A “dream garage” just means the cars you’d most want to own. The hosts are talking about what it’s really like to take those dreams and turn them into real ownership.
Cars and Bids is a website where people list cars to sell, kind of like an auction. Doug says some of his friends who help run it also show up on the podcast.
A Bloomberg Terminal is a tool journalists and finance people use to pull up news and market data. Doug is saying he uses it for work, but he still doesn’t see the same car stories the hosts find.
They talk about going to car shows and events and noticing what people are interested in. It’s used to explain why the podcast’s news recap gets attention.
Porsche is a German automaker. Doug mentions that Porsche has its corporate headquarters in Atlanta, which is why he was able to get an internship there.
Doug says his job at Porsche wasn’t PR or marketing—it was in “fixed operations,” which is dealership/after-sales focused work. In practice, this usually means managing service-related processes like allocating vehicles, coordinating with dealers, and planning operations to support sales and service throughput.
A used car can be a great deal, but it can also be risky if the previous owner didn’t maintain it. If something big breaks, the repair costs can add up fast.
A “long term guarantee” is basically extra coverage you buy to help pay for repairs after the normal warranty ends. It can save money if the car breaks, but the details and exclusions matter a lot.
The guest mentions buying a Ferrari 360, describing it as an expensive purchase for a young person and emphasizing fear of maintenance costs. The Ferrari 360 is a well-known modern classic, and its ownership conversation often centers on how repair/maintenance expenses can be significant.
They’re talking about a specific Rolls-Royce model called the Silver Shadow. It’s an older luxury car, and owning one usually means you need to be ready for maintenance.
They’re talking about a Mercedes-Benz SL, and they say it was a problem car. The takeaway is that the car they bought didn’t work out, so they swapped it for something else.
A “lemon” is a car that keeps having serious issues and never really gets fixed. It’s basically the opposite of a reliable purchase.
Concept
trade on a car that broke down on the test drive
They’re saying the car they traded in was already having problems right away, even during the test drive. It’s a reminder that you should verify the car actually works before you commit.
The Lamborghini Countach is a famous, old-school supercar. It’s the kind of car people love because it feels special and a little unpredictable, not because it’s the most sensible choice.
The Porsche Carrera GT is a very rare, very fast sports car made by Porsche. People talk about it because it’s built for performance and is considered a collector’s car. It may be mentioned as an example of a “classic dream” supercar.
They’re talking about buying a car knowing it might be a little unpredictable or require extra care. The idea is that the fun and personality are the point, not just having everything work perfectly.
PDK is Porsche’s “two-clutch” automatic transmission. It shifts gears quickly so the car feels lively and doesn’t have the lag you can get with older automatics.
The Porsche 911 is one of the most iconic sports cars ever made. In this conversation, they’re saying that even if it’s more refined than something like a Countach, a 911 can still feel exciting and special.
Suspension controls how the tires stay planted and how the car handles bumps and turns. The speaker is saying that after upgrading it, the car felt much more accurate and confidence-inspiring.
A “learning curve” refers to the period where a driver adapts to a car’s behavior—especially in high-performance supercars with sensitive traction, steering, and braking. The speaker argues that the scary reputation comes partly from drivers not yet understanding how the car responds, and that experience makes it feel more controllable.
They’re saying the engine is inspired by Formula 1 racing tech. That usually means it’s built to rev hard and feel very responsive, like a race car engine.
The speaker mentions displaying a Porsche and Mercedes emblem at their house, which is a small but telling detail about how enthusiasts curate their identity and memorabilia. It also reinforces that multiple German brands are central to their garage and ownership history.
The Dodge Challenger Scat Pack is a stronger, sportier version of the Challenger. It’s meant for people who want a fast V8 feel without stepping up to the very top supercharged models.
The Ford GT is a rare, high-performance supercar from Ford. The story here is about how the car’s value changed a lot—going from expensive at launch to even more expensive later as it became a collector favorite.
Kelly Blue Book (KBB) is a major automotive pricing and valuation brand used to estimate vehicle values. Mentioning that the seller worked for KBB ties into why he understood pricing and market behavior for cars like the Ford GT.
Edmunds is an automotive media and pricing company that publishes vehicle reviews and pricing guidance. The speaker notes Carl Brauer worked for Edmunds, reinforcing the theme that he had deep knowledge of car pricing and long-term market trends.
Santa Monica Ford is the dealership mentioned as the place where the car was bought new. For rare cars, where it was purchased can be part of the car’s story and history.
This segment describes how limited-production cars can start out losing money, then later appreciate as supply stays fixed and demand grows. The speaker attributes the Ford GT’s early losses to overproduction and then notes the market “coming around,” which is a common pattern for modern collector cars.
“Sticker” refers to the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) shown on the window label. Paying “at sticker” means buying at the list price rather than negotiating below it, which matters a lot for limited or high-demand cars like the Ford GT.
“Ultra high mileage” just means the car has a lot of miles on it for its type. For rare cars, even moderate mileage can change how valuable or desirable it feels.
Insurance premiums are what you pay to insure the car, and they can rise as a vehicle’s value and repair costs increase. The speaker notes having to increase insurance premiums on the Ford GT, which is consistent with collector-car appreciation and higher replacement/repair costs.
They’re talking about a Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon (the G-Class). They bought it without realizing rust could be a big problem, which is why they call it a bad decision at the time. It highlights why you should research common issues before buying.
They’re talking about how, in the past, people often bought cars based on word-of-mouth instead of detailed research. Now it’s much easier to look up common problems online, which can help you avoid buying something that turns out to be a headache.
