Rain City Supercars: Recent Episodes
Rain City Supercars LLC
After almost 4 1/2 years, the Rain City Supercars Podcast is coming to a close with this final episode. We have taken an opportunity to join our friends in Avants and the show going forward will be the official Avants Podcast!
In a surprise that will probably shock almost no one, The Rain City Supercars Podcast is now officially the Avants Podcast.
When we first recorded this episode we thought we had a pretty good idea of how the market was working, but after talking through it we realized we needed to bring in an expert. We reached out to our good friend of the show, Brian Elich, who gave us some great insights on buying a car in the current market, a different point of view on ADM, and some insight on the Tesla effect.
We welcome back Justin Osmer, founder of Turn-In Point Consulting, as he shares stories from the Forza Horizon 5 launch, driving Route 66 in his RS6 Avant, and a little info on a recent Bring A Trailer auction. If you don't want to take a massive road trip after hearing this episode, you might just be dead inside.
If we're being totally honest, we never really know what we’re going to get when we book a guest. Chad Haugen, owner of Leather Tech in Bellevue, came highly recommended and he absolutely lived up to the hype!
On this episode we walk you through all the basics of towing a trailer! We discuss all those acronyms about weights, how to load a trailer properly, how trailer brakes work, and even balls and shackles! We also talk about the film Dan was in, "F#", by our friends at Driven Motion!
When the members in Avants asked what basic tools everyone should have, we answered in a big way with this extended length show and a huge write-up on our Tips and Links page. We believe these are the most essential tools you should own, and also a few you may not have thought of that come in really handy. We also talk about different price points and why some tools are absolutely worth the money and some just are not.
By many popular requests we finally got the guys from Zadart in to tell us all the fun stories about the exotic car rental world! Eric Reiff and Chris Roberts join us and give you all the info you want to know.
In this episode we discuss Hagerty’s 2022 Bull Market List. The whole market feels like a bull market right now, but these are the top picks from our friends at Hagerty. Some of these seem extremely predictable, but who knew the Volvo wagon was going to spike like this?!
Dan is working on his tan and Nick is adding as many layers as possible, but we still managed to put together a new episode discussing the polar opposites of car culture we are currently in. Dan gives an update on the car culture he’s found on Oahu (and is looking for more!) and Nick gives an update on the crazy PNW Snowpocalypse that is keeping even the most prepared drivers indoors.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from us! It’s just the two of us for this holiday episode. We wish you all the best and hope you’re spending some quality time with the people you love.
You’ve probably heard that name before - Otis Porsche. If you’re like us, you probably didn’t realize Otis is actually the name of Richard and Dolores Ranhofer’s Porsche Cayenne, which sat on the dock of a bay a little too long. We meet with the elusive couple who have truly been pioneers in getting the Cayenne it’s off-road credit it actually deserves.
You’re running out of time, but you can still get really cool Christmas gifts for that special car person in your life! In fact, we made a non-affiliate link list so you know you’re not buying anything just because we make money off it. We genuinely love these products and hope you will too!
We don’t use that word to describe a lot of people - incredible - but it fits for Verena Mei. From drag racing, to stunt driving, to road racing, to drifting, to rally, AND MORE, Verena Mei has basically done it all. In spite of all that, she’s still humble, charming, and was an absolute joy for us to have on the show. Enjoy this very special, extended podcast featuring a guest you won’t forget and will definitely enjoy.
We had a fun time making this kind of random episode, but we wanted to make sure you had something to listen while stuck in traffic. Thank you to all of you who are listening! We really love doing this and you are the reason we do!
We had a really great and honest interview with Nathan Merz, owner of Columbia Valley Luxury Cars. More than that, Nathan is extremely involved in the PCA, a writer, a content creator, and all around great guy. Nathan has been selling and flipping cars, especially Porsches, since he was 13 years old. From giving credit to his wife and family to being open and honest about inflated values, transporting, and auctions, we liked Nathan the minute we met him and we know you will too. Nathan will be coming back very soon to give us some great stories and advise on how to transport your vehicle the right way!
Did you know you can just go sign up for a track day and go? I mean, you’ll want your car in good mechanical shape, but that’s really it. You can just go. Ann Doherty decided after receiving her dream car for her 50th birthday she was going to do just that, and now she is racing a Porsche Cayman GT4 CS.
It’s SEMA time, which means if you’re following any automotive news you’re seeing all sorts of new products coming out you probably won’t be able to buy for 6 months thanks to supply chain issues! We give a brief history of SEMA, talk winter tires (not snow tires), and a few other project updates.
Our audio here is a little rough due to limited infrastructure! Nick went to COTA and Dan went to Moab, but you definitely need to go to both! It’s an adventure update that hopefully inspires you to get out and explore!
Did you know it’s ok to change your beliefs and opinions when you get new, more credible information? Well, we do, so we thought we’d update Episode 159 and the contents of our Off-Road List, which is housed under our Tips and Links section of our website.
Dan got to watch a police chase which he caught on his dashcam so we figured now would be a good time to discuss what makes a good dashcam, how to mount it properly, and some other tips and tricks. We also go over the next few weeks as Nick is going F1 in Austin and Dan is going off-roading in Moab! There’s some serious Billy Joel talk in here too.
We welcome Brian Nilsen with Circuit of the Northwest back as he confirms the track is coming! We also talk about customer service during COVID, DSRP vs MSRP, and welcome Daniella Lewis - head of membership for Circuit of the Northwest. We are very excited to have another track that's really happening, but it's going to be so much more than just another track!
Ray York joins us and finally answers the age old mystery of why there are never enough garage photos in home listings!
In episode 201 we talk about a deerly departed friend Nick met on the way home from Dan’s house. Luckily this was a low-speed mishap, but we will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about the worst jaywalkers on the road. Tune in to find out if Nick is still pulling fur out his grill.
We made it all the way to episode 200! We’ve come a long way from Nick’s kitchen and we recorded this one in Dan’s dining room. We present the two best car tips we could think of, talk about the cross-plane crankshaft 4 cylinder, and take a short walk down memory lane.
For episode 199 we get Professional Rally Co-Driver Rhianon Gelsomino! Not only is she the 2021 ARA National Champion along with driver Travis Pastrana, she’s legitimately one of the most knowledgeable people we’ve ever met when it comes to all things rally and co-driving. She walks us through all of it in a way even we can understand and gives us all the good stories about her racing life, racing with Travis, and she’s even married to Alex, Ken Block’s co-driver. Talk about a power couple!
Karl introduced us to someone else you’ll want to know, Daniel Pilling! Daniel learned to drive at the track, watched the XJ220 go into production, and has worked with everything from F1, to NASCAR, to Goodwood, and more! Listen in for some great stories!
In episode 197 we discuss the 50 weirdest laws we could find by state. In spite of everything on the internet being true, we found out some these were a lie! I mean, if you can’t trust random blogs you read on the internet for legal advice, who can you trust?! We had fun with this one and hope you will too.
It’s so weird to say “Krissy from Avants” when we’ve known Krissy as our girl at LeMay for so long. We are so excited to see where she takes Avants and how Avants is going to grow from Adam bringing her onboard. Krissy adds a wealth of knowledge and experience in the car world and we catch up with her and what she’s got planned.
Nick calls in to give us the update on what’s going on in Monterey for Car Week post Covid lockdown and Dan sits at home and roasts in the 100 degree heat.
Dan’s out and Branden Ben Powell is in! Nick and Branden talk building an off-road community, building the Pinzgauer, magnets (how do they work?!), and even have a GIVEAWAY! Tune and be sure to leave us a comment! Follow BBP on IG at Sarpinz!
Well, we kinda did it. We did sectons 3 and 4 of the WABDR, which was all we were allowed to do thanks to massive shutdowns across the east side of the state due to fire danger, but we did it and lived to tell the tale! Branden Ben Powell and Brian Elich join us in the studio to tell the tale of the first annual Backcountry Monkey recap!
We love guests that are authentically themselves; it’s what makes people truly interesting! We welcome John and Melissa from Group 2 Automotive as they tell us all about stories from South Africa, driving on “closed roads” in Lamborghinis, Ferrari muffler bearings, and a whole lot more! We are indeed a car show about people and this episode definitely fulfills that and more.
A long time ago Dan stumbled across an IG; RoamingRS and thought “What a cool person, she should be on the show!” Turns out that person was none other than Josie Rimmer.
When we decided to undertake riding the WABDR on our Monkeys we knew we needed an expert planner. Lucky for us we have Branden Ben Powell! He survived our assault on his liver and is ready to ride with us on his highly modified Monkey and brining all his expertise alone for the ride. Get read for some crazy adventure stories, just a few weeks away!
Dan’s back and in a new place! Krissy is now with Avants! Covid rules have been lifted! FREEDOM! Yes, it’s also the 4th of July episode and we discuss which cars the MOST American you can buy. Some are surprising, some are not, but we had a great time making this episode.
