Classic Auto Mall - #251 Stewart Howden welcomes Bruce Canepa, former Race Driver, Car Dealer and Owner of Canepa Restoration and Canepa Motorsports Museum plus Keith Martin of Sports Car Market

The Ford GT is Ford’s modern supercar, built around a mid-engine layout and track-bred heritage. Mentioning “Ford GTs” alongside the Porsche 959 frames these as top-tier, high-value collector cars rather than everyday performance vehicles.

The “used car business” refers to selling previously owned vehicles, typically with a focus on sourcing inventory, refurbishing it, and matching it to buyers’ budgets. In the segment, the speaker contrasts it with the “new car business” and suggests the used-car world can be more relationship-driven.

The “new car business” is selling brand-new vehicles directly from manufacturers through dealerships. The host and guest contrast it with used-car work, arguing that new-car sales can feel more like selling a “commodity” than building long-term relationships around specific cars and owners.

A “lowrider muscle car show” refers to events centered on lowriders (cars set very low, often with distinctive styling and hydraulics) and muscle cars (V8-era performance cars). The phrase is used to illustrate the variety of enthusiast communities the speaker encounters.

A “hot rod show” is an event where enthusiasts display modified classic cars—often with engine swaps, custom bodywork, and period-style upgrades. The speaker uses it as an example of the kind of community you meet around cars.

“Hypercars” and “supercars” are categories for very high-performance, high-cost cars, with hypercars generally being the more extreme end of the spectrum. Here, the speaker uses them to emphasize that regardless of the car tier, you meet passionate people.

The Duesenberg name is famous for ultra-luxury, high-performance American cars from the 1920s–1930s. A 1934 Duesenberg is especially notable in classic-car circles because it represents the peak of that era’s big, powerful, coachbuilt luxury—exactly the kind of car that sparks serious enthusiast conversations.

Pomona is a city in Southern California that hosts major automotive events, including large classic and hot-rod shows. When enthusiasts say they went to Pomona for something like the Hot Rod Show, they’re usually referring to a well-known event venue and crowd that’s heavy on traditional American cars.

Rodeo Drive is a famous shopping street in Beverly Hills, California, known for luxury brands and high-end events. When the hosts mention being there for a car-related event, it highlights how car culture can intersect with high society and premium automotive experiences.

In this context, “restore a car” means returning a vehicle to a desired condition—typically correcting wear, damage, and aging components—so it feels right to drive and own. The host frames it as a philosophy where the restoration should be thorough enough that the next owner doesn’t need to immediately do additional work.

This is a “use it, don’t just display it” ownership philosophy—treating classic and collectible cars as real machines meant for regular driving rather than static collectibles. It contrasts with the idea of preserving a car primarily as wall art or a museum piece.

The Ford F-150 is a full-size pickup truck built for work and everyday use, and it’s one of the most popular trucks on the market. In the podcast context, it’s mentioned alongside a “Raptor,” suggesting a discussion about truck ownership and swapping between vehicles. The F-150 name is used as a baseline for what the speaker drives or cycles through.

The Gordon Murray designed T50 is a modern supercar built around Gordon Murray’s “lightweight first” philosophy. It’s known for extreme focus on low mass and high performance, aiming to deliver a complete driving experience—fast acceleration, strong handling, and confident braking—without relying on excess weight.

The Gordon Murray Automotive T.50 is a modern, limited-production supercar designed by Gordon Murray. It’s discussed as a “whole nother” car in the podcast, emphasizing how different and advanced it is compared to older classics. The T.50’s significance is tied to its lightweight, performance-focused approach and its status as a new collectible supercar.

The McLaren T50 is a modern track-focused supercar built around a driver-first layout, and it’s especially known for its center driving position. In this segment, the hosts emphasize that the T50 can be driven for long distances—“all day long”—and even mention a real-world thousand-mile run to prove it.

