Past Gas

Today, on Past Gas, the epic and long-as-hell career of the Flying Finn, Kimi Raikkonen. Kimi Raikkonen is one of the most beloved Formula One drivers, a celebrated “Iceman” with an open hatred for doing interviews and one of the most meme-able personalities in the paddock. What makes him tick, and why has he stuck it out in Formula One for so long, considering that he’s on record saying that driv...

Today on Past Gas-- was Lee Iacocca Detroit’s Most Powerful Man? He led not one, but TWO of Motor City’s biggest companies. Without him, would we even have the Mustang? Or the Jeep? Or the… Chrysler Minivan? And how serious was his feud with the Fords? Iacocca’s rag to riches story is an inspiration to car fans and a lesson on how to succeed in whatever you want to accomplish in life. More about t...

There are many rivals in cars, but few are firier (and tinier) than the battle between Hot Wheels and Matchbox. At one point, the two companies were in all out war for the coveted toy car market. Who were the players? How did Hot Wheels end up being the best-selling toy EVER? Today on Past Gas, we’re laying down some flimsy plastic track to explain exactly how Hot Wheels zipped past Matchbox. More...

Today on Past Gas: Where did the idea of the muscle car come from, and what even is a muscle car? How did drivers go from tiny flathead V8s to fire snorting 454s in only a few short decades? And who holds the title for the first true muscle car? We’re hitting the gym, doing some auto-body-building, and getting swole for an all muscle edition of the podcast. More about Show:  Follow James on IG an...

James Bond is an iconic character because of his charm, spy skills, style and… his cars. Bond has driven his share of Subarus and Toyotas. But the ultimate Bond car, the go-to for any British spy worth his salt is the Aston Martin. What started this partnership? How did the Bond franchise affect the business dealings of Aston Martin? And how did Aston Martin affect the Bond Franchise? And why was...

Hamilton and Burr. Hatfield and McCoy. Biggie and Tupac. The Dodge Brothers and… Henry Ford? There are many great feuds that define American history, but few know about the legal battle between two automotive giants that forever changed the industry. Why did Henry Ford hate the Dodge brothers so much? How did their rivalry reinforce corporate corporatism as we know it? All that and more on today’s...

What kind of bonkers science took Electric Vehicles from quirky novelty to racetrack hero? How did the internal combustion motor not only kill the electric car, but also make it absolutely amazing? What is the true origin of the electric car, and what does it have to do with a modern electric car that recently broke the world record for drifting? Turn on, tune in, and plug in… it’s an are-we-past-...

Today on Past Gas,we got the story of some good ol’ American boys taking a wild 1970s Eurotrip. How did the 1970s Oil Embargo lead to a couple of Americans bringing big block muscle cars to Le Mans? How did Ferrari rage quitting Le Mans in 1973 lead to NASCAR racing in France? Just how well did the big block bruisers do against the tiny Le Mans cars? We’re bringing oval power to the eiffel tower…i...

You’ve probably been on a road trip that changed your life. But have you been on a road trip that changed the WORLD? How about 9,000 Miles on a Norton bike, through the treacherous terrain of South America? Today on Past Gas: how did an epic road trip create the mononymous revolutionary we know simply as “Che”? Leper colonies, love affairs, and dog diarrhea all tell the story of how a boy turned i...

Rivalries are what make racing riveting. Mopar vs. Ford, North Carolina vs. South Carolina, Puralator vs. STP … and today, Richard Petty versus David Perason. Why did they wind up in head to head battles almost every week? How did their rivalry push NASCAR to the limits and save the sport from suffering the same fate as the auto industry during the 70s? All that and more on today’s Past Gas! More...

Have you ever heard of Amati? In the late ’80s, Mazda took a big swing and tried to create a luxury car brand. They were emboldened by the success of the Miata. But somehow, Amati never happened, and almost 400 million dollars were wasted in the process. Today on Past Gas: how did Amati become a ghost badge haunting Mazda’s dreams? Why does Mazda refuse to discuss the failed brand? How did Mazda g...

A murderous Grand Prix motorcycle racer… An ex-con turned racing manager who ordered one driver to throw a race so his other driver could… a boundary-breaking rally racer who miraculously emerged from the West African jungle with a car that ran like new… What do all these people have in common? They’re CHEATERS! Specifically, some of the most dirty, rotten, dishonest, incredibly creative, downrigh...

Michael Schumacher? Despite the reverence his name invokes, Schumacher is not without his own set of controversies. Today, on Past Gas: is Michael Schumacher, known for his perfectionism and intimidating persona, the Greatest of All Time?  More about Show: Follow James on IG and Twitter @jamespumphrey .   Follow Nolan on IG and Twitter @nolanjsykes .   Follow Joe on IG and Twitter @joegweber . Fol...

