View in browser »
This Week's Puzzler

The Shuttering Porsche


Time for the puzzler. This one is based on a true story and was sent in to us many years ago. Here it is. 

One crisp fall morning, a man brings his Porsche into his mechanics saying that he couldn't drive it more than 20 miles an hour. At that speed, it developed an horrendous shutter.

The mechanic being busy as usual, drinking his morning coffee, says he can look at it later on that day. 

When the driver returned that evening, the mechanic reported that they couldn't repeat the problem. They couldn't reproduce the issue. They had taken it on a test drive, and the car ran perfectly.

The next morning, the driver returns with exactly the same complaint. Again, the mechanic puts it in the garage and spends the morning drinking coffee and over billing other customers. Again, the driver returns that evening. And it is the same story. The same complaint. 

The next day, the same thing. The driver returns and says that when he drives the car over 20 miles an hour, the car starts to shake so badly it feels like it will fall apart. 

This time, the junior assisstant mechanic hears the story. 

Then he asks the owner one question. He asks, "Did you buy new tires this summer?"

And the owner says, "Yes, I did."

And the junior mechanic assistant says, "I know what's wrong with your car..."

So, what does he know?

What is wrong with the car?

Good luck.
Answer the Puzzler »
Remember last week's puzzler?

The Polynomial



This one is not automotive. It is mathematical.

For all the kids out there who are going to major in math, this is for you. 

Many of the little children that listen to Car Talk are studying algebra. So I thought I would ask them to simplify the following polynomial.

(x + a) X (x - b) X (x + c) ... All the way to (x - z). So you do that, from a to z, alternating the plus and minus function. 

If you take all of those, we are looking for the product of those terms.
Find out here »
Congratulations to this week's
puzzler winner:

 Douglas Miller
Indianapolis, IN 
Congratulations! This correct answer was chosen at random by our Web Lackeys.

Facebook Twitter Instagram website@cartalk.com
Cartalk.com Community
This Week's Show Podcast
Add to address book Unsubscribe from list
Email preferences Shameless Commerce
Care of WBUR, 890 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215
Contents © 2025, Dewey, Cheatham, and Howe.
powered by emma