Formula Drift PROSPEC Driver Justin Chesnutt drifts on in the Avants Podcast this week and talks all things drifting with us! As the owner of After Hours Autosports, Justin isn't just a driver, but he knows a ton about car builds and proper setup for drifting. He's a great resource for anyone looking to get into the sport or who might just be curious about how it all works. You can find Justin at all the links below! 

https://www.afterhoursautosports.com/

https://www.instagram.com/afterhoursautosports/

https://www.instagram.com/chesnutt_motorsports/

On this weeks episode we have Adam Cote of Ceramic Pro here to demystify all those different paint coatings you keep hearing about. Adam tells us all about different coatings, how to maintain them, if you can apply them yourself, and every other question we could think of asking him. 

On this episode we discuss the the new car reveals that worth looking at from Monterey, an automatic noise ordinance camera tickets a car with a stock exhaust, Drivers Assistance features are proven to not actually help, a designer at Audi proves they have apparently never driven a car before, and how the tires on your new truck can easily get out of balance in spite of how angry you make people on a forum. 

Thanks to Avants Chief Editor Karl Knoakes, we had the pleasure of interviewing the exceptionally talented Lyn Hiner. Lyn is a truly incredibly artist; her paintings would be as at home in a luxury garage as they would be in an executive office or your living room. If you’re looking for the perfect addition to top off your collection, this is definitely your stop. Check our the gallery attached to this episode page and see more of Lyn’s work on her webpage or Instagram.

Michael Lencioni of Canyon Park Vehicle Licensing answers all of our many questions about the unfortunate mystery of vehicle licensing. You would think it would be pretty easy to register a car or know what you need to sell a car, but if you're buying out of state, buying a car with damage, or buying a car with a lien holder, you may have some questions. Lucky for you, now you have a resource to call who can help you through the entire process.

Contact Michael at Canyon Park Licensing: https://www.canyonparklicensing.com/

*Correction on the Florida fees - Florida has the highest documentation fees in the United States, with an average document fee of $670. Florida has no cap on how much dealerships can charge for this service, but it is not because they handle all licensing, they just are not regulated in this doc fee area.

This extra episode is all about our mistakes and of course our potential for more of them as we start our winter projects! Recently an R34 GTR made the rounds on Bring a Trailer, and after some sleuthing by the community it was determined to have quite the problem history of an extensive list of repairs that were undisclosed by the seller. This sparked the thought of what was our most expensive car mistake? Dan discusses a former 2011 C63 AMG and 1993 RX7 while Nick shares his toasty Subaru adventure. None of these were bad cars be design, but much like the R34 GTR, mods and a questionable history led to their demise. Worst of all, we probably could have avoided all of our problems! Tune in and share our pain.  

We partnered with our friends at LeMay - America’s Car Museum to do a live podcast with legendary designer Rick Dore. Rick is most famously responsible for being the man behind the collection of Metallica front man, James Hetfield, and his designs have made front pages and centerfolds for just about every automotive magazine in the industry. Tune in to learn all about his design process and be sure to check out the extensive gallery, courtesy of Jake Welk at LeMay.

This week we got a chance to talk with collector and racer Larry Vollum. Avants Charter members have had the chance to see this collection first hand, but the stories are as cool as his collection! Larry Vollum has been collecting rare and unusual cars for decades. Larry’s fascination with importing vintage rally cars and his past racing experiences has provided him the opportunity to acquire some unicorns. His stories of acquisition are almost as cool as the cars themselves. He’s also probably our only guest who knows how to take the wheels off a 959, because he has one.

This special episode was recorded live in front of almost 100 of our Avants Charter Members at the incredible Rimmer family warehouse! We welcome Steve, James, and Josie Rimmer to the show as we get to know the family behind DirtFish Rally School and their stories. Alternative working titles for this episode are "Whatever Josie Says" and "Josie Rimmer and her Dad and brother." 

This week we talk to Joe Potter, founder of Vintage Underground in Eugene, OR all about the fine art of converting vintage Jaguar E-Types into modern, electric masterpieces. Vintage Underground may be based in Eugene, OR, but this is no mom and pop restoration shop. Vintage Underground is a cutting edge restoration shop that specializes in British and European cars and is now a pioneer in the electric conversion business. Tune in to hear all about them and their current work and the exciting work around the corner.

