Arctic Rally Countdown

Welcome And Cold Day Banter

Don Armstrong 0:06

And welcome to the Inwell Time Car Talk Show. Just ahead, Andy and Mercedes Lillian thought. Woohoo! And they're gonna describe the Al Can A L C A N Al Can 5000. The thing that they've participated in before that uh numerous times. Numerous times, and they always do so well at it, so we're gonna see what the forecast is. Jeff has the racing calendar. And uh we'll have this week in auto history. I'll try to find the stories that I throughout.

Jeff Dziekan 0:35

I think if they win, they'll give us a trophy.

Mike Marrs 0:41

Yeah, in spirit. It's just a little snowman, and it might melt though. It gets down to here, though.

Jeff Dziekan 0:48

Nothing but coal and carrots left over. Coal and carrots. Coal for the belly and the carrot for the nose, uh, and a stick for arms. I got stick. I got a hat, I got a hat, I need a hat. I have a hat, top hat. And what did they say? Uh happy birthday every time he came back alive. Do you know there's a story behind that? The guy that did the voice actually had four different families that they didn't know about each other. And he named the kids the same name so he wouldn't forget the kids' name. Yeah, two story. Look it up, the guy that voiced uh the snowman. Frosty. Frosty. No, that no, no, no, the guy that voiced it, not narrated it, the guy that voiced the actual character. Burrow Ives is the narrator. Look it up. Ho ho ho. And there's like 100 days of Christmas or something, something like that.

unknown 1:42

I don't know.

Don Armstrong 1:42

Hey, along with uh Mike out of this world morons, we always need more Jeff Zucchin. Chief Engineer David Ainsley, I'm Don

Meet The Lillienthals Up North

Don Armstrong 1:48

Armstrong. Now, let's go to the Pacific Northwest, shall we? Ladies and gentlemen, our friends. Look at them. There they are. Look at dark and sharp and everything. It's Andy and Mercedes Lillienthal. How are you guys doing? Doing all right.

SPEAKER_02 2:03

Great. Can you hear us and see us?

Don Armstrong 2:05

Yes, we all of course Mars puts himself up there first.

Mike Marrs 2:09

Oh, I'm trying to get him up there. There you go.

Don Armstrong 2:12

Perfect. Yeah. Well, it's so good to see you guys. Um, you know, I'm not sure what the way that you're dressed, how the weather is up there. Crusadie's got her puffy jacket on with pants. And he's got strings hanging from his pants. Yeah, and uh shorts.

SPEAKER_03 2:27

What what I wanted that I have it is uh it's actually like the first cool day we've had here in forever. So I'm a little bit taken full advantage of like wearing a sweatshirt.

Don Armstrong 2:38

Well, very good. Um, it's always good to see you guys. We haven't talked to you in a while. The you know, world travelers that you are now. Y'all have uh come full circle. We knew you back in the day when. I'll never forget one of my first interviews with you. We talked about the Pajero.

SPEAKER_02 2:52

Here we go. It's still right over there.

Don Armstrong 2:55

Is it? Is it over there? Oh, yeah. And and do you still have the van? We do, yes.

SPEAKER_03 3:00

Also over there.

Don Armstrong 3:01

Well, you did you hear that uh Mitsubishi's gonna start building them again?

SPEAKER_03 3:05

Yeah, they they actually have never stopped building them in Japan. They just don't get exported. Um, but uh you can if it's if you're in Canada, you can get a 15-year-old one and you can still get a 25-year-old one here. I just got to import it.

Don Armstrong 3:19

Well, uh, I'm thinking that we're we're gonna write them a letter, uh, the in-wheel time uh car talk show, and we are going to insist that they give you one of each because you're such uh you know loyal. Yeah, a loyal follower and fan and driver and collector.

SPEAKER_02 3:37

I think a bad idea, yeah.

Don Armstrong 3:39

Yeah, okay. I know that's not what you wanted to talk about. Because if you remember correctly, I mispronounced Pajero and embarrassed myself. We're not going there. We're not going there.

What The Alcan 5000 Is

Don Armstrong 3:48

Um, so the Al Can 5000, and I assume that you guys are doing it.

SPEAKER_03 3:54

Yes.

