Talking Classics With The Bad Blonde

Caitlin Shook, better known as The Bad Blonde, has been around cars all her life. She regularly shares the interesting history that so many cars have on her YouTube channel. She also spends a lot of time in the workshop at her family’s automotive business – Shook Enterprises.

We recently had a conversation with Caitlin about her love of cars, her projects and lots more.

Tell us about The Bad Blonde.

I am a lucky gal with a love of cars and their stories.

Where did your love of cars come from? 

I was blessed to be born into a car family!

My dad is a mechanic, my brother is a mechanic, my uncle is a mechanic (insert Mona Lisa Vito voice)… Everyone in my family has their own unique fondness for cars. We have an MGTD to thank for that.

My father, Steve Shook, first car was an MGTD, back then finding a mechanic able to work on imports was infrequent. Also, he definitely didn’t have the money to pay a mechanic, so he worked on his MGTD himself. He would spend his youth working at motorcycle shops and on cars in his backyard until he and my mother decided to buy a turn-of-the-century building in downtown Corpus Christi, Texas. That building would become a living breathing entity within our family, it would become Shook Enterprises.

What cars are Shook Enterprises currently working on? 

We work on everything! From Toyotas to Lamborghinis! A few favourites on the lifts this week are; Jaguar Xk120, Bentley Continental, Porsche 356, 50th Anniversary Lotus Esprit, and a neat little Austin-Healey kit car.

We obviously love classic cars, what classics catch your eye the most? 

I am a lover of all. I don’t think there is a classic car I couldn’t find something interesting about. I grew up around European imports which sparked my love. One of my favourite car shows is the Little Car Show in Pacific Grove during Monterey Car Week. All engines under 1600cc are welcome. Many are the cars I grew up seeing in our mechanic shop. They are the everyday man’s collectors, Triumphs, MG cars, Austin-Healeys, 356s, BMW Isetta, Mini Coopers etc…

What do you think the future has in store for the automotive industry? 

Hoping it goes more in the fun direction and less so in the bean-counting direction.

Do you have a dream restoration you’d love to take on? 

I would just like to finish my Porsche 912e finally! Haha, that car is my Albatross. Kidding but not. I’ve had that car since I was 15 years old and it’s been with me ever since.

My dream restoration would be to get my dad’s XK120 which I fell in love with as a kid up and running. Seriously, it was love at first sight when I saw the XK120 at the age of six or eight.

What do you enjoy most about what you do? 

There is always such an interesting human element and story behind each car. I have a blast reading about them and then sharing their story.

Of all the car history you’ve shared, which story stands out the most? 

JEEZZZ… That is absolutely hard to narrow down! I love that the Dodge Brothers were such rascals, I am furious that Preston Tucker’s advancements from his Tucker 48 weren’t available to the world because of the Big Three and their government lobbyists, I am fascinated by the twists and turns of the story of the commuter car the Dale, I love that the Citroen factory workers sabotaged occupying Nazi forces by lowering the notch on the oil dipstick, it blows my mind that Dr. Ferdinand Porsche was at one point the chauffeur of Franz Ferdinand… Feels like there is no end to the interesting world of automotive history!

What’s next for you? 

Fingers crossed, I keep doing what I’ve been doing! My sister, mother, and I are in the process of turning a warehouse into a bar/lounge, The Annex. We’ve had this building for years, I spent many a summer day sanding down my Porsche 912e in this building as a teenager and it means a lot to turn it into an enterprise I’ve been dreaming about for quite some time.

Both my sister and I started off in the food/bev industry when we were 16, and we’ve both dreamed of having a spot of our own. Can’t wait! Naturally, we have an industrial theme and vintage automotive theme. My mother is painting two huge murals inspired by early Monaco GP race posters. She is doing a fabulous job with them.

Where can people find out more about The Bad Blonde? 

I (try) to post daily on The Bad Blonde Cars IG, Youtube, and Facebook. Folks can also find recordings from the Bad Blonde Radio show, a talk radio show that my brother and I do every week, on Spotify or 1440keys.com

Enjoyed Talking Classics With The Bad Blonde?

Take a look at the entire Talking Classics series for more interviews with other influential people.

Talking Classics With Syeed Ali

Syeed Ali is the founder of The Drivers Union. When it comes to supercars, Syeed is extremely knowledgeable and has been around them for close to 20 years.

We were very excited to have the opportunity to ask him some questions about The Drivers Union, supercars, and the automotive industry as a whole.

For those who don’t know, what is The Drivers Union?

The Drivers Union is a supercar owners club that has been established for over 10 years. We currently have 1,155 members who take part in our exclusive meets and events around the UK.

What are the next big events that The Drivers Union will be attending/hosting?

January and February usually tend to be a little sparse for events due to the weather, but we try and organise a few meets for the members.  The event season usually starts for us with the Italian Car Day event at Brooklands Museum in April. In June we will be attending the prestigious London Concours in the City of London and as their only club partner, we have the privilege of having 75 of our supercars on display.

