Rob Ferretti (better known on YouTube as “superspeedersrob”) is the kind a guy that you’re either going to love or hate the first time you meet him. He’s extremely opinionated, very outspoken, and he’s been through a lot in life. This experience usually makes it difficult for him to hold back from telling stories about his past and comparing everything today to the things used to be. Yup he’s “that” guy.
For the record, I’m a huge super fan of Rob and his superspeedersrob brand. And yes, I’ve unsubscribed from his channel in anger 4 or 5 times over the past six years or so, as he always finds a way to say something which ticks me off and makes me promise never to return. But I always do.
Rob is a good guy, and once you get to know his personality and his background, it’s easy to understand why he says things the way he does. And with a quickly growing YouTube channel (superspeedersrob is growing at the rate of 160(ish) subscribers per day according to socialblade), he’s building an audience of new fans who don’t have any idea of who he is and where he came from.
In my opinion, in order to get the most from the superspeedersrob YouTube channel, you need to know the history of Rob Ferretti. If you don’t know who he is and you click on one of his videos for the first time, you may get the sense that he’s just a cranky middle-aged car guy who complains about everything. However, as a long time fan and subscriber, I can assure you that he’s earned the right to be so matter-of-fact. Here are five very good reasons why:
1. The superspeedersrob username came from the name of his first (highly successful) business
Back in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s (long before YouTube), Rob was a young car enthusiast from the New York metropolitan area who was having fun filming himself and his friends goofing off in fast cars on public roads. That’s probably the most “adult” way that I could say it – because basically he was just a punk kid doing stupid (reckless) stuff that put himself and other innocent people in danger.
At the time, all of the content that Rob was creating was just for fun and kept it to himself (for the most part). However, as he begin to share the videos with friends, the word spread and he quickly realized there was a market for those kinds of videos. Back then (pre YouTube), the best way to share this kind of content was via mail-order DVD.
Rob launched superspeeders.com in 2001, and used that as the portal for his DVD business. In a very short amount of time, Rob was making very good money selling videos of himself and his friends running from police in exotic cars all over the US.
It was a very immature and dangerous business, but he found massive success with it. Who could really blame him for continuously making content when the demand was so strong for it?
As you might expect, this business model didn’t last long. As Rob grew older and wiser, he was taking on more responsibilities both in his personal and professional life, making the Super Speeders thing unsustainable long term. He wisely moved on to other more legitimate business ventures – which I will mention shortly.
Anyway, if you’ve been wondering why Rob named his YouTube channel “superspeedersrob” when there are no videos of himself speeding (or otherwise goofing off in fast cars), that’s why.
2. Rob is a really clever guy. More than you may have thought.
As much as I like Rob, there’s no denying that his personality would be perfect for selling used cars in a sketchy part of town. He has a lot of business experience, most of it good and some of it bad. He knows what it takes to run a successful business, and he’s not afraid to do whatever it takes to get what he wants. Well, anything mostly legal.
As I read through all of the comments on the streetspeedersrob YouTube channel, it’s clear to me that I’m not alone in my thinking that there’s a lot he’s trying to hide from us. For example, this video, which explains why he was fired as the CEO from his exotic car rental car company, had a lot of people scratching their heads in confusion. Even after watching the 15 minute explanation which outlined it all in excruciating detail.
As he try to explain how it all happened, he ended up talking in circles and none of it made any sense. There were two significant problems with this:
- First of all, the fact that he was fired from his own company (the company that he started) speaks volumes. Being fired from any job is a big deal, but to get fired from your own is simply mind blowing. Yeah, I get it. Corporate structures can be complicated, and this kind of restructuring happens from time to time. But, a lot has to happen (usually bad stuff) for a CEO to get canned.
- The second problem with this is that he explained it in a way which was purposely void of details and very hard to follow. Me (and pretty much all diehard superspeedersrob fans) couldn’t help but to think that there was a lot more to the story. As a matter fact, Rob even said there was a lot more to the story but he refused to go into it.
I don’t know about you, but I personally wouldn’t want to go into business with a guy who purposely leaves out details and tells stories in a way which makes him – and only him – look good. I would’ve loved to hear the other side of the story, and unfortunately I don’t think it has ever been posted anywhere.
There are some really devoted superspeedersrob fans out there, and I’m actually surprised that the other side of the story hasn’t surfaced yet. Oh well. I like Rob a lot, and it’d be fun to sit down have a beer with him. But there’s no way would I ever go into business with the guy.
3. The superspeedersrob YouTube channel is just a marketing tool for his exotic car rental business
Rob Feretti, despite his flaws, is an entrepreneur that I look up to. His Super Speeders DVD Company was a massive success back in the early 2000’s, and he found similar (if not greater) success with Gotham Dream Cars shortly thereafter. After being fired from that company in 2017, it didn’t take him long to get back on his feet and get back into the exotic car rental business (as well as continuing to run Adventure Drives). He’s a hustler, no doubt.
