Rad Rides Podcast

Mike Brooks never imagined he'd see his truck again. He had accepted it, moved on. But sometimes, fate works in mysterious ways. It all started on what should have been an ordinary weekend at the Good Guys show in Columbus. Mike had parked his beloved 1986 Chevy C10 outside his hotel, never thinking twice about it. The truck had been with him for years, a labor of love, meticulously maintained and customized to perfection. It wasn't just a vehicle—it was part of his identity…then, it vanished.

Elliot always had a knack for cars. Growing up around the hum of engines and the scent of motor oil, his future was written in chrome and steel. But IBF Hotrods wasn't born in a garage—it began with a dream shared by two people. Elliot and his wife had spent years on the road, moving from city to city for her General Motors job while Elliot honed his skills in hot rod and restoration shops across the country. When they finally settled in Indiana, the stars aligned to create a business that would blend their automotive passions into something extraordinary.

In the world of movie cars, few vehicles are as instantly recognizable or as iconic as the 1971 Chevrolet Monte Carlo from The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. With its battle-scarred exterior and raw, unfiltered power, the Monte Carlo roared onto the screen as a symbol of old-school American muscle. Now, decades after the movie's release, Austin Bowers a dedicated car builder, has taken on the ambitious task of recreating this legendary street racer—down to every detail. A car that's not built as an homage to the movie but something Austin is proud to drive and race all over the country.

For Nate Emigh the promise of adventure filled the air as him and his wife prepared to embark on a journey that would take them across the United States in an untested 1992 NSX internet purchase. Its a car that Nate dreamed about after he saw one on a lot while he was a young dishwasher and he knew one day that car would be in his driveway. A cannonball run enthusiast, the NXS was symbol of Nate's long-held dream, a dream of nostalgia and adventure, from behind the wheel of one of its most iconic Japanese sports cars.

This story might be one of the most heart wrenching that I have done and when I first spoke with Rob Williams at World of Wheels Pittsburgh I knew his story needed to be told. It all starts with this Porsche 944, not just any run of the mill old car, maybe the finest restored 944 in North America, maybe the world. The project was started by his father and after his untimely death finished by Rob and rolled onto the Pittsburgh Convention Center floor, a dream his father envisioned.

Nick Rearick's Skyline had already been imported and was quite possibly the cheapest R32 in the US at the time. He embarked on a journey over three winters to restore, upgrade and customize the car similar to an old school classic. The 1990 Skyline R32 was completely torn apart, gutted and put back together painstakingly all by Nick in his garage until it came out as his dream car.

Like the saying, “what's old is new,” mini trucks are making resurgence and filling them with the latest technology and making these trucks cool again. Shawn Stemmerich is not new to this game and this 1997 S10 that you are about to read about and listen to, is a $2K truck that he's owned for over 15 years, has gone through three different builds over its time.

On this crossover episode we talk muscle cars and professional bodybuilding with IFBB Pro Jennifer Zollars! We go into a deep dive of the bodybuilding world nd talk behind the scenes of a typical prep all the way up through show day. We also spoke about the podcast being hacked and some of Jen's favorite cars to photograph! You can find her on instagram @jeni.snax or on Facebook Jennifer Zollars or just catch her live during this upcoming season in the IFBB Professional league.

What you are looking at and listening to is the story of the lost 1981 Oldsmobile Omega that was indeed used as one the Official Pace Car for the 1981 PPG-CART-Indy Car World Series from the forgotten car era. This 1 of 1 prototype was the product of the GM beancounter reigns taken off using a mix of factory and aftermarket parts culminating in one of the raddest Omegas ever.

My faith in the Pittsburgh car scene has been rejuvenated with the first Steel City Cars N'at / Burgh Built end of summer bash. A collection of cars, trucks, lowrider, classics, exotics all gathered at the Soutpointe parking garage for a celebration of car culture before the hands of old man winter relegate these machines to the garage. Everyone behaved themselves, no burnouts, no donuts, no fights just a bunch of like minded enthusiast celebrating the freedom to drive their beloved machines and admiring each others works of art. I talked with three of the show goers in quick podcasts to find out some of the stories behind the 500 cars that showed up to the event.

Slate Performance is on a mission to become the premier custom and restoration shop in the Indianapolis area…and boy are they starting off hot. Their resume includes a CEO who worked on a NASCAR team to movie cars contracted by Universal Studios to wide body classic Corvettes pumping out 1000+ horsepower the quality and performance being pumped out is unmatched.

