Cars Yeah With Mark Greene

Andy Collins is the President of Armadillo Racing. His company was established in 1983 when Andy plunked down $35 of hard earned cash to become a dealer selling AMSOIL synthetic oil to fellow racers in the Pacific Northwest. The business grew and today you’ll find Andy and his traveling store at races, supporting racers with a wide variety of race supplies from oil to clothing. Andy and his team are always there to help racers with anything they may need on their all important race weekend.

I would like you to meet Tom Nault, Vic Tiscareno and Nic Bergeron… What happens when three successful entrepreneurs, who all share a passion for vintage and exotic cars, collaborate on how to spend their Saturday mornings? You end up with Exotics @ Redmond Town Center. The Cars & Coffee phenomenon has swept the country and here in the Pacific Northwest it lives strong. Every Saturday morning, when it’s not raining, enthusiasts gather to enjoy their cars and talk shop. These three guys run the show with the help of many dedicated volunteers and having attended this fun event, what a gathering it has become. Amazing people and cars create a spectacular event. 

Wayne Carini has a lifetime of experience in automobile restoration and has restored, repaired, bought, and sold more cars than he can count. His television show Chasing Classic Cars, on Velocity, gives the viewer an inside look at his world of buying, restoring, selling and chasing classic cars all over the country and the world. His passion for cars started when he was a child and continues to today at his Connecticut based business F40 Motorsports where they repair, restore, buy, sell, and chase that next special automobiles. I can tell you having met Wayne that who you see on his number one rated show, television show is the real deal. He’s a die-hard car guy who is incredibly nice and really enjoys what he is doing.

Vincent is the President of Suixtil.  After spending 15 years focusing on the cultural and business operations in the Asia-Pacific marketplace he set out on a new adventure.  Six years ago Vincent re-launched Swuixtil, a well-known clothing brand in Argentina during the 40s and 50s that tailored high quality gentlemen’s suites and race wear.  Suixtil was worn by the famous Argentinean racers known as the “Armada” team.  The drivers included Fangio, Campos, Gonzalez, and Marimon who all wore Suixtil to vitory.  Vincent has brought this brand back to life along with its history and focus on high quality for those who want to enjoy the best that life has to offer.

Thor Thorson has had a love affair with cars since the early 60s.  He has owned, restored, raced and sold so many cars it’s hard to keep track of them all.  He’s been a ski instructor and was a ski patrol, a real estate developer and entrepreneur. He started vintage racing in the early 80s in a Lotus 7 and in 1989, along with several partners, Thor formed VRM, Vintage Racing Motors in Redmond Washington, and has spent the last 25 years restoring, caring for, buying and selling incredible pieces of automotive history.  Thor writes a monthly racecar profile for Sports Car Market magazine, sharing his thorough knowledge of the market with enthusiast who love vintage race cars.  He’s also spent a significant amount of time racing vintage cars all over the world while making automotive dreams come true for his many customers, friends, and clients.

Craig is a veteran of the United States Navy. After his 20 year career serving our country he has embarked on a new journey in to automotive excellence. After earning an Associate’s Degree in Automotive Technology and Management, Craig enrolled in the Automotive Restoration Program at the prestigious McPherson College in Kansas. McPherson offers the only four-year educational program in automotive restoration and when Craig graduates he’ll have a Bachelors of Science in Technology with an Automotive Restoration emphasis. Craig is spending the summer as an intern at the LeMay-America’s Car Museum before returning to Kansas to continue his education at McPherson.

Part Two of Stanley Wanlass who has taught at universities in both the United States and abroad including the European Art Academy in Paris. He is a painter and creator of limited edition bronze sculptures of automobiles.  He has always shad a passion for cars and has collected, restored and raced since the mid-fifties. His collection of automobiles varies from Alfas and Bugattis to Brooklands race cars, Indy cars, Ferraris and ’32 Ford Roadsters. His sculptures and paintings echo his eclectic automobile collections and are represented in museums and private collections world-wide and his historical monuments are located in national memorials, universities and public places nation-wide.  

