Horsepower Heritage

As a boy in Stuttgart, Germany, René Staud had two fascinations: the fantastic cars he saw on the road, and the world of photography.  His passions converged in a career as a highly successful studio photographer with a long list of auto industry clients, and René has also published an impressive collection of books on various cars from Jaguar to Porsche. His latest title is the newly-revised &quo...

Ed Justice, Jr. is a longtime motorsport photographer whose family has been involved in racing for over seventy years. Their story begins in the midwest before World War II where Ed's father and two uncles, Zeke and Gus, built a midget racer. Eventually they moved to Southern California where they built race cars for Frank Kurtis of Kurtis-Kraft and soon became the entrepreneurs behind the Ju...

Andy and Mercedes are a husband and wife team of automotive journalists who got hooked by Japanese Domestic Market 4x4s and now have a fleet of Pajero and Delica workhorses that take them into the wild on a regular basis. In this episode we talk about their writing, off-roading and the simples joys (and frustrations) of being gear heads. SUPPORT THE POD: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/hpheritage SUP...

For decades, the name "Vasek Polak" was practically synonymous with Porsche in the United States. This is the story of  Vasek's incredible journey from war-torn and oppressed Czechoslovakia to America- and the remarkable life he led as a mechanic, racing team owner, and the first independent Porsche dealer in the country. SUPPORT THE POD: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/hpheritage SUPP...

After a long and successful career as a heavy equipment manufacturer and serial entrepreneur, car enthusiast David Brown set out to create something different: he took all the things he loves about classic automobiles and combined them with modern comfort, safety and reliability. The result was a car called the Speedback GT.  Following this ethos, David Brown then approached the classic Mini in th...

The "Golden Age of Auto Racing" began after World War II and lasted until the early Seventies. It's a period that is frequently romanticized.  But that thin veneer was shattered on the afternoon of June 11, 1955, when a catastrophic collision caused the deaths of Mercedes-Benz driver Pierre Levegh and at least 83 spectators. Here's the story of that terrible day and its afterma...

If you like wild and wooly motorsport, look no further than flat track racing. Flying a tight field of motorcycles around a dirt oval goes back to the earliest days of the motorcycle. The legacy of the current organized and sanctioned sport traces back to the 1950s and it's still going strong. Gene Crouch, Chief Operating Officer of American Flat Track, gives us a glimpse of the people, machi...

In the late 1940s, a maverick named Bill Devin caught the racing bug and soon decided he could build his own world-class sports car using the new miracle material of fiberglass. By 1955 the Devin became a popular choice for club racing and custom builds. Now the Devin legacy has been passed on to Kevin Callahan, a Pennsylvania enthusiast who is breathing new life into this classic American sports...

Renee and Christina Brinkerhoff of Valkyrie Racing are back to tell the story of their December journey to Antarctica and the epic run in their specially-prepared Porsche 356 across the glaciers. There were definitely some challenges along the way, but Valkyrie never takes the easy road. HEY! You can win a fully restored Porsche 356 and help Valkyrie Gives aid trafficked women and children at risk...

Ever take a break from your everyday life to make a long road trip? Well, Philippe Delaporte and his sons Thibault and Baudouin have become experts in this pursuit. And their choice of car is surprising: a 1989 Porsche 928GT. Here's the 64,000km story of a supercar, three Frenchmen, and a world of beauty, gearheads and goodwill (and a few hiccups along the way). SUPPORT THE POD: https://www.b...

Hot rods, belly tank racers, and antique Indy cars! Bobby Green is the mastermind behind a cottage industry blending historic preservation, nostalgia and vintage American iron. He established Old Crow Speed Shop almost twenty years ago in Burbank, California in order to have a sort of clubhouse for his fellow car enthusiasts, while simultaneously building his core business, 1933 Group- a collectio...

In this, the last episode of the year, we'll take some time to look back at the lives and careers of some amazing figures from the world of motorsport who passed away in 2021. Don't forget to follow Horsepower Heritage on your favorite podcast app, and if you listen on Apple Podcasts, please take a minute and leave the show five stars and a quick review. SUPPORT THE POD: https://www.buym...

The unleashing of America's industrial might during World War II is almost unbelievable, and the auto industry held the key. In his critically acclaimed book "Freedom's Forge: How American Business Produced Victory in World War II", historian and author Arthur Herman unravels the complex story of how the sleeping giant of isolationist America was awakened to lead the free world...

