Spike Feresten is an Emmy nominated comedian and writer, and bona-fide Porsche nut. A friend of FLATSIXES.com since his show Car Matchmaker debuted on Esquire two years ago, Spike has since recommended several Porsches for the show, and a Panamera GTS is featured in an upcoming episode. Spike sat down to speak with us again about Porsches, classic cars, giving sound advice, and who is the fastest comedian.
10 More Questions with Spike Feresten:
1. Last time you spoke with us you talked about the ’74 911 that was your first Porsche. Between then and your current SWB ex-Trans Am car, 356 and GT3, what are your greatest hits of Porsches? Are there any you regret parting with?
I don’t think I’ve ever sold a Porsche I didn’t regret selling. The one the keeps me up at night is my ’70 Conda Green 911S with 12k original miles when I sold it. I don’t have things flying through my hangar like Leno or Seinfeld, but I’ve been fortunate to own my favorite years. I’m looking to get into a 993 C2S. I’ve never owned a 964. I have more adventures down the road!
It’s really the same I would say. People are always willing to listen to your advice, though they often don’t take your advice. The show allows people to get behind the wheel of my advice, and that is really what changes minds.
I can tell you how I would make that decision- the tow hitch. If I were the type of guy who needed a tow hitch I’d get the Cayenne. If not, I’d get the Panamera GTS. I would own both if I could.
No, not at all! My childhood is littered with these crappy old American cars and I love each of them. Who doesn’t love their first car? It doesn’t matter what they are, it matters what you can do with them. As long as there was a great radio or an 8-Track in it for some Zeppelin…
Definitely a driver. While I can appreciate a collection, I prefer to see cars in motion and getting used. That’s what makes me happy. I don’t like opening the hangar door and just looking at stuff.
Adam is the real deal, he’s out there and he’s racing. I can tell you who’s funnier though!
I’ve been thinking a lot about 80’s 911s, in particular an ’89 Turbo. I’d really like to replace the ’98 993 C2S I had and sold. A dialed in 964 would be interesting too.
That’s just what makes it into an episode. We really take our buyers’ needs seriously, we talk a lot and put a lot of stuff on the board, and really put our heads together to come up with three perfect choices. It’s important to us that the buyer and the viewers get the best of our car expertise.
Essentially it comes down to whether we feel ok recommending a car, what is the buyer’s budget, do they have a family? A commute? A garage? Can they plug the car in or do they have to street park? Can they drive a stick? 95% of our buyers cannot drive a stick, and I will make them learn. One girl in particular did a great job on her first time driving a stick for the show.
On our first episode of the season, with (Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model) Genevieve Morton, she actually requested a manual transmission. How cool is that, a South African swimsuit model who can drive stick? I wore two wedding rings that day.
Yeah. When we’re the guys in this position, we need to have a few guys we trust to use as sounding board when making this kind of decision. There are maybe four or five guys I call for advice before I pull the trigger on a car.
On the show, if it’s something new, I can get a press car before I buy or lease it which is a big help. Before I bought my Ferrari (a 1972 Ferrari 365 GTC/4), I actually messaged someone on a Ferrari message board about their car. He wound up meeting me for coffee and letting me drive his car. People seem more willing than you’d expect to do that, as on some level you are validating the decision they’ve already made. Spending a bit of time with a car before you pull the trigger is probably the best piece of car-buying advice though.
I have a friend who has a lot of beautiful and expensive cars, but he bought an ’89 Mercedes-Benz 560SL. I saw him in it with his dapper hat and his sport coat, and I went “out of all the stuff you own, this is the car that looks the most you.” He’s a lawyer. He was a little offended by that, but it really was perfect for him.
There really is a car that you look perfect in, you might not know what is but it’s out there. A while ago I saw Jerry in an Aussie blue 912. That may be the most Seinfeld car of his collection.
The new season of Car Matchmaker debuted on Esquire on Wednesday June 22nd featuring Spike helping Genevieve Morton in her hunt for a classic American muscle car. The second episode, which happens to feature a Porsche along with Porsche race team owner CJ Wilson, airs on Wednesday June 29th, at 9pm ET/PT. Check your local listings for air times in other time zones.
