Carstories by The Petersen Automotive Museum

Latest Episodes:

The Urban Outlaw & Porsche Collector | Magnus Walker Mar 01, 2023

Show notes

Celebrating the 10th anniversary of “Urban Outlaw,” the award-winning documentary, Petersen Automotive Museum's executive director, Terry Kargas sits down with Magnus Walker to talk about his exhibit at the museum.

Magnus Walker is one of the world’s most well-known Porsche builders and collectors. He found fame with his popular clothing brand, Serious, prior to building a career in real estate, cars and filmmaking. His Petersen exhibit included 10 cars and a series of objects personally selected by Walker. Highlights included his iconic red, white, and blue Porsche “277,” his Porsche 993 Art Car, his co-designed Nike SB dunks, and other art and automotive items curated by Walker himself.

President & CEO of Justice Brothers | Broadcaster | Photographer | Ed Justice Jr Feb 26, 2023

Show notes

Ed Justice Jr. of the legendary Justice Brothers joins Chris and A.J. to talk about his family's rich history in automotive racing. Known for being behind vehicles involved in almost every kind of racing venue, from mid-west dirt tracks to the Indianapolis 500, Daytona 500 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the company has developed a reputation for being true supporters of motorsports for more than seven decades. The colorful Justice Brothers logo has adorned some of the most famous racecars to ever hit the track. But it wasn’t always that way. It was their mother that encouraged their curiosity with the then growing world of the automobile. The young Justice Brothers quickly got involved in cars and mechanics. This was in rural Kansas in the 1930′s and hot rodding had yet to catch on nationwide. Still, the brothers got ahold of an old Whippet automobile and proceeded to strip it down, removing the fenders and doing some elementary modifications. They even sent away to Floyd Clymer Publications for mail order plans on how to build a midget race car at home. After a near collision with the mayor of the town, their dreams were put on hold. Instead they were persuaded to open a bicycle rental and repair shop. All of this helped to hone their mechanical skills.

Justice Brothers supported drivers and teams won the first NASCAR race on Daytona Beach, the first 500-mile NASCAR race; the Southern 500, the first NASCAR road race, the first victory by a foreign car in NASCAR and the first NASCAR championship. The winning by Justice Brothers supported teams in NASCAR continues to this day. The company, the Justice Brothers themselves and Ed Justice, Jr. were recently honored to be inducted into the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame.

Collector, President & CEO for Galpin Motors Inc. | Beau Boeckmann | Legacy Episode Feb 23, 2023

Show notes

Beau Boeckmann is the President and COO of Galpin Ford. He was a consulting producer on Pimp My Ride and is the driving force on Discovery Channel’s Car Kings.

Fastest Woman on Four Wheels, TV Personality & Metal Fabricator | Jessi Combs | Legacy Episode Feb 21, 2023

Show notes

Jessi Combs had more than one job description to her name! She was most famous as a television show host and was equally well-known as a metal fabricator. She was also a popular brand representative. Jessi rose to fame as a co-host of the popular television show ‘Xtreme 4x4’ which she hosted from 2005 to 2008. Together with Ian Johnson, she co-anchored more than 90 episodes. Other popular television shows featuring her include ‘All Girls Garage’, ‘Mythbusters’, ‘1001 Car Things to do Before You Die’, and ‘How to Build...Everything’. Jessi is a brand representative of several companies like Bosch, Dodge, Nissan, Mobil 1, XX Chromes All Women’s Bike, and Lincoln Electric among many others. Her expertise as a metal fabricator was well known. After acquiring a degree in Custom Automotive Fabrication from WyoTech, she participated in Las Vegas SEMA show. She owned a fabrication shop in California. Jessi Combs first love was fast cars. She was a trained racer as well and excelled in performance racing, stunt driving, evasive driving, and drifting. In 2013, she set a world record as the fastest woman on 4-wheels, reaching a speed of 440 mph.

Robert E. Petersen Assistant & President of the Margie and Robert E. Petersen Foundation | GiGi Carleton | Legacy Episode Feb 16, 2023

Show notes

GiGi Carlton was Robert E. Petersen's right hand woman and President of the Margie and Robert E. Petersen Foundation . She joins A.J. on the CarStories.com podcast to talk about her life by Mr. and Mrs. Petersen's side, growing up around cars in Hollywood and how her involved with the 1984 Summer Olympics is one of her greatest accomplishments.

World Champion Motorcycle Road Racer & Motorsports Hall of Famer | Wayne Rainey Feb 14, 2023

Show notes

Born in Southern California, Wayne Rainey started his dirt racing career in 1977, when clinched the AMA Superbike Championship (Kawasaki) in 1983 after a fierce battle with Kenny Roberts and Freddie Spencer. Rainey was introduced to GP racing by Roberts who had only recently retired at the time, and began competing full-time in World GP from the 1984 season (250cc). Rainey then returned to the AMA Superbike and won the series again in 1987 (on a Honda). He then got a regular seat in the GP500 with Team Roberts.

