The Avants Podcast

We drive everything here at Avants, but a lot of us ride everything too! Dan’s been riding basically his whole life, and even worked in the industry for a while, and Nick’s done just about everything you can think of to his Monkey and CRF450RL, so on this episode we discuss some of our favorite and least favorite mods. We think you can use this episode to get some fun Christmas ideas too. We recommend a Grom or a Monkey since they fit comfortably by the tree.

This week we talked with the very talented Christi Schimpke, owner and designer at Crash Jewelry! Crashing your car rarely is a good feeling outside of a figure 8 at your local track, but Christi has taken tragedy and turned that twisted metal into jewelry you'll actually want to wear. She sells special items she has curated herself through her connections in the autobody industry or you can work with her to design a special piece from your own crash or restoration. Christmas is coming, so here's a great idea for all of our listeners looking for something special and different.

If driving around Europe isn't on your bucket list, it definitely should be. Dan spent almost a month doing just that and has some great tips to make your life a little easier as you navigate around hidden speed cameras, tolls, roundabouts, and other things it may take you a little while to warm up to in Europe. He also talks about learning how to blow from a tall, beautiful Viking and really likes Chamonix. 

We work a lot with Marketing and Events Manager Brian Dallas at DirtFish. From Avants Off-Road, to WagonFest, to the DirtFish SummerFest, and MANY more, it seems like we're always at DirtFish and we wouldn't have it any other way. We get to know Brian a little better and talk about his love for Minis, cycling, and of course all things Rally. We even got a few surprise visits from some other friends at DirtFish while we were there! 

In this very special episode of the Avants Podcast we team up with Bring a Trailer Co-founder and President Randy Nonnenberg to announce a very special partnership with Avants! Randy shares his favorite BaT memories, his cars, the Covid car buying boom, and more on this surprise episode!

If you're looking for that perfect finishing touch for your car, then prepare to be a fan of Daniel Chae and his company, Formawerx. Formawerx creates keys for cars, but not just simple replacements. Think of Formawerx keys as like buying a luxury watch for your car, and once you see them you're going to want one. This was no accident though, Daniel took his success from working and designing at Oakley to designing these beautiful keys, which all have a story that fits the cars they are designed for perfectly. Formawerx makes keys for everything for FJ40s to McLaren F1s, so be sure to check them out at https://formawerx.com.

We had a few audio issues while recording this episode unfortunately, but it's still definitely worth a listen or a watch on YouTube. 

On this special episode of the Avants Podcast we get to catch up with Betim Berisha, owner and creator of BBI Autosport. Three years ago, on episode 95, we got to talk to Betim about his start here in the Pacific Northwest where he grew up with John Kleven, owner of Metropolitan Detail, and working with our friends over at Park Place Motors. In this episode Betim discusses building incredible Pikes Peak winning cars, building cars from scratch for Hoonigan racing, pushing the technology and development envelope of performance parts, and what the future mandate to move to electric cars means for the performance industry.  

This week we talk with Ezekiel Wheeler, the head of Auto Conduct. Ezekiel gives a long overdue fresh approach to car shows and a car storage facility, with an appreciation for all things automotive that those of us at Avants can certainly align with. Auto Conduct takes a fresh, artistic take on car shows that differentiates them from the standard “cars and coffee” we’ve all grown a little bored with by incorporating art, food trucks, entertainment, and more. 

Did you know the best time for a road trip in the US is the last 2 weeks of September? That means it's time to start planning your next adventure and we're here to help you do it. Dan and Nick talk about their favorite road trip adventures, share a few tips and tricks, and remind you that Drive Everything isn't just the Avants motto, it's a way of life! 

We put out the ask to find someone who could really clear up the click-bait headlines and talk to us about EV batteries, charging, power grid problems, recycling, and more on EVs and Chad Maglaque really stepped up the plate. Chad in PNW native who moved down to Texas to start ReCell EV, one of the few companies tackling replacing and repairing EV batteries outside of the dealers. He is wealth of knowledge of all things EV and power and gives us some great answers.