong

But it is but it is a truck. Yeah, so keep that in mind.

Jeff Dziekan

But it's it's a it's an SS, yeah.

Mike Marrs

I didn't think they made the real ones. 13 cruise.

Don Armstrong

David says 13. Well, I will tell you that it sold for$24,150.

Mike Marrs

I thought I was high on the 18th. Right. Yeah, George, 999. Heightsman came in at 22 there towards the end.

Don Armstrong

Okay, Mars, this is your car. All right. The next up is a 1960 Rambler American.

Jeff Dziekan

Look at that. It's even got a bad. It's a two-door in it. It is. Look at that. I'd drive it. That's real steel right there. Yeah. See that?

Don Armstrong

I'm thinking that doesn't I Mars could I he would drive the up here and you go, by golly, that is Mr. Mars.

Jeff Dziekan

It is Mars. You get that for Paige. Yeah. Okay, so uh David, how many go 12?

Mike Marrs

12. 10. 10. All right, so uh Heisman's comes in at 11. Yeah. So everybody's kind of in the same ballpark. All right.

Don Armstrong

Well, it sold for$6,800. Paige, George said it's big dare to get to your car.$12,99. You want to see it? I'm gonna show it to you. Ready? It's her next car. Yeah. This is a 1960. This is a car that you've never even heard of. It'll be in the driveway when you get there. There it is. It's a 1960 Rambler American. Can you see grandpa driving that car? Yes, you can. Grandpa and grandpa. All right. Next up is a 1961 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88. It's a dynamic. The 61 Dynamic 88. Convertible. Oh my god, it's a convertible. Drop top. It is a massive, massive car. 28,000. 28. 21. 21.

Mike Marrs

Do we have any other guests? White ready to know this. Uh Heizen's come in at 13,000. Yeah. Oh man. That thing is cherry. It's got an instrument cluster on it.

Don Armstrong

All right. Well, I'm going to tell you that this car sold for 31.5. It looks completely stock and original. It does. And uh our last vehicle of the morning is going to be a 1953 Chevrolet 3600.

Jeff Dziekan

Oh, man. There it is. I have no idea.

Don Armstrong

Now this would probably have the blue flame six-cylinder motor in it.

Jeff Dziekan

It does with the canister oil filter. Yep.

Don Armstrong

Split windshield. Yep. How much do you now? It's a steak bed. So it's not a pickup truck. It's a steak bed truck. Steak bed. Steak. Steak bed. Steak bed. Steak steak bed.

Mike Marrs

Flat bed with uh uh pilots with uh you got wood up on the side of it there to hold in the hey males a hay. Took some pallets and turned them up on their E and on each side. Okay, I got you.

Don Armstrong

Uh so it looks like it's been completely restored, super clean. 24. 24. David. 20. 20.

Mike Marrs

George is at uh 21999.

Email And Quick Break

Don Armstrong

George wins. It's sold for$22,050. Wow. And uh it may do$60 on the highway, that's about it. With the stakes down. Yeah. Yeah, that's it. All right. Well, that was fun. Good. It was good. All right. Hey, uh, if you'd like to uh get in touch with us, shoot us an email. The address here is info at inwheeltime.com and be sure and follow us on Facebook too. We are back. We are we're hello?

SPEAKER_08

We are back in a flash. Stay with us.

Don Armstrong

The Easter bunnies coming. To the tailpipes and tacos cruise in at the Loopy Tortilla Tex Max in Katie, April 4th, 8 to 11 a.m. And you're invited to. Bring the kids and grandkids. It's a cruise in like you've never attended before. With the donation to Shirley's Kids, you'll get a free Luffy Tortilla breakfast taco. There'll be coffee and adult beverages, plus chili pepper trophies for the best hot rod, best modern classic, and best classic. There's no entry fee and no registration. Just bring your ride and the kids. Bad bunnies aren't allowed, but the Easter bunny will be there, and he'll be full of joy to help make this tailpipes and tacos a very special one. Photo opportunities abound. The Inwell Time Car Talk Show will be streaming around the globe, and you can be selected to tell your car story to a global audience. It's the Tailpipes and Tacos Cruise and Easter Middle, Saturday, April 4th, 8 to 11 a.m. at the Loopy Tortilla Tex Max in Katy, located on 99, the Grand Parkway, just south of I-10, the Katie Freeway in Katie. Make plans now. Loopy Tortilla is pretty good.

