MotoManTV Podcast

The Man Who Decides What Cars Are Worth | MotoMan Podcast #019

What does it take to become the ultimate authority on classic car values? In this special vault episode, MotoMan sits down with Dave Kinney—the founder and the publisher of the Hagerty Price Guide. From a fateful, unfiltered conversation at a New York City Shake Shack in 2006 that completely altered MotoMan's career path, to Dave’s own wild journey of turning a 2.3 GPA and severe dyslexia into a prolific writing career for The New York Times, Octane, and Automobile magazine, this episode goes far beyond simple market numbers. Whether you want to understand market arbitrage, the real difference between fair market value and forced liquidation value, or simply need bulletproof advice on how to navigate the business world without being an a$$hole, Dave Kinney delivers decades of raw, unfiltered automotive & life wisdom. Chapters: 00:00:00 - Intro to Dave Kinney and the Man Who Writes the Book on Classic Car Values 00:01:04 - Vault Episode Context and the 15-Year Conversation 00:01:49 - The Shake Shack Conversation That Changed MotoMan’s Path 00:04:36 - Growing Up in Arlington and Learning to Listen 00:06:17 - Codebreaker Father, Lincoln Memories, and Winning the Parent Lottery 00:08:24 - The Car Wash Lesson Dave Never Forgot 00:10:16 - His Mother’s Lessons and a Teenage Cross-Country Van Trip 00:15:48 - Becoming a Car Kid Through Magazines, Models, and Family Cars 00:18:30 - What Dave Learned from His Father’s Entrepreneurial Side 00:20:41 - Working Around Exotic Cars at 16 00:23:35 - Five Plymouth Valiants and Dave’s First Car-Flipping Lesson 00:25:11 - Avantis, Early Profits, and Finding Value in Weird Cars 00:29:14 - Taking Trains to New York with Cash to Buy Cars 00:33:31 - College, Unusual Cars, and Early Market Instincts 00:41:59 - Coming Home, Real Estate Lessons, and the Parking Lot Business 00:45:56 - Contemporary Classic Automobiles and the $25,000 Move-Out Deal 00:50:46 - Why Dave Needed to Get Back Into the Car World 00:53:39 - How One Appraisal Question Turned Into a Career 00:56:09 - Keith Martin, Auction Seminars, and the Start of Automotive Journalism 01:01:12 - Auction Writing, Humor, and Making Car Stories Stick 01:03:54 - Writing for The New York Times, Octane, and Automobile 01:05:35 - Dave Kinney’s Three Rules for Writers 01:07:20 - How Cars That Matter Became the Hagerty Price Guide 01:10:29 - Monterey, Jay Leno, Michael Hagerty, and the Right Timing 01:13:23 - Building the Guide, Taking the Risk, and Stella’s Support 01:17:03 - What Hagerty Added: Data, Scale, and a Bigger Team 01:19:06 - What Dave Brought: Dealer Instincts and Real Market Conversations 01:21:20 - Fair Market Value, Liquidation Value, and Why Every Car Has Many Prices 01:23:51 - Bloomberg Terminals, Finance Companies, and the Future of Hagerty Data 01:26:42 - Why Price Guides Are a Tool, Not a Crutch 01:27:16 - Buying Too Early, Top-Quality Cars, and the Truth About Value 01:29:22 - Dave Kinney’s Three Keys to Success and Final Thanks #DaveKinney #HagertyPriceGuide #ClassicCarValues #MotoManPodcast #CarCollecting #AutomotiveJournalism #MarketArbitrage For driving adventures & car reviews, before sure to visit us @ https://www.youtube.com/@MMTVCars [https://www.youtube.com/@MMTVCars] Download the MotoManTV Podcast @ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/motomantv-podcast/id1836304387 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/motomantv-podcast/id1836304387] https://open.spotify.com/show/0V4AKzLYrZc6rNCF23kwOt [https://open.spotify.com/show/0V4AKzLYrZc6rNCF23kwOt] https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/90ba9b31-fe69-4baf-817d-cb3816a33c21/motomantv-podcast [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/90ba9b31-fe69-4baf-817d-cb3816a33c21/motomantv-podcast] Connect with our Short Form content here: https://www.instagram.com/motomantv/ https://x.com/MotoManTV [https://x.com/MotoManTV] https://www.tiktok.com/@themotomantv http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastShorts [http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastShorts] http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastClips [http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastClips] http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsShorts [http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsShorts] http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsClips [http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsClips] Help us grow the show! If you enjoyed this deep dive into the "grind" of motorsport, please Subscribe and Share this episode on Reddit. If you’re listening on a podcast platform, leave us a written review and tell us who your favorite guest has been.

