Cars Yeah with Mark Greene

Gary Bennett is the Vice President of Consignment for Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers. His career in the collector car industry has spanned over 45 years by actively buying, selling, and participating in the collector industry. Known for his knowledge of cars and extreme honesty, integrity, and credibility, he spent 17 years as Vice President of Barrett-Jackson Auctions. During his time, they grew from $18M to $130M in sales and saw attendance grow from 70,000 to 350,000 for their signature event alone. Gary has been President of Lister North America, Lister Restoration and of Coach Connection. Aside from his love of automobiles, he is also passionate about motorcycles, he’s raced vintage NASCAR, Trans-AM, European sports cars, and open wheel racecars as well. No doubt you’ve seen his writing for the New York Times, Autoweek, Motor Trend, and many other publications and seen him on numerous automotive television shows.

Direct download: Ep1129-Gary_Bennett.mp3
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Muffy Bennett is the CEO at Bennett Automotive Specialists and the Director of New Business Development at Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers in Phoenix, Arizona. Her addiction for all things wheeled began as a child. After a successful 17-year career as a paralegal, she became Operations Director for ASAA Auction Company. She then opened a collector car dealership and in 2013, she was asked to set up a retail dealership division for Barrett-Jackson Auction known as the Barrett-Jackson Collection offering a full-service center, detailing, insurance, sales, and more. Muffy and her husband, Gary, were recruited to spearhead Ritchie Bros. Auction company’s entry into the collector car auction niche. She retains her collector car dealership and specializes in brokering to elite and celebrity clientele. When she’s not chasing cars, Muffy enjoys riding motorcycles, target shooting, being a Professional Ringman for charity auctions, and judging for the annual International Auctioneer’s Championship. 

Direct download: Ep1128-Muffy_Bennett.mp3
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Steven Aghakhani is a 15-year-old racer who started racing go-karts, when he was just seven years old, after spending time at the racetrack with his father. When Steven was ready to move from go-kart racing to exotics, he began training with Michael Essa, the 2013 Formula Drift Champion. Steven was named US RaceTronics’ development driver at the age of 13 and has set record speeds for his age and he just secured an FIA Pro license scheduled to be active for his 16th birthday next year. His racing this year included first place titles at the NASA and SCCA pro series southern region championship. Steven currently drives the Huracán Super Trofeo Evo.

Direct download: Ep1127-Steven_Aghakhani.mp3
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Sam Schmidt is a former IndyCar driver and the current co-owner of Schmidt-Peterson Motorsports in Indianapolis, Indiana. He grew up working on racecars and his father was a drag racer. At the age of 32, he embarked on his first season of IndyCar competition and he became a pole and race winner in 1999. Sam was severely injured in a testing accident at Walt Disney World Speedway and was later diagnosed as a quadriplegic due to a severe injury to his spinal cord. Sam was not deterred and he forged on to create The Conquer Paralysis Now Foundation and Sam Schmidt Motorsports, just 14 months after his accident. Despite Sam remaining paralyzed from his chest down, he has been granted a drivers license, the first of its kind, which allows him to drive a semi-autonomous vehicle.

Direct download: Ep1126-Sam_Schmidt.mp3
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Peter Higham has been working in the British Motorsport Press since 1986 when he joined Autosport. His time with Autosport spans 28 years and includes running the annual Autosport Awards, a little party for 1,200 guests ranging from Ayrton Senna to Richard Petty, Lewis Hamilton, and Mario Andretti. Peter managed their photographic archives for 17 years and was Autosport and F1 Racing Magazine’s Publishing Director before going freelance in 2014. His first book, The Guinness Guide to Motor Racing came out in 1993 and was updated as the International Motor Racing Guide a decade later. His three-volume World Encyclopedia of Racing Drivers was published in 2013 and he is currently working on a decade-by-decade history of Formula 1–F1 Car-by-Car, with the 1960s and 1970s, already published. 

Direct download: Ep1125-Peter_Higham.mp3
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Chris Corrado is an automotive artist from Boston, Massachusetts. He studied at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, and Art Center College of Design and Concept Design Academy in Los Angeles. He loves to draw hot rods and concept cars in a loose and colorful style.

Direct download: Ep1124-Chris_Corrado.mp3
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Jim Osborn, MD, is an orthopedic spine surgeon, Assistant Professor at UT College of Medicine and the Chairman of the Board and Co-Founder at the Austin Hatcher Foundation. The mission of the Austin Hatcher Foundation is to erase the effects of pediatric cancer and to optimize each child’s quality of life through essential, specialized intervention beginning at the time of diagnosis and continuing throughout survivorship. So what does this have to do with cars, hot rods, and racing?  Their new Education Advancement Center includes programs available for individuals along with families in which to participate including the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow Engine Building Challenge and Driving Performance Improvement Programs in simulators. They are also the Proud Charities recipients of the International Motor Sports Association, (IMSA).

