It’s 1981, and a man pulls up to an intersection in his ‘52 pickup. He looks left to check for traffic. All clear. He looks right, but the van next to him is blocking the view. The man driving the van waves him through. The man in the pickup proceeds. Moments later, he is thrown from his truck, his skull cracked on the pavement.
Some days later, he wakes from a coma, but his life is changed irreparably. He spends the next 36 years suffering the effects of that crash, and trying to figure out why that one man waved him through.
It’s a bad memory for sure, but as we learn on this third episode of Tempest, he has plenty of other great ones that revolve around cars as well. (By the way, if you’re new to this, catch up on episode one here and episode two here.)
In this episode of Tempest, we meet a man named Steven Weber, whose life has revolved around his love of cars and of people. You may have heard part of this story before. In the summer of 2017, I wrote an essay about Steven Weber, and the 1968 Camaro RS/SS he’s had for nearly 45 years.
https://jalopnik.com/the-heartbreaking-story-of-a-man-and-his-68-camaro-1796968126
Steven’s a salt of the earth guy, an everyman. But his ever-present smile and hearty laughter belies what he modestly calls “his trials.” And in the eight months since I first wrote about Steven, he’s made some surprising discoveries and has come to terms with some difficult realities.
I sat down with Steven—and someone else—to hear about it all. I hope you enjoy it.
Tempest is available wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcast, Spotify, Stitcher, GooglePlay, iHeart Radio and every week here on Jalopnik, too. And hit us up at tempest@jalopnik.com if you want to learn more.
And after you listen, let me know what you think.
Tempest is written, hosted, and produced by David Obuchowski. Mandana Mofidi is the Fusion Media Group Executive Director of Audio. Editorial oversight provided by Patrick George and Kristen Lee.