To All The Cars I've Loved Before: Classic Car Restoration, JDM, and Automotive History

Click here to share your favorite car, car story or any automotive trivia!
What happens when you bake the Toyota Altezza headlights of a 2001 Lexus IS300 in your mother's kitchen oven? You get the origin story of an automotive journalist. Today, Amanda Cline (Amanda Reviews Cars) stops by to talk 90s JDM legends, reviewing the 1,025-HP Rivian R1T, testing cup holders with an expired can of beans, and why the ultra-rare 1990 Mercedes-Benz 190E Evo II is her ultimate unicorn.
This episode is sponsored by Car Curious! Sync your listening experience with real-time specs, photos, and history. Test drive the free audio player at carsloved.com/listen or get the app at getcarcurious.com/app.
Follow Amanda: amandareviewscars.com | @amandareviewscars
Support Community Cats: Bonita Cats
Our 90+ Episode Archive: linktr.ee/carsloved
Connect with Us: Got a great car story? Email us at stories@carsloved.com. Find all our content and social links here: linktr.ee/carsloved.
Podcast News:
Our co-host, Doug was a guest on the Driven Radio Show Podcast to share the origin story of our podcast and connecting with his late father through his DeLorean.
Check out the amazing article about the podcast by Elevate Society and Tal Gur.
Feedspot selected us as their Top 100 Car Podcasts and 31 Best Road Trip Podcasts For Your Drive
Our co-host, Doug was featured in this magazine article along with his DeLorean to share the genesis of the podcast

Remember,...

Click here to share your favorite car, car story or any automotive trivia!
How does a professional NASCAR driver go from pushing limits at 200 miles per hour to teaching the next generation how to parallel park?
In this episode of To All The Cars I've Loved Before, host Doug sits down with Brad Coleman, a former NASCAR driver and the current owner and CEO of SafeWay Driving. Brad shares his incredible full-circle journey, starting with his teenage years when he was simultaneously racing Formula Renault 1600 cars while getting humbled in a SafeWay Driver's Ed parking lot lesson. He breaks down the exact moment he received a life-changing call from Joe Gibbs Racing to skip college and drive the #18 car in the Busch Series, and how testing driving simulators with high schoolers sparked his passion for teaching street safety.
Beyond the track, Brad takes us through his wild personal car history. We discuss falling in love with a neighbor's 2003 Dodge Ram 1500 Hemi at 14 years old, surviving 4 hours stranded inside a flooded Audi S4 during the Houston Memorial Day flood, and fearing for his life in a Ford Taurus rental car with Daytona 500 winner Michael McDowell! We also dive into his recent switch to EVs, comparing the ride quality of BMW M cars to his Tesla Model Y Performance.
Connect with Us: Got a great car story? Email us at stories@carsloved.com. Find all our content and social links here: linktr.ee/carsloved.
Podcast News:
Our co-host, Doug was a guest on the Driven Radio Show Podcast to share the origin story of our podcast and connecting with his late father through his DeLorean.
Check out the amazing article about the podcast by Elevate Society and Tal Gur.
Feedspot selected us as their Top 100 Car Podcasts and 31 Best Road Trip Podcasts For Your Drive
Our co-host, Doug was featured in this magazine article along with his DeLorean to share the genesis of the podcast

Remember,...

Click here to share your favorite car, car story or any automotive trivia!
In this episode, Doug and Dave are getting a little grease under their nails with Matthew Valbuena, a Project Manager for Mazda's North American Operations R&D division. Matthew oversees the development of Mazda's in-vehicle technologies and human interfaces, balancing the demand for cutting-edge connectivity with Mazda’s core "driving first" philosophy.
Matthew takes us on an incredible automotive journey, starting with his first vehicle: a lowered 1994 Toyota Pickup complete with a $163 monthly payment and a Nintendo 64 in the glovebox. We dive into the heavy-bass nostalgia of 90s car audio, carrying around $1,500 worth of CDs in Case Logic wallets[cite: 1], and the era of Fast & Furious tuner culture.
But the most fascinating part of Matthew's story is how his upbringing shapes the cars we drive today. Growing up with deaf parents, his first language was American Sign Language (ASL). He shares how this visual-first perspective perfectly suited him for a career in UI/UX design. You will learn why gesture controls are a nightmare for the deaf community, why every dashboard beep must have a visual cue, and how he used to install 1500-watt subwoofers in his dad’s Benz so he could physically feel the music.
Don't miss Matthew's favorite episode with Jon from Mazda USA: https://buzzsprout.com/2316026/episodes/16805989

Plus, stick around for our Mazda trivia question: What surprisingly unrelated product did Mazda manufacture when it was founded in 1920?
Learn more about Mazda:
Explore their latest tech at www.mazdausa.com
Follow @MazdaUSA on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and YouTube

Connect with Us: Got a great car story? Email us at stories@carsloved.com. Find all our content and social links here: linktr.ee/carsloved.
Podcast News:
Our co-host, Doug was a guest on the Driven Radio Show Podcast to share the origin story of our podcast and connecting with his late father through his DeLorean.
Check out the amazing article about the podcast by Elevate Society and Tal Gur.
Feedspot selected us as their Top 100 Car Podcasts and 31 Best Road Trip Podcasts For Your Drive
Our co-host, Doug was featured in this magazine article along with his DeLorean to share the genesis of the podcast

Remember,...

