Flipped My Honda CR-V; Survived; Now Building a 1969 VW Baja Bug
To All The Cars I've Loved Before: Classic Car Restoration, JDM, and Automotive History
Flipped My Honda CR-V; Survived; Now Building a 1969 VW Baja Bug
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Car
Ferrari 348 TS
The Ferrari 348 TS is a sports car made by Ferrari that was popular in the early 1990s. It has a powerful engine and is known for its sleek design and speed.
Car
Jeep Renegade
The Jeep Renegade is a small SUV that is great for both off-roading and city driving. It has a unique look and is popular for its ability to handle rough terrain.
Car
Honda Crx
The Honda CRX is a small car that was made by Honda. It's known for being fun to drive and is often loved by people who enjoy cars.
Term
pinstripe
A pinstripe is a thin line of color that is added to a car's surface. It makes the car look nicer and can show off the owner's style.
Car
Volkswagen Beetle
The Volkswagen Beetle is a small car that was very popular in the past. The 1969 model is one of the classic versions that many people love to restore and modify.
Concept
baja build
A baja build is when you change a car, like a Volkswagen Beetle, to make it better for driving on rough, off-road surfaces. It usually means adding stronger parts and bigger tires.
Car
Honda Crv
The Honda CR-V is a small SUV that is known for being reliable and good for families. The 1999 version is one of the earlier models, which many people liked for its spacious interior and good fuel economy.
Term
understeering
Understeering is when your car doesn't turn as much as you want it to, making it go straight instead of following the curve of the road. This can happen if the front tires lose grip.
Term
hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is when your car slides on top of water instead of gripping the road. This can make it hard to steer or stop, which is dangerous.
Term
locked up brakes
Locked up brakes mean the wheels stop turning completely when you press the brake pedal. This can make it hard to steer and can cause sliding.
Term
curb
A curb is the edge of the road that is usually made of concrete. Hitting it can hurt your car and cause problems with the wheels or suspension.
Term
rollover accident
A rollover accident is when a car tips over onto its side or roof. This can be very dangerous and often happens if the car hits something or turns too sharply.
Term
manual steering
Manual steering means you have to use more strength to turn the steering wheel because it doesn't have any power assistance. It's different from power steering, which makes it easier to steer the car.
Term
power steering
Power steering is a feature in many cars that makes it easier to turn the steering wheel. It uses special systems to help you steer without using too much strength.
Concept
Porsche Experience Center
The Porsche Experience Center is a special place where you can drive and learn about Porsche cars. It's like a theme park for car lovers, where you can try out different models and see how they perform.
Concept
Snowball Derby
The Snowball Derby is a famous car race that happens every year in Florida. It's a big event where many skilled drivers compete, and it's known for being very exciting.
Concept
short track race
A short track race is a car race that happens on a small oval track. Because the track is smaller, the cars are often very close to each other, making the race exciting and fast-paced.
Brand
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a car company from Germany that makes many popular cars. They are known for their quality and unique designs.
Car
Volkswagen Karmann Ghia
The Volkswagen Karmann Ghia is a stylish classic car that looks like a sports car but is built using parts from the popular Volkswagen Beetle. It was made from the 1950s to the 1970s and is loved for its unique design.
Car
Audi A4
The Audi A4 is a car that is comfortable and has good performance. It's a popular choice for people who want a nice car to drive every day.
Concept
classic air-cooled German vehicles
Classic air-cooled German vehicles are older cars from brands like Volkswagen and Porsche that don't use water to cool their engines. Instead, they rely on air to keep the engine temperature down, which was common in many cars before the 1990s.
Car
Porsche 911
The Porsche 911 is a famous sports car that many people love because of its unique shape and fast performance. It's been around for a long time and is often used in races, which makes it special to car fans.
Term
air-cooled vehicle
Air-cooled vehicles are cars that cool their engines using air instead of water. This is common in older cars, like some Porsches, and gives them a special feel when driving.
Car
Porsche 356
The Porsche 356 is an old sports car made by Porsche. It was popular in the 1950s and 1960s and is loved for its fun driving experience and stylish design.
Term
split window
A split window is when the back window of a car is divided into two parts by a bar in the middle. It's a unique style that some people really like, especially in older cars.
