Original episode with my friend Chris Smith from 8/2022, edited and remastered.

Get in Touch with Dan by Texting NowThis episode originally aired on August 20, 2022. It was one of my earliest recordings and let's just say, my editing skills were not great. This episode has been edited, and it turned out great. What makes someone trade a stable trade for a life measured in miles, containers, and pit stops? We bring back a remastered conversation with Chris Smith (aka as Big Car Chris), London-born, Texas-rooted—whose path from construction sites to drag strips to global car logistics shows how risk, grit, and friendship can reframe a life. He takes us from Chelsea Bridge cruises to the One Lap of America, from early missteps and cash-in-pocket hustle to the moment eight solid cars filled two containers and opened a business that protects the machines people love.The road stories are a highlight. Chris relives his favorite run: a 2015 sweep through France, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, and Belgium in a patina’d ’67 F100 reimagined with modern brakes, steering, and ice-cold A/C. One booked night in Montreux, then improvisation—choosing the next stop over dinner, asking locals for the better bend, cooking soup by Lake Como on a tailgate with fresh bread. We trade notes on unplanned routes and why they erase stress: Dan’s Channel crossing to the British Grand Prix at Silverstone and a later cross-country drive with his father in a BMW 320, thin tires and thicker memories on US 50.Beneath the horsepower sits heart. Chris reflects on a father who was his hero and left him with great memories, music, hard work, and the ache of losing him six weeks before retirement. If he had one more trip, he’d aim the Porsche GT2 at Las Vegas, sit his dad at the tables, and fund a joy he’d saved too long. Dan echoes that with a Kenworth cabover that got away and a reminder that time, not metal, is the rarest collectible. We also spotlight Chris’s brothers, now crafting Aston Martin-level Mustang restomods in Texas, and a southbound bucket list: an overland trek to Peru’s Nazca Lines. The mantra that carries it all comes from a wise friend—do something once a week that scares you—because bold miles make better stories. If the ride resonates, subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with a friend who’s overdue for a detour.You can find Chris on Instagram @bigcarchris