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CORVETTE TODAY #166 - Summer Vendor Showcase 2023
CORVETTE TODAY offers up another outstanding Vendor Showcase episode, which highlights three companies that you should know about! Featured on this show are CarCapsule, Wheel Craft and Soul Performance Products.
Your CORVETTE TODAY host, Steve Garrett, talks with the owners of all three companies. They off some very unique items for your Corvette along with some exclusive CORVETTE TODAY discounts!
Be sure to check out this week's CORVETTE TODAY show and these terrific companies along with their offerings.
Listen to the podcast, watch the YouTube video, join the Facebook group, sign up for email notifications and shop in the Merchandise Store at:
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0:00
[Music] Welcome to Corvette Today, the podcast
0:06
that talks about everything Corvette with your host Steve Garrett, MC and DJ at one of the largest Corvette weekends
0:12
in the country, Corvette Funfest, president of the Corvette Club of Kansas City, Missouri, and radio disc jockey at
0:19
the number one radio station in Kansas City for over 40 years. Here's Steve Garrett.
0:28
Thanks for listening and watching Corvette Today, the show that talks about everything Corvette and the only
0:34
current podcast dedicated to Corvette. I'm your host, Steve Garrett. I appreciate you tuning in. Corvette Today
0:40
is brought to you by Wheelcraft. Want to dress up your Corvette with bright chrome or black chrome wheels? Learn
0:45
about their advanced PVD chrome finishing. They can refinish your wheels or offer a wheel exchange for most
0:50
models, and it comes with a 5-year warranty. Visit wheelcraft.com today or
0:56
call 833-639-4231. You can listen to Corvette today on all
1:01
podcast platforms. You can also listen on your smart device. Just say, "Hey Google," or "Alexa, play the podcast
1:07
called Corvette today and you're connected." Be sure and visit the updated Corvette Today website. It's
1:12
corvette.com. You can also access everything there, including the Corvette Today merchandise
1:17
store. You can also join the Corvette Today Facebook group there and sign up for Corvette Today emails,
1:23
notifications, and updates at corvette.page. And if you like YouTube, you can
1:30
subscribe to the Corvette Today YouTube channel. See all Corvette Today episodes on YouTube. And be sure and patronize
1:36
our flagship sponsors of Corvette today. Aerolari wheels, a true 4-in wheel with over 20 different unique styles to
1:43
choose from for your C8 and widebody versions of the C7, C6, and C5 Corvettes. It's an amazing value
1:50
starting at only 23.88 for a set of four fully forged wheels. And use the promo
1:55
code CT111 and get $100 off your purchase. Visit aerolari.com. That's a r
2:02
o l a r i.com and use the promo code ct111 for your $100 discount. And Soul
2:09
Performance Products developed and manufactured in the United States. The Soul Performance Products exhaust
2:15
portfolio has been tailored to elevate the experience of the world's most exciting sports cars, including the
2:20
latest generation of the Corvette. Soul Performance Products, the official exhaust of Corvette today. Also,
2:26
mid-engine Corvette forum.com. the forum that focuses on the new mid-engine C8 Corvette. Meet a lot of Corvette
2:32
enthusiasts like yourself at mid-enginecorvetforum.com. And a shout out to Corvette Forum and
2:38
Canadian Corvette forum.com, welcoming Corvette enthusiasts from around the world. It's time for another Corvette
2:44
Today vendor showcase highlighting some of the latest and greatest products on the market for Corvette owners. Phil
2:50
Pitakei is with me from Car Capsule. Phil, welcome to Corvette Today. Hey, how you doing? Good to be here.
2:56
Thanks for being here, Phil. First off, your brand new SC1 car capsule is
3:02
licensed by General Motors and it's available for sale. Tell me about this brand new product, Phil.
