TMCP Milestone #500 Celebration: Ask Rick – All About the Low Volume Vehicle Manufacturers Act!

Happy April Fools Day! Believe it or not, but we don’t have any fun pranks to pull for you this year….but it absolutely IS time for another insightful, thoughtful, and surprising edition of Ask Rick! This time took a deep dive on the topic a LOT of you want to know more about: the SEMA Low Volume Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Act. The law itself was passed in 2015, but it took over six years (and a second SEMA lawsuit) to get the NHTSA to finally give the ruling needed to make it a reality. It now us, and manufacturers can begin the process of producing up to 325 cars per year…..legally, at least.

TMCP #494: Ask Rick – Valentine’s Day, Next Gen Mustang, Let’s Make a Deal on a Classic Car

Love is in the air and Valentines day is upon us. This time on Ask Rick, we dive into a subject we love …. and that is (potentially) buying more old gasoline powered classic cars. Rick recently attended the Kissimmee Mecum auction with good intentions of bidding on a few examples. He remarked that the prices were huge and the numbers blew right past what he planned on and kept skyrocketing. In previous episodes Rick said he believes that gas powered collectible cars will go up in value as new options start to dwindle being replaced by silent electric offerings.

TMCP #480: Ask Rick – To SEMA or NOT To SEMA? That is the Question!

It is October and time for the spooky boys and girls to get their costumes ready for some trick or treating fun! It is also time for another impactful and insightful Ask Rick segment with our friend Rick Schmidt. In this episode we broach the exciting topic of what exactly is Rick’s favorite candy bar? Other topics include the upcoming SEMA show attendance and why the 1993 Ford Mustang Cobra R model is so sought after.

TMCP #474: Ask Rick – The True Price of FREE Shipping of Restoration Parts!

It is August, time for football to resume,  and time for another no holds barred Ask Rick interview with Rick Schmidt! This time (in addition to another fun nitpick through eBay car listings) we delved into the topic of “free shipping.” Even further, the actual costs of shipping and receiving of large orders, small orders, freight orders, damage returns, and the like. You may be shocked to hear it….but the “free shipping” on those parts you bought online didn’t actually have a free ANYTHING!

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Rob invented a product! Well, a team of buddies and Kibbe invented a product…and finally launched it. It only took 10 years and it’s not for cars at all. It’s for baseball! Check it out: https://www.magictee.io

TMCP #471: ASK RICK – Are All Restoration Parts REALLY Made in Three Factories in Taiwan?

Happy 4th of July and welcome to another great edition of “Ask Rick”. Rick Schmidt is never one to shy away from the hard hitting questions and this month was no exception. After last months bombshell about pricing and how COVID-19 is affecting the costs of everything, there were a lot of listener questions about the parts themselves……and where they really come from. He may need to have all listeners sign a non disclosure agreement after this interview, but he definitely let the cards fall where they may.

Here was the big discussion (and myth debunk): Aren’t all aftermarket parts made in just three plants in Taiwan, and they’re really all the same no matter the brand? Rick laid out the reality of this eight ways from Sunday. The answer is complicated to say least.  Are there really 3 factories in Taiwan stamping out all of our favorite parts?  No, of course not.  The amount of tooling required to do all of that would take up the state of Rhode Island. Do the many multiple factories – who are competing with each other – actually have to competitively work together? Actually, they do. Shipping of parts is a key reason however.

TMCP #462: Ask Rick – 60’s and 70’s Personal Luxury Cars, eBay Values, and the Rise and Fall of ASC – American Sunroof Corp

It’s the first show of April, and once again time for our monthly Ask Rick segment with Rick Schmidt! This time I wanted to know more about the unusual and rare vehicles in his collection. On our family trip to Florida we had a chance to stop in at NPD and were shown around the incredible collection that Rick and his father have amassed over the years. The “personal luxury car” segment of giant Buicks, Olds, Lincolns, and Fords is second to none….but the 1987 Firebird that really caught my eye was produced by a huge company in the 1980’s that is nothing but a memory today!

TMCP #459: Ask Rick – If Gasoline Powered Modern Muscle Cars are Dying…Which Could be the Best Future Investment?

It’s the first show of month, and therefore time for our monthly Ask Rick segment with Rick Schmidt! I wanted to know his thoughts on the latest NASCAR happenings, the end of factory muscle cars, and of course his thumbs up or down on a selection of internet cars.  Specifically, with the gasoline powered engines of today (seemingly) about to come to an end, I wanted to know which model he might buy as well as how he would trick it out. In Rick’s words, “I like muscle cars that are optioned out like a Lincoln!”

TMCP #428: Blake Foster, SpeedTech Performance USA; “Big Front Tire” Pro-Touring Suspension from the Ground Up!

This week our guest was Blake Foster, President of SpeedTech Performance USA. Speedtech is known for many things, but as of late I’ve noticed a LOT of their product in the field, at SEMA, and at the track. The common denominator: BIG front tires are included in the suspension packaging, even on cars where there is often no practical way to do so (such as an A-Body GM car like a Chevelle or GTO). Blake’s mottos is, “why make great suspension just to run a 245 tire?” With that said…I needed to know more!

Yes, Holley is the official EFI source for The MuscleCar Place Network! If that’s not enough, they have just announced that with the help of Prestige Motorsports, Dart, and TorqStorm, they’ve concocted a 427 cubic inch, twin-supercharged combo that is capable of sending absurd levels of good old-fashioned V8 horsepower to the pavement! The retail value of all of the components totals up to $23,364.44 and all you have to do to get a shot at winning is to SIGN UP HERE! Here is the direct link to use: https://bit.ly/KAFS-Holley-LS-Sweepstakes

TMCP #381: Taylor Hull – How to Be a Professional Drifter…starting as a Hobbyist!

This weeks interview is with Taylor Hull, a drift car racer that I met for just a minute at the SEMA Show in 2018. Taylor has always been into cars and his family supported his dreams of racing. His day job is at Allied Rentals is very forgiving of his racing schedule and gives him some leeway to pursue his dream. Taylor has tried many aspects of racing including some circle track experiences and some time in the NASCAR Truck series. His found he loves drifting and says that racing on your own is exhilarating and rewarding.