On this weeks episode we talk to Andy and Mercedes Lilienthal of CrankshaftCulture.com. They also are automotive journalists, work for our friends at Warn Winches, and are active Avants members! These two REALLY walk the walk as well as talk the talk. We cover everything from the Alcan to not defining Overlanding and everything between. There’s a lot here, so kick back, relax, and enjoy the drive these two take us on.
1,000 trucks. That’s how may trucks Ford says it makes per day. That’s good, because they have 125,000 Broncos to build for customers. This week’s episode is automotive news you should know and the proper way to jump your car thanks to Carter Subaru!
Dan’s in McCall, Nick’s stuck at home, and we’re recording via phone! So no, Nick isn’t fighting strep throat, he just has AirPods. Yeah, calling you out Apple. Anyway! McCall is amazing and you should come visit. We’ll catch you up to speed on this on road and off road paradise and why it should be on your driving and overlanding bucket list.
We recorded this episode from Dan’s Raptor! Dan is moving and headed to Idaho for a month, but don’t worry, we’re still making episodes for you! We talk all about Dan’s tractor purchasing, why you need to go to Idaho, and even touch on cars some.
On episode 184 we talk with Zach Mauden, Director of Sales and Marketing at Achtuning, all about tuning, tunes and warranties, and… overland RV life? Tune in for another great episode with a guest who is more than just selling the mods you want for your car!
On this episode we talk with Corey Youngren, owner of Sound Wheel Works. Corey has been in the wheel repair business for over 30 years and knows more about wheel repair than anyone we know. Almost all the local shops use his services and we have been customers ourselves since they opened, long before their Avants partnership. If you want to fix your wheels, change the color, or restore an older set, these are the ones to go to! Find out more about them at SoundWheelWorks.com
Also, sorry Branden Ben Powell, you probably drank yourself to death listening.
We had a fun chat with Michele Graaff; a passionate Mini GP owner who takes to the track on weekends. Michele is one of many people we are fortunate to talk with who will inspire you to get in your car and take it to the track. Not only is she a talented driver and the VP of the Puget Sound MINI Motoring Club, but she also has a great sense of humor and one of those people you just want to be friends with as soon as you meet her.
We welcome Scottie and Jordan Stratton of Northwest Crafted Interiors to tell us all about the dark art of doing interiors! We can tell you without a doubt that quality upholstery is one of the hardest jobs in the automotive industry that we have come across. The guys at Northwest Crafted are absolute masters and can do anything you can dream of to the interior of your car. Like a quality mattress, getting a proper seat is one of the best investments you can make in your car and these are definitely the guys to do it. Even better, they’re an Avants partner!
Check them out at: https://www.nwcraftedinteriors.com/
And on IG at: https://www.instagram.com/nw_crafted/
In this episode we talk about finding the perfect mount for recording from your vehicle with a phone (which is way harder than you think) and we talk to the latest Avants member to go full send at Avants Off-road event, Rachel Neuharth. After a late night birthday Craigslist browsing, Rachel decided she needed a project car and picked up a Bronco 2, then she took the next most important step, she showed up at an Avants event and went full send. We brought Rachel on the show because she’s a good case for what all of us know - just showing up and being nice will get you all the welcoming and support you need.
Follow Rachel’s Bronco project on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/sandy_bronco/
For episode 179 we cover a lot of automotive news ranging from Colorado’s weed friendly license plate lotto, the insane towing capacity of new trucks, the Rivians are coming, and Tesla’s latest interesting Easter Egg.
We get to know driver, enthusiast, and instructor Naomi Watnick! Naomi teaches driving skills for the Porsche Club, BMW Club, and many others, including Avants track days. Get to know Naomi’s story and how she came from driving tanks to racing Miatas.
Dan was gone for a while, so we get you up to speed with this missing episode covering a lot of stuff!
Everyone needs to know about the Lockpicking Lawyer - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm9K6rby98W8JigLoZOh6FQ
Watch some guys riding vintage Honda trail bikes 500 miles, proving we aren’t quite as crazy as you thought - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=320vUMEoelc
In reference to our Carter Subaru Tip of the week, check out how APR (and many others) are helping you with your powertrain warranty if you decide to void yours with a tune - https://www.goapr.com/products/software/ecu_upgrade/parts/ECU-20T-EA888-3-T-IS38
Streetspeed717 from YouTube decided to jump his Urus over his Aventador and we think that’s pretty cool - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_L7lEgZcdc
Gordon Murray puts his new T50 on the dyno and sorta runs the Nürburgring - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMbNh8y7HUY
Aston Martin vs Honda - Correction, this was Top Gear Season 6, Episode 5 - and Jeremy Clarkson driving.
Nikola is still full crap, SSC is maybe slightly less, and the story of the Dale. The story of the Dale is fascinating - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twentieth_Century_Motor_Car_Corporation - and to correct something in the show we don't want people to misunderstand, we didn't mean Trans "wasn't a thing" in the 60s/70s, we meant it was not a commonly used term at the time and was not widely used to describe sexual identity in historical reference.
And we discuss Nissan's predatory loan practices: https://jalopnik.com/nissan-is-going-to-pay-dealers-more-to-steer-customers-1846636646
Jim is a guy you know, and yet you don’t. Literally “The Voice Guy”, Jim has done documentaries, movie previews, radio, and so many ads over the years. We learn his story from being a journalist in the Air Force to a full time career as a voice over artist. We met Jim via our car friends, as usual, and he’s a real car nut too!
The Honda Monkey 125. The perfect, adorable, retro style bike for getting you around town. We’re taking it on a 600 mile ride down the WABDR. No, that’s not a joke.
In this episode we take a dive into the history of women who help create the automotive industry, all the way back to Bertha Benz, the first test driver. In our Carter Subaru Tip of the Week we cover all the resources you can use to find car shows! As promised, here is that list!
When we say we’re a car show about people, we mean it, even our own people. In Episode 173, we have a deep, real, and still fun chat with Dan’s brother David, former Washington State Trooper, and leave nothing out. We talk police stories, car stuff, growing up with Dan, adoption, the massive drug problem, the declining police problem, and we definitely don’t hold much back. Enjoy this extended episode with 20 years of stories from being a Washington State Trooper, and so much more.
This episode is not explicit, but deals with some very mature subject matter around drugs, homelessness, and automobile accidents that may no be appropriate for some younger listeners. Listener discretion is advised.
In this episode we cover some common products we have found to be worth it and a lot that we have found really were not. Hopefully this list saves you some time and gets you the right stuff the first time!
You can access the short link to this list here! https://www.raincitysupercars.com/worth-it-not-worth-it
We first met David when he introduced us to Matt Moreman of Obsessed Garage. He also knows our friends at Combat Flip Flops, because it’s always a small world. David is now the new GM of Drivers Club, but his path is an interesting one for sure! From being a Green Beret, to Nordstrom, to Drivers Club, David has held some impressive lines of work. Get to know him on episode 171!
This episode is a deep dive in all things helmets! Dan is sort of an expert on them and Nick has a huge head so we thought we would make an episode about it. We cover everything from construction, to safety ratings, to materials, and more odds and ends.
It's an automotive topic potpourri episode!
Nick reminds us to check our insurance coverage
SSC sets a record, for real this time
Koenigsegg produces another amazing car we can't pronounce
Lexus decides to actually look at it's model line-up and remembers styling is important
What's a new, used car worth?
Here come the embarrassing accessories for the new Bronco
Why do racing simulator wheels and pedals kind of suck?
Nick also reminds you to clean your air filter
There’s a New Top Gear America and it doesn’t suck as much as usual this time!
Stop street racing in Tacoma please!
And the Mt Si Pub is BACK OPEN! For our local listeners, come visit! Great food, great service, great people, and they serve delicious food on metal trays.
Justin Osmer joins us at Drivers Club to talk all about Forza memories, a lifetime of Audis, and his new RS6 Avant; the unicorn we all want. Justin has a lot of great car stories and he’s more than a guy who just bought the currently hottest Audi on the market. Justin has worked with Forza, Top Gear USA, Gymkhana, and numerous celebrity automotive podcasts until he made it big with us. Tune in and get to know a great car enthusiast with more great stories. Follow Justin on Instagram at FatherFlywheel!
Remember to use our code RCS10 for 10% off at GriotsGarage.com to in person at the Tacoma store!
In this Dan and Nick episode we talk about riding Monkeys, movie cars we can’t think of, Mr. Feeny, Vectors, and the return of the extremely popular Avants Off-Road Events that we will be at, handing out prizes!
