The Bucket Seat

Trevor Byrne and Bonar Bulger
  • 4.8 (6)
  • AUTOMOTIVE
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

An audio exploration of passionate automotive minds, hosted by Trevor Byrne and Bonar Bulger.

  1. Ten Years In: Trevor Byrne in the Bucket Seat

    JAN 21

    Ten Years In: Trevor Byrne in the Bucket Seat

    Ten years ago, The Bucket Seat started as an idea — part blog, part unfinished film concept, part excuse to talk about cars with people who care deeply about them. In this special episode, the format flips. Instead of interviewing a guest, Trevor Byrne takes the Bucket Seat himself. With no preparation and no script, he reflects on where the show began, the people who shaped it, the cars that formed his identity, and what a decade inside the automotive world has taught him. The conversation moves through early influences, first cars, industry shifts, and the surprising things that haven’t changed — all leading to a simple but clear idea: this show has always been about connection, curiosity, and community. It’s unpolished by design. Honest by accident. And intended as a marker — not a celebration — of ten years spent asking questions worth asking. Welcome to a very different episode of The Bucket Seat.

    1h 7m
  2. Marc Ouayoun — A Living Museum at Full Speed

    12/17/2025

    Marc Ouayoun — A Living Museum at Full Speed

    In this episode of The Bucket Seat Podcast, Bonar and Trevor are joined by Marc Ouayoun, Managing Director of Peter Auto — the people behind some of the most important historic motoring events on the planet. Marc’s story starts the way all good ones do: as a kid obsessing over car magazines, dreaming big, and eventually finding himself at the helm of Porsche in France and Canada, Audi France, and now the custodian of motorsport history at full throttle. We talk first cars (including a Peugeot 205 GTI), daily drivers, and why Marc sold his personal Porsches when he joined the brand — before diving headlong into the world of Peter Auto. From Tour Auto and Le Mans Classic to Chantilly Arts & Élégance, Marc explains why these events aren’t museums, but living, breathing celebrations where history is meant to be driven hard, not parked quietly. Along the way, we get into why Europe’s density of history matters, how younger generations are discovering historic racing, what makes a true “gentleman driver,” and whether electric or hydrogen cars will ever earn a place on a historic grid. Topics include: Growing up car-obsessed (and the cars that never really leave you)Life inside Porsche, Audi, and the modern car industryWhy historic racing works best at full speedTour Auto, Le Mans Classic, and Chantilly Arts & Élégance explainedThe next generation of historic motorsportElectric cars, hydrogen, and the future of endurance racingRecorded remotely between Toronto and Paris — with the sun setting in one city and engines echoing somewhere else.

    1 hr

  3. 12/03/2025

    The 2,000-HP Lotus, the Last Manual BMW, and the Polestar That Won’t Come

    Lotus turns up the power to 2,000 hp, BMW walks away from the manual, and Polestar keeps its best work overseas. This week on The Bucket Seat, Bonar and Trevor look at the kind of stories that remind you why cars are brilliant and ridiculous in equal measure. Thunderous power, questionable decisions, and enough drama to keep a V12 warm on a winter morning. It is all here. In this episode: The 2,000 hp Lotus Evija: A hypercar that feels closer to a science experiment than something with a number plate.BMW ends the manual M car: The last three-pedal M enters the history books. Progress or a mistake that enthusiasts will remember.Polestar 5 launches in Europe only: A serious GT with 884 hp that North America will not see anytime soon.Lexus and the LFA successor whispers: Rumours of a follow-up to one of the most memorable performance cars of the last twenty years.Ford and Amazon test a new used-car marketplace: Car shopping meets online retail. Helpful or unnecessary.UK EV tax changes: Road tax and a pay per mile charge reshape the economics of electric motoring.The week felt like a tug of war between speed, nostalgia and a few decisions that deserve a closer look. Plenty to argue about and plenty to enjoy. Hosts: Bonar Bulger and Trevor Byrne.