SPEAKER_00

Houston, get ready! We're collaborating with the Car Meet Network, so you know it's gonna be crazy.

SPEAKER_01

And that's not all. We're gonna be wrestling up six cars to be sold at a thousand dollars each. See below for more details.

SPEAKER_02

You're not gonna want to miss this, Houston, March 14th. We can't wait to see you here.

Don Armstrong

From the Team Gilman Mega Meat Cruise In. Welcome to the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show. Just ahead, we've got stuff. Got more stuff. Yeah, we we don't have a lineup of people guests, which is fine because we've got stuff to get in. More stuff. More stuff. And I'm going to talk about the 2026 Kia Sportage. Give you a review of that. As well as lots of headlines that we can all uh appreciate. Because we need to have news headlines that aren't, you know, wars and death and destruction. Well, some of the cars maybe, but uh not intentionally. Um thank you very much for joining us today. By the way, this cruise in lasts until two o'clock in the afternoon. Uh and so we've had some cars leave, but there's still lots here. And there's food. Yeah. There's food and all sorts of stuff.

Jeff Dziekan

And was the thing you mentioned.

Don Armstrong

Did Paige ever find the uh food book? There's food over there's some people on around the road. Out there, yeah.

Jeff Dziekan

From the inside of the tent. Well, as soon as we get done, I've got to get something to eat. On the advertisement, they're giving away two cars from each of the dealership. Uh they're offering raffle, right? Yeah. Well, you you get to buy them for a thousand.

Mike Marrs

Right. And you have to go to each dealer to uh register for that. Is that how that works?

Jeff Dziekan

Yeah, I found that out earlier.

Mike Marrs

One of them was a Corvette. I heard I heard them the other day talk about uh uh you know five, oh six, some some Corvette that they had taken in was going to be one of them. Yeah. I would take it for a salary business, isn't it? I think it's that black strawberry there with there with the scar of seats in it?

Jeff Dziekan

Uh-huh. That ain't it. It's the one with the hood closed.

Don Armstrong

It's the one with the hood closed. Well, there's another one with the hood closed next to it. Yeah. You know, there's nothing really exceptional. It's clean under the hood, don't get me wrong, but there's two schools of thought about showing the car. If it's judged, you need to have the hood open because you're going to have that judged cleanliness, all the accoutrements that you added on, the stockness of it, that sort of stuff. But if you're going to show it in a meet like this, my school of thought is you want to see the body lines. You want to see what it looks like with the hood closed.

Mike Marrs

Yes, that's actually. If you don't have a lot of chrome or a lot of add-ons to put under there, then yeah.

Don Armstrong

My car speaks for itself.

Mike Marrs

Well, you need one of those things on the side of a Pikachu or whatever that is on the side of yours. That yellow thing on the side of the side of that black car.

Don Armstrong

Don't tempt me.

Mike Marrs

The dingo stole my baby.

