Cars Yeah With Mark Greene

Diana Balboni is an outlier in the business of professional automobile detailing. She owns and operates N2 Details, a type of business where you’ll rarely find women sharing their passion for polishing, waxing, and detailing fine automobiles. For over 30 years, Diana honed her interpersonal relationship skills in retail jobs, and finally, she retired from a civilian government job in late 2014. There would be no resting on her laurels. Within a week, she turned her beloved hobby of detailing cars into a small business. She invested in detail training from past Cars Yeah guest, Renny Doyle of Detailing Success, and she is also a ‘made woman’ of the infamous Detail Mafia, who are leaders and mentors to younger detailers across the country. Diana is also a certified member of the International Detailing Association, (IDA) holding an advanced Skills Validated certification as well. Her expertise has not gone unnoticed as she has secured a coveted spot on the US Air Force One Detailing Team!  

Tim Spell is an automotive columnist for Insurancequotes.com and he is their writer for the Auto Spell Check column, featuring update articles on self-driving-car technology. InsuranceQuotes.com provides customers with an effective, free way to compare insurance quotes online, as well as resources to learn more about auto, home, health, life, and business insurance. Tim spent 38 years at the Houston Chronicle/Hearst Corp and was their editor and columnist for the automotive sections and “Mixed Metal” magazine.  He spent 25 plus years as “Truck Talk” columnist for the Motor Matters syndicate and is a past contributing writer to Road & Track “Open Road” magazine and “Car and Truck Buyers Guides.”. He’s hosted the weekly “Auto Show Weekly” radio show and “Test Drive” TV show for United Airlines Inflight TV. He is a five-time winner of the International Automotive Media Awards “Best of Newspapers” award and past President of the Texas Auto Writers Association and co-founder of the Texas Truck Rodeo. 

Brandon Shriver is the founder of Alpha Gearhead, a website where he explores his signature category, “Gearhead Philosophy”, exploring WHY it is that for some of us enthusiasts, cars connect directly to our soul, far beyond simply being a means of transportation. Brandon is a sidepreneur whose day job is being an engineer for Mack and Volvo Trucks in North Carolina. In his spare time, he’s working on a 1955 Jaguar XK140. He recently found a 1959 MGA race car that he hopes to run with his father in a vintage racing series. In the past, Brandon has raced in SCCA, driving an RX-7. 

Joanne and Brando Pistorius have been married since 2000 and together they own and operate Pistorius Collectible Autos (Oldwheel.com) where they preserve history through the restoration of the fine automobile. They are always on the hunt for that elusive barn find, rare collections, and unique collector cars. They buy, restore, and sell interesting automobiles to collectors from around the world. They are also the founders of the exciting and new conours event titled Gasparilla Concours d’Elegance, that will debut on April 13, 2019, in downtown Tampa, Florida. Proceeds will be donated to the Shriners Hospital for Children in Tampa. 

Paul Jho is the Motorsports Senior Manager at Nexen Tire USA, joining the team after an eight-year stint at Hankook Tire. Paul brings more than 26 years of automotive industry expertise to Nexen – having touched various parts of tire industry including suspension, body kits, wheels, and rims before taking the reins of Nexen’s world-class motorsports program. Paul’s career accomplishments are particularly noteworthy because he worked his way up through the automotive world relying on his knowledge of and experience with cars, and the automotive industry. He lives in Walnut, CA where he enjoys collecting and modifying cars, mountain biking, and the occasional track day. 

David Bingham is the CEO and Chairman of Park Place Limited, located in Bellevue, Washington. In 1989 David partnered with his college roommate Butch Bockmier and capitalized on their shared love for cars. They built a business unlike any other on the west coast. Park Place Motor Group has a campus that features almost 50,000 square feet of indoor showrooms. They offer the finest high-performance, special interest, classic, and collectible cars while offering a full-service Auto Salon. They are the Northwest’s exclusive official Aston Martin dealership and the oldest and largest Lotus dealership in the USA. They are also the Seattle area’s only official SAAB store and they represent Superformance and Spyker automobiles. David is an avid vintage racer, campaigning his ex-Stirling Moss Lotus 23 sports racer and he and his wife are involved with many local charitable organizations including Children’s Hospital and the Le May Museum.