Within the past decade the phenomenon of cars and coffee started, presumably in California, where a group of car enthusiast started meeting in the mornings. No matter what the make or model, as long as you drove or rode it there you were admitted. Awesome, until like many things in our society it was ruined as it grew in size.

When putting together a car collection most go for some type of theme, a certain era of cars or only collect a certain make. For Justin Ross, his collection is based on some of his favorite designers and has a completely different take on what makes a car special to him. Names like Zagato, Giugiaro, and Gandini all continue to pop up when Justin explains how he built his collection. If you don't know these names you should, they're all designers that have influenced many of the iconic cars of the 70s, 80s and 90s and reason behind the rolling art studio that is Justin's collection.

“Never forget” we use that phrase a lot, however it takes a unique person to truly never forget. We all love the classics, 60's Mustangs, 30s hotrods, GM muscle, but what about the forgotten cars? Enter in Mr. Obscure, a mysterious man who has a passion for the rare, weird and forgotten cars of yesteryear. By day he works a normal job like the rest of us, however through the magic of sitting on the throne, educates the internet on obscure cars that 99.9% of us have never seen.

In every sense of the phrase “hand built",” EJ Talik is putting out some of the best hand built hotrods on the streets in America. Trained by fire he has learned the old school ways of swapping metal and has a resume that includes Riddler and Good Guys winning hotrods. His one man shop outside of Pittsburgh PA includes simple tools and a lot of man power. No big power hammers, not CNC machines, just EJ basic metal shaping tools and a shoulder with tendonitis that could tell a story.

For Cody James his daily driver Cobalt SS turned street/strip beast was built 100% at home out of boredom and to prove to his friends it could be done well and on a budget. The sticker on the side of his car is not only a metaphorical disclaimer but in every sense of the meaning, absolutely true. The car was built on blocks in a three car garage and is the only RWD Cobalt that still retains the unibody platform.

Like many of us aging Fast and the Furious kids we are at a point in our life where function sometimes outweighs form. So what is an aging car enthusiast to do? The unlikely four door that looks like a time attack weapon draped in black and carbon puzzled show goers and piqued the interest of the young and old alike.

For as much of a global economy as we live in there are still regional products that don't make it around the world and when encountered in another environment seem alien. For Kris Laser and his son Kris Jr. their 1996 Honda Acty Attack truck would be an every day work truck in Japan but while driving on American roads its a show stopper everywhere it goes!

With the OBS market now as hot as ever these once frowned upon trucks are making a huge comeback along with the classic style of the time these ruled the car scene. Like a time capsule from the era Brian “Ham” Cunningham's 1991 GMC is the embodiment of this era and was built to, “piss people off.”

For many of us looking to start a new project we run through the gamut of questions…budget, availability of parts, nostalgia and overall difficulty of building a certain model. For Joe and James all of these questions went right out the window when they decided to go off the beaten path and create two of the most unique vehicles roaming the streets and race track in Pittsburgh PA. Instead of asking why they have built these unique machines, we should be asking ourselves, “why not.” These two cars are strikingly more different than anything on the road, and the reason why custom car culture continues to have an endless supply unique vehicles that spark creativity for all ages.

Full of energy, big personality, mountainous laugh is underwhelming when describing John Kelly. He has lived an amazing life and in his late 30s has more life experience than more 70 year olds. During the podcast we spoke about F1, previous cars, military vehicles, Corvettes, overpaying for cars and totaling a 98 Ford Escort. A guy that is one of the reasons why the podcast came to fruition he is an inspiration to me through his work helping Veterans by advocating to suicide prevention.

Brian runs the aptly named Classic GBody Garage where he is dedicating his life to keep 82-89 Chevy, Pontiac, Oldsmobile and Buick cars on the road where they belong! Gbodies have always been on the fringe in the collector car world however with their time in the sun just beginning, Brian is at the forefront of the GBody movement.

Nothing makes me smile more when I pull up to a garage full of muscle cars, all of them wearing big fat cheater slicks. A quick glance around Christina's garage you know this is a sanctuary dedicated to horsepower and classic American muscle. Let's identify the elephant in the room, Christina is a woman in a hobby dominated by men, and while she wants to be known as a racer and elite car builder, she has put herself in a position that make many men jealous. As Christina put it, “I'm not trying to be a Tomboy and a girly girl, Im just trying to enjoy different things.” While this podcast and article is not about a woman in a mans world, it is about a unique individual that doesn't fit the mold of traditional society.