This week on the show we welcome Steve Bortolotti, General Manager of the IMSA winning team Pfaff Motorsports! You probably know the Pfaff livery even if you don’t follow IMSA racing since they have the best looking Porsche on the track in it’s clearly Canadian plaid wrap. Steve tells us all about the high and lows of racing, modding his Time Attack RX8, and a whole lot more. We can’t wait to see what Pfaff does in 2023 in the new 992!

Continuing our trend of long overdue interviews, this week we have Michelle Miller! When she’s not busy co-driving for Lucy Block at Hoonigan, Michelle is an instructor with our friends at DirtFish. Listen in to hear all about her exciting life in both the driver and passenger seat.

In this interview that’s about 5 years overdue, we talk to Matt Bell, founder of The Shop Clubs. Matt talks about being able to “scratch all his creative itches” with The Shop Clubs, his expansion to Texas, motorcycle trips through Europe, and so much more! Matt is a true enthusiast who does a lot for the car community and a great partner for Avants that you should know. Be sure to check out The Shop at https://theshopclubs.com/.

This week we get the always impressive Faye Hadley on the show! Not just an extremely skilled automotive tech and educator she is also the co-host of MotorTrend’s All Girls Garage, and the featured mechanic on MotorTrend’s Motor Mythbusters series. You can hear all about how Faye got here, her PNW connections, and her love of chickens! Follow along with Faye here! 

We drive everything here at Avants, but a lot of us ride everything too! Dan’s been riding basically his whole life, and even worked in the industry for a while, and Nick’s done just about everything you can think of to his Monkey and CRF450RL, so on this episode we discuss some of our favorite and least favorite mods. We think you can use this episode to get some fun Christmas ideas too. We recommend a Grom or a Monkey since they fit comfortably by the tree.

This week we talked with the very talented Christi Schimpke, owner and designer at Crash Jewelry! Crashing your car rarely is a good feeling outside of a figure 8 at your local track, but Christi has taken tragedy and turned that twisted metal into jewelry you'll actually want to wear. She sells special items she has curated herself through her connections in the autobody industry or you can work with her to design a special piece from your own crash or restoration. Christmas is coming, so here's a great idea for all of our listeners looking for something special and different.

If driving around Europe isn't on your bucket list, it definitely should be. Dan spent almost a month doing just that and has some great tips to make your life a little easier as you navigate around hidden speed cameras, tolls, roundabouts, and other things it may take you a little while to warm up to in Europe. He also talks about learning how to blow from a tall, beautiful Viking and really likes Chamonix. 

We work a lot with Marketing and Events Manager Brian Dallas at DirtFish. From Avants Off-Road, to WagonFest, to the DirtFish SummerFest, and MANY more, it seems like we're always at DirtFish and we wouldn't have it any other way. We get to know Brian a little better and talk about his love for Minis, cycling, and of course all things Rally. We even got a few surprise visits from some other friends at DirtFish while we were there! 

In this very special episode of the Avants Podcast we team up with Bring a Trailer Co-founder and President Randy Nonnenberg to announce a very special partnership with Avants! Randy shares his favorite BaT memories, his cars, the Covid car buying boom, and more on this surprise episode!

If you're looking for that perfect finishing touch for your car, then prepare to be a fan of Daniel Chae and his company, Formawerx. Formawerx creates keys for cars, but not just simple replacements. Think of Formawerx keys as like buying a luxury watch for your car, and once you see them you're going to want one. This was no accident though, Daniel took his success from working and designing at Oakley to designing these beautiful keys, which all have a story that fits the cars they are designed for perfectly. Formawerx makes keys for everything for FJ40s to McLaren F1s, so be sure to check them out at https://formawerx.com.

We had a few audio issues while recording this episode unfortunately, but it's still definitely worth a listen or a watch on YouTube. 

