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A Great Vespa Trip; 26 Hours Later; Polestar Blocked; Q&A

A Great Vespa Trip; 26 Hours Later; Polestar Blocked; Q&A

The Smoking Tire Jul 02, 2026 116 min
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About this episode

Matt Farah returns from an epic, albeit exhausting, 26-hour journey from Tenerife, where he experienced some of the best driving roads in the world behind the wheel of a new Ferrari. Alongside travel stories and a run-in with a knee-dragging local motorcyclist, the guys discuss the latest upgrades to the Meyers Manx project car. They also dive into the geopolitical hurdles facing Polestar and answer listener questions in a lively Q&A session.

Technical Too Afraid to Ask
Car

Porsche 911 Turbo S (992.1)

"The smoking tire is giving away a 992.1 Tarbo s in partnership with dream giveaways. We're giving away a 275 thousand dollar car with some slick choice mods..."

This is an incredibly fast version of the famous Porsche 911 sports car. It uses two turbochargers and all-wheel drive to accelerate as fast as a million-dollar hypercar, but you can still easily drive it to the grocery store every day.

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Place

Tenerife

"I wanted to tell the story of my return journey from tanner reef... because I was getting to drive the new Ferrari in ten a reef..."

A beautiful volcanic island owned by Spain but located near Africa. It has incredibly smooth, twisty roads built into cliffs, making it one of the best places in the world to drive fast cars.

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Car

Ferrari 12Cilindri Spider

"I can't talk about the 849 Testerosa spider until July 15th. So we're gonna hold off on the car..."

A brand-new, ultra-expensive convertible sports car from Ferrari that features a massive, traditional 12-cylinder engine. It is designed to go incredibly fast while making an amazing engine sound.

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Person

Rob Ferretti

"I think my three best single-day drives ever... would be this the day I did the three high passes back in 2017 with Rob Feredi in Switzerland..."

A popular car YouTuber and exotic car rental business owner who is a longtime friend of the hosts and often goes on long driving trips with them.

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Person

Sam Fain

"And Sam Fain from seen through glass. This is his spot. This is like his just comment on your page..."

A well-known British car YouTuber who travels the world driving cool cars and sharing his thoughts on video.

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Place

Pikes Peak

"Imagine Pikes peak but with perfect tarmac. That's what this road is..."

A famous mountain in Colorado with a very steep, twisty road that hosts a legendary race every year where drivers try to climb to the top as fast as possible.

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Car

Alfa Romeo Stelvio

"... like leave your hotel go through a town and then stelvio pass up But like slow and not the good tarmac the..."

This is a sporty luxury SUV made by an Italian company. It is designed to feel more like a quick sports car than a heavy family vehicle when driving on twisty roads.

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Car

BMW E30

"...ere to see it. I sent headlights For them for the e30 because it's a night race at seabring um, but I d..."

This is an older, boxy BMW model from the 1980s and early 1990s. It is highly loved by car enthusiasts because it is lightweight, fun to drive, and easy to customize.

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Car

Meyers Manx

"The list of things that they have done to the manks... they tore down the engine and inspected a bunch of stuff and upgrade a bunch of stuff..."

A classic, lightweight beach buggy made from a shortened Volkswagen Beetle frame with a fiberglass shell. It is famous for its fun, doorless design and off-road capability.

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Brand

CSF Radiators

"The old one was an oem unit the new one is a csf Especially made and shout out to josh at csf..."

A popular company that makes heavy-duty, high-performance cooling parts for cars to keep engines from overheating.

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Part

oil cooler

"Also a new oil cooler that is from csf as well..."

A small radiator that cools down the engine oil, helping the engine run safely and last longer when driving hard.

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Part

water pump

"updated the top cylinder barrel for dual path coolant flow Uh, a new water pump from the bmw n 55..."

The pump that pushes cooling fluid through the engine to keep it from getting too hot.

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Part

decompression valves

"Upgraded the decompression valves so that they don't get gunked during the startup procedure..."

Valves that let some pressure out of the engine cylinders so it is easier to start up without damaging the starter motor.

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Part

Holley Hydramat

"A larger fuel pump sock note It's a holly hydromat Which is a fantastic rabbit hole to look up..."

A special mat placed inside a car's fuel tank that acts like a sponge, ensuring the engine always gets fuel even when the car is tilting or sliding around.

