Lime Rock is a famous race track where car events happen. They’re saying a big weekend took place there.
Car
the Topolino
The Topolino was a super small Fiat car name from long ago. In this episode, they’re talking about a new tiny electric version that’s meant to feel like that original idea.
A commuter car is a car you use for everyday trips, like getting to work. Here they’re saying this small electric car is meant for that kind of driving.
A golf cart is a small vehicle people usually drive around a golf course. It’s generally slow and meant for short trips, not regular roads—so the hosts are comparing the electric vehicle to that idea.
The Fiat 500 is a tiny city car. The hosts mention it to argue that the US market already struggles with small cars, so an even slower vehicle probably wouldn’t sell either.
Smart is a car brand known for very small cars made for city driving. In this segment, it’s used as an example of a tiny car that doesn’t necessarily sell well in the US.
Renault is a well-known car company from France. The host says Renault sells a small vehicle in Europe that’s treated more like a moped than a car, which is why it can be driven with fewer restrictions.
A moped is a small motorized vehicle that usually goes slower than a motorcycle and has different rules. Because of those rules, it can sometimes be driven with less licensing than a regular car.
Trans-Am is a racing series in the U.S. that focuses on road-course style racing. It’s mentioned here as another type of racing that has visited Lime Rock.
IMSA is a U.S. racing series that runs sports cars on road courses. It’s mentioned as one of the organizations that has hosted big events at Lime Rock.
Topic
NASCAR truck series on road courses
They talk about NASCAR’s truck series racing on a road course and what it’s like to watch. The hosts also discuss why some people think it’s boring and what makes the racing exciting anyway.
A tube framed chassis is the car’s main skeleton made from metal tubes. It’s used in racing because it can be built strong and stiff so the car handles consistently and protects the driver better.
A stock car is a race car that’s based on the general shape of a normal car, but it’s built and modified for racing. The term is used a lot in NASCAR to describe the kind of race cars they run.
Driver’s protection refers to safety systems and structural design features intended to reduce injury in crashes. The segment connects race-car safety tech to what eventually shows up in street cars, highlighting how motorsport accelerates safety development.
The Mazda RX-7 is a sports car made by Mazda. It’s known for having a special type of engine called a rotary engine, rather than the more common engine style. People often remember it for being fun to drive.
“Head protection” means the safety parts that are meant to keep the driver’s head from getting hurt in a crash. In racing cars, these are designed to reduce how violently the head moves during an impact.
A NASCAR race vehicle is a race car built for NASCAR events. Here, the discussion is about how its driver area is designed to protect the driver’s head and neck in crashes.
“Neck protection” means safety features meant to keep the driver’s head and neck from whipping around in a crash. It’s designed to reduce the forces that can injure the neck.
A headrest is the padded support behind your head in the seat. In a crash, your body and seat stop, but your head wants to keep moving, so the headrest helps slow and control that motion.
In racing, drivers use special safety gear to keep their helmet from moving too much in a crash. This helps reduce head and neck injury by keeping your head more stable.
A helmet is protective gear that covers your head. In racing, it’s designed to help protect you if you crash, and it can be connected to other safety equipment so your head doesn’t move as much.
Term
head holder
A head holder is a support that helps stop your head from moving too far during a crash. The idea is to control the motion so the head doesn’t slam backward uncontrollably.
The Subaru Forester is a popular family SUV. Here it’s mentioned because the headrest position can be angled forward in some models, which can make it harder to sit with your head supported comfortably.
Concept
brand lineup
A “brand lineup” just means all the different car models a company sells. They’re saying some brands are famous for one main model, and the other models don’t get as much attention.
The Porsche 928 is a different Porsche model from the 911—more of a long-distance grand tourer. In this conversation, it’s mentioned as one of the cars Porsche tried to build beyond the 911.
An SUV is a type of car with a taller driving position and more interior space. It’s popular with families and many buyers, so automakers often sell them to compete.
The Porsche 911 is Porsche’s most famous model. It’s known for its classic shape and a rear-mounted engine layout, and it’s often seen as the “main” Porsche.
A recall is when car makers admit there’s a problem with certain cars and ask owners to get it fixed. It’s usually done for safety reasons, and owners are notified by the manufacturer.
