Could you imagine if the most expensive, exclusive, powerful, and raw hypercars in the world raced together in a single series? Back in the 1990s, this happened -- one of the golden ages of sports car racing: GT1 Class Racing. The GT1 class was diverse, well-funded, and birthed "homologation special" cars -- racecars effectively disguised as production street vehicles. Sylas and Todd review all time greats like the Porsche GT1, McLaren F1 GTR and LM variants, and the infamous Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR and CLR. And more than one of these cars went for an unexpected flight, thanks to the aerodynamics and manufacturer budget war which pushed automotive development to its limit -- and beyond.

Cold Start Hint:  You can almost hear the blue oval.

Answer to Episode 60 Cold Start:  Roborace Robocar launch

Racing has always been the proving ground to help develop new technologies in the automotive industry – like tires, fuel, and hybrid engines. So it would make sense for manufacturers put their autonomous vehicles to the ultimate test at the limit... on the racetrack. Could motorsports be a feasible testing ground for autonomous technology, and would people actually care to watch it? Todd and Sylas look into the world of autonomous racecars, the series that are already making it a reality, and where the "sport" could go in the future. Now's the time to be scared that the robots are taking over. 

Cold Start Hint:  Prepared for its inaugural "Session Alpha".

Answer to Episode 59 Cold Start: Waymo Jaguar I-Pace boarding sound

The robots are here – and they have come for our love of driving. 🤖 Well, that may not be the complete picture.... Todd and Sylas dive into their first hand experiences with autonomous vehicles, offering a survey of where the technology currently is. They also discuss what the future might be in regards to personal transport and how this growing technology will reshape our current infrastructure. Could it be the dystopian car enthusiast future we think it will be, or can the robots bring peace to the roadways? Find out on this week's episode. 

Cold Start Hint: Total missed opportunity not calling it a Johnnycab!

Answer to Episode 57 Cold Start: Xbox One Forza Edition Start Up

Sim racing has become a huge part of the motorsports industry in the last 10 years, as sim setups and racing titles have become more realistic. This leads to the question as to how sim racing fits into the development of real racing drivers. Is it just a game that makes it convenient to race in your living room or is there some validity in it being used as a real tool to develop the next generation of drivers? Todd and Sylas talk about their experience in using simulation racing as a tool for training and competing in real world racing, and how they see these fitting together into the modern motorsport ladder.

Cold Start Hint: This one is for the video game nerds

Answer to Episode 57 Cold Start: BMW E36 M3

As car enthusiasts, there are those of us that are mechanically inclined and quite enjoy getting our hands dirty working on cars. Then there are the others that prefer to just be behind the wheel rather than under the hood. Regardless of which category you fit in, it's important to at least have a bare minimum understanding to keep your car working properly. However, there are times when there may be a noise or vibration you don't recognize but that opens up opportunities to solve the mystery and understand how another part may affect the drivability of your car. Todd and Sylas, mainly Sylas since he drives BMWs, share stories of when they had some mechanical mysteries, how they solved them, and what was the lesson learned. 

Cold Start Hint: Duh its a broken BMW, but which one?

Answer to Episode 56 Cold Start: F1, IndyCar, NASCAR

The 2026 race season is fully underway! Formula 1, IndyCar, and NASCAR are all back on track, having completed their first couple of races. If you haven't been keeping up-to-date with the action, Todd and Sylas tell you why you what you've been missing -- the lead up to and a recap of the biggest story lines in each series so far. IndyCar and NASCAR have also been doing some collab events with their shared TV broadcaster FOX Sports; the guys cover the future implications of this as the major American motorsports series try to play catch up to the global popularity of F1. 

Cold Start Hint: A little taste of all three

Answer to Episode 55 Cold Start: Mercedes CLK 63 AMG

Shedding a little light on the cars that are a part of the race but never get to participate, Todd and Sylas talk about pace cars and safety cars in F1, NASCAR, and IndyCar. The guys dive into the history of how these cars become a part of each series with F1 waiting until 1993 to formally require a safety car. They also get into the differences between pace cars, safety cars, and medical cars, giving some cool examples through the years, and telling stories of when they made the highlight reels for all the wrong reasons. 

Cole Trickle: "Hit the Pace Car!? What for?"

Cold Start Hint: Golden Era F1 Safety Car

Answer to Episode 54 Cold Start: Jim Russell FJR-50 Formula 3

Folllwing our prior episode about the demise of racing schools, Sylas and Todd take a deep dive into a novel racing school which lived and thrived at Sonoma Raceway in the early 2000s into the 2010s, but has sadly passed on: "Simraceway".  A successor to the storied Jim Russell Racing School, Simraceway simultaneously offered a brand new simulation racing platform online, as well as a real life racing school featuring Audi roadcars and Formula 3 racecars at Sonoma. Learn about what it was like to be a student, a member, and an employee of this place that kickstarted professional motorsports careers, and inspired driving passion in young and old drivers alike. And a little speculation on what could have been different.

Cold Start Hint: Stig Tested, Fittipaldi Approved (Pietro, we mean)

Answer to Episode 53 Cold Start: Formula Mazda 13B rotary

It seems like with more options to get on track through track day providers, fewer people have been going to proper racing schools, killing that industry. Back in the day, it used to be mandatory to have a racing license to get on a racetrack. But with laxer requirements, people are taking the path of least resistance and reshaping the ladder into racing as schools are struggling to stay open. The guys look into this changing of tides within the industry, and discuss what the potential solution might be to put the cool back into school 😎. 

Cold Start Hint: A dying formula car series with a funky engine

Answer to Episode 52 Cold Start: BMW SpecE30, God's chariot 

What seemed like a simple afternoon for a professional driver to go to a track day to hang with friends, turned into a deep dive into the mental side of motorsport -- and what it means for a competitive individual to actually have fun at an activity they've spent years training to master. After chasing the high of racing wheel-to-wheel, Sylas shares his insights of what it's like to take a step back to chill track days and the struggles he faced in just going for fun to Thunderhill in his Spec E30.

Cold Start Hint:  The best examples have shiny or painted headers.

Answer to Episode 51 Cold Start: Nissan 240SX with a Tomei Exhaust