Past Gas

Over the past several decades, “The Great Race” has become a vital part of the fabric of Australian motorsport, and by extension, Australian culture. How did the Bathurst 1000 change Australian motorsport? How has one event given the racing world everything from V8 Supercars to the R32 GT-R known as “Godzilla?” And what about it has made it a cultural icon? Today on Past Gas, it’s the history of t...

Despite its affinity for front-wheel drive cars, especially in its legendary 99 and 900 badges, Swedish automaker Saab still managed to sell one of its properly cool cars as a wagon with all-wheel drive. The 9-2X Aero. But here’s the thing: It wasn’t a true Saab, but a mashup of GM DNA mixed with Subaru. And, it was entirely built by Subaru, too. But let’s take a step back and try to get an idea o...

The story of Saab is one of out-of-the-box thinking. This Swedish brand barely made it past its 70th birthday before it died, but the legacy it built throughout those decades made it something truly special. But what made Saab such a legend in all things detail-oriented and quirky? What were the most legendary and popular models, and what made them so fun-to-drive? And finally, why did the brand d...

With hands blistered by a red-hot steering wheel and a head still reeling from a long night of sex and champagne, Hellé Nice won the first all-female Grand Prix at Montlhéry. The next day, Bugatti invited her to their showroom to convince Nice to compete under their name. She signed a sponsorship deal with Lucky Strike cigarettes, and with her immaculate profile, Nice bought herself a yacht. Now a...

Le Mans, 1991. The Mazdaspeed team has been chasing gold at the legendary endurance race for the better part of a decade, and the team can only watch on anxiously as the clock ticks past midnight. With a looming ban on rotary engines, they know that the rotary-powered 787b is their last chance at victory. And for now, roughly every 3 and a half minutes, the nervous silence is broken as the distinc...

1974. For the past six years, Mazda Sports Corner have taken the rotary engine to task against the racing titans of Europe. And back in Japan, Mazda’s high-revving rotaries have captured the attention of the underground racing scene, and can be heard screaming at 9,000rpm down streets and expressways across the country. But how did two tuning companies come to shape Mazda’s image on the track and...

It’s October 1963, and the 10th Tokyo Motor Show is underway. Toyo Kogyo’s Mazda brand has had some success, but to prove its worth as an independent business to the government, Toyo Kogyo President Tsuneji Matsuda has hedged the company’s future on a new, pistonless engine technology that many considered to be a fantasy. But soon, that fantasy would become a reality. How did Tsuneji Matsuda take...

It’s the morning of August 6th, 1945. Jujiro Matsuda is heading back home after visiting his company headquarters in nearby Hiroshima, where his small trucks called Mazdas have become fixtures of the city. And suddenly, behind him, there’s a bright flash. The city that had grown on the backs of the Mazda trucks for more than a decade had vanished in an instant, and it would be Jujiro and the Mazda...

Beyond the Macau Grand Prix’s rich history, the event has become a cultural phenomenon, drawing motorsport enthusiasts and fans to the vibrant city to witness the convergence of speed, strategy, and sheer determination on a circuit that combines tradition with cutting edge automotive technology. But for all of its positive influence, the history of the Macau GP is fraught with controversy. How did...

August, 2014. Gasoline and burnt rubber linger in the air at Spa-Francorchamps circuit, where the podium celebration for the Belgian Grand Prix is underway. The announcer calls the name of the second place finisher - Nico Rosberg. This should be a moment of celebration. But the crowd below roars with boos. Because the driver who Rosberg has overtaken in the quest for the championship is his childh...

The 70’s and early 80’s were practically an arms race of automotive engineering. From fuel injection to turbos to aerodynamics, manufacturers and privateers alike were breaking new ground in the name of ever-faster lap times. It was an age of pioneering that bridged the gap between the legends of the past and the racing we love today. What was Group 5 Special Production? Why were the late 1970’s c...

Just one decade into their journey, Cosworth had dominated IndyCar racing and changed the face of Formula 1. But while any other company would be satisfied with that kind of record, Mike and Keith were far from done. Even though Cosworth already had a stack of incredible achievements under its belt, what the company has been able to achieve post-1970 is just as, if not more, revolutionary. But how...

