TMCP #514: Live from Roadkill Nights 2022: Special Feature – David Freiburger Roadkill Show, Mark Malmstead Head of Dodge SRT Marketing, Ashton Munoz Charger Brand Manager, Keith Yancy Career Automotive Program,
In this weeks show we sent The MuscleCar Place staff writer Scott Stap to once again attend the ground shaking Roadkill Nights event plus an additional three nights of Dodge reveals inside the all new Event Center at the M1 Concourse in Pontiac, Michigan! If you love inside OEM info on Dodge cars and marketing, this episode will leave you a little mind blown. The title photo you see above is that of the 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona Banshee SRT Prototype. He witnessed the reveal in person. It’s AWD, all electric, does make “exhaust” noise (of some kind), and is probably lights out fast. Regardless of where you stand on electric cars….it’s outstanding looking for sure!
TMCP #513: Rick Katzeff, ExoMod’s 1968 Charger Inspired, Carbon Fiber Bodied 2021 Hellcat Challenger
This week I spoke to Rick Katzeff, CEO of ExoMod. Their company is creating all new “1968 Charger bodies and applying them to brand new Hellcat Dodge Challenger shells. The end result is a new creation that drives and performs like a new car, but with the looks of the classics. Seems easy enough, right?
TMCP #512: Ask Rick – New Horsepower Muscle and the Future of the Internal Combustion Engine!
Ask Rick: As the electric offerings from car makers increase, we couldn’t help but discuss the fact that Ford, GM, and Chrysler all have unbelievably higher performing new”real engine” offerings. Ford brought the V8 back to the 2023 Raptor, Chevy just released their first flat-crank engine ever in the new Corvette Z06, and Dodge is continuing to rank #1 in customer satisfaction for their HEMI vehicles. And with all of that said….Ford and GM as well (as other manufacturers) are talking about letting employees go to afford to develop electric cars in a long term bid to get fully into the non gasoline market. What gives?
TMCP #511: Calibrated GM, MOPAR, and Ford Engine Tuning Via E-Mail! Branden Leeb and Mike Carnahan, Elite Tuned and Elite Tuning School
This week I have the honor of interviewing Branden Leeb and Mike Carnahan of Elite Tuned and Elite Tuning School to explain the process of remotely – and iteratively – tuning fuel injected engines. Their specialty is GM Gen III, IV, and V engines and they recently they have added in both MOPAR and Ford tuning capability as well. Recently I had Elite tune my Chevelle when Zip Simons at Street Metal Concepts told me he used their services often. Man…was he ever right! In my case, they gave better results than I had received from two different shops that ran the car on a dyno. I was amazed at the compete difference in drivability and power delivery after the process was complete and I had to get an interview to find out the secret sauce that made such a difference.
TMCP #510: LS Fest Texas Special – SAM Tech Automotive Machining School – Mike Hepp Top Fuel Racing With A Cause – Blane Burnett, Creating a New LS Fest
Holley Performance puts on some amazing events that people look forward to every year, all of which kicked off with the “OG” event called LS Fest. At that event any vehicle that had a General Motors LS engine was allowed, regardless of make, model, creed, color, or religion! Other events soon followed including LS Fest West in Las Vegas and this year LS Fest Texas at the Texas Motor Speedway!
Luckily for us we were able to send out the dynamic duo of Producer Bernie McPartland and YouTube star and performance vehicle magician Cody Young from Cody Crafted. The boys had only one goal: get some great interviews before the heat melted them to the asphalt. They had success and we have three feature interview to present in this week’s show: SAM Tech Automotive Machining School – Mike Hepp Top Fuel Racing With A Cause – Blane Burnett, Creating a New LS Fest!
TMCP #509: Ask Rick on the Economy – Gas Prices are Bad, Electric Car Rebates are For the Rich, and Muscle Cars are Fantastic!
Happy July and Happy Independence day! It is finally time to spend lots of money and blow up stuff in celebration of this country’s birth! Rick Schmidt is back again for an all new Ask Rick segment and this time we dive deep into Rick’s thoughts on the economy, inflation, and government rebates to the upper class on electric cars. This is one of those episodes were Rick unloaded both barrels, reloaded, and did it again. And then again!
TMCP #508: Pro-Touring Update with Larry Callahan – Event Schedule Updates…and PT.com is Hiring!
The official start of summer is next week and what better time for a new Pro-Touring Update with Mr. Larry Callahan! This week I get to find out what he has been up to over the last three months. It is always an education in technology and fast cars and I look forward to each quarterly get together.
TMCP #507: Brian Gade – Racing Vintage American Iron on the Oval Tracks
Brian Gade is the creator of the American Iron Racing series here in Iowa, a series that specifically puts old style oval dirt track cars back on the track to compete again. The goal of the series to to be cheap, easy, and fun with an emphasis on utilizing plenty of American iron!
TMCP #506: Ask Rick – Ford Selling Rivian Stock, 69 Mustangs are the Best, and Old Ferrari’s are a Rick Buy.
Happy June and Happy Fathers Day! Rick Schmidt is back again for an all new Ask Rick segment and this time it is a smorgasbord of questions regarding all aspects of the automotive market. When got into everything from OEM stock trading to understanding which car is his personal “spirit animal!”
TMCP #505: Chasing the Dream with Zip Simons – 10 Years of Building Elite Rides at Street Metal Concepts!
Many years ago I was in the middle of a surreal experience of realizing the dream of building my parents car, that I grew up in, into an auto-cross machine that was made better than I ever imagined. I met lifetime friends that donated time to make the dream happen. Street Metal Concepts turned the metal handiwork of Jeff Allison, into the gleaming, flawless paint, perfectly gapped, SEMA Show car that it became.
Almost 10 years later my Chevelle is back at Street Metal Concepts for a few tweaks and updates so I wanted to check in with Street Metal Concepts to see how things are going, what life lessons they have learned, and to catch up with my buddy Zip Simons!