Team Speed‘s Five Auto Influencers You Should Be Watching
These influencers are changing the way we enjoy cars, one post at a time.Â
Not too long ago, the automotive world was influenced by tastemakers that were a lot different than most of us. They were high-end collectors, like Ralph Lauren or Jim Glickenhaus. Or they were already celebrities, like Jerry Seinfeld or Jay Leno. Or maybe powerful auto journalists like Jeremy Clarkson and David E. Davis. But thanks to social media, automotive tastemaking has become a little more, say, democratic.
Today, bloggers, videographers, and shade-tree mechanics can have as much clout in the automotive world as blue-chip collectors. For the first time since maybe the hot-rod boom of the 1950s, some of the most exciting automotive movements are coming from the ground up. If you’re wired in, you may already know this crop. If you’re uninitiated, here are five personalities from the land of YouTube that you should keep an eye on.
Ed Bolian (VINwiki)
Honestly, we wish we had the drive that Ed Bolian has. In college, he started an exotic car-rental business out of his dorm room. After that, he worked as the sales director for Atlanta’s Lamborghini/McLaren/Aston Martin/Lotus dealership. In 2016, he and some friends founded VINwiki, an app that ties your stories in with the VIN of your car. Share your wrenching stories, driving highlights, and yes, even your crashes with the app. When the time comes for you to sell your car, it increases the chances of it going to someone who’s already a fan and will continue sharing its story.
On top of that, Bolian has tons of incredible stories about buying and selling exotic cars. Delivered in his folksy drawl, VINwiki’s YouTube channel is seriously addicting.
Team Speed’s Five Auto Influencers You Should Be Watching continued…
