Chassis, Chicago Auto Show, Lincoln Navigator, and More

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THE DRIVE with Alan Taylor | Episode #321

Reviews of excellent craftsmanship spread like wildfire, especially in the automotive industry. A quality build equals safety, longevity, and stellar performance; car buyers are ready to throw down extra dough for a premium ride.. We begin the show with automotive journalist, BJ Killeen, and renowned chassis builders, Art and Craig Morrison of Art Morrison Enterprises. Art and Craig know about quality – A car with an Art Morrison Enterprises chassis fetches high dollar at auction. We discuss the importance and value of up-fitting your vehicle with tried and true equipment. Then, BJ gives us a quick rundown of what may be coming to the floor of the Chicago Auto Show. Next, Chris Duke previews the new, redesigned season of Motorz TV. After that, we dive into the lap of luxury with Hollywood car consultant, Josh Hancock of JoshCAR, who reviews the brand new Lincoln Navigator. Shifting gears, Rick Ruskin of General Motors discussed their new online ‘Marketplace’ which enables in-app purchases during your daily commute. We end the show with automotive journalist, George Kennedy, who sounds off about his recent test drive in France of the noticeably smaller Jaguar E-PACE. Join us now to get your engines revvin’!

[00:00:00] 47 Years of Chassis Work
[00:06:39] Chevrolet Bolt-On Frame
[00:12:30] Art Morrison Chassis
[00:19:53] Chicago Auto Show
[00:28:02] Fresh Motorz TV
[00:35:54] Motorz TV: Real DIY
[00:42:15] Exceeding Expectations
[00:48:51] What About the Fuel?
[00:54:46] General Motors ‘Marketplace’
[01:02:09] Dodge Demon Tires
[01:11:20] Jaguar E-PACE
[01:18:10] Rally of 10,000 Bends

Discover more about segments and guests below…

[00:00:00] 47 Years of Chassis Work

Alan shares his recent experience on the Motor Trend Live stage at Barrett-Jackson, Scottsdale. He tells us that when a car would roll on with an Art Morrison chassis, the price automatically escalated. We chat with automotive journalist, BJ Killeen and Art and Craig of Art Morrison Enterprises, about the 47 years they have in the chassis building business and what they’ve done to stay relevant after all this time. They started out working strictly with street rods and were even sponsored by the Hot Rod Association in the ‘90s. Find out what they did when their business plateaued in late ‘80s.

[00:06:39] Chevrolet Bolt-On Frame

Art Morrison was reluctant, to say the least when it came to his son’s proposal to build their first ever bolt-on frame. After fending off his son, Craig Morrison, tooth and nail, he finally agreed; they teamed up with an engineer and got to work in early 2002 and decided to start with the ’55-’57 Chevrolet frame. Art assigned himself the frame and put his engineer to work on designing a suspension that would outperform anything that was on the market at the time. What a team! They did it. Now, they are nearing the 15,000th build of their most popular hot rod frame. Discover more about Art Morrison Enterprises’.

[00:12:30] Art Morrison Chassis

After 47 years in the business, you know that Art Morrison Enterprises must have seen some wild builds. We talk with Art and Craig Morrison about some of their favorite project cars. They are lucky enough to work with builders from all around the world, keeping them on their toes with funky ideas. Currently, they are putting one of their chassis on an all-electric 1949 Mercury by Jonathan Ward of ICON in LA and making a custom frame for a slightly odd 1938 Fiat Topolino. Art and Craig can start building something before they even have the car, due to internet resources and a 3D laser scanner that digs deep into the often-overlooked nooks and crannies. Do you own Art Morrison’s chassis?

[00:19:53] Chicago Auto Show

Auto shows are in full swing and automotive journalist BJ Killen gives us an inside look at what we can expect from the Chicago Auto Show. People are excited to see the newest addition to the truck world, the Ford Ranger, and Hyundai Kona, which is a small SUV. You can plan on seeing the 2018 Jeep Wrangler, Dodge Ram, Chevrolet Silverado, Kia Stinger, and the Jeep Trackhawk as well. The Chicago Auto Show will also be offering test drives for some of the new rides, giving visitors the chance to really fall in love with a vehicle. Don’t miss Chicago Auto Show.

[00:28:02] Fresh Motorz TV

What has Chris Duke of Motorz TV been up to? He fills us in on the new episode and some changes he’s making to the show style. 2018 will mark the 10th year of the show and to commemorate this big milestone, he has updated the studio a bit. He had Troy Downey from Ape Wraps wrap the entire wall, added metal roofing, and designed a brand new LED Motorz sign. Chris has also decided to stray away from the quick cuts and slow down a little to make the show more personable and fun. In the newest episode, Alan takes us on a tour of the Katzkin Leather factory and Chris shows us how to install their gorgeous leather interiors. Are you ready for more Motorz TV?

[00:35:54] Motorz TV: Real DIY

Motorz TV has been the perfect show for all sorts of automotive DIYers and Chris Duke has decided to make it even more lovable. While there is a time and a place for perfectly scripted production Chris believes DIY viewers should see the ins, outs, mistakes, and fixes. Chris plans to deliver a casual show packed with excellent information and keep it more approachable to the work-a-day Joe in their home garage. He recently showed how to install a backup camera on an F-150 tailgate and he really took the time to get into the wiring and helping with a basic understanding before he got into the instructions. Motorz TV is making it more exciting for the viewer, and we can’t wait!

