Horsepower Heritage

They say everything's bigger in Texas, and that's definitely true of Richard Rawlings. He's a lifelong car guy with a penchant for muscle cars, but he says he likes pretty much everything as long as it's got plenty of power and some swagger. Richard's a serial entrepreneur who created the now-famous Gas Monkey Garage. The shop eventually spawned the hit Discovery Channel s...

The late Mark Smith was a prolific automobile collector who sadly passed away suddenly in 2022. Mark was a true connoisseur who valued  authentic, distinctive machines. His vast collection of original, unrestored cars will be sold by Gooding & Company on April 7, 2023.  In this episode, Maurice sits down with Gooding & Company founder David Gooding to discuss some of the highlights of the...

Carroll Shelby was an American original, and his cars helped usher in a new era of performance on the streets and race tracks all over the world. In his new book "Shelby American: Sixty Years of High Performance", veteran author Colin Comer and his co-author Rick Kopec trace the remarkable path of the Texas chicken farmer turned international racer and sports car manufacturer. SUPPORT TH...

Beginning in 1919, Bentley Motors Limited produced a line of fast, reliable, sporting cars coveted by dashing playboys and adventurers. Author Peter Grimsdale expertly captured the men, machines and their exploits in his book "Racing In the Dark: How the Bentley Boys Conquered LeMans". In this, Part 2 of the episode, Peter delves into the incredible battles at the 24 Hours of LeMans, as...

Beginning in 1919, Bentley Motors Limited produced a line of fast, reliable, sporting cars coveted by dashing playboys and adventurers. Bentley scored five LeMans victories in its heyday and earned cult-like status that hasn’t dimmed for more than a century. Author Peter Grimsdale expertly captured the men, machines and their exploits in his book "Racing In the Dark: How the Bentley Boys Conq...

Cars you've never heard of,  much less seen: LaDawri, Victress, Siebler, and Thor are just a few of the special sports car bodies you could order from the back of a magazine and build in your garage in the 1950s. From mild to wild, they're an obscure but significant chapter in American automotive history. Geoff Hacker and Mike Puma of Undiscovered Classics specialize in the research, res...

Belgian photographer and Porsche driver Bart Kuykens returns to the show to discuss fatherhood, travel, traffic, shooting rock and roll BTS, and leaving your comfort zone. Bart is now at  the culmination of his seven book series "A Flat Six Love Affair" which he's capped off with the final volume entitled "The Essential Love Affair".  VISIT BART'S WEBSITE: https://bar...

"Don't build a racetrack", says Jeremy Porter, but that's just what he did. As a dirt biker and then a kart racer, Jeremy had the need for speed. And he had some big ideas about the race track experience- what he could do bigger and better. As  the Creator and CEO of Atlanta Motorsports Park, he took his business savvy and love for racing and built a playground for fellow speed...

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...

This week, it's a special "best of" cut with car-guy extraordinaire Bruce Meyer: lifelong enthusiast, entrepreneur, one-time motorcycle racer, and Founding Chairman of the Petersen Automotive Museum. It's an inside look at his incredible  collection of significant machines, with Bruce's thoughts on everything from Hot Rods and Porsches to LeMans and Bonneville. All of it t...

This year we lost four remarkable men who made their mark on motorsport: "Quick Vic" Elford , the fearless British driver with humble beginnings who made his mark in the Porsche 911 and 917; Mauro Forghieri , longtime technical director of Scuderia Ferrari; Nicola Materazzi , turbocharging guru and brilliant designer of the Ferrari 288 GTO and the F40; and Alain DeCadenet , gentleman rac...

For over two decades, photographer John G. Zimmerman covered various automotive-related assignments for magazines like Sports Illustrated, The Saturday Evening Post, Life, and others. A new book, "Auto America: Car Culture 1950s-1970s" celebrates his work in all its Kodachrome and black-and-white glory.  Many of these images have never been published. From the heyday of Detroit to racing...

From the Art Center College of Design to major Hollywood films and companies like BMW and Mazda, Matthew Cunningham has pursued the future of mobility and car culture. Now, he's taking his car designs from the Metaverse to the physical universe with a new project on the cutting edge of design, manufacturing and personal mobility with a car called the Syntax. Matthew Cunningham Design: https:/...

