The Dork-O-Motive Podcast

The Studebaker XH-9350: The Largest Piston Airplane Engine That Never Flew

The most monstrous WWII aircraft engine that you have never heard of is called the Studebaker XH-9350. A truly mind boggling project that Studebaker was the last option f

Oil Burners: The Improbably Awesome History of Cummins At The Indy 500

Cummins diesel engines are an American institution. They've been one of the most massive manufacturers of diesel engines in the United States for more than 100 year now,

AMC vs The World: How Two 1979 AMC Spirits Won Class At The 24 hours of The 'Ring

This is the story of how a 1979 AMC AMX won its class at the 1979 24 Hours of the Nurburgring. Not only that, how it was done with two hastily built cars, a group of six

The Decade That Tried To Kill Nitro Drag Racing: The 1970s

Incredibly, nitro powered drag racing nearly didn't survive the 1970s. It is a story often lost to modern history but it's a harrowing tale of shortages, price escalation

Sunken Hemi: The Chrysler Concept Car At The Bottom of the Atlantic Ocean

It was late 1956 and craftsmen in Turin were thrashing to complete the latest, mosrt beautiful, and most complex project they had ever done for Chrysler. It was a concep

Slicks: The Sticky History of the World's Fastest Racing Tires

The story of drag racing is typically seen as one defined by insane horsepower. The super fuels, the massive blowers, the acceleration that is unmatched by any wheel driv

Glorious Failure: Mickey Thompson's Wild 1967 Wynn's Spitfire Indy 500 Car

f there is a story in American motorsports history more compelling than Micke Thompson versus the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, I am not sure what it is. The man conquered

War Boost: An Introductory Lesson In WWII Aircraft Engine Supercharging

There's nothing like upping the horsepower of an engine with boost. Multiple methods of supercharging exist today and have been brought to an incredible level of efficien

Powerama 1955: When GM Ruled The Earth They Put On The Greatest Horsepower Show of All Time

In 1955 General Motors decided to put on a show, not just any show, a gathering of vehicles, horsepower, and entertainment the likes of which the world had never seen bef

The Birth of American Muscle: The Story of The Liberty V-12 Engine

This is the story of an engine. Not just any engine, but the engine that created the idea of "American Muscle". It was the lightest, most powerful airplane engine in the

The History of Hydrazine In Drag Racing: The Liquid Boogey Man Explored

This is the in-depth history of Hydrazine in the sport of Drag Racing. It is one of the most mythic, misunderstood, and undocumented stories of the sport's past.   In th

A History Of Nitromethane The Greatest Race Fuel On Earth: Part 1 - 1872-1960

Nitromethane is the world's most powerful racing fuel but it's history and how it came to be may actually be more fascinating than its chemistry.   Nitromethane was firs

War Wagon: The Story of The WWI Liberty Truck

While the Liberty V-12 airplane engine of WWI is widely celebrated, there was another Liberty machine that has been all but forgotten. The WWI Liberty truck was designed

500mph Failure: The Incredible Wingfoot Express 2 and A History of Rocket Cars 1928-1965

This is the story of Walter Arfons' incredible Wingfoot Express 2 rocket land speed car. It's also a history of some pretty incredible rocket powered cars from the 1920s

Coventry Climax: The Forklift Company That Dominated F1 - A History

This is the story of a company that is one of the most incredible in auto racing history. An operation known for making small engines for fire pumps, for manufacturing fo

Fastest Car In The World: The 1906 Stanley Steamer Rocket - A Canoe Bodied Record Smasher

This is the story of the fastest car in the world in 1906. The first car to exceed 120mph and a machine that destroyed the most decorated field of automotive competition

The Novi V8: A History of the Indy 500s Star-Crossed Horsepower Monster

The famed Novi V8 is one of the most storied engine in American motorsports history and also one of the most star-crossed.   Massively power, innovative in its design an

Party Crashers: How Five Stock Bodied Cars On Nitro Changed Drag Racing Forever

This is a story about how five cars with no proper competition class, all running on nitro, crashed the party at the 1965 NHRA US Nationals and changed drag racing foreve

The Engine That Refused To Die: An Offenhauser History

The Offenhauser four cylinder engine is one of the most incredible power plants in the history of American motorsports.   It's basic design was conceived as a boat engin

Designed to Dominate: The Ford DOHC V8 Story - An Indy 500 Legend

Ford's foray into the Indy 500 in the 1960s is a motorsports story for the ages. In 1963 the company used a pushrod engine derived from their successful 260ci small block