Don Armstrong 3:55

And I hear that you're leaving tomorrow.

SPEAKER_03 3:58

We are, yes. We're leaving tomorrow. So we're gonna go uh a day early. Uh tech inspection is Monday, so we try to get there a day early just to make sure we've got everything sorted. Tech inspection will be on Monday. Take the car, wash this car. 2026 Subaru Forrester Wilderness. And then uh Monday we uh we are out, and uh we'll be up in Canada for the first night. And we're going all the way up to the Arctic Ocean this year in uh Tia's Northwest Territories, assuming uh all the water crossings and whatnot, uh which are ferries, uh, are operating. They've had some high water way up north there, and the uh their cable ferry, the uh Peel River Ferry, has been shut down. But we've just heard it opened up. So uh yeah, it's it'll be quite the adventure.

Don Armstrong 4:43

Well, the only suggestion that I have to offer you is that you don't tell the Canadians that you're Americans. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 4:51

Well, we uh we yeah, it'll be interesting, but yeah.

Don Armstrong 4:55

Well, okay, so tell everybody about the Al Cannes 5000. What is it?

SPEAKER_02 5:01

So the ALCAN 5000 rally is typically at least 5,000 miles um in about 10 to 11 days at a minimum. It happens like the Olympics, where it's every other year, winter, then summer, then winter. Um, this is a back-to-back summer year, which is really interesting. So, as Annie alluded to, this is the one mother of a rally this year. We start near Seattle, go all the way up to Tucky up Tuck, Nubik above the Arctic Circle and in North America, uh and Canada, then go back over to Alaska, up above the Arctic Circle. If you do all the extreme controls and back down and we finish 6,300 miles later, about 1,300 of it is going to be dirt and gravel in 11 days. Let that think in.

Don Armstrong 5:38

And so the whole purpose of this is to show how well the vehicle does.

SPEAKER_03 5:45

Yeah, how you work your lunatics. But yeah, the the purpose of this there uh it is a time speed distance rally. So there is competition there. So there's about how many stages are here, we think? I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 6:01

I there's there's 10 or 11. Well, yeah, about 10 or 11. Right.

SPEAKER_03 6:05

So about 11, 10. Yeah, okay. 13, 14 stages. There's usually one, sometimes two a day. It's all about accuracy. So they they will give you the mileage, they will give you the dis uh the speed, and you've got to get find out the time at which you're supposed to cross through these invisible checkpoints. And so what they call car zero, which is sort of the the um the fictitious car that that started this or that ran the whole rally, they have the master time, and we're supposed to match that master time as close as possible. So early or late, you're penalized.

SPEAKER_02 6:40

And it's all on public uh roads at or below public speed limit. So the biggest thing with road rally or off-road rally that's time speed distance or in Eurobase, it is not a race. That's the number one thing because we're with traffic, we're with cars, uh, you know, cows, uh, trains, stoplights, all those types of things. So we have to re-time everything and try to match the rally master perfectly as best as we can.

Don Armstrong 7:03

Who's the driver and who's the navigator?

SPEAKER_03 7:05

Navigator. Yeah. Nobody wants me navigating. Uh that's uh that's uh I'm I'm not he's I'm not one of these people that can read in the car without kind of getting car sick, so I'm best behind the wheels.

Jeff Dziekan 7:16

So who's gonna let the cat out and water the plants while you're gone?

SPEAKER_03 7:19

Yeah, thankfully we have some fantastic neighbors who are gonna who are going to uh do some watering for us.

Don Armstrong 7:25

Okay, well, the first thing that comes to mind is the last time that we talked to you, you guys were finishing up some sort of an event that you were in and hadn't had a bath in a couple of weeks.

SPEAKER_03 7:35

Oh, well it could have been many. But um, so uh this year though, uh on the Alkan Five Phasm, thankfully, there are uh uh hotel arrangements made. And uh sometimes it's gotten better over the years, which is great. So, but we won't have a problem with that. We are after the rally, however, we are going to drive. It it finishes in Fairbanks, Alaska this year. And we're actually gonna uh have a trip or with some friends around the area, and then we're gonna drive back to uh Portland from Fairbanks, and that's gonna be a whole nother trip. We expect probably overall close to 10,000 miles in about three weeks.