Hemmings is a long-running classic-car marketplace brand best known for its listings and collector-car classifieds. The host’s comparison suggests Hemmings has a different, more traditional approach to the auction/bidding concept.
They say a private equity firm called the Churning Group bought most of the business. Private equity firms invest money and often help with growth and management decisions.
Private equity refers to investment firms that buy companies (often taking a controlling stake) with the goal of improving performance and eventually realizing returns. The host addresses a common concern—that private equity “ruins” businesses—arguing their experience has been different.
Facebook Marketplace is a peer-to-peer classifieds platform where listings can be inconsistent and communication can be unreliable. The speaker’s experience highlights common issues like delayed responses, vague promises, and sellers backing out. In contrast, auction platforms often provide more structured processes and buyer protections.
Company
Briga Trailer
The host mentions another car auction site (the name is a bit garbled in the transcript) that they like. They’re basically saying auction websites are better than random classifieds because the process is more reliable. The exact site name may need confirmation from the full episode.
They mention a Mercedes station wagon they used for family life. A station wagon is chosen because it has more room than a typical sedan, which helps with kids and gear. They’re using this as the reason they want another wagon.
Concept
auction sites vs classifieds
The speaker contrasts auction sites with classifieds, arguing that auctions tend to be more efficient and less chaotic. This is largely about process: auctions usually have defined listing details, set timelines, and a more standardized way to transact. For enthusiast buyers, that can reduce wasted time and improve the odds of finding a car that matches the listing.
They’re saying they want a wagon because it’s practical for family life. With kids, you need room for car seats and strollers, and a wagon usually has more space than a sedan. So the car choice is about everyday usefulness, not just looks.
A “modern classic” is a car that’s not super old, but people already think it’s special and worth keeping. It’s usually something you can still drive comfortably, not just a museum piece. They’re arguing which Porsche 911 generation will be remembered that way.
They’re asking whether electric cars could become “collector” cars the way classic sports cars do. Collector value often comes from things like rarity, reputation, and how special the car feels or looks. The discussion is about whether EVs can earn that same kind of status.
The speaker claims that EV hypercars have been appearing at auctions and failing to meet reserve prices, implying weak demand at those valuation levels. “Reserve” is the minimum price the seller is willing to accept; if bidding doesn’t reach it, the car doesn’t sell. This is used to argue that EVs—especially expensive ones—may struggle to build collector demand.
The Tesla Roadster is one of Tesla’s early electric sports cars. Some enthusiasts think it could become a collectible car because it’s from the early days and has a lot of attention and history around it.
Collectible car markets usually need a strong enthusiast base to create demand and liquidity. The host is arguing that EVs haven’t yet gained enough enthusiast adoption to support a meaningful “secondary market” for collectibles.
Concept
emotional quotient vs pure speed
The host is basically saying that going fast isn’t the only thing that makes a car special. A lot of what people love is the emotional experience—how it feels and how it makes you react.
Car
Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce makes very expensive luxury cars that are famous for being super quiet and smooth. The point here is that electric cars can feel similarly effortless because they don’t have the same noise and vibration as a gas engine.
A home charger is a way to charge your electric car at home. It usually means you can plug in overnight and wake up with a full battery, without relying on public chargers.
The host is saying that what counts as “rare” depends on how many were made. In the past, fewer cars existed, so rarity was more extreme; now, rarity can be based on smaller details like specific colors.
The Ferrari 250 GTB is a famous older Ferrari that collectors value partly because relatively few were built. The host brings it up to illustrate how “rare” used to mean something different.
The Ferrari 250 GTO is a legendary classic Ferrari that’s rare because only a small number were made. The host is using it to explain how rarity has shifted in today’s market.
The Ferrari 275 GTB is a well-known vintage Ferrari. The host mentions it to show that older Ferraris were made in very small numbers, which made them truly rare.
The G-Class is a luxury SUV that’s built to handle rough roads and off-road driving. It’s known for its strong, boxy shape and for being comfortable inside. People talk about it because it’s both practical for tough conditions and still feels like a high-end vehicle.
A lease deal is when the monthly payment is reduced by the manufacturer or dealer. The hosts are basically saying that incentives can change what people actually pay versus what the car costs on paper.
The Lucid Air is an electric car (a sedan) known for comfort and tech. In this segment they’re talking about different versions (Touring vs Grand Touring vs Sapphire) and how the prices and resale values differ.
Door-to-door time is how long a trip takes from leaving your house to arriving at work. It’s a real-world way to compare cars because it includes everyday driving conditions.
The Porsche Taycan is Porsche’s all-electric performance sedan. Here it’s used as a benchmark for the speaker’s previous door-to-door commute time, showing how the Lucid Air’s route performance compared.
Car influencers are people who make videos online about cars. They can affect what other people think about different models, kind of like car reviewers, but with a more creator-style approach. The hosts are discussing how this world has changed over time.
Topic
YouTube vs traditional automotive press events
They’re talking about how car content on YouTube and TikTok has changed how people get car news. Instead of only journalists at press events, now influencers are showing up and getting paid too. That changes the vibe and sometimes what gets emphasized.
They’re pointing out that TikTok creators are showing up at car launch events and getting paid for it. That means some of what you see online may be influenced by sponsorships or partnerships. It’s a reminder to think about incentives when watching reviews.
They’re talking about the rules around getting travel and lodging paid for when you cover a car event. The idea is that if you’re being sponsored, people worry your coverage might be less objective.
They’re talking about how journalists should ideally act like a skeptic when reviewing cars. Instead of assuming the company is telling the truth, you look for problems so readers get a more honest picture.
