Hemmings Hot Rod BBQ Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Pastrana's Family Huckster at the Goodwood Festival of Speed Jul 12, 2022

Show notes

Subaru Rally Team USA's head honcho Bill Stokes gives the inside story of how Travis Pastrana's "Family Huckster" Subaru GL with active aero came to be and why it made an appearance at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed (where it placed 5th overall). Bill Stokes has a cool job. In fact, as the Motorsports Manager for Subaru of America, he may have one of the slickest gigs in the automotive industry. A few weeks ago, both Bill, and Ryan Douthit (our guest co-host on this episode), attended the 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speed and on this episode of the Hemmings Hot Rod BBQ podcast we talk to both about their experience.

We also learn what it was like to turn a 1983 Subaru GL wagon into an 860-hp, 5th place overall finisher, with Travis Pastrana behind the wheel. And Ryan talks about what it was like to capture media. This was a fun episode that we all hope you'll love!

Alex Manos of the Beverly Hills Car Club on the Hemmings Hot Rod BBQ Podcast Jul 05, 2022

Show notes

Many of us have been lusting after automobiles since we were children. It's starts with the toys. Things like Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars. But then we get older, make a little money, and that thirst for bigger, better, and faster grows. Navigating those automotive waters however can be tricky though, especially when it comes to classics and collectibles.

Thankfully for us, folks like Alex Manos, owner of the Beverly Hills Car Club, have been helping people obtain their dream cars for a very long time. Based in Los Angeles, California, their 135,000 square foot facility houses vehicles of all makes and models and is completely open to the public. On this episode of the Hemmings Hot Rod BBQ Podcast, Alex sits down with us and tells us how he got into the business of finding some of the nicest, and at times, rarest vehicles on the planet.

What Does the Future Hold for the Independent Mechanic? Jun 28, 2022

Show notes

Remember when you could open the hood and understand what was happening in a vehicle's engine bay? Back then, even those with mild technical abilities and a set of tools could tackle about 65% of automotive jobs. Nowadays, that's simply not the case. Over the last three decades automotive technology has advanced to a level whereby most home, and in some cases, independent technicians, can no longer work on vehicles as the cost of diagnostic technology required to fix them has become exorbitantly expensive.

On this episode of the Hemmings Hot Rod BBQ, Mike Musto sits down with Hemmings own Terry McGean and Mike Austin to discuss what the future holds for the backyard mechanic, neighborhood parts stores, as well as those privately owned shops that are becoming harder and hard to find. This was a great discussion that will make you think, and its one that we hope you'll enjoy.

Mark Trostle, Head of Ram Truck and Mopar Exterior Design for Stellantis, on the Hot Rod BBQ Podcast Jun 21, 2022

Show notes

For the last 30-years, Mark Trostle, the Head of Ram Truck and Mopar Exterior Design for Stellantis, hasn't really worked. Sure, he's gone to the office and made some decisions, and hell, he's even designed a few things (you know, like cars and trucks), but for the most part, he's a man who simply adores his job. As an automotive and industrial designer Mark sees things in ways that us mere mortals can't comprehend. For starters, he thinks in three-dimensions, visualizing how a product looks, and then creating them for use in the real world.

Me? I have a hard time drawing stick figures.

On this episode of the Hemmings Hot Rod BBQ podcast, Mark walks us through the process of combining passion and style with everyday usability and function. We also discuss a few of our favorite automotive designs, along with never forgetting how important the consumer is in the entire design process.

Prepping for the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb with Kevin Wesley of Wesley Motorsports Jun 14, 2022

Show notes

Later this month, on June 26th, 2022, competitors from all over the world will come together in Colorado Springs, CO for the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. This, America's second oldest auto race, has been running for over 100 years, encompassing a course that's 12.42-miles in length, with 156 turns, and that takes competitors to an altitude of 14,115-feet. This is not an event for the faint of heart or for those with a weak constitution for risk, but instead, the hill climb pits some of the best drivers and vehicles on the planet against eachother to see who can reach the peak the quickest.

