The Shell Pioneering “Live on Stage” Experience had a wealth of automotive knowledge crossing the stage at the 2017 SEMA Show. The aftermarket industry is changing rapidly and the OEMs…
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THE DRIVE with Alan Taylor | Episode #354
The action from the Shell Pioneering Performance Stage is back for our final episode of coverage from SEMA 2018. Among those affected by the string of hurricanes these past few years was legendary designer and CEO of Hennessey Performance, John Hennessey. That’s why he’s very appreciative of Nissan’s Paws One Titan XD, as well as his Shell and Pennzoil extended family that helped him through the crisis of Hurricane Harvey. We also learn more about the Hennessey Venom F5, which is set to break the 300 mph production car barrier. Next up, Brembo North America President and CEO, Dan Sandberg, shares how they’re using the power of artificial intelligence (A.I.) to design the toughest brakes in the industry. Then, Dan is joined by Automotive Journalists, Nik Miles, and Automotive/Motorcycle Industry Insider Mike Caudill, from Our Auto Expert to discuss the Nissan Paws One Titan XD and Nexen Tire’s ‘American Muscle for American Heroes’ initiative. Changing lanes, eBay Motors Parts and Accessories Senior Director, Jordan Hettinga, gives us some astounding stats about the presence of eBay motors, including a catalog of 80 million car parts. Shifting gears, Owner of the 1968 Ford Mustang Fastback (Bullitt – ‘559), Sean Kiernan, Historic Vehicle Association (HVA) President, Mark Gessler, and “Barn Find Hunter” Host, Tom Cotter, chronicle the unique history of Steve McQueen’s legendary film-car. Tom also issues a warning: rust never sleeps, so keep your vehicles out of the weather! Then, “Big Chris” Smith and Dennis Collins of Black Mountain Jeep, and Restore A Muscle Car and Operator, Dave Hall, trade wild car stories, pay their respects to industry icon Chip Foose, and talk about their favorite classics. Closing out the show, Koester Racing Driver, Larry Koester, Tjin Edition Roadshow Automotive Designer, Neil Tjin, and his son, Collin Tjin, talk about the therapeutic properties of getting behind the wheel and going for a drive. We also learn about Tjin family projects, including a Ford Mustang design-off between father and son, in conjunction with Vaughn Gittin, Jr. Don’t miss the final episode of SEMA 2018 coverage.
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THE DRIVE with Alan Taylor | Episode #352
We’re bringing you interviews with an all-star cast from the Shell Pioneering Performance Stage at SEMA 2018 in this action-packed episode of The DRIVE. Kicking things off, Meguiar’s President and Founder, Barry Meguiar, discusses his family’s passion for cars, and his new show, “Ignite Your Life”, which is a unique blend of faith and the automotive hobby. Changing lanes, “Chasing Classic Cars” Host, Wayne Carini, updates us on his show, upcoming project cars, and what he looks forward to when he comes to SEMA. Then, ClassicCars.com President and Founder, Roger Falcione, “Wheeler Dealers” Co-Host, Mike Brewer, and Celebrity Kustoms’ John D’Agostino join Wayne on stage and chat about their wives’ cars, ClassicCars.com, and how to properly value your vintage machine. Next up, Amanda Martin, Joe Martin, and Jayson “Shag” Arrington of “Iron Resurrection” fill us in on their favorite cars, and the Season 3 finale focused on a third generation Chevrolet Nova. Shifting gears, NHRA Top Fuel Champion, Antron Brown, shares how hard work and uncomfortable situations got him where he is today. Then, LOWRIDER Magazine’s Joe Ray gushes about lowrider culture and its influence on the hobby-at-large. Next, find out how Tommy Pike Customs Car Customizer, Tommy Pike, can find inspiration for his next build in everything from old-school Chicago architecture to the hanging fabric at the SEMA Show. Changing lanes, Historic Vehicle Association (HVA) President and Founder, Mark Gessler, fills us in on what makes a car historic and gives us the story behind Steve McQueen’s recently recovered Bullitt Mustang. Closing the show, Barrett-Jackson Chairman & CEO, Craig Jackson, forecasts an exciting year in 2019 for the world’s greatest collector car auction, with the conclusion of the Driven Hearts campaign and record-breaking auctions set up for the coming year and after. Don’t miss these amazing interviews!