They’re discussing how car brands pay for coverage and how clearly that’s explained to viewers. The question is whether people can tell what’s sponsored versus independent.
Concept
paid content vs undisclosed sponsorship ("hashtag ad")
They’re saying that sometimes car posts are paid for or sponsored, but readers don’t realize it. Even when creators add something like “#ad,” many people don’t pay attention, so it can feel like normal unbiased review content.
They’re talking about trust in car reviews. If a reviewer is paid by brands, viewers may wonder whether the opinions are still honest. The idea is that keeping independence helps people believe what they’re seeing.
Michelin is referenced as an example of an automaker-adjacent sponsor that could pay for promotions. In the context of car media, tire brands like Michelin often sponsor content because they’re directly tied to vehicle performance, safety, and ownership costs. The mention supports the broader point about how sponsorships can influence perceived objectivity.
Concept
electric car phase
“Electric car phase” just means the person is currently really into EVs. It’s a reminder that driving an EV day-to-day can feel different from a gas car, mainly because of charging and how the power comes on.
They’re talking about how much different versions of cars cost. Even if the starting price sounds reasonable, the higher versions and options can get expensive quickly.
They’re referencing the Subaru BRZ, a small sports car that’s meant to feel fun and nimble. It uses a special Subaru engine design (a boxer engine) that helps it handle well.
A boxer engine is a type of engine where the cylinders sit flat on opposite sides. That can help the car feel more balanced because the engine sits lower.
“Grand Touring” usually means a nicer, more comfortable version of a car. It’s meant to be better for everyday comfort and longer drives, not just raw performance.
Concept
Sapphire
“Sapphire” sounds like the name of the most expensive version of that electric car. Usually when a car has a special name like this, it means you’re getting extra features or a higher-end package.
Goodwood Revival is an event where people bring classic cars and race them in a historic setting. It’s a great place for rare old cars because the whole weekend is themed around the past.
Car
droptail
“Droptail” is a special Rolls-Royce model with a very distinctive rear design. It’s built as an exclusive, high-end collector car, so it’s priced extremely high.
Coachbuilt means a car is made with a lot of custom bodywork and finishing, usually by a specialist. That’s why these cars are rarer and more expensive than normal production cars.
TFT is a type of screen technology used in many modern car dashboards. The speaker prefers traditional gauges instead of relying on screens.
Concept
true luxury
They’re defining “true luxury” as something that feels real—like natural materials—rather than being mostly about gadgets. It’s more of a values argument than a technical one.
Concept
no microchips
They’re joking/arguing that the “best” luxury would be a car without electronics. But real cars today almost always need chips for safety and control systems, so it’s hard to do.
Singer is a company known for building very special, customized Porsche-based cars. The point they’re making is that smaller builders can sometimes make cars feel more old-school than big brands can.
Traction control helps prevent the wheels from spinning when you accelerate on slippery roads. It uses sensors and computers to reduce power or apply brakes so the car can keep moving forward.
A manual transmission is the kind where you use a clutch and shift gears yourself. The speaker is saying it can be hard to offer manuals on modern cars because the approval process is expensive.
A handbrake is the lever you pull to hold the car in place when parked. They’re saying modern cars often use electronic versions instead, which can remove some traditional physical controls.
Homologate means getting a car officially approved to be sold under local rules. Those rules can force manufacturers to include certain safety and electronics features, which makes it harder to build a very stripped-down car.
If you buy a rare car used, it usually already has its “options” picked by the previous owner. If you want your own exact preferences, it’s harder to get that with a used car.
They’re talking about whether the car is dependable and whether it’s built carefully. For rare, custom cars, early production can sometimes have more problems, but those can get fixed as the company improves.
They’re describing a situation where the car’s hood was taped down, which suggests something wasn’t fitting or closing correctly. It’s an example of a quality-control problem rather than normal “track prep.”
Aston Martin’s dB12 is a new sports car. Even though the name sounds like it would have 12 cylinders, the version the host drove is actually an eight-cylinder V8. It’s a good example of how car names don’t always match the engine specs.
The Aston Martin DB4 is an older sports car made by Aston Martin, famous for its classic looks and driving feel. It’s from the early 1960s and is considered an important model in the brand’s history. People mention it when they’re talking about classic Aston Martin cars.
Concept
engine naming vs cylinder count
Sometimes a car’s name includes numbers that make you think of a specific engine size. Here, the host says the “dB12” name is misleading because the car doesn’t actually have 12 cylinders. The safest move is to check the real engine details.
The Aston Martin Valhalla is one of Aston Martin’s more extreme, high-performance supercars. The host is talking about spotting them and trying to get a chance to drive one, but being told they weren’t available as press cars. It’s basically a “hard to get behind the wheel” kind of car.
LIVE
Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio news. I'm Hannah Elliott and
I'm Matt Miller. This is Hot Pursuit. My old friend
Doug DeMuro is coming on. I guess friend is a
it's probably too familiar. I've known him for a long
time because I met him back in the days of Jelopnick and what was the other one called Opposite Lock, which is a website that I really loved, and he he wrote for them. But he's obviously a very famous
YouTuber and I watch a lot of YouTube, so and he is a podcast that I listen to all the.
Time and a very successful.
Auction cars and bidge, which I'm like stalking every day for my Dream nine ninety seven. So yeah, I've been
I'm a fan, a long term fan, and I've been on his is. He used to have a show that
I went on at one time. I think with Matt
Hart Agree from Julapin.
I'm going to say this is all very Matt Hart agree era.