We joke relentlessly about Stance culture on RCS, but we brought in the amazing man behind StanceWars, Mike Tolliver, to give us some real insight on the scene. Mike is easily one of the hardest working event promoters in the car business and Stance culture is easily the most controversial area of the car world, but guys like Mike are exactly why you should give Stance a chance. This is a great interview with an absolute professional who puts on a hell of a show worth seeing. We had so much to talk about on this episode that we are going to have Mike back to talk about his upcoming shows and his lifetime of great car stories from a true car nut.
We got the chance to sit down at the pub with the Bryce and Jordan Allen, the brothers from Racer On Rails, and go a little off the rails! We discuss racing (of course), boats, McLaren rotor costs, and everything Racer on Rails offers to their clients. Listen in for another fun, Mt Si Pub fueled episode!
Learn more about the guys at RacerOnRails.com!
For 2021 we welcome Griot’s Garage as the exclusive car care provider of Rain City Supercars! We know 2020 was a pretty rough year for a lot of people, but we are extremely thankful to say it was our biggest year ever! We made several changes that yielded a lot of growth as we went beyond Rain City Supercars to RCS in an effort to be more inclusive of everyone that makes up the car community, well beyond supercars.
Above all else, thank you to all our listeners for making this possible. We love making this show for you and we have some extremely interesting guests coming up we know you’re going to love. When COVID-19 permits, you’ll be seeing us at a lot more events too, so stay tuned for a big 2021!
Like a lot of car people, we like anything with wheels, including bicycles. Thanks to a great listener suggestion, we tracked down Linnea Rooke, Chief Operating Officer at Fluidride Mountain Bike School in Fall City. She’s not only the COO, she’s also a pro-racer and stars in the instructional series. Fluidride offers global tours, in-person clinics, online classes, and so much more. As we keep preaching here on the show, you can always learn more from professional training and Fluidride is right in our backyard. We had so much fun recording this show and we know you will love it as much as we did!
Check out Fluidride on their website and follow Linnea on IG for some awesome bicycle adventures.
On part 2 of our episode with David Wheaton we talk all about epic trips to Baja you find out you booked when you wake up, Raptors, suspension, and laugh all the way through. We had a lot of laughs creating this episode, but it is marked explicit due to some language and an explanation about why penguines like vanilla ice cream. Some stories are just better told unfiltered and we felt this one fit that flow.
When Karl first told us about David we knew we were in for a great episode full of great stories. David Wheaton did not disappoint! From his time in Monterey working around Sonoma and Laguna Seca to owning the Mt Si Tavern in North Bend, David is a guy you'll want to know. Not only does he have the best "dive" bar around, he's a friendly guy you just want to keep talking to. Enjoy part 1 of getting to know David!
In this shorter episode we discuss our latest little adventure and a few highlights from the week. We have a lot of new and interesting guests coming up in the next few episodes we know you’re really going to enjoy. For now, enjoy this short take!
We get asked all the time, so we made it a highly controversial episode so you can yell at us while listening in your car! Here is all the off-road gear we are carrying all the time and links for most of where you can get it. A lot of this was purchased pre-Avants, on a budget, or in a hurry, and those are marked with an * as we do believe there are in fact better options out there, but this is exactly what we have. You can basically one-stop-shop all of this at our friends at MULE Adventure Outfitters and HKP Customs where your Avants discount really helps! We make ZERO from these links and we know there is better gear out there when it comes to straps, shackles, etc, but we wanted to be honest about what we use and it’s been working fine for us. We are not “hardcore” offroad experts, but we have been doing it a long time, and we do know this gear (and an occasional winch) get 99% of the work done and out of that snow bank or ditch.
Covid may have locked us all down again, but there’s no restrictions off-road! We went up to Stampede Pass last weekend for some snow-wheeling and of course came back with more stories. This episode is all about driving in the thick stuff and settling that AT vs MT tire debate! Also, check out this awesome product for airing up and airing down! We consider this a must have for offroading and they’re made by a guy down in Oregon. We don’t get anything from this, but we are happy to promote it because it just works so well - https://morrflate.com/
If you just love DIY, you can easily build your own from this parts list here: https://trail4runner.com/2018/05/06/diy-4-tire-inflation-system/
Sadly, we have to report the Avants Off-Road event scheduled for the 21st is cancelled due to the lockdown. :(
We got an early opportunity to test drive the new Aston Martin DBX! We didn’t get to race a RSQ8 up a mountain like Top Gear, but we definitely got to have some fun! Our friends at Park Place Aston Martin gave us a call and said “Hey, want to drive an SUV you can’t afford?” We of course said yes and we think you’ll get a kick out of our review. Luckily for us, we’ve actually spent a lot of time in the competition, so tune in to hear how it stacks up!
RCS received NO compensation of any kind for this review! We think you know that, but we wanted to be sure. We’d tell you if we ever got paid for a review. We just have really awesome friends who let us drive amazing cars.
When it comes to picking the right off-road vehicle, what you want may not be the right tool for the job. Raptor? Terrible for trails. 4Runner? Not exactly built for Baja. Jeep? Not exactly built for… asphalt. That said, all are recognized as some of the best in their class. Then there’s Subaru, which keeps defying the odds with just a little bit of work.
In this weeks fun conversation we talk to Coley Tipton, president of the International Race Drivers Club or IRDC. Coley has some great stories of growing up at the track, getting into racing thanks to Paul Newman himself, crashing into tire walls, and other fun things. We hope you have as many laughs as we did!
If you’re into tuning Porsches, you’re probably familiar with Evolution Motorsports or EVOMS as they’re often known to the rest of the world. Sam Stone is the co-owner of Evolution and is here to tell his story and the future of Evolution, opening up very soon in Kirkland!
Long before we knew who Ben Smrecansky was or that HID Kit Pros was a local company, we knew they were the go-to company for lights. In fact, if you search for LED replacement lights, you’ll probably come across their page as the top result. Beyond lights, HKP Customs can now do everything from lifts, to radars, to stereos, and everything between (except gearing). Ben tells us his entrepeneurial story and talks about how he became the go-to guy for all things lighting and now more!
It’s official, the Porsche 911 Turbo S has been sold! That means a road trip, a raptor, and a new build! In addition to that, we added another “vehicle” to our fleet, and Metroboard-X Electric Skateboard! This isn’t your average kids toy; hence the X for X-TREME! We really hate that name, but it’s an impressive piece of tech and a ton of fun. If you’ve been on the fence about something like this, we can’t recommend this little toy enough.
We welcome the new CEO of America’s Automotive Trust, Jennifer Maher! America’s Automotive Trust includes LeMay - America’s Car Museum, TechForce, and The RPM Foundation. In this episode we talk all about jobs in the automotive industry, the future of America’s Automotive Trust, and so much more all about her! More than that, we welcome Automotive Trust as an In-Kind Sponsor! We both want to see the industry grow and we look forward to working as partners.
Alright, we admit trying to run a road rally during the apocalypse may not have been our best decision, but we did it anyway. This year was different to say the least. 2020 in general isn’t exactly a great year for anyone, but when you add constantly changing wildfires, rapidly moving wildlife, and rapidly moving police cars things get a little more problematic. Listen in to the 2020 Rally Recap; definitely a drive to remember.
Rest In Peace Sam Work. We know you would have loved this drive and we wish you were here to enjoy the next one. You meant a lot to us and we mourn the loss of a great man and a big part of our car community.
I love it when we have a conversation with someone who is clearly an expert in their field. Jason Harris of Northwest European is clearly one of those guys. NW European specializes in consignment and selling of very special cars and Jason gives us his story and shows it’s truly a labor of love for him, which makes the stories all the better.
Check out more on Jason and Northwest European at NWEuro.com.
In this short episode we talk about CAGS, the RCS Rally, and the new Avants Magazine! This is a shorter episode, but stay tuned, we are heading out on our 2020 Rally and the stories will be coming!
Nathan Muntz is everyone’s favoite kind of car guy. He has a delightfully ecletic car collection and the know how to keep cars that were never reliable on the road and going strong. We go through his fun list and get the stories behind them, because when you have a list like this, you have stories:
2008 Aston Martin DB9
1997 Land Rover NAS D90
1989 Land Rover 110 truck
1983 JZR cycle car. This is a Morgan 3 wheeler kit.
1971 Dri-Sleeve Moonraker. This is a factory made Bugatti Type 37 tribute car. 1 of 6 made.
1965 Morgan Plus 4. Just purchased during Covid.
1952 Muntz Jet. 1 of 198 made. Total restro-mod… with an 8.3L Viper motor in it.
Need we say more?! Yes, yes we do. Listen in!
In this really fun (and explicit) episode, we talk to Griff and The Wookie from Combat Flip Flops. The start of Combat Flip Flops is like nothing you have ever heard before, guaranteed. More importantly, these passionate guys are genuinely trying to make the world a better place in spite of going through hell to get it done. Check out combatflipflops.com and order up a pair!