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Brand

MoTeC

"they've been sending logs back and forth with max and the mo tech guy..."

A top-tier brand that makes advanced computers and sensors for race cars, allowing engineers to tune and monitor how the engine runs.

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Company

Polestar

"Did I think while I was gone, uh, the government killed pull star Yeah, uh, that is true. Did that happen?"

An electric car company that started as a racing division for Volvo and now makes stylish, high-performance electric cars.

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Company

BYD

"The government basically made a rule... aimed I guess primarily at byd or something like that..."

A massive Chinese company that makes more electric cars than almost anyone else in the world, famous for offering very affordable electric vehicles.

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Company

Geely

"But pull star is primarily owned and maybe manufactured now by geely..."

A huge Chinese car company that owns several famous European brands like Volvo, Lotus, and Polestar.

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Brand

Lotus

"Yeah, and That's that which I wonder what about lotus. There you go. I don't know..."

A famous British sports car brand known for making very light, agile cars. They are now making electric SUVs and supercars under Chinese ownership.

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Company

Volvo

"Did you ever drive any pull star that if they switched the badges wouldn't just be a volvo? ... especially once volvo started selling electric cars..."

A Swedish car brand famous for making some of the safest cars on the road, now focusing heavily on electric SUVs and sedans.

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Car

Polestar 1

"If I see a pull star one, it makes me smile. That's a good looking car. That's a beautiful car. That stands out because they I don't think volvo Sells a coupe anymore."

A rare, beautiful, and very expensive hybrid sports coupe. It uses both a gas engine and electric motors to produce lots of power, but has almost no trunk space because of the large batteries.

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Car

Volvo C30

"...e a volvo sell a coupe. I'm wondering because the c30 the one with it. Yeah, that's that's a weird hatc..."

This is a small, stylish two-door hatchback made by Volvo. It is easily recognized by its rear end, which is made almost entirely of a single piece of glass.

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Brand

Vespa

"it was vespa's 80th anniversary. Do you see the gathering of all the fucking? I did..."

The most famous brand of Italian scooters in the world, known for their classic retro look and high-quality metal bodies.

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Company

M Engineering

"It threw a check engine light the other day And uh, we called Mitch from m engineering. He was like, I know what that is..."

A specialized company that rewrites the software on high-end sports cars like Porsches to make them much faster.

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Brand

HRE Performance Wheels

"M engineering tune on it and an Acra exhaust and a bbi suspension and hre wheels..."

An ultra-premium brand that makes custom, lightweight, and very expensive metal wheels for sports cars.

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Company

BBI Autosport

"M engineering tune on it and an Acra exhaust and a bbi suspension and hre wheels..."

A top-tier shop in California that builds and tunes high-performance parts, especially suspension and safety gear, for Porsches.

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Part

haptic buttons

"Oh like it. Oh, it moves. It's the no. It's the haptic button Yes, I think I do think The haptic buttons make interiors feel..."

Flat, touch-sensitive panels on a car's dashboard that vibrate slightly when you press them to make it feel like you pressed a real button.

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Car

Porsche Panamera

"the new Panamera had those had those and is backed away from them a little bit. I think..."

A large, luxurious four-door sedan made by Porsche that is designed to handle like a sports car while carrying four adults in comfort.

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Car

Ferrari Luce

"...having dinner with Ferrari product people. So the luce does come up And they have some incredibly"

This refers to Ferrari's first-ever four-door vehicle, which is often called an SUV but is designed to drive like a sports car. It has a very powerful engine and is meant to carry four people in luxury.

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Car

Lucid Air Sapphire

"I mean even like tycon gts brand new go out the door 70 80 on the hood, you know sapphires like..."

An incredibly fast electric luxury sedan made by Lucid. It has three electric motors that produce over 1,200 horsepower, making it one of the fastest-accelerating cars in the world.

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Car

Porsche Taycan GTS

"I mean even like tycon gts brand new go out the door 70 80 on the hood..."

A fully electric four-door sports car made by Porsche. The 'GTS' version is tuned to be the most fun to drive on twisty roads.

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Car

Rolls-Royce Spectre

"Even yes, a few people have bought specters, but not many and they they depreciate..."

The first fully electric car from Rolls-Royce. It is a massive, incredibly quiet, and extremely luxurious two-door coupe designed for ultimate comfort.

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Car

Ferrari Purosangue

"You know it doesn't like like we don't see that many prosangwas around and like we're in los angeles..."

