Behind The Wheel

Engine Addict host Jimmy De Ville joins us for a chat. There’s a new season of Engine Addict with Jimmy De Ville coming to Australian television screens in 2016 and by the sound of it host, Jimmy De Ville, has earned his money filming it! With some amazing challenges and stunts to be seen (we won’t tell you too much), this is must-see TV if you love cars, engineering, engines and turning (almost) nothing into something. Behind the Wheel’s Joel Helmes caught up with Jimmy for a chat to look at how he became an ‘Engine Addict’ and how this addiction has lead him on some amazing journeys, including the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan. Engine Addict with Jimmy De Ville will premiere on the Discovery Channel on Thursday the 7th of January at 9.30pm.

Car customizing expert Dave Kindig joins us for a chat. Dave Kindig has been labelled a miracle worker and if you look at some of the amazing projects that have left the doors of his business, we reckon you would have to agree. Dave has been building custom cars for twenty years and is the owner and operator of Kindig-It Design, a business that turns out one-of-a-kind vehicles for a wide range of customers, some, even quite famous! He is also the host of the wildly popular Kindig Customs which airs on the Discovery Channel, with season two of the show about to start from next month. Some of the cars Dave works on this season include a 1959 Buick Invicta, 1970 Mustang, 1932 Roadster, 1940 Coupe, 1994 Impala and a 1968 Chevelle. Dave and his team also try their hand at modifying the hood of a 2013 "Mr. Norm's" Challenger. Behind the Wheel’s Joel Helmes caught up with Dave while he was in Australia promoting the new season of the TV show to talk customs and hot rods…

Chasing Classic Cars host talk’s car restoration on Behind the Wheel. With a lifetime of experience in automobile restoration under his belt, master car restorer Wayne Carini has a resume that includes work on rare car collections owned by the likes of David Letterman and Ivan Lendl. Wayne's passion for cars started when he was a child, working alongside his father on such classics as Duesenbergs, Lincolns, Packards and Ford Model As. Then, at just 9 years of age, he experienced a life altering event: he went for a ride in his first Ferrari. Wayne was instantly bitten by the Ferrari bug and hooked for life; automobiles have been Wayne's passion ever since. Wayne learned the art of Ferrari restoration from his mentor Francois Sicard, a former Ferrari racing mechanic and his good friend Luigi Chinetti Jr., whose father Luigi Chinetti Sr. won Le Mans in a Ferrari in 1949. Wayne is now the host of the popular Chasing Classic Cars television show ween in Australian on the Discovery Turbo channel. Ahead of a new

We chat with Jaguar Australia PR man James Scrimshaw. Has Jaguar ever had a better line-up of vehicles? We don’t think so. From the popular Jaguar XF to excitement machines like the XJR and XFR-S, Jaguar dealerships just about have a vehicle for everyone. Then of course there’s an all-new Jaguar XE about to arrive, a new SUV in the works and how can we forget the recently updated Jaguar F-Type?! Behind the Wheel hosts Peter Hitchener and Chris Miller have been getting about in the new all-wheel drive F-Type and thought it was a good time to chat about the 2015 Jaguar line-up with Jaguar Land Rover Australia head of PR, James Scrimshaw…

Have you ever given your car a nickname? Motoring organization RACQ has had a look at the car nickname phenomenon and discovered that the most likely car owners to do it are aged 16-24. Spokesperson Lauren Ritchie has joined Behind the Wheel hosts Peter Hitchener and Chris Miller for a chat about the most popular car nicknames and how car owners determine what they call their car. For the record, Kermit was the most popular car nickname, though there were a few more that are obviously derived from the cars official name. Have a listen to find out more…

Australian’s absolutely love Mercedes-Benz vehicles. In May this year more than 2700 new Mercedes-Benz cars were delivered to Australian customers, 5.5% more than for the same month last year. And with a whopping total of 151 different model grades on offer we certainly can’t complain about not having plenty of choice when considering a Mercedes! Behind the Wheel hosts Chris Miller and Peter Hitchener caught up with David McCarthy, Senior Manager - Public Relations, Product and Corporate Communications at Mercedes-Benz Australia to find out more…

The RACQ has crunched the numbers and found that owning and running a car now is actually cheaper than it’s been for a number of years. The Queensland motoring club has released its annual Vehicle Running Costs survey which has revealed lower interest rates, cheaper fuel and more competitive insurance prices helped to reduce the upward push of costs in recent years. As reported at behindthewheel.com.au, the cheapest car to own and run in Queensland was a Suzuki Celerio, with the most expensive car a Nissan Patrol V8. Looking at all the expenses associated with normal car ownership, RACQ Executive Manager Technical and Safety Policy Steve Spalding joined Behind the Wheel hosts Chris Miller and Peter Hitchener to look at why the cost of owning some new vehicles has dropped by as much as $20 per week.

