10 Mazda RX-7s, The Twilight Volvo C30 & Life as a Mazda Exec

Click here to share your favorite car, car story or any automotive trivia!What happens when you spend 6 years studying architecture, only to realize your true calling is parked in the driveway? In this episode, we sit down with Jon Leverett, Project Manager of Strategic Planning & Implementation at Mazda USA. Jon’s path to the automotive industry wasn't a straight line—it took a detour through an architecture firm and a stint as a car salesman in Nashville before landing at Mazda corporate.We discuss his deep-rooted rotary obsession, growing up in a family that at one point had between 7 and 10 Mazda RX-7s parked outside—including his brother's legendary "Red Dragon" Turbo II. Jon also shares the pain of owning a college BMW 525i that broke every other month and his love affair with the Volvo C30 (even if it was the car Edward drove in Twilight).In this episode, we cover:🏎️ The Rotary Dynasty: Growing up with a barn full of RX-7s and his first car, an '88 GXL.📐 The Career Pivot: Why he left a promising architecture career to follow his passion for cars.🧛‍♂️ The "Twilight" Car: Owning a Volvo C30 R-Design and dealing with the pop-culture stigma.🇯🇵 Inside Mazda: What it's really like to test drive the 2024 MX-5 updates and manage vehicle launches.🔧 The Dream Garage: From the Lotus Emira to a Porsche 993 Widebody.Don't miss one of Jon's favorite episodes, "Skyline GT-R, Supra, RX-7: JDM Import Secrets from Japanese Auctions" https://buzzsprout.com/2316026/episodes/17376238🔗 Links & Resources:Check out our content and  60+ episodes on LinkTree 🔗🌲https://linktr.ee/carslovedCheck out our Guest-inspired Road Trip Playlist on Spotify: 🎧🚗 https://carsloved.com/playlist📢 Join the Conversation: How many times did you pivot in your career? Let us know on Instagram @toallthecarsivelovedbeforeConnect with Us: Got a great car story? Email us at [email protected]. Find all our content and social links here: linktr.ee/carsloved.Podcast News:Our co-host, Doug was a guest on the Driven Radio Show Podcast to share the origin story of our podcast and connecting with his late father through his DeLorean project.Check out the amazing article about the podcast by Elevate Society and Tal Gur, author of "The Art of Fully Living"Feedspot selected To All The Cars I've Loved Before in their list of Top 100 Car Podcasts and 31 Best Road Trip Podcasts For Your DriveOur co-host, Doug was featured in this magazine article along with his DeLore...