LIVE
Welcome back to all the cars I've loved before your authoritative podcast on automotive nostalgia.
Where our guests are unique, each auto has an era, and every car tells a story.
So you know, yes indeed, you know it's time to plug in, get a little grease under the
fingernails and slip on that favorite car thing, t-shirt, hat, or jacket.
So let's welcome back listeners all over this fine country in globe, we call it Cars Love
Nation.
Hey, for the first time, Doug, have you ever heard of Kazakhstan?
I have.
Other side of the planet.
First time we've had a listener there.
Really excited.
We have some return listeners from Ireland.
I was there last summer.
The driving is just a little bit of a head scratch.
Other side of the road.
Very narrow road.
I don't know why there have to be immovable rock walls covered in IV very close to the
road.
A lot of trickery, but the car came back in one piece.
Hey, welcome back listeners to San Antonio, Texas, Portland, Oregon, Plano, Texas, Columbia,
Maryland.
That's close to you.
It is.
Detroit, Michigan.
Motor City.
Motor City in Tucson, Arizona.
By the way, I think half of those cities are in the song Route 66.
That's just struck me.
Remember that song?
I did.
Route 66.
I mean, I think.
Get your kicks.
Get your kicks on Route 66.
Yeah.
Now, I, you know, a couple of years ago, I visited Amarillo, which I think in, and
they had like the historic 66, kind of where the whole thing started as big plaque
and a sign.
And I got kind of a duplicate sign hanging up in my, I'll take a picture.
Maybe we can get that on the photo carousel.
Please.
Please.
Hey, yeah.
So do we have any new photos for the carousel?
I think you did a lot of, or speaking of, you did a lot of work on that.
So let's chat about the website for a moment before we bring today's guests into our
garage.
Okay.
So, yeah, so I dug up a lot of pictures from our past.
Yes.
My past.
And our listeners passed too, right?
Our listeners passed.
Yeah.
They sent us pictures.
Yep.
We, we love pictures from our listeners too.
You don't have to be on the show to submit a picture.
Send us a great one.
So, yeah, I've been updating that, you know, it went from three to, I don't know,
12.
There's a picture of me in that you took of that Ferrari in 2004 that we rented
at the F, was it 348, 348, 348 TS.
Yep.
Yep.
Yeah.
Yep.
And that was good times.
That was good times.
I don't recommend the top down in Vegas in August in the middle of the day.
It's the greatest thing in the world, first thing in the morning, but, but, you know,
we did that.
We did the whole circuit.
We did the strip.
We did Hoover Dam.
And then, you know, when it was time to bring it back noon time, we were melting.
Dream car rentals, by the by, if, if, if dream car rentals feels like sponsoring.
Yeah.
So thanks for the update on the site.
Good news.
And yeah, visit carslove.com is what we're talking about carslove.com.
You can reach out to us over email, which a lot of people like you Christian at carslove.com.
He's Doug at carslove.com or info at carslove.com.
I guess we just hired this guy named info and that's his email address.
So feel free to reach out to him.
Right.
He's a new hire.
I don't know.
Yeah.
And info for short.
Speaking of, so pinstripe, you, you were, you were out in the bell and it was a little
bit of a, man, I gotta tell you, we love, we send pictures of cars back and forth to
each other.
Oh, I got to send you this picture of, I'm all into jeeps right now, jeepshow,
whatever.
And I want to buy an old Jeep.
That's my latest obsession that if I weren't paying for kids to go to college, I would get
but, and I saw an old Jeep Renegade and traffic, old, old, beautiful, perfect.
But anyway, toss it over to you.
Yes.
You sent a picture of, was it a CRX?
It was a first gen Honda CRX and my day amazing shape black and, you know, after looking
at the picture, I'm like, wow, there's a pinstripe on it, a red pinstripe and
even more interesting, the pinstripe wasn't faded.
It was like perfect.
I would assume somebody had that car repainted, it looked so good and it went through the trouble
to add the pinstripe, but what do you think about pinstripes?
I love them.
I love the fine detail.
I had a car that was just this gorgeous green had the little gold pinstripe down
the side.
Like when they're intricate, yeah, it kind of reminds me of, it comes when I see pinstripe
on a car and it's all got like the maybe the Vondutch styling or curvy and wavy reminds
me of, you know, some tattoos people have on their arm or some like tattoos that something
very personal, very personal.
