It’s been a wild week!
Welcome back to the Motorious Podcast, today we’re talking about the confusing future of Dodge muscle cars. Then, we talk about the trend of Tesla wheel theft, the reported reason why California Sheriff Raids Indiana Auto Shop, a Camaro driver thinks he’s the next Steve McQuee. A YouTube is lucky to be in jail, and we share our inventory picks of the week. Watch for yourself:
Headlines:
Dodge Isn’t Ditching Hemi V8s Yet
Dodge, you sly dog you, there you had all of us believing the rumors that the Hemi V8 was a goner as the current Charger and Challenger rode off into the sunset next year. Supposedly, it would be replaced by six-cylinder engines and the upcoming “eMuscle” car to be revealed soon. Then MotorTrend cites unnamed “sources” to contradict what everyone thought they knew while also claiming the Charger and Challenger won’t be set out to pasture.
I really want to believe what MotorTrend says, but I’ve also lived long enough to see all kinds of claims like this not age well. Understandably, people who work for an automaker and aren’t supposed to be speaking to the media about certain topics only do so on the condition they remain anonymous. But anonymous sources have been a thing many in the media, including in the automotive field, have abused mercilessly in recent years. Taking this report with a grain of salt would be wise.
Read the full story here.
Tesla Wheels And Tires Popular Among Thieves
If you live in a city like Los Angeles, you likely have noticed an increasing number of Teslas on the roads. Owning the premiere EV brand is a status symbol in certain circles, which has helped aid the rapid spread and helped destabilize the luxury end of the market. While owners might feel good about zero tailpipe emissions, thieves are feeling great about how easily they can steal the quite valuable wheels and tires off Teslas.
This problem has been festering for a few years but appears to only be getting worse. That might in part be caused by how common Teslas have become in some cities where many leave their car parked outside overnight. It’s like taking candy from a baby for thieves, who despite the cameras installed on Teslas can have the wheels yanked off and be on their way in just minutes.
Awareness of this problem spiked in late May when movie star Owen Wilson fell victim after parking his Tesla outside his residence in Santa Monica. It’s become almost common in the Los Angeles area and other metropolitan areas.
Read the full story here.
California Sheriff Raids Indiana Auto Shop
Usually, cops don’t like getting involved in situations which involve civil disputes unless there’s a threat of physical harm or something else criminal. That’s what makes a story broadcast by ABC7 News Bay Area so strange. Not only did the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office get involved in what appears to be a business dispute, it went so far as to send four employees to raid an automotive shop in Indiana, all at the expense of California taxpayers. If we didn’t already have personal experiences of some rotten apples in law enforcement abusing their power, we would be completely astounded by the accusations being thrown around.
A real estate agent who lives in Atherton, California – Sam Anagnostou – was upset after the $210,000 Batmobile he ordered from Fiberglass Freaks in Logansport, Indiana was delayed. According to the owner of the shop, Mark Racop, Anagnostou missed a $20,000 payment and stopped communicating for over eight months. That’s when Racop bumped Anagnostou’s build to the bottom of his project list and moved on.
Later, when Anagnostou contacted the shop to inquire about his car, he wasn’t happy in the least that he was looking at a one and a half to two year wait for it to be complete. Racop said despite his displeasure, Anagnostou paid off the entire balance owed on the Batmobile. What he didn’t know was the California man filed a complaint with police in his town.
Read the full story here.
Camaro Goes 150 MPH Running From Arkansas Police
We’ve got another wild chase from the Arkansas State Police when troopers try pulling over a Chevy Camaro driver who decides to show what his muscle car can do. In the process of the pursuit, the suspect pushes his vehicle to 150 mph on a narrow two-lane highway at night, something we certainly wouldn’t recommend. This just goes to show how far some will push it to not be pulled over by cops.
When the video commences, the trooper and his partner are searching for this Camaro, which ditched them before. Apparently the suspect thinks he lost the fuzz, because he doubles back and they spot him from a distance, setting up a traffic stop at an intersection. Instead of admitting defeat, the suspect waits until one of the troopers steps out of the car, then he floors it, pulling away with a ferocity.
At first it looks like the troopers are completely outgunned as the Camaro becomes a distant dot and then disappears. However, the trooper shows off his skills and patience behind the wheel, pulling within just a few cars lengths of the fleeing Camaro in short order. We don’t know for sure what this Camaro has under the hood (it’s definitely not a ZL1) so this battle might not be as lopsided as most would think. After all, the claimed top speed of the 2.0-liter turbo four-banger Camaros is 149 mph, so this suspect might have brought a pee shooter to a tank fight.
Read the full story here.
Utah YouTuber Gets His Corvette Impounded For Speeding
Some people weren’t disciplined enough or at least not consistently enough by their parents when they were young. That’s the only explanation I have for people who think they can break the law any way they wish, then whine about it and expect everyone to shower them with sympathy. This played out in especially dramatic fashion recently when a YouTuber used his modified 1,000-whp Corvette to go 120 mph right in front of a cop.
A stunt like that won’t make any police officer just shrug it off. Even if they’re the coolest cop ever, flouting the law that much demands a response of some sort. Apparently, this guy didn’t realize that law enforcement can take your car away just like daddy probably should have done back in the day. Welcome to the consequences of your actions.
Read the full story here.
Inventory Picks:
1996 Toyota Crown Majesta VIP
See it here.
2019 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
See it here.
