Car Chat cover art

Car Chat

Car Chat

By: Sam Moores
Listen for free

About this listen

 The Car Chat Podcast features regular interviews with familiar and interesting faces from the automotive world. Hosted by Sam Moores (@sammooresphoto). Video podcasts now over on the Car Chat Podcast youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW2AKE9BDG5e7fvpkj7E4kg© 2024 Car Chat Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Mike Fernie - Leaving DriveTribe and Going Solo

    Mike Fernie - Leaving DriveTribe and Going Solo
    Dec 25 2025
    Mike Fernie spent 8+ years at DriveTribe, became Head of Video, and helped build some of the channel’s most-loved nerdy engine deep dives — now he’s gone solo on his own YouTube channel. We talk Clarkson/Hammond/May behind-the-scenes, how YouTube actually rewards consistency, and what Mike’s building next (including a big-turbo XJS and the infamous V10 MX-5). https://www.youtube.com/Mike_Fernie Enjoy. Show Notes: 00:00 Mike Fernie: the quick backstory (engineering → car media)03:06 Leaving DriveTribe: why he went solo (and what changes)06:05 Making videos people actually finish: workflow + production choices08:56 What the audience really responds to: retention, comments, feedback loops12:10 DriveTribe’s evolution: what worked, what got harder over time14:58 From mech eng to car journalism: how Mike got in18:02 Did DriveTribe change car YouTube / car journalism?20:55 The next phase of content: personal brands vs “channels with presenters”23:54 Favourite videos + experimenting creatively (what he’d do more of)56:00 Icon cars: reliability, running costs, and what’s actually worth owning1:00:48 Mike’s car taste: the stuff he’s drawn to (and why)1:04:09 Project car plans: ambitions, budgets, and “bad ideas”1:08:54 The business of YouTube: strategy, revenue, sustainability1:12:19 Dream gig: building engines with an OEM / real R&D access1:18:41 Engine design shifts: what’s changed (and what’s coming back)1:25:14 High-speed records: what’s possible now, what’s myth1:31:57 Five-car garage: the keeper list + standout car journeys Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 49 mins
  • Petrol Ped - Driving The 911 GTS Hybrid And The ICE Cayman / Boxster Are BACK!

    Petrol Ped - Driving The 911 GTS Hybrid And The ICE Cayman / Boxster Are BACK!
    Oct 28 2025
    Petrol Ped joins me to talk hybrids, from plug-ins to Porsche’s new 911 GTS-T Hybrid. We dig into whether a hybrid is better than the same car without. What makes a good PHEV, why real-world MPG figures are nonsense, and how Porsche is bringing back the ICE Boxster / Cayman. Enjoy. 👉 https://www.youtube.com/@PetrolPed Show Notes: 02:51 Plug-In Hybrids vs. Full EVs — The Real-World Trade-Off 06:03 How Modern Plug-In Hybrids Finally Got Good 09:00 Charging, Battery Health, and the Myths Around 3-Pin Leads 11:54 Living With a FEV — Real Use, Real Range 15:03 Why WLTP MPG Figures Mean Nothing 17:51 The Hidden Emissions Debate — Manufacturing vs. Use 21:09 What Actually Matters When Buying a Car 23:49 Are EVs Ready for Everyone Yet? 26:50 When Hybrid Tech Meets Performance Cars 30:04 Porsche 911 GTS-T Hybrid — Engineering a Future 911 32:49 EVs, FEVs and Finding the Right Balance 53:50 Porsche Ownership: When “Bulletproof” Isn’t 57:10 The 718 Spyder — Rediscovering What Driving Feels Like 01:02:22 Porsche’s Next Chapter: ICE, Hybrid, or Electric? 01:10:49 Hydrogen, eFuels and Other Future Powertrains 01:18:07 Have We Hit the Speed Limit for Combustion Cars? 01:34:35 Restomods, Soul and the Future of Car Culture Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 48 mins
  • Tiff Needell - Racer First, TV Second

    Tiff Needell - Racer First, TV Second
    Sep 30 2025
    I sit down with Tiff Needell — racer first, TV legend second — to talk F1 beginnings, Le Mans nights, and how the airfield days birthed that trademark opposite-lock testing style. We get honest about what makes a car feel alive, the quiet magic of cheap manuals, EV tradeoffs, and Tiff’s forever garage from McLaren F1 to Morris 1000. Tiff's Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/1L311xIKsJMmXpyaF1jbbZ Enjoy, Show Notes: 00:00 Tiff Needell: End of an Era for Drivers 02:49 Racing Driver → TV: Car Control on Camera 05:35 Motorsport Then vs Now: Cost, Safety, Show 08:45 Tech in Racing: Data, Aero, Tyres, Workload 11:47 Driver Pathways: Karting Costs & Sim Time 15:04 Women in Motorsport: Pipeline & Opportunity 17:54 Why F1 & Group C Thrilled: Power, Noise, Risk 20:45 GT Racing Explained: BoP, Big Grids, Fan Access 23:49 Media’s Role: Storytelling & Authenticity 26:46 Drifting 101: Technique Meets Spectacle 29:42 McLaren F1 Legacy: Design, Feel, Numbers 51:46 Filmmaking x Car Dynamics: Shooting Real Speed 58:05 Hypercars Compared: Performance vs Usability 01:04:13 Auto Media 2.0: YouTube, Algorithms, Niches 01:08:12 Beyond Racing: Golf, Mindset, Longevity 01:17:53 Future of Driving: EVs, Weight, Feedback, Fun Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 32 mins
All stars
Most relevant
Sam’s interview approach creates super relaxed ‘chatting down the pub’ type of content which balances opinion, technological speak and general banter perfectly. My go to listen for long drives. Top work Sam, keep it up!

Been a big fan since day 1

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.