Click here to share your favorite car, car story or any automotive trivia!

Badass cars with terrible rear ends, the birth of the Dodge Viper, and the truth about the EV market. 🏁

In this episode, we sit down with automotive journalism royalty, Matt DeLorenzo. With over 45 years in the industry—including serving as the Editor of AutoWeek and a founding juror of the North American Car of the Year (NACTOY) awards—Matt has truly seen and driven it all. From buying a $2,000 AMC Gremlin as his first car to rubbing elbows with Carroll Shelby, Matt shares the unbelievable history and stories behind the metal.

In this episode, we cover:

🚙 First Cars & Clutches: Matt’s $2,000 blue AMC Gremlin, and learning how to drop a transmission in a college parking lot.

🕹️ Saving the Manuals: Why out of all the hypercars he has driven, a simple 1984 Honda Civic CRX remains one of his favorite cars of all time.

📉 Design Disasters: A hilarious debate on "Badass Cars with Terrible Rear Ends," from the infamous BMW "Bangle Butt" to the Hyundai Ioniq 6.

📖 Automotive History: The true story of Mercedes-Benz's AMG division, Chrysler's 90s concepts, and how the Dodge Viper changed the industry.

⚡ The Future of EVs: Why the future of the auto industry isn't just electric, but an "All of the Above" approach for consumers.

Don't miss Matt's favorite episode with friend and colleague, John Davis from MotorWeek: https://buzzsprout.com/2316026/episodes/18157530

Whether you love modern hypercars, weird 90s concepts, or just the feeling of banging through the gears of a manual transmission, this episode is packed with automotive history.

*** Your Favorite Automotive Podcast - Now Arriving Weekly!!! ***

Listen on your favorite platform and visit https://carsloved.com for full episodes, our automotive blog, Guest Road Trip Playlist and our new CAR-ousel of Memories photo archive.

Don't Forget to Rate & Review to keep the engines of automotive storytelling—and personal restoration—running strong.

Click here to share your favorite car, car story or any automotive trivia!

1985 Mazda RX-7 restoration and Hudson Hornet history with Zack Pradel. In this episode, we sit down with the founder of the Shooting Cars YouTube channel to discuss the logistics of filming over 1,700 car reviews and the "soul" of the machines that made us.

Zack shares his personal automotive journey, from blowing up his first 12A rotary engine as a teenager to his family’s heirloom 1931 Ford Model A. We dive into the driving dynamics of the Hudson Hornet, why the R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R is the ultimate dream car, and the fascinating history behind abandoned Saturn dealerships and pop-up headlights.

In this episode, we cover:

• 🏎️ The Rotary Obsession: Zack’s history with the Mazda RX-7 FB and FC, including engine swaps and rust-bucket rescues.
• 🎥 The Art of the Review: How he built a catalog of 1,700+ automotive videos by reviewing everything from grandma’s car to the Chevy Traverse.
• ⏱️ Automotive History: Video essays on 55-mph speedometers, the GM EV1, and the customer-first culture of Saturn.
• 🇯🇵 JDM Legends: Why the Nissan Skyline GT-R is "sheer terror" and the joy of the 1993 Mazda Miata.
• 🍦 Family Heirlooms: The heartwarming story of his grandfather’s 1931 Model A and the "Dairy Queen breakdown" dad joke

Connect with our guest:

🌐 Website: https://zackpradel.com

🎥 YouTube: https://youtube.com/@ShootingCars

Connect with us:

📧 Email: stories@carsloved.com

Visit our LinkTree for all 70+ episodes: https://linktr.ee/carsloved

Love the show? Please follow, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

*** Your Favorite Automotive Podcast - Now Arriving Weekly!!! ***

Listen on your favorite platform and visit https://carsloved.com for full episodes, our automotive blog, Guest Road Trip Playlist and our new CAR-ousel of Memories photo archive.

Don't Forget to Rate & Review to keep the engines of automotive storytelling—and personal restoration—running strong.

Click here to share your favorite car, car story or any automotive trivia!

Air-cooled VW culture and women in classic car restoration. Restoring Volkswagen Beetles and the "Muth" Super Beetle...

“Every car tells a story, and those stories reveal exactly who we are.”

In this episode, Doug and Dave welcome professional corporate and lifestyle photographer Marla Aufmuth into the virtual garage. While Marla has documented landmark cultural events for brands like Nike and TED Talks, her heart belongs to the air-cooled Volkswagen community. 🏎️💨

Marla shares the history of "Muth"—the 1976 sunflower yellow Super Beetle convertible her father bought in Germany and shipped home nearly 50 years ago. Named after the German word for "strength" or "courage," the car became Marla’s classroom for life, where she mastered the clutch on the daunting hills of San Francisco. 🇩🇪✨

Inside This Episode:

• 📸 The VW Women Project: How Marla turned a pandemic hiatus into a mission to photograph and interview 40 women across 10 states to acknowledge their place in car culture.
• 🌻 Sensory Nostalgia: Why the smell of horsehair, vinyl, and a hint of gasoline serves as a sensory time machine for vintage VW owners.
• 🚐 Forbidden Fruit: Marla reveals her ultimate dream car: the European VW California—a hybrid "three-room" apartment on wheels that isn't available in the States.
• 🇯🇵 The 25-Year Rule: Dave explains how the 25-year cutoff allowed him to import his own Japanese Kei van and how others can do the same.
• 📐 Automotive Logistics: A hilarious debate on whether Marla's 6’3” husband can actually fit comfortably into a tiny Japanese Kei car.

Don't miss Marla's favorite episode with Guinevere from Freccia Brothers, The air-cooled auto specialists in the North East. https://buzzsprout.com/2316026/episodes/16886205

Our full conversation with @marlaaufmuth from @vwwomen is officially live! We’re talking about the "thrum" of an air-cooled engine and why Marla is skipping the ID Buzz for a hybrid VW California camper. 📸🇩🇪

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From mastering San Francisco's hills to hearing about 28-bus restoration shops in Nevada, this episode is a deep dive into why we love the metal that shapes our lives. 🚐📐

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🏁 Link in Bio to listen to the full episode!

While you’re there, check out our vault of 70+ episodes of the best car stories on the web! 🎙️🏎️

#ToAllTheCarsIveLovedBefore #CarsLovedPodcast #vwwomen #aircooled #vwbeetle #superbeetle #womenwhodrive #carphotography #muth #outnow #podcastlaunch

Whether you are a lifelong "VW person" or just love a story about the metal that shapes our lives, this episode is a love letter to heritage, community, and the courage to stay in the driver's seat. 🎙️🛠️

Connect with Marla:

• Website: vwwomen.com 📸
• Instagram: @marlaaufmuth 🌻

Binge the Library:

If you enjoyed the trip down memory lane today, please follow us and tell a friend. With 71 episodes in the vault, we have a garage full of stories waiting for you! 🚗💨

• Listen to past episodes:

*** Your Favorite Automotive Podcast - Now Arriving Weekly!!! ***

Listen on your favorite platform and visit https://carsloved.com for full episodes, our automotive blog, Guest Road Trip Playlist and our new CAR-ousel of Memories photo archive.

Don't Forget to Rate & Review to keep the engines of automotive storytelling—and personal restoration—running strong.