Cold Start

A name that seems to pop up in many different racing stories and is undoubtably synonymous with motorsports, Sir Sterling Moss is a figure in racing who is worth knowing more about. For those unfamiliar with vintage racing, you may have heard "Sterling Moss" in reference to the Mercedes SLR Sterling Moss edition, a sleek windshieldless roadster hypercar. You would have to be someone quite special to have Mercedes name a car after you, so Todd and Sylas go back in history to learn more about this racing icon -- one of the most successful F1 drivers who never won a championship.
Cold Start Hint: Can you tell it doesn't have a windshield?
 
Answer to Episode 78 Cold Start: Bugatti Chiron Super Sport, obviously

Monterey Car week is one of the largest gatherings of car enthusiasts in the country. The petrol passionate crowd swarms the usually quiet Monterey Bay Area in California to attend car shows, auctions, and exclusive events. The main appeal for many is the insane exotic sports cars that fill up the streets, and the exclusive access to high end auto manufacturers newest model unveilings. Unfortunately, the popularity of the event has grown over the last decade by a large margin, attracting a crowd seeking attention and recognition of others on the Internet rather than enjoying the community. Todd and Sylas reflect on some fond stories of their experiences at Monterey Car Week and discuss the shift that has been occurring and how it could end Car Week as we know it.
Cold Start Hint: There was one at car week, obviously
 
Answer to Episode 77 Cold Start: 1912 Indian Board Track Racer

A work trip through the Central Valley of California led Sylas to visit a motorsports museum off the beaten path. He took a side quest into the Clovis Flat Track Museum to see what he could learn about the two wheeled motorsport realm. This museum might be the best kept secret in the greater Fresno area, packed with race bikes through the years -- even including a 1970s Pikes Peak motorcycle, all the way to a 1912 Indian board track racer. Sharing his story, Sylas leads Todd on another tangental rabbit-hole dive into the crazy world of Board Track racing, and how these wooden tracks came about in the early 1900s.
Cold Start Hint: Might just be a weed whacker
 
Answer to Episode 76 Cold Start: Mazda RX-7 (FC)

It may not be the more glamorous side of the automotive industry, but it is the most important in regards to keeping our prides and joys on the road. The guys sit down with a special guest to talk about being a mechanic, what it takes, how to get into the career, and what it looks like in the motorsports space. Joining the podcast in this episode is Mike Whitcraft, a teacher and program developer at a mechanics training institution called Ranken University based in St. Louis, Missouri. He has years of experience working with OEMs and is a car enthusiast through and through.
Cold Start Hint: This one may need a little mechanical help (*they usually do*)
 
Answer to Episode 75 Cold Start: V10 TDI VW Phaeton 

For Americans, diesel powered vehicles usually only correlates to pickup trucks or heavy equipment. With curiosity about the "other" internal combustion powered vehicles, the guys dive deeper into the world of diesel powered cars, sharing their pros and cons, why they gained popularity in Europe, and even examples of their usage in motorsports. Take a listen and gain a new perspective on those vehicles that run off those green pumps at the fuel station. 
Cold Start Hint: Motorsport technology to haul the family
 
Answer to Episode 74 Cold Start: 2025 Dodge Charger EV

Another automotive enthusiast rant about how the electric vehicle is killing car culture as we know it. Well, maybe not exactly. Todd and Sylas dig into the interesting new automotive trend from manufacturers creating electric performance vehicles, a concept that seems to make no sense. They also make the shocking revelation that the introduction of EV's into the general market does not have to be at the detriment of the cars enthusiasts have grown to love and cherish. Using electric vehicles for general transportation may actually preserve the enthusiast internal combustions engine cars in the long run. EV may be a necessary evil to save gas for those true petrol heads.
Cold Start Hint: It killed its v8 counterpart
 
Answer to Episode 73 Cold Start: 1939 Lincoln Continental 

Have you ever been curious about where some automotive terminology comes from or what that obscure term even means? Well, the guys dive into the stories behind some common car terms and even go deeper into some of the more obscure and the interesting origins of them. It may be surprising how many things in the automotive realm we take for granted and not think about why they are called that and if there is even a reason behind the name. Strap in for an educational one this week.
Cold Start Hint: It has international styling but not an international sound 
 
Answer to Episode 72 Cold Start: Wacky Races theme song

In our Multiclass Racing discussion, we hinted that there are some wild and utterly wacky one-off or unique races around the world -- some of which are also multiclass! So now it's time to survey the landscape of odd, interesting, weird, and downright bizarre forms of road racing. Todd and Sylas share their favorite Wacky Races, learning from each other about this unusal corner of motorsports; and then, they speculate on what kind of one-off, specialty races they would like to see. How wacky can it get? Pretty wacky.
Cold Start Hint: Featuring Professor Pat Pending and his Convert-a-Car 
 
Answer to Episode 71 Cold Start: Oreca 07 LMP2, Ligier JS P3 LMP3, Porsche 911 GT3R.