2026 Kia Sportage Hybrid Review

Don Armstrong

That's a that's that's something new. I think so. And uh huh. And and Jeff's going to sell it as soon as the show is over with. Time now for my car review, the 2026 Kia Sportage. Now don't turn your nose up because I think that you may like this. Uh, I had the hybrid SX Prestige all-wheel drive. This is considered a small SUV, Seats 5. It was all new in 2023. One of the most modern, sharp-looking exterior designs on the market today, I think. Vertical front lighting reminds of the 60s GTO. I know that may be a stretch for some. I don't care. Stretch it out there. I'm telling you, it's got a good different look to it, and I like different because most of the cars today they all look the same. This one doesn't. Uh black wheels go with the hybrid. And obviously, hybrid is part of the trim package. Uh, and so we change wheels with trim packages these days. Extra big hatch opening should swallow almost anything. I mean, this thing takes up the whole back end of the vehicle. But I liked most everything. What could use improvement? The height line on the rear funny. I'm sure I'd get used to it eventually, but it looks funny. Um interior high highlights include quality, look, and with the top of the line against high marks, comfortable seats, front and back, with sharp waffle human screen stretches from an instrument cluster to the dash and the digital display. Dial it up a trans shifter on the center console. That's with a dial and not an actual stake. Uh trunk room, cargo room, adequate for this small SUV. Now what I liked about it? Easy accessory controls. And let me tell you something. You're getting harder these days. You really have to look for something. If you're going to buy a new car, I encourage you to get in, drive it so you can find out what controls are. Some of them are in the infotainment system. If you're good with that, I'm good with it for you as well. You know, I see I see Mike Mars coming this way.

Jeff Dziekan

Do you?

Don Armstrong

Yeah. Uh-huh. See him right there in the Gorilla suit?

Jeff Dziekan

Yeah, there you go.

Don Armstrong

Um, what could use improvement? A few more buttons, please. Okay.

Jeff Dziekan

David, go get the monkey.

Robots And A Monkey Take Over

Don Armstrong

Uh, engine, a 1.6 liter turbo, inline four-cylinder, 232 horsepower, which ain't too bad. Uh 271 pound feet of torque, six feet automatic transmission, with a 2,000-pound rating uh as far as towing is concerned. So a one-ton tow. 35 miles per gallon city, 36 on the highway for a combined 35. I got 34.4 miles over 376 miles. What I liked about it? The mileage and the fair competitive pricing on this vehicle. What could use improvement? Come over here and get on the air with come on over here, get behind us. Let's take a picture. Take a picture. Come on. Don't I was gonna say don't trip on the curb. Got it. That's it. Come on, you gotta get behind us because the camera's back. There you go. Come on over here, young man. Uh, here we go. Oh, we got some other folks. So y'all get behind it.

Jeff Dziekan

There you go. Come on up. There you go. This is great. Mike, you gotta move the camera. Yeah, you gotta get the camera, Mike. Hold on. Yeah, so we've got to get the camera.

Don Armstrong

Yeah, because this is some good stuff here. Thank you guys for stopping by. Space City Robot Entertainment. So you've got to give them the plug. Mike, are you part of this group too? You're part of this group. Come on in here. There you go. Come on in here. Come on. Come on. There you go. Get in here.

Jeff Dziekan

Get in here. There you go. How does my hair look? Yeah. There you go. Look.

Don Armstrong

This is great stuff. Thank you so much. Thank you, Mike. Appreciate you stopping by.

Jeff Dziekan

I've never had a monkey pet me before. Yeah, you have. Well, I have. That's right. That was back in the 70s. Back in the 70s. And you, you, y'all, you all are together, right?

SPEAKER_08

Yeah. Okay. Good. This is entertainment.

Don Armstrong

So uh you need to come and take it. Yeah. We'd love to have you out there. This is great stuff. Yeah, I like it. Um, so robots. Do you each have a name? No, you just robots. Just got it. Space City Robot Entertainment. This is very cool. I like that. You know, I needed somebody that looked like that. Harry Batmanov one time back in my day. That was the fun you used to shave it for. That was yes, I remember that very well.

Jeff Dziekan

There you go.

Don Armstrong

So you know, I was doing a car review, but I've got totally sidelined to redo it. What you have names, specific names for your No, they don't. Okay. They don't. So uh anyway. Um I I I've lost my thank you, monkey. Thank you, buddy. Thank you guys very much for stopping by. We appreciate it. Be good. Matter of fact, you're more than welcome to stick around for a while because uh I don't I don't have anything else to say, clearly. Um yeah, it's thank you very much. I found my spot. All right. So where were we? We were talking about I can't I can't there you go.

