BREAK/FIX the Motorsports & Vehicle Enthusiast Variety Show

Break/Fix Podcast welcomes Stewart Howden, president of Classic Auto Mall, a consignment-based classic and collector car destination in Morgantown, Pennsylvania housing 1,000+ vehicles in a 336,000-square-foot former outlet mall. Howden recounts his path from a childhood love of cars and “The Sounds of Sebring” to auctions, a museum, and ultimately launching the mall in 2018 with a partner who had amassed 400 barn finds. He explains how the business survived and grew through COVID via remote sales and transport, discusses organizing inventory to encourage discovery, and shares notable oddities like a 1923 Chevrolet Weedman motorhome. The conversation covers market softening for “generic” classics versus continued strength at the high end, generational collectibility, restoration vs preservation, and the mall’s focus on helping collections and estates, plus hosting major events and community outreach.

===== (Oo---x---oO) =====

00:00 Meet Stewart Howden
02:19 Origin Story Begins
05:24 The Mall Takes Shape
08:12 COVID Survival Playbook
10:43 Stewart's Racing Roots and Memorabilia
16:08 First Time at the Mall
23:13 How the Cars Are Organized
26:47 Market Trends and Ferrari Boom
32:55 Grandpas Car Generations & Future Collectibles
39:32 Restoration Vs Preservation
45:27 Classic Auto Mall: The Next Decade
45:52 Estate Collections Made Simple
49:38 How To Sell With Classic Auto Mall
51:33 Car Shows And Community
54:27 Shout Outs And Thank You's! 

====================

The Motoring Podcast Network : Years of racing, wrenching and Motorsports experience brings together a top notch collection of knowledge, stories and information. #everyonehasastory #gtmbreakfix - motoringpodcast.net

More Information: Visit Our Website

Become a VIP at: Patreon

Online Magazine: Gran Touring

Follow us on Social: Instagram

Formula Fanatics is a rapid F1 news spin off of our monthly Drive Thru News covering Austria, Silverstone, and Spa. In Austria, Russell takes pole and wins, with Verstappen second, Antonelli third, and Hamilton fifth amid multiple “car on fire” radio claims from other drivers, tire-driven early pits, and Stroll retiring on lap 47. At Silverstone, Alonso nearly retires on the formation lap; Hamilton gets a five-second penalty, Russell suffers a puncture yet finishes second, Leclerc wins, and Hamilton takes third, while Antonelli’s repeated pits, damage, and a track-limits penalty drop him from ninth to 15th. At Spa, Russell DNFs on lap one after contact with Hamilton; Ferrari is fined after a pit miscommunication leads to a crew member being hit; Kimi wins his sixth race ahead of Leclerc and Verstappen. The episode also discusses a Costco-style F1 pool float and Old Spice F1-branded products, and teases Budapest coverage next month.

===== (Oo---x---oO) =====

00:00 Last Month Recap
01:38 Austria Qualifying Setup
02:13 Austria Early Chaos
04:14 Austria Strategy Drama
06:28 Silverstone
08:31 Silverstone VSC Pit Strategies
10:37 Kimi Pit Nightmare
12:09 Max Crash causes Safety Car
13:11 Ferrari Strategy Fallout
13:48 Race Results Recap and Antonelli Penalty Debate
14:49 Horner to Aston Rumors? (Again!)
16:07 Spa: Lap 1, Chaos and Russell Out!
18:31 Pit Lane Incident Fines
20:46 McLaren Struggles Before Upgrades
21:57 Kimi Wins at Spa!
22:57 F1 Merch Pool Float Craze
24:34 Old Spice F1 Collection
26:24 Wrap Up Next Episode

====================

Formula Fanatics, is the high-octane sub-series of Break/Fix Podcast’s Drive Thru Motorsports News! This is your pit stop for all things Formula 1 — from breaking headlines and race recaps to insider analysis and paddock buzz.

The Motoring Podcast Network : Years of racing, wrenching and Motorsports experience brings together a top notch collection of knowledge, stories and information. #everyonehasastory #gtmbreakfix - motoringpodcast.net

More Information: https://www.motoringpodcast.net/

Become a VIP at: https://www.patreon.com/gtmotorsports

Online Magazine: https://www.gtmotorsports.org/

Break/Fix’s Drive Thru News #70 recaps a Midwest trip to Wisconsin and South Bend for Automotive History Live!, plus a highly recommended stop at the Volo Museum featuring movie/TV cars, props, and the “world’s fastest outhouse.” The team updates their Lemons Ford Focus revival: a new wiring harness and ECU restore starting and smooth idle, but emissions-related faults keep it in limp mode, likely requiring EVAP sensor work and a fuel-tank drop; a mid-run code clear briefly restores full power. They discuss rumored Volkswagen lineup cuts, VW’s steep operating-profit decline, and disappointing Jetta rental interior quality, along with AI/CGI car renderings, potential Toyota Celica/MR2 returns, a BMW hybrid recall, and assorted oddities including a new “Plybertruck,” Elon’s SpaceX/Tesla merger hint, and Florida Man stories. Motorsports notes include a Days of Thunder sequel, a new Voices of Endurance episode, sim-racing hardware upgrades, and a scary Goodwood crash clip.