There is a dying sector of the car world that isn't glamorous, isn't flashy and regarded by many as boring. Its the sector of the business that isn't six figure builds and restorations and isn't panel slapping collision work. Its the catch all of automotive repair and customization that is reliable and gets the job done. From brake repair, to wiring, metal fab and suspension set up Ian and Scott at Steel City Speed & Customs are the “blue jeans and t-shirt,” shop of the automotive industry. They can do it all and are the one stop shop for quick tune ups to full on builds but thier bread and butter is the down and dirty basic mechaical needs that 90% of us in the classic car world are in desperate need of…

Consistency is key, in life, work or whatever you're passionate about. For brothers Ben and Russ Perry their journey to become YouTube sensations has been littered in awesome projects, in depth insights and a wild project that has pushed them to the top of the charts. But this wasn't over night and consistent posting for 5+ years has honed their skills on how to properly shoot and edit content that piques the interest of all ages.

Its difficult to be a leader in any industry let alone a leader in an industry for 30+ years. For Boris Maryanovsky his humble start in a repair garage has turned into an empire that leads the way for how to properly buy, sell and customize cars. If you've been in the hobby in the past 30 years you've either seen or been influenced by the projects that have come out of his Street Machinery shop in Euclid, OH. Boris' humble status as a legend in the industry has been a study in how honesty and integrity mixed with high quality parts and relationships produces high end vehicles that are meant to be driven.

Build what you like. Build it with high quality. No ones opinion matters. Its that simple. Quality, integrity, thoughtfulness and attention to detail are all adjectives that describe JP and the builds that are coming out of his one man shop in Western PA. His niche is the original paint and patina mixed with forced induction big motors and right now he is at the top of his game.

As all of us get older we come to appreciate the things of the past that bring back memories of our youth. The muscle car era is undoubtedly on of these times. For cars like the Geo Tracker, they were simply economy people movers, cool beach cruisers and occasionally showed up on the show scene, nothing more or less. But for Trey Partin these Trackers are the most fun you can have on 4 wheels!

Burgh Built was created by Ross Shapiro in 2018 as just as an idea when he really just wanted a car banner that represented him. When COVID hit Ross had some time on his hands and decided this was a good time to follow through with the Burgh Built idea. The all inclusive club hopes to bring together the entire Western PA car scene and create one of the best communities in the country…

Sit down and relax, I have a car story to tell you…most car stories are filled with fantastic adventures or late night cruises when you were young, others its a cross country cruise with someone that reminds you of a great time. We cant deny that we become attached to these four wheel time capsules that hold special memories and reminders of days past. For Marco Duque not only does his 1971 Chevelle tell a story but rather is the story.

Kicking off season 3 talking about online car culture, new promotions and what to expect for the upcoming season!

It was a great season full of phenomenal vehicles with a lot of changes coming for Season 3! First there will be a new hosting provider that will allow the episode of be embedded in the website and some other outlets. What that means to the listener is better audio quality and a better production overall.I wrapped up the F1 season and the crazy ending that crowned Max Verstappen the champion and the wild finish to the year. I gave my final thoughts that I'm sure will departed until the 2022 season and why the fans got cheated.I then moved into electrification of the vehicles and how 2 low production vehicles received the MT Car and Truck of the Year. Conspiracy?! I'll let you make your judgements…

I wrapped up Season 2 by talking about the ending of the F1 season after the smoke cleared, electric cars winning Car and Truck of the year and updates on all of the people and cars of Season 2!

Bozi and I call the last crazy lap of the F1 2021 season and talk 2022

A huge part of American car culture is the gathering of like minded individuals that form a club that expresses their automotive identity. For Nik Bartko and two other friends, the modern day car club culture didn't mesh with their personality and lifestyle. The monthly meetings, monetary dues and rules to get in were not a reflection of real life and the friendship that they built through the car scene. Between the three of them they decided to ride alone and start the EVIL Car Club. Why EVIL, well it stands for Every Vehicle Is Low, and the now 60ish member cars represent that in every way shape and form.

It never ceases to amaze me the stories that people have regarding how a car is intertwined into their personal journey through life. For Marvin Salazar his 1989 BMW 3 series is an accurate description of his personality while also paying homage to his family and his upbringing. His handle @djmarvins on instagram is filled with beautiful colorful phots of both his passions cars at music that reflects the lifestyle he has embraced. His family calls him Chicho, the BMW community knows him by E30 PWR and has created one of the most famous drift and custom BMW E30s on the internet.

