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B/F: The Drive Thru #64

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In the 64th episode of Break/Fix’s, Drive Thru News, our hosts provide a comprehensive winter recap of the automotive industry, covering dramatic changes, new car releases, and motorsports updates. They discuss the EU relaxing its 2035 combustion engine ban, Ford’s mixed EV strategy, and the Audi’s new diesel-hybrid. The team also covers the 2026 Mecum Kissimmee auction, including rich people’s extravagant car purchases, and a humorous personal encounter at a Circle K.

Tune in everywhere you stream, download or listen!

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Showcase: The Winter Recap Episode!

Mecum Kissimmee: Inside the Bachman Collection Play‑By‑Play

Our review of Mecum Kissimmee 2026 ... [READ MORE]

A visit to the Revs Institute

There's a first time for everything... ... [READ MORE]

Ferrari 250 GT 3729 GT Sold On-Block at Mecum Kissimmee for USD $35 Million

 ... [READ MORE]

Looking Back at Mecum’s 2026 Kissimmee Event

 ... [READ MORE]

Recommended Read: Brock Yates' "ENZO FERRARI - The Man and His Machines"

If you haven't read the original, be sure to pick up the revised edition that was the basis for the FERRARI movie.  ... [READ MORE]

Help Us Turn a Ford Focus Into a Force for ADHD Awareness

Most people look at a 2015 Ford Focus hatchback and think, “That’s a practical commuter car.” We looked at it and thought, “What if we drove this thing … in a race… with hundreds of other lunatics… to raise awareness for ADHD?” ... [READ MORE]

“Highway to Hell” – A Campy Ride Through Cinematic Chaos

We crossover with Steve & Izzy from Everything I Learned from Movies to review 1991's "Highway to Hell"  ... [READ MORE]

**All photos and articles are dynamically aggregated from the source; click on the image or link to be taken to the original article. GTM makes no claims to this material and is not responsible for any claims made by the original authors, publishers or their sponsoring organizations. All rights to original content remain with authors/publishers.


Show notes & Supporting Stories

For a list of all the articles and events referenced on this episode check out the show notes below.

EVs & Concepts

Japanese & JDM

Motorsports

Stellantis

Tesla

VAG & Porsche

TRANSCRIPT

Executive Producer Tania: [00:00:00] Welcome to Break Fixes, Drive-Through News, your monthly recap for everything fast, fascinating, and usually four wheeled. We’re serving up a fresh batch of automotive headlines, motorsports madness, and car adjacent curiosities, all with zero wait time and maximum flavor from Formula One. Drama to concept car debuts with garage built legends.

To the quirkiest stories rolling out of the state of Florida. We’ve got your fix. So grab your coffee, buckle up, and let’s cruise through the latest in the world of wheels with a side of entertainment and just a dash of tire smoke.

Crew Chief Brad: Hi guys.

Crew Chief Eric: Hi, Brad. What’s up?

Crew Chief Brad: Yes. When was the last time we did one of these? Feels like it’s been a while.

Crew Chief Eric: October. What

Crew Chief Brad: we didn’t, when did we? We, I thought we did one in November.

Crew Chief Eric: No, because November is always the holiday special. Last year we did the game show and all that stuff, and then we do the holiday gift exchange and all that.

And then December was the Formula One retrospective.

Crew Chief Brad: Right.

Crew Chief Eric: So this is the winter recap. We get [00:01:00] to talk about everything that happened since October, basically when we went into hibernation.

Crew Chief Brad: So you mean it’s gonna be a really short episode?

Crew Chief Eric: I mean,

Crew Chief Brad: I don’t think anything really happened

Crew Chief Eric: with the absence of Formula One in the episode.

Yeah, everybody gets back half an hour of their day.

Crew Chief Brad: Lucky them. Welcome to drive through episode number 64,

Crew Chief Eric: our 64th drive through episode. Can you believe it?

Crew Chief Brad: No,

Crew Chief Eric: we’ve only skipped two in the entirety of break fix. We’ve only skipped two drive-through episodes. Can you believe that?

Crew Chief Brad: Uh, no.

Crew Chief Eric: You don’t listen anyway.

So the difference is

Crew Chief Brad: so, so, so you have only skipped two. I’ve skipped a couple because I popped out babies and all that good

Crew Chief Eric: stuff. Oh, that’s true. Yeah, that’s true. So

Crew Chief Brad: I’ve skipped a lot more than two.

Crew Chief Eric: That’s very true. We did have some fill-ins there over time. So mad shout out to our guest hosts that have come on in the past to fill in your size.

13 loafers.

Crew Chief Brad: Yes, my loafers.

Crew Chief Eric: Did you get anything good for Christmas?

Crew Chief Brad: I didn’t get anything for Christmas.

Crew Chief Eric: What

Crew Chief Brad: you can imagine. Why.

Crew Chief Eric: Oh, well, yeah, I, I [00:02:00] can’t, I mean,

Crew Chief Brad: so yeah, I, yeah, literally I got nothing.

Crew Chief Eric: I mean, I got car parts delivered to the house for Christmas, but they’re yours, so Does that really count?

Crew Chief Brad: Yeah, I bought myself stuff for Christmas. Yeah.

Crew Chief Eric: Well, we’ll get into that Winter recap. Traditionally, we look back over the months that we haven’t been recording the drive through and kind of see what’s been going on in the automotive industry. ’cause it’s a slow time of year. Even though, as I constantly remind you, the beginning of the sales cycle is September.

So if we are now almost like halfway through the sales year at this point, nothing’s really going on. But there have been some significant changes and maybe some backpedaling, we’ll call it that in the automotive industry during the winter months, Instagram posts from the car News network, sort of by way of BMW, the EU officially kills the 2035 combustion engine ban.

Clickbait or is there some truth to this?

Executive Producer Tania: [00:03:00] That’s not exactly what they’re doing. They’re relaxing the requirement that by 2035 propulsion system is a hundred percent clean and they’re relaxing at 90%. So you have a 10% window there to pollute. So you still have to have a really efficient ice engine, or it’s a hybrid.

Basically, and you’re using very little fuel, so it’s not clear cut that, oh, EVs are out and we’re just going right back to gas guzzling four cylinders in Europe. Right? Right. So I think it’s more nuanced than that.

Crew Chief Eric: I think there’s an ounce of credibility to at least this sentiment that governments around the world are rolling back.

The hard and fast mandates that we were gonna go all electric by, you know, 2027 by 2029, and the dial kept moving towards 11. Right? So 20, 35. And now we’re walking back from that. And one of the things that I think resonates with what I saw from Cars News Network is Jim Farley, the CEO of [00:04:00] Ford, put out a statement and inside of there, there was a paragraph that I pulled out and I’ll, I’ll read it for you.

It says, Ford CEO, Jim Farley was inspired to lead an overhaul of the automaker’s electric vehicle strategy after examining rival EVs. And on a recent podcast, Jim Farley said he came down to the shocking. Quote unquote realization that Ford needed a major company reset after tearing down Tesla and the Chinese EVs, and noticing how much less electrical wiring they required, yada, yada, yada.

And despite a recent EV slowdown in the us, Farley believes EV innovation remains vital globally. However, in that same breath, yeah, yeah. EVs are great and wonderful. It continues on. The one line that you pull out of that is Ford is considering scrapping its electric F-150 pickup, which means the lightning is gone.

Mach E sales are down. I mean, obviously there’s all the controversy over Mustang Mach e, Mach E, what is it really called? Who cares what it’s called? Right.

Crew Chief Brad: I don’t know if that’s really controversy. That’s just us going back and forth, like [00:05:00] boomers about badge engineering.

Crew Chief Eric: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, enthusiasts aren’t happy about it, but, but the real thing is the sales numbers of Mach E, they were okay.

They weren’t great, but the F-150 lightning, as we know, that kept getting its truck bed handed to it in every competition it was put in. Sometimes it would pull ahead of like a cyber truck or whatever, you know, one of the other electric EVs that’s out there, but it’s not what people want. Right? And the whole farce of it can charge itself.

You remember that whole thing and you’re like, it doesn’t surprise me in a world of a hundred thousand dollars pickup trucks that the F-150 lightning is not something that people want.

Crew Chief Brad: I thought we’d been talking about manufacturers backtracking on the. Full ev thing for like the last year though.

That’s not something that’s new. Yeah, it’s

Executive Producer Tania: not new. And a lot of it has to do with the tax credit, incentives, whatever, for purchasing ’em being erased.

Crew Chief Brad: Right.

Executive Producer Tania: Suddenly people don’t wanna buy ’em anymore, which I’m like, how much was this incentive? Really? It’s not like they were free. They were still really expensive.

Crew Chief Brad: Yeah. Overly expensive. Well, [00:06:00]

Crew Chief Eric: relief might be in sight, and I feel like I’m being partially vindicated here in some ways. I’ve been arguing for six years now that we needed to borrow 40-year-old trained technology and come up with a better hybrid system than the hybrid that we’re using. And we saw inklings of this in the past.

If you guys remember, Audi had built that two liter turbo generator system on one other Decar prototype things, and it ran it like 9 billion RPM to make electricity to power the electrical system. One of their e-tron prototypes or whatever. Well, that. Is sort of the way people are starting to lean in the market now you’re seeing more reports of we should use gas and diesel as a generator to create electricity and we can double and triple the range of these electric vehicles with like a one cylinder gas power generator.

I mean, they’re gonna be bigger than that, right? They’re gonna be four cylinders, more than likely, stuff like that. But I found it funny. There was an article from the Audi Club and I just started singing Diesel’s back, back [00:07:00] again. Diesel’s back because TDI hybrid Audi launching the next generation V six diesel for its Q five and its a six series.

So Dieselgate on the end of the world, diesels are back, baby.

Crew Chief Brad: Well, not here though.

Crew Chief Eric: Not yet. It’s only a matter of time.

Crew Chief Brad: Mm.

Executive Producer Tania: All they have to do is make them actually cleaner without cheating.

Crew Chief Eric: And as a generator, they can do that because it’s basically idling and they can come up with all sorts of exhaust, gas recirculation, catalytic, combustion incineration process to make it super clean and emit, you know, wafts of rat breath out the back or something.

I don’t know. But the point is, in my mind, diesel electric hybrid, as I’ve been saying, makes way more sense. And I know big oil doesn’t wanna hear that because they wanna sell more gasoline. Right?

Executive Producer Tania: Big oil sells diesel too,

Crew Chief Brad: at like $700 a gallon too.

Crew Chief Eric: But that’s just it. So is this gonna affect the price of diesel long term that, you know, we can get into all that [00:08:00] whole economic debate.

But the thing is, it makes more sense to have like a high torque, low rev diesel little generator than a gas motor that’s gotta run at, you know, 9,000 RPM to generate the same kilowatt hours that’s necessary to charge the system. So I’m really excited about this. I feel like it’s 10 years too late. Like we should have started at this point, not done the fully electric unicorn farts and you know, lithium powered everything.

Excited to see where this goes. Longer term.

Crew Chief Brad: Yes.

Executive Producer Tania: $150,000. Audi TDI.

Crew Chief Eric: Did you expect anything less? Meanwhile over at Jaguar, we talked about this car before. Remember the one that they officially showed at Pebble Beach this year, which had only been in like concept drawings and designs, and you’re like, man, did AI generate this car?

It looked like something out of Batman in the animated series. Super cartoony Jaguar. And then, you know, they went through the whole backlash with changing the logo and you know, Jaguar lost its weight and all this kind of thing. Well, as a [00:09:00] result of all the negative publicity from the Type zero zero concept, that cartoon Jaguar, I was just referencing, they fired Jerry McGovern after 20 years at Jaguar

Executive Producer Tania: who.

Crew Chief Brad: Exactly

Crew Chief Eric: if you’re in that circle, the circle of Land Rover, Jaguar, Tata, and all that kind of stuff. Apparently he’s designed some iconic models like the defender and and stuff like that, which are kind of cool, like if you like that sort of thing. They’re kind of cool, but that Jaguar type, double zero, whatever was just a step away from what anybody actually wanted.

The reason I bring up this Jaguar, and you guys are like, well, who cares? We know that thing’s ugly.

Crew Chief Brad: Mm-hmm. Not surprised he’s fired.

Crew Chief Eric: Have you seen the new A four sedan?

Crew Chief Brad: Oh, so Audi hired him.

Crew Chief Eric: Right.

Crew Chief Brad: The front end is very nineties alpha to me. The way the headlights go and the the square should be the, not a square, but

Executive Producer Tania: that’s trash.

Crew Chief Brad: [00:10:00] It looks like a Lego car.

Crew Chief Eric: It looks like the back end of a wide body IMSA car from the eighties. The Nissan Skyline silhouette with the box flares. Yeah, it looks like the back of that is on the front. I also immediately thought Chrysler 300.

Crew Chief Brad: Oh yeah, I get that.

Executive Producer Tania: This is a garbage scowl,

Crew Chief Eric: but this is the new design language.

All the Audis are gonna look like this now.

Executive Producer Tania: Then they’re all gonna look like trash.

Crew Chief Brad: Yeah. And they’re not going to sell and they’re gonna change it again to something worse. To

Executive Producer Tania: something worse. I mean, what is this like Bugatti front end? I mean that’s what it reminds me of.

Crew Chief Eric: I don’t even think the grills were this square in the eighties.

Executive Producer Tania: No, because they were rectangles. Never was there a square grill

Crew Chief Eric: maybe in the auto union days of like 1932 or whatever.

Executive Producer Tania: Not even those. Those were like more oval.

Crew Chief Eric: It’s ugly.

Crew Chief Brad: The square grill’s from like a Mack truck.

Crew Chief Eric: You know Volkswagen owns man trucks, so maybe they’re just borrowing from their design department.

It kind of does look like a semi,

Crew Chief Brad: maybe somebody missed a meeting and they got Joe Blow from the blue collar division to come in and it was like, yeah, just throw a [00:11:00] square on the front there.

Crew Chief Eric: How is that aerodynamic?

Executive Producer Tania: I mean this straight up looks like you photoshopped and just said, let me cut a rectangle out of the front of like a regular A four and then let me just like copy and paste this image and just like put it on.

That’s what this rendering looks like.

Crew Chief Brad: To that point, do we know that this is actually what the car’s gonna look like?

Executive Producer Tania: Well, this is a still a concept, right? Yeah. So like all concepts, it could look nothing like this.

Crew Chief Brad: No. But like everything I see here says new A four rendering by motor one. Like this isn’t the concept car actually built by out?

Executive Producer Tania: Oh, well then this is exactly what I said is some dude in Photoshop just copying and pasting chunks of something else onto

Crew Chief Brad: a

Executive Producer Tania: regular A four.

Crew Chief Brad: Yeah, exactly. This is non-New. This is clickbait.

Crew Chief Eric: No, but if you go back to the pictures of the concept C, which they linked to, it’s the same design language, Tanya’s point, they probably grafted the front end of that, onto the current a four body, you know, and kind of fix it up a little bit.

But the new car has this look to it with the square [00:12:00] grill and everything else. Mm-hmm. It just, it’s pretty terrible.

Executive Producer Tania: So Audi’s concept is in there. It’s the concept C.

Crew Chief Brad: Yeah.

Executive Producer Tania: So motor one took, like I said, a screenshot of this. Change the color in Photoshop and put this on a regular A four and said, Ooh, we should make an A four.

Crew Chief Brad: Hey, let’s write an article about this.

Crew Chief Eric: It looks like trash though.

Crew Chief Brad: Let’s make this shit up and write article.

Executive Producer Tania: See, concept C doesn’t look good either.

Crew Chief Brad: No,

Executive Producer Tania: it actually looks better as this concept C.

Crew Chief Brad: Yeah, because

Executive Producer Tania: it’s proportions, but it’s still garbage.

Crew Chief Brad: Yeah, it looks better as a coop for one thing. And like to Tanya’s point, like the proportions and everything look better.

Audi in the concept C did a better job than Jake the intern at MO on when he did the Photoshop.

Crew Chief Eric: Well, moving right along, we have to introduce a whole bunch of new cars if we’re gonna pay for the Audi F1 program. So Volkswagen is lining up a new wave of models for 2026.

Crew Chief Brad: I feel like your logic is flawed.

Crew Chief Eric: Uh oh.

Crew Chief Brad: You don’t need to make new cars. You need to sell more cars. [00:13:00] I think that’s where they’re messing up.

Crew Chief Eric: Oh, is that what it is?

Crew Chief Brad: Yeah. They can make all the cars they want. If they’re not selling ’em, they’re not making any money. Just make more cars that people want to actually buy. Top tip.

Crew Chief Eric: So to your point, scroll through this list of new Volkswagens.

There’s not a ton of them here. Are any of these appealing to you?

Executive Producer Tania: None of these are being sold in this country.

Crew Chief Eric: Yes, but they’ll eventually make their way here, won’t they?

Executive Producer Tania: No.

Crew Chief Brad: 25 years.

Executive Producer Tania: No, nothing. This small is gonna come over here.

Crew Chief Eric: Yeah, but what about the ID era and the ID cross, which looked like the ID four and whatever the bigger one is than that.

Crew Chief Brad: Id declare none of these are coming here.

Executive Producer Tania: That was good.

Crew Chief Eric: I’m gonna just say it. These have a very like BYD sort of look to them. Is that where we’re leaning now in terms of like, we need to copy them because they’re leading the market.

Crew Chief Brad: They have A what? A what? Look to ’em.

Crew Chief Eric: B-Y-D-B-Y.

Crew Chief Brad: I don’t know what that means.

The

Executive Producer Tania: Chinese EV maker.

Crew Chief Brad: Oh, okay. Okay. Yeah. I thought you were saying like, bring your own design team. [00:14:00]

Crew Chief Eric: That’s what it stands for. I’m sure.

Executive Producer Tania: No, that was the motor one article.

Crew Chief Brad: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Bring your own intern.

Crew Chief Eric: No, I will say we’re never gonna get whatever this. Polo thing is that’s at the top. I don’t even know what this thing’s called.

Maybe it’s the ID three or maybe it’s the smaller one. It doesn’t really matter. I do like this nineties. What was her name? Lisa Frank. Remember those folders? We had the Trapper Keepers and we had the Lisa Frank stuff.

Executive Producer Tania: This is the Hot Pink. Enough to be Lisa Frank. Sorry.

Crew Chief Eric: But it’s like a Harley Quinn thing though.

Did you notice the colors? It goes back to the mark three Harlequin. I think this is a cool livery.

Crew Chief Brad: Yeah.

Crew Chief Eric: We may have to put an earmark on this and look at it more closely and study it for an upcoming project, which we’re gonna talk about later in the episode. But I, I really like this livery. It’s, it’s very chaotic.

It’s unfocused.

Crew Chief Brad: We are not gonna put this on pumpkin spice.

Crew Chief Eric: Definitely not.

Crew Chief Brad: All. What’s next?

Crew Chief Eric: Well, we have a little bit of Stellan news. All right. I’m just gonna read the title here and get your guys’ opinion. This comes [00:15:00] from the drive. It says, Jeep is selling a V eight Wrangler for $70,000, but you have to be a veteran or active military to be able to buy it.

Executive Producer Tania: Stupid.

Crew Chief Eric: I, I don’t get this.

Crew Chief Brad: I just don’t understand why

Executive Producer Tania: you’d probably sell more if you didn’t have to be active military or a veteran.

Crew Chief Brad: I was gonna say, maybe this is a way just to show a little appreciation for the active military

Executive Producer Tania: at $70,000.

Crew Chief Brad: Well, there’s a, so one thing, it’s $70,000

Crew Chief Eric: starting

Crew Chief Brad: very, very expensive.

Like, so an infantry man’s not gonna be able to afford that shit. And then two, what this really is, is a publicity stunt.

Crew Chief Eric: Yes.

Crew Chief Brad: They’re gonna sell more of the other Jeeps because people are gonna come in, oh, you guys are doing something great for the military. You know what I’m gonna, I’m gonna spend my money with you.

Crew Chief Eric: The Jeep Stir Commando.

Crew Chief Brad: Well, that’s a name for you. This jeepsters going commando.

Crew Chief Eric: It is. Have you seen these doors?

Crew Chief Brad: I, I have seen these doors.

Crew Chief Eric: Yeah. They might as well not even exist. Mm. That’s a lot of tubing. It’s not roll cagey enough.

Crew Chief Brad: This commando’s [00:16:00] got a lot of tubing. Well.

Executive Producer Tania: I also like how there’s seemingly the attachment for the spare tire on the trunk door.

Yet the tire’s in the trunk,

Crew Chief Eric: buddy. Hey, it’s got a Hemi. It’s got a Hemi. And did you realize that it has a Hemi?

Executive Producer Tania: And what are you doing with this wildly unstable, horribly handling vehicle with V eight in it,

Crew Chief Brad: you’re spending an additional $11,500 and adding a Whipple supercharger to it.

Crew Chief Eric: Yeah. Yeah. Now you have a Hellcat.

I mean,

Crew Chief Brad: come on now. Yes. Now you’ve got a Hellcat

Crew Chief Eric: boosted to 705 horsepower. Just two horsepower, shy of a Hellcat. Look at that.

Crew Chief Brad: Yep.

Executive Producer Tania: How many people are gonna take this off road? Gun it and crash it because,

Crew Chief Eric: well, they kind of have to because there’s no malls anymore. So there’s nowhere to drive your Jeep.

Crew Chief Brad: They’re gonna make 250 of ’em. And to Tanya’s point, I think they’re going to wreck 250 of ’em.

Crew Chief Eric: There’s a lot of No for [00:17:00] me here, dog,

Crew Chief Brad: it’s no for me. I don’t like the white wheels. Other than that, I think it’s cool. The thing is a marketing stunt, a publicity stunt, it’s not doing anything for anybody.

Crew Chief Eric: See, and this is where you and I differ.

I actually like the wheels. I don’t know why, but that’s like the most appealing part of this thing.

Crew Chief Brad: So I wonder if they’re gonna do like Tesla did and put a clause in the purchase agreement that you can’t turn around and flip it.

Crew Chief Eric: Ah, that’s probably true. Alright, the next one. I have been following this build for years and I am so excited that it’s finally done.

And when I saw this video, I had to share it with you guys. The Pacific Cat is done, the hell cat powered Pacifica is on the road and it is freaking awesome. This thing is amazing.

Crew Chief Brad: So that’s a minivan I would buy.

Crew Chief Eric: I sent this to my wife and I was like, so what do you think? And she’s like,

Crew Chief Brad: you’re insane.

Crew Chief Eric: Yeah, she just sighed. And then she’s like, no. And I’m like, damn. I will say [00:18:00] this, if I could put those wheels at that stance on my wife’s Pacifica, just that and the flares. Oh, it look amazing. Like, I like the body lines of the Pacifica. And that’s weird to say, ’cause it’s a van.

Crew Chief Brad: It’s just a big wagon.

Crew Chief Eric: It is, but it’s kind of sporty, right?

Crew Chief Brad: Yeah.

Crew Chief Eric: But it needs to be more sporty. And this is like extreme sports. This is X Games, 700 plus horsepower. Extreme, right? It’s like Harold and Kumar going through the seven 11 or the Circle K or whatever it was. Ah, this thing is aw, smoky burnouts in a minivan. I mean, does it get any better than that? Mm.

Crew Chief Brad: No,

Crew Chief Eric: that sound of that supercharger. Mm. That’s just delicious.

Crew Chief Brad: Yeah. Yep.

Crew Chief Eric: Well, since we’re speaking of Stellantis, I got an opportunity to rent yet another Stellantis product. So I gotta give you a little renter review here.

Crew Chief Brad: Why?

Crew Chief Eric: Guess what? I got to drive when I was down in Florida.

Crew Chief Brad: Oh, oh, oh. Um, I don’t know.

Crew Chief Eric: Brand new

Crew Chief Brad: God start,

Crew Chief Eric: it’s like [00:19:00] 2016 brand new Grand Wagoner L. The only thing as big as that is the expedition. Max monstrosity.

Crew Chief Brad: Mm.

Crew Chief Eric: Third row with a trunk. Big enough for coffins. I mean, this thing is a yacht. It’s probably the biggest thing I’ve driven since the old Autocrossers Inc. Autocross van, if you remember that.

You know, 17 passenger church van.

Crew Chief Brad: Yeah.

Crew Chief Eric: Back in the day. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it either because it’s too big. It was too big in general parking, it was a nuisance. It didn’t fit in most parking spots. It was too long. Too wide, whatever. Driving it wasn’t really that different than my Jeep.

Mm-hmm. A lot of the creature comforts in my Jeep are there, but they’re now very much more digital. Everything is like super high gloss and behind the touchscreen. I mean, I have a touchscreen in my Jeep, 11 years old, but it’s much simpler. It’s more intuitive. The icons are bigger, they’re easier to determine.

Like I knew where everything sort of [00:20:00] needed to be, but it took a minute to orient myself Again, driving, it was like any other Stellantis product. It handled like any other Stellantis product to fit and finish was what I expected. Is it worth $150,000 MSRP? No. Is it as nice as my Jeep inside 10 years ago as a summit edition?

Yes. Is it nicer than the current Jeeps? Yes, but I’m gonna go back to, is it worth $150,000?

Crew Chief Brad: No, I feel like it’s probably worth 80.

Crew Chief Eric: Yes.

Crew Chief Brad: And the regular Wagoner is probably worth 45 or 50, and the Grand Cherokee should be in the 30 range. The Cherokee should be in the 20 range, and yeah. So on and so forth, down.

That’s not how car pricing works, unfortunately. Yeah. But that’s where I think these vehicles should be.

Crew Chief Eric: No, I, I agree with you. A thousand percent. And it wasn’t just a, you know, a round kissimmee type of thing with the wagoner, you know, dealing with stop and go traffic. We drove it long distances. Uh, and I’ll talk about this a little bit [00:21:00] more as we go along.

We started our trip in Fort Myers and Fort Myers to Orlandos three hours plus.

Crew Chief Brad: Yeah.

Crew Chief Eric: Despite it being big and bulky and cumbersome, it was super comfy. It was a nice place to be, especially with four people and luggage and everything else. You really were not pining for space in any way. It was, again, it was super comfortable.

And then after three hours in the truck, you got out and it’s like, huh. It wasn’t, it wasn’t even hateful. The seats are super comfortable. I will say the only thing that was really obnoxious was. A feature that I don’t have in any of my cars, which is the lane guidance assistance thing. And so the Wagoner is so big, it takes a while to sort of orient where the corners of it are, where the edges of it are, and it is wider than my Jeep, even though my Jeep’s kind of a big old hippopotamus going down the road.

I found myself maybe skirting the edge of the lane a little bit where the white line was not like going off on the shoulder and it would try to correct. And what it would do is it would bump the truck over, but because it was so big, it would bump over to the other line and it would bump it [00:22:00] back. So it was playing this like ping pong back and forth in the lane and the guys are like, are you okay?

And I’m like, watch, it’s doing it itself. And I would let go and it, you would just move it back and forth a couple of inches. This is so annoying. And I couldn’t figure out how to turn it off. And it was one of those features that I don’t think you could permanently disable it, or I had to dig 12 menu layers deep to figure that out.

I’m like, it’s a rental, I’m just gonna give it back after a couple days. I don’t wanna sit here and you know, that be the cause of somebody else’s problem, so I’ll just live with it. But you were always on the knife edge when you were driving it. It was pretty pronounced how it would bump the truck over.

When it thought you were going over the lane and it has these big flag mirrors too, so they’re already sticking out past the body and it doesn’t take much for those sensors to suddenly pick up the line when the mirror is sticking out 18 inches. Like most stellantis truck owners have their mirrors extended for no reason.

This is sort of the same thing from the factory and it, it just blew my mind. It was one of the most obnoxious things that I’ve ever encountered in a new car. [00:23:00]

Crew Chief Brad: You know, for that kind of money I would just save half of it and get a Yukon XL Denali.

Crew Chief Eric: Haven’t they been having engine problems with those though?

There’s recalls in those GMV eights and stuff.

Crew Chief Brad: Yeah, but they’ve, they’ve got it all sorted out now and basically if you’re within thresholds, they’ll just put a different viscosity oil in it or they’ll fix it and give you an extended warranty. ’cause they have all the parts and stuff now. So. Nice. What was it an issue where there was a shortage on parts and parts availability and they couldn’t get the trucks fixed and everything.

That’s all workeded itself out now.

Crew Chief Eric: Let’s switch gears and talk about Asian cars.

Crew Chief Brad: What about Mercedes and BMW?

Crew Chief Eric: We did that last year. We’re done. Remember?

Crew Chief Brad: Oh, we don’t ever have to do it again.

Crew Chief Eric: No, never again. Like in another five years they’ll have changed the grills again or something.

Crew Chief Brad: Praise Lord, baby Jesus.

Crew Chief Eric: So let’s talk about Asian cars. I don’t know what changed in the Department of Transportation. If it’s our current administration, whatever, it doesn’t matter. But suddenly K [00:24:00] cars are coming to America.

Executive Producer Tania: Well, they’re super cute.

Crew Chief Brad: They’re accessories like chihuahuas and handbags,

Crew Chief Eric: they are. I mean, you could fit these K cars in your purse,

Crew Chief Brad: but you know who buys K cars in the us?

Nerdy white guys. Tell me I’m wrong.

Crew Chief Eric: You have to be of a certain build to fit in these too. I mean, at your height, Brad, you put on a K car as a shoe,

Crew Chief Brad: so I’d buy two of them. Yeah,

Crew Chief Eric: pretty much. Right now, I do think this Honda, the Modelo X or whatever, is super cool. I’ve seen some videos of these in Japan.

They’re mid engine. You could put the roof in the FR and the FR is tiny, like it holds like, you know, three wrenches kind of thing. I mean the cars are super compact. Oddly enough, it’s like MR two meets S 2000. It has that kind of vibe going. I like it. I’d love to drive one just to see, and I think it wouldd be super cool if they start making left hand drive ones and bring them over to the States.

Crew Chief Brad: Yes,

Crew Chief Eric: there is a subculture in the American automotive landscape that will [00:25:00] buy this for sure. But the, the bigger question is if we’re allowing new K cars to come in, what does it mean for old K cars?

Crew Chief Brad: No, because I think it’s the st the same overarching rules still apply.

Crew Chief Eric: There’s been folks that have been importing ’em for years.

There’s actually a huge shop in like Virginia that brings in K cars that are over 25 years old. You know, the typical gray market stuff. But does this mean we can start bringing over any K cars?

Crew Chief Brad: And even here there’s an update from Department of Transportation that says manufacturers must certify that they meet US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety standards.

So if we’re going to import a K car, unless we change those standards to allow those, the k cars that they create must meet those standards. So the old ones that were created before don’t. So they have to wait. The 25 year rule is my understanding of it.

Crew Chief Eric: Tanya, would you buy a K car? No. No,

Crew Chief Brad: she bought a K car.

Crew Chief Eric: I thought you’d be like one of the first people in line for something like this. You don’t, you don’t like K cars? [00:26:00]

Executive Producer Tania: Uh,

Crew Chief Eric: you just haven’t found the right one yet.

Executive Producer Tania: I know which K car I want.

Crew Chief Eric: Oh, which one is it?

Executive Producer Tania: It’s called the Fiat Panda.

Crew Chief Eric: Alright, that’s fair. I’ll give you that.

Crew Chief Brad: Not the Al Alpha Romeo Wagon, whatever.

Cross

Executive Producer Tania: Cabo something. Something

Crew Chief Brad: something, something, something. Yeah. Whatever that stick with that thing was

Crew Chief Eric: the longest name ever. Yeah. Good job there, my man. Yes. In other Asian car news, this is the sickest station wagon I’ve seen in a long time. Tell me I’m wrong. The S

Crew Chief Brad: magma,

Crew Chief Eric: the Hyundai Magma series.

Look at this thing.

Crew Chief Brad: The Genesis, smegma wingback,

Crew Chief Eric: the G 90. Look at that color. Look at those wheels, look at those flares. I mean, this is Audi RS six avant territory that Genesis slash Hyundai is going in. Am I wrong?

Crew Chief Brad: Well, no, that’s what they always do.

Crew Chief Eric: That looks sick.

Crew Chief Brad: Remember the stinger?

Crew Chief Eric: Yeah.

Crew Chief Brad: Stinger’s basically an A seven or it looks like an A seven,

Crew Chief Eric: which should have come in a stick shift, but we’ll just leave that where it is.

Crew Chief Brad: Yeah,

Crew Chief Eric: I would buy one of these.

Crew Chief Brad: Yeah.

Crew Chief Eric: Stop me. Stop me. ’cause [00:27:00] the price is like $200,000, I’m sure. But Tanya, you have a very discerning eye when it comes to this sort of thing. What do you think of the G 90 magma? Wingback

Executive Producer Tania: got a very asked and rear end.

Crew Chief Eric: Yes.

Executive Producer Tania: The double spoiler is. Interesting.

Crew Chief Eric: Yes. All of this is good.

Executive Producer Tania: The weird shark fin thing on the roof.

Crew Chief Brad: On the edges? Yeah.

Executive Producer Tania: Unsettling from the side angle.

Crew Chief Eric: It’s for aerodynamics. It looks cool from the front.

Executive Producer Tania: You know, I think it’s, if they got rid of those weird twin shark fins or whatever you wanna call those ribs, the line would be much better.

Crew Chief Eric: That’s for the roof rack though.

That’s why those are there. So you, you don’t have a wagon. You don’t understand roof rails. I get it.

Executive Producer Tania: Excuse me. How many wagons have there been made that have roof rails that look better than this? We did not need to reinvent roof rails.

Crew Chief Brad: They just integrated the roof rails into the body as opposed to slapping everyone separately.

Executive Producer Tania: Basically

Crew Chief Eric: these are aerodynamic roof rails. They also provide lateral down force. Okay. It [00:28:00] was tested in a wind tunnel. Okay. In some country that you can’t pronounce. Okay. And the Formula one team that’s involved, or the LAMA team that’s involved said it was good.

Executive Producer Tania: Okay. Is

Crew Chief Brad: good.

Executive Producer Tania: That’s a beautiful color.

I’ll give him that.

Crew Chief Eric: This is the hotness fire right here, despite the name. Well, Hyundai’s gotta do something to get us excited. Right. I’m really, I’m really interested to see what happens with their WEC entry in the next couple years.

Executive Producer Tania: Here’s the K car we should all have.

Crew Chief Brad: I was just about to say that. Tanya stole my thunder.

Yes. This is the K car that we all deserve

Executive Producer Tania: because Honda’s just click baiting us with this teaser. They are re-releasing or they’re releasing a new fit only for the Chinese market. So we’re not gonna see, not gonna see another Honda fit here, but they did this, I don’t know, rendering of it in in race trim.

Yes, please. Can we have another Honda Fit Race series? Seriously, that’d be super fun to see these

Crew Chief Eric: B spec cars, is it just me or does it look like a little hamster, like it’s going to [00:29:00] like nod a carrot or

Executive Producer Tania: something? It does, yes.

Crew Chief Eric: It’s got these like buck teeth.

Executive Producer Tania: It does absolutely better front end than that Audi.

Crew Chief Eric: Yeah, you’re very right about that. And I didn’t plan this, but I mentioned the m mr two earlier. But what is this that you brought us here?

Executive Producer Tania: Well, they haven’t said what it’s going to be. And of course they show pictures of an m mr two because that’s their previous mid-engine sports car. But allegedly Toyota is confirming they will be bringing another midg engine sports car, you know, might be a few years out, but it’s coming.

And then they show a picture of the one they built out of like the Yaris or whatever.

Crew Chief Eric: Right.

Executive Producer Tania: And it’s like are we gonna get a Yaris with a Midg engine or are we gonna actually get something like a breezy with a mid engine?

Crew Chief Brad: Ooh. But

not

Executive Producer Tania: the breezy but the The GR

Crew Chief Brad: Toyota version of the Cleo Sport.

Crew Chief Eric: That’s exactly what I was thinking.

Completely useless for everyday driving. Who

Crew Chief Brad: cares? That’s awesome.

Crew Chief Eric: I think [00:30:00] we should go back to the second generation, MR two. I mean I like the RS, the Mr. Spider. I drove those. The poor man’s lease. I mean the lease and the mr. The MRS are basically the same thing at the end of the day. Similar power plant, all that borrowed from the the sica, but the body lines of the second gen, MR two, if they were modernized and brought into today, like you, we’ve seen some of the body kits for the GR 86 that make it look like the 80 86 of the popup headlights.

I think that stuff is all ultra fantastic and those are the directions that Toyota should be going in. I think they could reintroduce the second generation MR two today. It’s the perfect size. Just do it right for 2026 and you’ve got a boxer killer on top of it all. If they want to go toe to toe with Porsche, Tanya, you always bring us the latest and greatest.

What have you got for us?

Executive Producer Tania: Well, we have the, uh, recent article from Car and Driver about future electric vehicles that you’ll soon be able to buy, but these aren’t necessarily around the corner for sale. They could be [00:31:00] concept to actually being in production and oh, lo and behold, look, there’s that concept C Audi in the picture,

Crew Chief Eric: ma Ma.

But there is that Lancia looking rivian thing again that we talked about a bunch of months ago that is still super cool looking.

Crew Chief Brad: This whole article is kind of contradictory to what we were talking about at the beginning about how manufacturers are scaling back on the whole EV thing.

Executive Producer Tania: Well scaling back.

So it means they still have to make some. Yeah. And you got in here, aside from Okay. Some of the, the usual players. You got Acura coming out with an RSX. An RSX. We’re BRA engineering, the RSX name. ’cause this thing looks like an SUV.

Crew Chief Eric: This thing looks like a Euros. It’s huge.

Executive Producer Tania: It’s terrible. Like this should be the MDX and it’s an ev, but apparently this is expected in the second half of this year.

Crew Chief Eric: Oh.

Executive Producer Tania: So who knows?

Crew Chief Eric: Awful.

Executive Producer Tania: You got Sony apparently gonna come out with that Aila.

Crew Chief Brad: What?

Executive Producer Tania: Which I first saw like several years ago at the Consumer Electronics Show. Apparently [00:32:00] that’s actually becoming real. We haven’t been following Sony and what they were doing. They’re alleging that there’s one expected late this year.

Crew Chief Eric: Wow.

Executive Producer Tania: You’ve got Alpha Romeo with a GI BI

Crew Chief Eric: am really interested in that actually. If you kept the body the way the Julia’s always looked, that’s a handsome ev. It would be the best looking ev on the road. Hands down.

Executive Producer Tania: Yes.

Crew Chief Eric: Unlike its cousin, the Stelvio God,

Executive Producer Tania: which is interesting. I thought the Stelvio was pretty much

Crew Chief Eric: dead,

Executive Producer Tania: a gunner.

So the fact that they’d wanna try and make an EV out of that seems interesting. You got Alpine entering the foray.

Crew Chief Eric: Those are hot.

Executive Producer Tania: And here look at this Audi, TTEV. So that concept C. Tt,

Crew Chief Eric: I think I threw up a little bit

Executive Producer Tania: artistic license in writing this to say this is a tt. I don’t think in any way has Audi, you know, said that they’re gonna be coming out with a tt.

But nonetheless, this is

Crew Chief Eric: the concept. Oh, well. So, so that’s funny you say that. You know how the other, the A four was photoshopped?

Executive Producer Tania: Yes.

Crew Chief Eric: Look at the roof line on this one and tell me they didn’t Photoshop.

Executive Producer Tania: Oh yes.

Crew Chief Eric: This [00:33:00] front end on a T. Oh yes. That’s a tt Gen one TT roof line.

Executive Producer Tania: Yeah, it is.

Crew Chief Eric: As a TT owner, I can vouch for this.

Yes, that is what they did. That is terrible.

Executive Producer Tania: Whatever’s going on with that Audi, that’s ridiculous. And then of course you’ve got Bentleys and BMWs. Of course, they’re staying with their I Series. But look at that grill on that. Im three.

Crew Chief Eric: Oh my God. That is horrible.

Crew Chief Brad: Yes. The, uh, that car looks like a mark eight or mark nine Lancer is what that is.

Bad three. Looks like it is. It’s bad. It’s terrible. Oh, it looks like that Infinity. The Infiniti I 30.

Crew Chief Eric: Yes, yes, yes. From

Crew Chief Brad: the nineties. Yes.

Crew Chief Eric: You know what I will give them credit for though? If those wheels are for real? They look really, really cool. I think those are neat.

Crew Chief Brad: You are on an island, my friends.

Executive Producer Tania: Didn’t something have something like that similar or no?

Crew Chief Eric: I don’t know, but they look super slick. Like the way wheels are being made these days is just amazing what they think. What

Executive Producer Tania: do we think of the catter?

Crew Chief Eric: The the what?

Executive Producer Tania: Once you get past the BMWs.

Crew Chief Eric: What’s that?

Executive Producer Tania: Hater em, sorry, I think I pronounced it incorrectly.

Crew Chief Eric: Is that an [00:34:00] vora? I don’t know. That’s what it looks like. Kind of.

Crew Chief Brad: It is stunning.

Crew Chief Eric: That’s a good looking car.

Crew Chief Brad: Yes.

Executive Producer Tania: And here’s a surprise, the bolt’s coming back.

Crew Chief Eric: Oh. Boo God, it looks even more like a shopping cart than it did before.

Crew Chief Brad: I actually like the Bolt. I went out the other night and did an Uber and the person that picked me up had a Chevy Bolt and I was impressed with the Chevy Bolt,

Crew Chief Eric: this Ferrari ev.

Executive Producer Tania: We got Ferrari being Ferrari really, because that SUV was so successful. Now we gotta be an ev, let things lie anyway. Yeah. How about here you go, magma.

Crew Chief Eric: Oh God. I instantly love it. So can we talk about the Hoffmeister kink? Do you guys know what that is? I recently learned about it. What? The Hoffmeister kink.

Uh,

Executive Producer Tania: okay. What happens if I google Hoffmeister kink? Do I hit enter right now?

Crew Chief Eric: You don’t Google that. I, I believe it takes you to the wrong kind of [00:35:00] website.

Crew Chief Brad: You never Google anything with the word kink in it?

Executive Producer Tania: No, I haven’t hit enter, so I’m, I’m,

Crew Chief Eric: but, but you can look it up. But maybe put automotive hoffmeister kink that could give you some other search results.

Executive Producer Tania: Oh, no. Okay. It came up the very first. Okay.

Crew Chief Eric: Alright. So I learned from John Summers the motoring historian.

Executive Producer Tania: Mm. Okay.

Crew Chief Eric: This goes back to 1960s Ferrari. There’s the Super Americas cars are very swoopy, you know, very beautiful lines. And then the glass has this like cut in it. It’s very sharp, it’s very angular on a car that’s very curvy, like the Super America and the Luso and all those.

This thing, the Hoffmeister kink, it’s like a signature of those Ferraris apparently that carried forward into the modern cars. It’s to break up those swoopy lines and give you something to like focus on for whatever reason. So all modern cars apparently now have this hoffmeister kink, which I don’t understand.

I’d rather see a smooth line.

Executive Producer Tania: It was developed by a German dude [00:36:00] for BMW.

Crew Chief Eric: Well, there you go. It was on those Ferraris way back when. It’s like, I don’t like it, but it’s clear and present on every new design. The

Executive Producer Tania: mark one Volkswagen has a kink

Crew Chief Eric: where

Executive Producer Tania: apparently that is considered a kink

Crew Chief Eric: in the back window of the GTI.

Executive Producer Tania: Yep.

Crew Chief Eric: But it works for that car.

Crew Chief Brad: Do you mean liking the mark one Volkswagen as a kink?

Crew Chief Eric: It might be these days.

Executive Producer Tania: The E 36 has a kink. Yeah,

Crew Chief Brad: it does.

Crew Chief Eric: Scratch that. Reverse it. Willy Wonka style.

Executive Producer Tania: Okay. What made you think of this? ’cause the magma doesn’t have a kink.

Crew Chief Eric: It’s that swoopy thing in the back

Executive Producer Tania: that, no, it’s not. The kink comes down. It goes back the opposite direction.

Crew Chief Eric: Yeah. Yeah. But there’s a lot of new cars that still

Executive Producer Tania: have, so this magma doesn’t have that.

This magma goes just to a tip to the back. It actually looked bad. It probably looked better if it was a kink, ’cause it would have curved back the other way.

Crew Chief Eric: But yeah, that’s what reminded me. ’cause it’s so pronounced. It’s like a penant. It kind of reminds me of, remember the first gen focuses had the penant window on the back.

It was like a [00:37:00] triangular window on a hatchback. It never made any sense to me design-wise. It was like, why didn’t you square it up? I guess they didn’t want to make it look like a golfer, a Reno, Cleo, or anything like that.

Executive Producer Tania: This catering has a kink that is an example of the. The glass turned back to meet the bottom.

And look how that looks. Nice. It looks nicer than if they made it a point.

Crew Chief Eric: But if you look at the Chevy Bolt, doesn’t that also have the kink?

Executive Producer Tania: Yes. It’s very, very subtle

Crew Chief Eric: and it’s awful. It looks terrible.

Executive Producer Tania: Well, this, there’s other issues.

But anyway. The one car you were calling the Lancia, apparently it’s a Honda.

Crew Chief Eric: What? I thought that was a rivian.

Executive Producer Tania: You were calling it Rivian?

Crew Chief Eric: Yeah.

Executive Producer Tania: A weird wedge.

Crew Chief Eric: No, I think that one looks like a Lamborghini from the A

Executive Producer Tania: Lamborghini. Yeah. That’s a Honda. No, the fir. Yeah. That pickup truck looked like a rivian.

Crew Chief Eric: These are all getting terrible. Ooh, the Kevin is back. E like Kev.

Executive Producer Tania: Like Kev,

Crew Chief Eric: yeah. Remember the commercial Kevin Bacon? Eev like Kev. He’s got his daughter in the car [00:38:00] and he’s like embarrassing her. It’s like a Super Bowl commercial.

Executive Producer Tania: No.

Crew Chief Eric: Oh yeah. This is the SOB 900 Turbo s. That’s what this is.

Executive Producer Tania: I mean the, you, you guys, it goes on and on and, and Lucid and Lotus and Lexus and Mazda, Mercedes.

We didn’t talk about them.

Crew Chief Eric: We are not allowed to talk about them. System

Executive Producer Tania: we’re not. So we’ll skip over the various Mercedes and they have a lot a Mitsubishi Lancer ev. They’re gonna desecrate the name Lancer with a bizarre looking smushed. SUV. There’s an ev and of course you have, you know, Polestar and whatever have you.

The Porsche Cayman and Cayenne EVs, rolls Royce. And then, yes, the Rivian R two, which I thought was already out, but I guess it’s coming out. Now

Crew Chief Eric: I want the R three and the R three.

Executive Producer Tania: The R three is so good. It is a fi panda. Ah. They didn’t kink it though. They didn’t kink That glass

Crew Chief Eric: doesn’t need the kink.

Look at the glass. It looks perfect. Without the kink.

Executive Producer Tania: The line of this car [00:39:00] does not need the kink.

Crew Chief Eric: Kink is in the back. Brad is just, he’s, he’s not buying it.

Crew Chief Brad: I’m still trying to understand what the kink is. I was too scared to Google it.

Crew Chief Eric: Look at the scout and it’ll

Executive Producer Tania: make sense to you. No, you can Google it.

Hoffmeister kink, the very first thing that’ll come up is the appropriate thing.

Crew Chief Brad: Okay, now I, now, now I got it. Okay. For some reason I was thinking the rear glass, like the back glass.

Executive Producer Tania: Oh no, no, no. The side back glass.

Crew Chief Brad: Do they actually explain why this does this?

Executive Producer Tania: I think it’s just a design.

Crew Chief Brad: A design thing,

Executive Producer Tania: because if not, it’d be awkward.

You either have to round it like they did on that R three. You’re coming to a point which is just awkward and probably very difficult to manufacture the glass.

Crew Chief Brad: Right.

Executive Producer Tania: And also probably structurally having that kink, flattening it out there probably does something to the structural rigid or integrity of the the side panel and the glass itself.

Crew Chief Brad: I can see that I totally want an R three.

Executive Producer Tania: Right.

Crew Chief Eric: They’re awesome. Yeah,

Executive Producer Tania: right.

Crew Chief Brad: I could see getting one of these in a couple years once the boys are outta [00:40:00] daycare. That’s my goal.

Executive Producer Tania: That’d be fun. And if it is truly starting under 40,000,

Crew Chief Eric: I don’t believe that for a second.

Crew Chief Brad: 37 to 47,

Crew Chief Eric: I’m sorry.

Executive Producer Tania: No, but one of the more interesting things on this list in terms of seeing how this actually plays out is the slate.

Crew Chief Eric: Yeah.

Executive Producer Tania: The Bezos truck.

Crew Chief Eric: Oh my God.

Executive Producer Tania: To see how this actually turns out it, I think that’ll be interesting to keep our eyes on this year and into next year. So obviously the list goes on and on and on and on, and Toyota and Volvo and et cetera. So apparently, even though everybody’s rolling back their EVs, they’re keeping some in the lineups until they aren’t.

These aren’t all confirmed, so,

Crew Chief Eric: but you know what else isn’t confirmed? Things that are lost. So let’s switch to Brad’s favorite part of the drive through. Lost and frowned. I don’t believe you scoured the internet or called Chuck La Duck or Gray Chevrolet over the winter break.

Crew Chief Brad: No,

Crew Chief Eric: but I found something for you guys.

I’d mentioned this. Probably before [00:41:00] I mentioned the other rado that was modified, that they had turned it into a station wagon. They used the Audi 90 rear lights. I dunno if you guys remember that one eventually, that sort of became the polo station wagon way back when. But have you guys heard about the like one-off Rado Cabrio Le

Crew Chief Brad: Nope.

Executive Producer Tania: Horrible name for the video.

Crew Chief Eric: Yeah, it’s, it’s pretty terrible.

Executive Producer Tania: Who would’ve thought it would’ve worked as a Cabrio?

Crew Chief Eric: It looks really good,

Executive Producer Tania: man, seeing this car. Not as the Cabrio though. I’m like, shit,

Crew Chief Eric: every time I see a Rado I’m like, I want a carrado in my life again. And then. I think if I get a carra in my life again, I will regret every minute of it.

You know, like, ugh.

Crew Chief Brad: So I’m confused. Okay. So Volkswagen actually made this car.

Crew Chief Eric: Volkswagen commissioned a design house to create a Cabrio Le of the Carrado as a concept, and I think they built like two of them or something like that. But this guy, private guy owns one of them, and so he does this little tour, drives around and shows everybody.

It’s one of those forgotten things, sort of like the Rado station wagon that I was just [00:42:00] mentioning. Every time you see it, you’re kinda like, yeah, I like that. They should have done that. Like what were they thinking? They should have sold more rados. They should have sold them for longer. They should have evolved it yet again and continued the Rocco line because there was a period of nothing between the Rado and the next generation Mark, six based Rocco.

There was not a whole lot going on there, so I think they could have stretched out that lineage a little bit. Now granted, there’s some fallbacks there because the longer you keep the rado going, while at that point the Mark fours would’ve been out, let’s just say the Rado was using a Mark two chassis, so we’re talking eighties technology with a nineties body, and now you’re building it into the two thousands.

That would’ve been pretty crazy. I can understand why they had to kill it off. It just doesn’t make sense to continue to keep the tool and die around for a platform that doesn’t exist anymore. But I think they could have evolved a rado and kept it going. But stuff like this, I mean, just imagine instead of that weird.

Mark three and a half Cabrio le that we got, that’s like a mark three in the back and [00:43:00] a mark four in the front, and you know, nothing’s cross compatible between the generations. That’s what we ended up with instead of this, which would’ve been super cool. Again, if they had made one, I would’ve really considered collecting one.

You know, have a Coupa and a convertible. I think that’d be super cool. Tanya, any car commercials you’d like us to review for Lost and Found this month?

Executive Producer Tania: Do not have one this time.

Crew Chief Eric: Next time.

Crew Chief Brad: By the next time we’ll actually have Super Bowl commercials to review.

Crew Chief Eric: Oh yeah, that’s right.

Executive Producer Tania: Exactly.

Crew Chief Eric: We’ll have a whole slew of car commercial

Executive Producer Tania: and they’ll probably be wildly disappointing.

Crew Chief Brad: Tanya’s holding out for the good stuff.

Executive Producer Tania: Exactly,

Crew Chief Eric: so it’s a new year. Do we have a new New Year’s resolution or are we gonna stick with last year? Are we allowed to talk about Tesla in 2026?

Crew Chief Brad: That was our resolution

Executive Producer Tania: last year.

Crew Chief Eric: Yeah.

Executive Producer Tania: I think we’ll make some exceptions.

Crew Chief Eric: Oh, okay.

Crew Chief Brad: Only when it’s comical and it paints Tesla in a bad light.

Executive Producer Tania: Only when it’s talking about the cyber truck and how the sales have plummeted [00:44:00] like a rock off Mount Everest.

Crew Chief Eric: Nobody wants these.

Crew Chief Brad: It’s my fault. Had I bought mine, they would’ve been negative 14,999 instead of 15,000.

Executive Producer Tania: And here’s the the hilarious thing. Cyber Truck was America’s bestselling electric pickup in 2024.

Wasn’t it like the only

Crew Chief Brad: I, it it was between that and the F1 Lightning. I don’t think there were any other pickups.

Executive Producer Tania: No. But the F1 lightning barely didn’t even, I, I don’t even remember when it came out. Yeah, maybe they came out pretty close, I guess. Nonetheless, they sold 39,000 cyber trucks during the first full year.

On the market in 2024.

Crew Chief Brad: Mm-hmm.

Executive Producer Tania: And then the sales got cut in half. They estimate that only 20,200 were sold in 2025.

Crew Chief Brad: Wow.

Executive Producer Tania: Even though Muskie would have said they were gonna sell, like, I don’t know, over a hundred thousand or 200,000 or some BS that he had floated at one point of all, all they were gonna [00:45:00] sell.

And now apparently, I think they’re saying they’re just like sitting in lots right now.

Crew Chief Eric: I just realized that the entire design of the cyber truck is a hofmeister kink.

Crew Chief Brad: There’s a kink. There’s a kink.

Executive Producer Tania: No, there’s is no kink. No, this is great.

Crew Chief Brad: The back bumper is a kink.

Executive Producer Tania: If you look at the side view of it when you scroll down.

Crew Chief Eric: Oh, the one that’s covered in vomit.

Executive Producer Tania: Well, where you see all the dirty hand smudges all down the side of it. Yeah. Yes. The, the perfect profile of the side.

This is what happens when you don’t do a kink. They didn’t do a kink on that back glass. It’s straight down. And then they didn’t kink anything on that front glass. It comes to a point, look how dumb that looks.

Crew Chief Brad: Yeah. There’s nothing kinky about the cyber truck.

It is Kless.

Crew Chief Eric: I see more of these on the road, and the wraps are crazy and they look terrible in every color. Whether it’s red, orange, yellow, blue, black.

Executive Producer Tania: You have to wrap ’em [00:46:00] because they look like vomit. If not,

Crew Chief Brad: okay, so if you go further down, there is a graph showing the pickup trucks that were sold in 2024 and 2025, the electric pickup trucks,

Crew Chief Eric: Uhhuh,

Crew Chief Brad: the cyber truck, the lightning, the Rivian R one, they’re considering the Hummer, a pickup truck.

Executive Producer Tania: Oh, okay.

Crew Chief Brad: I don’t really think it is. The Silverado ev, which I’ve seen a few of those around here. I actually kinda like ’em. And then the Sierra Ev, which is just the same thing as the Silverado ev.

Crew Chief Eric: You know, you reminded me of something Brad, and maybe we’ll have to have him on the show to talk about life with Hummer Ev.

If you remember Big Drew who has been off-roading Jeeps and he had his G wagon and all that. He got rid of all that stuff. He now has a Hummer Ev. And he said when we had talked to him last time about off-roading for him that would be like the pinnacle offroad vehicle. Like that’s the one he want. He finally got one.

And I’m wondering, A, if he took it off-road and B, what it’s like to be an owner of a Hummer ev. So maybe we’ll have him back to talk about [00:47:00] that.

Crew Chief Brad: I can’t imagine. It’s very good off-road being 200,000 pounds.

Executive Producer Tania: So the question I would have sometimes being discerning of graphs and data. The cyber truck came out in 2023 uhhuh, so yes, it technically had a full 2024 sales year.

The F-150 didn’t come out till April. The Silverado didn’t come out till like June. Or mid-year sometime the cyber truck had a headstart on these guys and it barely eked out. Actually, the F-150, I had never seen this data before. I’d never paid attention to how many F1 fifties were sold. Who cares? So I wonder if the F-150 had come out.

Earlier in 2023 alongside the cyber truck. This might be a different graph because in 2025 it outpaced the cyber truck.

Crew Chief Brad: And to that point, like its drop off might’ve been proportional though, because all the early adopters were going, all the people that were going to buy them would buy them first, and then the casual customers would kind of stroll in and you know, pick one up.

All the [00:48:00] diehards would’ve bought them at first, so the sales would’ve come down because it’s the early adopters and everybody that are buying ’em and not the people that necessarily are just looking for a vehicle.

Executive Producer Tania: But then there’s also the, all the problems with it.

Crew Chief Brad: Well,

Executive Producer Tania: bricking, you can’t get it wet. It rusts because

Crew Chief Brad: yes, I have a vehicle that I cannot get wet.

Executive Producer Tania: The panels blow off and fall off and the accelerator pedal breaks underneath you and the, and the console disintegrates

Crew Chief Eric: quality.

Executive Producer Tania: I wonder how much of that also contributed to a downward decline in sales.

Crew Chief Eric: Yeah. Nah.

Crew Chief Brad: Yeah. How much of whistling diesel contributed to the decline in sales?

Crew Chief Eric: Nah. Moving on to the segment.

That has changed more times than Brad has changed his socks over the years we’re at. Seriously, what could go wrong formerly? Lowered expectations.

Crew Chief Brad: Lowered expectations.

Crew Chief Eric: This one takes the cake. Tanya, you spent a week with [00:49:00] a rental Ultima. I’m just gonna throw it out there.

Crew Chief Brad: You did what? Now

Crew Chief Eric: I’m gonna say it again. She spent a week with an Altima.

Executive Producer Tania: Well, actually I was gonna bring this up. I had the rare opportunity to actually sample some of JD M’s. Finest over a short period of time for a variety of reasons.

So not only did I have a rental Ultima, but I also had a rental Elantra. And I had a rental Kia.

Crew Chief Brad: A rental Kia what?

Executive Producer Tania: Kia? Soul.

Crew Chief Brad: Kia Soul. Okay. No

Crew Chief Eric: Kia Rio from like 1995.

Crew Chief Brad: Did the buy one get one free?

Crew Chief Eric: Yeah. Yeah.

Executive Producer Tania: So Hyundai, Kia, and Nissan, for all intents and purposes,

Crew Chief Eric: who came out on top?

Executive Producer Tania: Who came out on bottom?

The Kia

Crew Chief Eric: Really

Crew Chief Brad: not surprised. The, the Kia Souls in a condo car. The Elantra and Ultima are mid-size family sedans.

Executive Producer Tania: Yes. And the Kia. Felt its economy. Yeah. Literally in its fuel [00:50:00] economy as well as its quality of interior and, and the feel and the sad motor that it tried its best.

Crew Chief Eric: How were those cardboard seats?

Executive Producer Tania: The surprise in this? Actually was the Elantra. Oh

Crew Chief Eric: really?

Executive Producer Tania: The Elantra would give you in the forties, miles per gallon all day long. I was shocked. And it’s got a nice little gauge and it’s telling you as modern cars do, like where you’re falling in the band and all that stuff. And it was like, I drove around and around and some cruising, like long distance on the highway.

I thought for the longest time after driving like two hours and stuff, that the gas needle was broken and the gas gauge didn’t work because it did not move.

Crew Chief Brad: Mm.

Executive Producer Tania: And and I’m watching the thing and it’s going, you’re doing 45 miles at a gallon. I’m like, bullshit. I am. This is a big ass car. I went around and around in a two hour drive and a two hour drive back and then here and there in city and highway [00:51:00] practically returned to full.

It was ridiculous. I mean, great. I’ll also say the interior wasn’t terrible. It was fine. It wasn’t the most luxurious. Having also recently been in some other Japanese cars, there are more luxurious interiors in that same kind of range of car that you could get in a similar price range. Probably Also, see, the other thing about the Kia, which might have swayed me, not really, there was a smoker in that car and that car fucking wreaked.

Wreaked. And I should have returned it immediately on the spot, but I did not. Eventually I got used to the smell, which was pretty bad. But anyway, the Altima, so get to the Altima.

Crew Chief Eric: Oh boy.

Executive Producer Tania: So I, I had Elantra. Kia and then the Altima.

Crew Chief Eric: Save the best for last. Yeah.

Executive Producer Tania: Yeah. Save the best for last baby. When I was still in the rental car garage, I snapped a photo and sent it to you.

And what was wrong with that Altima? The front bumper was hanging off slightly

Crew Chief Eric: [00:52:00] from the, they come that way from the factory. It’s like Fiats in the seventies with the rust. Altimas do not come fully put together. It’s like some assembly required,

Executive Producer Tania: but here is my legitimate, okay, I got in the Altima, get out of the airport, all that stuff.

Get on the highway, whatever, wherever I’m going.

Crew Chief Eric: Before you get, did you do any antics in the Altima? Did you go full Altima driver?

Executive Producer Tania: Of course

Crew Chief Eric: not. You jumped some curbs. Did you reenact Bullet. Did you bounce off of some telephone poles?

Crew Chief Brad: Did you pay for the insurance?

Executive Producer Tania: No. But kid you not. I literally had the thought while I’m driving this car.

This car gives no fucks.

Crew Chief Eric: It’s a on badger.

Executive Producer Tania: This car is here for it. All the Elantra and the Kia, they were sitting there driving you back into the lane constantly. Boop, boop, boop. This boop, boop, boop, that the Altima you wanna drive in the middle of the road on the yellow line. I’ll downshift for you. Let’s go.

Those are the Tima vibes. Okay.

Crew Chief Brad: The Ulta [00:53:00] is the Ultima’s a Ride or Die?

Executive Producer Tania: The Tima

Crew Chief Eric: literally

Executive Producer Tania: is there for you.

Crew Chief Brad: Yeah,

Crew Chief Eric: that’s why it’s the number one selling vehicle at Nissan, despite the fact that it’s the only vehicle that Nissan sells.

Crew Chief Brad: I, I wanna buy an Ultima now.

Executive Producer Tania: I will say the, the, the Elantra though, like interior and everything was still slightly superior.

I had a little bit nicer finish and polish to it. The Ultima felt a little, little plasticy inside.

Crew Chief Brad: Rough around the edges.

Executive Producer Tania: Yeah. It was, it was rough on the edges. It didn’t give a shit. Yeah. It’s just getting you where you need to go.

Crew Chief Brad: Yeah. Need dragging pedestrians behind you?

Crew Chief Eric: Well, it’s dragging its bumper, it’s flapping in the wind.

All right, so I’m gonna ask this every month until you answer. Nope. Yes. That question is, did you watch the F1 movie?

Executive Producer Tania: Not yet.

