For nearly 60 years Detroit Autorama has hosted one of the most coveted competitions in custom car building, the prestigious Ridler Award. Recently returned from this year’s edition, noted designer Murray Pfaff regales the guys with all there was to see and do, including his very own D Lot – a 7,000 square foot “3-ring circus, portfolio, showcase, and epicenter” featuring a curated display of 9 one-of-a-kind vehicles and a Make-a-Wish Michigan online auction that awarded $40,000 in amazing gearhead prizes.
Geoff Hacker and Guy Dirkin have dedicated themselves to preserving the legacy of cars that most people have probably never even heard or dreamed of… including Willie and Kevin! “I don’t chase cars; I chase stories,” says Hacker. Over the last 15 years he’s invested more than 15,000 hours of work into Undiscovered Classics and curated a huge library of archival materials on rare handcrafted American sportscars. “We’re revising the stories that no one’s heard in 60 years; that’s what makes it fun.”
The owner of this beautiful classic Camaro has been upgrading and modifying it for years, but like many such projects, this one has stalled. Enter Kevin and Willie to help the owner get the power and styling he’s looking to add. From higher horsepower to more modern technology, once the guys are done with it, this classic Camaro will be more than ready to rip down the road in style!
From science and engineering to technology and design, Bob Bitzky has seen and done everything there is to see and do in the mysterious world of welding. Over the course of his nearly half-century career as a professional welder – including 35+ of them at ESAB – he has become one of the foremost experts at torching molten steel. Kevin and Willie tap into his massive knowledge base for a lesson that will absolutely blow their minds.
It’s the Car Guy’s Ultimate Dream Staycation. Located right off world-famous Woodward Ave outside the Motor City, sitting on 87 pristine acres housing 250 private garage condos ranging in size from 560 to 3000 sq ft, M1 Concourse is also home to a 1.5-mile, 11-turn high performance driving track and several world class events. As Willie exclaims to newly minted CEO Tim McGrane, “This is a place where your fun side gets to shine!”
Radford Racing School in Chandler, Arizona is the official High Performance Driving School of Dodge//SRT plus a whole lot more. “R-A-D defines the school,” raves Willie. “It’s a playground with four tires,” extols Kevin. With 85 Dodge vehicles on campus – everything from Demons to Hellcats to Vipers – plus Lotus Evora GT and Formula 4 cars – GM Mike Kessler has one of the best jobs in the business. He’s also got amazing stories to share, including the incredible tale of Hellcat Granny that you’ve got to hear to believe!
Skrape is up for anything and everything. The former co-founder of Tapout is known to pick up normal family-style cars on the cheap and transform them into horsepower heroes. His quirky fascination with wagons is well-known…as is his company. Black Widow Exhaust offers a unique line of mufflers with names like Venom, Widowmaker, Neighborhater and Angry Housewife. “It’s all a marketing thing,” he explains to Willie and Kevin, “but you have to have a good product to back it up, which we do.”
SVTPerformance.com is THE go-to online forum for anything performance-related in the Ford world. Launched by Travis Hill in late 2000, today it numbers nearly 200,000 members and counting. “It is just a massive community of Ford enthusiasts who share a passion for just going fast,” Hill tells the guys, compelling even lifelong Mopar fan Willie B to take notice. “Make it, break it, build it better; get out there and have some fun!”
Of the legendary Ken Lingenfelter, Willie says, “I bet more hours of his life have been dedicated to speeding up our rides and our cars and our events than probably anything else in his world.” And a most remarkable world it is! Noting that “there’s so much passion and enthusiasm with this whole car enthusiast side of things,” Ken engages the guys in a lively discussion touching on some of the top VIP moments over the course of his illustrious career, as well as the best, worst and most underrated Corvettes of all time.
Reggie Wynn returns to the podcast for the first time since our inaugural episode and suffice it to say, there’ve been some pretty big developments in turbo tech since then. Turbonetics and Precision Turbo are now making units capable of producing up to 3000 horsepower, and their parent company is the only aftermarket manufacturer offering class-specific turbochargers. “This is the Golden Age of four-digit horsepower,” Kevin excitedly notes. “We are drug addicted with this stuff!”
“Diesel’s here to stay, there’s no question about it now that diesel’s gotten so clean,” says Clint Cannon, and he would know. Willie and Kevin welcome the President of ATS Diesel Performance to the podcast to dissect the popular misconception that EPA-mandated emissions technology is somehow killing performance, instead making the case that OE trucks delivering 500+ hp and 1000+ lb-ft of torque is a clear indication that one is not at the expense of the other.
Believe it or not, there’s another Willie B in the world – his mirrored identical twin, Billy. They’re two chips off the old engine block, each having inherited the car bug gene from their dad. Despite Willie’s well-known affinity for Mopar and Billy’s for GM, the brothers are otherwise symbiotic best friends, competitors, and passionate car guys. Kevin is anything but the third wheel in today’s conversation, chatting with the brothers about all things automotive, including Billy’s new venture in the tuning and dyno business.