Part One of atwo part Interview with Stanley Wanlass has taught at universities in both the United States and abroad including the European Art Academy in Paris. He is a painter and creator of limited edition bronze sculptures of automobiles.  He has always shad a passion for cars and has collected, restored and raced since the mid-fifties. His collection of automobiles varies from Alfas and Bugattis to Brooklands race cars, Indy cars, Ferraris and ’32 Ford Roadsters. His sculptures and paintings echo his eclectic automobile collections and are represented in museums and private collections world-wide and his historical monuments are located in national memorials, universities and public places nation-wide.

Chris Kimball is the President of Christopher Kimball Financial Services and has been an automotive enthusiast his entire life.  Many of his summers were spent in England with an uncle who raced at Silverstone and had many unique cars including a Delage, Rolls Royce and Citroen. Chris’s history with cars and motorcycles is broad and diverse and his entrepreneurial spirit has resulted in a resume that goes back to detailing cars when he was very young to a variety of careers which eventually lead him to the world of financial planning, estate planning and helping people manage their assets including their collector cars. Chris is passionate about playing the drums and created Woodstick, an event that has raised tens of thousands of dollars for charities and broken the Guinness World Record for the most people playing the drums at one time. He has a radio show titled “Don’t Let Money Rule Your Life”, and he is very active in the collector car community, especially with his local Pantera Club where he is the Pre

Tim McGrane is the Executive Director of the Blackhawk Automotive Museum. Tim’s passion for automobiles in combination with his business experience puts him in charge of an amazing collection of unique and special vehicles.  Tim’s business background includes being the Director of Operations for Rick Cole Auctions, the Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Communications for Barrett-Jackson, and he was the Vice President of Event Marketing for Curtco Media and publisher of Robb Report magazine. He is a Committee Chair for the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and a consultant to the Credit Suisse Classic Car Program. As one of the world’s leading museums of automotive art and design, the Blackhawk Automotive Museum, at over 100,000 square feet, is well known for its stunning architecture and an unparalleled collection of one-of-a-kind coachwork and limited production automobiles. All of which are in Tim’s and his team’s capable care.

Pete started cruising the boulevards with his hot rod friends in 1955. His first hot rod was a ’32 roadster. He’s been through a string of cars and has formed relationships and friendships with many of the most famous people in the hot rod world.  His early business, Pete and Jake’s Hot Rod Parts was known for their innovative style and seat-of-the-pants marketing and it brought the hot rod business into the mainstream. Along with many ventures, Pete was the Vice President of Marketing for SEMA and he was elected in to the Street Rod Market Alliance Hall of Fame. After restoring the Doane Spencer Roadster for Bruce Meyer his build won the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance Hot Rod Class and Pete was inducted into the Hot Rod Magazine Hall of Fame. Pete has more awards than anyone I know. Pete is the president at the iconic So-Cal Speed Shop and continues to make waves in the hot rod world working on all sorts of cars and bikes. If you asked Pete about retiring he’ll just shrug his shoulders and say “You don’t r

Don Weberg is editor and publisher of Garage Style magazine, a publication devoted entirely to garages and collections. This fantastic magazine also covers automotive collectibles, automobilia, petroliana, neon, porcelain and more.  They share great ideas that make the favorite room in an automotive enthusiasts home, the garage, more fun and easier to use.  Don has been an enthusiast his entire life and brings his enthusiasm for all things in the garage to his publication.

David Stern is the Vice President of Marketing at Metrovac.  A company that focuses on manufacturing American made, high quality, high power vacuums for the automotive enthusiast who demands the best. David has been a car guy since childhood and began his entrepreneurial ways when he was a kid. He’s an avid motorcycle rider and can often be found ripping up back roads with his buddies when he’s not in the garage playing with his cars. I own several Metrovacs and I can tell you they are a joy to use when you’re detailing your vehicles.

Bill Neale is a foremost painter of automobiles, drivers, owners and the racetrack.  Motion plays a big part of his colorful technique and his work can be found in galleries and collections around the world.  His involvement with aviation often shows up in his work resulting in compositions that include cars and airplanes. Bill is a Peter Helck and Athena award-winning member of the Automobile Fine Arts Society and serves on the Board of Directors. His credits cover a wide range of automotive events, magazines, event posters and more. Bill’s a true gentleman and he’s been a passionate car guy his entire life.

