In Wheel Time Podcast: Your Go-To Automotive Talk Show Mar 13, 2026

When Trucks, History, And Market Shifts Collide

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Welcome to another In Wheel Time podcast.

This is your place for all things automotive the Award Red MW5Card talk show.

Coming up, Mr.

Mars reviews the Ford F-150 Super Crew.

Later.

This is it's this is his FL show.

Later, Mars has this week in auto history.

Jeff has the racing calendar, and I'll just kind of take up the fat 40.

I got the mop and bucket ready, so I'll figure out some jobs.

How to get along with Mike Out of this world, Mars.

We always need more Jeff's Seeker, Chief Engineer David Ainsley.

I'm Don Armstrong.

Thanks so much for joining us today here on the In Real Time Car Talk Show.

I got a couple of stories I'm going to do.

We're going to get to Mr.

Mars here first, though, because Mr.

Mars has a um a special review of the Ford F-150 Super Crew, but just to let you know what I'm going to talk about, I'm going to talk about a bar in Wisconsin.

And you say, well, what the hell does that have to do with inwheel time and anything else?

Well, uh, this one got bulldozed this week.

Oh no.

So um but we are going to do a story about it.

I saw it.

Uh my brother, my brother worked at the General Motors Janesville assembly plant.

And so um I'm familiar with it.

I I never was inside of it, but some interesting stories come from it.

All right.

First up, though, let's get Mr.

Marrs's review of the Ford F-150, Mike.

Yes, sir.

We're talking about the 2025 Ford F-150 4x4.

It's a super crew with the STX package on it.

Now, this is the 14th generation of the F-150, long-standing big seller.

This was introduced in 2021 for this uh generation of it.

The final assembly plant was in Dearborn, Michigan.

It actually comes available six standard trim levels: the XL, the STX, XLT, the Lariat Platinum, and then you get the King Ranch.

Now you got two more: the Trimmer, the Raptor, the Raptor R.

They're all kind of out by themselves on it.

But the really interesting thing about this is you got the six different trim levels.

All six of them you can get three different cab levels.

All six of them can get six or three different bed lengths, and then all six of them you can get your choice of six engines.

So there's like 70 or 80 combinations that you can put together to find you an F-150 that you want.

Now we are in the STX Super Crew, so this is down in the lower trim levels, which we don't get very often out of the press fleet.

So I was kind of interested to see how it worked out.

It is five passenger cloth seats.

Up front, we had the LED reflector headlamps, had LED fog lamps, got a power tailgate lock.

We were rolling on some really nice 22-inch aluminum wheels.

And just for future reference, it comes with a 36-gallon fuel tank on it.

Fill that baby up once in a while.

Now the interior, we had the 12-inch, all of the F-150s now come with a 12-inch center static screen.

That's just standard across the trim levels, the whole line.

We had the rear view camera, so it makes it really nice to be able to have that.

Now, because we were in the STX, we had the column shifter, not the console shifter.

We also had to use a key, not a push button.

So this was kind of dangerous.

Are you complaining?

No, no, I'm saying that this is kind of a stripper model, but it was kind of nice to get in.

I like it.

I like that stuff.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Uh, it did have the front center console, and it's a black STX cloth seats.

The front seat was a 40 with a console and a 40.

The rear seat is a fold-up 60/40 that has underseat storage.

So now this is a pickup that if you're looking for a pickup, if you don't want need all the leather and you don't need all the high-end stuff, I don't think you telling me what I don't need is what I don't need.

I don't need that either.

And the thing is, it had the 5.0

liter V8 under the hood.

So we had 400 horsepower up to around 6,000 RPM, had a 10-speed automatic transmission.

Nice.

So it ran well, and this was a great driving truck.

Did you bring that over here?

Yeah, you did.

Yeah, I did.

That was that one that drove over there.

That's a good-looking pickup truck, I have to admit.

Yeah.

And it worked out.

Ken Peabody, the Ford Press Fleet Manager, did a wonderful job.

He got that one.

I got a different vehicle.

This week I've got the King Ranch version hybrid.

