Fuel For Thought

On this episode of Fuel For Thought Sam chats with Gregory Porter. Gregory is a Lead Specialist of Collector Motorcars and Automobilia at Bonham's. He is an expert on pre-war cars and loves anything with a Bentley badge. Gregory's passion for the automobile, like most, started when he was a young child and was fueled by his experiences riding shot-gun in his father's 3 1/2 liter Bentley!

At OTTO we use the word maestro very rarely, however, in the case of John Willhoit of Willhoit Auto Restoration, the word may not even be an accurate description. John has been the king of Porsche 356 restorations for a long time. His attention to detail, perfectionist standards, and appreciation for the cars he works on are all ingredients that allow him to deliver the best. FFT host Sam Birenbaum dives right in with John to discuss his new 2.2L racing motor, origins of his passion, and his thoughts on the modern crop of Porsches.

The Maestro of Porsche Modifications' Robert Linton has returned to the Fuel For Thought podcast for his third episode. On this episode of Fuel For Thought Sam and Robert dive into some of Robert's latest modifications to his 911R and his 991.2 GT2RS. With long standing ties to the Porsche factory, Robert has been able to commission modifications and upgrades to his cars that may seem closer to absurd than necessary, however, they all represent Mr. Linton's extreme attention to detail and love for fine materials.

Many of our Fuel For Thought listeners are probably familiar with the Ruf brand and the Ruf family. Alois Ruf and his wife Estonia have created a cult following and will always be a favorite mark in the automotive sphere, however there is another Ruf family member who we wanted to chat with and get to know...Aloisa! Aloisa is taking the Ruf brand to new heights. We hope you are as excited as we are to hear about her story and her passion for the cars that make us all so happy.

Eli and Sam chat with Chet Parsons, Sales Director of Bollinger Motors. Bollinger Motors is developing the world's most capable Class 3 electric trucks. From the ground up, the dream was to build something that didn't exist. Clean and simple, built to last. Nothing frivolous, nothing unnecessary. All electric. All aluminum. All wheel drive. And they're building them right in Detroit.”

The Monterey Car Week Review”: Birkenstocks and "camo-pants" were out in full force amongst the old-school blue blazers and khakis scene to render this year's Car Week as “komfort spec”. Tune-in to hear about Laguna Seca and The Quail as well as some insider info on the car market. With much excitement, Eli and Sam touch upon some new developments for 2022's Car Week...

Eli, Sam, and Shane sit down and review their past few weeks at OTTO to reminisce. They reflect on their adventures in the American southwest during the 2021 "red, hot summer".

On this episode of Fuel for Thought, Eli and Sam are joined by their new colleague Shane Turpin. Shane joined OTTO a few weeks ago as the WERKS Program Manager. He brings 30+ years of racing experience, stories, passion, and humor to his new role. For more info regarding OTTO WERKS, tune-in to this episode or follow @ottowerks on Instagram!

On this special edition of FFT, we are live in the studio with Cam Ingram of Road Scholars, Steve Serio of The Bond Group, and Peter Brotman, legendary car broker and aficionado. Fresh off the Copperstate 1000 road rally, the guys have a laugh sharing their memories, qualms, and take-aways from their 1,000 mile adventure through America’s southwest. We hear everyone’s top three picks from the rally as well as the gang’s great encounter with the one and only “Sedona Tom”.

Eli and Sam take their seats in the Fuel For Thought studio for another hosts-only episode. After a great response to the previous “Shop Talk” episode…here comes another one. Tune-in to hear more about the daily operations at OTTO, the members-only track day, the new OTTO Werks racing program, and much more.

Eli and Sam are in the FFT studio for a special host-only episode. Tune-in for an update on the Road Scholar’s RS Invitational track day that Eli attended in Atlanta, as well as a review of our event with Bollinger Motors.

On this episode of Fuel For Thought, Eli and Sam chat with Robert Linton for a second round of in-depth talks regarding Linton’s obsession with all things Porsche customization. Weight reduction, refinement, and of course the sourcing of the best and most expensive materials…like beryllium…make Linton’s Porsche builds unlike any others in the world, not to mention every build has been backed and executed by the Porsche factory. Without boards, marketing, or budget, Linton and the Porsche Exclusive Department are able to create some of the lightest, and most advanced versions of cars like the 964, the 2016 911R, and the 991 GT2RS. When there are no limits, great things are born!

