The 313mph Backyard Hot Rod: The Story of Art Arfons' 2,500hp Anteater
The history of land speed racing is marked by some of the most innovative, interesting, and oddball vehicles ever made. One of them belonged to Art Arfons and was known as The Anteater.
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Using a turbocharged and supercharged 1,710ci Allison aircraft engine, it was Arfons' first dedicated Bonneville car. It ran more than 300mph and was actually used to try and set a speed record at Daytona International Speedway as well.
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This is the story of a unique car that was full of cool ideas, went more than 300mph and mixed it up with the most advanced and high budget efforts of the day for a fraction of the cost.
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A true 313mph backyard hot rod.
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Masters of Disaster: The Men Who Invented and Perfected Oil Well Firefighting
This is the story of three men.
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Three men who through their own bravery, creative approach, and lifelong obsessions, created the industry of oil well fire fighting.
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Tex Thornton, Myron Kinley, and Red Adair all built up each other's knowledge and success to make scads of money while risking their lives on a daily basis to put out burning oil and gas wells, cap blown out wells, and otherwise battle the most intense and wild forces Mother Nature has to offer.
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You'll learn about the major triumphs in their careers, how they came to find themselves in this wild line of work, and why they all fell so deeply in love with it. These guys traveled the globe to places that are remote in 2025 but were beyond exotic more than 75 years ago.
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It's all true but it's still unbelievable.
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The Man Who Made Garlits: Setto Postoian and Drag Racing's First Top Fuel Rivalry
He's a man who have likely never heard of, Serop "Setto" Postoian, an early top fuel master who helped to make Don Garlits. Postoian was among the earliest stars in a young sport.
Motivated, fearless, and every bit the match for the man who would eventually become known as the greatest drag racer of all time. The rivalry between Garlits and Postoian in the early days of top fuel drag racing was contested across the nation.
They were among the earliest match racing stars and battled from California to Maine, from Tacoma to Tampa, Florida. It was a relentless fight waged between 1957 and 1960. This is the story of the man who made Don Garlits.
The man who pushed Garlits to be better, to be faster, to be more relentless than he ever knew he could be and who forced him to a lay a foundation that would build into drag racing immortality.
You've likely never heard his name...until now.
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Ludicrous Speed: The Racing and Land Speed Record Tractors of the 1930s
This is a look back, 90+ years back into the history of speed to check out the exploits and impact of the amazing racing tractors created by the Allis-Chalmers company in the 1930s that literally changed the world by racing and chasing land speed records.
These were the first tractors with rubber inflatable tires and that changed the farming game as well as entertained millions of fans over the course of five years in the 1930s. They raced, they crashed, and they performed as well as many available cars at the time.
From the road trips they took to the records they set at Bonnville, these Allis-Chalmers Model U tractors were amazing. Here's their story.
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Harnessing Hell: A History Of Top Fuel Clutch Technology 1950-1970
This is the story of how early drag racers developed the clutch technology that has ultimately lead to the engineering wonders in today's 11,000hp top fuel dragsters and nitro funny cars. It is the story of experimentation, of failure, of accidents, and of success.
The development of the multi-disc, centrifugally controlled clutch was incremental in all areas. From the materials, the design, and finally the manufacture of these pieces, everyone had their own ideas on how to approach the issue.
It was one major revelation by racers. The idea that a slipping clutch as far more efficient than slipping tires that allowed performances to sky rocket while the danger level of the sport did the exact same thing.
If you love the history of early drag racing, especially the mechanical side of it, you'll enjoy this deep dive into the clutches that almost stopped the sport and then those that saved it.
The Dork-O-Motive Podcast hosted by Brian Lohnes is a research driven, story fueled, mechanically stoked look at the machines, people, and history that make up the modern mechanical world. Whether it's the stories of the men and women who have done amazing things in racing, the machines that roar around tracks and shape the Earth, or some bizarre mechanized history, Dork-O-Motive is here to bring you the story in a fun, well-researched, and informative way!
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