George Notaras (MotoMan TV)

Summary

Smoking Tire Podcast: George Notaras (MotoMan TV)

Date: September 30, 2025
Guests: George Notaras (MotoMan TV)
Hosts: Matt Farah, Zack Klapman

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Overview

In this episode, Matt and Zack welcome George Notaras (MotoMan TV)—an old friend, fellow YouTuber, and passionate car enthusiast—back to the studio to discuss relaunching his YouTube channels and the behind-the-scenes mechanics of automotive content creation. The conversation ranges from the intricacies of YouTube algorithms and channel management, to favorite cars, airplane adventures, cigar rituals, and plenty of advice for aspiring automotive journalists.

The tone is lively, honest, self-deprecating, and full of inside-baseball details about both the car world and digital content creation.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. MotoMan TV’s Channel Relaunch & YouTube Strategy

Timestamps: 29:59–39:50, 43:01–55:00

• New Structure: MotoMan TV split its content into dedicated YouTube channels (MMTV Cars for reviews/features and MMTV Podcast for conversations) in response to YouTube algorithm changes that penalize mixed-content channels.
  • “I ended up moving all the disparate show types onto their own channels … and it’s working.” (30:34)
• Channel "Nerfing": Both George and Matt have experienced significant drops in reach due to algorithm changes—especially after the infamous Adpocalypse of 2016—where older, diversified channels get classified as “boat anchors.”
  • “The channel is a boat anchor.” (34:37)
  • “Subscribers... literally means nothing.” (37:49)
• Results of the Split: Rapid monetization and growth on new channels. Relocating content and focusing on consistency in format have yielded better engagement and analytics.
  • “Our numbers are way better than they were on the old channel.” (33:36)
  • “90,000 views in a week … never would have done that on my old channel.” (46:18)
• Advice for Content Creators:
  • Futureproof by keeping content types separate.
  • "You’re not making videos for subscribers—you’re tricking a computer."
  • Back up old content and consider re-uploading with new intros/thumbnails to boost performance (“Trick the algorithm into not knowing the difference.” (51:13))
  • Prioritize the title, thumbnail, and the first 30 seconds of each video—these drive algorithm push and retention.

Notable Quote:

“We are not in the business anymore of making content our subscribers are interested in. Our job is to trick a computer into shoving our shit in front of people.”
—Matt Farah, 37:00

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2. The Realities of Automotive YouTube & Algorithmic Survival

Timestamps: 34:41–39:55, 47:23–55:00

• Algorithm Over Audience: YouTube values engagement over subscriber count. Major rewards are front-loaded for new channels (“a huge adrenaline shot of showing that video to new people that don’t recognize the channel and don’t really care” 35:11).
• Platform Evolution:
  • “In 2016 it went from subscribers meaning you had a straight pipe to your subscribers, to now it’s an algorithm…” (49:57)
• Burnout and Rediscovery: George discusses how working alone led to creative burnout and how hiring a team and focusing on higher production quality reinvigorated his passion for content.

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3. Aviation Adventures & Crossover with Car Culture

Timestamps: 4:45–8:34

• Flying Across the Country: George details his trip flying with the Tiger Squadron from L.A. to Oshkosh in a Nanjang CJ6A warbird—buzzing the Kansas City International tower by request, and how these experiences don’t always translate to YouTube views (“Did this amazing video … it got nothing. But a Toyota Corolla gets 250,000 views.” 8:34).
• Insight: Audience expectations and organic reach are hard to disrupt; “If you break a car, you'll go viral. If you fly warbirds, the video flops.”

Notable Moment:

“The tower at Kansas City International caught wind of these six warbirds and … ‘We would like you to buzz the tower. Like, please, have sex with my girlfriend kind of thing.’”
—George Notaras, 7:26

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4. Car Nerdery: Cadillac Eldorado, Infiniti G35/G37, and Guilty Pleasures

Timestamps: 11:25–27:31

• G35/G37 Memories: Fond reminiscence about the original Infiniti G35's impact and “guido culture” in Westchester (10:42–11:25). George: “I was smitten with a G37. I really liked the way it looked; I love the way it drove…” (12:38)
• Guilty Pleasures: George’s search for a 1979–85 Cadillac Eldorado, specifically a rare, non-landau, Astro sunroof model—both hosts discuss the impracticalities of collector car mileage (“There’s low and then there’s low miles. You can’t pay that kind of money and drive it,” 28:48).
• Collecting Realities: Collector-market quirks, flipping, and the emotional costs of chasing nostalgia.

Notable Quote:

“The 1979-85 Eldorado was the last car under Bill Mitchell’s design at GM… That’s Fat Elvis.”
—George Notaras, 21:21

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5. Restoration, Value, and Philosophy on Classic Cars

Timestamps: 76:34–78:54

• On Preserving Classics: Advice for a listener with an aging Austin Healey: keep it original, don’t overbuild, and avoid altering the car’s spirit with large increases in power or excessive restomod work.
  • “You are managing a fund... The idea is you want to level up, and the best way to do that with a Healey is to keep it as original as possible.” (76:34)

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6. Audience Q&A (Patreon/Listener Questions)

Timestamps: 60:10–93:24

• Selling vs. Servicing a Car:
  • “Never service a car just to trade it in.” (62:56)
  • “If it’s older, with low miles, do all the maintenance and good pics for auction. If it’s newer and high miles, just dump it.” (63:25)
• GT3 vs. New GTD:
  • George would try a GTD for two years, then likely return to a GT3. Matt highlights the GTD’s unique, track-focused front-engine/rear-drive layout and road practicality.
  • “The GTD takes curbs much better than a GT3 RS in my opinion.” (71:22)
• Cigar Rituals: Includes advice on hand-rolling cigars and favorite cigar picks—right down to a small "gift exchange" of cigars in-studio.
• Automotive Writing Advice:
  • Treat freelancing like a business; pitch to 30+ outlets, build your own brand. “Most people can tell you what they don’t want to do. Be the 5% who can tell you what you want to do.” (92:29)
  • Be honest in reviews but learn the art of the "shit sandwich."

Notable Quotes:

“You need to be honest and learn how to do something called the shit sandwich.”
—George Notaras, 94:53

“It’s like being in a band... You have to reinvent yourself and not break up. Just stick around long enough and you end up with the keys to the kingdom.”
—Matt Farah, 93:24

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7. Personal Rituals: Cigar & Car Community

Timestamps: 5:00–5:04, 55:48–56:47

• Cigars as a Connector: George and Matt talk about their friendship built as much around cigars as cars, with anecdotes of cigar lounges and the annual Greek festival.
• Audience Loyalty: Stories of long-time listeners who bring cigars to events show the importance of community outside the algorithms.

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Memorable Moments

• Buzzing the Kansas City airport tower on invitation (7:26)
• The “Merlot Broham” story and Great White Hype reference (23:22–25:38)
• Deep dive into YouTube algorithm struggles and relaunching content channels (from 29:59 on)
• George’s candid admission about burnout and rediscovering fun with a team (55:34–55:48)
• On Foundational Advice for Young Writers (92:22–94:57)
• Cigar exchange and pro-tips (83:34–84:49, 95:42–96:49)

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Notable Quotes With Timestamps

• “We are not in the business anymore of making content our subscribers are interested in. Our job is to trick a computer into shoving our shit in front of people.” (37:00 – Matt Farah)
• “The channel is a boat anchor.” (34:37 – George Notaras’ YouTube insider)
• “You gotta dance for dinner... I have to think about thumbnails first.” (53:39 – Matt Farah, on algorithm obsession)
• “Treat it like a business. You’re managing a fund. The idea is, you want to level up.” (76:34 – George Notaras, on car collecting and careers)
• “You need to be honest and learn the art of the shit sandwich.” (94:53 – George Notaras, on reviewing ethics)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00–03:12: Show open, guest intro & reminiscence
• 04:45–08:34: George’s warbird cross-country flight story
• 10:20–12:55: G35/G37 memories, impact on car culture
• 29:59–39:50: YouTube channel relaunch, algorithm impact
• 43:01–55:00: Deeper dive: strategies, burnout, what works
• 60:10–93:24: Listener Q&A: car selling tips, restoring vs. restomodding, GT3 vs. GTD, career advice, and more
• 95:42–96:49: On-air cigar exchange; closing rituals

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Where to Find MotoMan TV Now

• YouTube:
  • MMTV Cars (car reviews & stories)
  • MMTV Podcast (interviews & discussions)
• Socials: @MotoManTV (IG, X, Facebook); all channels now distinct for better engagement and clarity

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Closing Thoughts

This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in how the automotive content sausage gets made in 2025, the shifting ground beneath digital creators’ feet, and the enduring passion for cars, community, and candor. George and Matt’s banter and real talk are packed with both laughter and practical lessons—an entertaining roadmap for both fans and up-and-comers.

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Like, subscribe, and leave a comment—because, as always, now more than ever, it’s the algorithm, not the subscribers, that decides what you see next...

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Summary by Smoking Tire Podcast Assistant. For more, subscribe and follow on socials. Episode skips intros, ad reads, and outros per request.

Transcript

[A]

What's up, everybody? Welcome to the Smoking Tire Podcast. Today's episode is, as always, brought to you by off the Record. We love off the Record here at the Smoking Tire. They're looking out for me. They're looking out for you. I know when I'm driving down the road, off the Record has my back no matter where I am. And what does that mean? It means if I get a ticket or if you get a ticket anywhere in the United States, don't plead guilty. We get off the record like smart people. They'll connect us with a qualified attorney in the jurisdiction where I got that ticket. They'll fight that ticket to the death. Not really, but, like, you know, to the pain and all. Go to offtherecord.com TST if you get a ticket, don't plead guilty. Offtherecord.com TST Our code is good for 10% off all legal services booked through off the Record. You want to have it, dude, you gotta have it. It's very important. Offtherecord.com TST friends don't let friends plead guilty. All right, folks, on today's episode of the podc, my pal George Notaras, AKA Moto man, is in studio. He's my cigar buddy. Actually more than my car buddy, but he's relaunching the YouTube channel and we're talking about it. In fact, we get a little inside baseball on this one with how YouTube channels work. So if you're into the process of content creation and insidery YouTube stuff, there's a lot. Plus Pebble Beach, GT3s, the cool stuff we have been driving, and a lot more. It's good to have them in studio. Moto man is here. It's the Smoking Tire podcast. Let's go. Hi, everybody. Smoking Tire Podcast. We're rolling. George Notaris, Moto Man.

[B]

We just rolled right into it. Yeah, we were talking about feet on tables, and we rolled into it, and we still are.

[A]

George hasn't been to the current studio. He last podcasted with us at the dentist's office, which was crazy.

[B]

I feel like that was back when the model T came out.

[A]

We moved here in 2020. In five years. Matter of fact, September 18, two days ago, was the five year anniversary of Westside Collector car Storage.

[B]

Well, it's good to see you again.

[A]

Yeah, you too.

[B]

Even though behind the scenes, technically, I've seen the place before.

[A]

You've seen me, you've seen the place. But now you're in the studio in front of the microphone.

[B]

Thank you for having me.

[A]

And thank you for coming.

[B]

Very good to see you.

[A]

Yeah. And you sent me, you sent me like a fucking agenda. Like I gave a shit.

[B]

I'm an organized Greek.

[A]

He was like, here's some things I think we should cover. And I was like, well, delete.

[B]

And then I sent it to you again and added more to the list. Yeah, yeah.

[A]

And I wrote back like, we're good, bro. I think that's literally what I wrote.

[B]

That was exactly the email. We can show it to the audience right now.

[A]

And this is my second show today, the show before with Nicole Johnson, who is getting ready. Just a. Have you met Nicole?

[B]

No.

[A]

She's a YouTuber off roader. Transitioning to on Roader. Yeah. From Nevada. And she's a wonderful woman that is just made of liquid energy poured into a bag that's shaped like a woman. I mean, just, just like it happens.

