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Classic Auto Mall - #213 - Stewart Howden with Guest Karl Ludvigsen

Classic Auto Mall - #213 - Stewart Howden with Guest Karl Ludvigsen

Classic Auto Mall SHOW Oct 02, 2025 52 min
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About this episode

Stewart Howden welcomes automotive historian Karl Ludvigsen to discuss his extensive career and latest book on supercharging and turbocharging. Ludvigsen shares insights from his time at GM in the 1950s, detailing the evolution of automotive engineering and the impact of turbocharging on performance cars. The conversation touches on iconic vehicles like the Corvette and Porsche, the challenges of early turbo technology, and the historical significance of these innovations. Listeners will appreciate the rich anecdotes and technical depth, making it a fascinating exploration of automotive history.

Topics: supercharging turbocharging automotive history Corvette Porsche GM engineering performance cars motorsport book publishing historical anecdotes
Technical Too Afraid to Ask
Porsche 911
David Villarreal Fernández (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Car

Porsche 911

"...here. So, I think we did, so I'm going to go with 911. Ah, it wouldn't be that obvious."
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Porsche 904
Lothar Spurzem (CC BY-SA 2.0 de)
Car

Porsche 904

"Didn't we do 908 last week? Well, no, we did 904 last week if you want to get technical about it, ..."
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Chevrolet Corvette
Matti Blume (CC BY-SA)
Car

Chevrolet Corvette

"...e time. We had the Riviera coming out of the 1963 Corvette and it was fantastic. And he was, he was great."
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Chevrolet Corvair
Crisco 1492 (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Car

Chevrolet Corvair

"Right. The Chevrolet and with the Corvair. Right."
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Oldsmobile F85
Ryanandlenny (Public domain)
Car

Oldsmobile F85

"Yeah. The F85 or what it was that had. That was about 1963."
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Porsche 917
Auge=mit (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Car

Porsche 917

"time Mark Donahue got in a turbocharged Porsche 917 and drove it on the factory track, he said, well,..."
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Ford Mustang
Hans-Jürgen Neubert (CC BY 4.0)
Car

Ford Mustang

"...y, when, where. Yeah, I know. Go ahead. 1966 Ford Mustang Convertible Silver, blue, over blue, garage cap"
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Pontiac GTO
W. Bulach (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Car

Pontiac GTO

"over black, true 242 GTO. What does that mean? It means there's a 242 in t..."
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Mg Mga
Silar (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Car

Mg Mga

"How about the 1961 MG MGA Mark 1 1600, old English"
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Chevrolet Camaro
Ermell (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Car

Chevrolet Camaro

"Yeah. How about the 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 Fathom green, great color over"
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10 cars featured

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