Back in the 1950's people predicted we would have fly cars in the year 2000, instead we got some of the best cars to come out of Japan that became instant classics. Atomic flying cars predicted are replaced with vehicles like the R34 Skyline, Lancer Evolution, RX-7 and Silvia S15. Honda in the mean time was releasing performance versions of their lineup for every budget. This was the first year of the S2000, the last year for the JDM Civic EK9 Type R, the “luxury” Integra Type R and the 2nd year for the USDM Honda Civic Si.

You always come back to your childhood vehicles and for CJ Hines this couldn't be truer. There are not a lot of car guys who can say they still own there first car…there are even less car guys who can say that car is still cool enough to win trophy after trophy at car shows…and even fewer guys who can say that original car looks nothing like the car they once drove around in their youth.

Bozi Bjelcic sold cars for years, we sat down and he gave some great insight into the market and what he predicts is going to happen over the next few years. We took some great statistics from Car Gurus and Classics.com. We talked about overpriced cars, cars on the cusp of breaking out and bargains!

“Teamwork to make the dream work,” I love that saying, and in Chris Driscoll's experience teamwork with a builder he had never met has yielded one of the best Taskforce Era Chevy Apaches to run the streets. Chris's restomoded 1959 Apache 3500 was originally a heavy duty dually fitted with a utility bed used by a plumber back in the 60's.

The worlds fastest, when you say that names like Usain Bolt, Brittany Force, Carl Lewis and Gertrude come to mind…wait Gertrude? Oh you don't know Gertrude the worlds fastest Mitsubishi Galant VR4, well you're about to get schooled in an unusual wild and very rare Japanese legend built by Mike Gombos in a single car garage that ran 8.74 @163mph in the 1/4 mile.

The idiom “the devil is in the details” refers to mistakes usually being made in the small aspects of a project. An older, and less common, phrase “God is in the detail” means attention paid to small things has big rewards. Steve Simpson who built the car featured in the latest episode could be described as “God of the detail” after completely going through his 2006 RSX Type S and leaving no aspect of the car untouched...

Reach for the moon and you might land on the stars…like many who catch the car bug early in life we dream big of the cars featured in posters on our childhood walls. For Jason Gorman he dreamed in classic American muscle and specifically one of the most iconic of the 70’s street beast

Not all projects start with completely breaking down a car to a full restoration, in fact many of you reading probably started with a project similar to Nick Mangretta’s 1965 C10. A project that has been started, has great bones, was the right price and well within the technical capabilities of the buyer.

Tucked away in a quiet neighborhood just northeast of the city of Pittsburgh is where an upstart airbrush artist has built a budding business putting out some of the best artwork on parts from all around the country. His studio, which he renovated himself, is an homage to his passions in life and setup to efficiently put out professional work in a home environment.

Contrary to internet trolls and 30 min television shows, the process of building a car isn’t plug and play nor is it completed in a reasonable 2 week timeframe. As Nate explained on the podcast it takes patience, some uncomfortable moments, failures that all come together to build not only an American classic but a bond with his father.

Growing up in western PA both Chris and Joe were like many of us who build their own cars. They honed their skills out of necessity and started fabricating because there was no one else in the area with those type of skills and like most young enthusiast, they were broke.

A timeless design paired with bulletproof Honda engineering and a luxury interior makes this the perfect platform to build something completely unique and not break the bank while doing it. Jonah decided the unicorn 6 speed manual needed a boost and decided to supercharge it to 420hp all while cruising in style. 

For Chris Barno the 9 secs when his stock appearing Evo X enters into the racing dimension it's an accumulation of a build that has evolved since he bought the car new in 2012…and he's not done yet.

They say you make your money when you purchase the car and not when you sell it and Brian Sigel’s collection is the epitome of buying German icons at their low and holding on to them. While talking with Brian it was clear he wasn’t in the collecting game for money but rather for the love of a forgotten era of German performance that is slowly becoming one of the fastest growing sectors in the collecting world.

There is a certain look a man gets when he gazes over his creation, while we spoke during the podcast Terry had that glimmer in his eye. He designed, built and legalized the aptly named “Exotruck,” completely by himself, in a single car garage. The Exotruck, which is patented, took 1 year to build and since its creation Terry has put 20,000 reliable miles until he blew the motor a few weeks ago. The whole build cost only $4,400, all of which is documented as proof to the state in order to legalize the machine.