Jeff Dziekan

Exactly. That's it. That's it. That's better. That's beautiful.

Sportage Pricing And Final Thoughts

Don Armstrong

It's better that that's better entertainment than I could ever yeah. That's it. You got that, Mars? He's got it. He's got it. God bless. This is good stuff. You cannot Mike, give him a little peck on the cheek as he goes by, though. Yeah. And uh where is Paige nearby? Maybe she could. I think she ran off and hid. Well, I I would too. Her grandfather is here.

unknown

All right.

Jeff Dziekan

Okay, that all happened at 11 uh 34.

Don Armstrong

Yeah, yeah, 1134. Okay. So uh I was doing a car review and we we we've got it, we got it blasted away.

Jeff Dziekan

You know what? We what you what'd you say, Jeff? I don't think we even had it on the screen. We didn't? I think I don't I don't think it was still in the car review.

Don Armstrong

Oh, that's too bad. Yeah. Yeah. Well, at any rate, um, I will tell you that um the 2026 Kia Sportage also had a smooth ride for such a small vehicle. Uh what could use improvement? Maybe an off-road trim offering. I don't know, maybe. Uh base trim price out at 40,390. As tested price, 41,985. Base model price$30,490. Competitors, Toyota Rav 4 hybrid for$32,850. The Honda CRV gas version,$39.20. And I included that because uh Honda doesn't have a hybrid. But the Honda Tucson, its cousin, has a plug-in hybrid and it's at$40,325. So I think the base model price of this uh hits a sweet spot,$30,490. So I encourage you to uh seek out a dealer for the Kia Sportage and go check it out. Cool. So that's my car review. You okay with that?

Mike Marrs

May do a little editing for you to send it to.

Jeff Dziekan

Yeah, I don't know if it came out on the air because we had the car review on.

Mike Marrs

Well, the audio did.

Jeff Dziekan

Yeah, well, you're gonna have to edit it in.

Mike Marrs

Yeah.

Don Armstrong

Can you do that?

Mike Marrs

Well, I was gonna edit them out.

Don Armstrong

No, no, edit them in. Edit them in. I want to see them because people don't know what we're talking about here. I don't even know if we got the shot because it was in review. Yeah, but at any rate, yeah, we had the video running.

Mike Marrs

We'll have to look at it and see.

Don Armstrong

Okay, so there was a monkey and two robots that stopped by to say hello to the show. And they were touching me. Yeah, so sorry that we didn't have uh we didn't have the video up, but we are going to have the video up for the rest of the show. We're not gonna miss it. Because I've got a whole slew of headlines that I need to get in. Because I wouldn't be doing my due diligence without it. Oh. Can I say those words? It sounds very lawyerish. Put them all together.

Mike Marrs

Due diligence.

Don Armstrong

No, we don't need them. Maybe we do.

Jeff Dziekan

Where are we at?