What's better than one race happening on track? Well, two, or maybe three, or even four! This is the main appeal of Multiclass Racing, having multiple races happening simultaneously on track. This not only increases the entertainment level for the fans as they are able to watch more battles but it also increases the complexity for drivers as they need to manage their own race, while managing the out-of-class traffic around them. Todd and Sylas share some personal experiences of multiclass racing and why they enjoy the format so much. They also look at the world of motorsports and if other sanctioning bodies adopted multiclass racing. 
Cold Start Hint: Can you guess all three classes represented?
 
Answer to Episode 70 Cold Start: BMW G80 M3

What started out as an internet meme quickly turned into a sought after, must-have option to be able to properly flex your new BMW M3 to all your haters. "Tartufo Buckets" may not mean anything to the average person but to the BMW fan boys, it's the holy grail interior spec that once was thought to be impossible. The guys dive into the story of Tartufo Buckets and how rare and sought after options for BMW M3s have changed through the years. It's pretty funny how certain options can drastically change the resale value of enthusiast cars! Listen to find out the Do's and Do Not Do's in spec-ing out an enthusiast collectible car. 
Cold Start Hint: Can you tell it as Tartufo Buckets?
 
Answer to Episode 69 Cold Start: Dallara DW12 IndyCar

Who do you love? Who do you really despise? Who are our heroes and villains in motorsports -- and why? Is it completely irrational and arbitrary, or are these opinions rooted in something more substantial and fact-based? What happens when lots of fans start having similar opinions about a driver or team -- and then the prevailing sentiment becomes something else to root for, or against. Sylas and Todd talk about some of their favorite drivers, but mostly their least favorite and much disliked drivers from NASCAR and Indycar Formula Car racing, each explaining their well-reasoned rationale for why they feel the way they feel. And for some reason, Martinsville Speedway keeps coming up, across several unrelated stories. Yay, boo, or hiss, it's time to stand up for our opinions, and to argue why we think what we think! 
Cold Start Hint: Controversial hybrid system
 
Answer to Episode 68 Cold Start: "This is Cold Start" in Mandarin (according to Google, anyway)

They're coming, there are more of them than you thought, and they might surprise you with what they can already do: Chinese cars. And they're not just EVs, despite what it seems on first impression. There are serious performance-oriented hypercars coming from China, breaking records at the Nurburgring -- perhaps even coming soon to a motorsports series near you. The rest of the world (outside the US) has been beginning to see the influx of Chinese-manufactured cars on their roads, in a big way; and we are way behind in learning about their presence and impact on the automotive market overall. Todd and Sylas survey the landscape and make their forecasts for how the future of Chinese cars in racing might unfold with companies named BYD, Exeed, Yangwang, GWM, NIO, and more.
Cold Start Hint: It's a familiar phrase!
 
Answer to Episode 66 Cold Start: Porsche 914

With what seems like everyone having a new Porsche GT3RS at your local Cars & Coffee, and influencers over your Instagram feed, its hard to believe that Porsche as a company is in a terrible financial situation at the moment. The first sign was them cutting their motorsport program this season in WEC, the World Endurance Championship racing series -- and then, not participating at the GTP category level in the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans. Further digging reveals that net profits were down over 90% from 2024 to 2025. Todd and Sylas dive into why Porsche finds themselves in this current situation, and look back through history to see if this isn't perhaps the first time Porsche has made some bad decisions.
Cold Start Hint: Not Porsche's best work
 
Answer to Episode 66 Cold Start: Nissan R34 GTR

The age old question of whether the better enthusiast engine is boosted or naturally aspirated may be coming to an end, as the NA engine is being phased out of sports cars and normal commuters. In an age of advanced engine technologies and endless pursuit for fuel efficiency, it's easy to see why big naturally aspirated engines are no longer the choice of manufacturers in creating their new cars. Is this something we should be up in arms about, or is it another hopeless battle like trying to save the manuals? Todd and Sylas dive into this topic to understand why the shift is occurring, and if we should be concerned as enthusiasts.
Cold Start Hint: Boost Loading...
 