Many cars use a screen to control things like navigation and camera views. If that screen doesn’t display the right info—especially while reversing—it can be a safety issue.
The Hyundai Palisade is a large SUV with three rows of seats. It’s designed to carry more people comfortably, which makes it a common choice for families. It’s often compared to other family SUVs because it aims to be roomy and easy to live with.
Electric seat motors are the parts that move power seats at the push of a button. Here, the concern is that the motor can get stuck running, overheat, and create a fire hazard.
“Catch fire” means something in the car starts burning. In this case, the hosts are saying an overheating electrical problem could ignite the car’s interior.
A Mustang convertible is a Ford Mustang with the roof that can open. That makes it feel more like an open-air car, so people often use it in nicer weather or for evening drives.
Term
convertible use
“Convertible use” just means driving with the top down when the weather is good. Since there’s no roof, things like temperature and wind matter more than in a normal car.
LIVE
He is Robin Leach. He is Jada Markin. This is Carkeys
Hello to our listeners for this week's show of Carkeys with Jada Markin and Robin Leach
It was a big weekend that the week this show is done at Lime Rock and we'll get a report from Jay shortly
I want to know I have a question for listeners not to be answered by calling into the station or anything
But just for your own knowledge base and cars. How many people hearing this show have ever heard of a
car named the Topolino
I've to tie in for tiny mouse
Well, you're good with foreign languages, I did not know that but I did read a little bit about it and it well
That's what I want to talk about
Coming to our I
Guess a fiat dealer far from us
Anyways, it's coming to America. It may already be here. I don't know if the ships come in or the planes have come in with the load of them
It's a tiny all-electric and I mean tiny vehicle that is going to be viable in this country
For somewhere around
$15,000
Before dealer markups and whatever else may happen
It's all-electric it probably I haven't read many the details about it Jay if you can fill us in you can when I stop talking
It's gonna be obviously just primarily
Ideally used for a little commuter car maybe in in urban areas
Jay any more knowledge about that
Yes, I saw the pictures it crossed
You know it was on
Like a smart 4-2 or yes, it's pretty cool looking it reminds you of the topolino of
Many years ago Fiat did have that small little car
Decades ago
The electric version is is it's actually not a car and herein lies the problem the golf cart
It is yeah, I think the speed is somewhere like 15 miles an hour
19 I'm looking at those details. Yeah, you're correct though and the range is pitiful
Yes, all of the above so if Fiat cannot sell a 500 if we can't sell
Smarts for two in this country. How the heck are we gonna sell a car that's slower than a golf cart?
And goes and don't get me wrong in miles and and if it is sold as a vehicle and targeted directly at Polaris and golf carts and
You know
55 plus communities in Florida and the like yeah, maybe there is a market for that
But it is not a car it will in I it's gonna be I don't think it will ever be
Classified as a car and I don't think we will see it on the roads here in the US
I mean that's and I could be wrong again. I have very little information on it
But I can tell you that in Europe that Renault has the same type of vehicle that is really cool looking and
Basically, it's a class of vehicles that they sell
in in in several countries in Europe and they
Classify as mopeds and non cars and you can drive them without a license and they are limited to I think in Europe at
40 k's an hour and those are are you know, they're great in in urban areas
And and for you know, people who've had DUIs and can't get a driver's license anymore. So
You know, I don't think we'll be seeing many here and again
Unless you start targeting, you know golf
country clubs and and and you know
And and communities and things like that, but it's a cool concept and it looks cool
I'll give you that it does look cool the picture. I'm looking at as I'm doing this report on this is a
vision of a
sighting of a tippolino topolino, I guess t-o-p-o
Lino on a beach somewhere in the country
It has fiat and where the license plate may not have to be jay. You mentioned it may not have to be licenced
And it has a piece of luggage strapped to the back window of the of what looks to be a hard top
On top with a rollback to sunroof. Anyways
having read the
Details of of the mileage limit of the miles per hour mill limitation, which is extreme at sub 20 miles an hour
I do not know anybody around here that would like to be behind one
puttering through
Our village areas, but that would be the right speed for this car to be in
and doing
Where the crosswalks all are the blind crosswalks where people step out between parked cars
Just a added comment, but it only has an estimated range
Up to 46 miles jay, which obviously could get us from Sharon to Salisbury and back
Uh
Around or maybe titanium and back
On a single charge, maybe slightly longer
I and I do I agree with jay