Crew Chief Brad: It’s not free yet, but it’s Do you pay for Apple? Not, not yet. If you pay for Apple tv, you’re waiting for the F1 season. I get

Crew Chief Eric: it. So the last minute, you wanna get the maximum out of that Apple [00:54:00] subscription you possibly.

Exactly.

Executive Producer Tania: Exactly.

Crew Chief Eric: The Olympics are happening first. Okay. Yes. Then Formula One.

Executive Producer Tania: Yes.

Crew Chief Eric: Since we’re in the middle of winter, really cold, and we’ve got some huge storms coming here. Destined for some inclement weather. Probably as you’re listening to this, we’re on the other end of some inclement weather that hit us pretty hard.

This is borderline Florida. Man. I don’t know if you guys saw this Instagram reel that was going around and it’s not artificial intelligence, you know, generating a video to be funny or any, you know, somebody being a parody. I literally watched a video and I must have watched it 10 times ’cause I didn’t believe what I was seeing.

A woman was using one of those small, like little portable snowblowers and I’m not talking like the Ryobi one, I’m talking like the neck size up. Okay. So I’m not sure if it was gas powered or what to clear off their car from the hood. Up through the windshield with the snowblower back and forth and back and forth, and every time they went back and forth, I just cringed and said, I wonder [00:55:00] how their windshield got busted.

Can you believe the stuff that people do? Like how hard is it to clear your windshield

Crew Chief Brad: considering there are so many people out there that just don’t fucking do it after a snowstorm and they just drive? It’s probably pretty hard. Apparently.

Crew Chief Eric: I wouldn’t think it was that easy to get the snowblower up on the car.

Executive Producer Tania: I would think it would be harder to go through the effort of this, whatever the snowblower thing was than to just even use your arm if you don’t have an ice scraper or something.

Crew Chief Brad: Right. She did it for the grim,

Executive Producer Tania: basically.

Crew Chief Eric: She looked like an older lady, so I don’t know that she was TikTok in the old folks home kind of thing.

Right.

Crew Chief Brad: Wait, wait, wait, wait. But but before we go any further, I think there is a question that needs to be asked.

Crew Chief Eric: Okay.

Crew Chief Brad: Was it an Altima?

Crew Chief Eric: Yes. Yes.

Crew Chief Brad: Yes,

Crew Chief Eric: because it’s here for it all. As Tanya says, it’s here for all of it. Okay. Yes. So that’s what got me. ’cause I was like, there’s no way the windshield’s cracked because ultimas will survive nuclear holocaust and there’s no way that the paint is [00:56:00] chipped because you could go through Armageddon with an Ultima and it will last.

And I kept thinking the snowblower has augers. It should have torn up the hood. Nah. Ultimas are bulletproof. It’s all good. So if you own an Ultima and you have a small snowblower, apparently you can clear off your car.

Crew Chief Brad: Yep.

Crew Chief Eric: Again, what could go wrong

Crew Chief Brad: And then they drive 150 miles an hour down the road on the wrong side of the road

Crew Chief Eric: because there’s no lane assist.

So what’s stopping you from Alright, so book club. I am on a mission to get through some automotive books. I’ve got a backlog of them. So, you know, I just wanna throw a plug out here. Finally finished the revised edition of Brock Yates’s tome, the love letter to Enzo Ferrari. It’s the history of Enzo Ferrari from the very beginning up until his death in 1988, and this version was updated by his daughter because of the Ferrari movie that had come out a couple of years ago.

I will say, if you’re a Ferrari fan, read it. Get the audiobook on Spotify or Audible or wherever, check it out. It’s [00:57:00] immensely detailed. You can tell that it is a little biased. Brock Gates seem to be a big fan of Ferrari, although he kind of poo-poos on the Europeans. You know, very pro-American stuff like that.

It, it is what it is. It was written quite a long time ago, but it is one of the definitive Ferrari books, especially when it comes to Ferrari history. So I enjoyed it. It’s quite long. Book itself is hundreds and hundreds of pages, and the revised edition adds another couple of chapters because it goes up through Schumacher and current days and the return of Mon de Zilo and all this kind of stuff.

So it’s updated for the current times up until the movie a couple of years ago. So Enzo by Brock Yates is on my recommended read list. If you are a automotive historian or a automotive enthusiast, nerd. That’s that. But speaking of Ferrari, we need to switch to rich people. Thanks. So I mentioned I had rental wagon here and went on a little trip to Florida.

This is a multi-layered story here, but I will say this. Shout out to our friends at the Revs [00:58:00] Institute, Naples, Florida. I’d never been before. So before going to the 2026 Mecu auction, I took a little detour to go visit Lauren Goodman and Arthur down at Revs and hang out there and see the museum and all that kinda stuff.

Never been before, always heard good things from people that had been, didn’t know what to expect. When I went there, I kept my expectations low thinking, ah, car museum. How good could it be? The minute you walk into Revs, you suddenly realize you’re on a whole nother level. The place is immaculate. It’s well curated, it’s fascinating.

The cars are interesting, the people are interesting. It runs like a well-oiled machine. I mean, we got the full tour, even the restoration shop, all of it. We got to see the new archives that they built in Fort Myers and got access to a whole bunch of like photographs and talked to a bunch of people. It was absolutely amazing.

Cannot recommend revs enough. I wrote a short article about it with some pictures that will include in the show notes. So if you’re headed to Florida and you can make the Detour to Southwestern Florida, go to Naples. Go check it out. Go check out the cars, ask for [00:59:00] Lauren. She’ll take you around or hook you up with someone there that can take you on a really nicely well guided tour.

It’s very much worth the stop over from Revs. We went to Mecu in Kissimmee, not too far from Disney World, NEP Cot and all that fun stuff right there in the heart of Orlando. It’s a circus, like that’s all I could say. Mecu Kissimmee, one of the biggest auctions in the country, absolute nonstop for two weeks.

We were there at the tail end, specifically for the Bachman collection and the Bianco Spile, which we covered earlier in December. So you can go back to that multi-part mini series that we did Leading up to that, we got there trying to get a lay of the land pictures of all the cars, you know, what we wanted to see, get the programs and figure out the run order for the auctions and all this kind of stuff.

And so what we did is we set up shop right there amongst all the craziness that was happening. And we did play by play commentary of the Bachman collection and the Bianco special. So there’s an episode that dropped on January the 17th. You can go back into our catalog and check it out. [01:00:00] And I was there with William from the Ferrari marketplace, John Summers the motoring historian, and we had David Ions fly in from Ontario, Canada, who’s from Motor Copia, and we had all been part of that miniseries in December, but we all got together live and did commentary right there from the auction.

It was pretty cool. So lots of really neat stuff across the blocks. 17 record setting Ferraris, I mean, we’re talking Enzos that sold for double what they should normally sell for F forties. That broke the record. 2 88 GTOs, 360 challenge s, just all sorts of stuff that was off the charts expensive. There was even a Ferrari 400 I that was like in disrepair and motors, half apart body panels are missing.

And we were like, Hey Willie, you like those cars? You should bid on that, blah. It came out the gate and suddenly it’s like a hundred thousand dollars for a car that needs to be put back together that isn’t even running. And it was like just absolute off the chain. Rich people things. And so you’re probably wondering as you’re nodding your head, brag on, yeah.

Ferrari. Was there more ketchup than there was mustard? No. The [01:01:00] Bachmans were huge fans of yellow Ferrari. Most of their collection was yellow. So if you wanna see Ferrari you’ve never seen in that fly yellow or some of the more modern yellow colors, definitely check out the pictures we have from the Bachman collection.

Just one of a kind. A lot of them were last of the line cars, like the last one off the production line. European delivery, crazy color combinations that were specifically ordered for them, like completely bespoke and all that.

Crew Chief Brad: And how many Altimas went across the block and what did they sell for?

Crew Chief Eric: Zero.

Crew Chief Brad: Yeah.

Crew Chief Eric: Here’s the thing that boggles me about auctions, right? It’s crazy. Now Mecu is a little bit. Less what John Summers likes to call past the butter auctions. Those are the, you know, the Sotheby’s, you know, the Goodings and all those, like what you would expect if you ever watched the movie, the Red Violin.

That’s what those auctions are like. You know, they’re quiet, but you got these auctioneers telling a story and trying to get people excited and there’s someone in the background sipping tea and holding a little paddle, you know, or gently rubbing their ear or something, you know, whatever the signal is that they wanna make a bid.[01:02:00]

Kom is more like, it’s like the farm show auction, and they got the guy,

and it is just this pattern that’s constantly going on nonstop, and they take turns. They just have auctioneers that just rotate through and they take a break and it’s just, it’s bonkers. And so there’s a lot of energy in the room, but it’s no ultimas. No, but Corvettes for $800,000. You’re like, where is the money coming from?

I mean, Yanko, Camaros for millions of dollars. You’re like. Who’s buying these cars? The amount of money that was crossing the block was absolutely insane. And I did a rough calculation. The Bachman collection alone, hammer values before fees. ’cause you always have to tack on like another 10% to everything that sells.

It was like $55 million just for those 40 cars in the Bachman collection. You’re like, they had four to 5,000 cars go through Mecu in two weeks. And I mean, you’re talking again, Corvettes for [01:03:00] $800,000 a pop. You do the math, it’s billions and billions of dollars running through and it’s like, where is it coming from?

Where’s it going? Some of these cars, I feel like they rotate from one auction to the next. Right. People are buying them and flipping ’em. They probably didn’t even take ’em off the car carrier that, you know, they probably showed up to collect them on. So there’s a game there too. I mean, you get some inside baseball and how some of that stuff works, but I’m just like, that’s too rich for my blood man.

It’s straight up rich people things.

Crew Chief Brad: Yeah.

Crew Chief Eric: So then the crescendo, you know, we were building up to the Bianca Spec. That’s the 19 61, 2 50 GTO Ferrari. The only one made in white, one of eight right hand drives driven by Graham Hill. You know, Roy Salvador, all this stuff. You, you can go back and listen to the whole story.

All the provenance that that car has. You gotta remember two 50 GTOs don’t sell on an auction block. Normally they are traded like Picassos and Rembrandt and Renoirs. They’re like art pieces. People don’t really drive two 50 GTOs unless you’re uh,

Crew Chief Brad: crazy.

Crew Chief Eric: No, the guy from Pink Floyd, what’s his name? Nick.

Crew Chief Brad: Nick Mason.

Crew Chief Eric: Yes. Nick Mason. There you go. [01:04:00] So, at any rate. This two 50 GTO up for auction. It’s the first one up for auction in like over 10 years or something like that. So anyway, there’s a, there’s sort of a range. When you sell privately, they don’t declare like how much things go for. And so there’s sort of a range between let’s say like, I think 35 and 75, right?

The guy from WeatherTech bought his for right around 75. And then there was one that, you know, somebody bought way back when and wrecked and they died in it, but they never raced it and it had to be rebuilt and that one was considered a bad one and it sold for like 35. There was all these projections that either the Bianca was gonna do better than McNeil’s silver one, or it was gonna sit somewhere in the middle, right?

Maybe, let’s say 50 million, right? We’re not talking thousands, we’re talking millions of dollars. So we get there. You could tell that there was somebody on the phone, there was somebody in the room. There were only a couple people that were in that space, right? Because they came out opening bid 50 million, and then they had to drop it.

They dropped it all the way down to 25 [01:05:00] to try to get some bidding going, and it just crept up and crept up and crept up, and the whole thing was sort of over and done with in about 20 to 25 minutes. Unlike the other cars where they kind of speed ’em through, they’re trying to ramp it up. They wanna get it back to that 50 million, which is where we thought the reserve was probably sitting there.

So they took the reserve off at 35, trying to push it to 36, you know, and that number, and it just sort of sat there and sat there and sat there. And then they finally settled on 35, which came out to 38 and changed with fees, but still $35 million for a Ferrari. Good god. That’s rich people things.

Crew Chief Brad: It is pretty though.

Crew Chief Eric: It’s even prettier in person. I mean, it’s a good, it’s one of the best looking Ferrari’s hands down. I mean, it’s like that moment they just got it right, you know? They got it right on all levels. It was winning and racing. It was winning in design. It was just a winning car. Not to say that they couldn’t repeat it later.

But it was just one of those things, you know, but you had to be there, but you can sort of relive it by re-listening to that episode. So, [01:06:00] and in the end, would I go to another auction as a commentator? Absolutely. Could I bid on anything? No. Like, it hurts me, like, just to see those numbers. Like maybe I could go to the, the co-part auction when they’re getting rid of, you know, like an insurance car or an old police car or something.

But that caliber of auction is just, you have to be committed to what you’re buying at that point.

Executive Producer Tania: Mm-hmm.

Crew Chief Eric: It looks here that we got some extra notes in the, uh, in our rich people. What is this value meal? What’s going on here?

Crew Chief Brad: It’s a different segment.

Crew Chief Eric: What is the drive-through,

Executive Producer Tania: blah, blah, blah, blah. It’s not rich people things.

It’s it’s value meal. It’s things the everyday person can afford. Yeah. That are fun.

Crew Chief Eric: Ah,

Crew Chief Brad: it’s rich people things And Goodwill. Dollar menu. Maybe it should be Dollar menu.

Crew Chief Eric: Dollar menu.

Executive Producer Tania: I thought of dollar menu at first and then I thought maybe that’s ripping somebody off. Do, do, do, do, do.

Crew Chief Eric: It’s the extra value menu.

Crew Chief Brad: Yeah. Family Dollar.

Crew Chief Eric: This ain’t Burger King. You can’t have it your way.

Executive Producer Tania: No. But as [01:07:00] you know, more and more of us are becoming Lego or brick enthusiasts. The Brick shop by Mattel has unveiled their latest build, which is a nineties Honda Civic.

Crew Chief Brad: Gee, I wonder who’s had one of those before.

Crew Chief Eric: I don’t know Brad, who had one of those.

Me. I mean, if this was red, it would look exactly like yours.

Crew Chief Brad: It would, it would.

Crew Chief Eric: Why did they pick this color though?

Executive Producer Tania: Because they already have the Hot Wheels in that color.

Crew Chief Brad: Yeah, the Hot Wheels was already in that color. They already had the paint.

Crew Chief Eric: You know, and it’s funny because these are becoming more popular.

Mattel is trying to break into that speed champion’s Lego market there the other day. Well, when I was in Florida, I actually went through a Walmart. I had to go pick something up and I walked just for giggles. You walk through the toy aisle,

Crew Chief Brad: always

Crew Chief Eric: the Hot Wheels section. I’ve never been more repulsed in my life.

It looked like a bomb went off. I was like, I’m not even gonna bother. Like, I won’t bother with the bins that you see, you know, like the, the, the 50 gallon drums. Like, I’m like, ah, it’s a [01:08:00] disaster. I’m not dealing with that. Usually Walmart Target, like they put ’em up on the pegboard and you kind of glance underneath and you could see everything.

This looked like an explosion. So I was like, all right, nevermind. But what caught my eye, it looked over because the Hot Wheels. These Mattel brick shop, not to call them Legos ’cause they’re their own thing. It’s like mega blocks, right? Or whatever they used to be called are right next to the Hot Wheels.

And I saw the Audi RS two version that they have available. And for a minute I was like, I’m gonna buy that. I’m gonna do it, I’m gonna get it, it’s gonna be mine, I’m gonna bring it home. And then I went, I don’t have that much space in my luggage so I’m not gonna do it. And I’ll see if I can find one local.

I had, it was right there, it was like in, it was just within reach and I didn’t do it, but I did buy the Audi 90 GTO car a couple years ago when that came out. So I have that. So I was like, ah, so maybe I made a mistake and I’m never gonna find one. You should

Crew Chief Brad: have bought it and went straight to the UPS store.

Crew Chief Eric: And just ship it to yourself. It’s so stupid. So stupid. Oh, well. But glad to see that Mattel is doing something like this. I think it’s pretty [01:09:00] cool. There’s some new stuff coming out from Lego too, which looks super interesting. So this whole, you know, one 18 scale brick based modeling is pretty neat. I think this is cool stuff.

All right,

Crew Chief Brad: segment two F colon r ru. Faster than an interceptor. Tanya in parentheses Florida. Man.

Crew Chief Eric: Oh boy. Ron Burgundy’s back.

So I have a Florida man story because I was in Florida.

Crew Chief Brad: There was this Ja off driving a Grand Wagoner owl.

Crew Chief Eric: Yeah, ping ponging down the road. No, no, no. So get this. So we’re on our way from Revs to Mecu early in the morning. We got up, hit the road figure, we’ll knock it out, we gotta pick up William. ’cause he had gone down early, all this kind of stuff.

So it’s like, all right, cool. We get most of the way there and I’m like, anybody else gotta pee? And they’re like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So there’s a Circle K. So I just, [01:10:00] you know, bail pulled in a circle K figure. It’s a good time to get a cup of coffee and relieve oneself and, and whatever. Yeah. I wander around the circle KA little bit and it’s like, ah, before I buy anything, you know, go pee.

Well, you know, normally I, I don’t wanna say you go as a group ’cause you don’t, you try not to, you know, the whole, you know, there’s that unspoken rule of space at the urinal and all that kind of thing. You know, we all, we all know how it goes, right. Instead, we all go in together. John Summers to my right, I’m in the middle.

David Nyan, our friendly Canadian walks into the stall that the door is open to and all you hear is, whoa. I’m sorry. And there’s an older guy in there doing his business, wiping himself, and he looks at David and apparently David is completely embarrassed and I heard it through the stall wall. He’s just like he.

He like, gotcha sucker. And then next I hear John Summers go, I suddenly have stage fright and I’m like, oh my God. This is the most awkward bathroom situation I could have ever [01:11:00] anticipated in my life. So can you imagine walking into a bathroom stall and facing a Florida man? And he’s happy by the fact that he snared you in his web.

As he’s sitting there in the Circle K bathroom.

Crew Chief Brad: Wow.

Crew Chief Eric: Your guys’ faces say it all.

Crew Chief Brad: Was it a Circle K or a Circle J?

Crew Chief Eric: Something was amiss. Something was afoot. The Circle K.

Crew Chief Brad: Yeah. Something’s amiss.

Crew Chief Eric: And I had to keep him laughing. Right? Because I find all of this extremely amusing. David is so polite. He closes the stall door and it’s just like, oh my God.

Crew Chief Brad: That’s very Canadian of you, David.

Crew Chief Eric: I know, right? I’m just like, oh, wow. But can you imagine? Can you imagine Florida man?

Crew Chief Brad: I’m surprised he didn’t spread his legs and say, you can go in between.

Crew Chief Eric: No. Ah.

Crew Chief Brad: How good of a shot are you?

Crew Chief Eric: Here hold this.

Crew Chief Brad: Yeah. [01:12:00]

Crew Chief Eric: Taken so many different ways.

Crew Chief Brad: Did you need some help there, bud?

Crew Chief Eric: God, it’s so good.

Crew Chief Brad: Wow.

Crew Chief Eric: That’s a memory there. That’s unforgettable. I mean, it’s different for me. David must be still having nightmares about that. I mean, can you imagine?

Crew Chief Brad: It really puts the name of the next segment into perspective behind the pit wall.

Crew Chief Eric: Yeah. Right. Well, let’s go behind the pit wall for some of motor sports news, not formula Rolex.

That’s it. Is. The beginning of the year, Rolex is here. I cannot tell you the results because we recorded this just before Rolex, and it’s gonna come out just after Rolex, so we’ll have to talk about that next time. But in WEC imsa, SRO News, something interesting that happened during the winter months came across my desk.

Changes are coming to Lama this year, and a news article that was sort of buried on Lamont’s website. There’s a rendering of the changes that are being made to the infamous Dunlap Bridge and Dunlap Curve. They’re no longer gonna be called either. They’re going to be sponsored [01:13:00] by Goodyear and branded by Goodyear.

Thus connecting the Goodyear Tribune, which is where the Club de Piot is with La Chappelle. Over the Goodyear Bridge, through the Goodyear Curves. Goodyear, Goodyear, Goodyear. It’s all gonna be Goodyear. I don’t know how I feel about it. I care, but I don’t care. But I care because it’s always been Dunlop Bridge and it’s always been Dunlop Curve forever.

Why the sudden change?

Crew Chief Brad: If you want to know how I feel about it, I didn’t even know it was Dunlop Bridge before ’cause I paid zero attention to that. So I, it’s a, it, I’m indifferent.

Crew Chief Eric: Ah, that’s no fun.

Crew Chief Brad: I recuse myself, I

Executive Producer Tania: mean. Why

Crew Chief Eric: there is no explanation for that other than money talks.

Executive Producer Tania: I mean, iconic at this point,

Crew Chief Eric: it’d be like painting the Eiffel Tower Blue and slapping the Goodyear logo on it.

Right. It’s doesn’t making any sense to me.

Executive Producer Tania: Well, Michelin wouldn’t let that happen.

Crew Chief Eric: Well, you know, it’s kind of funny because correct me if I’m wrong, and Dunlap’s British, right?

Executive Producer Tania: It’s currently owned by Sumi. Oh,

Crew Chief Eric: so it’s Japanese then. All right. Then

Executive Producer Tania: was founded by John Boyd Dunlap in Belfast, [01:14:00] Ireland.

Crew Chief Eric: There you go.

See my memory’s still. Okay, well, speaking of Lamont 2026, my. Favorite race of the year, though I’m not a, again, I have committed to Formula One, and we’ll talk about that on another episode.

Executive Producer Tania: Well, we have to,

Crew Chief Eric: this year we have to. Yes. I have to commit to Formula One for one more year.

Executive Producer Tania: Everything’s changing and there’s new cars and everything, so new drivers, new teams.

Crew Chief Eric: Speaking of new cars, but not new teams, you posted a link to the Twitter feed for the new Toyota Hypercar. This looks really cool. Sort of a step away from what they’ve done before. Lots more airflow in this design. I like the front end. I like the sharpness. It’s got that GR 86 super kind of look to it.

But what do we think about, are we hopeful for Toyota and Laman this year? They’ve three years in a row. It’s been Ferrari’s game. It’s their year to lose.

Executive Producer Tania: Of course, we have to cheer for Ferrari and then I silently cheer for Poeo to do well.

Crew Chief Eric: I know, I know, right? Well, Porsche’s out. We know that. Porsche’s out.

Lamborghini’s out a hypercar. [01:15:00] So there’s two teams out. ’cause again, gotta pay for Formula One somehow. So Toyota’s still in the game. Hyundai’s coming. Ford is coming, probably not this year, but next year. I still think it would be smart if Ferrari got out, go out on a high.

Executive Producer Tania: Cadillac’s. Still there, right?

Crew Chief Eric: Cadillac’s still there. BMWI think is iffy, but I, if I recall, they’re committed for another year. And then I gotta look at who else is on the roster. But L and P one, P one GTP, whatever you wanna call it, is filling up, it’s getting bulky up there. So there’s a lot of people in contention, but Toyota coming with a new car, it’s still Ferrari’s race to lose if they commit this year.

So we’ll see. Time will tell. They have not announced the roster of cars that are going to be at this year’s running of Lamas. So we’ll see. The other thing I wanted to mention with respect to endurance racing, for anybody that’s been following our digital magazine for a while, you probably caught on last year, we are carrying Lepert Motor Sports Super T News and they do endurance races of all lengths [01:16:00] around the world, especially Asia and Europe and so on.

So there’s like six hours of Dubai, did you know those? A 24 hours Yas Marina, places like that. It’s super cool. So we get all of their press information and then, you know, we run it as part of the magazine. So if you’re interested in more forms of endurance racing than maybe you weren’t familiar with, check out.

Articles that we’re putting out following Leaper Motorsport. There’s other teams that you can follow in that series, but I think it’s really cool to check out, you know, the super TRO racing and whatnot. It’s actually pretty good racing. I mean, the, when they’re together as a spec series, the cars are very, very competitive and it’s a lot of fun to see a bunch of R eights going, oh, did I say that out loud?

Uh, a bunch of Lamborghinis running together on track now, you know, we talked about Christmas presents. What we didn’t get, I actually got a couple things during the winter break. I got project motor racing and I got a Seto rally, so I wanted to follow up on that. And I also wanted to follow up on the update to a Seto Evo.

Project motor racing is project cars two, race skin the way it should have been, instead of the [01:17:00] pitiful disgraceful disappointment. That was Project Cars three, which was two cartoony and two Forza, you know, and all the things that people hated about Project Cars three. So Project Motor Racing takes us back to Project Cars two and does everything right that it’s supposed to do.

It has its own issues. It’s being updated. It gets better with every patch. You know, they’re, they are taking the advice of the fans and making changes, and they’re doing them in pretty rapid order, which is pretty cool. A Seto rally came outta the gate swinging, looks amazing. Didn’t come with a ton of tracks, stages, or cars.

They released their winter pack during these winter months. It added snow. And it added a test track in Italy, but it’s just a test track. It’s not a winter stage in Sweden or Monte Carlo or anywhere else where they run rally stages in the wintertime and they added a, a couple new cars. But it’s sort of like you’re waiting for that.

Okay, gimme the rest of it. Moment. Is it good? Yes. Is it amazing? Absolutely. Is it visually stunning? Check, check, check, check. All the things [01:18:00] that a Seto Evo was not Aceto. Evo always looked good, but the physics was wha and the tracks were, eh, and the cars were, you just couldn’t get over the fact that it was like pre alpha code that they were giving us in a Seto.

Evo now Evo and rally under the same design house of simulators, but developed by two entirely different units inside of that same house. So rally by one team. Evo by another. What’s interesting is Evo jumped massively when they released version 0.4. So their fourth release of a set of Evo, that’s when they introduced the Ferrari F 40 lm, bunch of other cars, new tracks and stuff.

And I tell you what, man, I have been driving the heck out of it now. The physics has improved. Handling’s improved. Some of the cars are very fragile. Like I love driving the F 40. It puts a smile on my face. The gearbox is absolute garbage, but you get it something like an NSX or a nine 11 Turbo, and they’re a lot of fun to drive.

You don’t really have to [01:19:00] worry about them. They’re a lot stronger. They’re like indestructible in comparison to the F 40, but the F 40, they, the sound alone just puts a smile on my face and running it at tracks like Mila and Monza and you know, all the famous Italian tracks. It’s just, oh, it’s so good. I am very hopeful now for a set of evos.

So I’m hoping that, you know, version five and six and seven that they put out, ’cause they’re on this supposedly monthly, but it’s more like when they feel like it release schedule that it’s only gonna continue to progress and it’s going to get where they promised us it would be. So those are my top three titles right now.

Granted the fact that Lamont’s Ultimate JDM, drift Masters, solar Crowns, they’re all, they were all updated during the winter months. It just takes me a whole bunch of time to go back and kind of mess with them and play with them and, and get a feel. So it’s hard to jump between games ’cause then you, you gotta get used to the physics all over again ’cause they’re all very different.

But really happy with what’s coming out of Project Motor Racing and the Aceto Rally and Seto Evo stuff. So, good stuff there. Brad, I mean, you were a drag racer in your younger years. I’m not [01:20:00] as directly connected to this last bit of Motorsport news here. John Force officially announced his retirement.

Crew Chief Brad: It’s about time,

Crew Chief Eric: 16 time NHRA champion. I. You almost don’t have enough digits to put rings on at that point. You know what I mean?

Crew Chief Brad: It’s ally putting him on his to

Crew Chief Eric: Yeah, that’s what I’m saying. Right. A fill in both feet. Yeah. Go for the full 20. So yeah, John Forcet retires. That doesn’t mean his kids aren’t still drag racing.

The forced daughters and, and all them. So there’s a lot still going on in the John Forcet dynasty.

Crew Chief Brad: Yeah. And I, I think he’s still affiliated with the team. He’s just not driving

Crew Chief Eric: anymore. Yeah. So it’s not the last we’ve seen of John. It’s just he’s not gonna be driving anymore. And you know, at his age.

That’s probably smart. Probably smart.

Crew Chief Brad: Yep.

Executive Producer Tania: Or it’s the traumatic brain injury he suffered in 2024 from a crash.

Crew Chief Brad: That too.

Crew Chief Eric: Why do you have to rain on my parade

this year? Our Motorsports News is brought to you in part by Enduros, powered by Hyper [01:21:00] Dev America’s premier endurance racing community. So check it out online and become a member@www.endur.com.

This year’s GTM Trackside report is gonna take a slightly different turn for 2026. Instead of talking about, you know, who, what, when and where of HPE track days and all that kind of thing. We’re gonna use this spot to talk about our latest adventure in racing. And what is that exactly? Well, we bought a car because we’re gonna go 24 hours of lemons.

Endurance racing. Woo. We did not use Brad’s pumpkin spice. Although that was a $500 special, we found another 500 car, two $500 cars in one Y. That’s like, we might as well play the lottery or at least get SHA GPT to play the lottery for us. Right. You heard about that, right? We got a Ford [01:22:00] Focus. For 500 bucks and we’re gonna go racing and it’s gonna be awesome and we’re gonna talk about the progress we’re making, things like that.

So the first step, you know, acquire the car for the right amount of money, you know, playing to the lemons rules. Go check out 24 hour hours of lemons.com so you can kind of get up to speed of what we’re talking about. If you don’t know next stages, we’re taking it off to the cage builder to get all the safety stuff put in fire suppression seats.

You know, all that kind of thing. So that’s the next phase of the project and we’re gonna go on from there. We are gonna have an opportunity for people to get involved with the team. So look for an announcement about that very soon. Look to our show notes for how you can be part of the team and put air quotes around that, how you can help us reach our goal.

We’re actually doing this not only just for the fun of racing, but for a good cause as well. So if you’re looking to donate or be involved, or be there, live with us as a VIP, there’ll be a bunch of opportunities to do that. So we will, uh, we’ll send that link along in the show notes so you can check it out.

And I will say, you know, we’re going into this. We already got a rival. We got a rival in this field. Can you believe it? It’s [01:23:00] another podcasting team. So Bill and Vicki from Garage Hero in training. If you are listening to this, which I know Bill listens to this show, we’re gonna see you on track. We’re gonna be there.

Look out for us. GTM Garage Hero in training. Oh. 24 hours, 11 all year.

Crew Chief Brad: And if you’re not quite ready to hit the track, don’t forget that you can find tons of upcoming local shows and events at the ultimate reference for car enthusiasts, collector car guide.net.

Executive Producer Tania: Be sure to jump back into our podcast catalog and check out other programs we offer, like the Ferrari marketplace, the motoring historian evening with a legend, the Racers round table break fix.

And of course, the drive-through season six isn’t quite over yet. So stay tuned through February for some awesome episodes.

Crew Chief Brad: And if you enjoy our various podcasts, there’s a great way for you to support our creators on the MPN. There’s tons of extras and bonuses to explore on our updated Patreon page. You can learn more about our bonus and behind the scenes content, get early access to upcoming episodes, and consider becoming a break fix [01:24:00] VIP when you visit patreon.com/gt motorsports.

As always, thank you to our co-host and executive producer Tanya.

Crew Chief Eric: You know, we gotta change your title, we gotta change your title. This year she’s gonna be team principal.

Crew Chief Brad: Team Principal Tanya Bono.

Executive Producer Tania: Pando.

Crew Chief Eric: Are you gonna wear your hair? Like straight up like Beekman?

Executive Producer Tania: Oh my god.

Crew Chief Eric: Team principal Tanya. That’s that’s what we’re gonna call her.

Crew Chief Brad: Yes. Yes. Uh, and always thank you to our co-host and executive producer and team principal Tanya, and to all the fans, friends and family who support Grant touring motor sports, as well as the Motoring Podcast network. Without you. None of this would be possible. And tro and first of all, can I just say that all of my segments here, all of my statements here start with and all four of them

Executive Producer Tania: and,

Crew Chief Brad: and, and, and I mean, a [01:25:00] wouldn’t a quick Google search answer that question for us?

I have no idea. ’cause I’m just now opening the show notes. Because you’re never more prepared than when you’re unprepared.

Crew Chief Eric: Hundred percent. Hundred percent.

Crew Chief Brad: Yeah. Who wrote this shit?

Executive Producer Tania: The drive through is our monthly news episode and is sponsored in part by organizations like Collector Car guide.net Project, motoring Garage Style Magazine, the Exotic Car Marketplace, and many others. If you’re interested in becoming a sponsor of the Drive-Through, look no further than www.motoringpodcast.net, click about, and then advertising.

Thank you again to everyone that supports the Motoring Podcast Network, grand Touring Motorsports, our podcast Break Fix, and all the other services we [01:26:00] provide.

Highlights

Skip ahead if you must… Here’s the highlights from this episode you might be most interested in and their corresponding time stamps.

  • 00:00:00 Hosts Reconnect and Reflect on Past Episodes
  • 00:00:57 Winter Recap: Automotive Industry Updates
  • 00:02:38 EU’s 2035 Combustion Engine Ban Relaxation?
  • 00:03:52 Ford’s EV Strategy Overhaul
  • 00:06:04 Diesel’s Comeback and Hybrid Innovations at VAG
  • 00:08:35 Jaguar’s Design Controversy and Audi’s New Look
  • 00:12:41 Volkswagen’s New Models and Market Strategy
  • 00:14:50 Jeep’s Military-Exclusive Wrangler and Other Stellantis News
  • 00:17:27 Hellcat-Powered Pacifica and Grand Wagoneer Review
  • 00:23:30 Asian Cars: Kei Cars and Hyundai’s G90 Magma Wagon
  • 00:30:47 Future Electric Vehicles: Concepts and Controversies
  • 00:39:22 Design Quirks: The Hoffmeister Kink!
  • 00:40:11 The Bezos Truck and EV Lineup Speculations
  • 00:40:45 Lost and Found: Rare Car Discoveries
  • 00:43:40 Tesla’s Cybertruck Sales in decline!
  • 00:48:58 Rental Car Reviews: Elantra, Soul, and Altima
  • 01:09:32 Florida Man at the Circle K
  • 01:12:19 Motorsports News and Updates
  • 01:21:34 24 Hours of Lemons Racing Adventure
  • 01:23:15 Outro!

Would you like fries with that?


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Motoring Podcast Network

Mecum Kissimmee: Inside the Bachman Collection Play‑By‑Play

Our “Ferrari Fridays” reporting took on a whole new dimension this year as I reunited with Crew Chief Eric, Jon Summers (The Motoring Historian) and Motorcopia’s David Neyens for a special on‑site podcast episode at the 2026 Mecum Kissimmee Auction. Our team set up auctionside – figuratively and almost literally – to deliver a live, unscripted, deeply knowledgeable commentary on the Bachman Collection (as well as the Bianco Speciale), one of the most anticipated Ferrari groupings to cross the block in years.

Left to Right: William Ross, Jon Summers (The Motoring Historian), Crew Chief Eric and David Neyens (Motorcopia.com)

What unfolded was part auction analysis, part automotive anthropology, and part wide‑eyed enthusiasm as the market delivered surprise after surprise.

Tune in everywhere you stream, download or listen!

Listen on Apple
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The first spark came from an 1987 Ferrari Testarossa, prompting a lively debate about “flying mirror” cars – those early single‑mirror, high‑mounted designs from 1985–1986 that were once dismissed and now coveted for their rarity. Add in the early center‑lock wheels and you have a configuration that has swung from unloved to highly desirable.

Featured here, one of the Bachman’s 512s, this one a 512 TR

When the hammer fell at $260,000 (about $312,000 with fees), even David’s data models were caught off guard. The Testarossa market, long stable, suddenly felt like it had torque steer. “There’s a pop,” David noted. “It’s palpable.” 

The team speculated on whether this was nostalgia, macro‑economics, or simply the return of deep‑pocketed buyers chasing the cars they once had on their bedroom walls. But there was more even more excitement to come as the auction drove on, with more than a dozen recording setting Ferrari’s crossing the block, including a green Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale (seen below).

Synopsis

In this episode, William Ross from the Exotic Car Marketplace joins Crew Chief Eric from Break/Fix Podcast, Jon Summers (The Motoring Historian) and special guest David Neyens from Motorcopia.com to provide live commentary on the MECUM Kissimmee Auction 2026. The team focuses on the extensive and valuable Ferrari collection from the Bachman family, covering a range of classic and modern Ferrari models, including the rare Ferrari 250 GTO “Bianco Speciale.” They analyze the historical and cultural significance of several models, discuss market trends, and consider the factors influencing auction prices. Key highlights include record-breaking bids for unique and low-mileage Ferraris and the unexpected final hammer price for the Bianco Speciale, sparking debates on the evolving collector car market.

Transcript

[00:00:00] As part of Ferrari Fridays, William Ross from the Exotic Car Marketplace will be discussing all things Ferrari and interviewing people that live and breathe The Ferrari brand. Topics range from road cars to racing drivers to owners, as well as auctions, private sales and trends in the collector market.

Never, never.

As part of this week’s Ferra Fridays, you’ve just tuned into a very special episode where host William Ross gets together with me, crew Chief Eric John Summers, the motoring historian and special guest David Ions from Motor Copia as we reunited at the 2026 Mecu Kissimmee Auction to do a play-by-play commentary on all the Ferrari in the Bachman collection, which led up to the sale of the Bianco special.

So we invite you to sit back and enjoy the show. Welcome to the Fire Marketplace Grand [00:01:00] Jury Motor Motor Story Motor Copia. We got the whole crew here. We’re at Combs Kissy Sale and we are getting ready to start firing all at the bottom collection. But there’s a teaser. There is a, what year is this tester?

Uh, it is a 87 tester. 87 tester. Rosa is gonna kind of start the fireworks here. They’re trying to do commentary across the board, the whole collection, and then we’ll get to the PTO. But here we go. Tester coming up. Alright, so John, you brought up a really good question. You just said flying mirror and I’ve heard the single spec and all that kind stuff, which, that makes sense.

One mirror on one side of the car. What’s the flying mirror? Is that the two mirrors? It’s 85 86. First 87 when they went to the two mirrors. But it’s just a single high mirror on the driver’s side. That’s it. That’s modest speco. Every, you want pronounce it. He, so they call the flying mirror. For a long time those were poo-pooed.

No one liked them. Right. Then all of a sudden everyone wanted ’em. ’cause they were more rare [00:02:00] than the standard ones. I love it when people realize how cool or interesting or rare something is that was once unloved the redheaded stepchild. Right now it’s in the in flavor. It’s, it keeps things interesting.

The other thing with these test Ross, is the early ones had center lock wheels and then the late ones had traditional five luck. And that center lock thing was something that wasn’t desirable at first, but subsequently has become something that people really look for. Oh yeah. Every Porsche owner today wants center lock wheels.

Who wants to have five bolts to take off something? Yeah. On that wheel when they driving down the skate. 260 K for the tester. So 260 k Dave, that’s well above your algorithmic average for these cars. So are you thinking there’s a growth in the tester market right now? There’s a pop and it’s, it’s, that’s three 12,000 with fees.

It’s palpable because, and I, and I’d have to say we’ve been discussing this earlier, I think it’s because of all the capital. That’s floating around right now looking for a home, and people are [00:03:00] going back and looking at what they wanted back in the day. Now they might have the money and now they’re ready to roll and pull the trigger and, and get what they wanted on the, from the poster in the eighties.

Black power already done at 1600 models as well. So it needs everything is what you’re saying. It needs a full belt service. Yeah, yeah, of course. Hey David, what was the production numbers on Tester Rosas? Not TRS and m, just the tester itself. I think they were 7,100 and some odd. About 7,200. Okay. In all definitely a successful production model, if you can call that a production number for, for Ferrari, that’s significant.

But the cultural significance, I think maybe people are just going back and just saying, this is a great car. They’re easy to drive, they’re brilliant performers and I wanted one back when I was a kid and now I can get one. So Dave, when you go back to the office and you take a look at your test case of the Testa Rosa for motor copia, how are you gonna have to adjust?

Just going to have to plug in the latest sales results and these rung the bell. This is amazing. This car went for almost for a hundred thousand more than the [00:04:00] top estimate for that I had before based on sales data, based on the culture, based on the macro data for the economy and politics and all that.

These cars that I think they’ve always had joint strong demand, but I think that people are, now, they’ve got money again, that, that tells me there’s money. I don’t know where the money’s coming from or what country, but I’m, I’m, I’m wondering if there’s international demand for these cars or if it’s, if it’s domestic and, and people are just saying it’s time to have something fun that I’ve always wanted.

When we look back in the catalog of the Mecu cars that sold, there were a couple other tester Rosas that also hammered above 200,000. Yeah. Which is probably a good sign. As we look across the Bachman collection, there’s probably a high probability they’re all gonna be 200,000 and above. I think that’s reasonable coming from fastidious collectors that were in the Ferrari community, maybe that provenance, it’d be interesting to see if that provenance gives it an even further bump to the test.

You’re gonna have to look at the entire calendar year because here. In January at the beginning. So we need to see if it [00:05:00] carries through the entire rest of the auction season. Exactly. It’ll be interesting to see if this actually does carry through. It seems like there’s a lot of exuberance, positivity.

The stadium’s almost full. This seems to me like we’re back to, you know, record setting numbers again. It used to be that, sorry, pricing per for the year. Are we feeling like now maybe Mecu and Kissie are doing that? Yeah, I think, I think Mecu Kissimmee is displacing the traditional, uh, catalog type players and the other events like Scottsdale and Amelia.

But it’d be interesting to see, again, does this carry through to the next two events? And if so, then we’re gonna have a banger of a, of a Monterey barring any black swan situations, which are always out there. So do you think it’s gonna be buy low, sell high, let’s say this is the low, they’re buying ’em now in January, taking ’em to car week and trying to make more money there.

Is that a possible strategy? You know, there’s always a possibility of arbitrage and going to other events. I, I would love to be a fly on the [00:06:00] wall, uh, as to whoever takes this test OSA home to see whether or not it’s a cherished keepsake, something they’re going to enjoy and show. Or are they going to just be flipping the thing right there?

There’s never the VH one. Where are they now moment with these cars? It’s a, it’s a moment on the block and then they’re gone and you may never see them again. Exactly. That’s why I like to always copy down VIN numbers and, and chassis numbers, because I like to track them now. This 69 L 88 coup. I know the Roadsters and the 60 sevens are far more rare and and stuff like that, but 310,000 for an L 88, 1 of 116, that’s a bargain.

Well we are two Corvettes away from the Bachman collection, so we are just rounding out the end of what Muscle Car Alley here. Yeah, this is like the sixth Camaro Jenko Camaro we’ve seen and we, we just saw the proto like Jenko Camaro across the block for $1.7 million kind. Not me. Flat on my ass. [00:07:00] Yeah, absolutely insane.

Oh, the kos are having a record day today. This is 69, 4 50 already just when the calling started,

but before Don Yanko was putting four 20 sevens in Camaros, there was a dealership in LA called Dana Chevrolet who were doing exactly the same thing. And it’s always confusing to me why Yanko is the guy that’s got all the reputation and why Danish Chevrolet are kind of forgotten. I think it’s because Don Yanko is responsible for initiating the copal program at Chevrolet with their internal office in order to get these cars even built so that they could be updated and customized at the dealer level.

And I think that might be the heritage. Plus he’s an immensely successful SECA racer in the sixties. I’m wondering if it’s that sort of, that glow that that’s causing that bump in value. However, if you’re looking for something like that as potent and but more rare, [00:08:00] then one that came outta Dana or Berger in Detroit or any other dealer that was part of that program, like Nick, then you’ve got something even cooler as far as I’m concerned.

Yeah. With all that heritage, would a Berger or a Dana car make as much as we’ve seen these Yanks back? You know what, I’ve gotta take a look there. There’d be a lot fewer of them. You know what? That’s a possibility. Just due to rarity. They were all kind of developed the same way. And I think Dick. Had something to do with them early on.

There’s a sort of a commonality and then a little bit of a rarity differentiator. So it’d be interesting to see how those cars perform. So for the European enthusiast that know Yanko, the man, what does COPO stand for? Oh, um, corporate Office for production order. It’s like a arcane nerd level, uh, fleet ordering system that Chevrolet used.

Okay. Was it taxis? Police cars, emergency vehicles would’ve all been ordered through a fleet ordering system to streamline the process and then maximize efficiency. But [00:09:00] Vince Piggins was the brains behind the, the dominance of Hudson, uh, in NASCAR in the early fifties. And he was Chevy’s product promotion and an engineer that really worked the Copo program with don y to make it all happen and put Chevy back on top.

They were taking a beating in relation to the Hemi cars that Chrysler was building. They were building race cars before this, you know, that you couldn’t really buy them for the street, but what was considered street car like the 60 68 Hemi Dart. Sorry, that’s not a street car. Right. They even came with disclaimer cards all over them saying, but you know, the idea was make a streetable car that street legal, that Chevrolet could kick out the door and then they could be back in the lime lights.

So, well gentlemen, we are one car away from the beginning of the Bachman collection, which is kicking off with what looks like a his and hers Alfa Romeo eight C combination, both a spider and a cupe. So really curious to see what those hammer for. But then we will dive deep for what, 44 more [00:10:00] cars after that.

Love it. World of Ferrari. Yeah. This is, this is like, uh, being a kid in the candy store.

I remember being a kid and you couldn’t give a split window coop away, but now people are recognizing how cool they were. How one year only, and I will say the stands are filling in. When we got here earlier, it was a little bit thinner, but we are kind of at high tide at the moment. It’s exciting, you know, it’s, it.

It also shows how much interest there is in this market. It’s a show, it’s a, uh, an auction. It’s an experience. It certainly is an experience just walking around outside with the Floridian crowds, my words. You see some sight, not least, that dark wood Miss America eight boat. Yeah, that was pretty cool.

Miller V 16. Can you imagine building a boat? A beautiful woodhall, a speedboat back then and two custom built two [00:11:00] order V 16 Miller Engines. I mean, it’s, it’s music when it runs, it is peak hot rod. Absolutely. Garwood made his money inventing the hydraulic press, and the reason he made a lot of money was coal wagons didn’t have a hydraulic press.

You just have to shut. I did not know that. And what a industrial leap, imagine that just to reduce the workload required. To move that goal. It’s amazing. But that’s seeing an opportunity and making it work and then reaping the spoils. Alright. We have an interesting break in the flow of cars at the moment as we transition over to the Bachman collection.

They’ve been one after the other for hours now. Sort of like, where are the cars? Are they gonna do a special presentation? Oh, we’re doing a little bit of Automobilia signed photograph of Mario Andretti winning the 12 hours of Seaburn. Oh, that’s cool. There’s something for everybody here. [00:12:00] It’s like the last Foo Fighters concert I was at.

You go through waves and then you reach a crescendo near the end and then it goes two levels higher. So it’ll be interesting to see how the day progresses. That’s Bill Warner up there on stage. Oh, that’s, I think, I think you’re right. I think that’s really cool, bill.

Right? That’s a paradigm shift is what it was. And, and, and, and Emelia Island’s been considered the Pebble Beach of the East Coast. Right? Yeah. And I’ve, I’ve had the distinct privilege of meeting Bill several times. I’ve interviewed him on the show [00:13:00] before. He’s a wealth of information. He’s always a yes.

When you wanna, Hey Bill, can you tell me another story about this or what was it like doing that? He’s, he’s a fascinating gentleman and he’s got a couple books out too. He’s an author. I mean, he’s a, a noted author, great on, so great opportunity to look him up. I, I think a bunch of his books are on Amazon.

And not only that, the proceeds of the books go to the Spina Bifida Foundation in Jacksonville, which he’s a big part of. So, you know, great cause. Give back, especially if you want to add a coffee table book to your collection at home. Everything. One day Saturday talking about high end stuff. By the end of the conversation we were talking about.

Yep. He’s one of the reasons why, um, I, I’m building out my road and track collection because, uh, of his coverage and his photography, I can’t believe 60 grand for a photograph. From your vantage [00:14:00] point, Dave, can you see the cars or are we still dealing with memorabilia? We we’re still dealing memorabilia.

Sign now and then the cars.

It’s a great time window though to, to shift direction slightly and bring these great collectibles out too. But what do people do with these kind of collectibles guys? What do they actually do? Do you just put ’em up in your garage? Do you have them as an investment? Like they’re, they’re a peculiar thing to me.

I think there’s a whole market for, what are they, they call automobilia. But to your point, you have to have the space to be able to use it for decoration. Because if you’ve ever seen, let’s say a traffic signal in person, they look so small when you’re in the car, they’re massive. The reality. Yeah. Seen, right?

And so these dealership signs are absolutely just huge. They take up a ton of space. So you have to have the right garage, warehouse, airport hanger, or whatever it is to be able to put it. Now granted [00:15:00] that’s the premise behind Garage Style Magazine is how can you take this sort of stuff and then decorate your garage and make it your garage?

Mahal, let’s just call it that. So, but I think there’s a market for it. I sometimes, I wish I could have this kind of stuff. It’s almost more about interior design, correct. Than Automobility, isn’t it? Now they can be a little problematic. Dealers like, uh, brand signs like this, I know BMW, they actually litigated against a car dealer.

That wasn’t a BMW dealer, but had a illuminated BMW dealer sign. This is about 20 2004 and it was quite an interesting case, but I think if it’s for personal use, I don’t think anybody can quibble with that. Yeah, I mean, if we put it into perspective, I mean, look at those gentlemen that are standing by the Buick Neon dealership sign over there.

I mean, that, that guy’s probably, what, six foot tall? He comes up between the C and the K. That’s a big sign. You need a real building to put that on. Oh yeah.[00:16:00]

It’s a Ferrari sign. 28,000. The hammer. Oh, they turned the lights off. Okay. Changing Focus Bugman collection coming up. Oh, we’re gonna watch a movie. Okay. Gosh, I like this dramatic buildup, ladies. And

here we go. All cars in the Bachman collection. No reserve. Never seen do that before where they’re like, dim the light to do the intro. This is interesting. We’ve got two out from air, eight Cs here, a yellow one and a red one. It’s been interesting to me all the way through the event, how they’ve stacked the same cars alongside each other so you can, as a potential buyer, make comparison between them or buy the pair.

I like it. You’ve got the, uh, got the [00:17:00] convertible and the coop. Why not get both? I mean, we, I mean, we joked about these cars. Why are they here? This doesn’t make sense. And, and you know, the consensus is well underneath the skin. They’re really Ferrari, so it, it, it makes total sense that they’re here in the collection.

I mean, they’re more modern cars too. Probably some of the, the leader acquisitions that Phil and Martha made, but, you know, they’re a handsome car. I personally like ’em in a slightly darker tone. A blue or a dark gray or black, especially, I think it wears black really, really well. But you know, for the discerning buyer, yellow is interesting cost.

Who was the feeling of the tub? What would they like to draw? I would love to drive one. I think they’d probably be just amazing considering what they’re, how they’re powered and how they’re engineered. For my money though, I feel as though this is in the same realm as the Maserati Cupe, the Ferrari powered Maserati.

But also if you draw parallel to BMW, this is like the Z eight and for my money, I actually want the [00:18:00] four C, which is a little bit more like, you know, Z four territory than Z eight territory. You know what I mean? There’s some, there’s a bit of a mystique around these eight Cs that actually for me is a little bit off putting.

On the other hand, I think it represents the, the precise moment when, as I understand the corporate structure, FCA started really celebrating its heritage and branching out to cars like the eight C, bringing them to life, the four C, and then branching out to cars that are more production oriented.

Yeah, just like the thirties,

again, celebrating heritage, just like the eight c uh, cars of the thirties.[00:19:00]

Don’t you think the coop is worth more than the convertible? I would think the convertible, because it’s, uh, there were less built, fewer built. I mean, although I think the red is a much more appealing color than the yellow for me. Oh, it looks so right on that car, on that coop. The red was a far more common color.

When I think of an Alpha eight c, I think of it in red.

I think Eric, to your point about comparing with the four C, to me the four C is uh, something like a Porsche Boxster, whereas this is far more like a Ferrari five 50. This is a grand tour, front engine, grand tour, not a mid engine sports car.

So the open air premium holds in Florida

four. [00:20:00] Yeah. 94 Ferrari five 12 tr So five 12 TR and five 12 M. What is the difference between them? David, do you know? This is funny. I, I used to have this on the top of my head, but I, William probably knows what the difference between the TR and the m Uh, well, big day front headlights, just more fines. Got a little more power.

Uh, it’s a little wider and it’s kind of beefed it up for the last, the last go go around for it. So it looks, I’m a lover hate because it’s just some people don’t like those open headlights.

I’m in that camp. I prefer the, the, uh, TR five 12 m it sort of echoes the, the, uh, 3 48 a little bit too for a little family resemblance, doesn’t it? Yeah. Ley is the finally evolution of that fact 12 line that started way back in the early seventies with the [00:21:00] 3 6 5 and moved through the Berlin netter boxer cars.

And then finally we had these five twelves at, at, at the end. And my understanding is that these of the group were probably the best to drive Fabulous heritage. Yeah, that’s what I’ve heard.

As I understand, easy to use, easy to drive, good visibility, Mo at least out the front and the sides, and lots of performance. I think rarer than the tester Ross as well. That’s right. That is such a clean design and when you compare it to the 80 fours, the very first ones, it’s so much more refined. But you don’t lose the streaks.

The straights are the most important part and they’re very distinctive in in farina design. In that Pininfarina designs tend to be a couple of simple lines in contrast to uh, for example, vle tend to do very complicated, often quite challenging shapes or [00:22:00] zagato less so, but they have a similar kind of styling aesthetic.

Whereas Pininfarina a few simple clean lines, super elegant. That’s right. And the side strikes, I mean people kind of found them controversial, but I mean they were aerodynamic solution to venting the cool air into the radiators. I think that’s a little bit the same as the Cadillacs 59 Cadillac spins with the stability stabilizing at speed.

Yeah. And actually the Chrysler 300 F in 1960, they set a bunch of speed records at Bonneville with it and the fans did enhance lateral stability Well and need did on ejaculate type as well. Yes. So maybe there is something to it That’s right. More than double that Testa Rosser and that Testa Rosser did over its estimate.

I mean this is remarkable. Wow. Alright, here’s one of the Fab five. We [00:23:00] had a 2 88 GTO up on the block with a whopping 2000 kilometers. What’s that in Miles? Dave? You’re Canadian. Yeah, I think that’s 1600 or 50. Yep, that’s right. Slightly used just ever so slightly. But it, it is in this car significant because it’s the first of Ferrari drill halo cars that have led down the road to.

Ferrari. This is the first of those real supercars and although it looks like a 3 0 8 with extra spotlights and a body kit on it, in fact there was a lot more development work done. Was there not? There was. And more importantly, this is a longitudinal orientation for the motor, which is a step away from some of the other designs that they’ve used with the transverse engines.

But it also is the door that opened for the F 40. ’cause when you re-skin a 2 88, that’s what you end up with is basically a wide body, almost LAMA prototype [00:24:00] is where the F 40 lands.

Oh wow. 7 million. We’re already at 7 million seconds into the bidding. What have these been selling for four to six range? We’re double that. Yeah, I mean, again, one owner 27 2000 kilometers. I mean, come on. And that’s the power of a single owner. Long-term ownership provenance.

You love the air horn, don’t you? Got a soccer game? Anybody have a cowbell? You know, like they using scheme 75. What we might be witnessing here is somewhat of a paradigm shift in terms of what bidders, qualified bidders are willing to commit and are willing to step up. You know, it’s, [00:25:00] it’s kind of setting new marks for this year.

The uncertainty in the economy at the moment. It’s astonishing to me that, that we should be seeing a record price like this. And it’s uncertainty for some and not for all. There’s a, we’re we’re seeing a stratification right here, right here is physical manifestation of it. You, you were saying you thought the one owner thing was very important with this car.

That’s right. Do you, is it, it’s one owner and the backman provenance, because that’s gonna mean that your GTO, your two aa GTO always stands out from anybody else’s. Yeah, there could be, uh, there could be differences. Absolutely. And then go also depending on mileage condition, but I think a single owner grouping, there you go.

8 million

a car that saved Ferrari. Eric, the 3 0 8, you keep saying that they, this is the car that saved Ferrari. Why? Why was that? Because it’s the most mass produced Ferrari ever. And [00:26:00] it came at a time where Ferrari was in transition from, you know, the cars of the sixties and the, you know, the 360 fives and the five twelves and all these other things.

They were even being produced in the early seventies, but they weren’t selling well. Right? You had the Dino 2 46 that didn’t really sell that well. You had a lot of, were not doing well, and the economy wasn’t great in the seventies, and you had, you know, post-war Vietnam, a lot of things. Now granted, this car gained a ton of popularity thanks to the hit show with Tom Selleck Magnum pi.

But at the end, it forced fer, the 3 0 8 forced Ferrari to go into mass production, to not only fuel the, the racing program through the seventies, but to keep the company afloat. So, William, how many three oh eights did they build in? It’s like seven, eight year time span. You use that tens and tens of thousands of them.

30 to 40,000. It’s a lot. Something like that. And then that carries on into the three 20 eights, you know, a couple years later. So long life and a long purpose, but it’s a very popular car. Maybe [00:27:00] not the poster on the wall car like the tester is, but it’s the cheap version of the car you couldn’t really get at that time.

The body lines are supremely Yeah, they’re beautiful and, and that, you know what, the three liter VA mid engine, this looks like the car that the Dino could have been earlier on. Yes. Well it, the Dino’s, the precursor to it, right? Absolutely. I think the 3 0 8 appeared as at the, as early as 1969. I think the shape was penned very, very early, long before production.

And of course the early cars were fiberglass or racino is the Italian term for it. And absurdly the plastic fantastics are worth more than the steel ones. Yeah. Because the rarity, well also, I mean you consider the plastic ones or the fiberglass ones. Carbon Kevlar, whatever they were using back then.

They’re the lightweights. Right. Versus the steel cars are heavier. So if you’re going for performance and you want to eek out as much as you [00:28:00] can, you want the lightweight 3 0 8. Now granted the early cars are carbureted versus the four valve head later fuel injected cars, which would make more power. So in the end, is it a wash powered away ratio?

Probably yes. Fully. Because my understanding is, is that the QV head and the 3.2 only came in to offset the performance loss that was as a result of emissions in the 3 28. Yes, absolutely. And I got a chance to actually autocross the 3 28 again to drive it as well. And I’ve never been in a V eight that is so happy to live Its life at the top end of PM Band is absolutely brilliant.

Engine’s exciting. It must been for autocross because they feel like little sports cars. Yeah. Waits at the back a hundred percent. The Starling heritage that goes with TV production crew wanted to use a Porsche 9 2 8, but Porsche refused to cut the roof off, so they went to Ferrari instead. And the rest history, I mean, Tom Selleck barely fit in the 3 0 8.

I can’t imagine him fitting in a 9 28.[00:29:00]

So now we have a 365 John. So we were talking about this yesterday. In preparation, when you look at it from afar and you don’t know any better, you go, oh, that’s just another Berlin out of boxer. But it’s not a five 12 bb, it’s the precursor, right? Yes, absolutely. And, and the 3 6 5 designation is the cubic capacity of each one of the 12 cylinders.

This is the gray market delight of, uh, doctors, lawyers, uh, successful dental, uh, practitioners, academics, anybody that had a sporting event and, and available capital, and they weren’t afraid to wait for it to be federalized. And again, this is the car that gave way to something like the 2 88 GTO because you can see the body lines in its design.

Now, there’s a couple other cars that share similar design language. We could talk about the 2 37 and the launch of Beta Monte Carlo and things like that. They’re very, very similar, even though those are, I think they’re [00:30:00] Tony Designs, but you see that wedgie seventies Italian, they’re all kind of going in the same direction.

But what this car was the genesis of is pretty incredible. This was space age, I mean, yeah. And I think if you speak to Ferrari purists, they, although the later BBS may have had more power, these early ones were so light and, and delicate to drive without the safety or emission stuff that came through the seventies and into the eighties.

Well, it’s funny you that, because I had the opportunity a couple years back to interview John Warner iv, and one of his daily drivers was a five 12 bb. And I asked about it, you know, during a meetup one time. I said, John, what is it like to drive a Berlin Netta box star? And he’s like, it’s an absolute widow maker in an absolute nightmare in some respects, to drive.

They’re very twitchy, they’re very unpredictable, you know, and he’s owned all sorts of crazy cars, Paneras and all sorts of things. And, but he was like, the five 12 is one of those cars that puts the hair on your chest. Well, [00:31:00] isn’t there something weird about the engine bin on top of the Transaxle? So the handling somewhat compromised because of the height of the engine.

You know the thing about the, the early the, the Berlin in Boxer, I mean all flavor, all the iterations. It wasn’t so long ago those were 130 5K car. Now here is the car that was on my bedroom wall as a kid. This for me is still a gorgeous car. It’s an ultimate supercar. It’s beautiful from every, you’re in your forties, Eric.

That’s why if you were older than that, you wouldn’t feel like that about the F 40. But it is the up and coming car, isn’t it The F 40? But I don’t understand people that like the F 50. I’m just gonna come out and say it right now. Seconds into the bidding. We’re at 7,000 R 7 million. Excuse me. Add three zeros.

Six five.

Oh sorry, six five. My understanding was these were two or $3 [00:32:00] million cars. We are just a six and a half. Is this this one ownership thing? Is it the low mileage thing or, or are we just seeing, I mean 456 documented miles. Oh, the Buckman took factory delivery in 1992. I don’t think there’s, I don’t think there’s that forties in the Ferrari museum that have less miles than this.

On the one hand, that’s great. And on the other other hand, that’s a sad thing. It needs everything. That’s, I keep saying, but at the same time, I’m glad that there’s folk like Phil Backman preserving cars. ’cause there’s too folk like me who just drive the kaho and that one out. Yeah, but you’ve had a good time in the process and you reduced the cost per mile.

You have reduced the cost per mile. Yes. Let’s not forget that. You know what I would give for a black F 40? I’m just gonna say that right now. Well, there is that meat colored one isn’t there? Yeah, though, like the, which. Really [00:33:00] makes you stand out there. If you own that min color, 40, everyone knows it’s your car.

There was one recently reaped done. Or repainted. Or rehabbed. It’s a, it is a light blue like metallic. It is gorgeous in that color.

That has to be a market setting record throughout that.

Alright, so very early 3 0 8 GP here with fiberglass bodies. You guys the last for us one, right? One of the last, yeah. Now this 3G TB is a razina, is that correct? A fiberglas body? Yeah. It a is a only 9,931 miles. The eighth example produced, the thing that people always say about this is they need a belt service either every three years or 30,000 miles or whatever it is, and how that’s a bit of a pain, the bottom.

But of course the car was designed to have the engine lifted out [00:34:00] and have those belts done. So it’s not even that challenging. That’s my understanding. So the beginning of the line here, fiberglass body

clean, GTB body

see, but I’m sort of, of the opinion that if you offered me a 3 0 8, I would take it. Oh yeah. I would probably be happier if it was the one that had a hundred thousand miles on it. Because I knew it was driven. I knew it was loved and it had to be maintained in order to get there. No, you don’t think so?

Yes. For me, the, the living breathing car is far more appealing than the garage queen. Low mileage special. But you know, this is what Phil Backman used to say his there when people used to say to him, drive the cars dude. He would say, you enjoy the cars your way and I’ll enjoy them my way. The fees and stuff.[00:35:00]

I, I was outside and some people were chatting and like one older gentleman asked this younger gentleman, they was probably around our age, but the older gentleman’s probably in the seventies, he goes, what do you think the total thing worth? And the guy was like, oh, I don’t know, probably around 50 million.