3:07
Well, we've been in business for over 20 years and we've noticed that Corvette's our number one customer. And so, we
3:14
decided to get a license, which we did through General Motors. They were excited about it and we came out with a
3:19
unique design that kind of goes with the flow and shape of a vet. It actually looks like it's moving when it's sitting
3:25
there. and it has all the Corvette logos on it and it's quite attractive, but more importantly, it's functional. It It
3:32
does a lot to preserve and protect your car. Also, it has lighting. It looks like carbon fiber, which I gravitated to
3:39
right away. Yeah, it has a carbon fiber look to it. It's not inflatable carbon fiber, but it
3:44
does have that look. It has double white stitching, Corvette zipper pulls. The floor when you drive in looks like a
3:50
road, so you got highway stripes on the out and white dashes down the middle. It comes with a lighting kit which is
3:56
actually Cobb lighting. It's a new lighting technology. It's better than LEDs. And it really is a nice feature
4:03
with a remote control. You can change the colors and the function and the speed. And it comes with the intellarge.
4:09
So when you put your Corvette away, an old one, a new one, you plug in our Intella Charge, which maintains your
4:16
Corvette battery to full capacity and runs my circulation fan at the same time. If there's a power loss, it
4:23
switches over automatically and runs my fan off of your car battery and then switches back when power resumes and
4:29
charges your battery back up. So, you always have continuous air flow, continuous air change, which means zero
4:35
condensation during storage. Wow, that's really cool. And the beauty of this is no tools are necessary to get
4:42
the SC1 up and running, right? No. And we always tell folks, the most work is getting it out of the box. You
4:48
roll it out like a sleeping bag and then fold it right, fold it left, locate the
4:53
inflation valve, hook up our pump, turn it on, and less than 5 minutes you're good to go.
4:58
Wow. It's that quick. There's no put this together, bolt that together. There's nothing. Complete inflatable frame.
5:05
That's really nice. And it's got the C8 logo on it, too. The cross flags. Yeah, we've got that logo on the sides.
5:11
And then across the horizontal beam, we go from C1 through 8. So, we've got every Corvette logo on there to make
5:18
every Corvette owner happy. Very nice. Now, you also have car capsules for what different generations
5:23
of Corvette? You know, we cover them all. We cover all makes and models as far as that goes. But, I mean, if you got a C1, two,
5:30
three, whatever. We start out with our basic bubble, then we have an enhanced version, then we get into showcases, and
5:35
then we come out with this SC1, which is our supercar one, which your car is your
5:41
supercar. That's what goes in this SC1. Very nice. Now, obviously a lot of Corvette owners have daily drivers. So,
5:47
you make car capsules for more than just Corvette. What other cars can Car capsule accommodate?
5:53
Pretty much anything and everything. I mean, we just made some customs last week ago for firet trucks.
5:58
Wow. We cover everything from a daily driver to a special use to some oneoff creation
6:04
for somebody. Take Florida, number one state we ship to. But a lot of people buy our standard showcase, stick it
6:11
underneath a carport, and while they're gone anywhere from three to six months, they come back, your daily driver is
6:17
dustfree, mold free, mildew free. It's in perfect shape. It's a timesaver. It's
6:23
not so much worrying about something hitting your car. The biggest problem storing a car is condensation. And we
6:29
prevent it with a continuous airflow technology. And we've been at it 20 plus years. Very cool. Now, you also make car
6:36
capsules for more than just cars, don't you? We make them for trucks. We make them for bikes. We make them for boats. Those
6:43
are stock sizes and models we offer. And then, like I said, we always are making
6:49
customs. There's not a week goes by that we're not picking up some custom creations for something.
6:54
That's very cool. Phil, give us your phone number and the website that they can look at the full line of car capsule
6:59
products. Sure. Our phone number is 219-945-9493
7:06
and our website is carcapsule.com ccapsule.com.
