u/AccordionWhisperer

The video shared by an Uber driver

Note the bright spots that appear along the edge of the rotation. (radar) confirmed touchdown near New Hill and another possible one north of RDU.

When all this is over, radar signatures are pointing to 3 or more tornados.

Based on a query of GasBuddy reported prices today for stations in zip codes Guilford County

Also calls out some of the highs and lows for individual cities.

A new Harris Poll of 3,012 U.S. auto buyers and 252 dealers found some interesting trends in how people shop for vehicles and how dealers see themselves as meeting those needs.

• Buyers are spending more time researching and relying less and less on dealerships for information about vehicles.
• Brand loyalty is being fractured as buyers are increasingly willing to cross-shop brands and dealerships in search of value.
• Those "more likely to buy a used over new vehicle" is down to just 13% this year.
• The most telling metrics show that dealers and buyers have very different views of how well the buying experience is going:
  • 63% of dealers agree that "the traditional car dealership is optimized for the future" while only 42% of buyers agree
  • "dealers play an essential role in the new car buying journey" 74 vs 47%
  • "dealers provide the resources, tools and technology to make buying a vehicle easy and convenient" 70% vs 43%
  • Buyers are frustrated with generic responses from AI and CRMs and dealers are interpreting their silence as poor lead quality.

There's some interesting information about EVs too

• 60% of dealers say they are "excited about (battery) EVs" while 31% say automakers should prioritize hybrids until EV challenges are addressed.
• 47% of buyers say they will never be ready for an EV, 36% point to recent federal policy changes making them less likely to purchase an EV and only 11% say their next vehicle will be an EV.

The study was commissioned by a company selling software that reports on lost customers, so the questions may be biased toward promoting that software.

https://www.urbanscience.com/2026-harris-poll-report/

Edit: a bit of copyediting for clarity

After World War II, hot rodders started using external fuel tanks from fighter planes as car bodies. The teardrop shape was ideal for speed runs on dry lake beds and Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats.

This is one of the most innovative and successful tanks and was once the world's fastest. Californian Tom Beatty welded the tube frame, designed his own independent rear suspension, and was an early experimenter with supercharging.

400 hp
206 cubic inch Oldsmobile V-8, overhead valves, supercharged,
set 1962 Bonneville Salt Flats sped record at 243.438 mph

seen at the Henry Ford Museum, Dearborn, MI

The Comuta-Car, and its predecessor the CitiCar, were electric cars designed for limited use in cities. Sharp increases in gasoline prices in the 1970s persuaded some 4000 people to buy the tiny vehicles. But every time the price of fuel spiked, it always fell again, and demand for specialized urban electrics always fell along with it. Will the time for such cars ever come?

1300lbs
5 hp
cost: $5,000 in 1980
taken at the Henry Ford Museum, Dearborn, MI

Carl Mayer, nephew of the company's namesake, created the first Oscar Mayer Wienermobile in 1936. In the years since, generations of new Wienermobiles have promoted the brand at stores, parades and festivals around the country.

This version, built in 1952 by Gerstenslager Company, Wooster Ohio, based on a Dodge truck chassis and powered by a 350-cubic-inch Chevrolet V-8 engine. The Wienermobile represents an innovative combination of transportation and product promotion that brings together two of America's greatest loves: cars and hot dogs.

At the Henry Ford Museum, Dearborn, MI

Evolution of the Wienermobile Models

• 1936 Original: Built by the General Body Company in Chicago on a purpose-built chassis, updated in 1940
• 1952 Model: Built by Gerstenslager on a Dodge chassis with a glass cockpit enclosure
• 1958 Model: Designed by Brooks Stevens using a Willys Jeep chassis, and molded fiberglass.
• 1969 Model: Built in-house by Oscar Mayer in Madison, Wisconsin, using a Chevrolet chassis and Ford Thunderbird taillights.
• 1975 Model: Created by Plastics Products in Milwaukee as a fiberglass/styrofoam replica of the 1969 model on a motorhome chassis.
• 1988 Fleet: A fleet of six vehicles built by Stevens Automotive Corporation on Chevrolet van chassis, featuring modern amenities like microwaves and cell phones.
• 1995 Redesign: Designed by Harry Bentley Bradley, expanding the size to 27 feet long and 11 feet high with an aerodynamic, futuristic look.
• 2000 Update: Built by Craftsmen Industries on a GMC W-series chassis, adding GPS and upgraded audio systems.
• 2001 Version: Built on a RAM 1500-series chassis with a flipped axle.
• 2004 Redesign: Built by Prototype Source on a GMC W-series chassis featuring Pontiac Firebird taillights and an upgraded V8 engine.
• 2008 Mini Version: A compact promotional version built on a Mini Cooper S Hardtop chassis