Coffee With Jim

Coffee With Jim July 6, 2025

If you are a fan of classic and vintage cars, automobile restoration, and love to hear about their history, this program is for you! Our guest today is Richard Lentinello, the former editor-in-chief of nine car magazines, including Hemmings Motor News, that recently launched Crankshaft, a quarterly publication, in August 2020. And in February 2023, he was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Antique Automobile Club of America. When not writing about or photoraphing cars, he restores tham and serves as a judge at prestigious events such as Amelia Island.
Starting with Issue #9, Crankshaft has been transformed into a 224-page softcover book without any advertising. Well researched stories about a 1944 Volkswagen, 1965 Plymouth Barracuda, 1935 Ford, 1958 Austin Healey, 1966 Honda, 1921 Marmon, and 1967 Gilbern, enhanced with archival photos and photographs by acclaimed photographers, aptly illusttrate why this is being recognized as the premier publication for the classic car hobby.  
Today's program is sponsored in part by patrons that support us through Patreon. It is also sponsored by the iconic Wagon Wheel Motel in Cuba, Missouri, Roadrunner Lodge Motel in Tucumcari, Two Lane America, RouteTrip USA, Cactus Inn Motel in McLean, Texas, Gilligan's Route 66 Tours, and Enchanted Trails Trading Post and RV Park in Albuquerque. 

Coffee With Jim, June 29 2025

Love them or hate them the electric vehicle is here to stay. And they have a history that is rather surprising. Did you know that the first pedestrian killed by an automobile in the US was struck by an electric taxi cab - in 1899? Did you know that the first car built by Ferdinand Porsche was electric? And that was in 1898! Did you know that in 1916 a company manufactured a gasoline/electric hybrid? 
But today's program is not just about the past. It's about the future of the EV and related infrastructure, and everything in between. Our guest on this episode was Tosha O'Neill of the Historic Electric Vehicle Foundation - www.hevf.org - that is developing the world's first EV museum and education center in Kingman, Arizona. 
With plans to showcase the first exhibits in 2026, just in time for the Route 66 centennial, the museum will provide a glimpse of the future on this storied old highway. 
Put aside pre-conceived thoughts and ideas, take a listen, and be prepared for a surprise or two! 
Today's program is sponsored in part by supporters through Patreon. It is also sponsored by RouteTrip USA, the iconic Wagon Wheel Motel, a Route 66 treasure in Cuba, Missouri, Two Lane America, Cactus Inn Motel in McLean, Texas, Roadrunner Lodge Motel in Tucumcari, the Enchanted Trails Trading Post and RV Park in Albuquerque, and Gilligan's Route 66 Tours. 
It's another shared adventure from Jim Hinckley's America! 
 

Coffee With Jim, June 22, 2025

As I am attending the AAA Route 66 Road Fest in Tulsa, Oklahoma our virtual cohosts are filling in with a very special program about the prehistory of Route 66, and an exciting new Route 66 anthology. As a bonus we have some fascinating EV trivia, and a sneak peek at next weeks episode of Coffee With Jim. 

Coffee With Jim, June 15, 2025

It made quite a stir when introduced in October 2014. Soon the musical road near Tijeras, New Mexico, a Route 66 community, that played a portion of "America The Beautiful" when driven over at a certain speed became quite an attraction.
But did you know that the idea of creating a musical highway is linked to the creative genius of Walt Disney? Surprisingly the concept is even older as the polyphon, a popular type of 19th-century disc-playing music box, used the same concept. 
On today's episode we visit with Chris Hill and Pete Thompson, the visionaries behind the Route 66 musical road. And they have big plans for celebrating the Route 66 centennial.
Officially recognized as a centennial project by the Route 66 Centennial Commission, the ”Musical Road” project will add a new dimension to the Route 66 celebration and create an attraction that will enhance the Route 66 adventure for years to come. Curious? Join us for a lively and fascinating conversation that is sure to inspire a road trip or two.
Today's program is sponsored by the bespoke road trip holiday specialists for an adventure in the US or Canada, RouteTrip USA. It is also made possible with listener support through Patreon, and by Roadrunner Lodge Motel, a 1960s gem, the Cactus Inn Motel in McLean, Texas, Two Lane America - We're making the great American road trip easier than ever, the iconic Wagon Wheel Motel, the legendary Enchanted Trails Trading Post & RV Park, and Gilligan's Route 66 Tours - if Route 66 is on your bucket list. you've come to the right place.