After 35 years on the air, Car Talk sputtering to an end this fall

By Marah Eakin | June 8, 2012 | 6:15pm

Aux Features Arts & Culture

After 35 years on the air, Car Talk sputtering to an end this fall

Millions of fans of automotive advice tempered with fart and divorce jokes are in mourning today, as Tom and Ray Magliozzi have announced the imminent demise of their radio show Car Talk. The brothers Click and Clack say that, after 35 years on the air—25 of which were on NPR—it’s time to hang up their coveralls. Older brother Tom is going to be 75 and apparently thinks "it’s time to stop and smell the cappuccino," according to a typically joke-laden message on Car Talk’s website. "We're hoping to be like I Love Lucy and air 10 times a day on `NPR At Nite' in 2075," he adds. The brothers will sign off at the end of this September.

NPR will continue to air “best-of” episodes culled from the more than 1,200 that have aired thus far. Adding some more statistics to the pile, the show’s producers estimate they've logged over 12,500 phone calls to date, while the show currently airs on 660 radio stations across the country and draws 3.3 million listeners a week.