7:13
For Corvette Today listeners and viewers, use promo code podcast at checkout and get free shipping and save
7:20
a few bucks with every order. Perfect. Phil, thank you so much for being on Corvette Today. This is really
7:25
informative. Thanks for having us. We got some really great videos on our website underneath the video tab that go over every product
7:32
we offer. Very cool. We'll look for those for sure. We're going to take our first break. When we come back, another vendor
7:37
coming up on Corvette today. We all know that wheels make the car. Wheelcraft's
7:42
PVD chrome finish in bright chrome or black chrome will take your Corvette to new levels. And it comes with a 5-year
7:49
warranty. Whether you've taken delivery of your C8 or have one on order. Learn how Wheelcraft can help you transform
7:55
the look of your Corvette and save you money. Durability is a defining feature of the Wheelcraft finish. Their PVD
8:00
chrome is superior to traditional chrome with a finish that is break dust resistant and cleans effortlessly with
8:06
soap and water. We can also refinish existing chrome wheels. Wheelcraft offers factory wheels on exchange or
8:12
they can apply the PVD finish to your current wheels. No matter what generation you own, call Wheelcraft to
8:18
transform the look of your Corvette. With every Corvette comes a unique story, and Wheelcraft has embraced this
8:23
idea. When you purchase your new set of wheels, you receive a lifetime membership to the Wheelcraft Pit Crew,
8:29
granting you access to your own page on Wheelcraft's website, where you can post pictures and tell your Corvette story.
8:35
And don't miss Wheelcraft on the Road. See their finish in person at Bloomington Gold in June and Corvettes
8:41
at Carile in August. Wheelcraft will also be located on the midway at Carile with their very own mobile tire
8:47
installation on site. Exchanges of the CH5-spoke, Trident, 20 spoke, and Z06
8:53
wheels will take place on Installation Alley. Call early and place your order for installation at Carile. Visit our
8:59
website at wheelcraft.com or call us at 833639-4231.
9:04
That's 833639-4231. Arrive in style with Wheelcraft. The
9:10
Radiator Grill Store offers C8 Corvette A-pillar wind diffusers in beautiful carbon fiber or OEM gloss black that
9:18
help reduce wind buffeting when a window is open. Easy installation and OEM fitment. Plus, get 10% off your total
9:24
purchase with the promo code CT10 at radiatorstore.com.
9:29
When you want to buy a Corvette or any Chevrolet for that matter, get yours from Hendrick Chevrolet Shauny Mission
9:35
located in Kansas City. Hendrickk Chevrolet is the largest Corvette dealership and showroom in the Midwest.
9:40
With a knowledgeable sales staff and Corvette sales specialists on hand, they'll help you build the Corvette of
9:45
your dreams. And they ship nationwide. With Corvette certified master mechanics on site and a huge parts department with
9:52
over 24,000 parts and $2 million in inventory, Hendrickk Chevrolet is well equipped to take care of your every
9:58
need. From sales to service to collision repair, Hendrickk Chevrolet has you covered. Visit cheviusa.com or call
10:04
913-384-1550. Are you ready to take your Corvette to
10:10
the next level? Look no further than Classic Trim Customs. As the number one supplier for American Hydrocarbon, we've
10:17
manufactured some of the most impressive Corvette parts on the market. From engine bay panels to splitters and side
10:22
skirts. With over 30 years of experience in hydrographics, we've perfected the technique and use only state-of-the-art
10:28
materials and equipment to ensure the highest quality and precision. Visit our website at classicgcrimcustoms.com
10:34
or give us a call at 305-258-3090 to learn more about our products and
10:39
services. Whether you want to create a showstopping ride or just add a touch of personalization, the sky is the limit
10:45
with classic trim customs. Let us help you create the Corvette of your dreams. Vetfinders.com is the internet's
10:52
original Corvette classified ads website with classified ads starting at just $25. And every ad runs until your
11:00
Corvette is sold. If you're in the market for a Corvette, vetfinders.com has over 500 Corvettes for sale from all
11:07
around the USA and Canada and covering all eight generations. Visit vetfinders.com, the internet's
11:13
destination for buying and selling Corvettes. That's vefinders.com.
