All this and more on the week's Motorious Podcast.
A shocking amount of drivers aren’t stopping for cops in Washington, Ford wants to slow you down, and many automakers are pulling out of SEMA. Richard Hammond has a sweet new daily driver, we talk about why it is important for muscle cars to be safe, and talk about the weed funded race team. All this and more on this week’s Motorious Podcast, check it out:
People Aren’t Stopping For Washington State Police
All of us have been on the road when some moron does something not only incredibly stupid but also super dangerous, only to wonder why cops don’t bust them. If you live in Washington state there’s a good explanation: police are almost powerless to stop criminals as they run away. Many suspects fleeing from law enforcement are behind the wheel of stolen cars, so running the tags won’t lead to a capture.
Starting in January of 2022, Washington State Patrol says over 900 drivers have just plain not pulled over when troopers tried to stop them. Thanks to new laws passed by the state’s legislature in the wake of cries for defunding the police and scaling back their powers, criminals are taking advantage and ignoring law enforcement. What’s better, the situation is almost guaranteed to get worse.
Read the full article here.
Ford Wants To Force You To Not Speed
Speed kills, or so we’re told repeatedly by people who don’t want to talk about driver distraction much anymore. That attitude seems to be embodied in Ford’s new forced speed compliance experiment being run in Germany. Called the Geofencing Speed Limit Control system, it yet again a company pushing the idea of a utopian society brought about through the use of authoritarian technology.
Just imagine a city where no speed limit signs are present because each car is forced to not exceed the limit. Sounds pretty great, right? That’s the ultimate vision of this Blue Oval experiment being run in Cologne, Germany.
Read the full article here.
Automakers Are Abandoning SEMA
The Specialty Equipment Market Association or SEMA Show has been around since 1967. Over the years, the gathering, which is ostensibly closed to the public, has gone from a tiny affair to one of the must-attend occasions for just about everyone in the auto industry. In recent times, automakers have leveraged the event to get enthusiasts excited about their offerings, pouring considerable resources into builds, displays, driving experiences, and more. Now, it seems those investments are in retreat.
As of the writing of this article, GM, Ford, Honda, and Hyundai have all pulled out of the 2022 SEMA Show. It seems like the list keeps growing every few days, so it might be outdated by the time this publishes.
Read the full article here.
Richard Hammond Now Commutes In A Hellcat
The running joke in The Grand Tour is that Richard Hammond is secretly an American. Jeremy Clarkson and James May had plenty of reasons to believe this, considering their fellow host often heaped tons of praise onto the American cars he drove on the show, or at least the good ones. But it’s Hammond’s latest purchase, a Dodge Charger Hellcat, which really has won our respect.
Even the modern American muscle cars can be the subject of severe and often unfair criticism from foreigners. They try to compare them to far more expensive, exotic supercars. They try painting them as vehicles driven only by poor “white trash.” We could go on, but you get the point and these foreign critics most certainly don’t. Muscle cars give you a lot of power and some raucously fun personality in a bold package.
Read the full article here.
14-Year-Old Photographer Has Amazing Model Car Talent
Perspective is essential within all aspects of life as it can shape the way we see ourselves and the people and things around us. Especially with autism, perspective is a massive part of what makes up our personalities. One young boy, Anthony Schmidt, dealing with his own autism has taken that sentiment to heart and, in the process, has crafted a wonderful life for himself. This kid has built a massive following for himself by combining a love for classic cars, an inventory of model vehicles, and some excellent camera skills. So what exactly made this young man so incredibly successful?
Read the full story here.
Randy Lanier’s Weed Funded F1 Race Team
Imagine, if you will, being a 13-year-old boy who has recently moved to Hollywood, South Florida, after a life of hard work in rural Virginia. Eventually, getting caught up with marijuana and partying, you fully embrace the lifestyle of the 1960s and '70s with your fellow hippie friends. Perhaps your father is less than thrilled at your new lifestyle choices, but you eventually begin selling weed to pay for your extravagant taste. Again your father expresses concerns over your life choices as he sends you to work in construction. Little did you know that this would be a blessing disguised as your co-workers becoming your core customer base, allowing you to buy a boat and quickly begin smuggling drugs. This was the childhood of racing's toughest rookie Randy Lanier, who eventually became America's most prolific drug smuggler and racing car driver. So how did this scrappy young teenager become such an icon in racing and organized crime?
Read the full story here.
Inventory Picks
1970 Lotus Europa S2
See it here.
1971 De Tomaso Pantera
See it here.