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THE DRIVE with Alan Taylor | Episode #345
Autotrader Executive Editor, Brian Moody, brings us the latest advice and reviews from the site to keep us in the automotive loop, on this episode of The DRIVE with Alan Taylor. First off, Alan reflects on his stellar experience with the rideshare services Lyft and Uber while in New York City. Then, we discuss Autotrader’s 10 Great Hybrids and EVs for 2018, from the Chevrolet Bolt to the Chrysler Pacifica. While electric vehicles are making much-needed progress in range, nothing beats the flexibility of a hybrid car’s ability to transition between battery and gas power. Also, Brian and Alan remind us to beware of flood damaged cars in light of the recent east coast Hurricane Florence disaster. Remember, just because these cars were damaged on the east coast, doesn’t mean you won’t find them popping up in dealerships on the west coast or anywhere in between. Next, we compare 7 Outstanding Vehicles for Tailgating and some of our selections might surprise you, but the 2019 GMC Sierra was almost a foregone conclusion. Shifting gears, Alan lets us know what events we can expect to see him at, like Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas 2018, the 2018 SEMA Show, CES 2019, and Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale 2019. We wrap up the show with Alan’s thoughts on the power of the 2019 Infinti QX50 Essential FWD. Keep up with The World’s Greatest Collector Car Auctions at Barrett-Jackson.com.
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THE DRIVE with Alan Taylor | Episode #328
It’s been called ‘America’s smallest automobile museum’ and it sits in the middle of the National Mall for one month every year. Created in 2014, Cars at the Capital, organized by the Historic Vehicle Association, attracts approximately 500,000 viewers. A special car with historic value is placed in a gorgeous glass box for passersby to admire as they explore Washington DC. Partnered with the National Vehicle Register and the Library of Congress, Cars at the Capital was created to honor our automotive heritage. Our first interview is with the President of the Historic Vehicle Association, Mark Gessler, who details the event and introduces the 1968 Bullitt Mustang; Steve McQueen famously drove this vehicle 50 years ago in the popular blockbuster, ‘Bullitt‘. Next, we hear from Sean Kiernan, owner of the Bullitt, about the car’s exciting history. Then, since the event is also celebrating the 54th anniversary of the Mustang, we chat with Carl Widmann, Chief Product Engineer for the Ford Mustang, about the rich past of this nostalgic car. After that, Doug Clark and Tabetha Hammer of Hagerty Classic Cars sound off about their efforts to share automotive passion with future generations. Changing lanes, Kevin Marti, Founder of Marti Auto Works, describes how they work with Ford to create the ‘Marti Report‘. Then, Paul Ianuario, Senior Advisor for the Historic Vehicle Association, explains how the glass display box was approved to be in the National Mall. Next, the owner of a 1918 Cadillac US1257X, Marc Lassen, discloses the exciting story of how he obtained this historic vehicle that was Rev. Dr. J.H. Denison’s car in WWI and once chauffeured President Theodore Roosevelt’s daughter-in-law. Lastly, we catch up with Shell’s Nancy Bruner and Mark Henry about their involvement with Cars at the Capital and why it is so important to them. Take a trip down memory lane for this special event broadcast.
