Explore every episode of the podcast Overcrest

You've seen them on hoods, door handles, and dashboards in every parking lot in America. Kris looked it up hoping to find something dumb enough to make fun of. He found a story neither of us expected.

Then GM teases the biggest diesel ever put in an American pickup, the same week diesel hits a record, and Kris breaks down how the oil economy actually works. And More

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Dune Casu is the founder of Funselektor Labs, the studio behind Absolute Drift and art of rally, and one of the few people who has built a driving game that car people actually respect. His new one, over the hill, arrives October 14 on Steam with 1.2 million wishlists behind it. It's an open-world off-road game built to explore and play with friends.

https://www.funselektor.com/overthehill

Before 1912, starting a car meant standing in front of it and pulling on a steel handle while the engine decided whether to cooperate. Sometimes it cooperated. Sometimes it broke your wrist, your jaw, or worse. Doctors had a name for the injury. Insurance companies had a category for it. And a whole class of automobile existed for people who wanted no part of the fight.

This is the story of how that ended.

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Connor McGovern spent nine years as an offensive lineman in the NFL. Before that he was a kid in Fargo getting into his dad's truck at five in the morning to go look at potato fields. He's back in those fields now, running one of the largest commercial farming operations in the country, and his garage holds two R34 GTRs, an RWB, a Kelly-Moss 964, and a C8 Z06.

Check out Reborn here.

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Clay Croft is the founder of Expedition Overland — seventeen years of driving to the edges of the map and filming what's out there. He's crossed the Greenland ice sheet, run the Road of Bones through Siberia, and this year closed out a circumnavigation of the globe the hard way: top to bottom, the roof of Norway to the southern tip of Africa, 25,000 miles across three continents on a single oil change. We had him on to talk about exploration — how you work your way up to something that size, what the world is really like past the places people warn you about, and whether there's anything left out there to find.

Find more xOverland here:

https://loveofdriving.mobil.com/aroundtheworld

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Kris and Jake work through Car Week: where the McLaren name actually came from and who spent ten years asking for the car, what happens when a Singer 911 crashes into Louis Vuitton handbag, and a Ferrari that broke three auction records in a single night

Also on this one, California is not banning your tires, and the tire industry is the reason anyone is talking about it.

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In May 1987 an eighteen year old West German rented a Cessna 172 from his flying club and pointed it east towards Moscow. This is the account of what, and how this cold war fiasco happened.

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Ferrari's marketing director answers for the reaction to the brand's first electric car, and the paddles behind the wheel raise a question about what counts as real. The 12Cilindri shows up with a gated shifter and a clutch pedal, and how those parts actually work sets off the longest argument of the episode. Toyota tests a two-door mule in Japan wearing borrowed headlights. Audi hints at more Avants for the United States. Car and Driver runs the electric Cayenne down the strip. Volkswagen Group takes ten models off the board. O'Reilly puts ten billion dollars in front of Napa, and the store-count math explains why the FTC will care.

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Part 1 (really this time) of our chat with John Ludwick, a New Hampshire-based YouTuber and serial project-car addict who runs Ludwick's Garage, the channel where he rescues dilapidated, left-for-dead vintage cars, does the work himself, and slams them to the ground.Check out John here:

https://www.youtube.com/johnludwick

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Part 2 of our chat with John Ludwick, a New Hampshire-based YouTuber and serial project-car addict who runs Ludwick's Garage, the channel where he rescues dilapidated, left-for-dead vintage cars, does the work himself, and slams them to the ground.

Check out John here:
https://www.youtube.com/johnludwick

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Kris recaps scouting Northern California's Lost Coast for the fall Overcrest Rally on remote Emerald Triangle backroads, small-town characters, and a 1983 Mercedes R107 280 SL on some of the most isolated roads in the country. Plus, Jake on Teslas, soul, and whether a new car can ever earn one. (it can't, probably)
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Magnus Walker is the man who turned air-cooled Porsches into a movement. This is a podcast about letting it go.