We are also the club partners of Brands Hatch so we will be supporting their events including the GT World Challenge and the Festival Italia events with both static displays and demonstrations on a small circuit. In the summer we will be at Beaulieu, Silverstone Festival, Salon Privé at Blenheim Palace and the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace with other events still to be confirmed.

In between these events we also have our events such as our summer ball, dealer and factory visits, drive outs, supercar breakfast and lunches and much more. One of our most popular events is the Chip Run where over 100 supercars drive to Frinton-on-Sea to pick up some chips from the High Street before parking up on the beach front. We are also planning driving tours around the UK and France.

What makes the Drivers Union different to other clubs?

For us it’s all about community and making new friends with a like-minded interest. We make an extra effort to make sure that everyone feels like part of our family and members have often remarked about how friendly the members are to each other. This aspect is mainly down to the first rule of the club, which states “If a member sees someone wearing our club lanyard/cards, then they must approach and introduce themselves to them”.

You must be around Supercars a lot – is there one in particular that stands out to you?

Having been organising supercar events for over 17 years, I’ve become quite used to seeing supercars so it’s rare for a particular car to turn my head. Although I still get goose bumps when I come across a Lamborghini Countach or Ferrari Testarossa, but if I had to choose one car it would be a Ferrari 288 GTO which to me is the most beautiful car ever made. If I ever won the lottery I would buy two of them. One to drive and the other to place in my bedroom so it’s the first thing I see when I wake up.

What advice would you give someone looking to get a supercar of their own?

Buying any supercar, you need to enter with your eyes wide open as it can be a minefield and leave you with a lighter wallet.

• Get a pre purchase inspection by someone independent who knows the marque and model
• Do your research and chat to as many owners as possible in advance
• Buy on condition and not on mileage
• Don’t trust the odometer as there are many clocked cars out there especially the older models as disconnecting the speedo was and still is quite common.
• Make sure you have seen all the keys, PIN numbers (if applicable) and documents BEFORE you buy the car.
• Check the service history, but don’t rely on it too much.
• Build a relationship with the company that will be looking after your car as they may end up being your best friends
• These cars were big money when new so expect big bills if things break

Don’t let the above list put you off. Once you have the right supercar, there is nothing quite like it. The sound, the smell, the way it drives can be intoxicating and addictive.

With a lot of focus moving on to electric cars, what do you think the future looks like for supercars?

The older generation like myself will lament the loss of the noise and smell of the internal combustion engine and will consider it the end of the true supercar. The younger generation will no doubt embrace the electric supercars and I am sure the likes of Ferrari, Lamborghini and McLaren will still be lusted after even if they do sound like milk floats!

We are obviously heavily involved in the world of classic cars, do you have any classic supercars in The Drivers Union?

Not as many as I would like to be honest. Over the years I’ve noticed that we see less and less of the older supercars because as they rise in value, they end up being put away in storage for years on end.

Saying that, we do have 722 Ferrari vehicles in the club and there’s a few 60’s/70’s models in there.

Are there any upcoming supercar launches that you’re looking forward to?

I always get excited when a new Ferrari model is launched, but the one I am looking forward to in 2023 is the Lamborghini Aventador replacement.

What got you interested in supercars in the first place?

From an early age I had always lusted after supercars. I supposed it started when a chap on my road purchased a white Lotus Esprit S1. It was my first supercar crush.

It wasn’t until I was in my late 30’s that I managed to buy my first supercar, a Ferrari 348 GTB. I was going to buy a new Porsche Boxster but the Ferrari, although a used example and 9 years older, was £7,000 cheaper. I even sold it for a profit eleven years later, unlike the Boxster which would have been worth £5,000 by then. In hindsight I should have bought a Ferrari 246 Dino as they were quite cheap then and now they are around £300,000.

Do you currently own any supercars?

I currently have a Ferrari 360 Spider which replaced the 348 and, although not a supercar, an Aston Martin DB9 which I purchased a few months ago.

What does the future hold for The Drivers Union?

We have some very big plans for 2023 with lots of new supercar events and drives being planned.

In January/February 2023 we are launching the Drivers Union magazine with printed copies being sent to our members and industry figures. It will also be available digitally for free around the world via the PocketMags, ISSUU and Magzter platforms.

April 2023 sees the start of filming of a six-episode Drivers Union TV series for Amazon Prime where our presenter tours the UK in an Aston Martin DB9 celebrating the best of British automotive. It’s a very ambitious project but something I have wanted to do for a few years now.

Both the TV series and magazine are being produced in-house by our amazing team of writers, photographers and filmmakers as well as help and support from our wonderful members.

On 8^th June 2023 we are holding our prestigious annual supercar awards in which our members vote in 20 categories including best supercar of the year, best supercar dealer/specialist, best YouTuber etc. Nominations open on 20th March with voting between April 17th to 22nd May. The winners will be announced, and trophies handed out on the 8^th June 2023 at the London Concours.

How can people find out more about The Drivers Union?

People can visit our website at www.thedriversunion.com where they can find out about the club, the events we have done and also join the club if they have a qualifying car.

We also have an Instagram page @thedriversunion where we post photos from our events

Enjoyed Talking Classics With Syeed Ali?

Take a look at the entire Talking Classics series for more interviews with other influential people.