[B]

To go off road. That's the image.

[A]

She's a driver. She's a driver and a presenter. But she's just like made of rocket fuel.

[B]

Have you noticed that in the YouTube.

[A]

World there is so people know where.

[B]

Oh yeah, I gotta know that. I'm actually telling people my name now.

[A]

And your lower third, did you not use your like last name for the longest time?

[B]

I didn't use my actual given name. I. The Motoman name or Motoman TV name. But then over years it was like the worst kept secret. Everyone knew my name and on camera, like Bob Lutz would say, hi, George. And I just got to the point. I'm like, no, I think I'd rather use Moto.

[A]

You wouldn't even use your first name?

[B]

I wouldn't use my first name on Cat.

[A]

It's Motoman.

[B]

Well, I wouldn't refer to myself as Motoman. I'm not like Karl Malone. Well, Karl Malone wants this and Karl Malone wants that.

[A]

It would be great if you went from not referring to yourself at all to referring to yourself in the third person. Be like, well, I took a course.

[B]

And not that much of a douchebag.

[A]

My confidence is a little different. A little different now.

[B]

So the genre of offer is huge. Did you like so many crazy like you and I, if we look at like the funnel of search traffic for cars, there's like new cars, there's like classic cars and then there's race cars.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

However, off road is like this.

[A]

But it's, it's over here. It's never. The two shall cross.

[B]

Absolutely.

[A]

And it's, it's. You have to like be in it right like when I do. I don't know about you, but when I do an off road video, it doesn't do well. People don't come to me for that.

[B]

Oh, it's kind of like airplanes. Same thing. So I am a pilot.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

I own an airplane. I've been shooting in a hangar for like 8 years.

[A]

Recreationally. All you talk about is airplanes.

[B]

Absolutely.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And if I. Well, I talk about cigars too.

[A]

Right. What's in the case?

[B]

Oh, it's a gift for later. I'm not going to give this right now.

[A]

We will stoke.

[B]

Oh, absolutely. I didn't come to talk to you. I came to have cigars.

[A]

The conversation if I do it.

[B]

I did this amazing airplane video. So all my buddies. You came to the hangar. You saw that I've got. Yeah, all these buddies have got the war birds and we fly in formation. So like, like pretty hardcore. If very. These are the guys that are flying over the Rose Boat. Those are my buddies. I have flown over the Rose boat.

[A]

If you live in Los Angeles, I mean, this is a little inside baseball. Maybe they go to other cities as well.

[B]

They do.

[A]

But like most, you know, holidays figure.

[B]

Go up all the way to Central coast and all the way out to Phoenix and all the way out to Nevada. This is the one team that does it.

[A]

Yeah, they fly. It's five, six planes and formation.

[B]

There's 14 guys on the team.

[A]

I've only ever seen five or six.

[B]

Or six planes in formation, but I did one episode.

[A]

Is there a name of their, like of the club?

[B]

Tiger Squadron. Tiger Squadron. If you want to hire the Tiger Squadron for your event.

[A]

Oh, hire Tiger Squadron.

[B]

Matter of fact, you can.

[A]

What's up?

[B]

That's it. Tiger Squadron. That's us.

[A]

Tiger Squadron.

[B]

So we did this epic tour. We flew all the way to Oshkosh. We went to, you know, the flying.

[A]

Things in these things. You flew this fucking thing to Wisconsin?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

How long does that take?

[B]

Well, we did it only a couple hours flying a day. Because what we did is we flew from here to Telluride, stayed overnight two days and Telluride, this is like the.

[A]

Next level of gumball. This is like when people are like, oh, gumball, that's for poor people. Colorado grin.

[B]

Refer to ourselves, thank you very much.

[A]

You ain't shit unless you're going to telluride in a P50.

[B]

And then we went.

[A]

Is that what that is?

[B]

No, that. That is called a Nanjang CJ6A. It is a military train from the early 60s. That particular livery is An Air Force livery. Excuse me, a Navy livery. And it is owned by a Dutch guy. And that is the one. The very plane that I flew across the country in. Then we went to Kansas City. Never been to Kansas City. We went there. A buddy of ours has this amazing classic car collection and boats. So we drive classic cars for two days, go on the boats, and then. You know how. I mean, most people wouldn't know this, but controlled airspace. Like, you're not going to go and fly over LAX or jfk.

[A]

You can't do that. Yes.

[B]

However, the. The tower at Kansas City International caught wind of these six warbirds and you're like, we would like you to buzz the tower. Like, please, like, have sex with my girlfriend kind of thing.

[A]

I was about to say.

[B]

That's exactly what I'd like to say.

[A]

I'd like to introduce you to my.

[B]

Wife and let me video it, because that's what happened. So we've got six more minutes and.

[A]

I'd like to have. I'd like to have a cup of coffee ready so that when you buzz the tower, I can spill it all over my face like an explosion. Like a topic.

[B]

We're officially earning our explicit rating right now. So we buzz the tower. People at Kansas City are like, what the hell is going on?

[A]

This isn't like the commercial airport.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Like the regular airport. Yes.

[B]

Imagine like flying over something the size of like Phoenix Airport. That's the size.

[A]

So half the people would be like, sick and the other half, like, this is why I'm fucking late to Denver.

[B]

Oh, they, they thought it was the end of times. So then we press on and we go to Oshka. So that took me like a week. Yeah, I did this amazing video. You got to see it. It's awesome. I'll send you.

[A]

Probably got like 1500 views.

[B]

It got nothing.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

But like a Toyota, like Corolla gets 250,000 views.

[A]

Yeah, man. I mean, look, if you were, if it's. If you were a photographer, the weddings and bar mitzvahs is what pays your mortgage, baby. It ain't the fucking art you're shooting on the weekend.

[B]

But the point is, why I bring it up is go back to like, I do off road videos. The only off road video I ever did that did well. I jumped a QX80.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

Well, that worked out well.

[A]

Well, yeah. Break the car.

[B]

Break the car.

[A]

That's what I mean.

[B]

And the manufacturer going back to the. Here's my wife, meet my wife, please. The manufacturer said if you get hit that going about 30 miles an hour, you'll like what will happen. That's literally what they said at the Proving ground.

[A]

And then. And then they went, see, you hit it at 37 and that's, you know, you've exploded.

[B]

No, they took me out to dinner and celebrated.

[A]

And then they said, would you like to meet my wife? She's in room 312.

[B]

I can't say that these are all good Arizona State Sun Devils and I am the sundial.

[A]

Can we. And we can't say what the car was.

[B]

We can. It was an Infinity. It was at their proofing grounds in Arizona.

[A]

Oh, listen, if it. Yeah, of course. Infinity PR person would let you. Their wife, if they said something nice about the car.

[B]

Actually, this was the engineers. The PR person didn't know anything about it. But the PR person was in on the gag after. He loved it. After the fact.

[A]

The PR person was in the closet.

[B]

Actually. He was.

[A]

That's fun.

[B]

Well, this really has taken. I feel like we're back at the higher position.

[A]

All right, let's say something nice. Did you hear Infinity's bringing back the G35 effectively. I don't know if it's the moniker per se, but the fast two door stick shift car, Z based car.

[B]

I think that's great.

[A]

I think that's great, too. Do you remember what? Do you remember where you were? Do you remember where you were the moment the 2005 G35 coupe with the forged wheels and the wall exhaust came out? Game changer, dude.

[B]

I was. I was on the subway. I was living in New York City at the time.

[A]

Game changer, you know?

[B]

Where did you like that car?

[A]

Fuck, yeah. The first G35 coupe. That shit was fire in 05.

[B]

It was an amazing car to drive, but I still would have chosen the.

[A]

Z. Oh, I wouldn't have, but I didn't like how they looked. And also I was too tall for them. But I really thought that coupe, specifically with the forged wheel option, I thought that was a gorgeous, gorgeous car. And, man, everybody in Westchester wanted them shits where I lived. You could not be a guido in high school between the ages of 16 and 18 and not be all dead. Dad, I need a G30.35 coup. Like it was all of them.

[B]

Oh, I feel like it. I was. Matter of fact, that was just in Westchester not but 36 hours ago.

[A]

Doing what?

[B]

We went to the bridge.

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

And then we went.

[A]

That's not Westchester.

[B]

No, that's.

[A]

That's the Hamptons.

[B]

Yeah. We gotta talk about that. Amazing.

[A]

What is. What the fuck is going on over there? Because I got. I had about 12 people email me, be like, why are you not at the bridge? I'm like, why should I be at the.

[B]

Johnny and I had cigars at the bridge. But you didn't.

[A]

But, like, okay, cool. Let me fucking spend fifteen hundred dollars on plane tickets and then drive three hours of the goddamn Hamptons to have a cigar with you. Which we could apparently do right here in my office.

[B]

But it's worth it. This way we get to go to the highest point in Sag Harbor.

[A]

Nice. But, like, do I. The highest point in Sag Harbor? Yeah. Oh, that's. Yeah, that's like. Basically like saying, let me go to the highest point in Cleveland.

[B]

I know it sounds like a joke, but it's. It's this golf course that sits like, again, highest point, really, in the Hamptons. So you're looking down on Sag Harbor Bay. Beautiful setup. Cool. We'll get to that. Where were we? Oh, G35s. I was driving around Westchester. Everyone still has BMWs.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Oh, now, yeah, now they do.

[A]

I'm talking about 05. In 05, the G35 was a legitimate three series competitor and beat the three series in many comparisons.

[B]

I got to tell you, I started doing this, and that's when there was a G37. So there was like, 09. You and I started around the same time, and I was. I was smitten with a G37. I really liked the way it looked. I love the way it drove. And of course, you keep on mentioning the sound. The sound's amazing.

[A]

The sound is the most iconic sound that you can make.

[B]

Now, how do you know? Is this a rumor you've heard or did someone confirm this with you?

[A]

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[B]

Now, how do you know? Is this a rumor you've heard or did someone confirm this with you?

[A]

No, it's a news story about it. This is. That's the. Right there. Oh, what did I just do? I don't know. I don't know what I just did.

[B]

We're looking at the highest point I just hit.

[A]

I just did the thing where I made the. There we go. Sorry about that, folks. I made the screen go away because I'm a. But those. When I. It doesn't look like much today, man, but when that car came out, it was fucking banging.

[B]

I disagree with you. I think that looks like that's a classic design. You look at the. Look at the daylight opening.

[A]

Sure.

[B]

No one does that today.

[A]

I mean, I may have been a little harsh there it is. Still a good looking car.

[B]

I think it's the only thing I never liked about that car are those lights. Those headlights. That's it.

[A]

That vertical headlight.

[B]

Yeah, I never liked the headlights.

[A]

You don't like it when the headlight crests the top of the fender?

[B]

You know what this reminds me of? Remember the LeBaron from like the 80s? Dating myself? Here's blues.

[A]

LeBaron's had very hard.

[B]

It had the tail lamp. Excuse me. The turn signal above the headlamps.

[A]

Oh, right, yeah.

[B]

And I just can't get past that.

[A]

LeBaron's also had the blinker stalk was on the binnacle, not on the column.

[B]

Oh, yes.

[A]

That's a weird fucking blinker. I'm glad that didn't stick.

[B]

Weird, weird setup.

[A]

Dude. My. My. My fucking punk rock communist girlfriend in high school drove Lebaron and it was called like Sally or some shit, you know, it was the most like Catholic school punk rock communist mobile ever. Yeah.

[B]

Fond memories of her, huh?

[A]

I was like literally just talking two shows ago about how they changed the rules at her Catholic school to not allow boys before a certain time of day because I would show up in my cammed Mustang and just fucking idle outside while they were trying to finish classes.

[B]

Was this post Mercury Villager?

[A]

Yes, the Villager was first. All other cars are post Villager. Yes, but still fond memories and people do occasionally. Someone sent me a really clean Nautica Villager recently that I almost bought, but it was like far as away.

[B]

Are you really gonna buy one?

[A]

No, I'm not like actively shopping one, but it was like fifteen hundred dollars. Like. Yeah, for fifteen hundred dollars. I'll buy it as a. As a goof.

[B]

I wish you had a place to steal.

[A]

It was like $40,000. Excuse me? No, no, know. It was like 40,000 miles and it was 1500.

[B]

Oh. So it was kind of like new in the rapper.

[A]

It was as a goof. It would have been awesome. Do you know how hard it is to find a Nautica Villager that isn't fucked? They're really rare.

[B]

I can't say that I've ever had a hankering for any kind of minivan, let alone.

[A]

Well, I shamelessly love minivans. I had an 09 Odyssey that was an incredible vehicle. Like a truly incredible vehicle that I loved everything about. I love my.

[B]

Delica talked about that when I was first on your podcast.

[A]

And, like, I probably had just bought.

[B]

It, you had just gotten it, and you were going on and on about how much you loved minivans, and I thought you were crazy. I gotta turn this off.

[A]

Turn that fucking thing off, bro. Yeah, well, that hasn't changed. I still love minivans. I rent minivans when I travel, even if I don't totally need them.

[B]

So I think we all have these guilty pleasures. Like, for me, it's a 1979-1985 Cadillac El Dorado. Like, I'm going to buy one.

[A]

They're really hard to find. They disintegrate.

[B]

I'm making it difficult on myself because I want the one my aunt had.

[A]

This is why color combo. Like, what are we talking about?

[B]

It's not just I can be flexible in the color. It just has to have a contrast. But the thing that I'm looking for is no landau roof, right? No vinyl, but it's got to have the factory astro roof. Gotta.

[A]

What's astro?

[B]

The sunroof.

[A]

Oh, the sun.

[B]

Moonroof.

[A]

They call it sunroof. But metal.

[B]

No. Astro roof means it was glass.

[A]

No. No. Yes. Okay, so moonroof. Moonroof, but metal roof. Not land.

[B]

Out. Not land.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

That is the car I am looking for.

[A]

Is it possible? I've never. I'm sure it is. And this is. This is going to seem. If anyone who's ever done bodywork is probably going to roll their eyes and say this. Can you unlandow one?

[B]

Yes, you can.

[A]

Because you have to paint whatever's on.

[B]

The paint, basically the whole car. Because you got to match the whole.

[A]

But it is possible entirely. It's a metal. It's just a regular metal roof under that.

[B]

The vast majority of them can't. Came with a landau Roof. Very few of them had the Astro roof because it was such an expensive option. It was something like 5 or 8% of the base price of the car. It was super expensive back then, I bet.

[A]

Well, that glass was probably very novel.

[B]

It was one of the setups where you had the glass. You had this like leading edge around the edge where it was plastic. And then you had the. The. The sunshade.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

It looks so great in the car. I bet. Like, it's porn. Fruit me.

[A]

Sure.

[B]

Like, I mean, I. I could show.

[A]

One of those things where if it breaks, it's like $3,000.

[B]

Yeah. The whole headliner. And if that plastic lip around the glass comes back, it's super hard to find a new. Yeah. Everything brittle on the.

[A]

Which Cadillac exactly.

[B]

Is this. This is the 79 to 85 El Dorado.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

And it. It's significant for, I would say one reason aside from my aunt Christine.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

It's significant because it was the last car under Bill Mitchell's design at General Motors. And you know Bill Mitchell, if you look at the span of what he impacted at General motors, you're talking C3s to this thing. You know, he changed General Motors. These are. That's. That's fat Elvis.

[A]

No, I don't want the fat.

[B]

No, it's 79. That's a six. That's it.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

Now, granted, that has no contrast. That's silver on gray, Oxford silver on red. That's got some contrast. I mean, just as pulled up one without the. The landau roof.

[A]

Roof. Yeah. There it is.

[B]

I would totally rock that silver.

[A]

Red is pretty good.

[B]

I would totally rock this car.

[A]

And I'd put that on hydraulics.

[B]

Everything with you are.

[A]

And I slam on bags for no hydraulics for this. This is hydraulics. 14, 000 miles. That's a nice car.

[B]

That's a nice car.

[A]

That's a pretty nice guy.

[B]

If that car had a sunroof, we'd call this guy right now that.

[A]

Well, this is from 2023. My guess is it's not still there. But. But I know, but we know. I know exactly what you're talking.

[B]

You want to hear. Get this. So this is my porn at night. This is what I watch at night. And I found on bring a trailer. They made a convertible 84, 85. It was a. It was a. It was a cut job by asc. So it didn't. Wasn't born a convertible, but it was a factory convertible. Yeah.

[A]

And they're weird. I know they're weird.

[B]

I don't like the way they look.

[A]

I like Seville Opera coupe.

[B]

Of course you do.

[A]

Which is the fucking dopest Cadillac of the 80s?

[B]

I'll get the. I'll get mine, you get yours, and we'll cruise in both. Then we'll have cigars. That's somewhere in the mountains.

[A]

I don't want one. I just. I. I love them. I love it for you. I love it for you. I don't.

[B]

One of the guys at the airport's got one, I'm sure. Got this crazy collection of cars. He's got like a 77 impala bubble back coupe.

[A]

Oh, I know.

[B]

New in the rapper. Like 10,000 miles. Anyway, the. Where was I going with this? Oh, yeah, my porn tonight. So I'm watching. I'm going to go looking. I bring a trailer and an 85. Burgundy on Burgundy. Terrible color comic. They only came in burgundy and white. Burgundy on burgundy. But at 5,000 original miles. New in the rapper. The gold keys, the window. And I'm like, oh, my God, is that.

[A]

Would you. Is that considered merlot, broham?

[B]

Merlot broham.

[A]

Oh, please tell me you've seen the Great White Hype.

[B]

No.

[A]

A man of your age.

[B]

Man of my age. I have not seen it.

[A]

There's a movie.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

It's worth explaining this whole thing. I'm sorry. To anyone who's seen it. There's a movie. Yeah. From I think 96. That fucking holds up called the Great White Hype with Jamie Foxx, Peter Berg. It's Samuel Jackson.

[B]

I've seen this back in the day.

[A]

It's a boxing movie. And 96. Wow. I got that right. And this. You want to talk about a movie that holds up. I never see this Samuel L. Jackson as a sort of Don King type character. Damon Waynes as a Floyd Mayweather type character. And the Damon Wayne's boxing character has won a bunch of titles and is getting lazy and arrogant. And the Don King character played by Samuel L. Jackson wants to set up an easy fight and positions that boxing is really about race. And so they find the whitest dude possible, Peter Berg, and they call him Irish Terry. And he's like, I'm not Irish. And they go, it's boxing. It just means you're white. Jeff Goldberg Bloom pays the PR guy and. And they set up this sort of boxing race war that is eerily accurate to life even 30 years.

[B]

So how is this connected to my convertible Cadillac?

[A]

Because. Yeah. The character played by Jamie Foxx.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Drives a used Cadillac Braum that he refers to as a Merlo Broham now again. And Jeff Goldblum does not understand what he's saying. Like broham. You mean brahm? Yeah, he's like, no, bro. That's what I'm saying. And there is a side plot about getting him a new broham. And so anyway, now that I've explained the joke, it's no longer funny.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

But I think the car.

[B]

You're talking about rules of comedy. If you have to explain the joke, it is not funny.

[A]

I explained it. I hope that it leads someone to go see the fucking movie because it's hilarious. But I. I think you're actually talking about the Merlo Broham from this.

[B]

Technically, it's. It was the Biarritz. The convertibles were all a Biarritz, not the Broham.

[A]

The Broham was the same.

[B]

So it's more. It's more socially acceptable to have the Biarritz. Anyway, I call my bud. You know Dave Kenny at Hagerty?

[A]

Yes, I do.

[B]

Okay. Dave's a great guy. He is literally the guy that writes the book on classic car vibes.

[A]

Yeah, it was called, like, cars that. It used to be called Cars that Matter. Is it called that still?

[B]

No, it's happening now.

[A]

It's Hagerty.

[B]

They acquired it from Dave, but Dave still runs. And so Dave is the guy. You be nice to him and he. He gets your car value higher. So I called Dave Dave the appraiser. He literally is the appraiser gonna make you make an offer you can't refuse. So I called Dave. I'm like, this is what I want. And it took him like five minutes to get off the floor from laughing.

[A]

Yeah. Folks, gotta take just one more break because True Work wants you to hear about their awesome clothes they just sent me. Fall is about fast changing weather. It can be hot, it can be cold, it can be windy, it can be wet sometimes if you're in the right part of the country, all in one day or shift. True Work is performance workwear. Built like it matters, because it does. I'm out here at Performance Car of the Year right now recording these ads from a hotel in the middle of nowhere. And I am wearing the True Work they sent me because I was certain it was going to rain today at the track. And I also thought it could be really hot. It turns out it was cold and windy, and so I was still dressed properly in my True Work pants. It was awesome. Founded by a trade professional who was tired of heavy gear weighing them down. True Work set to make work wear that keeps pros comfortable, capable and ready for whatever the day throws at them. It's got advanced performance fabrics for lasting comfort, all day mobility and year round job site protection. And over 50,000 five star reviews from pros in every trade and every climate. And now one from auto journalism. But these pants they sent me, they're nice, they're light, but they help. They're, they're. But they feel strong. They got properly placed pockets. The belt loops are really, really strong looking. They fit perfect. And I can move at the racetrack. I really, really like it. You can get this look too. Upgrade your day with workwear built like it matters. Get 15% off [e-mail] with Code Tire. That's T R u e w e r k.com and Code Tire. That's right. Now back to the show.

[B]

It took him like five minutes to get off the floor from laughing.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And then he says, you can't pay more than 30 grand. That's what that car is worth all day long.

[A]

30.

[B]

30. Because it's 5,000 original miles and everything supported.

[A]

We're talking about the 5,000.

[B]

5,000. And it's a converter.

[A]

Yeah, Best one in the world.

[B]

So sure enough, I put the bid in for 30 grand. I'm sitting there and I gotta say, about two hours prior, I was gonna show up in a brougham.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Guess what it went for?

[A]

Tell me. It was like 64 grand or something.

[B]

No, not that much, but close.

[A]

Really? 50s.

[B]

52. 5.

[A]

Yeah. 5,000 miles. With that kind of miles, it's really the time it would take you to find another one.

[B]

But you can't, you can't drive it.

[A]

No.

[B]

5,000 miles, you can't drive it.

[A]

That's the wrong car for you.

[B]

It's the wrong car. Exactly.

[A]

Buying those. There's a certain type of person that can do that, the miles. Really?

[B]

Joe boards in Chicago. He's the guy that does that kind of stuff. He does the concept cars and the low miles cars.

[A]

There's low and then there's low miles. You pay a little bit of a premium for low miles, but you can't pay that kind of money. And you and I shouldn't pay that kind of money in order to have a very low mile car when putting the miles on will drive the value out of it. Like it just. The math is bad.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You buy one with 40,000 miles, that still looks 30.

[B]

Let's say if someone was asleep at a switch at 30 would have been a nice toy to have for a little bit.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah.

[B]

But it wouldn't have been my driver. I'm looking for like 50, 60,000 miles so I can have some fun with it.

[A]

Which even for a car that old, that's not a lot of miles. It's still.

[B]

And then where am I going to put. Put it. And I've got.

[A]

Don't you have a hanger?

[B]

I do have a hanger, but I've got a cigar lounge on one side and I've got Eva on the other and then the plane in the middle.

[A]

Yeah. Okay. Well, something's got to go. I made good price for you, my friend. Good. Should we talk about your. Your all new channel?

[B]

Completely YouTube channel. Excuse me, Channel Zuh.

[A]

Excuse me? Channel Zuh. You decided to shit. Can your old channel say goodbye?

[B]

It's a. It's a very harsh way to put it, but yes, you could say that.

[A]

It's a good word. I like. It's a new. I'm enjoying using it. I picked it up recently.

[B]

I'm reimagining Motoman tv.

[A]

Sure. It worked for singers. Yeah.

[B]

Reimagine still Motoman tv. Yes, the old channel is still there. It is our archive. But I'll give you the headline of what we did and then you can ask questions as to the whys.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

We ended up up moving all the disparate show types onto their own channels. So the car reviews, the car stories that anything moving cars, that moves to MMTV cars.

[A]

So everything is still YouTube MMTV cars.

[B]

That is the official. That's like the URL, but it's still called Moto Man TV cars.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And as you can see, we changed the logo. I can give you the backstory of the colors and why we did what we did with the logo. And then as a companion to this inside the Moto man studio, our podcast. I started after yours. I started in 2014 at the Peterson and that was on our main channel. And we were putting hour long episodes against 20 minute episodes and the algorithm was like, what the hell do I do with this?

[A]

Guess what me and Zach learned six years ago.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

So move this, you're over here now.

[B]

So now this. This is a completely separate channel. So now our. This is our two homes. There will be more coming. We're going to be managing a total of six channels. So there will be a shorts and eclipse channel of each one of these main channels.

[A]

I strongly recommend tell me pulling those podcasts down off of your other channel and re uploading them onto this channel.

[B]

You think that would work? Even though the quality is not the same.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Even though the, like, so these. You know me, I'm a freak. You know, we're different about this. I got the fancy cameras we're shooting. This is all shot in 4K. Those are not shot in 4K. You think it's gonna be a problem?

[A]

No, I think you should tell your audience who will listen, like, hey, just so you know.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

In the next three days, I'm gonna be uploading, you know, whatever, 60 episodes. They're the old show. We just want everything in the same place. So ignore your notifications for three days.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And then new content will be back. I mean, it's not. It's not fucking 4k, but it's not like shit.

[B]

It's actually not a bad idea. I like that idea.

[A]

We. I mean, we did that when we. When we made the new channel. We didn't just start from today on. We took all the old videos off the old channel and populated the new channel. And it doesn't get a ton of traffic. But taking them off the old channel made the old channel do better. It improved the math on the videos that remain.

[B]

That was the logic in separating everything out.

[A]

It is, but you're not doing it all the way. Take the other ones down and re. Put them up and. And it'll put everything in the same place. And those. Those views were. They were there. It's like. It's not. Like they didn't happen. Like, it's good.

[B]

So it was more SEO food and helping the algorithm to separate it out. The. This was. This was the big motivation. And a funny thing happened.

[A]

We.

[B]

We messaged to the audience multiple times in video, in posts, in social posts. And I think we didn't do a good job of explaining the why. Like, they knew we were moving. And as you can see, they moved quickly. Our numbers are way better than they were on the old channel.

[A]

By doing this on the numbers on the new channel.

[B]

Yes. Like, to give you an idea, the. So monetizing a channel, whether you have an old channel or not, you still have to go through the same front door of monetization. That at fastest usually takes two, three months, up to a year. It took us two and a half days on the podcast channel and less than two days on the Cars channel.

[A]

Good.

[B]

Bugatti. We chose the Bugatti Tourbillon as our first episode. It took off like, this is a car that's a year old. And we were what. Basically what happened is the algorithm put us in front of people that never saw us before.

[A]

Yeah. So we've been talking about this.

[B]

You and I have talked about this. Because you had the same issue back in 2016 that I had. I had it harder than you. To the point that one of my champions inside of YouTube, who I who shall remain nameless, flat out told me, you need to get off that champion channel.

[A]

Yeah. Like the channel is an anchor.

[B]

The channel is a boat anchor. Yeah, that's exactly what he said.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And I. Let's just say I can embrace change, but I'm very slow to embrace this kind of change. It was hard because I had 270,000 subscribers. You don't want to give that up.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And I think my audience, many of them are still confused. And part of the reason why I wanted to come on and talk to you was to kind of talk through it. But also I'm going to have to message more to the audience because. Because like when we put up. We put up that Porsche episode on Saturday, I'll post it to the old channel and people will come over and watch.

[A]

Right. You should post some kind of a teaser or something. But Basically the way YouTube works is they need new creators, right. They need constant. A constant influx of new people starting channels. Right. Like, and. And they simultaneously know that if you've had a channel and you've been making videos consistently for 10 years or whatever, you're not fucking going anywhere. It would take a real big squeeze to get you to fuck off and go back to regular person job so they can squeeze the shit out of you in that channel and they know you're not going to leave. And if you make a new channel, their goal is to give exactly what happened to you a huge adrenaline shot of showing that video to new people that don't recognize the channel and don't really care. They're seeing this video. YouTube's pushing it because they want you to get that big number and go, yes. But they don't know you're you. They don't know that you also have been doing this before.

[B]

A huge point here. I want to say something. I separated absolutely everything.

[A]

Yeah. Like all new email addresses.

[B]

All new email. I even tried to change the AdSense account. They won't let you change the ad.

[A]

Right. So maybe they kind of know you're you. But even with a new channel, I think it. Maybe it doesn't matter within the system.

[B]

Please, Mr. YouTube, gods don't.

[A]

Right?

[B]

But like not MotoManTV.

[A]

They need a new creator to get hooked with that fucking $5 rock. Right?

[B]

So you're basically saying that they are the drug dealer and we are, we are the addicts.

[A]

Yes. We are not, we're not in the business anymore of making video that our content, that our subscribers are interested in. Our job is to trick a computer into putting. Shoving our shit in front of people.

[B]

That part I realized.

[A]

The reason, the reason. It's like when you amass a bunch of subscribers, you get a fucking plaque on the wall. Whatever the baggage of. And I have it too, like I should burn my channel to the ground and start a new one. But like the baggage of it, you know, the brag of it, the outside ad deals, which you probably, you know, you have to. Those are based on kind of your subscribers. But like the number of subscribers you have in 2025 means. Doesn't mean a fucking mean thing.

[B]

Nothing.

[A]

Even the advertisers aren't looking your subscribers. They're looking at the traffic on your last, you know, they're looking at the.

[B]

Views, they're looking at the engagement, the number of comments and the like ratio.

[A]

Yeah, they don't.

[B]

And a lot of my viewers were confused by this. How could you leave 268,000 subscribers?

[A]

Doesn't mean anything.

[B]

And it means. It literally means nothing.

[A]

Yeah, it's all ego.

[B]

And if you look at the number, we were able to port over 1% in one day on both channels, which way beyond my wildest expectations.

[A]

I mean, look, my guess is after a year you'll have probably captured 30% of your subscribers from the other channel. And in my opinion, those were probably the 30% that were a, real people and B, still active and engaged.

[B]

Anyway, the big difference, now I'm getting this like the past two weeks, which is it's been two weeks. Yeah, I'm getting so many like inbound DMS comments like, oh my God, this, you know, this guy is great. Or oh my God, I've never seen your stuff. How have I never seen your stuff?

[A]

Because the, because the, the. Because the program got in the way. The program's been in the way. Yeah. That's why all this is now.

[B]

It happened to a friend of mine at the same time. Spanky Valentine. She's a very talented sing and she too was based at the YouTube Space LA, which you came visit me a couple times across the street here and.

[A]

I wish I had use for it. I have the right to use everything in there.

[B]

It hasn't. They're done. They shut it down.

[A]

Oh, did they?

[B]

No more. They don't. They just. Now it's a Google office.

[A]

Oh, really? Oh, I didn't even know that.

[B]

So she had more. So back in the day when this happened to me, it was 140,000 subs. She had 500,000 subs. And her views went to almost zero. Yeah, she was smarter than me. She did what I'm doing now, like overnight, and now she's at like 2 million subs on two channels.

[A]

So did. Was what. What. What did she experience that caused the views to drop that dramatic? So this was all pretty abrupt.

[B]

This was. This was right at the same. That ad pocalypse in July of 2016 where everybody kind of went through the same thing. Unfortunately, the way it was explained to me. So you and I talked about it, but way back in the day.

[A]

Oh, I'm sure it happened. I just definitely had a lot of weed. A lot of years, my friend.

[B]

And no hair. 2016.

[A]

Fuck me.

[B]

We've known each other for a long time. Oh yeah, we met at Sema and I'm trying to remember what year it was as I was driving up here. By the way, the thing I wanted to tell you when I walked in, I left like an hour to get here because it's LA. I got here in like 30 minutes. There was no traffic.

[A]

Yeah, it's been nice.

[B]

Like zero traffic.

[A]

The rain this morning kept all the upper home.

[B]

I. I was grateful for it. So I had to sit around.

[A]

I loved seeing the rain this morning. I had coffee outside under the eve of my house. The little. The overhang. Just love the backyard rain.

[B]

Love that. And I love the rain in the kitchen.

[A]

Rain. Rain into a pool is a really nice.

[B]

Did you know that there is a thing where you can go to a pool and it has a cover over it and you can sit in a storm and you pay to sit in a storm.

[A]

I'm sorry, wait, so you. The pool.

[B]

So it's like a. Imagine like a pool like the 30th story of a building. Yeah, there's a roof.

[A]

It's an in.

[B]

No, it's an out. There's no glass at the edge. And then above it, there is a way for it to rain in the pool. So you sit there in a storm and you pay for this.

[A]

And how is this different than if I just go in my own pool in the rain? I'm just wondering.

[B]

My girlfriend was showing me like her. Her vacation dream thing on Instagram. She shows me this thing and I'm.

[A]

Like, that's like a.

[B]

Why would you do this?

[A]

Who's paying for that? Unless it's like in Dubai and they're literally making the store.

[B]

It's entirely possible. I don't remember where it is. Oh, no, no. It was in la.

[A]

You are paying because we make the weather for you. We fire missiles into the clouds right above hotel. It rained just on this pool.

[B]

Your accent is very good. That's the Sephardic side of you.

[A]

Yeah, I tell everybody to get in pools during storms. That's a great idea.

[B]

Genius idea. So. So spanky. She. It happened at the same time for her. And again, this champion who shall remain nameless.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

Knew us both.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Peeled us both off one day and said, you both need to get off your channels.

[A]

No, but, like, what? Why? What happened?

[B]

Because we were taken and put in. In a box and they were testing. Because YouTube always screws with the algorithm. They're always. Every three months, they're changing something.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

And usually if something doesn't work, they're like, okay, we're gonna unscrew this channel or we're gonna unscrew this change. That never happened for her, me and a couple of other folks.

[A]

You just got like. They just got forgotten about.

[B]

It just got left in this box.

[A]

So that's. You know what's really funny? I could see how that could happen. It's weird that it could happen to that it would happen to, like, individual channels. Like, that doesn't make sense. There must have been a whole folder of channels.

[B]

No, it was a bucket of channels. It wasn't like, we don't like this Greek. Yeah, yeah, it was a bucket of channels. Because they wanted to test it.

[A]

Yeah, because it's not like the twenties. They like Greeks now. It's not.

[B]

It's.

[A]

Yeah, if we were. If you were Mexican, it would be a completely different story.

[B]

They know that we run the pizza jars. Even you think they're called Sal's Pizza. It's really owned by a Greek. Oh, I went to Sal's in the Marin on Monday, isn't it?

[A]

Oh, I always go there, but I'm still Team Sunrise and Rye. But Sal's in Marneck is excellent. I. I listen because Carl always said back in the day, yeah, if you go into a pizza place, there's Italians running that joint. Get the out and find a pizza place run by some Greeks.

[B]

I knew I liked that guy for a reason.

[A]

He was really smart. Sunrise.

[B]

Sunrise.

[A]

Sal's of a Marin, by the way, is an Italian mafia joint. Sunrise. Fucking Greeks.

[B]

That's why they've got that second empty.

[A]

Store, the back dining room.

[B]

There's nothing there.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. No, it legit was a mafia joint back in the day. Back in the day it was. Yeah. I don't know about today. I make no accusations. But back. Back in 98, shit was going down in that joint.

[B]

See, this wouldn't happen to the mob. They would. They would actually just fix things where I didn't want to sit there and like, I didn't want to say it's the Alcohol algorithm.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I'm the kind of guy that wants like, you have control of your destiny. So I'm like, I'm gonna change this. I'm gonna change this. And I evolve things over time. And then finally I'm like, I think I need to change the channel. And I took way too long to make that change.

[A]

Sure.

[B]

And it was one of these things like let's. I hired two guys now I got. I don't do the editing anymore. I don't do the shooting anymore. You can see that in the episodes even in the way in which we do the. The, the design and all that kind of stuff.

[A]

But see if I can play some of this on mute.

[B]

We literally. Which one should you. Oh, actually, you know, pull up this. Oh, they. We shot this car. Mark Wahlberg's house. This is. Mark Wahlberg built this house in Beverly.

[A]

Oh, this is the one with the church in the back and isn't it.

[B]

No, there's no church in this one.

[A]

Not.

[B]

This one's $91 million. This house.

[A]

Cool.

[B]

It only has a four car garage though. I'm very disappointed in it. Go to the Porsche episode. It's a cooler opening. My. My guy did something cool on that.

[A]

We're not gonna watch your videos on my podcast, George. I just want to make sure.

[B]

I want the view. I got him. I gotta pay for the gas to come up here. I need the view.

[A]

Yeah, the. Okay, so the, The. So you. Basically you guys are saying you got that you and many people, potentially even me, got stuck in a bucket of shit. Now I, I think I fucked my own channel by doing the podcast thing at a time when that was at the worst possible time to do that. And I just think that it was. It was unable to recover afterwards.

[B]

Was there a noticeable difference once you moved everything off and it was just cars on smoking tire.

[A]

For a while.

[B]

Like what's a while?

[A]

Six months.

[B]

And then it went back.

[A]

Not all the way back, but. But yeah. I mean it just. It. Once shorts started becoming a thing and you know, once, Once it really became a. Once it fully, fully became about for the audience. What's in my feed and not what am I subscribed to. That was really the. The end of it.

[B]

Yeah, that's one of the big things we're seeing here. All of like, look at this. This thing's done 90,000 views in a week.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And this never would have done that on my old channel.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And it's a year old car.

[A]

Yeah. And. And with 3,000 subscribers and 349 comments. I mean, that's, it's, it's good.

[B]

I mean, look, so these are all like my. So to give you an idea, I've got this amazing. The guy runs my post production name is Brett. He is amazing. And Brett, you know, he was hired to do post production. He made this presentation to me like he put together a PowerPoint and basically his PowerPoint was the channel is what he called it Nerfed. And I know we've already reimagined the episodes to make them look like this, make them feel different, look different. Although it's still the bits that I've done for years. Still me, still Options Game, that kind of stuff.

[A]

That's what you're learning is it doesn't fucking matter what's in the video. Your, your audience is a piece of software. It's not people.

[B]

This is what, this is what I've learned now over. I want to say. Let me step back even further. January 2025. I don't know if we discussed this because we. I mean, what the audiences know is we see each other a lot. Just you come to my cigar lounge, I come up here, we have cigars, we have dinner with your wife.

[A]

It's not work.

[B]

It's not work. And we've talked about this off camera. And I made the decision last year, I am going to reimagine my business. And that meant going dark. So as of January of 2025, I literally turned it off and hired these two guys, retooled everything and put the strategy together. The one thing I didn't take into account, that I was still on the fence. I was like, okay, I should probably move, but I need data. And Brett put together a presentation on if we continue down this path, these are the numbers. If we go here, these are the numbers and here's all my supporting evidence. And it was such a compelling case. I'm like, okay. So we shut down for another seven weeks, did all this and got ahead. Now we're like six weeks ahead on both channels. And I'm grateful to the audience, like, or I should say the computer that's putting Me in front of a new audience. Because now the algorithm is finally working.

[A]

Well, I, I will be very interested to see how long the algorithm supports you and if you notice how you know how what, what you know, what tracks, what doesn't track. We know, I know for sure that the software gives you a big hit on your first video on a new channel. It does. Unless that video is.

[B]

We don't know that for certain.

[A]

Actually, I absolutely do. If you're, if you make a video, a new channel, and you put up a professional looking video and you have enough social media presence where you can get a base, a small amount of traction.

[B]

What about the guy, what about the guy walking down the street that wants to start a YouTube channel that has nothing?

[A]

If you. I think. I don't know about. From zero, zero, from zero skill, from zero, anything. But I know that. I know for sure that when people who have a basic knowledge of how to make a video and they make a new channel and make their first put their first video up, that video gets a disproportionately high amount of traffic.

[B]

So what I've learned, and you make a good point because it's your. It's true. Has nothing to do with subscribers.

[A]

Nothing.

[B]

Let me say that again to my audience. Has nothing to do with subscribers.

[A]

No. And like, doesn't mean there aren't actual real people that enjoy your content. There are, but. But like you're not going to reach them on a level without getting through the fucking computer first.

[B]

That changed in 2000. That's what changed in 2016. It went from subscribers, meaning you had a straight pipe, to your subscribers to. Now it's an algorithm that's basing it on a like view ratio, audience retention, all this stuff. And it, it's added beyond that. Where again, the learning here in retooling the episodes, I'm still. The episodes kind of look and feel the same way. They're just much higher quality. What's different is I focus. When I think about a car I'm gonna shoot, the first thing I think about, the title, the thumbnail and the first 30 seconds. Everything is after that.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

Absolutely everything else. Like we knew what that thumbnail, that car was gonna be before we went and shot it.

[A]

Sure.

[B]

We knew what we were gonna do for the first 30 seconds. And that as a result, the audience retention is up 30% on everything. Even on the old channel. Actually, because we did nine of the new format episodes on the old channel, one of them blew up. I did decently. Okay.

[A]

I Bet you could make new thumbnails and create a stinger. A 30, 15 to 30 second stinger. The beginning of your old videos.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Re. Upload them to the new channel and trick the algorithm into not knowing the difference.

[B]

Who says I'm not doing that?

[A]

You should. Yeah. I mean you probably. You should.

[B]

We're gonna start.

[A]

You're not already. You certainly should.

[B]

There's one of those episodes. We can't do that because it. The algorithm did show it.

[A]

You don't need to do with every. But you should try it. You should take your. Certainly your 30. The, the. The top 30 or top, you know, whatever, 25% of your videos and, and, and port them over with just copying that.

[B]

And what was fascinating, it wasn't just this 20 minute episode which is kind of the sweet spot for me. Me the hour and a half first podcast is at like 70,000 views on YouTube. Hour and a half.

[A]

And it's just a. It's just. Oh, is it Bob? The Bob.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Yeah. I mean give you an idea, Bob. Let's. Before that, only 50.

[A]

And what about. Did you change anything about the audio feed of the podcast? Is there an audio only feed is only on YouTube?

[B]

There is, absolutely.

[A]

And, and is that consistent from before or after? You didn't change that when you changed the YouTube, right? For the podcast.

[B]

I changed the name. It's no longer inside the Motoman studio, It's Motoman TV podcast.

[A]

Right. But is it an entirely new feed or did you just change the banner on the old fashioned.

[B]

Well, actually it's an entirely new feed. It is, yeah. So because we want to support video.

[A]

Okay, so how does. How do the numbers on the audio version of that episode compare to the audio of.

[B]

Oh, Nowhere near the 70,000 but respectful.

[A]

Significantly above what you would have done before because podcast. Audio feed. Podcast is non algorithmic.

[B]

I understand Right now it's below what we did before.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Because it's a totally new one.

[A]

All right, so that, that does make sense. Okay, so. So you just. Yeah. You've just seen the power of the fucking YouTube push. Yes.

[B]

Yeah, very much so.

[A]

Yeah. It's real. Whereas it's. It. They. What I really like about podcasting is how much less it relies on that. You know, we have the real subscribers that get fed everything we make and it works. But I'm glad it's working so far for you and I'm really gonna be interested to see, you know, not. Look, not that you don't deserve the views, not that there aren't you know, not that all the people that liked, you know, the 3,000 likes are in the comment. Not that those aren't like, real people. People, just that, like, the reality of YouTube now and what's so shitty about it is you have to fucking, like, figure out how to fucking song and dance a piece of soft.

[B]

You gotta dance for dinner.

[A]

Just get to these. It's like. It's crazy.

[B]

It's crazy. So when I have to think about thumbnails first.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And in fairness, this is one of these things that I just kind of learned over time and realized, let's let me evolve some of this stuff. And I did on my own. But I realized, and this is a big thing that I kind of learned from you and some other folks, like, you're very smart about working on your business, not in your business. I was too much working in my business. And as a result, I think that's.

[A]

Not true about me. But. Okay, go on now.

[B]

You've got Zach to do this. You got the guys downstairs.

[A]

I mean, yes. I mean, I. I went for a long time. Take the compliment, all right? But I went for a very long time. Before Zach came on full time, it.

[B]

Was doing it all yourself.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And that's what I was doing for too long.

[A]

Now the shop would not be possible.

[B]

But now I can think these things through. Now instead of pissing on fires all day, I can stop and take a drink of water and say, what do I want to do with this?

[A]

Sure. Yes, I. There is something to be said for when you don't have to do everything. You can think about the things you are doing a lot better. And I struggle with that a lot. Every time I have to film a car by myself, which I still have to regularly. And, you know, you're. You're trying to crawl all over this hot car to set up the cameras. You have to also appear on camera 30 seconds after that. So don't get dirty, don't get sweaty, don't get out of breath. You have to remember everything and make sure the audio is good and all the cameras are running.

[B]

It's.

[A]

It's. It's not impossible. And look, people dig ditches for a living. I'm just saying that there's a reason the fucking actor isn't also the director, isn't also the sound guy in a movie, because people that are gonna be really good at their jobs should only be doing one of those things I.

[B]

Would be interested to see. And I think I'm getting some of that feedback with some of the New people watching. I feel like it's gonna sound ridiculous. I wasn't having fun with it for, like, three or four years. I genuinely wasn't enjoying what I was doing. Now I enjoy it again.

[A]

Good.

[B]

It's a huge difference. It's like, I feel like I'm. This is like a toy. Every morning I come in and kind of see the comments and interacting with the folks again. And not that I don't love the guys who are like, I've got this. I got a group of folks who have been loyal folks for years. I got Amro in Saudi Arabia. I got Javi in Spain. I got this guy in Canada. Get this. You want to hear something funny? So you know I'm very involved with my church. I do. I invite you every year to the Greek festival. You never come. This year, another record year. We had 12,000 people. We made, like, 600 grand. It's a crazy deal.

[A]

Yeah. So you don't even have time for me?

[B]

No, we need you to come.

[A]

You have 5,999 other friends.

[B]

It's the best kind of fundraiser because we have fun. So this is what's so fascinating about this. I'm trying to lose my train of thought of where I was going with the. The festival side of it. I just had a brain fart.

[A]

You invite me to the. You're involved in your church.

[B]

Involved in the church. Where was it going with this?

[A]

I don't know.

[B]

Okay, I'll come back to it.

[A]

Right. Let's go to the people, because there are. The people. Have something. That's what I do. That's. I. I inspire you by talking about something.

[B]

It's about the person. So get this. You know, this is. These are the kind of viewers I've got. I got this one guy. His name is David. I'm not gonna use his last name because I don't. I don't want to people. I don't want to get him out there. But this guy's been watching for a solid, like, eight, 10 years. He's big. He's got an E63s wagon. He's got an Aston Martin. Runs the cars and coffee out in the Inland Empire. Comes every year to that Greek festival, makes a donation to the church, brings me a box of cigars.

[A]

That's awesome.

[B]

Thank you.

[A]

David, don't abandon him. Make sure he knows about channels, and.

[B]

That'S why we get over there.

[A]

Make sure he knows about the new channels. I'm sure.

[B]

Anyway, that's my point. Those.

[A]

Whatever, 3,600 people that showed up on day one. That's the 1% of your hardcore. Those are your day one people. When we started the Patreon, we had one of those and we made the new podcast channel. It's the same, the 1 to 2%, your most hardcore, they'll follow you into the grave.

[B]

So the point was, I still love those guys, love having those conversations. But now to see new people come in and have passionate. It's great. Love it.

[A]

Good. Go, go fucking like. And subscribe, people. We've got. Hang on, pull that up. We've got Moto man, tv, cars, and then we've got TV podcast. I just had to make sure I had the website up. Bob Lutz interview. That was a great 70k. And then.

[B]

Oh, you want to hear something funny with that one, huh? So I was up in Michigan for the. The annual Bob Boniface car yard party. This is all like the key people shaping the car world at every car company, not just gm. They bring. The rule is you got to bring your own personal car and you park it in this guy's backyard. He's got a two acre backyard in Detroit, Suburban Detroit. And you just sit there and you drink beer and your bullshit and you have White Castle. Well, now it's pizza. White Castle is too lowbrow for the crew. The crew now. So I was there for that. Reach out to Bob. Bob and I get together every year and we have cigars. I'm like, hey, Bob, you want to do another shoot? He's like, absolutely. So I'm all excited to shoot with Bob. I haven't shot with Bob in a couple of years. I'm getting ready that morning. I'm in the shower, my back gives out. I had to crawl on all fours to get the hell out of the shower. I'm crawling out to this golf R that I was driving. Could barely get in the car. I drive over to his place. Bob Lutz, 93 years old, is walking circles around.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

I could barely. If you look at the episode, you see I don't move at all because. Because my back was in epic pain the entire time. And he's just sitting there having a cigar, having a great afternoon.

[A]

That's cr. I remember I met Dick Van Dyke once and I was having back pain at the time. And he was like 92. And he literally like tap danced on the picnic table that we were sitting at.

[B]

It was like the man wrote a book. Always keep moving. Yeah, that's a secret.

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

And then we shot in front of his. He owns Viper GTS Coupe 002. VIN number two.

[A]

That's a good car. Yeah. Every time ever, once a year or so, I think, I would like a Viper.

[B]

I don't want one.

[A]

And then I sit in one and I go, no. Nope. Let's go to the people. Patreon.com the Smoking Tire podcast is how you ask us questions for the show. It's where you would normally catch the live stream. Sorry, Zach's gone. I can only handle three jobs at once. Can't do four. And do you have questions? Yeah.

[B]

Oh, we do have questions. Oh, this is great.

[A]

It's how you get the, how you get the show early. It's how you get the show without ads. It's how you get extra show and it's how you get exclusive access to.

[B]

I think I need to steal that idea from you.

[A]

What, Patreon? Yeah, it's not my idea. Patreon is good. Patreon is incredibly. The only reason we are able to continue doing this program is because of Patreon.

[B]

It is on our roadmap.

[A]

I will say that about two months ago, Patreon, now broke, brings in more revenue than advertising.

[B]

What like, hold on a minute.

[A]

Let's be raw dollars every month or.

[B]

The ads you sell outside podcast.

[A]

On the podcast, the ads I read +adsense. Patreon is more than all of that together now.

[B]

I gotta get off my ass.

[A]

Yes, I got that 1%. Dude, that's your 1%. This is if someone. People ask all the time if the, the by far any plan on Patreon doesn't need to be the 20 bucks a month. Even the fucking $4 joint, you are approximately 1000x more valuable than any other listener. If I, if I'm selling you ads, if you're, if you're sitting through every ad on every YouTube video versus just giving us $4 a month, you're at least a thousand X more valuable as listener. We're gonna have thousand X more valuable as a listener anyway. Anyway. And then we get to answer your questions on the show. Let's see. Okay. All thrust, no vector says, I've got a Golf R, but I drove an ND3 Miata and I'm considering getting rid of the Golf R for the Miata for a daily. The Golf is close to needing new tires and coming up on a 60,000 mile service. Do you think if I do those items, would I get the money out of it if I sold the car at auction or at trade or how do I get rid of the Golf to maximize what you get rid of it. I would say try to trade it in as is, don't you? You never fucking service a car to trade it in. Try to trade it in as is, See what they give you for it. Then look at cars and bids and bring a trailer. Sold Golf R, the ones where they sell and see like close to yours. Find a comp like what does it go for? And then figure out how much of the tires and how much is the end. My guess is it's probably worth it to do the end. The service, but not the tires. If you're gonna sell it at auction.

[B]

Well, it depends on the miles. If it's 60k miles and what year is it?

[A]

Doesn't say.

[B]

Okay, so let's say 60k is low miles. I would do the tires if you're selling it at auction. If you are not selling an auction, I wouldn't do any of it.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, no, no. If you're trading it in, don't do shit.

[B]

Because a Golf R is the kind of the car. Again, let's, let's say it's a seven year old, eight year old Golf R, it's low miles. If that's the case, then what I would do is I would do all of it. Get the pictures professionally taken and the car is going to do well at auction.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It does. If It's a. It's two years old with 60K, trade it in, fucking dump it. If it's eight years old with 60K service, new tires, a good detail and photos and you're going to do well.

[B]

By the way, the new Golf R, the 8.5 Golf R, that's what I had in Michigan when I couldn't drive or couldn't walk. They changed the verbere seats. It's not the usual beautiful tartan like in my car.

[A]

What is it now?

[B]

It's like a modern tartan that looks like it has a surfboard that goes through it. It's terrible.

[A]

Oh, bummer.

[B]

Please change that Volkswagen.

[A]

Bummer. Jews control the weather tax which is.

[B]

Is that you? You answered the question.

[A]

No, that's the username, that's the person. Yeah, we encourage, you know, edgy.

[B]

Oh, this is on Patreon. These are Patreon Control the weather.

[A]

The name of this.

[B]

Respect for the craziness of this guy. I like this guy.

[A]

Sailing question. Have we seen the new Beneteau? First 30.

[B]

Does he know I was a sailor?

[A]

He doesn't know you were a sailor. But, but I haven't seen the new Beneteau, first 30. Let's take a look at it. I do like Beneteaus in general. Nice looking boat. It's got a tiller, open transom. Let's look in the interior.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

Decent looking V berth.

[B]

Looks like a six footer can stand up in that thing.

[A]

I like what they're doing with. Oh, what's happened here? I like what they're doing with the interior. It's a nice looking boat.

[B]

I will tell you. It doesn't have that, that very trademark Beneteau look to it though.

[A]

It looks like they've knocked off a J boat but without. It looks like a J105 but without the bow sprint.

[B]

The true Beneteau windows off to the side.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

That's what's there was. We were at, we stayed in Sag harbor and there was a God. Had to have been a 60 foot Beneteau.

[A]

It looks nice. It looks nice. This going looking the other way. If you're standing at the front looking at the back.

[B]

Yeah, that's good looking.

[A]

It looks so these, these Beneteau is a pretty, it's, it's, it's mass market by yacht standards. A lot of the charter and rental boats are, are these Beneteaus. Yeah, but the newest, they are made. Well, I mean they're, they're built really well.

[B]

One of these guys, one of those pilots has a Beneteau as well.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Oh, I gotta get this. So you'll appreciate this. I went to the. As I told you, I went to bridge and of course, you know, we go to the different dinners and they sat us down next to the, one of the sponsors who runs this boat company. It's kind of like the share thing you have when you share the boats. But it's not like you, where you run the boat you get. It's like a 46 or 48 foot boat and you get a captain and you pay one price and they give you, you have unlimited days. But here's the thing that's unique about it.

[A]

It.

[B]

The boats are like birds. They migrate from the north to the south. So they have the boats, a pool of them in Nantucket, Boston, Hampton, Chicago, Great Lakes and then they move them down to South Carolina, Florida and the Virgin Islands. Every year they back and forth. And here's the thing, they're like sold out. Like they have too many members and not enough boats. They're trying to build the boats faster. The company's like 10 years old.

[A]

What's the name of it again?

[B]

Doug and Evans I think or I had guy was suit the owner. Super cool guy. Used to be a Volvo guy. By the way, loves old Volvo station wagons. Now drives a Rivian.

[A]

We've just reserved a 50 foot catamaran in the British Virgin Islands for March.

[B]

March?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

Yeah. For. For my wife and I is the whole family. It's me and my wife, Zach and Sarah, my buddy Tim and my sister in law Jillian.

[B]

Awesome.

[A]

It's four cabins, four staterooms. Big, big boat. Nice. Yeah. So I captain and you know, because. Because we don't need a captain. And my. And my sister in law Jillian is a professional grade chef. You know, she runs the galley, I run the boat. And it's like cheap. Jackie and I want to come shockingly cheap. Well, you listen. You're talking 10 days on a boat. It's a, you know know it's a big boat, but with eight people. It gets small quick. You gotta. We have to audition everybody. But people have to approve, you know. My buddy wants to bring his. He's dating a new person. Yeah. And he was. We went last time and he was single. Now he's got a new person. So we need to like audition her.

[B]

So dinners. Yeah, I get it. I get it. You can't go eat. I don't want. Totally understand.

[A]

But Jews control the weather. Text is under the impression that the. That this is a foiling boat. But I don't see any evidence that this is a foiling boat. This looks like a regular boat.

[B]

I don't see no, no, I don't.

[A]

See any foils off the back. That's a rudder.

[B]

That's not the rudder.

[A]

That is a rudder. This is 100% a rudder. It has dual rudders. It's a tiller with dual rudders.

[B]

No, it's not a foiling boat.

[A]

That's not a foiling boat. It looks nice, but it's.

[B]

I gotta tell you, the two tone, that's pretty cool looking.

[A]

I do like the two tone.

[B]

I do like the two tone dot.

[A]

Yeah, I love a lot light blue hull. Oh, you love it.

[B]

Love. That's what this like. What's the name of the. Evans. Doug and Evans. Evans and something. All their holes are blue and they make their own boats.

[A]

That's not right. Doug. Doug and Ev. That ain't right. I don't know what it is, bro. They're sailboats.

[B]

No, no, they're not sailboats.

[A]

They're power boats. Evans. Evans and Sons. No, Doug Wright.

[B]

No, no, Doug.

[A]

Right. Doug Wright. Power boats is like they're based in New England Evans Boats. I don't know, dude.

[B]

I should have came more prepared.

[A]

Should have be more prepared, man. Oh, wait. Doug Evans. No, it's a guy. No. I don't know, man.

[B]

Maybe the last name is Doug or something.

[A]

I don't know, man.

[B]

We'll figure it out.

[A]

All right.

[B]

You can put it in the meta.

[A]

Johnny E.V. geuberman. George, if you sold your GT3, what would you trade it for? For.

[B]

You know what? I. I have a vision. If I could do this, I would want to own a GTD for two years.

[A]

I could see that.

[B]

Yeah. But I want to go back into a GT3 after.

[A]

I bet the GTD after. You drove it, right? You drive it yet?

[B]

Not yet.

[A]

It's real good. It's a good time. It really. It's enormous. But other than being enormous, it's absolutely fabulous.

[B]

I was a huge fan of the also Canadian Ford gt.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And that is why I'm interested in. I actually love the way it looks. I love it in the Burgundy. I've already done the research with the people that kind of know the market, and the people I trust are telling me that it will follow the GT3RS market. So I wouldn't. I think it's very expensive for what it is, but I wouldn't. I wouldn't feel like I'd be losing money.

[A]

$400,000 Ford, really expensive, but it's also, I think, pretty unique in the market. There really isn't anything that drives like that.

[B]

Is it that different?

[A]

Yes. Yes.

[B]

Give me three reasons why it's that different.

[A]

It's currently the only really track focused front engine, rear drive car on the market right now.