The McLaren F1 is famous for its center driving position, where the driver sits between the front wheels. The host compares that layout to the McLaren T50 to explain why the driving feel is so distinctive and focused on the driver.

A center driving position places the driver in the middle of the car (between the front wheels), rather than offset to one side. This can change pedal geometry and steering feel so the driver’s feet can be “dead straight on,” which the host argues is a key part of the car’s driving sensation.

Open-wheel Formula One cars are race cars with exposed wheels and a cockpit designed around the driver’s central placement. The host uses them as historical precedent for why a center driving position is considered the “ultimate” driving setup.

The Porsche 918 Spyder is a limited-production plug-in hybrid supercar built by Porsche. It’s significant because it helped define the modern era of high-performance hybrids, pairing strong power with advanced efficiency. The podcast mentions the 918 Spyder while talking about how future-looking cars can be hard to predict—“who would ever imagine” we’d see what’s possible today.

A clutch is the component that connects and disconnects the engine’s power from the transmission so you can shift gears. Mentioning a clutch here signals a more traditional, driver-involved setup rather than an automatic.

Manual steering means the steering effort is generated by the driver rather than relying on power assistance. In this context, it’s part of why the car feels more “mechanical” and engaging to drive.

A normally aspirated engine makes power without a turbocharger or supercharger, relying on atmospheric pressure and engine design. The speaker highlights it because a high-revving naturally aspirated setup is often associated with a sharper, more immediate driving feel.

The red line is the engine’s maximum recommended RPM range, beyond which the engine can be damaged. A 12,000 RPM red line indicates a very high-revving engine designed for performance.

The exhaust system routes burned gases out of the engine and can also be shaped to influence airflow and pressure. Here, the speaker initially assumes the rear opening is an exhaust outlet, then corrects that it’s actually related to aerodynamic airflow.

Aerodynamics is how air flows around a car and how that affects drag, downforce, and stability. The speaker connects the “big hole” to airflow management, suggesting it’s there to improve aerodynamic efficiency rather than just for exhaust.

Laguna Seca is a well-known road course in California used for motorsport testing and racing. It’s also a common venue for evaluating traction and downforce changes because its corners and elevation shifts make grip differences obvious.

This refers to a fan-assisted downforce system where the fan’s operation increases the car’s grip by generating strong suction/downforce. Turning it off removes that extra aerodynamic force, so traction drops noticeably.

“Aerodynamic-wise” is shorthand for how a design affects airflow around the car. Here it’s used to describe how the fans and body shape manage aerodynamic forces like downforce and drag.

“Appendages” here means extra aerodynamic add-ons like wings, splitters, canards, and other protrusions. The speaker contrasts a “clean” design (fewer appendages) with more cluttered aero packages, implying better efficiency and less drag.

A “big wing” is a high-mounted aerodynamic surface that produces downforce by redirecting airflow. The speaker says this prototype avoids a large exposed wing, suggesting it achieves downforce/grip through other aerodynamic methods (like the fan system and clean bodywork).

“Zero to 60” is a common performance metric measuring how quickly a vehicle accelerates from a standstill to 60 mph. The speaker says the design goal wasn’t just straight-line acceleration, but broader on-track competitiveness and driving feel.

“Seat of the pants experience” is a driving-enthusiast phrase for how a car feels through the driver’s body—seat, steering, and pedal feedback—rather than what you’d measure with gauges. It’s often used to describe cars with strong feedback and predictable behavior that you can “read” without looking at data.

“Sim racing” is competitive driving using a video game and steering/pedal hardware to mimic real cars. The host argues it can’t fully replicate the real-world physical sensations—like how your spine and body interact with the car’s motion and feedback.

Homologation is the official approval process that a car must pass to be legally sold and registered in a specific country. If a car isn’t homologated for the United States, it typically can’t be imported and titled for normal ownership without special handling or exemptions.

Paul Allen was a Microsoft co-founder who also owned and collected cars. In this story, he buys the speaker’s car after learning it had to leave the country due to import limits.