On this special episode of the Avants Podcast we get to catch up with Betim Berisha, owner and creator of BBI Autosport. Three years ago, on episode 95, we got to talk to Betim about his start here in the Pacific Northwest where he grew up with John Kleven, owner of Metropolitan Detail, and working with our friends over at Park Place Motors. In this episode Betim discusses building incredible Pikes Peak winning cars, building cars from scratch for Hoonigan racing, pushing the technology and development envelope of performance parts, and what the future mandate to move to electric cars means for the performance industry.  

This week we talk with Ezekiel Wheeler, the head of Auto Conduct. Ezekiel gives a long overdue fresh approach to car shows and a car storage facility, with an appreciation for all things automotive that those of us at Avants can certainly align with. Auto Conduct takes a fresh, artistic take on car shows that differentiates them from the standard “cars and coffee” we’ve all grown a little bored with by incorporating art, food trucks, entertainment, and more. 

Did you know the best time for a road trip in the US is the last 2 weeks of September? That means it's time to start planning your next adventure and we're here to help you do it. Dan and Nick talk about their favorite road trip adventures, share a few tips and tricks, and remind you that Drive Everything isn't just the Avants motto, it's a way of life! 

We put out the ask to find someone who could really clear up the click-bait headlines and talk to us about EV batteries, charging, power grid problems, recycling, and more on EVs and Chad Maglaque really stepped up the plate. Chad in PNW native who moved down to Texas to start ReCell EV, one of the few companies tackling replacing and repairing EV batteries outside of the dealers. He is wealth of knowledge of all things EV and power and gives us some great answers. 

If you've got a Land Rover Discovery, we've got the show for you! Our friends Daniel and Emily join us to talk about their company Golden Rovers who specialize in essential accessories for Land Rovers. Emily and Daniel were famously the friends of ours who hydro locked their Land Rover discovery while out playing on Stampede Pass with us and then immediately started an LS Swap. They have also helped volunteer for Avants Off-Road days and are always out there supporting the community, so next time you see them be sure to say hello! 

This week we got to speak with Fabryce Kutyba about the leading racewear brand in the motorsports industry, Alpinestars! More than just a guy who sells motorsports gear, Fabryce is and has always been a major gearhead with connections to Aplina, GMG, and much more. He's a racer to the core, has great taste in cars, and has some great stories from a lifetime in motorsports. On top of all that, he's an Avants member! 

Dan actually wanted to work really for Alpinestars back in his 20s, and if you dig into the episode notes on the Avants page, you'll get a good laugh at his 20 year throwback. 

This week we got to speak with Michael Honn of STEK USA all about protection film and the many differences. This isn't just some ad for STEK though, Michael rallies, rides, off-roads, and drives everything just like the rest of us. He's a real enthusiast with a passion for motorsports and the STEK products he believes in. Come meet Michael and see the STEK demos at Avantsfest, August 6th!! 

Here on the podcast we're not shy about admitting we are long time fans of the Griots. We don't just mean the products, we actually like the Griots family and all the work they do. This time we talk with Phillip Griot who is running Griots Motors. Griots Motors offers car restoration, sales and consignment, storage, and detailing, all at the level you'd expect from a name like Griots. Listen in and hear more about the shop from the guy who's name is on the building. You can find out more at https://griotsmotors.com 

When Jake decided his International Scout restomod build didn't turn out the way he wanted, he decided to something we all wish we could; build it the way he wanted himself. Jake started Bulletproof Restorations out of a bit of spite and took restomodding Internationals to a new level providing LS swaps for proper power, next level interior upgrades, and full frame off restorations and upgrades. We talk with Jake all about the restomod business and what it takes to build perfect Scout. 

This week we talk to Evan Zema! We've known Evan for quite a while as a car collection manager, but now he is working with our long time friend in Hagerty in their very exclusive Radius program. This isn't an ad for Hagerty though, Evan is a serious enthusiast with boosted E30 325i he built himself, and much like us, likes all things with an engine or motor.

No one who runs into Natasha is going to call her boring. When every car you have is a project car you're not going to have a lot of dull moments on or off the road. Natasha takes the term "project car" to new heights with her off-road built Lexus LS400, but that's not all of course. Listen as she tells us all about herself and her many very fun projects. 

