Horsepower Heritage

If you happen to drive through the village of Grafton,  Wisconsin on a sunny day,  you might catch a glimpse of a sinister Dodge Charger or some other classic MoPar beast. That's where SPEEDKORE builds modern muscle with classic looks. Take a closer look  and you'll notice plenty of carbon fiber, massive brakes and lots of bespoke details. Tom Porter  of SPEEDKORE explains it all in this...

This one's from the vault- but updated and re-recorded with new details! The new film "FERRARI" looks at Enzo Ferrari in the middle of his life, when the company he built was only ten years old. But the story of his final days is worth a new look. Enzo Ferrari built his machines to race and win- and they became the world's most renowned sports cars, coveted by the rich and famo...

Over twenty years ago,  director Michael Mann began to think about bringing the story of Enzo Ferrari to the silver screen. It's probably the most anticipated film of 2023- a look into the personal life of  the notoriously private Enzo (played by Adam Driver) and his wife Laura (Penelope Cruz), framed by the backdrop of the 1957 running of the Mille Miglia: the grueling thousand-mile Italian...

There are few men left who could sit down and give you a detailed first-hand account of the entire U.S. Space Program. Don Nichols was a NASA insider who began his  career during the Mercury program (the first manned U.S. space flights) and retired while the Space Shuttle was still the world's dominant form of manned orbital flight. Nichols worked on Cold War era fighter-interceptors, the X-1...

From EVs to antiques, Jonny Lieberman can't get enough of cars. He'd drive all of them if he could. Jonny's an automotive writer and the Special Features Editor at Motortrend, and his irreverent style and regular guy appeal has made him a popular voice in the car culture. We recorded this episode on Jonny's back porch in Los Angeles, puffing on some great cigars and discussing...

There was a time when you could find a slightly scruffy Ferrari 250 for sale in a tiny ad at the back of your favorite car magazine- at an asking price of a few thousand dollars. Today, those same cars change hands under the bright lights of an auction tent, and the whole car world is watching them command millions of dollars. It's a big business, but it wouldn't exist without the seemin...

The Diesel engine has powered cars, trucks, trains and massive ships- and it's the choice for heavy work around the world. But how much do you know about the man who invented it? In his new book "The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel", New York Times bestselling author Douglas Brunt chronicles the life of this brilliant engineer, tracing his rise to fame and fortune and ultimately hi...

It's time to celebrate!   Horsepower Heritage marks 100 episodes of "The People and Stories Behind the Machines" with special guest Terry Karges, the Executive Director of the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.  Terry has spent virtually his entire life immersed in car culture and the racing world.  Over the last fifty years, he's worked and played with some of the bigg...

Long Island's  Bridgehampton Race Circuit was once regarded as one of America's most challenging race tracks, hosting SCCA, CanAm, TransAm, and the biggest names in racing. Today the property is redeveloped as a luxury golfing club, but with reverence to the history of motorsport. In 2015, Shamin Abas and Jeff Einhorn teamed up with the club's owner, Robert Rubin, to create an excit...

Touring in a vintage car is something special, and touring in a rare Mercedes Benz W.06 is magical. The W.06 was built from 1927 to 1933 and at one time was the fastest production car in the world, with a now legendary competition history. In this episode, we take you on along on tour with a group of these cars blasting down the twisty roads of California's Wine Country. See Royce Rumsey&apos...

Imagine having the garage of your dreams in a community of like-minded enthusiasts. That's the basic idea that inspired Scott Cunningham to build The Hangar. It's more than just a place to store collector cars, motorcycles and other treasures. The Hangar is a club concept property that encourages a social atmosphere and friendship among its owners.  Scott is a South Florida real estate d...

The great Emerson Fittipaldi was twice World Champion, racing for Lotus and McLaren before setting out with his brother Wilson to field their own F1 team. Emmo later raced in IndyCar and remains one of the greatest drivers of his era. SUPPORT THE POD: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/hpheritage INSTAGRAM: @horsepowerheritage YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=horsepower+heritage HOR...