    40 min
  4. JF Musial and the Truth Behind Drive, Tangent Vector and a Life on the Edge

    11/15/2025

    JF Musial and the Truth Behind Drive, Tangent Vector and a Life on the Edge

    In this episode of The Bucket Seat, Trevor and Bonar sit down with filmmaker and Tangent Vector CEO JF Musial for a deep dive into car culture, storytelling and the messy reality behind building a career in automotive film. JF traces his path from obsessive road-tripper and early YouTube experimenter to co-founding DRIVE, building it into one of the world’s biggest automotive channels and ultimately stepping away under difficult circumstances. He talks directly about risk, business failures, negotiating TV deals with NBC Sports and how adversity became the real boot camp that shaped his career.The conversation covers: The first beat-up B5 Audi A4 that started it all and why imperfect cars matterCross-country road trips, freedom and Bonar committing on air to drive his Volvo 240 wagon across CanadaBehind-the-scenes stories from early YouTube including “smash and grab” shoots and filming McLaren’s P1 while Top Gear shot the 918 on the same trackImposter syndrome, overwork and losing track of past work because there was simply too much of itWhy algorithms are destroying attention spans and why JF believes audiences want flaws, failure and honest struggleThe making of “Edith – Porsche’s Volcano Ascent” and the physical limits of filming at extreme altitudeHow he protects story integrity while working with major brands and why blunt honesty and effort matterThoughts on AI and why imperfection will become more valuable as synthetic content growsCreators he respects, including Luke Huxham and photographer Canden ThrasherJF also shares the story behind his temporary ban from Canada after a mis-timed Arctic arrival, hints at upcoming projects he can’t discuss and reflects on what kind of work is worth making in a saturated content world.For anyone interested in cars, long-form storytelling or the reality of building a creative career under platform pressure, this episode lands hard. Audio Engineer: Justin Dhama Produced by: Steak+Sizzle

    1 hr

  5. 10/31/2025

    The Spooktacular Episode — Subaru’s Comeback, Ferrari’s Hybrids, and GM’s CarPlay Gamble

    It’s Halloween week on The Bucket Seat and the auto industry is just as spooky — from Subaru’s return to performance glory, to GM’s plan to kill Apple CarPlay, and Toyota building a luxury brand above Lexus. What’s inside: Subaru STI Resurrection: Dual concepts — gas and EV — at the Japan Mobility Show. Nostalgia meets electrification. GM vs. CarPlay: The bold (or boneheaded) decision to cut Apple and Google out of future dashboards. Toyota’s New “Century” Brand: Moving above Lexus to challenge Rolls and Bentley. Mitsubishi Elevance Concept: A quad-motor adventure EV that looks ready for Iceland, not the mall. Germany’s Chip-Sharing Pact: Automakers teaming up to survive another shortage. Ferrari’s Record Profits: The hybrid era hits the sweet spot between performance and conscience. Lucid’s Level-4 “Earth” EV: Autonomy hype or genuine leap forward?Hosted by Bonar Bulger and Trevor Byrne, this episode blends industry insight with the same garage-floor curiosity that drives the show. From design obsessions to tech overreach, we’re figuring out what really matters in cars right now. Listen wherever you get your podcasts — and keep an eye out for our next Project Ignition drop.

    53 min
  6. Wolfgang Bremer. Designing the Edges of the EV Revolution

    10/15/2025

    Wolfgang Bremer. Designing the Edges of the EV Revolution

    Wolfgang Bremer. Designing the Edges of the EV Revolution On this episode of The Bucket Seat, Trevor and Bonar talk with Wolfgang Bremer, a German-Canadian design leader who previously led design at Volkswagen Group Charging (Elli). Wolfgang’s career spans SAP and Nokia, and his focus sits where cars meet infrastructure: charging, software, energy, and the everyday details that shape EV ownership. Across a fast, candid hour we cover: Designing the world around the car: why UX for charging, apps, and services is now core to the automotive experience.From chaos to craft: building design maturity inside a young organization growing at OEM scale.Fragmented charging UX: cards, tariffs, plugs—and what “it should just work” really means for drivers.Hardware vs. software: legacy automakers as car companies first; tech challengers as software first—and the convergence ahead.Real-life EV stories: ID.4 GTX as a daily, family miles in the ID.7 Tourer, and why tactile buttons still matter.What’s next: ultra-fast charging, inductive pads, smarter residential infrastructure, and seamless handoffs between phone, grid, and vehicle.Car memories bonus: Wolfgang’s first car was a purple two-door Opel Astra F (yes, Saturn Astra vibes in North America), plus a backpacking road trip in a Golf II and the family’s manual-gearbox Mercedes-Benz 300 SL. Pull quote: “Design isn’t just the screen—it’s everything between the product and the person.” GuestWebsite: bremer.coThreads: @WolfgangBremerBlueSky: @wolfgang.bremer.co HostsTrevor Byrne & Bonar Bulger The Bucket Seat explores the people, ideas, and design choices that make car culture tick—from motorsport and memories to the UX that powers the electric future. Subscribe, rate, and share if you enjoyed the conversation.

