Our guest tonight is a car guy, Motorcycle enthusiast, martial artist, photographer and writer. Jeff Willis was born and raised in Eureka, California and in his new book (Hu)man in the Machine, he explores the relationship between cars and the people who love them. And he’s here to give us a peek not only into his life but the stories he’s captured in his new book, and much more.

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The Motoring Podcast Network : Years of racing, wrenching and Motorsports experience brings together a top notch collection of knowledge, stories and information. #everyonehasastory #gtmbreakfix - motoringpodcast.net

When people look at a car, they tend to immediately associate it with a brand or maybe just a family name: Ferrari, Porsche and DeLorean come to mind. But in actuality it takes hundreds of people to make a car truly come to life. From the imaginations of designers to the complex calculations of engineers and programmers down thru the manufacturing process with the tool & die teams, chassis builders as well as assembly and quality assurance … and everything in between. 

With well over 40 years experience in the heart of American automaking in Detroit, our guest has seen it all. And in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s he could be seen running what was at the time, a state of the art 1200 ton hydraulic press, the largest of its kind in any plant. It was his job to take new development dies and make them into parts for a very special build. He fondly remembers getting the orders one day for “gull wings in stainless steel” suddenly realizing these parts were destined for the new DMC-12. 

With us tonight to talk in-depth about the manufacturing side of the Automotive business is Tony Vallelunga, Senior Director of Manufacturing and Quality at DNG Motors. 

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The Motoring Podcast Network : Years of racing, wrenching and Motorsports experience brings together a top notch collection of knowledge, stories and information. #everyonehasastory #gtmbreakfix - motoringpodcast.net

Being the owner and driver of a sports car team during the heyday of sports cars racing in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s can be challenging, but also very rewarding. 

Competing part-time in both the World Sportscar Championship and IMSA GT Championship. During 1978 he accomplished a win at the Sebring 12 hours and along with veteran racer Brian Redman and Bobby Rahal, our guest Bob Garretson won the 24 Hours of Daytona. Despite not winning another race that season, He won the first ever awarded World Endurance Championship for Drivers title in 1981. He sold his team and retired from racing shortly thereafter… but that’s just the beginning. 

Returning to co-host this episode is Mike Carr, who some of you might remember from our Randy Lanier episode. 

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The Motoring Podcast Network : Years of racing, wrenching and Motorsports experience brings together a top notch collection of knowledge, stories and information. #everyonehasastory #gtmbreakfix - motoringpodcast.net

Unparalleled passion for Sports Car Racing that’s what GT Celebration is all about. Founded by Rob Morgan, president and CEO of Morgan Performance Group (MPG) he worked to build this racing series from the ground up utilizing both experience and passion with one mission; deliver a unique racing platform for drivers and teams to compete in a safe, adrenaline-filled, unforgettable environment. MPG features dozens of manufacturers and a wide range of race cars that compete in one of four series. And he’s here to explain how it all works! Joining us a co-host for this episode, returning from Max Track Time is Charlie Streicher.

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The Motoring Podcast Network : Years of racing, wrenching and Motorsports experience brings together a top notch collection of knowledge, stories and information. #everyonehasastory #gtmbreakfix - motoringpodcast.net

We return with Episode #34 of the Drive Thru! Break/Fix podcast's monthly news episode containing automotive, motorsports and random car-adjacent news. We thought we lost our co-host for this month, but we were wrong! We found her! We're celebrating all the $65,000 items from our Lost & Found bin this month as our showcase. For a list of all the articles and events referenced on this episode check out the show notes below.

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The Motoring Podcast Network : Years of racing, wrenching and Motorsports experience brings together a top notch collection of knowledge, stories and information. #everyonehasastory #gtmbreakfix - motoringpodcast.net

A racing icon, considered by many to be the greatest race car driver in the history of the sport. Born in Italy, emigrated to the United States at 15, and began racing stock cars in Pennsylvania at 19 which was the start of an illustrious career.  He won races in sports cars, sprint cars and stock cars – on ovals, road courses, drag strips, on dirt and on pavement. 

His achievements became legendary: The world watched as he won the Daytona 500, the Indy 500 and ultimately the Formula One World Championship, an unprecedented trifecta. Mario Andretti took the checkered flag 111 times during his career – a career that stretched five decades and across six continents. 

I’m joined by William Ross from Exotic Car Marketplace in welcoming the one and only, MARIO… Andretti to Break/Fix! 

