Sean Smith Designs

Sean Smith Designs

From Oil and Whiskey with Roadster Shop by ROADSTERSHOP

March 9, 2026 · 2h 26m · Season 5 · Episode 9

About this episode

Sean Smith discusses his journey from OEM design to the custom car industry and the evolution of automotive design.

This week on Oil & Whiskey, we’re joined by Sean Smith of Sean Smith Designs for a conversation that dives into the world of automotive design, custom cars, and the path from OEM design to the custom car industry.Sean shares how he got started working with major manufacturers including Honda, Mazda, and Hyundai, designing everything from motorcycles and concept vehicles to production projects, before carving out his own path in the custom car world. The conversation moves into how design thinking translates from OEM programs to custom builds, how the industry has evolved, and why collaboration between designers and builders could push the craft even further.Along the way the guys get into:Sean’s early career in automotive and motorcycle designThe differences between OEM design and custom car buildingCollaboration between designers in the industryCreativity, competition, and why the custom car world is evolvingAnd the usual Oil & Whiskey tangents and storiesIf you’re into car design or the creative side of automotive culture, this is a great episode to check out.Grab official Oil & Whiskey gear at oilandwhiskey.com. Good time, bad advice, great shirts.

People in this episode

Host: Oil & Whiskey

Guest: Sean Smith

Topics covered

  • automotive design
  • custom cars
  • OEM design
  • collaboration
  • creativity
  • automotive culture

Keywords

  • automotive design
  • custom cars
  • OEM
  • collaboration
  • motorcycles
  • concept vehicles
  • production projects

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Honda, Mazda, Hyundai

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