Spares Box online discounted auto parts now available. There’s a new online auto parts website in the market that is promising to help Australian motorists save dollars on the cost of their car maintenance. Founded by Leon Saliba, sparesbox.com.au is a one-stop car parts web store with a simple goal: enabling vehicle owners to source premium parts, at discounted prices, in just a few clicks. Leon has a background in parts procurement across a range of brands, including Toyota and Holden and launched the business after identifying the mark-ups being passed onto consumers. From this Leon saw an opportunity to help Australian car owners save on the upkeep of their vehicles. Behind the Wheel hosts Chris Miller and Peter Hitchener caught up with Leon to find out more…

It’s the undisputed king of the road in the United States and now Australian’s are lining up to get a Ford F-Series in their driveway. Harrison F-Truck is the leading importer and converter of the Ford F-Series and they have a range of different variants, including single cab, king cab and double cab, and short and long wheelbase models on offer to Australian customers. Whichever one you choose your big Ford F-Series truck will come with a 6.7 litre Power Stroke V8 turbo diesel engine that boasts 328kW and 1166Nm. Towing capacity is up to a mammoth 7,500kgs! The guys at Harrison F-Truck also offer customization options as well to ensure your F-Series truck is one of a kind. We caught up with Harrison F-Truck state manager for Victoria, Craig Payne to find out more…

New app helps people learn how to drive. Technology is changing our cars at a rapid pace, now a learning top drive revolution is underway as well as novice drivers begin their driving careers on their smartphones. A new app available in the US from Aceable is helping people learn how to drive and it appears the concept isn’t that far away from being a major part of getting a driver’s license in Australia. The Aceable app courses include classes for defensive driving, driver’s education, employee training, corporate compliance and other similar tasks which people are now allowed to take online. Dale Carr, founder and CEO of mobile advertising business LeadBolt, has joined Behind the Wheel’s Joel Helmes for a chat and says it’s only a matter of time before Australians will also be taking driver education courses online…

We catch up with the boss of BidMyCar to find out about their service. New car buyers are a pretty savvy bunch now-a-days. Where once upon a time whatever price your local dealership offered was essentially what you had to accept, now you can literally get the dealerships competing to get you the best price. All online, all anonymous and with a minimum of a fuss services like those offered by bidmycar.com.au are the future. Behind the Wheel’s Joel Helmes and Chris Miller caught up with BidMyCar General Manager Rob Madden to find out more.

Behind the Wheel recently road tested and reviewed a new car paint restorer - T-Cut Color Fast. Impressed with the results, Behind the Wheel's Joel Helmes decided to catch up with the Managing Director of Altrex Auto Accessories, the company distributes T-Cut Color Fast in Australia, Paul Hegarty to find out more...

The team at Performax International have welcomed a number of new models to their Brisbane headquarters, including the brand new 2014 Corvette! The new Corvette is sure to give the Performax technicians a few headaches as they work-out the best way to convert the exciting new model to right hand drive. But, when complete, the Corvette will sit alongside the ever-increasing and always impressive Performax range of vehicles, including the Toyota Tundra, Chevy Silverado and Dodge Ram. Behind the Wheels’ Joel Helmes caught up with Performax Sales Manager Kevin Thoroughgood to look at the arrival of the new array of vehicles…

The countdown is on to this year’s Motorclassica in Melbourne. Hundreds of cars and motorcycles from dozens of manufacturers will be on display as part of the huge event which is expected to attract at least 16,000 visitors. Behind the Wheel’s Joel Helmes has caught up with Motorclassica’s Event Director, Paul Mathers to find out more…

The Kids Under Cover charity is celebrating a key milestone – the donation of 2000 vehicles. The charity, which generates funds to help house displaced teenagers and youths, relies on the generous donation of unwanted cars to undertake their work. Vehicles in any condition are accepted and the work undertaken by Kids Under Cover is making a real difference in many young Australian lives. Behind the Wheel’s Joel Helmes caught up with Kids Under Cover Queensland Development Manager Phil Hancock to find out more about this great organisation.

Monster Jam 2013 is coming to Sydney for one night only on the 19th of October. One of the stars of the Monster truck world is eleven time Monster Jam champion Tom Meents. Behind the Wheel's Joel Helmes caught up with Tom to talk about his career and what monster truck fans can expect at ANZ Stadium next month...