Past Gas by Donut Media by Donut

04.29.2024

Past Gas #235: Datsun, Pt 2: Why Datsun Had To Die

In 1967, Yutaka Katayama, or Mr. K, is now President of Nissan North America. He’s just been called to Nissan HQ to select a concept design to replace the aging Fairlady Roadster. But unbeknownst to the other executives on the...

04.22.2024

Past Gas #234: Datsun, Pt 1: Why Nissan Created Datsun

August, 1958. Nissan ad man Yutaka Katayama, known to most as Mr. K, is in Sydney, Australia was leading a two car team of Datsun 210s in the brand’s first official motorsport event.The brand had gotten its start barely 20...

04.15.2024

Past Gas #233: Bathurst 1000: Australia’s Most Brutal Endurance Race

Over the past several decades, “The Great Race” has become a vital part of the fabric of Australian motorsport, and by extension, Australian culture. How did the Bathurst 1000 change Australian motorsport? How has one event given the racing world...

04.08.2024

Past Gas #232: What Happened with SAAB? Pt 2

Despite its affinity for front-wheel drive cars, especially in its legendary 99 and 900 badges, Swedish automaker Saab still managed to sell one of its properly cool cars as a wagon with all-wheel drive. The 9-2X Aero. But here’s the...

04.01.2024

Past Gas #231: What Happened with SAAB? Pt 1

The story of Saab is one of out-of-the-box thinking. This Swedish brand barely made it past its 70th birthday before it died, but the legacy it built throughout those decades made it something truly special. But what made Saab such...

03.27.2024

The Big Three #4: This Car Show is Banning Dodge Chargers

This week, the boys dive into the F1 Australian Grand Prix, Fiskers downfall and pay respects to Marcello Gandini. Plus, a Cybertruck update and why a Houston car meet is banning muscle cars. More about Show: Follow Nolan on IG and Twitter...

03.25.2024

Past Gas #230: The Bugatti Queen: Sex, Drugs, & Racing in the Roaring 20s

With hands blistered by a red-hot steering wheel and a head still reeling from a long night of sex and champagne, Hellé Nice won the first all-female Grand Prix at Montlhéry. The next day, Bugatti invited her to their showroom...

03.20.2024

The Big Three #3: Is Nissan Killing The GTR?

This week the boys chat about all the new (old) cars we're able to import in 2024, how Porsche's new hybrid drivetrain might piss some people off, and the exciting start to F1 Academy. Plus, after a 17 year run,...

03.18.2024

Past Gas #229: Mazda Pt 4: Mazda Pt 4: The First Japanese Car to Win Le Mans + 787B sounds

Le Mans, 1991. The Mazdaspeed team has been chasing gold at the legendary endurance race for the better part of a decade, and the team can only watch on anxiously as the clock ticks past midnight. With a looming ban...

03.13.2024

The Big Three #2: Dodge's Charger EV Video is Unhinged

This week, James, Nolan, and Justin talk about the VW Golf’s 50th birthday, the return of Scout, and the WILD Dodge Charger announcement from last week. Plus, thoughts on the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, how a Ford Van broke a...

03.11.2024

Past Gas #228: Mazda Pt 3: The RX-7 & Mazdaspeed

1974. For the past six years, Mazda Sports Corner have taken the rotary engine to task against the racing titans of Europe. And back in Japan, Mazda’s high-revving rotaries have captured the attention of the underground racing scene, and can...

03.06.2024

The Big Three #1: Unpacking Tesla's Empty Promises

INTRODUCING: The Big Three, Donut's new podcast that examines the latest car news, racing headlines, and anything noteworthy in the automotive landscape. A perfect weekly update for anyone even slightly interested in cars, The Big Three is an entertaining glimpse into...

03.04.2024

Past Gas #227: Mazda Pt 2: The Birth of the Rotary Engine

It’s October 1963, and the 10th Tokyo Motor Show is underway. Toyo Kogyo’s Mazda brand has had some success, but to prove its worth as an independent business to the government, Toyo Kogyo President Tsuneji Matsuda has hedged the company’s...

02.26.2024

Past Gas #226: Mazda Pt 1: Mazda Used to be a Cork Factory

It’s the morning of August 6th, 1945. Jujiro Matsuda is heading back home after visiting his company headquarters in nearby Hiroshima, where his small trucks called Mazdas have become fixtures of the city. And suddenly, behind him, there’s a bright...

02.19.2024

Past Gas #225: Macau GP - “Asia’s Monaco” is a Notoriously Dangerous Street Circuit

Beyond the Macau Grand Prix’s rich history, the event has become a cultural phenomenon, drawing motorsport enthusiasts and fans to the vibrant city to witness the convergence of speed, strategy, and sheer determination on a circuit that combines tradition with...