11:22
You're enjoying the only current podcast on Corvettes. Corvette today. Thanks for
11:27
listening and watching Corvette Today, the show that talks about everything Corvette, brought to you by Wheelcraft.
11:33
Visit wheelcraft.com and learn about their advanced PVD chrome finishing or call them at 833639-4231.
11:41
As a matter of fact, my guest on this special edition of Corvette Today's vendor showcase is our signature sponsor
11:48
of the show, Wheelcraft. And here to talk about Wheelcraft is President Ed Holland Head. Ed, welcome to Corvette
11:54
Today. Uh, thank you, Steve. First, let me tell you, it's a great pleasure being a sponsor of the Corvette Today podcast.
12:00
You know, your audience is super knowledgeable and fun to work with and we appreciate the exposure Wheelcraft
12:05
has received being associated with such a great platform. So, thank you for allowing us the privilege,
12:11
buddy. Thank you. The pleasure is all ours on this end. Thank you so much for being our big signature sponsor. Ed
12:17
Wheelcraft is now famous for refinishing wheels with your patented PVD chrome finish. explain a little bit more about
12:24
exactly what PVD chrome finishing is and also talk about the warranty. Okay, fantastic. Well, PVD chrome is a
12:32
performance finish that is eye-catching, durable, and very easy to clean. So, PVD
12:38
by definition stands for physical vapor deposition and it's also called physical
12:43
vapor transport. But the key is that it's a process of applying a micro thin layer of chrome onto the entire surface
12:50
of a part. So in our world, we're applying a chrome finish onto wheels. So the best way to describe is to
12:56
differentiate a little bit. The traditional chrome process layers material onto the surface of the wheel
13:01
in a series of chemical baths in order to achieve a chrome finish. The PVD chrome process takes place in a vacuum
13:08
chamber where we take a solid material and in our case that's chrome and we convert that into a gas. That gas is
13:15
then deposited i.e. transported onto the wheel where it converts back to a solid
13:21
resulting in a chrome finish. So, the chrome finish is applied to every bit of the wheel surface except for the back
13:28
plate of the wheel that mounts up to the hub. But we finish the inner barrel, the outer barrel, the rear of the spokes,
13:35
etc. Now, the process overall creates an inseparable bond between the chrome finish and the underlying alloy of the
13:42
wheel. So the final step of this process is to apply an acrylic clear coat that seals in and protects the entire finish.
13:48
We like to refer to that as a protective glove that engulfs the entire wheel. So the extreme durability of our
13:54
performance finish is due to that ultra thin thickness of our application. Why is this important? The thinner the film
14:01
finish, the tighter the bond is with the alloy. The thicker the material, the more susceptible it will be to chips,
14:08
cracks, and peeling. Oh. So our entire finish measures in the range of 6 to 9 mil in thickness. So in
14:14
relative terms, this is slightly thicker than a sheet of paper that measures at 6 mil. So we're applying a finish, a layer
14:22
of film on top of the wheel here that's bound with the alloy that's no greater than a sheet of paper.
14:28
That's amazing. We've actually measured that finish of other applicators and those will measure
14:33
anywhere from 3 to 10 times as thick as our finish. And it's not unusual at all for us to find coatings that are 20 mil
14:39
or greater. What that is is that thickness leads to susceptibility for chips and peeling and lots of impact
14:47
damage. So we actually outline and demonstrate the DNA, if you will, of our micro thin finish on our website at
14:53
wheelcraft.com. And we have on the our process page, we have photos and videos
14:59
that show the structure of our finish compared to others. And we also demonstrate using a hammer onto the
15:05
surface of the wheel. We have a hammer test that shows how durable our finish really is. Wow.
15:11
And in there, too, you'll also find a link to a virtual tour of our facility on that process page as well.
