The Avants Podcast

This week we have a great chat with Vinny Russo, Operations Manager at Westside Collector Car Storage and Special Project Manager for The iD Agency. Vinny talks with us all about his history with Spyker, Hennessey, VF Engineering, and more.  We had some serious audio issues with Riverside, our online podcasting host. Vinny's audio turned out great, and he does most of the talking in this episode....

This week we chat with Kara Coraci Sellentine! Kara keeps the laughs rolling in and talks to us about all things Alfa, Formula 1, working on Jerry Springer, and more! 

With the arrival of the R8 it's time for us to take on the next supercar build! We'll be starting by working with our friends and sponsor, STEK to cover the whole car and add some tint, then we have a few more creative mods to add. We'll be sure to keep you all updated as we go along. There is new, exciting news from Triumph and Ducati who will be entering the very competitive world of Motocross....

When we say Wade Kawasaki never lifts, we mean that figuratively and literally. From humble beginnings working at a service station as a kid, to racing, and coming up all the way up in the automotive industry to Executive Chairman at The Wheel Group, Wade has truly done it all. Wade and his wife Rose continue to play a pivotal role in keeping the automotive industry going and ensuring that it cont...

Dan gets some first hand experience using the surprisingly good "Buy It Now" Autotrader feature and the new E-Ray configurator is live! Does it change your mind on the new Z06? It may have changed ours!

As the UAW strike comes to a close and wages go up, you can bet those CEOs aren’t going to take a pay cut, which means the money has to come from somewhere! Hint, it’s you, the consumer. This week we chat about the strike and how it’s going to be passed on to the consumers. Got some thoughts on the strike? Give us a call or text and let us know at 425-298-7873!

In this episode we talk about the the worst places to drop your pants. We have done a lot of driving all over this great planet and we have found some incredible places to go, but every now and then we come across places you probably just shouldn't stop at. 

Megan has Covid, Dan has a cold, Nick is still getting over his cold, and so of course we spent all of our time being sick browsing Facebook Marketplace for the coolest cars and other good deals. We found a snowcat, a fighter jet ejection seat, R8s, vintage Corvettes, pre-crashed motorcycles, and more! 

This week we have a very special guest, Steve Saleen! Steve joins and talks to us all about the creation of the Saleen brand, Mustangs, the S7, the Bronco, and the upcoming S1! This won't be the last you hear from Steve, he's got a lot more stories coming your way on upcoming episodes. 

Karen Brown has the job we all probably want to have, doing all the awesome car events you keep hearing about! Krissy and Adam met Karen and said she was a guest we just had to have, and sure enough, they were right! Karen has a wealth of knowledge to share and some great stories.

A lot of people have made a name for themselves in a part of the automotive industry, but R.J. De Vera helped make an entire division of it. If you're not working in the industry, you would probably know R.J. as the kid playing Gran Turismo in the first Fast & The Furious, but he was one of the main people responsible for bringing the cars to the movie itself. From his days working in print, t...

If you're in the PNW, you might know Victoria. From working The Shop to playing at the track to rebuilding her various car projects, she keeps herself pretty busy in the car community in spite of also being a full time student. Victoria got into cars on her own, just like any of you can do, and should. On this episode we talk about the unfortunate learning curve of necessity and have a few tips on...

Nick is back from his annual trek of working Monterey Car week! Things are changing down there for sure, so if you haven't been to car week you definitely need to get it on your bucket list sooner than later. While Nick was way, Dan was busy installing a new gym and researching the in-and-outs of doubling or even tripling the horsepower on the Honda Monkeys. Are you a motorcycle tech? Have you gon...

On this episode of Shop Talk we discuss the YouTube videos that keep us learning, laughing, and entertained like the true group of ADHD adults we all are. From mowing lawns to testing ratchets, we've got some good stuff for you to check out. Megan also officially buys Dan's Monkey and Dan shares his unrelenting desire for a sentry gun.  Dan's Picks: https://www.youtube.com/@ProjectFarm https://www...

Dan took a big road trip up through Canada to Sun Peaks, Emerald Lake, Lake Louise, Banff, and Jasper National Parks and we think you should too. Outside of the Alps, this is probably the most beautiful mountain terrain on the planet, and it’s not even that far of a drive. Where do you think we should go next? Give us a call and let us know! 425-298-7873!

This is our official 300th podcast episode! Rather than the usual walk down memory lane, we started discussing the desire of hitting the 200 MPH club. What’s the cheapest car we could do it in? What’s the fastest we’ve gone? Where would you do it? We would love to know if you have hit 200 MPH, so give us a call and leave us a voicemail! 425-298-7873! A special thanks to all of you who helped get u...

After 2 years of planning and multiple hiccups, we finally took our capable Honda Monkeys to McCall to ride parts of the IDBDR and beyond. Friend and previous Backcountry Monkey participant Brian Elich joined us on our latest and longest adventure and joined us on this episode to give us his point of view on why McCall is still magic.

This is another episode where we interview some people and instantly wish they were closer so we could all hang out and be friends. We talked to Toby and Nicole Pond, the official importers of some of the finest seats on the market, Scheel-Mann. As we always say, spend your money where you spend your time, so if you love to drive like we do you owe yourself a pair of these top quality seats. More...

On this fun shop talk episode we talk about upcoming cars on Dan's list, the shop and studio update, tool boxes, and choosing the right trailer for Megan's make believe husband. 

This week we speak to the official photographer at Indy, Chris Owens! Chris started his career in photography early and took over as the head track photographer at Indy at 23 and is now the Manager of Photo Operations at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Chris has worked his entire life as a photographer, and at the still young age of 34 is one of the most respected and talented photographers in th...

Karl makes his 4th appearance on the podcast, which still doesn’t feel like enough times for all his stories. Ever since retiring from the tech industry Karl has been busier than ever as the Editor-in-Chief of the Avants Magazine, photographing for IMSA, photographing at Le Mans, and so much more. We talk with Karl about all the inside scoops of life at the races and about his new M2!

We have had our fair share of accidents and close calls, but the reality of being permanently disabled by one of them is something we have never had to face. After a severe motorcycle accident, Barry Long found himself permanently paralyzed and facing the reality of life ahead in a wheel chair. Barry talks to us about how he didn’t let if stop him from truly living, loving, and enjoying life. Not...

It's a shorter episode this week as we prepped for the Avants Classics on the Green event! This week we talk about the best way to visit parks, NASCAR goes to Le Mans, the new CARB emissions for small engines, and Dan's dog tries to eat Nick's face. Again. 

On this shop talk episode Dan, Nick, and Megan discuss sacrilegious engine swaps we would do (like a K24 in Ferrari 308), hauling a long load in your short truck bed, and some safety tips after Nick almost loses his legs while doing some off-road recovery!

We did a poll on the Avants Facebook page on what special tools we might not have but should and several Avants members helped us out! Do you have any of these? We also touch on what we think are the best cars you should buy right now and save for a lifetime and some exciting upcoming events!