Don Armstrong 8:11

Oh my god. Yeah. My butt would be sore. I don't care what you what'd you say? That's a that's a lot of seat time, ladies and gentlemen. Well, uh, you know, we all we always look forward to hearing the stories and and finding out about these events. So is Subaru giving you the uh off-road wilderness out there to uh to drive?

SPEAKER_03 8:31

Yeah, so Subaru has lended us this car and we've built it up with a number of partners. It was built in uh Anaheim, California uh at Rally Innovations, and uh there's a student car club at Los Sanchez Valencia High School called Zen Speed, and so it was a lot of high school students, part of this car club, that did a lot of the work on this car. So uh it's really great to be able to work with the future beer heads, and uh that's super, super cool. We got a chance to meet them. And do you guys want to see the

Forester Wilderness Build Walkaround

SPEAKER_03 9:02

car?

Don Armstrong 9:02

Yes, of course we do.

SPEAKER_03 9:04

So this is a so this is a 2026 Subaru Outback Wilderness. Forester Wilderness. For I'm sorry, Forrester Wilderness. I'm gonna grab the camera so you guys can do the walk around. Yeah, okay. So um it is uh as you can see, it was white. Um we have a wrap on both sides. Now it's kind of interesting. You can, I'm not sure if you can see this, but it's got silver black rhino wheels. So these are their poles. On the other side of the car, they're actually bronze, and the wrap is black. And so you have kind of a two-personality view here. So we've got falcon wild peak tires on there, King Springs from Primitive Racing. We have a bunch of Baja designed lights. We've got this roof rack, which is a co-design product from Rally Innovations and Lightner designs. We also got their gear pond up on top here where we'll store some of them, some of our some of our stuff. Um, we're running a canon intake, optima batteries, R1 concepts brakes. So we've got slotted brake rotors on here, top PPMS, uh CPMS sensors, uh, rock flops, mud flaps. So uh we've got all kinds of stuff here. You can see we've got some uh lights up on top. We're carrying five gallons of fuel. Oh, we're running full primitive racing skid plates, by the way. So um we are uh we're running five gallons of fuel because there will be probably one stage in which we really will need to dump fuel because there may not be enough uh range. Uh it's a very long stage. So um, yeah, as you can see, so we've got the black and bronze on this side. So you've got two personalities. Um and then uh inside we're running quad lock uh mounts uh for our phones. We've got the max tracks up on top just in case we get uh uh in a resumption situation. We've got a Baja Designs light bar up on top, we've got Baja Designs uh XLR Pro lights up front here, and these are this is actually kind of a neat thing. These are motorized and they can manually adjust, or excuse me, automatically adjust them with the Spod lighting uh uh switch panel. So struggling uh wipers. And uh yeah, so uh we're we're super stoked. Uh we've got about an inch and three-eighths lift on it, and we'll take any bit of extra ground clearance we can get because the roads up there can be pretty gnarly, uh rocks and dirt and all that.

Don Armstrong 11:23

Are you gonna have a chase vehicle or no?

SPEAKER_03 11:25

So there is a sweep theme, uh, three different uh three different rally uh trucks that will follow the last car on the rally so nobody ever gets left behind.

Don Armstrong 11:39

That that listen, we're all sitting here with our mouths open going, Oh yeah, this is so cool. Did you help design all of the stuff that was on the on the vehicle?

SPEAKER_02 11:49

That was primarily Zenfeed and Rally Innovations. We had some input as to some of the requirements we wanted and needed, especially uh up top with the Max Track and the fuel. The fuel was very, very important. We're actually gonna be run running uh hard-fixed uh roof mounted uh Starlink for the first time as well. So great for us and great for everybody. Uh we're gonna, yes, and then also um that's gonna be powered off the Ecoflow system that we have inside the car. It's gonna be powering things like our camera batteries, our fridge. We've got a small uh 17-liter fridge, just a tiny one we're bringing along, all sorts of things. But the Starlink in that whole setup is allowing us to be able to run, hopefully, run streaming um social media as we go instead of me doing it at you know 2 a.m. in the middle of the night every night.

