Old Cars and New Adventures with Brian McLean
What happens when you buy a vintage Ferrari in Italy, drive it through the Alps in August with failing alternators, and then rally it to Monterey Car Week? Naturally… you plan on doing it again.
This week on the Avants Podcast, Dan and Nick sit down with Brian McLean — a man who believes old cars are meant to be driven, not hidden away in climate-controlled garages. From a long-wheelbase Rolls-Royce Shadow to a manual V12 Ferrari 400i, Brian shares stories of cross-country breakdowns, roadside repairs, sketchy one-way flights, questionable financial choices, and why the best automotive adventures usually begin with, “This is probably a bad idea.”
The crew dives into:
Driving vintage cars thousands of miles on rallies and road trips
Buying a Ferrari sight unseen in Italy
Why old cars aren’t unreliable — deferred maintenance is
Rally culture, road-trip philosophy, and building the next generation of enthusiasts
Fuel leaks in Nevada, seized bearings in Nebraska, and why every adventure needs a backup plan
Pop-up headlights, oddball wagons, V12 obsessions, and the joy of weird cars
It’s equal parts automotive therapy session, comedy show, and reminder that the destination is never the point — the drive is.
As always: don’t just get there… enjoy the drive.
Our question of the week: What old car do you want to take on a rally adventure?
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