Hemmings Hot Rod BBQ Podcast

When it comes to engineering and crafting carbon fiber bodied resto-mods, it goes without saying that the SpeedKore Performance Group is at the forefront. Their latest creation, a 1968 Dodge Charger, dubbed Hellucination was constructed for none other than Ralph Gilles, the Head of Design for Stellantis. On the outside, its full carbon-fiber body is nothing short of breathtaking, and when it comes...

When it comes to Dodge, Plymouth and Chrysler, there are few individuals out there more knowledgeable than David Hakim. You could say that he was destined to be tied to the brands growing up, as his uncle owned a Chrysler / Plymouth dealership in Detroit in the early 1970s. Icons like Sox and Martin, and cars like the Mopar and Motown Missile, were commonplace to David. To add, he then cut his tee...

With 320-miles of range, on-board bed scales, AND the fact that it can be used to power your home or job site, the new 2022 Ford Lightning pickup truck is set to redefine what the world thinks an EV truck can be. With that said, we were left wondering how the new Lightning would perform under real world conditions, and not those that came from a brochure. To find out we called our friend Ryan Dout...

For many, restoration is a scary word. It evokes thoughts of high cost, ill-fitting parts, and anxiety that can drive any automotive enthusiast to the brink of madness. There are also those questions that one must ask themselves regarding what kind of restoration they're going to undertake. For instance, is the vehicle in question going to be a driver, a hot rod, or a performance car? Do you have...

Is there anything better than cramming your entire family into 140 square feet of space, and then taking them on a cross country jaunt? If you grew up between 1950, and well, now, the odds of you embarking on a road trip with your loved ones was pretty good. These trips used to take place in station wagons (remember those?), but nowadays, families have evolved, and in place of the wagon now, sits...

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 ind...

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,...

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 longe...

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 mortal...

Later this month, on June 26 th , 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 fai...

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 u...

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 celebra...

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...

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, disc...

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 automotiv...

There's something about floating down the interstate in a 5,000-pound two-door coupe that makes your problems disappear. Maybe it's the 10-foot-long hood, or the pillowtop seats that cradle your posterior in supreme comfort. Or maybe it's the feeling of being the absolute king of the road, that is until a semi-truck comes by. The great American land yachts produced from mid-1950s until the mid-199...

Aside from being a photographer, filmmaker and rabid auto enthusiast, Douglas Sonders is also the co-founder of 8112 Studios, a production house that produces some beautifully shot branded content. And while shooting stories for other people is always a wonderful experience, sometimes it's nice to document projects that you've been working on. Enter "Project Winston", the widebody Porsche 911 Safa...

As one of the most coveted muscle cars in existence, the 2 nd generation Dodge Chargers built from 1968-1970 are sought after by collectors worldwide. To some, they are the epitome of muscle car perfection, and to modify them in any way is considered sacrilege by many an enthusiast. Thankfully, builder, fabricator, racer, and Charger enthusiast, Chris Birdsong could care less about that, which is...

They're the outcasts and the unloved. Those automobiles that even when new, were relegated to the "less than desirable list". We're talking about cars like the AMC Matador, Pontiac Aztek, Plymouth Breeze and the Reliant K cars from Chrysler (to name a few). One undeniable fact however is that these cars were at one point purchased new and loved by their owners, and in some cases, they've even deve...

On this episode of the Hot Rod BBQ Podcast, host Mike Musto sits down with Hemmings own Mike Austin and Rob Einaudi to discuss amatuer motorsports, and more importantly, how to get involved. From auto-x and drag racing, to off-road rally and road course events, most enthusiasts have no idea how easy it is to get started. Luckliy, we're here to help. We'll take you through some of the different org...

At some point during our driving careers, we've all had the unfortunate experience of having either been in, or witnessed, an automobile accident. In most cases the visuals come to us in the form of rubbernecking, that point at which we slow down just enough to catch a quick glimpse of the carnage. But what if you were to stop - would you truly be prepared for what confronted you? Edited by actres...

On this, a very special and candid episode of the Hemmings Hot Rod BBQ Podcast, we sit down with Marine Corp veteran and co-author of the new book, Radioman: Twenty-Five Years in the Marine Corp, Andrew Hesterman. From his time in boot camp, to active duty for the 1991 Gulf War, to becoming a Major, his captivating stories will keep you glued in. As an avid gear head as well, Andy also takes us th...

With gas prices seemingly climbing by the minute, used car prices in the stratosphere, and what seems like a mass shortage of parts supplies throughout the industry, we here at Hemmings decided to bring back a voice of reason, and one of our favorite people to the Hemmings Hot Rod BBQ podcast. John Voelcker edited Green Car Reports for nine years, publishing more than 12,000 articles on hybrids, e...

Ever watch the Dakar Rally, the Baja 1000, or events like King of the Hammers or the Mint 400? If you haven't, then you should, if for nothing else then to broaden your horizons in the world of motorsports. These off-road events are some of the toughest and grueling that anyone can partake in. And while the skill and fortitude of the drivers is nothing short of amazing, we thought it was time to g...

They're still out there. In fields, in barns and in garages all over the world, just sitting and deteriorating. Some have been abandoned, while others have been neglected due to a lack of interest, time, or funds. But they are still there, patiently waiting for someone to come along an resurrect them in a capacity that gets them back on the road. At first glance, you may not think of Dylan McCool...