Yeah, it's that whole crew which I reveled in and miss dearly. But yeah, so what a cool career he's had.
Right, And we'll.
Talk to him about that, and also what a fantastic garage.
He's built. Like you know, everybody says, uh, everybody thinks
about his or her dream garage with like three or four cars, and he has built that.
He's done it. It is really cool. And I didn't
know sort of some of the risks he took on those cars that he put in his dream garage too.
I did not realize that was it was that touch and go.
Let's get straight into it. Here is Doug DeMuro from
Cars and Bids. All right, let's jump right into it. Dude.
I'm a big fan of your of your podcast, and one of the first things I wanted to ask or one of the things I wonder all the time because I listen a lot, but I have no idea. The
other dudes are so and you never like spend any time explaining the characters. Everybody knows who you are, but
who are the other guys? Like where did you find them?
And what do they normally do?
We?
Uh, there's kind of a rotating cast of other people on our podcast. We have we have Filipo uh, and
we have Kennon and we have Nick. Those are the
big three. There's a few others who come on here
and there but those are the big three and honestly they're just my personal friends. Now Filipo and Kennon work
with us at Cars and Bids. I may have made
the mistake or maybe it was a great decision of hiring most of my personal friends to come and work for me or with me at this point. So that's
they they're they're just they're just guys who are in the cars and and we we we hang out a lot, and we realized at some point, like the banter that we have is podcastable, like people would probably listen to this, and so it's we do that's what we do. That's great.
People seem belove it, So that's you. You you do
have a knack for it, because a lot of people that and then when they try to execute it's like, actually they realize, oh no, no, no, nobody wants to listen, So you do have something special.
Yeah, I mean it's worked well. People clam up a
lot of the time when they're on camera, and obviously I'm not gonna do that, but even these guys like it took a little bit of coaxing. And also we're
pretty tight with our format. And I think one mistake
that a lot of podcasters make like a lot of bros who think they can just do it. Is people
don't want to just listen to ramblings like. It's nice
to have like actual like guests like this, or like an actual format or something like that that isn't just like a couple of guys being like I feel like I heard somewhere. You know, that gets old unless you're
unless you're what's his name who kills it all the time?
Sure, you're very good at the news on top for me is the most valuable because even though I'm in the news business, Hannah and I are sitting in front of a Bloomberg terminal all day long day, I don't get the stories that you guys broadcast. For some reason,
it's like a different I guess Filipo and Kennon are looking at different outlets, So.
Yeah, I mean, you guys probably are getting more like legitimate industry news, and I think sometimes we cover more like cheeky, ridiculous car but but the news is definitely the biggest. When I go to car events, I am
shocked at the number of car industry people who are like, yo, I listen to your podcast every single week, and some of them admit to turning it off after the news.
I'm totally fine, But everybody, everybody seems to be interested in our in our take on it, or at least in just us telling people what the news is. Maybe
they don't care what we think, but it's a good wrap up of the week's news.
I think people care because I've had multiple people We've been talking about having you on for a minute, Doug.
And I've had multiple people at random car events walk up and say, when are you having Doug on? You've
been promising him, you know, And they are also fans of your work, the YouTube, cars and bids everything. Can
we take it back to like the very beginning and hear your origin story and did you work for Porsche at one time? To tell us about the arc of
your career for those of us who don't know every turn.
I went to Emory University, which is in Atlanta, and Porscha's corporate headquarters is also in Atlanta, and so I got an internship when I was working there, Like it wasn't totally out of the realm they had. I don't
know what they still do. Maybe they still do, but
at the time they had probably two dozen interns who who were tasked with probably more than an interurn should have been. But you know, everybody wanted to work in
the car business, and so after my internship ended, I got hired as a full time position. A lot of
people think it was in PR and marketing because that's what I do now, but it was actually in fixed operations, like I was part of allocating the vehicles to the dealerships, just worked a ton with the dealers with our operations team, also with like volume planning and options planning. It was
a way to learn the car industry, to be honest, but at like age twenty four, I was like, I don't know that I want to be sitting in a cube for the rest of my life. And so, you know,
started making moves in a different direction and started right for Originally it was the Truth about Cars, which I don't know if that even still exists, but then it became Jelapnick, back when Jelapnick was like the big car blog.
And eventually, you know, I started doing videos. I actually
got a letter from not a letter, but an email from a reader who was like, yo, I like your articles, you should make videos. And that was probably thirteen years ago.
Wow.
Wow, that's how the videos started. So all of this
was perfect timing and by pure luck. I'd like to
claim it was all brilliance and hard work, but the truth is I got into YouTube just as it was really taking off. We launched cars and bids, just as
the you know, the car market was crazy during COVID.
There was a lot of good timing.
Here, good timing. But you did something and that Hannah
also does that. I think a lot of even car
enthusiasts who are deep in it, lacked the courage to do, which is, you bought a used car that could a couple of used cars. I don't know your whole history,
but you bought a couple of used cars that could have been absolute money pit disasters. One of them I
remember was a range Rover. And you bought some kind
of long term guarantee, which the company that sold to you like totally regretted because you kept like calculating how much they had to spend on your on your guarantee, and then you and then you bought like a Ferrari three sixty right, if I recall, it was like eighty grand, which you know, it's a lot of money for a kid in his twenties, but even at fifty, like, I'm afraid to pull that trigger because I feel like the maintenance could kill me.
Oh, it was a huge risk. It was the biggest
risk of my entire life. I put every penny that
I had ever made down as a down payment on that car. Even then, the bank wouldn't take me. So
my parents had to co sign that loan. Yeah, they had.
