Jalopnik: click and clack

"Car of the Future" Nova Episode Stunk, But Here's The Interesting Part

Ben Wojdyla — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 16:20:00 EDT

Yeah, so, that Car of the Future episode of Nova with Click and Clack just wasn't all that good, sorry about that. The episode should probably have been called "Moments of forced laughter from two funny old guys in between John Lithgow talking down to the viewer about the car of the future". However, buried in the muck and mire of that episode was an interesting segment about the Rocky Mountain Institute and their work with lightweight materials, like in their Hypercar above, built with all carbon fiber superstructures and components.

Roasted testicle jokes aside, the founder, Amory Lovins — stop it — is the applied physicist behind the Colorado think tank and has some interesting things to say about the direction of cars to come. Take a couple of minutes and head over to the Nova website and listen to him talk about the challenges and opportunities for making cars better, stronger, faster, and more efficient. Okay, now you can make jokes about dangley bits. [Nova]

Click n' Clack Endorse Higher Fuel Economy Standards For Automakers

Ray Wert — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 18:00:00 EST

Tom and Ray Magliozzi , better known as the co-hosts of NPR's Car Talk Click n' Clack, dropped a letter to the US House Select Committee on Global Warming that they endorse 35 mpg standards. The pair claimed

"When we're facing a future of global oil wars and economy-killing gasoline prices, perhaps having single commuters drive 5,000-pound SUVs is something we'll just have to learn to live without."

While we'd agree that a 5,000-pound SUV may be a bit much for most drivers, we're wondering how exactly a heavy-duty pickup for use on a job site's going to meet a 35 mpg requirement. Just askin'... (Hat tip to Eltonito!) [Detroit News]

This Is What An Animated Click And Clack Look Like

Ray Wert — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 10:00:00 EDT

As we reported earlier, Click n' Clack are getting a cartoon on PBS starting next summer. We just wanted to make sure we were clear here for anyone who's "excited" about a Car Talk television show — these guys have faces made for radio. As we're now able to tell — they can't even make Tom and Ray Magliozzi look good as cartoons. We feel like maybe kids are going to get scared watching this on Saturday mornings [Photo Credit: newscom]

Click and Clack Come Out in Favor of Efficiency

Davey G. Johnson — Fri, 22 Sep 2006 20:00:00 EDT

Although they appeared as a Dodge A-100 and an early Dart in Cars, Tom and Ray Magliozzi are firmly in favor of more fuel-efficient cars on the road, but taking a realistic approach, noting that customers vote with their wallets. Ray notes, "A small family car such as the 1982 Honda Accord had 75 hp. By comparison, a 2007 fourcylinder Accord has 166 hp. A six-cylinder Accord has 244 hp!" While we at tha Jalop love our horses, we have to admit that we ultimately come down on the side of Colin Chapman. A light car with the same power-to-weight ratio as a heavy car — even if it has the same grip and braking numbers — is almost always more fun. Anyone got a spare Europa lying around?

Car Talk: Detroit will build what car buyers want and will pay for [Seattle Post Intelligencer]