Don Armstrong 12:31

So oh my god, I I am so pumped on this. What why what is it that excites me so much about this from the other ones that you guys do all the time?

Jeff Dziekan 12:40

He wants to go.

Don Armstrong 12:41

I want to go.

SPEAKER_02 12:43

Everybody wants to go. They want to, you know, get get in our luggage in our backseat or whatever.

Seat Of Pants Rally Strategy

SPEAKER_02 12:47

But uh it's this is gonna be one mother of a rally because this is the longest 11 days and the longest uh mileage-wise of about 6,300 miles that we've done. This is our fifth one, and we run what is called the SOP class or seat of pants class. That basically means we have like a just a simple GPS odometer that gives us stuff in you know, tensile mileage so we can be exact. We don't run any rally computers, no rally, you know, any of those things they ask, those types of things. So we run literally five seats of our champs. That being said, it's it's pretty difficult. You gotta do a lot of math, but what we're hoping on is a three-peat for a class win, and maybe, just maybe, last year we came in second overall. Maybe we could take the cake with everything. Maybe.

Don Armstrong 13:30

All right. No, there's no maybe. It's gonna happen. I feel it, I feel it, I feel it. Um, so I have to ask Mercedes really. Um, I I guess that you were the one that was instrumental with the fridge in there for your nightly wine, isn't that? Isn't that the case?

SPEAKER_02 13:46

Uh if you call uh protein drinks and cottage cheese, and that comes out. That's what those young kids are calling it now.

Jeff Dziekan 13:54

That's what they're calling it. Instead of saying griera, it's cottage cheese. Yeah, I get it. I get it.

SPEAKER_02 13:58

It's all the high protein stuff along with icon meats. Uh, we've got a bunch of meat sticks and their beast sticks. We eat a lot of protein, and that's how we roll. And we have a camelback that's off of Andy's back or uh off of Andy's driver's seat. So we have a hose that's up here to both take small sits, and that for us really helps us powered. And at the end of the day, if we're lucky, and if the bar is still open or if a restaurant nearby is still open, we'll get our celebratory beer beer that we finished one day.

SPEAKER_03 14:23

So the whole thing is is you know, you're never guaranteed anything is gonna be open. Yeah. Uh especially if you roll in late. So we try, we learn bringing a little fridge with uh a little bit of actual food. Yeah, just stay in case I think.

Don Armstrong 14:38

You know, one of the things that that I I keep wanting to say is the fact that, you know, I I I'm thinking that there is a party somewhere within the Lillian Thaul compound there, waiting to come out, and we're gonna get the invite.

SPEAKER_03 14:56

When we have a big back, we'll be sure to send you all the invite.

Don Armstrong 15:00

No, that that's a cop out. Andy, you can't fool me. I know.

Jeff Dziekan 15:04

Here's an idea for you. You get Mike and Don to ride with you, you'll get it done in six days. So we can get to the party. There you go.

SPEAKER_02 15:13

I was just gonna say the party's gonna be up here up north compared to you, Texas boys. You're gonna have to have two jackets on.

Don Armstrong 15:19

Yeah, well, there's no doubt about that. We bring tequila, we don't need jackets. Exactly. Well, this is pretty exciting, and I'm sure that uh that that Subaru is all over this with you guys because I mean, I will tell you that uh they have come a long way here recently with the redesign of many of their vehicles and some new vehicles as well. Um, they seem to have uh gotten the word that, hey man, you can be cool and have a Subaru.

SPEAKER_03 15:47

Yeah, uh we have this is the second Alcan Subaru that we've run. Earlier in the year, we ran the Colorado Adventure Rally, which is an inaugural SCCA road rally, and we did that in a WRX STI swap 2006 Subaru Baja, which was not their vehicle, but somebody else's vehicle. That was fire breathing, very fast. Fully customized as well. Yeah, and uh yeah, you can do incredible things in the Subaru. We have we've driven coast to coast on and off road last year on the Trans America Trail in a cross-track wilderness. We've done the Alcan 5000 in a Outback wilderness. We're about to do it again in a Forester wilderness. We have a customized cross-track. Uh, yeah, you can do some pretty amazing things in Subaru's. We're we're big fans.