I don't know what you were doing at 19, but we sure weren't racing Lamborghinis for a living like Bryson Lew. Add on to that he's full time student, a black belt, plays piano, and helps coach our friends at Flying Husky Racing, and you could say he's got his life together better than most of us do even now in full mid-life crisis mode. Bryson tells us what it takes to pilot some of the most exciting cars in the world.  

Karen knows her stuff. Not only does she race some of the toughest cars around to drive - Cobras and Daytonas from Factory 5 Racing, but she's also highly educated and extremely engaging to talk to! Karen is a personal life coach, driver development coach, career path coach, and even has expertise she can share in motorsports team organizational development. On top of all that, Karen has over 200 first place finishes in various forms of motorsports; she talks the talk and walks the walk! We had a great time getting to know her we know you will too.

Recorded live in partnership with ProFormance Racing School and Park Place LTD, we got to enjoy a special evening with the legendary Lyn St. James! Lyn shares some amazing stories of her time behind the wheel and gives some great advice about stepping into motorsports and how to get more women involved in racing. Be sure to check out the YouTube video of this event as well, which we remastered after the recording to give you better audio and video. 

This week we got to talk to Richard Varner, CFO of MotoAmerica, and Chairman of the Board for the incredible Petersen Museum. Richard walks us through what it was like building MotoAmerica from the ground up with his crew, shares some lesser known details of the Petersen, and talks about his love all motorcycles and cars. If you want to see some incredible MotoAmerica action locally, be sure to be at The Ridge in Shelton on June 24th-26th! https://www.ridgemotorsportspark.com/motoamericatickets 

We apologize for a few minor connection issues that caused some quieter, latent audio, but we think we cleaned it up pretty well for you! 

Do you like forest service roads? Do you like doing anything off-road? Do you like dispersed camping? Then you should be supporting the Blue Ribbon Coalition. It's hard to believe how much access we have lost to beautiful lands, and the only people really making a difference to keep our access is the Blue Ribbon Coalition. We strongly believe in treading lightly, packing it in and packing it out, and even want higher fines to people who abuse land, but a lack of management is not land management! Unfortunately we're losing the battle and we need your help. The best way to do that is by supporting the Blue Ribbon Coalition. 

You can read more about and support the Blue Ribbon Coalition here: https://www.sharetrails.org/ 

Casey is the kind of guy every guy wants to be friend with. From his many adventures, well beyond the car world, to his travels, and to his philanthropy, there was so much to talk about this interview could have gone on forever. There was no shortage of laughs during this episode and we know you’ll enjoy it start to finish. Check out more about Casey on his YouTube channel and be sure to check out Genius Garage, where he’s working to change the world. We’ll see you at Indy, Casey!

Steven Smith is an icon in the shoe world known for creating the New Balance 574, 997, and 1500, the Reebok Fury, and then of course working with Ye (formerly Kanye West) on the iconic Yeezy shoe line, where he still works today. Steven talks with all about his creative processes, his engineering background, and of course his air cooled Porsche 356 and his road racing Beetle. Enjoy this very special episode and be sure to check out the Avants article featuring him and Steve Pelletier! https://www.avants.com/news/sole-brothers-of-stumptown-steven-smith-steve-pelletier

We sit down and talk with Rami Atherton, brand manager for McLaren Seattle. McLaren might not be new to the area at this point, but OpenRoad Auto Group has recently massively expanded the dealer and we talk to Rami about daily driven McLarens, racing, and the quirks that come with McLarens. We also pick his brain on the other quirky occupants of the dealership - Lamborghini, Bentley, and Rolls Royce. 

Our motto here at Avants is “Drive Everything” and Alex Haugland brings that to a new level. With 170 cars in The Haugland Collection (and growing), driving all of his cars is almost a full time job. Alex tells us all about his massive collection and of rare, fun, quirky, and historically significant cars, and really epitomizes everything we love to see in a car enthusiast. Enjoy this special episode with Master Collector, Alex Haugland, and check out his website while you’re at it to see some of them: https://www.hauglandcollection.com/

We had an incredible time interviewing Randy Pobst in front of a live studio audience filled with Avants members. Randy shared all sorts of his favorite car stories with us and we know you'll enjoy hearing them too! A special shout out to our friends at Hagerty for partnering with us to make this event happen.