Answer to Episode 65 Cold Start: Corvette C8R GT3

For modern endurance race fans, Balance of Performance (BoP) is a common topic of discussion -- usually how it's annoying, and ruining motorsports. But what really is BoP? and can it actually be attributed to the growing success of current endurance racing? With growing field numbers and entertaining battles this season in IMSA and WEC, the guys talk about how BoP may be a necessary evil in modern motorsport. But they also can't help to get annoyed by the over politicized nature of the format. Learn more about what stricter rules does to a racing series, and how trying too hard to be perfectly fair can ruin an already pretty good thing.
Cold Start Hint:  It's a GT3 car
 
Answer to Episode 64 Cold Start: Mercedes-Benz SLR 300

Mercedes-Benz is no stranger to motorsports with their renowned success in DTM and Formula 1, creating some of the most iconic and dominant race cars of the modern era. However, there is one form of motorsport that the manufacturer seems to be cursed at: endurance racing – specifically the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The largest endurance race in the world has proven to be a place that the Silver Arrows of Mercedes only bring chaos. In their third participation of the race at the Circuit de la Sarthe, in 1955, a tragedy occurred that was so horrific, a country outright banned motor racing, and Mercedes didn't come back to the biggest stage of racing for over four decades. It didn't go much better from there when they returned either. Come with us back in time, and learn more about the dark curse of Mercedes-Benz at Le Mans in today's episode. ☠️㉦☠️
Cold Start Hint:  The 722 car in all its glory.
Answer to Episode 63 Cold Start: McLaren M8F 8.4L V8 Can-Am

The Canadian-American Challenge Cup, or more commonly known as Can-Am, is a racing series that has firmly placed itself in the history books, being an era known for no rules – and cars faster than Formula 1 at the time. What's not to love about unlimited innovation and high horsepower/ light weight racecars? Todd and Sylas dive into the Can-Am era, breaking down the crazy cars, great racing, and ultimate demise of the series. As it always seems with motorsports, the greater the series, the shorter its flight path. 
Cold Start Hint: 1971 Championship winning car
Answer to Episode 62 Cold Start: R53 Mini Cooper S

Diving into the passion of your average car enthusiast, the guys invited Chucho Shoots onto the show to share his journey of becoming a car enthusiast, an automotive photographer, and to defend his love for Mini Coopers. From building his following by shooting photos of some of the premier cars and collections in the Bay Area to cultivating a community around a forgotten enthusiast car, Chucho has established himself as a hub within the community, looking to connect with others and experience cars to their fullest. His energy is infectious; just ask to check out his Mini!
Cold Start Hint: Super charged but half the expected cylinders
Answer to Episode 61 Cold Start: 2009 Ford GT1

Could you imagine if the most expensive, exclusive, powerful, and raw hypercars in the world raced together in a single series? Back in the 1990s, this happened -- one of the golden ages of sports car racing: GT1 Class Racing. The GT1 class was diverse, well-funded, and birthed "homologation special" cars -- racecars effectively disguised as production street vehicles. Sylas and Todd review all time greats like the Porsche GT1, McLaren F1 GTR and LM variants, and the infamous Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR and CLR. And more than one of these cars went for an unexpected flight, thanks to the aerodynamics and manufacturer budget war which pushed automotive development to its limit -- and beyond.
Cold Start Hint:  You can almost hear the blue oval.
Answer to Episode 60 Cold Start:  Roborace Robocar launch

Racing has always been the proving ground to help develop new technologies in the automotive industry – like tires, fuel, and hybrid engines. So it would make sense for manufacturers put their autonomous vehicles to the ultimate test at the limit... on the racetrack. Could motorsports be a feasible testing ground for autonomous technology, and would people actually care to watch it? Todd and Sylas look into the world of autonomous racecars, the series that are already making it a reality, and where the "sport" could go in the future. Now's the time to be scared that the robots are taking over. 
Cold Start Hint:  Prepared for its inaugural "Session Alpha".
Answer to Episode 59 Cold Start: Waymo Jaguar I-Pace boarding sound

The robots are here – and they have come for our love of driving. 🤖 Well, that may not be the complete picture.... Todd and Sylas dive into their first hand experiences with autonomous vehicles, offering a survey of where the technology currently is. They also discuss what the future might be in regards to personal transport and how this growing technology will reshape our current infrastructure. Could it be the dystopian car enthusiast future we think it will be, or can the robots bring peace to the roadways? Find out on this week's episode. 
Cold Start Hint: Total missed opportunity not calling it a Johnnycab!
Answer to Episode 57 Cold Start: Xbox One Forza Edition Start Up
 

Sim racing has become a huge part of the motorsports industry in the last 10 years, as sim setups and racing titles have become more realistic. This leads to the question as to how sim racing fits into the development of real racing drivers. Is it just a game that makes it convenient to race in your living room or is there some validity in it being used as a real tool to develop the next generation of drivers? Todd and Sylas talk about their experience in using simulation racing as a tool for training and competing in real world racing, and how they see these fitting together into the modern motorsport ladder.
Cold Start Hint: This one is for the video game nerds
 
Answer to Episode 57 Cold Start: BMW E36 M3

As car enthusiasts, there are those of us that are mechanically inclined and quite enjoy getting our hands dirty working on cars. Then there are the others that prefer to just be behind the wheel rather than under the hood. Regardless of which category you fit in, it's important to at least have a bare minimum understanding to keep your car working properly. However, there are times when there may be a noise or vibration you don't recognize but that opens up opportunities to solve the mystery and understand how another part may affect the drivability of your car. Todd and Sylas, mainly Sylas since he drives BMWs, share stories of when they had some mechanical mysteries, how they solved them, and what was the lesson learned. 
Cold Start Hint: Duh its a broken BMW, but which one?
 