Reset Before Car News Headlines

FTC Targets Misleading Dealer Ads

Don Armstrong

Well, we need to take a break, is what we need to do. We're at uh yeah, we do, because we're at that time of the day. Uh and so we are at the uh Team Gilman Mega Meet up here on the North Freeway. This show continues on until 2 o'clock this afternoon. We invite you to stop by if you're especially up on the north side of Houston. Hey, the award-winning In Wheel Time Car Talk Show is available 24-7th through the In Wheel Time Car Talk app. Just look for In Wheel Time Car Talk. We also video stream our live show weekly on Facebook, YouTube, and InWheel Time.com and podcasts from your favorite podcast provider. In Wheel Time Car Talk Show continues right after this break. The Tailpipes and Tacos renowned cruising expands to Beaumont. Golden Triangle cruisers will want to experience tailpipes and tacos at the Loopy Tortilla, High Ten South in Beaumont, near Washington Boulevard. Grab free Loopy Breakfast Tacos with any donation to Shirley's kids. Enjoy a coffee or an adult beverage. Every cruising vehicle is automatically entered to win one of the beautiful Chili Pepper Trophies for Best Hot Rod, Classic, and Modern Classic. Tailpipes and Tacos Beaumont happens Saturday morning, March 21st, 8 to 11 a.m. If you're a car geek like we are, this is the event you'll want to attend. The Info Time Car Talk Show will be online live and you may be interviewed about your ride. Tailpipes and Tacos Beaumont edition Saturday, March 21st, 8 to 11 a.m. at the Lupy Tortilla 2050 I-10 South in Beaumont. The Katie Tailpipes and Tacos happens Easter Saturday, April 4th, 8 to 11. The free Tailpipes and Tacos Cruising is a production of Loopy Tortilla Tex Mex, Beaumont and Katie. He's pretty good. Apple or Android InWheel Time podcasts can be found everywhere, on the stream and through downloads. Whether you're on the road or at home and Jones in for a different kind of car talk show, give In Wheel Time a try. Honest new car reviews, fun, informative interviews with real car people, weekly automotive news, features like Jeff's car culture and Mike's driving destinations, all on In Wheel Time. Check us out on Sirius XM Podcasts, iHeartRadio, or while you're shopping on Amazon through Amazon Music. Mm-hmm. In wheeltime.com has a list, and we know you love lists. Wheel Time Car Talk Show coming to you today from Team Gilman up on the north side. They've got Acura's, Subarus, and Mazdas. Yep, a lot of turnout. Yeah, very nice turnout. I can't I can't imagine anybody would be uh disappointed at the turnout here. It's huge. All right. I've got car stories, and I want you to listen up because I want you to comment. Okay. Make your usual Jeffree stuff. Okay. Federal Trade Commission is warning 97 automobile dealership groups, their advertised prices must include all required fees. The vehicles advertised must be available, and the price in the ad must be offered to all customers. This is something new. Uh the agency announced March 13th.

Jeff Dziekan

What makes it different, Don, than all that little fine print you see at the bottom and we watching TV? You can't you need a microscope to look at it.

Don Armstrong

Well, that car has to be available with all the stuff that's on it and it has to be included in the price.

Jeff Dziekan

Isn't there like a there's a uh what do they call it, uh uh disclaimer in that may may not apply. Yeah, well, um then you need to talk to the state of Texas if they're not gonna be able to do it.

Don Armstrong

They're gonna crack down. Okay. Um the Trump Vance FTC is committed to preventing auto dealers from misleading consumers with low advertised prices and then adding on mandatory fees at the end of the purchasing process. Chris McFarage, director of the FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection, said that in a statement. He says, I am concerned that your company may be engaging in one of the more one or more of these practices, which offers six examples of what the agency considers illegal advertising behavior. You ready for the list? Yep. Advertising a price for a vehicle that does not reflect all required fees. Advertising a price that reflects rebates or discounts not available to all consumers. Advertising a price that fails to take into account the amount of an additional required down payment. Conditioning the advertised price on consumers using dealer financing, requiring consumers to buy additional items not reflected in the advertised price and advertising unavailable or non-existent vehicles. Those are the new rules.

Jeff Dziekan

Lost leaders.

Mike Marrs

I would think.

Don Armstrong

Well, you better be on your toes and be able to be able to back up whatever it is that you've advertised and make sure that that vehicle.

Mike Marrs

Which is fine with me. I you know, tell me what this is gonna cost.

Don Armstrong

Well, here's the problem that I see. So let's just take, for instance, that Subaru right there. Right here. Right? Yeah, it's a brand new, I don't know, Forester or something. Okay, so I've advertised that for sale at this dealership for let's just say forty thousand dollars. Okay, okay. Does it does not include tax, title, and license? Or, and it doesn't say here, do you have to put that the tax title and license on the price of that car and show the price of that on the sticker? I'm not sure you're I'm just asking the question.