Yeah.
And you mentioned something about Vondutch, right?
And I think it was Ken Howard or Kenny Vondutch, right?
He became like the guy behind the scenes who made pinstripes popular.
And I don't know if they're still popular on motorcycles, but that was a big place.
Absolutely.
You see it everywhere.
Yeah.
It's one of these things where that that was, you know, that turned out to be his
life's art.
And then it just kind of moved on into the mainstream as its name, you'll see
is kind of his, I don't know if it's its own fashion label, but you will see
it.
I think it is.
Yeah.
Speaking of, let's see.
Sure.
Yeah.
We mentioned at the top of the hour, you got to slip on the shirt.
So you've got, you've got a great one on today.
Yep.
Yep.
So, believe it or not, great deal at Old Navy, back to the future, flying to
Loran, not too gaudy actually.
No.
An Old Navy, if you feel like giving us some money, that's fine too.
But dig it up.
Fantastic.
All right.
So we've talked.
We've given them money for years.
We've talked about, indeed, indeed.
We've talked about shirts.
We've talked about pinstriping.
We've talked about it.
So it is time to pivot and get to today's guest.
So Doug, how did today's very special guests make their way into our virtual garage?
So our very special guest, I, in listening to lots of podcasts, I
came across her podcast, Be Differential, and great, great podcast, all about most,
mostly about women in automobiles and motorsport industries.
And we've had such great, you know, father-daughters, just women who've grown up in the motorsports
or just got involved.
Maybe they wanted to do something with their dad.
Maybe they went to one of the colleges we were stayed, or McPherson, right?
And they just, they wanted students, to professionals, from hobbyists to racers, everybody else.
Ava Gregory, welcome in.
How are you today?
I'm so well.
I'm looking forward to this conversation.
And thank you for having me.
Not as much as we are.
So it's, wow, we're just kind of, kind of having an idol on the show here.
So very pleased that you visited, that you visited our garage.
So what have you been into recently?
What have you, so much going on in your world with the YouTube, the podcast?
Where do you start?
What's the latest?
Yeah, that's a tough question.
I definitely have a lot going on, but I'll actually speak to something that
is about to be a project that I'm beginning.
I have a 69 Beetle that's been living up in Pennsylvania for the past couple of years.
And next month, I'm going to go pick it up and drive it down so I can
baha it out and begin that build to hopefully compete in it pretty soon here.
So that's, that's most pressing, but always ongoing project.
I love that.
So wait a minute.
Pennsylvania, is that where you grew up?
So my family's from up north between Pennsylvania, Connecticut and upstate New York.
But I have my dad's living up there and has been since the last couple of years.
So it's been on his property.
Roger Dodger.
So does it get driven much?
Is there an undercoat of rust on it?
What do you, is that what do we got to work on or?
There's certainly an undercoat of rust.
My dad does start it, but he does not drive it as often as I would probably
like him to, but that's OK.
We're keeping it alive.
And really, I mean, the goal is to drive it down.
It's around a 700 mile trail path from where he lives to where I live.
So the goal is to kind of do a little test run and then do a complete
like through, you know, overhaul of what needs to be done and what needs to be assessed.
So what are the odds it'll make it down driving itself?
We're going to have kind of a trailing car or will you be,
will you be behind the driver's seat of this car while it's on the flatbed
of the 18 wheeler, which is probably what are the odds?
What is Vegas saying about all that?
So I actually daily this car in college is my only vehicle
and I replaced the engine in it myself with one other kind of mentor
and some YouTube videos in 2020.
So I think that the survival rate is actually pretty decent.
And luckily I am very acutely aware of its inner workings.
But if I'm on the side of the road, I have confidence that we can get it back on the road.
Absolutely. So, yeah, you know where all the skeletons are
in that particular rolling closet, which I love.
And I can just feel the waves that Doug's head is about to explode
with all the with all the wonderful avenues of discussion we have here.
Where do we start, Doug?
Where do we where do we go with this right now?
Yeah, well, I think we go back to everybody's first car, right?
Yeah, yeah, in the time machine, right?
It's all my shirt. Let's do it.
And we go all the way back to Ava's first car, which was
it was a 99 Honda CRV.
