This week we have a special interview that was recorded LIVE from the auction floor interview at MECUM in Houston Texas. Our intrepid producer Bernie McPartland caught up with TV personality and voice of MECUM Auctions on The MotorTrend Network, John Kraman. To say John has been in the car business a long time does little to explain just how long. This was an insight into what has become the biggest collector car auction company in the world, all told from the catbird seat!

The post TMCP #575: Life on the Auction Block with John Kraman – LIVE INTERVIEW From The MECUM Auction Sales Floor! first appeared on The Muscle Car Place.

FEATURE INTERVIEW Mike Spagnola – SEMA: This week I spoke to Mike Spagnola, President and CEO of SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association). It is always fun to meet for the first time, especially people who are helming something important to you. This was my first interaction of any kind with Mike, and my immediate takeaway […]

The post TMCP #574: SEMA President and CEO, Mike Spagnola – State of the Industry first appeared on The Muscle Car Place.

Rick Schmidt – Ask Rick: It is April and time for another riveting Ask Rick segment where I ask him the tough questions! This is the month of change where we transition from winter to spring. Out with the old and in with the new! It is time for the winter states to start getting […]

The post TMCP #573: ASK RICK: Its The End Of The World As We Know It, Or Is It – California Emissions Mandate, Zero Emissions by 2035 first appeared on The Muscle Car Place.

This week I spoke to Tom Scarpello, President and founder of Revology in his facility in Orlando Florida! Revology is seemingly doing the impossible; creating a profitable company that survives (and thrives) by bringing a single classic Mustang platform into a 21st Century as a capable daily-driver by modern standards. There are a few other companies doing things like Revology, but to my knowledge this is the only company striving to be good at the "boring" stuff like reducing wind noise, squeaks, rattles, and creating high end comfortable interiors from OEM stock materials. Their door gaps are specifically set for long term use - not just awesome looking floor appeal. They're building the quality of cars far closer to a new Porsche than a Pro-Touring old Mustang. For all of this, I had to see it in person!

The post TMCP #572: Tom Scarpello of Revology Cars – Bringing New “OEM” Quality ’65-’68 Mustangs into the 21st Century first appeared on The Muscle Car Place.

This week I spoke to Jono Shaw, President of Hemmings Motor News, to find out more about the new buying service called the "Frictionless Marketplace." For anyone who has bought a car online sight unseen it can be a little unnerving when you "win" the auction and are then left to figure out how to get the car legally, safely, and paid for without the fear of getting completely ripped off. To put it bluntly, this service is meant to put some teeth to the "wild-west" that has become common in buying a car line and put Hemmings into the mix to prevent the possibility of fraud.

The post TMCP #571: Jono Shaw, Hemmings Gets Into The Auction Business And Makes It Easy To Get The Car You Want With Frictionless Marketplace first appeared on The Muscle Car Place.

TMCP #570: 15 Year Anniversary Throwback - The Time I Met Mike Finnegan and Launched a Show about the Dukes of Hazzard!

The post TMCP #570: 15 Year Anniversary Throwback – The Time I Met Mike Finnegan and Launched a Show about the Dukes of Hazzard! first appeared on The Muscle Car Place.

Rick's Take on the Presidential Election 2024:

Every four years we experience a Leap year and another round of picking a new president. With this event comes another round of presidential ads, throwing of mud, and an substantial amount of finger pointing. I have heard many times in the past from suppliers regarding their outlook on the future around an election cycle and many will stop any unnecessary spending based on the uncertainly of the outcome of an election. Some will even cut out expensive trade shows (SEMA included) that they would normally attend in an attempt to save up for the rainy day they believe is headed their way.

I decided to ask Rick what his experiences were regarding this phenomenon. NPD is run very conservatively and keeps higher than normal reserves for low times and fluctuations in the market so Ricks response was very interesting. He said that he does indeed notice a flattening in sales in relation to a Presidential election. That said, it's not just at election time, but over the whole election year. It seems like everyone gets nervous and holds back on spending. Once the whole thing is over and the parties have been decided, Rick says that people generally go back to buying for their hobbies and it is back to business as usual.

The post TMCP #569: ASK RICK: Best ROI on Auction Cars and How A Presidential Election Affects Restoration Parts Sales first appeared on The Muscle Car Place.

TMCP #568: Jason Forgey, the NC944er - Everything You'll Ever Need to Know to Own, Restore, and Upgrade the Porsche 944!

The post TMCP #568: Jason Forgey, the NC944er – Everything You’ll Ever Need to Know to Own, Restore, and Upgrade the Porsche 944! first appeared on The Muscle Car Place.

TMCP #567: 15 Year Anniversary Throwback - The Time Jeff Allison Built My Chevelle For Free!

The post TMCP #567: 15 Year Anniversary Throwback – The Time Jeff Allison Built My Chevelle For Free! first appeared on The Muscle Car Place.

ASK RICK - Muscle Cars At Mecum Bringing Big Money, The Best ROI is on "Junk", and we own a Porsche 944!

The post TMCP #566: ASK RICK – Muscle Cars At Mecum Bringing Big Money, The Best ROI is on “Junk”, and we own a 944! first appeared on The Muscle Car Place.

This week I have the pleasure to talk to long time friend of the show, Jason Engel. At SEMA 2023 I learned that Jason had entered the consulting business and was also he representative to vet licensure requirements for Shelby!

What was he consulting in, specifically? Well....consulting in the entire process of owning, operating, producing, marketing, and leading a production car business where the production car is unique to the business itself. In addition, it might be a car that needs to be licensed by an OEM or other "Hollywood" style entities. Examples include companies like Classic Recreations (which he founded), Revology, Velocity Restorations, Anything Scout, etc. In a nutshell, Jason was taking on clients to teaching them the business of PROFITABLY running such a venture. For this, I needed a full length interview...and this is out! 

The post TMCP #565: Rides By Engel – The Yoda to to Building, Marketing, Operating a Profitable Production Car Business! first appeared on The Muscle Car Place.