He sold 18 cars from his personal collection this spring and kept the 16 he couldn't part with. Three months on, he sat down with us to talk about what's left when you stop collecting: feeling lighter, the worthless van he misses more than the Porsches, and the 356 that found him on his way out the door.

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Tommy Thomas spent high school talking about the Cannonball Run and the next four decades not doing it. A career driving fire trucks will do that. Retirement changed the math. Now he crosses the country with a co-driver, a trunk full of countermeasures, and a Cadillac built to look like nothing at all. We get into the laser jammers, the truckers who help and the ones who don't, the cops who go either way, and what it takes to get from one ocean to the other before most people finish a weekend.

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Jake and Kris get into rally prep, a project truck that keeps finding reasons to stay parked, and the the guys debate the Ferrari Luce release that has everyone online wondering if it's a parody. Mrs. Producer brings a story off the wire. and chats her own unrealistic project car desires.

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Kris and Jake catch up on projects, boats, and bad decisions. Then Jake says something we did not see coming.

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Bailey Clayton is a sign painter who taught himself the trade before he knew it had a name. He started with calligraphy in a school notebook and now points squirrel-hair brushes and oil-based one-shot at the sides of race cars, recreating historic liveries by hand. He stands for permanence in a world that re-vinyls everything every five years, and for the belief that a number painted by hand outlasts the business that commissioned it.

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Coming off a six percent grade in 1955, your brakes were a countdown. By the seventies, they were a backup system. The story of the man who built the thing that took the death out of the descent.

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Buddy Levy is the author of Labyrinth of Ice, the definitive account of the Greely Expedition. In 1881, 25 men were sent to the Arctic. The government forgot about them. Only six came home. What happened at Camp Clay is one of the most harrowing survival stories in American history.

Part 3 of The Forgotten Ones. We talk about what drove men into the unknown, what happens to the mind in 137 days of darkness, and whether anything like this is still possible.

Check out Buddy's work: buddylevy.com
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The guys chat Jake buying the dumbest of all cars, and Kris buying another grandpa car. Also, some interesting and obscure news on dealership models and bear fraud.

Paul didn't set out to run a dealership. He set out to build a clubhouse for car people, and AutoKennel is what happened along the way.

In this episode, I sit down with Paul, the driving force behind AutoKennel, the Southern California shop that has quietly become a gathering place for enthusiasts as much as a licensed dealer and brokerage. We talk about how a passion project turned into a real business, what sets his approach apart from the typical consignment outfit, and why the people around the cars matter as much as the cars themselves.

Paul also opens up about his cancer diagnosis and the road through recovery, and how the experience reshaped his perspective on the business, the community around it, and what actually matters when you strip everything else away. It's an honest conversation, and one that goes deeper than the usual shop talk.

Find more on Paul here:AutokennelShifted Opinions - YouTube

Past the edges of the maps were mountains that killed ten men at Christmas. A bridge in New York where a man became someone else every night for thirteen years. And an Arctic camp where twenty five soldiers were abandoned by their own government and left to eat whatever was left. These are the stories nobody tells anymore. Not because they aren't worth telling, but because the men at the center of them have faded into memory, replaced by time.Support this show: https://www.patreon.com/c/overcrest

Betim Berisha is the founder of BBi Autosport in Huntington Beach, California. Porsche tuner. Engine builder. Pikes Peak veteran. He and his team at BBi built the Hoonipigasus for Ken Block, developed the new Project Evo, launched Type 99 as a coach-built 911 program, and have taken cars up the mountain for over a decade alongside drivers like Jeff Zwart and Loni Unser.

This is his second time on Overcrest. The first episode is the origin story. These two belong together. Start there if you haven't heard it.

Check out Type99 here.

