Horsepower Heritage

Few people speak more passionately about cars than John Nikas. He's a longtime vintage racing driver, an author of dozens of books, and a sought-after public speaker on automotive subjects.  His first love was for British sports cars in all their crudeness and stubborn tradition, but that was only the gateway to a lifetime spent behind the wheel and the writing desk.  In this conversation, Jo...

Cultivating the next generation of automotive restorers and specialists is essential to the survival of the car hobby- whether your classic was built in 1900 or 1990. Blake Swingle is one of these next-gen tradesmen. Soon to graduate from McPherson College (which offers the only Bachelor's degree in this field in the United States), Blake has learned the fundamentals of research, metalwork, m...

"Sweet and fast" is a good way to describe the character of many classic Italian cars. Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Lancia, Ferrari, Maserati and other auto makers created enduring machines infused with the national culture.  In this episode we explore what makes them so special: things like design philosophy, emphasis on beautiful shapes, and performance-oriented engineering. Recorded live at the...

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 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans 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 t...

Combining his background in internet tech and vintage cars, Juan Diego Calle launched CLASSIC.COM to bring the collector car market together under one digital umbrella.  The website has seen tremendous user adoption and growth and it's become a prime destination for many people who want to buy or sell a special car.  Its useful data on market trends, pricing and past sales has become a valuab...

It's arguably the greatest event in motorsport- The 24 Hours of LeMans. A grueling trial of men and machines, and for many drivers, the race they most want to win. Its roots are as deep as the history of the automobile. This is the story of how it all began. DOLCE è VELOCE AT THE PETERSEN MUSEUM: https://www.petersen.org/events/dolce-e-veloce-2025 BECOME A PATRON: https://www.buymeacoffee.com...

After World War II, the American auto industry became obsessed with power and performance, and Chrysler Corporation's Hemi engines became legendary.  This is the story of the Hemi like you've never heard it before. BECOME A PATRON: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/hpheritage SUBSCRIBE to Horsepower Heritage on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@horsepowerheritage FIND US ON THE WEB: https://w...

Veteran writer Tony Thacker has spent decades covering the world of hot rods and motorcycles for multiple magazines in the U.S. and UK, and is the author of over thirty books. His latest work is "Hot Rod Mavericks", which profiles the key builders, engineers and racers in the history of the hot rod movement. BECOME A PATRON: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/hpheritage SUBSCRIBE to Horsepower...

Gasoline, Diesel and even jet fuel made out of thin air- it sounds like science fiction, but it's now a reality.  Rob McGinnis and his team at Prometheus Fuels in Santa Cruz, California have developed a way to extract the elemental building blocks from the atmosphere and turn it into synthetic hydrocarbons that can then be formulated into just about any fuel you want.  They say they'll b...

One of the biggest trends in the upper echelon of car culture is the development of private racing circuits... where members can really take their machines into "the zone" and exploit the performance of today's most sophisticated supercars. The Concours Club is one such facility, a state-of-the art "motorsport country club" with all the amenities- a highly versatile circui...

Let's be honest: we all spend way too much time online looking at cars for sale, right? It's irresistible. It's almost as if we're building a "virtual" car collection.  And that's the whole idea behind this episode- pick some cars to suit a few different needs and see what it might cost to put them all in your garage.  But an unlimited budget would make this easy...

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.  BECOME A PATRON: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/hpheritage SUBSCRIBE to Horsepower Heritage on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@horsepowerheritage FIND US ON THE WEB:...

From the monster TV hit "Overhaulin'" to the Mecum Auctions and more, Chris Jacobs has been able to combine his car passions with a long and successful career in front of the camera.  He's a die-hard MoPar guy and loves high performance, but also a family man and a true media professional. In this episode Chris and Maurice talk American muscle, career, and car culture. Enjoy! W...

Ahh, Paris! Every February, the classic and collector car world converges on the City of Lights for Rétromobile- a massive assemblage of the best offerings in every category of automobilia.  It's also the site of Bonhams Cars Grand Palais auction, which has something for every taste, from the horseless carriages of the 19th Century to the supercars of today.  In this episode, Eric Minoff of B...