Ferrari's first-ever four-door vehicle. It looks like a sporty SUV but is powered by a loud, traditional V12 engine and handles like a true sports car.

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Car

Ford Flex

"...r and in others it's very weird and like that's a flex It's a ferrari suv see way more cullinans range r..."

This is a large, box-shaped family vehicle made by Ford that looks like a giant station wagon. It is known for having lots of passenger space and a very comfortable ride.

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Car

Land Range Rovers

"... a flex It's a ferrari suv see way more cullinans range rovers etc Yeah, I mean maybe"

This is a very large and expensive luxury SUV. It is built to carry passengers in extreme comfort while also being capable of driving through deep mud, snow, and rough terrain.

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Car

Rolls-Royce Cullinan

"It's a ferrari suv see way more cullinans range rovers etc..."

A massive, ultra-expensive luxury SUV made by Rolls-Royce. It is designed to be the most comfortable and prestigious SUV in the world.

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Car

Challenger Hellcat

"...different a sapphire is like almost like a Like a hellcat compared to a tycon and I don't mean that negativ..."

This is a large, retro-styled American muscle car known for its straight-line speed and loud, powerful engine. It is designed to look like a classic car from the 1970s but with modern technology.

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Concept

tiered driver's license system

"What are your thoughts on a tiered driver's license system similar to the european model..."

A system where you have to pass multiple levels of tests and training over several years to get a full driver's license, often starting with slow cars before you are allowed to drive fast ones.

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Topic

Best Motoring

"Is there any other older automotive content that you go back and rewatch because you enjoyed it so much? Best motoring..."

A famous Japanese video show where professional race car drivers raced regular sports cars and tuned cars against each other on real tracks.

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Car

Ferrari F40

"Like f40 versus mines r34 like wheel to wheel racing press cars is pretty awesome."

One of the most famous supercars ever made. Built in the late 1980s, it has a twin-turbo V8 engine, no driver aids like power steering or ABS, and is highly prized by collectors.

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Car

Nissan R34

"Like f40 versus mines r34 like wheel to wheel racing press cars is pretty awesome."

A highly famous Japanese sports car from the late 90s and early 2000s, nicknamed 'Godzilla' for its dominant performance and high-tech all-wheel-drive system.

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Person

Vicki Butler-Henderson

"Uh, I fucking saw vicki butler henderson at the Ferrari launch. She's awesome. She's so awesome..."

A famous British racing driver and TV host who co-presented popular car shows like Top Gear and Fifth Gear.

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Concept

pre-purchase inspection

"And get a ppi good condition like You're gonna have like a pretty well made like nice car..."

Paying a professional mechanic to thoroughly check over a used car before you buy it, to make sure there are no hidden mechanical problems or rust.

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Car

Mitsubishi Delica

"the delica has been 100% reliable like we've had to I've had to do two oil changes..."

A boxy, retro Japanese van with high ground clearance and a proper four-wheel-drive system, making it great for camping and off-road adventures.

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Car

Nissan Pao

"having said that the pow While not unreliable it did have this electrical gremlin... it's a very basic car. It's a Nissan micra underneath..."

A tiny, retro-looking Japanese hatchback from the late 80s. It was designed to look like a vintage car from the 1960s but uses more modern, reliable parts underneath.

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Car

Nissan Micra

"...fore so like it's a very basic car. It's a Nissan micra underneath No one's ever seen a fucking Nissan mi..."

This is a very small, budget-friendly hatchback made by Nissan. It is designed to be easy to park in crowded cities and very cheap to run.

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Volkswagen T-Roc Cabriolet
Alexander Migl (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Car

Volkswagen T-Roc Cabriolet

"Do you know what this is? This this is like every rental car in tenor reef. This is a volkswagen t rock Cabriolet..."

A strange but popular European car that is a compact SUV with a convertible soft-top roof, allowing you to drive a high-riding vehicle with the top down.

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Car

Renault 5

"I also saw one of those new reno fours on me On the road And it looked pretty cool. Was it a four of five reno five might be a five. Oh the new reno five..."

A famous French hatchback that has been brought back as a stylish, retro-looking electric city car.

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Car

Chevrolet C8

"My favorite rodentrack performance car of the year cars The zio six c8 zio six..."

An incredible mid-engine American supercar. It uses a high-revving V8 engine that sounds like a Ferrari and offers world-class track performance for a fraction of the price of European supercars.