All-wheel drive (AWD) sends power to more than just the rear or front axle, improving traction in low-grip conditions like rain, snow, or uneven surfaces. It can also make a car feel easier to drive because it reduces wheelspin when accelerating.

“Emissions legal” refers to meeting a jurisdiction’s legal limits for exhaust pollutants (like hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxides). For imported or modified cars, it usually means engineering changes and documentation so the vehicle can be certified to comply with local environmental regulations.

This appears to refer to a specific U.S. regulatory framework for importing or displaying vehicles, likely tied to how nonconforming cars can be brought into the country. The key point is that the regulation process took a long time and affected how the Porsche 959 could be handled legally.

A “Senate transportation bill” is a piece of U.S. federal legislation that can include rules affecting vehicles, road safety, and transportation policy. In this context, the speaker is describing how advocacy and legal strategy were aimed at getting a path for these cars into law.

In this context, “values” refers to market prices for collectible cars, not the everyday idea of “value” in general. The discussion is about how certain supercars and rare 911 variants have appreciated to multi-million-dollar levels.

The Ferrari F40 is a legendary 1980s supercar built around lightweight construction and a race-inspired attitude. It’s widely used as a “value barometer” in the classic market because demand for clean, original examples tends to push prices upward quickly.

The Ferrari 288 GTO is a homologation-style supercar from the 1980s, known for its turbocharged performance and motorsport pedigree. It’s also a classic-market favorite, so the host’s “approaching 10” comment reflects how aggressively values can rise for the most desirable variants.

The Ferrari F50 is a high-performance, limited-production supercar built by Ferrari. It’s significant because it represents an era of naturally aspirated, driver-focused engineering and is widely recognized as a collectible modern classic. The podcast mentions F50s as being “way up,” which points to their strong collector value and desirability.

The Porsche 959 is famous for bringing advanced technology to a road car, including sophisticated all-wheel-drive and high-performance turbocharging for its era. The host’s point is that its tech and design have aged so well that it should command top-tier collector pricing.

Speculators are buyers who purchase an asset (here, a rare car) primarily expecting to sell it later at a higher price. The concern is that limited supply can drive up prices and distort who actually ends up using the car.

Broad Arrow is an auction house brand associated with selling high-end collector vehicles. Mentioning it here signals the car was resold through a specialist channel rather than a private sale.

Emissions test requirements are regulatory rules that determine what a vehicle must meet to be certified for sale or import in a given market. For rare cars, meeting these requirements can add cost and delay, affecting the final “all-in” price.

“All in” is shorthand for the total cost including everything needed to get the car ready and legally in the buyer’s hands. In this context, it’s contrasted with the original price before emissions compliance costs.

A “Carfax” is a vehicle history report service that compiles data from sources like insurance claims, registrations, and reported accidents. Enthusiasts use it to spot red flags such as prior accidents, title issues, or inconsistent mileage history.

IMSA is the International Motor Sports Association, which runs major sports-car racing in North America, including endurance events. When someone says they drove in IMSA, it usually means they raced in a top-level professional sports-car series.

Historic races are motorsport events where older cars (often period-correct or preserved classics) compete under rules meant to keep them historically authentic. Because these cars are used for competition rather than daily driving, “more miles in historic races” highlights active track use while still preserving the car’s original character.

Long distance races are endurance-style events where cars run for extended periods and often involve driver stints and teamwork. In the context of classic cars, this can mean the car accumulated significant track mileage while still being maintained for racing use.

The Porsche 911 T is a stripped-down, more driver-focused version of the Porsche 911 lineup. In this segment, it’s used as an example of how certain modern Porsche models can spike dramatically in market price.

The segment is describing a rapid resale price spike—cars that jump dramatically in value over a very short time. The speaker frames it as a market trend affecting multiple contemporary models, not just one car.

In car pricing, “sticker” refers to the manufacturer’s listed retail price shown on the vehicle’s window sticker. The speaker contrasts that original price with a much higher resale retail price.