Answer to Episode 56 Cold Start: F1, IndyCar, NASCAR
 

The 2026 race season is fully underway! Formula 1, IndyCar, and NASCAR are all back on track, having completed their first couple of races. If you haven't been keeping up-to-date with the action, Todd and Sylas tell you why you what you've been missing -- the lead up to and a recap of the biggest story lines in each series so far. IndyCar and NASCAR have also been doing some collab events with their shared TV broadcaster FOX Sports; the guys cover the future implications of this as the major American motorsports series try to play catch up to the global popularity of F1. 
Cold Start Hint: A little taste of all three
 
Answer to Episode 55 Cold Start: Mercedes CLK 63 AMG

Shedding a little light on the cars that are a part of the race but never get to participate, Todd and Sylas talk about pace cars and safety cars in F1, NASCAR, and IndyCar. The guys dive into the history of how these cars become a part of each series with F1 waiting until 1993 to formally require a safety car. They also get into the differences between pace cars, safety cars, and medical cars, giving some cool examples through the years, and telling stories of when they made the highlight reels for all the wrong reasons. 
Cole Trickle: "Hit the Pace Car!? What for?"Harry Hogge: "You hit every other damn thing out there. I want you to be perfect." – Days of Thunder (1990)
Cold Start Hint: Golden Era F1 Safety Car
 
Answer to Episode 54 Cold Start: Jim Russell FJR-50 Formula 3

Folllwing our prior episode about the demise of racing schools, Sylas and Todd take a deep dive into a novel racing school which lived and thrived at Sonoma Raceway in the early 2000s into the 2010s, but has sadly passed on: "Simraceway".  A successor to the storied Jim Russell Racing School, Simraceway simultaneously offered a brand new simulation racing platform online, as well as a real life racing school featuring Audi roadcars and Formula 3 racecars at Sonoma. Learn about what it was like to be a student, a member, and an employee of this place that kickstarted professional motorsports careers, and inspired driving passion in young and old drivers alike. And a little speculation on what could have been different.
Cold Start Hint: Stig Tested, Fittipaldi Approved (Pietro, we mean)
 
Answer to Episode 53 Cold Start: Formula Mazda 13B rotary

It seems like with more options to get on track through track day providers, fewer people have been going to proper racing schools, killing that industry. Back in the day, it used to be mandatory to have a racing license to get on a racetrack. But with laxer requirements, people are taking the path of least resistance and reshaping the ladder into racing as schools are struggling to stay open. The guys look into this changing of tides within the industry, and discuss what the potential solution might be to put the cool back into school 😎. 
Cold Start Hint: A dying formula car series with a funky engine
 
Answer to Episode 52 Cold Start: BMW SpecE30, God's chariot 

What seemed like a simple afternoon for a professional driver to go to a track day to hang with friends, turned into a deep dive into the mental side of motorsport -- and what it means for a competitive individual to actually have fun at an activity they've spent years training to master. After chasing the high of racing wheel-to-wheel, Sylas shares his insights of what it's like to take a step back to chill track days and the struggles he faced in just going for fun to Thunderhill in his Spec E30.
Cold Start Hint:  The best examples have shiny or painted headers.
 
Answer to Episode 51 Cold Start: Nissan 240SX with a Tomei Exhaust

As car enthusiasts, leaving our cars stock is simply not an option. We always need to be tweaking and making changes to make our cars our own. Anyone can modify their cars but there is an art to modifying them well. Todd and Sylas talk about what they have learned from their own journeys of modifying cars and what they think is the proper order of operations to make a well modified automobile. 
Cold Start Hint: It has a modified exhaust
 
Answer to Episode 50 Cold Start: Porsche 991.2 GT3RS

There has been an interesting phenomenon that has been sweeping the nation in the motorsport industry. More and more "country club" racetracks have been popping upper to cater to the uber wealthy car/racing enthusiast. This business model has become so popular that even some public tracks have started to make the transition to go private and more exclusive. The guys explore this topic and discuss its long term effects on the grassroots enthusiast and motorsport industry as a whole. And they also answer the question of if these exclusive racetracks are even worth the hype. 
Cold Start Hint: The perfect starter car to go with your track membership
 
Answer to Episode 49 Cold Start: 2005 Dodge Ram SRT-10