And I turned around and said, you’re way off. Five of the cars total will go for that. Yeah, it should break a hundred million total. At least get close. Well we can add it up afterwards. Find out roughly taking a ballpark is say 12% total in fees. You know, maybe they negotiate a little better rate stuff.

Even just doing that, we get, you know, let’s still impressive. Yeah. So now we got another Testa Rosa for your books here. This is way out of the ballpark, isn’t it, Dave? Totally, totally. Why are we reach 257 miles? 257 miles. There you go. Interesting aside, Darrell Greenmeyer, the late ne Darrell Greenmeyer, former [00:36:00] SR 71 pilot holds the, uh, bought this car new, he holds the, uh, piston powered world record that has yet to be unbroken since it’s 19 69, 483 miles an hour in a Grum and Bearcat.

Wow. So this was his car new. So Dave, when you go back and do your analysis on the Testa Rosas, does this car suddenly become an outlier at $600,000? Absolutely. Absolutely. So it’s almost off the table is, is it the provenance? I mean, is it, you know, not only original owner provenance, but also Bachman provenance, low mileage.

It’s just ticking all the boxes. But Testa roses are, are entering a new paradigm right now. Yes. 6 25. It wasn’t that long ago at Monterey. I, I sat in a black car that was estimated to make 90 grand and thought, oh, I might even be able to get there. But six 50, I don’t think I can get there. It’ll remain to be seen at the next round of auctions, [00:37:00] uh, January, March.

And then Monterey, have we entered a new era for these cars or, or, uh, and a new expectation? Or is it just simply a function of a perfect alignment of the planet’s money, supply, exuberance, people appreciating these cars, and also the presentation of them as one single collection? I love the, uh, plexi nose on this Daytona that we’ve got on the block at the moment.

What’s the premium? Is there a significant premium for cars with the plexi nose? I think it’s rarity and early production status. There was a time they weren’t as much in vogue as they are now. If you’re collecting Ferrari’s and you like the Daytona, then an early one should be in your collection. Again, it’s money chasing rarity and first of the line status.

I mean, I’m gonna be the detractor here. I’ve said it before on our drive through news program when these cars just happen to come up every now and again. I am not a [00:38:00] fan of the shape of these cars. I mean, I get the whole Miami Vice thing. You know, they did use these on Miami Vice in the early seasons versus Tesla Rosa later.

But I just, I don’t get it. Well, a story about Miami Vice was the original. The, the Daytona in Miami Vice was a replica. It was a Corvette on a replica chassis. The Ferrari himself was a fan of the show, contacted the production company and said, I will give you a cup the next season. As long as that black replica meets a horrible end, what it does, it burns up.

Sonny Crockett fakes his own death in when episode. She’s the car and it burns, hence the white tester. Also to the Daytona. It was not intended as a race car, and yet I think it earned second. And the 24 hours of Daytona at 19 79, 6 25. That Daytona just paid, what, five 50 I think or something? I’ve got 6 25.

Oh, was this, so we’ve, uh, 79 3 0 8 on the block now. So [00:39:00] super rare color here. Never even seen this color on a Ferrari before. How much is that gonna add to value or to, to interest to a 3 0 8 fan like me? Dollar for dollar? I would love to have one that’s in, not in Rosso. What you’re not able to see when you’re watching this on television is the actual color of the car.

This is a very, very gray car with a green undertone, but on television it presents itself as very green. Now there is a green color for three oh eights, which is really, really nice. And there was actually, if you use a Magna Pi reference, there was an episode where they actually featured a green at 3 0 8 on there that Carol Burnett drove.

And the story goes that Tom Selleck was in the shop and they brought the green around all this kind of thing. This is not that color. This is a gray, uh, that you’re seeing here. You know what, you’d have to show me a bad color on the 3 0 8. I’m sorry. I just think [00:40:00] that that color they wear pretty much every color.

Well, that is just gorgeous and I love it’s that it’s apparently it’s the first 3 0 8 produced in that color combination.

So isn’t this a this, we, we now have a, uh, five 50 barta crossing, uh, crossing the block. Isn’t this a case of, uh, you give the punters less and charge ’em more? You cut the roof off and yeah, charge ’em more money for it. That’s the Porsche formula, right? Take something away and charge more for it. I love some 5 55 75.

Not a fan of the convertible. And I’m gonna say it on. Probably say it again during this broadcast, I don’t like yellow. It’s all in the eye of the beholder. Eric. I don’t think the five 50 wears yellow. Well that, that’s my point. Black is Corvettes wear yellow excellently. The nine 11 looks. That’s really good.

Yellowness. That’s Kyle light yellow. Yeah. This body shape does not lend itself well to yellow. Now sadly, it doesn’t roll off the tongue. Like [00:41:00] say uh, red Barta from uh, from Rush. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I wonder what Neil Pert would’ve done, but you know what? I’ll take a yellow Ferrari any day. I don’t care. We’re at 1.1 already for five 50.

These look really good in that gun metal gr. They do a lot of gun metal gray in that car and the dark blue that the four five sixes came in is really, really nice as well. And I worked at EMC in the.com boom. My boss was rookie of the year and with her bonus, just her bonus, she bought a new five 50 oh and sat it in the garage one time at her house.

You know, I love the observance of those days. As a bystander I was in banking and financial services and just hearing about the stories like that and then getting the inside baseball of the tech, uh, Silicon Valley scene from you, John. That’s fun. How many other grand tours did [00:42:00] we cut the roof off of Ferrari you think of?

No, design wise, not Ferrari in general, but like we talked about before, you wouldn’t cut the roof off on 9 28 because this is the sort of classic card that the five 50 is in. So can we think of any other, maybe some Astons where we cut the roof off? Thanks. Js Jaguars, yes. There’s not many in that class where you take a grand tour and make ’em a cabrio.

Le you’re making me think of that traditional British term that the Drop Drophead coop or drophead co a, that it’s almost that kind of, as opposed to a true Roadster drophead. Has like the folding roof so it can be a little more formal, right? So,

alright, here we go. Another halo car. So why want that vibe? I teach a class at a prominent west coast university [00:43:00] each year and I had a student a couple of years ago pull one of these cars up in a presentation he was doing as an illustration of design that’s 20 years old that has moved onward and and upward.

Now for me, I was really not sure about these enzos when they first came out. As the years have gone by, I’ve really begun to appreciate how they represent what Ferrari was doing in Formula One. At the time, the high nose, like the anhe nose that was on contemporary Formula one cars. But my question for you guys is how has the Enzo shape stood up over the decades?

I don’t think it’s aged well, John, it looks very early two thousands. It is to your point, mimicking the formula one cars of that era and it’s just sort of stuck in time versus a car like let’s say the Audi R eight or the third Gen RX seven or other more fluid designs, you can’t put a date on them. This car, in my opinion, is very dated, especially when you [00:44:00] compare it to things like the LA Ferrari and things that came after it.

But it is a step away if you keep it in the same lineage as the F 40 and the F 50 and the cars before it. It’s very different, right? It’s very much more the Batmobile. There goes yeah, definitely those top of the range Ferrari sort of hyper cars from the days of the 2 8 8 that basically they a Hot Rod 3 0 8.

This is something completely different in terms of order new by the bot messaging personalized at the factory for the Batmans who ordered at new 645. Miles. We’re already asking for 10, five, 10 million, 500,000.

None of these supercars do very high mileages. Unfortunately, no, it would be very hard to find at Canara or a Mustang with miles this low. But surely there are other F 50 out [00:45:00] there that have miles that are this low that might be able to command this kind of massive premium. Well, let’s, let’s, let’s put a ribbon around that, right?

Where do you drive an Enzo where you can actually enjoy it? There better not be any speed bumps in your neighborhood. We’ve broken through to the, the other side is Jim Morrison and the doors would sing. We’re asking for 12 million on this car now. This is a record, isn’t it? I, I believe it might be. I’d have to go, go back and check.

But this is exciting. We, we talked before we, we came on air about how there’s a momentum around auctions and, and how if one car early in the auction and performs that can lead to under performance in, in other cars. You seem to be experiencing the opposite effect here. There seems to be a flywheel effect of very high prices in a correction of [00:46:00] this size and magnitude.

Anybody who’s bidding probably has agents in the field that are doing the bidding for them. They’ve probably researched these cars thoroughly inspected them. Any bidding here would not be a surprise, and unless it comes down to who really wants the car at the end of it all. But I think, I think a lot of research has been done.

They’re pushing right now.

There’s this hush that has come over the audience as they’re pushing the number.

Yes. Everybody else

closing.[00:47:00]

Wow. Asking for 12 six now.

Wow. Asking 13 million. You know what they say? That there only needs to be two people in the audience who really want it. Yeah. Right. 13 million. 13 million

motivated seller and two willing bids. That’s all you need. I mean, we haven’t even gone to the Bianco special yet, and we’re seeing history being created right in front of us. Yeah. The whole pricing curve for all these cars is brand new.

Yesterday when we were walking round, we were talking about whether it really made sense for the [00:48:00] Backman collection to be at Mecca and whether or not it should be a standalone event, 19 million. Now, it should have been handled by perhaps one of the other, or auction companies. Well, I think we can confirm that this probably has to be the right environment for the Batman collection to be sold.

Yeah, for sure. This is. Turned out to be a great move to bring this collection here. The stadium’s full, there’s excitement everywhere. Positive atmosphere. The money is here. Yeah. Am we still grinding up 13, 2 50, asking now? Yeah. They’re not letting go of this 13 million. Any fear of speed on the auction block is, uh, is, uh, unfounded.

Well, and the hilarious part is right behind. This is also a super ultra rare FXX, so we’ve got two heavy hitters back to back. Love it. And they’re both [00:49:00] yellow, I’m not mistaken. Oh, there’s a lot of yellow This Dave. Love it. You know what, I find it refreshing and Florida’s the, uh, sunshine state and, uh, this looks like the color that we need here.

You know, if you like mustard more than ketchup, I get it. It is. Okay. I’m apt to put both on my hot dog. You know, I love both condiments. Absolutely. I’m with you. John’s more of a chili man, you know. Oh, that’s delicious too. We’re asking 14 million right now for, there’s no reserve for Ferrari. Enzo order New by the Bachmans customized at the factory to their specification.

So this is safe to say this is a singular example of the Ultra Air Enzo, and it is going into the stratosphere.

The, uh, the ink on my pen is gonna run dry before we [00:50:00] finalize this bit, I think. I think so. There’s still a little bit of juice to extract from this one. This is exciting. I, I didn’t come here to see, uh, see a doll auction and, uh, this is, this is actually, uh, this is better than caffeine. Yeah, this is really exciting.

We just said we felt that, I mean, the styling wasn’t that desirable. Agent battery, maybe the yellow would, would hurt the price of it. Well look at that. 15 million. My God, I’d have to say this is delicious in honor of your recent Schumacher episode. John, I am going to mention that Michael’s Enzo was black.

Just wanna point that out. Flying. If I could choose a color to have me and I’d have mine in black. I like a black Ferrari

asking 15 million. Now on the auction block,[00:51:00]

we’ve obviously got two motivated bidders at minimum, but I’d like to know where they are. Are they in the crowd? Are they up near the block on the phone?

14,

or is that into hundred thousand dollars increments there? Yeah,

I want to see somebody putting their paddle up.

Sold at 15 million.

They still bidding.

Okay, so we’ve [00:52:00] hit 15 million, now they’re going 15. Two 50,

got it. 15 two.

50.

Come on. 50 50. Wrote asking 15 million, $500,000 for this one family. One couple from new, we are in uncharted territory with right now.

Where are the dragons? Has as [00:53:00] black car. Lord knows what that would be worth.

That’s a before or after conversation, John, but we can’t have that yet.

Now asking 16 million at, they’ve got 15,000,500 asking 16 million. 15 million. Wow. 16 million. They have a bid for 16 million.

It’s not often. I struggle for words, but I’m sort of struggling for words at the moment. I, I was expecting this to make about a million and a half or two. Right?[00:54:00]

They’ve got $16 million in the room. In the room.

You know, John, it might have been cheaper to buy everybody a beer in this stadium.

I’m getting chills. I’m having. Anole moment today. There’s a bidder in the room that just made the last winning the last highest bid.

Okay. 16,000,500 is the, is the now[00:55:00]

$16,250,000. Wow. In the, I believe it’s in the room too. That’s what, 6 million over record, right? Yeah, 6 million over the, for the record previous record it, the classic car walk. It’s got some legs yet then. Yeah, it does that though. This is that Bitcoin money, John? Yeah. I wish I’d gotten some of that. My God.

It’s Nvidia Tech stock cash outs.

Now here’s a race car straight up. Oh, Ferrari xx. I mean Fxx talk about an evolution off of the Enzo. So wasn’t this similar to the Maserati mc 12? Correct. Was so which came first and I believe the mc 12 is older and then there was the mc 20 as well. [00:56:00] This is the only example in yellow. Are these Fxx, is street legal or is it one of these things where you would tow to The William would know more on these than we do, but I always thought Legend had it.

You couldn’t actually own an FX X. I thought it was one of the cars that Ferrari would bring to you when you wanted to drive it. And then they would take it back to Ello and keep it under lock and cube. Is that, did they actually sell Epic X? No. I mean obviously they sold this one. Yeah, after two years something or something after or were special, they let it out of the wild.

But Norm think the plan is or was that they kept it and maintained it? They would deliver Jack the whole nine yards, but then they kind of got a little more flexible with it. Yeah. How many FX sixes did they make? Not many, right? No, 25. Okay. 25 cars. And can you get it set? It’s all one in yellow. Can you get it serviced at your local Ferrari dealership or does it have to go right away?

Back to Marin [00:57:00] Will? Yeah, I was gonna say, will Silicon Valley Ferrari be able to look after mine when I buy it or you know, my guess would be they’d send it to a dealer or they’d buy someone older maybe. I mean that’s if you actually drive the thing. Now I can’t imagine an FXX would sell for less than an Enzo.

It’s way more rare. It’s way more capable. I could be wrong

if it does go for less than the Enzo, the Enzo guy’s gonna look as if he had overpaid. Yeah, it’s sort of stuck at 6 million right now. I mean it’s, it’s kind of funny to say that like, ah, it’s Monopoly money or something. But yeah, it’s, it’s just sitting there. I wonder if the difference in bidding boils down to whether or not this car is actually usable in the wild, in the real [00:58:00] world to some extent.

Listen to that exhaust. Oh my goodness. Pure race car. I’m glad they started it. So this is some unique and theater, isn’t it? We leave the engine off until the bidding stalls and when the bidding stall, we turn that and motor on. Well, and you also get a little high off the fum, so you might bid on it, you know, sold at.

6 million round. Is that right? 6 million flat. Interesting. The Ferrari 360. Now this example’s a challenge. Strada and I, for one, would love to have a go in one of these. ’cause the first Ferrari I ever drove was a, uh, 360 standard car at Thruxton ton the circuit in England. And it understood, oh my God, I got bush out a hundred miles an hour through church.

I was so disappointed. We do that and I wanna charge one of these challenge to make sure they don’t do that.[00:59:00]

William, would you be to tell me, is the FXX uh, actually road legal here? Yeah. Wow. Road legal race car. Just slap some plates on and yeah, it’s awesome car. Oh my gosh. John claims that he made a 360 motor, a under steer truck, and I, I’m wondering if there’s a pattern here. Yeah, I don’t know that it’s the car.

I, I believe it might be the driver. Understood. Can be fun. A good running joke in the studio, John and his under steer cars. Yeah, I, I should say we’ve, uh, offline we were talking about this and, and you think I turned into early, don’t you? I, I think you early apex my friend. You, you need to go a little later, a little deeper, a little later.

And that applies to a lot of things in life. But, you know, hey,

what do we make of the red accents on this challenge to the red tail panel and the red headlight inserts? What do we make of that? I, [01:00:00] I’m gonna say this. I am not a fan, but I am a fan of like tinted headlights. But then again, I do harken back to the days of the Amber French headlights. There’s some, I love the yellow headlights on something.

I think they just look super cool and I’ve done that on a couple race cars myself, where I’ll convert them over to have the French style headlights. I, the red is. It’s a contrast to the yellow, but to me it makes it feel a little bit too hot. Wheels. Yeah. I could be wrong, but I believe this example has all the kit that was supposed to come, uh, be installed for competition but never was.

It comes with the extra features. But this to my understanding, this car was never used in competition. So does it have the roll cage and so does it have the roll cage and everything? The all, all that does come with the car, to my understanding. And in the, the package of, uh, extras. Okay. It came with them and then there was a directive not to install them and the car was not to be [01:01:00] tracked.

So you have a real challenge, STLE, this is actually a, you know, not fully fitted out for competition. Yeah. You challenge cat that was truly full of Stle. Yeah, yeah, exactly. True to its name. Which is funny ’cause I learned through William. There’s actually a separate manual on how to put together the challenge package.

They walk you through how to install all those components to include how the roll cage should be welded and where it should be. It’s very, very intricate. So could you take a 360 and retro it into a challenge ada? Yeah, because it’s all boltons, it’s sort of a three series BMW morphed into an M three.

What’s the difference between the two? For a long time it was Boltons, right? So I think the same is very true of these three sixties. You can make them cup cars, but do you wanna make them authentic cup cars or do you wanna make them aftermarket? And that’s where you gotta make a decision today getting a hold of a Strada package that’s still in the boxes.

That’s as rare as the car [01:02:00] itself. Yeah, car just did a million dollars, which I’d never, I never would’ve imagined I would ever see a 360, make a million dollars. And that, I think that’s goes straight back to the fact that that kit was never, uh, the, the factory equipment was not put on for competition. And I think it makes this car even more interesting.

Right. And you know. And then, you know, the new owner does have a decision to make. And if it were me, I’d covet the equipment, but I would keep it the way it is. I just, I’m that kind of a guy. Yeah. Yes, absolutely. Because that yellow with the red light, so just distinctive. Everybody would know it was your car.

And I think for a lot of collectors that’s important. Exactly. And then I think you run into the problem where if that challenge strada kit is numbers matching to the car, if you are this discerning enthusiast that just bought this one, would you sell it to somebody that wants to do what you want to do, John, which is bolted into a regular 360 to make it a cup car.

Now we’ve got this weird dilemma because it’s a very specific buyer [01:03:00] who would want to get that kick, but I think it sort of just lives with the car in perpetuity. To me it’s similar to a, um, a Dodge Demon with the demon crate. And I’m always looking, if I, when I’m, when I’m, uh, looking at a car that’s considering a car that needs an auction description, does it come with the demon crate?

And is it, and then even at that, has it been opened even? And it’s sort of like I’d leave it alone. Like the Ark of the Covenant. Yeah, yeah. You know what I mean? Well, you know what happens when you open that you’ve seen the movie, so Oh yeah. Things that have been started in the motion cannot be reversed at from that point forward.

So we have this, uh, Daytona on the block, a million dollar mark. Looking at the provenance on this, it seems like it was a car that the Backmans very much used for showing purposes. It seems to have won a, a number of, of Concor in in the past there. Of course, this is a very large [01:04:00] part of the Ferrari community that going to shows the competition and, and if you’ve ever done any show field judging, you’ll know that the Ferrari Club has very high standards of judging.

I know some of the concourses I judge at out on the West coast. We let the Ferrari guys judge their own class, judge. Rest of it, 432 miles one of 19 produced in its color combination. You’ve just gotta respect this car regardless of color. The yellow’s interesting.

We’re at 1,150,000 is the ask, you know, you know what really stands out to me about the design of this car that I maybe don’t notice in some of the other colors? And I’ve said before, I’m not a big fan of this body style. I think it’s that front turn signal that really sort of turns me off in yellow.

It’s apparent, it’s like this punch up [01:05:00] in the eye. I think maybe it was less noticeable with the fiberglass front like we saw in the previous car. Interesting. My feeling around that is, can you see the, the side marker to towards the, the end there? Euro spec cars do not have those side markers. And for, for me, it’s a small thing, but those side markers are ugly.

I would certainly prefer a Euro spec car a lot, and especially during that time period, you know, in the early seventies when they were, hadn’t introduced the big safety bumpers, you know, all those kinds of things. A lot of that stuff would just bolted on, tacked on. It’s like, let’s go down to the local trailer supply store and grab some rectangle reflectors and glue ’em to the side of the car.

It looks, I don’t know, luckily, you know, with some dental floss and a heat gun, you could take a lot of that stuff off.

2 75 behind that one. That combat, that’s gonna be another big number. Oh yeah, [01:06:00] this 5 75 m 625 miles. The last example built for the US with the, uh, rev ahr co, uh, roof. I guess, uh, that changes. Its, uh, very, its opacity, it flips back. I’ve actually never seen this reef style before. I miss it. When we were walking around yesterday, I’ve never seen this before.

It’d be interesting to know, you know, how that roof mechanism functions. Uh, there was a factory patch or fix when owners were having difficulty with it. Great technological leap. Uh, these roof, uh, designs are being in use, uh, today with various manufacturers. It’s in yellow. Again, just a, just a super cool, interesting Ferrari, modern Ferrari supercar.

It kind of reminds me in a way of that Shelby series one that we saw yesterday in its body lines. I mean, again, the [01:07:00] five 50 and five 70 fives, they’re handsome grand tours, but once you cut the roof off of them, I, I I’m still trying to just put it together. You know, I’m trying. You are correct. Yeah. I think that certainly speaks to the era when these cars were, uh, designed, developed, and built.

Absolutely. It’s got that look definitely similarity to the series one. And so we dive deeper into this roof line. It’s not a convertible, it’s sort of a targa or what we would have called a targa in the seventies. Yeah. With a power operated variable, uh, opacity roof. There is a debate, isn’t the between five 50 and five seven fives because the five seven fives were only available with an automatic transmission, whereas the five fifties, the earlier cars were available with a stick.

So for me, the five 50 is always more desirable than a 5 7 5. ’cause of that third pedal, especially, uh, the, we’re going through the, the era when there’s that transition from the six speed [01:08:00] and the F1 automatic availability to the F1 automatic only. It would be interesting to see what both flavors of the car would, of the, of them would be like.

Well, and you know what’s really good about this 5 50, 5 75 conversation is that William devoted an entire episode to the nuances between the five 50, the 5 75, and which one you should or should. Not invested and opportunities you have to, let’s say, modify them, do the manual transmission swap. So if you’re wanna dive a little deeper, I would take one of those.

I would take one of those cars all day long because they won’t be worth the same as the original cars. I would love a, a manual converted one for me, A old fashioned, but this 2 7 5 GTB alloy four camp car that is crossing the block at the moment is my favorite of the Backman cars. Yeah. The best spec beautiful, from what I understand is am, am I correct or incorrect?

It’s one of the last of the really handbuilt Ferrari [01:09:00] bodies. I believe that to be true. So that would’ve been a scte body car, right? I believe so. There’s a great article in Car and Driver, I believe from 1967 where the rider sat on a, on a bar stool with a 2 75 GTB and just considered it visually for about a day and really could not find one body dimension that matched the one on the other side of the car.

Like the, the, the differences were minute, but what they came up with at the end was these are handbuilt creations and we’ll likely never see them again. And isn’t that great? And you know what? I don’t care if my right rear rocker panel is one millimeter off and if somebody was actually working over a form and, and beating panels, because that’s craftsmanship, right?

That’s craftsmanship. And and of course you’re gonna see that. Yeah, it’s the kind of [01:10:00] artisanal craftsmanship that, you know, we love craft bread and we are ready to pay a premium for handmade crafted stuff, stuff from before the machine age. And it cars like this absolutely symbolize that. I would say about it, about these 2 7, 5.

So I, uh, I asked Ed Gilbertson, who’s very well known in the Ferrari community, I asked him what, you know, he’s owned and driven Ferrari for the last six or seven decades. What’s his, you know, from a purely driver’s perspective, what’s the best Ferrari you’ve ever owned? And he said, A two cam, 2 7 5. ’cause the four cams did not make a lot more power than the two cams and were a lot more difficult to, to maintain.

So for him, the best driving Ferrari price, no object to two cam 2, 7, 5. No doubt with the steel body rate. ’cause those allied body ones too [01:11:00] expensive, too easy to paint the panels. Now I’m not as much a Ferrari historian as let’s say William is. These were Colombo motors right at this point, or had they already evolved past that point?

I believe, I believe they were. Yeah. Whole price on that. That’s a, the whole deal with Colombo and lamp Brady Motors is, is really interesting. If, if you look into the 2 75 GB four, um, the, the two V 12, both the Colombo and the lamp radio were available in increasing displacement. And, and literally when Ferrari was employing ano, it was the Colombo motor that was developed.

But when he fell out with Colombo, he was the motor that was developed. Then when Lamp Brady left, we went back to developing the Colombo. You can tell, looking under the hood by the spark plug position, whether it’s a Colombo or a lamb, I forget which one has the plugs high and which one has the plugs low.

[01:12:00] But that’s how you can tell. Now here’s a shape. Here’s a Ferrari that I really like. I think these are underappreciated. The Luso, this is a really pretty car. Now we’ve talked about Enzo’s daily driver, which is the three 30 Super America, right? 3 32 plus 3 32 plus two, right? With that. Weirdly Penta, you know, rear glass thing that it’s got going on.

I don’t like it ’cause it, it, it takes away from the sleek body shape that you see in the Berlin Luso because the cars are very similar in design, but this still re retains all that curvature, much like a 300 sl, right? To me it’s the Ferrari’s version of that. I, it’s a very pretty car. These are gorgeous cars and I love the way the, the frontal treatment looks almost like shark, like how it protrudes just a little ever so much the hood.

And it’s just a beautiful, beautiful car. And it’s glad I’m well, they’ve been getting their due for years now, but it’s, uh, good to see. And [01:13:00] we’re already at 2 million for the ask.

These are another Ferrari that presents very, very well in silver or black, right over the traditional red or yellow, dark blue as well. Yes. Extraordinarily well in dark blue. Is there an undesirable, uh, color on these cars? They’re just so beautiful. It’s not yellow.

You’re laying me the waist, but yeah, you know what, it’s nice to see that a different, a different hue, uh, a different color in the mix.

A rosso cor is amazing on any carb, on any Ferrari, but this just something more dignified about a color like this. Well, as we just clip past the $2.3 million [01:14:00] moment, I’m reminded of when I was at an auction back in, oh, would’ve been 2006, something like that, when Steve McQueen’s, Luso was sold and, and made 2.3 million, which at the time people will fall in off their chairs at the thought of Aus making 2.3.

Yeah, we’re back to that era again here. This is great. The stadium’s still full looking for bids. The ask is 2.6 million. I really love this. Just icy gray throws a little bit of blue under these neon lights. Obviously on tv it looks different than it does in person. It’s a absolutely gorgeous car. Yeah, it effect on tv, isn’t it?

It looks far more blue in the coverage that we can see in the studio here. I, I would have to say as Ferrari passenger cars go, [01:15:00] I mean, we, we can all sort of lean on the 3 0 8 and, and things like that. This is, in my opinion, one of the best. I really like it. There’s little doubt. This is one of the most elegant Ferraris.

This is not the right auctioneer to have doing the stars. The guy’s good, but he’s not the right person. Why are you saying that with him? ’cause I mean, he just, I keep, all I can think of is cattle her, not Drew, because it’s just, I’m thinking 67 to 72 Chevy C tens coming through and Blazers. I love ’em. You love ’em.

And, but there’s a lot of them,

and I know there’s a schedule and, uh, you know, you gotta push them dogies through. But, uh, these cars deserve to have, uh, I think a little more, uh, possibly a little more time and, well, I, I [01:16:00] feel like we’re, we have a little bit of a breathing space at the moment, but this is a car that’s, I also feel is stalled out at the moment.

And we’ve created a breathing space only because it’s not at the same level. Like maybe as the buying audience that just picked up that Enzo and picked up the, the FXX. Right. That’s a different, you know, breed of collector or buyer. Both these cars coming, UPO one six. Yeah. Different you, you’re right.

Different collector. And I’d love to know what the demographic, you know, metrics are for the bid profiles here. Obviously the company’s probably mining that and looking at it, but it’d be interesting to see how the market has shifted Who’s going for the classic, the rare, classic era Ferraris, who’s focused on the modern and who’s focused on the supercars.

And here we have the earliest car in the Backman collection, the 1953 or 1 66 mm body by vile. [01:17:00] Usually these one six sixes I think have, uh, touring or pin in for bodies on them. Noticeable to me, at least as a vile lover, as the, the cutaway spats under the headlights. They, the way the body’s been cut away.

And of course that mm, designation refers to the mille milia. And really, you can’t talk about Ferrari without thinking about the milia, that figure of eight road race around Italy that ran for so long. Because for, for Ferrari, this was the use case for his cars. Winning the mil mil was what it was all about.

It wasn’t about selling lots of cars. It wasn’t about even really about Formula One. It became about Formula One after the milli milia ended. But when the mil mil was running, that was what Ferrari was all about. And this car was built for that event. Yeah. You know what’s interesting about the Al Body though, when I look at it, if I wasn’t [01:18:00] in the know or didn’t, you know, appreciate these cars for their history and whatnot, I look at it and think British Roadster, I think like AC Bristol, I think in that direction in terms of the island.

’cause the, the AC ace was based on the Ferrari 1 66 and of course the AC ace was the car that Shelby took and became. The Cobra. So the Cobra styling wise is directly related to the Ferrari one six. What really excites me is how Vinali could craft an elemental competition. Roadster, like a spider body with events at the rear, et cetera, events at the side and a tight envelope body, and yet make it look elegant and beautiful.

This would be an amazing car on the road if you wanted to tour it. And I believe I see, uh, road rally stripes on the side. It looks like Colorado [01:19:00] brand possibly that the Bachmans might use this car on. And what a, what an amazing way to go through a long distance road tour slash rally than in, in this 1 66.

Uh mm. Beautiful and, and elegant. And yet at the same time, effective. Would you wear a helmet on the Colorado brand in this car? I’d wear a pilot’s World War II helmet and go aviator goggles. I’d go like, I’d be like this. I’d full, I’d Do you know, I’d want a full head because there’s no row bar. Yeah, there’s an easy car to turn.

Aren’t, I mean, look at this guy. He, he’s probably five foot something. He sticks way out over the top of that car. Well, the whole deal with the arrow screens were was that they were minted, the screen didn’t come up to your face. The screen was only designed to throw the air over, over your head. Yeah, like a deflector more.

That was low though. That guy, guy, that was a one five. That 1, 1 9. It installed at one five and then it went up to two. When did you last see, uh, fifties Ferrari with [01:20:00] competition history go for less than $2 million. Yeah, that, it’s the audience right now. This car 3 48, this was always one of my favorites. I felt like it was like the baby tester.

Yeah, it was the affordable one, right? It had the same layout. V eight powered instead of V 12 Powered. Same. Look and feel. Obviously the T. The later five 12 looks like a 3 48. They kind of copied that front end. I really like these. I actually think it wears yellow pretty well. So I feel like a hypocrite saying that, but you know, ’cause you know how I feel about yellow.

But we won’t hold that against you, Eric, the MO press. It’s fine. The mojo press at the time didn’t rate them. I mean, I’m not sure if I really believe what the Moin press say, but that’s what I remember in period, that they weren’t as sharp as they might have been. And it wasn’t until the 3 5 5 came along that they really became great cars drive.

What disillusioned me with the 3 5 5 was that F1 training with that little joystick thing. And I was like, you [01:21:00] got rid of the gated shifter. So immediately I was sort of turned off even as a young enthusiast, I was like, that should have a stick shift that shouldn’t have this weird flappy paddle thing.

And, and, and actually I feel as though, and maybe it’s true to, to engineering chronology Ferrari was the first to really start introducing the flappy paddle gearbox into production cards. Yes they were. Because it was, they, because when you were buying a Ferrari, you were wanting to get Formula One technology and the whole flappy paddle gearbox is like a double win, isn’t it?

I mean, I live in California and they say the best way to make sure you don’t get your car stolen in California is driver stick ship. Nobody can drive stick anymore. I have to say, you know, I, I know Ferrari is known probably primarily for its classic Enzo era, V 12 cars, but bless them for bifurcating into the mid engine V eight line and the heritage that they’ve had since the seventies with that and continuing in the V 12 [01:22:00] tradition.

Hi, I, I gotta interrupt you Dave. Coming up is William’s car? Yeah, we’re gonna see him playing a bid on this 400 high work in progress. So this foot, the four hundreds are unloved, aren’t they? This is a V 12. You can get five speed ones V 12 Ferrari. For what, under $50,000? You can get air condition for four.

I would not buy one in front of 50,000 because that means it’s gonna lead another about $50,000 worth of work mechanically. So a sweet spot would be about 80 to a hundred. ’cause then, you know it’s been gone through the whole nine yard service records. You can jive it for about three weeks, then you have to put another 20 grand for mechanical.

They have the best reliability. But I mean, just smooth. I mean that’s just a grand tour right there. Yeah. I just love it. PE people don’t like the three box shape. And I, I personally, I think these are really good looking cars. I like the Daytona [01:23:00] nose and I like the three box shape. And I like the fact that there is room in the backseat because at least that way it is easier to use a car that has a backseat, a two seat car, you tend not to use.

’cause there’s no room. I just love the crisp styling. The, the body. Look at it’s already, uh, the ask is a hundred thousand priced out right on the gate. There’s still, there’s still hope, there’s still time. So William, was it the 400 or the four 12? That was in Rain Man. 400 I believe for the movie nerds out there.

You know, one of these cars was a celebrity for 15 minutes. Yeah. Was that the beginning when they were in the import building? You had those, that’s what you drove them around in. Oh, that’s right. Wait, he’s counting as jelly beans. I haven’t seen that movie in 30 years. Alright, here we have that five 12 MI love it or hate it with these headlights.

What do you think, John? What do you think? You’re the design guy. I am not a big fan of, of these particular headlights. I don’t like it when on cows [01:24:00] like Mazda RX sevens, like FDRX sevens, they change the popup lights to being behind the plexi or they go the sleepy eye lights. The, I’m just not a fan of that.

I feel like I like the tester also having the popup lights. This isn’t a disaster for me, but I, I prefer that that straight, whole contr my friend. I would not throw that this car outta my. Rush fried crackers. I’ll tell you that much. Okay. But I will say in the defense of this design idea, yeah, the F 40 LM looks good with this style of headlight.

It just, I don’t know, there’s something about the shape of the five 12 that it doesn’t wear it well. Yeah. I’ll tell you what though. Those wheels are awesome with the curved spokes. That is just incredible. The classic Ferrari five spoke with a bit of a curve on it, love it. But they feel like an answer to Porsche’s turbo twist.

That’s what that wheel looks like to me. And actually because, well now you’ve said that they spoil is spoiling for me. You’re welcome. Now I can unsee it, but you can’t, what’s also, if you notice it’s [01:25:00] an optical illusion. The wheel is probably 17 inches, maybe 18 inches. But because of the rivets, to make it look multi-piece, the wheel still sort of looks like a 15 inch five star off of a 3 0 8.

And with its really high offset being outboard of the car, it looks a little strange. I would want something like a deep lipped fixie type of wheel. You know, I know that’s very German, but I think it would just look better. It would also maybe make the headlights look better. Now, we’ve not talked about the bachman’s relationship with the Ferrari special order programs, have we?

But this car’s very illustrative of these special order kind of programs that Ferrari did and the way that the Backmans worked with Ferrari and had a special relationship with Ferrari to have the cars customized and exactly the way that they wanted. So this guy yellow over yellow wheels with blue accents, [01:26:00] but then there is blue, I wanna say pinstriping, is that what we call it, around interiors and, and strikes?

You know, it’s, it’s what we might say in England, it’s, it’s a Marmite color. You either love it or hate it. Is this color combination though the frontal treatment with the blue cross the nose and then up the, the longitudinal stripe? Is that a nod to Belgian racing blue, like Jacque Swats team? Iie Beic and possibly, um, like the original GTO there, isn’t there one that had a blue nose treatment like that?

I’m not sure about about that, but I, I think you may be right, because looking at this car yesterday, I found myself thinking, you know, I, I’m not a fan of the color combo, but that stripe, I’ve never seen a stripe where the color is on the air dam and on the nose of the car, and then it goes to the stripe up over the top.

It looks to me like a Tour de France livery or, or a, a 62 to 64 GTO. But [01:27:00] I could be wrong. It just seems to me like Akii, uh, Frans, I think is what the name of s SWAT’s, uh, team was. I’m wondering if that might be the inspiration. Somewhat. It’s unique car, unique treatment. Well, judging by the $3 million that we’re at, at the moment, the unusual color accommodation has not put off becomes Florida bidders, and it’s different.

You’ll certainly not be the, uh, the same as anybody else at a concor or an event. You know what I like about this? The Bachman’s had a passion for Ferrari. They truly did. And, and, and also the hobby of showing at events. But to be able to go and spec out a brand new Ferrari the way you want it to fulfill your vision with the factory in collaboration, to me, one European delivery in one lifetime of any car would be a thrill.

And they did this several [01:28:00] times, had cars built to their spec by buying one of those cars. You are becoming part of that legacy, which is a really awesome thing. Absolutely. Right from the beginning. You’ve got that right Dave. I mean, I’m with you. Granted, the, the car that’s next in line is a contradiction because it’s a different color combination.

Right? We’re going with a yellow with a. Lime green accent over this yellow and blue. And when I was sort of thinking about it at first, I’m with John in the sense that maybe it’s not my cup of Earl Gray, but maybe there’s some cultural significance there. Maybe it’s the colors of one of the, the football clubs, or maybe it’s part of the logos of one of the polio horses of Sienna or something like that.

Like we’d have to dig in a little bit more to the Bachman story to understand why they chose these colors. And unfortunately maybe over time, much like the Bianca Spial that we’re going to see later this afternoon. It’s one of those we may never know. And sadly, and the thing is they obviously, the Bachman’s chose these [01:29:00] combinations and these options purposefully with intention.

And I’d love to know the significance of these colors and, and maybe it’s a conversation with somebody at the factory to really nail it down. And I would be open to that at any time. And that’s what makes Ferrari ownership and Ferrari culture so fascinating. There’s so many unanswered questions in a lot of respects that really somebody knows the answer to

this one compared to the blue and yellow one, for me is a challenge to want to have in my collection as I use the reference. Maybe it’s a little too hot Wheels it, it’s maybe beyond that. It feels like a basketball sneaker. [01:30:00] That’s funny. Yeah. Well you know what, this car is a product of its era too, and that’s certainly when things like basketball culture, sneakers, they became kind of couture items.

And when you’re in that league where you’re ordering and personalizing a Ferrari with the factory’s personalization department to make a one of one. A spoke car again, there’s gotta be some kind of a cultural significance, personal connection, something. This car is already, they’re at a $4 million. Ask again, these cars are all home runs out of the park.

I believe this one is again, part of the magic. They, they really are looking. Yesterday I looked at these two cars and I thought, just for the sake of the backmans, I hope these cars bring more than they would if they were just standard colors and standard whatever. But because it does kind of hurt the eyes a little bit, you know, the yellow and the green there [01:31:00] again, clearly the Florida audience is lapping up the rarity.

Absolutely. Absolutely. So let me put you in the mind of factory worker, Giovanni Ti of donuts that put this thing together. That’s Johnny bag of donuts. The American listeners out there that was putting this together, John, what do you think he was thinking when he was stitching together this green interior?

Bloody, the Americans would buy anything. Well, isn’t that, isn’t that the funny part of Ferrari history? Right. If they couldn’t sell it, take ’em to California. ’cause the Californians will buy anything. Right? Well that’s what they used to say when I worked at the Black Haw Black Hawk Museum in, in Danville in northern California.

We had a, uh, salmon over gray Ferrari 3 7 5. And I used to look at it and think it was the ugliest thing. Then I learned about the 3 7 5 mojo and then suddenly I began to think, oh, this is really cool. It looks like the love child of a [01:32:00] 57 Chevy and a proper Ferrari. But you know, it’s like, it’s a real proper Ferrari.

Yankee Netti apparently set about that car when it wouldn’t sell on the East Coast. You know, just put it out to California. They’ll buy anything out there. Well, somebody just bought this erta for four and a half million dollars. Can you. I’m gonna get my sneakers on. I’d love to tour this.

Well now we’ll see how the BBI, uh, Ferrari five 12 BBI performs against the 365, uh, bb. Phil and Martha were clearly real lovers of the bb Yeah. Having what shape the aesthetic. Yeah, absolutely. Now, as I understand it, they were large car dealers. Did they have, uh, a Ferrari dealership under their wing too?

Would you know? I don’t think so. Hi. Behind this. Okay, [01:33:00] good, reliable cars. And, um, so every CRX owner in the middle America contributed to this collection at some point in their life. Eric, you were asking about styling differences between the 3, 6, 5 and the five twelves. One fairly distinctive difference, which I should have mentioned earlier, is the early cars have six taillights.

The later ones only have four. So this BB has four. That yellow 3 6 5 has six. So the function was just kind of Tom, Don other. And the other thing is, those orange reflectors are those lights, fog lights. The, the flip up headlights are behind them. Yeah. So those are running lights, the orange up front turn signal, they’re turn signals.

Could you imagine seeing something this coming? The other, you know, in the other lane, uh, in oncoming traffic, uh, when you’re tooling around [01:34:00] somewhere, that would be a memorable event sold at 550,000. So in Ferrari speak, of course, GTB Grand Touring Berlinetta, the hard top GTS is the target model with the, uh, removable roof panel here.

Is for spider indeed

early 3 0 8 Carre. These later ones fuel injected. That’s where the eye comes into play. Eye for injected.

I cannot believe the breadth and depth and scope of this collection, and I’m not trying to chill for anybody. This is, this is thrilling. We’ve got 1, 2, 3, 3 more pages of Boman cars. This is fabulous. [01:35:00] Again, I just love sort of the modern thrust of this collection. They do pay tribute to some of the classics, but this is really unique, in my opinion, for a single family Ferrari collection.

Well, and isn’t it striking how the cars that have underperformed and there are a couple that look like they have underperformed, have all been offset by that crazy price for the Enzo? It’s interesting. I, I don’t know if it breaks down to the logic of the run order or is it the car itself? There’s more questions than answers.

When to, to your question, John. Now we lean into another beautiful shape. We’re talking Dino 2 46 is here. The Ferrari, that isn’t a Ferrari but is a Ferrari. Right? Because it doesn’t carry a Ferrari badge. It carries a Dino badge and it’s in commemoration of his dear departed Sun. And always impressed with how gorgeous these cars are and the precursor to the 3 0 8, and it’s really the genesis of this.

Yeah, I know. My understanding was, was that Dino as an engineering [01:36:00] student, was in, involved in designing the V six motor that went into the late fifties Formula One cars, and it was a derivation of that motor that went into this car, the Dino, and since it wasn’t a fourth B12 Ferrari, Ferrari thought he would name the car after his son, hence the the Dino badging.

Of course, nobody knew what a dino was. There was a bit of a challenge in the showroom. So in short order, they ditched the Dino badging and just put a straight prancing horse on the, on the road. That legacy is so poignant, but I like the idea that they called it Dino and tribute because it’s, it’s kind of like, it, it lends to my mind more exclusivity, even though it was an important production model, 1,274 maiden, all of the 2 46.

But it’s like Cher, you know, or, uh, prince or why not Liberace? It’s a singular given name and I, I really, I really kinda like that [01:37:00] legacy. We’re at 825,000 for the ask on the Dino. Fabulous. Now, the, there are various versions of these Dinos aren’t there? The early ones are two oh sixes. And although the performance is less, they are considered more desirable, I think, and certainly more valuable because of the rarity later models that they called the big chair models.

I think specifically for the US market, where the, the early cars were, where they narrower body on them, and I think the later ones had bigger seats in a slightly wider body to accommodate your bigger American. So was this a p Farina design or was this one of the other folks at Ferrari that came up with this body shape?

Because the reason I ask is it has that sort of bini feel. It also reminds me of a Porsche 9 0 4, which is around the same time period, but obviously the 3 0 8 was body p farina. So I’m guessing this is [01:38:00] two because it’s an evolution, right? Yeah, I, I, I’d have to check, but I think this is a p and farina style car.

I, I think at this time far, I was still not building the cars in house. Um, and I’m not sure in the fifties it was Scte. Scte would often build the cars that were styled by somebody else. Scte was the. The builder, the Dino never saw any sort of, let’s say, racing victories, not officially from the factory, but that motor lived onto victory in the large RAOs in the WRC base in that motor won.

The last was, was in the car, was the last front engine car to win a Formula one grand pri. It really is a significant engine and if you think about it, it’s a V six and that racing engine was developed just shortly after Launchy invented the V six. So now we’re looking at a F 12 TDF. I know William likes these quite a bit.

Well, in that TDF thing, it speaks to Ferrari naming cars [01:39:00] for races that they participated in. This is a road rally around France and TDF is two to fourth. Uh, it’s another car that also reminds me of a viper in that shape, and I wrong about that. I also see C seven Corvette in it a little bit. Yeah, it’s very much so, but it works.

I mean, I, I have no, no shade on it. Yeah. For, for me, this is one of the best looking modern Ferrari. I would agree with you that I love the, I love the cuts in the rear fender that make you think of the cuts in the fender behind the front wheel of an F 40. I’ll just add, too bad it’s yellow.

You know what, it’s all in the eye of the beholder. I actually think this guy looks pretty good in yellow. I think like, like a Corvette. It wears it. Well, yes. Now I will say it’s hard to visualize it on the TV because it’s doing this interesting reflection, but I would say it’s a little [01:40:00] bit more gold than just a straight fly yellow.

It looks like it has some metallic in it. It would almost a satin finish. Yeah, it does have a sort of satiny like magnolia kind of color to it, doesn’t it? I, I like it. And maybe because it’s not the regular yellow, it’s gluten spicy brown versus frenches yellow mustard.

It’s more Dee, isn’t it? Mm. You’re making me hungry. Where’s the guy with the beer and the hot dogs? Yeah, that’s what we need. It’d be appropriate. Actually, you know what? It would work inside the stadium. Do you remember that James Bond movie where the, the bond girl is named Zena on a Top and there’s that wonderful scene where Bond and her are racing down into Monaco on the winding road into Monaco.

And of course the car Zena on a top is driving is a Ferrari 3 5, 5 [01:41:00] convertible just like we have crossing the block. Now hers is red. This is a Batman cars. Of course it’s yellow. I’m more of a hard top guy than an open top guy. I agree with you. I agree with you. But this is a great looking car. Yeah, it is.

It is. You know it’s funny you went to that James Bond movie with the car chase scene headed down into Monaco. ’cause I thought you were actually gonna talk about Barbara Carrera as Fatima Blush driving a Reno R five Turbo being chased by James Bond on A BMW motorcycle That I remember. I don’t, there’s, there’s not a BMW motorcycle or a RiNo five turbo on crossing the block at the moment.

I

I think it’s

4 75 fer a Ferrari three five. Five. My god. John, this 360, you and I have talked about quite a bit. It’s another challenge. Rad. I don’t know the provenance on this one, whether or not the challenge [01:42:00] kid is in a box like the yellow one was, but the color, when was the last time you saw a green Ferrari? I, I can’t remember the last time I saw it.

It’s certainly a British racing green Ferrari and, and surely there cannot be very many challenge stradas in British racing Green. Oh, you looks pretty good in it. I Beautiful. You still got challenge Strada Stripe, hasn’t it? And this is that. Green. I was talking about with the magnum fill in 3 0 8 that they used, the 3 0 8 came into green like this and it wears it.

Well I, I wish more Ferrari came into color like this, but the green pairs very well with a tan interior that it has as well. I think it was absolutely stunning.

I mean, William normally three sixty’s clock in at, is it standard 360? Yeah, just standard 360 or even an, even a regular challenge Should, where are they coming in at pricewise, your standard 360 Depends. F1 train or a manual. If you got F1 trade, depending on miles, low, hundreds factory, six feet [01:43:00] high, hundreds, maybe even low two hundreds depending on mileage.

Everything. Like they have provenance. They challenge the dollars though. They’re going through the roof to all a million dollars. Well this one here is already a record, but it’s the color. But your standard challenge dollars are approaching a million dollars. Wow. And two years ago, two years ago, you probably could have got it for 300 grand, if not a little less.

He maybe even a year ago. Damn. Kept gone nuts. And the challenge for rally, other than all the bolt on race car stuff that they come with, obviously, was there actually a performance difference? Yes. Immensely. ’cause it’s got definitely tranny. They rework the ECU. So your shifts are faster, crisper like that.

It’s more solid. There’s not so much chassis flex. That’s basically the pinnacle of, of the 360 production. That’s how they all should have been built. That thing is phenomenal. You talked about chassis stiffness, all that, that comes from the fact of having the roll cage and all that. But if you have, let’s say like the yellow challenge tri that they had earlier that didn’t [01:44:00] have that, you basically just have a 360 with a chip.

Nah, I mean suspension everyth like that. I mean there’s more tweaks for the motor than just to, but wouldn’t the suspension be in the boxes? ’cause you have to convert it over, right? I mean, if you wanted to, yeah, you could technically, but by the time you purchased that. Everyth and did it all so that much as buy a real one.

Yeah, I mean the big thing that people do though is on Standard 360 is they’ll buy the challenge front and rear grills. So they’ll put the front end on it and the rear end on it, and then they buy the wheels for it and then they fiddle with the suspension and drop it to make it look like it’s challenge stroll because it looks beautiful like that.

So that’s what a lot of people do it out in the market. You’ll see that because everyone will market it or you’ll be able to see it. Clearly it’s got a challenge, front grill and rear grill and everything on it because it just finishes off really nice. We are back in the swing of grand touring cars.

We’ve got a 5 75 Super [01:45:00] America, this is like, they drove this from quite a bit, 1700 miles. Oh wow. I mean, when you have 46 cars, you gotta spread the love a little. You gotta drive all of them at least every once in a while, right? Yeah. Well, I was gonna say is if you have a larger number of vehicles, it’s actually hard to put a decent number of miles onto vehicle.

If, if, if the Backmans used their cars, they drove to and from a couple of show events that might justify the two, 300 miles that they put on the cars. They went to a show, they came back again. That was it. They only did one show with that car, three shows with that car. And that’s why it has, maybe they took it to a show and you know, went out to dinner in a couple of times and you, if you 40 cars, if you use one car every weekend for a year, you know, you’ve got enough cars to last you a whole year.

If I, I’ve not explained myself pretty well there, but I think you understand what I’m talking about, these British math skills, you know,

we’re using the metric system [01:46:00] today, John. Yeah, yeah. No, Pam Shillings and Pence here. Respect, I mean, I’ve gotta deal with that myself. A lot of conversions for our Canadian contingent over here. Yeah, absolutely. So a brown dino. Now, now we all know about the, uh, that green dino that was buried in the garden in LA for.

All those years, there’s a lot of value in the rare colored Ferrari, right? Is that that brown? Would you consider that brown? You have to have a creative name for it. Maroni. Is it, did I pronounce it properly? But you know, mar is actually chestnut, like, ah, interesting. I did not know Maroni. It’s like does, yeah.

So like the husk of a chestnut. Yeah. It’s interesting and different. And I’m liking it. It’s metallic too. It’s very interesting. But now it’s, it’s brown was really period appropriate in the early seventies. A lot of cars came. Shades of brown and earth tones. We’ll call them that. It’s got a very just sort of, I [01:47:00] don’t know, dignified, elegant look to it.

It does. Ken. I, I would not have put this, uh, if you’d have asked me before, if I hadn’t have looked at, you know, hacker’s price guide or whatever, I’d have suspected that, uh, Dino was worth half a million. And here we are. Well on the way to three quarters of a million for this one. Well, during the last financial crisis in 2009, I remember the finest Dino available on the market at auction.

At a high end auction. 175 to 190. That’s it. That was all the money I used to, I did a job one time selling area or photographs, door to door. I door knocked one house, got talking with the guy. He had a dino in the garage. We got it out. We sat in it. We had a little look at it. I didn’t sell him an hour or a photograph.

I did look at his Dino. He had paid 43,000 pounds for it. Now that’s the mid nineties, but, oh, that’s, is that most expensive Dino that you were talking about? Is that the one that Cher owned? Not that I’m aware of, no. Oh, I heard hers was [01:48:00] worth more because her butt cheeks were in the seat, you know,

to throw back. That’s a good one. Our drive through episodes here. Oh, that’s funny. Here comes the most gorgeous car. The whole lot. You know, if it wasn’t manual then okay, you might be able to tolerate it, but I don’t understand this kind of. Icing on top of the cake thinking the bachmans were colorblind.

Well, it kind of looks like icing on top of chocolate cake. I mean it’s, yeah. Or like a cinnamon roll. I mean, I’m trying to put a positive spin on this thing. It’s breakfast food. I mean that’s, yeah, this is gonna be a longer hate. I mean, I believe the colors though, where the product of the fact that it was a Asante, so one of 60 examples and there was something to do with the celebrations of Ferrari’s 60th anniversary.

And I think that was sort of the root of the, of the color combination, if I’m not mistaken. Can we call it cappuccino? I like it. Cappuccino’s delicious, right, Ryan? Yeah. Yeah. So it’s got, you got the [01:49:00] coffee and then you got the foam on top. You know what, I think I would, daily this is, it, is it more appealing now that I’ve framed it that way, if anything with caffeine, uh, that makes it work for me?

Well, we’re already at 400 and thousand, uh, 4 25 is the ask. So we’ll need to keep track of which YouTube influencer bought this car.

Well, the, the buyer can be assured that there’s no other example like this one of 66 12 scte ante, if I pronounce that properly. I just wanna confirm for the sheer sake of science, brown is not a color men or colorblind to Right. It’s blues and things.

You could be Right. So this was a conscious decision. Yep. It’s uh, it was border named by the Blands. So if you want [01:50:00] exclusivity, there’s no other one of the 60 that are like this.

I’m thinking this kind of look reminds me of a, of a mid seventies Barcelona edition, EMC Matador, and I liked it. Oh, wow. I liked it too. You went there? Oh yeah. I had to go there. Much fun. Though, can we put the not sure stripe of vinyl on it. I’m not sure if the Batmans would appreciate the a MC comparison.

Exactly. We do though. I, I very much appreciate that. That is a reach. I think the products of Kenosha, Wisconsin are criminally, criminally unrecognized. And by the way, I dig the gremlin. Oh, I’m not afraid to say it. You know, if you really wanted to go full lampoon this thing, you could turn the bottom part into a wood paneling.

Oh, the whole rule. 4, 6 5. That would be cool. That wood rule. That would be really cool. It did, but then you’d be joking aside, you would be hurt in the [01:51:00] backmans provenance to do that, would you? When well painted faux wood green paneling a car I knew 20 years ago is back. It’s a 96 Chevy Impala wagon Black.

And the, the, the owner’s daughter at the time, she put faux wood grain that terminated in flames on the rear quarter panels. And it’s delicious. It’s back for sale again. And I want it. So if you’re listening, I’m in the market. Well, we have yet another 3 0 8 on the block. Something we haven’t seen before.

And again, not so long ago, these were sub hundred thousand dollars cars. And here we are taking a cruise past 150. But look, it is a early car. It’s a Backman car, so low miles, easy to understand why the premium’s being paid. There’s a dealer down the street from me. It’s, I say a buyer pay here a lot, but sketchy say the least.

But you know, he gets decent stuff. But you know, you get those like high mileage stuff that it says no credit, it says no credit checks William. We get [01:52:00] it. Sorry. But he gets in his short store showroom, he gets some couple nice pieces of inventory. He’s had an 84, uh, he’s got a black on black 3 0 8 super, like 9,000 miles immaculate, gorgeous.

He’s had it for like two plus years now because he’s asking 95 grand. So the guy’s not out alone. Because what you’re getting, price your wises, I mean Randy’s have better provenance one owner, stuff like that. But, but surely really what you’re saying is the reason your guy can’t sell it for 95 and that one just sold for two 10.

A lot of that is to do with the atmosphere. Yeah. And the Buckman thing and the fact that all these cars have come along, boom, boom, boom, one after another. Well, here we have a special 1 20 17 Ferrari, LA Ferrari apta. This is a million dollar car to start with. What’s the premium on the APTA over the closed ones?

Is this the one, are they rare? Ra [01:53:00] 50%. Wow. 40 50. Yeah. It’s massive. Now the car that was formerly owned by Sammy Hagar, the cream colored one at Bear Jackson last year, was that an app Herta, do you know? Or if that was the coop? I doubt not. It’d be interesting to be able to tease out. Okay. Coop versus Aita.

Wow. Starting at 5 million in Oh yeah. We’re way past Sammy’s three and a half from last year. So obviously celebrity provenance doesn’t make that big a difference in this market. So a one of two 10 La Ferrari apta, they’re asking for 9 million now. I was gonna say driving a, uh, Ferrari, LA Ferrari now under Sammy Hager.

I can’t drive 55. Yeah. Yeah. You won’t be driving 55 in one of these

nine. [01:54:00] Well, we rushed up to nine and then it sat, hasn’t it? It stalled out. Nine. Nine. We popped a clutch early. That was that, that that Enzo is looking OTT, is it not? Yeah.

So the open air app, not celebrity provenance, but certainly well known and respected Ferrari ownership from New by the Bachmans. It’s interesting to see the gap. Is this new money looking for a home? Uh, is this market correct? Are we seeing a new trend? Yeah, absolutely. But you can definitely tell the money is flowing to the more modern cars.

Absolutely. Right. There seems to be a breaking point [01:55:00] at the five fifties and the 3 55 range. Anything older than that is kind of selling. Other than the tester Rosas, which seemed to be an anomaly. Everything else kinda seems to be selling where it should be. But these are just over the top, as John puts it.

Yeah. Sort like that one. Six six. They should have broken that out and sent that somewhere else. Yeah. Oh, well, 10 million.

I can’t help but feeling if I worked at Ferrari, certainly if I was in finance at Ferrari, I would look at these prices that the cars make just a few years. This is less than 10 years after this car’s sold and think, wow, we undersold those cars a hundred percent. Our price for selling new was too low in a, in a big component of that.

This is a 2017 model. And it’s very easy to find online how much things have inflated pri in terms of price and how much [01:56:00] money has deflated in a lot of currencies. I think it’s a function of that as well. And it, it’s, I don’t wanna be flipping and say it’s all relative, but on the other hand, there’s definitely macro issues that have affected the nominal prices, the numbers that people are willing to bid versus the true intrinsic value of the car.

But this is a, again, another paradigm shift. When you look at, again, the Sammy Hagar car, not to keep going harping on that, I think it was three to 4 million, three and a half, something like that is what the, the winning bid was. And you put that against where we are at right now with, uh, with 10 million.

There we go. Yes. Even with the Backman provenance, even with the premium for it being an erta that still makes this car look very highly priced in comparison to the Hagar car, it’s a significant premium, uh, we’re seeing here.

I, I would say, I, I think the celebrity provenance thing is interesting. I mean, there was a Ford [01:57:00] Escort that had been owned by Princess Diana that made a ridiculous price. I feel like the kind of person who’s buying a LA Ferrari is not the kind of person who would pay a premium for celebrity ownership.

If that celebrity ownership was a rock singer, they might pay a premium if that was a different kind of celebrity. But to pay a premium for a rock star owned car, you have to sort of be a rock fan. And my sense is a lot of the people buying these cars are not those kind of people. I think you’re right. I think these are people that are making, actually, despite the electric air here, they’re making quite sober decisions on what they’re willing to spend.

Do you think it’s individuals or do you think it’s groups? Do you think it’s an individual bid or do you think it’s like a investment group where three or four of us are gonna own the car together and share it and share. Highway. And if it’s an investment group, they’re very low profile and under the, under the radar.

I, that’s a great [01:58:00] question. I I do know that there’s a number of people that have tried to form limited partnerships or hedge funds or just pools, pools of money. You know, maybe that’s something that’s happening now too that could explain some of these dollars. I don’t think anybody’s really being flippant with their bids.

I think that they’re actually really, you know, there’s la clapping and crowds, but I think people are actually really digging in and doing their homework. So it’d be interesting to see the quarter 10 and a quarter for the, uh, perala Ferrari.

We got another heavy hitter here. We’re going with a La Ferrari coop instead of the erta. So, interesting contrast between the two. I’ve got pricing. Well you’re thinking 50% difference between, you’re saying 5 million for this one should between five to six, maybe seven. ’cause of one owner the low miles that then the question is, is it’s got the new [01:59:00] battery in it.

Has that been done? Uh, tell us about the new battery in the old battery. William. Better cooling, more, uh, efficient. You know, longer lasting and, and it, what they just did a new battery in the production life of the car, or It was a war. There’s like a retrofit thing that you can do that’s got a retrofit.

It was done on a warranty so that it didn’t cost the owner anything. Technology jumped so fast after this couple years, five, 10 years, you know, it was double the life of it. Everything. I mean, it just made sense. So Ferrari actually did the right thing and stepped up and replaced him. Now William, is that a warranty replacement or is that something that’s at an extra cost for the owner?

No, it was a warranty deal that Ferrari did for him. Oh, that’s, that is stepping up Absolutely. For the customer that’s been like hundred, $200. Wow. Probably not a simple procedure to do the change out either. No. We were sat at six for a little bit there now, but now it’s clicked [02:00:00] on to six and a half, which means we’re a good way beyond William’s estimate of uh, you know, the closed card being worth half what the open one is.

It’s only 15% over. It’s not that much of a jump. It’s an interesting contrast between the two. I mean, uh, just in terms of roof style, I would prefer the coop over the convertible, honestly. Yeah, I would too. That would be the world’s fastest hairdryer in open form, would it not?

I got six, 6 billion I should say. This is the last US delivered LaFerrari and this is a feature of the way that the backmans like to collect as they like to have as late a production car as they, uh, as they possibly could.

That’ll always be a selling feature if we’re down the road for [02:01:00] somebody. Ab absolutely provenance and uh, single ownership. And then here we are, 6.21, 6.1, 6.1 73 365.

William, you have another chance. There’s another work in progress car here for you.

So he should say that the official name of of the Daytona is 3 6 5 GTB stroke four, the four B and the four cam motor from the 2 7 5 GTB four Daytona being the Daytona 24 hours. And, and this being Ferrari’s way of, uh, reminding Ford that he could still win some motor races and, and won the Daytona 24 hours shortly before this car came into production.

Hence everybody knew it as the Daytona. That 1, 2, 3 photo finish though, uh, I know [02:02:00] obviously it’s intentional, but I’m wondering what Ford thought of that. Did they just kind of go, oh, whatever, or was that I would, I would love to have been a fly on the wall at, you know, Henry Ford the second in the offices in, in Dearborn to see what, what he thought of that.

I wonder if in the early seventies, if Henry Ford was focused on the sport in the way that he’d been focused on it before. I feel like with the fuel crisis and all of the general, you know, safety stuff, the big bumpers, all of that kind of stuff, I feel like Ford probably his mind wasn’t on the total performance as it had been in the sixties.

They were very, very concerned, ready at the top of Ford Motor Company, as I understand it, when they abruptly pulled the plug on Motorsport in 1970, and then a little bit trickled out after that. But I, I think they were really afraid of being sued by, uh, the Department of Transportation or the federal government at the time.