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At one point, all the maps had foggyedges. Past those edges, nothing. No roads, no forts, no names for anything. Just grass and sky and silence stretching until it hit mountains that were further away than they looked. The men who walked into it were broke, forgotten, and had nothing behind them worth staying for. Most of them died young. Most of them died alone.

A few of them came back with stories that should have been famous a long time ago.

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Chris Ashton is the founder of Ruffian Cars, one of the freshest and most innovative custom car shops in the country. What you may not know is he also co-founded the game development studio that worked on Counter-Strike and built the legendary Left 4 Dead. Thirty years building worlds you can't touch, and then he decided to build ones you could.

This episode covers 4,000 years of baldness from ancient Egypt to the modern era. We talk about pirates, wigs held together with bobby pins, a reform school kid who became champion, a man who fought an empire without raising a fist, and the most famous silhouette in history.

New episodes every week. Subscribe and join the Overcrest Driving Team for exclusive content drops.

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Mobil1: https://www.mobil.com/en/lubricants/for-personal-vehicles/our-products/motor-oils/

FCP Euro: fcpeuro.com

Nokian Tires: nokiantires.com

Onx Offroad: onxoffroad.com

Common Gear: thecommongear.com

Vin Anatra is a former Hoonigan SVP turned independent creator who spent nearly a decade helping build one of the most influential brands in automotive media before walking away to start Driver Era — a YouTube channel and small car operation built around buying, experiencing, and selling special cars one at a time. He's a lifelong car obsessive who came up through the Volkswagen forum scene, built his way into dream-level cars he had no business owning, and is now figuring out in real time what it means to do the thing you love for a living when doing it for a living is slowly changing how you feel about the thing you love.

Kris and Jake on the Grand Tour's new hosts, the death of start-stop, China banning flush door handles and steering yokes, Lamborghini killing its EV, the RS5 outweighing an F-150, BMW ending the manual and rear-drive M car era, and a billion-dollar fraud.
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0:00 Intro

0:30 Open

2:24 The Grand Tour Returns

12:40 The Death of Start-Stop

18:24 China Bans Flush Door Handles, Yokes & Touchscreens

23:45 Porsche 718 EV in Development Hell

29:50 Lamborghini Kills Its EV

42:06 StopTech Fraud & Shutdown

50:20 The E30 M3 Turns 40

52:33 BMW Kills the Manual & RWD M Car

1:01:08 The Audi RS5 Weighs More Than an F-150

1:13:00 TPMS Tracking

1:16:16 Your Car Thinks You're Asleep

Harrison Schoen is a Navy veteran, content creator, and full-time vehicle dweller. He's lived in a Porsche Cayenne, built out a 1985 Mercedes Unimog, and appeared on MrBeast's Beast Games as Player 251. This is his second time on the podcast.

Check out Harrison's adventures on instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/harry.schoen/

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Brian Scotto is the co-founder of Hoonigan, the creative force behind the 400 million view Gymkhana films with Ken Block, and one of the most influential voices in automotive media over the last 15 years. Before Hoonigan, he was the editor-in-chief of Zero to 60 and Rides magazines, shaping car culture through print well before YouTube existed.

He's a filmmaker, a Volkswagen kid who grew up in the scene before it was a scene, a dad with 26 project cars, and someone who walked away from the empire he built to figure out what actually matters. Now he produces films as 321 ACTION ACTION and hosts the VERY VEHICULAR podcast.
You can check it out on youtube here:

https://www.youtube.com/@brian_scotto

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We talked to Dr. Eric Wachsman to get the real story on solid state batteries. California wants to tax you by the mile and track your car to do it. The House voted to keep the federal kill switch mandate alive. We break down how the tech works and why the architecture already exists.

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Aaron Ross is a BMX OG, a builder, driver, and a guy deep in the middle of creating something big. We talk about building Manual Focus with friends, what bikes still give him today, and what it actually takes to stick with something for the long haul.

Come to Manual Focus with us!