Click here to share your favorite car, car story or any automotive trivia!
How do you go from driving a homemade go-kart built out of lawnmower parts to piloting a 1996 Lola IndyCar originally driven by Eddie Lawson and Davy Jones?
In this episode of To All The Cars I've Loved Before, Doug sits down with IndyCar driver and speaker Mianna Wick.Mianna shares her unique journey into motorsports, starting at age 10 on a custom backyard dirt track paved by her dad, and moving up through the ranks of Formula Ford and Formula Mazda.

Don't miss Mianna's favorite episode with Ethan, Network Engineer extraordinaire https://buzzsprout.com/2316026/episodes/19011189
We dive deep into the world of open-wheel racing as Mianna breaks down the differences between F1 and IndyCar, explains why her vintage '96 Lola actually has a higher power-to-weight ratio than modern IndyCars, and discusses the challenges of racing a naturally aspirated beast with no telemetry or driver aids. Mianna also shares the deeply personal story of her temporary retirement from the sport, how her faith guided her unexpected return, and the single greatest lesson her legendary crew chief taught her about championship team culture.

🔗 Follow Mianna Wick:
Website: https://www.miannawickracing.com
Connect with Us: Got a great car story? Email us at stories@carsloved.com. Find all our content and social links here: linktr.ee/carsloved.
Podcast News:
Our co-host, Doug was a guest on the Driven Radio Show Podcast to share the origin story of our podcast and connecting with his late father through his DeLorean.
Check out the amazing article about the podcast by Elevate Society and Tal Gur.
Feedspot selected us as their Top 100 Car Podcasts and 31 Best Road Trip Podcasts For Your Drive
Our co-host, Doug was featured in this magazine article along with his DeLorean to share the genesis of the podcast

Remember,...

Click here to share your favorite car, car story or any automotive trivia!
How do you go from buying a broken-down $3,000 Porsche 944 to owning hundreds of air-cooled 911s and flipping some of the rarest vehicles in the world?
This week, Doug goes solo to sit down with Bill Patel, an automotive broker and Porsche collector who has been living the gearhead dream for nearly 25 years. From spotting Alois Ruf's personal 1984 RUF Turbo at a random Chicago dealership to preserving a 1-of-20 IMSA homologation 1992 Porsche 964 Turbo S2, Bill’s deep archives of car knowledge have led to some of the most incredible vehicle discoveries we’ve ever heard on the show.
In this episode, we cover:
The 1-of-20 Unicorn: The history of the 1992 Porsche 964 Turbo S2 and how ANDIAL modified 20 street-legal versions for IMSA racing.
The Ultimate Flip: How an old AutoWeek magazine helped Bill identify and buy Alois Ruf's personal RUF Turbo for $65,000 and flip it weeks later for $145,000.
The Widowmaker: Why the 930 Turbo remains Bill's all-time favorite car, and his quest to own every single model year.
Porsche Market Secrets: Why manual 981 Boxster GTSs and 997.2s are the ultimate modern classics, and why the 996 is the best budget buy right now.
Dangerous Rides: Surviving the unpredictable Dodge Viper GTS and the heartbreak of wrecking a 930 just 15 minutes after buying it.
Don't miss Bill's favorite episode with Brad Phillips on The Great Race, Ferraris, and Vintage Porsches: https://buzzsprout.com/2316026/episodes/19238276

Plus, Bill shares his humble beginnings learning to drive stick in a Chevy S10 Blazer and surviving a wrecked Toyota pickup, as well as his family's incredible dedication to supporting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
If you love air-cooled lore, the thrill of the automotive hunt, and the unfiltered reality of car flipping, this episode is an absolute must-listen!
Connect with Us: Got a great car story? Email us at stories@carsloved.com. Find all our content and social links here: linktr.ee/carsloved.
Podcast News:
Our co-host, Doug was a guest on the Driven Radio Show Podcast to share the origin story of our podcast and connecting with his late father through his DeLorean.
Check out the amazing article about the podcast by Elevate Society and Tal Gur.
Feedspot selected us as their Top 100 Car Podcasts and 31 Best Road Trip Podcasts For Your Drive
Our co-host, Doug was featured in this magazine article along with his DeLorean to share the genesis of the podcast

Remember,...