Zac Mertens (Mister Zachary) | From Hoonigan to YouTube Cars
About this episode
Zac Mertens, known as Mister Zachary, shares his journey from working at Hoonigan to becoming a YouTube automotive creator. He discusses his early influences, including his grandfather's adventurous spirit and the impact of iconic car movies. Zac reflects on the challenges of content creation, the importance of community in automotive culture, and the evolution of his projects, including his beloved K5 Blazer. The episode also touches on the dynamics of the automotive industry, the role of social media, and the thrill of motorsports, all delivered with humor and insight.
From wild days at Hoonigan to building his own YouTube brand, Zac Mertens (aka Mister Zachary) has seen it all. In this episode, he shares untold Hoonigan stories, the lessons he took from that environment, and how he’s making his own mark in car culture online.We get into his career, the projects that shaped him, and what it really takes to balance creativity, chaos, and cars.Grab official Oil & Whiskey gear at oilandwhiskey.com. Good time, bad advice, great shirts.
Challenger Hellcat
"...illegal anyways. Yeah, you know, or like a stolen Hellcat. I don't know, you know?"
Ford Mustang
"I was able to buy my first car, which was a Mustang Cobra. But it was like one of the slow ones."
Chevrolet El Camino
"and you should build a truck. I wanted an El Camino, but I couldn't afford it at the time, you know, ..."
Chevrolet C10
"But like, to have something so sorted and so balanced, you know, and like, the fact that I drove a C-10 with like, better steering feel"
Chevrolet Corvette
"and like, suspension feel than a freaking Corvette that I own is like, it's still like, messing my h..."
Buick Grand National
"...es tool ever. That's how Scott, that we built the Grand National Forum, built a couple other cars."
Chevrolet Chevelle
"...t a couple other cars. I took him for a ride in a Chevelle and he was a big supercar guy,"
Aston Martin V8 Vantage
"...ade a joke that I was like, look, you wanna get a V8 Vantage, but like, if you see a V12 Vantage pull up,"
Aston Martin V12 Vantage
"...ou wanna get a V8 Vantage, but like, if you see a V12 Vantage pull up, you're probably gonna be like that fucki..."
Chevrolet Camaro
"...mpled stretches of metal that they used to put on Camaros and trans amps. All right, so basically that's al..."
Lamborghini Aventador
"...ke for everybody that pre-ordered the Lamborghini Aventador SV and paid in cash kind of thing."
Eagle Talon
"So it was like a launch and she was an old eagle talon. Oh."
Mazda MX-5 / Miata
"Unless the brand owned shit car, Shark Cart, the Miata, the Scumbug, which was rad."
Nissan 240SX
"...he slew of other cars that he built, like Vinny's 240SX or his C10 or, you know, Inder, I don't know, Vin..."
Ford Expedition
"Basically it's like I took this million dollar expedition vehicle up to Wyoming. It went with a bunch of li..."
Chevrolet Nova
"Okay. And has the Nova from deaf proof. That was the actual picture car."
Cadillac El Dorado
"and he had a 59 Cadillac El Dorado, or not a Coup de Ville."
Cadillac El
"and he had a 59 Cadillac El Dorado, or not a Coup de Ville."
Cadillac Coup De Ville
"59 Cadillac El Dorado, or not a Coup de Ville. OK."
Cadillac DeVille
"I almost bought a later Coupe Deville from this dude because I was like,"
F-150 Raptor
"Like, I have a first gen Raptor and I could only get"
Ford Bronco
"like I had like a, like a 91 Bronco with a 351 with no cats or muffler."
Cadillac Escalade
"...up a couple here. The, once I get back with Turbo Escalade, the K5, had some sensors go bad on the Dyno, whi..."
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