Feb 6th and 7th, 2026

https://manualfocusshow.com/

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In this week’s news, Cadillac enters Formula One running Ferrari power, Ford and GM trade shots over what “real involvement” actually means, F1 locks testing behind closed doors ahead of 2026, and the new hybrid era reveals a future that sounds nothing like the one people miss.Special Guest: Charles BradleySupport this show:⁠https://www.overcrestproductions.com/driversclub⁠

Paul Potratz is the founder of Helderburg, a bespoke Land Rover Defender builder known for craftsmanship, style, and intentional design. He is also a longtime connoisseur of style and ritual, and the author of A Gentleman’s Guide to an Intentional Life: A Modern Philosophy of Meaning, Ritual, and the Well-Made Life

Check out Paul's Book here

and Helderberg here

We're discussing Porsche’s latest global market updates and why some legacy brands are seeing shifts in customer loyalty. We explore the rising costs of modern cars, the engineering challenges of new product lineups, and the psychology behind how we drive today. Plus, our automotive industry outlook for the rest of the year and a look at where car culture is headed.

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In complete flip flop fashion Jake bought a new truck. That turns into a running fight about what trucks are actually for, how often they are really used, and why buying capability for hypothetical lives has become normal. From compact pickups and Kei cars to diesel versus gas, bench seats, chicken taxes, bricked Porsches, and Ferrari insisting a V6 is superior to a V12, the episode circles one question over and over: when did cars stop being tools we chose and start becoming decisions made for us.

https://www.overcrestproductions.com/driversclub

Joshy Robots is a copywriter turned maker and designer, the person behind Earth to Robots, and someone who refuses to let good ideas stay theoretical. In this episode, he and Kris talk about honesty, friction, and why the best things are usually the hardest to make, moving from advertising and design to driving, autonomy, and what gets lost when the world tries to make everything easy.

Grab a pullover:https://www.earthtorobots.comSupport this show:Https://www.overcrestproductions.com/driversclub

In this episode the guys break down the insane story of the FBI seizing a thirteen million dollar Mercedes CLK GTR roadster from an Olympic snowboarder who built a cocaine empire. WE also get into WhistlinDiesel’s tax-evasion indictment, Toyota’s surprise new V8, GM’s wild two-stroke patent, the GM rewards loophole that paid off an Escalade, Sam Altman’s bounced Tesla refund, Stellantis pushing ads into dashboards, and why plug-in hybrids are basically gas cars with homework. A full week of car news, chaos, and commentary the way we do it at Overcrest.

Kris and Jes explore the tragic story of the Kim family, who took a wrong turn on Bear Camp Road during their Thanksgiving journey, leading to a harrowing survival situation in the snow. The hosts discuss the family's background, the decisions that led to their predicament, and the search and rescue efforts that followed. The conversation highlights the importance of navigation, preparation for winter driving, and the emotional toll of such crises on families.

Join us as we dive into the world of aviation with RJ, a seasoned commercial helicopter pilot, as he shares his experiences throughout his storied career. Then, buckle up for the incredible true story of the man who soared to 16,000 feet in a lawn chair, defying gravity and common sense.

John Ludwick doesn’t build for attention. He builds because he can’t stop. The Auto Union 1000 SP that nearly broke him wasn’t a commission or a content play. It was obsession turned physical. Every weld, every sleepless night, every dollar gone was proof that the only way forward was through. What started as a forgotten German coupe became a full reimagining of Auto Union’s spirit, shaped in a small garage by a man who refuses to quit.

Support the obsession and check out John's merch here:

https://ludwicksgarage.com/

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The 1970s weren’t all disco and good vibes. Inflation was brutal, gas lines were endless, and performance cars were choking to death under new regulations. Kris and Jake dig into the decade that nearly killed driving, and the secret Porsche project, code-named EA425, born from typical Porsche 911 didnt work again desperation.