15:16
That's cool. So, there's a lot of science and technology here. There's quite a bit of science and technology, and we've really mastered it
15:22
and figured out there's a lot of key elements without diving into the weeds on how we get from point A to point B
15:28
and make this such a pristine, durable finish. Our process has tackled that and
15:34
we do have a tremendous outcome. And all of this brings us to our industry-leading 5-year warranty that
15:40
guarantees our finish against chipping, peeling, color separation, and most importantly, brake dust, burns, and
15:46
discoloration. So, brake dust literally washes off of the wheel with simple car
15:51
wash soap and a microfiber towel. Our customers find our finish extremely easy to clean with very, very little effort.
15:58
And our chrome finish can be ceramic coated, which is really popular with a lot of our Corvette customers, and we get that question quite a bit.
16:04
Right. That's great. Now, you have four finishes to choose from. Ed, once you select a finish, what's the process for
16:11
either purchasing wheels or having your Corvette wheels done? Well, Steve, our primary PVD chrome
16:17
finishes are bright chrome and black chrome. Then, in addition, we offer custom tints to complement our bright
16:22
chrome finish, as well as provide custom powder coating. So again, without diving too deep into the details, we have what
16:30
we call recipes for our finishes. And basically, these recipes are based on how long we're going to expose the wheel
16:36
inside that vacuum chamber to the chromium gas field that we've created. And the longer we expose the wheel to
16:42
the chromium gas, the brighter that wheel is going to become. So we dial in our recipes to where we offer two
16:49
different tones of black chrome. And we've had a number of customers interested in looking at it from both
16:54
directions. We have a really, really deep black that leans closer to a gloss black with a chrome tint to it. And then
17:01
we have a much lighter black that is like a smokier looking black. They're both really attractive and available to
17:07
be run customized for anybody. Very nice. If an owner likes his wheels, but they're damaged, you can repair
17:14
those wheels and then put the PVD chrome finish on them. Isn't that right? We can. One, we have a prep department
17:20
and a team that are skilled craftsmen that are able to clean up cosmetic damage, curb damage to the point where
17:27
you would never know it was there in the first place. We can bring a wheel in, we strip that wheel down, and then we can
17:34
correct that alloy and it'll look brand new again before we run it through our process. Now, you've got an additional thing that
17:41
you guys just started that I absolutely love. It's called the pit crew. talk about the pit crew and how someone
17:47
becomes a member of the pit crew. Well, Steve, as you always say on Corvette today, every Corvette owner has
17:53
a story. Whether it's someone's first Corvette or 50th, whether it's a custom creation or a daily driver, there's a
18:00
story out there and how that car was acquired and why. And we love sharing our customers story for others to view
18:06
and enjoy. With that in mind, we developed the Pit Crew program to become that vehicle of ours to share pictures
18:11
and stories related to our customers cars. and we create a personal URL on our website for every one of our
18:18
customers cars. And on that URL, we load up a vehicle description. We can list all of the various accessories they may
18:25
have added, any work they've done to the car with ceramic coating. And we also give tribute to the different vendors
18:30
that our customers have worked with. And this link lives on our website so that they can share pictures and information
18:36
about their car with their family, their friends. And then certainly it's searchable as well. for our benefit.
18:41
It's an opportunity to showcase our work and have pictures of finished cars that have our various finishes on the wheels.
18:48
I think that's a fantastic idea and it's so much fun. It's so cool to read everybody's story. Like you said, I
18:55
always say every Corvette owner has a story and it's great to read the stories and see the cars. And you know, we've
19:00
actually taken this even a step further, too, because one, every one of our customers is invited to participate in
19:05
the pick crew and we do all of that at no cost. But in addition for our customers that actively attend car
19:10
shows, we've partnered with a company called Car Show Life. And Car Show Life helps us customize trading cards of our
19:18
customers cars along with custommade showboards that can be displayed at car shows. So we take it a step further and
19:24
we help our customers bring out recognition of their car when they're attending shows and sharing with others.
19:30
You can find the pit crew on our website too, wheelcraft.com and just simply select the pit crew link to browse
19:36
through a multitude of member profiles. Very cool, buddy. Also, you do some custom finishes as well. Let's detail
19:43
that. Plus, what other cars besides Corvettes can get the PVD chrome finishing? Well, as I mentioned previously, we are
19:50
able to customize our chrome finish with some resilient tint offerings. You know, we've delivered red chrome, blue chrome,
19:57
brassy chrome, gold chrome, and some other finishes to give that customer the
20:02
opportunity to personalize the look of their car. We can finish any make and model wheel up to 22 in. And the
20:08
limiting factor for size is the size of our vacuum chamber. We can finish up to
20:13
a 22x3in wheel that we can get into this piece of equipment. So Ed, if someone wants to
20:20
reach out to you, let's give the website URL, your telephone number, and how they can purchase wheels.
20:25
Okay. Well, first, please visit us at wheelcraft.com or call our office at
20:30
833639-4231. And when you visit, please be sure to click on our process page to learn more
20:38
about the finish and take a virtual tour of our facility. It's really interesting and fascinating. Once a customer has
20:44
selected a finish that they're interested in, we offer an exchange program where we leverage our inventory of Corvette factory wheels to apply our
20:51
finish, ship to the customer for installation, and then coordinate the return of their current wheels. So, we
20:56
have a very coordinated, tightly managed process to get from point A to point B.
21:01
Now, we manage an inventory of all C8 models. We have the five-spoke, the trident, the forge 20 spoke wheels and
21:08
Z06 wheels. But we also have sets of C5, C6 and C7 wheel styles for exchange as
21:14
well. So the easier we can make it for a customer to acquire our product and our finishes, we try to accommodate with
21:20
having an inventory to support those needs. Now, in the event we don't have a set that someone wants, we have a
21:25
process in place to have customers wheels shipped to our facility for processing. And then once those wheels
21:30
arrive, our process takes five to seven days and the wheels are shipped back to the customer for mounting and balancing.
21:36
We walk our customer through the entire process. Steve, one of the most unique features of our business model and our
21:42
customers bring it up to us all the time is that we do not ask for a deposit or any final payment until they have
21:48
received the finished product. We have such a high confidence that our customers are going to love our finish
21:54
that we ship the product to them and our honor system has never failed us.
21:59
That's fantastic. And it's so cool to hear that you can go C5 all the way up through C8 as well.
22:04
Yeah, we don't necessarily have all styles, but we have the majority of popular styles. That's great. Ed, thank you so much for
22:11
taking time to be on the Corvette today vendor showcase, and thanks again for being our signature sponsor. Well,
22:17
Steve, thank you once again for allowing Wheelcraft to sponsor Corvette Today podcast. We're proud to be associated
22:22
with such a great platform and thank you very much for your time. The pleasure is all ours, my friend. We'll take our final break. When we come
22:28
back, another vendor on the Vendor Showcase here on Corvette Today.
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Are you ready for a better insurance policy without the Corvette tax? With agreed value protection, the value of
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Car Capsule brings you the official multi-awwardwinning Corvette SC1 showcase. It's the ultimate form of
22:53
protection, preservation, and presentation for your Corvette. No dust, mold, or mildew. This officially
22:59
licensed GM product features all eight Corvette flag logos, Corvette branding on the panels, a carbon fiber look and
23:05
feel, and interior chip onboard lighting, plus the Intella Charge battery charger with the fan backup
23:11
system. It takes only 5 minutes to inflate and it won't collapse when you open the doors or during a power loss.
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It's a freestanding drive-in driveout operation. See it at carcapsule.com or
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call 219-9459493. America's best pre-owned Corvette
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And now back to the only current podcast on Corvettes, Corvette Today with your host, Steve Garrett.
25:06
Thanks once again for checking out Corvette Today, the only current podcast dedicated to Corvette, brought to you by
25:12
Wheelcraft. Summer is here and so is car show season and you want your Corvette looking its best. Dress it up with
25:18
bright chrome or black chrome wheels. Visit wheelcraft.com and learn about their advanced PVD chrome finishing.