GM thought in 60, the early sixties that [02:03:00] they would be broken up, um, with, uh, antitrust or, uh, for being too big. So performance was a linchpin and all that, and, and it put a target on these manufacturers backs at the time in America. So, yeah, I think you, you’re onto something there. Now. I will walk back what I said earlier about not liking the design of the Daytona, because in race trim, like you’re talking about John in the photo finish and the cars that they took to the mall, they are beautiful as a race car.

They really are. Something about adding stickers to that body shape does make all the difference, at least for me, white, it’s the white pipe side off on the race cars. Yes. A thousand percent. Yeah. Yeah. That it really does, it, it really lends itself well to like competition preparation. Absolutely. And these, it, it, you know, like I said, it, uh, it was, uh, one came second that the.

79, uh, 24 hours a Daytona long after other competitors, uh, had retired.[02:04:00]

Well, for a car that needs a full restoration and probably another two or $300,000 spending on it, 430 seems a pretty good price. It does, it does. This time I saw a car with a primer colored body panel on it sell for more than a quarter of a million dollars. Yeah, right. Well there’s definitely value to unlock with this one perfect candidate for an LS swap.

I mean, there’s a white tester on my mind that I can’t forget about that needs an ls. No, this

scoot 16 m Ooh, this guy makes some big money. These have been going through the roof too.

So what’s so special about the 16 m? I don’t, it’s a four 30 scud just in convertible. So the 16 m is indicative of just being a convertible. Yeah, but it’s already called the [02:05:00] Spider Talk to Ferrari. I forget what the meaning behind the 16 m is. There’s something behind, I can’t remember what the heck it is.

It might be the 16 F1 championships. They had had that possibly. Oh, maybe So is this, uh, end of the line run out kind of model, William? Oh yeah. ’cause he had the four three squad that this came after that kind of as the last rod. And they’re incredible, incredible cars. Well, surely it’s the ref, the, the final iteration of the 360 4 30 kind of platform.

So if you get the very last one, aren’t you getting the very best one with all the refinements? Well, you know, you can’t really bundle a 360, 4 30 kind together. ’cause the four 30 is such a completely different car than the 360. But yeah, I mean it’s that point you just refined everything like that.

Because look what they came out with. Then the 4, 5, 8 came out, annihilated everything. I mean, absolutely brilliant car, you know, V eight [02:06:00] natural just screams, took everything they learned and just created an absolute masterpiece in the 4, 5, 8, especially when they got to the special out. In answer to, uh, what our speculation on the model designation, the 16 m refers to Ferrari’s 16 World Grand Prix manufacturers, champions, titles.

Yeah. Championships to the time, uh, to through two step seven. So William, you know, John’s question was really interesting because it made me think, does the four 30 share more lineage or more DNA with the 360 or with the 4, 5 8 that came after it? It’s hard to say. ’cause the 360 4 2 looks so much alike underpinning wise, it probably shares more to 4, 5, 8, whereas, you know, obviously a static’s gonna share more.

360, to me it’s sort of like, it’s like the Cayman boxer thing, right? When they went 9 86, 7 18, this and that and the other thing. And you’re sort of like, [02:07:00] you sort of look at them and go, I recognize that that’s the boxer in the Cayman. But it’s those subtle differences in those generations. This seems mighty strong money.

I may answer 1.8 Mighty strong money for a four 30.

All right, so now we just gotta run to the mill four 30. Scott. Same color though. There’s a lot of cars here, isn’t it? I, I wonder if we might do what they do in Italian movie theaters and have a break in the middle so you can get some ice cream and take a pee. I mean, it is relentless, isn’t it? And if a motorcycle rode by a Fellini film, it’d be great.

It’s definitely an attack of, uh, Ferrari. It’s, it’s amazing. I mean, I will say that. Crowd has thinned out since after the Enzo crossed the block because you know, maybe you got a little tired of [02:08:00] seeing Ferrari’s and Ferrari’s and Ferrari’s. I never thought I’d ever hear anybody say, you know, that that could be a reason you get it is like Ferrari fatigue.

Yeah, it’s interesting. The audience has definitely thinned and it’ll be interested to see if this second F 40 that we have coming up shortly, bing more or less than the previous one. I, I didn’t compare specifications to understand about value, but it is interesting that there was definitely more of a buzz earlier in the day.

Yeah. And the bidding has also seemed to have slowed quite a bit. So whatever money was in the room might have been spent. You know what I, we’ve seen a lot of big numbers today, but I think that bidders are, and their representatives obviously in this space are doing their research. They’re doing their homework.

They are willing to bid what it takes, but I don’t think that they’re willing to throw money at the market either. Right. This is selective, it’s [02:09:00] stratified. This is on a car by car basis as we’re seeing the results are great, but on the other hand it’s, it’s not something that, I’m just trying to pick out the trend here.

What I’m seeing is good numbers, strong numbers, we’re gonna have to gonna reflect on the rest of the market. That’s what you are asking. Well, the fact that these are all supermar, low mile cars that have awesome provenance and because of the yellow, it’s very distinctive. So that, that’s three factors that might really encourage bid to open the checkbooks a little bit wider.

Totally correct. Yeah. No stories, quality cars, single or limited ownership, low miles, they’ll always win the day as a complete amateur to my contemporary sitting here with me. I also feel like you’re saying there’s no desperate bidding. Like I must own a Ferrari from this collection. Silly money is just being thrown at something to own it.

It seems very deliberate what is being bought. And that’s just my completely unbiased third [02:10:00] party opinion here. You know, kind of viewing what I’m seeing unfold in front of me. I’m getting a very intentional feeling about how the bidding is shaping up here and how it’s continuing. Absolutely right. And you know, there’s dozens more Ferrari from this collection, but then there are pages of it in the catalog, but then we’ve got more collector cars and then the Bianco special.

So it’s interesting, you know, there’s gonna be some crescendos today for sure. Five today. I feel like we are trying to really push this car up right now. Yeah, I think you’re right. This is, I never thought I would see a, I mean I never thought I would see a million dollar, four 30. I’m astonished. Is it 1.3?

Is there a chance, David, that the professionals in the space, you, maybe some of the critics, maybe some of the, the subject matter experts are gonna take the [02:11:00] results from this and just, I don’t wanna say discard them, but push them to the side as an anomaly? These might be outlier results. Absolutely. And, and I’ll have to, when I, when I’m working on reports for motor copia is when I’m analyzing certain years makes and models, I’m going to have to be kind of measured as to how much weight I put on the, in these results.

I think they’re strong. I’d love to see, you know, I can’t wait to see again with upcoming auctions whether or not the trend continues. So we’ve mentioned it before. Some of the other place markers for the market are going to be the actions that follow this. So where do you think the breaking point is? Is it going to be Monterey Car Week, where that sort of settles, if these numbers stick for the year and for maybe next year?

Or is it gonna take something else to really solidify the numbers that we’re seeing? I think it’s gonna be, uh, an auction, uh, sort of week. I auction week thing, we’re gonna have to watch Monterey. Obviously everybody’s watching Amelia Island Scottsdale [02:12:00] and you know, Paris Retro Mobile. Let’s face it. Let, that’s more prevalent here than ever before in North America.

Monterey for sure. Monterey’s gonna show whether this extends and, and endures this trend or not. That’s going to be a big test. So let’s talk a little bit about buyer’s etiquette when it comes to these. I mean, obviously it’s anybody’s prerogative to do what they want with their cars. They could go drive them, they could go track them, they could put ’em in cold storage if they want to.

But let’s say this car shows up at Amelia in a couple of weeks and they’re trying to flip it. Like, is that frowned upon in the community or does it really matter? I, I think it is actually. I think that people can spot a cynical, commercially driven decision that if it’s, um, monetary as, uh, and that quick, I don’t think people appreciate the flippers as much.

I, I, I think there’s all kinds of room for arbitrage, buy low, sell high in this market. But if it’s that quick of a turn of an attempt to turnaround a, I don’t think it’ll happen because it a hammer because of [02:13:00] consignment, uh, and marketing deadlines and time windows for auctions. So if any of these cars do come back to market, I would suspect it, it would only happen in, uh, Monterey or beyond.

So this four 30 Scot, we were going up in $25,000 increments. I mean, it really slowed down. It was like the inside. There were two people in the room who really wanted it. Yeah. So what do you think is a grace period if you bought this car as an investment car, it’s sort of like a first date. You know, how long do you wait till you call?

So how long do you wait before you try to relist it in the market? Because obviously these cars are going to be followed. They’re very obvious which collection they came from. That’s right. That’s exactly right. I think maybe Monterey would probably be an appropriate window to start attempting to market any of these cars.

The prices here today and the bid interest. I think you’re seeing that there’s sufficient interest and [02:14:00] sufficient value. People will try. I hate it when people do try to sell, resell something so quickly. It’s a tough call. I’m hoping that enthusiasts and real collectors will pick up these cars and continue that legacy that the boman started and respect it.

I’m not saying not use your car the way you see fit, but what I’m saying is these aren’t just art to be hung on the wall. These are machines that were meant to either win races or establish dominance on the road and I’d like to see them used a little bit. Well, as we kind of transition here to another heavy hitter, which is gonna be the second F 40 in the collection, we do have a five 12 bbb, not A BBI, that just crossed the block at 400,000.

The importance of this car, John, we talked about it yesterday. This is a Carbureted five 12, which sort of sets it apart from the other three that are in the collection. The fuel injected one. So that’s the [02:15:00] importance of this car. I mean, aesthetically it’s the same as the other red one. Yeah, it’s a steady evolution and it’s more to do with American smog legislation than it is to do with, you know, basically smog legislation came in and, and Ferrari introduced modifications to offset that.

So first, the bigger motor from the 3 6 5 model to the five 12 and then fuel injection to just clean up what was going into the, uh, into the tailpipe. Of course, for the purist, that carretta raws quite an important thing for the purist. The lightness of the 3, 6 5 versus the five 12 is a significant factor.

So as we lean into this second F 40, let me recap for you guys the last one in the collection. The other one, it’s twin, sold for six point. Two 5 million. So will this clock in the same, or, well, we just passed [02:16:00] five, haven’t we? Or right at five now

at 865 miles as of today. And ordered new by the Bachmans. I mean, this is, it’d be interesting to see if this matches the, uh, the other example. Now, the other car had half as many miles at 456. What’s that amount to a hundred thousand dollars difference? I mean, I don’t know. Yeah, we’re gonna find out soon though.

They’re both sub 1000, uh, mile cars. I, I don’t think it’s about the miles. I think it’s that if you came in by an F 40, you’ve either got that F 40 or with the previous car, or you are wanting it now. I think that’s what, or you’re trying to build the Fab five, right? 2 88, F 40, F 50 Enzo and so on that line.

So it’ll be very interesting to see. The F 50 is not too far away either, but we are under where its twin was,[02:17:00]

I need to rev this car up a little bit though. Really get the sense of that flat plane crank V eight. I’ve just realized the three exhausts on civic type bars Yes. From the Air Force. Yes. Never realized that before. It was ahead of its time, John, I keep saying Huh.

And you have 40 sell for 5 million, $300, a bit of a gap, but hey, what’s a few hundred thousand dollars for Ferrari F [02:18:00] 40 buyers?

Oh wait, something I’ve never seen before. Uh, Ferrari five 12. Well, this one’s A PBI, isn’t it? Yeah. This is the fuel injected one.

I wonder what it was about bbs that the Buckman so liked. I wonder if it was the shape or if it was the way that they drove, or quite what it was that was the attraction, or it was a moment in time where it was a Ferrari that was easy to pick up because nobody really wanted them. Right. It, it could be a child of circumstance.

Yeah. There, there was a period, wasn’t that 15 years ago when these were 30, 40, $50,000 cars? You know, from what I’ve been seeing over the, over the years in the, in the business, there were a lot of, um, wealthier professionals. Again, academics and major universities. The Chicago [02:19:00] area especially. Uh, there seemed to be a group of professors that really liked the BBB and the BBI had a sense of adventure.

Uh, some of them were pilots too. Uh, just their lives were different. Inflation was different. Wealth was different. A a working professional could aspire to and achieve a BB if they had, you know, everything in order. And, uh, it just seems like, um, now they’ve become, after a price drop, you know, about 20 years ago.

Now they’re coming back into vogue. But when you’re talking about the eighties and working professionals, I mean this five 12 BB 1984 talking about hookers, it’s the eighties. I mean yes, of course, world, but I mean, you, you have a lot of choices. In 1984, would you buy a five 12 BB or buy a Lotus Espree?

Yeah. Or a. Sis, what are you talking about, Eric? Just because they’re both wedges. They’re not remotely the same car one’s got a epoxy little [02:20:00] cylinder engine. The other’s got a mighty V 12. It’s like, would you date a girl or a carport? Cutout?

Oh, John. I mean, I’m trying to draw parallel without having to be like, oh, well there were Porsches available at the time, or there was this, or there was the Corvette. The competition for the BB would’ve been older cars than you could have got at great prices. Imagine the price that you could have paid for, uh, fifties Ferrari tester Rossa for something like that at the top in the mid eighties.

These, at that time, you know, you could have picked up a Ferrari GTO for under a million pounds. Okay, so let’s take the debate to that end, which is 1984. Ferrari Testa Rosa versus 19 84 5 12 bb. Which would you choose the new hotness or the old guard that’s going out the door? Oh, I’m in the fifties. Tesa Rossa, not the eighties.

Tesa Rossa.

This is [02:21:00] very interesting. This far, 3 28 GTS is actually, I believe, selling for more than the five 12 bb. That just, this is the one to watch. Here we go. 4 58 special. Absolutely crazy in the market. So isn’t the deal with these that this is the last time Ferrari did a naturally aspirated high revving V eight, correct.

The four 80 eights were turbos and then the 2 96 we got a twin turbo, six cylinder. I’m predicting over 4 million. I mean, this will break record special. A, what does that mean, ER to again? And it’s getting more and more stated. You know, this is quite possibly one of the best Ferraris ever built or converter.

That’s why they’re getting obscene money for ’em. I really like the four 80. Very nice car. Yeah, no, they’re starting to game better trailer. So fresh from the, and they had, they had a great racing track record as well. They [02:22:00] did really. And oddly enough, when they transitioned there was a period where the, they’re working the bugs out of the 4 88 and the four 50 eights were running right alongside of ’em.

They’re just as quick. Yeah. But it’s getting used to the turbo and the spool and you know, the drivers are trying to acclimate to the new car. And actually funny enough, the same thing happened in 2 96 debuted. Yeah. The 4 88 was actually quicker than the 2 96 until they worked out the problems and then it, you know, obviously they sunset the 4 88, but it’s always that overlap when you see ’em in motor sport running together.

You’re like, is it really worth jumping to the new car yet? Yeah. Progress could be commitment financial wise, you know what I mean? Progress could be difficult sometimes, but yeah. The 4, 5, 8 saw a great, great track record across different racing bodies across the world. So the specialty, A designation that means aita, is that correct?[02:23:00]

I mean, I thought four maybe, but I thought at least three. I mean, what these things are doing, should it be colored? I don’t know. I mean, the last one produced how many miles? 58 miles. You know? Of course then that’s a sad situation is it’s such an incredible car to drive. In reality, you can’t drive it.

’cause then you, unless you just don’t care about the money factor right, or what the investment is, you wanna go enjoy it because they had the other one that sold, they had like aspect to 1.5, 1.8. I can’t remember what sold for. But this being one owner, low mile last produced everything.

Alright. Countdown. Two 2,900,000, sold[02:24:00]

2,000,008. Alright, we got the last three cars. So the 3, 2 8 is cost the evolution of the 3 0 8. Slightly bigger motor, slightly different grill chrome on, on the grill there, rather than black and bigger back bumpers. For my money, I prefer the earlier, smaller bumper cars. But of course you do get more creature comforts and, and generally a more just together vehicle.

If you buy a 3, 2, 8 rather than your 3 0 8, I would’ve agreed with you. If you had, we had this debate 20 years ago, I would’ve said 3 0 8 all day long. Forget the 3 28. It’s just bloated and big and heavy and you know, so be it. But now as I reintroduce myself to these cars with wiser and more mature eyes, I see the appeal of 3 28.

I really like them. I mean, I got the chance to drive one and it was fabulous. And now, you know, if I could’ve different from the 3 0 8. Hmm, [02:25:00] different from the 3 0 8 You auto crossed? Yeah. How so? How so quicker? More linear in terms of power. Also Rev happy, just like the 3 0 8, but it just, it just felt like it had more low end grunt in comparison because of the 3.2.

And it was a QV right away. Right. They never had a non four valve head on the, on those cars, that four valve head. It really helped the top end as well. It did. It did. And so I enjoyed it very much. And again, if I had the money to be able to pick one up today, I would love to have a 3 28. Well this one’s at, this one’s at five 50, but surely you can, you can pick him up for under a hundred count.

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. I’ll call uh, I got Lance Stroll’s dad on speed dial. I’ll just call him, you know.

Here we go. F 50. So these F fifties, they are, I I wasn’t [02:26:00] into them when they were new. Now I really am. It is a Formula One car, which you can drive on the road. It truly is. I just wish it looked better. I’m sorry. Compared to the F 40, it’s quintessential nineties. It’s very blobby and round and soft. I mean, I’m not discounting its technology or its ability capabilities.

The V 12 is awesome, but it’s just I can’t get over the styling. Is it wrong for me to say that? It kind of reminds me of, um, those McLaren M eight styled, uh, kitty beds from the early seventies. Yes. Which I always wanted. So maybe I should aspire to one of these. Are you trying to say, it looks like the coyote from Castle and McCormick?

Yes. Yes. I might. You I would be more excited except Iron and McClaren M eight that I would’ve Ferrari F 50. Oh man, you’re tripping me back with starting at 9 million with Curry Castle. McCormick should look, we, we should, [02:27:00] you know, as we passed 10 million here, we, we should recognize that, you know, this was a card that was developed by Michael Schumacher when Michael Schumacher and Ferraro were at their most dominant in Formula One in the DNA of those turn of the Century Formula One cars with their normal aspiration and their super high revenue.

That is right there in this F 50, the F 48, and people always compare 40 and F 50. And I just think it’s an absurd comparison because the F 40 is a totally different car. This is a, the F 40 is like we talked about. What that is. This F 50 is a Formula one derived. It’s a different kind. It is, but the problem, you can’t compare them.

The problem I have is if you follow the legacy of Schumacher, like you recently did on episode, this is the beginning of his career versus the Enzo, which is at the end of his career. And everybody says the enzo’s a better car. So in in for my money, this car gets discounted and you fall back to the F [02:28:00] 40 because the F 40 put you it’s square in the rivalry with Porsche because the question always comes up 9 59 or F 40.

The F 50 doesn’t have a contemporary, what is that? The Diablo? The Diablo doesn’t hand stand the chance against this car and Porsche didn’t have anything. The nine 11 STRASSON version doesn’t really work as a comparison because that was a Homologated LMP one or GT one LAMA car. So it stands by itself with no competitor.

Yes. It sounds by we know competitor and hard to find a comparison as we cruise past 11 million here. There is one car I would put up against it and I know you’re gonna hate me for saying this, and that’s the XJ two 20. We’ve had this debate before, but I would choose that over the F 50. If the XJ two 20 had a V 12, I’d be with you on the comparison.

The F 50, [02:29:00] the ask is at 11 2 50. They’re counting down.

I don’t even like the wheels. I was just gonna throw it out there. Oh, I don’t know. As it’s rolled up there, I’ve looked at it and thought I like the proportions of that. They just, million 200 is the ask. I would definitely have an counting down 40.

Ready maybe when I’ve matured like you have, as is typical of some Ferrari Marketplace podcast episodes. There was a slight technical snafu and it looks like we ran out of battery, but that’s okay. We were one car away from the end and we cut to commercial break and we’ll be back after the break with the Bianco spec.

For everything from Ferrari and Porsche, Lamborghini and Konig seg, visit exotic car marketplace.com. If you’re into anything with wheels and a motor, log onto the Motoring Podcast network and check out our family of [02:30:00] podcasts@motoringpodcast.net. This is the place to find your favorite new show. Next up a shout out to David Beatie and his team at Slot Mods who custom build some of the coolest slot car tracks in the world@slotmods.com.

Let your imagination run wild and finally, grand touring motorsports covering all aspects of auto racing and motorsports history. Check out their ezine@gtmotorsports.org. All the links for our sponsors are in the description. All right, gentlemen, we are back. We are moments away, moments away from the Bianco special, the main attraction of Mecca’s, Kissimmee 2026 auction.

And we’ve continued to see really strong numbers in great sell through, haven’t we? We have, there’s been a few Ferrari that have crossed the block since the Bachman collection. A lot of, uh, Ferrari 365, GTSs, GTVs, all those Daytona cars. And then we have one final Ferrari in the mix, [02:31:00] 63 Ferrari, 400 Super America that’s coming up.

So looking forward to that. And then there’ll be two more cars, and then I’m sure Mecca’s gonna put together just a small break. And then we will get started with our main event, which is the Bianco Speciale that we’ve been leading up to. So any key points that we want to make about the car as we bring our listeners back up to speed if they haven’t listened to our previous episodes.

Well, I was just gonna talk a little bit about the Super America that we have coming up. First of all, these were, each was an individual car that was ordered from the factory, and I think in the sixties they were two or three times more than Ferrari’s standard offerings. So when we see these four 10 Super Americas come to market, we’re really looking at what at the time was Peak Ferrari?

Well, one of the most beautiful, uh, Ferraris ever built. And, and I believe I, I’ve lost count of how many individual [02:32:00] series of these cars, but they were all, like you said, built basically to order for all the great personalities of the era too. I think, uh, Peter Sellers might have, I believe he had either had and he did.

Yeah, yeah. A Man of a Thousand Faces. That’s right. And the Pink Panther and Dr. Strangelove. Oh, what a movie that was. Yeah. So it’s, uh, pebble Beach. Each year up the hill from where the Concor takes place, there’s Kaza Ferrari. Cars, a Ferrari. They always have a display of 40 or 50 Ferrari, and, and this last year there were a couple of Super Americas, and I could, you could make comparisons between them and look at how the styling evolves.

The wheels, the positioning of the chrome, the, the shape of the taillights, the shape of the headlights, the shape of the air intakes. You can really compare and mix and match and see how each individual styling element it was developed and was taken on some cars and taken off other cars. And that is very [02:33:00] relevant for us talking about the two 50 GTO because you can talk about, you know, numbers and there being enough GTOs that were 39 built, 36 survive.

The feeling is that because of the 36, there’s some kind of a, you know, there’s enough to make a market, but there’s not so many to create excess supply and drive prices down. So that’s certainly one of the reasons why they cite for the GTO being the Mona Lisa of, of automobiles. But let’s be real about this.

The GTO is the Mona Lisa of automobiles because of the way that it looks, because the GTO got all of those different styling cues that we see through Ferraris in the previous 15, 20 years. It had the best of those styling cues all in one place. The e type style nose, the three straights behind the rear wheels, the awesome cupe shape with a little ducktail spoiler.

All of those elements came [02:34:00] together on the two 50 GTO to really make it stand out. You know what, it didn’t have John, it didn’t have a trapezoidal passenger glass on a very curved car. That was one design feature that did not make it in two 50 GTO that you do see on the 400 Super America. I can’t get over that piece of glass.

For me, I, I see the evolution from the two 50 luso that we talked about earlier, but I just don’t get that piece of glass. But it’s the hough. I don’t like it. It doesn’t matter if the Pope invented it.

Do you know? For some reason that element doesn’t really come into my vision. It’s just, I just love the, just the, the way that body flows from a profile and that tail end on that car. It’s just, it’s just beautiful. I don’t know, for me, it’s a magnet for my eye. It’s the first thing I see because it, I don’t, maybe it’s my brain, but it feels out of place.

So the Hoffmeister kink, John, I, I kid you a little bit, [02:35:00] but why is that important? Why, why is, why do we need to know Hoffmeister and his kink? Well, because every modern car has it, because the way they break up the boring shape of these modern SUVs and crossovers is by doing the hofmeister kink. If you walk through any car park, you will see more cars with a hofmeister kink than not.

I’ve never, and I don’t like it on modern cars either. So now I have someone to blame. I see how this works, and now you cannot un see it. Alright. This car, I mean, a sign, the kink, call it what it is. It’s beautiful. It’s a beautiful car. The way it sits on the road is absolutely awesome. The, the interior designed for me is absolutely pink car interior, this area of sixties Ferrari with the, the five gauge package and the thin, the thin stick shift.

I, I, I really believe interior design has never been, I love that luxury back then was defined not by how many widgets and, [02:36:00] and, and doodads you, you had, or in the interior. It was conservatively, elegantly luxurious. And we’ll never see that kind of look again. We’ll never see that, that level of, of, of pre add-on optioned out interiors.

And these four hundreds were fast as well. Yeah, they were, I mean, they were 150 mile an hour plus cars and. That is pretty astonishing for their sixties technology. So, uh, the car’s just moved across the block here as we pass 2.3, the way the line comes off the top of the front wheel arch and extends along the fender above the bit in farina badge there.

Just so awesome. Does this car act as the precursor to the 400 and the four 12? Well, in basic concept it does. You know, the two plus two, [02:37:00] right? They were a replacement for this. Yeah. They took their design cues from the 365 GTV fours, right? Yeah, that’s right. Maybe an overall essence. I I, I will have to say though that the 400 to four 12, they’re the most criminally underrated Ferrari.

I think there is this generation or the newer ones, in all honesty. Absolutely. So what did that hammer at? It’s a 2.3 or so. Is that what we saw? Yeah, something like that, which to be honest seems a little low for, uh, 400 Super America Coach Bill Ferrari. That looks that, that nice. I mean, such a lovely car.

The blue, it, it’s a shame that that car didn’t cross the block earlier when maybe there was a little more buying enthusiasm in the room. I think so that’s that. It’s funny, you know, how you stage an auction and, and I wouldn’t even begin to comment on how an auction of this size and volume, what goes into the [02:38:00] decision making because, you know, there, there, and that’s what makes this market interesting though, is there’s, there’s a chance for actually someone to jump in, buy something and if they’re in it for a profit motive after a little while right.

You, you do have that opportunity to arbitrage a little bit. So John, we are two cars away from the Bianco. Speciale. Do you want to kind of bring everybody up to speed on its significance? Yeah, absolutely. I mean, we said 36 GTOs bill. This one, the only white one. The whole world of GTOs is, ’cause there’s only 36 people have got them any driving event that you are invited on.

This is an opportunity to rub shoulders with people who you would not normally be able to rub soldiers with. So it’s not just a car, it’s an introduction into a very, very exclusive club. The court, the court of owls, if you will. Yeah, yeah. This particular. Car was bought by a British Jaguar dealer, [02:39:00] and it was bought specifically in order to go racing with.

And, and the guys who he had raced it were names that were very well known to the British public and subsequently even became known internationally. Soy salvadori, but more famously, Graham Hill, who, you know, the only man to win the triple crown of motor racing. And really a, a very well known figure within, uh, international motorsport in the sixties and seventies.

So we are, you were talking about John Coombs as the original owner and order of this Bianca special. Yeah. John Coombs being the owner of the Jaguar dealership and being somebody who’s very much in Britain associated with racing. Mm-hmm. Jaguars and always in white. He was known for racing in white and, and he was clearly well enough regarded by the Ferrari factory that when, when Coombs requested the car be painted white, it was indeed painted white, which, uh, apparently at the time was a very difficult [02:40:00] thing to get Ferrari to do.

I dare say in those days you couldn’t just pick up the phone, call the factory and say, well, I wanted in white, kind of thing. It just wasn’t possible to do that. And one of the things that we walked backwards into during our research and the coverage that we did on this car a couple of months ago was that the significance of the Bianca isn’t necess.

About the significance of a Ferrari, but its influence on Jaguar’s racing history at that time. Well, absolutely. ’cause John Coons was so close with the Jaguar board of directors and the, the, there is a story that he had lunch with Bill Hayes one day when of Jaguar’s, uh, senior guys and, and said to them, you know, I can’t race your E types anymore ’cause they’re too slow.

I’m gonna have to race this Ferrari. And the long and short of that meeting was this car, the Bianco spec, spent the winter of 19 62 3 at the Jaguar factory [02:41:00] with the ideas being copied and incorporated into what became the lightweight E type. Okay. We’ll put air quotes on that, John. We’ll call it. It was.

Studied it was being studied. So as we’re getting that much closer to the car, crossing the block, Dave, you put together a meticulous analysis of where this car should fall. How are you feeling based on the energy in the room of where the car might hammer? Well, uh, as far as, uh, the room kind of thinning out a little bit, I’m not concerned about that because anybody that’s in the market for a car of this magnitude and significance will probably have representatives on hand a bid for them, or they’ll be on the telephone.

I believe there’s probably two to five, not only financially qualified bidders, but bidders that would want something like this as a crowning achievement of either the anchor or the crowning achievement of their collection. Here we go. They’re running a video of the car right [02:42:00] now. Get everybody hyped up.

What do you think the opening salvo will be in terms of the bid? I think, uh, based on where things have been of over the last five years, with the few GTOs that have come to market at auctions, I’m thinking they’re probably open up at about 40 or 50 million. Yeah. ’cause the range, we’ve, the range of purse prices we’ve seen is 35 for a car that was considered to have a bad history and the 75 for a car that’s been considered to have a, a good history.

And this car does have a good history. It’s never been totally restored. It’s never been wrecked. It’s never caused, uh, uh, been, uh, the subject of a, uh, racing accident, uh, of any magnitude and the only one in, in white. And it was run for three whole years. Uh, competitively in the uk. Here we come. Yeah, here we go.

Also,

the only fer.[02:43:00]

Look at that. Here it comes.

What a gorgeous car. That doesn’t matter what color the GTO is in. Oh my God. That’s, that’s art. That’s not even the car anymore. Yeah. We’re, this is an art auction right now. Yep. This is, this is pure art.

Starting. Starting at 50 million. 50. Wow. Making 40 million. So making 30 million. 30 million. Making 30.

The auctioneers looking for bids. Incre, we’re gonna go up in,

okay. They got 25, asking 30.[02:44:00]

We’re at 30.

So there’s an awful lot of people around the block, but it’s hard to see if any of the bidders are in the house. 35 million. The bid is at 30 million. Looking for 35 million.

30. 30 million dead. 32. 31 million. Dead. Seems to have stalled out here a little bit. It has. It really has. And it’s below the, the threshold of the lowest one ever sold. Well, the low is sold in in recent. This car has, yeah. Continuous. Great history.

Ownership of two fame collectors, [02:45:00] including Jack Sears, who drove this car. I feel like we’re playing the price. Right, exactly. Uh, $1 Bob. 33 million. 33 million. 32 million. 33 million. Oh gosh. We’ve been hanging for a while now. I haven’t we, my God. Is there anyone on the phone? Can we tell if there’s any international bidders or phone bidders?

30. Okay. 30 million, 32 million. You over here? 33 million. Well this will be, uh, could possibly become the bargain of the century in the, in the fer. A classic vintage Ferrari market. This is a solid car with solid history. 32 now. Alright. It’s not moved at all. And they’re trying to whip the audience up a little bit now.

Yeah. Let’s see if that achieves any movement. [02:46:00] I am literally on the edge of my seat. This is

33 million. Asking 34 million million while it’s moved now 34,000,030.

There’s always a chance this will not sell and then sell privately afterwards. Right. ’cause they have, their whole bid goes on process at Mecu where you can put in a bid later. Exactly. You know, and there’s a chance. An opportunity to engineer a private deal for sure. But with the presentation this has had and the history of this car being well known, okay, they have 33 5, [02:47:00] 34.

Well, it is creeping up. So does it seem like that’s too bitters to you? It’s hard to tell. It is really hard to tell. The likelihood of a bidder being on the phone is strong here. I mean, there is somebody on the phone with a guy in the hat that’s,

do we have an idea of what the most expensive car to cross the block at Mecu is? Is this it? Is this gonna set a record for them? I’d be very surprised if not. Yeah.

34 we’re holding it. 34, you know something. He’s gonna

take

35 million with all the, uh, all the [02:48:00] excess liquidity in the out there worldwide. This might look back like the deal of the century, or it might be a changing of the God. Yes. It might be a movement of the guard away from racing cars from the last century and towards hypercar of this century. Yeah. Because we saw them do very, very well earlier during the Bachman collections and Enzo and the Sac car that we saw.

So yes, the, the Sac 9 1 8 that we saw. Yes. They do what? Double Its two and a half million dollar estimate. I mean, this is the automotive equivalent of a Picasso, Rembrandt, a Van Gogh all roll into one. Well, and to walk away with this car at 35, this sets GTO price is significantly back, doesn’t it? I mean, yeah, the weather tech guy supposedly paid 70 or 75, just three or four years ago.

Yeah,[02:49:00]

this one’s at 35. And it’s never been wrecked. Nobody died in it. I mean, there’s a lot of positives. Yeah. Lesser examples with issues, uh, have sold for more. Well, yes. ’cause of course, that’s the story with the $35 million car. It wasn’t written so much that it had a bad history. It was that it, it was that it had virtually no history at all.

Right. In that when it was born new, it was wrecked shortly afterwards. It was wrecked shortly afterwards, and the family seemed likely that it seemed to have hung onto the car for many years until Bonhams brought it to auction and sold it in 2023.

Still sticking at 35, asking, we’re not moving from this part 35. We are not, I mean, unless we are not getting to 40, which puts even Williams’ projection pretty high.[02:50:00]

This was certainly a bold offering for Mecom Auctions. They’ve done amazing pre-sale marketing of this car, promotion, presentation, everything that an auction house should be doing to present a car of this magnitude. So hats off to them. They have been doing an awesome job of this. Could not agree more.

Absolutely fabulous. Yes. If you were in the market for the car, for a car like this, there’s no way you couldn’t know it was on sale. You would know this car was on sale. Everybody’s been watching this car, everybody’s been talking about this car. I haven’t bumped into anybody that doesn’t, doesn’t know that this car has been on the block.

It’s been up for sale for quite a while. So it seems clear then that the prices on these, it seems clear that this is a dip in price for these very high end fifties, sixties sports racing cars,[02:51:00]

racing tides don’t necessarily raise all boats. And I think that’s the market. There’s, it’s very selective. It’s very stratified. This, hopefully this. Uh, high, high, high of the high end, uh, offering Will, will, will work. Uh, we’ve seen a lot of surprises to the upside today.

Now they’re giving a history lesson to get everybody tuned in and hopefully we’ll see a nice, healthy bump and some aggressive bidding. A competitive bidding. Um, I’m wondering though, is it, could it be dangerous to advance market something like this as far ahead as it as it had been? Or is it good practice to do that?

Because you would think that the diligence that’s gone into this since about August, probably around Monterey, uh, last year. Yes. The car was at [02:52:00] Monterey last year. My son and I saw it. Yeah. And it’s. Beautiful. It’s just simply beautiful. And I think with the generational money that’s out there, the international money that’s out there again, do you think people are waiting for the bid goes on?

Is that what’s happening at the moment? I’d have to wonder. I’d have to wonder. I mean, try and buy it on the block. I mean, the, the, I don’t think that the bid goes on will provide a bargain. Right. It’ll probably provide, again, a starting point, a starting point for negotiation with a serious, motivated prospect.

But if I had to take a guess, I would guess the reserve is 50. Yeah. Yeah. I was gonna say, because at this point with some of the other cars we’ve seen cross the block, they would’ve been like, reserve is off and then people go crazy. So I guess everybody in the room kind of understands we’re not at that point yet.

Yeah, that’s right. The car’s not for sale. Yeah. It’s just kicking, stalking. Yeah. Well, if somebody’s out there with the money and the, and the [02:53:00] willingness, uh, or the readiness to buy something like this, they, uh, I think they’d be well advised to do it on the block. Yeah. The, the one sort of black market against the card that when we discussed this last night is.

The fact that it’s right hand drive, not left hand drive. Yeah. There’s like eight right hand drives, if I remember the stats correctly, and this is one of eight, however, but a right hand drive car in the States. I, to your point, John, it’s not that difficult to adapt, but for a lot of people, I think it might be a point at which you just don’t want to engage.

Yeah. I mean, I, I personally, I I hadn’t considered it as a factor until we were discussing it, but I just wonder if it is something that holds people back. Just because if you’ve not driven a car with, uh, you know, ears are weird back to front thing. It’s not just that you place the car on the other side of the road.

It’s that everything is, you know, the, the shift is on the other side. You’re using another hand to, to change gear and that’s perhaps offput. However, for up until [02:54:00] not terribly long ago, all ’em on 24 hour cars were all right. Right hand drive, were they not, or most of them racing cars tend to be Right hand drive.

That’s right. There’s more right hand so you can see to place the car better. That’s my understanding of why they That’s great. It it’s also for driver changes. We talked about this before. Oh, exactly. John is, I, John and I have debate this, but guys, we’re still at 35. Yeah. We, I dunno what the guys on the block are talking about whilst we’re talking about this stuff, but the car is not being bid up.

Yeah. And folks, we’re not, we’re not trying to fill air time. We’re just like wondering what’s going on. Yeah, exactly. Are they thinking that somebody’s gonna find $35 million down the back of their seat or, or something to bid on it? There’s a bag here. I don’t know what’s in it. Oh yeah. Where’s that guy?

Chat, GB t’s gonna bet on this. Oh, isn’t that amazing? Bitcoin’s up. I’m gonna make a bid. Yeah, yeah. What’s my Nvidia stock at?

It’s quiet in here. It’s thinned out quite a bit. I’m [02:55:00] surprised that a group of people didn’t form an investment LLC and and buy something like this. Oh, sorry. Yeah, that’s a, sorry to cut you off there. That’s a new thing though these days, right? Where they go in together and buy something like this. Yeah, yeah.

And run it, you know, as a, as a venture. But if, if we was slightly better healed, if we’d arrived there, each planet, each with 10 million that we were ready to spend, I have 50 bucks I could give you, I mean that Well, I mean, but, but if had we arrived you, we could have picked up a bargain. Yeah. Could you imagine a fractional offering of if.

For to qualified bidders of say, I think the, the threshold’s 200,000 to own, to, to play in that market. There we go. 35

reserve is off. That 35 reserve was at 35. The reserve was at 35.

I would’ve expected a far higher

35[02:56:00]

final call. Third and final call at 35. Five

going once

35 million.

5 million. 5 million. Anybody. Those the people that are in the audience. There are a good number of people standing and a great number of people filming. Yeah. How many are bidding? That’s exactly right. Need, need bidders

sold at 35 million [02:57:00] a car with this quality, that is the bargain of the century. Oh yeah. Somebody got a huge bargain. This is not gonna, sorry. So it has been a day full of anomalies. Right. We got outliers in both directions. Wow. On Unreal. This is. People will be talking about this for a long time to come.

Yeah. This is significantly, I I really feel this paradigm shift that we were discussing earlier. I, I really feel like the people in the audience with the big checkbooks are now in their forties and fifties, not old. Uh, yeah, they’re not, I hate to say baby, they’re not interested in sixties eras, Ferraris.

Like we saw some of the lower cars really not perform that well. And then if that’s the case, shifting tastes, how can a car like this, this is like lust on wheels, let alone it’s competitive history, who had their backside in the driver’s seat. [02:58:00] The, you know, the fact that it wasn’t never totally restored.

My mind is blown. Somebody’s got an entry to every event they ever should care to participate in. And maybe this is a reset of that end of the market. You know, we’d be, it’ll be amazing to see what happens next in the high ultra highend, uh, market. But it’s, it will be because the e and had coup seems a very, very long time ago now, doesn’t it?

That $143 million Mercedes-Benz, that seems like quite a long time ago now, way in the rear view mirror. Yeah. Well, for the sake of our listeners, what we’re gonna do is we’re gonna get back together under less chaotic circumstances and do a postmortem of Mecu Kissimmee and the Ferraris that crossed the block.

’cause there are a bunch of other Ferrari that we didn’t cover that we are able to capture numbers on. So you’ll go back to your maths there, Dave, and kind of come up with what things look like. And then we’ll reset and talk about what some of the patterns look like, what it might mean for the rest of the [02:59:00] auction season.

But I cannot thank you gentlemen, enough for sharing booth time with me to, for coverage here at Mecu Kissimmee, and, uh, look forward to doing it again. Thank you very much, much. Nobody sells more than Meum. Nobody. Mecom Auctions is the world’s leader of collector car vintage and antique motorcycle and road art sales hosting auctions throughout the United States.

The company had specialized in the sale of collector cars for more than 35 years now, offering more than 22,000 lots per year and averaging more than one auction per month. Mecom Auctions is headquartered in Walworth, Wisconsin, and since 2011 had been ranked number one in the world with the number of collective cars offered at auction, and is host to the world’s largest collective car auction held annually in Kissimmee, Florida, as well as the largest motorcycle auction held annually in Las Vegas, Nevada Mecca’s Road [03:00:00] Art and Mecca on Time.

Divisions offer a wide variety of collectibles for live and online auctions. You can learn more and follow mem and their upcoming events@www.meum.com, or you can follow them on social at Meum Auction on Facebook, at Meum Auctions, on Instagram, at Meum, on Twitter, and at Meum Auction on YouTube.

This episode has been brought to you by Grand Touring Motorsports as part of our Motoring Podcast network. For more episodes like this, tune in each week for more exciting and educational content from organizations like The Exotic Car Marketplace, the Motoring Historian, break Fix, and many others. If you’d like to support Grand Touring Motor Sports and the Motoring Podcast Network, sign up for one of our many sponsorship tiers at www.patreon.com/gt motorsports.

Please note that the content, [03:01:00] opinions and materials presented and expressed in this episode are those of its creator, and this episode has been published with their consent. If you have any inquiries about this program, please contact the creators of this episode via email or social media as mentioned in the episode.

Highlights

Skip ahead if you must… Here’s the highlights from this episode you might be most interested in and their corresponding time stamps.

  • 00:00:00 Special Episode at MECUM Kissimmee Auction
  • 00:01:29 Discussing the Ferrari Testarossa
  • 00:02:44 Market Trends and Auction Insights
  • 00:06:36 Exploring the Bachman Collection
  • 00:11:49 Automobilia and Memorabilia
  • 00:20:00 Diving into Ferrari’s Heritage
  • 00:25:51 The Significance of the Ferrari 308
  • 00:42:54 The Enzo and Modern Ferrari Design
  • 00:45:35 Auction Dynamics and High Bids
  • 00:47:36 Excitement and High Stakes Bidding
  • 00:48:51 Rare Ferrari Models and Their Appeal
  • 00:51:42 Unique Customizations and Collector Insights
  • 00:55:39 Ferrari FXX and Its Exclusivity
  • 00:58:27 Ferrari 360 and Challenge Stradale
  • 01:03:46 Classic Ferrari Models and Their Legacy
  • 01:22:02 Ferrari 400 and Its Market Perception
  • 01:25:27 Special Order Ferraris and Unique Color Schemes
  • 01:31:57 The Unique Ferrari Aesthetic
  • 01:32:30 BBI vs. 365: A Ferrari Showdown
  • 01:35:36 The Dino Legacy
  • 01:38:51 Modern Ferrari Design: F12 TDF
  • 01:41:51 The Green Ferrari 360
  • 01:46:13 The Value of Rare Colored Ferraris
  • 01:52:44 The LaFerrari Aperta: A Million Dollar Marvel
  • 01:55:32 Ferrari Market Trends and Investment
  • 02:14:38 The 512 BB: A Carbureted Classic
  • 02:16:25 Discussing the F40 and F50
  • 02:18:06 Ferrari 512 BB and Market Trends
  • 02:21:09 Ferrari 458 Speciale and Market Predictions
  • 02:25:55 The F50: A Formula One Car for the Road
  • 02:30:31 The Bianco Speciale: A Unique Ferrari GTO
  • 02:38:15 Auction Analysis and Market Trends
  • 02:58:35 Concluding Thoughts and Future Auctions

Learn More

On Ferrari Friday’s, William Ross from the Exotic Car Marketplace will be discussing all things Ferrari and interviewing people that live and breathe the Ferrari brand. Topics range from road cars to racing; drivers to owners, as well as auctions, private sales and trends in the collector market.

With the arena lights lowered and a cinematic intro rolling, the Bachman Collection finally took center stage. First up: a pair of Alfa Romeo 8Cs – a Spider and a Coupe – modern exotics with Ferrari DNA under the skin.

The group debated color, rarity, and driving character (of this car, and many others in the collection). The consensus: the 8C is a grand tourer with presence, heritage, and a design language that nods to Alfa’s 1930s glory.


Five‑Twelve Fever: TR vs. M

Next came the Ferrari 512 TR, prompting a comparison with the later 512 M. The M’s exposed headlights (seen below) and more aggressive styling divide enthusiasts, but both represent the final evolution of Ferrari’s flat‑12 lineage that began with the 365 GT4 BB in the early 1970s.

These cars are known for being surprisingly usable – good visibility, strong performance, and a refinement that early Berlinetta Boxers lacked.


The First Ferrari Supercar: 288 GTO Ignites the Room

Then came one of the day’s crown jewels: a Ferrari 288 GTO with just 2,000 km and single‑owner provenance. The bidding erupted instantly. Within seconds, the car soared past $7 million, eventually reaching $8 million – a staggering leap from the typical $4–6M range. The team was stunned. “We might be witnessing a paradigm shift,” David said. “This is the power of provenance,” I added.

The GTO’s significance as Ferrari’s first true “halo” supercar – precursor to the F40, F50, Enzo, and LaFerrari (with offerings also crossing the block as part of the Bachman collection) – was on full display.


The Car That Saved Ferrari: 308 Reflections

The conversation shifted to the Ferrari 308, a car Eric passionately calls “the car that saved Ferrari.” Built in large numbers, made famous by Magnum P.I., and accessible compared to the Testarossa, the 308 kept Ferrari afloat during a turbulent era.

Fiberglass early cars (“vetroresina”) remain the lightweight unicorns of the lineup, while later QV and 328 (3.2-litre) models balanced emissions with performance.


Berlinetta Boxer: Beauty, Danger, and the Birth of a Lineage

A 365 GT4 BB followed, prompting stories of gray‑market imports, twitchy handling, and the car’s role as the progenitor of the entire flat‑12 Berlinetta Boxer family.

These early BBs, once $130k cars, now command serious attention for their purity and rarity.


The F40: A Poster Car Comes to Life

Finally, the team reached another one of the Fab Five: the Ferrari F40. With just 456 miles and factory delivery to the Bachmans, this example was essentially a time capsule.

Bidding rocketed past $6.5 million, far beyond the $2–3M range many still associate with F40s. For Eric, this was the car of his childhood bedroom wall. For the market, it was another signal that 2026 might be a watershed year for blue‑chip Ferraris.


The Bianco Speciale: The Emotional Crescendo of the Collection

No discussion of the Bachman Collection would be complete without acknowledging the car that served as its emotional crescendo: the Ferrari 250 GTO (3792GT) “Bianco Speciale.”

More than just a rare specification, finished in a striking white rarely seen on Ferrari’s flagship models, the Bianco Speciale became the symbolic finale of the auction – the car everything else had been building toward. Its presence wasn’t just about rarity or value; it was about narrative. This was the car that tied together with a philosophy of preservation, curation, and passion.

When it finally crossed the block, the room shifted – not just in anticipation of the number it would bring ($35 million, before fees), but in recognition that a chapter in Ferrari collecting history was closing right in front of them.


A Day of Surprises, Stories, and Market Shifts

From Testarossas to GTOs, neon signs to Alfa 8Cs, and lets not forget the incredible provenance of the Bianco Speciale, the 2026 Mecum Kissimmee auction delivered spectacle, nostalgia, and a few market‑shaking surprises (like the record setting Ferrari Enzo below).

The Bachman Collection proved that provenance, condition, and timing can rewrite expectations in real time. And for our team, it was the perfect storm of expertise, enthusiasm, and live‑wire auction energy – captured in a single unforgettable “Super Saturday” (ahem… Friday Friday.)


Guest Co-Host: William Ross

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Guest Co-Host: Jon Summers

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Guest Co-Host: David Neyens

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A visit to the Revs Institute

Our journey to “The Sunshine State” for coverage of Mecum’s 2026 Kissimmee event, (featuring the Bachman Collection and Bianco Speciale), began with an unforgettable first visit to the world‑renowned Revs Institute in beautiful Naples, Florida.

Ferrari 250 LM

Even before stepping through any one of the many exhibit rooms in the facility, there’s a sense that you’re entering hallowed ground, where preservation, scholarship, and passion intersect. Revs is a place that feels less like a museum and more like a sanctuary for automotive history.

Revs Institute is home to the Briggs Cunningham collection and has many of his racecars of display.

Our guided tour with Lauren Goodman, Associate Curator of Exhibitions – one of the many personalities on the Motoring Podcast Network – set the tone immediately.

Briggs Cunningham’s Ferrari, as raced in Watkins Glen in the 1950s

She brought the galleries to life with the kind of insight that only comes from living and breathing these machines every day. Every car had a story, and every story had a heartbeat.

“Yes, it’s the real thing … we’re so excited to have it here” says Lauren about the infamous Cadillac “Le Monstre” which raced at Le Mans

Just a short drive away in Ft. Myers, Florida, Revs Institute’s Archive and Research Center offered a completely different kind of awe. Director of Archives and Research Center Operations Arthur Carlson and his team welcomed us into a purpose‑built research facility that feels like a cathedral for historians.

Porsche 917, preserved with all it’s battle scars as raced in the 1970s.

Floor‑to‑ceiling collections, meticulously organized materials, and a quiet hum of scholarship make it clear why researchers from around the world treat this place as a magnet for serious study.

You can get right up to the vehicles at Revs, like this Gurney-Eagle F1 car

This visit wasn’t just a tour – it was an immersion. A reminder that automotive history isn’t just preserved; it’s actively cared for, interpreted, and shared by people who genuinely love it.

And if you’re as passionate about cars as we are, and find yourself near southwest Florida, we highly recommend that you take an afternoon and detour to the Revs Institute and check out this absolute gem of a museum.


**Be sure to stay tuned to the MPN for future episode with Lauren Goodman, as she hosts our “Women of the Autosphere” series on Break/Fix.

Guest Co-Host: Lauren Goodman

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Leipert Motorsport celebrates title defense

Leipert Motorsport celebrated another major success last weekend at the 24H Dubai, the final round of the Creventic 24H Middle Eastern Trophy. In the second race of the year, the team fielded a Lamborghini Super Trofeo Evo2 in the GTX class with a five-man driver line-up: Gerhard Watzinger (USA), Don Yount (USA), Fred Roberts (CAN), Manz Thalin (SWE) and Brendon Leitch (NZL).

Photos courtesy Lieper Motorsport, photo by Sciarra Gianluca Fotospeedy

The GTX class was stronger than ever. In addition to a total of three Lamborghinis, other competitive cars from various manufacturers were on the grid, including models from Vortex, Rossa and Ginetta.


Smooth preparation and strong qualifying

The team showed that it was well prepared right from the practice sessions. All sessions went without a hitch, and Thalin and Roberts in particular made intensive use of the extensive track time. For both of them, it was not only their first participation in a 24-hour race, but also their first outing at the Dubai Autodrome.

Photos courtesy Lieper Motorsport, photo by Sciarra Gianluca Fotospeedy

Leipert Motorsport confirmed its strong form in qualifying. Yount put the Lamborghini in third place on the grid in the first qualifying session, Thalin set the second-fastest time in the second session, before Leitch secured pole position in the GTX class for the #710 Lamborghini with the fastest time in the third qualifying session.


Mature performance and flawless race over 24 hours

Thalin took the start of the race and, at just 17 years of age, put in a remarkably confident performance in his first 24-hour race. He steered the Lamborghini safely through the early stages and handed the car over to his teammates without incident.

In the following stints, AM drivers Watzinger, Yount and Roberts and PRO driver Leitch drove the Lamborghini into the evening and night hours.

A close head-to-head battle developed in the GTX class over the entire race distance. Until the middle of the race, the six cars were fighting on an almost equal footing, before a three-way battle between the Ginetta, the Rossa and the Lamborghini from Leipert Motorsport emerged in the second half of the race.

Photos courtesy Lieper Motorsport, photo by Sciarra Gianluca Fotospeedy

Thanks to consistently strong stints from all drivers, a flawless team performance and reliable car performance, Leipert Motorsport was able to pull away decisively as the race progressed. Without any collisions, damage or strategic errors, the team finally brought the Lamborghini home as class winner after 24 hours.


Repeat of last year’s success

“That was an outstanding team performance over the entire distance. All the drivers did an excellent job. The decisive factor was that we remained error-free throughout the entire weekend – no collisions, no damage, no unnecessary risks. Winning the 24H Dubai again is a great confirmation of our work and means a lot to us. A big thank you to the entire team for doing another outstanding job in Dubai after last week’s 6H of Abu Dhabi!” says Managing Directors Marc Poos and Marcel Leipert.

Photos courtesy Lieper Motorsport, photo by Sciarra Gianluca Fotospeedy

With the class victory in Dubai, Leipert Motorsport repeats last year’s success and wins the 24H Dubai for the second time in a row. After this successful start, the team is now  focusing on the upcoming season in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe and Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia, which will kick off with the opening races from 10 to 12 April at the Circuit Paul Ricard and from 24 to 26 April at the Sepang International Circuit.


About Liepert Motorsport

Leipert Motorsport was founded in 2002 and became one of Europe’s top GT-Teams in Sprint- and Endurance-Racing. Spreading its GT-Engagement even wider across the continental borders, this step is the logical consequence for the German team after being a front runner and championship winning team in multiple competitions.

David Hobbs: A Life at Le Mans

Few names in motorsport carry the same weight of endurance, adaptability, and charisma as David Hobbs. Across two unique decades and 20 attempts at conquering the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Hobbs carved out a legacy that bridged eras, manufacturers, and some of the most transformative decades in sports car racing history.

David Hobbs, Porsche 917K, at Le Mans 1970

Hobbs’ path to Le Mans began not with open-wheel racing, but with innovation. His father’s groundbreaking automatic transmission – featuring four gears and a friction clutch – became the unlikely catalyst for his career. Racing family cars around Britain soon gave way to a Lotus Elite, where Hobbs proved his mettle by winning 14 of 18 starts in 1961. That success earned him a call from Team Elite, and in 1962 he made his Le Mans debut alongside Frank Gardner. Against the odds, they not only finished but claimed a class win and the Index of Thermal Efficiency. Hobbs was hooked: “Le Mans seemed like a very groovy race, and I was more interested in it than Formula One.”

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The 1960s were a whirlwind of experimentation. Hobbs drove everything from Triumph Spitfires to Aston Martins, often wrestling with underpowered or unreliable machinery. Yet his persistence paid off. In 1969, driving for John Wyer’s Ford GT40 team, Hobbs stood on the podium with a third-place overall finish – a moment both exhilarating and bittersweet, as it came during the final year of the traditional Le Mans start. Brake failures, fiery crashes, and mechanical gremlins were constant companions, but Hobbs’ resilience kept him in the fight.

Synopsis

This episode of Evening With a Legend features a detailed conversation with racing veteran David Hobbs. David recounts his extensive career, spanning over two unique decades, at the famed 24 Hours of Le Mans, providing in-depth stories and personal insights into his experiences from 1962 to 1989. From his early success with a Lotus Elite and a class win in his debut year, to his podium finishes in 1969 and 1984, Hobbs shares the challenges and triumphs of competing in various cars for major manufacturers like Ford, Porsche, and BMW. He also discusses the technological changes in motorsport, the evolution of endurance racing, and his transition to a successful broadcasting career after retiring from racing. The conversation is rich with anecdotes involving other racing legends, technological advancements, and thrilling moments from the track, making it a captivating recount of one man’s journey through the world of high-speed endurance racing.

  • What initially drew you to compete at Le Mans, and how did that opportunity come about in the context of your open-wheel career? What do you remember most about your very first Le Mans race in 1962, and how did it shape your approach to endurance racing?
  • You competed at Le Mans across nearly three decades—how did the cars, technology, and racing culture evolve during that time?
  • What was it like racing for iconic teams such as Ford, Porsche, and John Wyer’s Gulf Mirage outfit, and how did those experiences differ?
  • Can you describe the feeling of achieving a podium finish in 1969 and how that result compared to other milestones in your career?
  • Which race or car stands out to you as the most memorable of your Le Mans entries, and what made it special?
  • Le Mans is known for its grueling nature—what were some of the most challenging or unexpected moments you faced during the 24 hours?
  • You’ve served as a color commentator for various disciplines of motorsports over the years, but what was it like to return to Le Mans and provide coverage for a race you’d participated in so many times?
  • Looking back now, what does Le Mans mean to you personally, and how do you see your place in the race’s long and storied history?

Transcript

Crew Chief Brad: [00:00:00] Evening With a Legend is a series of presentations exclusive to legends of the famous 24 hours of Le Mans giving us an opportunity to bring a piece of Le Mans to you. By sharing stories and highlights of the big event, you get a chance to become part of the Legend of Le Mans with guests from different eras of over 100 years of racing.

Crew Chief Eric: Tonight we have an opportunity to bring a piece of Le Mans to you sharing in the Legend of Le Mans with guests from different eras of over 100 years of racing. And as your host, I’m delighted to introduce David Hobbs, who has enjoyed a long and diverse racing career with a 24 hours of Le Mans serving as a cornerstone of his legacy in international motorsport competing in the iconic endurance race 20 times between 1962 and [00:01:00] 1989.

He drove a wide variety of machinery, including GTS prototypes and group C cars for manufacturers such as Ford Mirage, Porsche BMW, and Jaguar. His adaptability and technical insight made him a valuable asset in multi driver lineups, and he earned several strong finishes, including a class win in 1962 at third place overall in 1969, driving for John Wire’s four GT 40 team, and then again in 1984 in a Porsche 9 56, David Hobbes’s.

Consistency, endurance, and charisma made him a fan favorite and a respected figure at Le Mans where his career spanned some of the most transformative decades in sports car racing history. And with that, I’m your host crew chief Eric from the Motoring Podcast Network, welcoming everyone to this evening with a legend.

So David, welcome to the show.

David Hobbs: Thank you very much, Jared. That’s a. A very complimentary opening statement there by yourself. Thank you very much.

Crew Chief Eric: No worries. Let’s begin at the beginning. What initially drew you to compete at Le Mans? How did that opportunity [00:02:00] present itself? What do you remember about your very first Le Mans race in 1962, and how did that shape your approach to endurance racing later?

David Hobbs: Well, actually, I hadn’t done any open wheel racing when I first went to the Mon. I was fortunate enough. I have a father who was extremely clever and had invented an automatic transmission that was way ahead of the field in as much as it had four gears instead of three, which most automatics had. And it did not have a, uh, fluid drive.

It had a friction clutch, which is automatically operated and it used very little power to run the gearbox. I had raised my mum’s my Oxford, first of all, that 1959. The 1960 IRA dad’s XK one 40, and then his company got an injection of money from an American company who could see a lot of future in his gear box, and it puts a lot of money into dad’s company and they all thought.

Of course, I helped them think that, that it would be a good idea to advertise the gearbox with racing in a small car. So they bought a Lows Elite for me. So in 1961, I raced a [00:03:00] Lows Elite, which was incredibly successful. I won 14 out of 18 starts with that car. We had some teaming troubles to start with, and then we employed a guy who came up to, I volunteer his services.

Who had been an ex Lotus employee, and he, uh, gave us a lot of tricks, how to light in the car, how to strengthen it, especially where the axles attached to the fiberglass shell. So I had a very successful year with that. In 1962, I got a call from Team Elite, which was run by Clive Hunter at the time, and he ran two or three Lotus Elites in Lotus colors.

And of course they had a stick ship. And they asked me to drive with them at Le Mans with Frank Gardner from Australia. So we dually assembled in a little village just south of Le Mans, to do the 19 62, 24 hour, and that was my first run. Now, to say that I was very pleased would be an understatement because when I’d started racing, not one of the reasons had been, to me, a big reason that I wanted to go racing was I really wanted to win.

Le Mans. Le Mans to me, seemed like a very, very groovy race, and I was slightly more [00:04:00] interested in Le Mans than I was in Formula One, actually. So, uh, I was very pleased to be able to go to Le Mans. And the team elite people were very helpful. Ron Bennett was a mechanic on our car, and Ron Bennett just died a few months ago at the age of like 94.

And Ron went on to fame, I’m not sure about Fortune, but so he went on to fame as a chief mechanic when Denny Holmes drove for the Irish to, and they had an incredibly successful career in, uh, big sports car racing, the Braham sports car, whatever it was, a BT 21. Then he bought a load of T 70 and it was all concrete in that Ron Bennett was a terrific mechanic.

Anyway, Frank and I, there was another car, John Wagstaff was driving in the other car. And anyway, we were fortunate enough to, um, last the 24 hours and it was incredibly hot, very, very hot weekend. So we didn’t have any rain, which of course was nice. And, uh, we won the class, well, we, we’d win the class, but we un won the index of Thurman efficiency as well.

And we were eight. They were all in the first British car home. All in all, it was a pretty good weekend. So I thought, well, this is a bit of [00:05:00] a battle. This race should be able to win this one of these days.

Crew Chief Eric: So let’s take two steps back so we can proceed through the rest of your Le Mans career. So with that early Lotus, with the automatic transmission prototype that you were racing, most of that was done in the uk.

Had you raced anywhere else in Europe before turning laps at Le Mans?

David Hobbs: Funnily enough. In 61, we got an entry the Berg green thousand kilometers on the Norge life. And a friend of mine, bill Pinckney, was racing a Los 11 and it was very quick. So he and I went off to drive in the Nu Berg Green thousand Ks.

Now the gearbox caused a bit of a fracker because I had been told by a Lotus Elite owner the week before brand’s hatch that, why on earth would I racing car and automatic transmission? ’cause they were useless and they were absolute crap and just not worth why, why was I doing it? And I said, well, it’s the only reason I’m race is ’cause my dad’s gearbox.

Anyway, I beat him fairly soundly at Brand’s Hatch and also a guy called Graham Warner, who is the sort of [00:06:00] king of loads of elites, had a white and gray one. And, uh, I beat them both and won the race atranta. And the following week, we, the Bergy, we hadn’t been there long and I had a call, came over the Act Act Ha Hobbs, come to the office.

So I go to the office. They say Your car is one automatic Katrina. And I said, yes. It has said, well, it’s not homologated with automatic, one of your competitors has protested. So they moved me up to 1200 CC GT class to the 1600 CC sports car class, which in the end. We won. And now the Germans being very onic and very sort of precise, had a lot more money for sports cars than they did for GT cars.

And of course a lot more money still for a bigger sports car. So I ended up with about four times of money that I would’ve done if I had won a GT class. Needless to say, I still beat the aforementioned better anyway. So I had actually done one race overseas, which was the burging thousand Ks in 1961. And in fact, I went [00:07:00] again in 1962.

And this time my co-driver was Richard Outward. Of course, Richard Outward and I were both apprentices at Jaguar at that time, or had been just right up to that time. And of course, Richard went on to become the first guy to win the month for Porsche overall in 1970. So he and I drove with a berg ring as a quid pro quo.

I drove his former junior later that year at a place called Alton Park in England. And everybody thought I might come about fourth or fifth ’cause they were very seasoned former junior drivers in the race, a couple of whom were real Alton Park specialists. And I won that. So I won my very first single seater race and I won my very first international long distance race, Berg ring.