Restoring a car is never easy, and the interior is often one area that gets less attention than it deserves. But old world craftsmanship is alive and well thanks to artisans like Rob O'Rourke and AJ Pink of O'Rourke Coachtrimmers in West Sussex, UK. Rob's spent his life in auto restoration, first alongside his father and then in his own shop, crafting authentic interiors for some of...

The car hobby dies without new blood- but there's a lot to know and it’s easy to make mistakes. So where do you start? Author Robert C. Yeager tackles this subject in his new book, "The NextGen Guide to Car Collecting: How to Buy, Sell, Live With and Love a Collectible Car". From historical insights to marque-specific overviews, valuations and real-world owners stories, Bob lays it...

Maurice is joined by Harry Phypers, host of The Ignition Podcast, for a look behind the scenes of both shows as well as a friendly little competition of the Best of British and American cars from the Ford Model A V-8 to the McLaren F1. The Ignition Podcast aims to inspire people to do more through their cars- to explore what's possible creatively and professionally in the automotive industry....

Automotive art has always been a great way to capture the emotion behind the machines, and the work of Anna-Louise Felstead is a happy, whimsical and breezy interpretation of everything from pre-war cars to the latest LeMans Prototypes. She's become a favorite at car events worldwide for painting live in front of the crowd and many classic car owners commission her work on the spot. In this e...

He might just be the hardest working man in motorsport.  Patrick Long has spent decades perfecting the art and science of racing, stacking up wins at LeMans, Daytona, Sebring and elsewhere. He's also the only American to ever have been selected for a coveted slot as a Porsche Works Driver.  And he's one of the co-founders of "Luftgekühlt" (which means air-cooled in German), whi...

Born at the start of the automotive age, Virgil Exner had almost no formal training, but he was a talented artist who was fascinated by cars. Almost by accident, he became a giant of midcentury American car design with his work at Studebaker and Chrysler, helping to save both companies from cautious but boring styling. This is the story of Exner's remarkable career and his greatest legacy: &q...

From dragsters and motorcycles to hot rods and European sports cars, Bruce Meyer has loved them all. As a kid growing up in Los Angeles, he immersed himself in the car culture and for over sixty years he's been living his automotive dreams. Along the way, he forged friendships with some of the most famous names in the car world. As the founding chairman of the Petersen Automotive Museum, Meye...

You're about to learn the secrets of what made Bugatti and Alfa Romeo so great. However you choose to translate it- be it "pure blood",  or "thoroughbred"-  Pur Sang can only mean the best;  a winning combination of engineering and artistry. Pur Sang Argentina builds precise replicas of legendary cars including the Bugatti Type 35 and the Alfa Romeo 8C using the original t...

The Rolls-Royce 40/50 Horsepower was the standard bearer of the famous English marque for twenty years, and came to be known as the Silver Ghost. Power, comfort, and durability were the hallmarks of these cars and their near-silent operation conjured the image of a ghostly machine effortlessly gliding along. Alan Clendenen  and his daughter Ivy are caretakers of 1914 and 1926 Silver Ghosts, respec...

In the 1930s,  an obsessive genius named Phillip Vincent captured the attention of racing riders and well-heeled rebels when he transformed the HRD motorcycle company into a maker of the world's finest two-wheeled machines. From The Isle of Man Tourist Trophy to Bonneville speedway, the Vincent impressed riders with its  power,  maneuverability and dashing good looks. In this episode, Filmmak...

From the dirt oval racetracks in 1950s Nebraska to his many years as a contributor for Automobile Magazine , Ronald Ahrens has spent his life observing  American car culture. His latest project is a book entitled "The American Automobile From Flivver to Furious", a comprehensive history of the industry and its innovators.  In this episode,  Ronald shares  humorous recollections of his st...

Take a deep dive into the world of  fine artist Nicolas Hunziker, whose captivating automotive art is coveted by collectors world-wide. Art and racing are his twin pursuits. But underneath his skill & success was an undiagnosed brain disorder and a daily struggle with his mental health. Nicolas talks candidly about this challenge and how it’s shaped his personal and professional life.  SUPPORT...