So it makes for a really nice comparison versus the two different trim levels.

Hey, are you gonna do either any one of those next week?

Um I'm gonna I was gonna do the Mustang next week, but I can do the Ford hybrid.

Well, because the only reason I say that is because I've got the Ram 1500 Longhorn Edition sitting in the driveway, $86,000 worth of pickup truck.

Yeah.

Yeah, yeah.

And it's rodeo time, baby.

We'll do the King Ranch um F-150 then.

All right then.

And uh okay, and the one we've got the STX back to it, and uh you quick enough right, it can tow tow tow 12,700 pounds and it'll haul sixteen hundred and eighty-five pounds.

Again, this is a half-ton truck.

Now, the EPA says you should be looking for 16 in the city, 24 out on the highway, 19 combined.

I drove it around town a lot, obviously, 220.3

miles, uh, other than the quick run over to your place.

So I averaged 16.8

the week I got it.

But this is a really nice driving truck with plenty of power.

It's got direct steering, and so it really drives and handles really well when you get out on the road.

I really like to drive in this truck, particularly when I start looking at the price point on it.

Now the base trim price for the uh STX is $51,230.

We had a few options, pushed it up to $61,780, which in the grand scheme of things, that's not a bad price for a pickup truck.

But if you really get into the stripper stripper model, you can get this thing down to $38,800.

Now, again, uh, subcaps.

Yeah, this is the bottom line.

Now, the RAM $1500, if you're looking at something comparable, you're looking at something that started about $40,275.

The Tundra, $40,900.

I actually met somebody that drives the Tundra the other day.

And then you can look at the Chevy Silver Auto for $40,300.

Again, it's back like you were talking about the other review.

Pricing in in that category is pretty competitive whenever you get to looking at them.

Now, uh I also found out that uh that I meant to mention that you can get the STX Super Crew two-wheel drive down for $36,000 if you really want to push it.

But this is a really nice driving truck.

It is a pickup truck, it's not a luxury truck, but it will serve your purposes really well.

Great driver, and I enjoyed it, and thanks to Ken Peabody for letting me have that for the week.

Cool.

We love you, Ken Peabody.

We've known Ken Peabody forever.

Long time.

Anyway, great guy.

He's up in the Dallas area now.

He was down here for a while, lived down here, lived down in Galveston.

I said, I just can't, I can't.

I I've got too much to do up here.

Okay, well, go back up there then.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

We'll see you on the uh Texas Muscle Car Club Challenge.

There you go.

Okay, here's the story I wanted to tell you.

Ready?

The General Motors plant in Janesville, Wisconsin, cousin Steve still lives in Janesville, had a bar so close to its front doors that the automaker tried to discourage lunchtime beer runs by building tall fences and repeatedly trying to buy out its owner who worked on the line at the Janesville Assembly plant.

When he refused to sell, GM fired him.

The watering hole known as Zackhouse and Zocks ultimately outlasted the plant, which ended production in 2008 and met the wrecking ball in 2018.

But it too became rubble February 26th as part of the latest effort to redevelop the vacant GM property.

And by the way, that GM property is huge, it's an assembly plant.

You can imagine how big it is.

An eight billion dollar data center is proposed for the 240-acre site.

And it's kind of just outside of town.

It's in a neighborhood.

Now, granted, it is more of an industrial neighborhood, but wow, okay.

We can still serve lunch beer.

Well, it's gone now, so you can forget that.

It's just sad, Andrew Sigwell, who sold the business to new owners in 2020, told the Janesville Gazette it was part of history.

The 900 square foot bar, which GM employee Roy Zackow purchased in 20 uh in 1961 as a place to eat lunch with his co-workers, originally was in a residential neighborhood.

As the automaker bought up nearby properties to expand over the years, Zakow was the loan holdup.

In 1987, GM flew him to Detroit and offered $200,000.

They didn't want us anywhere in the neighborhood, Jerry Zackow, Roy's widow and Sigwell's grandmother, told the Gazette in 2012.

He came back saying, Those bastards will never get the bar.