Over the next three years Rainey worked at refining his racing technique with amazing level headedness and a great fighting spirit. A "Rainey Pattern," where he would take the lead and stay ahead all the way to the finish, was established after some intense battles with Suzuki's Kevin Schwantz, who had been Rainey's former rival in his AMA years. From 1990 through 1992 he was able to match with Roberts' achievement by winning three consecutive championships in the 500cc class. However, a sudden accident in 1993 with his fourth victory in sight ended his racing career. Thankfully, Rainey's passion for racing did not end there, and he returned as the team manager the following year. This team consisted of Tetsuya Harada, Kenny Roberts Jr. and Norifumi Abe. Wayne was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999.

Co-Founder of Bring-A-Trailer | Randy Nonnenberg | Legacy Episode Feb 09, 2023

Show notes

Randy Nonnenberg is the Co-founder and President of Bring a Trailer, an online auction marketplace for collectible vehicles and more. He is from Northern California and worked in engineering and production at Audi and BMW for 10 years before taking the leap and working at Bring a Trailer full time starting in 2010. He got the car bug from his dad while living in Stuttgart, Germany at a very early age. BaT, as we regulars call it, brings automotive enthusiasts a daily dose of automobiles that are available for sale from around the world

Legendary Television Producer of America's Funniest Home Videos & MacGyver | Vin Di Bona Feb 07, 2023

Show notes

Vin Di Bona is the chief executive officer of Vin Di Bona Productions and chairman of his new enterprise, FishBowl Worldwide Media.

A four-time Emmy award-winning producer and eight-time Emmy nominee, Di Bona is the recipient of the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award for his work in documentary programming. However, it is as a pioneer in comedic reality television for which Di Bona is recognized worldwide. As the creator of America’s Funniest Home Videos (AFV), Di Bona has the distinction of executive producing the longest-running primetime entertainment show on ABC. AFV is seen in 33 countries.

During his forty-two year career in television, Di Bona’s diversified experience in producing and directing includes television movies, broadcast and cable series, network specials, music award shows, and variety programming. In 1981 Di Bona became the producer of a new, fledgling show called Entertainment Tonight, which like AFV,is still on the air. Following that success, he was supervising producer and second unit director on MacGyver. Di Bona was truly honored when asked to produce Papal Spacebridge ’87, which documented Pope John Paul II’s visit to the United States and his two-way satellite discussions with young adults across the country.

As a testament to Di Bona’s contribution to the television community, he received a “Star” on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2007. Two years later AFV became part of history when the Smithsonian Institution selected the show for inclusion in their permanent entertainment collections. The camcorder used to shoot the first winning video is on display in the lobby of the National Museum of American History.

Pikes Peak Winner, Photographer & Cinematographer | Jeff Zwart | Legacy Episode Feb 02, 2023

Show notes

Jeff Zwart is a commercial film director, racer, photographer, cameraman, and author. He’s shot commercials for Porsche, BMW, Cadillac, GM, Hyundai, Ford, and many others. He’s collaborated with David Bull Publishing on many automotive books. He has driven in numerous races and rallies including 7 championships at Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, the Panama-Alaska Rally, the Baja 1000, and the TransSyberia Rally.

American Car Restorer, Star of the Chasing Classic Cars | Wayne Carini | Legacy Episode Jan 31, 2023

Show notes

With a lifetime of experience in automobile restoration under his belt, master car restorer Wayne Carini has a resume that includes body and paint work on rare car collections owned by the likes of David Letterman, tennis great Ivan Lendl and the DuPont family. He's been featured in the New York Times as well as numerous automobile magazines, and starred in two one-hour television specials.

Now, Chasing Classic Cars gives viewers a true insider's look into Wayne's inner circle as he embarks on his personal mission to uncover the world's most rare and exotic cars. Filmed entirely in high definition, Chasing Classic Cars welcomes you into the elite club of car restorers and collectors as Wayne buys, restores and sells vintage rides, and the owners of the most exclusive and secret garages open up their doors only to Wayne.

Wayne's passion for cars started when he was a child, working alongside his father on such classics as Duesenbergs, Lincolns, Packards and Ford Model As. Then, at just 9 years of age, he experienced a life altering event: he went for a ride in his first Ferrari, a 1960 Rosso Chiaro 250 SWB to be exact.

Wayne has been the owner and operator of three companies in Portland, Conn.: F40 Motorsports , Continental Auto Ltd. and Carini Carozzeria.

F40 Motorsports buys and sells vintage and classic automobiles. Continental Auto Ltd. is a collision shop specializing in high-end and exotic automobile repair. Carini Carozzeria is the restoration shop where Wayne spends most of his time. And while Wayne loves restoring cars to perfection, his personal preference is for unrestored, original cars. Often shown in the elite "preservation class" at concourses nationwide, these increasingly rare cars are the focus of Wayne's private collection.

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