a b c d Liptak, Andrew (September 30, 2017). "For 30 years, Car Talk was the best way to waste a perfectly good hour of your weekend". The Verge. Archived from the original on September 30, 2017 . Retrieved September 30, 2017.

The History of Car Talk". Car Talk. May 23, 2011. Archived from the original on September 5, 2019 . Retrieved September 5, 2019.a b Falk, Tyler (September 26, 2017). " 'Best of Car Talk' keeps running as stations rethink weekends". Current. Archived from the original on September 27, 2017 . Retrieved October 6, 2017.

In 1977, radio station WBUR-FM in Boston scheduled a panel of local car mechanics to discuss car repairs on one of its programs, but only Tom Magliozzi showed up. He did so well that he was asked to return as a guest, and he invited his younger brother Ray (who was actually more of a car repair expert) to join him. The brothers were soon asked to host their own radio show on WBUR, which they continued to do every week. In 1986, NPR decided to distribute their show nationally. [30] [4] Kieran Lindsey - People Search | Virginia Tech". Search.vt.edu. Archived from the original on June 6, 2013 . Retrieved August 9, 2012. Kieran Jane Lindsey; Director, Natural Resources Distance Learning Corsortium, College of Natural Resources & Env. Car Talk". George Foster Peabody Awards. 1992. Archived from the original on November 4, 2014 . Retrieved August 29, 2013. Car Talk". King Features. June 8, 2011. Archived from the original on June 11, 2019 . Retrieved June 13, 2019. Executive producer Doug Berman said in 2012, "The guys are culturally right up there with Mark Twain and the Marx Brothers. They will stand the test of time. People will still be enjoying them years from now. They're that good." [2]Sirius XM's Public Radio Schedule". Sirius XM Radio. Archived from the original on December 31, 2014 . Retrieved January 27, 2014. Memmott, Mark (June 8, 2012). "Car Talk Guys Are Retiring, But Their Best Stuff Will Be Rebroadcast". NPR. National Public Radio (NPR). Archived from the original on May 2, 2015 . Retrieved April 3, 2018. The George Wendt Show on CBS". TV Guide. Archived from the original on August 21, 2009 . Retrieved July 25, 2009. Car Talk Credits". Car Talk. Archived from the original on August 6, 2004 . Retrieved April 15, 2007.

Car Talk was presented in the form of a call-in radio show: listeners called in with questions related to motor vehicle maintenance and repair. Most of the advice sought was diagnostic, with callers describing symptoms and demonstrating sounds of an ailing vehicle while the Magliozzis made an attempt to identify the malfunction over the telephone and give advice on how to fix it. While the hosts peppered their call-in sessions with jokes directed at both the caller and at themselves, the Magliozzis were usually able to arrive at a diagnosis. However, when they were stumped, they attempted anyway with an answer they claimed was "unencumbered by the thought process", the official motto of the show. [7] Brown, Joel (March 29, 2011). "Suffolk players get a lot of mileage out of 'Car Talk' ". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on July 25, 2011. PBS Greenlights 'Car Talk' Television Series" (Press release). July 11, 2007 . Retrieved July 12, 2007.The Magliozzis operated a do-it-yourself garage together in the 1970s which became more of a conventional repair shop in the 1980s. Ray continued to have a hand in the day-to-day operations of the shop for years, while his brother Tom semi-retired, often joking on Car Talk about his distaste for doing "actual work". The show's offices were located near their shop at the corner of JFK Street and Brattle Street in Harvard Square, marked as " Dewey, Cheetham & Howe", the imaginary law firm to which they referred on-air. DC&H doubled as the business name of Tappet Brothers Associates, the corporation established to manage the business end of Car Talk. Initially a joke, the company was incorporated after the show expanded from a single station to national syndication. [41] a b "Announcement! Were ending our radio distribution of Car Talk, giving up the parking space to some new folk". Car Talk on Facebook. June 11, 2021. Archived from the original on February 25, 2022. NPR Programs Attract Record-Breaking Audiences Public Radio Listenership at All-Time High". National Public Radio (NPR). 2002. Archived from the original on December 24, 2008 . Retrieved December 17, 2008. Growth in the NPR news/talk audience outpaced similar gains realized by commercial news/talk radio. Oldenburg, Ann; Puente, Maria (November 3, 2014). "Farewell: Car Talk's Tom Magliozzi left laughing". USA Today. Archived from the original on July 28, 2019 . Retrieved July 28, 2019. a b Neary, Lynn (November 3, 2014). "Tom Magliozzi, Popular Co-Host Of NPR's 'Car Talk,' Dies At 77". National Public Radio (NPR) . Retrieved January 31, 2019.