25:25
They can refinish your wheels or do a wheel exchange and you get a 5-year warranty. Visit wheelcraft.com today or
25:31
call them at 8336394231. My next guest on Corvette today is one
25:38
of the owners of a premier performance exhaust company. He's the main point person for many of their customers and
25:44
shops, and he also leads the tech talk production videos on their YouTube channel. He's John Gatos from Soul
25:51
Performance Products. John, welcome to Corvette today. Well, happy to be here, Steve. Thanks
25:56
for the invite. Nice to chat cars with you. Absolutely, buddy. John, first of all,
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give us a brief history of Soul Performance Products, how the company was started, how long it's been around,
26:07
and what's the mission of Soul Performance Products. Well, realistically, we got together, a few of
26:13
us, I want to say it was like eight or nine years ago, and we were just sitting around said there is a gap in the market
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for a exhaust company in the higherend exotics and Porsches and general sports
26:27
cars to make a really good quality product that performs well, sounds
26:33
great, but also has the customer service and experience and the knowledge of the
26:39
guys that you're working with to really back everything up. We're track rats. We love to beat the snot out of our cars.
26:45
We want people to be able to put stuff on that fits great and they have the confidence to go absolutely hammer down
26:51
on the street or the track. And that's really where it all came from and how we've been so successful over the years.
26:56
You can call, you can get someone on the phone that's enthusiastic and chat cars and come up with a good educated
27:02
decision on how to best meet your specific goals. And I'm happy to say it's been doing very well for us. We
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started business about 7 years ago and it's been off to the races. That's awesome. Now you make performance
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exhaust, John, for all the top car brands like Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, McLaren, Audi, BMW, Mercedes,
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AMG, Bentley, and Range Rover. And on the American side, you also work with Cadillac and Mustang. Talk about your
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venture into Corvettes. Oh, that has been a real passion of ours, you know, and this all goes back. I mean, all of
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us over here have grassroots going back to not just General Motors, but V8
27:41
power, you know, as we were kids, like I have a 1998 Z28 that my father used to have to drive
27:48
me to sleep in. We all go back to Americanmade cars. So, as we got the swing into the exotic market and the
27:56
higherend stuff, we really started to say, you know what, we need to go back to the passion that really started this
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all when we were kids. We need to get back into the V8 stuff and let's start with General Motors. So, the C8 platform
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was the big entryway into that. That was very, very successful for us. We did
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high- flow cats. We did valve muffler replacements, non- valve muffler replacements, and then we were like,
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"All right, well, the C8 platform worked out great. Let's take a look at the Cadillac platform." So, we brought in
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the CT5V Blackwing, and we also brought in the newer generation 350 and 500
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Mustang cars and made some pretty slick products for those, too. And sitting in the garage right now is the new Z06. We
28:40
are deep into the development on that car, and boy is that car exciting. They've managed to stuff essentially uh
28:47
a Ferrari V8 on steroids into this thing. And it is a freaking cool car.
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I know. And I was going to ask you about the Z06 because I heard that you were working on an exhaust for the C8 Z06.
28:59
When do you think that'll be on the market? Oh, we don't rush to market. We take our time. We do it right. And we put a lot
29:07
of thought and time and effort into it. So, let me be the first to tell you, it'll be on the market when it's on the
29:12
market when it's right. and it's going to be the best that we can do it. I would expect we are still two to four
29:18
weeks before we come down to the final honing in on to the final production
29:24
product. So, you know, I would say we would hope to have a release sometime in July or August if everything goes well
29:32
and we certainly hope. We'll be watching for it. I'm excited to see what you can come up with, John. Almost everybody there at Soul
29:38
Performance Products is from racing, too. give us a little bit of background about your racing career. Oh, super humble, modest.