And I would like to preface that I did not grow up in the automotive space
or have that hobby and interest.
So it was very much point A to point B, what I could afford, what my options were.
So yeah, 99 Honda CRV was my old trusty for multiple years
until until I obliterated it.
But that's OK. Obliterated.
Well, how did before it got obliterated?
How did you find it?
Yeah, actually, my dad found it.
I mean, it was obviously I was young, so it was something he did the, you know,
online searches at the time and came across it.
And it just worked out a really good deal from what I recall.
It was like 3,500 bucks.
Now, I will say this was an older model, even when I purchased it.
So it had quite the life on it already, but it served me many memories.
And it's it's funny.
My daughter's first car is a CRV as well.
I think it's a 2014.
All right, now, let's let's pray to the skies above that it doesn't meet
the same end as Aveston, not that we're at that point yet.
And I don't want to bring up memories and I don't want to step on Doug's
coat, give it away, but
called a segue in media.
Well, you know, it's funny.
We've talked to a few people what happened to your first car.
I think about cash.
He's like, I still have it.
What happened to your second car?
He's like, I still have it, right?
So it couldn't have your first car without a second car.
But what happened to your first car?
So I this is I would also like to preface this is not a testimony of
my driving skills, but I did.
I did total the vehicle.
I had it in college and prior to totaling it, I really did have
so many great memories with this car.
And I went to Georgia or I went to college in North Georgia.
So it was a mountain town.
It was, you know, the start of the Appalachian Trail, whatever.
I used to work at Atlanta Motorsports Park and was on my way to work one day.
And it had just started raining as I was going around this wide curve.
And when that happened, I began hydroplaning and understeering.
And when that happened and I went to correct it instead of the wheels that
kind of inverting how you would anticipate, they locked up completely.
So I actually slid sideways.
And luckily, it was just me.
There was nobody else involved in my car or any other vehicles.
But I slid through a turning lane and then hit a curb.
And when I hit the curb, I slipped and rolled two and a half times.
And I landed driver's side down and my seatbelt was stuck.
And so I just kind of was there for a minute, you know.
And like I said, I was on my way to work.
So I called a colleague, my boss at the time.
And now great mentor and family friend.
But I called him to let him know that I wasn't going to make it in and said,
you know, I got an accident.
I'm OK, but I was still sideways when I was on the phone with him.
And and he said, you know, OK, I'll call him to let them know.
So at that point in time, I had always carried a pocket knife and cut myself
free once I kind of like, you know, came to, I guess, and cut myself free,
climbed out and who he had called.
It was my roommate at the time who was working and got the call that I was in
an accident, so she called my phone and I was just standing on the side of the road
next to my sideways car before any emergency vehicles or anything arrived.
And when the paramedics showed up, I was literally on the call and I was like,
hey, I've got to let you go like they're here.
And when they arrived, they didn't know who got in the accident because I was
truly fine and I walked up to them and said, hey, how's it going?
And they were like, you know, we should ask you that.
And I said, fingers toes moving like we're good.
But unfortunately, cosmetically, because of the age, I did total it.
So that was unfortunate.
And then I got the 69 Beatles.
And it sounds like you're pretty, I don't know at the time,
but you're pretty calm in that scenario.
Yeah, I I really do handle stressful situations and yeah, it was it was so funny.
I just even more a tangent.
But I called an ex-boyfriend at the time to come pick me up because I was about
a mile and a half away from where I lived.
And, you know, I called to say, hey, like, can you just bring me home?
You know, I got in an accident and he pulled up and parked and was just
flabbergasted to see my car sideways.
And he was like, I thought you got in like a fender bender.
And I was like, I would not have called you if I got in a fender bender.
So yeah, it was it was handled very well,
fortunately, definitely unfortunate circumstances.
But it was all ended up being OK.
And it set me on the trajectory to where I've been able to experience.
Yeah, yeah, no, I'm sure that helped helped you out.
Go ahead, Christian, you just want to get in here.
So you mentioned something about the Atlanta Motor Speedway that you were
at the Land of Sports Park, so there's two different facilities.
Atlanta Motor Speedway is south of Atlanta and Hampton and Atlanta Motor
Sports Park is in Dawsonville.
