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Staff WriterMore articles: Tips, Tricks & Trends

Thom Taylor

Thom Taylor is a celebrated automotive journalist. He was awarded the Top 100 Most Influential People in Hot Rodding from Hot Rod Magazine, and was inducted into the Grand National Roadster Show Hall of Fame and the National Rod and Custom Hall of Fame. He’s a member of SEMA and the NHRA.

Thom has authored a number of books, including Hot Rod & Custom Chronicle and several guides for drawing vehicles like a pro, which pull from his distinguished ventures as an automotive illustrator.

Thom joined the MotorBiscuit team in 2019, and focuses his coverage on new vehicle releases, design, and the latest features and tech in the industry. His tenure of 25 years writing about the industry gives him a unique context for the auto news he covers, whether it’s part of the Rusty Monday series or the latest news from Chevy. Thom has built two complete cars from the ground up and driven vintage roadsters at the Indy 500.

3,669 posts From Author
Pirelli tires on the Bahrain International Circuit
Trends

Rubber Shortfall Means Tire Shortages Are Around The Corner

First, there was COVID 19, then the microchip shortage. Now it is a scarcity of rubber supplies. That means tires could be the next product that automakers rely on from outside sources to go dry. As production goes 2021 is shaping up to be far more of a challenge than 2020. Why are rubber prices …
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NASCAR Next-Gen race car on the bank
Sedans

Is This What Finally Fixes Everything Wrong With NASCAR?

Where do we start? Everyone seems to have an idea for how NASCAR should fix what’s wrong with its cup series. Attendance is down and the reasons are almost as many as there are enthusiasts. But the NASCAR hierarchy has been diligent in addressing some of its longstanding issues one at a time. Now it …
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An image of a 2021 Ford Bronco parked outdoors.
Trucks & SUVs

100 Ford Dealers Are Trying To Make Bronco A Separate Brand

What we have here are 100 Ford dealers that have banded together to form separate, dedicated Bronco showrooms. This was not a top-down request from the Mothership but a dealer-driven idea. And it is what looks like an attempt to make Bronco a completely separate brand.  Right now Ford has two brands; Ford and Lincoln. …
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Prince Philip designs Land Rover for his casket
Trucks & SUVs

Prince Philip Designed Land Rover Hearse Carrying His Coffin

Prince Philip, who died just shy of his 100th birthday, has been making plans for his funeral for some time. One of the things he focussed on was the vehicle that would carry his body to his final resting place at Windsor Castle. The custom-built Land Rover he helped design is fashioned around a Defender …
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Family Truckster features applied to an Audi RS6 Avant
Trends

Who Knew Audi Made Movie Vacation Family Truckster Wagon?

You remember the Wagon Queen Family Truckster from the movie National Lampoon’s Vacation, right? It was one of the stars of the movie though it is only an inanimate object. A family vacation in the beloved station wagon. But it was amplified by the over-the-top modifications designers made to a run-of-the-mill Ford Country Squire. The …
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Employees work at the Tesla Gigafactory in Shanghai, east China, Nov. 20, 2020. U.S. electric car company Tesla in 2019 built its first Gigafactory outside the United States
Hybrids & EVs

If You Want a Tesla Model 3 Don’t Buy One Used

In this upside down world we're in you naturally think a used vehicle will be less than a new one. But not in April of 2021. Based on what used Tesla Model 3s sell fro at auction, you're better off buying a new one. It will cost you less, believe it or not!
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2022 Alfa Romeo Tonale crossover ft 3/4 view
Crossovers

Alfa Romeo CEO Delays Tonale SUV Because It Does Nothing Well

The long-awaited Alfa Romeo Tonale has been delayed until 2022. The reason is new CEO Jean-Phillippe Imparato is highly unimpressed. He’s demanding a number of improvements to bring it up at least to the specs of the lesser Peugeot 3008 plug-in hybrid. For all of its development time, it looks like the Alfa Romeo Tonale …
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AMC straight-six engine
Trucks & SUVs

Ford Stabbing Straight-Six In Next F-150-Is This The Future Of Trucks?

The straight-six has never completely gone away, but back in the 1930s-1960s, it was the base engine for many automobiles. When the American auto manufacturers went with the V8 wave they still cranked out straight-six engines. Now Ford is looking to revive the straight-six potentially as its flagship engine in the next F-150.  While the …
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2011 Dodge Challenger Drag Pak
Coupes

Factory Viper-Powered Challengers Are 9-Sec. Quarter-Mile Crazy Fast

Ford, Dodge, and Chevy all produce very limited turn-key race cars for use in NHRA and National Muscle Car drag racing sportsman classes. Dodge’s Challenger Drag Pak has been produced about every other year since 2009. Most of them have been Hemi-powered of varied displacement. But in 2011 Dodge offered the Challenger Drag Pak with …
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Pink 2021 Wallyscar IRIS sedan
Sedans

Who Knew Tunisia Made These Odd IRIS Fiberglass Cars For $13,000?