Listeners that I don't think we're going to see many in this corner
But somebody will inevitably buy something and and we will see it on our streets because I find that our northwest corner
As remote as it may be from some logical areas for cars all types of cars are being
Visible we seem to catch a
A vision of just about any new car that comes on sometime around
Within a year or so of its visit, but if it's appearance and a dealership
In our area, but so it'll be one to look out for for those sharp-eyed
car
users like you and ij
And we'll see whether we come up and bump one in the back because it's going so slow
We can't break in time to run into it
All right
lime rock
Lime rock. Yeah. Well, it was nascar weekend. So um
Nascar truck weekend
Speaking of motorsports and we don't talk a lot about motorsports and this show is not really about motorsports, but
motorsports are part of
the car um industry and uh
Here at lime rock
We've had over the years a bunch of different sanctioning bodies come through and and hold major events and and they have had
You know
different levels of success over the years
Transam
Imsa have been uh
The road uh racing sears that have been popular
Um, but on the national level nothing
Comes even close to nascar, right? I mean it is the biggest form of
auto racing in this country
And nascar is basically oval racing or you know
Roundy around in circles left hand turn only racing and some of it is very very good racing
Uh, all of it is mostly very good racing. It's very close racing and um
It i'll go on another tangent in a second, but
Nascar has also branched out uh in different of different
Of their series and and gone
Held races on road courses and you've seen uh nascar races at the highest level
Uh at tracks in california. You've seen them at walking splendid up in upstate new york
and the truck series
with at the craftful truck series, which is uh
nascar's uh
I'm gonna say second highest uh
ranking series
Uh does come here to limerock park and this year was a second year that they came
and these are are
You know, they're called trucks, but basically they're
Tube framed chassis. They are basically the same as a a stock car
They're just the bodies on them are made to look make them look like trucks
Very powerful. Um a lot of fun to watch on track. I've read reports
I did did not see there. I was otherwise busy at the track, but I did not see the races themselves
People have complained that you know, the racing is boring
But you know to be frank
A lot of their good racing is kind of boring because if the cars are going at the same speed
And the drivers are at the same skill making passes, which is what really spectators want to see
Um, it is hard to do
But back with the resulting accidents
Yeah, and and and thankfully, uh, there were no major crashes at the track
I believe this weekend and motor sports in general has become a much safer sport than it has been and but again and and
Is that technology that you see in race cars for driver's protection?
The same as what we see in street cars
Not real, but but you know street cars have also become a lot more
Um, uh a lot safer than they used to be. I mean if if you I mean, I remember riding with you in your rx7
Which is a great little sports car
But with you at the wheel and me sitting in the passenger seat
I just looked all around me and I thought wow if robin misses this turn. There's not much around me to pre protect me
um
and in
Absolutely correct j I I interject because I happened to watch the race. It was on tv
ESPN. I think it had it. Um, anyways, I watched about 15 minutes of it
And to your story about you to your comment about the protection. I was astounded at what the head protection is
I never had seen the inside of a
NASCAR race vehicle much as a truck
But it looked to me like the head was in a horseshoe like
Uh structure
Correct and I didn't know how the driver could really look too far to the left or right
It don't yonder it can't
But it was an amazing piece of safety equipment
I guess I guess it would do its trick if and probably has done his trick in a serious
Accident, but to your point about the safety features in these vehicles
They are extreme in terms of design and when I saw it visual appearance
Well in crashes that that remains the you know the toughest, uh
Next yeah a neck protection and head protection. I mean our
I I forget what our heads way
In proportion to the rest of our bodies, but heads are are very heavy
And when a vehicle crashes and comes to an abrupt stop, uh, you know all that mass moves forward and then
slams back in your headrest
and
um
I mean that's the hardest part in in in a car like you you head head on your head goes forward and
And then slaps back
There's not much you can do about that in in a street car in in racing. They have what they call hands devices, which is a
basically
your your helmet is attached in the back of
from the back of your head to a
A device that you wear on your shoulders over head on on your shoulder that comes to in front of your
Yeah, over your shoulders in the back and in the front on your on your chest
So it's like a seatbelt retraction protection
It attaches the helmet to to this device
That you wear on your or strapped on your shoulders
