The Auto Otaku

On this episode of the Auto Otaku Podcast, Mike is joined by car builder, fabricator and racer Riley Stair.

Known for his game-changing 1970 Pontiac Trans Am build, Riley tells Mike about how a life as pro BMX rider evolved into a career building some of America’s coolest and fastest time attack cars.

Riley talks about the genesis of his Trans Am build, how it became immortalized as a Hot Wheels diecast car and the importance of maintaining a vision when building a car.

He also takes us through some of the customer car he’s working on and hints at some exciting future projects. 

Follow Riley on Instagram @riley_rsmotorsport

On this episode of the Auto Otaku Podcast, Mike is joined by car builder, artist and enthusiast Robb Ferguson. 

Robb tells Mike about his early automotive influences and how that lead to him building some of the most unique project builds ever to hit the SEMA Show.

Robb talks about working with Rocket Bunny on his Nissan S14 project and how that lead to him helping to develop the Rocket Bunny kit for the C5 Corvette.

The guys also talk about the pros and cons of Corvettes as project cars and the future of car modification. Robb also gives some advice for working with sponsors and building and effective project vehicles.

Follow Robb on Instagram @goodshow_aa

On this episode of the Auto Otaku Podcast, Mike welcomes Jarod DeAnda - the Voice of Formula Drift for over 20 years, motorsports MC, host and international car culture ambassador

Jarod takes us back to his early days street racing in San Diego and how that lead to various jobs in the import tuning scene before joining Formula Drift as its host and MC starting in 2004.

 Mike and Jarod talk about the evolution of pro drifting, how Formula Drift has changed and what may be in store for the future. 

 They also talk about Jarod’s work with Hot Wheels, NitroCross and how automotive and motorsport culture are adapting to new audiences and reaching younger generations of fans. And a lot more…

 Follow Jarod on Instagram @jaroddeanda

On this episode of the Auto Otaku Podcast, Mike welcomes legendary producer, automotive personality, import scene OG and Fast and the Furious technical advisor Craig Lieberman to the podcast.

 Craig talks about how running into a movie producer at car show with his Toyota Supra changed everything, how they chose and built the cars for the film and how some of the film’s most head-scratching automotive dialogue came to be. 

 After that, Mike and Craig talk about the evolution and current state of the FnF franchise and how a small budget street racing crime movie became one of the world’s biggest action franchises. Plus a lot whole lot more.

 Follow Craig on Instagram @craiglieberman_42 and on the Craig Liberman YouTube channel.

On this episode of the Auto Otaku Podcast, Mike is joined by Amir Bentatou of RS Future. 

Amir talks about his origins learning to drive in the canyons of Southern California and how that evolved into a career in Time Attack driving and race car development. 

Amir also talks to us about the story behind his time as a host on Super Street Garage, his famous K-powered NSX, the importance of aero, the underrated Toyota MR-S, Time Attack EVs and a lot more.

Follow Amir on Instagram @rsfuture_amir

On this episode of the Auto Otaku Podcast, Mike welcomes Sasha Anis, founder of Mountain Pass Performance. Sasha tells Mike about his early days building and driving race cars and drift cars in Canada before jumping into the world of EVs.

Mike and Sasha discuss the pros and cons of using a Tesla as a track car, how they can be improved and how they fit into the greater enthusiast world. 

They also get into the growth of electrification in motorsport and the car hobby, the Mountain Pass Nissan 350Z hybrid time attack car, EV swaps and what the future of electric vehicles as enthusiast platforms may look like.

 Follow Mountain Pass Perfromance on Instagram @mountainpassperformance

On this episode of the Auto Otaku Podcast, Mike welcomes John Naderi. John, AKA “Nads” is a legend in the USA import and sport compact scene and is a veteran writer, editor. And now he’s the cohost of Super Street Garage on the Motor Trend Channel.  

John tells us about his early days observing the birth of the Japanese import scene in Southern California and how that lead to a career in automotive media. The guys talk about the “glory days” of the 1990s and 2000s before moving on to the state of automotive media today.  

They also discuss the implications of the electric transition on the tuning scene and John’s recent dream Honda Civic build.  

Follow John on Instagram @nadsynads 

On this episode of the Auto Otaku Podcast Mike Garrett welcomes professional racer, time attack driver, enthusiast and influencer Hana Burton. 

 Hana talks about her fast journey from being uninterested in cars and scared of driving to competing in spec racing and even driving open-wheel cars in Japan. 

 Mike and Hana also talk about some of the differences in how female racers are received in Japan versus America and bridging the gap between professional motorsport and street tuning culture as an influencer. 

On this episode of the Auto Otaku Podcast Mike Garrett chats with auto journalist, host and founder of Hooniverse, Jeff Glucker about the state of today’s auto industry and car culture. 

 Mike and Jeff talk about the Toyota GR Corolla, the scourge of dealer markup on enthusiast vehicles and exploding popularity of off-roading and 4x4s. 

 Then the guys look to the future and discuss the hurdles and changes auto enthusiasts face as the industry transitions away from internal combustion and toward electric vehicles. 

On this episode of the Auto Otaku Podcast Mike Garrett welcomes pioneering Southern California drifter, Nissan S-chassis expert and host of the SilEightyMania Podcast, Benson Hsu. 

Benson takes us all the way back to 1999 when he purchased his Nissan 240SX and became a pivotal member of Southern California and America’s founding drift scene.  

Benson tells stories of competing in Formula Drift’s first season with his daily driver, how him and his wife Nadine share an interest in drifting and the Nissan S-Chassis and how he started the SilEightyMania Podcast as a way to tell stories from the founding era of American drifting.