And then later that year, 1962. Clive Hunt asked me to drive with him and Frank, and we won that too. It all seemed pretty easy, but it definitely got more difficult as time went on.

Crew Chief Eric: There’s 20 attempts in your career at taking the Crown at Le Mans and [00:08:00] jokingly. When Patrick Long was here, I said the only person that’s got more attempts than Patrick is David Hobbes because Patrick’s got 16.

And so how do we summarize 20 attempts? Do we kind of take it in blocks and say what happened between the milestones 1962 and 1969? You were doing a lot of racing then. Open Wheel Le Mans, sports cars, endurance. Do you wanna talk about that period? Or we wanna just jump to the highlights?

David Hobbs: Well, as you say, I was doing a lot, well in the 62, I drove the Formula Junior then in 1963 by having won that race with Richard’s car in 62, the Midland Racing Partnership, were going to run the factory Lolas in 1963 in the Formula Junior Championship.

They asked me to drive. Which I did. So I became a Lola kind of worst driver, even though it was a private team, but they were racing under the auspices of the factory team. That was the year that the Lola March six came out, which of course was the forerunner of the GT 40. And so Richard and I drove that at Le Mans in 1963, which was an incredible [00:09:00] hassle.

It ran very late. We were down at the Bromley factory, which is where Below were in those days. Little factory in Bromley, south London. We went down there, well, they were finishing the car and they were running way behind. And then on like Monday of race week, Eric said, well, you two. I’d better go to the mom and sign on and get your medicals done and do the work stuff, and I’ll drive the car down tomorrow, which of course we did.

And, and he did. And he arrived and we were late for Cru hearing. And then of course, the French officials who weren’t very officially those days, it was a bunch of old guys who just were friends of the track. I mean, they weren’t real engineers, the technical team, they didn’t like the sloping back window.

They didn’t like the mirror, they didn’t like the trunk room for the box that gotta fit in the trunk. But we finally got practicing and started the race. It had the colos gearbox, which is a horrible box. And then the middle of the night we had problem. And of course at Le Mansr you can’t change or you couldn’t then change components.

You have to [00:10:00] fix them. So we had the gearbox apart on the pit lane, which was separated from the track then by a white line. And, uh, this was actually the corner, white House was still there. By the time you exited White House and got to the pits and the Dunlop Curve, you were back up to top speed. So in those days, the Ferraris and things were doing probably 170 parts, the pits.

And there’s old Malcolm Malone lying on the floor fitting with his kibo. Anyway, when they put it together, it only had three. We had to leave one out going later on in the evening, well about five o’clock in the morning, it was just starting to get a light. I went down into White House and it just sort of selected neutral.

I couldn’t get it into, so, you know, you go whistling to White House about 150 mile an hour. Anyway, I crashed the car and um, Eric was very disappointed in everything. Not as disappointed as I was probably, but so that’s what happened in 63 and that kinda relegated me on people’s driver list. And in 64 and five, I drove for Triumph in the Spitfire.

I drove with the Skid School specialist from Holland in 64. We [00:11:00] finished, I don’t know how well we did in the class.

Crew Chief Eric: Third in class,

David Hobbs: were we?

Crew Chief Eric: Yeah.

David Hobbs: Better than I thought.

Crew Chief Eric: Fourth, the second time.

David Hobbs: Well, the second time course, he crashed it at White House. We were four. There must have been only four cars in the class.

Crew Chief Eric: I’ve got the official records in front of me

David Hobbs: in 64. I drove for Team Lotus in there. Lotus Corina. Over here in the States a couple of times at uh, Marlborough and at Road America. Fun enough, 65. I then started to repair my credentials a bit. Colonel Ronnie Haw, who ran a Ferrari concessionaire in England and who ran some very successful race cars, asked me to drive one of his cars for a chap called Mike Salmon, who was also a very experienced driver, but we were only an adino, which he was as, it’s funny enough, I mean it’s, yeah, Richard Ford Ferrari is based around, we only lasted about an hour.

Something broke, I can’t remember what it was. And Richard at was driving for him with David Piper in a P three and that broke P Courage and Roy Pike and American Driver. [00:12:00] I think they won the GT class in, in the GTB or whatever it would’ve been in 1965. So there we, now we’ve got what, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 racers and only one class went to talk about in 66 I was racing at Lola T 70.

David Fletcher was the guy that ran it from Anso Station in Long Melford in Suffolk. That was a beautiful car. We won quite a few races in now. So John Serty was running the Aston Martin Lola project and he asked me to drive with him, but he and Aston Martin didn’t get on well and the engine was not very powerful to be truthful.

It was a big V eight and it was a bit heavy and it wasn’t as powerful as the chef, the Aston Martin people kept saying it was the car. And Eric broadly kept saying, well. It’s not the, it’s the engine. So I did quite a bit of track testing with the engine, trying various things and couldn’t really get it to go very fast.

Ironically, unbeknownst to them at the time, I was secretly testing the Jaguar [00:13:00] XJ 13 with the new Jaguar V 12 engine, which was a twin overhead cam V 12, which was extremely powerful, gave 570 horsepower, which back in 1965 was a hell of a horsepower from a normal aspirated engine. So I could, I could tell exactly which problem was in this, between the engine and the uh, and the car.

Anyway, we went to Le Mans. While we’re at Le Mans. John, who was not the easiest guy to get on with, had a big row with asin ’cause he wanted to change the sparking plug type from like Lucas or NGK or whatever it was. Champion Spark plug to some other mate. Anyway, the engine burned a piston in about four laps, so that was another one I didn’t win.

The other car went on for about an hour or two and then it faded. John said it was Aston Martin’s fault ’cause they changed the head gasket without telling him they said it was his fault ’cause he changed the spark plug. So I don’t know whoever’s fault it was. So that was 1966. In 1967, I drove, uh, what the hell did I drive in 1967.

Crew Chief Eric: [00:14:00] 67 was the Lola 68. You switched to John Wire.

David Hobbs: Oh, 67 was the Lola. Yep. Well, they driving 66 then

Crew Chief Eric: 66 was the Dino, and then 64 and 65 were the drive.

David Hobbs: Yeah, right, exactly. So I haven’t missed a car out. Nope. And then of course, 68 and 69. I drove the golf cart yet.

Crew Chief Eric: So let’s talk about 1969. That’s your first overall podium.

Third overall, yeah. What was that like after so many attempts trying to get the overall win, now you’re, at least you’re up on the podium. What was that like for you?

David Hobbs: Fantastic. Of course, I mean, to be on that podium, which then was shattered what they’ve got now. But still in all, you know, the crowds came out on the track and the podium was above the grandstand, which of course was very different then to what it is now.

The whole pit area changed drastically soon after that. When they rebuilt the pits, did the whole brand new pit area, but it was incredible. It was slightly tainted because it was the last year of Le Mans Star. The old Le Mans star,

Crew Chief Eric: right?

David Hobbs: We qualified fairly well down the field. I don’t know, 10th or 11th or [00:15:00] something.

Jack Ys was protesting the Le Mans star. So I ran across the road, jumped in, and then put the belt on, going down the moan Strait, did a little, all that fiddling around the belts, which is of course highly dangerous, but everybody else is doing that too. Jackie of got strolls across the track, more or less dead last away.

Unfortunately for him, although it didn’t. Last, poor old John Wolf who had decided to drive the nine 17, which he had bought from the factory and he had a factory driver to help him. And of course the factory kept saying, well let you go start and then you take over. But John said, no, no’s my car. I wanna start.

And of course, he crashed at White House and was killed. Took out two or three other cars, including Chris a Amen in the factory Ferrari. Now we’re at the end of the second lap. We’re lap a bit ahead of Jackie and we stayed there for a long time until in the middle of the night. I had a break failure going into the Ballan hairpin.

So I go down the escape road, pumping the pedal, do a U-turn, go back to pits. David York, the team manager, who was a huge, huge [00:16:00] Jackie X fan, said It’s pads. And I said, well, it’s not pads, it’s because it’s all so sudden, you know, Nope, it’s pads, you do the driving, we’ll do the engineering. ’cause in those days, pad change was very long, very complicated.

Take the body off, take the wheels off. Then you have to open the calipers with those reverse type pliers and everybody’s wearing asbestos gloves. I said, well, I can tell you it’s not just pads. Anyway, off I go. And of course, can’t stop at the end of the pit lane, nearly run the pit marsh loader, do another slow lap.

They proceed to do the whole thing again. And of course there’s a little pipe across the top of the calip, which had been clipped by a wheel weight, which had been put on the inside of the wheel, which far certain people have been told to absolutely do not put wheel weights on the inside of the rim.

’cause there’s not enough clearance anyway to chip the hole in this pipe. So then they had to bleed the brakes. So now we are behind, and that’s where we, because that was a fairly harrowing race all around because after we got the brakes done and my next stint, I’m going down the Motown Strai and there’s two nine oh eights in front of me who had passed me and they were gradually pulling [00:17:00] away.

I mean, by a second or maybe. Second and a half a lap going through the kink. Four taillights go round the kink. And then there’s this flash of brilliant white light, which is obviously headlight. And then a huge orange ball of flame erupt. So I’m breaking and slowing down like mad and whistle around the kink for the brakes.

Hard on because can’t see anything ’cause it’s all dust and smoke. I’m aware this ball of fire is a blaze stuck to the guardrail on the inside. And when I break free, there’s the cab of the 9 0 8 bouncing down the road. So I’m looking where it’s going to go to decide where to pass it, and then the driver falls out and he’s bouncing down the road as well.

So it was my in lap. So I said to Mike, gonna be all, I said, there’s a dead driver down on the middle of the road. It’s gonna be an amazingly long caution flag while they clear everything up and blah, blah, blah. Well, the driver concern was Udo CHUs. And Udo was a bit on the, uh, let’s say Porky side a little bit overweight.

Years [00:18:00] later at the Porsche S Sport at Daytona. They said, Hamar, how are you, my man? Very good to see you in a big wave. This great big soul. Udo. I said, Christ, last time I saw you again in the middle of ah, oh no, I was not. That’s all. Everything was fine, you know? And of course, ultimately the other car that he had touched was Hans Herman, who of course then went on right at the end of the race.

They had that incredible dice with Jackie Ys, which he won. But if things had just gone normally for us, we would’ve probably been quite a long way in front of them. That race would’ve been for second, instead of which we came. But it was the podium and it was a great feeling.

Crew Chief Eric: So that’s 1969, and then you stay a household name at Le Mans for the next three years, so 10 years total.

Consecutive racing back to back at the 24 hours of Le Mans through 1972, and from 69 with John wy in the GT 40. You go to a nine 17 K, then to Nat with the Ferrari five 12 M. [00:19:00] And then in 1972 with a mantra, so that first decade of racing, how would you bundle it up?

David Hobbs: Course in those days, Le Mansr was completely different to what it’s today.

Say we qualified at three minutes, whatever we were doing, 3 56 or something in those days, David York, he said, well, for the first six hours we’re gonna run it four minutes and 10 seconds. Then we were reevaluated as the race progresses. And of course you had to be very careful the brakes because the brake had changed.

It was a long, long-winded business. And of course you couldn’t use the engine too much for braking because you didn’t wanna blow the engine up. You had to be very careful with the brakes. You have to be very careful. The clutches, you had to be very careful. The engine, of course now the flag goes at four o’clock in the afternoon and three or four drivers drive absolutely balls the floor all the way through the 24 hours, absolutely flat out.

And they hardly ever break. So cars breaking in those days was very common. And I was getting a bit fed up by then with, um, driving inferior cars like the Spitfire. I [00:20:00] mean, the Triumph people absolutely loved me. They thought I was a hero and that I should be driving much faster car than theirs. I had to agree with them, but you know, I’ve got the opportunity to drive.

So I did. And then of course, the Aston Martin was incredibly disappointing, as was the Ferrari of Ronnie Hall. Could’ve been Ronnie Hall’s car. Never really, he’s always winning races. Yeah, I was a bit upset 1970. As you say, I drove the nine 17. That too was awfully disappointing because Mike and I were a very good pair and we had the third car, which had a 4.7 liter engine, and the other two cars had the five liters, which was significantly more powerful.

But in the end, they all dropped out. And Richard too had a 4.7. Me and Mike were miles ahead of Richard and Han, Herman and Mike going past the pitch. It started to rain or just before he got the pitch. Anyway, he thought I’ll just do one more lap and of course gets to the Dunlop curve and runs into a car that’s already crashed in part there.

So we were out and if he hadn’t done that with a very good chance, we would’ve won the race. But I mean, you know, would’ve coulda, should have, doesn’t count. Unfortunately, [00:21:00] the biggest disappointment was 71 in that Ferrari. Mark Donahue and I run the poll everywhere we went. Daytona Sebring, he crashed at Daytona and at Sebring, which is very unlike Mark Donahue, never crashed.

We put about 2000 yards of tape on it at Daytona, and we, uh, finally ended up third at the 24 Yard Sebring. He had a run in with his absolute pet hate Pedro Rodriguez, who he hated with a passion for some reason or another. He said that Pedro ran into him, not once, but twice, three times. He kept on banging into me.

Well, I’ve spent how cock photographer was down there and saw it all. And many years later, like in about 2018, he said, well, that’s not exactly what I saw. It looked a lot more 50 50 not, it was not, definitely not old Pedro. And anyway, so. Roger Penske. Every time the engine came from Ferra, it went straight to Al Bart in California, who actually was a charitable, a special, but he would blueprint the engine and they were absolutely bulletproof.

They were incredible, [00:22:00] and they gave more power than they did from the fact. Well, we’re at Le Mansr on bloody Friday. Oh, Roger comes to waltz into the guards that shell guards on the main road. Just before you get to the airport, he goes and says, Hey, Ferrari, you’re gonna give us a brand new engine? Well, Don Cox, who was the chief engine, hit Mark, of course, and what he would’ve do was the chief mechanic.

They all said, no, no, no. What we’ve got, this engine’s fine. It’s running perfectly. There’s nothing wrong with it. Nope. No, we’ve gotta put the new engine. They overruled everybody and they put the new engine in, and at about eight 11 at night, we’re already a lap ahead of helmet. Marco and Chris Van Leonard, of course, went on to win the.

We were already a lap in front of them and the bloody engine blows up. Luckily not when I was driving. So every time the car broke, mark was driving it. The accident at Daytona was not really his fault because Vic Elford had spun when he had a tiger down at NASCAR. Three. It caused a lot of dust and everybody slowed up some twerp in nine 11 who we’d probably lapped about 40 times, ran into Mark at real [00:23:00] and his fault.

Uh, Sebring, I’m not sure. Le Mansr was definitely Roger’s fault. We shouldn’t have changed the engine. And then course we go to the box lamb with a six hour and I’ll again around the pole and leading. And the, uh, front hub broke all incredibly on Penser. So that was very disappointing. 1971. Then in 1972, the macho people asked me to drive the V 12 was Jean Pierre Yawe and we had the older car.

Our car was a year old Graham and Pess was a brand new one. Chris Aman was driving for ’em, I think had three cars in the race. Anyway, Graham and PEs were leading most of the race and of course won it. And me and old W eight were lying second for hours and, and it rained in the morning and Le Mansr in the rain is not pretty shy from the driver’s point of view.

I drove from 10 till two. I did a four hour stint from 10 in the morning till two in the afternoon, and I must have changed tires about three times. I had the most godawful. Tank slapper coming out of Arage by now, we’ve got the Porsche curves. But you know, in a car like that between [00:24:00] Arage and the Porsche, when you arrive at the Porsche curves, you’re up to about 190 by halfway there, the car just lifted off the road and I’m twiddling the wheel.

And I mean, suddenly the car, my heart went right up to my throat. I mean, that was one of the worst moments I had in the car. I just felt so completely helpless. I mean, tires weren’t touching the road ever. Floating along the top. But anyway, it hit a bit and luckily the wheels were facing the right direction.

And every time I came in I said, why don’t you let jump yeah out? What about him? No, no, no. David, you were doing fantastic. It’s fine. You keep going. You were doing wonderfully. You put another sur title. Of course, it suddenly dawned me that the reason they wanted me to go till two o’clock was so that ye could finish the Frenchmen in the car when he, when we came second, well, me and my wife Mags with about half an hour go, we set off for the, uh, club at the top of the Dunlop Curve, which used to be where they had all the celebrations at the end of the race.

So we’re about halfway then on watching the cars go through the Dunlop Curve. And I said [00:25:00] to her, hold on a sec. I don’t think our car went through, but I better just check. So we waited and then we saw everybody go through and I realized that our car wasn’t there. So I went back to the pitch and said, yeah, well poor Jean Pierre, the gearbox broke coming outta Moosa with about 20 minutes to go.

That’s another one we didn’t win. And then by then I got very involved with Formula 5,000 over here with Carl Hogan. So I missed quite a few years.

Crew Chief Eric: There’s a seven year gap where you started your. 10 year run at Le Mans. But 1979, your return to Le Mans after you took a break is really interesting because when I look at the records, not one but two Fords in the same weekend, how did you pull that off?

Driving with Derek Bell in one car and then with Vern Schoen in the other, and 79, you also went to a three man team instead of a two, two-man team.

David Hobbs: I’m not quite sure how that happened, but that was that Mirage, which had been designed and built by John Horseman for uh, what’s his name out of Phoenix?

Crew Chief Eric: Harley Clarkston.

David Hobbs: Harley Clarkston, exactly. How could I forget that name? I didn’t like the car. I think I was a [00:26:00] bit too tall for it, so my head got terribly buffeted around because it was an open car and my head got really buffeted around badly by the air and I wasn’t very happy in it. And I, I quite honestly, I wasn’t very quick.

And why they jumped me around that, I’m not quite sure. The best part of that weekend was that. It, it was my 40th birthday and Ford, France put on a hell of a party for us at the Champagne. You remember Mo Shandong had that? Mm-hmm. Club. We had a big party in there for my 40th birthday. That was a lot of fun.

That was the best part of the weekend. Unfortunately, I’m not sure that I did drive two cars. If I did, it was because somebody wasn’t feeling very well and they just shuffled the drivers around. It must have been something like that. Not quite sure what happened. Quite honestly. But I wasn’t very quick in either.

I drove with Jasso for a bit. Of course Joso Jasso was the little guy. So he was well and truly out of the buffeting and it blew me around a lot. I didn’t like that. So that was that year. In 1981, of course I drove with Eddie Irvine and the uh, M1.

Crew Chief Eric: Mm-hmm.

David Hobbs: Which was owned by the guy who was the manager of Pink Floyd.

Crew Chief Eric: Steve [00:27:00] O’Rourke. Steve O’Rourke,

David Hobbs: exactly. And Steve would ask me and Derek to drive for him at the beginning of the year. And we both drove at Silverton and we did quite well in a thousand Ks at Silverton in May. And then Porsche asked Derek to drive for them in the new 9 36, whatever it was. Yep. Off he went, of course in and won the race with X.

And so, um, I drove with Eddie. It wasn’t terribly quick. That car. The worst thing about that was it broke when I was driving down at Tat Rouge, but at about one o’clock lunchtime. So, you know, you’ve done most of the race. My rule of thumb at Le Mansr is, if you’re gonna break, break before dinner on Saturday, don’t drag all through the bloody night and the half the night day.

The one in with matcha, you know, with 20 minutes to go, oh my God. Talk about the pitch.

Crew Chief Eric: What’s interesting about this late seventies, early eighties period is you have still some of the legends of Legends. There’s you and there’s Brian Redmond and there’s Jackie Icks, and I don’t want to call you guys the old timers, but the veterans of Le Mans who had been around turning laps forever.

And then you [00:28:00] got the newcomers coming in, you’ve got the Hurley Haywoods, and you’re starting to see Bobby Raha show up from the US and all these different names all mixing together at Le Mans. What was that like with the new class coming in, competing against people like Hurley Haywood as an example?

David Hobbs: Well, of course Hurley ultimately won it a lot of time.

Uh, he was incredibly lucky he got into a couple of winning cars when they were already winning and he got popped in at the last minute. So he, he gets counted as a win even though he didn’t do much in the cars. Yeah, I mean, that didn’t really worry me or concern me too much. ’cause Le Mansr was still a much more technical race, not technical on this today, but he still had to drive carefully ’cause the cars weren’t as bulletproof.

Although the new era of cars like the 9 56 and then the 9 62, they were becoming much, much more bulletproof. Brake pads were still awkward to change. It wasn’t until the Audi came along in the two thousands and we had all this quick change where he changed the whole bloody hub, the disc, the pads, the whole damn lot.

You know, it takes you like a few seconds really. So I, I never really worried about the [00:29:00] different drivers by now. It’s becoming, I irritating to do it so many times and not win it. And that was getting a bit of an ache. So, uh, but I mean, but that’s racing. I mean, Tom Christensen president, can you believe he’s done what 14 times and he’s only been off the podium once.

When it broke, and you’ve gotta be lucky, ’cause I’ll never forget, he won one year with the German driver who was a DTM driver, whose name I can’t remember. And the following year they shuffled the teams around and Tom Christians goes and wins it again with perio or somebody. And the guy that he’d won with the year before ran the car outta gas.

He was told to come in and and kept going and ran the damn thing out of fuel. Why couldn’t that happen while he drive with Tom Christensen? He certainly would’ve happened if he’d been driving with me. So you’ve gotta be as lucky, as well as good. Obviously Tom Christensen was extremely lucky, but he was also very good.

Yeah, and it was nice when I’d been driving the BMWI didn’t drive at Le Mansr. I drove NM one, but it was not a BMW effort. I would drive A BMW over here in the states in that little BMW three 20 I, and then we had [00:30:00] the first March prototype, which was not very good. They sort of pulled out a racing for a bit and I went to drive for John Fitzpatrick and then had another resurgence in the eighties.

Crew Chief Eric: And that begins your long stretch of Porsche? Porsche. Porsche. Porsche, yeah. From then until the end,

David Hobbs: yeah. John and I were driving that whale tail 9 35 from Kramer, and that car arrived at Le Mans from the factory by Tuesday. It had never turned the wheel, put it together and finish it off and did race prep and it, it ran fless asleep for the 24 hours.

And it was a very quick car. There was a nice car to drive. Very good, very fast. And the factory were running the 3 9 56 ERs, the Rothmans cars, and they were all brand new. And we just thought one of these cars is absolutely bound to drop out. At least would come third. But they’ll finish 1, 2, 3. We finished fourth overall and won the GT class pretty comfortably.

I believe that was a good feeling to, to win the class of that car.

Crew Chief Eric: So right there, 9 35 into the nine 50 sixes, big transition, 9 56 [00:31:00] Single turbo versus Twin Turbo, and then the 9 62 being the longer version of the 9 56 versus safety reasons and whatnot. It brings us into the middle eighties, 1984. Your next podium.

It’s been a lot of years since your last podium. What were you thinking taking home that third place in 84?

David Hobbs: It was very good. So, so that sort of restarted my, uh, kindle of my interest in Le Mansr again. It was a good result. We couldn’t have done better, really. I mean, it was the best we could do with that car.

Then the following year he bought a 9 56. Skull band colors and I’m halfway between Mulan and Porsche Curves late evening I think, and the engine engine just stopped. I did what all good drivers did. I got out and I took the back of the bloody body off. Somehow I got the back off on my own. God knows how.

And of course I look in there. Well, the fell good. It is me looking at the engine. What am I gonna do with it? You know, what had happened was the fuel pump, it wasn’t like I blown the thing up. The fuel pump drive had broken, killed from factory. Um, he said to me, that’s the first time we have ever seen [00:32:00] break.

I said, well, you’ve seen one break now, mate. It was very frustrating. I mean, such a funny thing to break a bloody fuel pump drive. I mean, that’s sort of thing, it kind of runs for a hundred thousand miles. It’s not under any strain at all. It’s not like a, it may be a racing engine, but the fuel pump drive is not under any sort of strain at all.

So that was damn irritating. Philippe was a bit of a whinger ’cause he was a Formula One driver.

Crew Chief Eric: Well, so were you.

David Hobbs: Yeah. But a real Formula one driver. Yeah. When I talk about luck race morning is the warmup, right?

Crew Chief Eric: Mm-hmm.

David Hobbs: Changed the end on Friday like everybody else did. He had very good engine men, terrific guys.

All very good, very thorough. Finally ended up Saturday morning, I drive out the pits on the warmup lap, accelerate up the hills of the Donald Curve and the throttle stick wide open. So I do a whole lap on the key just slowing down. Turn the engine off, put it on, turn it off, put it on. They take the plenum chamber off and there’s a piece of rag down at one of the inlands.

They had left a paper towel in the plenum [00:33:00] chamber. About six o’clock in the morning we’d been duking it out with yo, so we finally took a fairly substantial lead. We thought this could be it now as sooner are we in the lead. Then it goes on to five cylinders. So I come in and I don’t understand any, everything working the right air go off again, uh, coming again.

Uh, they eventually took out the plug and disconnected the fuel. We drove ly flat out from like seven o’clock in the morning till four o’clock in the afternoon on five cylinders. So the thing was vibrating like hell. It’s a miracle. It all stayed together because we came third. Even with all that in and out, in and out stuff, it had burnt a valve, which of course, I suppose it happened with the rag just didn’t have enough fuel or whatever.

But that vital bloody warmup lap, it obviously started to burn the valve, which then eventually gave up the ghost. And, but

Crew Chief Eric: what I love about your stories is that it overlaps with so many other legends that we’ve had on the show so far. And what’s really fun about [00:34:00] 1984, it was sort of a catastrophic year for everybody.

Rick Nup told a story about being in the Lola Mazda with Jim Busby, and they’re having complications and issues with that car. You’re having issues, but still manage the podium. And Margie Smith Haas, who’s in the audience with us, talked about the big wreck that happened in 84 that she witnessed while she was driving her Porsche.

So a lot of things happen in a single race, but all of you there at the same time. It’s pretty cool.

David Hobbs: Yeah. I didn’t know what this other mayhem was going on around me, and he goes. I’m not interested in Rick Masden mis firing or whatever was, but I mean, I couldn’t believe it. John’s cars were very well prepared and I mean that starting throttle sticks open on the very opening lap.

I mean, I just couldn’t bloody believe it. It was just pathetic. And there we are. That was 84? Yep. 84. Was I driving? 85.

Crew Chief Eric: 85. You were still with Fitzpatrick in the 9 56 with Guy Edwards and Joe Gartner.

David Hobbs: Okay. We came like fifth, right?

Crew Chief Eric: Fourth.

David Hobbs: Yeah. Just off the podium because the following airport, old Joe was killed, wouldn’t he?

[00:35:00] On the Mosan Street

Crew Chief Eric: then it seems like if you can’t beat him, join him. So you went to Yost?

David Hobbs: Yeah. Well, John by then had lost a large sponsorship ’cause he lost Jay David when he went to jail for 20 years. A chief sponsor. So I drive around. Yeah, exactly. And we, Ryan, or Yes, there’s one more LA amount that you can shake.

A sticker I drive with Sol, he was a bit bigger than me, actually. He’s about six foot two or three. So we were pretty evenly matched on sides. One of the trouble with driving those little guys as you gotta change the seat every time he ever pitched up. But I drove a Sol and we were absolutely the favorites to win.

Best driver team, best car, best team. Well that was a year when they had dodgy fuel from the main supply there. Something got into the fuel or it wasn’t up to scratch. And for some reason that Raul and his crew who are absolutely bloody bulletproof, didn’t adjust accordingly. So Sorl starts to race and in about five laps he’s in with a burnt [00:36:00] piston and the the factory guys.

Immediately came in, made adjustments to the fuel float or changed the chip. ’cause by now, you know you’ve got the electronic, in the old days it was change the jets or change the float shower, do this or do, now it’s, you gotta change the chip and anyway, the bloody thing burnt out. I, I’m here, I’m riding R Old Bloody Yost and the engine breaks and we are the first engine to break.

Oh. Oh Christ. I couldn’t believe it. So that’s what I mean about you gotta be a bit lucky as well. Whichever way you look at it. It’s not all my fault. And I didn’t win. And then my last Le Mansr,

Crew Chief Eric: 1989 and a 9 62 GT one with Damon Hill and Steven Ankar.

David Hobbs: Right. Another cracking driver lineup. But Richard Lloyd had had that designer who worked with him a lot.

Little guy, English guy. Who had redesigned the 9 62, which he said had a lot more down force and no more drag. Well, we [00:37:00] were nearly 20 miles an hour slow on the straight, which at Le Mans, the kiss of death if you three miles an hour slow on the straight is bad. We all struggled on eventually, and of course the awful thing was that the entry was Porsche cars, great Britain.

They had about a hundred dealers there all there, and a great big camp and a big tent and a dining hall and crushes. What else? I mean, it was a very, very, very big deal. All these dealers. I mean we did, and it broke. I mean, it finally gave up the ghost, which actually we didn’t mind at all. ’cause we were floundering around.

I mean, you know, when I say 20 mile an hour, it might’ve been 15, but it was a massive amount slower down the street. And yet when you got to Porsche Curves, which was where it was, I was gonna be so fast as the Porsche curves, it wasn’t any faster than anything anybody else either. So A didn’t have any more downfalls, and B, it obviously had add a lot more drag.

Crew Chief Eric: When we look back over your 20 attempts at Le Mans, the good, the bad, and the unlucky. Yeah. As it [00:38:00] seems. What would you say was your favorite car out of all the cars you drove?

David Hobbs: I drove so many cars over the years. Course the track by then completely different than what it was when I went there in 1962. You know, Mulan was straight down to the Headin and dead righthander with all that sand on the outside.

Catch the UN wary in there. The GT 40 of wires were a beautiful long distance car. They had a wonderful gearbox out the Zf ZF as I call it, which had a beautiful shift. The only thing is you couldn’t change the individual ratios, so if you’re a bit short, you have to change the final ratio. Otherwise you could, that’s the only thing you could change.

You couldn’t change the individual ratios, so you couldn’t adjust to gearbox. But that was a great long distance car ’cause it had good visibility. It didn’t get too hot. Great gearbox, lots of room, and it had no vices. I mean, it didn’t push or over steer or do any nasty snap over steer. I mean, it was a really easy car to drive fast.

You just have to be careful the brakes. But in those days, be careful with everything. Then I guess [00:39:00] the next best car I drove would be the 9 62 of Fitzpatrick’s. That was a great long distance car. John Bishop of didn’t like them ’cause they were so expensive. He wanted people to use domestic engines like the shes and the Fords and the Dodgers and put them in chais like Lolas in March.

They never, ever got the job done because in those days, those American v eights were a bit prone to break. And the thing about the Porsche, it was absolutely bulletproof. You know, the only thing I didn’t like about it was it had a synchronous gearbox and over the years using the uh, human box, the LG and the Can-Am Cars and the DG and the Formula car.

Brakes were so good in those days that you could break right into the apex and then put it in the gear you wanted to go out of the corner. I didn’t do all that, you know, because I just thought that put more strain on the engine wasn’t worth all that bloody bother changing gear about a million times.

You just break like hell put it in the gear you want and then go, well, obviously with a synchronized gearbox you couldn’t do that, you had to go down to the box. But other than that, I couldn’t for fault. But of course the [00:40:00] other big difference with that is I had been driving cars with wings for some time.

You know, the first wing car drove, we put a wing on my load at four, 5,000, I mean, on the McLaren, but that suddenly, because the 9 62 had the tunnels, so it had a lot of ground effects. So it gripped, I mean it stuck and that took a bit of getting used to, I mean, not too much, but a bit. It was a great cut.

And of course it was so reliable. We didn’t have a cane or anything like that. But I mean, it was very good and it, it didn’t get too hot either. And. It had enough room inside. That was, that was a good car. A nice car to drive.

Crew Chief Eric: So you mentioned when we started this journey that Le Mans came to you very early in your career and as we know, first impressions or lasting impressions, but with your entire career when you factor in Can-Am and Formula One and Endurance racing and Le Mans, everything, did Le Mans keep itself at the top of the list for you?

Has it always been at the pinnacle?

David Hobbs: Yeah, I’ve always liked Le Mansr. I then of course, went on to do about another 10 from the TV booth with Sam Pose and Bob Vacher and a whole [00:41:00] bunch of guys. Well, we PN first and then Speed Beach. I don’t know. There’s something about Le Mansr. I went there for the hundredth anniversary two years ago.

I took my two grown grandsons. We went and stayed in a little hotel near, and we went to the, uh, PLO Onsen suite, which is in the old Goodyear grandstand, dead opposite the, uh, exit. So it’s a good spot. But boy oh boy, the walking, oh, Christ sake. We we’re about a mile, uh, just walk. And at my age, I don’t mind doing a bit of walking.

Oh, sure. I wanna walk a mile each way. And then of course to get around the pit. Don’t forget it, because you gotta walk back to get under the tunnel. And then, oh, if I go again, I want to be right inside and I wanna be able to take my car inside and do it properly. But Le Mansr to me, is a great track to drive onto, like the Daytona 24 hour.

It’s a bit of a Mickey Mouse track. Whichever way you look at it, you’re doing ridiculous speeds around that. Banking not quite so bad. Now they’ve got the chicane in, you know, the bus stop. But I mean, mark went there with, with the Ferrari, with Mark in 1971. I mean, we were doing like 210 into the banking, you know, and of course you [00:42:00] can’t see Dly squat around the banking.

’cause the car, once the car drops over, you can’t see out the top of the windshield. If you put any sort of sign across the windshield, you know, it’s a Sunoco and it’s, it’s a sunshield. I mean, you can’t see anything and you wanna be able to see, well, around the banking. You don’t wanna be to see what’s under your nose.

Then of course the infield is also tight except for the left sweeper in the middle. Now, of course, the bloody things flood it all night, so no point really. It sort of takes away from a proper 24 hour race, which includes darkness. But Le Mansr’s got such great curves and beautiful long. Yeah, I mean, even with the Chica, I never drove it with the Chicanes.

’cause 89 was my last year, and of course it wasn’t till 90 that they put Chicanes. They’re streets now. I mean, the Porsche curves were already there. Indianapolis has been moved back. A lot of stuff’s been moved back, so it’s a lot safer than it was in some ways, a lot safer. To me, Le Mansr is just a terrific race.

’cause if you’re gonna breathe for 24 hours, you wanna be on a long track like you’re going somewhere.

Crew Chief Eric: I’m glad you brought it up before because I think a lot of people may or may not realize that you were [00:43:00] commentating on Motorsport events while you were still driving for quite a long time. Yeah. And so to come back to Le Mansr and be a commentator, what was that like?

Did it give you a sense of maybe nostalgia you wanted to be back on the track? Or were you happy being in the booth?

David Hobbs: Well, I dunno. I was happy to be in the booth, but it was good to be back. And of course a lot of the people were still racing who were racing when I last did it. Can’t remember what my first year in the booth was.

It was probably about 1990. All the people I’d been racing with the year before were back in the race. That point of view. I knew a lot of the contest and they knew me too, so they would talk to me and I was with my son. Guy was also helping in those days. And then we had Lan, who was obviously very well known, was his efforts.

There was a great TV guy and a great storyteller, so I enjoyed those Le Mansrs with the tv I did quite a few of them. As I said, certainly to start with, for the first few years, everybody knew exactly who I was. I mean, if I went to do it now, no one have a clue. I was, but well, everybody’s about 15. [00:44:00] Well, they look it,

Crew Chief Eric: I know you talk about it in your book.

How did you make the transition from pro driver to commentator?

David Hobbs: I first started doing TV in 1976 because Ken Squire, who had interviewed me a few times was the lead announcer for CVS Force. And he said to me, I think it’d be good if you could come on board with me, because Graham Hill was gonna be his color commentator until he got killed in that plane crash.

So they said, we need somebody. He said, I think you could do a good job. So I go for an interview at CVS, which is an absolute unmitigated disaster. I go all dolled up gum, a blade and tie and all that kid on. ’cause the guy I’m being interviewed by, whose name was Clarence Cross, was the vice president of sport who knew absolutely nothing about racing.

Well of course I won the formula 5,000 check. What’s four, 5,000? Well it’s like Formula One car, but it’s got a production engine and Oh, so it’s not a Formula One there? No, it’s formula. Oh, okay. Anyway, I could tell I was on a losing wicked with this guy finally. I mean, the sweats running down my [00:45:00] back and you know, top lips all covered in sweat.

Horrible, horrible interview. So when he shook me by the hand, I mean if ever there was, don’t call us, we’ll call you. That was it. Well, as luck without it, I was a bit lucky. Oh, now here I was very lucky. That was 1975 in October, and I got a drive for BMW in the three CSL in the 24 hour, 1976, and I got a friend of mine that got me a deal with Coca-Cola.

We also did a deal with Benny Parsons, so he was gonna drive with me in the CSL in the 24 hour, and I would drive his backup car and the 500, both of which would have Coca-Cola sponsorship. So I’d stay over between the 24 hour and the 500. Now, Ken Squire has been working on CBS for. Saying you don’t wanna bother indie stuff and Formula and NASCAR’s where it’s at.

NASCAR’s where it’s at, NASCAR’s where it’s at. So finally, I guess to get him off their back, they send clients cross down to watch the Daytona 500 in 1976 being [00:46:00] late January, early February in the winter. And he lives in New York. So he and his wife came down and have a few days R an hour before the race, and Ken Squire had a radio show from the Hawaiian N one night.

He says to me, do you wanna be on the show? Yep, sure. So I walked down there from the Hilton and there is Clarence Cross with his wife. I’m sitting at their table. Then Ken asked me up, he does, people like Kale, Yarborough, and you know, Richard Petty’s there. They’re all there. All the, all the drivers are there.

So I go up and I had about three or four gin and tonics. So I right on top of the cam, I haven’t actually slid down the back yet. So he and I had a hysterically funny five or 10 minutes and all these NASCAR drivers all rolling around laughing like Helen. So when I go back to sit down, Mrs. Cross says to me, you shouldn’t be driving race cars.

You should be on the stage. So I said, well, don’t tell me, tell him, you know. He said, well, I see a different side of you now what I saw in the interview and then blah blah. So yeah, we’ll try and find something for you very much later on in the year, the Pocono 500, it was a champ [00:47:00] car race in the car car.

They wanted a driver who instead said he wanted to drive in the race, so I already pushed it and they put me on the 500 with Ken for Pocono. Anyway, it’s cut a long story short. I never missed a motor race with CBS from then until 1996 when I left to join Speed Bridge and of course was part of the team that did the 1979 Daytona 500, which of course would just beyond all expectation because it snowed up north, half the football games were canceled and they had an audience about six or 7 million.

They thought they were gonna get about 300,000. And of course, kale Yarborough and Donny Allison are duke it out for the lead and on the last lap they crash it, turn three and they hide up the wall. And then they both get out and start fighting and we both going crazy in the booth. Richard Petty goes on from a distant third to win.

He is 900th date on 500. And Bob Allison, who was second goes, goes around and he gets to the fight. So he stops and gets out of his car to help his brother. [00:48:00] You know, you just couldn’t have written a better script. And anyway, uh, so,

Crew Chief Eric: so speaking of scripts, and this is a question I’m planned to ask Bob Varsha as well when he comes on.

Yeah. Because I’ve been thinking about this, you know, you watch Formula One and David Thar is up there and he’s talking about this is what Ptri is thinking right now. And it makes me wonder as a commentator, how much of the stuff that you guys say when you’re on air is, okay, I get what they’re doing, or I empathize with the driver.

Or do you just flat out make it up? Oh,

David Hobbs: no, no, no, no. I mean, I’m the color guy, so I don’t have to do anything. It’s up to the Bob VAs and the lead difference to do all the difficult stuff. Remember whose birthday it is and who’s, how many races they’ve done and what they, you know, my job to say what’s going on on the track.

Sometimes I exaggerate a little bit, but generally speaking, I, I call a spade a spade. I mean, I don’t sort of pushy foot around. ’cause you have to be very careful with people like Bernie. You, you have to be very careful. Otherwise, the next thing you’d have me off the air, it was the same with nascar, the France family rule.

Like, you know, I mean it’s their domain and that [00:49:00] reminded me at 19 it’d be about 83 or four driver Fitz pass at the mall. ’cause I mean, I put my uniform on at three o’clock in the afternoon on Saturday. I didn’t take it off until these days. They all have showers and air conditioned silence rooms and they’ve got clean air rules and.

People washing their O overalls and their underwear and they have new gloves every stint and new helmets and all that stuff. We just had the old same stuff. So in the 500 that year, they had the yellow flag rule, which in those days you could race to the flag even though there was a yellow flag out, you might actually race past where the yellow flag was.

So I said, I just think this is a crazy rule. You know, someone’s gonna get killed on these days. It’s just absolute madness to race the flag when you got a yellow caution flag. I go to Le Mansr in June. This, the race is like 1st of February. I get outta the car between stints and I’m sweating like hell soaking when I’m walking back to what was our motor home, which was a little tiny two wheel caravan, you know?[00:50:00]

And Bill France is there coming to the race with Alan Berto and this limousine is pulling through the paddock area. And Bill Florence gets out of the car near am I what? And not so much as a, Hey, hey, hey Dave, how you doing? How’s the race going? Blah, blah. He gets, he says, there’s the boy that don’t like our rules.

I mean, I thought, good God, talk about a memory like a bloody elephant for the wrong thing. Not so much as a, if I’d been thinking, Carter said, yeah, and good evening to you too, bill. But yeah, you gotta, there’s the boy that don’t like our rule. I went, well that’s the best you could do. So, um, yeah, that

Crew Chief Eric: was funny.

Well David, before we switch to our very final set of questions, I got two from the crowd Uhhuh. People are dying to know the answer so I’m gonna do them in reverse order. Paul Robinson writes, please ask David how the group seven Can-Am compared to the cars at Le Mans. I lived near MidOhio and watched David and Denny Hume, Peter Revson, mark Donahue, all the races.

Paul is a huge Can-Am fan. So talk a little bit about the Can-Am days.

David Hobbs: Well, [00:51:00] I mean, the Can-Am was a really a part of the racing history in the United States that people absolutely love and like a lot of nostalgia things. Everybody thinks it was absolutely amazing and it was, the cars were great. One shoe mark was winning Formula One races, one after the other.

And then when Betel winning race, everybody, oh, show that Formula One. It’s the same guy wins the races. Well, for God’s sake, Canam 1967 to 1971, Denny and Bruce or then, and Bruce and Peter Revson came first and second in battle. Every race, Jackie Stewart won a couple. Peter rep might have won one in a, in a, I mean it was incredibly one-sided, but those were exciting cars.

The Le Mans cars, obviously when I first did Le Mans were, obviously the Canam cars were much bigger and faster. But towards the end, when those turbocharged engines, although they were smaller displacement, they had the same sort of horsepower, even more torque when those big V eights. But one of the nicest cars I ever drove was for Roy Woods in 1973, he bought Peter Revson, the [00:52:00] M 20, which was the last maclan, and we raced in, uh, Carl and black label colors, and one of the best racers I ever had.

Was I came second to Mark Donahue at Watkins Glen in 1973. He was in the 9 17 30, which was absolutely just ridiculously fast. I beat all the other nine 1710s, which had won the championship the year before. ’cause that McLaren, I could see why Bruce, well then Danny had won so many races because the car was just so incredibly good to drive.

Obviously huge horse of horsepower. Unfortunately Roy and his engine guy kept trying to get more and more horsepower out of it by making the engine bigger and bigger. You know, we’re up to 800 cubic inches. But the trouble is because they became totally unreliable. And, uh, we had quite a few engine failures, but that was one of my best ever races and that was a beautiful car to drive.

It was very sensitive. Change the rollbar a bit or change the spring. Change the ride height eight of an inch or quarter of an inch and you, you could really feel the difference. So it was, it was a great car. [00:53:00] So I liked those Canam cars, but of course in the end, the rules were you can run what you’d run.

And of course Porsche brung and I, the nine 17 and of course complains, oh, Porsche have ruined the sport. Well, Porsche done exactly what the rules said all along. So, I mean, tough shit. I mean, that’s, that’s the way, that’s the way it didn’t go. They came with a better machine.

Crew Chief Eric: Alright, take us back again to 1964 because Scott writes, can you please share the story about your commute to the thousand kilometers of the berg ring with sterling Moss?

David Hobbs: God Sterling had that terrible crash in 1962. And then I think prematurely retired. He went to drive and he just didn’t think he was up to scratch. But then many years later he said, I should have just stuck it out, he said, because I think I could have still done very well and I think he would’ve done.

And so Sterling has me drive, I think it’s a nine 14. Scott just tells me it was a 9 0 4. I was driving not a nine 14, so he’s probably right. Well, I’m sure he’s right, but I’m driving a guy called Lucky Kaner who won it the year [00:54:00] before in a Birdcage Maserati. Overall, he won it with, I think, driving with Dan Gurney.

So we were driving nine 14, I can’t remember where we were staying, but we were staying still of about 20 miles from the track. Berg green. Thousand kilometers in those days attracted about 120, 130,000 people. ’cause obviously 14 mile track, there’s plenty of room for them. But the roads weren’t really up.

John went Sterling in whatever he was in Sterling and Susan were. In the front. I’m sitting in the back and Sterling’s driving. He come to the back of this tail of traffic that’s about 10 miles long. Oh, Sterling just proceeds to overtake everybody going down the outside. Then they, then they move over and then somebody see him coming to the mirror and they’d move out.

So we’d just chop and chin, go down the grass road and then go past and it, it just scared the shit of me. I mean, we just, how we weren’t killed on that drive in. I have no idea. I mean, it was the most hair raising part of the whole bloody weekend. I mean, it made the race look like bloody time. It was hair raising.

We were running late because we had to get there. So [00:55:00] yeah, that was a very exciting drive. It was the most dangerous spot the whole weekend.

Crew Chief Eric: You mentioned to me the last time we spoke that Le Mans is one of your favorites, but also one of your biggest regrets. So when you look back over all your attempts at Le Mans, put it in perspective for everybody as a pro driver who always wanted to win the crown but never got it.

David Hobbs: Well, as you get older, you know, all this stuff sort of fades and it’s no good holding a grudge forever because I just didn’t like Jackie Icks because David York was infatuated with Jackie Icks. I’m sure that he saw a great opportunity at Le Mansr to slow me down by doing that bloody break pad change. He didn’t need it.

That’s one thing. And he also, we were leading at Watkins land. Me and uh, Paul Hawkins had a lap lead over Jackie Itch. And David, you, when I came into the pitch, he said, I want you to slow down ’cause I want Jackie itch to win the race. Which of course I did. But I mean now, I mean, Jackie and I like a couple of old brother, you know, Hey David, how you doing David?

He’s lovely to see you. And I think, yeah, Jackie, he said, you didn’t like me, did you? I said, no, I [00:56:00] didn’t like you at all. That’s racing. You gotta take the rough with it. Smooth. I didn’t win it. And of course Brian Re’s big regret. He never won them all. Bob Wallet. Neville won it and he won everything else.

They, both, him and Redmond won everything but they didn’t win Le Mansr and it’s like so many IndyCar drivers that they don’t win any 500. They don’t think they’ve had a career. The fact that I didn’t win it is regretful, but it was all 40 years ago. So see, love you. As the French would say,

Crew Chief Eric: well you’re still very active in the motor sports community as a whole.

What’s next for you, David? Anything?

David Hobbs: Nothing. This year I’ve, I went to concourse in Lakeland last week. Lovely affair, big crowd, lot of cars. I think my next motor racing thing is gonna be probably the Daytona 24 hours probably go there, so not much

Crew Chief Eric: on that. Before we wrap out, I want to pass the torch to our a CO representative David Lowe, for some final thoughts.

David.

David Lowe: On behalf of the a CO and Endurance racing fans around the world. I just wanna thank you for an incredible evening. Thank you so much.

David Hobbs: Well, thank you David. I appreciate it. I, I enjoyed being asked to be on it. And, uh, so, uh, yeah, [00:57:00] a lot of good fun, lot of good questions.

David Lowe: I look forward to catching up with you in the near future.

Thank you again so much.

David Hobbs: Alright. Thank you David.

Crew Chief Eric: And that concludes this evening with a legend where we had the pleasure of diving into the remarkable Le Mans’s journey of David Hobbs, a man whose racing career spans over two transformative decades at the Circuit de Losar from his class win in the early 1960s to driving some of the most iconic endurance machines for legendary teens.

David brought a rare combination of skill, consistency, and wit to the world’s most grueling endurance race. His stories remind us why Le Manss isn’t just a race. It’s a test of time, talent, and tenacity. If you wanna hear more from David Hobbes, be sure to check out his book, HaBO Motor Racer Motor Mouth, and follow him on social media at Mr.

David Dot Hobbs on Facebook. And Mr. David Hobbs on Twitter. We hope you enjoyed this presentation to look forward to more evening with legend throughout the season. And on behalf of everyone here and those listening at home, thank you David for sharing your stories with us.

David Hobbs: Thank you very much, Jack.

Enjoyed it.

Crew Chief Eric: Thank you. It’s been a pleasure getting to know [00:58:00] you and hearing your stories, so thank you again.

David Hobbs: Thank you very much.

Crew Chief Eric: This episode has been brought to you by the Automobile Club of the West and the A-C-O-U-S-A from the awe-inspiring speed demons that have graced the track to the courageous drivers who have pushed the limits of endurance. The 24 hours of Le Mans is an automotive spectacle like no other for over a century.

The 24 hours Le Mans has urged manufacturers to innovate for the benefit of future motorists, and it’s a celebration of the relentless pursuit of speed and excellence in the world of motorsports. To learn more about or to become a member of the A-C-O-U-S-A look no further than www do Le Mansn.org, click on English in the upper right corner and then click on the ACO members tab for club offers.

Once you’ve become a member, you can follow all the action on the Facebook group, A-C-O-U-S-A Members Club, and become part of the [00:59:00] Legend with Future Evening with the legend meetups.

This episode has been brought to you by Grand Touring Motorsports as part of our Motoring Podcast network. For more episodes like this, tune in each week for more exciting and educational content from organizations like The Exotic Car Marketplace, the Motoring Historian, break Fix, and many others. If you’d like to support Grand Touring Motorsport and the Motoring Podcast Network, sign up for one of our many sponsorship tiers at www.patreon.com/gt motorsports.

Please note that the content, opinions and materials presented and expressed in this episode are those of its creator, and this episode has been published with their consent. If you have any inquiries about this program, please contact the creators of this episode via email or social media as mentioned in the [01:00:00] episode.

Highlights

Skip ahead if you must… Here’s the highlights from this episode you might be most interested in and their corresponding time stamps.

  • 00:00 David Hobbs’ Early Racing Career
  • 03:37 First Le Mans Experience in 1962
  • 07:54 Challenges and Triumphs in the 1960s
  • 14:17 The 1969 Podium Finish
  • 18:40 Racing Through the 1970s
  • 25:29 Return to Le Mans in 1979
  • 30:09 The 1980s and Porsche Era
  • 31:16 Reviving the Passion for Le Mans
  • 31:27 Unexpected Mechanical Failures; Race Day Challenges and Triumphs
  • 33:50 Reflecting on the 1984 Le Mans
  • 34:59 Transitioning to Joest Racing
  • 36:34 The Final Le Mans Attempt
  • 38:00 Favorite Cars and Memorable Races
  • 42:54 Commentating on Motorsport
  • 50:33 Audience Questions
  • 55:03 Final Thoughts and Reflections

Bonus Content

There's more to this story!

Be sure to check out the behind the scenes for this episode, filled with extras, bloopers, and other great moments not found in the final version. Become a Break/Fix VIP today by joining our Patreon.

All of our BEHIND THE SCENES (BTS) Break/Fix episodes are raw and unedited, and expressly shared with the permission and consent of our guests.

Learn More

Evening With A Legend

We hope you enjoyed this presentation and look forward to more Evening With A Legend throughout this season. Sign up for the next EWAL TODAY!

Evening With A Legend is a series of presentations exclusive to Legends of the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans giving us an opportunity to bring a piece of Le Mans to you. By sharing stories and highlights of the big event, you get a chance to become part of the Legend of Le Mans with guests from different eras of over 100 years of racing.

The 1970s brought Hobbs into the cockpit of some of the most iconic cars in endurance racing. He piloted Porsche’s mighty 917, Ferrari’s 512M, and Matra’s V12 prototypes. Each campaign carried promise – and heartbreak. A blown engine in 1971 while leading with Mark Donohue, a gearbox failure in 1972 with Jean-Pierre Jaussaud, and countless near-misses underscored the brutal nature of Le Mans. Yet Hobbs’ ability to adapt across manufacturers and disciplines cemented his reputation as a driver teams could trust in the most grueling conditions.

Return, Reflection and a Legacy of Endurance

After a seven-year hiatus, Hobbs returned in 1979, driving Ford-powered Mirages and later BMW’s M1 under the stewardship of Pink Floyd’s manager, Steve O’Rourke, followed by a string of Porsches through 1989. By then, Hobbs was a seasoned veteran, balancing the demands of endurance racing with a growing career in broadcasting. His longevity at Le Mans – spanning from the early 1960s to the late 1980s – offered fans a living link across generations of racing.

David Hobbs never claimed the outright victory at Le Mans, but his career is a testament to the spirit of endurance racing. Class wins, podiums, and countless stories of mechanical battles and human resilience define his journey. More importantly, Hobbs brought humor, humility, and charisma to the paddock, making him a fan favorite and a respected figure among peers.

Le Mans is not only about winners – it’s about legends. And David Hobbs, with 20 attempts and a lifetime of stories, is indelibly part of its fabric.


ACO USA

To learn more about or to become a member of the ACO USA, look no further than www.lemans.org, Click on English in the upper right corner and then click on the ACO members tab for Club Offers. Once you become a Member you can follow all the action on the Facebook group ACOUSAMembersClub; and become part of the Legend with future Evening With A Legend meet ups.


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6 Hours of Abu Dhabi Update!

Last weekend, Leipert Motorsport competed in the CREVENTIC 24H Series 6-hour race at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi with the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2. In the highly competitive GT3 Pro class, the team fielded an international quartet of drivers: Stanislav Minsky (KGZ), Nikolas Stati (AUS), Brendon Leitch (NZL) and Thomas Kiefer (GER). The team’s strong position for the race weekend was evident even in the preparatory phase. They covered over 1,500 test kilometers on Thursday and Friday, using the extensive track time to optimize the car’s setup, consolidate procedures, and provide ample driving practice for all drivers.

Photo courtesy Liepert Motorsport. Sciarra Gianluca Photography

In the first of the three qualifying sessions, in which only AM drivers are permitted to participate, Kiefer secured pole position for the Lamborghini. In the subsequent sessions, Leitch and Stati also delivered consistently strong performances. Ultimately, the team secured a well-deserved sixth place on the grid.

The team performed consistently well throughout the race Race day began as planned under good conditions. As expected, the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 ran smoothly throughout.

Photo courtesy Liepert Motorsport. Sciarra Gianluca Photography

However, due to numerous Code 60 phases, the race distance was significantly shortened, which put the Pro class cars at a strategic disadvantage. The different refueling regulations between the classes also played a decisive role in this situation, allowing other categories to gain an advantage. Despite the team’s consistent good performance, the disadvantages caused by the numerous Code 60 phases could not be fully compensated for.

After six hours of racing, the Lamborghini crossed the finish line in fourth place in the GT3 Pro class and ninth place overall.

Photo courtesy Liepert Motorsport. Sciarra Gianluca Photography

“The team and drivers performed impressively. The entire weekend went very well in terms of both sport and organization. We had an excellent team, a strong car, and a quartet of drivers who performed impressively throughout. Of particular note was the performance of Nicolas Stati, who was competing in his first ever GT3 race and immediately impressed with his exceptional speed and consistency. Under normal racing conditions, we could certainly have achieved more, but the shortened race distance and associated strategic restrictions meant our hands were tied. With fourth place in the GT3 Pro class, we can be very satisfied under these circumstances.”Marc Poos and Marcel Leipert (Managing Directors).

Photo courtesy Liepert Motorsport. Sciarra Gianluca Photography

This coming weekend, Leipert Motorsport will be back in action at the 24H Dubai, the final highlight of the CREVENTIC Middle Eastern Trophy. On 17 and 18 January, the team will compete with a Lamborghini Super Trofeo Evo2 and a newly formed quintet of drivers.


About Liepert Motorsport

Leipert Motorsport was founded in 2002 and became one of Europe’s top GT-Teams in Sprint- and Endurance-Racing. Spreading its GT-Engagement even wider across the continental borders, this step is the logical consequence for the German team after being a front runner and championship winning team in multiple competitions.

Isky: The Camfather’s Legacy Through Cheyanne Kane’s Lens

In the world of hot rods and drag racing, few names carry the weight of Ed “Isky” Iskenderian. Known as the Camfather, his pioneering camshaft designs didn’t just shape engines—they shaped an era. Now, thanks to filmmaker Cheyanne Kane, his story is immortalized in the documentary Isky, a heartfelt portrait of innovation, resilience, and community.

Cheyanne Kane’s path to Isky wasn’t a calculated career move – it was destiny. With a background in hot rodding and a lifelong love of cars, she first encountered Ed through a friend deeply embedded in the hot rod scene. What began as casual visits quickly turned into hours of filming, capturing the spark of a man whose curiosity and creativity never dimmed. “I was surprised there hadn’t been a movie about him,” Kane recalls. “So I thought, well, then I’m going to do it.”

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Stepping into Isky’s shop was a revelation. The grinding machines, the rhythm of tools, the hum of creativity – it was a symphony of engineering. Kane leaned into this sensory experience, weaving shop sounds into the film’s score. With composer Marty Beller (of They Might Be Giants fame), even camshaft parts became instruments, blending mechanical precision with artistic expression.

Spotlight

Synopsis

In this episode of Women of the Autosphere on Break/Fix, we delve into the groundbreaking story of Ed ‘Isky’ Iskenderian, chronicled in Cheyanne Kane’s documentary ‘Isky.’ Cheyanne shares her journey from a demolition business to filmmaking, spurred by her passion for cars and meeting Ed through a friend. The film explores Isky’s innovative camshaft designs, his humble beginnings as the son of Armenian immigrants, and his profound influence on American racing culture. Through heartfelt moments, archival footage, and candid conversations, Cheyanne captures Isky’s relentless curiosity and impact on generations. Highlighting Isky’s creativity beyond mechanics, the documentary integrates shop sounds with a musical score to immerse viewers in his world. The episode concludes with Cheyanne discussing the film’s reception, her personal learnings, and the future of her filmmaking endeavors.

  • What first drew you to telling “Isky’s” (Ed Iskenderian’s) story through a documentary?
  • When you began researching, what aspects of Isky’s life surprised you the most?
  • How would you describe the impact Ed Iskenderian had on car culture and motorsports beyond just camshafts?
  • Were there any moments in interviews or archival footage that gave you a deeper emotional connection to the project?
  • What challenges did you face in balancing the technical side of Isky’s innovations with the human story behind them?
  • What lessons from Isky’s journey do you hope younger generations of builders, racers, or creators take away from the documentary?
  • Looking back, what do you feel this project taught you personally—about storytelling, innovation, or perseverance?

Transcript

Lauren Goodman: [00:00:00] Welcome to Women of the Autos Sphere. On Break Fix, we dive into the stories of trailblazers, engineers, racers, designers, and disruptors who are shaping the automotive and motor sports industries. From the pit lane to the boardroom, from concept sketches to championship podiums, these women are driving change breaking barriers, and inspiring the next generation.

Whether you’re a lifelong gearhead, a curious newcomer, or someone who simply loves a good story. You are in the right place. This is more than a podcast. It’s a movement.

Crew Chief Eric: Welcome to today’s episode of Break Fix, where we dive into the heart of hot rod history through the lens of director Cheyanne Kane’s powerful documentary Isky. This film tells the story of Ed Isky Arian, the legendary cam father whose vision and innovation helped shape the golden age of American racing.

From his groundbreaking camshaft designs to the culture he inspired. [00:01:00] Iki isn’t just a story about machines, it’s about people, passion and the drive to push beyond limits. Join us as we explore the legacy of a man who turned a love for speed into a movement, and the filmmaker who brings his journey to life on the screen.

And with that, let’s welcome Cheyanne to break fix.

Cheyanne R. Kane: Hello. Nice to be here.

Crew Chief Eric: Well, Cheyanne, like all good break fix stories. There’s a superhero origin story, but we’re talking about a superhero in the motorsports world. Tell us what drew you into Ike’s world in telling his story through a documentary.

Cheyanne R. Kane: I am a filmmaker, but I do have a lot of hot, rotting background.

I love cars. I love driving. I love driving alone. I love driving with people. I love learning about cars, and I think it was meant for Iki and I to meet each other. Uh, when I was younger, I used to work in a, uh, automotive demolition business, which actually made me sad when I [00:02:00] saw these hot rods, older cars come in, being pulled apart, smashed, and then melted.

You know, I used to think, wow, what I could do with these cars or figure them out. I used to try to see how they worked or drive them. I’ve been driving since I was 12 years old. So uh, when I did meet Ed, I just immediately felt connected to him and I was really surprised that there hadn’t been a movie about him.

I thought, well, then I’m going to do it.

Crew Chief Eric: So how did you meet Ed? Was it a series of events with your own car or something that led you to end up in his shop?

Cheyanne R. Kane: Actually, I met him through a friend that has, my gosh, I’ve lost track how many hot rods he has, you know, and it’s in his blood. And his father worked for Ed.

Ed used to go to his house. I got to meet him. I would hang out with them, heard all his stories, and just naturally [00:03:00] picked up my camera. And watching the footage afterwards was just so inspiring. I, I just could never keep my eyes off him. And clearly the camera loved him as well.

Crew Chief Eric: So when you began researching.

Being there with your camera and capturing all these moments, what aspect of his daily life or his routine or what he was doing in the shop really surprised you the most?

Cheyanne R. Kane: You know, when I went to his shop for the first time, I was blown away. The cam grinding machines, everybody working on different parts of the camshaft to seeing how the camshaft comes together.

The lighting in the shop was just brilliant, and the sounds were extraordinary. In fact, even before I realized I had this story, that I was clear on a story that I wanted to tell, but it wasn’t until I got to the shop that I started to think, wow, the sounds in this shop and what you could [00:04:00] do with the different pieces.

You know, it was really an amazing experience to find a composer to do the music and the types of things that we did with actual shop. Sounds completely took me away.

Crew Chief Eric: So, hanging around the shop, did Isky ever let you in on the secret sauce? What makes an isky cam better than anything else?

Cheyanne R. Kane: Filming him for many, many years, always trying to find out exactly what that is.

He did have a secret door, or does have the secret door. I’m still, I’m sure he still does today. A lot of people that are entrepreneurs are probably going into that business to make money or that’s a big part of it, at least for the people that I interact with. Ike’s journey started with pure love, pure curiosity, and that allowed his creativity and his imagination to blossom and to not censor himself and to try things.

So this journey of following [00:05:00] Iki, creating the business that he has and the influence that he has had on this. Entire automotive era. It all started with doing what he loves and being curious. You know, it was a surprise to him when, you know, he decided to make his first camshaft and realized, wow, I can make money doing this too.

I don’t feel ever in his mind it was about creating this huge impact on the industry that really happened because of the interactions that he had with the people pioneers of that time. It was just the hands-on curiosity, how fast can I make this thing go without killing myself? But really. What inspired me and, and captured me is Ike’s curiosity to this day.