Anyway, and it keeps your head from going forward
Right, okay, and then the the the design of the head holder
So-called head holder. Obviously if your head slaps back, it's going to hit the back of a holder, which is just like a seat back
Yeah
Oh, by the way, I'm going on a tangent here
Headrests in cars. This is 2026
And I still cannot believe that a few car manufacturers now i'm going on the little rant
Do not have adjustable headrests and it drives me absolutely crazy. I agree
And I just hate having my head
pushed forward
In a car and certain cars
most cars
You can adjust the the tilt a bit and the many cars
Yes, the head runs and then in some car and in in all cars the the the way they the head rest moves
Is a bit different, but like I remember when I
Years ago got my my Subaru Forester that the headrest was propped forward
in a way that uh, you know, you you couldn't even
Hold your head straight and I still see subarus with the head rests head rests the front head rests
Totally angled forward and people struggling in them
I think the only way to adjust them is to adjust the seat back which means you go back
But no back and the head rest goes up as opposed to leaning forward
But then it's back so far. You you don't you want to tilt it forward again. Hold on in the Subaru
It's totally adjustable. So the head rests go up
And up and down and they tilt absolutely. Okay
In some and in some cars that's you know, totally electric and automated like in the Mercedes
Uh, you could the headrest goes up and down and then forward and backwards
Not not at an angle just a whole headrest moves forward or backwards in some cars
it's a mechanical thing where you hold a button on the side, but
So it's important to have you know, your head protection and and having a headrest close to your head
But depending on your seat angle that that headrest should be able to be adjusted one way or another
And in some cars it just cannot and I don't want many many but I could think of a few
Unless I have not figured out how how to do it and for instance a rivian I drove last week
The headrest is not adjustable and to me. It's it's one of the
Deal breakers, but anyway, okay enough about rest
Okay, so back to line rock the crowd was
Was was big, you know the first question that comes to everybody's lips is was it as big as last year?
I don't know. It was a big crowd. I think the event was a success. It was well run
um
But nascar brings a crowd that is just a nascar crowd and they they just follow the series wherever it goes so
um
We'll see what next year brings
And I know there was a another car event this week. Um in our area
Falls village car show which has become a really big thing
And unfortunately I we've heard a little bit about it, but unfortunately I was not able to go and neither was I
I do know a couple of people who were there
It was extremely well
attended both by participants apparently bringing their vehicles in and by the crowds that came to see them
And I think our producer has another comment that's saying that it's gotten really huge and uh
Uh, it it keeps falls village somewhat alive because falls village doesn't have much going on it
In other parts of the years and then this event which is this a two per year event. I thought it was in the fall
And uh, this one just occurred over our our broadcast weekend of this show
No, there is another car show and it's coming at on labor day weekend and that's part of the
Uh, historic festival at limerock. So, oh, okay. All right, you know when we have that car parade every year
Coming up on, uh, you know labor day weekend and we'll go through our towns here
And then all those cars end up at falls in the center falls village
And there's like a big party in the center of town and that is also a great, uh event to attend
So robin you should go to falls village at least twice a year. Okay. And so should we actually
You know, there's also real estate and fall there. There's there, uh
The this year's event at limerock started off with the thursday afternoon
Uh monster monster track a trailer truck parade that started somewhere
I think around the white heart in and went through and those of us who were lucky enough to be in sailsbury
lakeville
Up the hill. I don't know whether I think it went over near the interlaken in and maybe a couple other is saw these giant
truck carriers
Which you see at the track today because they're all parked there and they are presumably carried the vehicles that were racing
um
To the track whether yes, yes, and it was quite a interesting
Event to me because I hadn't really seen it
But I was in my office in lakeville on the main street and there were people sitting in lounge chairs waiting for it to happen
And then these great honking. I mean these tractor trailers. I was looking at the rear
Axle structure of these trailers. They are longer than I think the tractor trailers that we see generally on on
The byways, uh, just uh, you know with the amazon blasted on them or whatever else they're they're hauling
Uh, but I I think they're limited to 53 feet, which is the maximum length of trailers. Okay
So but they are 53 foot, uh
Uh car haulers and they're specifically designed to haul race cars. So just to go in the nitty gritty of it all