Eventually, the business, so reliant on Ganesville assembly that it typically closed on weekends in other days when the plant was dark, was surrounded by the GM parking lot.

Some workers parked next to the fence so they could climb over it and get in and out faster on their break.

After GM abandoned Janesville, Sigwell kept the bar going by attracting a younger clientele.

He photographed the adjacent demolition with a drone.

His successors, Andy and Desiree Wilson, held open mic nights in Green Bay Packers Potlucks, and the Janesville Deaf Society adopted the bar as its monthly gathering place.

Last summer, after previous plans to fill the desolate GM site with an industrial park where housing fell through, the city forced the Wilsons out through Deminent Domain.

They threw a huge Zox end of days party.

You might build another factory.

There'll be other beautiful bars or gathering spots, but never again will there be one in the parking lot of a commercial property in a space like this.

An attendee who flew in from Minnesota told the Gazette.

There's something about knowing you're standing on ground where the plant was being built, and Zax kept going after it was gone.

That kind of uniqueness you will never see again.

Goodbye, Zocks.

We had one across the street from Fisher Body.

You had to walk across 4th Street, and there was a bar.

It was a bigger bar though.

I mean, and it was not closed on weekends.

It was a jump in place.

And yes, people would go over there for the lunch break.

Yeah.

Having a beer and a burger.

Even in the evening.

Well, more like beer or whatever.

Yeah.

But yeah, it was across the street from I wonder.

Is it still whatever?

No, well, Fisher Body was leveled.

It's it's gone.

There's something else with it.

Yeah.

But yeah, back in the day, this was in the mid-70s.

Yeah, you walk across the street, have a couple of shots in a beer, and go back to work.

No wonder the door was crooked when it was a bigger one.

Fridays and Mondays.

Fridays and Mondays, don't buy a car.

I was built on that.

That was the thing back then.

Built on Friday or Monday, don't buy a car.

You used to irritate me when I would go to lunch down by the main office building.

We'd go to lunch.

The guys that worked in the office building wouldn't be in there drinking beer.

I had a driving position with the company, no drinking beer at lunchtime.

And it'd just be you sit there drinking your iced tea while they're drinking beer.

And you're trying to make up for lost time now, aren't you, Marks?

I'm doing my best.

Yeah.

Well, you know, it wouldn't be an in-wheel time show unless I razzed uh the electric vehicle uh department.

Here we go.

Electric vehicle registrations fell last year for the first time in at least a decade following the repeal of the federal EV tax credit, although the drop was modest.

EV registrations declined 0.4%

compared with a year earlier to 1.3

million vehicles according to SP Global Mobility.

The data does not include hybrids.

EV share of the light vehicle market fell to 7.8%

from 8% a year earlier, the data showed.

But for all vehicles, regardless of fuel type, 2025 registrations rose 2.2%

to 16.25

million vehicles.

SP Global Mobility uh goes back to 2016 when Tom Libby, an analyst for the company government estimates, showed U.S.

EV sales rising each year in the early 2010s.

U.S.

registration data serves as a proxy for sales because some EV makers, including Tesla, don't separate U.S.

deliveries from global numbers and don't report on a monthly basis anymore.

Although congressional repeal of the 7500 EV tax credit helped trigger a sharp drop in EV sales in the final months of 2025.

The slowdown in demand actually began in 2024, according to Libby.

A key one is price.

Even with generous government and automaker incentives, high EV sticker prices remained a hurdle for mainstream buyers who gravitated toward hybrids instead.

The customers who wanted an EV got an EV.

When you get beyond the early adopters, there are barriers like charging infrastructure issues.

No.

So here's some of the figures.

You ready?

I don't want to bore you with all this, but Ford for instance.

EV sales down 61%.

Ford.

Eeve sales down 53%.

Here's a big one.

Chevrolet down 73%.

BMW, Kia, 53, 54%.

Wow, here's one.

Honda.

Eeve sales down 87%.

Are you still making them?

Why?

You're not selling them.

They were a leader in that.

Honda and Toyota.

Mercedes-Benz down 88%.

