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279
December 10, 2004

Auto Show

Stories about people who love their cars, for better or for worse.

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  • Transcript
David Hilowitz

Prologue

We hear the eerily calm answering machine message that Brita Bonechi leaves for her husband, Rob, after she's had an accident and is trapped upside down in her car. (3 minutes)

By

Ira Glass
Act One

Crunk In The Trunk

David Segal of the Washington Post investigates the competitive world of db drag racing ("db" stands for "decibels"), where people customize their cars with stereos so loud that they can't actually be played—or listened to—at least not without risking a nose bleed. (14 minutes)

By

David Segal
Act Two

Baby You Can't Drive My Car

Jamie Kitman tells the story of the car that broke his heart. He's the New York Bureau Chief for Automobile Magazine and the automotive editor for Men's Journal. (6 minutes)

By

Jamie Kitman
Act Three

Objects In The Rear View Mirror May Be Alarmingly Familiar

When Darren's car was stolen in Washington, D.C., he did what everyone does: He called the police and figured he'd never see the car again. But within a week, as he was driving his rental he spotted his stolen Toyota, and chased it, with some help from the nice lady at 9-1-1. Curtis Sittenfeld tells the story. Her novel is called Prep. (10 minutes)

By

Curtis Sittenfeld
Act Four

Not Your Father's Chevrolet Salesman

This American Life producer Sarah Koenig checks out competing sales techniques at a Chevy dealership on the south side of Chicago. It turns out the number two salesman thinks he's number one, and the number one salesman...is a grandmother, Yvonne Hawk. Her secret? Get them to call you "Mom." (11 minutes)

By

Sarah Koenig
Act Five

End Of The Road

People don't want to stop driving, no matter how old they get. This American Life producer Lisa Pollak talked with Rosyna Salerno, a 91-year-old widow, who recently gave up her license after she had a stroke. And Dan Neil, automotive critic for the Los Angeles Times, tells the story of Stirling Moss, the race car driver who, at 75, still holds the world record for completing a 1,000-mile race called the Mille Miglia. He did it by driving a Mercedes 100 miles per hour for ten hours. Dan got to take a drive with Moss in the famous car. (11 minutes)

By

Dan Neil
Lisa Pollak

Related

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Act Six

The last day of the month begins.
248: Like It or Not
Oct. 24, 2003

Act One: If It Drives, Go Live

For four hours in August 2001, KCAL-9, an all-news channel in Los Angeles, broadcast a very unusual police pursuit.
437: Old Boys Network
June 3, 2011

Act One: Messing with the Bull

In a small west Texas town called Kermit, two nurses were accused of harassment after they complained to the medical board that a doctor was putting patients in danger.

Staff Recommendations

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241
July 11, 2003

20 Acts in 60 Minutes

All kinds of little stories that we ordinarily can't use on the radio show because they are just too short.

597
Sept. 23, 2016

One Last Thing Before I Go (2016)

Ordinary people make last ditch efforts to get through to their loved ones.

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This American Life is produced in collaboration with WBEZ Chicago and delivered to stations by PRX The Public Radio Exchange.

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