02.12.2024

Past Gas #224: F1's Greatest Rivalries: Hamilton vs Rosberg (aka “The Silver War”)

August, 2014. Gasoline and burnt rubber linger in the air at Spa-Francorchamps circuit, where the podium celebration for the Belgian Grand Prix is underway. The announcer calls the name of the second place finisher - Nico Rosberg. This should be...

02.05.2024

Past Gas #223: The Mustang That Took Down Porsche

The 70’s and early 80’s were practically an arms race of automotive engineering. From fuel injection to turbos to aerodynamics, manufacturers and privateers alike were breaking new ground in the name of ever-faster lap times. It was an age of...

01.29.2024

Past Gas #222: Cosworth Pt 2: WRC Rally & the Ford Escort RS Cosworth

Just one decade into their journey, Cosworth had dominated IndyCar racing and changed the face of Formula 1. But while any other company would be satisfied with that kind of record, Mike and Keith were far from done. Even though...

01.22.2024

Past Gas #221: Cosworth Pt 1: The Most Successful Engine Maker in F1 History

Between 1968 and 1974, every single Constructors Championship in F1 was won by the same Cosworth engine - the DFV - and in 1969 and 1973, every single F1 race was won by a DFV-powered car. This one engine was...

01.15.2024

Past Gas #220: Mark “Captain Nice” Donohue: The Genius Engineer/Driver Famous for Acid-Dipping his Cars

Mark Donohue never quite fit the look of a race car driver. But regardless of how he looked on the outside, his methodology not only changed the literal rules of racing but also the industry as a whole. So how did this...

01.08.2024

Past Gas #219: Renault: The Rise and Fall… and Rise Again?

Like many of the other car companies founded just before the turn of the 20th century, Renault made itself known for its revolutionary innovations — a concept that the company has employed time and again, to varying degrees of success....

01.01.2024

Group B's Greatest Rivalry: Audi and Lancia (Replay)

Catch our episode on the historic rivalry between Audi and Lancia on this exclusive episode revisit! Group B. The Golden Age of Rally Racing. It’s safe to say that auto racing will never again be this fast, thrilling, and dangerous....

12.25.2023

Past Gas #218: Santa's Coal Bag: We Did All Your Crummy Ideas, Vol 2

It’s finally that time of year that James, Nolan, and Joe are winding down at the podcast studio, getting ready for a loooooong winter’s nap. So today on Past Gas, they’re gonna learn a little bit about some different listener-submitted...

12.18.2023

Past Gas #217: Pablo Escobar Was a Racing Champion?!

During the 80s and early 90s, Pablo Escobar was the richest, most ruthless cocaine trafficker in the world. But before his life was monopolized by drugs, money, and gang wars, Pablo was a man with a simple dream: to be...

12.11.2023

Past Gas #216: Mint 400: The Chaotic Race Across the Las Vegas Desert

“In some circles, the Mint 400 is a far, far better thing than the Super Bowl, the Kentucky Derby and the Lower Oakland Roller Derby Finals all rolled into one. This race attracts a special breed,” wrote Hunter S. Thompson...

12.04.2023

Past Gas #215: History of Mercedes Ep.4- AMG, the Present, and the Future

In its first two decades, AMG had brought racing and performance prestige to Mercedes. But in 1999, co-founder Hans-Werner Aufrecht was ready to sell a majority stake of AMG to Mercedes, effectively handing over control of the company. Today, on...

11.27.2023

Past Gas #214: Mercedes Pt 3: WWII and the Dawn of the Gullwing

It’s 1952 and the world is still recovering from the brutality of WWII, including Mercedes. So how did Mercedes return to prominence just a decade after the war? How did Rudolph Uhlenahut create the world’s first supercar using only parts...

11.20.2023

Past Gas #213: Mercedes Pt 2: How Mercedes Became Mercedes

June 1926. An era of progress, rapid automotive adoption, and record-breaking feats spurred on by the rivalry between Benz and DMG had given way to a crisis. So how did a conniving aristocrat convince DMG to create the Mercedes brand?...

11.13.2023

Past Gas #212: Mercedes Pt 1 - The Gritty Beginnings of Daimler, Maybach, and Benz

New Years’ Eve, 1879. 35 year old Karl Benz and his wife Bertha are huddled around a small block of iron. Karl no doubt thinks about the decade’s worth of work and near-financial ruin contained in its small footprint. But...

11.06.2023

Past Gas #211: John Britten & the V1000: The Motorcycle That Inspired An Industry

New Zealand is known for having a small population. Many leave to find opportunity elsewhere, while others build a life in the place they were born. These people can become a big fish in a small pond or, if they’re...

10.30.2023

Past Gas #210: Nelson Piquet: The F1 Driver Who Feuded With Everybody

In 1986, the Williams Formula 1 team should have taken the World Championship, but their drivers Nelson Piquet and Nigel Mansell decided to turn on each other instead. But how did the son of a Brazilian doctor become one of...