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Car

BMW M2

"The zio six c8 zio six The m2 manual cs not cs just all the"

This is the smallest and most agile high-performance sports car that BMW makes. It is designed for drivers who want a smaller car that feels very fast and responsive.

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Car

Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato

"Storato, Storato might be number one. I think Storato is number one actually..."

A wild, limited-edition Lamborghini supercar designed to be driven fast on dirt roads. It has raised suspension, chunky tires, and protective body armor.

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Car

McLaren 750S

"mclaren 750s shocker It's fucking 750s versus Storato..."

An incredibly fast British supercar with a twin-turbo V8 engine. It is designed to be extremely light and offers some of the best steering feel and handling of any modern car.

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Car

Porsche 911 Targa 4S

"What car drives better 992.2 target 4s? Or gts. Oh, I mean drives gts..."

A version of the Porsche 911 with a unique roof that opens up the middle section while keeping a classic metal bar and glass rear window. It is heavy but very stylish and great for road trips.

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Car

Genesis GV80

"would you have an accurate mdx type s over the genesis gv 80? ... mdx type s is very nice. Their seats. Their seats are also great..."

A large, highly luxurious SUV from Hyundai's premium brand, Genesis. It is designed to look and feel like a Bentley but costs significantly less.

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Car

Acura MDX Type S

"would you have an accurate mdx type s over the genesis gv 80? Good question mdx type s is very nice."

A sporty, luxurious three-row family SUV. It has a powerful turbo V6 engine and advanced all-wheel drive to help it handle curves much better than a typical large SUV.

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Car

Genesis GV60

"I'd rather have the gv 60 Than the gv 80 if I didn't need the third row sure the gv 60 ev..."

A stylish, fully electric compact SUV from Genesis. It charges incredibly fast and has a cool, high-tech interior with a glowing glass sphere that flips over to become the gear shifter.

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Car

Toyota Supra Mk4

"Yeah automatic mark 4 supras. That's what that's what a dug wants..."

A legendary Japanese sports car from the 1990s, made famous by video games and movies. Its engine is incredibly tough and can be modified to produce massive amounts of power.

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Ford Shelby GT500 (2013)
Calreyn88 (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Car

Ford Shelby GT500 (2013)

"We've said it before the 2013 sgt 500 and the one after that. Yeah, you know, yeah automatic mark 4 supras..."

An incredibly powerful version of the Ford Mustang from 2013. It has a massive supercharged engine that makes it extremely fast in a straight line, but it can be difficult to handle in tight corners.

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Car

Dodge Viper

"Not great. Uh early vipers Uh Um lots of muscle cars..."

A famous American sports car with a massive 10-cylinder engine. Early versions had no electronic safety aids, making them very wild and dangerous to drive fast if you didn't know what you were doing.

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Car

Apollo Gumpert Apollo

"Oh, I drove a gumpert Apollo. ... didn't drive that good. I mean it drove like a race car..."

A rare, very aggressive-looking German supercar from the 2000s. It was designed purely to be as fast as possible on a race track, making it look very strange and ride very harshly on regular roads.

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Car

Saleen S7

"Selina sevens Look great drove terrible. They're they're no good."

A rare, low-slung American supercar from the 2000s with a massive V8 engine. It looks like a spaceship and was built primarily for racing.

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Car

Alfa Romeo 4C

"Alpha 4c is the king of looks great drives terrible now..."

A tiny, beautiful Italian sports car made with a carbon-fiber frame to keep it extremely light. It has no power steering, making it feel like a go-kart on the road.

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Car

Lotus Carlton

"Not to make fun of dave like the lotus carlton kind of looks like nothing, but you said drove great..."

A regular-looking four-door sedan from the 90s that was heavily modified by Lotus to go incredibly fast, making it a legendary 'sleeper' car.

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Car

Subaru Impreza WRX STI

"2011 stis. I would say it does not look terrible, but it's not it's not in fashion..."

A high-performance version of Subaru's compact car, built with technology inspired by rally racing. It has all-wheel drive, a turbocharger, and a giant wing on the back.

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Car

Autozam AZ-1

"You'd want a small car for the city. Yeah. Yeah, and autosam. I would want an autosam. They're cool."

A tiny, mid-engined Japanese sports car with gullwing doors that open upwards like a supercar, built to comply with Japan's small 'kei car' size regulations.