Don Armstrong 16:29

Well, put the word in for us, and it's great to have you guys on with us as always. And we're so excited for you. I don't know what it is about this thing, but it gets me all jazzed up. Gets them out of the house. Yeah, it gets me out of the house. There's that. Uh maybe it's that that suitcase on the top of the roof there.

Safety Plans And How To Follow

SPEAKER_03 16:46

Yeah, it'll be full of stuff. We're gonna bring camp here this year just in case, because of uh they've had some wildfire, big wildfire up there, and then some of these uh water uh crossings have been swollen and the and the ferries have been shut down for days. So we we're bringing some place to sleep if we have to.

Don Armstrong 17:02

Will y'all be safe? And so we can follow you on Facebook. Is that it?

SPEAKER_03 17:05

Facebook, Instagram, uh our website, crankshaftculture.com, blue sky.

SPEAKER_02 17:12

It's all gonna be via crankshaft culture. I would say primarily uh Instagram and Facebook. What I'll be doing as a navigator is when we have our really long several hundred mile transit time after the competitive leg, is I will be rolling out social stories on Instagram and Facebook as they happen, because now thanks for a Starlink. Thank you, Lightner Designs, for loaning us that. Um, and so that will be primarily the two platforms that that would be like on the on the spot happenings as they as they move on.

Don Armstrong 17:38

Well, y'all be safe up there and know that we're following you. What time are you leaving in the morning?

SPEAKER_03 17:43

Actually, we don't have to be up there super early, so we don't have to be up at the crack of dawn. After hotel check-in. Yes.

Don Armstrong 17:50

That's it. Okay. Well, y'all be good. Let us know how it goes, and we'll be following you, okay? Want to talk to you when you get back.

SPEAKER_03 17:56

Absolutely. Thank you so much for having us on. Thanks so much, and pray everybody for perfect zero scores.

Don Armstrong 18:01

Love you guys. Y'all, y'all take care. All right. The Lillienthals, ladies and gentlemen. Very cool. Uh very cool uh to say the least. Just ahead, Jeff has the racing calendar, Mars has this week in auto history, and I'll bring you some stories making automotive news headlines if I can find them again. The in-real time car talk show is back in a flash after this. Stay with us. The Tex Max dining experiences defined by Loopy Tortilla. Your destination for Texas is fast 15 minutes of frozen margaritas. There's a text location you need. The recipes are authentic and time tested. The ingredients are always private. Yep, our first show aired May 7, 2011, on the local radio station. And it was a move to the digital world and social media, and you followed. Thank you. We continue to build and grow our fan base, and it's all because of you and your auto enthusiast friends. We appreciate your support. It's always great to see you in our remote broadcast, too, and we hope you'll continue to stop by and say hello. It's been a great ride, and we hope to bring you more fun and adventure right here on the Edwell Time Car Talk Show. Come down to uh uh yeah, the time that we're going to kind of wrap things up for this week's show. I've got a couple of stories that I've found that I want to share with you.

Jeff’s Racing Calendar Updates

Don Armstrong 20:02

But right now, Jeff's Racing Calendar.

Jeff Dziekan 20:04

Yep, uh we're winding up.

Don Armstrong 20:05

Oh, sponsored by the Texas Muscle Car Club Show.

Jeff Dziekan 20:07

Yeah, I just bought that. Thank you for that, by the way. Uh winded down, you got NASCAR is at Daytona. Uh the the uh uh O'Reilly ran last night. I didn't see it, I guess Don. You watched it last night? Uh I watched all of it.

Don Armstrong 20:19

Uh crashes today.

Jeff Dziekan 20:22

NHRA is off this weekend. Uh Indy is a two-race weekend. You've got uh Milwaukee race one is today, and then Milwaukee uh race two is tomorrow. They're going to be tickets are available, by the way. It's going to be on uh what's it, 2 30 this afternoon and then 1 o'clock tomorrow, and I believe it's on ABC. I may be wrong. I have a check here.

Don Armstrong 20:42

That is at the West Dallas uh Milwaukee Mile. And that was the place that I was introduced to auto racing, and uh it's never stopped since then. And I was a little boy.

