Cars Yeah With Mark Greene

Chris Runge owns and operates Runge Karosseria and Flyer Motorwerks.  Flyer Moterwerks began in a rural Minnesota barn.  The very place where Chris, 25 years prior, sat in his first Porsche while it was being stored for the winter. That Porsche left an impression that he would never forget.  A lifelong passion for the automobile and more specifically post WWII German design grew as Chris owned and modified several Porsche vehicles over the years.  In 2011 he embarked upon a new journey, to hand hammer his own aluminum bodied car.  The goal was not to build a replica but capture an era through a simple yet beautiful design. In the process Chris applied Traditional European Coachwork techniques to build the Prototype “Frankfurt Flyer” Sports Racer.  FF001 has gained attention and admiration in the motoring world.  Today, Chris is preparing to introduce a series of coach built auto designs based on different eras and country of origin.  Chris can also provide panel replacement, repair or reskin an entire body fo

Tim Miller is the Founder and CEO of Surf City Garage in Huntington Beach California.  Surf City Garage is a company that creates superior, high-quality car care products for automotive enthusiasts.  Tim’s passion for automobiles goes back to his childhood when he saved up and purchased his first car, a 1967 Pontiac GTO with a 4-speed.  He raced on weekends all over southern California.  Fast-forward 30 years and Tim’s car collection is now over 130 show-quality vintage muscle cars, known as the Surf City Garage American Muscle Car Collection.  They are on display in a showroom decorated with neon and memorabilia and includes a complete restoration shop.  In 2007, in order to keep his collection looking great Tim decided to create his own line of surface care products and Surf City Garage Detailing Products was born.  Now sold worldwide, in over 30 countries, the Surf City name has brought the southern California car culture shine to enthusiasts everywhere.

Jesse Alexander has been involved in photography and especially motorsports  photography since the early 1950s when he covered the original Mexican Road Race.  He spent many years in Europe covering Formula One and famous long distance sports car races including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Mille Miglia, and Targa Florio. In that period of time he also photographed theater and music personalities for the New York Times.  His work is held by numerous private collectors and has been exhibited in museums in the United States, including the Birmingham Museum of Art, the Akron Museum and the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. He has produced several films and published many books with his most recent being Monaco, The Golden Age of the Grand Prix with the foreword by Sir Jackie Stewart.  Jesse’s current body of work includes travel photographs of Iceland, the Galapagos Islands, and birds.

Stacy Pucket is the Specialist Operations Manager at RM Auctions in Ontario, Canada.  As a graduate of the School of the Art Institute in Chicago, she didn’t plan on a career in the classic car hobby. But after a lifetime of attending car shows with her parents, it wasn’t until she purchased a 1965 Ford Fairlane 500 that the car bug bit her. Instead of grad school she went to the acclaimed McPherson College and received a degree in auto restoration. She trained as an apprentice mechanic with Mercedes-Benz at their Classic Center in Fellbach, Germany. From there she spent time at the LeMay Museum and then five years as a Resource and Research Manager at the acclaimed Paul Russell and Company. There she worked on many different prestigious vehicle restorations including the 1928 Mercedes-Benz 680S Sautchik Torpedo that became the 2012 Pebble Beach Concours Best of Show winner.  Stacy has also been a judge at the Greenwich, Barrington, Misselwood and Radnor Hunt concours. Now at RM Auctions Stacy gets to play wi

Joe Kyte is owner of Topiary Joe. He is a very unique, topiary sculpture artist who creates living garden sculptures.  Now I know what you’re thinking. Isn’t this Cars Yeah, Inspiring Automotive Enthusiasts? Entrepreneurs who have figured out how to make a living around their passion for cars? Yes, you’re in the right place. Joe, is an automotive enthusiast through and through, who in many cases has figured out how to combine his passion for cars in to the creative living sculptures he creates for clients around the world. If you want a full size Ferrari F1, a vintage Bugatti or a Porsche in your garden, Joe will make it happen. Want a Ferrari prancing stallion or the hood ornament off a Jaguar? Joe can do that too.  Of course if you like full size elephants, dinosaurs, or anything your imagination can come up with, Joe is your guy. He’s figured out how to combine his passion for cars, gardens, sculpture and more in to a thriving entrepreneurial business that makes people smile.