From its beginning as a simple email newsletter to becoming the new paradigm of classic and collector car buying, Bring a Trailer has always had community at the heart of its success.  Alex Porter was such a fan of the website that he joined the team. He's seen it all as Bring a Trailer has grown, and in this episode, Alex shares his insights on the dynamics of buying and selling, trends in t...

Anyone who's ever had a project car has a vision of the finished product in their mind's eye- but living up to the dream can be a challenge. Luckily, there are shops like Griot's Motors that take pains to do a proper job. Forrest Davis is the shop foreman at Griot's and he's obsessive about the details that set a project apart from lesser efforts. From nuts and bolts to pa...

Daniel Sexton Gurney (1931-2018) was a Southern California Hot-Rodder who became one of the most successful racing drivers in the history of motorsport, with wins in Saloon Car, Sports Car, NASCAR, Indy Car and Formula One. Gurney raced for the Arciero Brothers, Luigi Chinetti's North American Racing Team, Ferrari, Brabham, BRM and Porsche before teaming up with Carroll Shelby to found All Am...

The rearing horse emblem of Ferrari is meant to suggest a taut, muscular thoroughbred, straining at the reins, snorting and ready to bolt. After all, that's what you want in a race horse: and pure specimen on the edge of control. And for years, that's what Ferrari's customers got when they were handed the keys of a new road car- under that sexy coachwork was a race-bred machine. But...

Years ago, Michael Alan Ross decided to merge his two great passions: cars and photography. He's worked with scores of brands and publications such as Hot Rod, Porsche Cars North America, Porsche Panorama, Rodder's Journal, and many more. His latest work chronicles the fascinating subculture of Porsche "Outlaws"- highly personalized automobiles that reflect the rebellious strea...

Let us take you inside one of the most bizarre classic car auctions ever: RM Sotheby's JUNKYARD Auction  (AKA the Rudi Klein Collection). For decades, the reclusive Mr. Klein tucked away scores of desirable European sports cars. His Los Angeles salvage yard, "Porche Foreign Auto", was known for harboring hundreds of rare machines behind its walls, many of which had met with an untim...

It's time for SEMA 2024 and that means that all the top builders are revealing their latest creations. Mike and Jim Ring of Spring Green, Wisconsin bring the heat every year! RINGBROTHERS continues to push the boundaries of Restomods, and Ryan Fielding plays a critical role in that effort. He's the Chief Fabricator, leading a team of skilled technicians who take high performance dreams a...

In a suburban garage in Alberta, Canada, Brandon Hegedus builds eye-popping replicas of some of the world's rarest and most desirable performance cars. We're talking cars that virtually no one can own because they are either so rare or valuable that the only option is to recreate them. It all started as a personal challenge to replicate a 1961 Ferrari Tipo 156 "Sharknose" Formu...

You've probably never thought much about Diesel fuel or Diesel engines beyond the mere technical- but how about the man who invented the power plant that moves the world? Few people realize that he disappeared without a trace on the evening of September 29, 1913 from a passenger ferry crossing from Antwerp, Belgium to London, England. In his book "The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel&quo...

Italy has produced some true wonders: amazing food & wine, Renaissance art and architecture, and many of the world's most desirable cars. Not long ago, three Los Angeles car enthusiasts decided to organize a new event celebrating the best Italian machinery in a distinctive location. Mike Baum, Bronson Page and Dorian Valenzuela are friends, collectors, and creatives behind MACCHINISSIMA....

J.B. Nethercutt ranked among the heavy hitters of car collecting for over fifty years, amassing a treasure trove of rare and remarkable machines numbering in the hundreds. Packard, Pierce-Arrow, Duesenberg, Cadillac, Chrysler, Marmon,  Mercedes, Ruxton and Stutz are just some of the great nameplates he collected. Today, the Nethercutt Collection is a world-class assemblage of the finest motorcars...