Jeff Dziekan 20:52

There you go. Formula One is off, and of course, we've got uh the lawnmower racing is off until a couple weeks ago. Gotta let the grass grow. Gotta let the grass grow and tune up them uh them hogs.

This Week In Auto History

Don Armstrong 21:04

All right. Time now uh on the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show for this week in auto history, Mr. Mars.

Mike Marrs 21:10

Yes, sir. Found a few things this week uh coming up this week that we thought were rather interesting, and we're gonna start with uh August the 29th, uh 1927. The drunkelmeter, probably officially called the drunchometer, but drunkelmeter is the way it's spelled, and I like it. So this is the actually the precursor to the modern breathalyzer because uh up until this time people, officers of the law, they just had to observe people and kind of figure out what they were going on to decide if they uh were inebriated or not.

Don Armstrong 21:39

What is that thing that she's blowing into there? Is that a bubble? Uh some sort of other kind of rubber rubber kind of thing.

Mike Marrs 21:47

It's a balloon. So they blew into the balloon to capture the air.

Jeff Dziekan 21:51

The drunchometer.

Mike Marrs 21:52

Yeah, on the drunchometer, then they would let the air out and it would measure the amount of alcohol that was in the device.

unknown 21:59

Ah

Mike Marrs 22:00

There's a lot of tubes and stuff going on. They modified it a little bit, so it's a lot better now, of course.

Don Armstrong 22:06

Looks like a catheter in the box there, doesn't it to me?

Mike Marrs 22:09

It looks like you could look like it used that for a lot of different things.

Don Armstrong 22:14

Yeah, and some rings, too. Moving on.

Mike Marrs 22:17

Moving on. August the 30th, 1945. Hudson returns to civilian car production. Now, World War II, everybody started making things to support the war. They quit making cars. So in August the 30th, 1945, Hudson produced his first post-war vehicle, and it was a Super Six coupe. Like a lot of others, they started remaking their cars because nobody really expected the huge demand of everybody after the war of everybody wanted to buy these vehicles. So it worked out well to get everybody started. Then on August 31st, 1955, GM built a Sunmobile. Now one of their engineers, this is over 70 years ago, a GM engineer demonstrated a Sunmobile at the company's Power Ramage show in Chicago. It was only 15 inches long and it was a model, but it used 12 selenium total electric set uh cells to produce the power. Basically, this is the precursor to the EVs. This is what they used to work and try and create the EVs and sun power off of them. It worked for a 15-inch vehicle. Then on September the 1st, 1989, Lexus arrived in America. They uh started building. This has really started a new chapter in the American luxury car market. Because whenever Lexus came in, they were very nice. They challenged uh they were coming out of Europe, and then the American luxury brands now suddenly had to compete with price competitive vehicles that brought in uh a bit a lot of equality and luxury items for the price range. Then on September the 5th, 1994, the National Corvette Museum opened in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Now it was appropriate because that was where the Corvette production had been since 1981. So the museum actually became a big part of that landscape there. A lot of people go there. We've been there a couple of times with uh doing some interviews. I would love to go there in person one of these days. I was actually on a flight out of uh the local here, going off to a car event, and there was a gentleman sitting behind me talking to his daughter. He was flying to Bowling Green. Him and her were gonna pick up his new Corvette and then drive it back home. And I thought that is the way to buy a new Corvette. Then on September the 5th, 1940, the Federal Aid Highway Act. Now, this is kind of a precursor to uh the shaping the American highway system.

Don Armstrong 24:50

It's before bus unum, isn't that in the in the the uh Dorothy and and Toto and and yeah, e Plurubus Unum. Kansas.

Mike Marrs 24:59

It was in Kansas.

Jeff Dziekan 25:02

I'm taking that for the greatest.

Mike Marrs 25:05

So so the way this worked, because they actually started because of the highway system, it was important at the time, back in the 40s, the national defense, and this is what allowed the the federal government to go in and spend the money. That was their excuse to go in and spend the money and build the highway system and eventually led to the interstate system that we have today. So these are some things that you're gonna see coming up this week in automotive history that we thought were rather interesting.

Don Armstrong 25:30

Uh listen, e pleribusunum. Uh that that got me. I I'm I'm waving the American flag right now. I'm thinking, yeah, don't click your heels together. Uh, we're all gonna go to Kansas and all of that. I'd like to see that movie again and again and again and again.