10.23.2023

Past Gas #209: Dodge Charger Daytona: The Car That Was Too Fast for NASCAR

Talladega was a prime testing facility because it was the fastest circle track on the planet, and Chrysler was there to set a record. The day was overcast and cool as NASCAR legend Buddy Baker shifted into gear and pulled...

10.16.2023

Past Gas #208: Dan Wheldon: The Perfect Storm that Reformed Indycar

Dan Wheldon was a talented and charming driver who left an indelible mark on the world of motorsport. But how did this unflappable Englishman break through to IndyCar stardom? Why did he turn down the offer to race in Formula...

10.09.2023

Past Gas #207: RWB’s Akira Nakai: Coke, Cigarettes, and Widebody Porsches

RWB is legendary to car enthusiasts world-wise. But how did a drift kid from Japan redefine the Porsche? How did some carbon fiber fenders take over the desires of gamers drooling over air-cooled 911s? How can a leather arm chair,...

10.02.2023

Past Gas #206: Robert E Peterson: The Most Interesting Car Guy in the World

June 11, 1994. It’s the opening night of The Petersen Automotive Museum, and Hollywood is out in full force. But it’s not the celebrities we usually think of - it’s the cars they drive. None of this would have been...

09.25.2023

Past Gas #205: How Chevrolet Was Kicked Out of Chevrolet

Chevrolet isn’t just a company, it’s an American institution. Today on Past Gas, the story of a world-conquering company that almost wasn’t. How did the men who made Chevy lose it so quickly? How did the company nearly get shut...

09.18.2023

Past Gas #204: Kei Cars: How a WWII Loophole Created Japan's Tiny Cars

After the end of WWII, the world was eager to get back to work, and more specifically, back to makin’ cars. Japan was particularly ready to rebuild their economy, but were missing some crucial materials: steel, gasoline, and money. And...

09.11.2023

Past Gas #203: Burt Munro: How a 70 Year-Old Built a Landspeed Record Bike in His Shed

Anyone who’s ever been to Speed Week at Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah knows the incomparable feeling of standing on this hallowed ground. Some dream, work, scrimp, and save their entire lives to get a chance to make a pass...

09.04.2023

Past Gas #202: Why We Think Lotus’s Founder Faked His Own Death

Colin Chapman’s Formula 1 trophy case is an impressive one, with seven Constructors’ Championships and six Drivers’ Championships since 1963. Beyond his championship seasons, Chapman’s imprint on the sport is hard to comprehend – some suggest that Chapman might have...

08.28.2023

Past Gas #201: Spoon + Mugen: The Kings of Honda Tuning

In the world of engine tuning, two names (strange as they may be) are often at the top of the list. These companies upended the racing world with their attention to detail and refusal to accept anything but the best...

08.21.2023

Past Gas #200: 200th EPISODE SPECIAL: Fun Stories, 20lb Dogs, & Fan-Fiction

IT’S THE 200TH EPISODE OF PAST GAS!! To celebrate, Nolan, Joe, and James learn a little bit about three different listener-submitted suggestions, then look at (and judge) pictures of your 20 pound dogs. Y’all have a lot of 20 pound...

08.14.2023

Past Gas #199: Travis Pastrana: The Human Action Figure

It’s the 2006 X Games in Los Angeles, California. The Staples Center is abuzz, ready to watch competitors face off in a festival favorite event: the Moto X Best Trick. X-Games favorite 23 year-old Travis Pastrana gets himself ready to...

08.07.2023

Past Gas #198: Miracle at the Nurburgring: The Story of the 1969 Argentinian Torinos

In 1969, Argentina was a different place than it is today. Only three years after a violent military coup, it was a time of deep political unrest. And yet, amidst widespread protests and government crackdowns, the attention of the nation...

07.31.2023

Past Gas # 197: The Eerie Parallel Deaths of Ferrari’s Father-Son Superstars

By the time he had reached the starting line at the inaugural Belgian Grand Prix in 1925, Antonio Ascari was a living legend. He was to “slow down” by race officials at Monza, and even won the first Belgium Grand...

07.24.2023

Past Gas # 196: Paris-Dakar Rally: The History of the Race Across the Sahara Desert

After rally racer Thierry Sabine got stuck in the Sahara Desert for three days, his rescue team airlifted out a changed man. On Thierry’s return trip to France, an idea began to crystalize in his mind: one rally to rule...

07.17.2023

Past Gas #195: Jochen Rindt: The Driver Who Won an F1 Championship Posthumously

August 2nd, 1970, Hockenheim, Germany. 28-year-old Jochen Rindt stands atop the winner’s podium, holding the German Grand Prix championship trophy. His wife and young daughter stand proudly at his side. He looks across the crowd of cheering Germans and thinks...

07.10.2023