On this week’s episode, we talk about the emerging RCS rebrand with our newish graphic designer, Jeremy Salvo. We go down the rabbit hole on a number of topics including design’s role in great music, 80s nostalgia, and the curiously legendary Alfa Romeo logo.
To learn more about the RCS rebrand and check out more of Jeremy's work, head over to www.salvo.design.
One of our favorite guests comes back to catch up with more fun stories. Between being busy making the new Halo TV series and the upcoming Halo video game, Kiki found a little time to come back in and catch us up on her amazing life. Beyond Halo she’s a racecar driver, motorycle rider, and world traveler and always she brings great stories.
We are currently on vacation and Adam Robertson is now in Texas, but we had a really fun and real conversation about Adam and his departure from Bellevue. Please note this episode was recorded in advance - breaks and intro were recorded in post.
We have a conversation with Gooding and Company Automotive Specialist (actual title) Hans Wurl! Hans gives us the details on what you can expect by taking your car to auction with Gooding and Company and gives us a few tips as well. Hans is much more than just a great guy to talk to about Gooding auctions, he’s also an accomplished technician with a wealth of knowledge. You can find Hans on Avants or you can reach out to him at Gooding and Company!
In this especially interesting episode we talk to Dr Greg Birch, the grandson of Alex Birch, one of the lead engineers on the coolest vehicles of it’s kind, GMC Motorhome! Greg is also an accomplished driver, mechanic, and Mini collector who is exceptionally knowledgeable in all things he’s interested. Tune in to this really interesting episode full of fun information! Also, be sure to check out the gallery for this episode! Karl took some amazing photos as usual and Greg was kind enough to share some really great photos of the motorhomes his grandfather helped create.
On this episode we have a Unicorn of a guest, Paul Blake! Not only is a Paul a co-owner of the famous Unicorn bar and restaurant in Seattle, he’s also a racer, driving instructor, and car collector of actually interesting cars! Enjoy some of Paul’s good stories on Episode 140!
A note from Dan: This episode unfortunately had some file corruption we were unable to recover. Fortunately, this only impacted a few scattered seconds of audio across the episode.
On this weeks episode we have Ty Moore of the Cafe Racers Union (CRU)! Ty is more than just a guy running an awesome philanthropy organization, he’s also a former professional race car driver and all around great guy with great stories. Listen and and check out Ty’s work at caferacersunion.com.
We’ve got a great episode talking designing and driving with Kirk Myhre of MC Motorsports Design. Check out a great photo set by Karl Noakes for this episode as well as a lot of original content by Kirk. If you need your helmet custom painted or some great photos, you can find Kirk at McMotorsportsdesign.com.
In this fun episode we talk about snorkels, diff breathers, 3rd row seating, bad coil overs, and how in the world did BMW get a factory roll cage in a car?! If you know the answer to that one, let us know!
Great news Avants members, you now get a great discount at Park Place Motors and Park Place Auto Salon!
MORE TRACKS! That’s definitely what we need. More importantly we need more places for communities to be involved and bring in renewed interest in the car world and everything associated with it. In this episode get to know Brian Nilsen as he talks with us about his life in the motorsports world and the path to The Circuit of the Northwest.
In this episode we have a call to action from our audience! Tell us about your sporty daily driver, whatever it may be, and why you love it! Tell us your favorite thing about your car. It can be a long or short message, doesn’t matter, just let us know! We also talk about squeaky belts, daily driven sports cars, the ridiculous costs of a Porsche badge on a part, and more.
On this week's episode we talk about aftermarket warranties, Nick gets punched in the face, the latest news from SSC, and a little bit more!
In this short episode we touch on the reality of beadlock wheels and trying to have a car show during a quarantine (hint: probably not a great idea).
On this fun episode we catch up with photographer Karl Noakes on Dan’s back deck. This week we discuss cast vs flow formed vs forged wheels, Formula 1, Seattle car pics, and places we’re going soon!
In this week’s episode we discuss Launch control, full throttle shifting, and what jurisdiction actually means!
In this shorter episode we discuss the ins-and-outs and a short history of active aero on production cars, driving adventures, and quarantine life.
If you’re a car enthusiast in the area you’ve probably heard of or attended Lake Washington Cars and Coffee. Zach got the idea about 4 years ago and it’s just continued to grow! Not to be confused with Seattle Cars and Coffee, Lake Washington C&C has a great group of passionate and eclectic enthusiasts who meet every week, rain, snow, or shine at Madrona Park in Seattle. We’ve met plenty of friends and even guests at the event and it’s welcome to car enthusiasts of all types. When this quarantine finally lifts, check them out and say hello to Zach!
Get in touch with Zach via his own website for design work at Zhoffner.com.
Find Lake Washington Cars and Coffee on Facebook and Instagram!
And check out Lake Washington Cars and Coffee every Sunday at Madrona Park in Seattle from 10-12 when we’re not in a quarantine!
Rennfilms creates some of the most beautiful automotive films you’ll ever see including some for some previous guests of RCS! Listen to him tell his story from humble beginnings in Hollywood to working some music videos that you actually probably watched and automotive films you will definitely want to see. Then toward the end, he turns the tables! Check out Rennfilms.com and enjoy some of his truly beautiful work!
So what happens when you are in charge of a social club in a time where everyone has to do social distancing? Well, if you’re Amanda from Drivers Club you do A LOT more than you might think. From arranging virtual happy hours, to planning fundraising, to booking exclusive guests, Drivers Club is still in full swing. Listen in to get some fun ideas on what to do right now.
On Episode 126 we try and focus on some of the good things that are happening around us! We also talk about inclinometers, discuss ways of hacking together multiples stops on Google Maps (because some jerk over there took away are ability to add more than 10 stops and we’re still mad about it), touch on some of the crazy financing deals we’ve seen, and explore some of the long term impacts to the automotive industry we are starting to see.
Things we never thought we’d say: If you need a rocket scientist, we know a guy. We had the pleasure of interviewing Mike Krene, a fellow member at Drivers Club, and asked him all about rocket science, his awesome car collection, and we tried to understand as best we could. We are doing interviews remotely now to do our part to fight Covid-19, but we’re still having fun, so we hope you do too!
Welcome to Episode 124, recorded and streamed lived from Dan’s garage! Our partners at DC are being responsible and we are holding RCS from Dan’s garage until we get this whole virus sorted out. We streamed this episode live to test out a bunch of ideas and had a little fun, but we also talked about how things are changing in the car world. We have guests and regularly scheduled content coming back next week, so sit back, relax, and enjoy! We’re going to do our best to keep you all entertained through this.
There are a lot of reasons to have a good rack on your car and they are more popular than ever! We brought in Jayme Mayfield, Manager of Rack N Road to talk about racks, roof top tents, and picking the right one. If you’re thinking about getting anything for the roof of your car, reach out to him at Rack N Road Bellevue and tell him we sent you!
We here on RCS love all things with transportation related including the electric kind. We invited Officer Cameron Balazic to talk to us about how the police are handling them and how do be a good rider. He’s also an awesome car enthusiast with a gorgeous Golf R and a fellow Avants member.
Correction: Dan mentioned 50 MPH as the top speed of the Zero 10 scooter - it is actually 50 KMH, or 31 MPH. He was correct on the top speed of the electric skateboards he mentioned.
We welcome back Trevor Wert to talk more about his expanding role at DirtFish and all the amazing things DirtFish is bringing. Trevor gives us all the info on the big moves DirtFish is making in media and becoming yours and the whole world’s source for all things rally! We talk rally cars, rally drivers, drives to Alaska, and his adventures around the world.
To say the name “Griot” is an icon in the automotive world is an understatement. When we were teenagers the Griot’s Garage catalog was the equivalent of the Sear’s Christmas catalog as kids, hell, it still is. We get to know Richard and Nick Griot on our usual unscripted, personal level and laugh the whole way through. Enjoy this very special EXTENDED episode of RCS!
If you’re an Avants member, Camaro aficionado, a regular in the PNW car community you probably known Brian. He’s the friend we refer people to when they want a high performance Chevy. He’s also the guy you call when you want to go snow wheeling, have a great bonfire, or just good company. Brian does things a little a different in the car sales world - he makes a lot of real friends. Brian gives us some car buying tips and tells how he came from Motor City to the greater Seattle area.
Don Kitch is a household name in the car community in the PNW. Those of ours listeners outside of the PNW probably know him too from his many ventures in the driving world - ProFormance Driving School, Team Seattle Racing / Heart of Racing, Dempsey Racing, Le Mans, Daytona, and of course The Art of Racing In The Rain, where he was famously played by Gary Cole. In this special episode we get to know the unscripted and always authentic Don Kitch you’ll want to hear.