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The Motoring Podcast Network : Years of racing, wrenching and Motorsports experience brings together a top notch collection of knowledge, stories and information. #everyonehasastory #gtmbreakfix - motoringpodcast.net

Jon Summers is The Motoring Historian. He was a company car thrashing, technology sales rep that turned into a fairly inept sports bike rider. Hailing from California, he collects cars and bikes built with plenty of cheap and fast, and not much reliable. On his show, he gets together with various co-hosts to talk about new and old cars, driving, motorbikes, motor racing, and motoring travel.

Jon and Mark discuss their recent visit to the Goodwood Members' Meeting, reminiscing about past events and noting the unique mix of vintage cars and gentlemanly racing. They also delve into broader topics of motoring culture, exploring stories from motor racing history, and share updates on their personal automotive adventures. John talks about his son's new motorcycle, his excitement for purchasing a high-performance SUV, and his longing for classic cars like the Renault 21 Turbo. Additionally, they recall their memorable motoring experiences including breathtaking stunts, thrilling races, and car-related escapades from their past.

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The Motoring Podcast Network : Years of racing, wrenching and Motorsports experience brings together a top notch collection of knowledge, stories and information. #everyonehasastory #gtmbreakfix - motoringpodcast.net

Copyright Jon Summers, The Motoring Historian. This content is also available via jonsummers.net. This episode is part of the Motoring Podcast Network and has been republished with permission.

Gordon Eliot White is a retired newspaper correspondent who covered Washington, D.C., Europe and the Far East for the Chicago American and other newspapers for 34 years. After he retired from news-paper work he became the Smithsonian Institution's auto racing advisor, following a sport he had enjoyed since 1939. He since has written seven books on the history of American open-wheel racing, including a history of Fred Offenhauser and the Offenhauser racing engine. He has served as the unofficial historian of the Harry A. Miller Club and as curator and archivist of more than 12,000 drawings, tracings and blueprints of Miller's cars and engines, as well as of thousands of documents covering the history of American racing since early in the 20th century. His presentation will address Harry Miller's impression on American racing as well as how aficionados rediscovered him after he had been all but forgotten and, over the past 40 years have un-earthed and restored many of his cars.

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The Motoring Podcast Network : Years of racing, wrenching and Motorsports experience brings together a top notch collection of knowledge, stories and information. #everyonehasastory #gtmbreakfix - motoringpodcast.net

This episode is part of our HISTORY OF MOTORSPORTS SERIES and is sponsored in part by: The International Motor Racing Research Center (IMRRC), The Society of Automotive Historians (SAH), The Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Argetsinger Family - and was recorded in front of a live studio audience.

Joseph Freeman is an automotive historian, writer, publisher, vintage racer, and racing car collector, well known in the racing world for his expertise on automotive subjects and as owner of the award-winning publishing house Racemaker Press of Boston. His talk will cover the history of some of the earlier champion race drivers who but for a stroke of bad luck, and unfortunate last-minute mistake, or just the intervention of fate, were never able to win America's greatest race, the Indianapolis 500. Mr. Freeman's reflections are on his recent book: Second to One: All but for Indy.

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The Motoring Podcast Network : Years of racing, wrenching and Motorsports experience brings together a top notch collection of knowledge, stories and information. #everyonehasastory #gtmbreakfix - motoringpodcast.net

This episode is part of our HISTORY OF MOTORSPORTS SERIES and is sponsored in part by: The International Motor Racing Research Center (IMRRC), The Society of Automotive Historians (SAH), The Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Argetsinger Family - and was recorded in front of a live studio audience.

Ferraris Online was founded in 1972 by Michael Sheehan. With over 50 years of experience as a broker of exotic cars, specializing in Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati and collections of other exotics. Offering experience as an expert witness regarding exotic car values, market trends, appraisals, and all aspects of repair and vehicle restoration. Ferraris Online is still run by Michael, who is now accompanied by his daughter, Colleen, and her husband RJ. 

Colleen is here with us to share their story starting with how they began Ferraris Online by fixing crashed exotics for State Farm, USAA, and Auto Club insurance and quickly growing to be North America’s largest Ferrari Restoration shop. 

Joining us from the Exotic Car Marketplace, along with other Break/Fix episodes like “What Should I Buy? Italian Cars” is co-host William Ross. 

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The Motoring Podcast Network : Years of racing, wrenching and Motorsports experience brings together a top notch collection of knowledge, stories and information. #everyonehasastory #gtmbreakfix - motoringpodcast.net

The following episode has been brought to you by The Exotic Car Marketplace. With over 20 years in the collector car market, they can source the specific vehicle you desire. As well as the Rock'n'Revs Automotive Festival, Cleveland, OH.