Hacking Mercedes: From DIY Car Internet to CEO of R&D | MotoMan Podcast #018

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Philipp Skogstad, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America, to discuss the radical shift in how the world’s oldest car company builds for the future. While Philipp’s background includes a rebellious streak—hacking a serial port into his father’s car in the 90s to get internet on the road —his primary focus today is bridging the gap between German craftsmanship and the Silicon Valley mandate to "spend money, not time". We dive deep into the internal processes and technological philosophies driving Mercedes-Benz today: The Software Revolution: How Mercedes built a 100-person backend team in Seattle from the ground up to handle the shift toward software-defined vehicles. Democratization of Technology: Why the decision was made to debut advanced tech lower end cars first, targeting a younger, tech-savvy audience rather than the traditional top down rollout. The "Knobs vs. Screens" Debate: Philipp addresses the tension between haptic feedback and physical controls, defending a "safety-first" DNA while pushing for holistic digital design.  This conversation is a technical masterclass on how Mercedes-Benz is balancing its legacy of safety and craftsmanship with the aggressive execution required to compete in the modern era. Chapters 00:00:00 Intro with Philipp 00:00:22 The Vault Episode: Mercedes R&D 00:01:57 Munich Roots and the S-Class 00:03:46 Hacking the 90s Car Internet 00:08:56 From Germany to Saint Louis 00:11:30 Engineering and Business Strategy 00:15:13 Career Advice: Core Business Focus 00:16:12 The Stanford vs. MIT Dilemma 00:19:03 The Art of Showing Up Serious 00:21:24 Protecting Creative Confidence 00:24:26 Lane Keeping and Design Thinking 00:28:25 Silicon Valley: Spend Money, Not Time 00:31:08 PhD and Total Cost of Ownership 00:35:40 Complexity vs. Engineering Progress 00:40:50 Why Driver Assistance Matters 00:42:16 Predicting Future Ownership Costs 00:46:11 Leaving Cars for SAP Software 00:49:05 GitHub and Modernizing Workflow 00:52:03 Cutting Release Cycles to 90 Days 00:54:10 Tesla Speed vs. Traditional Safety 00:55:47 The Cult of Apple and Tesla 00:58:31 The LinkedIn Message to Mercedes 01:00:58 Building the Seattle Backend Team 01:02:15 MBUX and the A-Class Strategy 01:07:12 The Button Debate and Safety DNA 01:08:14 Training for Level 3 Autonomy 01:13:29 How the US Studio Impacts Stuttgart 01:15:13 The Quest for Constant Learning 01:18:11 Saint Louis and Family History 01:19:32 Philipp’s Rules for Success #MercedesBenz #AutomotiveEngineering #SiliconValley #Innovation #MBUX #SelfDriving #SoftwareStrategy #MotoManTV #FutureOfCars For driving adventures & car reviews, before sure to visit us @ https://www.youtube.com/@MMTVCars [https://www.youtube.com/@MMTVCars] Download the MotoManTV Podcast @ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/motomantv-podcast/id1836304387 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/motomantv-podcast/id1836304387] https://open.spotify.com/show/0V4AKzLYrZc6rNCF23kwOt [https://open.spotify.com/show/0V4AKzLYrZc6rNCF23kwOt] https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/90ba9b31-fe69-4baf-817d-cb3816a33c21/motomantv-podcast [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/90ba9b31-fe69-4baf-817d-cb3816a33c21/motomantv-podcast] Connect with our Short Form content here: https://www.instagram.com/motomantv/ https://x.com/MotoManTV [https://x.com/MotoManTV] https://www.tiktok.com/@themotomantv http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastShorts [http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastShorts] http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastClips [http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastClips] http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsShorts [http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsShorts] http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsClips [http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsClips] Help us grow the show! If you enjoyed this deep dive into the "grind" of motorsport, please Subscribe and Share this episode on Reddit. If you’re listening on a podcast platform, leave us a written review and tell us who your favorite guest has been.

