LOS ANGELES -- Click and Clack, the mechanics-turned-comedians who launched one of the most unlikely -- and most beloved -- talk shows in radio history, have decided that 35 years at the wheel is enough.

Brothers Tom and Ray Magliozzi announced Friday that they no longer will record new episodes of the weekly call-in series, but it will live on in syndication.

Beginning in October, the Car Talk producers will put together shows from "the best of" the archives, which include more than 1,200 broadcasts.

The show was one of NPR's powerhouses, in part because it appealed to such a diverse audience. People who had no interest in cars, or weren't the least bit mechanically inclined, were among the most devoted listeners -- tuning in for the radio magic that took place when the brothers began playing off each other.

"We're certainly disappointed that they're not going to do this forever. But ... they've earned this," Eric Nuzum, vice president for NPR Programming, said.

The pair announced their departure with their trademark humor.

"My brother has always been 'work-averse,' " Ray Magliozzi, 63, said. "Now, apparently, even the one hour a week is killing him!"

"It's brutal!" chimed in Tom Magliozzi, 74. The pair said they decided it was time to "stop and smell the cappuccino."

The brothers will still write their twice-weekly Dear Tom and Ray column. The column appears in The Blade on Thursdays and Sundays.

First Published June 9, 2012, 4:00 a.m.