His curiosity, not just for the cars and how they [00:06:00] work, the mechanics, but the curiosity of each individual and who owns the cars, you know, and their story and how they all got started with it. You know, what I really started to see is this community of people. That is so beautiful. And when I was younger, I didn’t really realize that that existed.

And having to meet Iki going into the world of drag racing, motor sports, and just the connection in the. The relationship with people was just really beautiful.

Crew Chief Eric: And if memory serves, ed is 104 years old this year. You’re there following him around the shop. How old was he when you were recording this?

Cheyanne R. Kane: Well, I first met him in, uh, 2007 when I started recording him with crew and different types of cameras. That was around 2015. That’s when I was able to see another part [00:07:00] of what he created and how he created it.

Crew Chief Eric: So you met him in his eighties and obviously started filming him well into his nineties. You ever wondered what was Iki like in his prime?

And so did that put you on a quest to find videos back when he was much younger to incorporate into the documentary? And if so, what did you discover by going on that quest?

Cheyanne R. Kane: Well, I definitely wondered what he was like when he was younger. There is quite a bit of archival footage that you can find and you see him as a young man.

I think what was really wonderful too is because there are so many people in the community that I would go to and try to find. Different types of archival footage that maybe wasn’t in the, in our world of the internet. John Athens, who’s his best friend, he had passed away already, but his wife let me go through all his photos and videos.

And I found the [00:08:00] coolest videos fishing, um, being at the drag races and in the pit and with his wife. And there’s just this funny moment of where his wife takes a hot dog and. Puts it right in his mouth and he’s got his two sons next to him. Seeing him as a young man, every time there’s a smile on his face, there’s a cigar often in his hand or his pocket or his mouth working on the cars during the races.

It was really incredible to find out about him.

Crew Chief Eric: You mentioned some of the funnier moments there, like the hotdog scene. Is that in the documentary? Did you incorporate that in?

Cheyanne R. Kane: It’s actually not, it, it, it didn’t fit into the story, but you know, I have over 300 5400 hours of footage.

Crew Chief Eric: So of that content, maybe things that just got left on the cutting room floor, are there some of those where you personally connected with them more deeply and more emotionally that [00:09:00] maybe we’re not gonna get to see as viewers?

Cheyanne R. Kane: You know, so much of what Iki did is so impactful, and both of these moments did make it into the film, which are so impactful in a way I can’t even begin to express what it really means. To, uh, me and, and what I experienced personally. The first moment would be early on when he is talking about building cars and finding the pieces and going to an actual junkyard, which is not much different than a recycling auto shop business, which is where I worked in, and, you know, there’s this image.

Of all the cars just piled up and that moment just took me back in time and could only imagine what it was like for him and John and you know, these guys building hot rods and just going out there and, and trying things. That would be one. Another [00:10:00] moment that’s very impactful is Iki talked about his mentor, ed Winfield.

Ed Winfield being a pioneer in, in the automotive world, ed had told me that he would go visit him and record each other so he would have audio tape because it was important of what he was talking about. And Winfield really was brilliant. I said, you recorded them so you have these recordings. And so it was something he was looking for for quite a while.

So we went on this journey to find these cassette tapes. Lo and behold, we did find them. Finding them was just one moment of like, wait a minute, this is from back in the seventies. Once we got them and having him listen to them for the very first time, it was as if he left this world and went completely traveled into time hearing Ed Winfield’s voice for the first time since he passed [00:11:00] and that moment.

Was just so in incredible and I felt like I was traveling with him just when we were filming it, and then when I saw it on the big screen, all I can say is, wow, it’s just so heartfelt.

Crew Chief Eric: I’m glad you went there because you’ve been talking about the impact that Iki has had on various people, whether they’re in the motor sports industry, whether it’s car culture, you know, beyond the world of camp shafts in general.

I’m wondering. What have other people said or how have they reacted to the film as they’ve seen it?

Cheyanne R. Kane: I am grateful for the, the people that have seen it and have had just, I guess I would say maybe a shocking, a shocked response. It was his grandchildren didn’t realize who their grandfather was. It’s been very emotional responses.

A lot of people have thanked me that this is here. ’cause it’s really surprising to me that nobody has [00:12:00] done a film on him with how much he’s impacted the automotive world, not just with Cam chefs, but his marketing sense to utilize whatever was happening in the moment and taking that to another level.

As we know marketing is. Is a huge part of the automotive world. I look at him as a self-taught engineer. There was no formal college or education in that way. The audience, I think they really love seeing it so that he will be remembered and that we know what history is about. I think sometimes maybe people don’t always remember.

For example, I’ll give an example as a, a filmmaker, I was hiring a DOP for a project and they went to school, I think it was UCLA and film school and, and I was asking her questions and were talking about things, and she had no idea who Jack Nicholson. And I went, wait, what? I was like, you [00:13:00] don’t know who Jack Nicholson is?

I was like, wait a minute. You don’t know the films, his whole beginning and how inspiring that is. So I, I think long answer to your simple question is I got a reaction from a lot of people of just thank you for telling this man’s story this. Portrait of this human being that artistically and creatively influenced an automotive racing world of motor sports, but so much more.

Crew Chief Eric: So it’s safe to assume that Isys seen his own film. What has he said to you?

Cheyanne R. Kane: He has seen it and, uh, I, I actually showed him different versions of it, would take his notes and actually he just saw it on a huge screen, a 70 foot screen, which is how I would love everybody to see this film because how it is made.

His reaction was that he loves [00:14:00] it and how much is in it. The last thing he said to me as we were walking to the car is, I love it. So that is the best response from anyone I could have.

Crew Chief Eric: So let’s talk a little bit more about the making of the film. You mentioned earlier about how you use the complex sounds of the shop.

Then added a musical score to it and created this whole ambiance by infusing these two basically diametrically opposed things. Let’s say classical music with the sounds of a machine shop. So what other challenges did you face in terms of balancing the technical side of Ike’s work and his life with the human side of the story that you were trying to tell?

Cheyanne R. Kane: You know, in talking about the music, I. Want to uh, share. You know, I did speak with several composers and musicians that I might work with. Marty Beller, who is the drummer for, they Will be Giants, but he was the first one that didn’t laugh and say, that’s ridiculous. I [00:15:00] want to send you a camshaft. He’s a drummer, and I want you to play the camshaft.

So sending him parts, actual parts from the shop. My key sound person that I worked with was fantastic. We went to the shop for hours and just recorded the sounds of the shop so that we could incorporate it. That’s ultimately what I sent Marty, and it’s an original soundtrack. That is just when you hear it and watch the film on something like a 70 foot screen, it just takes you to another world.

And I bring all that in because that too is the technical and the artistic. That’s Isy. He’s a highly creative and artistic individual. Medium happens to be engineering and mechanics, so they feel like they go together very well. The artistic and, and the technical and human story actually is all [00:16:00] part of who Isci is as this creative and curious individual.

Crew Chief Eric: As a motor sport enthusiast myself, you know, I recognize there’s multiple disciplines of motor sport and we can get excited about them in different ways. And so we’re talking specifically about, you know, straight line drag racing. We’re talking about some circle track, things like that where isky was more prominent than let’s say, you know, other forms of motor sport.

To an outsider, when you look at motorsport, ah, it’s just cars going around in a circle, or is cars going fast in a straight line? You know, to simplify what I was just saying, but how do you convey that to an audience that might be watching this that isn’t necessarily from the Motorsport community that would immediately identify and.

Understand what was happening. So how were you able to do that in the film? So it makes sense to the outsider?

Cheyanne R. Kane: I hope I did achieve my goal because from the beginning, Iki really spoke to me and inspired me as not just a car guy. But somebody [00:17:00] that is interested in life in how things were and his upbringing, very humble, you know, from a son of two Armenian immigrants.

He, at one point told me, people told him, you know, he’ll never make much of himself, especially using his name, Arian. People shortened it, obviously, but. I think it’s a very universal story of this man that is so inspired and curious about life and has not just done well financially, but has inspired so many generations of racers.

But it’s not just about the racing. It really is that human story of perseverance. Of interest. And while that for us is in the automotive world and is obvious, there really is this other story of a human being in this world caring about other people, [00:18:00] helping other people. That’s the other thing. You know, the education that he put out, you know, they would’ve never called it education, but the top tuner tip booklets the information in just one of those.

Books is probably an entire year of a mechanics course. So helping people and hearing their story, you know, I really do hope it reaches a larger audience than just our built-in automotive world and just that straight line of racing. When you think of those drag racers going from zero to whether it’s 180 or lt, who am.

Four, 112 I think it was, or you know, miles per hour. I mean, I think of that and I’m still, I’m blown away. I remember when I went to my first drag race and I was like, what? Like it’s just, wow.

Crew Chief Eric: Isky being 104 years old, he’s seen a lot of change in this world. He’s been alongside shoulder to shoulder with other greats [00:19:00] in the motorsport and automotive world who have been innovators and agents of change and have.

Brought forth all sorts of revolution. A lot of the folks that maybe people recognize or align with, a lot of their invention came as a result of like World War II and being in the service and what they learned from aerospace they brought to racing and things like that. You talked about Isky being an immigrant, coming from Armenia.

What do you think sets him apart from those other innovators like the Colin Chapmans and the Enzo Ferrari and all the other people that are in the history books?

Cheyanne R. Kane: I would say what sets him apart is all the different avenues of his influence. And again, I, I always go back to his curiosity. I mean, to this day, and I just saw him the other day, his, his.

Curiosity surpasses many 20 year olds, 30 year olds that I’ve met today. You know, going beyond just the camshaft, the marketing, the education, the working together, [00:20:00] the cam Wars. But having fun joking with each other and having that competition there, wanting to better each other, and he has spanned decades of his influence.

Each decade. He, he nevers. Stop. I mean, even today, you know, the questions he’ll ask people is hopeful and encouraging to watch.

Crew Chief Eric: And what’s interesting about his story is compared to a lot of other people, you know, you talk about folks that made it big or became celebrities or pro this and awardee of that, and they grew up maybe after an era began like, oh, I was part of the hot rod era, but I wasn’t there at the beginning.

Iki was there at the beginning of a lot of things. And so I wonder. His inventive spirit. You keep referring to his curiosity, his innovation. Does he recognize that he’s at the epicenter of hot rod culture in America?

Cheyanne R. Kane: I don’t think I can really answer what he thinks, but I can only tell you what I feel from what I [00:21:00] see.

And I would say he, he so humble. He doesn’t really realize to the degree. Of the impact that he has had and continues to have on generations of the motor sports and racers. When I had the screening, I was lucky enough in, uh, one of the other screenings to meet a young man, maybe in his twenties, and he brought as many friends as he could in this last screening.

And just them shaking his hand. It was the rock star.

Crew Chief Eric: He’s a legend.

Cheyanne R. Kane: He is a legend. He is the legend of speed. His need for speed early on is what I was like, oh, he has to go. There’s a need for it. Or as you say at the beginning, the love for speed. You know, that is something that is in our DNA. And so that too is why it was so important for me to make the film.

Knowing that there’s no other films out there, so that this younger generation can see where it came from. And I hope [00:22:00] inspire them to use their hands to not be afraid, of course, of where our society is going with computers and cell phones, but to step away from it once in a while and. Working with our hands, maybe bringing shop classes back to our schools.

Welding, you go into a zone is what I feel at least like when I’m with my car or motorcycle or I’m driving. It’s really I, I get to go into another world and. Something happens that you just can’t always experience in the world trying to do everything

Crew Chief Eric: the way you paint Ike’s picture for us. You know, listening to you recount the story and how this was all put together.

Not to get too metaphorical, but it reminds me sort of, you know, of the Greek gods and so he doesn’t realize he’s the reincarnation of Festus, right? And he’s building the swords and the shields for the gods to go out and do these wonderful things or you know, the wage war, whatever it is, and. Same way he’s building these cams [00:23:00] and supplying it to pro drivers that went on to become legends in their own right in the hall of fame and whatnot.

Yeah, so he’s back there toiling away building these components for people. It’s absolutely incredible as I continue to think about this. And you mentioned the younger generation, you know, coming to see the film. What do you think is the big takeaway for them? What’s the lesson learned outside of the, you know, go learn how to weld and use your hands?

What’s that big point that you wanted to drive home, that they take with them for the rest of their lives?

Cheyanne R. Kane: I think about it a lot. I hope they will be inspired. I hope that they won’t be afraid to try things. And experiment and make mistakes and fall down and get right back up, not give up. I feel like for some reason with the internet and the technology and the changes that’s happened, I hope it brings them to come back together and learn from each other and not to be afraid of [00:24:00] that.

You don’t have to hide your secrets, you know, you just work together and have fun. The other. Beautiful quality about Ed is he has fun. The smile on him, on all of those years that I have filmed him, I just, I cannot take my eyes off when he smiles. So I, I hope the younger generation will just be inspired by him to go for it, whatever that dream is.

Crew Chief Eric: So Cheyanne looking back. What do you feel this project taught you personally about storytelling? About innovation, or even about perseverance?

Cheyanne R. Kane: Wow. Sorry, that just so sorry. I didn’t expect this. Um, you know, I’m so sorry. I am so grateful to have been able to make this film to, um, be with Ed to [00:25:00] go to him and say.

Let’s do this, let’s do this together. And, uh, it has shown me not to give up and when I have a vision to trust it, you know, because along the way, in all of our lives, we’re going to have naysayers or you can’t do this or you can’t do that. And, uh. It really took me to another level of not everybody is going to be your cheerleader, and that is okay.

It’s because you have to believe in yourself and what you’re doing and have the perseverance and have some faith.

Crew Chief Eric: For those at home that haven’t seen the film yet, where’s the best place to see it? Is it gonna be available on streaming? Are there gonna be some live presentations where we can see it on the big 70 foot screen?

Where can we get a look at Iki?

Cheyanne R. Kane: So right now we’re still on the film festival circuit on our [00:26:00] Instagram at Iki, the documentary. We post everything there Whenever we have a film festival screening, right now we’re in talks and works with sales and distribution of the film and. There might be some other avenues that we’re working on, which I’ll definitely keep everyone abreast of at iki.

The documentary on the Instagram

Crew Chief Eric: now that is C’S all done and wrapped up. It’s in the can, as they say in Hollywood Speak.

Cheyanne R. Kane: Right?

Crew Chief Eric: What’s next for you, Cheyanne? Any other automotive or related films in the works? Any other spoilers you can give us?

Cheyanne R. Kane: Well, there are other films in the works and some within the.

The same genre. And you know, there’s so many stories in the automotive world. I too, like Iki became captivated by each individual’s story and how they had their road into the automotive world. So there’s a few, but nothing that I can really speak about as of.

Crew Chief Eric: All [00:27:00] right. Well we’ve reached that part of the conversation where I like to invite our guests to share any shout outs, promotions, or anything else you’d like to share that we haven’t covered thus far.

Cheyanne R. Kane: When Iskey found Ed Winfield’s tapes, you know that, that on so many levels, that was a brilliant moment. And it inspired myself and my, uh, partner, Carrie Ann Enright, who’s the producer of the film. We had a beautiful still photographer, Sean Murphy, who took really wonderful stills, and so we took photos of the present.

He also took photos of the archival footage and photos that I found. And we made a table book because those cassette tapes have Ed Winfield and Iki speaking. So that moment of Ed hearing Winfield’s voice and what they’re actually talking about, we took some of their conversation and we put it and it has these beautiful, both archival and contemporary [00:28:00] photos.

And then in between we have the, the dialogue between Ed Winfield and uh, Iki. It’s a really beautiful book and we have a website, www dot iki, the documentary. There’s a link to the book and other merchandise.

Crew Chief Eric: Thank you for joining us for this special conversation, Cheyanne, about the documentary that you put together called Iki Ed.

Iki. Derian story is more than just racing history. It’s a testament to innovation, resilience, and the passion that drives us forward. So folks, if you’d like to learn more about the film, follow updates, or connect with the team, you can visit www.ikithedocumentary.com and make sure to follow Iki on social media at Iki, the documentary on Instagram.

You can also reach out directly by email@infoatvigilance.media for screenings media in inquiry. And collaborations. And with that, Cheyanne, I can’t thank you enough for coming on Break Fix. This has been such a heartfelt [00:29:00] retelling of Ike’s life. You’ve obviously made him a part of your life in a very deep and impactful way, and we are thankful to you, like many, many others, for taking up his torch and really sharing the stories of a living legend on a global scale.

Cheyanne R. Kane: Thank you. Thank you so much. It’s been incredible to, to meet you and, and talk with you. Thank you.

Crew Chief Eric: We hope you enjoyed another awesome episode of Break Fix Podcast, brought to you by Grand Tour Motorsports. If you’d like to be a guest on the show or get involved, be sure to follow us on all social media platforms at Grand Touring Motorsports. And if you’d like to learn more about the content of this episode, be sure to check out the follow on article@gtmotorsports.org.

We remain a commercial free and no annual fees organization through our sponsors, but also through the generous support of our fans, families, and friends through Patreon. For as little as $2 and 50 cents a month, you [00:30:00] can get access to more behind the scenes action, additional pit stop, mini SOS and other VIP goodies, as well as keeping our team of creators.

Fed on their strict diet of fig Newton’s, Gumby bears, and monster. So consider signing up for Patreon today at www.patreon.com/gt motorsports. And remember, without you, none of this would be possible.

Highlights

Skip ahead if you must… Here’s the highlights from this episode you might be most interested in and their corresponding time stamps.

  • 00:00 Diving into Hot Rod History with Cheyanne R. Kane
  • 01:27 Cheyanne’s Journey into Filmmaking
  • 02:33 Meeting Ed “ISKY” Iskenderian
  • 03:23 Exploring Ed’s Workshop
  • 04:13 The Secret Sauce of Isky Cams
  • 04:43 Ed’s Impact on the Automotive World
  • 07:22 Archival Footage and Personal Moments
  • 11:29 Audience Reactions and Emotional Responses
  • 14:10 The Making of the Documentary
  • 18:56 Isky’s Legacy and Influence
  • 24:30 Cheyenne’s Reflections and Future Projects
  • 28:16 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Bonus Content

There's more to this story!

Be sure to check out the behind the scenes for this episode, filled with extras, bloopers, and other great moments not found in the final version. Become a Break/Fix VIP today by joining our Patreon.

All of our BEHIND THE SCENES (BTS) Break/Fix episodes are raw and unedited, and expressly shared with the permission and consent of our guests.

Learn More

The project also inspired a companion table book, pairing archival and contemporary photos with excerpts from Winfield and Isky’s conversations. It’s another way to preserve the voices and images of a generation that built motorsports from the ground up.

To learn more, visit iskythedocumentary.com or follow updates on Instagram at @iskythedocumentary.

The documentary isn’t just about present-day Isky. Kane scoured archives, unearthed rare footage, and even discovered cassette tapes of Isky’s mentor, Ed Winfield. Hearing Winfield’s voice decades later was a transformative moment for both filmmaker and subject—a bridge across time that underscored the depth of Isky’s legacy.


Community and Connection

Beyond the machines, Isky’s story is about people. His curiosity extended to every racer, every builder, every enthusiast he met. Kane emphasizes that his influence wasn’t born from a desire for fame or fortune, but from pure love of speed and the joy of collaboration. Generations of racers, engineers, and fans have been touched by his generosity and ingenuity.

Even his grandchildren, upon seeing the film, realized the magnitude of their grandfather’s impact for the first time.

Photo courtesy Cheyanne R. Kane

While rooted in motorsports, Isky transcends racing. It’s a universal tale of perseverance, creativity, and humility. From his beginnings as the son of Armenian immigrants to becoming a cornerstone of American hot rod culture, Isky’s journey resonates far beyond the drag strip. “He’s a legend of speed,” Kane says. “But more than that, he’s a legend of curiosity.”

Audiences have responded with gratitude and awe. For younger generations, the film is a call to action: to experiment, to build, to embrace mistakes, and to rediscover the joy of working with their hands. For veterans of the automotive world, it’s a reminder of the roots of hot rodding and the camaraderie that fueled it.

And for Isky himself? After seeing the film on a towering 70-foot screen, his verdict was simple: “I love it.”

Be sure to pick up a copy of Cheyanne’s book, “ISKY and the Old Master” as described in this episode. https://www.vigilants.shop/shop/p/isky-and-the-old-master

While Kane hints at future projects within the automotive world, Isky remains her most personal and profound work to date – a testament to storytelling, perseverance, and the enduring power of curiosity.

Photo courtesy Deborah Gilels, LA Media Consultants

Ed Iskenderian’s story is more than racing history. It’s a reminder that innovation often begins with curiosity, that resilience is born from passion, and that legends are forged not just in speed, but in the communities they inspire.


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Sammy Swindell: A Lifetime of Winning and Innovation

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Few names in sprint car racing carry the weight and respect of Sammy Swindell. With over five decades behind the wheel, his story is not just about victories – it’s about resilience, technical mastery, and a relentless pursuit of excellence. At the Eastern Museum of Motor Racing’s Racers Roundtable, fans were treated to a rare, candid journey through the milestones of his career.

Swindell’s commitment was evident before the conversation even began. After enduring canceled flights, sleepless hours, and a long drive from Philadelphia, he still arrived ready to share his story. That grit mirrors the determination that defined his racing career.

Tune in everywhere you stream, download or listen!

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Sammy’s racing journey began in Memphis, Tennessee, where his father was deeply involved in the local racing scene. By age 12, Sammy was already maintaining cars, building motors, and absorbing every detail of the sport. By 15, he was racing – and winning. His early years were marked by long weekends of competition across multiple divisions, often running three classes in a single night.

By 1975, Swindell had already claimed 22 sprint car victories across five states. Along the way, he raced against legends like Bubby Jones and Hooker Hood, learning from the best and proving himself against them. His philosophy was simple yet powerful: “Go find the winners, because you’ll learn more from them than from the guys in the back.”

Highlights

Skip ahead if you must… Here’s the highlights from this episode you might be most interested in and their corresponding time stamps.

  • 00:00:00 Introducing Sammy Swindell
  • 00:03:59 Sammy’s Early Racing Years
  • 00:07:06 Rising Through the Ranks
  • 00:19:03 The World of Outlaws and Beyond
  • 00:25:43 Partnerships and Innovations
  • 00:32:37 Success at Syracuse and Racing Strategies
  • 00:36:18 TMC, Independent Front Suspensions & Turbocharged V6s
  • 00:45:26 Dominating the ’90s and Winning Big Races
  • 00:48:34 High-Speed Events and Racing on Pavement
  • 00:58:42 Williams Grove National Open and Racing the Posse
  • 01:00:45 Analyzing Competitors in the Pits
  • 01:01:55 Achievements and Retirement
  • 01:02:59 Rivalry with Steve Kinzer
  • 01:06:07 Success at the Chili Bowl
  • 01:09:19 Venturing into IndyCar and NASCAR
  • 01:25:55 Memories and Tributes

Transcript

Crew Chief Brad: [00:00:00] Welcome to The Racers Roundtable, a podcast sponsored by the Eastern Museum of Motor Racing where history meets horsepower and legends live on each episode brings together voices from across the motor sports world, from grassroots heroes to seasoned veterans as they share stories, insights, and behind the scenes tales that shaped their racing journeys.

Whether you’re a diehard fan of dirt tracks, drag strips, or open wheel icons. The racers round table is your seat at the table for candid conversations and timeless memories from those who lived it strap in tight because it’s time to talk racing history one lap at a time.

Dave Hare: Now, uh, we’ve got Sammy Swindell and, and Sammy is a guy that was at the top of the wishlist. And I’d like to thank Justin sites. Justin sites, he and I are friends on Facebook. Of course, even in the racing community, you, you have a lot of folks that you know through Facebook, through social media. And Justin had gotten in touch with me and said, Hey, I’ve got a car of [00:01:00] Sammy’s.

Said I’m restoring. And I’m actually going down to see him in a couple weeks. And if he was agreeable to a round table at the Eastern Museum of Motor Racing, would that be something you’d be willing to entertain? I said, well, you know, it’s, it’s interesting because Alice and I had been talking and she said, put together a wishlist, and Sammy was at the top of that wishlist.

So the timing was perfect, and we certainly appreciate your commitment to the calls, brother. Yeah, thank you.

And for those of you who didn’t hear already, uh, most of you have, but for anyone who ever questioned Sammy’s character, he spent the better part of eight hours at the uh, airport. Yesterday, all flights were canceled Somewhere around midnight, he made new flight arrangements. He has been up since two 30 this morning.

He flew to Charlotte, from Charlotte to Philadelphia, and then he just drove from Philadelphia here to the museum with Alan Kreitzer, which I might add is comparable to running Syracuse with no roll cage. So Sammy, thank you. Thank you so much, brother. We [00:02:00] appreciate you. You’re welcome.

So for those of you that have attended the round tables here at the Eastern Museum of Motor Racing, at least the ones that I’ve been involved with and they’ve been so much fun, we like to work through things frequently, chronologically, and we’re gonna do some of that today. In the first part here, we’re gonna cover some sprint car stuff, and then in the second part of the round table, we’re gonna talk about Sammy’s pursuits and other racing venues.

You’re gonna be impressed, even hardcore fans are gonna go away with a greater appreciation. For those of you that know Sammy as a sprint car driver who’s come through Central Pennsylvania, when you leave today, I think you’ll have just a tremendous amount of respect for the man. Well, you’re all familiar with the stats, the three titles, the 394 Feature wins with the World of Outlaws, his five Chili Bowl titles, and the countless wins at the highest profile, most lucrative events in the sprint car world.

Flatly stated, he’s done it all, but what I’m hoping you’ll take from today’s discussion is a greater appreciation for his accomplishments away from the dirt track arena and how his technical prowess has [00:03:00] impacted the motorsports landscape. His book released in the spring of 2023 chronicles his ambitious and innovative journey through the world of motorsports.

It is simply titled and appropriately so. Sammy, 50 plus years of Winning. Please welcome back to the Eastern Museum of Motor Racing 2006 National Sprint Car Hall of Famer. One more time. How about it for Sammy Swindell?

You know, we talked earlier about, uh, everything that’s been happening here at the Eastern Museum of Motor Racing and how it’s grown over the last 50 years since the Williams Grove Alzheimer’s was um, established. We’ve got some great pieces here. Speaking of great pieces, if you’re looking for some of Sammy’s cars, I think they’re pretty well displayed out at the, uh, museum of America’s speed in Lincoln, Nebraska.

They still have that going on with them. Yeah, yeah.

Sammy Swindell: There’s still

Dave Hare: a few cars out there.

Sammy Swindell: Yeah. Sometimes they move them to different places, but I think there’s three or four there. Yeah. Um, we’re hoping to get some more out soon. Good. Some of. Go in and out of there.

Dave Hare: Yeah. [00:04:00] Well, Sammy, let’s, uh, let’s take a walk back in time.

Talk about your early years, man. You’ve been at this so long now. Your dad was the guy that was involved in racing down in the Memphis area?

Sammy Swindell: Well, he started racing the same year I was born was at the racetrack, like a few days after that. He had done real well there. Mm-hmm. Once a lot of the championships right around there.

Mostly in the, the sprint cars were the A class and the modifieds were the B and the late miles for a C called the C car. So he ran, the ones he built were B cars that he ran most of the time, but he ran all three of them at one point there for quite a few years. He ran the Memphis Race Car Club, was the president there.

So. Got to go to the racetrack and we’d go to the meetings and all the different things. So I got to see a lot about how everything works from him building the cars and building motors and stuff and through every part of it. And you know, and I was always interested in everything.

Dave Hare: You self described tinkerer,

Sammy Swindell: is that right?

Yeah, and sometimes I too much, I spend too much time on [00:05:00] details, but I like it to be right. So. By the time I was 15, you know, they, they had a little practice earlier and the year the track was open up in Milan, Tennessee, and we went up there and ran and, and everybody thought it did pretty good. He was building another car, didn’t get it finished till like the first part of July.

Dave Hare: Okay.

Sammy Swindell: So that’s when I started in 71. We went to Milan but he’d crashed the car and we got there late ’cause we were working on his car. I got in and expected it to be kinda like it was and it, and it wasn’t. Yeah. And um, we found out the steering had a tooth broke in it, but mm-hmm. You know, we got there a little late, but they pushed us out and we both got to make some laps to qualify so, or time.

So it kind of hit the fence over here and was over there and Yeah. It’s like something’s not right. Something’s not quite right. Yeah. So, so I didn’t get to run the very first night I run

Dave Hare: second night out

Sammy Swindell: things went much better. Right. Yeah. The second night, ’cause it was fourth July weekend, they ran Friday and Saturday at West Memphis.

Friday night he ran third, not run fifth. Hmm. [00:06:00] The next night I won.

Dave Hare: Simple as that. Yeah. Get in the car and win. Yeah. You were sort of prepping for this though, for years. I mean, from an early age you were a sponge, you were absorbing this stuff. Yeah. And before you even got in the car, if I remember correctly, you were pretty well responsible for good portion of the maintenance on your dad’s car, weren’t you?

Sammy Swindell: Yeah. Well, I was doing a lot of the things, you know, because he worked, he was a superintendent for commercial contractor.

Dave Hare: Okay.

Sammy Swindell: By the time I was 12, I was doing a lot of the maintenance on it, a lot of things, or I’d have things ready Yeah. That I couldn’t do for him to do. When he got there, started learning about how everything kind of went together.

You know, was able to build motors by the time I was probably 13. Wow. Learned a lot of stuff from my uncle about the carburetors, about how to set those up and different things, and was with my dad working on his and doing the setup stuff and tire stuff for that. But from the whole time since I’ve been around, I was always in the shop with him.

Dave Hare: Yeah.

Sammy Swindell: And that’s, you know, [00:07:00] probably four or five years old. So. He’d have me doing something

Dave Hare: that’s certainly played to your favor over the years. 1973. Then you graduated from high school and drive a sprint car for the first time.

Sammy Swindell: Yeah, we started running, well, I was running both the classes there. Mm-hmm.

But we could run the B cars down at Greenville, Mississippi on Friday nights.

Audience: Okay.

Sammy Swindell: It was like the next week. The second weekend I drove, uh, we went down and I won there and I won like every race down there that year. I don’t know, it was just something that fell into my car thing. We were just, it was easy down there.

But I mean, at, at at West Memphis, they, they started all the cars and a lot of times they’d have 40 cars. Oh wow. I remember starting on the front, taking off and I’d go down the back stretch and West Memphis isn’t really big, but when you got 40 cars, there’s guys that still hadn’t took off yet.

Dave Hare: Yeah. That could be probably that.

So by the time

Sammy Swindell: I made a lap, we were in traffic. Yeah. So, um. It was a good place to learn. It was a sticky track pretty fast there with some banks, so it, it taught me a lot about [00:08:00] going to other places and, and, but I started driving the sprint car and it was a bit different. Won a few races, but we were always up near the front all the time.

But they had a lot of really good guys there at that point. And some of the cars were better than one I had, but worked

Dave Hare: hard at

Sammy Swindell: it and got better.

Dave Hare: I think one of the common themes in your life story has been travel. You’ve been traveling. When you, when you started running, uh, I guess it was Bobby Sparks the first owner in the spring car.

Yeah, yeah.

Sammy Swindell: We started in, that’s who ran four in 73. Yep. In 74 we’d start going on Sundays. They ran up at Hobs spot. Mm-hmm. Which is about 300 miles north of us. And uh, we’d go up there. It didn’t take long. We won some races there And you guys were going to Devil’s Bowl in Florida? Yeah, a lot of times we, in 74 we’d go to Devil’s Bowl ’cause they ran on Friday nights.

Go to West Memphis on Saturday and go to HubSpot on Sunday. So that’s a few miles. Yeah, it

Dave Hare: is

Sammy Swindell: because I’m about 450 miles from. That was bowl. Wow. 300 up there. So it, you’re doing 6 [00:09:00] 1 1600 miles there in the weekend. Yeah. Well, when you’re 17, it’s okay,

Dave Hare: but things got busy, uh, at West Memphis because as you mentioned, you’re driving in a couple divisions and at some stages of your career.

Early on, I believe you were running three divisions. Yeah, it was just like

Sammy Swindell: in probably 70, maybe the last part of 73 or 74, I was running the stock car late model. There was quite a few times. I won all three.

Dave Hare: All three

Sammy Swindell: in the same night.

Dave Hare: Yep.

Sammy Swindell: So I was running a lot of laps and had to have two helmets for that.

Though we didn’t have tear offs so much like we did then, but we had like two visors or pull one off and different times. Yeah. A lot of times you’re ducking. It was pretty

Dave Hare: muddy down there. Sometimes here in this area, we’re pretty Pennsylvania centric. There’s a lot of talent, a lot happening down in that Memphis area.

Tell us about some of the folks you were racing against or maybe even some of the folks that you mentored with. They you looked up to.

Sammy Swindell: You know, when we first started traveling some there in 74, you know, Bubby Jones would come down. He drove for M Ma [00:10:00] Brown and my dad used to race against him. Mm-hmm.

Because, uh, he had a big car up there that they ran at Milam. Okay. They never really came down with that in Ma didn’t, but then we had sprint cars. He would come down, you know, they were sponsored most of the time by Bruce Gel Ford. Mm-hmm. So, um, Mr. Gel come up from Alabama, got a relationship going there because he would come.

That was when he was winning a lot of races with that car. But yeah, I was making it hard on him to win there at West Memphis. So, yeah, we had some pretty good races. He, he beat me some, but I think I beat him more. You know, that got me in a relationship to a ride down the road later

Dave Hare: on, and that was a, that was a big ride.

I love a good quote, Sammy and I, and I’m gonna share one here with you. I think this is approach you’ve always taken, but probably it was more prevalent in your formidable years. You said people would ask, what’s the best way for a young racer to get going in this sport? And your response, hang out with the best people.

Go find the winners because you’ll learn more. What are you gonna learn from the guys who run in the back if they knew [00:11:00] enough to teach you anything? They wouldn’t be back there in the first place. Yeah, it’s just true. And, and that’s why you sought out guys like Yeah, like Bubby and, and Hooker Hood was another guy down there.

It was hot. Yeah.

Sammy Swindell: Well, Rick Kel would come down there, off and on. It was a lot of people that came down there because Birchville was pretty good for that time. You know, I think they were paying a thousand dollars to win, which most places might only been. Three or 500. It doesn’t take long, you know, it’s like you don’t want to ask the guy that’s running last how to go faster when you’re already ahead of him.

There you go. It’s logical. Some people don’t get my dry sense of humor sometimes, you know, and I’m kind of to the point, but I’m consistent.

Dave Hare: There you go. Looking at some of your stats in early on, one of the stats that really impressed me was by 1975, and here you’re still very early in your career at that point.

In 1975, you had 22 sprint car victories in five states and you were running Bob Guine. [00:12:00] Gillett. Okay, thank you. One of those victories took place that in a little bull ring out in Stewart, Iowa. Yeah, you’d be the guy that was a pretty big name at the time. Yeah, I wasn’t

Sammy Swindell: supposed to do that. We’d come up to Knoxville before with Bobby Sparks.

So Bob took a little time off from his construction company, went, did some races, and we went up there and that place wasn’t a lot different from West Memphis, Stewart Sort. It was kind. Maybe the same size, maybe not banked quite as much. I know we didn’t really start up near the front, but we wound up winning there.

And uh, was that the one that beat Reer or Opperman? Opperman, yeah. Okay. Pretty big deal. Yeah. That was a Wingless show. Yeah. Yeah. We were Wingless there and you had The Wing with you. You never know which you would go back and forth all the time. Yeah. ’cause we run wings. Well they run both at West Memphis and then we’d run Wing.

A lot of times we’d have a wing and then go run Stot and they did run wings.

Dave Hare: Okay.

Sammy Swindell: Or he’d go someplace and run one night with a wing one night without. But yeah, that was special. You know, we didn’t have all the stuff we have now, the social media stuff, but I [00:13:00] still knew about this guy. I don’t think it went over too well.

Dave Hare: You said we didn’t have everything then that we have now social media, but that also includes the comforts of travel. I mean, at that point you’re hauling from Memphis Stewart is 45 minutes to an hour west of Des Moines off of Route 80. And so that’s a pretty good hike. And you’re doing that stuffed in a pickup.

Well

Sammy Swindell: then

Dave Hare: with

Sammy Swindell: Bob it would just be

Dave Hare: me and

Sammy Swindell: the other

Dave Hare: one. Okay. Just the two of you. Two of us really? Okay.

Sammy Swindell: Yeah.

Dave Hare: Yeah. But that’s still a pretty good home.

Sammy Swindell: Yeah.

Dave Hare: So you’re making a name for yourself early, you talked about a ride that’s on the horizon, but in between there, there was another ride that you had from um, a Memphis based car, the Bobby Davis Electric number 71.

Sammy Swindell: Bobby had hired Bill Anderson. Some of y’all might know that. Been around for quite a bit. Okay. But you know, in the winter he would drive trucks for. Ma Brown and he worked on the race cars during the summer and he was, he was with Bobby anyway, he went to work for Bobby. It was Tommy Nolin that was driving the car at the time and I guess they kinda had a falling out.

So, okay. [00:14:00] Bill told me he sat down and he said, well if you wanna win the races, you need to call Sammy. He said, Bobby about spit out his coffee. You know, he was always wanting to beat me. Yeah, yeah. You know, but, and he had a B car before that so that Ricky Hood drove. So we had a lot of races together and we started that and it went pretty good.

But to do a little more travel and a little more things that I haven’t done yet. A lot more places that I haven’t been to.

Dave Hare: And you guys ran Knoxville Nationals, I think you went to

Sammy Swindell: Skagit. Yeah. That was a little bit later I think Bill Anderson wound up going back and I had, I got Tommy Sanders that worked for Bobby Allen up here.

I’m glad you brought that up. We got the, and he was the one that brought me up here the first time. We got to do a lot more race in a lot, a lot of places, and all the way out to the very northwest corner of Washington state. Yeah. Got to go up and down the road quite a bit.

Dave Hare: And that’s quite an experience, uh, for a young man.

And to be able to explore the country like that and race as often as you are, that led you to a crossroads. You decided to enroll in [00:15:00] college. I mean, you’re a college student and you’re racing. Mm-hmm. And at some point you said, I need to make a decision.

Sammy Swindell: Yeah. If we go,

Dave Hare: we go back

Sammy Swindell: to 73 or so. I’m in high school, living at home, and I’m making thousand, over $1,500 a

Dave Hare: week in high school in 1973.

Sammy Swindell: Cash.

Dave Hare: They didn’t give you checks back then, right? Right. So anybody has an inflation calculator, plug that in. A thousand, $1,500 a week. I think most of us would take that in 1970 $3. Yeah, you’re doing well.

Sammy Swindell: Yeah. There’s a lot of people I had that I went to school with, they make, make 25 or $30 a week.

Mm-hmm. But at the same time, uh, you know, when I go to West Memphis, it was $5 to get in and it cost me about $3 for gas. The B car stuff that went on a percentage of the gate, it would be from two 50 to $500. And I didn’t have to split that with anybody. That always helps cost me seven or $8 to get in and race.

Yeah. [00:16:00] Your

Dave Hare: profit margin’s pretty

Sammy Swindell: good at that point right after I got going, it’s like, wh why do

Dave Hare: I want to do anything else? So tell the folks where you were attending college and what your interest, what your major was at that point.

Sammy Swindell: First of, I was going to, um, Memphis State then is what it was called, and I was doing mechanical engineering.

They just wanted to make you do a lot of other things, English and other things there that, that I didn’t have any interest in. And so I went there for. A year. Then I went over to the state technical college. You know, when I did the mechanical engineering, we were drawing gears or doing things, you know, just pieces and didn’t make a lot of sense to me.

But, and my granddad built some houses and stuff, so, um, I, when I moved over to State Tech, I just went into architectural engineering. Okay. You can build something there, design something, then you can see it, you know, when you’re designing gears or something. Some people doesn’t know, won’t ever see that.

Right. I gotcha.

Dave Hare: So you made the decision that [00:17:00] college is not gonna be the course you’re gonna take. Racing looks pretty good.

Sammy Swindell: Yeah. Well, I did try talk to all of my teachers and stuff there and like still want to do this, but I’m doing this and half of ’em was like, okay, we can do that. Then the other, there was some that said, no, you have to be in school.

And I said, well, you don’t understand. I’m paying my way through school, uh, because my parents couldn’t afford to do that. You know, it’s like, well, I can always go back. This racing thing doesn’t work out.

Dave Hare: Yeah. Well I think, uh, I think you’ve done okay. Yeah.

Sammy Swindell: Well I’m, I’m here today.

Dave Hare: There you go. You mentioned the name earlier, ma.

Brown car owner. He had what Trucking company. Down that way. Yeah. He was a, uh, 2019 National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee. And one of the great stats about Emmy Brown, I think over the course of roughly 10 years or so, he had nine national Sprint car Hall of Famers behind the wheel of his number 44 Bruce Kogel Ford sponsored car.

And of course that was the ride that you eventually picked up in when it was [00:18:00] like August of 77, somewhere around there.

Sammy Swindell: Yeah. Yeah. It was just right after the nationals driving, before the FedEx car. They wanted to go racing. So they gave me a chance to go to a lot of places and do a lot of things. And it was like that one was different because, um, back then I don’t think he had a motor that was under 400 cubic inches getting in that car.

It showed me that, that when you’ve got everything you can have, how much easier it is. We came to a lot of places and and did fairly well with it Might’ve been, we might’ve come up to Port Royal and I was, I think I was leading the, I think the Eastern run, was it 75 lap race or something up there?

Dave Hare: Where’s my Port Royal people? Yeah.

Sammy Swindell: And we were up there running that and it was actually leading for quite a while and had a flat. But that was a little scary ’cause the stands were so close and you’d have all the little kids waving the flags. I kept thinking I was gonna hit one of them.

Dave Hare: That’s Pennsylvania.

That was a high profile ride. I mean, you’ve had good rides up to this point. This one’s taken you to [00:19:00] another level, and you’re fully prepared to take advantage of that opportunity. 1978. Ted Johnson forms the world of Outlaws. And you’re in the Ma Brown car on tour, so to speak, with the Outlaws.

Sammy Swindell: Yeah. I think we only ran maybe 10 races though Ma likes to see his car run stuff, so we, he wanted to be around, we’d let us go different places, but uh, we’d always have to come back and run at West Memphis some and or, or places around there, or places he could go to be it hob stock.

But we did get to run a lot of the, like I said, we came up here. Mm-hmm. Cut to do a lot of, a lot more traveling. It’s hard to remember all the races we went through back there, but I don’t know. We won a fair amount in that car.

Dave Hare: Mike Brown

Sammy Swindell: m ma son. Mm-hmm. You still in contact with him? Yeah. I’ll see him every now and then.

Yeah. And he’ll come down to West Memphis or he’ll show up someplace I’m at. He’s restored a few, a few of the cars.

Dave Hare: Yeah. The 44 is gorgeous. Yeah. And he did beautiful.

Sammy Swindell: I think he did the TMC car too. Did he? He did one of those, as one that he [00:20:00] restored. Seems to do good work. He worked there with j and j with Jack.

He’s a real good fabricator.

Dave Hare: You mentioned the FedEx car, 1979 inbound. There, you, you make the move and you’re in with a guy by the name of AJ Jeffrey. Tell us what the connection was there.

Sammy Swindell: Well, that was the guy I started running his late model. His late model? Yeah, his late model. And so we, if we go back, he, he was one of the three or four guys that started with Fred Smith when they were at and started FedEx and he brought it to Memphis.

So we run his late model. We won a lot of races in that around locally there. We just got together and he wound up getting Fred to give us a bunch of money or give him a bunch of money. Yeah.

Dave Hare: And that was big deal. ’cause with a national tour forming to be able to bring in a company, and it wasn’t as large as it is today, of course.

No. But at that point, to be able to bring that type of company in, that was pretty significant move.

Sammy Swindell: Yeah. It was still a big company just getting started. Mm-hmm. But, uh, it just didn’t, that one didn’t [00:21:00] last real long, but, but when it did, it did. Yeah. It was, I think, uh, you had quite a few, we won a lot of races for that

Dave Hare: too.

79, I think you were third at the Knoxville. Nashvilles after coming through the b

Sammy Swindell: mm-hmm.

Dave Hare: Ran behind, uh, Ron Schumann and Randy Smith.

Sammy Swindell: Yeah. And we had, um, Carl Kinzer’s 3 55 motor in there. It was a little slick track. Well, we had a problem blur motor, so he, he loaned us one that probably didn’t make anybody’s notes.

Dave Hare: 1980, probably the car I first remember seeing you in when you came to Pennsylvania. And this was just another step in your career, another step up the ladder you ran for Laverne Dance. That was a high profile ride at the time it seemed, and I think you were a big part of making that a high profile ride.

Sammy Swindell: Yeah, that was a lot going on there. It was George Gillespie calling me one day. He said, Hey, you need to go out there and see Laverne, so I did. So we went in there with him and his wife in his office and he said, and he, first thing he said to me, he says. I don’t think I can afford to [00:22:00] have you. I said, you can’t afford not to have me.

Then went on to explain the stuff I’d learned in the short period of time, just the way I looked at doing things, or we can do this and do, I said, we need to build a car that a guy with a toolbox this big can put it together and go race. You’re a machinist. He said, yeah. I said, you could make fixtures where everything’s the same.

Yeah, you could make the cars the same. You can make all this stuff exactly the same. I said, well, I want to do this. We build the cars and stand them up, build the sides and do it this other way. But all the parts, you know, like the body or the, everything has to be the same. So you can just take a part off.

A guy can put it on, because that was the biggest thing back then. You bought something while you had to work on it. You had to file on it or cut it or something, or fit. You know. Nothing was that close. So it was like always when you could get some parts or you got something that always you had to

Dave Hare: work on.

Yeah. So you’re looking for consistency of operation. Yeah. You’re [00:23:00] looking at the the minute details to make sure that when you’ve got a car, it’s what you had before and you know where you’re gonna go with

Sammy Swindell: your

Dave Hare: adjustments.

Sammy Swindell: Yeah. I told ’em I wanna put everything on a schedule that we run so many laps on everything, so it doesn’t break.

That was

Dave Hare: brilliant

Sammy Swindell: because it’s, I said, you, you’re a manufacturer. You’re the stuff you don’t make, you buy at a discount and you make a profit on. So it’s like it’s gonna cost us too much to fall outta races, you know? ’cause we were talking about going to run the whole world of outlaw series. That’s the biggest deal, is we’ve gotta finish every race, but we’ll put it on a schedule.

We’ll do all this stuff. And I said, you won’t have any problem selling my cars. And we’ll just say, we’ll run ’em for a little bit and then get another one. That one kind of almost backfired on me because then he was wanting to, well, can I have another car?

Dave Hare: Yeah. He didn’t get much time in ’em then.

Sammy Swindell: No, but on your parts deal, instead of just selling the guy radius rods and es, you know, make the fixture where all the cars are the same, we can just make fixtures.

Your grandkids could go out and [00:24:00] build radius rods and have ’em set. Instead of selling a rear arm and this and that, you sell it with the pitch bolt, the shark bolt, the rod in. It’s all set up. All he has to do is slide it on the car. When I drove for him right before that, his car, man, it’s like you could adjust everything on it.

There was all kinds of things, and he was a little reluctant to take a lot of that stuff off. So it’s like we just bolt this one together and you can’t really mess it up. But then I asked him, I said, well, how many cars did you sell last year? He said, 45. I said, well, I bet you we can do over 200. Wow. He’s like.

I said, well, you’re gonna have to hire another welder. Mm-hmm. The one guy’s not gonna be able to keep up. And so it, it started that year. We ran 136 nights and I felt a lot of two races. One was a flat tire and one, we got a hole in the oil filter. No, no mechanical failures. No mechanical failures at all in that many races.

And we won 56 races and the world of Outlaw championship.

Dave Hare: And that became sort of a calling card for you, you being a [00:25:00] driver, but with a business mindset, someone who knew how to run the entire team. You saw the big picture. Mm-hmm. What it took to be successful.

Sammy Swindell: The more I knew,

Dave Hare: the

Sammy Swindell: more I’d be worth. The more I could do, the more I was gonna be worth, you know, just being able to do everything.

You know, A lot of people probably wouldn’t want to take that on, but you know, I won a race and this was gonna gimme a chance to run the whole world out all for all the races, all the big paying races. We even got to run a lot of other races, you know, and all that comes with, well, every time you run it and you win.

Well that makes my bank account look a little better. That’s what, it just all adds up. If I could control it all, I knew what I wanted to do and I could, was able to do that.

Dave Hare: Sam, I think one of the other areas where you were proved invaluable to the, not only Nance, uh, Laverne Nance, but other chassis companies down the road, is you formed relationships with these folks and then you were able to provide input to the design of their chassis and they would incorporate that input, [00:26:00] make a better car.

And to your point earlier, sell more cars. Well, if we back up

Sammy Swindell: to the FedEx car Sure. Went out to Phoenix a few times and was at some races and I got to know Gary Stanton. Mm-hmm. And so, uh, we got to be pretty good friends and stuff. So he said, well I want to build you cars. And I said, well, I want to make some changes from the car you got.

So he said, well, I’ll build you a couple cars however you want ’em. At the same time he made three cars. I said, what are you doing? Why are you doing three cars? And he said, well, I’m gonna have one here sitting here. You know, so it didn’t take me about about three weeks of running that one. And he showed up with Ron Schumann with us.

I said, oh, you got my other car out here. He said, well, it’s been looking pretty good, but you know, there’s just a lot of little stories down through everything. But you know, to get back, there wasn’t a lot of corporate stuff in the race and it was just a guy had some owned a business or had to had a car, you know, or something like that.

So when we went out. To, uh, Phoenix, if we go back to 74 the first time, well, you know, Bubby Jones [00:27:00] showed me how to, well, we talked to this promoter and, and he’ll give you this money. You can get this money or you can get a hotel room or you can get, you know, money, show up money and

Dave Hare: okay, whatever.

Sammy Swindell: So we’ll go out there, talk to Keith Hall and got this room for the whole week and had to spend time out there.

And, uh, that’s when I was driving for Bobby Sparks and, and so Ben Foot for Mascot comes down to him and he says, we want you to come over to the Pacific Co sofa the next week. And I said, well, it’s really not up to me. Lemme see how the guys can come over there. And he said, well, I got this. I can give you this much money and I could give you a room for the week on the beach.

And it’s like, well go back and talk to Bobby. Oh, okay. Well he called his dad. Yep. Yeah, we went over there and did that. So I got to go see a lot of the manufacturers that, that was out there. So I got started just building more and more acquaints, you know, stuff that we would have a problem with the car.

This is what would break first or mm-hmm. This, we had issues with. I could deal with them while seeing how they made pieces and did the things. So I was [00:28:00] able to help in making their parts better.

Dave Hare: So you provided feedback to the manufacturer sponsors, the folks that Yeah. You had developed relationships with.

Mm-hmm. They had enough trust in you to make that a reality, then they knew it would benefit them as well. Yeah. Even though I was 18, 19 years old. Wow. Sammy, one of the other things, uh, I thought was, was interesting. When we talk about your ability to manage a team, you’re a guy that, let’s say you’re involved with a tour and the tour’s going from Knoxville and they’re gonna go out and run Chico and up through Skagit, you would sit down and do the numbers and say, financially, does this West Coast swing make sense for me, for our team,

Sammy Swindell: there was a lot of guys that I drove for that couldn’t run the whole world of outlaw schedule, and so we would just pick out things and see what made sense.

Mm-hmm. Or we thought we could make the most money for what we were doing, and that was okay. There was plenty of races going around. The first part of the Outlaws, they went to a lot of different places and it was quite a bit of money to stay out on the road back then. But [00:29:00] we would put a schedule together with.

Kind of what owner was looking to spend.

Dave Hare: Yeah. And you had to stay within that. One of the things I wanted to touch on just briefly here, while you were with the Nance team, Tommy Sanders, still with you, I think, at that point, and there’s another fellow whose name would reappear throughout the course of your career.

Ken Jenkins.

Sammy Swindell: Ken was out there and that was another thing that he was trying to get me to go out there. At the same time too, you know, that he was over at Gambler and he had the his own deal out of Dodge City there for a bit, but we did a lot of things together over the years as different places. Yeah.

Comes back to those relationships. Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Dave Hare: Well, after the Nance deal folds, your next move from there you went met up with a guy named Raymond Bele,

Sammy Swindell: I believe. Yeah. That was just a deal. Like at the end of the year I got on a plane, I was just gonna go down to the Wins Cup race in Atlanta. Okay. I flew into Dallas and went from Dallas to Atlanta.

I got on a plane and wound up sitting next to Raymond Beetle and so we start talking about stuff and he’s, that’s when he’s telling me he’s [00:30:00] trying to put a cup team together and he’s got his funny car, you know? He said, well, maybe we could add a sprint car deal and then put you in a few races over there.

Part of the deal for me, leaving Nance, we were still gonna run his cars, but then he decided to let his son run the business and he wanted to go a different direction. Mm-hmm. So that’s kind of where that split. But that brought me back to Ken Jenkins and gambler. We started running those cars. We didn’t run the full schedule, but we ran quite a few races and it gave me an opportunity to run some of the NASCAR stuff.

Yeah,

Dave Hare: and we’re gonna get into that a little bit more in the second half of today’s round table. And what, when we do, I want you to think back on everything that we’ve talked about here in the early portion and understand that while all this is happening over here, Sammy’s also doing this over here that we’re talking about right now.

It’s, it’s super impressive. You’re with Raymond Beetle, 1983 Knoxville Nationals.

Sammy Swindell: We should have won that one,

Dave Hare: [00:31:00] or we did. Yeah,

Sammy Swindell: we

Dave Hare: did.

Sammy Swindell: Yeah. We had some pretty good runs and that brought me into, he had Bob Westfall there. Okay. Working at his shop. He built the motors. They were starting to build some motors there about the middle time of the year, a lot of guys had the aluminum, four 30 motors and we were still running a steel block.

Okay. 4 0 6. It was about just before the NA nationals that we got, the aluminum four 30 and it’s like, put that in. It’s like, oh my gosh, it is just so much better. And, uh, I think we won about six races in a row and counting the nationals. And uh, you know, then after we ran so many races on it, he had to take it back and wanted to look at it and it’s like, man, you’re gonna make me go back to this other, I’m, I’m spoiled down.

This, it’s way easier to pass people with this, this lighter motor with way more, you know, another a hundred horsepower. Wow. That had to be huge. Yeah, that was huge. Was this the point Du Sterl came on board right about this time? Yeah. He, he was there and the one guy that was from Wichita [00:32:00] that come over to nag me, Steve Cox, he followed me over to Beatles team.

We’d been together a couple years and then Deuce comes down and it was all good. We had some good runs, a lot of good times. We didn’t get to run as much as we wanted to, but, you know, we had four years with Raymond. Oh. And all good. Learned a lot of other things too. You know, there’s a lot of that. He, he owned Chaparral Trailers, which that was Oh yeah, that’s right.

Cadillac of the thing to have at the time. So we said, well, we just need to build a trailer for the sprint car. And we did that. He sold a lot of those. Mm-hmm. Too. That gave me another project to work on.

Dave Hare: Yeah. Yeah. You were with Raymond’s team 1984. You were second in world of outlaw points. You wanted Syracuse.

Why were you so good at Syracuse? I think there’s probably a couple factors, but I read somewhere you won like half your starts there, like five out of 10 or something like that. I don’t know. You might get upset here.

Sammy Swindell: No, have at it brother. But you know, somebody asked me about that. Well, how come you go so much better on the miles than [00:33:00] most people?

It’s like, you know, I think these guys are used to running the half miles and they run 120 mile an hour like Syracuse and you run 185. That’s ridiculous. Well, they’re hitting the chip at one 20, so it’s like the rest of the way. It’s like, oh shit, I ain’t gonna make it. I was talking with Al on the way up here.

He was asking me something about, about why, why are you so good on the bigger track? It’s just like, I don’t, I liked him. You know, you just, you get your card dialed in just right and you’d just go around there and just like you’re going down the freeway. I mean, speed’s there. But if, you know, if you didn’t want to go fast, you didn’t need to be in there anyway.

Yeah.

Dave Hare: Yeah.

Sammy Swindell: Like to go fast. Just like Ricky Bobby. Yeah.

Dave Hare: Perfect. But I remember you said at one point speed has a way of weeding drivers and cars out. Yeah. Well that was, you know, there’s some guys that

Sammy Swindell: just, I’ve seen been around enough people that run quarter miles where they have trouble going to the next step.

Mm-hmm. Yeah. I’ve seen guys go from three sixties to run four tens and they, they can win [00:34:00] 360 races, but then they can’t do any good four tens or so much quicker. And it’s the same with the bigger tracks. Always liked the faster places because I had fewer people to compete with. It narrowed a lot of them out.

Yeah. And some of it was just we had better cars or had better stuff, but still it’s trying to get all that out of it. You know? I did win most of the mile tracks. I think that’s why they quit going to them.

Dave Hare: It’s a conspiracy. Yeah. At this point, you know, we look back, Sammy, you had those two back to back titles with Laverne Nance, 81 82.

Between 1981 and 1989, you had one season where you were below the 20 win mark. So you’re getting it done, and though you do like the fast tracks at another great quote here, and I want you to talk about this. The strategy you developed was unique, but I certainly see where you’re coming from. You once said I wanted to win, going as slowly as I could.

Sammy Swindell: That’s something, you know, I tell people if I can get my car [00:35:00] where I can run 90% and win. I’m not hard on it. I don’t make very many mistakes.

Audience: Mm-hmm.

Sammy Swindell: The thing is, if like somebody comes up to challenge me, I still got that 10% to go and that spoils their day.

Dave Hare: And meanwhile, on the flip side of that coin, some of your competitors.

They might be running 110%, one lap, and then the next lap, they’re in recovery mode.

Sammy Swindell: Yeah. Well, that’s what I’ve told a lot of people though, helped and stuff. And you know, it’s like you can’t do a hundred percent every lap. 90% is still hard to do if you just add it up. If you make half your laps a hundred percent and half of ’em 50%, you’re only at 75%.

So my 90% wins every time. Yeah. At 90% it feels like I’m going slow until you get to Victory Lane. Yeah. Well, that way I can, you know, at Syracuse I can go change the radio stations back and forth because you just relax and go, but I tell [00:36:00] a lot of these kids and stuff, it’s like. I just wanna go for a ride, you know?

And if I can go for a ride, then I’m having a good time and I’m not stressed out. Yeah. You know, it’s like, I don’t know if some people play golf, but if you’re tense, it is a long ways to that hole.

Dave Hare: Love the perspective. Sammy. 1988, you partnered with another gentleman out the Des Moines area, an iconic ride.

The TMC number one,

Sammy Swindell: that was

Dave Hare: another Ken Jenkins

Sammy Swindell: deal. Okay. He wound up that the Harold did bystanding out. Yep. A couple years after, or a year or so after I was there. I guess me and the Harold got along pretty well, you know, ’cause he wanted his stuff clean with nice. And, uh, he, he liked to win. So they had me come down and I drove his car at Knoxville and we won.

And they hadn’t won all year. So it’s just things go from there.

Dave Hare: So he bought Gary Stanton operation, moved it to Des Moines and renamed it Challenger. Yeah. 1989. Is that when you, you went to run [00:37:00] with USA, right? Probably, yeah, probably was. Um, so Larry Clark was the president and he had a what, a relationship with Harold.

Sammy Swindell: Yeah. If you ever look at the cars, the early ones, it’s like on the fuel tank, he’ll have Larry Clark, CPA, and that’s what he did for Harold.

Audience: Okay.

Sammy Swindell: Harold was wanting to make racing better of the sprint car stuff, and he had backing to do it at the time. He talked with Ted quite a bit, so he says that they’d come to terms on a deal and he’d write him a check, and Deb would push it back a lot more, you know?

Mm. And so after about the third time, he wasn’t very happy with that. So yeah, he thought he could start his own deal. I mean, he had the right intentions, but the problems they ran into with that was Ted wound up having all the tracks tied up.

Audience: Okay.

Sammy Swindell: So there was a lot of places that we couldn’t go to.

’cause they were

Dave Hare: committed to the world of

Sammy Swindell: outlaw store. Yes. Okay.

Dave Hare: Well, that season, um, I believe you had 12 feature wins with USA, another four with the World of Outlaws here in the area, [00:38:00] Hagerstown Speedway seems like it’s been a pretty good stop for you over the years. I keep seeing that name pop up.

You won there in May with the Outlaws, and then you went back, I think August and September and won with USA. What about Hagerstown suits your style? You know, if we even

Sammy Swindell: go back to Hobbs stock. Sure. I’m, I’m running the bottom and everybody’s at the top. It’s like I could run the bottom pretty well.

Audience: Okay.

Sammy Swindell: At Hagerstown I could run the top fine, but when there was something down there I could really go where a lot of people couldn’t.

Dave Hare: Yeah. You know, and it’s

Sammy Swindell: a fairly fast place, but there’s some finesse to it. There’s some finesse to it, you know, trying to run that inside wall. Okay. I was there some times back in the seventies and I watched a guy named Smokey Run down there quite a bit.

Yeah. So it’s like, there might be

Dave Hare: something to that also. Uh, 1989, Sammy, and this is, speaks to that whole tinkering mindset. You debuted a car with independent front suspension and rack and pinions steering. Well,

Sammy Swindell: after I took it down to Volusia, Ted called me and told me I couldn’t run it. Why? Why was that?

There’s not a rule in there that says you can’t. [00:39:00] He says, but there will be. So that was a lot of work for not much. I run an all star races, but there were some things I’d learned from being around the stock cars. Okay. You know, and so I learned how to do the bumps here. I could do my own stock car, how to set the front ends up and, and all the different things you could make it, do, all the adjustments and, and things that you could change that you couldn’t do with a regular B Maxwell.

Every time I ran it, I was fast time, but we had a problem with the rack. You know, after looking at it, I could, I could have went right back to the regular steering and it would’ve been really good. Uh, there was just a lag because. And there again, I learn something. You know, it’s like the sprint cars, the pumps right there and the lines are real short, so it has to move really quick.

So the, so it’s very responsive in the traditional Yeah. So we had a little bit of a lag. Okay. You know, like qualifying, you’re wide open. You don’t hardly, you just nowhere to loose. You could just not much wheel. And so I could make it roll around there, but the thing [00:40:00] was, I could run the car way softer in the back.

I could run the car with less stagger because I could make the front end turn. It would’ve been a big advantage for I don’t know how long, but we never got to deal with it because I wasn’t gonna be able to run it. Right. Learned a lot of things from that, but, uh, it, it’s still there. If we could ever get it back somewhere again, you still have it.

Well, I’ve got all the blueprint, all the prints. Oh, okay, okay. Yeah. You know, it’s all laid out. I there, so, but it, it’s funny that that comes up because just yesterday a friend furnishes the motors from a chili bowl cars, Tim Bertand. He says, I want to do a independent frontend tq. I said, you can, it’s, it’s gonna be a little tight.

And then he said, this guy’s got this. There’s a guy that’s got one. He looked at it and I said, yeah. It’s like, well, it could probably be cleaned up on some details, looking at some pictures. But I could help him out with what it’s going to do or how it’s gonna change his car and what he can do. It was all fun.

