AVANTS PODCAST
Episode 159 - The RCS School for People Who Don't Off-Road Good
We get asked all the time, so we made it a highly controversial episode so you can yell at us while listening in your car!
Episode 158 - A Snowy Stampede and Another Lockdown
Covid may have locked us all down again, but there’s no restrictions off-road! We went up to Stampede Pass last weekend for some snow-wheeling and of course came back with more stories. This episode is all about driving in the thick stuff and settling that AT vs MT tire debate! Also, check out this awesome product for airing up and airing down! We consider this a must have for offroading and they’re made by a guy down in Oregon. We don’t get anything from this, but we are happy to promote it because it just works so well - https://morrflate.com/
Episode 157 - James Bond Picks The Kids Up From Soccer
We got an early opportunity to test drive the new Aston Martin DBX! We didn’t get to race a RSQ8 up a mountain like Top Gear, but we definitely got to have some fun! Our friends at Park Place Aston Martin gave us a call and said “Hey, want to drive an SUV you can’t afford?” We of course said yes and we think you’ll get a kick out of our review. Luckily for us, we’ve actually spent a lot of time in the competition, so tune in to hear how it stacks up!
RCS received NO compensation of any kind for this review! We think you know that, but we wanted to be sure. We’d tell you if we ever got paid for a review. We just have really awesome friends who let us drive amazing cars.
Episode 156 - Picking The Right Off-Road Vehicle
When it comes to picking the right off-road vehicle, what you want may not be the right tool for the job. Raptor? Terrible for trails. 4Runner? Not exactly built for Baja. Jeep? Not exactly built for… asphalt. That said, all are recognized as some of the best in their class. Then there’s Subaru, which keeps defying the odds with just a little bit of work.
Episode 155 - Coley Tipton, President of the IRDC
In this weeks fun conversation we talk to Coley Tipton, president of the International Race Drivers Club or IRDC. Coley has some great stories of growing up at the track, getting into racing thanks to Paul Newman himself, crashing into tire walls, and other fun things. We hope you have as many laughs as we did!
Episode 154 - Sam Stone and The Philosophy of EVOMS
If you’re into tuning Porsches, you’re probably familiar with Evolution Motorsports or EVOMS as they’re often known to the rest of the world. Sam Stone is the co-owner of Evolution and is here to tell his story and the future of Evolution, opening up very soon in Kirkland!
Episode 153 - Your Go-To for Lights and More, Ben Smrecansky of HKP!
Long before we knew who Ben Smrecansky was or that HID Kit Pros was a local company, we knew they were the go-to company for lights.
Episode 152 - E-Boards and The Raptor Project
It’s official, the Porsche 911 Turbo S has been sold! That means a road trip, a raptor, and a new build! In addition to that, we added another “vehicle” to our fleet, and Metroboard-X Electric Skateboard! This isn’t your average kids toy; hence the X for X-TREME! We really hate that name, but it’s an impressive piece of tech and a ton of fun. If you’ve been on the fence about something like this, we can’t recommend this little toy enough.
Episode 151 - The New CEO of America's Automotive Trust, Jennifer Maher!
We welcome the new CEO of America’s Automotive Trust, Jennifer Maher! America’s Automotive Trust includes LeMay - America’s Car Museum, TechForce, and The RPM Foundation. In this episode we talk all about jobs in the automotive industry, the future of America’s Automotive Trust, and so much more all about her! More than that, we welcome Automotive Trust as an In-Kind Sponsor! We both want to see the industry grow and we look forward to working as partners.
Episode 150 - RCS Rally Recap!
Alright, we admit trying to run a road rally during the apocalypse may not have been our best decision, but we did it anyway. This year was different to say the least. 2020 in general isn’t exactly a great year for anyone, but when you add constantly changing wildfires, rapidly moving wildlife, and rapidly moving police cars things get a little more problematic. Listen in to the 2020 Rally Recap; definitely a drive to remember.