David Muhlbaum has been covering cars and car maintenance for Kiplinger.com and Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine since 2012.  Inspired when he was a boy by writers including P.J. O’Rourke and David E. Davis, David was bitten by the car bug long ago and that infection remains today. He’s the designated car guy at Kiplinger’s personal finance publication. He writes consumer-focused information that is useful to people who see cars as simply expensive appliances in a way that is still amusing to automotive aficionados and enthusiasts. Kiplinger’s approach to automotive content is this: How can we help save you money? David’s passion for cars goes back to his first two words, “away-away” – baby talk for "wheel.” 

Josh Maule is the co-founder of Heel Toe Socks located in Phoenix, Arizona. Josh and his business partner Brain Richardson are automotive enthusiasts who came up with the idea to design bold patterns inspired by legendary Ford, Datsun, and Porsche racing cars onto lightweight, breathable socks that are made in the USA. Josh is particularly fond of vintage cars and his past includes mountain bike racing. Heel Toe Socks is a sidepreneur venture as Josh’s day job is running Swimming Pool Science, a pool service and repair company. As a Father’s Day Special, Josh has offered two cool gifts to a couple lucky Cars Yeah Subscribers. The first winner will receive 1 pair of TF70 socks, a Heel Toe t-shirt, and a Heel Toe Socks poster. The second winner will receive one pair of TF70 socks that are autographed by Gulf Racing Team Director John Horseman, plus a t-shirt and poster. 

Gordon King is the owner of ProPac in Charleston, South Carolina. He founded the company in 1989 after doing work for the Red Cross and Salvation Army. ProPac specializes in emergency preparedness and disaster response supplies. But it’s Gordon’s passion for automobiles that brings him to Cars Yeah. He grew up in Capetown, South Africa where his father worked for Atlantic Refining Company and BP. That lead to encounters with the elite in racing including Sir Stirling Moss, Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart, and the who’s who of motorsports and so the car bug bit Gordon. He raced motorcycles and cars and has immersed himself in the car hobby having over 40 bikes and cars in his collection. And ask him about the time he ran into Bernie Ecclestone at the Bass Pro Shop in Austin, Texas that led to a 30-minute racing story swap.      

Martin C. Klein is the Vice President and Global Head of Adient’s premium brand RECARO Automotive Seating in Germany. He leads the complete automotive branch of RECARO being responsible for their performance car seat business. Martin’s past includes time at Daimler-Benz in their M&A, their worldwide Special Trucks Operation and on strategic projects including turning the single-brand dealer network into a multi-brand organization after their merger with Chrysler. His final assignment for Daimler was serving as the Director of a Mercedes-Benz branch in Germany. After 25 years at Daimler, Martin joined a privately held German Investment Company. Today, heading RECARO Automotive Seating is an honor for him and an obligation at the same time, carrying the torch for such an iconic brand. Martin and I met at SEMA in 2017 and RECARO associate Ulrich “Ulli” Andree was guest #919 in December of 2017.

Todd Wertman is a Partner at European Collectibles, a leading retailer and restorer of vintage Porsches and European sports cars located in Costa Mesa, California. Todd spent 9 years working in film before pivoting to a career in the automotive world. He’s written catalogues for David Gooding, then the President of RM Auctions. He worked for four years with actor Nicolas Cage to build his car collection and in 2010, he opened European Collectibles. Todd is an authority on values of classic cars and meets often with a group of industry professionals with Hagerty Insurance and their Valuation Team. You will see Todd on Discovery Channel’s new show, Sticker Shock, with past Cars Yeah guest, Dennis Pittsenbarger.

Dan McCrary is an automotive artist who lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. He started drawing when he was a child, and all his efforts, of course, involved cars. A high school rock band led to a career in the music business but in 1980 Dan decided to focus on being a full-time automotive artist. His favorite medium is watercolor. His work has been shown at numerous concours events and in a variety of automotive publications. He’s earned awards for his work, and his art hangs on the walls of prominent enthusiasts and corporate collections. 

Tammy Kaehler is a writer, author, blogger, and racing expert who lives in Southern California, with her husband and their many cars. When Tammy discovered the racing world, she was hooked by the contrast between its top-dollar, high-drama competition, and friendly, family atmosphere. Mystery fans and racing insiders alike have praised her award-winning Kate Reilly Mystery Series (which includes Dead Man’s Switch, Braking Points, Avoidable Contact, and Red Flags), and Tammy takes readers back behind the wheel in her fifth entry, Kiss The Bricks. 