We had so serious fun talking with the iconic gentleman racer, Justin Bell. He told us so many unfiltered stories of his exciting life from growing up and riding motorcycles to deciding to race in his late teens and going on to win Le Mans, work in motorsports media, being a photographer, and now a fellow podcast hosting "Life. With Legends". Justin also shared his entrepreneurial side, giving some great ideas on how to make electric vehicle charging stations more... interesting. This episode is uncut and unfiltered and is therefor marked explicit. 

Dan and Nick talk with Andy Kim and Robin Har of Driven Motion about their films and so much more. We had so much fun on this episode and recording on set with them was every bit as fun. These two are serious artists who absolutely love to share their passion. If you haven’t checked out Driven Motions films, you’re missing out on some great car content (even though Dan was in the last one). And if you haven’t seen any of Robin’s mind blowing art, you need to go check that out too! It’s pretty impressive for him being a tracer. Just kidding, Robin. :)

We finally had the chance to meet our Avants co-worker from Oregon, Sher Harbour de Vos! What better way for everyone to to get to know Sheri better than on the official Avants show? She came out of the tiny island of Ketchikan, Alaska, played with some Ferraris, and now she's running wild down in Portland and representing Avants.  

In this episode we talk with Tim Cruickshank of BoneFrog Coffee and BoneFrog Cellars about his companies mission to honor fallen veterans. More than that, BoneFrog just so happens to be a sponsor of our recent guest, Benjamin Pedersen! We actually didn’t even know that at the time we booked Tim or Benjamin to be on the show; what a small world. You can read more about BoneFrog, get some coffee, or some gear at https://BoneFrog-Coffee.com. We’re working with BoneFrog right now to get Avants Members some coffee to try, so sit tight and enjoy one more great reason to be an Avants member!

If you're looking for the best adventure riding or overland routes in the country, it's the Backcountry Discovery Routes. In this episode we talk with some of the key players who give us the gift of the BDRs, Paul Guillien and Inna Thorn. We have probably said it 100x on the podcast at this point, but the Washington Backcountry Discovery Route was without a doubt the most fun we have ever had on a trip in our lives, even beating out the SeaMont Rally! So listen up and get ready, because you're going to want to get out and explore after this episode!

For more information on the Backcountry Discovery Routes, GPS tracks, ride reports, and anything else you'd ever need, head over to RideBDR.com!

The best driving roads aren’t the same things as the best roads. The best road in the country is Highway 12 in Utah, but the best driving road is almost every road in far northern California. Dan discusses his epic R8 road trip, Nick discusses CRF450 sales, Ranger Raptor warranty repairs, and more on this week’s Shop Talk episode.

We recorded this episode live at the Avants Magazine Launch at MotoFish in Redmond! This little bonus episode includes stories from Zachary Philip, one of the first Rivian R1T owners, Sean McDonough, the Exotics “Gatekeeper”, Alex Kochis, who’s Luftgekühlt Porsche 911 Safari is featured in this issue of the Avants Magazine, and Michele Graaff, who wrote the main Land Rover article for the most recent issue. If you missed this event, you missed out. We hope to see you at the next one!

If there is one common theme we have found among the many successful professional drivers we have interviewed, it’s that they work harder than anyone else we know to succeed. Benjamin Pedersen is no exception. Twice-a-day workouts, multiple hours in a simulator, engineering sessions, it’s all just part of a normal day for Benjamin. Now living in Indianapolis, Benjamin joins us online for this interview and tells us everything you ever wanted to know about the road to IndyCar Racing. If you’d like to know more about Benjamin beyond our interview, be sure to check out the article by Karl Noakes with images by Keith Scott here: https://www.avants.com/news/the-rise-of-benjamin-pedersen

For the first official Avants Podcast, we bring in the Alpha of Alfas, Fred Russell! Not only is he an expert in all things Alfa Romeo as the President of the Northwest Alfa Romeo Club, he also has one of the most interesting careers you will ever come across. As a full time collection manager, Fred gets experiences most of us can only dream about. No one just handed Fred the keys and said “have at it” though; listen to how he got here and what makes him uniquely qualified for this particular role.