And You're like, mom and Dad, please co sign a loan for a Ferrari, And they were like, okay.
Actually, it's actually kind of funny because my parents are some of the most like conservative, straight laced people that you'll ever meet, And looking back on it, I can't believe they agreed to do that. I don't think they
ever considered that they might have to actually put any money up, which is good because they didn't. Ultimately like
it worked out, but it could have gone really badly, right, But yeah, that Ferrari was, you know, in the Ferrari.
It's funny because that when I did that, it was twenty thirteen, and that was a big deal. Back then,
no one on YouTube had a Ferrari, you know, like YouTubers were a bunch of kids playing video games and doing dumb pranks and things like that, like the idea of a guy on YouTube as a Ferrari, and that's really what jump started my career. And it's ironic to
think about it now because you know, people on YouTube now have Bugattis and Kniggs and it's like a pretty common thing. It never would have been successful back today,
but it worked at the time because it was so novel and kind of interesting for people. A lot of
people were like you, Matt, thinking like, you know, could this?
Could I do this? This guy is doing There's like
there's an idiot out of here on YouTube doing this, like could I do it? And I think the videos
helped kind of illuminate that story.
I mean, you already had to be fair an economics degree.
From I wasn't a complete d.
He's a very good school, by the way. By the way,
I still Hannah, I still remember the first day I learned that you had a Rolls Royce, because you also went out and bought like what a nineteen seventy one Rolls Royce?
Is that the first silver Shadow?
Was that the first hot car you ever bought?
I had, Actually I that was a swap I got it an sl An eighty eight at Mercedes sl which was a bit of a lemon. So I took it back.
We took it back to the guy that we bought it from, and we kind of said, can we swap this out for that thing in the corner plus a plus a little more cash, And so it was a trade on a car that actually broke down when we got it out of the garage and druk when we on our test drive it broke down. And we still
bought it of course.
So like.
I still have it and I drive it often and yeah, it's great, Like I don't. It's not like a rational
decision necessarily, right, Doug. It's just like a fascination and
you know something's gonna you know, not everything. It's going
to work. But that's not the point, is it.
Yeah. No, I try to explain that to people. I
have a cootash and I try to explain that to people.
People are a lot of people who insist that they want some amazing automotive experience. Yeah, the moment I say kuntash,
they clam up, and it's like, I feel like you can't be a true enthusiast unless you're willing to every day you're not really sure what's going to happen. There's
at least one car in your life that's like that.
It is very exciting. I mean, do you find that
people sort of default back into the you know, the the nuts of knowledge that they've heard at car shows that they have no actual existing experience. They just hear
these things thrown around and they repeat them when they hear kuntash. Same for rolls Royces. I'm sure they've got things. Yeah,
and maybe maybe they're true, but maybe they're not true.
I think I think it is unbelievable how often I have kids coming up to me and telling me about the career gets clutch and the kuntash is really ability, and it's like I've been living with these cars for years.
I know the truth about this. I got six thousand
miles of the courageingtea. I tell you about the fuss.
It's kind of funny. Yes, I think that is. I
think that is a truth. And I know you guys
talk to Farah and like it's it's it's the same sitty.
He's got a kuntash also, and we're both just obsessed with these cars. And I think it takes a certain
type of person to roll that dice. But I think
it also takes a certain type of person to just buy a PDK nine to eleven. And that's your enthusiast car,
you know. I I, yes, I'm probably in one end
of the spectrum, but I don't really want to go to the sanitized end of the spectrum too much because I kind of like, like the the soul that that car gives me is insane, and I think well maintained and well prepared, you actually can have a pretty good experience.
And my Kuntash has stranded me twice, but both repairs were like, we got it done the next day, and I put over three thousand miles on them.
It's funny. I'm the guy who thinks of this, Like
whenever I think about a Karera GT, I always think it's a terribly dangerous car and I would be so scared to drive one. But what is the actual truth
of the Careera GT. I mean, that's your favorite one, right,
You have a garage full of supercars, but that seems to be your number one I have.
The Kuntash is my favorite, actually, for sure my favorite. However,
the Kuraget is my favorite to drive. There's no question
the CURERGT. Having driven every car, the Kurergitt, I think
is the Ferrari F fifty and the Pagani Zanda are the only cars that I really think are are like top three along with Karer GT. And we put new
suspension on my curerge Et like two years ago, and with that suspension upgrade, it honestly may just be number one.
It's just it's funny that it has this reputation for being so dangerous because it has been involved in a lot of high profile acts, some of which were fatal.
But I have never like I have modern tires, modern suspension, and I feel like the car is so controllable and so incredibly surgical and precise and capable, and I've never really had any big fear. And I've driven at six
thousand miles now and I really have it down. And
I think maybe that takes that there's some learning curve that people need to get into, but I feel on there and I just think it's one of the most I honestly think it drives not much different from a boxer, just just a little bit more precise, a little bit louder a lot louder, a lot more pace, but it's like a pretty it's a fairly similar driving experience.
Plus it's a Formula one derived motor right, all of Doug's big cars are Formula one drived. If you listen
to this podcast.
That's what I like to That's what I liked it is, Hey, Matt, what are you driving? Do you still have nine to eleven?
No? I sold that because I brought it to Berlin
with me and at the time it was only like four or five grand to ship it. And when I
moved back from Berlin in at the end of twenty one, it was like twenty five grand to ship it, so that stayed there. It stayed there. Fortunately, it helped me
buy a really nice house in uh And, by the way, the same trait. At the same time I sold my
I had bought a g g Wagon, a G five hundred in Germany. They're the five point fifty here and
it's the only car I've ever made money on. I
sold that after owning it for a couple of years, putting thirty thousand miles on it, and I made a boatload on that. So I just have like a little
Portie and Mercedes emblem on the chimney at my house.