    1h 7m

  7. 10/01/2025

    308 mph EVs & 100k EV Flops — The Auto Industry in Flux

    News-round episode: Bonar and Trevor tackle a week of wild headlines across EVs, trucks, motorsport, heritage, and hacks. What we cover Acura ZDX axed: Honda kills Acura’s first modern EV in North America. Pricing, timing, and the GM Ultium tie-up—what really doomed it?Hyundai’s real truck play: A body-on-frame midsize pickup (and maybe an SUV sibling) aimed squarely at Tacoma/Ranger/Colorado. Serious entry or corporate cosplay?308.4 mph EV “speed king”: A Chinese hyper-EV claims the crown over Bugatti. Spectacle, skepticism, and what top-speed arms races mean in an EV era.Ford to demolish the Glass House: Goodbye to 70 years of Dearborn HQ history. Bold evolution—or shredding your family photo albums?Porsche & WEC (rumour watch): Factory program chatter gets wobbly. If endurance racing is marketing, is the spend still worth it in 2025?JLR ransomware shock: One cyberattack freezes production and costs a fortune. Should “cyber-resilience” be a line item on the window sticker?Gearhead palate cleanser: Singer’s new wristwatch—because car culture also lives on our wrists. Got a story we should riff on next time? Drop us a note and we’ll throw it in the ring.

    40 min
  8. Ryan Oatman: The Kaleidoscope Show

    09/22/2025

    Ryan Oatman: The Kaleidoscope Show

    In this episode of The Bucket Seat, we sit down with Ryan Oatman—founder and creative lead of The Kaleidoscope Show—a curated celebration of Porsche where color, place, and people are the whole point. Think gallery meets gathering: rare hues, purposeful venues, and a photo-forward experience where every car is staged like a living art installation. We get into the origin story—why Kaleidoscope was born, how Ryan hand-picks owners and cars (it’s as much about the person as the paint code), and the craft behind turning an event into a canvas. From London’s old cereal factory to Hamilton’s Cotton Factory, we unpack the location scouting, the tape-on-the-ground precision, and why the right grey sky can make colors explode. We also talk partners and tools—how Fujifilm brought a new wave of photographers into the scene, and how Bramo’s QR car profiles add back the missing “owner’s story” at shows. Along the way: the philosophy of driving versus displaying, why some colors just belong on certain shapes, and a spirited detour into manuals, Caymans vs. 911s, and the joy of a 6:30 a.m. back-roads loop. Whether you’re Porsche-obsessed, color-curious, or just into the intersection of cars, culture, and community, this one’s a ride. Topics Include: Kaleidoscope’s DNA: part gallery, part gathering Curating people and paint: stories over spec sheets Venue as canvas: staging, light, and why weather can be a gift Fujifilm’s role and the 400k-click pop-up (photographers welcome) Bramo QR profiles: bringing the owner’s voice to each car Color theory in metal: why signal yellow sings and mint green needs the right silhouette The case for Caymans, manuals, and Saturday-morning drives What’s next for Kaleidoscope (and why “small and intentional” scales best) 🎧 Subscribe to The Bucket Seat wherever you get your podcasts. Follow Ryan & Kaleidoscope: @kaleidoscope_show and thekaleidoscopeshow.com Have a guest or topic idea? We’d love to hear it. Host: Trevor Byrne Co-host: Bonar Bulger Guest: Ryan Oatman

    1h 2m
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4.8
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About

An audio exploration of passionate automotive minds, hosted by Trevor Byrne and Bonar Bulger.

Information

  • Creator
    Trevor Byrne and Bonar Bulger
  • Years Active
    2016 - 2026
  • Episodes
    83
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Trevor Byrne and Bonar Bulger
  • Show Website
    The Bucket Seat