Direct download: Ep1123-Jim_Osborn.mp3
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Ryan Truax is the President and Founder of Advanced Fuel Dynamics, a company that manufactures performance flex fuel systems that bring E85 to the bolt-on world. E85 ethanol is used in engines modified to accept higher concentrations of ethanol. His systems unlock performance that is unattainable when running on gasoline and allow performance enthusiasts to safely and reliably make big power with E85. Ryan has been a gearhead all his life and he was an early pioneer in using E85 as a race fuel. He’s a foremost expert on E85 and flex-fuel technology.

Direct download: Ep1122-Ryan_Truax.mp3
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Tom Perazzo is a Porsche enthusiast who enjoys wrenching on old cars as much as he loves driving them. His passion to share his enthusiasm spurred him to launch a YouTube channel he calls Ahhgaragetime, where he shares his car restoration tips and tricks geared toward DIY’ers. Tom has designed and manufactured a handful of car-related products that support his ongoing restoration addiction which include VW/Porsche engine test stands, custom Porsche 356 toe boards, and some rust repair parts. After tackling a Porsche 356 restoration, he dove into a Porsche 911 and Ahhgaragetime became a weekly restoration vlog. Cars don't need to be a money pit if you’re willing to learn to do it yourself, and as we all know, the journey is often more fun than the destination.

Direct download: Ep1121-Tom_Perazzo.mp3
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Her Royal Highness, Vidita Singh of Barwani started her career as a professional automotive artist about 15 years ago. Her passion for automobiles has been passed down for generations from her great-grandfather onward. He was the Maharaja of the state of Barwani in Central India and one of the first people to bring the steam locomotive and paved roadways into Central India. Her father, past Cars Yeah guest, His Royal Highness Rana Manvendra Singh, is a renowned figure in the automobile industry and was responsible for bringing a magnificent collection of the Cars of the Maj to Pebble Beach this summer. Vidita works in a range of mediums including oils, charcoals, and watercolors. She alludes to the novelty automobiles that were in the bygone era and the artistic and mechanical masterpieces they are today.

I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Vidita at the AFAS event on the lawn at Pebble Beach during the Concours last month.

Direct download: Ep1120-Vidita_Singh.mp3
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Mark Nureddine is the CEO of Bull Outdoor Products, a company that provides grills, islands, and grilling components to over 900 dealers and distributors within North America and an additional 15 other countries and growing. For most people, tinkering, and testing on open flame grills in your garage is not advised but Mark is not most people. His efforts with developing grills in a closed environment led to his success. He grows his own grapes in his vineyard in Lodi, California, and is a hobbyist winemaker along with having a passion for international culinary endeavors. He is a Certified Barbeque Judge for the Kansas City Barbeque Society and served as a judge for Bull Outdoor Products and their Bull Burger Battle. Mark is also an enthusiastic car collector and international auto enthusiast having traveled the world attending car events. His company is also the Ironstone Concours Tour Sponsor for 2018.

Direct download: Ep1119-Mark_Nureddine.mp3
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Karl Ludvigsen lives in Suffolk, England, and is respected as a close and knowledgeable observer of, and participant in, the world of motor industry. In addition to his activities as an executive at GM, Fiat, and Ford, and head of a consulting company, he has been active for over 60 years as an author and historian. As an author, co-author or editor, he has some five dozen books to his credit, most concerning cars, drivers, racing, and technology, which is his life-long passion. Many have been garlanded for their high standard of writing and research. His newest book, Reid Railton: Man of Speed, is a two-volume set that tells the story of Cheshire-born, Reid Antony Railton, an engineer par excellence and his life creating an extraordinary range of cars.

Direct download: Ep1118-Karl_Ludvigsen.mp3
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Bob Devlin is a fourth generation Californian having grown up in his family’s native Sacramento prior to moving to Pebble Beach at the age of 14 where he enjoyed the second running of the Pebble Beach Races and Concours d’Elegance. Bob started competing in Sports Car and Formula Junior racecars in 1957 and took to Concours judging some forty years ago. He just completed his 32nd year at Pebble Beach as a Class, Chief of Class, and now Honorary Judge. He has authored or co-authored more than 135 articles for various automotive and travel magazines and event-related programs. Bob authored two books:  Pebble Beach, a Matter of Style, in 1980, and Pebble Beach, The Art of the Poster, in 2003. He has begun his third year of teaching at The Academy of Art University: The History of Automotive Design. Bob is also an Ironstone Concours d’Elegance Board Member.

Direct download: Ep1117-Bob_Devlin.mp3
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Louise Noeth is the founder of LandSpeed Productions where she has provided film and TV consulting, photography, writing, graphic design, and more since 1984. She is a storyteller known for taking complicated subjects and making them entertaining and educational. Her award-winning works have been published around the world. Dubbed LandSpeed Louise, she concentrates on land speed racing and the people who do extraordinary feats by designing, building, and driving fast cars, trucks, and motorcycles. She’s one of the few women journalists in the automotive field who’s also comfortable and competent behind the wheel. Today she’s returned to talk about a very important subject, the Bonneville Salt Flats, their condition, and their future. Louise was my 285th guest back on Monday, July 6, 2015.