So one is a NASCAR own track and one is a like private club track.
So they have a go karting facility and the main car course.
Is that where you got bitten by the by the odd?
Yeah, she got a big nod.
OK, we can talk about that now or later.
But what an influential place to start.
Yeah, yeah.
You know, and I'm just thinking about our our last episode, Christian with a Nigel.
Ton of growth, right?
So CEO of Coastline Academy Coastline.
Have you I don't know if you've heard of them, but driving school and Christian
watch Christians teaching his youngest son how to drive.
And he found these great videos and one of them was what to do in an accident.
And maybe we should have one by Eva that says what to do if your CRV flips over.
Truly, truly.
And I will say I have since I have since done driving courses and know
what to do, God forbid, you know, there's a next time.
So yeah, absolutely.
Yeah, but she strikes me as one of these unique people with just ice water in the
veins all the way, you know, whether you look at her content.
Let's do it very unflappable.
But OK, I'm going to be quiet.
This is Doug's portion.
Here's the baton.
Yeah. Oh, OK.
So the car got total, sadly.
It did. Yeah.
And but I think the next car, along with your career, right?
Or maybe the next car really steered you in that direction, so to speak,
with manual steering different than the power steering of the Honda CRV.
So what was your second car?
My second vehicle was a 1969 Volkswagen Beetle, Savannah Bay.
And I found it at a car show.
It was a Volkswagen car meet.
I was on my way out and saw it drive in with a four sail sign and had to go back for it.
Nice. Nice.
And how long after the was that pretty soon after the CRV met its fate?
It was pretty soon after.
Yeah, I think probably just a couple of months, definitely less than less than
six months. So yeah, not not too far.
I think it was maybe I think I totaled my car in October and then I think I
had the Beetle by April, so yeah, not too far.
OK, and you just happened to be at a car show because like in cars, right?
Yeah, getting that getting that bug, so to speak.
Absolutely.
Christian, you went to a car show
in Florida called the Great
Rare Air, Rare Air Show.
Rare Air. Oh, fabulous.
That's a great show.
Yeah. Oh, you've been to it as well.
I have. Yeah.
OK, so it's a is it a moving show or you've
been to it where in Pensacola, where Christian is.
There was a version of it hosted in Atlanta.
Oh, yeah. It was there.
There's been a couple of years.
It's typically held at the Porsche Experience Center in Atlanta.
Oh, that's cool.
That's really, really cool.
Yeah, the one down here was held on the grounds of five flags speed,
five flags Speedway, which is a well known regional racetrack that hosts
the Snowball Derby, which a lot of our listeners will know.
It's a very famous short track race here.
But yeah, tons of space for everybody.
Great day. I think it was in the fall.
I think it was in the fall of last year.
So the perfect, perfect weather.
But yeah.
Yes, Doug.
Yeah.
So and you still have this whole time, right?
I do. Yeah.
So there was there was a sale that
transacted a couple of years ago, but it has made its way back to the family and
is up in Pennsylvania. Yeah. Oh, cool.
But yeah, we've found so many stories like that.
People just buying back their first cars, tracing, tracing them back,
which apparently in in the UK is a lot easier because they keep Christian.
What did Dirk tell us?
One of our one of our other.
They keep the same license plate for the life of the car.
Oh, by stage with the car.
So actually when you've got, you know,
the I think the the the the string convention is the first three or four
characters are actually the letters of either the town or kind of the signifier
of the town, the way that, you know, every every airport is known by a three
letter signifier. So there the first few letters of the signifier of kind
of the town or the local DMV.
So you always kind of have an idea of where the where it was originally titled.
Which yeah, I thought that was so interesting where here in the States,
it's just all I've ever seen, unless you get a vanity plate.
Since I'm not vain, I wouldn't know anything about that.
It's just a random string of letters and numbers.
Now, there's no intelligence built into the system.
Yeah. That was really clever.
Well, it becomes a scavenger hunt of, you know, challenge in the States, right?
To figure it out.
Yeah. And God, I can't stop thinking
about it past episode with McPherson.
Chris Paulson actually teaches a class,
not just on automotive history, but how to research the origins of your automobile.
Right. Well, yeah, that was so that was interesting to know.
And while we're on the history of cars here,
while we're seeing up the next question, I was in an antique store.