Episode 149 - Conversations on Consignment with Jason Harris of NW European
I love it when we have a conversation with someone who is clearly an expert in their field. Jason Harris of Northwest European is clearly one of those guys. NW European specializes in consignment and selling of very special cars and Jason gives us his story and shows it’s truly a labor of love for him, which makes the stories all the better.
Check out more on Jason and Northwest European at NWEuro.com.
Episode 148 - CAGS is a Crock, Rally Time, and the Avants Magazine Launch!
In this short episode we talk about CAGS, the RCS Rally, and the new Avants Magazine! This is a shorter episode, but stay tuned, we are heading out on our 2020 Rally and the stories will be coming!
Episode 147 - "Mad" Muntz; Nathan That Is!
Nathan Muntz is everyone’s favoite kind of car guy. He has a delightfully ecletic car collection and the know how to keep cars that were never reliable on the road and going strong. We go through his fun list and get the stories behind them, because when you have a list like this, you have stories.
Episode 146 - Combat Flip Flops. Bad for Running. Worse For Fighting. Great for a Podcast.
In this really fun (and explicit) episode, we talk to Griff and The Wookie from Combat Flip Flops. The start of Combat Flip Flops is like nothing you have ever heard before, guaranteed. More importantly, these passionate guys are genuinely trying to make the world a better place in spite of going through hell to get it done. Check out combatflipflops.com and order up a pair!
If you want to hear the extremely detailed, full story of CFF from Griff himself, the audiobook and eBook are currently free and absolutely worth a read or listen: STEPS ASCENDING: RISE OF THE UNARMED FORCES
Episode 145 - Inside the RCS Rebrand With Jeremy Salvo
On this week’s episode, we talk about the emerging RCS rebrand with our newish graphic designer, Jeremy Salvo. We go down the rabbit hole on a number of topics including design’s role in great music, 80s nostalgia, and the curiously legendary Alfa Romeo logo.
To learn more about the RCS rebrand and check out more of Jeremy's work, head over to www.salvo.design.
Episode 144 - Catching Up With Kiki Wolfkill
One of our favorite guests comes back to catch up with more fun stories. Between being busy making the new Halo TV series and the upcoming Halo video game, Kiki found a little time to come back in and catch us up on her amazing life. Beyond Halo she’s a racecar driver, motorycle rider, and world traveler and always she brings great stories.
Episode 143 - Adam Robertson Bids Us Farewell
We are currently on vacation and Adam Robertson is now in Texas, but we had a really fun and real conversation about Adam and his departure from Bellevue. Please note this episode was recorded in advance - breaks and intro were recorded in post.
Episode 142 - A Good(ing) Time with Hans Wurl
We have a conversation with Gooding and Company Automotive Specialist (actual title) Hans Wurl! Hans gives us the details on what you can expect by taking your car to auction with Gooding and Company and gives us a few tips as well. Hans is much more than just a great guy to talk to about Gooding auctions, he’s also an accomplished technician with a wealth of knowledge. You can find Hans on Avants or you can reach out to him at Gooding and Company!
Episode 141 - From Motorhomes to Minis with Greg Birch
In this especially interesting episode we talk to Dr Greg Birch, the grandson of Alex Birch, one of the lead engineers on the coolest vehicles of it’s kind, GMC Motorhome! Greg is also an accomplished driver, mechanic, and Mini collector who is exceptionally knowledgeable in all things he’s interested. Tune in to this really interesting episode full of fun information! Also, be sure to check out the gallery for this episode! Karl took some amazing photos as usual and Greg was kind enough to share some really great photos of the motorhomes his grandfather helped create.
Episode 140 - A Unicorn of a Guest, Paul Blake!
On this episode we have a Unicorn of a guest, Paul Blake! Not only is a Paul a co-owner of the famous Unicorn bar and restaurant in Seattle, he’s also a racer, driving instructor, and car collector of actually interesting cars! Enjoy some of Paul’s good stories on Episode 140!
A note from Dan: This episode unfortunately had some file corruption we were unable to recover. Fortunately, this only impacted a few scattered seconds of audio across the episode.