Hooniverse
Dan Roth, Ross Ballot, (Jeff Glucker)
Last episode about 2 months agoCars. Trucks. Life. Things that run. Things that don't. And anything in between. The Hooniverse Podcast is about the intersection of all things automotive and everyday life. That means we'll also talk about anything that pops into our little brains. From beer and wine to dogs to travel, and anything else that strikes our fancy in a given moment. Our attention span is nill. Our episodes are rambling. Pull up a chair, pop on some headphones or turn up the volume in your car, hit play, and stay awhile.Cheers.
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Episodes (384)
SEMA 2013 - John Hotchkis
We're live from the SEMA show floor with a legend in suspension design, John Hotchkis.
Maximum Bob
Operating on very little sleep this week I sit down with Blake and we discuss the new Mercedes C Class, we admonish BMW for diluting their brand and Blake talks about his time with Bob Lutz and the demise of Pontiac. In addition I tested about a billion cars with the YouTube /Drive crew as summarised below.C7 Corvette911 Carrera SMercedes CLA 45 AMGFord Fiesta STAudi S7BMW M5Porsche CaymanBMW 320
Never eat your heroes.
On this episode of the Hooniverse podcast Blake and I discuss our time spent at the Lamborghini Super Trofeo event. Blake made his way out to the Mercedes press day, where he had the opportunity to spend some quality time with the SLS AMG Black, E63 AMG, C63 AMG 507 and CLA45 AMG. We talk infotainment design and user interfaces. And to round things out we cover the upcoming hypercar wars pitting the McLaren P1, Porsche 918, La Ferrari and the Koenigsegg Agera R against one-another.
Tangent Riddled
Once again Jeff is traveling so that leaves you with Mr. Blake Zapfino Rong and myself (Chris Hayes). In this episode the tangent filled ramblings of The Smoking Tire Podcast take effect as Blake attempts to put me back on point. We discuss the BMW 3 & 4 series, Cadillac ELR & CTS, Mercedes CLA, Mazda's new design language, the Alfa Romeo 4C and how the Mustang and Camaro match up in base form. Additionally we tackle such hard hitting subjects as sex on a motorcycle, the new reality show Revved Up while I find plenty of time to share my disdain for Florida and Chrysler. So download, listen, laugh, cry and maybe shed a tear for episode 31 of the Hooniverse Podcast.
We're Adults Now
The Hooniverse Podcast just turned 30... that means we have to straighten up, fly right, and act our age.Jeff Glucker and Blake Z. Rong don't though. They're incapable of doing so, and this episode clearly demonstrates that. The duo are back together after way too much traveling. Blake was doing his famous automotive journalist thing while Jeff was off attempting to be a famous automotive journalist.Being pack at full strength in the podcast palace means the talk starts with beer, then on to new cars, before we delve into older machines. We talk about the Koenigsegg One:1, the Tesla Model S fire, driving a three-on-the-tree 1954 Ford Ranch Wagon, and how a Jaguar E-Type can change ones perspective on life.
Aye, the hot pants.
Alex Kierstein (@HanSolex) of Road & Track joins Blake and myself (Chris) while Jeff galavants about the country filming classic cars. Between the three of us the conversation becomes an esoteric assembly of automotive jargon accented by the occassional and often poorly constructed piece of base humor. That aside, Alex and Blake both of whom work for major print publications have access to an obscene number of vehicles. I have nothing funny to follow up with because frankly the list is rather impressive, here's are some of the vehicles we cover.Lamborghini AventadorFerrari F12The 2013 Porsche CaymanC7 CorvetteMcLaren 12c SypderJaguar F TypeLinconl MKZSLS Black
Kochtoberfest.
This week on Hooniverse, we replace Jeff Glucker with a man-boy who is living the dream: race car driver Kenton Koch. He's 19 year-old engineering student who's as tall as a control tower, but somehow fits into a Mazda Miata cup car, and wins. We talk with him about chasing championships, university Formula SAE programs, and how to go fast.Also, Blake talks if driving many Dodges, and Zack Klapman tells the tale of the Silver State Open Road Challenge and a JCW Mini Cooper.
Let's Get Dynamic
Blake Z. Rong is absent this episode but have no fear because we've got a guest to take his place. Skip Essma from TRD joins us in the podcast palace. He's the Senior Vehicle Dynamics Engineer so he knows his chassis and suspension setups.We chat about some new car bits, including the recent news and vehicle reveals out of Frankfurt. Soon though we dive into exactly what Skip does, we talk racing, and we also talk sweet sweet beer.Podcast producer Chris Hayes also joins in on the fun with some great talking points.
Kneel before King Tire!
