Believe it or not we’re pretty impressed by anyone who puts their face on the internet and shares their opinion loud and proud (don’t believe me, listen to his latest Podcast). With that said we’re big fans of Matt Farah. Matt Farah might not be as well known as funny guys like Jay Leno or Adam Carolla but he’s busting his ass doing what he loves and moving his way up the celeb-ladder so we decided to hit him with a few questions to learn a little more about him.
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CCB: Where did you grow up and where do you live now?
Matt Farah: I was born in New Jersey, moved to Atlanta when I was very young, but spent all the important years growing up in Westchester County, NY, just north of New York City. I went to Philadelphia for college and now live in Playa del Rey, CA, which is on the beach in Los Angeles.
CCB: What things do you miss about New York?
Matt Farah: I don’t miss all that much actually. I miss a few friends, my parents, and Greenwich, Connecticut backroads mostly.
CCB: What kind of cars have you owned in your past?
Matt Farah: I’ve had some good ones. I’ve owned a 1994 Mustang GT, which I converted into a Cobra R clone with a 347 stroker motor. I’ve had a 2005 Audi S4, a 2006 John Cooper Works Mini, my 2010 Ford Raptor 6.2, and of course my cherished 1998 Corvette, which I bought new and only has 26,000 original miles. I also have an Aston Martin Vanquish, which looks and sounds great, but has the worst transmission ever installed in a car. That and the Corvette are in the “Farah permanent collection.” I’ve also had some bad ones. My first car was a Mercury Villager minivan, which I blew up on the beach in Nantucket. I also owned a 2001 H1 Hummer Wagon, which was the worst piece of shit ever. And in college I had a 2002 Mercury Mountaineer which I put a full Alpine home theater in and 5 TV’s. 
It was the ultimate road trip car.
CCB: What cars do you plan on owning in the future? Do you have a single dream car?
Matt Farah: For a guy like me, there is really no such thing as too many cars. I don’t like stocks or any of that kind of stuff, mainly because I don’t know much about it, but I do know cars. And I can spot a future collectors item. But most importantly cars, at the top level, are investments that you can drive and have fun with, and as long as you take good care of them, (and buy the right cars), your money is safe. I’m sure one day I will have a collection with dozens upon dozens of cars, but the two I have my eye on for now are a 2006 Ford GT and a 1981 Delorean. The Ford should be an obvious choice for any car lover, but the Delorean is just about me and my massive geekdom. I don’t care if it drives like crap, I spent my childhood worshiping that gull winged shitbox, and I want one.
CCB: I’m guessing most of our reader’s know you because of the The Car Show on Speed or perhaps from your site The Smoking Tire, but how did you get to where you are now and what are you doing now?
Matt Farah: It’s a very long story, but the short version is, I made it up. People ask me all the time how I got here, but the truth is that no one will just hand you a job like this. You have to have the knowledge, the enthusiasm for presenting it, the driving ability, but most importantly, the self motivation to produce a show out of your own pocket (in this case The Smoking Tire) for 2 years without ever seeing a dime in return. Now that The Car Show has been cancelled, I’m working on The Smoking Tire, our new project on YouTube called DRIVE (Youtube.com/drive) and coming up with ideas for new TV shows. I’m also writing for our website (thesmokingtire.com) and Road Lanes Magazine (www.roadlanes.com)
CCB: If everything goes well for you over the next couple years what is it that you want to be doing? Replace Adam Ferrara on the US Top Gear?
Matt Farah: I love Adam Ferrara. In fact, I like all the Top Gear hosts very much. And I think they are doing a good job considering what they have to work with. But there’s no chance in hell I’d want to be on Top Gear. Top Gear is a scripted show, from beginning to end. And I don’t work like that. I’m one of a few people who can do a whole show without a script, without needing to be told what to say or do, and I’d rather do that. Ideally, the internet will just take over TV completely and we can do web video forever without having to deal with the FCC or networks, but as a close second, I’d like to host and executive produce “The Smoking Tire” the TV show, or another show with Dan Neil, who I absolutely love working with.
CCB: With all that said, we’ve seen you in all sorts of car videos (our favorite being Super Speeders) in the past and with all sorts or people but who are the stars and celebs that you run around with?
Matt Farah: You guys must think I’m WAY more hollywood than I actually am. I know and hang out with many racing drivers, but not too many celebrities. I did just film a piece for DRIVE with X-Games record holder Bucky Lasek up at Dirtfish Rally School, and we had a great time, so I can’t wait to hang out with him again. And I do chill with Bill Goldberg once in a while. My list of friends that race cars includes Tanner Foust, Ken Block, Dave Mirra, Brian Deegan, Vaughn Gittin Jr, Patrick Long, Leh Keen, and others. I do get to smoke bomb weed with John Salley quite a bit, which is always a nice treat. He comes proper. I’ve chilled with Sir Mix-A-Lot in Seattle, he’s super chill. And I love hanging out with Ice-T, Coco, and Lil’ Ice on Bullrun.
Best celebrity story was from back in the day, my best friend and neighbor dated Anna Paquin for about a year when she was at Columbia. He had an internship and wouldn’t get home until late, and I’d get home from my car dealership gig early, so me and Anna would sit around drinking margaritas for like hours before he got home. I even gave her mushrooms for the first time (which was hilarious). She was a major powerhouse drinker, but always got way sloppy and a few times I had to carry her up the stairs and put her in bed. Like most actors I’ve met, she’s a little strange, but damn if she wasn’t every bit as hot in person as she is on a screen.
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So there you have it, Matt Farah in less than 10 questions!