Shea Holbrook is the Co-Owner and race car driver at Team SR in Groveland, FL. She has spent over ten years on the track and is a nationally recognized race car driver running in SCCA Club Racing, NASCAR Late Models, INDYCAR’s Developmental Ladder Series at Skip Barber Racing to Professional Sports Car Racing in the Pirelli World Challenge and the IHRA Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series. Shea grew up as a nationally ranked competitive water skier so competition is part of her DNA. She became a part of the TrueCar’s Women Empowered Initiative and she was recognized by the Women’s Sports Foundation, earning the “Women in the Winners Circle" Project Podium Grant. Currently, she is driving in the Touring Car Division in a Honda Accord V6 Coupe. Shea lives by her quote, “Fear is a state of mind. Will is an action taken.”

Gracie Hackenberg has a huge passion for motorsports. She is a senior engineering major at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. She started a collegiate race team at Smith and prepped a 1999 Mazda Miata to compete in the Grassroots Motorsports 2017 Challenge. Gracie began her career in the world of modern racing working at Hale Motorsports while they competed in the Pirelli World Challenge and now works at Donovan Motorsports learning to prepare and modify vintage racecars.  By the way, Tim Suddard, editor of Grassroots Motorsports Magazine was a previous guest here on Cars Yeah.

Melissa Paris is a professional motorcycle racer, an avid bicyclist, motocross and flat track enthusiast, and a self-described bad ass who started racing in 2005. She didn’t start riding until she was 20 years old. In 2009, Melissa was the first female to qualify for a World Supercup Race. In 2011, she was the only female to test a MotoGP M1 prototype racebike in the history of that series. In 2012, she raced in the British BSB Series at Brands Hatch. In 2013, Melissa was in the top ten to finish the Daytona 200. Then in 2014, she was fifth overall in the Spanish CEB Superstock Championship, and the first female team in history to compete in a Suzuka Endurance Race. In 2015, she took first place at the 24 Hours of Barcelona and won the WERA West Superbike Championship. In 2016, she was a member of the first all-girl team to qualify and compete at the Bol d’Or 24 Hours Additionally, in 2017, she founded the MP13 Racing Team to promote young talent and the first all-girl team to qualify and compete in the Leman

Aurora Straus is a race car driver who competes in the #36 Richard Mille BMW M4 in the Pirelli World Challenge and today, she’s leading in the Championship points with 6 races left in the season. She is currently the only female, teenage racecar driver competing professionally in North America.  Her racing started at 15 years old when she competed in the International Trophy Cup and Skip Barber Series, racing Porsche Caymans and Mazda MX-5s.  Along with a passion for racing, Aurora enjoys studying, singing, and playing the piano and guitar. Aurora has been accepted to Harvard University’s class of 2022 and plans to pursue degrees in both mechanical engineering and English literature. 

Karl Brauer manages the content strategy and execution for Cox Automotive's media outlets, including Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book. These are two of the most powerful brands in the auto space. Between them, they receive over 40 million unique visitors a month and influence over two-thirds of all vehicle transactions. Karl regularly contributes editorial and analyses to Forbes.com and he has been interviewed by or appeared on The New York Times, CNN, Good Morning America, CNBC, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and more.  

Chris West is the founder and inventor of Solution Finish Trim Restorer. He lives and works in Huntington Beach, California, and launched his car care company about five years ago. In 2017, his product was awarded the International Detailer Association’s Supplier/Manufacturer of the Year award. Chris’ business is also a multiple award winner at Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA). Chris developed and manufactures his product in-house and distributes from his California location. Solution Finish Trim Restorer provides car care enthusiasts with a simple, easy-to-use application that makes their plastic trim look new again, and provides a lasting protection to keep it that way. Chris has a colorful past and has been a bull rider, hang glider, and mountain climber. He's a true entrepreneur!

  Michael Senderovich is the Founder and President of Zeyger Insurance in Agoura Hills, California. They offer insurance, asset protection, risk mitigation, project management, employee benefits and payroll solutions. Michael is also the producer and host of the Road Stories podcast and the creator of On Time, the most downloaded timepiece podcast. He is a serial entrepreneur having opened several businesses that are operating today. His true passions are automobiles and watches. On Road Stories, Michael interviews people from many different industries about life and their life with cars.