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Brand

Spoon Sports

"I would want to spoon, you know something or other some crazy fucking honda. Yeah"

A legendary Japanese tuning company that specializes in making Hondas go faster, famous for their blue and yellow race cars.

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Car

McLaren 650S

"...t like a naked bike both zack and I had suzuki sv 650s and I think it's a fabulous motorcycle Sounds coo..."

This is a very fast, low-slung British supercar with doors that open upward. It is designed to go incredibly fast on race tracks while using advanced technology to keep the ride smooth.

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Bovensiepen Zagato
MrWalkr (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Car

Bovensiepen Zagato

"What are your thoughts on the new bovenceepin zagato? ... bovenceepin is uh, andy bovenceepin..."

An extremely rare, custom-designed sports car that combines modern BMW parts with a unique, artistic body designed by a famous Italian design studio.

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Brand

Zagato

"What are your thoughts on the new bovenceepin zagato? ... bovenceepin is uh, andy bovenceepin..."

A legendary Italian design studio famous for creating unique, lightweight, and often strange-looking custom bodies for high-end sports cars.

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Brand

Alpina

"bovenceepin is uh, andy bovenceepin the former owner of alpina son of the founder of alpina..."

A prestigious German company that takes standard BMW cars and rebuilds them to be faster, more luxurious, and more exclusive.

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Car

BMW M4

"It's a coach built, um m4 I don't I don't love this front. Don't love the f..."

This is a very fast, high-performance version of BMW's two-door coupe. It is built to go very fast on race tracks while still having back seats and a normal trunk for daily driving.

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Car

BMW I8 Bmw

"... does that remind me of? Uh, Fiskers on a bit. Oh i8 bmw. Oh, yeah, a little i8. Yeah Look, I don't"

This is a futuristic-looking hybrid sports car made by BMW that has doors that swing upward like wings. It uses both electricity and gas to drive, looking like a spaceship but driving like a sporty touring car.

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Car

Ford Mustang

"Mustangy, maybe But yeah, but the m4 when the profile it ..."

This is a famous American sports car known for its sporty look and loud engine. It has been built for decades and is popular because it offers a lot of speed for a relatively affordable price.

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Car

Saleen S351R Speedster

"Graham ray hall has a red 1997 saline s 351 r speedster That I saw there and it was like stuck in the back..."

An incredibly rare, high-performance convertible Mustang built by Saleen in the 90s. It has a massive supercharged engine and a custom cover over the back seats.

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Person

Graham Rahal

"Graham ray hall has a red 1997 saline s 351 r speedster That I saw there and it was like stuck in the back..."

A famous American IndyCar race car driver who also runs a high-end car dealership and collects rare sports cars.

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Car

Porsche Carrera GT

"...d it was like stuck in the back behind a bunch of Carrera gts and nobody was looking at it and I was like yo"

This is an incredibly rare and fast Porsche supercar from the mid-2000s. It is famous for its loud, high-pitched engine sound and for being a pure driver's car with no modern computer safety nets to help the driver.

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Concept

salvage title

"Don't buy a salvage title unless it's a race car. Yeah, I mean, that's just that doesn't that's not a personal rule..."

A legal label given to a car that has been in a major accident or flood, where the insurance company decided it would cost more to fix than the car is actually worth.

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Car

Porsche Cayman

"...ndicator that Porsche has no intention of another cayman chassis gt4 anytime soon? um"

This is a two-seat sports car made by Porsche with the engine placed in the middle of the car, right behind the seats. This design makes it incredibly balanced and easy to steer around tight corners.

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Car

Lamborghini Kuntosh

"...ad a car in a parade? Yeah, I did a parade in the kuntosh once. I'll never fucking do it again. The car was..."

This is an iconic, extremely angular Italian supercar from the 1980s that many people had posters of on their bedroom walls. It is famous for doors that open upward instead of outward.

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Person

Rob Dahm

"I mean if you're not rob dom or someone who loves the project more than the driving or the completion of the project..."

A popular car YouTuber famous for building incredibly complex, high-horsepower Mazda RX-7s with unique rotary engines.

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Car

BMW M2 CS

"It's like when we had the m2cs, you know, it was wasn't it like 40 something pounds lighter..."

A rare, high-performance version of BMW's compact M2 coupe. It uses lightweight carbon-fiber parts and a powerful engine to make it one of the best-handling modern BMWs.

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