When Gas Was In Short Supply, Some Europeans Drove Firewood-Powered Cars

During National Car Donation Month, some drivers may trade out gas-powered cars and trucks for electric ones. But EVs aren't the only alternative: for decades, people have built and driven cars powered by firewood.

By |2024-12-02T07:48:29-05:00December 2, 2024|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

Sputnik Kicked Off The Space Age, And Also Gave Us The Word “Beatnik”

Today in 1957, Sputnik because the world’s first artificial satellite. This changed the world around us in countless ways, including one that doesn’t get a lot of attention: it gave the English language a brand new word. 

By |2024-12-07T19:37:01-05:00October 4, 2024|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

Michigan’s Official State Vehicle Fleet Includes A Vintage Model T

Michigan's official state vehicle fleet includes a vintage Ford Model T, and not just as a nod to the state's long history with automaking.

By |2024-12-08T08:04:34-05:00July 22, 2024|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

Ford Once Tried To Turn A Station Wagon Into A “Pushbutton Camper”

Today in 1958, the Washington Post reported on a way to transform a Ford station wagon into a full-service campsite with the push of a button.

By |2024-12-08T16:53:14-05:00July 3, 2024|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , |

Kansas City’s Subtropolis Is A Huge Business Complex That’s 100 Feet Underground

There's a story you see online about how Ford stashed some surplus cars in an underground cave to preserve them until they could sell. We can't verify that entire story, but there is an underground business park in Kansas City that Ford has used for decades.

By |2024-12-03T11:56:17-05:00April 17, 2024|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

Auto Companies Hire People To Make Sure The New Car Smell Is Just Right

The auto industry is pleased to report that last year was the best year for new car sales since 2019. That means a lot of people are breathing in the scent we call new car smell, which… well, what the heck is that smell anyway?

By |2024-12-13T07:10:49-05:00January 18, 2024|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

High Tech Snow Chains Could Pop Out When Your Car Needs Them And Retract When It Doesn’t

For drivers in very snowy places, winter is time to put snow chains on car tires. It’s neither easy nor fun - but a new concept from two automakers could change that, by embedding snow chain-like paddles right into the tires.

By |2024-12-13T07:24:07-05:00December 15, 2023|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

How Google Street View Could Help Stop Invasive Weeds

A project out of the University of California - Davis uses images from a very well known navigation system to help slow the spread of invasive species.

The First Road Trip Across The Continental US Won A Guy Fifty Bucks

Today in 1903 the conclusion of the first-ever car trip from one coast of the continental United States to the other. And this story starts, like so many other good stories have, with a bet.

By |2024-12-13T07:25:00-05:00July 26, 2023|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |
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