Past Gas by Donut Media

Thanks to Allstate for sponsoring today’s episode! Click here [https://bit.ly/4gmCSHD] to check Allstate first and see how much you could save on car insurance. Also thanks to Hankook for sponsoring today's video! Click here [https://bit.ly/3GjjL3S] to learn more about Dynapro tires! This week on Past Gas: one of the most insane tuner stories ever told. In the ’80s and ’90s, Gemballa turned Porsches into wild, million-dollar supercars for sheikhs, rappers, and rock stars. But behind the gold interiors and Testarossa body kits was founder Uwe Gemballa, a perfectionist whose obsession with luxury led to his disappearance — sparking one of the automotive world’s strangest mysteries. How did a man who built the wildest Porsches on Earth simply vanish? And how is his son rebuilding the brand today? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thanks to Allstate for sponsoring today’s episode! Click here [https://bit.ly/47IpOdG] to check Allstate first and see how much you could save on car insurance. This week, when Dodge said a 383 big-block wouldn’t fit in a Dart, a Chicago car guy proved them wrong — and forced Detroit to copy him. From selling 50 Dodges in a snowstorm to building the first dealer-tuned muscle cars, Mr. Norm turned a local dealership into the birthplace of Mopar performance culture — and changed how Americans bought speed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thanks to Hankook for sponsoring today's video! Click here [https://bit.ly/4ewUjVf] to learn more about Dynapro tires! Thanks to Allstate for sponsoring today’s episode! Click here [https://bit.ly/4mcrYFS] to check Allstate first and see how much you could save on car insurance. This week, before it was America’s fastest sport, drag racing was pure anarchy — street duels, homebuilt death traps, and war vets chasing speed wherever they could find it. Wally Parks stepped in to bring order to the chaos, founding the NHRA to make racing safer and more legit. From outlaw origins to organized empire, this is the story of how the NHRA was born, and the crash that changed drag racing forever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thanks to Allstate for sponsoring today’s episode! Click here [https://bit.ly/3GSyliQ] to check Allstate first and see how much you could save on car insurance. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://betterhelp.com/PASTGAS and get on your way to being your best self. Meet Bill Mitchell, the hard-drinking, womanizing, design genius who shaped General Motors’ golden age. From the Corvette Stingray to the Buick Riviera and Cadillac Eldorado, Mitchell’s fingerprints are on nearly every iconic GM car of the ’50s through ’70s. He defied bans, built secret studios, and literally climbed trees drunk at company parties. It’s the wild story of the man who made American cars beautiful — and himself impossible to ignore. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thanks to Hankook for sponsoring today's video! Click here [https://bit.ly/3Tif5OF] to learn more about Dynapro tires! Thanks to Allstate for sponsoring today’s episode! Click here [https://bit.ly/4jROVOr] to check Allstate first and see how much you could save on car insurance. This week, we’re headed to Sicily for the Targa Florio—a road race with 6,000 corners, zero guardrails, and drivers doing triple digits past goat farms. Launched in 1906 by one rich guy flexing his new car, it became a death-defying playground for Ferrari, Bugatti, Maserati, and Porsche—and the reason Porsche named the 911 Targa. This is the wild story of the race so insane, Italy finally said “enough.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Get After It! Enter for a Chance to Win a Custom Car Co-Built by Donut and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. All brought to you by NOS Energy. For more details visit: https://bit.ly/3Jb9w2LThanks to Allstate for sponsoring today’s episode! Click here [https://bit.ly/4kk8WwW] to check Allstate first and see how much you could save on car insurance.Also thanks to Hankook for sponsoring today's video! Click here [https://bit.ly/44p5YAF] to learn more about Dynapro tires!This week on Past Gas, we’re talking about the man who took drag racing from outlaw chaos to legit sport: Wally Parks. In the ’40s, hot rodders were crashing on city streets and scaring the hell out of cops and civilians. Parks had a crazy idea — make racing safer, organized, and bigger than ever. From Hot Rod Magazine to founding the NHRA, Parks didn’t just save drag racing — he gave it a future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thanks to NOS Energy for sponsoring this episode! Get After It! Enter for a Chance to Win a Custom Car Co-Built by Donut and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. All brought to you by NOS Energy. For more details visit: https://bit.ly/4fCkJFH Also thanks to Allstate for sponsoring today’s episode! Click here [https://bit.ly/3ZcAZWE] to check Allstate first and see how much you could save on car insurance. And thanks to Hankook for sponsoring today's video! Click here [https://bit.ly/4kl61U7] to learn more about Dynapro tires! This week on Past Gas — the Ford Thunderbird. What started as Ford’s slick Corvette fighter slowly morphed into a bloated land yacht, a boxy malaise disaster, and finally a sad retro comeback. The Bird kept reinventing itself… and somehow kept getting worse. So how did Ford’s coolest car turn into its biggest identity crisis? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://betterhelp.com/PASTGAS and get on your way to being your best self.Thanks to Allstate for sponsoring today’s episode! Click here [https://bit.ly/3GOytQd] to check Allstate first and see how much you could save on car insurance.This week on Past Gas, we’re looking at the life of Reeves Callaway — the fine arts major who got expelled for hot-rodding his Austin Healey and went on to build some of the fastest, strangest, and coolest cars GM ever sold. From Alfa Romeos to Aston Martins, from Range Rovers to Mazdas, and of course the Corvette Sledgehammer — it’s the story of Reeves Callaway, the man who proved a roll of tape could change automotive history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Get After It! Enter for a Chance to Win a Custom Car Co-Built by Donut and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. All brought to you by NOS Energy. For more details visit: https://bit.ly/4fEqemZ Thanks to Allstate for sponsoring today’s episode! Click here [https://bit.ly/4jRgXth] to check Allstate first and see how much you could save on car insurance. This week on Past Gas, we’re wrapping up our two-part look at Oldsmobile — the brand that gave us the Rocket 88, the Toronado, and the 442. From the first true muscle car to the first rock ’n roll song, Olds helped shape American car culture like no other. After 107 years, the brand may be gone, but its influence is still everywhere. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thanks to Allstate for sponsoring today’s episode! Click here [https://bit.ly/44zbmTz] to check Allstate first and see how much you could save on car insurance. Get After It! Enter for a Chance to Win a Custom Car Co-Built by Donut and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. All brought to you by NOS Energy. For more details visit: https://bit.ly/4lpX2l3 Thanks to Hankook for sponsoring today's video! Click here [https://bit.ly/4lzuExg] to learn more about Dynapro tires! This week, the wild story of how Olds beat Ford to the punch, built America’s first mass-produced car, and turned a factory fire, some Dodge brothers, and even a hit song into automotive history. So why did Oldsmobile, once America’s best-selling brand, get erased from the story? And how did GM scoop it up for pennies on the dollar? It’s time to meet the forgotten godfather of the American automobile. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Get After It! Enter for a Chance to Win a Custom Car Co-Built by Donut and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. All brought to you by NOS Energy. For more details visit: https://bit.ly/45AqGyd Thanks to Allstate for sponsoring today’s episode! Click here [https://bit.ly/3Sypy82] to check Allstate first and see how much you could save on car insurance. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://betterhelp.com/PASTGAS and get on your way to being your best self. This week on Past Gas, we uncover the life of John Fitch — a World War II fighter pilot who became one of the most important race car drivers in history… and you’ve probably never heard of him. He raced with legends, helped turn the Corvette into a true performance icon, and stood in the pits during the deadliest crash ever at Le Mans. That moment changed him forever — and his safety inventions have saved millions of lives on the road and track ever since. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thanks to Allstate for sponsoring today’s episode! Click here [https://bit.ly/42UctMw] to check Allstate first and see how much you could save on car insurance. Thanks to Hankook for sponsoring today's video! Click here [https://bit.ly/4nAkmPy] to learn more about Dynapro tires! This week on Past Gas: the feud that built Lamborghini. How did a tractor builder spark the greatest rivalry in supercar history? When Ferruccio Lamborghini told Enzo Ferrari his clutches were junk, Enzo fired back with an insult that changed the automotive world forever. From tractors to the Miura to the Countach, Lamborghini became Ferrari’s loudest, flashiest rival — and survived bankruptcy, scandals, and near-collapse along the way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://betterhelp.com/PASTGAS and get on your way to being your best self.Thanks to Allstate for sponsoring today’s episode! Click here [https://bit.ly/3FdnJu9] to check Allstate first and see how much you could save on car insurance.This week, we’re diving into the history of the Nürburgring — the most dangerous racetrack in the world that also happens to be a public toll road. How did a 1920s public works project become “The Green Hell,” hosting propaganda races, Niki Lauda’s fiery crash, and record-breaking laps from the bravest drivers on Earth? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thanks to Allstate for sponsoring today’s episode! Click here [https://bit.ly/3EP33c1] to check Allstate first and see how much you could save on car insurance. This week, for our 300th episode, we dive into the wild story of Roy James — the racing driver who helped pull off Britain’s most famous heist, the Great Train Robbery. From a Brabham on the track to a Jaguar Mk2 on the run, we explore how a train heist nearly turned into a Formula 1 career. Plus, we uncover the little-known F1 trophy still tied to his legacy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thanks to Hankook for sponsoring today's video! Click here [https://bit.ly/4lbngZq] to learn more about Dynapro tires! This week, we conclude our three-part Porsche series by diving into the Porsche that saved the company — and it wasn’t the 911. From the financial disaster of the early ’90s to the surprise SUV that turned everything around, we trace how Porsche went from nearly bankrupt to a global powerhouse. Plus, the story behind the “Widowmaker” 930 Turbo, the legendary 959, and how the Cayenne made it all possible. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thanks to Allstate for sponsoring today’s episode! Click here [https://bit.ly/3YIEYKB] to check Allstate first and see how much you could save on car insurance. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/PASTGAS and get on your way to being your best self. Join us this week for part two of our series as we find out how Porsche rose from the ashes of WWII — with help from the Volkswagen Beetle. It’s a wild ride through stolen designs, a postwar identity crisis, and the scrappy birth of the Porsche 356. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join us as we kick off a three-part series on Porsche by going all the way back to the beginning — when Ferdinand Porsche was just a kid obsessed with electricity. From inventing the first EV to winning his first race at 22mph, this is the wild and often overlooked start to one of the most iconic car brands ever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thanks to Allstate for sponsoring today’s episode! Click here [https://bit.ly/457Xdgh] to check Allstate first and see how much you could save on car insurance. Join us this week as we uncover how a secretary’s car blindsided the world — and left Chevy scrambling. The Mustang created the pony car, but the Camaro brought real muscle to the fight. Still, GM’s top brass tried to hold it back. Why was the Camaro stuck in Mustang’s shadow for so long? And what finally made it stand out? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thanks to Ridge for sponsoring this episode! Upgrade your wallet today! Get 10% Off @Ridge with code PASTGAS at https://www.Ridge.com/PASTGAS #Ridgepod #ad Thanks to Hankook for sponsoring today's video! Click here [https://bit.ly/44nr4kp] to learn more about Dynapro tires! Join us this week as we explore the rise of Gordon Murray — a self-made engineer who quietly built the greatest car the world has ever seen. From a homemade race car in South Africa to rewriting the rules of F1 with the Brabham fan car, Murray wasn’t just good — he was dangerous. Then he designed the McLaren F1, and perfection went from theory to reality. What made this machine so untouchable? And how did one man get so far ahead of everyone else? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thanks to Allstate for sponsoring today’s episode! Click here [https://bit.ly/4kcKayr] to check Allstate first and see how much you could save on car insurance. Also thanks to Square for sponsoring this podcast! Get up to $200 off Square hardware when you sign up at https://square.com/go/gas! #squarepod #ad Join us as we explore the origins of the Ford Probe. On paper, it's just another front wheel drive econo-box, but this little commuter was almost a Mustang. Why did Ford engineers think a move to FWD 4-cylinder would be a smart move for the pony car? And what part did Mazda have in it? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices