← The Smoking Tire
The Smoking Tire
Larry Chen
01:41:58
Larry Chen is one of the most skilled and famous automotive photographers of this generation. His clients include auto companies, race car drivers, organizers, events, and everything in between. Most recently, he's known for his video series on Hagerty that showcases car culture around the world. From underground clubs in Tokyo to royalty in Asia, American muscle collectors to wheel makers, the show is a true look at every corner of the automotive world. Today Larry brings us the amazing story of how he got access to the Sultan of Brunei's cars; Larry's new photo book; and what it was like seeing his own Nissan GT-R featured on the prestigious lawn of The Quail. Larry's show: https://youtu.be/TWhimSwbxE4 Patreon questions include: Car communities that challenged his expectations Getting hit in the face by cars Which point-and-shoot to get Automotive personalities that inspire him The Nissan Z Nismo manual Should he upgrade from his Supra to a different camera car? Is ...
Loading summary
Transcript703 lines
- [00:00]
A
What's up, everybody? Welcome to the Smoking Tire Podcast. Today's episode is brought to you by off the Record, as always. Look, we all get tickets. Everyone who drives a car pretty much will get one sooner or later. What you shouldn't do is plead guilty to that ticket. That's just handing over your money not just to the government, but also to insurance companies and potentially putting you in jeopardy of losing future employment or current employment and other benefits that you need a clean driving record for. What you need is off the Record. If you go to offtherecord.com TST off the Record will connect you with a qualified attorney in the jurisdiction where you got that ticket, and they will fight that ticket for you to get those points off your record. Off the Record has an excellent, excellent results list with very high percentage of wins. And if they can't get those points off your record, you don't pay. So go to offtherecord.comtst today to get 10% off all legal services booked through off the record offtherecord.comtST all right, on this episode of the podcast, my old pal Larry Chen is in studio. He's got a new book out called Life at Shutter Speed, and we're talking about it and the stories behind it. Plus, he went to Brunei and straight up asked the sultan to see the cars.
- [01:30]
B
The.
- [01:30]
A
That's crazy. And he's gonna tell us the story on this episode of the Smoking Tire Podcast. Let's go. Larry Chen.
- [01:38]
B
Yeah. Glad to be here.
- [01:40]
A
Cheers. Benvenu. Author. Author Larry Chen.
- [01:44]
B
Never, ever in my life I would have thought that I would be writing. I would publish a book, I guess.
- [01:51]
A
Do you. You did do some writing in this book. Your new book, Life at Shutter Speed, a lot. Hypothetically. Just wondering the. The definition. If you did a book that was only photography and had no writing in it, does that also make you an author?
- [02:07]
B
That's a good question.
- [02:08]
A
Ask your agent. I. Oh, that's just Ryan. Ask Ryan.
- [02:11]
B
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Ryan.
- [02:13]
A
I know your agent Ryan. Yeah, Ryan. Chime in. In the comments.
- [02:16]
B
Yeah. I kind of feel like maybe. Yeah. Because it is a book.
- [02:21]
A
Yeah. Making a book. An author. Author writes books. Yes.
- [02:27]
C
The dictionary says a writer of a book article or report, someone who writes the writings of a professional author.
- [02:35]
A
Okay. So there you go. If you want to remain an author. No, once an author, always an author. Life at Shutter speed. That's a good name for a book.
- [02:42]
B
Thank you. It is my life. This is legitimately my life's work in one book. And so so many people help me, including yourself.
- [02:53]
A
Well, you didn't need to write a book to come on this podcast, but you did it anyway.
- [02:57]
B
No, but I'm saying, like you, I photographed you and you're a part of the story.
- [03:02]
A
Yeah. I mean me wrapped in cool looking cars, which is my favorite costume. So I'm happy to do that.
- [03:09]
B
Yeah.
- [03:09]
A
Yeah, you should do it again with. With Sparkle Monkey down there.
- [03:13]
B
I would love that. And then also one of the few film photos that I published in this book was with your Mustang.
- [03:21]
A
Yeah.
- [03:21]
B
Yeah.
- [03:22]
A
Man, that's some grainy, awesome shit. I have a big one of those on my wall at the house.
- [03:27]
B
Yeah, that. That was a time period when I had the time to do that. Right. Because the way this book is laid out, it's backwards chronological. So as soon as you turn the first couple pages, you get into my 2024 photos, which I think is probably some of my best work. And then as you flip the pages and you go back 20, 21 years, because it starts in 2004, it kind of de evolves.
- [03:56]
A
The light gets a little harsher, the pans get a little slower.
- [04:01]
B
Well, my.
- [04:02]
A
Yeah, I know.
- [04:05]
B
You could see my skill develop, but you can also see my style change. And the main thing is you can see the technology, the tech and like your worsen. Yeah. Well, because as you go back, the sensor technology is not as good. Right. Oh.
- [04:21]
A
As worsen in the book. I thought I was like. I thought you meant in real life. I was like, oh, yeah, as an exclusive. That technology sucks now.
- [04:28]
B
Right. Like the. The dynamic range is not as good, the lenses aren't as sharp. This, that and other. But the main thing for me is that you can see. Very early on, I wasn't really pushing composition and light and pushing what photography was, car photography, like, in terms of what's possible. What I was doing early on was just relying on relationships, taking pictures of people, telling stories, a lot of friends and just the, the story, whatever's happening in general versus relying on beautiful shapes, beautiful colors, complementary colors. And that style for me just develops over time. And it's something that I'm super proud of.
- [05:18]
A
Richness. Right. You're trying, you're. You're. The photos get richer and richer and richer in color as they get newer.
- [05:26]
B
Yeah. Yes. But also it's just what I'm photographing. It's what I'm focusing on, what I'm doing, what I'm chasing. And you'll see also over time, I shoot more kind of like in the middle of the Book before I started doing video and then come around 2018, 2019 when I started doing my own show on the Hoonigan Channel. That's when I started slowing down and I started doing both. I started doing video, YouTube and I also did stills at the same time. And now unfortunately, I wouldn't say stills is on the back burner, but it's just like a extra thing in addition to what I do, which mostly I'm just doing video and telling stories.
- [06:14]
A
Now is that like. So is this, I mean, is this book sort of like the complete catalog of stills then, you know, wake, since it's now sort of just not really a thing anymore?
- [06:31]
B
I'm glad you mentioned that. It's something that I thought about and when I say this is my life's work, I don't think it's the. All of my still photos that I'm going to do. I'm going to still continue shooting still photos. It's something that I can't let go. And for example, this past trip that I went to, I went to Brunei and we'll get into that after we finish talking about the book. But I always have my still camera with me and I always have to take still photos because A, it's something I can't let go, but B, it got me to this point. Right. It's storytelling a different way.
- [07:10]
A
Yeah. I laugh because like that's kind of why I make YouTube videos the other way.
- [07:15]
B
Right?
- [07:16]
A
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [07:17]
B
So with that said, it's not a, like a stopping point. It's more of a time stamp.
- [07:23]
A
Okay.
- [07:23]
B
Like I figured I'm a big round number guy. I love round numbers. And 20 years, it's actually 21, but it's, it's mostly 20 years of full on, just all out shooting non stop and all of it, it's about 5 million pictures that I whittled down to a little over 2700 pictures.
- [07:50]
A
That is fucking crazy.
- [07:52]
B
It's a lot of pictures. And you know, the thing is I have had two camera bodies. 5 million is pretty conservative because I've had two camera bodies that both have 1 million actuations over 1 million.
- [08:04]
A
Yeah.
- [08:05]
B
So there's a really good chance it's well over 5 million, but there's just no way for me to say 5 million.
- [08:12]
A
You're not, when you say you went from 5 million to 2700, you're not talking.
- [08:15]
B
Yeah.
- [08:17]
A
You're talking about 5 million frames shot ever.
- [08:20]
B
Yes.
- [08:21]
A
Okay. All right. So you're not talking about like you have previously edited down you know, you know, the work. And now you're talking about 5 million finished photos. All right. That would be almost impossible.
- [08:33]
B
Well, the, at the height of my shooting, around 20, 15, 16, 17, I was shooting about half a million a year.
- [08:42]
A
Yeah.
- [08:42]
B
And, and then surrounding that, there were some years that were 350 and then before that obviously less and less and less. Once you get to the earlier years, it's down to 10,000, whatever. And then now it's a lot less also. But with that said, I still depending.
- [09:00]
A
On what you're shooting, I mean like when you've shot me and my cars, it's been, it's not been heavily action, it's been more portrait stuff, most of it. But if you're shooting, you know, motorsport, you know, you might be machine gunning, you know, if you're chasing a drifter around a full lap of a track, you might, you might machine gun 2000 frames, you know, no problem. Right.
- [09:26]
B
Well, you'd be surprised. Right. So for your Mustang, I did both. I shot with film and I shot some with digital.
- [09:33]
A
Yeah, I guess, I guess we only have ever really just everything. We use some digital. But I think the film ones were just more interesting.
- [09:39]
B
Well, it was more of a backup. Right. So then I think around that time I was averaging about maybe 500 to 700 photos for a car feature because I, I wanted to make sure that I told the whole story about the car. Every angle, inside and out, all the details, all the patina, all of that. And then of course there's photos of you with the car. I'm pretty sure there's a film photo of you in this car with your glasses and your whatever stripe Rastafarian.
- [10:08]
A
It's so funny that it was. Because it was like, it was actually a Deus hoodie, the whitest shit. It was the most Brooklyn white kid shit ever.
- [10:17]
B
But then I did a shoot with your Safari 911 and that was probably 2,500 photos because there was a lot of drifting, there was a lot of sunset running back and forth, a lot of dust. So I was laying on that shutter pretty heavily because there's just so many frames in between. That is just like the perfect. Hey, your tire picked up for this microsecond and it looks cool for that moment.
- [10:42]
A
But also if you're running, if you've got two cameras mounted on the nose of your car and you're running chase around a racetrack, you know, you probably. And you know the flow of camera car catches subject car. So you know, but as you're coming in. You're right. Like, isn't that still the style, the way to get that shot? Because you're also driving the car.
- [11:06]
B
That is my favorite thing ever. Being able to drive and film. It's my two passion rules put together.
- [11:13]
A
I told you. I didn't tell you. We were talking to Zach about this and my friend Mike came to visit last week from la. And you know the stuff that we get to do every day you sometimes, like, don't really think about.
- [11:26]
B
You took him out in the Alpha and he was blown away, right?
- [11:28]
A
Well, first we were doing car to car in the fucking roof rodeo on a closed road. And I'm like, street drifting this car, you know, right off the bumper of the camera car, which is an Aston Vantage Roadster. And he's like, you're out of your mind. This is the craziest shit I ever seen in my life. And I was like, oh, yeah, it is. This is kind of sweet.
- [11:53]
B
You know, this is the thing is when I pick up my camera, it's my special day.
- [11:57]
A
Yeah.
- [11:57]
B
You know, I absolutely love, love shooting still so much. And with, with those moments, like you're you. I don't know, it's just something that you're used to, but you also still enjoy. I know you enjoy it.
- [12:12]
A
We're not going to flip through the book on camera, but like this right.
- [12:15]
B
Here, this shot, I shot that with my Supra.
- [12:17]
A
Yeah. Which is that. And probably this with your shot with your.
- [12:20]
B
Well, that was with my 240Z. So that was before I got my.
- [12:23]
A
So do you. I mean, do you remember before you got your Supra when you and I were at Grid Life in the BMW M2 and we had mounted cameras on the. No. And we were doing this. And I remember when we were chasing around the drift cars in this car, just going. We have our own private view of this action. The best view that nobody else could ever get.
- [12:45]
B
The best view. Yeah, because we're right in their door. And I don't know if you remember, I was pushing you to essentially get close as possible, but you have to back off to let them transition. Otherwise they'll take the nose off of your. Your press car. They'll take the complete front end off.
- [13:02]
A
And we're just getting. And there's a lot of smoke. You have to always stay like upwind of the smoke, otherwise you just can't see anything. It's pretty wild.
- [13:10]
B
A lot harder than people would imagine. And, you know, I was doing it.
- [13:15]
A
With video cameras on the Nose. So all I had to do was drive. You then put a still camera on the nose and you're riding right seat and firing.
- [13:24]
B
Yeah.
- [13:24]
A
Now you, you are driving and. And triggering. Do you have like what, a steering wheel trigger?
- [13:31]
B
There's a couple ways I do it. I actually have a mouthpiece trigger that people use.
- [13:36]
A
Like a quadriplegic?
- [13:37]
B
No, skydivers. That's what they use to trigger a shutter. And when they mount it on their forehead.
- [13:43]
A
So what do they do? Bite on it?
- [13:45]
B
Yeah, they bite on it.
- [13:46]
A
Seriously?
- [13:46]
C
The same one that you handed my then girlfriend to?
- [13:50]
B
No. Well, I just gave her the entire remote. I took the entire remote and just gave it to her and she helping me. So I prefer to have an assistant. Yeah, but if I have to do it solo, then I'll do it myself. But I had it on the steering wheel. Yeah, but it actually is very difficult to do on the steering wheel because sometimes I have to counter steer and you know, because sometimes you just get out of. Yeah, you have.
- [14:16]
A
Yeah.
- [14:17]
B
People don't realize how fast these guys are going.
- [14:19]
A
Really fast.
- [14:19]
B
They're going really fast. The, the wheel speed is like 150 miles per hour. Even though they're drifting 60, 70, 80 miles per hour. But, but when I've been following these individuals at Road America or at Laguna Seca, they can drift up to 125 miles an hour or more. It's insane. So I'm literally going as fast as I can.
- [14:42]
A
I mean, I know you love your Supra, but I wonder if we were starting from zero and going, let's build the perfect formula D chase car. Do we want a rear drive car? I think you actually want an all wheel drive car like a 911 Turbo. That would actually stay cleaner at a higher speed even though it's really fun to also drift behind people.
- [15:06]
B
I think the two would be 911 Turbo, Turbo S or R35 GTR.
- [15:11]
A
Yeah, but R35 GTR would be fucking boring. Those cars stink.
- [15:15]
B
Yeah, but with it overcomes the weight with technology.
- [15:20]
C
Yeah, that's what Chris Harris's guy uses, Neil. Like I was his grip. What do you call it? Grip whatever. But he had, you know, big cameras mounted on it and stuff. And if you're going fast and you're chasing people like, yes, the car is boring on its own, but when you're doing what you're doing, it's not boring.
- [15:34]
B
So a couple of things about the book guys.
- [15:36]
A
We got to take a quick break from the action because support is Coming in hot from Quince. These cooler temperatures are rolling in and as always, Quince is where I'm going to turn for fall staples that last. From cashmere to denim to boots. The quality holds up and the price still blows me away. They've got all kind of fall staples you wear non stop. Like a super soft 100% Mongolian cashmere sweater. Starting at just 60 bucks. You best believe I am getting one of those. The denim is durable and fits right and their real leather jackets bring that clean classic edge without the elevated price tag. What makes Quint different? Well, they partner directly with ethical factories and skip the middlemen. So you get top tier fabrics and craftsmanship at half the price of similar brands. I haven't tried the Mongolian cashmere sweater yet because it's still 80 degrees every day here in LA. But I've got their linen products from the summer and I am in fact impressed. I have linen shirts from at least six or seven different brands. The quince ones were the most affordable and they have held up to multiple normal cycle washes, travel and they are in the running for most worn linen shirts of the summer. They've really gonna become a go to for me across the board and you betcha I'm getting one of those Mongolian sweaters. So keep it classic and cool this fall or if it's still summer where you live, grab them linens with long lasting staples from quince. Go to quince.com tire for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's Q-U I N C.com tire Q U I N C.com tire free shipping, 365 day returns. That's quints also brought to you today by Rula. Look, I have been in therapy for over 20 years. Probably 25 years actually. Most of it's been in person, some of it's been online. I actually find the benefits are about the same, one or the other. But here's the problem. Finding a therapist is always the problem. My current therapist is in his 70s and I'm dreading the day I have to find a new one. If you're starting from scratch, you don't know where to turn. And then once you find one, finding one that takes your insurance is gonna be tough, right? But Rula makes sure it does, right? That's really important because if therapy is an ongoing thing, you have to keep doing it for a while. It's not like seeing a doctor once. And if your insurance doesn't cover it, it can get crazy expensive. But Rula they do it differently. They partner with over 100 insurance plans, making the average copay just 15 bucks a session. That's real therapy from licensed professionals at a price that makes sense. Your insurance benefits will cover your physical health. So in this case they should absolutely do the same for your mental health. The experience is tailored around you. Right? Rula considers your goals, preferences and background and performance. Provide you with a curated list of licensed in network therapists who are actually aligned with what you need and available for booking. It's all in one system. And then Rula sticks with you throughout your journey, checking in to make sure your care is helping you move forward. So go to rula.com tire that's r u l a.com tire r u l a.com tire for quality therapy that is covered by your insurance. Now back to the show.
- [19:07]
B
Couple things about the book. It's one of those things where I really tried my absolute best. I curated it to the point where every single picture for me was important. These photos on.
- [19:20]
A
I bet that cover took you forever. Well ever to get to that.
- [19:25]
B
Let me tell you why it took me forever because I wanted to choose these photos where they would only show up once. Right. So if it shows up on the COVID it's not going to show up in the book, but they're still significant. And you could see like we even.
- [19:41]
A
I bet that drives you nuts.
- [19:42]
B
No. Well, we even made sure not to print the barcode on so you can take the barcode off so you can see that picture that's covering.
- [19:51]
A
Oh shit. It also, that could have been a good like use for like if you had found a photo where like, you know, it was a shitty composition and you know, it was out of whack and the car was like off in the corner but the barcode like actually fit. That would have been a fun spot. But removable is key.
- [20:07]
B
Yeah. So that way it still has ISBN number, you know, still in the Library of Congress. So every photo very important. You know, you have Mara Andretti on here. You have a lot of these significant moments. But I didn't want to put something that was so important that it would take up a space here, but it wouldn't have like a two page spread in here. Right. So you take this slip cover off and then you have a photo of Pikes Peak and we did like a fun gloss thing on it.
- [20:36]
A
So yeah, it's actually got a really cool. If you, if you bend it through the light, it looks like the, the headlight tracks up Pikes Peak. Are Almost like painted onto the book.
- [20:46]
B
Exactly.
- [20:47]
A
Slick.
- [20:49]
B
So we wanted to make it look like cars are moving and you can kind of see like a live photo.
- [20:53]
A
Yeah, that's cool.
- [20:54]
B
This photo can never be recreated ever again. It's just the way that they run the race. It's this. During this time period, during sunrise. Right. So what they do now is they'll run the cars when they're dark already. So this is just all the pit vehicles going up. So I went up early and it was just this time period and I think it was because there was a fire and they had to move the race. So it was during a different time in the year.
- [21:28]
A
Yeah, yeah. So the light came in at a different angle, so I was able to get that again. That's like the one of my Lambo outside. You can. That shot can never be taken again either.
- [21:38]
B
There's so many of these, like, rip or window, of course. Right. So many tracks, so many roads, so many places that you can never recreate, obviously, the back. I can never recreate this, unfortunately, because this is Ken Block.
- [21:54]
A
Because of Ken.
- [21:54]
B
Yeah.
- [21:55]
A
But it's a great shot. What rally is.
- [21:57]
B
This is a rally in Spain. Rally Catalonia Road.
- [22:02]
A
Look at that. That's sick.
- [22:04]
B
This is significant for me because this is such a good story about Ken. This was a stage, and believe it or not, on the stage, every single person competing, including Sebastian Loeb, whoever was competing, they had to do a donut around this roundabout and then continue on. And that was part of the stage. It was in the notes.
- [22:26]
A
Yes, but do donut on roundabout.
- [22:29]
B
Guess what? Ken did more donuts. So he. He told me and his photographer, Ron Zaris, and he basically told the team, like, look, if I'm not going to win this stage, if I'm back, I'm just going to do donuts and I'm going to stoke out the crowd.
- [22:46]
A
Yeah, yeah.
- [22:47]
B
And so we're like, okay, let's go. Let's plan for that. And this, all of these people, they just started getting so stoked because it was just Ken just doing donuts here. And the story of this is these individuals basically were there all day just to get this spot. And we call this Poo Mountain because it's. There's nowhere to go to the bathroom.
- [23:11]
A
Oh, my God.
- [23:12]
B
And they basically just went to the bathroom everywhere. And this. This is the sacrifice.
- [23:17]
A
Worth a thousand words, but not a thousand cents.
- [23:20]
B
Exactly.
- [23:21]
A
So it literally glosses over the fact that this whole area was just feast city feces.
- [23:29]
B
Yeah, yeah. But so just a couple is on.
- [23:34]
A
Its last legs, man.
- [23:35]
B
A couple other little fun things about this. The first this.
- [23:39]
A
I like my. I like how mine is a pre pro.
- [23:41]
B
Yeah. Yours is a 1000.
- [23:44]
A
Yeah.
- [23:45]
B
So the first picture in this book is something that I have never published before. This is the first time anybody's seen this picture. And the reason why is because this picture, somebody paid me $70,000. Not me. Someone paid $70,000 for this picture to exist because I auctioned myself off for charity.
- [24:05]
A
Oh, yeah.
- [24:06]
B
For one day. I don't know if you remember this on Bring a trailer.
- [24:08]
A
Yeah.
- [24:09]
B
And it went for 70 grand.
- [24:10]
A
Oh, cool.
- [24:11]
B
And I went to the guy's place where.
- [24:12]
A
Where in the world in general, I can't say. What country was it?
- [24:16]
B
It was in the U.S. okay. And then so he commissioned Nismo to build him like a perfect spec.
- [24:24]
A
Sure.
- [24:25]
B
Basically.
- [24:25]
A
Well, one of their, like, restoration things. Yes.
- [24:29]
B
But this one was taken down to bare metal, acid, dipped, sealed, all that. Which makes it like. I think they call it a fine spec. Which is a brand new car.
- [24:39]
A
Wasn't that like the one they just did at the auction?
- [24:43]
B
Wasn't.
- [24:43]
A
Oh, it wasn't.
- [24:43]
B
That was a restoration. But they get it just down to adhesion. Yes.
- [24:49]
A
Oh, I didn't realize that it wasn't that. That wasn't as high as they.
- [24:52]
B
This is even more.
- [24:53]
A
So this probably why it didn't make the number, huh?
- [24:55]
B
Exactly. So this, if you sold this, it would go for more because this from Nismo is already over a million dollars.
- [25:01]
A
Does Build by Legends go that far?
- [25:06]
B
Yes, yes, they do.
- [25:08]
A
That BBL car I drove was the real deal. That thing was sick.
- [25:11]
B
So they do. And that's through Garage Yoshida.
- [25:14]
A
Yeah.
- [25:14]
B
And Garage Ishida restored my car.
- [25:16]
A
Yeah.
- [25:17]
B
But my car wasn't stripped down to acid. It was stripped down again to adhesion.
- [25:22]
A
Yeah.
- [25:23]
B
And then pretty much as far as you can go without actually dipping the entire chassis in a bunch of different baths. But still charge for that.
- [25:33]
A
Did they offer that?
- [25:34]
B
And you're like, it's so much more.
- [25:36]
A
It's got to be a ton.
- [25:38]
B
It's ridiculous. I mean, but for what it is, do you want a brand new car or not? You know, if you can afford it and if it's something that you want and you weren't around when the car was new, then you have to pay for that.
- [25:50]
A
I get it.
- [25:50]
B
Yeah.
- [25:50]
A
Did. Let me ask you and. And I want to come back to the book, but since you brought it up.
- [25:55]
B
Yeah.
- [25:56]
A
Does your car. Which is gorgeous and was done by experts of experts. Yes, does it feel like a brand new car?
- [26:04]
B
It's, it's still. Yeah. I mean it feels like a, a 25 year old car. I mean it is, it already felt really nice when I had it. It was in really good condition, but it just. That much. That little extra step.
- [26:21]
A
Yeah.
- [26:22]
B
In terms of like less rattles, just certain things. Part of it is because in that era of Nissan, the cars weren't built that well, to be honest.
- [26:32]
A
Which is funny because like, I don't know, I don't, I don't think they were built that badly compared to like what a 2000American I had. I had a C5 Corvette, homie.
- [26:42]
B
Yes, I get that. But if you look at my car and if you look at my build series on it on, on the Hagerty YouTube channel, I show that my car's not that bad. But it was just left outside. Okay, it might have been covered, but it was outside and the paint was faded. And when they cut open my shock towers, it pained me to watch them cut open the car. But there was a lot of rust under the shock towers and it was just because Nissan didn't put rubber where they should have put the rubber. Right. Because as soon as you drive on wet roads, what does the tire do? It shoots up the water into the shock tower area.
- [27:23]
A
Yeah.
- [27:24]
B
And if it's not sealed, then it'll rust no matter what.
- [27:28]
A
So, but, but I mean after when you got it back from this, you know, year long process, bare metal respray, etc, did it, did it then feel like a, like a brand new car? Folks, we got to take a quick break for car gurus. Look, if you're looking for some super classic enthusiast car, we know where to go for the spots, we know where those bodies are buried. But if you're talking about regular cars, cars for most people, cars for going to work, going to the store, that's most cars. Those purchases are actually more annoying because there's so many cars, so many sites and it's so much confusion. That's where Cargurus is here. They help you cut through the noise, showing you the best deals and in depth vehicle details so you can feel confident about your purchase. Because when it comes to your big deal, you deserve the best deal. These are expensive things. They need to last a long time, they need to need to work with your lifestyle, they need to be reliable, stylish, etc. And it's like dating. You gotta swipe through a bunch of options. Some look better than they are and you just hope you don't end up with good enough while you're looking for great. So how it works is Cargurus connects you with trusted vetted dealerships when you're ready, ensuring a transparent and hassle free buying process. With over 4 million listings, CarGurus has more car listings than any other major online automotive market marketplace in the US So you can find the best deal. Cargurus gives you the control to shop how you want to shop with the tools, information and data driven ratings you need. It's no wonder that similar web estimated traffic data shows Cargurus is the number one most visited car shopping site. Buy or sell your next car today with cargurus@cargurus.com that's C A R G U R US cargurus.com make sure your big deal is the best deal and lastly we are brought to you today by Liquid iv. This is some good stuff here. It helps. It helps hydration, it helps with vitamins, nutrients, electrolytes, all the stuff that you need in your body and you probably aren't getting enough of all in a single stick that you drop it into a bottle or cup of water. Very easy. One stick of liquid IV in 16 ounces of water is more hydrating than water alone. Liquid IV replaces necessary nutrients lost from everyday dehydration and most of us are dehydrated most of the time. It's got 100% daily value of four essential B vitamins and an excellent source of vitamin C. You could use it before a workout when you're feeling rundown after a long night out on long flights. That's a good one after those long flights where you're not like moving so you don't notice how dehydrated you are. But a little boost after a red eye to somewhere far away, that is what's up. You need that. And I love the taste. I love the berry flavors. I love that. I had a party out last night. I was up pretty late. Had a little Liquid IV this morning before work and I am now ready to go. So get some for yourself. Ditch the glitch with zero sugar and zero crash from Liquid IV. Tear, pour and live more. Go to liquidiv.com and get 20% off your first order with code tire at checkout. That's 20% off your first order with Code Tire@liquidiv.com and now back to the show.
- [30:58]
B
I mean I'm still working on it to this day. Like we just upgraded the brakes to R35 brakes. It even feels better now.
- [31:05]
A
I don't by the Way mean new. Like, does it feel like a 20, 25 brand new car? I don't mean that. I mean like compared to this amazing gold thing.
- [31:13]
B
Yeah.
- [31:14]
A
I drove this, which is okay. Acid dipped the works. The best one can get.
- [31:17]
B
Yes.
- [31:18]
A
Was it notably better than what you've got?
- [31:21]
B
This one? I have to say the main difference is that they got all new interior panels. And mine are the same ye. But now we're starting to source new interior panels. I got a bunch from Z1 Motorsports for whatever reason.
- [31:34]
A
Okay.
- [31:35]
B
They stock a lot of R32 to R34 panels. And I'm starting to source things little by little. But it's just like little things. All right.
- [31:46]
A
But that's not okay. So interior. I got it. Like. So the acid dip thing is only for the I don't give a fuck crowd.
- [31:54]
B
Yes.
- [31:55]
A
For money. Doesn't matter. I don't care for everyone else. You're not really missing out is what you're saying.
- [32:01]
B
How about this? I bring the car and you and Zach can drive it. So you can.
- [32:05]
A
I would have a go in this. Oh, yeah. So I love an R34. They're great.
- [32:11]
B
Yeah. I know you. You've driven one in Japan. Mine.
- [32:13]
A
Five or six different ones. They're all great. It's hard to find a bad one.
- [32:17]
B
Mine makes stock power. It's verified dynoed on. On garage. You shooters. Dyno makes 330, I think at the wheels. At the wheels. That's stock. Yeah, stock. Stock. 100% stock. But it feels slow compared to my R32, which makes around 500. But it's. I feel like a million bucks driving that thing. I drove that all the way up to Monterey car week and I showed my car at the Quail, which is so crazy.
- [32:47]
A
Not fun.
- [32:48]
B
Talk about a huge rite of passage. I know you've. Have you showed other cars at the.
- [32:51]
A
No. It was my first one too.
- [32:53]
B
How fun was that?
- [32:54]
A
Really fun. I had a cigar ready for the drive out. It was great.
- [32:58]
B
Just.
- [32:58]
A
I really enjoyed myself.
- [33:00]
B
I never ever thought I would be able to do that. And just like I never thought I would be able to publish a book. So many rite of passages, you know, for a real car nerd, it meant the world to me, really. It was so cool for people to be able to see the car, meet so many people that appreciate it. You know, A couple years ago, I don't think they would have let R34 into the show. No.
- [33:23]
A
I mean, I think since Philip has become more involved, the younger person at the Quail. I think the. The audience and the cars shown and all that has shifted accordingly. I mean, I don't think there's. I mean, look, all you have to do is look at the auction prices. I mean, no one is questioning if an R34 Skyline is a legit collector vehicle at all.
- [33:50]
B
It's just so funny to me because I was on the Quail Rally with all those other vehicles that I.
- [33:58]
A
Old shit, right?
- [33:59]
B
Yeah, old stuff. Old stuff, but like the Pagani, Huayra, and Lamborghini this and Ferrari. I don't even know how to pronounce some of these names.
- [34:07]
A
Oh, Doichi Cylindri, I think, is the correct name of that.
- [34:11]
B
Anyways, when we're driving.
- [34:13]
A
Fuck, I better get it right before we review that thing.
- [34:15]
B
When we're driving along, the kids, the car spotters, were just going nuts over my car flipping out. Because they're like, okay, Ferrari, Ferrari, Lambo, McLaren Pagani. Oh, my God, it's a GTR. And they're just like.
- [34:29]
A
Kids love flipping out. Yeah.
- [34:31]
B
And I think to myself, oh, my God, This. It's. It's just hilarious because I'm the only Japanese car, only Nissan on the rally. And, yeah, people just appreciate it. It makes me happy because originally, when I purchased the car, it was never about how it performed. I could care less. I get that you can make a thousand horsepower. Who cares? For me, it's about the aura, about the story, about the way it makes me feel when I drive it, the way it looks, you know, it's just of my generation. Yeah.
- [35:02]
A
Yeah. If you grow up playing Gran Turismo, this was the car.
- [35:05]
B
Yes.
- [35:06]
A
When we were in high school and early college. What are we doing? Nurburgring. No Skylines. That was like, the thing. And then you drive it and you go, oh, shit. It wasn't like, just a cheater car in the video game, like. And, you know. Cause we didn't know about, like, Group A when we were 16. We didn't have fucking YouTube and shit. So, you know, But. But. But we had Gran Turismo. And so that was really one of the things. And then you drive and you go. It's not disappointing, really. Drives actually, like, really nice, really good. Yeah.
- [35:35]
B
So we'll close out on the book. It's pretty. $125.
- [35:40]
A
It's pretty. And you should buy it.
- [35:41]
B
It's available.
- [35:42]
A
Firebird rules. This white Firebird.
- [35:44]
B
Yeah. Riley says, God damn.
- [35:46]
A
Is that. That the one? That's, like, the wide. Wide. Boy, fuck, that thing's awesome. You should. Everyone should buy this book. It's sick.
- [35:53]
B
So yeah, if you guys want to pre order it, we're shipping them this week.
- [35:57]
A
Oh, cool.
- [35:57]
B
Actually, so I, I just came from seeing the container full of books.
- [36:02]
A
That's gotta be fun.
- [36:03]
B
Rewarding on Amazon and also on carrarabooks.com but if you purchase it on carabooks.com or Amazon, it doesn't really make a difference. Obviously if you do it from Amazon it helps us bump up the. The ladder in terms of like car books. So definitely direct from the publisher.
- [36:22]
A
You don't have to support the oligarchy.
- [36:24]
B
Yeah, yeah, that too.
- [36:25]
A
Also that.
- [36:25]
B
So, so we give that option.
- [36:27]
A
It's okay.
- [36:28]
B
So I definitely appreciate everyone for, for supporting me on this book. This is just.
- [36:33]
A
Or go to a local bookstore and have them order it for you.
- [36:36]
B
That works too.
- [36:37]
A
Support your local bookseller. God, this book's so pretty. Larry.
- [36:40]
B
Thank you.
- [36:41]
A
I would give this one to a fan except I'm not going to because I want to keep it. This one with the sparks. These gymkhana stuff's great. Man, I'm so happy for you. There's so many good pictures here.
- [36:53]
B
Two things real quick. So I am doing a public book launch at the Peterson Museum. I'm announcing that soon. So first time talking about it. That'll be on October 5th, Sunday. So anybody can come and check out the book. I'll be there signing copies. But it'll be like a public fun meet. It'll also be able to buy a.
- [37:16]
A
Ticket or register somehow or can you just show up?
- [37:19]
B
You. If you're spectating, you could just show up. If you want to show your car then.
- [37:22]
A
Oh, it's like one of the cruise at one of the cruise ins. It's a cruise in right Morning.
- [37:26]
B
It also happens to be the last day of the Ken Block exhibit. So if you want to come and see the Ken Block exhibit before it goes and come check out the book. If you want me to sign the book, whatever. We could do that. I'm also going to announce one really, really special event that I'm doing. I don't know. Did you see this meet that I did at the Queen Mary earlier this year? No. So I did a meet at the Queen Mary the day before. Formula Drift. 1750 cars showed up and yeah, it was, it was really.
- [37:57]
A
How many were you expecting?
- [37:58]
B
I don't know.
- [37:59]
A
But not that.
- [38:01]
B
So. So we are going to do another meet.
- [38:03]
A
Oh, fun.
- [38:05]
B
But this time we're going to do it in downtown Long beach and we're going to take over the entire parking structure in downtown Long Beach. 800 spaces.
- [38:15]
A
Like the middle one, like that's two or three blocks from the beach.
- [38:19]
B
Well, it's the one that the Long Beach Grand Prix course goes around.
- [38:23]
A
Oh, okay.
- [38:24]
B
So it's going to be the Type S Night Lights Meet. It's a Formula Drift pre meet and it's presented by Pennzoil. So that one is going to be on October 16th. It's free for everyone to come.
- [38:36]
A
That one I can come to. I'm traveling for the other one.
- [38:39]
B
Yeah, you should. You should definitely wait.
- [38:41]
A
You see October 5th. Yeah, I'm traveling for it.
- [38:43]
B
That The.
- [38:44]
A
The Petersen one. I'm traveling.
- [38:45]
B
Are you.
- [38:45]
A
This one I can come to.
- [38:46]
B
Are you going to lift? Is that why. No, I am something else.
- [38:50]
A
Huh?
- [38:51]
B
You're going to something else. But I'll be at Lufton. I have to fly back for that event.
- [38:54]
A
I'll be at a performance Car of the Year.
- [38:56]
B
Oh, cool.
- [38:57]
A
Which is a thing I cannot complain about being at. That we find. But no, I will definitely. I would like a spot at the Long Beach.
- [39:05]
B
I'll save you a spot. It's a lot of fun because we're going to have like a fun Tokyo Drift moment where we have all the Formula Drift cars come up the. The entire parking structure. But legally, obviously, you know, they'll rev. No, not drifting. They'll. They'll. They'll rev and they'll pop some bangs. All that shoot fire.
- [39:23]
A
That'll be very loud.
- [39:24]
B
I'm basically bring headphones. I'm gonna try to recreate the Tokyo Drift moment the best of my ability.
- [39:32]
A
Legally, within reason, but.
- [39:33]
B
But also with the support from city of Long beach, which is so cool.
- [39:36]
A
Yeah, yeah, Long beach is all right.
- [39:38]
C
What time is the event?
- [39:40]
B
It should start like 5 or 6pm.
- [39:45]
A
But it on the calendar. Yeah.
- [39:47]
B
And it'll end at 10. But let's get to Brunei.
- [39:51]
A
We will. Yeah, we'll have to bring some cars to that.
- [39:54]
B
Yeah, that'll be fun.
- [39:55]
A
Tell you how many spots I need. Okay. So I saw this on Instagram and I was like, what the fuck is Larry doing? So what are you doing over there?
- [40:03]
B
A lot of people talk about, oh, man, one day I want to see the collection. One day, you know, how cool would it be to see the Brunei collection? Has anybody actually gone to Brunei to try to see any cars? Do you know of anyone that's gone?
- [40:17]
A
And I mean, there's like an Instagram account that claims that the family of Brunei is not happy with them. They get sneaky Sort of clandestine photos of stuff and have other photos of stuff. I don't know. I haven't tried to see anything. I don't know anyone who actually has. No.
- [40:35]
B
So over the past couple of years, I've been shooting a lot in Southeast Asia. I've been shooting my show, capturing car culture, and I've been meeting a lot of people from Brunei. I've been meeting people from that region. And I feel like up until this point, I've haven't really made enough connections to really make it happen. Right. So just this last time I went to Malaysia for this show, I met some of the organizers from this show. In Brunei, they call it the Borneo custom show. And Borneo, is that that entire island?
- [41:11]
A
Yeah.
- [41:11]
B
And in the island, there's three countries. There's Brunei, there's Malaysia, and there's Indonesia. And so then Indonesia has a whole bunch more.
- [41:20]
A
It's a. One of. One of the islands. Yeah.
- [41:22]
B
Yeah, it's one of the islands, yeah. So this one island, they have this one car show. It's the biggest car show of the entire island. So out of those three countries, and obviously the biggest in Brunei, and they've been going on for eight years. So I thought, okay, this is my end. This is at least my. I wouldn't say cover story, but it was my way to make connections on the ground, make some friends and actually go there and check out the show. But shoot my shot at shooting some royal cars or some collections. Right.
- [41:54]
A
Are you pretty rough, well known in that area. Like, if you show up at this show, at least a certain number of people will know exactly who you are.
- [42:03]
B
It was insane. And you know, the thing is, in Southeast Asia, most of these countries, they're English speaking, right? Especially Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines and Hong Kong. Just a lot that region and a lot of Indonesia, a lot of Thailand, they're English speaking and they consume English content. So I didn't really understand my viewership. I didn't really understand these individuals until I went on the ground shooting their car culture. And Brunei especially, it's crazy. The percentage of people there that watch my content absolutely blew me away. So, long story short, I took the steps to go. I made some connections with some royals that maybe are a little further away from the crown, but they're still royals, they still have royal blood. So went there right away, got onto their radio station because their radio station, of course is government owned, but they still listen to the radio every single day. What got there kind of put it out there that I want to see some royal stuff. And it was very well received. I was very surprised. I met so many people. I brought. I kind of keep track of how many people I meet by bringing stickers and I give out stickers. I brought 2,000 stickers. I'm almost out. Like, I almost ran out. So I met so many freaking people. But I met the sultan, the king, you know, the sultan, his brother Jeffrey who started it all, and also the crown prince who's going to take the throne eventually. You know, when the sultan either passes away or when he wants to move on. And also his two brothers. So I met pretty much the top. Yeah, I met. It's so insane. It's like going to England and meeting the king. Like, how long, brother?
- [44:16]
A
How long did that take? You landed.
- [44:18]
B
It was.
- [44:19]
A
I'm shaking the hand or you know, salute.
- [44:22]
B
Two days.
- [44:23]
A
Two days. Pretty fucking good.
- [44:25]
B
It was.
- [44:25]
A
Honestly, I think fucking Bond would be pretty impressed with that. So that's pretty amazing.
- [44:34]
B
If you could just picture this, like, think about.
- [44:38]
A
Nobody could meet. Think about coming Larry's like, hold my beer.
- [44:43]
B
Think about going to. Coming to the US and just two days meeting the president from. From nothing.
- [44:48]
A
I mean, I know you couldn't do it from nothing. I think it would be about $280 million. You could show up here and make laws, it turns out. But yeah, I get the point.
- [44:58]
B
But like any other country with royalty or anything like that, like, that just doesn't happen.
- [45:05]
A
So who among that group was like, oh, I know, Larry Chen, let's hang out.
- [45:09]
B
Which. Which by the way, this is completely first time me talking about this right fall. Like you guys are getting the exclusive, the scoop. I'm gonna, I'm not gonna tell you everything. I'm gonna tell you up to a certain point.
- [45:21]
A
Another book?
- [45:22]
B
Well, no, it's not that. It's. We shot a whole hagerty capturing car culture episode on it. A very detailed documentary. And I'm going to put all of that out. Showing this entire thing, this entire process of me, you know, going from Singapore to Brunei because that's the only way you can get there. And then showing me going to, you know, the royal, all of this, everything, every bit of it, I just documented it to my best ability and I'm going to lay it out there.
- [45:52]
A
You can get to Brunei is from Singapore logistically or just legally? Just really?
- [45:57]
B
Yeah, logistically. So. So went to Singapore, went to Brunei, met up with a lot of local car culture enthusiasts that were also royal. And I wrote a letter to Prince Mateen, who is in charge of the collection now, okay, so what happened with Prince Jeffrey is he went bananas, bought all these cars, as you know, and a lot of people know who follow the story. And he got in trouble. Right? He got in trouble, and so he couldn't keep the car collection. So what happened is the car collection got moved to another government agency that takes care of it. And it's. It was called Band two. Now it's called Band Three. And the locals told me it's. The reason why it's called Band is because it's, like, it was banned.
- [46:54]
A
Yeah.
- [46:54]
B
So they had a. They have Band one, Band two, and Band Tree. And it's. It's spelled very weird. So when it. They spelled it bantu. It's T O O. Now it's spelled tree, as in T.
- [47:06]
A
R E, N, D, B, A N, D, T O, O. Okay.
- [47:12]
B
This is the government entity, okay. That takes care of every single one of Jeffrey's cars.
- [47:18]
A
Okay.
- [47:19]
B
And now Prince Mateen, the son of the current sultan. Sorry, I knew I was gonna do it. Don't bang the table. The. The Prince Mateen, who is the son of the current sultan.
- [47:36]
A
Yeah.
- [47:36]
B
Is taking care of the entire collection.
- [47:39]
A
On behalf of this other entity where they took them from his uncle.
- [47:44]
B
Yeah. Okay. So my goal was to meet Mateen and ask him if we can shoot this collection. So I wrote a letter to him and also wrote a letter to his office, because our friends on the ground are friends with him and the people that surround him. He was able to receive the letter, and he did say he wanted to meet me, and he already knew who I was. So once we got onto the ground, we already had a bunch of collections lined up with a bunch of royals. In fact, we had four separate collections that we already had access to. Okay. To film. Okay. To tell the whole story once we got on the ground. And once this ball started rolling and I went on the radio and I started posting saying, you know, meeting people one by one, those collections dropped like flies.
- [48:43]
A
Oh.
- [48:44]
B
So we think somebody in the royal family was like, no, this isn't happening, and just started actively shutting these things down. I don't know. But from the text messages that our contacts got, from the text messages that we saw where it's like, positive, positive, positive. All of a sudden, they all go negative. Like, at one certain time, all at the same time, we think there's a group. Somebody.
- [49:10]
A
The Royal Group chat was like, yo, yeah.
- [49:13]
B
Somebody is like, nah, this ain't happening. So what do we do? We're like, okay, let's meet them in person. And ask them face to face. So it just so happened to be the king celebration for his birthday that was postponed because I guess he got ill for whatever reason. And they have two celebrations for his birthday, One on one side of the country and one on this other side of the country. So I just happened to be there.
- [49:40]
A
Boss.
- [49:40]
B
Move.
- [49:41]
A
In a country that small.
- [49:42]
B
Yeah.
- [49:42]
A
Well, you're about to ask the king a favor on his birthday. That's.
- [49:46]
B
Well, here's the thing, man. My. Our contacts on the ground, like I said, they are royal and they had seats at the table or at this event. And they're like, larry, just come along with us. He already wants to meet you. Let's just make the introduction and you can talk to him in person. And I'm thinking to myself, how is this even a thing? How is this possible? Like, where in the world does this exist anywhere else? We're talking about a relatively small country. Okay. Half a million people, but still. Yeah, it is. It is a legit royal family. Like, I saw the palace.
- [50:25]
A
Yeah. But now that I think about half a million people, if that's it, it. There's, you know, there's probably only fucking 2 or 3 degrees from anybody to a royal.
- [50:35]
B
Right? That's. Yeah, that's the thing.
- [50:37]
A
That's like. When I went to Iceland and I was driving to the only McLaren to ever go to Iceland, everywhere I went, they were like, I knew you were coming. Yeah, my cousin told me you were coming everywhere. I knew you were coming. I knew you were coming. I guess, you know, it is crazy. And I'm not trying to take away from it because you. There had to be multiple levels of permission and approval, probably beyond what you even know about. But, like. But now that I think about it, in a population of a half a million people, everyone's got to be only a couple of degrees from the king.
- [51:10]
B
So.
- [51:10]
C
But just imagine Larry, like, his, you know, his head with camera popping up in this photo.
- [51:15]
A
Dude, your next book should be like a Where's Waldo book. But it's Where's Larry?
- [51:20]
B
I shook his YouTube channel and we. I shook his hand. I told him, it's my first time to run. I excited about meeting the people, you know, the people are so friendly. Beautiful country. All that gave him the whole spiel, you know? But, yeah, we went there, watched Prince Jeffrey land in his own Blackhawk helicopter and then watched the king land. He's flying his own Blackhawk help helicopter. He flies his own 747. He's a pilot and also the sons.
- [51:55]
A
Are pilots, too, flying around in a Blackhawk? Is that practical?
- [52:01]
B
Who cares? So they land. They. They come and. We didn't know Jeffrey was going to be there. We didn't know Prince Jeffrey was going to be there. We. I already was excited to meet Prince Mateen, who is in charge of the collection. We. I had no idea that the guy who started it all in terms of car culture and Brunei being one, being something that you can't separate anymore.
- [52:25]
A
Yeah.
- [52:26]
B
The guy responsible for it was there.
- [52:29]
A
Yeah.
- [52:29]
B
He lands and then he. He gets in his. It was like a. I don't know, Taycan or something, drives over to the assembly area. The Sultan gets out with his sons. He gets in his G Wagon, which is the only vehicle in the entire country that doesn't need a license plate. He gets in his G Wagon, they assemble, they do the whole thing. And what they do with his birthday celebration is they meet like the local politicians. They meet the local. Local politicians, local families, local royal families, local businesses, like all the oil companies and all the people that his subjects, essentially. Right. So they all line up. And I was embedded with this one company that does a lot of the oil stuff, but they also tune the fastest cars on in the country. They built this crazy R35 GTR. I think they're building one that's 2500 horsepower right now that pilot cars. Right. But anyway, so I'm along with these guys, and then so the royalty comes, the king or the sultan comes first. You know, I say thank you, whatever. Amazing country. I take a selfie with him, and then Jeffrey comes along. Prince Jeffrey. I go up to him, I'm like, you know, I gave him the whole spiel, you know, I'm American, first time to Brunei. Can I photograph your car collection? And he looks at me, he's like, I haven't seen my own car collection for so many years. Why. Why would they let you shoot it if I haven't even seen it? And he's like, if you wanted.
- [54:14]
A
That's a fair question. You're asking the wrong.
- [54:15]
B
Exactly, exactly. He's like, you're asking the wrong guy.
- [54:18]
A
I have no access.
- [54:19]
B
Yeah, he. He's out.
- [54:20]
A
Nice to meet you. I have no access.
- [54:21]
B
What, because he got exiled or he self exiled for, I think about a decade after all that stuff happened? Because there was just whatever. Just not a good look for him to be around for whatever reason. I. I don't want to get into this.
- [54:38]
A
Excess.
- [54:38]
B
Yeah. I don't want to get into that.
- [54:40]
A
Either way. He can't get into the car collection is the point.
- [54:43]
B
Can't. So then he. I don't know. Maybe he can. Maybe publicly, he has to say that.
- [54:48]
A
But Prince Mateen is the guy, right? So that's the guy.
- [54:51]
B
He. He's. He jokingly is like, hey, talk to my assistant. I talked to his assistant, and he's like, he's joking. Just. Just leave him alone, you know? So then I go to the two other brothers, the crown prince. I again say, thank you, you know, glad to be here. Tell him I'm American. Talk to his other brother, super nice guy. He's like, oh, you're from Los Angeles, or whatever. Then Prince Mateen, last one, the one I want to talk to. Yeah, he comes up to me first thing. He says, hey, Larry, he knows I'm coming. You know, he knows what I'm there for. And I ask him, hey, can I shoot either your collection or the main collection, the private collection? And he's like, let's talk in private. And he just connects us with his secretary.
- [55:40]
A
It's got to be. He's got to be last in line. Pressure. If he's first in line.
- [55:44]
B
He talks to his secretary, and he's like, just exchange numbers or whatever. But my. My contacts, they already knew the secretary. We were already talking, and that's how we actually got him the letter. So then basically, we'll leave the story off here. I will say I did get to shoot roller cars, and I'll tell you guys privately after. After filming, but I want to release everything the spot.
- [56:14]
A
Don't give away what you can sell, Larry.
- [56:17]
B
I know, I know. I want to put together, like, a really good episode detailing this entire journey. And it's gonna be long. It's gonna be probably over an hour. Because I really put a lot of effort into this one. You know, the crazy thing is just me showing and documenting, you know, watching them land their helicopters and just face to face, you know, taking selfies with them. That whole process leading up to that was already crazy, and then everything else after that. So, yeah, that's wild. It's so wild because, yeah, so many people. This is the last untold major car culture story in my eyes. Like, it's forbidden.
- [57:00]
A
So we've been told.
- [57:02]
B
So.
- [57:02]
A
So, yeah, we've also been told, you know, the cars are in total disrepair. The cars are. You know, the cars are this, the cars are that. It's always been kind of a. And yet some, you know, you. Every once in a while, you'll see X Brunei cars that have sort of made it out Something happened to them.
- [57:22]
B
What? One of the big stories that I do talk about that I'll let you guys know about is the fact that I try to convey how much of a trickle down effect there is. It's huge. It's insane. Like you cannot, at least for a car person doing all these car things. In Brunei, you can't go to a car thing without meeting somebody or meeting an owner and being proud of the fact that this was an ex royal car and on paper, documented. This is. This was registered to the Palace.
- [57:53]
A
You mean in Brunei?
- [57:54]
B
In Brunei.
- [57:55]
A
Oh, yeah.
- [57:55]
B
Like you want to talk about a serious trickle down effect. It is insane. They've done so many auctions and they've gotten rid of so much of the collection and it could be crazy cars, it could be insane.
- [58:09]
A
But yeah, they also had like 500 black S classes. So there's.
- [58:13]
B
Exactly. There's a lot of that. There's a lot of that. And for example, I met with the individual that was with us that also has royal blood. He bought a. Just like a regular 3 Series, E36, 325i.
- [58:29]
A
Yeah.
- [58:30]
B
At a royal auction. Registered to the Palace, I think actually registered to the Ministry of Finance, which is what Prince Jeffrey's thing was. And he bought it for $3,800.
- [58:45]
A
Yeah. You know, I mean, it's because to most people it's like 325. Who gives a shit?
- [58:49]
C
This ad you put a picture of is funny. It's an ad for an auction and it's like $200 cash deposit required per vehicle.
- [58:56]
B
200 Brunei dollars.
- [58:57]
A
Oh, yeah. The band two vehicles for sale.
- [59:00]
B
That's how they spell it. Band two.
- [59:02]
A
Yeah. B, A, N, D, T, O, O. Yeah.
- [59:05]
B
Look how. And it looks like it was done in Microsoft word. Yeah, right. 2012.
- [59:09]
A
Yeah. This is A. And this, like, this one's really funny because it's a replica. I don't understand why the people with all the money and also access to get very real Ferraris would have a replica. But okay, sure. But it's fun.
- [59:24]
B
Like, you could see their pink slip. It's blue.
- [59:26]
A
Yeah.
- [59:27]
B
It actually says Bantu. Look at this. Ministry of Finance. That's where it's. That is where it's registered. That's the address. Like, how crazy is that? Like, this is just so cool to me being able to tell this story. So.
- [59:44]
A
Yeah, yeah, man, I hope that. I hope you get to see some of the. The actual good stuff, not just the fake fan Ferraris, but the paperwork is hilarious.
- [59:52]
B
Yeah. So there was a lot of that, I mean we, we spent four days on the ground. But of course leading up to that it was months and months of planning with the locals.
- [60:03]
A
But what about the car show? Was it, was it awesome? What are people driving?
- [60:06]
B
Dude, they're, they are car obsessed there. Like it just, it trickled down in terms of the cars, but it also triggered down in terms of the enthusiasm for these vehicles. They are car obsessed and because it is an English speaking country, they, they just know they consume all of your content. They consume my content.
- [60:28]
A
But what's popular over there?
- [60:29]
B
Like mostly jdm. Yeah, mostly jdm. Because it's right hand drive. Yeah, you can have left hand drive, but it's pretty difficult to, to use a left hand drive. Most of the cars that I saw, people either converted them or they had somebody else convert them or whatever. I know a lot of the Royals had Pinifrena convert certain cars to right hand drive.
- [60:54]
A
Sure.
- [60:55]
B
I saw the only H2 hummer there that was converted to right hand drive. But it looks so good. Like they spent so much effort on.
- [61:01]
A
It in Australia doing those H2s and like Rams and raptors to right hand drive. It might have been done by the same company, but it did look right. It looked exactly like it was supposed to.
- [61:11]
B
But in terms of just like the everyday pedestrian, normal tuners, normal car enthusiasts. Mostly JDM because they're more affordable. Sure. The proximity to Japan and of course being right hand drive, it translates. But that's not to say they don't have their Mercedes. Everything that the Royals liked, the people.
- [61:28]
A
Like, how are the roads anywhere to drive?
- [61:32]
B
Not really you. They, they don't have a track. They used to do drag racing. They used to do like legal drag racing where they would block off the streets. But now for them to go to a racetrack they have to drive to Malaysia, which is not that far. Yeah, it's like us driving whatever to another state. Or even, not even, you know, on the island though. Yes, on the island.
- [61:53]
A
Okay.
- [61:54]
B
Yeah, on the island.
- [61:55]
A
So it is possible to drive to a racetrack from where they are?
- [61:58]
B
It is, yeah. But yeah, it is.
- [62:01]
A
That Bosozoku wagon with this star shaped exhaust is insane. Say, did you hear this run? No, no, that sounds like.
- [62:09]
B
But, but it was really cool just to meet so many people face to face that consume our content. That's. And they're so far, you know, it could not get any further. It was so much to get there. Like it was like over 20 hours of traveling. I know you do that stuff all the time. So you Understand?
- [62:27]
A
It's far. I know what far is.
- [62:29]
B
You understand?
- [62:30]
A
Yeah.
- [62:30]
B
And 20 hours of just flying.
- [62:32]
A
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But. And there's. There's the time it takes to fly somewhere, and then there's, like, certain places when you land, you know, If I fly 20 hours to certain places, it doesn't feel like I've gone as far as. If I go 20 hours to southeast Asia and I go, like, I'm fucking far from home right now. You know what I mean? Oh, that. That's a. That's a good little Sarah. Trd. Sarah. That looks good. So more people should do things with the Sarah.
- [63:02]
B
What's also crazy to me is just how. How common it is to see the royals, like, the. Especially because where we're staying, we were actually staying very close to the full collection. Like, I could see it. I could see the buildings.
- [63:20]
A
Yeah.
- [63:20]
B
And even where I was. The hotel I was staying, the. The hotel I was staying is owned by the royals, of course. And it was so opulent and so nice and so beautiful. Wasn't. There. Wasn't that many people there. From my understanding, there's just not that many visitors to this place because they just don't really have that many tourist attractions. And one of the things I was publicly talking about on the radio, I went on the radio twice, and I was talking about the fact that they should really open it up for car tourism, because I feel like it's such a draw for us car nerds to be able to see this stuff. People will go.
- [63:58]
A
I mean, they could probably turn the. Whatever's left of the collection into some kind of museum that, you know, people would go some distance to see.
- [64:08]
B
Yeah.
- [64:09]
A
And it could bring money to their country.
- [64:11]
B
Yeah.
- [64:13]
A
That's fucking crazy, man. How's the food in Brunei?
- [64:19]
B
It's like Malaysian food. Yeah. Malaysian and Indonesian food. Simple. A lot of rice, but good. Yeah.
- [64:27]
A
The. Is it the kind of place where like. Like. Like optimistic car culture, you know what I mean?
- [64:38]
B
What do you mean by optimist?
- [64:39]
A
Like, I just mean, like, they're excited about it. They're excited about, like, you know, sports cars and fate and things like that.
- [64:49]
B
It's in their blood. They live and breathe it. Everybody that I met, it's. It's. It's like. It's just something that's ingrained in them. They love it so much, and they. They'll love whatever they can get. Right. And we. We're talking about just Toyota Corollas that are barely holding together, and then they'll do their Absolute best to put it back together. Or it could be supercar, hypercar, whatever. Like the range.
- [65:18]
A
It's not like. Like Singapore. It's really hard to own. Own sports cars, though. Is this like that or not really?
- [65:24]
B
This is much more cheap.
- [65:25]
A
They don't care.
- [65:26]
B
Fuel is cheap. It's subsidized by the government. Fuel is. I calculated it. I think it's about a dollar fifty per gallon.
- [65:33]
A
Yeah.
- [65:34]
B
Or less. And everybody drives. This is unlike any other southeast East Asian country in that there's no scooters. Everybody can afford a car. And they. The population also loves the royals. They love the government, they love the. All of the amenities that's given to them, you know, so people can drive cars, people can afford nice houses, people can afford nice things. Yeah, I. I can understand a lot of people like to complain about this place, but they've never been there. They've never actually met these people face to face. I've met thousands of people that while I was there, like you wouldn't believe. We calculated it. It was almost 3% of the entire country that went to this car show. Over two days, over 13,000 people paid$5.5 Brunei dollars, which is, I think $3.
- [66:31]
A
Yeah.
- [66:32]
B
Us to go to this show to see cars and also to bring their own car to show their cars in their major convention center. And if you could imagine, over 13,000 people or 14,000 people in a country that's. Yeah, less than half a million people.
- [66:51]
A
You know, has a huge return.
- [66:52]
B
It's crazy. It was so insane how many people were there.
- [66:57]
A
That's like what like a luft does, you know, but From a national, U.S. national and international audience.
- [67:04]
B
Yeah.
- [67:04]
A
Yeah. That's crazy.
- [67:05]
B
Yeah, it's crazy. Is so cool. I'm so glad I got to experience it. And I can't wait for everyone to see this story.
- [67:12]
A
That's awesome.
- [67:12]
B
Yeah, Yeah.
- [67:13]
A
I can't wait to flip through your phone after we're done. Do I need to get a new point? Like, is there a cool new point and shoot? I need to get like, I have an iPhone 16 that I'm like a pro, and I actually really think the camera on. It's pretty amazing.
- [67:29]
B
But it depends on what you're looking for. But right now, what's very, very hot is that point and shoot look. I don't know if you noticed that. Yes, Point and shoot and direct flash look. That is all of a sudden like vintage feeling, whereas it's something that we as photographers.
- [67:48]
A
No, I remember that.
- [67:49]
B
Pushed away from.
- [67:49]
A
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [67:50]
B
But then all of a sudden, it's come back in such a big way. I don't know, maybe it hides imperfections or maybe it's just a certain look. Or maybe it's like the in between film and digital.
- [68:02]
C
Is it the mom genes of photography styles? Yeah, I guess everything goes in a cycle.
- [68:07]
B
It's pretty cool. I think it's pretty cool. There's a look for it. But now it's coming back in such a big way that Canon cannot keep any of their point and shoot cameras in stock. They cannot make them fast enough. Like the. And people have been hitting me up, a lot of people asking if I can get a hookup for a G7X or something.
- [68:30]
A
That's crazy.
- [68:32]
B
It's like they're. They're going backwards.
- [68:35]
A
Yeah.
- [68:35]
B
But that's okay. I think it's cool that they're embracing this look. It's. It's like film photography, but it's not going that far.
- [68:43]
A
Well, and it's. It's an opportunity to not take your phone out, which I think at a certain point, people get really sick of their phones. And so you're looking for. I want. I want to take the pictures, but I don't want to be pulling my fucking phone because then you start putting it on social media and, like, I want to wait to keep that shit for later, you know?
- [69:01]
B
Yeah, it's cool.
- [69:02]
A
I. I hate my new phone, but I do like the new camera on it. The 16 Pro has a good camera. I've been impressed with it.
- [69:10]
B
People always ask me, what. What steps do they have to take to get into car photography? Just use your phone. Look, all the stuff that you just showed on the screen, all of it is with my phone.
- [69:22]
A
Yeah.
- [69:22]
B
It's just because it's easy. You know, all of this stuff.
- [69:25]
A
And if you really give a shit.
- [69:26]
B
Look, the selfie I took with the King. That's my phone.
- [69:29]
A
Attachments. If you really care about your phone.
- [69:31]
B
If you go one slide, you could see the picture of the guy that started it all, or. No, that's my teen. Yeah, that's me pleading my case. That's. That's him. Jeffrey. Prince Jeffrey.
- [69:41]
C
Both of you have Wikipedia pages.
- [69:43]
A
Exactly. Like the guy that you have to. To convince to get in somewhere.
- [69:46]
B
Well, he's. He's honestly kind of like the playboy. Of course. The royal family. He has a huge following on Instagram. And I think when he got married, collectively, like all of Southeast Asia, all the single women just were very upset because who wouldn't want to marry a prince? A Good looking prince that, you know, has his priorities straight. No, it's, it's, it is. So. I'm just so glad I had a chance to experience what I experienced. And I. And I'm really excited about the story.
- [70:19]
A
That's cool, man. That's a really fun opportunity. Wow, Zach, can we go to the people they deserve to be heard from? The patreon over@patreon.com the Smoking Tire Podcast. Get the show live, get the show early, ask questions of our guests, get the show without ads and a whole lot more. Michael says, if you didn't have your r34, what would have been a good JDM choice for the Quail Tour? Koska would probably fit in better.
- [70:54]
B
It's. It's tough because I guess it depends on how much you want to suffer, right? I, I didn't suffer at all because we had air conditioning. The car is super comfortable, has plenty of storage. I guess the easy answer, I'm gonna bring my R32 next year because I feel like there's so many cars that I could bring. But it wouldn't, I wouldn't say it wouldn't get the same attention because I guess it depends on the crowd out there. But I just figured it's nice to still have some amenities, especially having to carry all this camera equipment, you know, to still shoot and do my job while I'm out there. I think it would be fun to have the R32 up out there.
- [71:39]
A
Tim McLaren says. Larry, what subculture in the car community challenge your expectations the most over the years?
- [71:48]
B
Expectations? I don't know. That's a good. What do you think? What, What? Challenge your expectations?
- [71:57]
A
I mean, was there. Oh, I mean, I think. I don't know. I mean, I. This is something I've never been. Well, I've never been like that surprised by what I saw compared to what I expected to see.
- [72:18]
B
It's something that you've been talking about more and more recently about all of the restomod companies. Yeah, right. It's amazing to me that there is people to support these companies.
- [72:30]
A
Apparently there are. Most of them sell pretty small numbers of stuff. But I do think there's enough clients if the goal of this company is to sell 25 cars. I think there are 25 people who either have so much money that they just look at it and go, yeah, one of those. Or they are disillusioned enough with the idea of what a modern supercar is, very digital, things like that, that they are looking for a very raw experience. And if they don't have to sell that many.
- [73:03]
B
It's just like they could do what the manufacturers wish they could do.
- [73:07]
A
Sure. Now, certainly. Yeah. I mean, if you drive, if you try, get to try a Singer Turbo, you know, like if I'm Porsche and looking at them doing a Singer Turbo, I'd be like, oh, boy, that sucks that we can't make this. Because they could, like, they could build that if they wanted to and were legally allowed to, but they can't. Yeah, Porsche can't copy themselves.
- [73:29]
B
I was, I was thinking about that. Right. Nissan, they sunsetted the R35 GTR, which we were very lucky to be able to be a part of. We did the last shoot for the cars.
- [73:40]
A
Oh, you did, Cool.
- [73:41]
B
And we sent it off. They actually invited me to watch the last one go off the line. I was busy. I was actually in Brunei when that happened. And the, the CEO, current CEO or the new CEO said, yeah, it'll come back in a certain form. And of course it has to be a certain level of vehicle. Right. It has to. People are going to expect a certain kind of vehicle if it's a R36 GTR. But I thought to myself, man, it honestly needs to be slower and lighter and smaller. Like it needs to be. If it's, if it's just faster than everything else, then.
- [74:20]
A
Well, not. I don't think it needs to get bigger or heavier.
- [74:23]
B
Yeah, it could.
- [74:24]
A
I think making it smaller and lighter would also make it faster.
- [74:27]
B
Right.
- [74:28]
A
There's an argument for that.
- [74:30]
B
It's gone to that point and I know you guys have talked about this also, it's gone to the point where you are already at the limit of how fast it could be. So then now what are you actually chasing? You know.
- [74:45]
A
I don't know. And I'm part of the problem because I work for a car magazine and car magazines put up numbers and people bench race and then they care. And if we stop talking about numbers, they might stop caring a little bit.
- [74:55]
B
But maybe it needs to be like an Alpine. Yeah.
- [74:58]
A
You know, I mean, dude, I think that's the best car ever and they don't sell a lot of them, so what do I know? Yeah, I am a huge fan of the Alpine and I mean, and we've driven some of these amazing boutique level cars. I mean, that, the alpha thing.
- [75:16]
B
Yeah.
- [75:16]
A
Last week and the roof stuff and you know, even, like, even. Yeah. You know, some of the replica Cobras and stuff like that. I mean, there's, there's a lot of ways to engage with machinery in an interesting way, most of them are outside of what mainstream carmakers are selling right now. Jews control the weather tech. That's. It's a. Trust me, that's an innocent joke. Larry, what is the weirdest or scariest thing that you've been hit by on the job? I imagine a few pieces of race car or debris.
- [75:56]
B
Oh, I've gotten hit by a lot of things.
- [75:59]
A
Rubber projectiles.
- [76:01]
B
Like when you're shooting NASCAR at a super oval or super speedway, they. They kick up rocks that are going just as fast as the cars and it's insane. Like they dent my big lenses. They'll. They'll hit certain if they hit your face, obviously. It stings like crazy.
- [76:23]
A
Yeah.
- [76:23]
B
It's probably just like the smallest micro pebble, but I think I've talked about.
- [76:28]
A
This before with a BB gun.
- [76:30]
B
Yeah.
- [76:31]
C
How do you fix your eyes?
- [76:32]
B
Because, well, I always wear either goggles or sunglasses or some. Something. Because I know, I just know, you know, these things are going that fast. I think I said this story before on this podcast, but we've actually gotten hit by rocks while we're in a helicopter chasing a Baja 1000 vehicle. Because they shoot up the rocks so high that they hit our windshield and it's like, okay, now it's time to go higher.
- [76:57]
A
Yeah. I was hit by. In New Zealand in 2015. I was hit in the nuts with a racquetball sized rock that was kicked up by a rally car.
- [77:11]
B
Wow.
- [77:12]
A
And someone was flying the drone and got the. Got it on the drone. The footage exists somewhere of you just.
- [77:20]
B
Doubling over in pain.
- [77:22]
A
It was fucked up. You.
- [77:25]
B
Yeah, you shot the gravel machine gun for sure.
- [77:28]
A
Holy.
- [77:29]
B
I've actually gotten hit by Ryan Turk in his drift car, but it was only because he did a burnout and I was behind him and I was about to shoot him leaving, and then he decided to put in reverse and back up because I guess he heard something or like there was some kind of in balance on his wheels. So he basically just drove straight into me, knocked me over. I think that was the only time I've ever gotten hit by a car. And now no matter what, when I'm on the starting line of anything, it could be drag racing, could be NHRA or whatever. I don't stand behind the cars because they could always be in reverse.
- [78:05]
A
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [78:07]
B
So anytime I'm anywhere and I see people just crowded around the car as they're about to launch, I'm like, one of these days it's gonna be in reverse and you guys are all gonna get.
- [78:17]
C
Friend of ours launched a Porsche backwards into Tom's tripod in, like, 2014 or something like that.
- [78:22]
B
Yeah, yeah, you can do it. It happens.