29:46
It all started with carting. You know, I raced shifter carts for about I want to say like five or six seasons and that
29:52
was a huge huge amount of fun and then went into doing mostly HPDE with cars
29:58
and then graduated from that into doing endurance racing. So, I've been doing a lot of endurance racing and that's been
30:04
a whole hoot of fun. I did a few races with AER. I've been doing the lemons 24
30:11
hours stuff recently and and let me tell you that is probably the most fun for the dollar of any wheelto-heel I've ever
30:17
done. It is just absolutely hilarious. I got passed by a hot dog stand into turn
30:22
one at New Jersey Motorsports. That's great. That's fant. Everyone has a crazy theme and it's a lot of fun.
30:28
That's awesome. Let's talk more about Soul Performance Products exhaust and what sets them apart from other
30:34
aftermarket exhaust manufacturers. I want to say it really comes down to the
30:39
quality of the parts. We are very particular on taking the time to come up
30:45
with a recipe for success that has a part that is built to outlast the life
30:51
of the car. We TIG weld everything. We back purge everything. We use the best
30:56
304L stainless steel that we can get a hand on here in the States. If it's valved, we get the best valves we can
31:03
get. If it is a hot car, and by that I mean temperature, we take a lot of time
31:09
to come up with how are we going to have this car get the absolute crap beat out
31:15
of with our exhaust on it and not have any problems. So, we develop bespoke heat solutions. So, you'll see on all of
31:22
our C8 products that we have already released for the standard cars, E-51
31:27
package, etc., All of our exhaust systems come with bespoke heat blankets.
31:33
Now, the Z06 is going to have to have the same thing. It is a very, very hot
31:39
running car. So, we're going to be taking our time not just to develop the products that we intend to release, but
31:45
also come up with a way to make sure the car is running cool. And that kind of thought process goes into everything
31:51
that we do in order to knock it out of the park and at a price point that is reasonable for doing all this stuff here
31:58
in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, where we have close to 30 guys on our team here.
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And we do as much manufacturing in-house as is possible here in the States.
32:09
And each of your Soul Performance exhausts comes with a lifetime warranty, doesn't it? Oh, yes. Not just a lifetime warranty
32:16
for the street, but a lifetime warranty for the track. We want you guys to take
32:21
our stuff out and put it to good use. So, please do so. If you are the original owner of our soul exhaust, you
32:28
can have it on your car for the entire time of your ownership and you are taken care of. All you need is a quick phone
32:35
call to say, "Hey, I've got this problem," which we don't expect you to have to do,
32:40
right? And we've got your back. That's awesome, John. Once again, you're located in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania,
32:46
which is right outside of Philadelphia. Give us the website URL and the phone number if somebody wants to reach out to
32:52
Soul Performance Products. Sure. The website is www.sppp
33:01
as in performanceproducts.com and our phone number is 8554861400.
33:11
Call in, select sales, customer service, and have a chat with us. We are always, always happy to point you in the right
33:18
direction. That's fantastic. John, thank you so much for being on Corvette today. I've got your Soul Performance Products
33:24
exhaust on my C8 70th anniversary Stingray, and I absolutely love it. I am happy you're enjoying it. Thanks
33:30
for your time, Steve. I really appreciate it. Thanks for listening to Corvette Today, and please be sure to tell your family,
33:36
friends, and other Corvette enthusiasts about the Corvette Today podcast. And thanks to our sponsors, Wheelcraft. Want
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34:00
Soul Performance Products at soulppp.com. The official exhaust of Corvette today.
34:05
True Wealth & Company at retirewithtr.com. Also, Aerolari wheels. Get $100 off your
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purchase with the new promo code CT111 at aerolari.com. And Hendrickk Chevrolet
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in Kansas City at chevyusa.com. You've been listening to Corvette Today
34:23
with Steve Garrett. If you'd like to contact Steve with any thoughts on the podcast or ideas for guests on Corvette
34:29
Today, you can email him at stevegared djgmail.com.
34:35
That's Steve Garrett DJ@gmail.com. Garrett has two Rs and two T's. Or
34:41
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34:49
listening to Corvette today.
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