As a long time viewer of the superspeedersrob YouTube channel, I’ve grown used to see him create videos around topics which promotes himself and his business.
For the record, I have no problem with that at all. YouTube is an incredibly effective marketing platform, and is just another example of how Rob uses all of the tools at his disposal to help grow his companies.
However, first-time superspeedersrob viewers might not recognize all the advertising right away. For example, at the time of this writing (May 2019), Rob has been posting videos about some of the cars in his rental fleet. Things like inventory updates and problems with maintenance and repairs. To the new viewer, it’s just neat content about exotic cars. But in reality, he’s making a point to keep mentioning his company and promote it any way he can.
If Rob didn’t have an exotic car rental company (or any other business to promote), would the superspeedersrob YouTube channel even exist at all? I’d be willing to bet that it wouldn’t.
I mean, he’s not exactly the most exciting guy to watch, and every time I sit through one of his videos I tend to think that he’s only doing it because he has to. He’s usually talking about a specific car in his rental fleet, and a problem that he’s having with it. He hasn’t made a video in a long time talking about something he’s passionate about. There’s no passion in his videos anymore (at least when you compare it to his old Super Speeders days).
4. Rob hired another YouTuber to film and edit all his videos, then told him he couldn’t upload to his own channel as long as he worked for him
Long time viewers of Rob’s channel probably already know the story, but for the newbies out there, this one is interesting. And a little bit funny. While not 100% confirmed by anyone, rumor has it that rob Rob hired a fellow YouTuber to film and edit all his videos, but only under the condition that said YouTuber could no longer create content for his own channel.
Actually, just to clarify, the hiring part is no secret. That has been confirmed. However it’s the part about the other YouTuber being prohibited to work on anything but the superspeedersrob channel which is in question.
That other YouTuber goes by the name of Jimbo. An entire article could be written on the story of Jimbo and how much of an emotional and immature wreck he is, but he’s a darn good filmographer and editor. It’s no surprise that Rob wanted to hire him as a full-time employee.
And just for the record, the way that these two came to meet was really quick and simple actually. Jimbo approach Rob to create a documentary about superspeedersrob. Rob agreed, and the rest is history.
Anyway, Jimbo has completely disappeared off the face of the planet since going to work for Rob full time. He no longer posts to his own YouTube channel – which was a big success with 50,000+ subscribers. He’s disappeared from all social media as well.
Knowing how strong-minded and particular Rob can be at times, rumors are circulating that he prohibited Jimbo from working on anything else so that he could give all of his attention to the superspeedersrob brand. Neither Rob or Jimbo have confirmed nor denied this.
I’m not saying that I agree or disagree with this, but I’m just pointing it out because it’s interesting and slightly funny. If true, it defines Rob’s personality perfectly.
5. Despite the gritty New York personality and his outlaw “superspeedersrob” persona, he’s actually one of the most generous and caring people you’d ever meet
As I alluded to earlier, Rob comes across as an abrasive New Yorker with a chip on his shoulder. First time viewers of his channel are typically split 50-50 in terms of liking him or not. At least that’s what I can determine by reading the comments on his videos.
Despite his flaws and crass personality, Rob Ferretti it’s actually one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. He’s a family man with a wife and children, and everything he does is for them.
He no longer associates himself with the rebel Super Speeders gang he was a part of for so long in his younger years. He has grown up, matured well, and provides for his family like a responsible adult should. And as far as we know, at least by the things we’ve heard from others, he’s a good dad and husband.
Rob is also generous when it comes to sharing his knowledge and giving others the help and guidance they need succeed. A perfect example of this is the Jimbo “situation” I wrote about above. Yeah, he may have strong-armed Jimbo into working exclusively for the superspeedersrob brand (or else), but Jimbo really looked up to Rob and Rob is doing what he can to teach him everything he knows about growing a successful business.
If you are a relatively new subscriber to Rob’s YouTube channel and you haven’t quite decided whether or not you like the guy, I’d advise you to stick with him for a while. When you start peeling away all the scruffy outer layers, he’s actually a really down-to-earth guy who does what he can to give back.
Conclusion
Is Rob Ferretti the most interesting automotive influencer I follow? No. Is it the most informative? No. Is it addictive? Heck yes. It’s hard to put my finger on exactly what it is I like about Rob and the things that he does, but I think it has a lot to do with the fact that he’s an entrepreneur with a love of cars – which is something I can totally relate to.
He’ll probably tick me off again sometime soon and I’ll inevitably end up unsubscribing. Again. But I can never stay away for long, and I’ll be smashing that big red “Subscribe” button like I always do looking forward to more great content. Rob Ferretti does that to me, and I’m not ashamed to admit it.