I really enjoy antiquing.
I was in an antique store and I saw this license plate or a rack,
a license plate, they're like 50 bucks a pop.
I said, what is it with these lights?
Nobody wants these. What is it?
Well, come to find out.
License plate collecting is a big deal.
It's the big thing.
I don't know if it's the world over, but you're not just going to go get
now I'm talking about kind of, you know, old, very interesting looking license
plates, but it's it's a thing.
They have shows, they have swap meets, they have all this sort of thing.
Yes, it's like it's like record collecting or
baseball card collecting or something like that.
Anyway, just wanted to worthless bomb
information, some bit of trivia in there.
Back to you.
Back to you with that breaking news.
Yeah, yeah, thank you.
With that breaking, worthless news.
Yeah. So the beetle, the beetle became a big part, but you're and you
still have it and earlier you mentioned you're going to pick it up from
Pennsylvania, drive it back, fingers crossed,
down south about 700 miles and turn it into a.
Baja, yeah, the goal is to completely Baja, rally it out and compete in the 1000.
Awesome. Yeah.
Very great, very great.
Yeah, so go ahead. Oh, no, no.
So I did want to ask about
because every Volkswagen tells the story I've heard.
You have another Volkswagen, a red one.
Can you tell us about it?
And is that your daily driver or is it a?
I do have I have a 72 Volkswagen, Carmen Dia and I actually,
Carmen Dia was the dream and it was I couldn't afford it.
So at the same show that I ended up buying the beetle from was the first
time that I saw a Carmen Dia in person.
And this sounds so dramatic, but it literally brought us here to my eye.
And I am a big journaler and I literally journaled like I'm going to find that
Gia and and while I didn't find the exact same one, I did find a red Gia a couple
years later. So while I bought the bug that day, I held on to that dream
of the Gia and the opportunity came up in 2020 now.
And I purchased it not far from where I live.
And it was a great story of a father's son who had bought it to work on and have
a project together and now it's become my project.
And it's been an amazing experience.
It is not my daily.
I have an Audi A4 as it's my daily, but the Carmen Dia I do use most weekends
and definitely drive it at least once a week.
Wow. Yeah.
And yeah, if you want to see some.
OK, so I would like to talk about
Hagerty's here at some point.
Is it OK if we talk about your day job and kind of like your past moving through
the moving through the ranks, it's in and moving up quite quickly.
I think it's very interesting.
So how did you get into though?
When did you decide that you wanted to do that for a living?
And to what do you attribute your your rapid success?
This is so funny.
So I started in the industry by complete accident.
It was never the goal.
I once thought I was going to be an attorney.
I once thought I was going to teach English as a second language internationally.
And I'm very far from either of those things.
So when I was in college, as most people, I was financially independent.
I was working two jobs and needed a third.
So that's how I found Atlanta Motorsports Park.
They were still under construction.
It was still very much in its elementary stages.
And in working there, I literally began as a cashier.
That was my only previous experience.
And I ended up getting cross trained in every role between corner
Marshall, pit stewarding, mechanic role, and then ended up creating a position
that was really focused on marketing for their memberships, because it was
there was a missing piece there during my time at Amp.
I I had people in my life that really, really fully inundated me in it.
People that became really good friends and still strong impact in my life now.
And they were very heavily involved in classic air-cooled German vehicles.
And then some newer 996 was one of my first memories with friends there.
And, yeah, just totally got exposed and inundated.
And then once those relationships began getting nurtured and developing,
I got really involved in working on those vehicles and worked on some
air-cooled horses, specifically a 79 9-11 SC that was built to mimic
an East African safari rally race.
And it was just some really, really cool experiences.
And so many of my fond memories from college, which is when I worked at Amp,
were on those mountain drives, late night drives through North Georgia,
up into North Carolina and just getting to experience with a visceral
feeling of an air-cooled vehicle is.
And so that's really that's how I said, OK, this is where I want to stay.
I just I fell in love with the hobby enthusiast side.
And then the people were just so important to my life.
And I just I was fascinated.
Every every car person has so many interesting stories.
And so after my time at Atlanta Motorsports Park, an opportunity came
where I was able to move to Rhode, Atlanta, now a Michelin raceway,
I rode Atlanta and it grew in the ranks pretty quickly there as well.