Mike Marrs 25:50

Yeah, there's a newer version out. I don't think you can pick it up. Uh it's got to be on cable, though.

Don Armstrong 25:55

Yeah, they don't broadcast that version

Chrysler Minivan Ads Go Wild

Don Armstrong 25:58

anymore. Four decades after inventing the minivan, Chrysler is sending a different kind of message to parents, leading busy, chaotic lives. IDGAF. But not in a mean way. Let me write that. The new advertising campaign turns some common R-rated texting shorthand into family-friendly praise for the 2027 Chrysler Pacifica. I know what you're saying. IDGAF becomes a parent's boast to a snarky neighbor. I'm driving greatness and function. FML turns into a teenage passenger's delight, free to lounge in the back. My phone's fully juiced, low-key. I kind of like this. And STFU is a four-line ode to the van's amenities. Stow and go seats, total glow-up, y'all, freaking love vacuuming, upgraded wiggle room. The ads follow several irreverent campaigns for Jeep, another Stillantis brand, starring comedian Eliza Schlesinger, including one spot noting that the Grand Wagoneer was named Best Vehicle to Have Sex in. So look, look, look for those uh commercials soon about the Chrysler minivan. They're trying to bump it up, I think. Wow. Uh they're going to redo the minivan here in years to come. They're in the process of uh penning it right now, and uh it should be a fun ride with the commercials and the new stuff that Stellantis is coming out. They should bring back some of the old vintage commercials and start playing. I agree.

Mike Marrs 27:33

They're gonna come out with a new model of the minivan. It's gonna say this is the adults-only model.

Don Armstrong 27:38

Well, I'm sure that they'll take your suggestions. We're gonna take a quick break. We're gonna wrap things up after this. Stay with us. Your car is a direct reflection of you, so don't be satisfied with color fade or a dingy, dull appearance. Get rid of those terrible automated car wash scratches. Gulf Coast Auto Shield is your save the paint company. John Gray and his team of detailing experts can help your cars finish without a full repaint. Searching for real experts in window tent or windshield protection, Gulf Coast Auto Shield. Dash cans, radar detectors, Gulf Coast Auto Shield. Got a new car? Get it protected as soon as you take delivery. If you don't know which of the multitude of protection products to go with, John Gray will give you an honest opinion and won't tell you something you don't need. John will help you understand the many options and pricing right on the spot. He's your guy to have your ride looking its best and protected too. See the state-of-the-art shop yourself, free tours anytime. Gulf Coast Auto Shield is easy to get to, located just south of the Southwest Freeway on the Sam Houston Parkway. Gulf Coast Auto Shield, full service luxury car care today and online at gcautoShield.com. Gift giving should be meaningful, and we have an idea: a hand-painted custom illustration of your car from one of the nation's leading artists. Now you can get one or a car show poster customized for you, a friend, or a loved one. Bill Sites will be happy to guide you through the process. No matter what the day, birthday, anniversary, or any day, an autographics custom illustration adds an extra touch of class to any home. Call Bill today, 832-922-0963. That's 832-922-0963.

Farewell And How To Reach Us

Don Armstrong 29:18

You know what that's now means. It's time to wave. Bye-bye. That's all for this week's In Real Time Car Talk Show. We're always looking for new, informative, and great automotive things to bring to our global audience. If you have an idea, road trip, or tall tale you'd like us to blab about, let us know. Our email address is info at inrealtime.com. 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. And we video stream our show Saturdays 10 to noon on Facebook, YouTube, and InRealTime.com. The InWheel Time Video Coordinator is we always need more Jeff Zeken. Our booking agent and video editor, Michael out of this world Mars, and Chief Engineer David Ainsley. I'm Don Armstrong. Thanks to show contributors Jeff Heitzman, George Skelton, and the Lusk family. And thanks to all of our guests today. Have a great, safe week. And we hope you'll join us again next week for the N Wheel Time Car Talk Show. We'll see you there.com website. Podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartPodcast, Podcast Addict, TuneIn, Pandora, and Amazon Music. Keep listening, and we'll see you soon.