If you listen to your local NPR station, this weekend marks a significant milestone. Saturday is the last day that most will broadcast an episode of the network’s long-running automotive call-in show Car Talk. It’s an end of an era, and one that will be sorely missed.
For thirty years, Car Talk featured Boston mechanics Tom and Ray Magliozzi (affectionately known to listeners as Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers) as they took calls from thousands of callers across the world (and even a couple from astronaut John Grunsfeld from orbit), answering questions about cars, car repairs, or anything else that came to mind. The show began accidentally in 1977 when Tom went to Boston’s WBUR for a radio interview, and was invited back, this time accompanied by his brother. Their personalities got them the offer of a weekly show, which eventually went national-wide in 1986. Car Talk eventually earned a prestigious Peabody Award in 1992, while the brothers also ended up filming cameos in films like Cars.
Car Talk became NPR’s most popular weekly show, and it ended its run in 2012, and co-host Tom Magliozzi passed away in 2014 due to complications from Alzheimer's disease. NPR has since produced and aired an edited version of the show, The Best of Car Talk, which drew on the 12,000 phone callers that they’ve spoken with since they began.
Devoted listeners will still be able to listen to episodes via podcast
Even though NPR won’t be updating the show with new or remixed content, devoted listeners will still be able to get their weekly fix: some stations around the country will continue to air re-runs of the episodes, and the episodes will remain online as a podcast. In many instances, stations are adding a new roster of programs to their weekend lineup, such as Hidden Brain or It’s Been A Minute, podcasts that have been adapted for the radio.
While nothing remains eternal, not hearing the show on Saturday mornings will be strange. The show has been a Saturday morning fixture for millions of listeners. For me, Car Talk was a regular fixture when I accompanied my dad on a trash run, or on those early morning trips home from camp. When I got a car of my own, the show became something that I’d regularly listen to, even as I end up outsourcing most of my repairs to the local garage.
What made the show a delight week after week was the brothers’ self-deprecating humor, ridiculous reproductions of car sounds, puns, raucous laughter, and genuine advice on what to do when faced with car trouble, ranging from the mundane, such as diagnosing a bad wheel bearing to helping a caller figure out if she could anonymously pay a bridge toll after running a gate.
the show covered the mechanical side of cars in a way that even the non-mechanically-inclined could understand
While light-hearted and goofy to listen to, the show covered the mechanical side of cars in a way that even the non-mechanically-inclined could understand and make use of. As cars become more complicated and we move past the era of the hobbyist mechanic, figuring out what was wrong was half the fun. Listening to the pair reason out problems and dispense down-to-earth advice about cars, relationships, and everything else was the perfect way to “waste a perfectly good hour” of one’s weekend.
FAQs
Ray Magliozzi is still at the Good News Garage. He has taught adult education automotive courses, worked for the Consumer Affairs Division of the state attorney general's office, and is a member of the National Car Care Council.
What is the slogan of Car Talk? ›
At the end of the show, Ray warns the audience, "Don't drive like my brother!" to which Tom replies, "And don't drive like my brother!" The original tag line was "Don't drive like a knucklehead!" There were variations such as, "Don't drive like my brother ..." "And don't drive like his brother!" and "Don't drive like ...
What day of the week did Car Talk air? ›
The mechanic brothers started their auto advice show in Boston in 1977, and have been dishing out car tips and jokes every Saturday morning on NPR since 1987.
Why was Car Talk so popular? ›
"Car Talk" had a peppy, talk-radio feel that didn't sound like the rest of public radio, so it stood out (their willingness to cackle with laughter and their Boston accents helped). Because it was a call-in show, it was largely unscripted.
Is Car Talk still being made? ›
On Saturday, The Best of Car Talk will air on WBUR for the final time. Car Talk launched as a local show on WBUR in 1977, with brothers Tom and Ray Magliozzi of Cambridge behind the microphones. A decade later, the show went national and became an enormous and enduring hit for NPR.
How old is Tom Magliozzi? ›
BOSTON (Reuters) - Tom Magliozzi, co-host of the long-running weekly National Public Radio show "Car Talk," died on Monday of complications from Alzheimer's disease, the broadcast network said. He was 77.
What is the best car slogan? ›
Numbered List of 20 Cool Car Slogan Ideas
- "Get Ready to Turn Heads, Drive Cool"
- "Where Style Meets Coolness"
- "Drive with an Attitude, Embrace the Cool"
- "Coolness Perfected, Drive with Flawlessness"
- "Experience Coolness in Motion"
- "Coolness Redefined, Driven with Confidence"
- "Accelerate Your Coolness, Drive in Style"
Asking for a quote from a car dealer means you want the price of the vehicle reflecting all the costs — the “out-the-door price” reflecting shipping, incentives, taxes, fees and extras.
What TV show is based on car talk? ›
Click and Clack's As the Wrench Turns is an adult animated television series and sitcom produced by Atomic Cartoons and airs on PBS. The series follows the adventures of the brothers Click and Clack from their auto repair shop, Car Talk Plaza.
What happened to Car Talk Brothers? ›
Tom Magliozzi, who with his younger brother, Ray, hosted “Car Talk,” for years the most popular entertainment show on NPR, died on Monday at his home outside Boston. He was 77. The cause was complications of Alzheimer's disease, NPR said.
NPR Car Talk : The Two-Way : NPR. NPR Car Talk : The Two-Way Click and Clack — Tom and Ray Magliozzi — are stepping aside after 35 years. But their best stuff will still be on the air.
Did Click and Clack go to MIT? ›
Known to millions of Americans as "Click and Clack, the Tappet brothers," both Magliozzis are MIT graduates: Thomas L.
Are the guys from Car Talk in cars? ›
Ray continued to write the column, retitled Car Talk, after his brother's death in 2014, knowing he would have wanted the advice and humor to continue. Tom and Ray both appeared in the Pixar films Cars (2006) and Cars 3 (2017).
How to get all Car Talk episodes? ›
Subscribe to Car Talk+
Your support helps make NPR's work possible and unlocks access to over 800 episodes of archived Car Talk episodes (with older episodes being added to the archive regularly!).
What happened to Tom Magliozzi? ›
Tom died on November 3, 2014, aged 77, in Belmont, Massachusetts, of complications from Alzheimer's disease.
How many times was Tom Magliozzi married? ›
Tom Magliozzi(1937-2014)
Tom Magliozzi was born on 28 June 1937 in East Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Cars (2006), Cars 3 (2017) and Arthur (1996). He was married to Julia and Joanne.