On this episode of Fuel For Thought, Matthew Ivanhoe of "The Cultivated Collector” chats with Eli and Sam about his business, his love for the obscurest of automobiles, and his top picks within the 20k, the 100k, the 500k, and the $1M brackets. As a distinguished collector of some of the world’s finest homologation specials, sports cars, and competition cars, Matt has been involved with cars as long as he can remember and assures us that petrol runs through his veins.

As founder of “Discommon”, a company that strives to “f * * * mediocracy”, Neil Ferrier is the king of product design, industrial design, and reengineering. In this episode we discuss his incredulous 60’s Formula 1 car that he meticulously converted for road use, his love for the Ferrari 430 Scuderia, and his insistence on adding a blow-off valve to his Lancia Delta Integrale Evo I - currently being restored in the UK. Neil is a Scotsman living the American Dream, an enthusiast, and an all-round good guy. Check out Discommon’s website to see all of his team's products and projects.

After a very busy auction week here at OTTO Car Club Eli and Sam sit down with Greg Stanley of The Collector Car Podcast for a debrief. After RM’s extremely successful Scottsdale 2021 sale (see RM Sotheby’s website for results), we had a lot to discuss. Greg is the host of The Collector Car Podcast as well as an Automotive Consultant with RM Sotheby’s. He is an expert on the collector car market and has some great takes on where the market is going and what is a great bang for your buck. However, after a long debate we all agreed that a Porsche Carrera GT may be the best value for money and experience out there in the automotive world. Spoiler alert!

Recently described by Hannah Elliot in a Bloomberg article as “the guy billionaires trust when looking for a rare classic car”, Steve Serio is a car hunter aficionado as well as an avid enthusiast and purveyor of fine automobiles. Born and raised in the Boston, MA area, Serio’s passion for all things with engines is deeply rooted and can be traced back to his early days. Starting out as a Lotus dealership owner (one of the very few in the States at the time), he then became an independent consultant. His current position as “asset allocation guru” with Bond Group has only furthermore solidified his legitimacy in a field of people who do not have “the critical eye”. As Serio will touch upon in this episode, he can count the number of people he truly trusts in this nutty auto-industry on his two hands, and that still only totals seven.

Eli and Sam are joined by the "Urban Outlaw” who needs no introduction. Magnus Walker is our featured guest on this week’s episode of FFT. Magnus has been in the Porsche scene for some time now after his first film debuted in 2012. He hones in on the key to his success: passion, and discusses various other stepping stones that brought him to his current position as Porsche collector, clothing designer, video host, and king of DTLA. We talk about his new acquisitions, his new dog, and his plans for the future. Tune in!

If you love cars or are in the automotive world, you know the name Jeff Zwart. Racer, photographer, advertiser, Pikes Peak winner, and owner of a batch of great, historical Porsches, this man was practically born in a 911. Due to his busy schedule, Eli and Sam gave Zwart a ring at early hours, only to find out that Zwart had already been up and about in his rally-prepped 964 Carrera 4 on his home state of Colorado’s incredible, powdered roads.

On this special holiday edition of Fuel For Thought, Eli and Sam talk with their friend Marlon Goldberg of Workshop 5001. Marlon, originally a New Yorker, is now running a very reputable air-cooled Porsche shop in the Los Angeles area. Workshop 5001 specializes in bottom to top restorations of our favorite car…the Porsche 911. We discuss our adventures in Arizona when Marlon came to visit OTTO, and we make our universal love for the Porsche 964 iteration of the 911 well known…after all it is the best.

There had been murmurs in the Porsche community of a highly modified, highly customized, 964 named the “America GS”, commissioned by a gentleman who had a very close relationship with the Porsche Exclusive and “Special Wishes” department. No one really knew much about the backstory of this incredible piece of Porsche history until the owner revealed his identity on...you guessed it....Instagram a few months ago. Robert Linton, an avid (to say the least) Porsche enthusiast has had a rapport with the Porsche factory ever since he sat down to order his 1989 Flachbau 930 Turbo Cabriolet. Since that project, Linton took the words “one of one” to a new extreme. Not only was his 930 Turbo the last to leave the factory after two years of production, but his cars that would follow would adhere to the 930’s ethos: lighten everything, stiffen everything, source materials from the bowels of the periodic table, and add a lot of leather. Eli and Sam have a chat with Robert Linton to discuss his obsession with Porsche and his thought processes behind some of his unbelievable builds. Tune in!