Our favorite Dan replacement comes back to join and talk all about car culture around the world. Jason travels constantly for work and gets to see some of the most amazing car culture around the world. He gives us an overview car culture experiences from London, Singapore, Monaco, Japan, and more!
They say you can’t always judge a book by its cover, nor can you know an author by his books pages. Jay is a man of many talents as a writer and musician, the latter we didn’t know at all until this interview. Listen to Jay talk about his love for all things automotive, especially the Gulf Porsche 917s, and music! Check out the links below to see his impressive book all about the Gulf Porsche 917 and hear some of Jay’s music.
Stewart Waliser is a young and successful entrepreneur who started Stew’s Garage in Kirkland on his own. That last part is especially important, because it’s hard enough to start a small business, let alone one in your early 20s! Stew’s shop is an absolutely unique garage that allows people of all skill levels to come and not just work on their cars, but also learn! He and his staff can walk your through just about all vehicle maintenance and help you build a new skill set with professional guidance along the way.
In this shorter episode Nick and Dan connect via phone since Nick is having a great time in Scottsdale without him! We talk about what’s crossing the block in Scottsdale and give a quick recap of events there while Dan freezes to death without power at home. Listen in for a unusual, but useful Carter Subaru Tip of the Week as well!
Dan cuts through the marketing hype of Radar Detectors and laser jammers on our Carter Subaru tip of the week, the 2020 Hagerty Bull Market List, and Hollywood-esque escape of former Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn on this weeks episode of RCS!
A lot happened in 2019! Not just for us, but for the automotive world. From 300 mph street legal cars to electric all the things, we tried to cover our favorite stories and breakthroughs from the last year. Dan also tells you the scientifically best way to defrost your car in his Carter Subaru Tip Of The Week!
Are you heading to Scottsdale for Car Week? We have discount tickets thanks to our friends at Jet Center Events! Click here to get your tickets and enter the code RCS20 to get $20 off your tickets to the Arizona Jet Center Event!
Byron Sanborn of VRM (Vintage Racing Motors) is a man with stories. Some of which he was nice enough to share and some of which we laughed about for hours off the show. Easily one of the most interesting people we’ve met, let alone interviewed, so we let him go a little longer to share all the details of racing some cars you’ve all probably seen driving around and then some you might have crossed paths with on the lawn at Pebble Beach!
One of our most sought after interview requests is with local legend Roy Cats of Cats Exotics. Roy is the epitome of car guy - he drives his exotics, and hypercars, year round. From his famous 60k mile Diablo, to his manual Murcielago SV, to his 675 LT, you might find him crossing the passes on snow tires just for fun. Then there’s the Senna. Did we mention Roy has a Senna? Did you know he used to be a Sheriff?! There’s a lot to listen to and laugh about on this weeks episode! Special Note: As usual are interviews are unfiltered and unscripted. While this interview is full of lighthearted fun, we did flip the switch on this one being intended for mature audiences.
On Episode 109 it's story time! We enjoy our fancy new mixer (which we are still learning how to use), Lithium Ion Batteries (at a very high level), $30 car tabs (or not), how there are real consequences for being an idiot at a car show (thanks Redmond PD!), winter stuff, and we also discuss our relationship. Apparently.
We wanted to make a real episode about what it’s like to be from another country and try and get into American car culture, but as 2 very white guys in our 40s we decided we probably shouldn’t tackle this on our own. Our very good friend, Exotics volunteer, track day junky, and fellow road tripper Gaurav Rajasekar joined us to tell us what it was like moving here from India and jumping into the hot seat of a ‘MERICA screaming, push rod punching, tire smoking, steel guitar twangin’ Corvette Grand Sport (no really, he listens to a lot of country). He’s also a great, funny story teller and you’re sure to get a few laughs out this unscripted, unfiltered episode of Rain City Supercars.
It might be winter, but it’s a great time to sign up for your first track day! Curtis Creager is an instructor with Proformance Racing School at Pacific Raceways in Kent and he’s on this episode to tell you all you need to know about doing your first track day, what mods really matter, and gives us great general driving and car advice. Another interesting guy you definitely should know, so we made sure we brought him on the show!
Supra Steve, Our very first guest ever is back for this special episode! By request we were asked to talk all about how to buy a car out of state (and beyond) sight unseen. It’s not as easy as it sounds no matter what, but people do it all the time. Steve tells us how he bought his GT2 out of the country and imported it and Dan talks about buying many cars out of state and the mistakes he has made along the way. This is a great episode for anyone who’s done this or who is looking to do it, and yes, we know the experience varies greatly!
Dan is finally back from rehab for Episode 105 with Shay Hoelscher! We get to talk about race cars, hair, and more! We also announce our big winner for the photo shoot up at Epic Exposure!
This week we talk to Tyler Brunkhorst who has one of the most remarkable come-to-cars stories. After losing his wife at a young age, Tyler decided that life was about experiences and he wanted more of them. Tyler is now an experienced driver at Evergreen Autocross and finds ways to fuel his passion for aviation. He also speaks with us about his professional experience which landed him working for both Forza and Need for Speed.
Known for building one of the most innovative photography studios on the west coast, Bruce McCallum from Epic-Exposure joins us this week to share his journey. Seeing where he is now, you would never guess the life that this gentleman has led. From fishing in Alaska to racing motorcycles, and from Microsoft to content creation. Check out his work at www.epic-exposure.com or on his Instagram page @epic_exposure. If you like what you see, be sure to comment on this week's post on Facebook or Instagram because, in partnership with Avants and Epic Exposure, we are giving away a free session to get your car photographed at Epic Exposure! Best comment wins! Good luck!
Our Carter Subaru tip of the day has been a popular segment on the show and some of the most common questions we get revolve around tires. Who better than to bring back a guest from one of our most popular episodes to date, Blake Siebe! Blake walks us through the stuff you need to know about your tires, no matter what level of interest you have in cars. This is a must listen episode for anyone with a car!
In this episode we talk to Justin Wilson of Porsche Bellevue who can’t decide what he wants to do, but seems to be good at all of it. It’s easy to put sales people into buckets, but you’d be far from knowing anything about Justin if you just see him as a salesman. He’s an accomplished race car driver who knows a lot about a lot and you’ll be glad you know where to find such a great resource beyond sales after listening to this episode!
We let the nostalgia role as we hit a big milestone, Episode 100! Nick also turns 40 today, so make sure you reach out and wish him happy birthday! We have a lot of people to thank for being here, but most of all our listeners as we are always grateful you allow us to do this. In a world of podcasts coming and going by the thousands every month, we are beyond grateful to have sponsors we actually believe in; a true luxury in the entertainment world. This show is, and will always be, a labor of love, but without the support of Drivers Club, Hagerty, Carter Subaru, Avants, Rainier Beer, and our dedicated volunteer staff, we would not be able to keep doing this the way we have. Simply put, we LOVE doing this, and it’s all been an amazing ride. Thank you!
Need to fix your messed up Ferrari? Adam. Getting shot at too often? Adam. Need to convert your E30 BMW Convertible into a ‘66 Volvo Wagon? Adam. Meet Adam Nonis, owner of Atom Design & Development, who can literally do all of the above and more!
We first learned about Adam after drooling over his ‘66 Volvo, which is actually sitting on top of an E30 BMW convertible chassis. When you see something like that, you need to know more, and we’re sure glad we did.
Simon Aylett is one of those guys you want to just keep talking to. From RHD Lambos to crazy TVR build projects to making something completely custom to give people who never dreamed of being in a race car a new experience, he’s pretty much done it all. He’s also got one of the lowest mileage MGAs in the entire world and it was a local car! Listen in and get to know Simon!
We did a really fun group of short, live recording interviews with friends we made at 3 Pedal Posse and SODO Speed's event the Endless Summer block party and car show.
First up was the woman herself, Jody Elsom, owner of Elsom cellars (or so we found out). Next was the father and son duo of Greg (father) and Miles (son) and their great story about a 914 and a “cat”. After that we had another father son duo, Jake and Dane Greger. Dane is 14 and has his own detailing business down in Puyallup! You can find him here if you’re in that area and need a detail. We then closed out the show with a quick trip down memory lane with Krissy Wells of LeMay - America’s Car Museum. We had a great time as we always do when we hang out with the guys from 3PP and so many of our friends and previous guests of the show!
We’ve had a few photographers on the show before; they keep the car shows going. That said, none of them have been 100%, full time, doing nothing else photographers like Randy Wells. His images have been featured in National Geographic, 000 Magazine, and many, many more. He gives us a few pro-tips and talks his love of Porsches. There’s a theme there. Everyone loves Porsches around here and it seems to be for good reason, or maybe we’re just a little biased.
What’s it take to be one of the best Porsche tuners and fabricators in the world, win Pikes Peak twice, hang out with the guys from Hoonigan, and create the coolest cars in the world? Well, start with sleeping in your car and then continue on to doing whatever it takes. We have an amazing, unfiltered interview with Betim Berisha, owner of BBI Autsport, that you’re going to love and likely learn something from.