Mike Marrs

Well, I understand, but it sounded like that's what they're getting to, to where you have to say it's forty thousand dollars plus tax titan license makes it 4123.99.

Jeff Dziekan

Oh contrary. So you have to advertise that. Oh, but wait, what about you're in finance and you go, what? I'm I want I want coding on it. I'm gonna add coding to it. I want to put wheels on it. But you can put wheels on, then you get the TTL after all of that's finalized. No, you're gonna put TTL on just that car.

Don Armstrong

No, it's just as long as you advertise that you've put all that stuff on that car, you're good to go, as long as that's the total price.

Mike Marrs

Yeah, but you as a consumer, if you want to add more, then it goes to different deposits. I got you. I could see that.

Don Armstrong

One of the other things is too, is that when you talk about financing, then you talk about well, you don't qualify for this financing because you have poor credit rating.

Jeff Dziekan

Yeah, okay, you've got to switch vehicles.

Don Armstrong

You can't, I don't know how you could advertise that because it depends on your credit rating. Unless it's zero finance.

Mike Marrs

I I've seen some disclaimers though in the fine print where they talk about, you know, got to have certain credit ratings or may not be available to all, depending on your credit, zero finance.

Don Armstrong

According to this, then you have to have it available to all.

Jeff Dziekan

Well, that sounds like it'll be a good thing then.

Mike Marrs

I I kind of think it probably is, but then when you get to the other side of that, like the price leaders, you know, you get in there, you walk in. Well, we've we sold all of those cars that we had to that price.

Jeff Dziekan

We got a baby blue whatever. Yeah, you wanted a red one.

Don Armstrong

Yeah, so I think that the I think you need to do your homework before you go to the dealership. And then when you get to the dealership, you find the car that you like and say, Okay, I want to see this, this, this, this, this, this, this. I want to see you meet that.

Mike Marrs

That's always been the problem, though, trying to get them to show you. Just tell me what it's gonna cost me to get out the door. Well, we gotta do this, we gotta no, just tell me, I'll write you a check.

February Auto Sales And Pricing

Don Armstrong

No, buy it online. Like what people are doing. I understand. A new car, you've already driven it, you know that you want that color, you want that kind of car, you want the automatic transmission, you want this, you want that. You found it, just buy it online. Yeah, that's possible. Okay, another story. U.S. Auto Market proved a mixed bag for major automakers in February, with volume dropping at Ford, Subaru and Mazda, but edging up at other companies in what was a weak stretch for the second straight month. New car and light vehicle sales fell 3.8% to 1.18 million last month, with retail volume down 5.6% and fleet shipments up 4.5%. Whether an end of federal tax credits towards electric vehicle purchases and affordability weighed on showroom traffic last month, according to analysts. The weakness is expected to stretch into the early spring selling season. March and April are highly likely to be down as well. Ford Motor Company's U.S. sales fell 5.5% last month, volume down six point three. Uh volume rose three point two at Toyota, deliveries up three point three. Toyota's results driven by a twenty-two percent increase in pickup sales. All right. Wow. Imagine that. Yeah. And a 14% gain in car sales. Huh. So it seems to be trending in the right direction. Yeah, they do. Average retail transaction price with non-EV vehicles increasing three percent, now up to forty-six thousand and ninety-seven dollars. Buy one today.

Jeff Dziekan

Yeah. Plus T T and L. Well, and they're they're giving away cars here at each do it each of the dealer. That's right. And uh the if uh the way I understand it, I haven't seen it yet. You get a ticket with a number on it, and then for that number, you have the ability to buy that vehicle for a thousand dollars plus DTL. So I don't know what the cars look like. Uh Mike heard of something. I heard a couple of them. The there was one of them had a Corvette that that was gonna be, and then another one it was uh one of the Mazas, I guess. No, I'm that I don't know, but they're saying they're available. I don't know what they were gonna be, but they're all evidently drivable certified for all that. Not brand new. No. By no means, so yeah. There you go.