Very quickly
The cars actually sit, uh, very high up in the truck inside as a whole. Yes, and then there's a whole
Shop area in the bottom. So the back of the trucks opens up
and then there's a you know and turns into a lift
And uh, the cars are stored one or two cars on the very top of the trailer
Okay, well, they all have to be balanced probably for weight distribution
Uh, in any event the track some of the drivers blasted their horns and made a lot of noise and I think it it, uh
It was entertaining at to say the least
And it lasted maybe 10 minutes before all the vehicles got through and went by the office and I know
Had I think they headed up towards hotchka school and I later saw them coming back from interlaken in area. So
Who knows but I don't I didn't even count them, but I
There were many manufacturers
Brands were all plastered on the sides and some of the manufacturers had like four to five of these vehicles
And others only had one or two. So I guess it was just I don't know what the the uh, numerical
Uh numbers of the brands of trucks that were on the track were concerned, but
It was it was a nice start to
The whole race weekend I think for many of us
Yes, it was
so
Let's talk about our uh, everyday cars again. Yes
I have a question for you. I just popped up and then I started looking at answers
What car brand makes just one great cars and then everything else in the lineup is just like you can forget about it
I think you should answer it. I think you should answer the question chain because you
I don't know whether you're talking about fiat or whether you're talking about uh, no, I can't name one manufacturer
No, no
It was a funny the worded question and most people didn't really get the question but I guess
You know a lot of brands are are famous for one of their models and then the rest is just uh an afterthought
Or in the case of orsha, for instance
The 911 was the sole model and the company was going broke and they they scrambled to put out
Another sports car the boxer in the late 90s and then in the early 2000s decided to
Um, you know the four doors to dance. Well first an suv
928
The 928 is a two-door sports car with okay. Well, then the nine there's a four door one that was out though
That's still out. I believe yeah, but before they did that they came out with the cayenne in the early 2000
I think it's like 2004
And and today if you look at orsha production numbers and sales numbers
Um, you know the majority of their cars are suvs and it goes, you know to the sad fact that
If you don't make an suv it's hard to be a successful car manufacturer and you look at
Bentley made an suv rolls roys makes an suv
Ferrari makes an suv poor old enzo is rolling in his rolling over in his grave
But it's hard to not have an suv in your lineup
Or two or three
Um, but the Porsche 911 is still like the the center of the brand
um
But I don't know think of other brands
Or not move on. Yeah, I I've been a pass on this because I I I have no idea what the proper answer was
Unless you just provide answer and listen
It's just yeah, there's no proper answer
so
What else have you read about this week?
Uh
Not much that I find that could be interesting. I was looking at the recent recalls
time we haven't looked at recalls or discussed recalls that are
produced by
by a corporate situation and tells you that you and owner
Listening that maybe your car is going to get send you a read your manufacturer of your car
It's going to send you a recall notice about something to do with a technical
issues such as
Touchscreens that don't show backup cameras working when you're backing up and and or else
Mechanical in terms of something that didn't get
Manufactured properly and they finally figured out what it is and months after it the car has been on the road
Maybe in our listeners hands
Uh, something comes to to the manufacturer's attention that
There's something amiss in the manufacturer of the vehicle that you or me might own
And they put it out on this
weekly
Recall thing that you can look at online and there hasn't been much of interest recently
And I was I'm trying to pull it back up as I'm talking about it because I had it on before the show
Well, actually one caught my attention and it actually was a bit surprising to me
I guess Kia and maybe Hyundai too with the palisade, but the Kia Telluride for which is a great vehicle
great SUV apparently has issues with
Electric seat motors that keep on running
And that can eventually catch fire
Okay, yeah, well, that's the kind of thing
That's the kind of thing that is kind of serious
That is kind of serious, but it doesn't make them national news generally
Or if it does it makes it one night
And if you are lucky enough to have seen the news on that night
You might realize that you're the owner of a car that has an electric seat
Motors which is stuck on and overheats and is going to ignite the interior of your car
Which is what I guess that would do right jay
if it happened
That's a pretty serious recall and unless you are tuned into this particular weekly thing which I
Am not reading regularly anymore
Anybody could miss until hopefully the event would not happen in the car
They might be driving with this potential problem before they got a notice in the mail
