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    Design and Empathy with Raffi Minasian — Explained

    Please help us extend a warm welcome to one of BaT’s favorite designers, teachers, sellers, and all-around renaissance men: Raffi Minasian, known in these halls as @raffi. He talks with Alex about his father’s “trial by fire” mechanical training program; the roots of his obsession with car design; learning to drive in a 1952 Crosley (with doors!); human- and object-based empathy; a novel way to stay calm in the BaT comments; accidentally becoming a star seller for other people’s cars; the odd calmness that 1,200 live BaT auctions can provide; his unorthodox, Pegaso-centric introduction to Art Center College of Design, his future alma mater; his 16 years in die cast design at Franklin Mint; insights into shifts in popular culture; embracing the ridiculous; and the Beetle as a gateway drug.

  • Yesterday’s comments of note You Should Know

    A few of the comments that stood out to us yesterday:

    “It wasn’t every day something this cute rolled into Fort Stockton. Folks were used to pickup trucks big enough to block out the sun, not pastel-colored cars that looked like they’d been dipped in lemon pudding and whipped cream. But there it was—parked right out front of Grounds for Divorce, turning heads like a visiting movie star.
    A 1956 Nash Metropolitan. Yellow over white. Chrome trim shining like a smile that’s been to the dentist.
    Lucinda leaned against the café window,…”

    59

    CaptainMyCaptain commented on No Reserve: 1956 Nash Metropolitan Hardtop for Corvilla

    “I remember that turbo kit from HO Racing Specialties out of California. I bought my 78 TA new (still have it) and once the 1 year warranty was up, i installed the HO performance kit with new jets and metering rods for the Q-Jet.”

    13

    IK54 commented on One-Owner, Turbocharged 1978 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am 4-Speed

    “Thanks @sludgo @Dazed_and_Amused @PDXBryan and @AJL1988 for your kind comments. I had a great time with Alex doing this podcast. Get me started talking about cars and I’ll go on for a while…just ask my wife and daughters!!
    Thanks to @BaT for hosting our conversation and sharing it with the community.”

    14

    Raffi commented on Design and Empathy with Raffi Minasian

  • Yesterday’s comments of note — Explained

    A few of the comments that stood out to us yesterday:

    “Yes
    She’s so excited – wants to create a channel to document the road to a million. Hopefully times up well with her senior year”

    32

    huibae commented on No Reserve: 965k-Mile 1992 Honda Accord EX Wagon

    “I wanted one of these for 33 years. FINALLY”

    8

    Flatfixer1 commented on No Reserve: 1991 Toyota MR2 Turbo 5-Speed

    “What a fantastic driving video!
    Maserati’s 200S and Si were giant killers in their day with only the bigger engined Ferrari 860 Monza/290MM, 315 and 335 Sports able to keep up. The Maserati 300S and 450S were faster but never had the breaking or handling of the 200S and Si models.
    This is by far one of the best and the spares package alone worth the currently humble bid!
    Cheers,
    Bill”

    15

    Symbolic_International commented on 1957 Maserati 200SI by Fantuzzi

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    New Make and Model Page Update: Essex, Dodge Demon, Rossion Q1, and Toyota Aristo: A Practical Look

    Temperatures are falling, but our collection of makes and models is hotter than ever. Check out the newest pages, and be sure to follow those that interest you in order to receive notifications when new auctions go live. You can also subscribe to the Make and Model Updates category to receive alerts whenever a new batch of pages is announced!

  • Yesterday’s comments of note — Explained

    A few of the comments that stood out to us yesterday:

    “Well, buying a Porsche wasn’t exactly on my bingo card for today, but this is the kind of stupid excitement I’m here for.”

    26

    ElSecundo commented on No Reserve: 1977 Porsche 924 Championship Edition 4-Speed

    “A high school friend had one of these. It was light on its feet and plenty quick. Ahead of its time with an overhead cam engine, and so rare today. Jay Leno’s build of his Firebird Sprint adds some value to this one, in my opinion.”

    10

    ppointer commented on Four-Decades-Family-Owned 1967 Pontiac Firebird Sprint Coupe 4-Speed

    “This is really lovely to watch – — three bidders who have not been successful yet on BaT – – this is a really great car to start with!!”