- [78:25]
A
You can. Actually. You must. By now, you must not be able to activate launch control if the car is in reverse.
- [78:33]
C
I know, but you can still load it. You can still load the chassis. The gear is short for reverse. I mean, it flings. So Tom knows the sound was different and it wasn't launch control, and that's how he knew to buy move. And then bam.
- [78:45]
B
Wow. Yeah. Lucky.
- [78:48]
A
Misfit Cyclone. If someone gave you an autograph poster of your heroes or people you looked up to in the automotive world, who are they? I don't know why they had to come up with the autographed poster thing, but basically, who do you look up to?
- [79:03]
B
I. It's. It's the people that I'm. The people that I look up to are the people that I work with now. The. The people that inspire me in the industry now, the people that are creating alongside me. I. I think those. Those are the people that I look up to because it makes me really happy. When I look at the entire landscape of automotive media. I look at the variety that's out there and the really good content that's out there that is so different that I wasn't even a part of or I didn't even know about. It makes me happy that all of those can exist individually and I love to consume it. You know, it's super cool. It inspires me because I hope it's the other way around. You know, I hope I'm creating stuff that people are enjoying and people are. Are consuming. And I think that's really it. It's a lot of photographers will say, oh, so and so photographer. You know, a long time ago, they had a great style, whatever. I feel like it's the people that I'm in the trenches with now that inspire me because we're all doing it together, you know, we all have essentially the same access because we're in the same timeline. Fair.
- [80:24]
A
Sounds good. I don't know anything about Cayenne hybrids. Tim A says this morning the Nissan Z Nismo is confirmed to receive manual transmission. You just checked that, Zach, to make sure.
- [80:36]
B
Yeah, it is.
- [80:37]
A
Okay, good. What are your expectations and how much more desirable is the Nismo with three pedals? A lot more is a lot. It's. They fixed it. That's called fixing it.
- [80:47]
B
I don't really get. I. I don't really like this backtracking. I don't get why they waited this long. Maybe it's like the whole Toyota thing, it was dumb.
- [80:57]
A
I don't know. But. But when I went on the launch, I was like, what are you guys doing? And they're like, well, don't rule it out. I was like, all right. But like this, that's stupid. You should have just done it.
- [81:05]
B
But can I answer that first one? Yeah.
- [81:08]
A
You want to answer that question? You like that top question? Go for it.
- [81:13]
B
I.
- [81:16]
A
That's a. I would. That's a. That's a question I would throw straight in the garbage.
- [81:19]
B
Really? Why?
- [81:20]
A
I hate those comparisons.
- [81:22]
B
Oh, well, he doesn't. He did inspire me. Anthony Bourdain.
- [81:28]
A
The question is, do you see yourself as the Anthony Bourdain of car culture?
- [81:32]
B
I don't.
- [81:32]
A
The part of that question I would throw away, do you see yourself? Well, nobody should ever see themselves that way, right?
- [81:39]
B
I think, yeah. I mean, for me it's more just his storytelling and his. What he did for that culture. Like that. A lot of those people, a lot of those individuals have inspired me to tell the stories though, the way I do. But I definitely don't see myself as that. I'm, you know, I'm my own person. I tell it that I'm a photographer that is lucky to be able to do what I do, you know, for a living.
- [82:08]
A
Yeah, I learned, I learned a long time ago that, yeah, he's. He's dead. He was very good at his job and inspired people. But like, you don't, you don't. Nobody should want to pick up that and think of themselves that way. It's a recipe for failure. Is this, is this the last one at the bottom? Granny shifting.
- [82:32]
B
Not.
- [82:32]
A
Oh, we got a bunch more. Is there. Keep going down. I want to see. I want good ones. I want good ones. Quadrifolio face. How critical is it to a car being clean, perfectly detailed. When we're not talking about close ups?
- [82:47]
B
This is something that I run into all the time. Sometimes you just don't have the time. Sometimes it's impossible. So sometimes you just have to shoot around it. Polarizer filter is your friend. Yeah. You can get rid of a lot of reflections. You can get rid of a lot of dirt and dust. And sometimes it's okay to leave that stuff because especially if you're shooting a vehicle that is supposed to be off road or supposed to get dirty. I think it adds to the story. I think that's pretty cool. To show some brake dust, to show some wear. Yeah, yeah.
- [83:23]
A
And if, if you're not taking close ups. The car can be a little dusty and it won't make much of a difference. I mean, you should see when we. When we're at the magazine and we're doing these big, you know, group tests and group shots, we do the jankiest fucking job of cleaning these cars. We have. We don't have like people to do it. We're doing it and we have other things going on. So it's literally like rip the quick detail. You know, the car's been on track all day and it's like, give me a half a bottle of quick detail, a half used fucking microfiber, and I'll get what I can get. You know, cleaning one side of the car at a time. Janky as hell. No one ever notices. No one ever says anything. Let's see. We never talk about this auto. Bon Jovi says, what's Larry's typical routine while flying? How do you relax while traveling? Or do you relax or do you work on planes?
- [84:16]
B
I guess it depends if I get upgraded or not.
- [84:19]
A
Yeah, right.
- [84:19]
B
If I have the space, I'll try to do work. And if there's a reliable Internet connection, I can bang out emails, or I can review videos, I can do work. But if I'm cramped up, which most of the time I am, then I'll just enjoy movies. It's honestly the only time now that I can watch movies and TV shows. So I just load up my iPad or tablet. I have a Samsung tablet that I. I'm just like that guy that the iPad dad, you know, carrying this big tablet and yeah, just kind of enjoy my time that I can finally disconnect. Whereas if I had the space, I just have to push myself like, hey, I gotta get work done because by the time I land, you got. You guys know how it is.
- [85:08]
A
Yeah. So many another day's gone by.
- [85:10]
B
Yeah.
- [85:10]
A
Yeah. It's the things don't stop because you're in the fucking air. Oh. Question for all of Kurt says, what tracks should we do HPDE at in the south? We'll be trailering a new GT3 from Boston over the course of a week and a half. Currently looking at Vir and road Atlanta. What other good tracks are there in the South Carolina Motorsports park is pretty fun. That would be a pretty good time in a GT3. And it's. It's safe. Oh, can you get on the new one Flat Rock outside of Knoxville? If it's open and you can get on it, it's a brand new one. Can you See if it's open yet. Flat Rock Motorsports park in Tennessee looked really nice. It looked like a good one. See if you can drive a NASCAR track. Yeah, like a Charlotte. Charlotte Motor Speedway or Talladega.
- [86:05]
B
Daytona would be so.
- [86:06]
A
Daytona is awesome. Have you ever done track Daytona?
- [86:09]
B
I just did an endurance race, a 14 hour endurance race.
- [86:12]
A
Oh, really? Driving what?
- [86:13]
B
Miata? Oh, is it fun, man, there's nothing like getting pushed into your seat on the bank.
- [86:19]
A
Dude, there's so much foot to the.
- [86:21]
B
Floor, even in a Miata. I. I feel like there was just so much G force pushing you down. And turn one at that, on that configuration, which is the 24 hour configuration, is so sketchy.
- [86:35]
A
Turn one, where you come off the banking into the infield.
- [86:37]
B
That is so sketchy because you're even.
- [86:39]
A
In Miata where you have some decent suspension travel to absorb that.
- [86:44]
B
It's such an easy track to drive, but it's hard to get the time out of it. And I had the most fun driving it.
- [86:52]
A
I bet 97% of your lap is floorboard.
- [86:56]
B
Yes. Yes. So which is why it's hard to get that last whatever, half a second, you know, the bus stop. If you mess that up, you lose so much time. You have to do it perfect every single time. And especially in a Miata.
- [87:12]
A
In a Miata, is it what year? What generation? Nd.
- [87:15]
B
It was an nc, but it had like a. Some, I don't know, Ford motor, I think.
- [87:23]
A
Okay. Yeah, it was a five speed or six speed.
- [87:25]
B
It was a paddle shift. It had ZF eight speed. Yeah.
- [87:29]
A
Get the out of here. In a Miata.
- [87:31]
B
Yeah, it was super cool. A lot of fun.
- [87:33]
A
Oh, well, it's certainly easier to nail the bus stop if you're not doing a five, four downshift also.
- [87:37]
B
Yeah.
- [87:38]
A
Stick. Oh, fun.
- [87:39]
B
It was, it was fun. It was my first race where I actually had to do driver changes at speed.
- [87:44]
A
Oh, yeah.
- [87:44]
B
Because they didn't have a minimum. Yeah. You, you, Zach, you've done endurance racing where it's like there's a certain time you have to.
- [87:52]
A
Yeah.
- [87:52]
B
To get out and then you belt in and whatever. You take your time. Right.
- [87:56]
C
I've never done that.
- [87:56]
B
You. Oh, you've never done driver changes. Yeah. Yeah. But lemons, there's driver changes, right?
- [88:01]
C
Oh, yeah, but they're slow.
- [88:02]
B
Right. That's what I'm saying.
- [88:03]
A
Well, at the entry level series, in order to make sure everybody is safely belted in and not rushing, they go. Your pit stop is a four minute minimum.
- [88:13]
B
Yeah.
- [88:14]
A
You know, so take your time. Fueling Take your time. Everyone has. Yeah. You're talking about on the flight.
- [88:20]
B
I'm talking about what series was that? Wrl.
- [88:23]
A
Oh, cool.
- [88:24]
B
So coming into the pits, like as fast as you can go, hit the pit limiter, hold that sucker down. And it's just no cooler feeling than going down the pits. Pit limiter. And then you're, you're taking off your belts, taking off my drink thing, everything. Like, one thing at a time. It's like, okay, I have to remember to do all of this. And then as soon as I land there, they basically yank me out of the car. You know, it was just so cool.
- [88:54]
A
It's easier for me to get out than to get in because I'm almost certainly bigger than the person who's getting in after me. So I don't have to loosen anything. I can just go off and. And then the next person can cinch from there. So I often when I race on these, I do. I'll take starts and then the super fast guy will come in, you know, after me and they can just real, real fast. I'm doing WRL in. In December at Coda.
- [89:26]
B
Enjoy it.
- [89:27]
A
It's going to be sick. Yeah, that's. That's a good time though. At Daytona in a Miata that's like lot of full throttle.
- [89:35]
B
It was fun.
- [89:35]
A
How'd you do in the race?
- [89:37]
B
We. We got. We got all the way up to second in our class and unfortunately the transmission failed. I know at R9 we. But we were doing really well. First, I feel like they had a ringer car.
- [89:54]
A
And then you're talking about a motor swap and a German gearbox. Let's go.
- [89:59]
B
It was, it was fun. It was just. We had better fuel economy, so we just stayed out there. And we were doing up to two hours tens.
- [90:08]
A
Oh, nice.
- [90:09]
B
And it was really hot. It was in the middle of summer, so of course we ran a cool suit. But oh my God, it was still so hot. It was like crazy.
- [90:17]
A
It must have been. But you have high speed, so that helps because of good airflow. And if you're rolling a cool suit, cool suits are the jam.
- [90:24]
B
Yeah, it helped.
- [90:25]
A
But two hours cool suits probably done. So by about our hour and a half it was.
- [90:30]
B
It was very difficult. It was the. Like I could barely walk after I got out.
- [90:36]
A
Two hours long. It's a long stint. So anyway, Kurt Daytona try to do a NASCAR track Vir and road Atlanta are great. Is Flat Rock.
- [90:45]
C
Open it.
- [90:45]
A
Open. Can we get some photos of it? How does it look? I really want to try this one, we're going to have to use it for one of our road and track events. It's been about to open pretty soon. Pretty. I'm sorry. It's been about to open for like three years.
- [90:59]
B
That looks pretty cool.
- [91:00]
A
Elevation looks nice. We've got 18, 23, 23 corners.