I have actually a Dodge Challenger, which I love the scat pack. But I want to ask about a couple
more of your cars. One of them is the four GT.
I think, although it could just be a legend, is a story that I wish I heard more often. So
is it true that the guy who sold you that car was actually just a regular journalist like all of us, and then he didn't look to make like a massive profit.
He just wanted to sell it to you because he thought you were a good dude, and you thought he was a good dude, and you guys should have those cars.
Yeah, I mean he sold it to me for like a market correct number. I didn't like get a deal
on it. But his name is Carl Brauer, and he
was and still is a car journalist, Kelly book guy, right, yeah, Blue, He worked for Kelly Blue, but Key worked for Edmunds.
He worked for a bunch of different and he actually bought the four GT you O five brand new from Santa Monica Ford and he he it was Edmund's long term test car for a year. And I don't know
what deal he worked out with them, you know, like he probably was able to expense all the initial you know, the track days that he did the first year or whatever.
But he owned it for thirteen years, and I don't think that he ever would have expected that he would make money on it. You know, when those cars came out,
they initially lost money pretty quickly, and they were overproduced.
They made too many of them. I still feel like
it's a car that they made a lot of, But the market really started to come around. And it's actually
funny because I remember when I bought that. He bought
it new at sticker which was one fifty five. I
bought it from him in eighteen at a market correct number which was two hundred and twenty five thousand. At
the time, the car had thirty one thousand miles on it, which was was and still is an ultra high mileage for GT. And I remember thinking I was I was
set again, spending my last DOT like this was the most I'd ever spent on anything. I had never bought
a house at the time. It was a crazy, crazy
amount of money, and looking back on it, I wish I had bought two. I never really expected the car
would continue to shoot up like it kind of has.
And I've had to increase my insurance premiums a couple of times on it, but it's worth it. I drive
that car more than any of the others, and I think it's just about forty six thousand miles now.
It is one of my absolute favorites. I mean, I
think it's the best of the GTS, including the original, probably because it would be difficult for me to fit, and obviously you also wouldn't fit in the ear.
You would definitely not fit the new one. I don't
like as much. But my car is so controllable, it's
so easy. It's just such a special car, and it
never gives me trouble. The car has never broken down,
It has never needed anything other than regular servicing. It
is a very easy car to drive and use an own.
Which of these sort of big purchase is have you regretted, Doug?
Surely there's been le one that was like kind of a disappointment or it didn't work out in a positive way like you had hoped.
None of the cars. I spend an inordinate amount of
time thinking about what cars I should get and researching the hell out of them, and then making the decision.
And I have to this day. Never sold a car
that I like, like a really like one of my big cars. I bought that GT the four GT It's
were coming up on eight years. The Courage team, the
Kumtash had been with me for more than three years.
I've never really regretted one. In the early days, there
were some cars that I wish I was a little bit smarter about. I bought a you know, two G
five hundred G Wagon before I knew about rust and it was a horribly rusty. But I also feel like
I don't even regret those. There were there were others
similar kind of thing. Transmission died on a on a
range Rover. I don't really regret those because you learn,
you know, when you're three and you got nothing else going on, like you almost need that headache in your life, like you need something to do. And that that taught
me so much about cars, like about maintaining cars, about what to look forward buying cars, about what cars are going to be awful. A lot of this stuff was
before the days of widespread internet YouTube, and so you didn't necessarily know that a range Rover was a horrible decision.
You know, that was all kind of word of mouth and I even though I lost a lot of money on some of those cars early on, I also learned a ton, a ton of ton and that's really important.
I want to ask about the cars and bids the business, because you're right, this has been a huge growth area with cars and bids. With the other big site that
I know you guys often don't name, Hagardy has gotten into it, right, Hemmings has kind of a weird old version of it. How is that? How is that business going?
And did you part didn't you partner up with someone on that business?
Yeah? Yes. We sold the majority to a private equity
firm in LA called the Churning Group, which has been a wonderful partner. Honestly, it's been everything I could have
possibly imagined from a private equity firm. They've just kind
of let me do my content, which I think is what I was.
By the way, normally, when you imagine doing a deal with a private equity firm, it's like the best regret of your life. So totally it's better than you thought.
Then most people have experience.
With absolutely everybody thinks about private equity ruining stuff. But
I don't feel like that's been our business at all.
We've got. We make more content than ever before, we
saw more cars than ever before. We now have hired
an actual executive to run the business, which was great because I shouldn't be doing that as a person who makes YouTube videos as a profession. I shouldn't be making
hr decisions.
As you know that you're self aware, you know, yes, yes, come.
On, you have an economics degree.
Now, I'm not capable of this, and honestly I did.
There was a time when I probably was capable of it.
But I've got too many years on YouTube now where I just like, it messes with your brain. I can't
have a normal job ever again. But it's gone great.
I've we've been absolutely shocked at how well it's gone.
You know, when we launched that in the spring of twenty, we were planning to launch that on like March one or May one of twenty, and of course covid was going on, so we pushed it a little bit, thinking that covid would just end, and it didn't. But we
had already spent so much money. We were like, we
have to get this thing launched and start making money.
And little did we know we were launching into the greatest car market post war car market, and it all kind of worked out and now it's bigger than it's ever been. Last month was our all time record month.
Like it's just growing and growing in a wonderful way.