[B]

Does that feel like mid, A front, mid engine kind of deal?

[A]

It's not that it feels front mid engine necessarily, but the 5050 weight distribution is crucial to how nice it handles. And it handles absolutely beautifully. It takes curbs in a way that other cars up to and including the GT3Rs do not take curbs. It takes curbs much better than a GT3RS in my opinion.

[B]

Quite a statement.

[A]

In my opinion, it does.

[B]

So now you've made it more interesting to me. The.

[A]

It's also more practical because it has seats that fold and you can put shit behind the scenes.

[B]

We can do that now with a GT3 and a touring. They do that.

[A]

The 992.2 you can, but a GT3 RS you cannot. You will have to ideally wait for the next one.

[B]

We haven't seen the new GT3Rs. We haven't seen the dot 2 GT3Rs we have not.

[A]

But I mean we can assume it will have the folding buckets. Like all of them. They only make one bucket seat. So. So anyway, I think it is. I think the GTD is extremely unique in the marketplace and I think there are enough disproportionately wealthy Mustang enthusiasts to support it being valuable for a long time.

[B]

Oh, it will be sold out and I believe it will continue to increase in value. I don't think it will do what the GT did. Like the 17 to 20 GT went after the first two years they you were making a million dollars on that car. But now they're like 8, 900 grand, maybe 1, 1 2. For the Heritage livery, where previously a Heritage liver did 1516 and that was a $600,000 car.

[A]

Sure. I mean, I, I mean I think it's stupid that they were able to flip for so much and I don't think it's a million dollar driving experience.

[B]

It is a.

[A]

In fact, I drove one this past year after driving one back in the day and my opinion doesn't really hold up.

[B]

But the point is I think they've set. They've made a business case with that car where you can feel safe saying, yeah, I think it's too much money for a Mustang, but I think it's money in the bank.

[A]

Yeah. I think most people are confident that they will get their money out of it eventually.

[B]

If you really want a return on your investment, you buy a 79 Cadillac Eldorado. Dude.

[A]

But it doesn't feel that different unless until you start to like, you know, push it a little bit. You know, I mean, like driving in a good way. Yeah. Driving on a highway, it's better than like a dark horse, but it kind of resembles a GT500 from a year or two ago.

[B]

Does it do the GT3 trick, whether it's a touring or wing car? I am, I am of the belief, and I know I sound biased because I am an owner, but I feel that a GT3 is a more supple ride, ride quality experience around town because of that suspension. Meaning it doesn't beat you up. It's unexpected in that it's a better ride quality than the regular 911.

[A]

It's not though.

[B]

I think it is.

[A]

It's definitely like, I feel there's no way. No, no.

[B]

Okay. We just.

[A]

Stiffer springs. It has lower ride, it has bigger wheels and lower profile tires. It is a. No, it's not totally disagreeable. They're not. I'm talking the ST might.

[B]

I'm talking around town like right now I'm driving this. This the new the dot 2s.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And I. I can go back to back between my car and this car. And for a daily. I would rather my car 100% not making that up because I'm biased.

[A]

My. The GT3 test cars I drove before. Before the updated ST. Yeah. Were very darty and I didn't like that.

[B]

Oh, the steering.

[A]

Steering was dirty.

[B]

Steering. I'm talking about ride quality.

[A]

Oh. I don't really.

[B]

Supple.

[A]

I don't really separate the two because they're both annoying. I put them both in the box of annoying.

[B]

Yeah. Tell me how you really feel.

[A]

No, the box of annoying is what keeps me from. From wanting to daily drive certain cars. That's all.

[B]

I don't daily. Do you daily? You're a Spider.

[A]

My Spider?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

No, my spider has 6,600 miles on it.

[B]

After two are about the same.

[A]

My spike, my Spider has about a 300 pound clutch on it. It's a full weight clutch to hold that power. So there's just no chance I've been daily. The Manx. Love that thing. It's the greatest.

[B]

Shifters.

[A]

It was only. The only reason I didn't drive it today is because it rained this morning and I washed it yesterday.

[B]

Yesterday. Yeah.

[A]

But I. I've been going back and forth between the Manx and the Vespa.

[B]

Nice.

[A]

Need nothing else. It's great.

[B]

It's been. I gotta tell you, it's. It's been beautiful. The weather for the past two, three weeks here and everybody's complaining. And I'm saying in a month you're gonna be complaining. It's cold.

[A]

No, that's what happens in la. I like, I like fall very much. I have a lot of great light coats. Let's see, what else do we have here? Hmm. Interesting. Uli Kunkel's Autobahn. Very good. Got a 67 Austin Healey. Mostly original. It's a driver, not a concourse car. The intention is to keep it as a family heirloom. The Inline six is. Appears to be reaching the end of its life. Would you A, invest in a rebuild, B, swap in some type of V8 or C, convert it to electric?

[B]

I have a view on this, on all these types of things. I am a big believer in your job as a car guy. A prudent car guy is you are managing a fund. Now for the avoidance of doubt, I'm not saying buy cars to make money. I'm saying buy what you love. But you want to preserve as much of the value as possible so you can continue to play the game. The idea is you want to level up, and the best way to do that with a Healey is to keep it as original as possible.

[A]

I. I kind of agree. Ignore what I'm doing with my hands.

[B]

George, you're buying me a watch.

[A]

I know. I'm just on you. Finally gonna get my next fucking thing is what's happening the next question. I'm on the next question. I just want to have the image ready, but I. So the intention is to maintain it as a family heirloom. I would say the first question is, which one of these three options do you actually want to drive? This is what you know, do you. Does the idea of a British Roadster EV is that exciting to you? Is the idea of putting a V8 into this car exciting to you? Or is the idea of like. Like, keeping it as it was, but also, like, if the engine sort of is fucked right now, I think you'd be shocked at how nice it is if you really restore it properly. So, like, which of those things is most appealing to you? This is your money. You know, there's. Yes, it's a family heirloom. It has financial value, maybe to somebody else besides yourself, it has emotional value. But I would say a rebuild, a swap, or an EV conversion, you're probably talking 40, $50,000, at least.

[B]

And there's another piece that goes into it because it's British. And I learned this not the hard way, but I learned this when I got into the Lotus world. British cars are very specific about the way they're set up. And Miatas are the same thing. You don't want to put bigger wheels and tires. You don't want to put a lot more power in a car like that because it disturbs the dynamics of a car like that more than it does like a Camaro.

[A]

Sure.

[B]

And that's what. That's the one thing I would caution if you did want to spend 50 grand to repower the car.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. Tackophile recently bought a Laurier Hyperion GMT watch. Lovely photo of it here. Wondering where it falls on the tribute homage continuum. It's undeniably inspired by the Pepsi gmt, but I'm telling myself that it's not a copycat. Look, I got. I gotta say, I don't. I don't really see this as a copycat. I mean, obviously it has the Pepsi bezel, which plug. At this point, everybody's done. I mean, Tudor and Seiko and Citizen and like every Timex, everyone's done a fucking Pepsi bezel. So just the presence of a Pepsi bezel does not a copycat make the date windows in a different position. The hands are a different shape. The case shape is very different. It's a flat link bracelet, not an oyster bracelet. There's no crown guards. I say this is not a homage or a tribute watch. I think this is a uniquely styled watch that like many other watches happens to have a Pepsi bezel.

[B]

I would agree with that. I would. If it were me, I would want something a little bit different. Like actually we talked about the Tudors that do this. A buddy of mine, the guy I went to Sal's Pizza with in Marinac, he has the Tudor version of this. That's titanium.

[A]

Yeah, the Tudor GMT is nice. Gorgeous, yeah, really nice.

[B]

And it has a blue face.

[A]

Oh yeah.

[B]

I wanted to take it from him.

[A]

So I don't know how much this costs.

[B]

I think like what are we talking about on these things?

[A]

For your Hyperion gmt, how much do you cost? You cost? We have a price.

[B]

We don't have a price. I guess it's free today.

[A]

Oh boy, it must be, must be zero. Come on, man. No price.

[B]

Oh, there's no window on the back?

[A]

No. Oh, here, 6.99. Well, it's about a quarter. It's about a quarter to a sixth of the price of the Tudor.

[B]

So I mean that's free.

[A]

Yeah, I mean for that kind of money. I think, I think it is not for that kind of money. A lot of watches are like literal Rolex knockoffs. This is different than that.

[B]

I think the market's changed and this is what, they know this about you, but they don't know that I'm a watch junkie as well. I feel like the entry point used to be here and now it's kind of moved up into like the twelve hundred dollar range for something like this.

[A]

I disagree. I think we have a lot of micro brands and smaller brands now that are doing a really good job at the entry level of like 200 to $1,000. There's a lot of different stuff. Some of it is very derivative of Seikos and Omegas and shit like that. Other things are incredibly original and artistic. And you know, it's important that those, that those brands exist. It's important that not everyone who wants a cheap watch only has like two options.

[B]

But it's not really about having a cheap watch. Like you and I remember you and I, I asked you about, hey man, where can I get that Seiko 5 with Arabian flair. And I couldn't get it. And long and short of the story, I ended up going to the Geneva auto show on a media trip and I searched far and wide in Doha and I ended up going at like 8pm to the distributor of Seiko.

[A]

Get out of here.

[B]

And he ended up pulling two of them out of a shipping box that were already sold because I, I told him that I traveled all this way and I was buying the gift from me and my nephew for Christmas. And that was.

[A]

That's usually the lie you have to tell to get a Rolex, but it wasn't a lie.

[B]

It was the truth. And I gave the watch to my nephew and his parents were like, what are you doing? Torn out. Why are you giving him this watch? Because there it was. I think I paid 150 bucks for it. But here they're worth two grand. If you're going on those, like you look at certain colors, they're up to two grand.

[A]

Oh, the one that I bought. But you could still get on Amazon for like $252.99.

[B]

A Seiko 5 with the Arabian flare.

[A]

Black dial, Arabic numerals.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[A]

It's like $250 watch.

[B]

250.

[A]

Yeah, it's like 250 maybe if there's some special colors you can't get. But the black style, the black dial, basic ass shit.

[B]

Yeah, love that. And so the reason why I bring it up, a watch doesn't need to be super expensive.

[A]

It's.

[B]

If it's unique, sure, of course. Just like the cars. Yeah, you don't buy a car, you buy a story.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Last one and then we're gonna O. Right, four over. Crest says just getting into cigars and I'm interested in learning about hand rolling them as a sort of zen like hobby. Any advice or wisdom for someone with zero experience, it's probably a good time.

[B]

To bring out the gift. Sure. I gotta be honest with you. I am a cigar guy. I am a cigar aficionado.

[A]

And yes, we know.

[B]

I can't honestly tell you I know anything about rolling cigars on my own. Like, I've watched it. I know a woman to call here in LA to come to a party and she will roll cigars for you.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, I've seen that too.

[B]

She is also Bo's girl that rolls cigars.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

But I am not the person that would do that. However, there is a place you can go to and Believe it or not, in Key West, Florida. And they will teach you how to do this.

[A]

Listen, hubby, if you don't want to go To Key West YouTube, you can use anything. Look, this. This channel right here looks like has. What's the name of this channel? I just found this right now. Now. Bliss Cigars Cigar company. Don't know where they're out of, but shout out to them how to roll. Just fucking mad tutorials, dude. Mad tutorial.

[B]

That's everything.

[A]

Yeah, but like I wouldn't learn how.

[B]

To fly an airplane.

[A]

I mean, look, I'm not saying this seems like super easy, but like it seems like there are resources for you.

[B]

I could see this being very therapeutic.

[A]

I bet it is.

[B]

This might be a rat hole. I go down and I might try it myself.

[A]

Or for me to stressed out cigar roll.

[B]

Never.

[A]

Are they doing.

