Car Chat

About Car Chat

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

Publisher

Sam Moores

Category

leisure · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

20 Aug 2018

Latest episode

25 Dec 2025

Latest episodes

271 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   25 Dec 2025

   Mike Fernie - Leaving DriveTribe and Going Solo

   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

2. 

   28 Oct 2025

   Petrol Ped - Driving The 911 GTS Hybrid And The ICE Cayman / Boxster Are BACK!

   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

3. 

   30 Sept 2025

   Tiff Needell - Racer First, TV Second

   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

Who has been a guest on Car Chat

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Miro Zrnčević
• Rod Chong
• George Williams
• Katarina Kyvalova
• Jingyi Chen

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.8 / 5

51 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 63 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

88

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

96

Contact Car Chat

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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Questions about Car Chat