When we first started doing Rain City Supercars, we actually intended on starting it as a YouTube channel. It was terrible! Long story short, we got that idea because we loved channels like the one by our guest this week, Sam from Seen Through Glass. It just so happened that Sam decided to go on a world tour and happened to be in our neck of the woods! Check out this weeks episode and his YouTube channel and the episode he shot while here visiting Drivers Club.
We know we missed a few weeks while we were away, so here is a bonus episode recapping Monterey Car Week and featuring a few interviews we did while on the field at Concorso Italiano! We talked to Stefano Sbettega, VP of Prestige, Motorsport and P Zero World with Pirelli Tires and then talk to Ralph Debbas of W Motors, the makers of the Lykan HyperSport and most recently, the Fenyr SuperSport! Enjoy this bonus episode and get ready for another episode this Friday!
This year’s Sea-Mont Rally is going to be really, really hard to top. I mean, we might not have to cross any rivers or move a landslide, but it’ll be hard to top the fun we had this year in the many years to come. We turned the trip from Seattle to Monterey for car week into a 4 day, 1,450 mile trip of a lifetime. Be sure to check out the album for this trip for some great highlights!
While Dan was away actually trying to not work on his vacation he missed a great guest, Beau Borders! Beau is a sound engineer and race car driver, but more importantly he’s another guest with some amazing stories. He spends his day job time working in Hollywood on a few little movies you might have heard of like Lone Survivor, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, and Titanic. He spends his free time racing in the Tran-Am Series and apparently knew a guy who raced some Miatas. Allegedly. Enjoy and be sure to check out BeauBorders.com!
We have a really deep dive conversation with Matt Moreman of Obsessed Garage about life and building a brand and a business. One of the repeating themes in our highest rated episodes is pure, unfiltered, honesty and authenticity. Matt opens up about his OCD and how it helped him build the masterpiece that is Obsessed Garage.
Have you ever seen the most perfectly restored 911 race car ever? We have, and Rob is the guy who created it. Rob was kind enough to give us a garage tour, a history lesson, and a few life lessons on how to do a project right. This is one of those episodes that just keeps getting better and better as the stories go on and you’re going to love it. Be sure to check out the gallery on this weeks episode, you’ll be very glad you did!
Cars connect people you just don’t really ever expect to have a connection with sometimes, it’s why we started this Podcast. Former Seahawk, Cliff Avril, is no exception of course. While absolutely famous for his work on the field, Cliff is a huge car guy who loves to rack up miles. He’s also a really down to earth, great guy, who gave us an unforgettable interview we’re really proud of and we think you’ll enjoy as much as we did.
What were you doing when you were 21? College? Parties on the weekend? Daniel Piker is a full time photographer, videographer, and rally co-driver. We were definitely not that cool. We still aren’t, but that’s OK. If you’ve heard some of our previous episodes you've probably heard us drop his name a lot and we’ve featured his photography before. Get to know Daniel and his work on this weeks episode!
Are you down with 3PP? 3 Pedal Posse that is. Mauricio Bendana and Jim Krouskop join us to talk about 3PP - what is, why they started it, and how you can join! Join us for an episode of laughs and editing nightmares. Be sure to check out 3PP on Instagram and their website of course. Be sure to stop by Elsom Cellars in Sodo for some delicious wine and always great cars.
We know a lot of people by there cars. Almost EVERYONE in the area knows Bong’s car - his red RWB Porsche 964. Unlike most people though, Bong’s car has track rash. It doesn’t have flawless perfect paint on it’s quarters and the R888s are properly heat cycled and scrubbed in. A Porsche enthusiast of all kinds, Bong talks growing up, cars, mods, and his love for track time. Get to know the guy you already know of in this episode and enjoy the beautiful photo gallery by Karl Noakes!
Art Cervantes joins us to discuss all things Radwood! Radwood is coming to the PNW this year and being hosted at LeMay - Americas Car Museum in partnership with our sponsors Avants and Hagerty so you know it’s going to be good! Art shares with us his story, the history of Radwood, and his deep love for all cars 80s and 90s. Tune in for some serious nostalgia!
While Summer in the PNW is beautiful, it also means packed roads and construction. DansDrives.com does have some great short drives, this is the perfect time to go on a drive for a weekend or even a few weeks. We recap some of our favorite getaways in this episode and Dan has laid out the routes in detail below. We hope we inspire you to get away and enjoy the drive!
Have you ever been to Pebble Beach for car week? If not it should be on your bucket list. One of the reasons Pebble Beach is one of the “must do” car events in your lifetime is because of our guest on this episode, Anami Barnett with Hagerty Insurance. Anami is the one behind the many incredible events Hagerty puts on around North America that you REALLY need to do.
Danny Gherman of DG Vintage Coachworks talks with us about the difficulties of being a craftsman versus simply repairing cars and shares his passion for Porsche and BMW. The gallery for this episode is definitely a must see! Special shout out to Daniel Piker for some of the photos of the famous Martini Racing livery 964 created by DG and wrapped by our previous guest Gorilla Mad Wraps.
Ever judged a book by its cover? We all have a time or two, but here’s why you shouldn’t. From homeless to GTS and everywhere between, Jillian shares with us her personal story about growing up in trailer park, eventually being homeless and couch surfing to get through school, and to where she’s at now, which as you can imagine is a very different place.
Allow us to formally introduce our producer and #4 of the RCS Team, Jared Eades! Jared has been helping us for a long time now and does our website graphic updates and is working on a lot of upcoming video and a storefront for Rain City Supercars! Beyond that he’s a volunteer at Exotics@RTC and a big car guy with one of the more interesting classics on the road. We talk old cars, new cars, and touch on Corvettes, GTRs, and doing your own work on them. Tune in and get to know Jared!
On this episode we talk to Troy Dorn, owner of Gorilla Mad Wraps! Troy has earned his reputation as the best in the business and his work has been featured in Forza, various magazines, and in rallies all over the world. We go into how he got his start, what makes a good wrap, and what sets him apart from the other guys.
We didn’t really know Kerry before this episode. We knew who she was, we knew what she drove, we knew her friends, but we didn’t really know her. We didn’t know her story or how she got where she was. We didn’t know just how hard she worked to get where she is today. And we certainly didn’t know just how much fun she was going to be! She’s just another shining example of why we love doing this.
We (finally) had the opportunity to get to know Alan beyond his work at Turn 10 Studios and he did not disappoint! Alan has great stories and a real love for cars well beyond the digital kind. We played some Forza, talked about all the cars he has owned, his time at Dreamworks, and living life in the PNW. This special episode was extended a little longer for your entertainment!
If you’ve been listening a long time, you’ll know we only actually recommend one single valet; Salish Lodge and Spa. Our guest Chris Roberts runs the show though and we brought him on to answer the questions on what sets them apart, what to do ahead of time to make sure the valet likes you, and what the proper tip is!
Be sure to follow Salish Lodge and Spa Valet on IG, and as a pro-tip, message them ahead of time and let them know you’re coming! Unlike other places, these guys can make your whole night and even offer concierge services for you! These guys really do raise the bar.
Check out the Drivers Date Night designed by Dan on DansDrives.com!
On this episode we talk to Dante Morelli about how he came to form his collection in honor of our past great friend, Bruce Leven. Dante and Bruce have been friends, competitors, partners, and collectors for years; they are staples of the PNW car community. When Bruce passed away, Dante and many of other Bruce’s friends helped save Bruce’s vast car collection and bought many of his vehicles. Dante joins us on episode 74 to share some his favorite stories with the late, great Bruce Leven.
Loving a good glass of wine and loving cars seems to go hand in hand for most people. Not at the same time of course, but certainly in interests and hobbies. On this episode we just happen to have the absolute queen of the wine world, Madeline Puckette! After this longer episode, it’s so easy to see how she’s gone so far and risen to the top of her field. Listen in and find out why she was just awarded the International Wine and Spirit Competition Communicator Of The Year award!
Where do you really even start when trying to sum up someone like Kiki Wolfkill? She’s the Studio Head for 343, the studio producing arguably the greatest First Person Shooter of all time, one of the directors of Halo: Nightfall, a former professional race car driver, and as it turns out a ton of fun to talk to! Basically she’s one of the most authentically cool people we’ve ever met and you’re going to love this episode.
I don’t think Will was trying to win the title of most interesting man in the world, but he’s definitely a contender. We like all our guests, it’s sort of a requirement to be on the show, but even with people we know it’s amazing how much we learn when we do an interview. Will is a shining example of why we started Rain City Supercars. From working in tech to racing, sailing, judging Ferraris, and being an all around awesome guy, Will definitely has lived a life and has so many great stories. You’re going to love Episode 71!