David Dickinson is the Creator and Editor of The Old Car Nut Book series. David has had a wide variety of careers, including military service, Real Estate, Investment Banking, and automotive sales that included most aspects in new car dealerships and then as the General Manager of a classic car dealership. More recently, as a consultant to individuals selling their own late model and classic cars, he has helped For Sale By Owners sell their cars for top dollar, using his proven methods as FSBO Auto Advisor. In his latest adventure into publishing, The Old Car Nut Book series is David’s way of providing an opportunity for people to share those stories that usually don’t get told other than behind the bumper of a car at a car show or in the confines of a shop. It is also his way of reaching out to young people beginning their journeys in life and finding something fun and worthwhile to focus on. David believes it’s important for younger generations to know where the older generations of the car hobby came from

Terry Karges is the Executive Director of the Petersen Automotive Museum. In his first year at the Petersen, Terry introduced vault tours, monthly cruise-ins, adult education programs, movie nights and specialty car events. He has helped to increase overall attendance, creating new events that engage the people of Los Angeles and the global automotive community. Before joining the Petersen, Terry was a senior manager in automotive OEM, motorsports and theme park entertainment divisions, including Disneyland, Marine World and Sea World. His leadership background with automotive manufacturing firms includes Roush Performance, where he spent 17 years helping grow the company into the largest specialty high performance car brand in the world. There he also managed sales, advertising, new media, web development and vehicle packaging.  Prior to Roush, Terry enjoyed ownership of Karges Sport where he emphasized motorsports marketing and ran his own race team. - See more at: http://carsyeah.com/?post_type=masonry-por

In words and pictures, veteran motorsports journalist Pete Lyons has spent decades covering races all over the world, including classics such as North America’s original “unlimited” Can-Am series, Formula 1 Grand Prix from Argentina to Watkins Glen, and sports car enduros at Daytona, Sebring and Le Mans. Assignments have taken him to Mexico’s Baja 1000, the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, Kenya’s Safari Rally and numerous other events. Pete is a former editor of RACECAR magazine, and he has contributed to numerous enthusiast publications, including Autosport, AutoWeek, Car and Driver, Road & Track, and many more. The author of 12 books published to date, with two more underway, Lyons has won several prestigious honors, including the Motor Press Guild’s Dean Bachelor Award (twice) and the International Motor Press Association’s Ken Purdy Award. In 2011 he gained the International Automotive Media Award for Lifetime Achievement. Along with his most recent books, including the upcoming “Riverside International Racewa

Lance Lambert is the executive producer and host of televisions Vintage Vehicle Show that appears weekly on 101 TV stations and 27 foreign markets and has aired over 450 episodes.  He’s an author of the automotive book Fenders, Fins & Friends: Confessions of a Car Guy and staff columnist for Garage Style Magazine, Journal Newspapers, Collector Cars and Hotrodhotline.com.  He’s a recipient of the Lee Iacocca Award, an inductee to the Washington State Hot Rod Hall of Fame and the producer of 12 automotive topic DVDs with sales of over 260,000 pieces.  He’s owned over 40 vintage vehicles of all marques and has performed on stage hundreds of times at various events and comedy clubs including Comedy Central.  Frequently asked to utilize his talents as an emcee at concours events and as an auctioneer Lance has motor oil in his veins.

Michael Keyser operates Autosports Marketing Associates in Butler, Maryland. In 1969 he became interested in motor racing and for the next decade he was a photographer, filmmaker, and he won the 12 hours of Sebring as a driver in 1976 with Al Holbert. His book and film The Speed Merchants is a classic along with A French Kiss With Death – Steve McQueen and the Making of Le Mans which he co-wrote. Michael has edited and produced numerous automotive books, film essays and his current project, Eighty Four Hours of Endurance – Daytona, Sebring, Watkins Glen 1970 & 1971 is now available.  You will discover a wonderful collection of vintage racing posters, DVDs, and books on his website www.autosportsltd.com

David Ryan has been a coachbuilder and metal shaper for over 28 years.  Before opening his own shop outside of Calgery, near Crossfield, Alberta, he spent time creating and restoring magnificent automobiles including Rolls Royce, Bentley, Morgan and Hudson. He spent ten years at the acclaimed RM Classic Cars as one of three coachbuilders and metal shapers. David worked on both European and American marques that went on to become Best in Class or Best in Show at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. He was on the team that restored the 2006 Best of Show winner, a 1931 Daimler Double Six 50.  He is a mentor and teacher to young automotive tradespeople in Western Canada.

Don Byars is the owner of Full Throttle Panteras in Lake Elsinore California.  He started working on Panteras in his dad’s driveway way back in 1983.  In 1998 when he founded Precision Pro-Formance in Brea, California they provided full service and parts.  In 2010 he moved to Lake Elsinore and Full Throttle Panteras was born.  Over the past 30 years Don has rebuilt and restored hundreds of DeTomaso Panteras – earning a reputation for his unwavering attention to detail and his full-throttle commitment to Pantera perfection.  Don’s absolute and unequaled knowledge of the DeTomaso Pantera has won his clients many coveted and prestigious awards including trophies at Concorso Italiano in Monterey California. 

