The Drivecast

When is a restomod not a restomod? Instead of taking an old car and trying to make it feel modern or new, what if you took a new car and made it look old, but still drive like and feature tech that is new? Do we call that a remaster?

Vintage Modern started out the same way as so many restomod outfits with restorations and modernized classic Broncos. But you can't make an old car drive like new, and certainly can't make it start with the push of a button or feature six airbags. And that's what Vintage Modern does, by flipping the restomod concept on its head.

The Drive's Editor-In-Chief Kyle Cheromcha and Director of Content and Product Joel Feder are joined by Chau Nguyen, founder and CEO of Vintage Modern, to break down how the company got where it is today, which is making new vehicles that look and feel old.

Stories referenced in today's episode:

Vintage Ford Bronco Body on a 2024 Bronco Chassis Looks Pretty Weird

Custom Shop That Used ‘Bronco’ Name Without Permission Forced to Rebrand After Ford Sues

Ford Sues Company For Body-Swapping New Broncos with Classic Bronco Design

00:00 - Intro

05:06 - What is the world's first fully modernized classic car?

11:00 - How do you make a new car look old and still be safe?

15:57 - The evolution of the business

17:54 - The LeBron James moment

21:11 - Demographics

22:11 - The pink Bronco moment

24:35 - Cross shopping against new vehicles

27:18 - Over saturation of the restomod market

30:14 - The market

37:51 - The Ford lawsuit

38:14 - How do you make your car? The Ryan Reynolds moment

43:53 - What was the hardest part? Manual transmission option?

46:33 - The challenge of re-engineering a modern car

48:24 - New cars aren't made like old cars

51:40 - What's next?

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Bring a Trailer redefined how enthusiasts and collectors buy, look at, and even price collectors cars. Sometimes it's even boring pedestrian Ford pickup trucks. But what was once a blog throwing up Craigslist links you might text your friends has morphed into an online auction house listing Bugattis and Ferraris alongside E30 3-Series and classic Chevys.

From eye-popping sales to reordering the market to a rabid comment section to kicking off an entirely new industry, Bring a Trailer has become a juggernaut. But how has the site kept the secret sauce, fended off the competition, and dealt with controversies?

The Drive's Editor-In-Chief Kyle Cheromcha and Director of Content and Product Joel Feder are joined by Howard Swig who nows serves as the President of Bring a Trailer to discuss how the site has kept the secret sauce, fended off the competition, and dealt with controversies.

Stories referenced in today's episode:

This 1992 Volkswagen Golf GTI Sold for $87,000 on Bring a Trailer

Bring a Trailer Says $87,000 VW GTI Auction Was Legit

Extremely Normal Ford F-150 on Bring a Trailer Begs the Question: Do Boring Vehicles Belong on Auction Sites?

Recently Unearthed 1983 Ford Probe IV Concept Hits Bring a Trailer

00:00 - Intro

05:48 - The evolution of Bring a Trailer

10:35 - The team today

12:25 - How listings are vetted

15:31 - In-house inspection services and extra services

19:12 - How regular cars get into Bring a Trailer

21:17 - The comments

27:22 - Shill bidding, AI-created photos for a listing, and suspect listings

32:39 - The Bring a Trailer tax and setting records with outliers

35:56 - The fees and business end

38:52 - Money laundering claims

40:59 - Cars being sold repeatedly on the platform

42:45 - Market trends

45:28 - Competitors after creating an industry

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General Motors just laid out its future and it's wrapped around bets on AI, new EV battery chemistry, new EVs, and autonomous vehicles. But the automaker's in the midst of launching new clean-sheet V8s, what gives?

The automotive Goliath is still committed to and sees EVs as the end game with an electric future, but the road to get there seems to be filled with curves. But regardless of what's powering a vehicle the race to have the best technology and most impressive features is on. From how vehicles are being designed and manufactured to the features, capabilities, and services offered, GM says it wants to be the leader.

The Drive's Director of Content and Product Joel Feder is joined by Jaclyn McQuaid, who is the senior vice president of vehicle products at General Motors, to discuss the automaker's future including vehicles, technology, services, and how it aims to compete in an ever evolving, and competitive, marketplace.

Stories referenced in today's episode:

GM Just Laid Out Its Entire Future. It Runs on AI, Eyes-Off Driving, and One Central Computer

GM Is Rebooting OnStar as Your Personal AI Assistant—and Killing Off Its Brand Apps

GM Wants Your Truck to Run Errands Without You

GM’s Next-Gen EVs: The Two-Pronged Strategy to Unlock Maximum Efficiency and Space

GM’s New 8.3L Duramax Diesel: Here’s the Full Spec Download

New GM Truck V8s Beat Ford and Ram on Horsepower: Here’s the Full Spec Download

2027 GMC Sierra Gets Even Fancier With Articulating Screen and Headrest Speakers

2027 Chevy Silverado Enters the Fight With New Small-Block V8s, Fresh Looks

00:00 - Intro

05:51 - New V8s, but the future is electric

07:17 - Using AI to half development time

12:55 - Next-gen EVs

20:00 - Rebooting OnStar

27:21 - Software-defined vehicles and central compute

34:47 - Autonomy

41:40 - Electric trucks

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Arguably the Corvette is General Motors' most iconic and important vehicle even if it's not a sales leader. As the possible finale of the C8 Corvette lineup arrives in the form of the Grand Sport a new leader is taking over the team and all of GM Performance. It's a critical moment, and Tony Roma has big shoes to fill.