It was all learning experience. It was just, you put your heart and soul in something and it’s legal when you [00:41:00] built it, but when you take it to the track, it’s not, that’s

Dave Hare: not fair. No, I get it. But as I understand it, you had a computer program, this is 35 years ago. Mm-hmm. That would illustrate or give you some sort of visual as to what changes you made with the mounting positions, what that would do to the car and what it would look like.

Sammy Swindell: Yeah. We gotta realize the computers and everything were a lot different. Yeah. But I can put it in there and you could move the front end up and down and it would tell you where the points, and you could see how it would all work together with the everything moving. If you had to input all the dimensions and then it would tell you that when you could move it or when it rolled either way, what was going on.

And I would think for sprint

Dave Hare: car racing, that would be pretty cutting edge for the time.

Sammy Swindell: Oh yeah. Even for me.

Dave Hare: And so I wanna talk just for a minute, Sammy, about Sammy Swin, innovator. You know, we’ve touched on a couple things, but there were some other areas where you were doing some experimentation, where you saw maybe a shortcoming and came up with a practical solution.

[00:42:00] 1987. Tell us about the Kodiak Big Tube car.

Sammy Swindell: Well, it was just from the Indy cars, you know, they used to build aluminum tubs and stuff. Mm-hmm. And being around some of the guys I’ve known, you know, and spent some time with ’em, what little time I had extra to spend. But you know, and then a guy comes out and builds a carbon fiber tub that Johnny Rutherford’s driving and he’s like, way faster.

Well, it was stiffer. I’d had some cars. Even when we go back to MA Brown’s car, the 44, he had two cars that we were running and, but we would always say, this car is perfect. One of the best cars he’s had, that’s when he used to have the top rail. Jack EAM built it. The rail went under the headers and then back up and over the car that ran the vest, they put the bar back in above the headers.

The other car didn’t have that. And he says, you gotta run 1100 bar in the right front. It’s the only way it works. Getting to run both of them, I could see what he was talking about, but you had to run the other car different and so it would [00:43:00] flex and the only way to get it out was to put the bigger bar in and kinda like preload the car.

So from then on it’s like the stiffer I can make the cars times it’s, I can make it a hundred percent by just using the shocks and the bars and all the air pressures and stuff, or the car that flexes. If you’re on a little track, maybe that might be better. But you go to a bank track, it’s gonna flex too much and then you won’t like it.

So I was into building cars that were stiffer Okay. Or stronger when we designed some cars, and even if you look at the one on the back that we built in 77, I moved the Benzs in the frame where the top rail goes and made it a bigger space in between a lot of little things that made it stronger and it had X in the front, X in the bottom, and uh, that car won a lot of races, but it wasn’t all so much about what a design, but it was probably about 250 pounds lighter than what everybody else was running at the time.

Oh, okay. See, I [00:44:00] pick up some things from Bobby Allen every now and then. Because this stuff’s always lighter than anybody else’s, or it was, yeah.

Dave Hare: One of the other things I thought was interesting. At one point, were you looking into Turbocharged v sixes?

Sammy Swindell: Yeah. Yeah. I had a deal going, you know, back when we were just starting to do that, the Indy Clear stuff, they had the Buick V six Fine Engine and the Turbocharged at that time.

It didn’t, there wasn’t anything there that said anything about you couldn’t have a turbo. How long did that last? Well, we never got started this time. I called Ted said, Hey, I got this corporate deal. You know, maybe you could get some money from GM and I could get these motors and, but I guess they didn’t want to give him any money because before we ever got it off the ground, you know, there was a rule.

No turbos. It was gonna be lighter. You know, there was a car that run up here that the Cook Brothers had that they ran quite a bit, ran pretty good, and it was definitely lighter. Yeah. But with the [00:45:00] turbo, we could, you know, they, they were telling me how much boost they could make and, and make it live with a thousand horsepower.

Well, at that time, that was like, you know, and you just got the no, you can turn a boost up and down. It’s like, okay, well this is qualifying mode or this past mode. This is like race mode. It is like, we could cut it up and down. I mean, that would’ve thrown a big can of worms and stuff there. But that’s one that never got off the ground.

That never got off the end.

Dave Hare: Let’s jump ahead here. 1990 and 91, combine those two seasons, 69 wins. And among them, I think we got here Seals Grove National Open, that was 50,000 and a headdress. That was kind of goofy, wasn’t it? You got a $50,000 check, you don’t care what you’re wearing.

Sammy Swindell: Yeah. When they come out and it’s like, what’s the,

Dave Hare: okay.

Syracuse Nationals. Yeah. Won them twice. Yeah. Ohio speed week twice. There was a little thing called the Fram dash at North Texas Speedway paid 65,000 win. You took [00:46:00] their money and ran.

Sammy Swindell: Yeah. That was the only two they had.

Dave Hare: I guess they, they got tired of, uh. Writing checks to you? I don’t know. 1990 of course was a big year here in Pennsylvania.

’cause Bobby Allen, the hometown boy wins the Knoxville nationals. That was a dual with you. Tell us the story behind the oil leak

Sammy Swindell: was the TMC car. We were running Girdy motors back then. We had those barroso valve coverage that were stamped out there were pretty thin. You know, you had to be careful or you’d bend it too much, you could tighten it down.

You know, you just had to be careful with it. Okay. And um, uh, they had some trouble with the gaskets. You know, they would try to push out or push in, you know, and if they pushed in a little bit, they’d hit the valve springs in the valve springs, like pull ’em on in. Wow. They decided they would make a gasket with a steel piece in the middle.

I got some that they used a different glue on. Some run somewhere. Somebody grabbed the wrong sauce. Hmm. It slid in the, on the right side, so it was making a big mess. [00:47:00] You were pretty well saturated. You couldn’t see, ’cause it would blow up in your face and then it was just, uh, tear offs, so you’re just wiping oil visor.

Well then, but your hands would get so wet that on one yellow, they, I got ’em to get me some tear offs and then I threw my gloves out and they threw me some more gloves. I put them on under caution. Yeah. Wow. Yeah, I had some talented guys.

That knew what I was talking about. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Hand signals. But that was another one up there. I could’ve won fairly easily, but it got so bad and the steer one got so slippery that I was having to drive it, holding onto the spokes. I tried to run the bottom ’cause that’s where Bobby was. I knew if I could just run the bottom that, but I couldn’t see it good enough to hit it, you know, slid out.

But

Dave Hare: I guess the lighting wasn’t, the track lighting wasn’t as good then as it as it is now. So that’s gonna play into it

Sammy Swindell: when you Yeah, but have lifted this, you know, they, they paint their wall a lot up there, Knoxville, so I just follow the white line up at [00:48:00] the top. But it was just a little more than I could, he was good enough to be better than my off day.

Yeah. It wasn’t very easy to drive, but I sure wanted the wind. I didn’t crash. Ran second.

Dave Hare: Yeah. I remember watching that event and the thing I didn’t consider at the time was, was how slick that steering wheel. Would’ve been between not being

Sammy Swindell: able

Dave Hare: to see and not being able to, hold on. Yeah. Yeah. Generally, you like to have both of those things planted in your favor.

Yeah.

Sammy Swindell: Well, I was in the car and it was pretty ugly, me driving and bouncing, hitting this and that, but kept my foot down.

Dave Hare: There you go. 1991. 92. World of Outlaws did a little experimenting. They ran some pavement races that played to your strength. You had three wins twice. You were a runner up and a top five.

Was that partly because of, at the time you were

Sammy Swindell: doing

Dave Hare: some pavement

Sammy Swindell: racing? I don’t know. I think that my take on running the tracks that get brokered up, you know, it’s like you’ll see a lot of guys that, that when a track gets locked down mm-hmm. You know, they’re still wanting to gas [00:49:00] it and have the back out a little bit and they, you see ’em, it looks nice, they’re tired smoking.

But I was always good at just finesse with the throttle and stuff to keep everything straight. And carrying a lot of speed. And so when we got the payment stuff that suited me, and I think that was another reason they may have decided not to do that. That, yeah. Uh, the other guy was having a trouble with, didn’t win a race on payment.

There

Dave Hare: was another guy.

Sammy Swindell: Well, he should be on your list.

Dave Hare: Yeah, no, I was just, I didn’t know if you wanted to elaborate. We can come back to that later. Um, yeah, let’s come back to that later. 19, uh, 92 33 wins, including the King’s Royal Silver Cup at Lerner V. And incidentally, this is your third consecutive year with 30 or more wins.

And I’m gonna mention this one because I think our videographer, Steve Gigas, I think he has footage of this. You won at the Suncoast Dome in Florida. That was uh, earlier indoor race. Yeah.

Sammy Swindell: Yeah. That was different. Running in a baseball [00:50:00] field.

Dave Hare: Is that what that was? It didn’t pay very

Sammy Swindell: good. No, we didn’t get paid at all.

I’ll go down in the Get us book Oral Records of whether the World Outlaw Race that paid zero

Dave Hare: $0. Another series I’d like you to talk about. Sammy, winner of 92, 93 and then again 93 94. And I remember when this hit television, diamond P Sports and Pat Patterson, that slick 50 Sprint car World Series. What did that do for the sport?

Sammy Swindell: Uh, well, it brought some live TV in, you know, I think there was some before with the TNN. Right? You know, it was just a deal that Pat Patterson put together. He got some money from SL 50 and was able to promote those races alive. It just gave another opportunity to do that. And, and, you know, TV brings in, it’s a lot easier to, to get the corporate money when you’re on tv.

Dave Hare: Yeah.

Sammy Swindell: I don’t think that at the time it, the stuff they had or the way, you know, they could really do a, a great job with it and some of [00:51:00] it they wanted to do it at a certain time so it wasn’t the best time for a dirt track. Okay. Uh, ’cause a lot of what we were doing. You know, before the sun went down. But you know, it gave an opportunity to do sprint car races on live tv.

Dave Hare: Yeah.

Sammy Swindell: Was that January?

Dave Hare: Yeah. Okay. I believe, I believe it was So first year it was a Manzanita. You’re in the TMC number one. I think you had three wins that year. Second season you had a victory. It was hosted at Canyon Speedway and then you were in uh, I think Jeff Gilliam’s car.

Sammy Swindell: Yep.

Dave Hare: You talked about corporate money, you talked about exposure.

That’s something you were acutely aware of from the beginning. Mm-hmm. Presentation is part of the game. You gotta bring a quality product to the table, but a better look good as well. You got a better chance of bringing some money in.

Sammy Swindell: Yeah. Well that was from probably me going up to the speedway there at Indy and seeing Roger Penske stuff, and I decided I needed to be like that.

Dave Hare: Not a bad model. No. 1995 you established Swindell Motor Sports. First off, it’s the Hooters number one win. 10 out of 48 starts that year, including [00:52:00] five straight with the world of outlaws. Starting your own team. That’s a pretty strong effort.

Sammy Swindell: Yeah, it was expensive too. But yeah, we did that that whole year.

We had two cars and, and uh, one motor didn’t get to run like a whole season with the Ls, but you know, I was able to run quite

Dave Hare: a few races following year. Channellock comes on board, and then in 1997 you claim your third world of Outlaws title. And I think significantly, that’s no longer an issue, but at the time, people questioned whether you could do it at your age.

Yeah. You were what, 41 going on 42?

Sammy Swindell: Yeah.

Dave Hare: And in the process became the first owner driver to win a World of Outlaws title. I

Sammy Swindell: never thought of that.

Dave Hare: You seem to take a great deal of pleasure in proving people wrong, proving that you can do what you set out to do, and I think that’s, that’s a great trait to have.

Sammy Swindell: Yeah. Well, this past year I ran 18 races. One six

Dave Hare: did I see you were out in Victor Lane pretty frequently. Were you out in [00:53:00] Colorado? Am I remembering correctly?

Sammy Swindell: Yes. Mm-hmm.

Dave Hare: Okay. Whose car are you in there?

Sammy Swindell: I’ve been in different guys’ cars out there, but I’ve been there five times and won four of ’em. Shoulda have won the fifth time, but.

I started fifth and got a good run. I went to the top, so I was behind the guy that started on the front. Well, he spins out. There’s a guy right underneath me, so there’s no place. I just had to stop. So started 23rd and I think I run fourth, but it got rubber up, but it was hard to pass. But I was doing it and did more of the same this year.

Well, no, haven’t been out there since I’ve been 69.

Dave Hare: Dude, you gotta keep it rolling. You gotta keep your streak alive. Yeah, it’s like

Sammy Swindell: at some point I’m gonna be too old.

Dave Hare: I don’t think I’ve thought I’d ever hear you say that. Well, that’s what everybody else says. Well, yeah. Okay. 97, 7 straight winds on a West Coast swing.

That’s almost unheard of anymore.

Sammy Swindell: Well, that was right after losing another Knoxville [00:54:00] National.

Dave Hare: Was that the Mark incident or am I misremembering

Sammy Swindell: man? It might’ve been. I don’t know. There’s a bunch of ’em.

Dave Hare: Too many. Yeah. But you did win your first Williams Grove National Open.

Sammy Swindell: Yeah, that

Dave Hare: was nice. It was swept the weekend.

Oh, okay. That was a sweep the weekend and, and Sammy’s defense. Let me share this and, and I think this is. Perfectly logical. He said, people will ask him from time to time about a certain event, certain race, that type of thing, and it just escapes him. But he has had so much success that sometimes it’s difficult to remember everything that you have accomplished.

Whereas if I’m a racer and I’ve got two big wins, I’m gonna be able to tell you every lap and who I beat, you know, what I ate for dinner that evening, that type of thing. But, uh, swept the weekend. Now let’s jump ahead. 1999, another $50,000 check for winning your Second Kings Royal.

Sammy Swindell: Well, I’ve always enjoyed running at Eldora.

Dave Hare: What is it about Eldora that you, is it go back to that whole Syracuse mindset,

Sammy Swindell: some of it, but that’s where I got my nickname too. I’m listening. Well, you know what it is.

Dave Hare: [00:55:00] I know what one is, but I, I was under the impression that slamming Sammy came from your father being swinging Sam and they started calling you, slamming Sammy when you were really young.

Sammy Swindell: No,

Dave Hare: no, no. We’re gonna have to talk to Bob Mayes then. Yeah, well this was at

Sammy Swindell: El Dora and, um, Terry Bal I to announcer Earl son. And uh, I was one of the first people to run wide open around there. Okay. So that’s where he was. I was slamming the corner, so. Okay. The nickname went from there. Okay. Yeah, there’s a lot of ’em that could fit.

Dave Hare: So going back to high speed events, Bristol Motor Speedway, 2000, 2001, and this is ridiculous, you turned a qualifying lap of 1 38 0.44 and if I’m remembering correctly, and I could be off here, but I think that was faster than the cup cars.

Sammy Swindell: Yeah. Channellock wanted me to go up there since they were sponsoring event, asked me to go up there and run on the pavement.

They had, it worked out where I could go out there right before the cup race started and there was a lot of guys there that didn’t want me to do that. [00:56:00] No. And uh, we just put some pavement tires on our car and went out, ran and, uh, on the pavement and it was. I might have run faster that day, but I wasn’t the right gear in it.

It’s like, oh, it’s like if I put a gear in, it’ll run about 160. It should be okay. But it wasn’t. It wasn’t because it was about 8,600, about halfway down, so I was just pedaling it, but I still ran a half a second faster than the cup cars. Wow. A lot of guys came down there, officials and was looking at it because they were worried that I would crash or something would happen because their race was gonna go right out after I was on the track.

Oh, okay. But I was friends with Gary Nelson at the time that was running, so he said, you’re gonna be all right. I said, sure. It was different running on that because you know, when they put the dirt on, it went all the way down to the inside wall. So it was maybe, you know, I think they said 24 degrees or it’s 36 up on the pavement.

I don’t know. Once I took off and kind of got rolling, it like [00:57:00] can’t see where the wall is ’cause the winds and like leaning down, geez, when I’m coming off the corner to see, well it’s coming up good to know when I come it’s like, well I gotta think about that when we come back. But that was a blast just cruising around there and still going that fast.

I was a little worried ’cause the tires I got were some super modified tires of Goodyear. That’s all they had that they used to run like up in the northeast and I think they were probably 15 or 18 years old. Well that’s comforting.

Dave Hare: So it’s

Sammy Swindell: like, are we really gonna make it. Yeah. When we went there, we practiced the first Bristol Dirt event.

When I was walking out later, there was a state trooper up there and he said, you’re the fastest one. I said, oh, yeah. He said, got you on a deal. I said, how fast am I going? He said, 180 5. That’s cool.

Dave Hare: That’s cool. You won both of those shows. I remember the 2001 show I was there with SCN Radio. We covered that.

Wayne [00:58:00] Harper and I were there. Mm-hmm. Ridiculous Dual with Jeff Shepherd.

Sammy Swindell: He was just a pest for a while.

Dave Hare: For a while. Well, I did win,

Sammy Swindell: but

Dave Hare: no, I just mean Jeff’s the guy that likes to stir the pot. That’s all. I mean, yeah,

Sammy Swindell: we’d been riding motorcycles earlier the day. We were both friends with Les Stewart.

Yeah. I didn’t start him before I had start back, so I had to get through a couple cars pretty quick. But you know, I passed Jeff on one end and the other end he passed me back. We did that about three times and I said, okay. I’m gonna change this up. I’m gonna pass him at the end. He passes me, then he disappeared.

He couldn’t pass me back on the other. End out a rhythm out nowhere. Out of balance.

Dave Hare: Oh, let’s go. 2010, your second stint with Todd Queering, you’d filled in before for Terry MCC Carl, you win your second Williams Grove National Open. You set fast time that night. Couple things worth mentioning here. I was actually watching it last night on the vault on uh, dirt Vision pass on the restart for the lead.

He went through [00:59:00] the middle was brilliant. And that win ended a streak of nine consecutive wins by the posse. Sorry, Lee. Lee style for, uh, Greg Knick’s mechanic is uh, here and they had won three or four straight I think. But that was a strong effort. I think Jason Myers was

Sammy Swindell: leading it. Yeah, he seen me on the bottom.

So he moved over. I think you came from seventh that night. I know the night before it was like we had a late number, so we went out and made the rates, but we started to way back and my guys were like, what are we going do for tomorrow? And I said, nothing. We just gotta get a good number. And it’s like I got the first one first out.

Dave Hare: That’s right. You were first out fastest car. Yeah, yeah,

Sammy Swindell: yeah, that’s right. I forgot that. Yeah. I took a car that qualified like 28th or something the night before. Mm-hmm. And didn’t touch it. Sometime you just need that little bit for everything to fall in place.

Dave Hare: Yeah. And you gotta take advantage of it.

Take advantage of it. Let’s talk about racing the posse. The fans historically get juiced when the world of outlaws come to town. Some of the drivers do likewise. And you took a lot of money home to [01:00:00] Tennessee over the years. 16 career wins at Williams Grove. They never victories at Hagerstown in the region here.

S Grove, even out Lerner, uh, where you took the Silver Cup on numerous occasions. You’ve done well up this way.

Sammy Swindell: I’ve always enjoyed coming up. It was different, you know, when I first come up here, these were tracks like I’ve never been on before. Just the guys I got to race with. Think Lynn Paxton had a good relationship for a long time, you know, and Bobby Allen, um, smokey.

Mm-hmm. Those a lot of guys we’d race and then we’d come in and they’re all come down and we’re talking, you know, it’s like you didn’t have that a lot of places, but, uh, there was just a lot of guys that was real friendly and they didn’t like me beating them. But yeah, I don’t know if they were coming down to talk to me or they coming down to just.

Check out my car.

Dave Hare: Yeah, something that you would do, you would walk through the pits. I think I read somewhere you said where, you know, some guys might go down through the pits and they might look at tires, or they might look at this particular area. You said there might be like 30 things you’re looking at.

How do you [01:01:00] take all that in just on a stroll through the pits?

Sammy Swindell: Well, you can’t always see all that every time, but. There’s things that might make a difference. You know, one thing that helped when I was running full-time or, or when I run with some of these guys, some there, there’s guys that like their cars a certain way and there’s guys that would run their cars other, you know, it’s like I just paid attention to who was going fast at that time and I figured that if I could make my car like theirs, I had a 50% chance of beating them.

It’s always seemed to work, but you know, it’s being able to race with guys a lot and they have their tendencies. One guy likes more right rear, one more guy likes more left rear. And you know, when guys jacked their cars up and stuff, you can look at it and see how it looks and it gives me an idea of which direction to go.

And so if I’m off a little bit, I’ll try to see cards. That’s the fastest, not the slowest. Yeah. Yeah. It gives me a direction to go.

Dave Hare: Yeah. 2012 King’s Royal Win. That’s your third and 13 world of outlaw [01:02:00] wins. And you’re doing all this at age 56. So the winning just continues. 2014, retirement 2015. Unre Retirement didn’t last long, huh?

No, that was just a time came back filled in for Jason Johnson, I believe for a while. Yeah. I got the

Sammy Swindell: call for the second time. I think you got a lot of calls. Didn’t I Filled in for, yeah. Yeah. A lot of, I was on the list a lot. When somebody couldn’t make it, they called me.

Dave Hare: I don’t think that’s a bad call is it?

For them? It wasn’t. I. You filled in for Jason Johnson then, uh, got behind the wheel of the Chad Clemens car, swept the Jackson Nationals, and that’s CJB number five. Following year 2016, you won the Knoxville 360 nationals with the ag and G range. 3G In doing so, became only the second driver ever to win both four 10 and 360 Knoxville nationals.

Well,

Sammy Swindell: that’s pretty good,

Dave Hare: I would think, given the list of entries. So, hey, I wanna talk about that other guy that we, that we touched on here a while back. [01:03:00] 2016 you won at Lebanon Valley in New York and what turned out to be Steve Kinzer’s final race. Is that a legit rivalry?

Sammy Swindell: If he told me he was going to quit, I probably would’ve let him win.

Really? But it’s like we’re out there and I won and he comes up and it’s like, didn’t know what he would be mad about, but then he retired. I was surprised. Yeah. There was a lot of stuff that we got along fine for a lot of things. Just every now and then it, it didn’t work out. But you know, we were able to do a lot.

The two of us being that young to be put in the spot that we were in for so long. Mm-hmm. We’re sort of two different people Really. Yeah. And there’s nothing wrong with that, but it worked out perfect for both of us really. There’s a lot of things that we did together that people never believe or understand that we did, but it was always good for both of us.

Dave Hare: I think it was two guys whose passion to win was almost equal and neither guy was backing down.

Sammy Swindell: You know, I don’t know what the percentage would be, but I think [01:04:00] we got a real good percentage that finishing races, you know, uh, people wanna look at the part, well, this happened or this happened, but, uh, we, we did tank a couple times, but we never had a radio.

We could talk to each other. So there’s a lot of times he didn’t know where I was going and I didn’t know where he was going. And we met in the middle. Fair

Dave Hare: enough.

Sammy Swindell: We ran a lot of races together. You know, if, if you go back and add all that up, it’s like, it’s probably gonna have some pretty good odds.

Yeah. That we got a lot of races that we ran together. I didn’t get to run all these outlaw deals like he did. So he had the opportunity to run more races than I did. But it’s the way it works out. But it, it was good. It was fun. I probably wouldn’t have had a book if it hadn’t been for

Dave Hare: him.

Sammy Swindell: And I hear he’s got one.

Yeah, he’s working

Dave Hare: on a book right now with Dave Aride. Lemme

Sammy Swindell: promote his,

Dave Hare: that’s very kind of you. 2017, you become the first five time winner of the I 30 Short Track Nationals. The following year, 2018, you’re now 62 years of age and you [01:05:00] embark on the A SCS National tour. You had eight wins that season.

48th consecutive year with a feature win.

Sammy Swindell: Yeah, it’s, it’s all been good. It’s just some days are better than others.

Dave Hare: Uh, let’s see here. You jumped into a car, uh, from a fellow in the upper Midwest, Brandon phone. You won an all star circuit of Champions race at I 34. You were 62. And then, dude, I gotta tell you, I love this and I’m sure anybody who was watching in home loved it.

2019, you sat on the pole for the King’s Royal at 63 years of age and they decided to interview you. Yeah. Before the race in the cockpit. And your response. I said, who is this? I didn’t see that coming. That was great. Yeah. Tell the fans about that. And for those who may not have seen that interview, what happened there?

I just got excited. It was like WWE e in the cockpit.

Sammy Swindell: Yeah. What’s the, what’s the guy’s, the wrestler’s name?

Dave Hare: Rick Flair. Yeah. Little Rick

Sammy Swindell: Flair.

Dave Hare: Yeah. Yeah. Fans loved it. Yeah. Eldora [01:06:00] fans, they went nuts. Yeah. Yeah.

Sammy Swindell: I heard ‘

Dave Hare: em and I don’t hear good. Yeah. Talk for a little bit, if you would, Sammy, about your success at the Chili Bowl.

You don’t spend a whole lot of time wheeling a midget. You’re the only five time winner. 19 89, 92, 96, 98. And again in 2009,

Sammy Swindell: you know, if we go back to, I think it’s 76, and I’m at Erie, Colorado. We’re out there running Overrates with the Bobby Davis car. That’s where they had the, they had the Rocky Mountain Midget Association and the one guy who got there, he asked me to drive his car.

I said, I’ve never seen a midget, but I’ll drive it. First night I won that, but not to take anything away, but it’s like, you know, the sprint car is like, you’re like riding a rocket and then you get in these lower class cars. It’s just like things seem so slow compared to what you’re doing, that you’ve got all this more time for me to think.

You know about what I’m doing or how I’m doing it or [01:07:00] what I need to change. I would think anybody would still say that, you know, if you get out of this card that’s like just hauling butt and you get in one that’s half as fast, it’s gotta be easy because the things come at you so fast. It’s like your brain or your computer’s like going overtime and so when you get in something else, it’s like just all goes down.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It’s, it’s different. And I can see that everything I drove away, you know, like when I got that late model early, the first night I drove it, it was terrible. There was a lot of things, I mean, you had to pump the brakes and, and a lot of times I don’t like that. I don’t like that. We gotta change this and, and then we come back and did a few other things and then like won ever race, you know?

But it’s just, once you did this, the other stuff’s easier. Okay. And it’s not to take it away from anybody that does this or that, but you know, like when we first went to Tilly bowling or, or first time I even went to Ascot, it’s like, these guys are backing [01:08:00] in the corner. It’s like, I don’t think I need to do that.

That’s helped with doing some of these other things. That’s the deal to win no matter what you get in. Yeah. Every time we figure out how to do it. But once you’ve run these super fast cars, the lower ones are a lot easier. Yeah. Everything else falls for me anyway. It’s uh, it just gives you a lot of time to think.

Dave Hare: Well your success with the Chili Bowl historically now has made you a bit of a marked man. When you go down there, people see the swindell car and they get up on the wheel.

Sammy Swindell: Yeah. I think some of it is the people we race with have got a lot younger. Maybe some of their dads push ’em on, but haven’t had very good luck there the last few years.

Going back next year. Yeah, I’m gonna do that because I’m going to at least run a race when I’m 70. There you go. It might be the only one, but love it.

I’m guessing you don’t feel 70 some days. A lot of times I feel like I’m 35 or [01:09:00] 40 with old plumbing.

Dave Hare: I feel like we’ve only scratched the surface of what Sammy’s accomplished, uh, in open wheel, dirt track stuff, but it gives you a pretty good sampling of where the guy’s been, what he’s done in the remaining time we have, I wanna run through what he was doing while he was doing all that. 1982, you passed your rookie test at Indianapolis.

I mean, uh, you’re fresh off of, uh, a couple World of Outlaws titles and you’re dipping your toes into the Indianapolis swimming pool. 1984, your first Daytona run with the Bush series in a Pontiac Ventura finished 12th. And I think, uh, your comments regarding your experience at Daytona were similar to what you experienced with the midget.

You’re wide open. You felt like everything was slow motion.

Sammy Swindell: Well, not that time, but, but then later on I went down and was asked to come down to do a test with, uh, Dick Mosos car, his cub car. After Robbie had passed, one of the older crew chiefs, you know, and he’s [01:10:00] talking to me and, uh, I come in, I took, well, the car’s doing this, it’s doing that.

And he says, how make up cars you drove down here? I said, this is the first one. He says, how do you know all that? I said, well, when I get down to the corner, I just let go of the wheel and see which way where it goes. You know, whether it goes down or goes up, and then I can tell you exactly what it’s doing because I have no influence over.

He says. You take your hands off. I said, I don’t put ’em behind my head. You just release it and let the car, because the Daytona is like, you don’t wanna scrub any speed. If you got a death grip on it, you can’t tell. But if you just relax and just track it so big, we’re still going fast, but there’s nobody else out there.

Yeah. You got time to breathe. Yeah. But it’s still really narrow when you get other guys out there. Yeah, sure. You just gotta let it flow. But I guess he wasn’t ready for that answer.

Dave Hare: I wouldn’t imagine So. [01:11:00] Following year, 1985. You went back to Daytona. Here. Sammy Swindell, the innovator comes into play, I guess the year before.

You had problems with the, what? The transmission tunnel with some heat on your leg?

Sammy Swindell: Yeah.

Dave Hare: And so what did you do to, uh, solve that problem? Uh, we just

Sammy Swindell: put the deals down to the Hold Your leg off? Yeah. An extension off the seat. The extension went all the way to the front on both sides. Who else was doing that?

Nobody. But there was a lot of guys come over there and looked at that. And they had, they had ’em shortly thereafter? Yep. Because, um, I was in a car. It was an old car. It was one of the first front steers cars and, um, it wasn’t quite right. We, but I had a buddy par helping me, so he was pretty good. He’d worked for quite a few Good guys.

And we were having a little trouble figuring out, but I mean, we got it better. But you know, I was out running along. I come up behind Dave Marcus and got within about two and a half cars behind him and going into what’s [01:12:00] used to be turned three. His starter fell off. So this stuff just goes everywhere.

You can’t miss 50 pieces of stuff going. It just shrapnel everywhere. Ran over it. Well, it blew out the right front tire, and so I’m just trying to let it go up the hill to beat off some speed. And about that time, I guess Kyle Petty was coming while he hits me in the rear corner and turned to be 90 degrees.

Into the wall. The first thing was, it was, um, you know, when it hit the wall it was pretty hard. And we had those goggles, you know, so I had You were open face helmet? Yeah, it was open face. Okay. But I had a nice pair of Scott motocross goggles. I think they hit the windshield, which is about three feet out.

It doesn’t matter which way I turned my head, it’s gonna come back.

Dave Hare: Yeah. This is gonna hurt. Right.

Sammy Swindell: But that it was like, yeah, my feet dangled around too in that, so it’s like when I ran, the next time we put those extensions in, I had a sprint car seat in there that we had to [01:13:00] insert in. Had a lot of guys coming over looking at that stuff.

But they didn’t like my aluminum steering wheel.

Dave Hare: No,

Sammy Swindell: no inspector. Throw that one out. Oh, okay. I didn’t know

Dave Hare: it wasn’t working. I didn’t know all the roles. Yeah. Yeah. That was your cup start in Atlanta, qualified 30th out of 50 plus cars that same year, 1985. You drove Cliff Bar’s. Number 11, modified for the Shafer 200.

Anybody want to guess where he qualified on the pole? 113 miles an hour.

Sammy Swindell: Never been in one before. Unbelievable. And they picked Syracuse.

Dave Hare: That’s

Sammy Swindell: their mistake. Huh? It wasn’t their mistake. I don’t think so. Then the guy that was second quick was a sprint car guy. I can’t think of his name. But anyway, he said I seen me go in that corner and didn’t lift, and so I didn’t go when he drove his.

Yeah, we were, it was kind of weird. There’s two sprint car guys on the front of the biggest modified race in the world.

Dave Hare: Yeah, exactly. 1985 Also. I think this was an eyeopener. You qualified 12th for the [01:14:00] Michigan 500 IndyCar race. That was the race where you lost the right front wheel. But I think there was a lesson here about politics of the game.

You had a teammate by the name of Fit Polty.

Sammy Swindell: Yeah, he’s South America’s biggest orange producer or family was Okay, so two time world champion. Nice enough guy, but he doesn’t like to have somebody go faster than him.

Dave Hare: You out qualified him, right? Yeah. And then you passed him in the race. Yep. And then what happened?

I got a call. Yeah. What’d the call say? I said I need to let

Sammy Swindell: him go back by. Why is that? Because he’s racing for points and I’m not, probably didn’t sit real well. No,

we come down the front stretch and I told him to go ahead.

You know what happened next?

Dave Hare: No, please tell me. [01:15:00]

Sammy Swindell: My right front tire took a guy’s windshield out in the parking lot.

Dave Hare: Oh, that happened right after that?

Sammy Swindell: Yeah.

Dave Hare: So you were going roughly how fast when the right front came off.

Sammy Swindell: Two 30 at the end of the back stretch.

Dave Hare: And the right front comes off.

Sammy Swindell: I’m sitting, I start to turn in the corner.

It’s like I’m gaining toe

Dave Hare: and it, you can see that you’re processing all this in the

Sammy Swindell: IndyCar. The front tires are right here. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. And it’s like, oh man, this is my first race. And when these things crash, they tear up people’s feet. I just figured it out and drove it to my pit stall.

Dave Hare: Never crashed.

Never

Sammy Swindell: crashed.

Dave Hare: That wasn’t the last time that happened to you? No,

Sammy Swindell: when I was back, there was 86 when it drove John Bertera’s IndyCar.

Dave Hare: Oh, I think it was 87.

Sammy Swindell: 87. Yep. Yep, that’s right. Go to Indy. And of, first I’m going down the front stretch and thing starts gaining toe again. I said, I’ve been here before.

Geez. I kind of figured out, I just slowed down a little bit and um, the wheel [01:16:00] came off. So we were trying to get the rookie deal done. You had the retest? Yeah, it was a retest. Okay. You know, since I didn’t get the race the other time. So they come there, they wrap up the bottom of the car, gotta pick it up, gotta take it, takes about 45 minutes to get the car back and they put another wheel on it and try to tighten it up a little tighter.

And then we go back out, we’re run it again, run again. And it’s like, whoa, here it. Goes again. Every time going into one, I don’t know, it must be downhill or something. So the second time that tire comes off, I jump out, leave the motor running and go gather all the parts up. Then they get over there and I sit here, just pick this up and put it on.

I’ll drive it back to the pits. It got, gets on the radio and No, no, I can’t do that. I said, here he can hold my helmet. I’m just gonna go slow. No, they won’t. They had to pick it up and do. It’s like we’re burning up a lot of time. You know, my IndyCar experience is probably had the most right front tires fall off and never crash.

Dave Hare: [01:17:00] It’s pretty amazing. Yeah, pretty amazing. What else was going on? 1985 you ran the Poco Do IndyCar race. That coincided with the Knoxville National. So you’re flying back and forth. 86 Cliff Barkum puts together a bush car. You ran 17th at Daytona, also in 86 Indie Lights, American Racing Series. You were fifth on two occasions.

And again, folks keep in mind. He’s still running sprint cars during this time and, and doing so successfully. There’s just so much going on.

Sammy Swindell: Yeah. Well we need to

Dave Hare: back up Pocono with aj.

Sammy Swindell: AJ

Dave Hare: Ford. Yeah. Talk about that.

Sammy Swindell: Yeah. Well, I had a friend, Cecil Taylor from Kansas City and he, he was at, came to a lot of races, sprint car races, stuff, but, uh, he was always with, aj did all his tires for years and he was always trying to get me in the car.

So it’s like, come down and he says, Hey, uh, AG wants to talk to you. It’s like, oh, okay. And I go down. He says, you wanna run the car? I said, sure. Just like that. Yeah. You wanna run the car? Yeah. But he says, you got a seat. And I said, I don’t run these cars. I don’t have a seat [01:18:00] that’ll fit in their, um, so what’d they do?

We just put towels or blankets, corporate blankets and stuff in there and filled it up the past tech. Well, nobody ever checked.

Dave Hare: Okay?

Sammy Swindell: He comes there and he tells me to pull the car out. We get, I get situated in there, take it out, and he says, okay, we’ll go out here, run it in this gear, go this one, then go up to this gear and warm this up, make a lap and come around.

And then when you come back around the next time, pick the throttle up there in three. We didn’t have a radio or anything, so we’ll have on the board for you. He asked his guys, gimme a timing sheet and he says like, look, uh, when you get to a two 10 average, we’re gonna put you in the qualifying line. So it was like, I made my slow lap, went around and made the lap.

When I come back around, it’s in and it’s like, well, what’s going on? They’re waving you

Dave Hare: in at this point?

Sammy Swindell: Yeah. Okay. After one lab? Yeah, I guess so. But you know, I had to come all the way around. So then I, then I had to run the threequarter lab, pull in and say, what’s wrong? Oh, you just run two 13? Okay, we’re gonna put you in the [01:19:00] qualifying line.

Well, what’s it’s like, well just stay here and, and we’ll get over there and we get, you get back in and you go out. And so I go out and make my two laps qualifying. It comes in and he says, what do you think of the car? I said, well, it’s a little tight. The front’s pushing. He said, well, my car’s not. And I said, well, look at me and look at you.

And we’re sitting on the front tires. You know right up front. Yeah. It says, oh yeah, yeah, that might make a difference. Jesus says, you’re ready for the race. So it’s like, I’ve got three laps and I start a 500 mile race. They only have one pit crew that for both teams, so they gotta run back and forth. Well, our first stop, I come in to get some fuel and they couldn’t get the nozzle.

They’re messing, and they’d send me back out. Well, they had to change it. And then I come back in and they thought it was gonna run out, but they didn’t tell me till later. I didn’t have a radio, so I had to watch for the So you’re running the whole show without a radio? Yep. And we can only do hand signals for the pit, you know, whatever.

[01:20:00] It’s like I just gotta drive the car. Whatever it is, it’s what it is. I’m just trying to stay outta trouble, go as fast as I can. And I didn’t know until after the race, but they said Goodyear was gonna make ’em stop because they’d never run a set of tires 250 miles before the halfway point that I was gonna have to put tires on.

So they had to go get another set of tires. Mounted up. Mm-hmm. And so I ran half the race on one set and half the race on another. Or the other guys are using TID sets every time they come in they put new tires on. Yeah. I talked with Rick Meers earlier. I said, well, I got three laps in. What am I gonna expect?

He said, well, the tires fall off after about 30 laps, so, so it’s like 200 laps. I’m still going on the same ones. Floyd says, well, that’s the best he’s ever had. Two cars finish in probably 30 years where he finished fourth and I finished ninth.

Dave Hare: That was an adventure. Uh, you mentioned little John John ERO in 1987, qualifying for the Indy 500 qualified four laps at 2 0 [01:21:00] 1 0.84, and got bumped about 25 minutes remaining in qualifying same year.

Ran an SCCA race at Memphis International Qualified six. You were third coming off the final corner and there was some sort of mechanical issue.

Sammy Swindell: It just

Dave Hare: turned off. Is that what it was?

Sammy Swindell: Yeah. Coasted, but it was uphill. Oh. A little bit. Uh, but that was, that was cool to drive a road race car, TransAm car, and to get in and like we practiced and, and when I stopped, the guys were, we’re in the fast five.

We’re in the fast five. And I said, what is that? We get to race for the bull fastest. Five cars. Must been all right.

Dave Hare: Yeah.

Sammy Swindell: Never been in one

Dave Hare: making it happen. 91. You ran. Uh, Dick Mosos Olds in the Daytona 590 3-year-old buddy Harold Annette from, uh, Des Moines puts together a NASCAR Bush team ran Darlington, Dover Milwaukee, and IRP 95 NASCAR Truck series with Channel lock five top fives.

Best finish a fourth at Bristol. [01:22:00] Another good outing at Bristol.

Sammy Swindell: Yeah, should have won that one. Didn’t have a very good motor, but the car was great. They hired a guy that tested a lot there, Roland Bka, and he said, we’ll be on a pole. And it’s like, okay, that’s fine with me. But we were second, but we didn’t get any practice because the oil tank was leaking.

That was when you, everybody ran the bottom. But if I could get five laps in, then the front cross member quit hitting, hitting, going in the corner. It would hit scoot up. You know about a foot? Is that tire pressure thing front? Yeah. Okay. Yeah, some of it. So we had whatever the few laps to go, well, I could just pull away when we get to the traffic.

I didn’t know any better. They all stayed on the bottom. I just go around the outside of the. The lap cars and we’d get so far ahead, but then they’d line us back up to put the guy right behind you. So going in the first corner, he just drove in there and nailed me. Mm. So I slid up. It was all cup guys ahead of me.

If I could have got through them first 2, 3, 4 laps, I was gone again because I, I was running almost wide open.

Dave Hare: If you were down on power, that would make [01:23:00] sense. You could do that. Good. Yeah. Yeah. I know we’re getting toward the end. ’cause see, I wanna wrap up with, tell you what, two things here. Another quote.

To be completely secure, you’ve got to be the one who controls the money.

Sammy Swindell: That’s what I’m talking

Dave Hare: about. You know, the IndyCar thing with the fedal

Sammy Swindell: worked pretty hard. First I started, went to Patrick’s ’cause there’s a lot of guys that worked on the sprint cards and stuff that worked there. So I, I got him to first talk to him and then let me come there and just leave my trailer and we’d come work, do some work at the shop.

Yeah. Okay. While we were up that way, team man or come by. So he, he’d let me go test sometime. Well finally we, we run into that. But it was too an odd way. Their new car coming from England from March chassis company over there. They were trying to get it flown in so they could test it. Midland, Texas and Chicago was like all froze up or the airport was closed.

So he asked me, he said, you got a shop down there? And I said, yeah. I said, I got a nice shop, big shop. And so they flew the [01:24:00] car in down there, assembled it at my shop. Mm-hmm. Their new car and let me go out. Emerson started running, ran laps in the old car to get a base deal and then he ran the new one. And then when he left, they let me drive the old one.

What happened? Well, I guess I did all right. ’cause they asked me to come to another test. I’d never been in an Indy car, never been on a road course. Never been at that place. Yep. And I was only. Four tenths off what he ran in it.

Audience: Yeah.

Sammy Swindell: And so they let me go there. We went to Phoenix and I think Poncho Carter drove the car.

I got in it the next day and went faster than him, just like it was right off Then. One world outlaw race, said Aberdeen, South Dakota. Okay. Team manager calls me up, Hey, can you come to Michigan and test Emerson’s been here for four days and uh, they had another guy, Bruno Elli or something like that. Okay.

He’d never run on an hole and the bumps and you know, can you come here and run? Said, sure. Just figure [01:25:00] out a way to get me there. Go out. The first time they said, well, Emerson did this. You can run it wide open. You can do, you know, we put more wing on it, it’ll be a little slower, you know? But then I wound up running in five laps.

What? He ran in one with a less wing. Then they started talking, what do you think? What do you think? I said, well, if I was at Eldora, I would do this, or I would change the weight this way. Or change this pressure and stuff. And even with still with more wing on it, we went, kept going faster. Yeah. So then they decided they would invite me back for the race, but I didn’t know they weren’t gonna let me win.

Dave Hare: Yeah, yeah. No fun there. Your tires have to

Sammy Swindell: stay on.

Dave Hare: Yeah. I don’t know, man. I thought about that after I read that a couple times. I’m like, that’s just amazing. Being able to bring that car back in one piece, and not only once, but a handful of times there. Yeah. Later on down the road. Well, Sammy, uh, we certainly appreciate you coming by today.

I’m really looking forward to this. I tell you what, to close things out earlier today, we dedicated to Kevin Gore Gallery, [01:26:00] gore Family’s here. There was a nice display in there dedicated to Kevin. You had an opportunity to race with Kevin. We lost him September 24th, 1999. You ended up sweeping that weekend.

I think you provided a very nice tribute to him. If I understand correctly, in Victory Lane on the, the second night of the program, if you would, a couple remembrances of Kevin Gore. Never had a problem racing with

Sammy Swindell: him. Never had any problems and we always had some good talks the few that we had. This is just a shame things

Dave Hare: happen, but sometimes things happen for a reason.

I think maybe the common ground for the two of you would be the passion and the work ethic.

Sammy Swindell: It, it seemed we were kind of the same, but I wasn’t around him a lot. Sure. To really, really knowing him that that well, but kind of a lot on the same page. Same deal, same thing. You know, we could have got along for a long time.

Dave Hare: Yeah. Well, I appreciate the thoughts. Victory lane’s that second night of the program. Did you put a special hat on that night? I think somebody said you may have dawned an amaco cap in Victory Lane. Does that sound right? Yeah. Yeah. Nice tribute. And then, uh, Sammy, I know you’ve got to get up the [01:27:00] road here soon, but you got time to sign some autographs Oh, and whatnot.

Yeah. Yeah.

Crew Chief Brad: We hope you enjoyed this journey through racing history and the personal stories that keep the spirit of motorsports alive. The Eastern Museum of Motor Racing is a premier destination for motor racing enthusiasts, showcasing a vast collection of historic racing cars, artifacts, and memorabilia. To learn more about the EMMR or to be a part of the next in-person racers round table, you can plan your visit or support the museum’s mission to preserve and celebrate the legacy of racing by heading to www dotr.org.

Follow them on social media for the latest news, upcoming events, and exclusive content. Until next time, keep the engines running and the memories alive.

Crew Chief Eric: This episode has been brought to you by Grand Touring Motorsports as part of our Motoring Podcast network. For more episodes like [01:28:00] this, tune in each week for more exciting and educational content from organizations like The Exotic Car Marketplace, the Motoring Historian, break Fix, and many others. If you’d like to support Grand Tour Motorsports and the Motoring Podcast Network, sign up for one of our many sponsorship tiers at www.patreon.com/gt motorsports.

Please note that the content, opinions and materials presented and expressed in this episode are those of its creator, and this episode has been published with their consent. If you have any inquiries about this program, please contact the creators of this episode via email or social media as mentioned in the episode.

Swindell’s career quickly expanded beyond Memphis. He raced across the country, from Mississippi to Iowa, often traveling thousands of miles in a single weekend. These experiences not only sharpened his skills but also opened doors to high-profile rides, including the Bobby Davis Electric #71 and eventually the iconic Ma Brown #44.


Rising with the Outlaws

In 1978, when Ted Johnson formed the World of Outlaws, Swindell was already primed for national competition. His partnership with Ma Brown gave him access to powerful equipment and the chance to prove himself on the biggest stages. By 1979, he was piloting the FedEx-backed car, a groundbreaking sponsorship that signaled the growing professionalism of the sport.

Perhaps one of Swindell’s most influential chapters came in 1980 with car builder Laverne Nance. Sammy didn’t just drive – he revolutionized operations. He introduced manufacturing consistency, maintenance schedules, and a business-minded approach that elevated Nance’s chassis program from 45 cars a year to over 200. That season, Swindell ran 136 nights, won 56 races, and captured the World of Outlaws championship – all without a single mechanical failure.

Swindell’s book, Sammy: 50+ Years of Winning (2023), chronicles this remarkable journey. It’s a testament to his dual identity as both a driver and a technical innovator, someone who shaped not only his own destiny but the broader motorsports landscape.

Sammy Swindell’s career is more than a list of wins – it’s a story of perseverance, ingenuity, and passion. From his Memphis roots to national championships, his journey reminds us that racing greatness comes not just from speed, but from vision and relentless dedication.


About the EMMR

The Eastern Museum of Motor Racing is a premiere destination for motor racing enthusiasts, showcasing a vast collection of historic racing cars, artifacts and memorabilia.

Each roundtable brings together voices from across the motorsports world, from grassroots heroes to seasoned veterans, as they share stories, insights, and behind-the-scenes tales that shaped their racing journeys. Whether you’re a die-hard fan of dirt tracks, drag strips, or open-wheel icons, the Racers Roundtable is your seat at the table for candid conversations and timeless memories from those who lived it.

To learn more about the EMMR, or to take part of the next in-person Racers Roundtable, you can plan your visit, or support the museum’s mission to preserve and celebrate the legacy of racing by heading to www.EMMR.org. Follow them on social media for the latest news, upcoming events, and exclusive content.

Tune in everywhere you stream, download or listen!

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Copyright Eastern Museum of Motor Racing. This episode was recorded in front of a live audience at the Eastern Museum of Motor Racing. This content in this episode has been remastered and published with the EMMRs consent; and has been reproduced as part of the Motoring Podcast Network and can be found everywhere you stream, download or listen to podcasts! 

Formula Fanatics: Looking Ahead to the Wild World of F1 in 2026

Formula 1’s 2026 season is still months away, but if you’ve listened to the Break/Fix crew over the past year, you know the speculation never stops. With new regulations, new teams, new engines, and a driver market that looks like a roulette wheel, the next era of F1 is shaping up to be one of the most unpredictable in years.

Tune in everywhere you stream, download or listen!

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The episode kicks off with a look back at Lewis Hamilton’s first season at Ferrari – a year that started with sky‑high expectations and ended with… well, a whimper.

  • Midseason, the excuses faded.
  • The interviews got shorter.
  • The relationship with Ferrari seemed frostier than a Pirelli tire in winter testing.

Even Hamilton’s final radio message of the season – a heartfelt thank‑you – was met with awkward silence from the Ferrari pit wall. Not exactly the warm Italian embrace he might’ve expected.

So the big question: Is 2026 Hamilton’s last year at Ferrari? Given the tension, the performance struggles, and the month‑to‑month‑feeling vibes, the panel isn’t convinced he’ll stick around.

Synopsis

In this episode of Formula Fanatics, a subseries of the the Drive Thru News, the hosts dive into the latest Formula 1 news and provide analyses and predictions for the 2026 season. The discussion covers a wide range of topics including the current state and future performance of top drivers like Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, and emerging rookies. They also examine upcoming changes in car designs and engine regulations, speculate on team dynamics, and humorously discuss the performance expectations for new entries like Cadillac and Audi. Furthermore, they consider the impacts of team management and sponsorships on driver performance and fate. With enthusiastic banter and in-depth analysis, the episode not only recaps the past year’s highlights but also builds anticipation for the upcoming F1 season.

Skip ahead if you must… Here’s the highlights from this episode you might be most interested in and their corresponding time stamps.

  • 00:00 Welcome to Formula Fanatics
  • 00:39 Reflecting on 2025 Predictions & Lewis Hamilton’s Season Recap
  • 02:31 Ferrari’s Future and 2026 Changes
  • 04:02 Who’s moving to IndyCar?
  • 05:05 Sponsorship and Branding in F1
  • 07:28 New Tracks and 2026 Season Updates
  • 09:04 Driver Lineup Speculations
  • 12:42 Ferrari’s Decisions and Hamilton’s Performance
  • 15:09 Predicting the 2026 Season
  • 16:21 Haas vs. Audi: A Comparative Analysis
  • 19:03 Driver Predictions and Team Strategies
  • 23:29 Closing Thoughts and Lightning Round

Transcript

Executive Producer Tania: [00:00:00] Welcome to Formula Fanatics, the high octane subseries of break Fix podcasts, drive through Motorsports News. This is your pit stop or all things formula one from breaking headlines and race recaps to insider analysis and paddock buzz. Whether you are a diehard to foso, a Red Bull loyalist, or just love the thrill of wheel to wheel racing.

We’ve got you covered with UpToDate F1 News delivered at full throttle. Strap in because the lights are out and we’re underway. This is formula fanatics.

Crew Chief Eric: All right, let’s talk 2026. Let’s do it. So let’s go back to our predictions. You’ve heard the last 11 months as we’ve ranted and raved about Formula One. So I wanna say, I wanna go back to the beginning. We battled back and forth last January about Formula One, and I made some pretty bold statements. None that I can’t [00:01:00] come back from because I think they all came true at the end of the day.

Did I or did I not say Third Race would lock in Lewis Hamilton for the rest of the year?

Crew Chief Brad: I don’t know what you said that would require me to listen to the podcast, which I don’t do, so

Executive Producer Tania: I’m sure you did, but I don’t think any of us said he was gonna win. No, but there was all this, but Louis, but

Crew Chief Eric: Louis, but Louis, but Louis.

Executive Producer Tania: Back marker. You can’t be considered a back marker to finish. Sixth. Overall, what did Ricky Bobby say? I

Crew Chief Brad: first July, my point, I

Executive Producer Tania: mean, so then there were 19 people in last place, and Lando was in first. Okay. Yes.

Crew Chief Brad: Yeah, so they, they were all tied for last.

Crew Chief Eric: So going back to Lewis for just a second, did you notice.

Like Midseason, the excuses started to peter off kind of when we settled into sucking, like there was no more the engine breaking. There was no more this, there was no more that, there was no more blah, blah, blah, blah. I did see a bunch of stuff on the internet about how oh, everybody should listen to what Lewis has to say.

Ferrari’s not listening to him, blah, blah, blah. And then you saw a bunch of social [00:02:00] media posts about how. Ferrari’s not gonna build that new F 40, you know, all this stuff. And I’m like, yeah, they were never gonna do that to begin with. I kind of wanna know what happened halfway into the later part of the season.

Did he just buckle down and say, that’s it, I, I, I got nothing else to add. Like even his interviews were really curt and short.

Crew Chief Brad: He may have gotten a call from Ferrari saying, Hey. Stop it. The car is great. Or maybe he just didn’t care anymore. He went right into full. I’m just gonna call it a paycheck. I don’t care.

Executive Producer Tania: They know the car wasn’t gonna do anymore, so what’s the point?

Crew Chief Eric: Do we think the next year’s car’s gonna be any better? At Ferrari?

Executive Producer Tania: They’re all gonna be different, so we don’t know. They’re shorter wheel based. They’re narrower. The wings are more adjustable. The MHU thing is gone. They’re what? V six. Twin turbo

Crew Chief Eric: hybrids, something or other.

I thought they were already V six twin turbos. Now. I don’t remember. They’re really small. Six cylinders, like one and a half liters or something like that. Something’s

Executive Producer Tania: changing.

Crew Chief Eric: No kidding.

Executive Producer Tania: Formula one’s 2026. Engine changes shift to a roughly [00:03:00] 50 50 combustion electric power split. Using a hundred percent sustainable fuel, significantly boost the electrical power for closer racing, eliminating the complex MGUH, whatever that means.

The motor generator unit. Well, I know what that is. Yes. Sorry, thought you said, I don’t know what that is. So who knows how the car, any of their cars are gonna be,

Crew Chief Brad: I predict Ferrari’s gonna be one and two

Executive Producer Tania: in a different racing

Crew Chief Eric: series. Lama.

Crew Chief Brad: That’s my bold prediction.

Crew Chief Eric: Yeah. Okay. I

Executive Producer Tania: have no idea. Audi one. No

Crew Chief Eric: kidding.

There is no way. No, they’re going to be terrible. Have they announced the second driver yet? Bto? No, they’re keeping it. Yeah. Holberg and Bline. Oh my God. That’s, they’re gonna be terrible. They’re, they’re terrible now.

Executive Producer Tania: Hey, you know Nico finished 11th, Gabrielle 19th.

Crew Chief Brad: Where did Anoa finish?

Crew Chief Eric: 17th? No, he finished an Indy car.

Yeah, because he’s out.

Crew Chief Brad: Eno’s gonna race in those movies with Jackie Chan. That’s where he’s gonna be.

Crew Chief Eric: Good lord. Well, he’s [00:04:00] joining Mick Schumacher over at IndyCar as well. IndyCar the place where Formula One drivers go to retire. They’re never coming back from that. There’s no way. I don’t think it’s actually confirmed

Executive Producer Tania: that he’s going to IndyCar,

Crew Chief Eric: so the way it reads is he’s going to be a reserve driver for Red Bull slash whatever they’re calling the other team this year.

What I also read was that he had a seat waiting for him in IndyCar. Yeah, I think you can be a reserve driver and still race in another series, because basically when you’re on reserve, they’re probably not gonna call you. Mm-hmm. What motors do they use in IndyCar? They’re still using, normally aspirated, or no, I’m sorry.

They’re using like turbo eights or Turbo sixes. Okay, so they do have Honda Motors.

Executive Producer Tania: Well, so the problem is possibly allegedly if he’s a reserve driver for Red Bull. He’s challenged to go to IndyCar because of the motors, because it’s not a Honda motor anymore in the Red Bull and there’s no Ford motor in IndyCar.

What’s that got to do with the [00:05:00] price of T? I don’t think he’s allowed to. I think there’s a sponsorship issue.

Crew Chief Eric: I’ve never seen Max, not in his sort of Red Bull uniform. You ever noticed that

Executive Producer Tania: they have to, they have to wear all their sponsorship stuff, like even to the point that they can’t. Be seen drinking something that isn’t, whatever their sponsorship is.

So like he has to be like seen holding a red Bull, like all of them are like that. I remember when I had the opportunity to meet Tony Stewart and run around like an idiot trying to find him branded whatever was his sponsored drink, like the bottle of water, like to get him a bottle of water, had to be Dasani because I think Pepsi was who the back sponsor was.

So it was like either you have like a cup that has nothing on it. Or you had to have something that was branded per the sponsorship. Like God forbid it was Aquafina

Crew Chief Eric: made by Coke. Yeah, the sponsorship

Executive Producer Tania: was gonna get upset.

Crew Chief Eric: So how does it work for BOTAs when he is like naked all the time and Lewis wears his own stuff?

Max is like a machine. I think he sleeps in his Red Bull uniform. Like that’s what I’m getting at. Like everybody else has their thing, right? But it’s craziness.

Executive Producer Tania: I [00:06:00] think whenever they have to do the promo stuff, though, they have to be in their sponsored gear. I mean, max really doesn’t do more than he has to.

You know what I mean? So I think that’s why we never see him in any other form, is because he wants to be left alone and just do his thing. Hmm.

Crew Chief Eric: It’s rich energy, right?

Executive Producer Tania: Maybe. No, that matters. I don’t know. I don’t freaking pay attention.

Crew Chief Eric: IndyCar, the most popular, not watched motor sport on television.

Crew Chief Brad: No, that’s rally.

Crew Chief Eric: Hey. Hey now. Hey, now don’t

Crew Chief Brad: start. Don’t start.

Crew Chief Eric: So Mick Schumacher on his way to IndyCar as well in 2026. That is interesting. Move there too. But good to see him behind the wheel of. Something,

Crew Chief Brad: not an Uber or delivery car.

Crew Chief Eric: That’s what he’s been doing in the meantime.

Crew Chief Brad: Exactly.

Crew Chief Eric: Speaking of that, you guys talked about Audi a little bit for 2026.

I mean, obviously we have Cadillac coming online. I am enjoying every social media post by BOTAs. They’re hilarious. Just some of the stuff he’s putting out there, like, do you see the goodbye to Mercedes? Thing that he did, basically the punch on is they strip him down ’cause they want all of his Mercedes logoed stuff back.

Like he’s not allowed to keep [00:07:00] it. So he ends up basically in his underwear at the end of this video and he’s like so sad. And then he like jumps in like a lake or something and it’s, it’s just. Totally bizarre, but it it was really kind of funny. It’s totally

Crew Chief Brad: bogus.

Crew Chief Eric: Yeah, exactly. But it, it was hilarious.

I’m glad to see him coming back and we’ll see how he does a Cadillac with Checko.

Crew Chief Brad: Oh, that’s right. Cadillac. Cadillac’s gonna be one and two.

Crew Chief Eric: Yeah. Okay.

Crew Chief Brad: Okay.

Crew Chief Eric: Maybe an IMSA but not, and Formula One. So we talked about changes to the cars, any new tracks. Coming? Yes to the schedule. Next year. What’s going on?

Crew Chief Brad: Maple Valley.

Crew Chief Eric: Maple Valley

Crew Chief Brad: backwards. That’s two thousands. That’s what they’re bringing back.

Crew Chief Eric: What was the one in Grand? Theres mode. That was like Apricot Hill.

Crew Chief Brad: Apricot Hill. What’s Apple? Teeny Valley.

Crew Chief Eric: What new tracks we have next year? Tanya, another one in Italy. They are bringing back. Portugal.

Crew Chief Brad: What? Oh yes. I love Portugal with that giant sweeping turn. That’s my favorite. [00:08:00] Yes. That means there’s hope.

Crew Chief Eric: Maybe we’ll get a French Grand Prix after all these years. Can we go back to Mag Core?

Like seriously, there’s some of the best races. We’re at that track. Oh, but it’s not coming till 2027. Oh, get outta here. Get outta here. Wwo. Yeah. What else is going on? Anything else changing that we know about yet other than Adrian Newie? Is gonna be team principal at

Executive Producer Tania: Aston. Well, there are rumors slurring about who sits in a corner.

Mr. Horner. Oh Lord. Perhaps there’s a

Crew Chief Eric: home for him at Alpine. I thought you were gonna say with Gunther Steiner over running motorcycles.

Crew Chief Brad: I wasn’t gonna say at Rikers

Crew Chief Eric: Alpine. Really? Rumors.

Crew Chief Brad: The rumor mill is a buzz.

Crew Chief Eric: What’s he gonna do with Kop? Pinto and whoever the other guy is. Gly? Yeah. I can never remember who drives for Alpine.

Crew Chief Brad: He’s already fired Gly once. He’s just gonna keep firing. He is gonna follow Gly around. Oh geez. Fire him throughout F1.

Crew Chief Eric: Poor [00:09:00] guy. He might quit. If Christian Horner comes back, he might just be like, I’m out. This is stupid. Other than what we talked about during the recap, do we know of any drivers that are stepping up outside of, you know, Checo and BOTAs and things like that?

Daniel Ricky Hardo? No, no, no. He’s done. That ship has sailed. Yeah. Who’s gonna be Lawson’s teammate? Guess somebody went for the money, then

Executive Producer Tania: they’re

Crew Chief Eric: gonna bring Duhan

Executive Producer Tania: back. No, they brought in a new guy. His name is Arid Linblad.

Crew Chief Brad: Is that a name?

Executive Producer Tania: Arvid Lindblad. Sorry, what country is that? He’s a British motor sports racing driver.

I

Crew Chief Eric: was thinking Scandinavia,

Executive Producer Tania: but alright. Swedish father in Ah, there it’s mother of Indian heritage.

Crew Chief Eric: Okay. All right. That’s exciting. Some more rookies. I mean, we do seem to be having a changing of the guard in 2026 except for Alonzo. Apparently that

Executive Producer Tania: was Helmut’s Helmut’s last thing that he brought him on and then that guy got sacked.[00:10:00]

Crew Chief Eric: We were talking about that in Discord, where like it’s like. Helmut’s last race at Red Bull. Next week, Helmut starts at Aston because everybody leaving Red Bull is going to Aston, right? So it’s like, what are we doing? Daddy?

Executive Producer Tania: Warbucks got a lot of money. Daddy Warbucks, he can just make it rain.

Crew Chief Eric: They’re trying to put together a winning team at Aston.

Let’s just be real about it. They’re trying to make a competitive run. Oh, of course. They don’t have the manpower. I’m just gonna say it that way. To get there from behind the steering wheel. Who do they get rid of in 2026 to get them to the podium? There’s only one option.

Executive Producer Tania: One would argue they have half the manpower because they have two time world champion Fernando Lanzo in zero time.

World champion baby stroll.

Crew Chief Eric: Does daddy Warbucks want his son to be on the podium? Of course. Is it a tax write off? He

Executive Producer Tania: can’t go away.

Crew Chief Eric: Do you get

Executive Producer Tania: rid

Crew Chief Eric: of Alonzo? Yes.