“Resale retail” describes the price a car sells for in the retail resale market (typically dealer or dealer-like pricing), not the original “sticker” price. The segment uses it to show how quickly certain cars can become worth far more than their original list price.

The Porsche 935 is a late-1970s/1980s race-focused version of the 911, famous for its dominance in endurance racing. It’s known for being a “factory race car” that was closely related to a road-going base, which is why it comes up in debates about what counts as a true purpose-built racer.

The BMW 3.0 CSL is a classic homologation special from BMW, built to compete in touring car racing. It’s especially remembered for its lightweight, race-bred character and for being a road car that was closely tied to a successful race program.

“Factory cars” means vehicles built or heavily supported by the manufacturer (like Porsche) for racing, rather than being privateer conversions. In this context, it’s used to argue that some cars were effectively race cars even if they started from a road-car platform.

Purpose-built race cars are designed from the start for competition, rather than being adapted from an existing road car. The speaker is responding to the idea that cars like the 935 don’t count because they weren’t “purpose-built,” even though they were manufacturer-developed race entries.

Riverside refers to Riverside International Raceway in California, which hosted major sports car and endurance events in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It’s a notable venue in American racing history, so referencing a Porsche 935 there signals a specific era and level of competition.

In motorsport, a livery is the car’s paint scheme—colors, graphics, and sponsor placement—used for a team or race entry. Enthusiasts often judge how iconic a car looks based on its livery, especially in historic eras.

The Porsche 356 is the early Porsche sports car that predates the 911 and helped establish the brand’s lightweight, performance-focused identity. In this segment, it’s mentioned as part of the lineage leading into the 911 family and race-car development.

The Porsche 935 is a race-focused evolution of the 911 platform, built for endurance and customer racing. In this segment, they’re talking about rebuilding 935s and referencing a modern “new 935” that’s also street legal, which highlights how the 935 name can refer to both historic race cars and contemporary builds.

“Street legal” means a vehicle is approved to be driven on public roads under applicable regulations (typically lighting, emissions, safety equipment, and documentation). In this context, it contrasts with a pure race car, emphasizing that the referenced 935 build can be used like a normal car.

This refers to the car’s air-conditioning system, which uses refrigerant, a compressor, and airflow controls to cool the cabin. In older cars, the system can fail as seals, plastic components, and wiring degrade over time.

A wiring harness is the bundled set of wires and connectors that routes power and signals to every electrical component. In classic cars, insulation can become brittle and connectors can corrode, causing intermittent faults or total failures.

Mileage is how far a car has been driven, but the speaker is emphasizing that many failures are age-related rather than mileage-related. Rubber, plastics, foams, and electrical insulation can degrade even on low-mile cars.

A “bare tub” restoration means stripping the car down to the body shell, removing drivetrain, interior, wiring, and most components so everything can be inspected and rebuilt. This approach is common when the goal is a near-new condition and when age-related failures (like wiring, HVAC, and seals) are expected.

The power steering pump is the hydraulic (or sometimes electric) component that provides assist to make steering easier. On older cars, seals and hoses can harden or leak, and the pump can wear out or fail.

HVAC stands for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning—the full system that controls cabin temperature and airflow. Upgrading HVAC in a classic car often means replacing aging components so the system works reliably and efficiently.

Bearings are precision components that reduce friction between moving parts. The speaker is describing replacing or upgrading specific bearings because a newer design can last longer or run smoother than the original.

Horsepower is a measure of how much power an engine produces. In this segment it’s used to describe how much the car’s output increased from stock to a much higher tuned figure.

Torque is the twisting force an engine makes at the crankshaft. This segment contrasts stock torque (444 hp / 370 ft-lb) with the upgraded setup (about 600 ft-lb), which strongly affects how hard the car pulls from low to mid rpm.

Group B was a high-performance rally racing category (popular in the early 1980s) known for extremely powerful, lightly regulated cars. This segment notes that the original plan was for a Group B car, but the class was eliminated before that direction could be completed.