Dan is back and so we did a bonus episode! We discuss driving in Ireland, the Geneva show, and our Manager/Producer/Little Sister has a special announcement! Listen in to a fun update and don’t worry, there’s a whole new episode coming tomorrow as usual!
This editing nightmare brought to you by what I’m guessing was a lot of Rainier and maybe some Basil Hayden. It sounds like no one had any fun at all recording this episode. Enjoy the chaos!
She races cars, she owns her own company, and she makes things happen! We’ve been looking forward to interviewing Shay for a really long time for many good reasons that you’ll hear on this weeks episode. Shay talks about getting in Porsches, her collection, and her driving experience.
Dan was unfortunately away on business for a few episodes, but our previous guests and 3rd amigo, Jason Bourriague covered for him while he was out.
Buying a supercar isn’t like buying a Honda or a Ford. The expectation for knowledge and service has a MUCH higher bar. Luckily, you have Emily who eats and breathes McLaren. Working in service and now in sales, Emily has the in depth knowledge you want when looking for a car like a McLaren. It’s no secret your hosts are McLaren fans, but we’re not in the same league as Emily. Listen in to Episode 67 as we talk McLarens. Again.
Our friend Dominic Dobson has one of the most diverse racing careers around; something you just can’t do today. From Baja to Pikes to the Indy 500, he’s done at all and has some absolutely amazing stories to share. A racing fan or not, we know you’ll enjoy the stories he shared on this week’s episode!
Dominic is the coach of our previous guest Andrew Evans, how we met The Wankers in Scottsdale, and we just happen to share a house with him on multiple occasions thanks to our friends Scott and Katrina. It’s a small car world after all.
You can find more information on several topics we covered on the following sites:
Dobson Motorsport
The Electa Meccanica Solo EV
VR Motion
SNOWPOCALYPSE STRIKES SEATTLE! Actually, that’s not too far off. The city shutdown for most of us for about a week. We brought back Branden Ben Powell with Avants Off Road and King County Search and Rescue to give us some stories and talk about the work S&R has been doing, which isn’t necessarily what you might think.
To answer your first question, no this isn’t a joke and we have the pics to prove it! Jeff Evans of Throttle Grotto tells us about RallyCross in the PNW and how he started doing it with a Prius. More importantly, he was competitive! Just goes to show, you really can race anything.
In this episode we recap the fun, the work, and the Wankers we met in Scottsdale. This was another adventure to remember with great people and we’re already looking forward to next year. If you think these stories are good, you should hear the ones we couldn’t record!
We have to put out a HUGE thanks to Seth Thomas of APC Auto Spa and Davis Mock who volunteered there time to help with our event.
Most importantly, this was our official one year friendiversary with our manager and practically little sister, Amanda from Drivers Club! We wouldn’t have made it this far without her.
We talk to our friend and fellow Podcaster Mark Greene of Cars Yeah about how he got started and what made him the host of one of the biggest automotive Podcasts going today. To date, Mark has produced over 1,200 episodes with all sorts of world famous automotive guests. Our Podcasts have a a pretty different format and we’ve got to hand it to him and his success. Mark is a good friend and we had a lot of fun getting to know him beyond the voice on his show. Listen in and check out the story behind Cars Yeah!
On this episode we have the local, the legendary, WINGNUT! You’ll probably recognize his voice from his real job as the afternoon DJ on 100.7! Wingnut is a huge car and motorcycle guy and tracks both his GTR and his Ducati Panigale 1199R. It’s such a small world in the car world. Enjoy this episode while Dan tries to keep up and stay on topic while Nick’s and Wingnut’s ADD runs wild. Get to know your local DJ beyond the radio on this fun episode.
Did you wonder what the title “Master Collector” actually meant? Listen to the follow up episode with Master Collector Peter Gleeson and you will quickly understand exactly why they call him “Master Collector.” The BMW fans are especially going to love this episode, but we’ve got something here for just about everyone. You might even be able to strike up a conversation with that art history major barista you’ve been flirting with after this one.
*Art history majors can send their hate mail to info@raincitysupercars.com and put “For Dan” in the subject line.
Peter Gleeson is one of those rare people you hope just keeps talking. His car collection is more than a collection of nice cars he bought because they were good investments or eye catching; each car has a story - like being involved in a bank robbery. We’re already looking forward to having Peter back on in the future and we’re sure you will too. In part one of this two part episode, Peter talks to us about his life and his move to the states and how his love for cars and taste in them was formed.
Did we say great? We may have been overselling it a little, but it was fun! We asked our friend and crowd favorite previous guest Jason Bourriague to come into Drivers Club and join us for a fun episode sharing stories and recapping what a fun year we’ve had. Photographer Karl Noakes even had us dress up extra nice for the photos. Jason made sure to make us look bad, but we digress.
Our guests this week are Scott Ingebretson and Katrina Couch who organize Jet Center Events in Scottsdale, AZ and do the marketing for Concorso Italiano in Monterey during car week. If you’re looking for how the big time shows run, these are the ones to talk to.
The most common question we get asked when people ask about Drivers Club is “What is Drivers Club?” Well, we could spin that question 100 different ways, but Doug Perry is here to tell you himself: “Drivers Club is redefining the car club experience. Designed from the ground up with car collectors in mind, members can confidently store & display their collection inside a purpose built 50,000 sf. facility with 24/7/365 access. Drivers Club makes it easy to collect, manage and socialize with a curated community of like minded enthusiasts.” Now officially open as of December 1st, 2018 Drivers Club is filling up fast with members. We get requests all the time from people asking how to be a member, but it’s not up to us! Check out Drivers.Club to learn more after listening to our episode.
We love stories. It’s actually why we do this - we meet a lot of great people with great stories we think you will want to hear. When eGarage does this they turn it into fine art on the screen. As fans of eGarage we were really excited to have Ben Abrams on our show to hear more about his creative vision, his life, his cars, and the future of eGarage. Ben was kind enough to open up and tell us his story about the vision behind the lens of his eGarage projects including his latest amazing video for Driver’s Club.
Continuing in our trend of talking to awesome couples with a love for cars, we talk to Matt and Allison Byers about buying and building cars their way from the very beginning. Being together since before they could drive, they talk car adventures, car shows, and car builds together. Get to know them and say hello next time you see them at one of the MANY car shows you’ll find them at.
We’ve got some exciting news about the progression of Rain City Supercars (with more to come!), Dan talks about meeting Derek Bell, we discuss McLarens and other Hypercars, and talk about upcoming road trips you can be a part of! We took this episode to just be car guys and talk car stuff.
We’ve got Joe and Dana, the founders of one of our favorite shops, MULE Expedition Outfitters! Mule is who we turn everyone to if they need advice on how to do a build right. We are huge offroad fans and Mule is a game changer for the PNW offering more than just fancy parts for sale. We first found out about Mule when they were offering free tech sessions on everything to do with offroad. We love a company that earns their customers and Mule is the standard for customer service in the off road/overlanding world. To top it all off, they’re now an Avants partner so Avants members get a discount!
We talk to Shannon Low of Authentic Motorcars in Redmond. If you’ve spent anytime in the car scene in the PNW your probably know Shannon as a staple in the car community here. Shannon is a specialist in just about every car brand, but especially the obscure and unique. Unlike us, he’s a jack of all cars and a master of most. Tune in and hear about LaForza, Spkyer, Saab, and more!
WE MADE IT TO EPISODE 50! It’s been quite a ride and we decided to take this episode to recap some of our favorite moments, guests, and a few of our blunders over the last year.
We tried to narrow it down to our favorite episodes since the start and it wasn’t easy, but we felt like these were some milestones we personally enjoyed. If you haven’t heard us before or you’re new to the podcast, give these a shot!
Just so you know, this is more like episode 49.5. Nick and Dan were both REALLY sick this week, but we wanted to do a quick episode letting everyone know what’s coming up on RCS as well as introduce our new sponsor, Hagerty! This has always been a labor of love for us, so we’ve been intentionally slow to grab sponsors as we want to only represent brands we personally believe in. We joke a lot, but putting our names on anything is something we actually do take seriously and we are really proud and honored to be associated with Hagerty who has always treated us and their customers wel. We should know, Nick has been one before this Podcast ever started.
Amanda, Ashley, and Kristen take over the mics for episode 48, which is not 49 like we mentioned in the podcast! The episode is mostly all about the women in the industry who are putting together a driver's group specifically for women enthusiasts that enjoy track time, group drives, and more than just standing next to their cars for attention. The group is officially organized and led by Amanda with Driver's Club so you know it's going to be good.