And I got to tell you something. I recently tried
to buy a car on Facebook Marketplace, and I now believe that Cars and Bids and the other auction sites plural but especially Briga Trailer are actually doing a massive service to the automotive community because Facebook Marketplace is the worst thing that could ever happen to humanity. And so
now I have this like renewed appreciation for our business because.
It's it makes me kind of why give us the story trying.
To buy a Mercedes station Wagon. All of my children
have come home from the hospital in a European station Wagon, so my two children and now I have a third one coming and so I'm like ready for another. I
need to get another euro Wagon. I gotta round this out.
And so I was, I'm trying to buy a Mercedes E fifty five wagon, and there's just been a complete nightmare every story of the book on Facebook Marketplace. You
know the guy won't I'll send you those pictures tomorrow, and then tomorrow comes, Oh, you don't hear from them.
Then the next day comes, oh, I've got someone else offering me this much. You know every bs, Facebook, marketplace story.
And I'm sitting here thinking, this is why I hate this process. This is why I prefer to buy all
the auction sites.
Wait, didn't you have an.
I had a couple of sixty three wagons? Yeah?
But you want to do you want to go down to the fifty five? What's up with that?
Because the original E fifty five wagon they didn't sell it in the US. But it's like the most reliable
and also the most practical. And my life is is
gonna is all about car seats and carrying strollers and stuff like that.
I'm right there with you. I'm right there with you.
But but yeah, So anyway, the business has doing well.
Everything's been great. I've been impressed with it. And bringing
trailers doing well too. Everybody seems to be doing well
except for the other ones you named. You know, it's
interesting because we launched this business with my audience kind of at our as the wind at our sails, and I think a lot of other people have tried to also do these sites and have discovered that it ain't so easy. Even though I'm kind of I look like
kind of an idiot my shorts and T shirt in a parking lot making these car videos. This is not
as easy as it looks.
What's the hardest thing about it? What don't people get?
I think that people truly don't understand just how hard it is to get buyers and sellers to show up.
Sellers won't show up if they don't believe there are buyers.
Buyers won't show up if there aren't sellers, and that is a really hard combination. And you know, there was
a time when Porscha Digital launched their own auction site, like you mentioned Haggerty doing it, and it's only going to South middlingly. These are companies with a lot of money,
but it's hard to no matter how much money you have, it's a lot easier to take an audience and make money than it is to take money and make an audience.
And I think that's kind of what we've discovered in this in this process.
Very cool. So I hate that we always talk about
nine to eleven's because we do too much, But I have to ask you about it because Filipo just got a nine to nine seven, which is my favorite generation.
He got a Targo, which is a little bit weird.
I don't like the way the rear window comes to a point there, but I do love the hatchback feature.
I wish every nine to eleven had that. I've heard you.
I've heard you say you think the nine to nine to one is the modern classic, and I wonder what you think about the nine nine to seven and the nine to nine to one. Now that Felipo's got his
his new.
Car, I think that the nine nine to seven dot two's are awesome, which is what Felipo has. I actually
think the target is perfect for him because he's a practical dude, and it's got a hatchback. I think. I don't.
I'm not a big modern day nine to eleven guy.
I have a nine to nine three right now. It's
only the third Porta I've ever owned.
Say right now, you're not going to sell it? Right?
You love that. I've seen you shopping with it. You're
like going to home depot, You're like putting lumber in there.
It's got It's the arena red.
My nine nine three is my is my kid car, and my kids like love it, and it's been like really special to finally be able to share this hobby with my kids. Because all my other cars are two seaters,
but I think I'm gonna have other four seats, Like my big three cars are staying my Courage of Team, my forty Team, my Contash, So I only have one more garage spot. And so that fourth car, the nine
nine to three, that's that's not gonna last. It's not
quite good enough I think to be a forever car.
But I think in terms of the market, I think the market will treat the nine nine one as sort of one of the last great ones. I think the
nine to nine to two represents a shift to a larger, more luxurious, more automatic, focus, less enthusiast. I'll tell you
I drive around in my career get and I can pretty much guarantee that when I see a nine to ninety two on the road, they will not notice microageta, they will not weigh, they will not get excepted. It
is just not the same type of buyer. And whereas
a nine to nine to one there was still a good portion of him our manuals. It was still more
of a sports car I think than today's more expensive, more luxurious, bigger, heavier car.
I want to take it back to cars and bits just for a second, because I want to ask about electric vehicles. And this is kind of touching on everything
we've talked about, But do you think electric vehicles could ever be collectible in the same way that a nine nine three or nine nine one or any of the other cars we've spoken about.
By the way, it's incredibly interesting question today, Hannah, because of the story that you put out. I don't know
if it was yesterday, because of the Rolls Royce Nightmare or the Nightingale, Like who I think it's like, it's it's an incredible thing, fabulous design, But who is going to pay five million dollars for an electric car with screens?
I don't understand that. I'm sure they'll sell.
Out, but you don't think it's it looks so cool though.
I know, but it's electric. Like if I'm paying five
million for a roles that big I want like sixteen cylinders.
You know.
My sense is that the market for the luxury cars is not as sensitive to the powertrain as the performance cars.
We are repeatedly watching these rimat Navaras and Peninferna Bautistas, which are two million dollars three million dollars. EV hyper
cars come up and fail to meet reserve at has there original No one wants them, No one wants them.
When I filmed the video with a Penneferna Bautista. When
I reviewed it there, the one I reviewed was a stock unit at the dealer they or it was a two and a half million dollar car. They had to
or stock. That never happens, right, I don't. I do
think that evs could be collectible one day, and I actually even think that a couple of the evs that have been sold I could see as being collectibles. I
think the Tesla Roadster could find its way and do it collectible setus one days. The first it was the first.