The Porsche 961 is a race-bred Porsche built for endurance racing, derived from the 911 platform and associated with the Group B era. In this segment, the host explains how Porsche took the concept to Le Mans and Daytona as the 961, and then produced a road car version with a larger body and tires.

A dyno (dynamometer) is a machine used to measure engine output and behavior under controlled load. It helps teams spot issues like power drop-offs, lag, and how changes affect horsepower and drivability.

Sequential turbos use more than one turbocharger in a timed sequence so the engine gets boost earlier and more smoothly. The tradeoff is that the transition between turbos can cause a noticeable power lag or drop.

The gearbox is the transmission that selects gear ratios to match engine speed to vehicle speed. In high-power builds, the gearbox must handle torque loads without failing or overheating.

The differential is the gear unit that allows the driven wheels to rotate at different speeds while still receiving power. It’s critical for traction and durability, especially when torque levels are very high.

The drive line is the drivetrain hardware that transfers power from the transmission to the wheels (commonly including shafts and related components). When teams say they want “no failures in the drivetrain,” they’re usually talking about the drive line’s strength and reliability under load.

Axles are the shafts that transmit torque to the wheels. High-power racing builds often need stronger axles (or better materials and design) to prevent bending, cracking, or driveline vibration.

Control arms are suspension links that locate the wheels and control their movement. On a high-power race car, they’re part of how the chassis manages traction and keeps geometry stable under acceleration and braking.

In driving terms, grip is how well the tires can hold the road without slipping. More grip generally means better acceleration, braking, and cornering confidence.

The Porsche 959 is a landmark Porsche supercar from the 1980s known for advanced engineering and all-weather capability. It’s famous for its sophisticated all-wheel-drive system and for being one of the first “tech-forward” performance cars that still feels usable today.

In this context, “drivable” and “for all day long” are describing long-distance usability—how comfortable and fatigue-free a car feels over extended driving. Enthusiasts often use this as a practical measure of chassis refinement and ergonomics, not just speed.

Tire noise is the sound the tires generate while rolling, especially on certain road surfaces or at highway speeds. Reducing tire noise usually points to better tire choice, tread design, and overall noise/vibration/harshness (NVH) refinement in the chassis.

The Acura NSX is a mid-engine sports car known for being unusually easy to drive for its performance level. In this segment, the host compares it to the idea of a “real driver’s car” that you can use day-to-day without it being overly difficult.

The 1967 Cadillac El Dorado is a classic American personal-luxury/flagship-style coupe known for its big, distinctive styling and comfort-focused character. In this segment it’s called out as one of the speaker’s favorite body styles, highlighting how classic Cadillac design can be a “favorite” even compared to modern sports cars.

The Cadillac ELR is a luxury plug-in hybrid coupe from Cadillac. It’s significant because it brought an electric-assist concept to a more traditional luxury body style. In the podcast, the ELR is mentioned in the same breath as the 1967 Cadillac Eldorado, indicating the discussion is about Cadillac body styles and design appeal.

Group C cars were race cars built for the FIA Group C sports-prototype category, which emphasized endurance racing and fuel/efficiency rules. They’re known for purpose-built aerodynamics and engineering that often influenced road-car technology.

GT cars are grand touring race cars based on production-car platforms, typically competing in GT classes. They’re usually less “prototype” and more closely related to real-world car shapes and components than pure prototypes.

“Less is more” is a design philosophy meaning you achieve better results by removing unnecessary elements rather than adding more. In automotive styling, it often translates to cleaner lines, fewer visual distractions, and more intentional proportions.

The deck lid is the hinged panel on the rear of many cars that covers the trunk opening. In custom design discussions, it often comes up because its shape and proportions affect the rear-end styling.

A one-piece grille is a grille design where the main grille section is formed as a single integrated piece rather than multiple separate sections. In custom bodywork, it can improve visual continuity and make the front end look more cohesive.