Check out this funky little fiberglass commuter. The Wallyscar IRIS is made in Tunisia where the country adds tariffs to vehicles made outside of the country. That’s where the IRIS comes into play. Since it is made domestically it carries a price tag of $13,000. That works especially well for the African country due to …
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A red 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E electric crossover SUV approaches a crosswalk at a city intersection on a sunny day
Trucks & SUVs

Ford’s Mustang Mach-E Won’t Start Due To Software Problems

The traditional 12-volt battery that almost all vehicles have can go dead in Ford Mustang Mach-E EVs. It creates a no-start condition just as it would in any car. A “no-start condition” means you can’t start your car for you and me. Mach-E problems especially crop up in cold weather when the low-voltage battery goes …
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Boeing 737 Max plane in flight
Trends

Boeing Just Grounded More 737 Max Planes-Again. What’s Going On?

When we last heard from plane-maker Boeing it had just recommissioned all of the 737 Max planes that it was forced by the FAA to ground for 20 months. That was back in November 2020. But today it contacted 16 airline companies to ground some of their 737 jets. Again. What’s the problem this time?  …
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A 2019 Nissan Motor Co. Rogue sport utility vehicle (SUV) sits on the lot at a car dealership in Joliet, Illinois
Trends

Nissan Going Down Another Dark Path Potentially With Loans Screwing Buyers

In March Nissan made the sketchy decision to offer subprime loans for those unable to qualify for Nissan Motor Acceptance credit. Now it has taken an even darker path to potentially screw buyers. Now it will pay bonuses to dealers able to convince customers to make longer-term loans. Like 84-96-month loans. Is this what Nissan …
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Pirates Off-Road illegal party at night
Trucks & SUVs

5,000 Off-Roaders In Arizona Desert Leads To Arrests, Accidents, Chaos

Well, this didn’t go well. This past weekend a group of over 5,000 Phoenix-area off-roaders invaded the Tonto National Forest in Arizona. The off-road bacchanal converged without permits to drag race, drink, and dance to a live band. All of this off-road chaos led to many arrests and also many accidents.  Who organized this off-roader …
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Toyota Highlander SUVs for sale at a car dealership
Trends

My Dealer Charged Me An Advertising Charge. What Is That?

Car dealers are fond of their special dealer “Advertising Charge” added to your new car’s bottom line. It’s a great way for them to pull a few extra bucks from your wallet. But to us, it’s the dealership’s cost of doing business. Their cost of doing business, not ours.  The Advertising Charge was created to …
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Tiger Woods 87 mph before crash
Trucks & SUVs

Update: Tiger Woods Was Driving 87 MPH Before His Crash

Speed kills, so golf star Tiger Woods is lucky to be alive. According to police the data recorder in his Genesis SUV right before it crashed indicated speeds as high as 87 mph. That’s almost 50 mph above the posted speed limit. The data recorder showed that Woods was at 75 mph when he hit …
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San Francisco traffic
Hybrids & EVs

EPA Is Looking To Ban All Gas-Powered Cars

The Environmental Protection Agency is on a mission. It wants to issue new vehicle emissions standards by July 2021. But first, it has to rebuild the EPA which was gutted under the former Trump administration. The EPA’s new Administrator Michael Regan wants the agency’s focus to be fighting climate change and helping areas of the …
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Dealership Service Department from 1950s
Trends

My Car Dealer Charged Me A Documentation Fee: What’s That?

Did you just buy a new or used car with an extra charge called a “documentation fee?” Sometimes called a “doc fee” it is an added charge to the car you’re buying. It is another one of those oblique dealership charges that add several hundred dollars to the price of a car. But it is …
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Liberty Walk Jeep Wrangler wide body conversion kit
Trucks & SUVs

Is This Jeep Wide Body Too Much, Not Enough, Or Just Right?

Once you start upsizing wheels and tires on a Jeep you need some body armor. Especially some fender protection. That means more width. Now Japanese components developer Liberty Walk is making a Wrangler wide body kit. These are custom carbon fiber fenders and other bits for the Wrangler. The company behind those wide body Lambos, …
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