Main page | January 30, 2008 »

PBS names "Car Talk" cartoon

PBS has confirmed the title of its first-ever animated sitcom, based on the hit NPR show "Car Talk" starring Tom and Ray Magliozzi.

As the real life animated duo say on their Web site:

"That's right — thanks to the creative brainpower of Car Talk listener Geoff Groff (of Lancaster, Penn.), our new TV show finally can be called something other than, "that animated thing we're working on with PBS."

It's, "Click and Clack's As the Wrench Turns."

Good work, Geoff!

Now, the bad news: For having his suggestion selected, Geoff scored himself a cameo in an upcoming episode of, "Click and Clack's As the Wrench Turns." We figure it's only fair. The infamy that will haunt him for the rest of his days will more than offset the pride and joy he's experiencing right now."

The show, which follows the on and off-air adventures of the dynamic duo in ten 30-minute episodes, will premiere this summer.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 12:02 PM to Fun | Permalink | Comments 0

Vegetable-oil drivers deserve credit

Motorists who modify an old diesel vehicle to run on straight vegetable oil make use of a greasy byproduct of the restaurant industry, reduce demand for petro-fuels and don’t use up materials needed to make a new car, but they get little respect, according to an opinion piece by Jim Kozubek in The Providence Journal.

The Internal Revenue Service gives tax credits to buyers of brand-new hybrid and lean-burning vehicles, but gear-heads who modify their own vehicles to run on straight vegetable oil get no tax credit.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 11:17 AM to Alternative fuels , commentary | Permalink | Comments 0

NYT's Jim Cobb answers auto related questions

My old pal Jim Cobb, automobiles editor at The New York Times, is answering reader questions Jan. 28-Feb. 1 and so far the questions and his answers are very intersesting.

Check them out at Talk to the Newsroom: Automobiles Editor James G. Cobb

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 10:10 AM to commentary | Permalink | Comments 0

Chrysler offers buyouts to 13,000 in Detroit area

Chrysler offered buyout and early retirement packages Monday to about 13,000 Detroit-area hourly UAW members as the automaker works to cut its overall hourly workforce by as many as 10,000 people, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Monday's effort aims primarily to reduce workers at support facilities that are seeing the domino effect of recent production cuts at the automaker's assembly plants.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 9:52 AM to Chrysler , Unions | Permalink | Comments 0