Between 1968 and 1974, every single Constructors Championship in F1 was won by the same Cosworth engine - the DFV - and in 1969 and 1973, every single F1 race was won by a DFV-powered car. This one engine was responsible for F1 wins across four decades - the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. But who the hell is Cosworth? What’s their magic formula? And most importantly, how did two gentlemen engineers in su...

Mark Donohue never quite fit the look of a race car driver. But regardless of how he looked on the outside, his methodology not only changed the  literal  rules of racing but also the industry as a whole. So how did this All-American, Ivy League guy end up in a race car? How did he go from being nicknamed “Captain Nice” to “Dark Donohue?” And why did he pull that classic race driver stunt by comin...

Like many of the other car companies founded just before the turn of the 20th century, Renault made itself known for its revolutionary innovations — a concept that the company has employed time and again, to varying degrees of success. But how did three French brothers decide they had a shot in the automotive industry? What was it about Renault's innovative approach to business that keeps it balan...

Catch our episode on the historic rivalry between Audi and Lancia on this exclusive episode revisit! Group B. The Golden Age of Rally Racing. It’s safe to say that auto racing will never again be this fast, thrilling, and dangerous. The most iconic battle of Group B was in 1983, when the beefy 4WD Audi Quattro faced off against the stylin’ Italian rear-wheel drive Lancia 037. Who prevailed in what...

It’s finally that time of year that James, Nolan, and Joe are winding down at the podcast studio, getting ready for a loooooong winter’s nap. So today on Past Gas, they’re gonna learn a little bit about some different listener-submitted stories and a whole lotta big dogs. This is Santa’s Coal Bag: We Did Your Crummy Ideas, volume 2! Thanks to our sponsors: Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial...

During the 80s and early 90s, Pablo Escobar was the richest, most ruthless cocaine trafficker in the world. But before his life was monopolized by drugs, money, and gang wars, Pablo was a man with a simple dream: to be a race car driver. And for two memorable seasons in the Colombian circuit, Pablo cheated and stole his way onto a championship podium. But how did he do it? What driver did he bring...

“In some circles, the Mint 400 is a far, far better thing than the Super Bowl, the Kentucky Derby and the Lower Oakland Roller Derby Finals all rolled into one. This race attracts a special breed,” wrote Hunter S. Thompson in  Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas . But how did a bunch of hospitality industry employees with little-to-no knowledge of motorsports turn a publicity stunt into The Great Ameri...

In its first two decades, AMG had brought racing and performance prestige to Mercedes. But in 1999, co-founder Hans-Werner Aufrecht was ready to sell a majority stake of AMG to Mercedes, effectively handing over control of the company. Today, on the final episode of Past Gas’s History of Mercedes: How did Aufrecht and co-founder Erhard Melcher form their tuning house? How did Mercedes make a trium...

It’s 1952 and the world is still recovering from the brutality of WWII, including Mercedes. So how did Mercedes return to prominence just a decade after the war? How did Rudolph Uhlenahut create the world’s first supercar using only parts from the Mercedes parts bin? And how did he shape Mercedes into the brand we know today? Today on Past Gas, part three of four on our history of Mercedes. This e...

June 1926. An era of progress, rapid automotive adoption, and record-breaking feats spurred on by the rivalry between Benz and DMG had given way to a crisis. So how did a conniving aristocrat convince DMG to create the Mercedes brand? How did DMG and Benz usher in the era of the modern automobile? And how did these two competitors find themselves in a position where the only way to ensure their su...

New Years’ Eve, 1879. 35 year old Karl Benz and his wife Bertha are huddled around a small block of iron. Karl no doubt thinks about the decade’s worth of work and near-financial ruin contained in its small footprint. But even if he can finally get it to run smoothly, it’s only a first step. His end goal is to use it in a horseless carriage, with the hopes of changing the way people move. But how...

New Zealand is known for having a small population. Many leave to find opportunity elsewhere, while others build a life in the place they were born. These people can become a big fish in a small pond or, if they’re lucky, an even bigger fish in the international pond. But is it possible to take a dip in both ponds? How do you make a name for yourself by staying in the same place? Where do you find...

In 1986, the Williams Formula 1 team should have taken the World Championship, but their drivers Nelson Piquet and Nigel Mansell decided to turn on each other instead. But how did the son of a Brazilian doctor become one of the most controversial names in Formula 1 history? What was it that catapulted a young Nelson Piquet into the international spotlight so soon after his first-ever go-kart race?...