===== (Oo---x---oO) =====

00:00:00 Drive Thru News Intro Banter
00:02:45 Midwest Road Trip and Wisconsin Cheese Curds
00:05:20 Volo Museum Movie Cars and Rocket Outhouse Madness
00:10:59 Automotive History Live!
00:15:02 24 Hours of Lemons Focus Revival Attempt
00:26:39 Mountain Man Dan has a PT Cruiser?
00:31:56 VW Lineup" What's on the Chopping Block
00:37:10 China Beetle Clone Debate
00:43:30 VW Profits Drop Explained
00:47:41 Audi Sport Quattro Restomods
00:50:26 RS6 Avant GT Price Shock
00:51:47 The Alfa Brutale Viral Concept
00:53:18 BMW Hybrid Fire Recall
00:54:07 Altima Discontinued? Clickbait!
00:59:56 More Nissan/Honda Partnership Rumors?
01:00:28 Manual Transmissions are good for your Brain
01:01:33 Cop who can’t Drive Stick Impounds an RX-7
01:03:04 New Toyota Celica and MR2 Confusion
01:04:38 Lotus Emira Design Rant
01:05:12 Why Volvo Stays Not Polestar
01:06:49 Lost and Found
01:09:09 Elon Merger Talk and Exhaust Stacks
01:10:50 Florida Man Stories!
01:19:31 Days of Thunder Sequel Confirmed
01:21:41 Sim Racing Shifter Upgrade
01:24:15 Goodwood Club and Vintage Crash
01:25:59 Sponsors and Episode Wrap

====================

The Motoring Podcast Network : Years of racing, wrenching and Motorsports experience brings together a top notch collection of knowledge, stories and information. #everyonehasastory #gtmbreakfix - motoringpodcast.net

More Information: Visit Our Website

Become a VIP at: Patreon

Online Magazine: Gran Touring

Follow us on Social: Instagram

Break/Fix Podcast returns with an interview with Vince Finaldi, who is taking over leadership of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance after Sandra Button’s 40-year tenure. Finaldi shares his Italian-American automotive family history, early exposure to imported exotics, and a lifelong buy-fix-sell approach that funded his education after four years as a Marine infantryman, alongside a 22-year career as a trial lawyer handling high-stakes civil cases for sexual abuse victims. He recounts chasing and restoring Lamborghini Miuras, including buying one in 2015 with help from Valentino Balboni and sourcing rare parts through industry contacts. Vince explains how Pebble Beach must evolve carefully by welcoming important newer cars while preserving rigorous judging standards, emphasizing the concours as a “classroom,” its charity mission, youth-access programs, and upcoming celebrations including the 75th anniversary and a major Miura gathering for its 60th anniversary.

===== (Oo---x---oO) =====

00:00 Pebble Beach Concours New Era
01:15 Vince's Family Roots in Cars
03:37 Falling for the Miura
06:15 Flipping Cars to Fund Dreams
12:37 Deep Dive Car Obsession & Hunting the Next Classic
16:14 From Courtroom to Carmel
20:11 Taking the Pebble Torch
22:13 How Concours Evolves
23:51 Concours Origins and the Tour d'Elegance
25:57 Market Shift in Collecting
27:52 Concours as Classroom and Making Room for New Greats
32:39 Do EVs Belong Here?
33:59 Youth Access and Free Events
35:20 Car Week Business Reality
39:21 Pebble Vision and Standards
41:30 How to Apply and Get In
42:05 Building Future Featured Classes
44:32 Miura Anniversary and Dream Classes
47:01 Small Changes Ahead
48:06 75th Anniversary Wrap Up
50:10 Sponsor and Show Outro

====================

The Motoring Podcast Network : Years of racing, wrenching and Motorsports experience brings together a top notch collection of knowledge, stories and information. #everyonehasastory #gtmbreakfix - motoringpodcast.net

More Information: Visit Our Website

Become a VIP at: Patreon

Online Magazine: Gran Touring

Follow us on Social: Instagram

Motoring Historian Jon Summers examines claims that electric vehicles frequently catch fire, drawing on a Society of Automotive Engineers talk in Palo Alto by Dr. Abid Kemal of Exponent, a firm known for major failure investigations. He says vehicle fires have halved since 1980 and usually involve 10–20-year-old cars, while EVs appear 5–10 times less likely to burn than ICE vehicles, though their fires can occur later—on tow trucks or weeks in yards—because stranded battery energy remains after a crash. He explains thermal runaway: a weak cell heats from charge cycles, damages neighbors, melts plastics, boils electrolyte, generates oxygen, and can ignite in milliseconds, with severity influenced by state of charge. Examples include the 2021 Chevy Bolt battery recall and GM’s 80% charge limit, shipping policies under 50% charge, and the need for firefighter and tow-industry training.

===== (Oo---x---oO) =====

00:00 EV Fire Panic
02:36 Conspiracy Claims
04:22 What The Data Says
05:07 Why EV Fires Differ
07:41 Who Is Exponent?
08:24 A Quick EV History
11:53 Inside Battery Packs
14:49 Thermal Runaway Explained
19:53 Charge Level Risks
22:39 Recalls And Real Cases
23:37 Final Takeaways 

====================

The Motoring Podcast Network : Years of racing, wrenching and Motorsports experience brings together a top notch collection of knowledge, stories and information. #everyonehasastory #gtmbreakfix - motoringpodcast.net

More Information: Visit Our Website

Become a VIP at: Patreon

Online Magazine: Gran Touring

Follow us on Social: Instagram

Jon Summers is the Motoring Historian. He was a company car thrashing technology sales rep that turned into a fairly inept sports bike rider. On his show he gets together with various co-hosts to talk about new and old cars, driving, motorbikes, motor racing, motoring travel. Copyright Jon Summers, The Motoring Historian. This content is also available via jonsummers.net. This episode is part of the Motoring Podcast Network and has been republished with permission.