Mike Marrs

Be interesting. That's Theresa Paige came, got up at five o'clock in the morning. She can register for the vehicle. She gets a ticket.

Honda Insight Return And Design

Don Armstrong

Good. So she's got a good chance of anybody else. And you gotta be present. And that's why Laura showed up. She wanted to have a chance. Honda is bringing back its storied on again, off again, Insight nameplate. Remember the Insight, the Honda Insight?

Mike Marrs

The Honda Insight. Kind of a weird looking.

Don Armstrong

Compact crossover will be imported to the home market of Japan this spring. Limited to 3,000 vehicles, Honda said. A Honda spokesperson declined to comment on plans to introduce the new Insight to other markets. Where are they building it at? I don't know. Honda Motor Company. The story doesn't say.

Mike Marrs

Are they building it here and importing it back to Japan?

Don Armstrong

Yeah, they are. That's that's the thing that Honda's doing. They've got other cars that they're building here. Probably some cord and that sort of thing. Honda made history with the original pint-sized three-door insight hatchback in 1999. Way back in 1999, Mars, when it became the first gasoline electric vehicle to be sold in the United States, beating the Toyota Prius to market. But unlike the Prius, the Insights funky aerodynamics, replete with rear wheel covers, which were fender skirts in our day, never really caught on. Remember those? Yeah, yeah, yeah. God that could be I'll never forget when it came to the United States. Dan, Lieutenant Dan, Lieutenant Dan Patrick, he, I don't know, somehow or another, he had one.

unknown

Yeah.

Don Armstrong

And he says, get in, I'll take you for a ride. So we went riding somewhere in the thing. It was a smooth riding car, but my God, it was ugly. That's why they're the ugly the better. Yeah, yeah.

Jeff Dziekan

Hey, ugly cars need love too.

The Pope Gets A Ford Explorer

Don Armstrong

Yeah. Well, by somebody else, but not by me. Pope Leo the Oh yeah, Pope Lee. What is it, the 14th? X1V. Yeah. Okay. Pope Leo the 14th has driven a Ford lately. You going what?

Jeff Dziekan

We could call Leslie, she'll know.

Don Armstrong

Ford Motor Company CEO Jim Farley and his wife, Leah, gave the Chicago-born pontiff a 2026 Explorer, custom built, his hometown auto plant. The one-of-a-kind vehicle includes a number of local touches, including Chicago flag seat tags, center console stitching replicating the city's skyline, and scuff plates showing both the Windy City and Vatican City. Ford even included a pair of vanity license plates reading Leo XIV and Da Pope. The latter is sold on t-shirts in Chicago as a takeoff of Da Bears.

Jeff Dziekan

The Bears.

EV Pullbacks And Infiniti Plans

Don Armstrong

Popularizing Saturday Night Lives part in the uh part that was done by Chris Farley. Farley, Farley, Farley. Yeah. Da Bears. Hyundai and Kia are the latest brands to pull back on electric vehicles in light of slowing U.S. sales, affordability issues, and tariff uncertainty. Hyundai is trimming the South Korean built Ionix 6. Light up to just one model, the Ionic 6N, a high-performance sedan that has as much as 641 horsepower. Car scheduled to arrive sometime this model year. Even though the Ionic 6, which starts at 39,000, shipping included, is being dropped. The car will be available for some time. A nationwide search shows that more than 800 Ionic 6s at dealerships around the country. Just 229 were sold last month. I bet you that they would love to see you in their showroom to say, let me see that Ionic 6. You betcha. Come on down! And finally, Infinity is adopting a pragmatic approach to an ambiguous plan for a high perfor to a high performance sub brand to rival the Mercedes, AMG, and BMW M C M divisions. How do they make that deal?