As a competitor since 2016, Kevin Wesley of Wesley Motorsports is no stranger to running Pikes Peak, which is why he's back as a guest on this weeks Hemmings Hot Rod BBQ podcast. Our conversation takes us back to his first time running the event in a Dodge Viper ACR, all the way up until today, where he and his team are in the final stages of prepping a 900-horsepower Dodge Charger Hellcat Redeye widebody for his run to the summit. *Photo Credit: MotoringResearch.com

Eddie Alterman, Chief Brand Officer for Hearst Autos | Hemmings Hot Rod BBQ Podcast Jun 07, 2022

Show notes

Hi. It's Mike Musto, your host, and I'm here to tell you that this episode of the Hemmings Hot Rod BBQ was a hell of a lot of fun. It all started with Hemmings own Mike Austin (and this episode's co-host) suggesting that we bring on Eddie Alterman, the Chief Brand Officer for Hearst Autos. As an accomplished journalist, Eddie's words on everything from new cars to vintage Porsches have helped us understand what's going on in the crazy four-wheeled world that we live in, and as an automotive O.G., his wisdom on car culture helps us to understand where the future of transportation may be headed. What's even better is that this is just a great conversation between three cars guys who touch on everything from how they got their starts in this industry, to how the automotive landscape is so rapidly changing. I hope you enjoy this one, because I know we did…

Cheers - Mike

Bradley Brownell, Crawford Auto and Aviation Museum May 31, 2022

Show notes

Opened in 1943, and housing over 170 antique automobiles, motorcycles, and aircraft the Crawford Auto and Aviation Museum in Cleveland, Ohio was one of the first of its kind in the United States. Its exhibitions are some of the most well curated in the country as preservation, not restoration, is the museums' main goal.

Bradley Brownell, the co-founder of Radwood, a specialty car show that celebrates those vehicles from the 1980s and 1990s, is an automotive and motorcycle journalist, and has been recently appointed Director of the Crawford Auto and Aviation Museum. On this episode of the Hemmings Hot Rod BBQ Podcast, we sit down with Brad to talk history, as well as what he has instore for the future of the Crawford.

Ben McCloy of Jack Dick Customs on the Hemmings Hot Rod BBQ Podcast. May 24, 2022

Show notes

He built an art deco car hauler out of a firetruck that was shown at the Quail Lodge during Pebble Beach week. A hot rod woody out of a bullet-riddled Hudson that was pulled from a field, and a rolling pizza oven complete with a swing-out BBQ for a restaurant owner. Ben McCloy, the owner of Jack Dick Customs in Martinez, California isn't your everyday wrench, nor in fact, is he like any builder we've ever seen.

A mechanic and craftsman, McCloy's brain doesn't seem to work inside the realm of normal thought when it comes to vehicles. Instead, that dome atop his shoulders seems to produce some of the coolest vehicular ideas we've seen to date. On this episode of the Hemmings Hot Rod BBQ podcast, Ben sits down with us to discuss where his inspiration comes from, how he feels about new technology, and how videogames have influenced the next generation to get into hot rodding.

Hemmings talks 1980s and 1990s on the Hot Rod BBQ Podcast May 16, 2022

Show notes

You can't call yourself an automobile enthusiast if you don't respect the cars from the 1980s and 1990s. From the fox body Mustang and F-body Camaro to the transaxle and M-cars from Porsche and BMW, these two decades bestowed on us some of the greatest cars to ever roll-on tarmac. This week on the Hemmings Hot Rod BBQ podcast host Mike Musto, along with Hemmings' Terry McGean and Mike Austin, discuss how the 1980s got us out of the smog laden and dismal performance vehicles of the late 70s, and then how the 1990s combined style, power, and technology, in ways never before seen in modern automobiles. We also talk about the current pony car market and identify vehicles from these two decades that we believe may become collectible.

Gotham Dream Cars, Rob Ferretti on the Hemmings Hot Rod BBQ Podcast May 10, 2022

Show notes

For well over a decade Rob Ferretti has been entertaining fans with his automotive antics. From his cross-country rally runs and project car challenges on his 800k strong Super Speeders YouTube channel, to informing and educating the world on what it's like to run Gotham Dream Cars, a premier exotic car rental agency, Rob has a way of completely cutting through the B.S. as it pertains to automotive culture.

This week Rob sits down with Hemmings Hot Rod BBQ host Mike Musto to touch on how he got started as an online personality, and then ultimately what it's really like when it comes to placing the public behind the wheel of some of the most exotic cars on the planet. We also dive into how the economics of the business work, the clientele, and then finally, what happens when things go south behind the wheel.

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