How "Walmart Top Gear" Built a Media Empire | MotoMan Podcast #017

How do you build a global automotive media brand from a "B-Tier" city with no budget and zero industry connections? You get scrappy. Today on the MotoMan Podcast, we sit down with Jakub Wrobel, the visionary behind the "Walmart Top Gear" production style that helped The Straight Pipes leapfrog the automotive establishment. Jakub pulls back the curtain on the "psychopathic" decision to quit his stable job with only a limited buffer and a car he couldn’t actually afford. We explore the "abusive relationship" with a 1980 C3 Corvette that made him hate the brand for 20 years, and why—at the height of his success—he is now choosing to prioritize "substance" and family. Chapters: 00:00:00 - Intro to Jakub Wrobel and The Straight Pipes Blueprint 00:01:07 - Pahrump, Corvettes, and the Grand Sport Reveal 00:02:55 - How a Polish-Canadian Kid Became a Car Guy 00:06:52 - Meeting Yuri and the Friendship Behind The Straight Pipes 00:08:18 - Environmental Work, Film Industry, and the Camera Background 00:11:22 - Why The Straight Pipes Brought Cinematic Quality to YouTube 00:12:24 - Starting as an Exhaust Sound Channel in 2012 00:13:45 - The First Dealer Loaner and Turning Exhaust Clips Into Reviews 00:18:16 - Fatherhood, Family Influence, and Lessons from His Dad 00:19:50 - The Florida Road Trip and Raising a Kid Without Screens 00:25:29 - The Kia Stinger, Canadian Creators, and Early Press Trips 00:29:15 - Scrappiness, Timing, and Breaking Through From Canada 00:31:36 - Steady Growth, Schedules, and the Reality of Filming in Winter 00:34:51 - How Kids Changed the Business and Why They Hired an Editor 00:38:08 - His Wife, the Corvette Connection, and Changing His Mind on Corvettes 00:42:06 - Perfectly Imperfect Cars, C7 Corvettes, and the Elantra N 00:44:46 - Jakub’s Car History: IS F, GS 430, Raptor, and More 00:50:24 - Quitting the Day Job and Betting on YouTube 00:52:07 - Challenge Cars, the Fox Body Mustang, and Yuri’s Weird-Car Taste 00:56:43 - The C6 Z06, AMG Wagons, and Becoming a Corvette Guy 00:59:44 - The C5 Drift Car and Why Drifting Became the Answer 01:01:24 - Sponsorships, Business Instincts, and Protecting the Brand 01:04:44 - Watches, Fatherhood, and Building a Better Life for His Son 01:07:05 - The 2027 Corvette Grand Sport, Grand Sport X, and the Manual Debate 01:12:31 - Jakub’s Keys to Success and Final Thoughts #MotoManPodcast #TheStraightPipes #JakubWrobel #Corvette #ZR1X #GrandSport #Drifting #CarReviews #MMTV #Entrepreneurship #WalmartTopGear #AutomotiveJournalism #YuriTereshyn #MotoManTV For driving adventures & car reviews, before sure to visit us @ https://www.youtube.com/@MMTVCars [https://www.youtube.com/@MMTVCars] Download the MotoManTV Podcast @ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/motomantv-podcast/id1836304387 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/motomantv-podcast/id1836304387] https://open.spotify.com/show/0V4AKzLYrZc6rNCF23kwOt [https://open.spotify.com/show/0V4AKzLYrZc6rNCF23kwOt] https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/90ba9b31-fe69-4baf-817d-cb3816a33c21/motomantv-podcast [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/90ba9b31-fe69-4baf-817d-cb3816a33c21/motomantv-podcast] Connect with our Short Form content here: https://www.instagram.com/motomantv/ https://x.com/MotoManTV [https://x.com/MotoManTV] https://www.tiktok.com/@themotomantv http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastShorts [http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastShorts] http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastClips [http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastClips] http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsShorts [http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsShorts] http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsClips [http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsClips] Help us grow the show! If you enjoyed this deep dive into the "grind" of motorsport, please Subscribe and Share this episode on Reddit. If you’re listening on a podcast platform, leave us a written review and tell us who your favorite guest has been.

I Was 24, Broke, and 50k in Debt: How I Became a Corvette Legend | MotoMan Podcast #016

What does it actually take to become a racing legend? For Ron Fellows, it wasn’t a silver spoon—it was a shovel. In this episode, the Corvette icon pulls back the curtain on the brutal financial reality of his early career. From spending nearly a decade digging trenches for a natural gas company to fund his passion , to the "red flag" moment of financing a race car through a local bank , Ron shares the incredible story of how he managed to climb out of $50,000 in debt to become one of the most successful drivers in GM & Corvette history. Chapters: 00:00 – Built Not Bought 01:18 – The Branding Guy 02:12 – Growing up in the Shadow of Motown 03:43 – The Epiphany Moment at Mosport 05:06 – Saving for a Go-Kart 08:11 – Financial Reality and the Backup Plan 11:26 – Digging Trenches to Fund the Dream 14:15 – The $50,000 Debt Trap 18:49 – From the Gas Company to Racing Instructor 22:43 – Meeting His Match and Finding Sponsors 27:21 – Is Racing Harder to Break Into Than the NBA? 36:11 – The Job Interview on the Podium 41:54 – The Organized Partner 51:50 – Taking Corvette to Le Mans 01:01:05 – Racing with Royalty: The Earnhardts & Corvette Racing 01:07:00 – Developing the C6 Z06 01:11:44 – The Spring Mountain Legacy 01:17:08 – People, Passion, and Success #RonFellows #CorvetteRacing #MotoManTV #Motorsport #DaleEarnhardt #LeMans24 #Corvette #RacingLife #Daytona24 #Chevrolet #CarPodcast #NASCAR #DrivingSchool #TrackDay Special thanks to @BrianMakse for making this episode possible. For driving adventures & car reviews, before sure to visit us @ https://www.youtube.com/@MMTVCars [https://www.youtube.com/@MMTVCars] Download the MotoManTV Podcast @ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/motomantv-podcast/id1836304387 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/motomantv-podcast/id1836304387] https://open.spotify.com/show/0V4AKzLYrZc6rNCF23kwOt [https://open.spotify.com/show/0V4AKzLYrZc6rNCF23kwOt] https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/90ba9b31-fe69-4baf-817d-cb3816a33c21/motomantv-podcast [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/90ba9b31-fe69-4baf-817d-cb3816a33c21/motomantv-podcast] Connect with our Short Form content here: https://www.instagram.com/motomantv/ https://x.com/MotoManTV [https://x.com/MotoManTV] https://www.tiktok.com/@themotomantv http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastShorts [http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastShorts] http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastClips [http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastClips] http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsShorts [http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsShorts] http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsClips [http://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsClips] Help us grow the show! If you enjoyed this deep dive into the "grind" of motorsport, please Subscribe and Share this episode on Reddit. If you’re listening on a podcast platform, leave us a written review and tell us who your favorite guest has been.