Crew Chief Brad: Yes you do. Is that Hamilton’s next stop.

Crew Chief Eric: I was wondering that. Would Hamilton go to Aston? Would he do that?

Executive Producer Tania: What are we [00:11:00] doing here? We we doing another?

We’re just gonna jump ship every year we’re doing it. Danny, Rick, constantly be on like

Crew Chief Eric: the losing team. Is he gonna lose less at Ferrari or lose less at Aston? Let’s be real.

Crew Chief Brad: Is it a losing team because it’s a losing team or is it a losing team because of who’s on the team? The, the same thing keeps happening over and over to somebody.

Then that person’s usually the problem.

Crew Chief Eric: I mean, that’s sort of what SER was alluding to last year, right? Is

Executive Producer Tania: no, but he wasn’t referring to it that it was the driver’s fault because he was saying, we’ve changed the drivers, we’ve changed the car. Yes. We, I think what he was alluding to is we haven’t changed the upper management Ferrari.

Crew Chief Eric: Oh yeah. Well that, no, that’s for sure. Is this Hamilton’s last season at Ferrari? If he stays at Ferrari and nothing happens over the winter,

Crew Chief Brad: what’s his contract say?

Crew Chief Eric: I don’t know. It says month to month. Like his cell phone plan.

Executive Producer Tania: He has a bad relationship with them.

Crew Chief Brad: Yeah, from day one started off rough.

Executive Producer Tania: They don’t like him.

I don’t know what it is because it was very. Sad. The end of the race, his radio, if you saw [00:12:00] like the transcript from his radio communication with the team where he was like, thank you so much, you know, blah, blah, blah. And then there was silence and they didn’t acknowledge him and he is like, are you guys there?

And they’re like, oh yeah. Ha ha ha. We were talking. Yes, thank you. Great season. How do you act that way to your driver? Why did they hire

Crew Chief Eric: him in the first place? I don’t know. And that’s not a slight against Louis. No, that’s a slight against Ferrari. Why did you do this? You could have kept signs or was there so much friction between signs and LeClaire that wasn’t really being exposed, that it was sort of like, pick one of us, but neither of us is staying?

I don’t think so. Then why did they need to get rid of? Who knows? Why would signs go to Williams for crying out loud? He didn’t

Executive Producer Tania: have a choice. His contract was done. Ferrari’s choice to renew it or not.

Crew Chief Eric: He didn’t have a choice. But if I’m an analyst at Ferrari and I’m looking at the numbers and I look at how Hamilton had been doing.

Up until that point, those last couple years, it wasn’t that great. He wasn’t great last year either. Why would you take [00:13:00] on somebody like that if you know your car is sorta eh, and you got signs who’s already accustomed to the car, renew his contract and he probably cost less. No, for sure. Then bringing on Lewis,

Crew Chief Brad: I think it’s delusion and ego.

I don’t think they thought their car was, nah. At least to start the year. I, I mean, not everybody goes in thinking they’ve got a good car. But I feel like Ferrari. Ferrari themselves, and they refuse to accept the fact that the car is the problem. I could believe there’s a certain level of arrogance.

That’s the word I was looking for. Arrogance.

Crew Chief Eric: Well, they are the only works team in Formula One. They are the only pure STEM stern. They provide their own motors in their own chassis. I thought that

Crew Chief Brad: Mercedes too. No, not McLaren. Mercedes. Oh, McLaren uses Mercedes. But I feel like Mercedes uses their own their own shit too.

Crew Chief Eric: But I think Mercedes, the chassis aren’t their as they’re made in England or something like that. But like the Ferraris are built by Ferrari. They are Ferrari through and through. They’re built in Martinello. They’re tested at [00:14:00] Fiorano. It doesn’t leave Italy like secret. Stay at home. You know what I mean?

I think Mercedes is a little bit more spread out. So it’s not a pure works team like Ferrari is. So Porsche’s the same way. I mean, other than the 9 63, which is a Delara underneath, but up until that point, Porsche’s a Porsche’s, a Porsche, right? I mean, it’s built by them. So Ferrari’s a similar way. They don’t wanna give up their secrets to anybody else.

I think they’re faced with the challenge of not being able to borrow, let’s say, technology from somebody else. They are sort of stuck in their ways. That presents a bigger challenge. But on the same token. I don’t understand. Their management moves to the bigger point here. And I think that is what Vassar was getting to.

You’re exactly right, Tanya. And maybe it’s a level playing field with all new cars.

Crew Chief Brad: We said that the last time they did this.

Crew Chief Eric: Yeah. And when was the last time, was it when they had the other Kimmy Reichen in? Right. It was the last time the Ferrari won. It was like 15 years ago now, or something like that.

It’s been forever. No, I,

Crew Chief Brad: I mean. The last time, like all the, the major car changes, we said it was gonna be a level [00:15:00] playing field and the usual suspects came out on top like they usually do

Crew Chief Eric: despite the spending caps, despite everything. Right. So, I don’t know.

Crew Chief Brad: Are we gonna predict?

Crew Chief Eric: Yeah, go for it. What do you wanna predict?

Crew Chief Brad: I, I’m still hanging on a Cadillac. No, I think it, I think it’s gonna be Max’s year. And if Jar. Can stick with them. Red Bull will come in first. In Construc?

Crew Chief Eric: Yes. Because Haja will score higher than Sonota did by driving normally.

Crew Chief Brad: Although I, I will say personally, I don’t see why they got rid of Perez. ’cause I thought Perez was good.

I mean, he had a couple bad races here and there. Yeah, but I think for the most part I thought he was, I thought he did well. Well that’s a good thing.

Crew Chief Eric: Cadillac has ’em, so it’d be all right.

Crew Chief Brad: Him and Bodis

Executive Producer Tania: Red Bull probably wouldn’t have. Won the constructors, but they would’ve came in second instead of third if had he had had a teammate making any points.

Crew Chief Brad: Yeah, exactly.

Executive Producer Tania: I mean, 4 69 Mercedes 4 51, red Bull. I mean, that’s 449 points that were were

Crew Chief Eric: were max. That’s [00:16:00] true. That’s very true.

Executive Producer Tania: Which is sad because he beat. Ferrari, basically by himself. Yeah, with two drivers that were consistently in the points, let’s say. There were a couple races where there were DNFs, but for the most part they both did finish in the points almost every race and Max still

Crew Chief Eric: by himself.

Crushed it. All right. I’m gonna throw one out there. Haas is gonna do better than Audi next year. Excuse me. Volkswagen. Anya

Crew Chief Brad: has a look of confusion on her face.

Crew Chief Eric: I gotta hand it to Ocon. I talked about Beerman in the retrospective and how he’s one to watch out for, but Ocon being almost 30 or just turned 30 this year.

He’s doing pretty good. He’s always sort of in the middle. He is fighting, they’re, they’re actually pretty clean racing compared to Ocon of the past where just taking people out like a missile. And the reality is, I think the Haas have gotten better, the Williamses have gotten better. There was some exciting racing happening in the middle where TV coverage just watching, you know, [00:17:00] Lando or Oscar or Max just lapping like they’re at an HPDE, there was nothing exciting really happening at the front.

There were no real battles. The real racing was happening in the middle. I feel like if Haas keeps going, and it’s been this long, arduous journey for them since the days of rich energy and whatnot, I think they’re gonna do better than Audi next year. Which breaks my heart because Volkswagen’s putting all the cards on the table to be able to afford the Audi program for next year.

But it’s just gonna be terrible. Is it going to be Audi or is it

Executive Producer Tania: going to be the drivers?

Crew Chief Eric: I would’ve driver changed already. Maybe that’ll still happen. There’s still time. That also makes me wonder, is it going to be a whole Audi production or is it gonna be Audi supplying stuff to Salur? And it’s more of the same, just like when it was Alpha Romeo, or it’s always been Salur for like the last millennia.

But if it’s a ground up Volkswagen program and they’re putting their back behind it,

Executive Producer Tania: so Audi, so according to the all knowing interwebs. They’re providing their own power unit. Are they providing their own [00:18:00] chassis? I knew they were providing their own motors. So Audi is partnering with the solver team for their 2026 Formula one entry with the Swiss teams hidden wheel facility, developing and building the actual car chassis and handling race operations.

While Audi develops the power unit in Germany, they’re effectively becoming a factory team. Chassis development is happening at the former Solver headquarters in hin Will Switzerland with significant collaboration and integration with Audi’s Power Unit development in Germany.

Crew Chief Eric: Is Haas gonna be deeper in with Toyota?

Are they ditching the Ferrari motors? Are we gonna have a Gazoo power plant in the Formula One car?

Executive Producer Tania: No, they’ll still have the Ferrari Power Unit. Ugh.

Crew Chief Eric: So we’ll have three teams with Ferrari motors out there running. Okay. It’s gonna be an interesting year.

Executive Producer Tania: I don’t know what to make predictions of. I mean, I’d love to see Audi at the top.

I’d love to see Audi at least in the upper half, if nothing else. ’cause that would be pretty impressive on a debut. Season, I don’t know that I have the confidence in the

Crew Chief Eric: drivers. See, and I think a way to prove that would be take last [00:19:00] year’s cars, the 2025 cars and switch all the drivers around. So you put the back markers in, the fast cars and the fast guys and the slow cars and see what happens if you put Hulk Inberg in Tappin’s red.

Or in Oscars McLaren, he’d still be like, 14th, max still wins, right? You put Max in in the Haas or Williams or whatever and he’s gonna be in the front. I’m telling you that’s how that plays out.

Executive Producer Tania: Uh, yeah. I don’t know. It’s gonna be interesting to see. It’ll be interesting to see. Cadillac too, right?

Everybody’s gonna be thinking they’re gonna be hot shit. Are they? I mean, at least they have seasoned drivers. So like BOTAs and Sergio will be able to drive Cadillac’s coming in with a brand new car, air quotes, brand new car, blah, blah blah. It’s whoever they’re copying and pasting with last year’s Ferrari motor modified seasoned drivers.

So I’m not worried about the drivers. And then you’ve got Audi coming in totally brand new and with like. Eh, well, with one rookie, basically, because Gabrielle’s [00:20:00] first season was this season, and he did crap. Basically, you effectively still have one rookie seat, and then Nico’s been around the block.

Crew Chief Eric: Nico’s like the longest running rookie in Formula One. He drives like a rookie. How

Executive Producer Tania: old is that guy?

Crew Chief Eric: He’s must be 37. He’s old. He looks old. 38. I, I called it, called it. Dude needs to retire. He might as well be Alonzo

Crew Chief Brad: without the the winning.

Crew Chief Eric: Other motor sports disciplines beckon, Mr. Kinberg, just saying,

Executive Producer Tania: oh, I saw something that, I don’t know if it was fake or not, but it was basically implying a potential LeMans team.

Crew Chief Eric: Oh, here we go for

Executive Producer Tania: staffing. Alonzo and Charles, what it probably was like a clickbait bullshit thing, but nonetheless, we know that Alonzo’s done Lamont before.

Crew Chief Eric: He’s already won it with Toyota,

Executive Producer Tania: and we know Max has interest in all that endurance racing stuff, and I’m sure Charles would be [00:21:00] interested too. So that would be an interesting combination.

Crew Chief Eric: I can’t really see the three of them getting along as teammates.

Executive Producer Tania: I don’t think there’s any bad blood between Max and Charles though. ’cause I think they were sort of buddies through Go-karting.

Crew Chief Eric: Notice how you left Alonzo out of this.

Executive Producer Tania: Well, I was starting with those two. Ah yeah. And then I don’t know that Max has any bad blood with Alonzo either.

’cause like who is Alonzo to him? His grandpa, his older brother.

Crew Chief Eric: It’s no, no. Alanzo. Get him outta here.

Executive Producer Tania: I mean, they’ve never really. Had to go head to head ever. And they’ve never been teammates. So there’s time.

Crew Chief Eric: There’s time

Executive Producer Tania: in theory. He’s just like, oh, it’s two time world champion Alonzo. Yeah, you were good 20 years ago,

Crew Chief Eric: back in the days of Schumacher when Schumacher was at Mercedes and he was done.

But yes, those guys at Lamont. So speaking of Franz Herman, like I am excited to see what happens in,

Executive Producer Tania: so he’s been racing, man, never stops racing as they say. Like he’s been [00:22:00] test driving a Mercedes.

Crew Chief Eric: Mercedes, like GT three. GT three. Oh yeah. He’s been doing laps. Did you see the video he did with Chris Harris?

I don’t know if it was in Austria or in Australia. We went by really fast on the Instagram reel and he’s in one of the new dark horse mustangs. Oh yeah. I watched the, the whole thing, Chris is like chatting his ear and, and Max is just driving and he is like zero personality, right? Because he just cares about the driving.

And at one point Chris Harris asked him like, what does he think about the car? And he’s like. It’s, it’s pretty good as he’s like power sliding through a turn. Completely like unfazed by what’s going on.

Executive Producer Tania: Yeah. I watched that whole thing. That’s the video and that’s the, or the interview thing where he made the comment that front wheel drive was Ah, okay.

Uncool. And then, yeah, they go out because now he has to promote and everything Ford, because Ford’s the new engine for Red Bull and they, yeah, they took the Mustang out and it actually started raining while they were doing the laps.

Crew Chief Eric: When do the cars get revealed? When do we get to see them look exactly like they [00:23:00] did last year?

Crew Chief Brad: It’s usually around February, I think. Around February. Okay. So we have to talk. They start in February,

Executive Producer Tania: isn’t Cadillac, aren’t they gonna debut? I wanna say it was gonna be during the Super Bowl is when they’re gonna reveal the Cadillac car. Makes sense. Still February.

Crew Chief Eric: Yeah, that makes sense. Well, for our very first.

Formula fanatics of the 2026 season as this is abbreviated because we don’t have a ton of news yet, but we’ll be keeping up with these as we go along, as we stay glued to our Apple TV subscription. Can’t wait for that to kick in. Let’s do this as we close out this formula fanatics episode, lightning round.

Team driver, who are you rooting for? 2026 Go. Brad

Crew Chief Brad: Cadillac Boas.

Crew Chief Eric: Tanya Audi, neither driver

Crew Chief Brad: Audi for stopping.

Crew Chief Eric: If you couldn’t tell by what I’m wearing, I’m gonna go with Ferrari, the car versus stopping the championship, that’s where my heart lies to be disappointed and broken yet again.

Executive Producer Tania: I mean, yes. I mean, I want Ferrari to win.

I wanna see Audi do really well. And that’s where it lies. And if [00:24:00] Max Fortin wins the championship, I don’t hate him as much as I used to. So same. It’s okay. Same.

Crew Chief Eric: You know what? There is hope there is somewhere. Ferrari is gonna win next year. Mark my words. Forza. 24 hours of Lama 4, 9, 9 p hitting in the world.

Four times the road. Let’s go. Ferrari. Ooh. Can they four? Pete,

Crew Chief Brad: team and driver, you’re rooting against. Oh,

Crew Chief Eric: Lando.

Crew Chief Brad: McLaren.

Crew Chief Eric: Done. Not Aston Martin. No, that’s gonna be like an episode of the Three Stooges. Like I’m just waiting. It’s like Keystone cops over there. Just, just wanna see what happens.

Crew Chief Brad: I mean, I’ve got two drivers I’m rooting against.

I’m definitely rooting for stroll to completely just f everything up just ’cause I, I don’t like Daddy Warbucks back there funding his entire fantasy that he doesn’t deserve. But also Russell, I’m rooting against Russell ’cause I think Russell is a tool bag.

Crew Chief Eric: That guy gets under my wanker skin.

Crew Chief Brad: He’s a bloody wanker.

Crew Chief Eric: And those eyelashes. Too. Oh, like snuffle up against, like they really kind of freak me out a little bit.

Crew Chief Brad: He [00:25:00] just looks like someone I wanna punch in the face. So you said driver team, driver or team, like it would, whatever. I don’t know what team I’m rooting against.

Executive Producer Tania: No, I’m saying Eric, his original question.

So you’re not rooting for Antonelli?

Crew Chief Eric: I am. I am. But I, I wanna see Max come back and win and put McLaren in their place.

Executive Producer Tania: Do we think Ferrari

Crew Chief Eric: No. Is

Executive Producer Tania: ruining. Not signing into Nelly. An Italian driver.

Crew Chief Eric: Yes.

Executive Producer Tania: In an Italian car.

Crew Chief Eric: Yes. Or an Australian with a Italian sounding name. They should have hired Piore, you know, adopted him as a, as an Italian, it would’ve been all right.

Actually. I think Piore would be a good fit at Ferrari. He’s got that sort of stoic, kind of like a Schumacher. He dries very clean. He’s very professional. He is very consistent. I could see him eventually making a transition there. If Lewis gives up his seat, because Charles ain’t gonna do it. If Charles leaves Ferrari, I think he’s gonna leave Formula one [00:26:00] period.

Executive Producer Tania: I don’t know where he would go. I mean, his dream was Ferrari and that’s where he is and it’s not panning out yet. Turn into a nightmare. That is sadly the meme about his life.

Crew Chief Eric: All right, Tanya, so as we close this out, who are you rooting against? Audi and

Executive Producer Tania: against? No, I’m not rooting against Audi. I’m not, I don’t know that I’m even this season was actively rooting against any team.

Crew Chief Brad: McLaren. You can pick a driver.

Executive Producer Tania: I don’t mind. McLaren. I would’ve loved to see Oscar win it. Yes,

Crew Chief Brad: I agree.

Crew Chief Eric: I agree.

Executive Producer Tania: So I have no problem with McLaren. Like, I don’t like Liam Lawson, so I won’t be hurt if he doesn’t do well.

Crew Chief Eric: That guy is a punk.

Executive Producer Tania: Yeah, I don’t know. The rooting against is hard. Like I don’t like George either.

’cause he is a whiny little baby.

Crew Chief Eric: Just say that you don’t want Lando to win again. Just say it.

Executive Producer Tania: Yeah. I mean, I’m okay with that. I mean, it’ll be interesting to see how he does. Like, is he a [00:27:00] one hit wonder And that was it.

Crew Chief Eric: On that other disappointment, I think we’re good.

Executive Producer Tania: The drive-through is our monthly news episode and is sponsored in part by organizations like Collector Car guide.net Project, motoring Garage Style Magazine, the Exotic Car Marketplace, and many others. If you’re interested in becoming a sponsor of the drive-thru, look no further than www.motoringpodcast.net, click about, and then advertising.

Thank you again to everyone that supports the Motoring Podcast Network. Touring Motor Sports, our podcast, break Fix and all the other services we provide.

Learn More

Formula Fanatics, the high-octane sub-series of Break/Fix Podcast’s Drive Thru Motorsports News! This is your pit stop for all things Formula 1 — from breaking headlines and race recaps to insider analysis and paddock buzz. Whether you’re a die-hard tifoso, a Red Bull loyalist, or just love the thrill of wheel-to-wheel racing, we’ve got you covered with up-to-date F1 news delivered at full throttle. Strap in, because the lights are out and we’re underway — this is Formula Fanatics!

2026 Regulations: A Reset or a Repeat?

The new rules promise:

  • Shorter wheelbases
  • Narrower chassis
  • More adjustable aero
  • A 50/50 combustion – electric power split
  • 100% sustainable fuel
  • The elimination of the MGU‑H

In theory, this should level the playing field. In practice? Historically, the “usual suspects” (ie: McLaren, Redbull and Ferrari) still rise to the top. Will 2026 be different? The crew is skeptical.


Two major manufacturers have entered the chat…

Audi (via Sauber)

  • New 100% Audi power unit
  • Sauber-built chassis in Switzerland
  • Drivers: Nico Hülkenberg & Gabriel Bortoleto
  • Predictions: “Terrible. – Worse than Haas. – Volkswagen is going to cry.”

The consensus? Audi’s debut season is going to be rough – especially with one rookie and one veteran who’s been mocked as “the longest-running rookie in F1.”

Cadillac (with Ferrari power)

  • Drivers: Sergio Pérez & Valtteri Bottas
  • Expectations: Surprisingly optimistic
  • The vibe: “Cadillac P1 and P2!” says Brad (…okay, maybe in IMSA.)

At least Cadillac has two seasoned drivers. Audi… not so much.


Silly Season Shenanigans: Who Goes Where?

The driver market is a circus heading into 2026:

  • Mick Schumacher (who left F1 a long time ago, but is worth mentioning here) is likely heading to IndyCar, and will probably never return to F1.
  • Liam Lawson gets a seat as the primary at Racing Bulls, but remains polarizing
  • Arvid Lindblad joins the grid as a promising rookie as the number two driver at Racing Bulls
  • Fernando Alonso refuses to age or retire
  • Rumors swirl about Christian Horner possibly landing at Alpine
  • Kimi Antonelli becomes the hottest young talent Ferrari didn’t sign!

And then there’s the Aston Martin situation… Aston wants to be a championship contender. They’ve hired what feels like half the Red Bull paddock. They’ve spent a fortune. They’ve built a new facility. But there’s one problem: Lance Stroll is not leaving.

So who gets pushed out in 2026?

  • The crew agrees: Fernando Alonso is the likely sacrifice.
  • The spicy take: Could Hamilton could end up at Aston next?

Imagine that storyline!

Even with a struggling teammate, Max nearly single‑handedly beat Ferrari in the Constructors’ standings in 2025. The panel expects 2026 to be another Verstappen‑dominated season – especially with a stronger second driver in Isack Hadjar.

The prediction: Red Bull takes the 2026 Constructors’ Championship.


Midfield Madness: Haas, Williams, and the Real Racing

While the front of the grid in 2025 was often a Verstappen, Norris or Piastri solo act, the midfield delivered the real entertainment, and carries us into ’26 with the notions that:

  • Haas has improved
  • Ocon rediscovered consistency; still aggressive but more importantly, less crashy.
  • Williams improved thanks to Carlos Sainz, and ever scored a podium in ’25.
  • The battles were cleaner, tighter, and more dramatic

One bold prediction: Haas will outperform Audi in 2026. Given the driver lineups, that’s not as wild as it sounds.


Buckle Up for 2026

Between new teams, new engines, new rookies, and new drama, the 2026 Formula 1 season is shaping up to be a glorious mess – the kind of chaos that makes F1 irresistible. Here’s who we’re rooting for (and Against) – subject to change without notice 😉

  • Cadillac & Bottas
  • Audi (the brand, not the drivers)
  • Ferrari (always, painfully)
  • Max Verstappen (even the haters are softening)

Rooting Against:

  • Lando Norris (is he a “One-hit wonder?”)
  • George Russell (so much to complain about, none of it good.)
  • Lance Stroll (“Daddy-funded chaos incoming.”)
  • Liam Lawson (“#punk.”)

Ferrari fans will hope. Red Bull fans will expect. Audi fans will pray. And everyone else will tune in to see what breaks first. Bring on 2026!


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Motoring Podcast Network

Driving to the Future: Racing, Reflection, and the Meaning of Life

Formula One has always been more than a sport. It is a crucible of speed, risk, and human willpower. Yet in Driving to the Future, Dr. Mario Felice Tecce reframes racing as something larger: a meditation on existence itself. Through his voice – equal parts scientist, philosopher, and motorsport devotee – we are invited to see the track not only as asphalt but as metaphor, a place where choices, courage, and meaning converge.

Mario begins with the “last turn” – that decisive curve where instinct takes over and clarity emerges. He recalls Gilles Villeneuve, commanding an unstable car with sheer defiance, teaching that driving is not about control but surrender. For Mario, the last turn is both literal and symbolic: a reminder that life’s defining moments are rarely about speed, but about understanding what truly matters.

Tune in everywhere you stream, download or listen!

Listen on Apple
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Listen on Spotify

From Jackie Stewart’s virtuous drive at Monza in 1973 to Ayrton Senna’s transcendent lap in the rain at Donington in 1993, Mario sees racing not as conflict but collaboration. Competition, he reminds us, comes from the Latin cum petere – to seek together. Rivals are not enemies but fellow seekers, pushing one another toward excellence. Each lap becomes a shared search for truth.

Mario’s reflections stretch across decades of motorsport history. He recalls Giacomelli’s missed chance to showcase Italy’s dream at Monza in 1979, Senna’s tragic death at Imola in 1994, and Jacques Villeneuve’s surreal pole position in 1997 – three drivers setting identical lap times down to the thousandth of a second. For Mario, these moments are not coincidences but symbols of justice, redemption, and the pursuit of meaning even when outcomes defy effort.

Spotlight

Dr. Tecce received his M.D. and PhD. at the University of Naples, Italy, and is currently full profession of biochemistry at University of Salerno. Besides his molecular research about cancer mechanisms, he explored race car driving as a major reference paradigm of pursuing the best and of free will exercise.

Synopsis

This audio adaptation of Dr. Mario Felice Tecce’s book of the same title, narrated by Crew Chief Eric from the Motoring Podcast Network and Revel Arroway from you’re listening to radio revel, covers profound reflections on life, death, and choices through the lens of Formula One racing. Mario, a narrator with decades of experience in motorsports and science, uses his story to explore metaphors of driving for understanding existence. Highlighting legendary racers and pivotal moments, Mario discusses themes of free will, virtue, hope, and love. He juxtaposes motorsport experiences with reflections on biology, theology, and metaphysics, illustrating the philosophical and emotional depth of racing. Mario’s reflections extend to deeper questions about the meaning of life, the role of virtues, and the nature of immortality. The book weaves personal experiences, historical races, and philosophical inquiries into a narrative that honors the pursuit of excellence and the eternal race we all run.

Highlights

Skip ahead if you must… Here’s the highlights from this episode you might be most interested in and their corresponding time stamps.

  • 00:00 Introduction to “Driving to the Future”
  • 00:29 Prelude
  • 02:20 Scene 1: The Last Turn
  • 05:08 Scene 2: Three Turns
  • 09:49 Scene 3: More Turns
  • 17:24 Scene 4: The Dream Turn, The Real Turn.
  • 21:11 Scene 5: Beyond the Last Turn, Faith & Hope.
  • 27:22 Scene 6: Turning to a Wonderful Smile and Seeing Love.
  • 32:30 Scene 7: Turning, Driving, Choosing… Free Will.
  • 36:46 Scene 8: Turning by Fundamental Virtues
  • 40:39 Scene 9: Turning Around… Molecular Energy for Life.
  • 45:50 Scene 10: The Last Turn. The Infinite.
  • 49:59 Prologue
  • 50:53 Outro & Learn More!

Transcript

Crew Chief Eric: [00:00:00] Driving to the future Living Life following Formula One. Racing by Dr. Mario Felice Tecce.

Adapted for audio and read by crew Chief Eric from the Motoring Podcast Network and Revel Arroway from your listening to Radio Revel

driving to the future.

This is not just a story about racing. It’s a meditation on life, death, and the choices we make in between. Told through the voice of Mario, a reflective narrator shaped by decades of motorsports, science and personal experience. Driving to the future invites us into a journey that begins on the track, but reaches far beyond it.

Across the 11 chapters of his [00:01:00] book, Mario explores the metaphor of driving as a lens for understanding existence. He revisits legendary races and iconic drivers like Jills v nv, ton Sena, and Jackie Stewart. Not to dryly recite statistics, but to eliminate character, courage and conviction. Each turn on the circuit becomes a philosophical pivot toward memory, excellence, loss, and redemption.

The narrative weaves together the experience Mario has with Motorsports history, his career as a molecular biologist, and his thoughts on theology and metaphysic. Mario draws parallels between the roar of the racetrack and the silence of the biologically microscopic. Between the sometimes depth defying risks of overtaking at Monaco and those risks involved in Loving Deeply, Mario reflects on free will, virtue, hope, and the Infinite always returning to the central question, what does it mean to live well?

Mario’s story is a tribute to those who take the steering wheel in their hands, not only on the asphalt, but in the driving [00:02:00] of their own lives. It honors the racers who have never lifted, the thinkers, who have never stopped asking, and the loved ones who smiles carried us through the toughest turns. It’s a story of motion, meaning, and the eternal race wheel run.

Now let’s let Mario take the wheel.

Scene one, the last turn.

Revel Arroway: I always keep the last turn in mind, not just on the track, but in. It is the place where everything slows down, where instinct takes over, and where you understand what really matters. I’ve taken many turns in my life, some fast, some reckless, some cautious, but the last turn is different. It’s not about speed, [00:03:00] it’s about clarity.

I think of Jesus, he never slowed down, not even in the last turn. He believed in pushing beyond limits, even when the car protested, even when the world said no, that was jz. Pure defiant, beautiful. I’m watching JZ drive at Z. The car is twitching, unstable, but holds it together with sheer will. He isn’t driving the car, he’s commanding it.

And in that moment I understood. Driving isn’t about control, it’s about surrender.

Crew Chief Eric: When Mario speaks of Gils Vnu, one can almost hear a certain reverence. Not just admiration, but a connection, a shared understanding between drivers who see the world through the lens of velocity and risk. Mario doesn’t romanticize his vivid memories. He doesn’t [00:04:00] glorify danger either. He respects it. He knows what it takes to face the last turn and what it costs him to never back down.

Revel Arroway: I’ve lost friends to that last turn. I’ve seen helmets, fly engines explode, silence fall, and yet we keep driving. Not because we are fearless, but because we are faithful. Faithful to the road, to the machine, to the dream

Crew Chief Eric: for Mario. The last turn is both a metaphor and a reality. It’s the curve that tests everything you are, and when you emerge from it, if you emerge, you’re changed.

Revel Arroway: I don’t race anymore, not like I used to, but every time I get behind the wheel, I feel it. That pull, that whisper, that question. Are you ready? And I answer not with words, but [00:05:00] with motion.

Crew Chief Eric: Scene two three turns.

Revel Arroway: I remember Jackie Stewart at Monsa in 1973. The parabolic turn so fast, so unforgiving. Jackie’s, Tyrell dances through it with precision, like the car is stitched through the asphalt. He wasn’t just driving, he was fox trotting. Every movement had intent. Every choice mattered. He started fourth that day, but a puncture forced him into the pits.

In those days, pit stops were rare, almost a guaranteed loss for your race. But Jackie came back from last place. He surged forward overtaking with Grace in Fury, [00:06:00] finishing fourth and cleansing his third world championship. That drive wasn’t just fast, it was virtuous. It became the pursuit of excellence.

Crew Chief Eric: Mario sees Jackie Stewart’s performance not just as a technical feat, but as a moral one for him, it’s a demonstration of fortitude, patience, and purpose. It’s a reminder that greatness isn’t always about winning. It’s about how you respond when the odds turn against you.

Revel Arroway: A few weeks later, Stewart retired.

His teammate Francois er, had died in a crash er, had been waiting for his moment in the spotlight, helping Jackie learning, growing. But fate intervened like Gil’s never got the chance to demonstrate what he could become. And 1973 marked the beginning of the global oil crisis. Suddenly [00:07:00] driving was discouraged, fuel was rationed.

Sundays in Italy became car free. It felt like the world was turning against everything. I loved. Some even called for motor sports to be banned, to save fuel, to set an example. But the point of motor sports was being missed. Racing isn’t about waste, it’s about striving. It’s about doing the best you can together.

Crew Chief Eric: Mario’s defense of motorsport is philosophical. He sees competition not as conflict, but as collaboration. The Latin roots of competition combine cum with Petra to seek together as in to aim higher, not against each other, but with each other.

Revel Arroway: Sena always understood that he was collaborating with his rivals on the track.

So did Jesus. So did Jackie. They weren’t fighting one another. They were searching together, searching for the edge, for the truth, for [00:08:00] the best version of themselves. For example, I think of Gilles in Argentina in 1981. His Ferrari is over steering, drifting off the racing line, but Gils holds the car, controls it, pushes it.

That in movement is etched in my mind, his car dancing on the limit. I didn’t see recklessness. I saw mastery. I’ve always believed that excellence isn’t just about results, it’s about commitment, about doing your best, even when the odds are stacked against you. I remember watching Sena take his first lap in the rain at Dunnington in 1993.

He’d started fourth. Yet, by the end of that lap, he is leading. It was like watching a miracle unfold before my eyes. He wasn’t just faster, he was transcendent. Now, I don’t worship drivers or teams, so you’d be hard pressed to call me a teso, [00:09:00] but that lap moved me. It was pure. It was beautiful. It was the kind of moment that reminds you of why you care.

Crew Chief Eric: Mario’s reflections are not just about motorsport, they’re about life. His memories are tactile. You can feel the tires skidding, the engine roaring the tension in the air. But beneath this detail, you can almost sense a deeper question being mold upon. What does it mean to live well? To do good, to be good.

That comes down to choices and the pursuit of something greater than victory. It is in the rain,

Revel Arroway: in the chaos, in the silence after the race that I find meaning

Crew Chief Eric: scene three more turns.

Revel Arroway: It is 1979, the Italian Grand [00:10:00] Prix, Bruno Ali’s Alpha Romeo, is flying through the parabolas that’s sweeping final curves, so respected at Monsa. The movement is fast, aggressive, beautiful. For several laps. Gia Lee has been faster inching closer. He’s closing in on Nikki Lau’s. Braum ready to overtake. And then just as the past seems inevitable, GIA Melli loses control and spins off the track.

This was heartbreaking, not just for the race, but for the all Italian dream that it represented. Gia Elli, an Italian driver piloting the Alpha Romero, an Italian car powered by an Italian engine, engineered by an Italian, built at an Italian factory, and it is this Italian dream all converging into.

Beautiful reality at Monsa, the temple of Italian Motorsport, that moment was [00:11:00] more than a missed overtake, more than an embarrassing retirement from the race after only 28 laps, it was a missed opportunity to show the world what Italy could do.

Crew Chief Eric: Mario’s disappointment wasn’t just technical, it was cultural.

Giacomo’s Alpha Rome was a symbol of national pride and its failure felt personal. But even in defeat, Mario saw value. The potential was there. The dream was real.

Revel Arroway: The 1979 Grand Prix was won by two Ferraris. Jodi Schechter took the championship, Gilles V following team orders had hung back, did not take his chance to win.

Gilles was loyal, he was patient, but that chance to win would not come again. Formula One and the world have changed so much since those days. In racing, the championship was mostly European and Italy had a much stronger industrial political role in the [00:12:00] world. That role was given a new reinforcement with the visit of the Pope Pope John Paul II visited the Ferrari factory in 1988, just months before Enso Ferrari died.

The Pope stepped outta a stately protocol and asked for a ride in a Ferrari around Theran North Circuit. John Paul II demonstrated an understanding of the spirit of the place. That moment of faith meeting engineering was unforgettable.

Crew Chief Eric: Mario’s memories stretch across decades, but they’re not just snapshots like the race cars.

He’s loved watching. The memories are living moments in movement. He revisits races that didn’t just shape motorsports, but helped shaped his own sense of possibility, pride and disappointment. Italian dreams, global shifts and personal reflections converge in the turns of Monza EZ and Monaco.

Revel Arroway: Senna’s death [00:13:00] in 1994 still haunts me.

He was trying so hard, pushing so much, he deserved better. Then a tiny piece of suspension pierces his helmet. Had that final crash, had mola not occurred, Sena would’ve won in 94, 95, 96. Maybe even 97, but sometimes effort doesn’t match the outcome. That’s life that’s racing. It is 1997 and Jacques Vi Gil’s son clocks an excellent lap time that earns him his position on pole at the European Grand Prix in Jez.

Then the unbelievable occurred. Two other drivers set the exact same lap time identical down to the thousandth of a second. A third driver did the [00:14:00] same. What seemed a coincidence? Felt surreal. Having set time. First Jacques kept pole and the next day he won the championship. It felt like divine justice for Jacques’s father, Gilles, for Sena, for all the good, their untimely deaths had denied them and the world.

Crew Chief Eric: Mario doesn’t believe in coincidence. He believes in meaning that race with its impossible symmetry and the poetic justice of the outcome. The Grand Prix of EZ was more than a sporting event. It became a moment of redemption. He sees justice in both results and in effort, and also in commitment. The willingness to do good even when the world doesn’t seem to reward it.

Revel Arroway: Louis Hamilton is winning at Monaco and. 2008 in the rain. The track is changing constantly, but Hamilton keeps getting faster. His yellow helmet drifting through the Grand Hotel, hairpin Hamilton’s [00:15:00] command of the car and the track brought back memories of Sena in 89. Same track, same brilliance. Hamilton was going to accomplish a lot that day.

I saw it clearly. Driving is more than a movement. It’s a way to feel your potential to go fast as marvelous. But not because of the speed, rather because of what it reveals. Your instincts, your courage, your control. I started with motorcycles, a 50 cc Vespa, then in 1 25 CC Gera later cars. I love the sound, the throttle response, the feeling of acceleration.

Oh, I never liked diesel. Too dull, too slow. I wanted to be a racing driver, but of course, life took me elsewhere. I studied, I taught, I worked at a university. Still the desire for speed and its marvels never

Crew Chief Eric: left me. [00:16:00] Mario’s admiration isn’t blind. It’s earned. He sees greatness not in fame, but in moments, in choices.

In turns well taken. Mario’s journey isn’t one of regret. It’s one of reflection. Though he didn’t become a racer, he became a thinker, a storyteller, and a seeker. Mario sees excellence everywhere in skiing and racing and in life. January

Revel Arroway: 18th, 1975. The slalom ski champion Gusta Thony races downhill at swell.

No one expected thony to do well in that downhill, but he did. He committed, he excelled even as only three thousandths of a second separated him from the winner. France Clammer. That performance helped Thony win the Alpine Ski World Cup. That’s what I admire. Not just the result, but the [00:17:00] effort. TH’s downhill run reminded me of Formula One, high speed precision.

Risk and the pursuit of something greater to live well. To do Good. That’s the turn I keep chasing.

Crew Chief Eric: Scene four, the dream turn, the real turn.

Revel Arroway: Scott Stoddard is driving fast, too fast. He’s closing in on his teammate who doesn’t want to be passed. Monaco is unforgiving and overtaking there is nearly impossible, but Scott tries anyway, coming out of the tunnel, driving into the chica, the teammates collide. The crash is violent. Flames erupt. Scott is seriously injured, [00:18:00] but he didn’t give up.

He came back, he raced again. Scott Stoddard demonstrates the ambition, the pain, the determination, even though they are on the screen, they are real. They represent the reflection of the spirit of drivers like Lorenzo Badini, who died in a similar crash at Monaco just a year after the film was released.

Crew Chief Eric: The story of Stoddard portrayed by Brian Bedford in the movie Grand Prix resonates to Mario because it captures something he believes to be essential, the willingness to risk everything for excellence, not out of recklessness, but out of purpose. And he finds himself exploring the emotional truths revealed through the fictional characters in the movie as they mirror real life drivers, their risks and their choices.

Revel Arroway: Stadard in the film wasn’t being reckless. His was commitment. He knew the risks and he accepted them. That’s what racing [00:19:00] was. In those days. The cars were dangerous, the tracks were unforgiving, but the drivers weren’t suicidal. They were seekers. Today, the risks are lower. Technology has made the sports safer, but that essence remains the pursuit, the drive, the dream.

Crew Chief Eric: Mario can draw parallels between the fictional stoddard and the real driver. Nikki Lauda, who returned to racing after a near fatal crash, Lau’s comeback at Monza in 1976 was legendary. His decision to stop racing in Japan later that year was controversial, but deeply human. Lauda was always in my

Revel Arroway: thoughts.

I followed his career closely. I read his interviews, I watched his races. I felt like I knew him even though we never met. When he died, it felt personal, like losing a friend. He was buried with his original Ferrari racing suit. That gesture said everything. I remember loudest words when he left Ferrari in [00:20:00] 1977.

He wondered to himself where he and Ferrari would be in two years. Ironically, Ferrari won the championship exactly two years later. 21 years would pass before Ferrari would see their next win. And in the middle of those 21 years was 1982, the year in which Geo’s Vinu

Crew Chief Eric: should have won. Mario’s connection to Nikki Lauda is emblematic of how fans experience motorsport, not just as entertainment, but as a relationship.

Through media, memory and emotion, drivers become part of our lives. His reflections are layered with irony, insight, and longing, and he sees the sport not just as a series of races, but as a tapestry of choices, consequences, and character. We

Revel Arroway: follow drivers, we admire them, we learn from them, and sometimes we feel like we know them, but the truth is we only know [00:21:00] fragments.

Still. Those fragments matter. They shape us.

Crew Chief Eric: Scene five, beyond the last turn, faith and hope.

Revel Arroway: I am running late for a meeting, driving at about a hundred kilometers per hour, reasonable for a moderately crowded road in ideal conditions, but this time I am pushing the limit. It’s raining and visibility is poor. I’m just coming out of that tight curve when I see the two lanes of stopped cars, barely 50 meters ahead.

The road is slick. Breaking hard, seems impossible. I downshift from fourth to third, the engine roaring. The gears resisting. I jerk the steering wheel and the car begins to drift. Somehow the rear wheels swung around, helped to break the speed. Then [00:22:00] miraculously the car straightens and slips through the narrow gap between the two lanes of cars.

Once I stopped, I saw I had only had a minor bump, just a broken mirror. I was alive, unhurt, but shaken in those few seconds as I managed my auto into that unlikely safe stop. I saw death. I found myself revisiting my life, my youth, my studies, my marriage, my children, my work, like the refrain of a favorite song.

My thoughts began focusing on three questions. Had I lived well, had I done good, was I afraid to die?

Crew Chief Eric: A moment of crisis, a tight turn, a blocked road, and the looming possibility of death. Yet he doesn’t dwell on the fear, jumping at the chance the experience gives him. He [00:23:00] reflects on life mortality and the search for meaning. His questions are universal. They echo through philosophy, religion, and science.

What is life? What is death and what does it mean to live well?

Revel Arroway: Here is an image that taunts me. Eton Sena on the grid at Ola helmet off. Eyes closed moments before what will be his final race. Sena looks troubled. Of course. He was troubled that crash just yesterday that had taken Roland Rut, Berger’s life during the second qualifying session.

Today, Sena had packed an Austrian flight to unfurl after the race in Roland’s honor. And yet, perhaps the trouble behind his brow is something anchored more profoundly in his soul. He closes his eyes, his expression softens. He is ready not just to race, but to [00:24:00] face whatever the race might bring. Only seven laps later.

He would be gone. I’ve watched that footage many times. It forces me to confront the question. So many of us avoid asking ourselves, what is death? Why do we fear it, and how do we live knowing it’s always near.

Crew Chief Eric: Not one to shy away from the hard questions. Mario confronts them with logic, science and faith.

His background in medical biochemistry gives him a unique lens, one that blends molecular precision with metaphysical inquiry.

Revel Arroway: Professionally, I am a medical biochemist. I’ve studied the chemistry of life, the textbook definition that defines life as reproduction, growth, substance exchange, adaptation. Yet these definitions falls short.

Life is more than molecules. [00:25:00] We are all familiar with the never ending debate on the origin of life. Evolution versus creation. Evolution explains how life changes. But does it explain how life began? Oh, yes. Amino acids could form in early earth conditions, but that primitive formation we know about doesn’t explain the how of existence itself.

How does a hydrogen atom exist? How does anything exist? Aristotle spoke of the premium move-ins, the unmoved mover. St. Thomas Aquinas echoed this, everything that moves is moved by something else. And this concept leads to the need of a first cause. A creator,

Crew Chief Eric: Mario’s logic inevitably leads him to faith, not as superstition, but has reason.

If existence has a [00:26:00] cause, then that cause must be beyond matter. And if that beyond matter cause is a creator, then death is not the end. These are not abstract reflections. They’re grounded in experience, in moments of fear, in memories of loved ones, in the quiet realization that life is finite, but meaning is infinite.

Faith gives us hope,

Revel Arroway: real hope, not wishful thinking, but certainty. Certainty that something good will happen, that life continues beyond death. The Sermon on the Mount says,

Voice of the Spirits: blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth.

Revel Arroway: These words are not just poetry. They are promises. We all live with expectations. We say we hope for a better life, but true [00:27:00] hope is not statistical. It’s not about chances. It’s about truth. If we are immortal, then hope is real. And if we were created out of love, then death is not a failure. It’s a transition.

Crew Chief Eric: Scene six, turning to a wonderful smile and seeing love.

Revel Arroway: It is July, 2019. I’m at Goodwood in the uk. Jackie Stewart has returned to the circuit in a blue car, the mantra. He drove to his first championship 50 years earlier in 1969. He will be followed by two Terrell’s, both driven by his sons, Paul and Mark. Jackie stops before loading himself into the mantra and looks back to an elderly [00:28:00] woman who has accompanied him sitting in her wheelchair.

This was Helen, his wife, and as she smiles towards him, he approaches and hands her the flower he’d secretly brought with him. Just for her that tableau stayed with me. It wasn’t just a nostalgic moment between an old married couple. It was love, a love that had endured decades, victories, losses, and illness.

A love that had grown

Crew Chief Eric: deeper with time. Mario sees in Jackie and Helen Stewart, something timeless, not just a racing legacy, but a human one. A relationship built on care, respect, and shared experience, it reminds him of his own journey. Love isn’t defined by sentiment alone, and for Mario, it’s a metaphysical reality and unselfish force that transcends biology, logic, and even time.

March, 2011.

Revel Arroway: Spring is in the [00:29:00] air. I am not in the mood for spring, though I’m in the ICU after having suffered a heart attack. Myocardial infarction is what my doctor notes in my chart. I know exactly what is happening. My medical training makes it impossible to ignore. A stent has been placed, the damage has been contained, but just as in the moments after slipping between two rows of stopped cars on a rainy highway.

I find myself shaken as I lay in that hospital bed. I look to my left and see Lisa, my wife, standing there in a surgical gown as she notices me glancing at her, she smiles. And in that moment, that shaken feeling melts away. That smile my wife offered me went beyond comforting. It was transcendent, embedded in the upturn corners of her lips, the lines that bracketed her mouth, the fanned out [00:30:00] wrinkles around her eyes.

I could visualize our past, our present, our future. It was love, real love, the kind that doesn’t fade, the kind that reveals something

Crew Chief Eric: eternal. Mario’s reflections turn inward. The racetrack fades and in its place emerges something quieter, more intimate, A smile, a memory, a moment of grace. Love for Mario is not just an emotion, it’s a metaphysical truth, A force that binds individuals across time, space, and spirit.

Love is not just

Revel Arroway: attraction or affection. It’s a gift, an unconditional donation. It’s not about preserving oneself or one’s species. It’s about giving even when it costs you. St. Paul said

Voice of the Spirits: Love is patient. Love is kind. It is not jealous. It is not pompous. It bears all things, [00:31:00] believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails.

Revel Arroway: Like the words of the Sermon on the Mount, these lines are not simply poetic. They contain description of self, something real, something that exists beyond physical matter.

Crew Chief Eric: Mario’s Reflections on Love are grounded in experience, in smiles, in memories, in the quiet moments that reveal eternity.

Mario sees love as proof of the metaphysical. If love exists and it does, then so must the soul. So must the creator. Ergo so must meaning. Each person

Revel Arroway: has a unique molecular identity. Our genes, our environment, our experiences, they shape us. But love goes further. It connects us not just horizontally with others, but vertically with our origin.

Love is a [00:32:00] three dimensional relationship. It is the bridge between individuality and universality between the finite and the infinite. Lisa’s smile in that ICU wasn’t just beautiful. It was a revelation. It reminded me that love is real, that life has meaning, that we are not alone.

Crew Chief Eric: Scene seven, turning, driving. Choosing free will.

Revel Arroway: I remember Alto a good driver. More importantly, a good man when asked at Monaco in 1982 about the risks of racing, he didn’t romanticize them. He simply said his wrists were no greater than those faced by the Carre, the Italian police who confront danger every [00:33:00] day. That humility stayed with me, though.

While Barreto’s career was brilliant, he was never fully rewarded. He did nearly win the championship with Ferrari in 1985, but technical failures cost him dearly. Then in April, 2001, Reto is testing, uh, LA Man’s prototype. He’s 44 years old, no longer in Formula One, but still racing, still chasing excellence until a mechanical failure sends him into a wall.

He died instantly.

Crew Chief Eric: Mario sees Al Barreto’s life as a testament to quiet integrity. Not every great driver wins championships. Not every good person is recognized, but the choices they make, the risk that they accept, reveal something profound. Mario, of course, must confront the concept of free will, and not as an abstract philosophy, but as a lived experience through the lives and choices of drivers [00:34:00] like Michaela ato, Nico Rossberg, and Lewis Hamilton.

He explores how decision making under pressure reveals character, courage, and conviction. Commitment is the

Revel Arroway: only part of success that deserves reward, talent, luck and resources matter, but only commitment comes from choice. Nico Roseberg has to pass Max Verta to win the championship at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2016.

Overtaking the Dutch Belgium driver will be risky. Verta is a hard one to pass yet Roseberg does not hesitate. He drives inside. He goes wide. He nearly collides but makes it, and with that move wins the title. He then retired from racing. That decision shocked everyone, but I think he actually decided during the race, perhaps at the moment when he realized how close he came to losing everything he had achieved his goal.

That was enough. [00:35:00] Louis Hamilton is pushing it hard on the soaked track at Austin, Texas in that final practice in 2015. Everyone else is being cautious, but Hamilton is having none of that. He dances on the edge, sets the fastest lap, beats them all by nearly a second. Hamilton didn’t need to take that risk.

The championship wasn’t at stake, but he chose to compete, chose to excel. Hamilton exercised free will. Free will allows us to choose to be good, to do

Crew Chief Eric: good. Mario believes that knowing when to stop is as important as knowing when to push on. Free will is not just about action. It’s about discernment. He also sees driving as a metaphor for moral agency.

Every turn is a choice. Every lap is a test. To drive well is to choose. Well.

Voice of the Spirits: St.

Crew Chief Eric: Paul said.

Voice of the Spirits: Do you not know that the runners in these stadium [00:36:00] all run in the race, but only one wins the prize run so as to win.

Crew Chief Eric: Mario’s Reflections on free will are grounded in experience in racing, in medicine, and in teaching.

He sees choice not as a burden, but as a gift, and driving for him remains one of the purest expressions of that gift.

Revel Arroway: With the coming of autonomous self-driving cars, drivers, and driving may soon become obsolete, but the act of choosing of steering one’s life that will never disappear, we will always drive, even if not with wheels, then with will.

Crew Chief Eric: Scene eight. Turning by fundamental virtues.

Revel Arroway: Sebastian Betel is driving for Toro Rossi, a team [00:37:00] no one expected to win. We at Monsa, the year is 2008. Viel takes the poll possession and wins the race. Despite the rain, despite the treacherous conditions of the track, Batel drove with precision, courage and grace. He didn’t just win. He revealed something deeper.

The power of virtue that weekend reminded me of Donnington in 1993 when Sena won in the same kind of dangerous, rainy, wet conditions with an inferior car. But Patel’s wind was different. Toroso wasn’t just under powered. It was underestimated. And yet he prevailed.

Crew Chief Eric: Mario has shifted gears on us, literally and metaphorically.

He explores how the fundamental virtues that guide human behavior also apply to motorsport. Racing for him is not just about speed or skill, it’s about character, about choosing well under pressure, about living with purpose. [00:38:00] Mario uses vet’s performance as a reflection of the cardinal virtues. Not just talent, but prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance.

Each playing a role in the dance between driver and machine.

Revel Arroway: Prudence is the charioteer of the virtues. It guides decisions at Monsa, the BOL turn demands it. You must break just enough. Not too early, not too late. You must accelerate with care. Knowing that the exit speed determines your lap time prudence is in caution.

It’s wisdom. Justice comes next on the main street at 340 kilometers per hour. You’re not alone. You’re surrounded by others, each with their own goals. Justice means respecting their space, their rights, their dignity, even in competition. Fairness matters. Fortitude is tested in the first chicane. You break from top speed to [00:39:00] a crawl.

It’s violent, it’s risky, but you must commit, you must endure. Fortitude is not bravado, it’s resolve. Temperance arrives at a sca. The temptation to overdrive is strong, but excess leads to error. Temperance, moderates desire, it balances ambition

Crew Chief Eric: with control. Mario’s reflections are not just technical, they’re moral.

He sees racing as a crucible for character, a place where virtues are tested, revealed, and refined. Mario’s view of racing is expansive. It’s not just about cars or circuits. It’s about humanity, about the pursuit of excellence, about the choices we make and the virtues we embody. Motor

Revel Arroway: sport is a relationship horizontal between drivers, vertical, between man and meaning.

It’s not just about winning, it’s about striving, about [00:40:00] doing good, about being good. The Theological Virtues, faith, hope, and Love guide our goals. The Cardinal Virtues, prudence, justice, fortitude, and Temperance guide our actions. I’ve seen many drivers win, but the ones I admire most are those who drive with virtue, who compete not just to beat others, but to better themselves.

That’s the real race and it never ends.

Crew Chief Eric: Scene nine, turning around molecular energy for life.

Revel Arroway: It is a beautiful engine, not the one you hear roaring down a straight way, but the one that hums silently inside every living cell. The A [00:41:00] TP syntheses an exquisite molecular machine that rotates like a turbine driven by a stream of protons. This motor assembles the energy currency of life. Without the energy this motor creates, we wouldn’t move, think, or breathe.

Its structure is perfect. It’s function precise, and yet it’s invisible to the naked eye measured in nanometers, a billionth of a meter. Some call it proof of intelligent design. I don’t, I see it as evidence of something deeper. The mystery of existence itself.

Crew Chief Eric: Mario often uses this molecular level rotary cell motor as a pole position from which he may present a more fundamental question. How does anything exist at all? Not how it functions, but how it came to be. He easily draws [00:42:00] striking parallels between the natural elegance of this motor and the roar of the engine in a Formula One car.

For Mario, science and spirit are not opposites. They’re intertwined. While we can

Revel Arroway: explain transformations, how molecules combine, how energy flows, explaining existence continues to escape our abilities. Aristotle doesn’t clear the concept for us with his unmoved mover. Neither did Saint Thomas Aquina suggesting an instigator of all movement, and that’s where my faith begins.

Not in complexity, but in origin. I admire the invisible organic engine working silently deep within the mitochondria in the same way I admire a Ferrari V 12 roaring with compression under the brightly painted hood. Both are engines, motors that convert energy into motion.

Crew Chief Eric: Both

Revel Arroway: are beautiful.

Crew Chief Eric: Mario’s [00:43:00] scientific training gives him clarity, and Mario’s reflections are not dogmatic.

They’re deductive. He sees science as a tool for understanding, not a weapon for argument, but his philosophical curiosity gives him depth. It’s not just a molecule, it’s a metaphor. He sees the molecular world, not just as a system, but as a story. That being a story of creation, purpose, and possibility.

We’ve come a long

Revel Arroway: way. We’ve mapped genomes, build molecular models, synthesized lives, building blocks. We’ve disproved the old idea of V Vitalis, the vital force. But in doing so, we’ve risked throwing out our humility with the bath water. Not being able to locate a soul in a cell doesn’t prove it, isn’t there?

Not physically. But

Crew Chief Eric: metaphysically Mario’s reflections of molecular biology lead him back to the human condition, to fear, to hope to the [00:44:00] COVID-19 pandemic. It’s March,

Revel Arroway: 2020. I am confined in my hometown of Naples. Confined like so many others here, like so many others across the globe. The streets are empty, the sun is shining, but the city is quiet.

People are quietly confined with their worst fear. Not of the virus, but of death, mystery, the unknown. These paralyze us despite our knowledge, our technology, our progress. That mystery stops us in our tracks. Of course, we searched for answers. Naturally, we clung to statistics, to headlines, to hope. But real hope doesn’t come from probability.

It comes from truth. Truth requires education, not just information, but formation. The ability to think, to discern,

Crew Chief Eric: to choose. Mario sees the [00:45:00] pandemic as both a medical and philosophical crisis. COVID-19 exposed our fragility, our ignorance, our need for meaning. And so his reflections returned to the drivers.

He admires not just for their speed, but for their choices. For example, Gunnar Nielsen, who died of cancer at age 30, founded a research foundation that still supports oncology today. Ni didn’t just

Revel Arroway: race, he gave. He chose to do good even as he was dying. That’s what it means to live well, to drive well, to turn well.

We are driven by energy, by love, by hope, and even when the track is silent, the race continues.

Crew Chief Eric: Scene 10, the last turn, the infinite.

Revel Arroway: Pete [00:46:00] Aaron stands alone on the Manza circuit. The grandstand are empty. The track is still littered with the debris from the race. The day before he had won the championship, but Sati had died. Stadard had suffered. Aaron walks slowly, silently asking himself, did I deserve this? Did they deserve more? That final scene from Grand Prix with James Gardner portraying Peter Darin always stayed with me.

It wasn’t about victory, it was about reflection, about the weight of consequence, about the mystery of fate.

Crew Chief Eric: Air in silence holds a universal truth. Our lives are shaped by both our choices and by circumstances beyond our control. We must keep walking, driving, and choosing, and therefore Mario considers this truth to show a beginning [00:47:00] rather than an ending. A leading transition from the physical to the metaphysical, from the racetrack to eternity through the lens of motorsport.

He explores death, not as defeat, but as a doorway to the infinite

Revel Arroway: cena’s final lap at Ola Jill’s final qualifying run. It’s older. Both were chasing excellent. Both were betrayed by circumstance, and yet both lived with purpose, with passion, with love. Their deaths were not the end. They were transitions.

Their lives did not end with the body. They continue in memory, in meaning in the infinite. I believe we are immortal, not metaphorically. Literally, our souls do not die. Our choices matter. Our love endures. I imagine Sena and Jills still [00:48:00] driving, not on Ola or Z, but on a track beyond time, a circuit of light, a race without end.

I see them side by side. Their cars glowing, their hamlet’s bright,

Crew Chief Eric: their spirit’s free. Eternity is more than an abstraction. It’s also a destination, a place where justice is restored, where love is fulfilled. Where hope is realized. Mario’s reflections transcend motorsport. He sees in every turn a metaphor, in every race, a parable in every driver, a seeker of truth.

Revel Arroway: I remember the words of St. Paul.

Voice of the Spirits: I have competed well. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.

Revel Arroway: That’s what I want, not just to drive fast. Mm-hmm. Not just to [00:49:00] win, but to live well, to do good, to finish the race. With faith, I’m getting older. My body is slowing, but my spirit is accelerating. I am ready for the next turn, the eternal turn, and I know I won’t be alone.

My final turn will not be a farewell. It’s a promise, a commitment to keep driving through memory, through meaning through the infinite.[00:50:00]

Crew Chief Eric: We are all drivers, some of us with engines, others with ideas, with love and with hope, but all of us face turns moments that test our courage, our character, and our commitment. And in those terms, we discover who we are. Mario’s journey reminds us that life is not measured in laps or trophies, but in choices and in the way we treat others, but also the way we respond to loss, on the way we keep driving.

Even when the road disappears, the track may change, the car may age, but the spirit, that being the will to strive to love and to believe remains so as we approach our final turns, may we do so with grace. With memory, with faith, and may we find beyond that last curve, not an end, but a beginning to something infinite because the race never truly ends.

It just changes lanes. We hope you enjoyed this audio adaptation of Dr. Mario TE’s book, driving to [00:51:00] the Future, living Life Following Formula One Racing. The part of the narrator was performed by Crew Chief Eric from the Motoring Podcast Network. And the voice of Mario was provided by Revel Arroway. From your listening to Radio Revel, driving Through the future is a deeply personal and philosophical journey told through the lens of Motorsport.

Across its chapters, Mario reflects on excellence and purpose through the lives of drivers like Gils, VV Ton Sena, and Jackie Stewart. Mario explores the pursuit of greatness, not for fame, but for meaning. Racing becomes a metaphor for striving towards one’s best self. He also covers memory and reflection because the past is not romanticized, but revisited with clarity.

Mario honors moments of triumph and tragedy using them to ask deeper questions about justice, legacy, and the fragility of life. He also talks about virtue and free will racing demands, prudence, fortitude, justice, and temperance. Mario sees these virtues not just as overtakes and pit stops, but the moral choices drivers make on and off the track.

He leans into love and [00:52:00] relationship from Jackie and Helen Stewart’s enduring bond to his wife. Lisa’s smile while in the ICU Love is portrayed as a metaphysical truth, an unselfish force that transcends biology and time. With his background, he also leans into science as well as faith. Mario Bridges, molecular biology and metaphysics, drawing parallels between a TP Synthes and Ferrari engines.

He sees in both the fingerprints of design, mystery, and divine origin, and finally, he touches on morality and hope. Death is not feared, but contemplated. Mario believes in the soul’s immortality and in the continuation of meaning beyond the body and the eternal race. We all run. If you wanna learn more about Dr.

TE’s original book, you can pick it up today by searching, driving to the future, living life. Following Formula One Racing. Pick up a hardcover copy for 1399, a paperback for $5 and 30 cents, or on Kindle all through amazon.com.[00:53:00]

We hope you enjoyed another awesome episode [00:54:00] of Break Fix Podcast, brought to you by Grand Tour Motorsports. If you’d like to be a guest on the show or get involved, be sure to follow us on all social media platforms at Grand Touring Motorsports. And if you’d like to learn more about the content of this episode, be sure to check out the follow on article@gtmotorsports.org.

We remain a commercial free and no annual fees organization through our sponsors, but also through the generous support of our fans, families, and friends through Patreon. For as little as $2 and 50 cents a month, you can get access to more behind the scenes action, additional pit stop, minisodes and other VIP goodies, as well as keeping our team of creators.

Fed on their strict diet of fig Newton’s, Gumby bears, and monster. So consider signing up for Patreon today at www.patreon.com/gt motorsports. And remember, without you, none of this would be [00:55:00] possible.

Learn More

If you wanna learn more about Dr. Mario Tecce’s original book, you can pick it up today by searching: Driving to the Future, Living life following Formula One Racing. Pick up a hardcover copy for $13.99, a paperback for $5.30, or free on Kindle all through Amazon.com.

The narrative shifts from the roar of engines to the silence of mortality. Mario recounts a near-death experience on a rainy highway and his time in the ICU after a heart attack. These crises force him to confront universal questions: Have I lived well? Have I done good? Am I afraid to die? His scientific background in molecular biology blends with theology, leading him to see faith not as superstition but as reason – a belief that death is not an end but a transition.


Beyond the Track: Faith and Mortality

Perhaps the most poignant passages are not about racing at all, but about love. Mario recalls Jackie Stewart handing a flower to his wife Helen at Goodwood, and his own wife Lisa smiling at him in the ICU. For him, love is not sentiment but metaphysical truth – a force that proves the existence of the soul, the Creator, and meaning itself. Love, like racing, is commitment, risk, and transcendence.

Mario closes by reflecting on free will and the virtues revealed through racing. From Nico Rosberg’s daring pass in Abu Dhabi to Sebastian Vettel’s improbable win at Monza in 2008, he sees prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance alive on the track. Racing becomes a crucible for character, a place where choices matter more than results. Even in an age of autonomous cars, Mario insists, the act of choosing – the steering of one’s life – will never disappear.

Driving to the Future is not just a book about motorsport. It is a meditation on life, death, faith, and love, told through the lens of racing history. Dr. Mario Tecce invites us to see every lap, every turn, as a metaphor for existence itself. To drive well is to live well. To commit is to find meaning. And to love is to prove that eternity is real.

Guest Co-Host: Revel Arroway

In case you missed it... be sure to check out the Break/Fix episode with our co-host.
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