Horsepower Heritage

Engineer, marketing genius, GM executive, playboy, car maker. John DeLorean seemed to have it all. A thrilling career, a series of beautiful wives, and even an eponymous sports car that would usher in the 1980s. That is, until things turned desperate. Automotive journalist and author Matt Stone joins the podcast to discuss his new book "DeLorean: The Rise, Fall, and Second Acts". SUPPORT...

Of all the internal combustion engines ever built,  the Rolls-Royce Merlin,  a 27-liter supercharged V-12 that powered fighters, bombers, boats and tanks, is arguably one of the most famous in history. Developed on the eve of World War II, the Merlin helped win the Battle of Britain and eventually the liberation of an enslaved Europe. It was manufactured on both sides of the Atlantic by two of the...

The early days of the motorcar were troublesome, frustrating, and most of all, adventurous- if you agree that "adventure" by definition means there's a chance of risking life and limb.  And why else would mankind attempt what might seem like folly or futility, other than for the excitement that adventure brings? Such was the case with the 1907 Peking to Paris Motorcar Challenge, a s...

More of the adventures of Derek Drinkwater and his incredible 1950 Cadillac Series 61 special LeMans racer replica.  Support the show HELP us grow the audience! SHARE the Podcast with your friends!

Car builder, fabricator, collector, entrepreneur, TV presenter and racing driver are but a few of the things you'll find on Derek Drinkwater's resumé. He's always been interested in cars but one the really captivted him was the slab-sided Cadillac Series 61 special entered by American  Sportsman Briggs Cunningham in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It was unlike anything ever raced at LeMan...

In the desert, they like dirt bikes and cold beer. Brothers Jeremy and Jeff DeConcini grew up ripping through down trails in the Sonora Desert on their motorcycles. They graduated to ADV and sport bikes and took that love of riding into their business plan. Today, Jeremy and Jeff own Moto Sonora Brewing Company and produce a variety of beers with various themes such as motorcycles and auto racing....

Go inside an impeccably curated car collection with Dr. Gerald Alexander. Plus, a boots on the ground report from the 2024 Pikes Peak International Hillclimb with special guest Ryan Bahrke, one of the hosts of the all-new podcast, "The Roadshow". SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR: https://www.modelcitizendiecast.com Horsepower Heritage on the web: https://horsepowerheritage.com Instagram: @ horsepower...

One day in the late Nineties, Valerie Thompson accidentally got on a motorcycle. She was hooked immediately, and so began an impressive career in drag racing and land speed  attempts.  Valerie is the fastest female on two wheels,  a member of the 200 and 300 mile per hour clubs, and holds ten world records.  She’s a member of the Sturgis  Motorcycle Hall of Fame. Valerie  survived a horrific crash...

Although he had a legendary career as a Disney Imagineer, Bob Gurr originally trained in automotive design.  In his youth, Bob was a hot rodder and custom guy. He attended Art Center and was hired by Ford Motor Company before deciding to leave Detroit and make his living back in California, helping to conceive and build an entirely new world of wonders called Disneyland...but he's never lost...

You know what they say: "LS swap everything".  And that's became the General Motors LS family of V8 engines is cheap high performance for nearly every  drifter, street rodder and resto-modder. But what putting an LS in a tired, high mileage econobox? That's what Brant Stephenson did. He shoehorned an LS into a Toyota Prius and created an intriguing sleeper. FOLLOW BRANT on Inst...

The wide open spaces of the American West- especially the deserts- have always held a special appeal. Sinuhe Xavier knows this well. He's explored thousands of square miles, mostly in Land Rovers, while at the same time writing, photographing and filming the landscape and its secrets. He's skied professionally, ridden motorcycles in South America, crossed Morocco in a 4x4, and directed m...

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. ENCORE EPISODE...

The definition of a "classic" car is changing to include the 90s and beyond, and Phillip Griot represents a new generation of restorers and experts.  He owns and operates Griot's Motors in Tacoma , Washington. Phillip's dad Richard is the founder of Griot's Garage, the car care products company, so he grew up around some amazing cars. He gets excited about the usual high-p...

Ahhh, the "Good Life". It applies to everything from cuisine to cars... and Tim Lappen is no stranger to exclusive automobiles. He's the Fine Autos Editor at Haute Living Magazine and a lifelong enthusiast who grew up in the incredible Los Angeles car culture.  As a teenager, he managed to acquire some great cars from local dealers for just a few days, writing about them and drummin...

In the 1950s, General Motors culminated its industry dominance with an annual traveling exhibition know as the Motorama, showcasing the very latest trends in styling, engineering and modern conveniences. However, once they were done on the show circuit, the cars were marked for destruction. Fortunately, many of these marvels escaped that fate, and their eventual savior was Joe Bortz. As a kid grow...

Fellow podcasters Ryan Bahrke and Doug Fogler of The Steering Committee took their awesome show on the road to sunny Los Angeles!  Ryan and Doug are longtime podcasters who hail from the Mile High City of Denver, Colorado, and they convene weekly for all sorts of great car chat.  We got together at Hagerty Garage & Social to talk about everything from Ford Model Ts to Porsche IMS bearings and...

Since 1950, the Grand National Roadster Show has led the way for hot rodders everywhere. Each year, the best builders and customizers showcase their work for thousands of visitors. Vendors display the latest and greatest parts and accessories. In fact, GNRS is now a multi-generational tradition for show-goers and businesses in the industry. John Buck is the producer of the Grand National Roadster...

Photographer Bart Kuykens returns to talk about his latest Porsche projects, a pair of books focused on two very different urban Porsche scenes: those of LA and Miami. We also discussed hard work, fatherhood, and pursuing your passions. It's a breezy episode about cars, photography and travel- good stuff always. SEE BART'S WORK: https://bartkuykens.com/en-us SUPPORT THE POD: https://www....

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...