- [91:04]
B
Wow.
- [91:05]
A
Any photos? Yeah, Rolling, rolling Tennessee hills.
- [91:10]
B
Wow.
- [91:10]
A
I have to make a stop and check that one out. We'll have to get a report from Sam. He's almost certainly driven this course. Shout out to Sam Smith. Yeah, look at that con. I see condos. Okay. I see. I see. Oh, one. One post to the left. Has a good. Was a good race. Or down. Has a good race. Looks good. Look at that.
- [91:29]
B
Wow.
- [91:30]
A
Looks nice.
- [91:31]
B
That's incredible.
- [91:32]
A
All right.
- [91:32]
B
Oh, wait, I heard about this place.
- [91:34]
A
Yeah. We're going to go check this out.
- [91:36]
B
They're close to, I think Knoxville. Knoxville, okay. Yeah.
- [91:40]
A
Hell yeah. Knoxville is a great town.
- [91:43]
B
That's awesome.
- [91:44]
A
That's a fun fucking. And right by Tale of the Dragon.
- [91:47]
B
This makes me so happy that there's more tracks than I can drive. There's so many tracks. We hear about tracks closing all the times, but new tracks are opening up all the time also.
- [91:57]
A
It's very rare that like a really good track closes in. Really good ones are opening. Yeah, they're all really. Did you see. Have you been to Willow yet? You've seen Streets?
- [92:08]
B
I was just there while they were paving it.
- [92:11]
A
I saw the photos of the finished street. It looks unbelievable. I can't wait. You're coming on the 11th October.
- [92:17]
B
It's the same time as the Japanese classic car show. I would love to go. Okay.
- [92:22]
A
I'll be there on October 11th. Blurple Last one and then we're out of here. Says, are there any cool new Canon items coming out that you can talk about?
- [92:31]
B
Not that I talk about. I. I know some things are coming up that will excite a lot of video nerds, but I am really excited because I'm going to Japan to check out the Canon lens factory.
- [92:46]
A
Oh, that's rad.
- [92:47]
B
Yeah, I've been doing a lot of these deep dives in terms of like how things are made. Right. So we just did one where I showed how RS Watanabe wheels are getting made. Right.
- [92:57]
A
It's like I saw that it was sick.
- [92:59]
B
Very like, honestly, ancient technology.
- [93:03]
A
Yeah.
- [93:03]
B
Right. 65 year old process.
- [93:05]
A
It is handmade looking.
- [93:07]
B
It is so crazy. Yeah, it's. There's no secret like that, that kind of thing. It's a lot easier to get made With a modern process. But that's not the point. Right? That. That's not the point. You know, people still want handmade things because of the story.
- [93:25]
A
Yeah.
- [93:26]
B
So I want to kind of do the same thing with a Canon lens factory and just show what I can show. I don't know. I've never been, so I have to see the process. I know they have to grow the fluoride lens or they have to, like, use some kind of process to. To grow it. So. So, yeah, I think it's some kind of, like, chemical process.
- [93:52]
A
I'm like, they haven't given a single thought to how lenses are made. I mean, I'm sure it's awesome. It's probably really.
- [93:57]
B
Yeah, exactly.
- [93:57]
A
So I bet it's like a watch factory. I bet it seems like that.
- [94:01]
B
I don't know. I mean, have you been to a watch factory?
- [94:03]
A
Yeah, a bunch.
- [94:04]
B
And is it, like, chaotic or is it. No, it's like, quiet. It's like a hospital. Right.
- [94:09]
A
Or.
- [94:09]
B
Yeah, very clean. And.
- [94:11]
A
Yeah. And. And some of the smaller ones are just individual benches. And some of the more advanced ones, the benches are set up with a sort of a conveyor belt type of system. And some of them, one watchmaker will build a whole watch start, finish, and other ones, it's a little more, you know, I just install column wheels. I just installed winding crowns, whatever. But I don't know. I don't know why I picture lenses being like that, but maybe not.
- [94:39]
B
Have you been to a vehicle plant yet?
- [94:42]
A
Yeah, a bunch of them. They're fucking cool, man. Nothing's like a car factory.
- [94:46]
B
I recently, I had a chance to go to the Tahara where they do, like, the GX550 and the LC250 Land Cruiser plant in Japan. I also had a chance to go to the Toyota plant in Texas. I never understood how easy it was to assemble a car until I watched these guys, like, put on a bumper in 15 seconds. And meanwhile, I'm over here struggling. If I had to remove or take. Take off a bumper and put it back on, it would take an inc. Entire day.
- [95:15]
A
Yeah. Yeah.
- [95:15]
B
Just for me to do one simple.
- [95:17]
A
Yeah. When they have the exact right tool in the exact right place with the exact right thing to do this and the exact right thing. And they do it, you know, a hundred times a day for a hundred years.
- [95:28]
B
And the clips aren't 25 years old. Right. Yeah.
- [95:31]
A
That's the big thing done. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's crazy. Yeah. And how sometimes how little physical motion is required to, you Know, install the thing and it's blew me away. Yeah, you should, you should try if you can. I mean, the, the different, the, the different ethos is of car factories. If you go from like McLaren to. The biggest contrast is McLaren to Morgan. Those are my favorite. And you could do both in a day. Actually, we're talking about wood, spaceship and a woodshed. Yeah, totally. It's amazing.
- [96:04]
C
Corvette's cool. And then Ferrari is also cool. Like, the Ferraris do more mass production, are interesting just to see how they pack things into a certain size building. And like, you know, the conveyors snake around and like, as the body joins, you know, the subframe and the engine and that stuff, I, I find it fascinating. And in the Ferrari factory, there's like a little rainforest to keep the humidity right. Because of just the way it affects.
- [96:27]
B
Yeah, yeah. So, so. But then were you able to film there? No, I would love to film.
- [96:35]
A
They didn't let you take pictures inside?
- [96:37]
B
No.
- [96:37]
A
Really?
- [96:39]
B
They're, they're pretty strict about it.
- [96:41]
A
I think there are people, maybe not Ferrari. Corvette would def. They. We filmed in Corvette. We did literally film in the Corvette.
- [96:47]
B
That's awesome.
- [96:48]
A
The coolest part of the Corvette plant is like the high performance engine room, like where all the Z06 engines are made by hand by like six people. I got very sad when they told me they didn't get to try the cars though. I was like, you build Z06 engines all day. I was like, they don't let you try one. They're like, no, never. I was like, yo, that's a bummer. I feel like they'd be real enthusiastic about work if they knew what they were building.
- [97:11]
B
Yeah.
- [97:11]
A
You know.
- [97:12]
B
Yeah.
- [97:13]
A
Dude, the book is amazing.
- [97:14]
B
Thank you.
- [97:15]
A
Get it, get it wherever you can get it. But if you can get it directly from Carrera Books or have your local.
- [97:21]
B
Bookseller order it, it is very heavy. It's 8 pounds, 405 pages.
- [97:26]
A
It's very heavy.
- [97:27]
B
Yeah, it's, it's a hefty one.
- [97:30]
A
It is a. It is a true coffee table book. It is the, the grand tradition of the car coffee table book.
- [97:37]
B
It is a good representation of my life's work.
- [97:40]
A
Yeah.
- [97:40]
B
It took 21 years to make that book.
- [97:42]
C
I'd say it's also a good representation of this era of car culture.
- [97:46]
A
Yeah, I mean, that, that too kind.
- [97:48]
C
Of didn't exist really 20 years ago and a bunch of other things.
- [97:51]
A
It's, it's such a good cross section of like, this is what racing in the 2010s you know, was. And here's what pro touring and tuning culture and all this stuff.
- [98:03]
B
I hope people come up to you wherever you are and ask you to sign my book VR page.
- [98:09]
A
I would.
- [98:11]
B
I think that will.
- [98:11]
A
If people are carrying this around that I am. They run into me to sign it. These dusty Baja ones are gorgeous.
- [98:19]
C
I'm going to bring my book to your signing. I'll just stand in line like a.
- [98:22]
A
Well you should certainly sign this one while you're.
- [98:24]
B
Oh yeah, yeah. That's obviously this one. That's an artist proof.
- [98:27]
A
Yeah, this one we're gonna keep here. This one is for us. So if you come visit us here at Westside Collector Car Storage, you can come look at it for yourself. And Larry will sign this one. That's sick, dude. Of course, Larry's videos for Hagerty on YouTube. When do you. I mean it's gonna be a while for the Brunei thing.
- [98:48]
B
I've been working on it since I've been. I was working on it on the plane on the way back. Like I was you know, writing my voice over, writing all the notes. We're digging into it pretty deep. In fact we went through all the footage yesterday.
- [99:01]
A
Cool. So that'll be up probably, you know, soonish. And the, the Watanabe factory tour at on the Hagerty channel is really crazy. It looks like, it looks like they've been making wheels this way since like the 1800s.
- [99:16]
B
Well, they've been making swords.
- [99:19]
A
Yeah, you know I have a set of those.
- [99:21]
B
Oh you do?
- [99:22]
A
My wife's pal has Watanabes on it.
- [99:25]
B
Yeah. So like literally these guys made your was crazy the same.
- [99:29]
A
They're, they're, they're real. They're probably worth more than the car, but they're awesome. They look great.
- [99:34]
B
Yeah.
- [99:34]
A
Yeah. Thanks Larry.
- [99:37]
B
Thank you. It's good to see you having me as well.
- [99:39]
A
And let's, let's find a time to take pictures of the, of the Manx.
- [99:42]
B
I would love that. Yeah, I shot a couple photos of it out there that I think at one point it was like in the sand pit. Right.
- [99:49]
A
Mine wasn't. They had another.
- [99:52]
B
Yeah, but yeah, it was arrangement that you had around that sand trap.
- [99:56]
A
They. What's weird about, about my car is like, you know, most cars when you like pose them, you know, it's like a front three quarter kind of thing. My car, because the engine is so weird, you're always like nosing it in and sticking the ass out the back. But people then are like wait, what, what is that? That's Weird.
- [100:15]
B
And we definitely have to do a full on shoot with that. Yeah, somewhere on the beach.
- [100:19]
A
Wherever you like to go, bro. And of course, if you go to Larry Chen photo.com you can get prints.
- [100:25]
B
Oh, yeah, right. It's Larry Chen Prince.
- [100:28]
A
Oh, Larry Chen Prince dot com. Sorry. Get prints from Larry.
- [100:31]
B
Can I just thank you so much again, like right out of the shutdown. Right out of the shutdown time. You gave me a shout out when I came on the show and we sold a hundred prints. We sold $10,000 worth of prints one day.
- [100:45]
A
Nice.
- [100:45]
B
Thanks to you. Oh, that's great. So you really helped around that time. You know, we just couldn't get work. Right. So anything. Just that one shout out from you move the needle so big.
- [100:57]
A
Oh, that's awesome.
- [100:59]
B
You basically just gave me ten grand.
- [101:00]
A
I didn't. The people did.
- [101:02]
B
The people.
- [101:02]
A
I just told them how to do it. But that's all right. There's that.
- [101:05]
B
I appreciate it.
- [101:06]
A
I think. And there's my car. Yeah, there's your car and a photo that you can never get again. How about that? Yeah, go buy prints. They're amazing. They last forever. And. And you can display them in your home in a variety of ways. And. And they're awesome. People will ask you about them as they do about the one here and the one in. And the ones here and the one in my house. All the time, dude. And then we'll see you. You'll be at the Peterson Museum on October 5th at the Cruise Inn doing book signing. Bring your car, come on out. That Hoonicorn one is sick. And then at Long beach downtown parking garage, October 16, I will be there. What vehicle we have is TBD. What will look the coolest, we'll see. But yeah. Thanks to our patrons for their questions today. Thanks to everybody else for listening and we'll see you later.