This is the true story of the early days of motocross, desert racing and the making of some iconic films as told through the friendship of Bud Ekins and Steve McQueen, highlighting their exploits from Hollywood to Baja and beyond. SUPPORT THE POD: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/hpheritage SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR: http://modelcitizendiecast.com Horsepower Heritage is teaming up with Valkyrie Racing'...

This is the fascinating true story of the most mysterious car collections ever assembled, a tale of international intrigue and relentless pursuit on a scale so grand that it sent shockwaves through the classic car world for decades. SUPPORT THE POD: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/hpheritage SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR: http://modelcitizendiecast.com Horsepower Heritage is teaming up with Valkyrie Racing&apo...

Brad Brownell is an automotive writer and one of the co-founders of RADwood, a celebration of 80s and 90s machines and pop culture. Brad talks with Maurice about the origins of RADwood, "Rad-Era" nostalgia in the current car culture, and  the upcoming RADwood SoCal which comes to Los Angeles on November 20. BONUS: We play "This or That: Which Car Would You Pick?",  and Brad exp...

In 1975, the Porsche 930 Turbo blew everyone away with performance, its wide body and that wild, outrageous rear spoiler that was nicknamed the "whale tail". Now, Porsche aficionado Johans Lamic has blown the Porsche world away once again, taking that iconic bit of aero kit and transforming it into a series of sculptures... nine different series of historic paint liveries with eleven ind...

Reneé Brinkerhoff has raced her 1956 Porsche 356 coupe in the most grueling vintage events on six continents. Her adventures have taken her around the globe and allowed her experience the some of the best of humanity, but sadly also some of the worst.  She was compelled to help victims of child trafficking and Project 356 was born. This December, she and her daughter Christina will drive Reneé&apo...

The Orange and Blue of Gulf Racing is one of the most familiar liveries in motorsport. When Englishman John Wyer got together with a Texas oil executive named Grady Davis, they formed a fast friendship and a winning partnership, taking on Ferrari and the rest. From the Ford GT40 to the Mirage and Porsche 917K, this is the story behind the fast colors and fast cars that made history. SUPPORT THE PO...

The always fascinating Arash Farboud returns to Horsepower Heritage to talk about the challenges of building high-tech sports cars in a rapidly changing industry; his thoughts on entering the LeMans Hypercar Class; the convergence of cutting edge technologies; and his plans to help colonize the moon. SEE MORE AT: https://arashcars.com SUPPORT THE POD: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/hpheritage SUPPOR...

This one's all about vintage racing and the hunt for classic cars. Eric Broutin is a Parisian automobile broker specializing in vintage competition machinery and exotic performance cars. He's also one of the founders of the French Speed Connection racing team, which competes in various FIA-sanctioned vintage events throughout Europe.  The French Speed Connection has campaigned a 1967 Che...

Paul D'Orleans is a writer, historian, filmmaker, curator and the founder of The Vintagent, a wildly successful online cultural repository of the history, lore, personalities and ephemera of motorcycling. In this episode Paul talks about his lifetime journey of motorcycle obsession and the machines and experiences along the way. SUPPORT THE POD: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/hpheritage SUPPORT...

Henry Ford's first Model T rolled off the assembly line on September 27, 1908, and over fifteen million were built in the following two decades. But before he changed the world with the Model T, Henry Ford had to fight a bizarre legal battle that threatened the entire automobile industry. This is the nearly-forgotten story of how Ford stood almost alone against powerful forces who tried to ho...

Donald Osborne is an automotive historian, writer, appraiser, and a regular on the hit show "Jay Leno's Garage" on CNBC. He's also the CEO of the Audrain Automobile Museum of Newport, Rhode Island.  A life-long car enthusiast with an impressive resume and a wealth of knowledge, Donald talks to Maurice about this year's Audrain Concours and Motor Week and gives his insights...

Veteran photographer Nick Dimbleby has worked on many automotive campaigns and he's travelled to over 80 countries to shoot everything from jet fighters in action to undersea pipeline construction. His credits include work for Aston Martin, Bentley and Jaguar, but his love for all things Land Rover has been life-changing. A veteran of four Camel Trophy events, Nick is the author of a exhausti...