[B]

No, it's. It's like the old parable of the guy from Wall street goes on vacation in like rural Mexico and he sees this guy fishing.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And he says, why don't you get more a boat, catch more fish and then you can get more boats. And the guy keeps on asking why? Why should I get more boats? So you can have more time. Do whatever you want. He's looking at him. But I already do what I want.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, exactly.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

My. This is my. My good friend Marty, who exited the rat race because all he ever wanted to do was save up enough money to go fishing in scuba diving. Diving. Moved to Delray beach and became a fishing and scuba diving guide. And makes lovely town $12 a year. But does the thing he wants to do every single day.

[B]

He lives in a. Hit this again. He lives in a wonderful. Delray beach is lovely.

[A]

I mean it's, you know, it's Florida, but Florida's great if you're in the water every day. Last one. Everything clean but the ashtray. Automotive writing question. 20 year. I want to say. This is supposed to say I'm a 20 year old freelancer. I don't think you're a 20 year veteran freelancer. 20 year freelancer. 20 year old freelancer who just started in automotive via Jalopnik.

[B]

What can I do like Jalopnik Today is still a thing.

[A]

I'm pretty sure. Yeah. Still a thing. Yeah. Wow. Exists.

[B]

I thought it was called the Utopian now.

[A]

No, some people from Jalopnik left and went to start the Autopian. But there is still a lot. Yes, absolutely.

[B]

Is it one of these that is run now by like a investment fund?

[A]

I don't know the exact structure of it, but, like, I do know that it exists and content is put out.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

Yes, I do.

[B]

Okay, well, I wish you the best.

[A]

Yeah. But question is, what can I do with that growing portfolio to basically get more gigs in the automotive space?

[B]

There are a number of things you can do there. The way I, I. The way I did it.

[A]

Have you ever worked for anyone else doing this? Yeah.

[B]

When I first started, I would write and get my articles on a large men's lifestyle site called Crave, which now no longer exists. And that was an opportunity for me to get a lot of reach early. Like, they had huge traffic. So I could, when I started, I could pick up the phone and say, hey, can I have a car? And people would say yes, because I was with Crave. But the way I like to answer questions like this is I like to answer them like, how would I do it? How would I address the issue? And the way I did this was I treated it like a business. Many people who are in this world, they are in it for, hey, I can drive fancy cars or I can go travel for free. You know, they're in it for a certain lifestyle.

[A]

Sure.

[B]

If you approach it like a business, you get up in the morning early, you have a routine that you start your day and you spend, let's say, peel off an hour or two every single day where you're pitching, and people are going to say no. At some point you're going to develop 30, 50, 80 outlets. That's what it takes now to be a freelancer, because you're going to have to find at least 30 outlets to be able to pitch, to get, say, five stories sold a month. The freelancers, sort of like a Tim Stephens.

[A]

Yeah. The freelancers that I know who go on press launches will do the same kind of car for like three or four different outlets.

[B]

Yes, a lot they will.

[A]

Yeah, it's a lot.

[B]

But they have 30, 40 outlets they can go to. So the biggest thing I would say to you is you need to treat it like a business. But I would also, and this is where I think you and I are both very biased about this. I wouldn't want to be in a freelance world. I would want to figure out a way where you can create your own distribution, your own content, your own play, where you control your destiny. Because with all due respect, and maybe this is too, inside baseball, the numbers that freelance pays now, you can't eat.

[A]

Yeah, they're not. It's not great. And also, you can never count on the Fact that like the fucking outlet won't go under or whatever or they.

[B]

Won'T pay you for six months.

[A]

Yeah. I mean I would say the best thing you could do for yourself.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Is if you have traction at Jalopnik or whatever, somehow try to parlay that into your own social media outlets or website or whatever and maybe, you know, use that to create your own thing and. Or like, like George said, you know, figure out who is the web editor for various outlets and that usually you can find that with very basic research. And don't just send them your portfolio because they're not going to like come find you. You have to like, like actually like write a story or something, a cultural criticism or a non car review piece and send it in and go, hey, I'd like to pitch this story or this story that you've already written but haven't appeared anywhere yet.

[B]

Another big aspect about this is you have to understand something called the integrity of your product. When you're first starting, you probably do want to give away a little bit for free so you get your name out there so you can network with the car manufacturers, whoever you're trying to get access to with. However, there is a point at which you have to say no to what I call maintain the integrity of your product where you no longer can give away the content for free or even at a low rate. There are unfortunately many freelancers that are taking like the ones that go on those drives sometimes make as little as $25.

[A]

I mean that's great. They're on a prep, go on a press launch to make and they make $25.

[B]

I mean a lot of outlets are frequently anywhere between between 175 and 500. And you think about it, you and I, you and I run a business and you and I have spent a lot of time talking about this over the years. You're going to take me out of the office for three days?

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

What is that worth?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And as a result, a lot of.

[A]

Times it's not about being, it's not like greedy like this. It's not literally physically like you have to be somewhere else absolutely for this much time. You can't be doing anything else. And then you have to create content from after that somehow.

[B]

And this, I don't know, what is his name? What's the username of this guy?

[A]

Everything clean but the ashtray.

[B]

Everything clean but the ashtray. Of course you also want to smoke cigars as you're doing this.

[A]

That's not a cigar reference.

[B]

I'm gonna go with cigars.

[A]

There's a.

[B]

There's a. I understand your reference.

[A]

I want you to go. There's a homework for George. Between now and next time you come on the show, you need to see the great white hype.

[B]

I will start, finish. Okay.

[A]

And you need to. To stream or download whatever the song Big Truck Driver by Mystical.

[B]

How am I going to be terrified?

[A]

That's where everything clean but the ashtray comes from.

[B]

I guarantee you that my boxing gym places every day and I just don't know.

[A]

You would know it. It's a car guy song. It is a car guy song.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

It's an ode to this dude's like, big Escalade on rims.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

That's always clean except for the ashtray, because he's rolling around puffing blunts.

[B]

Okay, now I'm gonna listen to it.

[A]

Yeah. Miss the cow. Big truck driver. Great beat, too.

[B]

So. So this guy is everything but the ashtray.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

The point I was trying to get across to this guy was I. I want you to make sure you understand that, yes, it's cool to drive these cars, but your job is you have to put food on the table.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

20.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And at some point, you got to figure out where you're going with this. You got to ask yourself, what do I want to be when I grow up? A lot of people don't ask these questions.

[A]

Hey, hang on. Let me give you a solo shot.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Looking at it right now. Yeah. Yeah.

[B]

So this is.

[A]

Come on, dad.

[B]

This is my. This is my dad dad jacket for you.

[A]

Let him have it, dad.

[B]

This is. This is my. My advice to someone starting out at 20 years old. A lot of people in this world like Matt. Matt's an old man as well.

[A]

I am. Look at this beard.

[B]

We were just talking about his 50th birthday. We're having a hell of a 50th birthday.

[A]

That's not for seven years, but still.

[B]

We're going to talk about it in all seriousness. A lot of people in this world, most of your friends that are 20 years old, they can sit here and tell you what. What they don't want to do. But maybe 5% of people on this planet could tell you what they want to do. You need to be the 5% that needs to figure out, where am I going in this world? Because we can sit here and say, oh, my God, the days are so long, and how do I get through my workday of a job? That sucks. But what you don't realize is decades are short. Like, I met this guy a decade ago, and I feel like I met him yesterday. And you need to make the most of that decade.

[A]

Yeah. I mean, and if you're getting gonna. Like, the thing about being in automotive journalism, it's like, it's like being in a band. Like, how do you stay successful in a band? It's like you have to revisit yourself and not break up. Like, you have to. You know what I mean?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Like, someone asked Eddie Vetter, like, how did you guys, like, have you guys stay, you know, been so successful for 35 years? Like, well, it's. You know, it's a lot easier if the band doesn't break up, you know, like, and. And it's like that, like, a lot of the people that I know now that are, like, in positions of power at places like Porsche and, you know, carmakers or wherever, they were, like, interns when I first started, and we used to party together all the time, and, like, we both just stuck around long enough that, like, you're a somebody and I'm a somebody and we got the keys to the kingdom. But it takes fucking 15 years to do that.

[B]

You have to be patient. That's in every industry. I would agree. The other thing that's really important in this industry, that is very hard for people to do, and Matt is probably the best at this, and that is being honest to your audience. I'm also very honest. You are very good at it. So am I. And we get in trouble for it. There are certain car manufacturers that basically say, we are not giving you a car because you were too honest. And the reality of the situation is your customer is the viewer, not the car manufacturer. Now, that doesn't mean you can go on camera and say, this is a pile of shit and walk off camera. There's only one person that can do that. No. And he got away with it many years and now owns a farm. Okay. But the reality is you need to be honest and learn how to do with something called the shit sandwich. I love this about the Infiniti G37. I do not like the lights, but I do like the engine.

[A]

There you go.

[B]

That's called the shit sandwich. You need to get good at the shit sandwich and be honest.

[A]

Pro. Great advice right there. Let's make sure everybody knows where to find you. The. The new YouTube channels are Moto Man.

[B]

Everything is going to be MMTV and.

[A]

Then on MMTV cars and then MMTV podcast.

[B]

So. So all the socials, meaning Facebook, Instagram and X, those are It's Moto Man TV and the main cars channel where you see moving cars, MMTV cars. And then the main podcast channel, mmtv.

[A]

Barely moving people.

[B]

And you can still type in Motoman tv and it'll cut. You'll. You'll find it.

[A]

They'll find you. They'll find you down at the cigar lounge.

[B]

Can we do the gift now?

[A]

Oh, yeah, sure.

[B]

Why don't you something special?

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Back from New York. Oh, because we are both from New York. I don't know if they know this. Do you remember Nat Sherman?

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Okay, so the gentleman that used to run Nat Sherman before Marlborough drove it into the ground has reissued the cigars. And so this used to be their habano Nat Sherman that is now issued as a metropolitan.

[A]

I mean, okay, so, I mean, I know habano is like. It's Cuban. Well, this is not Cuban.

[B]

Well, think of it in terms of like the level of.

[A]

Smells great.

[B]

Oh, it's magnificent as the level of spice. Think you got the natural, then you've got the Maduro, which is on the other end of the spectrum. This is right down the middle. But I will tell you that one has a little bit more kick than most.

[A]

What else you got?

[B]

Yes. Oh, these are. These are my father judges. I figured if we're gonna have gars, I brought one for myself, too.

[A]

This smells great. Thank you very much. You continue to try to teach me about cigars. I don't know. But you know, I like a mild to medium cigar of about this length.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And that's pretty much all I can tell you about the kind of cigars I like.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

But every year now because, you know, know, because we had our cigar day on our day off on the Ionic 5N launch.

[B]

We did and found it amazing. Hellums or Helms?

[A]

Helms Hellams, the one on. On the main street in Monterey, has.

[B]

Been open since I went there for pebble beach this year.

[A]

I did too. I got. I did too. I went. I didn't hang out, but I got. I get. I go on Wednesday and then get my cigars for the week. Super nice for the fire pits. It's Spanish.

[B]

Well. And we did smoke at the Spanish Bay together. Although I missed you on Sunday night. Sunday night I was still tied up.

[A]

Sunday night I fucking had to go have a car breakdown. Thank you to our patrons for asking such good questions. Thank you to anyone. George brought by for stopping in. Hope you. Hope you stick around for a while. And I am now gonna be gone on the road for two weeks. This episode's gonna air week after next because we're getting, we're getting ahead because I'm going to be on the road for two weeks. So I'll see you with road stories from road and track experiences and performance car of the year.

[B]

Oh, so this is all road and track stuff.

[A]

It's all road and track. Two week road trip for road and track.

[B]

See this goes back to your guy, the, the ashtray guy. You networked your way in there and you knew people from back in the day.

[A]

Yeah, I also got famous first on YouTube. That was. It's easy to get a writing job if you get famous first doing something else else. That's very easy. Actually I don't recommend trying that. It's not a great secure strategy. But should you find yourself in that position, know that writing for a small amount of money awaits. Thanks everybody. We'll see you next time.