    6

    CTT commented on No Reserve: 2007 Audi A4 2.0T Avant Quattro 6-Speed

    “My first car was a 1963 Rambler that my uncle sold to me for $50. It ran forever — you can’t kill these cars! Although the vacuum powered windshield wipers would not move in cold weather, so in snow storms the passenger had to lean out of the window and manually swish the wipers so the driver could see!”

    7

    MAnthony commented on No Reserve: 1962 Rambler American Deluxe 2-Door Club Sedan 3-Speed

  • Yesterday’s comments of note You Should Know

    A few of the comments that stood out to us yesterday:

    “Well, it was fun bidding on this one. I’m thrilled to buy a 6.0 in such a unique color. Seller did a great job in answering all my questions. I look forward to her being part of the collection. Thanks again to all.”

    40

    BlackVapor commented on 2001 Lamborghini Diablo VT 6.0

    “Thanks all! Beautiful auction. Candidly, I know nothing about these cars! I am a Ferrari guy. The way I see it, my dream car is a 250 California spider and this is as close as I’m ever going to get. I’m going to drive the wheels off of it and, if anything should ever happen to the motor, I’ll throw a Colombo in there and will be halfway home!”

    18

    happiesttrees commented on 1964 Alfa Romeo 2600 Spider

    “Wow! Not many cars show up here that makes me gasp, but when this rare (and wonderful) car appeared in my alerts, it got my attention. Back when these first came out, I was a college kid who had a 1988 Mazda cab plus pickup. The local Mazda dealer was very close to campus so getting it serviced there was super easy. This is back in the day when dealers were not always big shiny, fancy buildings. The dealer was small. The showroom held one car and had wood panelling.. but one day, while my truck…”

    13

    sjy66 commented on No Reserve: 27k-Mile 1992 Mazda 929

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    This Week’s Weird and Wonderful—October 31, 2025 — Explained

    While the masses don costumes and take to the streets, your faithful BaT scribes remain at their desks combing through over 1,100 live auctions in search of coolest and strangest vehicles to feature in our Weekly Weird and Wonderful list. As always, this is but a small selection of the vast array of interesting vehicles we’ve seen over the last seven days, and we encourage you to explore our live auctions page until your heart is content, your wallet is empty, or you fall asleep on your keyboard—whichever comes first.

  • What to Know About yesterday’s comments of note

    A few of the comments that stood out to us yesterday:

    “Ok
    So while we were setting up Rally 1
    Mike Z who ran the Saleen shop floor set up a red door complete with gurney bubble on a small dolly door stand. For display and option for people coming to have your door converted.
    Of course vin 1314 / signature car owner / Me wanted it that day to swap on my red car for the event!
    The door was display only because it was a blemish / defect door and not complete , hence the parts missing on this door!
    I think Bony had the first bubble after Gurney…”

    18

    gtjoey1314 commented on No Reserve: 2005-2006 Ford GT Door w/Gurney Bubble

    “This seems to be an outstanding example of one of these rare and truly extraordinary cars. I had my ’15 V12VS Coupe (Sportshift III) out today. People obviously differ regarding what they want from a car, but for me, it really doesn’t get much better than this among modern cars. In addition to all the things that make Aston Martins special, the V12 Vantage S is an absolutely fantastic thing to DRIVE. The engine — performance, smoothness and sound (not sure any car made in the last 40 years…”

    9

    Speedraser commented on 2,600-Mile 2017 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S Roadster 7-Speed

    “A favorite spot of ours, mornings in Malibu are always a delight when you’ve got a beautiful 60’s 911 with you”

    8

    castlecombemotorsports commented on 1968 Porsche 911L 5-Speed

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    Question of the Week: What’s The Scariest Noise Your Car (or Truck) Has Ever Made?—WINNER’S UPDATE — Explained

    WINNER’S ANNOUNCEMENT:
    We’re back to announce the winner for our Question of the Week, where our victor will accept a $25 credit for a hat or T-shirt from the BaT Gear Store and the acclaim of their peers.
    Our question this week was: What’s the scariest noise your car (or truck) has ever made?
    This week, @SteveIOMTT dominated the thread, and told us about several cacophonous automotive calamities he’s experienced in his life. But it was his first submission that garnered the most likes, and on that basis he is this week’s winner!