As the next-generation Corvette takes shape, the next-generation Blackwings start development, and the Camaro nameplate sits in the corner on hiatus, again, for now, Roma must make tough decisions that include V8 engines, maybe manual transmissions, and much more. Enthusiasts are watching, anxiously with anticipation. But cars require business cases and Roma knows what has to meet the mark to get approved in a board room.

The Drive's Editor-In-Chief Kyle Cheromcha and Director of Content and Product Joel Feder are joined by Tony Roma who now serves as Executive Chief Engineer for the Chevy Corvette and Performance Cars at General Motors to discuss the automaker's most prized sports cars now and into the future. And yes, there's Camaro talk.

Stories referenced in today's episode:

We Drove the New LS6-Powered 2027 Chevy Corvette Lineup. Here’s the One to Get

Corvette ZR1’s Chief Engineer Will Be Immortalized Forever on the Car

Corvette Team Loses Another Key Member in GM Performance Shakeup

The Corvette CX Concept Is the North Star for the Future of America’s Sports Car

This New Six-Speed Manual Could Fit in the C8 Corvette and Ford Mustang GTD

‘It’s Not Real’: Corvette Engineers Squash Manual C8 Rumor

Tremec Politely Disagrees With Team Corvette That Its 6-Speed Manual Transaxle ‘Isn’t Real’

GM’s Rumored Car Comeback to Bring Camaro Revival, New Cadillac CT5, and Buick Sedan: TDS

It Looks Like GM Design Teased a New Chevy Camaro—and It’s Not an SUV

00:00 - Intro

03:45 - What the biggest difference with today's Corvette team from the previous team?

06:45 - The C8 finale and current lineup

17:01 - The electric Corvette

18:17 - The Nurburgring

22:24 - Why does the Camaro keep dying?

29:33 - The C9 Corvette

31:11 - Manual transmission in the Corvette

35:52 - The C9 Corvette

43:59 - Corvette as a subbrand

45:30 - The Blackwings

48:28 - Cadillac in Formula 1, tech trickle down

51:23 - Where's the Raptor competitor?

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Cars are more complicated, connected, and software driven than ever. The tuning industry is growing, but awash in shady characters promising big power gains if you yank out your car's brain and send it to them to modify. AutoTuner aims to show you can run a legitimate business in this space, but this is at odds with what automakers want.

AutoTuner is building its business by primarily offering the tools and services to jailbreak ECUs, not the actual codes. But this all crosses into the battle over right-to-repair, not to mention automakers themselves wanting to sell you more performance via upgraded software for a cost.

The Drive's Editor-In-Chief Kyle Cheromcha and Director of Content and Product Joel Feder are joined by AutoTuner USA CEO Arin Ahnell for a frank discussion about the state of and future of software tuning, the right-to-repair movement, and modification culture in a timeline of complex powertrains and EVs.

Stories referenced in today's episode:

⁠Why Drivers and Mechanics Are United Against Automakers: ‘Right To Repair’ Explained⁠

Ford’s CEO Doesn’t Want You Fixing Your New Bronco. He Says It’s About Safety

The Feds Are Coming for Diesel Truck Owners. They’re Starting With Your Phone

DOJ Orders Apple, Google to Hand Over OBDII App User Data in Emissions Probe

John Deere to Pay $99 Million in Monumental Right-to-Repair Settlement

Ford CEO Jim Farley’s Right To Repair Comment Should Make Every Car Owner Uncomfortable

Rivian’s RAD Tuner Is Like An Equalizer For Your EV’s Powertrain

00:00 - Intro

05:13 - What is the state of chip tuning in 2026?

07:14 - What does it take to unlock ECUs at scale?

08:09 - Automakers getting into the tuning game

09:30 - Warranties and tuning

11:18 - OEM collaboration

12:48 - Right-to-repair

15:51 - How do you know when an ECU's unlocked

16:50 - Getting around security protocols

19:37 - Difference between different types of cars from different countries

20:45 - Subscription model

22:05 - AutoTuner One app

24:05 - Legal issues

31:28 - Stories of people sending in their ECUs

32:33 - EVs and tuning

36:22 - Vertical stack integrations

38:53 - Tractors, agricultural market

42:32 - Accessibility and business growth

43:37 - The next cracking goal
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