Hosts Jeff Glucker and Blake Z. Rong join forces with guest The Smoking Tire's Matt Farah to bring about podcast pleasure. As usual, it's a discussion of all things automotive that usually delves into bits of random insanity.Matt points out that Jeff sounds like the guy from Noah's Arcade, and we run off the rails right from the outset. We also invite a new business called King Tire. If you steal it, we'll cut you.Blake brings good beer for a change, and we delve into new cars before getting to the good stuff like we always do.
Design Discussion Delights... Dozens
We're back at full strength! Jeff Glucker and Blake Z. Rong are both together again after a rigorous month of traveling, staying in luxury hotels, and eating expensive food. Also, we drove some cars.Our guest is Ezekiel Wheeler, formerly of European Car and about to start a new life at Petrolicious. Wheeler needs to buy an old car now that he works for Petrolicious, and we help him decide. Also, we go into a discussion on design because that's what Ezekial is passionate about.Blake regales with his Seven and S7 roadtrip, while I discuss how awesome the Jaguar F-Type V8S actually is. On top of all of that, we've heard your compaints and comments about the audio issues and we've vowed to fix them. From now on, it's microphones from here on out so you get the best sound possible.
Podcastus Interruptus
This "episode" is just relaying a quick message. Jeff and Blake have both been on the road for the better part of a month and will be returning this week. That means we'll be back to recording in the studio and the podcast will resume normal operations. The next episode will be released on Wednesday September 4th.I'd also like to address the comments we've received regarding audio quality. Given the afformentioned travel we've needed to record outside of our normal location and without our usual equipment. This is changing immediately, we will avoid recording field pieces without our normal equipment and we definitely will not be doing another episode where one of our hosts is on Skype using hotel wifi.Thanks again for listening, we'll be back next week.-Chris
Blake's Night Time Story Hour
Jeff and Blake have been traveling A LOT, as a matter of fact heir Glücker is still on the road. This predicament necessitated bringing in outside talent (and I use that term loosely) Hooniverse producers Zack Klapman and Chris Hayes step in an attempt to fill the deafening void left in Jeff's absences and talk with everybody's favorite co-host Blake. This week topics mostly revolve around Pebble Beach and the ensuing road trips. Blake and Zack both got some seat time in a brand new Jaguar F-Type, while the lucky bastard Zack got to spend some quality time with the C7 Corvette. All that and more of the usual vaguely on-topic banter you've come to love.
We Wuv Wheels! w/ Alan Peltier from HRE Wheels
Wheels make the world go round... or something like that. It makes sense then that we're excited to have Alan Peltier on the podcast. He's the president of HRE Wheels, which produce what many consider to best the best rollers on the planet. Those people who consider that are correct, by the way.Other topics include the Infiniti G37 sedan versus Q50 sales issue, why buying a new Ferrari doesn't mean you get a chance to buy the halo Ferrari, and a few other bits of new car news. From there we turn to Jeffs' seething jealous because Blake is off to Germany to drive a Porsche Panamera Turbo at the 'Ring.Since it IS the Hooniverse Podcast, we also talk about beer... and Alan brought some damn good stuff!
And You Can Take That To The Bank(s)
We've hit the big time folks... our guest today is Gale Banks, the man behind many a powerful engine. Gale joins Jeff Glucker and Blake Z Rong in the podcast palace to talk about some new car news, engines, Mike Ryan's FRIGHTLINER (trademark pending), and his awesome V8-inspired home that is being built.Listen in as Gale spills decades of insight, knowledge, and just plain wins over the heart of one Blake R. Rong.
Low Key Anniversary 'Cast
Blake treks down to Huntington Beach to casa de Jeff for episode 20. It's a low-key anniversary episode brought to you from Jeff's backyard. Topics include the demise of the M3 coupe, the rise of the Jaguar XFRS Sportbrake, and the fact that there actually is a 2014 Evo and it has received its pricing.Since we're recording from my back yard, you can hear the delightful ocean breeze, random kids shouting in the background, and Jeffs stuffy nose... because he's sick. The show must go on though folks.Additionally, Blake makes fun of Jeffs weiners and we talk about what they've driven and are about to drive.
Lost Highway
We're going mobile here. The podcast is going on the road... literally. The guest this week is Travis Okulski from Jalopnik, and he is flying into Los Angeles from New York. Jeff Glucker and Blake Z. Rong decided to pick him up and start recording right away. Using the 2013 Lexus LS600h L as a podcast shuttle, we take Travis on a tour of the coast near LA. Come along as we experiment on a mobile podcast because this one has serious highs and probably a few lows. Most importantly though is the fact that we have a second guest, even though he didn't know it. To make sure Travis got the full LA experiment we ran into a celebrity while driving through Malibu. Lady and Gentleman, no joke here, we ran into Gary Busey driving his Volvo C30. Other topics include Travis driving the McLaren 12C, Blake pronounces Landau as Lawn-du-lay, driving in California, the Jalopnik vehicle rating system, and then, of course, BUSEY!
