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Welcome back Gearheads! BJ Killeen – Automotive Journalist and Voice of Reason joins Alan as they talk about going to the Barret Jackson event for 1 day while he was passing through town. He talks about their new part of the Las Vegas Convention Center and how huge it is.  They continue to talk about the Barret Jackson event. Alan talks about how the cars at auction at the event don’t have a reserve price, so there is a chance that the car will be sold for very cheap (but usually it goes for a lot more than you could get at another place). They talk about mini-bikes being sold at the event and BJ says that mini-bikes are making a huge comeback. They talk about how car memorabilia were selling for a ton of money at the event, even just a sign sold for thousands of dollars. BJ talks about how she hates that people lean on the cars at the event to take pictures, because they often scratch the cars.  BJ talks about driving the new Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport SUV. She talks about how this vehicle is classified as a classic vehicle, so it has a bigger price tag, and BJ was disappointed that it did not have some accessories that other luxury vehicles come with. She talks about it’s a very solid vehicle while driving and it was nice because you didn’t feel like you were ever getting pushed around. George Kennedy III – Co-founder of Cartender and Freelance Automotive Journalist for CarGurus, Boston Globe, and U.S. News & World Report. George joins in as he talks about driving the new Kia Sorento and how it’s a mid-size SUV. It has 3 rows, but the 3rd row is small and meant for kids. He talks about how it has a textured wood on the interior and how it makes it unique from other cars. They continue to talk about the Kia Sorento and how the first 2 rows have a lot of headroom and legroom compared to other vehicles. The second row has captain chairs, which George really liked.They talk about the new F-350 Tremor. George talks about how it’s a beast of a truck and how most people won’t need a truck that big. He talks about how the Tremor is amazing for towing. George talks about the truck being high off the ground and how it gave you a better visual advantage compared to other vehicles. Gordon McCall – President and CEO of McCall Events, Inc. joins the crew as they talk about how the Monterey car week event is coming up soon. They talk about Gordon’s event at Monterey car week called the Quail MotorSports Gathering that has been going on for 18 years. Gordon had the idea that he wanted to make an event where everyone there feels like a VIP. Gordon and Alan continue about the Quail event being all inclusive when you buy a ticket for the event. They talk about how every meal is a 5-star dining experience. They have a lot of classic cars on display, but they don’t have any judges or competitions and they try to get the rarest of cars for the event. The duo talk about how they didn’t know until recently that they were going to be allowed to have this event happen due to covid restrictions, but thankfully they will be able to be at full capacity. They talk about how there are now too many events during the Monterey car week, so you need to pick and choose your favorite events to go to and not worry about not being able to go to all of the events.  Gordon goes on about the Laguna Seca Raceway and how it’s one of the only places where you can see classic cars race against each other. They talk about how there is nothing like seeing these classic cars in person. There is also an event that features unloved cars such as the Gremlin. Gordon closes the show as they talk about how Gordon set up a test drive for Alan where he drove the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier. Alan says that it changed his life and it’s all thanks to Gordon. They talk about how Gordon created an event that features cars and aircrafts and how it got so popular that others have duplicated the event. Join us next week for more on what’s new and wonderful in the auto world.

[00:00:00] – Barrett Jackson
[00:07:17] – Mini Bikes
[00:12:30] – Atlas Cross Sport
[00:19:52] – Kia Sorento
[00:29:22] – Headroom and Legroom
[00:35:53] – F350 Tremor
[00:42:14] – Quail Motorsports
[00:49:07] – Get Your Ticket
[00:54:46] – Monterey Car Week
[01:02:06] – Laguna Seca Raceway
[01:11:06] – Gremlin
[01:18:07] – U.S.S Abraham Lincoln

CREDITS

Host: Alan Taylor
Producer: Dave Milligan
Audio Engineer: Dave Milligan
Copy Editor: Dave Milligan
Contributor: BJ Killeen Contributor: George Kennedy III Special Guest: Gordon McCall
 

EXPLORE MORE WITH HELPFUL LINKS:

• Contributor: BJ Killeen | Automotive Journalist and Voice of Reason.
• Contributor: George Kennedy III | Co-founder of Cartender and Freelance Automotive Journalist for CarGurus, Boston Globe, and U.S. News & World Report.
• Special Guest: Gordon McCall | President and CEO of McCall Events, Inc.

Vehicles Discussed:

Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport SUV, Kia Sorento, Ford F350 Tremor, Gremlin

OUR SPONSORS & SUPPORTED CHARITIES:

·Austin Hatcher Foundation
·Brembo
·Dodge
·Foundation of Human Understanding
·Shell
·Subaru