Coffee With Jim

5 Minutes With Jim, Episode 99

IT was an interesting concept, a vehicle that bridged the gap between the automobile and the motorcycle.
 For a time during the early to mid-teens, it was an international fad that launched hundreds of manufacturing endeavors.
 And then in an instant the entire movement became less than an historical footnote. Yet in a way it was a glimpse of the future, the post WWII years when microcars would enjoy popularity, especially in Europe.
This program is sponsored in part through the magic of crowdfunding - www.patreon.com/jimhinckleysamerica

5 Minutes With Jim, Episode 98

For American auto enthusiasts, the V8 engine has almost mythical status. It powered the chrome bedecked tail finned behemoths of the 1950s, and the Ford flathead 8 was the engine of choice for pioneering hotrodders. Few. however, know that the V8 engine is almost as old as the automobile itself. And fewer know that as with Chevrolet, the V8 engine was an import. 
On this fun filled program its another opportunity to fill the head with useless knowledge as America's storyteller, author Jim Hinckley, shares a bit of obscure history about the legendary V8 engine. 
This program is sponsored in part by the iconic Roadrunner Lodge in Tucumcari, New Mexico and through the magic of crowdfunding on the Patreon platform. 

5 Minutes With Jim, Episode 97

It was an era of unprecedented opportunity, for those with vision, with passion, and with ambition. The world’s largest manufacturer of household items such as birdcages and ice boxes transformed into the manufacturer of luxury automobiles. Twin brothers manufactured violins and launched a photographic empire before turning their attention to steam cars. Opportunity and innovation were the order of the day when the world stood poised between the stirrup and the throttle. 
This weeks program is sponsored in part by Roadrunner Lodge in Tucumcari, New Mexico, a near perfect blending of the past and present, a living time capsule where the traveler is assured a restful night’s sleep after an adventuresome day on Route 66 and through the magic of crowdfunding - www.patreon.com/jimhinckleysamerica

5 Minutes With Jim, Episode 96

Welcome to another episode of 5 Minutes with Jim. In 1901, Alexander Winton of the Winton Motor Carriage Company made a valiant effort to drive across the United States and made a grueling drive from San Francisco to Nevada. In 1903, Dr. Horatio Jackson succeeded where Winton had failed. In 1911, AAA hired A. L. Westgard to map automobile roads in the west. Four years later Edsel Ford and several thousand people drove to the Panama Pacific Exposition in California.
It's another bit of time travel back to the dawning of the great American road trip with America's storyteller, author Jim Hinckley 
This program is sponsored in part by the Roadrunner Lodge in Tucumcari, New Mexico, a touch of 1960s swank on Route 66. It is also sponsored thought the magic of crowdfunding -www.patreon.com/jimhinckleysamerica 
 

5 Minutes With Jim, Episode 95

In the beginning the automobile was literally a horseless carriage. Then it morphed into a box on wheels. But Walter Chrysler and Hans Ledwinka had a streamlined vision of the future, and the auto industry was forever changed.
Even though the Airflow was deemed radical in its engineering and even bizarre in its styling, it paled in comparison to the new Ledwinka designed Tatra’s. The large Tatra 77 was introduced mere weeks before the Airflow and as a result claimed the title of being the world’s first production aerodynamic car. 

5 Minutes With Jim, Episode 94

Welcome to another episode of 5 Minutes with Jim. There were motorized bicycles and vehicles with four, six and even eight wheels. They were powered by steam, gasoline, kerosene, electricity, oversize clock springs and even compressed air. They began as a manifestation of eccentricity and scientific curiosity but soon morphed into circus side show curiosity and promotional gimmick.
Then in the blink of an eye the automobile was a multimillion-dollar industry. Names became brands. Streetscapes were transformed with gas stations, garages, electric vehicle charging stations, billboards, and dealerships. Society was transformed. The world of transportation was transformed. Our lexicon was transformed with the addition of words like motel. Generational businesses were decimated. Time honored careers were transformed into historic footnotes. It was a time of transition. 
This program is sponsored in part by the historic Roadrunner Lodge in Tucumcari, New Mexico (www.roadrunnerlodge.com/)the magic of crowdfunding (www.patreon.com/jimhinckleysamerica)

5 Minutes With Jim, Episode 93

It never ceases to amaze me that in less than ten years the automobile went from circus side show curiosity to necessity. In ten short years the automobile went from eccentric’s project in a back-alley workshop to multimillion-dollar industry. How? Underlying the tsunami of interest that fueled the transformation of the automobile from novelty to daily transportation was the excitement, the allure of racing and motoring sports.
This fun filled episode of 5 Minutes With Jim is sponsored in part by Roadrunner Lodge in Tucucmari, New Mexico (https://www.roadrunnerlodge.com/ ). 
It is also made possible through the magic of crowdfunding on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/jimhinckleysamerica) 

Coffee With Jim, Episode 92

Before Nissan and Toyota challenged the dominance of Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler in the United States auto industry, it was a legion of smaller manufactures that vied for a share of the market. A few such as Peerless, Willys Overland and Auburn were never able to be counted as serious contenders. Others, however, claimed a serious market share and pushed the envelope for technological innovation.
On this episode of 5 Minutes With Jim, author Jim Hinckley takes a quick and surprising look at the contributions of the independent auto manufacturers. 
This program is made possible in part through the magic of crowdfunding - www.patreon.com/jimhinckleysamerica