We talk to the extremely interesting Branden Ben Powell, the owner of the SaRPinz. He talks about one of the most impressive off road vehicles ever made, the Pinzgauer, and how he actively uses it for Search and Rescue. As a huge fan of off roading, this was easily one of our most entertaining guests to us and even if you have no interest in the off road world, this was a really eye opening interview about how multifaceted and important Search and Rescue is to the PNW. We let this one go quite a bit longer than usual since we were having such a good time talking to Branden.
We welcome our friend Adam Cramer with Avants back to talk about the massive growth of Avants since way back in Episode 12 and to talk about all the amazing upcoming stuff including his partnership with Blipshift on a PNW tee shirt design, some winter offroading you can do, some rainy weather driving, and more! We talk about Avants often on our show with good reason. If you’re an enthusiast it makes almost no sense why you wouldn’t be a member!
On this week’s episode we get a visit from John Schommer aka JOHNIWANNA aka Heavy Metal Affliction! John is a Forza Content Creator, streamer, writer, and photographer and you can find him on IG as Heavy Metal Affliction where he chronicles his love of cars. John is a man after our own hearts who loves cars and the people that love them.
In this episode we discuss some polar opposite drives - a sunny Sunday in a McLaren 675LT Spider and an off road excursion in a Land Rover Discovery Sport!
t's almost impossible to describe what Monterey Car Week is actually like if you've never been before. It's even harder to accurately describe what it was like for Dan this year. We'll walk you through the day by day of our trip, which was every bit as great for us as it sounds and hopefully convinces you to put this on your bucket list if you've never been. Check out our gallery here for the photos, which still don't do it justice.
WE ARE BACK! And there's a bonus episode coming just a few days after this one! We had an insane amount of fun on the rally and our best year ever in Monterey. On this episode we discuss bug genocide, back roads, bears, bad car washes, and SO MUCH MORE. Buckle up!
We talk about the Sea-Mont Rally and all things Car Week. Get ready for a lot of updates on social media, live streams, and a whole lot of road tripping!
I won't tell the story in the description, but Keith is one of those guys we had to meet before we knew him. As usual, a bunch of our friends already knew him and wondered how we didn't. Did we mention it's small car world after all? You probably know Keith via his amazing creation, The Trophy Rat! Easily one of the coolest vehicles we've ever seen and featured in Top Gear, Hot Rod, Maxim, and more. It's even got a few RC Cars built after it!
Our alternate working title was "Blake Siebe Give No F***s" but it was still getting flagged as explicit. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Anyway, it's hard to write a summary about a multifaceted guy like Blake from Northwest Auto Salon and now Right Away Tire. From humble beginnings to the over-the-top style of cars he's created, we were fascinated listening to his story and the lengths he's gone to create the look of the vehicles he has owned.
I've never really liked the term "self made". To me it's always implied sort of an arrogance that doesn't tell the whole story. Virtually no one gets to where they are without help and support of friends, family, teachers, or the community in some way. We started RCS to build up the amazing people around us who have made the car world what is and helped us along the way. Yeah, we do the podcast, we do the car shows, we plan drives, and we help out as often as we can, but we do it all because of the great people in the community. It's our driving force when we haven't had the time to sleep enough. One of the biggest questions we get asked is "Who do I talk to for this thing." Well, we've got you covered. This a short list of who we'd send our mom's to if they needed help, and we like our moms! They're our biggest fans!
We talk about some great upcoming events like our very own Sea-Mont Rally and the CARnival (GET IT?!) at LeMay - America's Car Museum, our AWESOME drive over Highway 20, and Dan genuinely feels bad for insulting the Juggalos.
We recap our 4 day, 3,000 mile adventure, discuss why Hellcats make terrible plows, and then discuss some highlights from 4 car shows in 3 days! Well, technically one really fancy car wash and 3 shows, but whatever!
We talked to Ferrari Concours judge Dave Tegeler about the 2018 Ferrari Concours, judging Ferraris, and getting sued by Lamborghini. You read that right.
Nick's ADHD got the best of him so we mixed it up this time. We answer some listener mail about what you do to get into the car scene after you bought your shiny new supercar, discuss a big money Ferrari, recap a cool LeMay event you should know about, discuss some upcoming car shows, and send out an invite to hang out with us in California!
We talked to Audi Technician Brandon Elin about tips and tricks for getting your car serviced, maintenance, and weird stuff we've found in cars over the years.
We talked to our friend John Kleven who happens to own the best detail shop in the state, Metropolitan Detail. John has been a car guy his whole life and worked his way up from a humble detail shop on Highway 99 in Lynnwood to the biggest, best detail shop in the PNW. He's got a good story we know you'll want to hear.
It's summer here in Seattle which means all those crazy group drives are popping up! A lot of people run group drives, but if you want one that works and insures the best chances of being drama free we think we've got the magic formula here.
We were lucky enough to have one of very favorite photographers on the show this week - An Englishman in Seattle known as Karl Noakes. We see Karl pretty much everywhere and chances are you do too and might not know it. Karl photographs car events because he loves the community cars brings which really sets his photos apart. See our gallery for some his amazing photos and listen to his story on episode 30!
Rain City Supercars talks to Phil Raymond with Servco Pacific Insurance about getting insurance for those really special things that don't normally cross the desk of your local agent. We cover project cars, out of state restorations, modded cars, and yes, TANKS! Dan really wants a tank. Nick is wondering if he should call someone about it.
So you went to a few car shows and you thought "Hey, I want to do my own car show!" First off, we're sorry you're crazy and don't know it so we recommended finding a good therapist.
In spite of how often we (and everyone else in the car industry) cross paths with Ashley she never tries to hide or pretend she doesn't know us. I don't really get it either but we sure have had some fun hanging out with her and the group from Hagerty.
Hear me out; what if instant gratification wasn't the driving force behind a car build? What if your goal was to build a car without cutting any corners? What would the result be?
We got Adam Robertson with Lamborghini/McLaren/Bentley/RR of Bellevue to talk slowly enough for Nick to understand his Welsh accent for almost an entire hour.
We talk about road rallies and some alleged speed related fun with attorney John Eltringham! John has had A LOT of amazing cars, but especially loves his V12 Lamborghinis.
Nick and Dan recap the Lamborghini Urus Launch, the Mule Open House, and talk about all the upcoming events for spring. If it ever stops raining anyway.
Nick and Dan talk to Jaurdey Samuel with 425 Business Magazine about the advertising side of the car world. In the very small world of cars, it just so happens just about every automotive business on the Eastside works with our good friend Jaurdey and he knows all the ins-and-outs. He's a great guy with an interesting family history in the car business we're sure you'll enjoy hearing about. If you're a local business and want to talk to Jaurdey about advertising or networking, shoot him an email at jaurdey@425business.com or shoot us an email and we'll connect you.
Nick and Dan talk to Jason Bourriague, owner of Stella the Bus (67 Deluxe Safari) and Alice the Bus (66 Westphalia) and talk about just how great VW Bus culture is, which we can attest to first hand. Check out his IG at https://www.instagram.com/stellathebus/. It's guaranteed to put a smile on your face as Stella and Alice always do!
Nick and Dan talk to Trevor Wert, head of media and former driving instructor from DirtFish Rally School. Dan says DirtFish is the most fun he's ever had in a car so you should probably go check it out. Our previous guest DJ makes a awkward appearance in the background.
Ok, so there's more to D.J. than just owning a badass H1 Turbo Diesel, he's also responsible for time keeping and tracking at Baja and is working on a new lighting systems that's going to change industry someday. Check it out on Episode 19!
Nick and Dan talk about modding your car the right way in the right order and why! Special shout out to our friends at Avants, APC in Woodinville, Metropolitan Detail, MULE Outfitters, and HID Kit Pros who we've talked to on several occasions for professional advice.
On this episode we talk to Amanda Friedman, the General Manager of Drivers Club Redmond. Amanda was a really fun guest to have on the show we're already looking forward to the next time when she comes back after Driver's Club opens this Summer! Check out more on Driver's Club at http://drivers.club (yes, that URL is correct).
We interview The Gatekeeper - Sean McDonough. You probably know Sean from Exotics as the man at the gate. We know him as a dear friend with a life full of great car stories.
Nick and Dan discuss their trip to Scottsdale - The AZ Jet Center Event, the auctions, and a night out with a Wanker.
In this episode we get to know Adam Cramer with Avants, a rapidly growing car club you need to know about!
We discuss the absolute essentials everyone should carry in their car all the time and a few extras.
Nick and Dan talk about their favorite places to meet up with their car friends. The perfect podcast for an upcoming long weekend!
Dan and Nick discuss their version of the perfect PNW supercars. Tesla P100D? Porsche 918? We extensively go through a list of our top 10.
Introducing our first sponsor, Benji Meder! Benji is the owner of M² Fitness! Listen in to hear more as we discuss our stance on advertising, here about Benji, and of course we talk about cars.
Kevin is the creator of the original meme, the dancing banana singing it's PBJ Time! He's also got some amazing cars.