Today on Past Gas, the gritty origin story of supercars. Supercars and hypercars are now a permanent fixture in the automotive landscape, but it wasn’t always that way. First, a bunch of renegade designers and engineers actually had to be crazy enough to invent them. How did Ferrari and Lamborghini’s rivalry lead to some of the greatest car designs ever? And how did Americans start competing with...

Catch our episode of Smokey Yunick yet again, on this exclusive episode revisit (with special Hi Low catch up with Nolan and Joe!) It’s time for the story of NASCAR’s greatest cheater, Smokey Yunick! From humble beginnings building a tractor as a child, fighting in WWII, to operating a dubious smuggling operation, Smokey might be the most interesting man in history! This guy lived five lives befor...

Catch our episode of Smokey Yunick yet again, on this exclusive episode revisit (with special Hi Low catch up with Nolan and Joe!) It’s time for the story of NASCAR’s greatest cheater, Smokey Yunick! From humble beginnings building a tractor as a child, fighting in WWII, to operating a dubious smuggling operation, Smokey might be the most interesting man in history! This guy lived five lives befor...

Is it better to burn out or fade away? Today on Past Gas, we bring you seven stories about one-season Formula One teams that managed to do both, from Andrea Moda’s wild antics on and off the track, to MasterCard Lola’s short attention span and even shorter stack of bills. Which ill-fated team was the worst? The most promising? The most ill-equipped? Whether you’re a rabid F1 fan or new to the spor...

Just a couple years ago, the world finally got its first Mid-Engine Corvette. Today on Past Gas, the epic, decades-long story of how we finally reached that point. It’s a story that starts with hiding out from the Nazis in a French brothel, and only gets wilder from there. What were the incredible experimental cars that Chevy scrapped, how did last minute business blunders hold the project back, a...

Today on Past Gas-- what’s the story behind the “Green Book”? For black Americans, traveling by car has historically been an entirely different experience with its own set of challenges and dangers. How did African American trailblazers create their own car culture, compete with Henry Ford, and use cars to tear down barriers? More about Show:  Follow James on IG and Twitter @jamespumphrey .   Fo...

You know Saddam Hussein as the former tyrant of Iraq. But did you know that Saddam and his sons owned one of the most valuable car collections in the Middle East? And that one time, Saddam lit a bunch of the cars on fire, just to prove a point? Today on Past Gas: What happened that made Saddam so angry he burned millions of dollars worth of exotic supercars to the ground? What kind of priceless ge...

Today on Past Gas, we’re telling you the wild and true story of the Dale -- a three-wheeled car embroiled in a wild controversy. The Dale was primed to alter the auto industry forever, so why didn’t it? What did Liz Carmichael do that had her on the run for decades? What’s the story of a car so crazy it reinvented not just one wheel-- but  three ?! Slap on your bell-bottoms and impeach Nixon cuz t...

Today on Past Gas, how a band of outlaws helped bring stock cars to the masses. How did rum runners and bootleggers start modding their cars to outrun the cops? What’s the link between these backwoods speed freaks and modern day NASCAR? It’s a wild story you’re gonna have to hear to believe-- from high speed chases to deadly shootouts. More about Show:  Follow James on IG and Twitter @jamespumph...

Today on Past Gas-- How did the race to breaking 200mph in a production car set the tone for a decade? How did cars like the gorgeous Lamborghini Countach, the Ferrari Testarossa, and the beastly RUF Yellowbird become potent symbols for an unhinged ten years of excess? Pack the trunk with coke, blast some Guns N Roses, throw on the Oakleys… I pity the fool who isn’t ready for an all ’80s, all supe...

What’s more American than baseball and apple pie? How about pickup trucks? Today, we’re talking about the history of pickups, from horseless wagons to the Cybertruck. Trucks that are counterculture cool, blazingly fast, and ultra weird. So Git’r’done, and giddy-on-up. This is a Past Gas Crew Cab, pickup truck podcast deluxe! Thanks to our sponsors: Go to blackvue.com/gas and use the promo code GAS...

Today on Past Gas, one of the greatest rivalries in modern Formula One-- Lewis Hamilton versus Fernando Alonso. What were the origins of the rivalry, and how did it lead to one of the most awkward peach-eating incidents of all time? How did Lewis, as a rookie, get under the champion’s skin so easily? How did a pit stop threaten to destroy McLaren’s relationship with Alonso? How did the rivalry set...