So I started there actually as a corner marshal and ended up growing
and evolving into hospitality sales and finished as director of operations
before joining Hagerty now.
Wow. Well, that's quite that is quite the story.
That's a lot going on there.
So, well, again, congratulations for all the success.
And I wanted to chat a minute for, OK, so you have two things that that
really interested Doug and I from the get go was your YouTube YouTube channel,
which I think is so accessible and so well done, kudos to you and your team.
But also the podcast and it's been really great talking to you because
I feel like we're talking to kind of a fellow pro here.
So how did the podcast come about?
And what is the most unexpected, pleasant thing that you've learned about
the whole experience of producing one, being that you have one?
That's such a fun question.
So the podcast really derived from attending the Women with Drive Summit in
2023, and this is an event that's hosted by women in motorsports North America.
And I was just blown away by the impact.
It's no secret that this is a male dominated industry, right?
And while so much change and improvement has occurred, there's still certainly
a lot of work to be done, not just for women, but for underrepresented
groups across the board.
And when I went to that summit, I was just really, really inspired by how many
people I didn't know their stories and the fact that in motorsports,
you most often see drivers and professionals, team owners, people that are in the spotlight.
So I really literally left the summit on my flight home, filled out 10 pages
of a notebook of what my vision for this podcast was, what was missing,
what I wanted the mission to be, what dream guests I had, and what topics I wanted to cover.
And then I just started texting some folks in my network and saying, hey,
I'm kind of thinking about this.
This sounds ridiculous.
And then if not, would you be willing to join?
And it really, it's been just over a year now since I've started and launched
the podcast, I launched it in March of 2024.
I love that.
And the most surprising positive thing has just been,
no matter how deep I've been in this, I'm in the industry for almost 10 years now.
There's so many untold stories and there's so many avenues and entry points
that people are just not aware of at all.
And so that's really, I'm still learning every day that I get to be a part
of it and join in it.
And it's been really, really cool to create an opportunity to elevate other people.
I dig that. That's well said.
That's one of the things that I like so much about this show that Doug
and I are growing is just the amazing people we never would have met otherwise.
And they're not all in the car industry like yourself.
They have a passion, but they have these other jobs.
Police people, EMT people, retired lawyers up and down the spectrum.
But everybody tells a, you know, everybody has these wonderful stories
and truly just subtext as a way to get to know somebody.
So OK, so did the YouTube channel we found for us that that was a logical
extension of the podcast to sort of get get the word out?
Is that what happened to you?
Yeah, I mean, truly I was really apprehensive to start the YouTube
because I really wanted to put quality content out.
And I felt that my my audio is good quality.
But I was less confident in my video and editing and so on.
But yeah, absolutely.
It was one of those things, right?
This one is and no matter what your access point is or what your interest is,
some people don't enjoy listening to podcasts.
Some people want to watch it.
So yeah, it's just another platform to really broaden who it could reach
and who might be interested.
Fantastic, good stuff.
And before we ramp the show down, I'm going to toss the baton back to here.
Look, here's a baton.
I'm toss handing it.
No, it's a screwdriver.
Sorry. Doug, let's go.
Yeah, so you've had a lot of cars and there are a lot of great car stories.
Hopefully, hopefully the Volkswagen will end up on YouTube again on its
on its journey down south.
But what is your what is your dream car, Eva,
given all the cars that you've seen written in, learn about in your day to day life?
Yeah, the goal has always been a three fifty six.
And I that has been the goal since the beginning and it's an affordability.
It's getting there, right?
I'm on the journey.
I'm in the family, but specifically a split window three fifty six is really
just that has stolen my heart.
I I have memories in three fifty sixes and driving, being a passenger.
And when I own that car, I will know that I have made it.
I heard I heard Seinfeld has one might be for sale.
He has a car.
Yeah, you never know.
If you don't know, just start a sitcom.
You'll make it.
We have all the faith in the world in you.
Great answer or just stick with YouTube.
She's yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, we we have all the faith in the world.
So as we guide the podcast gently to the off ramp here, one question for you.
One last question on the way out.
OK, so.
Do Carmen Geas come with steering wheels?
Are they changeable?
And what do you know about that?
I love this so so timely, isn't it?
