Today we’re going to take a look at My Car Story with Lou Costabile and will answer:
- Who is Lou Costabile?
- What is My Car Story?
- What’s an interview with Lou Costabile like?
- Top 10 Muscle Cars from My Car Story
Let’s dive right in.
Table of Contents
Who is Lou Costabile?
If you’re not familiar with Lou Costabile, let’s get you caught up to speed.
Lou Costabile is a man of many talents and is not only a car enthusiast but also a host, producer, cameraman, martial artist and more.
He’s a one-man army when it comes to producing interesting car videos for his popular YouTube video series called My Car Story.
Lou lives in the greater Chicago area which is home to some of the finest car shows and auctions in existence.
One such car show is the World famous Muscle Cars and Corvette Nationals which is held each year in late November.
However, Lou doesn’t just stick to local car shows in his backyard. He travels across the Country interviewing owners of some of the coolest cars ever made.
Not only does he love featuring cars, but he also owns one that made it on an episode.
Lou owns and drives a 2006 Dodge Viper SRT 10 Coupe with manual transmission. Its equipped with a V10 that produces 505HP and 500 lb. ft. of torque.
What is My Car Story?
My Car Story with Lou is a show on Lou Costabile’s YouTube channel.
His channel has been live on YouTube since April 2011 and features some of his other interests including vintage locomotives and train sets.
However, the My Car Story segment of his channel didn’t appear until November 22, 2013.
That’s technically when the My Car Story show was born when Lou uploaded his very first car owner interview with an owner of a 1970 Superbird at the 2013 MCACN event.
Lou got his start by interviewing owners of muscle cars at the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals (MCACN)in Rosemont, IL on November 22, 2013.
His formula is tried and true and has remained virtually unchanged since his first episode was uploaded in the Winter of 2013.
What is an interview with Lou Costabile like?
If you’re not familiar with his series, here’s how each video works:
Lou attends a car show and brings a handheld camera.
He finds cars of all kinds—including classic cars, muscle cars, vintage cars, super cars and more—then he interviews the owner and has them share the story of their car.
He walks around the entire vehicle including the exterior, interior, under the hood and trunk lid. In most cases, he has the owner start up the car so you can hear its power.
In rare cases, he goes along for a ride with the owner and some of my favorite videos.
Lou is not only the host of My Car Story, but he is also the cameraman.
He puts the camera on a tripod at the start of the video as he introduces the show, the owner of the car, and the name of the event where he is filming.
After introducing the owner and the car, he grabs the camera as they walk around the car together as Lou peppers them with questions about their car and its history.
As they talk, Lou zooms in and out of interesting details about the car including emblems, stickers, gauges, and more.
At the end of the interview, he always thanks his guest for being on My Car Story.
Common interview questions:
- What kind of car is this?
- How long have you had the car?
- When you drive this car, what’s the reaction you get?
- How original is it?
- What is the paint color called?
- How long did it take to restore it?
- What were the most difficult parts to find when restoring the car?
And, his formula and format seem to be working.
With more than 59,000 subscribers and 31 Million views from 1,500 videos, Lou’s YouTube series is one of the most popular car channels on YouTube.
Each video averages about 12 minutes with an average viewing of 20,666 per episode.
And, you never know what he’s going to feature next.
Lou features a variety of cars in his videos from a 1906 American Tourist up to cars from the present day including a 2019 Dodge Challenger Red Eye HellCat Hurst by GSS.
Given my site is dedicated to 1964-1974 muscle cars, I’m going to focus on my top 10 muscle cars from My Car Story.
Top 10 My Car Story with Lou Muscle Cars
Here are my top 10 My Car Story with Lou Costabile Muscle Car videos. I’ll be focusing on one muscle car video from each year starting with 1964 and ending with 1974.
1964 Pontiac Royal Bobcat GTO with a Jim Wangers Interview
1965 Chevrolet Chevy Chevelle Malibu SS 396 Z16
1966 Dodge Coronet 500 426 Hemi
1967 Beaumont SD Super Deluxe 396 Convertible
1968 Ford Torino GT 428 CJ Cobra Jet
1969 AMC Hurst SC/Rambler 390
1970 Dodge Super Bee 440 Six Pack
1971 Plymouth Road Runner 383 (Rapid Transit System)
1972 Buick GS Stage 1
1973 Oldsmobile Olds Cutlass 442
BONUS: 1974 Pontiac GTO
Well, there you have my top 10 My Car Story with Lou Costabile muscle car videos. Be sure to subscribe if you like content like this!
Ryan Wheaton
Ryan has owned muscle cars since 1986 and currently owns a 1972 Dodge Charger Rallye. He combines passion and experience to create engaging content for fellow muscle car enthusiasts. In 2018, he founded Muscle Cars Illustrated, authoring hundreds of articles on tips, history, and trends in the muscle car industry. He attends national car shows, auctions, and museums to stay current with the latest developments in the muscle car industry.
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