Jeff Dziekan

I don't know. Yeah, it's fine. It's like the echo thing. One of them just says Hey, what's your name? Ezekiel. Hey, Ezekiel! That kind of thing.

Don Armstrong

Tony!

Jeff Dziekan

Hey, hey, wait.

Don Armstrong

Infinity's prioritizing quicker market entry by fast tracking a more muted red sport performance derivative of its flagship full-size SUV. All right, need to take a break. We're going to wrap up today's events here at the Team Gilman. At the Team Gilman cruise in. So we invite you to stay with us. We'll be back right after this break. The Easter bunnies coming. To the Tailpipes and Tacos cruise in at the Loopy Tortilla Tex Max in Katie, April 4th, 8 to 11 a.m. And you're invited to. Bring the kids and grandkids. It's a cruise in like you've never attended before. With the donation to Shirley's Kids, you'll get a free Loopy Tortilla breakfast taco. There'll be coffee and adult beverages, plus chili pepper trophies for the best hot rod, best modern classic, and best classic. There's no entry fee and no registration. Just bring your ride and the kids. Best bunnies aren't allowed, but the Easter bunny will be there, and he'll be full of joy to help make this tailpipes and tacos a very special one. Photo opportunities abound. The Unwell Time Car Talk Show will be streaming around the globe, and you can be selected to tell your car story to a global audience. It's the Tailpipes and Tacos Cruise and Easter Metition, Saturday, April 4th, 8 to 11 a.m. at the Loopy Tortilla Tex Max in Katie, located on 99, the Grand Parkway, just south of I-10, the Katie Freeway in Katie. Make plans now. Loopy Tortilla is pretty good.

SPEAKER_00

Houston, yes, Tim Homan is hosting a mega car meet at the North Complex. Ask for a lost Subaru. We're collaborating with the Car Meet Network, so you know it's gonna be crazy.

SPEAKER_01

And that's not all. We're gonna be wrestling up six cars to be sold at a thousand dollars each. See below for more details.

SPEAKER_02

You're not gonna want to miss this, Houston, March 14th. We can't wait to see you here.

Don Armstrong

Well, I can't believe that it's over. It's over. Well, that's all for this week's In Wheel Time Car Talk Show. Be sure and check us out online at nrealtime.com. We're always looking for new, informative, and great automotive events to bring to our global audience. If you've got an idea, an event, a road trip, cruise in, tall tale you'd like us to feature, let us know. Our email address is info at nrealtime.com. When you're looking for award-winning car talk, you can find the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show 24-7 on the In Real Time app and website. Grab a podcast from your favorite podcast store. Video stream our live show every Saturday, 10 to noon, on Facebook, YouTube, and InWheelTime.com. Normally. Today we went till one. Boy, am I tired. The In Wheel Time Video Coordinator is we always need more Jeff Zeken. The booking agent and video editor. Mike out of this world, Mars. And let's not forget His Majesty David Ainsley. I'm Don Armstrong. Thanks to our weekly show contributors, Jeff Heitzman and Joyce Skelton. Next week, we'll have another three-hour extravaganza beginning at 8 a.m. Beginning at 8 a.m.

Jeff Dziekan

Beginning at 8 a.m.

Don Armstrong

Uh Tailpipes and Tacos and the Cruise Inn at the Lupia Tortilla in Beaumont on I-10. Please stop by and say hello. It's great. And then when we finish that, we're all going to go over to Mars House. So come on by.

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Come on by.

Don Armstrong

Have a great, safe weekend. So long for now, everybody. That's it for this podcast episode of the In Wheel Time Car Show. I'm Don Armstrong, inviting you to join us for our live show every Saturday morning on Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and our InWheelTime.com website. Podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Sketcher, iHeartPodcast, Podcast Addict. Tune in, Pandora, and Amazon music. Keep listening, and we'll see you soon.

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Don Armstrong

Host
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Jeff Dziekan

Co-host
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Michael Marrs

Co-host