MotoMan Makes With The Funny
Jeff Glucker and Blake Z. Rong are back in action for Episode 18. Joining them is George Notaras, better known as MotoMan. Topics for discussion include German Beer, MotoMan missing out on a 1973 Pontiac Catalina, the potential revival of TVR, and Blake tells me my memories of Datsun are flawed. MotoMan also clues us in on the greatest car reveal ever courtesy of the 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class. On top of that we learn all about George's Inside The MotoMan Studio guest series. It takes place at The Petersen Museum and features big names from the automotive industry. George chats with them for an inside look at how they got to where they are now, and what makes them love cars.
Blake Finally Brings Good Beer!
Jeff Glucker and Blake Z. Rong are back for episode 17. There's something special in the air here because Rong brought a beer that's ACTUALLY GOOD! That's probably why we went over an hour for a change. Eventually we get to talking about cars though, and first on the docket is the Maserati Ghibli. After that we roam from topics such as the new Nissan Versa Note, the new Mazda3, and an electric speed record being broken. From there, Blake compares the interior of the new Vanquish Volante to Papa Smurfs colon. We dive into Teslas new battery swapping system. I drove both the Volkswagen GTD and XL1 in Germany, and Blake has the Audi S7 this week. We chat about the season finale of American Detours, and the fact that season two is on its way. Also, there's a minor update to our project Benz; The Wombat.
This Is The Ende, Our One True Friend The Ende
Jeff Glucker & Blake Z Rong are joined by special guest Duncan Ende. You might know him from such awesome statements as the fact that he drives kick ass race cars and we don't. Duncan hauls ass for a living, and we slowed him down a bit to get him to chat with us. Topics include a discussion of the upcoming Gran Turismo 6 and Forza 5, McLaren P1, the Switzer GT-R, how the Formula Ford is a NYC cab, the MB Classic Center, and how I hate on Duncan's new choice of car. Also... we owe you the noise from the Civic - stay tuned.
Not FIT For EV Consumption
Jeff Glucker & Blake Z. Rong are joined by Jeff Jablanksy to talk car stuff. Most importantly, we make fun of Blake for running out of juice in a Honda Fit EV. Additional topics include a (quick) discussion of the new Corolla, what it's like to drive The Beast from the movie White House Down, and, of course, a chat about older cars. Episode 15 is ready for your aural enjoyment
Build.Race.Podcast!
Jeff Glucker & Blake Z. Rong are joined in the podcast palace by guest Bill Caswell. The man, the myth, the legend behind the $500 rally car, and a new breed of automotive enthusiast icon. We talk about old cars, new cars, Monaco, the latest Zonda, beer, and we might dabble in some CTS-V racing school chatter.
Senna's Van
This week Jeff and Blake talk about snazzy pant-suits, the new S-Class, Lamborghini Egoista, Kia Cadenza, Jeff's newly acquired 1984 Mercedes wagon, the Lucas Oil race at Lake Elsinore and pickups we don't get in 'Merica.
The Quick and the Consternated
Blake Z. Rong brings the podcastapalooza on the road. He attends Autoweek Fantasty Camp and sits down with fellow journos from the publication. The result is a whole lot of rambling about a whole lot of cars. It's good stuff, and you won't want to miss this one because the guests include (THE) Davey G. Johnson, Mark Vauhn, Jake Lingeman, and Graham Kozak.
Blake's In Charge!
Get ready for a Blake-A-Palooza! Jeff Glucker is absent from this episode so it's a Blake Z. Rong party. Mr. Rong is joined by Zack Klapman and special guest Corbin Goodwin, the creator of the Zero F**ks Given RX-7. Topics include Zack solving Florida;s sinkhole problems, a discussion of hunting for cars to film on Big Muscle, driving at Laguna Seca, dream project cars, and we bask in the light of our poorest celebrity guest ever.
Millin' About The Mille
Jeff Glucker and Blake Z. Rong do their weekly dance discussion switching between new car news and old car excellence. Up this time around is a look at the new 911 Turbo, which Jeff believes is becoming the Nissan GT-R. Blake and Jeff talk about the Mazda6, Lexus IS-F, and Chevrolet Impala as the vehicles they've driven recently. Blake dives into his experience on the California Mille which involves vintage Lancia machines. After that it's a quick bit of info on Tom's Firebird, and we're out! Happy 10th episode!