Nissan down 89%.

They got the leaf, remember?

Okay, but how many have they built to get that percentage that they're not making it?

Did they build a thousand of them?

I don't have those figures, but that's a good point.

I understand what you're saying.

Yeah.

But here's one.

Accurate.

EV sales down 97%.

Are they including the hybrids in that?

No, they're not strictly.

No, it's just purely a you either you got to charge it some way or another.

Tesla, the market leader, outpaced the overall EV market in December with a smaller 35% drop in registrations from a year earlier to 42,000 vehicles.

That's still a lot of vehicles.

Ford was number two EV brand in December.

Registration fell 61% to 5,000.

Cadillac took the number three spot for EV makers in December with registrations up at 12% to 3,694 vehicles.

What number are we basing that on?

Yeah.

You know, it is what it is.

Um look, I I don't want to see any company go belly up, but I think that they made a very bad mistake.

And if you remember correctly, everybody was calling out Toyota.

Well, where's Toyota in the EV race?

They don't have an EV vehicle.

You know, Toyota is one of those that they're they just plod and they just keep on rolling with the flow.

Oh, yeah, we we'll we'll make an EV vehicle here in a couple of years.

But everybody else was racing to build factories and spend billions of dollars.

It's a different uh marketing, it's a different way they go about doing their business because we did a story last week of the 250,000 or 250,000 mile vehicles.

But they build stuff to last, they don't jump into new and improve.

Hey, let's change that widget and it'll be better, and then it's not.

So they don't do that, they just stick with that widget and improve where they can.

And you look at the recalls, the the amount of recalls they have uh substantiates that statement.

Exactly.

Exactly, Mike.

Yep.

Okay, uh, we're gonna take a quick break here.

Um just ahead.

Jeff has the racing calendar and Mars has this week in auto history, and I'll bring you this week's automotive news.

The N-wheel time car talk show continues right after this break.

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The free tailpipes and tacos cruising is a production of Loopy Tortilla Tex Mex, Beaumont and Katie.

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Time now for the racing calendar, Jeffrey, sponsored by the Texas Muscle Car Club Challenge.

You betcha, and guess what starting?

All kinds of racing starting this week.

And you got what?

The NHRA, National Hot Rod Uh Racing Association.

It's in Gainesville Raceway, which is the international starts.

It actually started the fifth, but it goes through the eighth through tomorrow.

So that's cool.

All classes are running.

I mean, you got bikes, you got all kinds of stuff.

Uh it's gonna be fun.

Then you got a Formula One series.

They start uh this weekend in Australia, an Australia Grand Prix.

Now, some of the things I've been seeing and watching on uh the sports channels and reading up about is that these drivers are not happy with the new car.

They're calling it uh the step up from the e-class, the e-series that they run in Formula One.

They're thinking it's a little bit like that.

They're not pleased with it.

It's more of how much uh energy can you save rather than speeding up and winning the race.

So there's a lot of controversy on that.

The drivers are not happy.

I'm sure they're gonna work it out.

And indie series starts.

Well, it already started uh last week, but they're gonna be in Phoenix.

I watched some of the time trials and qualifying.

It's gonna be a fun race.

It's a mile oval.

It's gonna be fun.

Uh, I think there's a rookie on the poll as I saw this morning.

What?

Yeah, there's gonna be a really yeah, I believe there's a rookie on the poll.

I'm not no, I'll take that well.

He was a rookie last year.

Uh but it's gonna be a fun stuff to watch.

I'm excited.

I've got it actually set to record uh because it's gonna be on later later this afternoon on the Fox local channel at three o'clock.

And then you got the NASCAR folks.

Uh the truck series is off, but you got the O'Reilly series is going to be running today at 7.30.

It's gonna be on the CW channel, those of you that get that.

And then tomorrow, same thing is gonna be on FS1 for the Phoenix race for the big boys, the cup race.

Not everybody gets the Fox sports channel.

So uh I refuse to buy that.

I understand.

I'm gonna be losing my well, I'm gonna have it put in a different setup.

But anyways, uh check that out.