It's that time of year again, when California's Monterey Peninsula  becomes a paradise of classic cars. The shows, the drives, the auctions are all bursting with amazing machines. Bonhams Cars will hold its annual Quail Auction on Friday, August 18th, with over a hundred lust-worthy cars crossing the block. Here to preview the auction is Eric Minoff, Vice President, Senior Specialist Dir...

If you love your classic car but the summer months get a little toasty behind the wheel, Rick Love is the man to see. He's President of Vintage Air, a company dedicated to engineering and building the best aftermarket automotive air conditioning systems in the industry.  And they aren't just for rods or muscle cars- Vintage Air is installed in all sorts of classic machines. Rick's b...

In Northern Indiana, a team of happy folks build single cylinder machines that combine vintage appeal with modern technology. Richard Worsham is the man behind Janus Motorcycles, and his philosophy is all about the fun and freedom of riding an easy, unfussy bike. He founded the company straight out of college- the first was a 50cc model. Janus now makes a 250 and a 450, each with styling cues and...

Following on from our discussion of the scrappy HWM Grand Prix cars, there's much more to hear: Simon and Guy discuss drivers like Stirling Moss, Lance Macklin and James Hunt; some interesting Aston Martin talk, and analysis of the 1955 Le Mans disaster and how safety was transformed in its aftermath. Enjoy this special bonus episode! BUY THE BOOK: https://www.amazon.com/John-George-HWMs-raci...

In 1949, a determined pair of Englishmen took on the whole of Grand Prix racing with their new little cars, and they were the first British Formula team to make the scene at the dawn of a new era. John Heath and George Abecassis built precious few machines, and their efforts are largely unknown today... but the story of their HWM racing team is a fascinating and often surprising one. Simon Taylor...

There are many ways to carve a career out of your automotive passions, but Dan Kahn saw new possibilities when the world began to make digital communication the norm. Dan worked the parts counter at a speed shop, built his own classic Mustang, and became a rookie writer for numerous car magazines.  Along the way, he saw huge opportunities to communicate with like-minded people and represent many p...

The art and science of auto restoration has never been in higher demand, but there's a shortage of shops  and skilled tradespeople to meet the need in the marketplace. Nick Ellis is the Executive Director of the RPM Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to cultivating the next generation of restoration and preservation professionals. Betty Page is a great example of the industry&apos...

In May 1923, thirty-seven cars roared away into history as the first competitors in a daunting new race held in a small French country town. It was an obscure village called Le Mans- inhabited since before the Romans- but soon the entire world would know this place, and the cars and drivers who propelled into glory as the most important endurance race ever conceived. Richard Williams has made his...

Get ready for an in-depth look at the future of not just the automotive industry, but of product design, prototyping and manufacturing. Kevin and Lukas Czinger are the father and son team behind Czinger Vehicles, and more broadly, a company called Divergent Technologies. Their new hypercars are exciting enough, but when you understand the full picture, you'll see how these incredible machines...

In their small town Wisconsin shop, Mike and Jim Ring build some of the finest custom performance cars you'll ever see.  They started small but learned fast, and over the last thirty years they've focused on creative style and quality work while embracing changing technology. Here's the story of how it all started and what it takes to create a unique and award-winning custom ride. V...

Husband and wife team Andy and Mercedes are back to talk more offroad stuff- from the new INEOS Grenadier to the ALCAN Rally, winching and more. Andy Lilienthal is a lifelong car guy and product specialist at Warn Industries. Mercedes Lilienthal is an automotive journalist and adventurer. Together they're the creators of Crankshaft Culture, an online automotive community and YouTube channel t...

Recorded live at the Bring a Trailer Alumni Gathering at The Motoring Club in Los Angeles! Launched in 2007, Bring a Trailer had humble beginnings as a curated digest of cool cars for sale on the internet. In 2014 they began to run their own auctions. In 2022, Bring a Trailer had nearly a billion dollars in sales and recently they hit 100,000 auctions. Co-founder and President Randy Nonnenberg tal...

With so much incredible performance available in everyday cars today, the first great era of the motorcar is often overlooked. But in fact, most of the technology we take for granted was developed by about 1915.  Many "Brass Era" cars- those produced from about 1903 to 1915- were not only solid performers, but also exceptionally well-engineered and built. The Two Generations Collection h...