And we're able to get to a dealer and we're able to get it fixed
Okay, so before we go a little safety tip, you know, and and it's been a week now since we had the storm
The whether it was tornado or major storm, whatever you want to call it
But it impacted driving in the area in the moment, but also in the days following
Right, and I have since talked to uh, uh, at least one
Person who is very much involved in
directing traffic and in
You know and being part of the emergency crews and
You know, we just have to remind people if there's a sign that says road closed
There's probably a good reason and probably
A good reason you're not going to get to where you want to go on that particular road
Whether it be because there are trees across the road or or or downed wires
There have been a lot of wires down and hopefully we don't have this kind of
Storms, uh, again anytime soon anytime soon again
But the rule in general is like be courteous. I mean, there were a lot of one lane roads
In the first few days they there were not necessarily any traffic
People just because crews were spread very thin
Let's be courteous keepers our eyes peeled and and no not get in the cars and and go and
Scout the area to see to count all the trees that fell down on the road
Try to keep the roads clear
But basically, you know follow direction and be careful and try not to be in the storm itself
Well to the to the safety part of this which is a very smart thing to be talking about because there were numerous places where
Trees and roads were down to one lane for days at a time. They did not just get these roadways
opened up both ways and in a very quick
way because of the numbers of
Areas where trees were blocking roads one lane or another
What they first had to do in many cases was to get one lane open at all
And some roads were closed probably the first uh over the night of the storm that hit us
Which was the first I've ever seen like the one we had
over this last storm weekend
but
Uh an example of a road that seemed to be closed
For a long time was right in the middle of Salisbury by the town hall which goes up to sell a kill and up to mal raga
they had a
man
with a
You know a flag making sure that nobody tried to go up and look at what might have been found up there
And there was a world way to get around this if you had to go up to
some of the destinations that the
Blocked area on the main street at the corner of the main street of Salisbury and and the road leaving it
There was there were two or three other work around ways to go which local people would know but tourists might not
But there was those those branches that took thing down the wires and the poles
The trees that took those down were were largest trees. I've ever seen down in our area for some time
and
We're getting back to normal as this show is being done
which is nice for
Everybody around here, but it's certainly
There was internet out and communications were out for days at a time in at various time frames
between the towns of Salisbury falls village
lakeville
Sharon had power outages, but notably not much tree damage
We were we were
Amazingly exempt from the storm the tree damage part of the storm that came through the Salisbury center of Salisbury area
But the safety the driving safely through those areas is a very
does require patience and
and
An awareness that you can't just race through our roads
When events like this occur in a safe manner and you should be
I think all of us were mostly aware of it in time to be driving at a
Moderate rate of speed where this where all these areas were
But there were occasional as as some of the repairs. I noted some of the repair places were being
cleaned up
People started to drive quickly again and only to come around the corner and find that there was a place
It still had not been cleaned up and you had to put your brakes on fairly
Firmly
When you got surprised by a remaining area of repairs being done which which lingered
Up to I think four or five days after the storm came through
All right on that note, let's go drive cars. Are you still driving your Mustang convertible?
I am all right
And it is a great period of time in our weather for convertible use and I've seen loads of convertibles out and it's been a very nice
Vehicle to have although, you know driving it with the outside temperatures, you know between 80 and 90 degrees
Only being able to drive it at a
safe but maybe
Fairly quick rate of speed makes the convertible
even comfortable
It's an evening car. car or early morning car
And and I think we're missed about out of time. So until next week
We are car keys with jay demarkin and robin leech car keys with robin leech and jay demarkin is produced at the facilities of
whdd 91.9 fm robin hood radio dot com sharing connecticut
About this episode
Hosts kick off with the coming-to-America Fiat Topolino micro-EV, including a rough “somewhere around $15,000” target and the idea that it’s meant for urban commuting. They then debate whether such a slow vehicle can ever be classified as a car in the U.S., contrasting European “mopeds and non cars” rules. The conversation broadens to Lime Rock/NASCAR weekend, race-car safety and headrests, and practical recall and post-storm driving advice.