[00:42:15] Exceeding Expectations

We’ve all heard the rumblings about the 2017 Lincoln Navigator that has been completely redesigned but Josh Hancock of JoshCAR is here to gush even more. Josh just spent two weeks cruising around in this luxurious new ride and he shares that it exceeded his already high expectations. The redesign is absolutely stunning, with its 30-way power seats, HD infotainment screen, and two-piece tailgate but that is not what caught Josh’s attention. He was pleasantly surprised by 450-HP twin-turbo engine, which is the same power behind the Ford Raptor. If that wasn’t impressive enough, the Navigator’s handling was excellent and the way the steering was calibrated made it easy to handle. Hear why you need to check out the 2017 Lincoln Navigator.

[00:48:51] What About the Fuel?

Let’s be real – the 2017 Lincoln Navigator is a very big SUV. With advances in technology, we can’t help but wonder what the fuel economy of this massive ride is. Josh Hancock of JoshCAR tells us that during his two-week test drive of the Navigator it outperformed the MPG of their previous model and the Cadillac Escalade. He took a mixed mile trip and got 19.8-MPG which is pretty amazing for that big of a vehicle. Josh also informs us that 84% of the take rate is the top two trim models coming in at $81,000 and $93,000, overlooking the lower trim models. People want luxury and the comfort, quality, and handling has buyers falling in love. Will the Lincoln Navigator sweep you off your feet?

[00:54:46] General Motors ‘Marketplace’

Are you ready to get more value out of your daily commute? Well, Rick Ruskin of General Motors is here to tell us about how they have made this possible. Recently, General Motors (GM) introduced their ‘Marketplace’ which allows drivers to set up in-app purchases with a variety of companies, and complete the transaction before they reach their destination. Businesses such as Shell, Dunkin’ Donuts, Bridgestone, and more have joined forces in order to offer a variety of services to drivers of new GM vehicles. Place and pay for your coffee and donut order before you even pull up to the establishment. This will make it easy for the always-on-the-go busy bees to streamline their day. In-car purchases are just a tap away with GM.

[01:02:09] Dodge Demon Tires

We all know that Alan has been burning the rubber off those brand new Demon tires like it is going out of style. Automotive journalist George Kennedy inquires to how many sets of tires he’s gone through so far. Well, at $745 a pop – Alan is happy to announce that he has not yet completely destroyed the original set. Also, Alan made a smart decision to buy the 96-month bumper-to-bumper warranty through FCA. George and Alan also reminisce about their time at Mohegan Sun for Barrett-Jackson Northeast. This year has definitely been the year of the truck and it has Alan kicking himself in the butt for letting one of his classic trucks go for such a low price. Join in on the fun now.

[01:11:20] Jaguar E-PACE

Jaguar is known for excellent performance and when they release a car it’s hard not to love it. Automotive journalist George Kennedy just took a trip to Corsica, France to test drive the brand new Jaguar E-PACE. This is a subcompact SUV that is smaller than the F-PACE and takes a lot of its styling cues from the F-Type sports car. This really sharp looking SUV comes with an MSRP of $38,600 and the trim that George drove came in at $57,000. Inside and out – this car was a looker and even came equipped with a jet fighter joystick. The E-PACE also drove really well, chalking it up to its 2L turbocharged 4-cy engine and all-wheel drive with torque vectoring. Looking for a luxurious, performance SUV? Look no further than the E-PACE.

[01:18:10] Rally of 10,000 Bends

George Kennedy just returned from France for the worldwide launch of the Jaguar E-PACE. While we still don’t know exactly when this small SUV will hit the market, we know it will be soon. George tells us that they worked the original route of the Tour de Corse rally from the ’50-‘60s into the event and they called it the ‘Rally of 10,000 Bends’. The course is made up of never-ending, high-concentration corners and George didn’t puke but he had a blast. Changing gears a bit, George talks about the 2018 Subaru WRX which he is driving right now. The base MSRP is $26,900 and he tells us that if you start going nuts with options to the STI, you could probably work that price up to around $45,000. This is a really dialed in car, standard 6-speed, all-wheel drive, and is most at home on country roads. What kind of joyride are you looking to take?

Explore More with Helpful Links:

Contributor: BJ Killeen | Automotive Journalist
Contributor: Chris Duke | Host, Motorz TV
Contributor: Josh Hancock | Hollywood Car Consultant, JoshCAR
Guest: Art Morrison | Owner, Art Morrison Enterprises
Guest: Craig Morrison | Operations Manager, Art Morrison Enterprises
Guest: Rick Ruskin | Senior Manager of Online Commerce, General Motors
Guest: George Kennedy | Automtoive Journalist, Boston Globe
Vehicle: 2017 Lincoln Navigator
Vehicle: 2018 Subaru WRX

Episode Credits:

Program Host: Alan Taylor
Producer: Dave Milligan
Production Assistant: Joanne Bolden
Audio Engineer: Dave Milligan
Copy Editor: Jess Baumgardner

Our Sponsors & Supported Charities:

Art and Craig Morrison | Art Morrison Enterprises

Josh Hancock | Hollywood Car Consultant, JoshCAR

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This episode was produced by Entertainment Right Now (ERN). If you found value in this episode, and you’d like to hear more, leave us a review on iTunes and be sure to subscribe to our podcast so you don’t miss a beat. Your feedback helps us to reach more enthusiasts around the world! If you have a question you’d like us to answer, please leave a comment below or e-mail us at info@ernlive.com.

About THE DRIVE with Alan Taylor

THE DRIVE with Alan Taylor puts you in the driver’s seat for a unique, fast paced look at today’s automotive industry. This is your pedal-to-the-metal, two-hour thrill ride devoted to the latest car news and test-drive results, how-to tips, car maintenance tips, auto show coverage, expert insights and behind-the-scenes race day action. Don’t miss exclusive interviews with top auto executives, athletes, celebrities and prominent newsmakers from around the world.