Motor Trend Audio

Bob Heil has spent a lifetime perfecting sound. He started out as a musician playing the organ and transitioned to refining sound as an engineer. In the process, he revolutionized live sound for rock n' roll bands like The Grateful Dead and The Who...and oh, by the way, owned quite an impressive list of cars. We also chat with journalist Nicholas Frankl, who went to his first F1 race at 6 weeks old. Needless to say, he's been around the sport for quite some time and most recently attended the Long Beach ePrix. He gives us his thoughts on the event and Formula E in general, in addition to his dislike for the whirl of electric engines.

Renovo is an electric supercar being developed in the Silicon Valley. It's beautiful, it's fast and it costs half a million dollars. Dave Alfonso is not as beautiful, is kinda fast, but knowing him is priceless. Listen in as he reminisces on his relationship with the Andretti family, his love for Alfa Romeo, and riding Ducatis in Italy.

Lincoln reveals the Continental Concept at the 2015 New York International Auto Show and we chat with the designer, David Woodhouse. Jaguar also shows off its subtle design of the all new XF and Maserati, flush off an absolute sales boom in 2014, looks to push the envelope with the flagship Quattroporte and the higher volume, more affordable Ghibli.

The Motor Trend editorial team gathered in New York to witness the unveiling of many new models. Join Angus MacKenzie, Jonny Lieberman, Scott Burgess and Ed Loh as they offer frank commentary and uncensored opinion on the cars and concepts revealed at the 2015 NYIAS.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, there are nearly 50 cars driving themselves around with varying degrees of autonomy. Though the fully autonomous car may be years away from realization, the development pace is full speed ahead. Audi is one such manufacturer that believes self-driving cars are on the horizon. We talk to Audi about its Piloted Driving technology in the A7 Sportback concept, nicknamed "Jack," which drove itself on the highway from the Bay Area to Las Vegas. We also talk to Motor Trend's Testing Director, Kim Reynolds who made that trek.

The Mazda Miata, celebrating it's 25th Anniversary, was based on the great British lightweight sports cars of yore. We wanted to explore vehicles beyond the traditional British nameplates and we dug up some great little known sports cars. We talk to the owners of a Honda S600, Datsun Fairlady 1600, Opel GT and Sunbeam Tiger.

Co-host Shawn recounts his recent trip to New Zealand and his experience driving there. This reminds Charlie of a recent conversation regarding Airstream, the venerable trailer. Switching from historic to leading edge, the guys learn about an iris-based identity authentication system called EyeLock, and how it relates to cars.

Hyundai and Ford reveal concept cars at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS). Hyundai surprised many with the Santa Cruz Concept that sure looked like a pickup. The Ford GT was, for many, the star of the show and we spoke with Steve Saleen to gather his impression of the reveal. Also nearby was Jim Farley, longtime Mustang aficionado and Ford executive.

We discuss the all new, 2015 Ford F-150 and its utilization of aluminum as well as the challenges posed in repairing bodywork. We also spend time reviewing the process of paintless dent repair. Once shrouded in secrecy, paintless dent repair has become a well-accepted and highly skilled trade.

Jeep is on a roll and has aspirations to grow worldwide. We talk to Jeep's Director of Brand Product Marketing, Jim Morrison, about its current success and future plans. The all new Jeep Renegade will be built in Italy for a global market. We also get to hear from Head of Jeep Design, Mark Allen, as he describes the 2015 Jeep Renegade but first, Mark talks to us about his own experiences and career.

The guys discuss enthusiasts, clones and tribute cars. Charlie and Shawn meet "Fritz" who owns many different quirky and interesting vehicles that he repurposes and puts to work. Shawn also talks to and is smitten with an enthusiast's 911 RSR clone..

The Historic Vehicle Association (HVA) is identifying and creating a register for vehicles with historical significance. It's historic that Fiat was recently reintroduced to the USA. The Fiat 500 was a significant car in Italy as was its historic predecessor, the Topolino. We also learn about Fiat's plans for continued growth with the introduction of the 500X.

We get to drive the 1978 Jet powered Corvette. The covertion was done by Vince Granatelli and based on the innovative the innovative Jet powered Lotus Indy car that his dad Andy Granatelli had created to revolutionize the Indy 500. We get to meet and talk to the owner Milton Verret and Clive Chapman who's dad founded Lotus.

The North American International Auto (NAIAS) show is held each January in Detroit, MI. The local automakers pull out all the stops to dazzle the international press, one-up competitors and generate a buzz among consumers. It's the first big auto show of the calendar year, setting the stage for cars that we hope to own and drive in the near future.

We go behind the scenes with Angus MacKenzie, Ed Loh and guest juror, Chris Theodore, to discuss the Motor Trend "Of the Year" Awards. In the process, we discuss the respective winners of the 2015 Car of the Year, the 2015 SUV of the Year and 2015 Truck of the Year.