And then you've got oh, I just did the indicar, so so that's what you got.

You got all kinds of stuff.

You got local tracks going, uh encouraged by going out there and supporting those young drivers and those young families that uh dedicate.

And the track and the track, absolutely.

Go out and get yourself a hot dog and enjoy the race.

Thank you, sir.

Well, guess what?

It's time now for Mr.

Mars Famous.

Or is that infamous?

I think it's infamous.

Infamous.

This week in auto history.

Michael?

Infamous.

Are you there?

Yeah, yeah.

I was trying to uh get Jeff started.

There you go, Jeff.

Gotcha.

All right.

So the worst first week of March, lots of things going on, including on March the 1st of 1941, is when you actually started seeing the development of the prototypes that became the military Jeeps.

Now, these led, of course, to what we have in Jeep World now, but it was all done because of the U.S.

Army.

What they were trying to do is get a lightweight vehicle.

Uh had a simple ladder frame, solid axles, lightweight body so that it could go just about anywhere.

It had a three-speed standard transmission that we used to call with a granny gear, and it would get down and climb just about anything.

Then in Mike, Mike, the top left picture, is that you doing a test on that?

Well, that was that was kind of one of the test drives of the early ones.

I can only imagine what the suspension looked like when it landed.

I think that's an on on ramp acceleration test.

Is that what you see how it's angled going up the hill?

Yeah.

Jumping back.

I'm sorry about that.

So March the second this week in 1966 is whenever Ford Motor Company produced the one millionth Mustang.

Now, you gotta remember they did this in just 22 months after they first launched the pony car.

I mean, everybody wanted one of these.

They just sold them as fast as they could make them.

And uh it's still being built today.

They're still selling a lot of Mustangs, and they still kind of have that same basic look to them, amazingly.

The taillights, the side panels, everything's kind of evolved, of course, but you can still tell a very distinct Mustang, and you can see exactly where its heritage came from.

Then in March the 4th in 1902, the American Automobile Association was created, and uh is better known as the Triple A.

And it was created to actually promote road safety and improve travel conditions for early motorists, didn't and it's kind of evolved now into uh being more for the motorist itself, not necessarily for better highways, better signage, and driver's services.

So it's still an automotive advocate, but in a different perspective.

And it's a good thing to have, Mike.

Uh we have it.

You know, it's what $90 a year and yeah, it's it's relatively cheap when you look at what else you can get.

You bet.

Particularly if you got kids or somebody that might need it.

Exactly.

Then on March the 5th of 1981, carbon fiber really made a big change in racing because this is when McLaren introduced the MP4.

Now, this is the first Formula One car built on an all-carbon fiber composite chassis.

Now it's amazingly, it's stronger than aluminum, and it improved the driver's safety because of the rigidity and the performance of it.

And within a few seasons, it didn't take very long before all of the Formula One team drivers adapted this technology.

And today it's pretty common from race cars.

You can have it on some street cars.

Uh BMW is notable about one of them that happens to put the carbon fiber on some of their production cars.

Then in March the 6th, in Ferrari introduced the legendary Ferrari F-50 at the Geneva Motor Show.

Now, this is basically a Formula One car that they built for the street.

Had a naturally aspirated V-12 in it because that was derived from the racing program, had all the carbon fiber construction and the extreme performance, and it became one of the very collectible supercars of the 1990s.

And uh so a lot of things came out the first week of March from Detroit, as well as uh the round the rest of the world, the Mustang and uh the carbon fiber and iconic supercars.

So a lot of things in automotive history in March.

Cool.

That's good.

Hey, get this Honda Motor Company will export two US built models to Japan for the first time in nearly four decades, reviving a strategy from its early days of American manufacturing and amid streamlined import rules and trade balance pressures.

Exports of the high performance accurate integra type S and the off-road ready Honda Passport Trail Sport Elite Crossover will begin in the second half of this year, Honda said.

And both models will retain the U.S.

specifications, including and I don't understand this, why including left-hand drive configuration, despite Japan's right-hand drive norm.

Well, who would want to buy that?

In Japan, they might.

I guess a hot hatch will be the first accurate branded vehicle ever sold in Japan.

They don't have the accurate, even though it's a Honda, they don't have the accurate br brand in Japan.

I thought that was so would you I've never driven a right-hand drive car.

Have you?

I have.

Yeah, it's weird.

You ever tried to shift a manual shift car with a right-hand drive with your left hand drive?

I was gonna say Davidson, Ryan's got one now, but yeah, he's got a shifter with a left-hand drive.

He's a young man, so he's you know more ambidextrous than a 40-year-old.

For many reasons.

Today, trade imbalances and easing of import restrictions are driving Japanese automakers to make similar moves.

Toyota is pursuing exports of U.S.

built vehicles, and Nissan is evaluating options.

Okay.

It's time now to take a quick break here on the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show.

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Shoot us an email.

The address is info at inwheeltime.com.

We're back right after this.

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Bring the kids and grandkids.

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Make plans now.

Loopy Tortilla is pretty good.

Houston, get ready.

After a master, Subaru.

We're collaborating with the Car Meet Network, so you know it's gonna be crazy.

And that's not all.

We're gonna be wrestling up six cars to be sold at $1,000 each.

See below for more details.

You're not gonna want to miss this Houston March 14th.

We can't wait to see you here.

Hi.

Ai.

All right.

Well, it's time to say goodbye.

Are you ready to say goodbye?

That's all for this week's In Wheel Time Car Talk Show.

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About this episode

Dive into a detailed review of the 2025 Ford F-150 Super Crew STX, highlighting its versatility, power, and pricing compared to competitors. The hosts share nostalgic stories about a historic GM plant bar in Janesville, WI, reflecting on its cultural significance and recent demolition. They discuss the recent dip in U.S. electric vehicle registrations following the repeal of federal tax credits, analyzing market impacts and brand performances. The episode also covers upcoming racing events, notable automotive history moments in early March, and Honda's plan to export U.S.-built models to Japan, blending car culture, history, and industry trends.

Acura Integra Ferrari F50 Ford F-150 Ford Mustang Honda Passport Mercedes-Benz E-Class Nissan Leaf Toyota Tundra

Original notes

Looking for an honest truck review with real numbers and a big-picture take on where the market’s heading? We put the 2025 Ford F-150 STX SuperCrew 4x4 through its paces and share what matters: towing capacity, payload, highway manners, and the surprising value packed into a lower-trim workhorse. The 5.0L V8 and 10-speed deliver confident power and direct steering, while the standard 12-inch screen, LED lighting, and practical 60/40 rear seat storage make daily life easier. We dig into fuel economy, pricing that ranges from budget-friendly to nicely equipped, and how the STX compares to Ram 1500, Toyota Tundra, and Chevy Silverado. Then we tee up a future compare with the F-150 King Ranch hybrid to show how far the lineup stretches.

We also tell a one-of-a-kind story from GM’s Janesville days: a tiny bar so close to the assembly plant that workers hopped a fence for lunch beers. It outlasted the factory before redevelopment finally erased it, making space for a proposed $8B data center. It’s a vivid look at how car culture shapes communities—and how those spaces evolve.

Market reality gets equal airtime. EV registrations slipped for the first time in years, and we unpack why: price sensitivity, incentive changes, and charging friction that push mainstream buyers toward hybrids. We talk brand-by-brand turbulence, Tesla’s smaller dip, Cadillac’s surprising pop from a low base, and Toyota’s patient strategy that prizes reliability, hybrids, and measured rollouts. Plus, a rapid-fire racing calendar—NHRA in Gainesville, F1 drama over energy-saving race formats, IndyCar on a tight oval, and NASCAR weekend viewing—so your motorsports schedule is set.

If you care about trucks, performance, reliability, and the shifting auto landscape, this one connects the dots with numbers, stories, and straight talk. Hit play, then subscribe, share with a fellow gearhead, and leave a quick review with your take: are you leaning V8, hybrid, or EV next?

Be sure to subscribe for more In Wheel Time Car Talk!

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