Yes, absolutely.
They come with steering wheels and depending on the era, some of them are
more aesthetically pleasing than others.
When I when I purchased my seventy two,
the previous owner and his son had really tried to hot rod it out.
So there were choices that I personally would not have made.
So when I bought it, I knew immediately I wanted to change it.
And despite it being a seventy two, I actually bought an aftermarket.
It's dated up to seventy one.
Very easy to change out.
Very, very one bolt switches it super quick.
But I feel like it just speaks to the character and makes it much more
representation of who I am through that vehicle.
Absolutely.
And just again, we have to
give so much praise to your YouTube channel because that thing that you
just described is the perfect little YouTube video.
It's everything YouTube should be quick, clever, fun, educational.
You struggle with the horn.
You got to have to have to rewire some sort of horn button.
And it's just it's so engaging and fast.
And I think it's great.
So hey, we appreciate you taking some time this afternoon to take us through
your word a little bit, Ava.
It was a distinct pleasure meeting you.
Likewise. Thank you so much for the time.
I really appreciate it.
And I would say a prayer that you can make it from Pennsylvania to where you are
right now at that, but you won't need it all the faith.
Yeah, I will say I'll give that personal plug.
If you guys want to follow along, I'm sure the journey will be documented.
So be a differential podcast.
Boom, mic drop.
That's it. Well, thank you again, Ava.
Distinct pleasure.
And you have just heard the high,
revving, low mileage, late model heard around the world.
Authoritative podcast on automotive nostalgia.
He's Doug, Doug, reach him at Doug at CarsLove.com.
I'm Christian, reach me at Christian at CarsLove.com.
Please follow and tell a friend.
If you like what you're hearing, leave a review that helps us grow.
Try out CarsLove.com for a lot of fun, engaging content as well as the
what we call the carousel of memories.
Send us a picture of your cars or our link tree, Doug.
Let's give it to him at
ilinktr.he slash Cars Loved.
That's it.
I am sure we'll see you at the next local car show, show, race or racetrack.
Appreciate taking a laugh with us and we'll see you next time.
About this episode
Ava Gregory shares her automotive journey, from her first car, a 1999 Honda CR-V, to her exciting new project of building a 1969 VW Baja Bug. After totaling her first car in a hydroplaning accident, she fell in love with the automotive world, leading her to work at Atlanta Motorsports Park and eventually Hagerty. The conversation touches on her experiences with classic cars, her passion for storytelling in the automotive space, and her podcast focused on women in motorsports. Ava's enthusiasm and unique perspective make for an engaging discussion.
Original notes
Click here to share your favorite car, car story or any automotive trivia!
Hosts Christian and Doug welcome Eva Gregory—Hagerty insider, "Be Differential" podcast host, and lifelong Volkswagen fan—to dive into automotive nostalgia, first‑car memories, and her next big auto adventure: converting a 1969 VW Beetle into a Baja Bug for off-road adventures.
Discover the enduring appeal of Volkswagen Beetle culture, off-road conversion possibilities, and how automotive media careers develop from personal car passion. Eva's automotive journey reveals the intersection of professional automotive journalism and personal project car ownership, plus insights into Hagerty's role in classic car culture preservation and automotive media.
Eva's favorite episode is "Air Cooled and Carefree – Guinevere’s VW Beetle Tales and Family Restoration Traditions" https://pod.link/1733902541/episode/25179670e31fa4972ec52019b456a63c
Perfect for Volkswagen enthusiasts, Beetle owners considering Baja conversions, automotive media professionals, and classic car culture fans. Whether you love air-cooled VWs, off-road adventures, or automotive journalism, this episode celebrates authentic enthusiasm in professional automotive media settings.
*** Your Favorite Automotive Podcast - Now Arriving Weekly!!! ***
Listen on your favorite platform and visit https://carsloved.com for full episodes, our automotive blog, Guest Road Trip Playlist and our new CAR-ousel of Memories photo archive.
Don't Forget to Rate & Review to keep the engines of automotive storytelling—and personal restoration—running strong.
To All The Cars I've Loved Before: Classic Car Restoration, JDM, and Automotive History
Carly, Doug & Dave: Classic Car Experts, Motorsports Enthusiasts and Automotive Storytellers
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