Jonny Lieberman joins Eli and Sam on another episode of Fuel For Thought. Jonny is the Senior Features editor for Motor Trend magazine - a job that most people would kill for. He chats with the FFT hosts about his job at Motor Trend, his life before automotive journalism, as well as his opinions on the current crop of modern sports cars. Jonny is also the writer and host of two of Motor Trend’s very popular emissions, Head 2 Head as well as Ignition, which have opened the door for Motor Trend’s digital dominance.

Eli and Sam sit down and talk with Basem Wasef, a reputable automotive and motorcycle journalist who currently writes for Robb Report. Basem has driven pretty much every modern vehicle and has been fortunate enough to experience some of the industry’s greatest cars at some of the world’s greatest driving destinations. He recently went on a trip to Australia where he drove the current range of Lotus Cars at Australia's famous Bathurst Circuit. He clues us in on his thoughts on the current crop of new car releases and why he enjoys, or for that matter does not enjoy, certain aspects of the modern automobile.

Eli and Sam chat with Rod Emory of “Emory Motorsports”. Eli and Rod have been friends for some time, and Eli has the pleasure of owning two of Rod’s awesome builds. Specializing in Porsche 356’s, Rod restores these simple yet iconic cars with his own “outlaw” look and feel by updating the cars’ mechanical componentry - brakes, suspension, and flat-four motors - as well as their exterior design which he purposely keeps not too far from the factory look. On this episode Rod speaks about his story; how he began the first minutes of his life quite literally in a Porsche, and how his passion for the Porsche brand has allowed him to morph from a man with a hobby into a serious contender in the automotive world.

Hannah Elliott has been in the journalism world for a long time and has worked as a staff writer for Forbes Magazine as well as a staff writer for Bloomberg Businessweek’s automotive section - her current role. In this episode, she speaks with Eli and Sam about her clear distinction between being a journalist first and a car lover second, and how the two were not always interwoven. Her emergence into the car world by way of Bloomberg Businessweek has put her on the scene as a go-to source for sincere, non-bias, automotive reporting.

Daniel Arsham has taken the art, fashion, and architecture scene by storm in the past few years, breaking through the clutter with his awesome collaborations with big name brands like Porsche, KITH, and Adidas. Arsham’s love for design and unique style has brought him into the forefront of the modern art world, showcasing his pieces all over the world. Eli and Sam speak in depth with Arsham about his inspirations, his love of cars, his early life, and his vision for his art.

Now on FFT, the man who is responsible for changing the car auction and online car buying experience as we enthusiasts know it: Randy Nonnenberg. On this episode of FFT Eli and Sam chat with Randy about his brainchild “Bring A Trailer”, the internet’s first successful vehicle auction website. Randy tells us about the start of “Bring A Trailer” and his thoughts regarding their latest move having been acquired by Hearst Auto Family in June 2020. We also dive into Randy’s love of French hot hatches, FJ Cruisers, and the infamous “Bring A Trailer” comments section.

Eli and Sam had the pleasure of hosting Bruce Canepa on this episode of FFT. Bruce is held in very high regard amongst the automotive community, most notably for his business based in Scotts Valley, CA. Canepa’s automotive mecca, which bears his name, is a state-of-the-art facility in which Canepa has a restoration shop, dealership, and a museum. A car that comes out of a Canepa restoration is a car that most people “in the know” would refer to as “perfect”. Bruce’s attention to detail, anti-corner cutting philosophy, and pursuit of excellence no matter what type of vehicle he is working on, is something that is immediately apparent when you come “face-to-metal'' with one of his cars. His lucrative business along with his successful racing career which involved cars like the Porsche 935, 962, and March GTP car, called for a lengthy episode full of good anecdotes from Bruce’s busy life.

Announcing the new podcast, Fuel For Thought from Otto Car Club. Hosted by Eli Kogan and Sam Birenbaum.