What started as a VW collaboration became the car that quietly kept Porsche alive. Along the way, Jake buys a yellow relic, Kris debates another bad idea, and somehow an old ambulance enters the chat.

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Forget safari-spec Defenders and tactical fridge setups. Emanuel drove 30,000 km across some of the harshest, most remote terrain on Earth... in a BMW E34.In this episode, Kris Clewell sits down inside Emanuel's trusty “Theodore” to unpack what real freedom means, how to survive the Pamir Highway with a radiator held together by pliers, and why you don’t need a $200,000 overland rig to live a big adventure.👉 FOLLOW Emanuel's journey: https://www.instagram.com/e34xpeditionsSupport Overcrest and get cool stuff:https://www.overcrestproductions.com/driversclub

Kris and Jake catch up after the 2025 Overcrest Rally, reflecting on how it moved people and what makes each year feel different. Between heartfelt moments, slot car chaos, and roadside repairs, they share the highs, frustrations, and can't put your finger on it satisfaction that come from building something real with a community that keeps showing up.Support Overcrest:

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Luftgekühlt 11 dropped into the old American Tobacco Campus in Durham, where brick walls and water towers still hum with the ghosts of machines. A place once built on cigarettes now filled with Porsches, each one carrying its own story. We trace Washington Duke’s walk home after the war, the rise of the Bonsack machine, and the factory that turned Durham into a city of smoke and rhythm.

From a Jäger 962 to the Bosch RSR, from hangovers and near-Airbnb disasters to the reminder that your own car should always be a ten, this is our recap of the Luft ofthe South. A clash of history, machinery, and memory.

http://www.overcrestproductions.com/driversclub

From bouncing rubber balls in the jungle to a couple of French brothers trying to keep their grandfather’s rubber shop alive, this is where things get weird. Tires that blew apart in the dust, a car called the Eclair that barely beat a horse, and a creepy stack of white tires drinking glass shards for fun. Out of all that chaos came a little red book that turned into one of the most powerful institutions in the world. This episode of Overcrest is about bicycles, busted roads, early cars, and a mascot that still looks like nightmare fuel, and how all of it accidentally reshaped the way we drive, eat, and travel.Get cool stuff and Support this show:https://www.overcrestproductions.com/driversclub

Extreme YangWang — China’s 308 mph supercar — is now the fastest production car on earth. We dig into Andy Warhol’s fatal BMW M1 Art Car, the $125k Porsche Cayenne auction that makes no sense, BMW’s oversized grills, and Mercedes’ so-called “electric V8.”

Subscribe for more Overcrest: cars, culture, and chaos every week.

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Kris brings a favorite fix-it trick, a thrifted bit of instrumentation, and a mood check. Jake tries to keep machines and life pointed straight.

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Everyone knows the nursery rhyme. But the real London Bridge wasn’t just “falling down”. It burned, froze, collapsed, drowned people, and carried a whole neighborhood on its back for nearly 600 years. From Roman legions and Boudica’s revolt to medieval masons, firestorms, frost fairs, severed heads on spikes, and finally a trip across the ocean to Arizona, this is the definitive story of London Bridge.

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No velvet ropes. No concours tickets. Just old roads, 600 hay bales, a Porsche hanging nose up while Felix Holst painted it live, and a community that built something unforgettable.

In this episode Jake and Jeff take you behind the scenes and the chaos and magic it took to make it happen.

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#Overcrest #SportscarVacationland #carweek

Rob Howard is the founder of Kindred Motorworks. He started in the world of technology, building a career in engineering and leadership before turning toward something more tangible. Nights and weekends in his garage became full restorations, from Mustangs to a 1957 Chevy wagon for his kids. The move from tech to cars was not a rejection of innovation but a return to working with his hands and creating something built to last. That shift shaped Kindred’s approach, applying the precision and process of the tech world to the craft of rebuilding vintage vehicles for the road.