Bill Warner has been around automobiles his entire life. As a teenager he worked at the local VW and imported car dealership. After college he worked for Sports Car Graphic Magazine and Road & Track Magazine. His photographs and writing has appeared in most of the well known automotive magazines and his awards are numerous.  In 1975 Bill ran a Porsche 911 in the infamous Cannonball run and has raced in a Brabham BT-8, a Datsun B210, GT3  cars and many others, winning many awards.  He’s restored numerous vintage automobiles and in 1996 he founded The Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance which is one of the top concours events in the world.  In 2002 Bill was awarded the Meguiar’s Automobile Hobby Person of the Year. In 2003 he was inducted into the Road Racing Driver’s Club by Brian Redmond and Bobby Rahal.  He is on the Steering Committee of the LeMay-America’s Automobile Museum and his awards and involvement in the hobby go on, and on, and on. Bill also served for 30 years in the Florida Air National Guard r

Scott Whitehead has been active in the 12-volt industry for over 25 years. He was the founder and president of Innovative Audio from 1988 to 2004. Today he owns and operates Benchmark Motoring in Bellevue Washington, a premier automotive audio retailer and custom installation company.  Benchmark is no ordinary stereo installer. With multiple awards for his companies Scott and his talented team focus on quality and custom installations on virtually every top name brands in the automotive industry. Scott truly sets the benchmark for an approach that is noted for innovation and focus on keeping the integrity of a vehicle at factory standards while enhancing audio/video systems beyond anything a factory manufacturer can produce.

Called the “Painter Laureate of the car” Harold Cleworth’s original paintings grace the homes, garages, and offices of car collectors and celebrities alike. Of English descent, Harold grew up drawing and painting the heavy machinery and industrial neighborhoods of England. Because of his impressive work he was accepted at the famous Manchester College of Art. He worked for Decca Records and his artwork graced the album covers of the Rolling Stones and The Who among others. When San Francisco car dealer Richard Rubin commissioned Howard to paint a Mercedes Gullwing his automotive art career blossomed. Commissions from manufacturers Ford, Chevrolet and others soon followed along with private collectors requesting Cleworth paintings of their prized automobiles. His ability to capture the essence and spirit of an automobile is unmatched and I know you’ll find his story very inspiring.

McKeel Hagerty is President and CEO of Hagerty Insurance Agency a premier classic car and vintage boat insurance company.  They protect over 700,000 vehicles, 10,000 boats and 25,000 motorcycles.  Hagerty Insurance gives back by donating 10% of their net revenue to programs and organizations devoted to preserving the hobby. McKeel is a hands-on leader who truly cares about cars, collectors and his employees.  Cars and wooden boats have always been a part of his life. At 13 he and his father restored a rusty 1967 Porsche 911S which he still owns today.  A leader in his industry and a true enthusiast of the hobby McKeel is a car guy through and through.

Michael T. Lynch is a consultant, an author, historian, researcher and photographer.  He is a full journalist member of both the Motor Press Guild and the American Automobile Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association.  His writing has appeared in journals worldwide and if you’re a reader of any automobile magazine you’ve probably read one of Michael’s articles. He is also noted for writing some of the world’s most prestigious concours d’elegance programs.  The list of awards for his writing skills is long and prestigious.  His clients include collectors, special events, museums and universities.  And Michael is the Vice-Chairman of the Art of the Car Concours, a researcher at the Revs Program at Stanford University and a member of the Racing Car Certifications Committee of the Antique Car Club of America.

David Madeira is not your typical sit-behind-the-desk CEO.  He has served as President and CEO of LeMay-America’s Car Museum since 2002.  David has been on some amazing adventures having ridden his motorcycle across 25 countries from Spain to Nepal.  His career as a fundraiser in the educational field is long and impressive. After learning that the owners of the world’s largest car collection were trying to create a museum around their automobile treasures, David jumped in to action and spent years helping develop what has become a spectacular car museum located in Tacoma Washington. It is a legacy to the late Harold LeMay who with his wife Nancy, collected their incredible collection. The museum opened in 2012 with David at the helm leading a dedicated team who cares for the collection. That is when he’s not riding his motorcycles through Brazil or Peru!