Tony’s passion for automobiles officially began at age 9 when he got his first motorcycle.  This led to an infatuation with all things mechanical.  He got his first car at age 15, and learned to paint automobiles at age 19.  Since then, Tony has focused on automotive body and framework restoration.  He has managed and co-owned a body shop, worked in pro racing as a crew chief and team manager in the Toyota Atlantic Series, and raced go-carts and motorcycles.  Today Tony has a shop in my hometown of San Clemente where he specialize in Porsche restorations.

Nicolas Hunziker is an automotive artist that is fueled by passion.  He is a fourth generation painter whose roots in creativity go back to his great-grandfather who was a classically trained painter.  His grand uncle was the famous Prince Bira of Siam who was the first Thai, Grand-Prix motor racing driver.  After graduating from the Art Center College of Design Nicolas worked as an Advertising Art Director.  After years in the commercial ad business he kept coming back to his passions; painting and automobiles, and specifically racing.  His style, which he calls Period Correct Art is bold, colorful, graphic, and has a definitive racing theme.  You’ll find his work in magazines, on posters, apparel, films, and painting including murals and commissioned artwork that hangs in some of the most famous collections around the world.

Rod Emory is the owner of Emory Motorsports and a third generation gear head. After years of building and modifying automobiles with his grandfather and his dad, in their McMinnville facility, he launched his own business restoring vintage Porsches. The company grew and he now operates a second facility in Lancaster California. Rod, like his grandfather and his father, takes his craft seriously and not only restores old 356 Porsches but takes them to the next level by creating one of a kind outlaws. Custom builds that go beyond anything Dr. Porsche created. Rod also restores and services vintage Porsche race cars and you’ll find iconic models including the 906, 908 and Porsche Cooper in his shop. Rod is a visionary craftsman and coach builder who continues to expand and grow the Emory family spirit.

Randy Wells has spent more than 25 years behind a camera, capturing automotive images and more as a commercial photographer.  Thousands of his images have been published worldwide and he is in demand as a photojournalist and a commercial photographer.  He’s also a writer who captures the passion we have for all things automotive in his words and articles.  His images have been featured in numerous publications including Excellence, National Geographic, Traveler and Sunset magazine. Randy’s creative eye has earned his numerous awards from American Photo, Communications Arts, How and others.

Pete  Bristow, a.k.a. Pistol Pete, owns and operates Bristow’s Exclusive Auto Repair in Tacoma Washington.  Along with his talented team they service and care for all sorts of fine automobiles along with preparing and setting up track cars for customers who enjoy club events and days at the track.  Pete has a life long passion for racing and 36 years of experience in working on automobiles with extensive knowledge of how they operate, both on the street, and at the track.  He is involved in community events and local business associations and is a talented and experienced racing coach and driving instructor.  Pete loves all things cars, especially if it means going fast.

Frank Mandarano has been a car guy since he was 12 years old.  He’s a decorated Veteran and a licensed commercial pilot.  He is the founder of Maserati Club International and MIE Corporation.  Frank also founded the Concorso Italiano, an annual Italian marque gathering in Monterey California.  Frank started the original, one and only, Car Guy Tour and still operates dream-come-true trips for automotive enthusiasts from around the world.  You can find Frank visiting automotive factories, museums, wineries and more or catch him cruising down the road in one of his  Maserati 3500 GTs.

Henry Reisner is the president of Intermeccanica, Custom Coach Builders in Vancouver, British Columbia.  Intermeccacina was started in 1959 by Henry’s father Frank when he moved to Turin Italy with his wife Paula.  They produced parts for cars and created a formula junior race car, the Puch, or IMP, the Apollo and Italia automobiles among many other unique and innovative projects.  When the family moved to California in1975 they began making replica Porsche Speedsters and that tradition has continued to this day with Intermeccanica producing Speedsters, Roadsters and Kubelwagens for customers from around the world. Quality and a focus on providing their customers with exactly they want, Henry and his team bring back the magic of old cars that are reliable and fun to drive. You can learn more about the Reisner family and their rich history in the book The Story of the Prancing Bull. 

Burt “BS” Levy is an award-winning motorsports journalist, an infamous author, a lifelong British car nut, and notorious racecars ride mooch.  He is the author of the celebrated cult classic 1950s sports car novels The Last Open Road, its sequels Montezuma’s Ferrari, The fabulous Trashwagon,  Toly’s Ghost, The 200 MPH Steamroller,  and his utterly hilarious short story collection, A Potside Companion.  He’s piloted all kinds of vintage racecars by mooching rides at tracks across the country from Laguna Seca to Watkins Glen.  A true automotive entrepreneur, Burt is sure to fill our ears with his humor and iconic “BS” so hide your cars keys and listen up to this interview, part two of two spectacular journeys with a very unique character.