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THE DRIVE with Alan Taylor | Episode #313
It was such a pleasure to interview some of the heads of the automotive aftermarket industry at the Shell Pioneering Performance “Live on Stage” Experience. We begin this episode with the Chairman of the Board for SEMA, Wade Kawasaki, who shares that this was the biggest show yet. He discusses SEMA’s focus as they selected vendors for this epic event. Then, we hit the stage with Hagerty Classic Cars’ Vice President of Content, Larry Webster, who explains their classic car insurance and web series Barn Find Hunter. Next, Amy Jo Osborn, President of the Austin Hatcher Foundation, reports updates on the work they are doing with the help of charities from the automotive industry to assist the children and families affected by pediatric cancer. We end the hour with some insight from Alan about entrepreneurship in the automotive industry. Don’t miss our last set of interviews from the Shell Pavilion. Listen now.
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THE DRIVE with Alan Taylor | Episode #309
A wealth of automotive knowledge is very present at the SEMA show every year. The Shell Pioneering Performance “Live on Stage” Experience played host to some of the greats in the industry. We begin the hour with Gale Banks of Banks Power, who has played a large role in military engines for 41 years, and he gives us an inside look on what his company is working on now. Changing lanes, NHRA Top Fuel World Champion, Larry Dixon, tells us that they will be awarding one lucky winner the opportunity to ride in the passenger seat in a recently designed two-seater Top Fuel car. Then, John Hennessey, President of Hennessey Performance, touches on the sweet rides he brought to SEMA, such as the 6×6 VelociRaptor, and the unveiling of the highly anticipated Venom F5. Nancy Bruner, Chief Digital Officer for Shell Lubricants, and Tony Frassetto, Senior Account Manager for Universal Technical Institute (UTI), then jump on stage. They talk with us about their partnership, and Tony shares a little about the school. Then, Barry Meguiar of Meguiar’s, discusses the car hobby history and his busy schedule of jet-setting to car shows all over. J Haynes of Haynes Publishing is up next to share the story of how their company began. After that Rutledge Wood, NASCAR Personality, shares about a project he built with eBay Motors. We end the show with a special announcement from Colin Abraham, President of Shell, Steve Ledbetter, President of Jiffy Lube, Chris Powell, President of Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and Patty Lanning, Vice President of North American Marketing for Shell Oil. Tune in now.
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THE DRIVE with Alan Taylor | Episode #294
Electric cars, luxury performance, and travel trailers are just a taste of what’s in store for this episode. JoshCAR’s Hollywood Car Consultant, Josh Hancock, raves about the 2018 Maserati Levante, a performance SUV wrapped in luxury. Next, Josh talks about Telsa’s most affordable yet, the Model 3. Then, we take to the skies with Mark Murphy of TravelPulse who discusses hidden fees and booking mysteries behind our travel plans. Switching gears, we chat with Dan Sandberg, CEO of Brembo North America, about a recent inductee to the Automotive Hall of Fame. After all that excitement, you might need an on-the-ground vacation. Bob Wheeler of Airstream shares the history of iconic travel trailers and talks new trailer models. Hopping over to Connecticut, automotive journalist, George Kennedy, describes his first ever Barrett-Jackson held at the Mohegan Sun. Then, Richard Rawlings fills us in on his new show Garage Rehab and his energy drink, aptly named Gas Monkey Energy. We end with icon Steve Saleen of Saleen Automotive who tells us about the 30-year Championship Edition Saleen Mustangs.
The 2017 Shell Eco-marathon Americas Helps Students Make the Future. Inspiring students, the Shell Eco-marathon is about the innovation of vehicles that can go farther on one gallon of gas…
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THE DRIVE with Alan Taylor | Episode #285
The next generation of car lovers has arrived and it’s in the hands of the industry experts to help them tame their passion. We begin the first hour with Tony Bowie, who shares the mission of the Southwest Research Institute and their involvement with the Shell Eco-marathon. Then, Alan introduces freelance automotive journalist, George Kennedy III, to talk about their shared test drive of the Volvo V90 XC, and George’s 24 Hours to LeMons race. In the second hour, we jump back a couple months to a great show from February; we hear from the king of horsepower, John Hennessey, as well as BJ Killeen, KBB’s Karl Brauer, and owner of Workshop 5001, Marlon Goldberg. Join us to fuel your passion for cars.