Direct download: Ep1116-Louise_Noeth.mp3
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Nick Pon has been an associate perpetrator at the 24 Hours of Lemons since 2006. The 24 Hours of Lemons is an endurance road racing series where the drivers are limited to $500 or less to build their cars. Pretty much any four-wheeled machine, that is street legal when made, is eligible. Nick’s past includes being the editor at Corvette Magazine, assistant editor at Excellence Magazine, and he’s written for Sports Car International, a variety of online outlets, and he is a professional photographer having shot for numerous automotive events and publications. Nick’s also a Vespa enthusiast and rider. The 24 Hours of Lemons was founded by past Cars Yeah guest Jay Lamm and other past Lemons guests include Jeff Bloch, known as Speedy Cop, and Eric Rood.

Direct download: Ep1115-Nick_Pon.mp3
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Jason Rose is the Director of Global Training for RUPES USA. With a total of 40 years in the car care industry, Jason spent 20 years with Meguiar’s in their Professional Division before joining RUPES. RUPES is an Italian company with a 65-year history of designing and producing the finest in innovative machine tools and their reputation in the automotive surface care sector is world renown. RUPES recently built and opened a facility in Colorado as they continue to grow in the US marketplace. Jason is a top industry leader in surface care and correction, product development, and training. His history in car care goes back to detailing cars in high school and that business financed his college education. Today, one of his focuses is training for the RUPES BigFoot as its Car Detailing Academy Director.

Direct download: Ep1114-Jason_Rose.mp3
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Ralph Sheheen is the FOX Sports Play-by-Play Talent for Monster Energy Supercross and the Host Talent for FOX Sports coverage of Formula E.  He is the owner of Speed Sport, the oldest and most trusted brand name in American motorsports journalism. Speed Sport is 84 years old, having started in 1934 and used to be owned by the iconic Chris Economaki. He produces two magazines, Speed Sport and Sprint Car & Midget and they host the website SpeedSport.com. They produce over 30 National TV shows a year including the award-winning Suzuki Presents Speed Sports series for MAVTV. Ralph is a true automotive and motorcycle enthusiast, he is a racer, logging laps in everything from sports cars and Indy cars to karts and Thunder Roadsters. He has also competed in the Baja 1000 and took a second-place finish in Class 7, 4X4.

Direct download: Ep1113-Ralph_Sheheen.mp3
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Mark Gessler is the President and Founder of the Historic Vehicle Association, known as the HVA, and the National Historic Vehicle Register, a public/private partnership with the U.S. Department of the Interior and Library of Congress. The HVA’s goal is to document and preserve America’s automotive heritage for the next 500 years. A former tech entrepreneur turned social entrepreneur, Mark is focused on preserving the global automotive heritage and he also serves as North American Ambassador, representative, and board member for FIVA since 2008. He is the founder of Scuderia SPORTS Zagato that has achieved two overall victories and seven podium finishes in the Mille Miglia since 2010. Mark is a frequent advisor, speaker, judge, competitor, and participant in historic automobile events including the Amelia Island Concours, Pebble Beach Concours, and many others.

Direct download: Ep1112-Mark_Gessler.mp3
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Nick Skeens is a freelance journalist who lives on a barge that he helped build in Burnham-on-Crouch in Essex, UK. He is an author who started writing about creativity for the UK’s Design Council covering subjects ranging from design education to creative thinking. He is the co-author of Future Present, Creative Island, and Creative Island II, books that celebrated British design genius by focusing on the creative process. His latest book, The Perfect Car, by EVRO Publishing, is a biography of the incredible John Barnard, who revolutionized motorsport across the world. Barnard introduced aerospace technology to the sport and designed game-changing innovations such as the first use of the carbon-fiber monocoque chassis with McLaren, and the paddle-shifted, semi-automatic gearbox with Ferrari. Nick’s past includes time as a news editor and producer in television. 

Direct download: Ep1111-Nick_Skeens.mp3
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Eric Rood works for the 24 Hours of Lemons as a Media Stooge, BS Judge, and Special Projects' Puppet for this $500 endurance-racing series. Eric is a latecomer to the car hobby, having delved into the automotive world by helping to build a Lemons car in 2010. After racing Lemons a couple times, he started writing about cars in his spare time, focusing on cheap-car endurance racing and the oft-ignored world of obscure or forgotten Rust Belt junk. That grew into full-time, general automotive and motorsport freelancing work in 2016 with contributions to Roadkill, BangShift, and other outlets. Today, Eric enjoys spending his spare time in junkyards, watching motorsports, and wrenching on his own Lemons-grade project cars.

Direct download: Ep1110-Eric_Rood.mp3
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