Inside Tesla Before the World Caught On | MotoMan Podcast #015

For over 30 years, Simon Sproule has been inside the rooms where the biggest decisions in the car industry get made. From working alongside Elon Musk at Tesla… To witnessing the rise and fall of Carlos Ghosn… This is a rare, behind-the-scenes look at how the modern car industry actually works. We go deep into Tesla’s early momentum, what made it different, and why the rest of the industry is still trying to catch up. Along the way, we unpack Ford’s luxury ambitions, Nissan’s comeback, Aston Martin’s brand power, and the decisions that separate the brands that survive from the ones that don’t. This isn’t a highlight reel—it’s a 2.5-hour deep dive into the wins, the mistakes, and the moments that changed everything. CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 – Intro to Simon Sproule and the Career Behind the Scenes 00:01:19 – Car magazines, dealerships, and the road into Ford 00:04:55 – From internal comms to launching an icon 00:06:28 – Detroit, Jaguar, and the Premier Automotive Group years 00:10:04 – Lincoln, Luxury SUVs, and What Ford Was Chasing 00:13:41 – Why Luxury Brands Need Patience, Budget, and Great Designers 00:18:18 – Why Ford’s Luxury Dream Started to Crack 00:23:13 – Jaguar, Aston Martin, and James Bond 00:30:19 – Looking Back at PAG, Land Rover, and the Brands That Made It 00:37:37 – The Real Story Behind the Jaguar X-Type 00:50:54 – Going to the Nissan Renault Alliance 00:53:50 – Nissan’s Comeback, the 350Z, and Infiniti’s Big Moment 00:57:38 – Badge engineering, missed chances, and the Europe problem 01:03:39 – Carlos Ghosn, the GT-R, and the Power of Halo Cars 01:10:15 – Simon Sproule on Ghosn’s Rise, Fall, and the Alliance 01:16:37 – The Move to Tesla 01:20:35 – Launching Tesla in China and Why Elon Was Different 01:29:34 – What Simon Sproule Learned from Elon Musk and Tesla 01:39:38 – Why the Car Industry Still Follows Tesla’s Playbook 01:50:18 – Aston Martin, Mythology, and Selling Pure Emotion 01:56:46 – Does Aston Martin Need a Bigger Owner? 02:07:02 – Mythology, Brand Power, and Why People Buy with Emotion 02:09:52 – Residuals, Oversupply, and the Ugly Truth About Luxury Cars 02:18:51 – Leaving Aston, Stellantis, and Big-Group Politics 02:28:38 – Simon Sproule’s 3 Keys to Success and Final Thoughts #Tesla #ElonMusk #CarIndustry #Automotive #Podcast #CarlosGhosn #EV #Nissan #Ford #AstonMartin #LuxuryCars #Business #motomanpodcast  For driving adventures & car reviews, before sure to visit us @ https://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCars Download the MotoManTV Podcast @https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/motomantv-podcast/id1836304387 https://open.spotify.com/show/0V4AKzLYrZc6rNCF23kwOt https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/90ba9b31-fe69-4baf-817d-cb3816a33c21/motomantv-podcast Connect with our Short Form content here: https://www.instagram.com/motomantv/ https://x.com/MotoManTV https://www.tiktok.com/@themotomantv https://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastShorts https://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVPodcastClips https://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsShorts https://www.YouTube.com/@MMTVCarsClips Proudly shot on Sony’s Cinema line of Cameras