I think the early model essays, the model sque signatures that came out at the very beginning and could someday be considered to be collectible cars. But enthusiasts have not
yet embraced EV's and I think you need enthusiasts to have any sort of collectible secondary market, don't you. Isn't
that how you feel?
Yeah?
By the way, I don't I don't know if I'm speaking out of school here, but I think Hannah has a pinion Farina Batista in her living room.
Well, we we actually send it back in the in the spring cleaning, if you will. Yes, we did. We
did have that in the down in the warehouse for a couple of years because Magnus had done a partnership with them, but then we gave it back to them.
What did you think of that car?
Well, I loved it. I remember driving it in Europe before,
you know, when it debuted, when it launched, and personally I liked it. I thought it was cool. But I
understand why people don't want it. They don't. You don't
need it like that, you don't it just it goes back to the thing where pure speed isn't necessarily actually that exciting. The car looks exciting and it has this
amazing heritage with Peninforina, but the emotional quotient of the car, I think, is not. It doesn't consist of of batteries
for whatever.
Right, you're taking a practical technology and putting it kind of in replacement of one of the most emotional parts of an emotional purpose. Yeah, that's exactly right. By the way.
I also loved that car. I thought it was awesome.
I thought it was totally cool, and I totally get why people don't want to buy.
Yeah, same with the Navara, and they're basically the same car.
Let's be honest, so you know. And also, if we're
keeping on talking about this, I actually really liked the Rules roy Spector too, which was their Tudor electric car, and I actually did it for Rolls Royce. Yes, there's
a use case.
I see those Specters around a lot more than I would expect here, so yes, it is. It is a
very so cal type of car, right, like you got to be wealthy, you got to be a car enthusiast.
But also it's like liberals and evs, like it really combines everything that California can can make work in one.
But I'm I don't know how well they're selling. I
don't know if they're discounting them heavily, but but it seems to me that that that that is a good use case for ANST.
It's a totally good use case. Let's not forget Rolls
Royces are supposed to be silent and utterly smooth, like a magic carpet and that's exactly what what electric drivetrain represents.
I was talking with Michael Fuchs for the story about the Nightingale, the big collector. He has a specter and
he loves it. He and so he gets it. He
understands Rolls Royce, he gets the use case. Obviously, he's
got a home charger so he doesn't have to worry about that.
A home charger and his own custom color checks us.
Yes, and juicy fruity orange.
By the way, dude, I can, by the way. It
drives me crazy when a car that's just a special color commands like a fifty percent premium. And I know
you ran a roapstone.
That's that's the truth now though, you know, it's interesting that you bring that up because I've been paying a lot of attention to the market recently, which has kind of gone crazy, And one of the things that's hit me is back in the day, a car, an entire car, would have a one hundred and fifty unit production run.
In Enzo's era, there were a lot of cars that were built that three hundred units was the total production run for the whole car, you know, three thirties and two seventy five gtbs and the two fifty GT others there's under forty of them. You know that that was
a production truly rare, truly rare. And now a rare
car is carera GT where they made thirteen hundred. That's
a rare car in the modern world. And so how
do you make a how do you get even more special than that? Find one of the forty that are
yellow or whatever? You know, Like that's I think we're
starting to segment up. And it actually kind of makes
sense when you think about how rarity is defined in today's world relative to how it was defined before.
First of all, I think Hannah and I both agree that the g Wagon is a great electric hor train.
And you know that car is that is a steel like they are not selling well and they have lease deals on those, and I don't get why people aren't buying them because it looks identical and it drives awesome.
But that car is like the g Wagon that I would buy tomorrow if I thought.
Was by I'm in for that too. And I also
this so last week I had a Kia EV nine, which I kept thinking like, wow, this is such a great appliance, Like it's so perfect as an appliance, and this week I'm test driving a Lucid Air, but like the one of the lower tier versions, just the Touring, not the Grand Touring. And I had my record time
from Scarsdale to work, door to door. I made it
in twenty three minutes. And you know, Scarsdale is like
twenty five miles away from Bloomberg, and that beats by four minutes my previous record in a Porsche Taikon. So
it is fast as hell. So I immediately went online
to look and I saw, oh, the Grand Touring has even more power, and then the Sapphire, obviously is the one with like thirty four horse power. I went on
the interwebs to see how the used market is, and they're all going for like less than fifty after you buy them for like one twenty. Right, Well, I mean
except for the Sapphire. Except for the Sapphire, that one
still kind of holds its value, I guess because.
They're not making a lot of them. In fact, I
don't know that I've seen the Sapphire on the road.
The Lucids that dropped a lot. But let's be clear,
like the sticker price is one twenty, but like I don't think they're actually even depreciating all that much. I
think when you think about the actual transaction price with the least and stuff, I think that lucids are they're not selling for anywhere near sticker is basically the situation.
There's just not a lot of demand at that price point, especially for US sedan and now what is effectively a minivan.
I really wish they had gone deeper into the suv realm with their styling.
Can I just ask you a question about that? This
is sort of a reporterly question, and I'm so curious when you say something that's just a fact, like they're not selling for anywhere near their sticker price. Do you
get pushback from people at least?
Yes? Sometimes, But how do you deal with.
That because they don't don't care? Yeah, I mean they
can't really do much about that.
They can't do much if they don't want to send me a car. I'm totally sure with it. Yeah, Ever since,
I honestly think that's one of the reasons our podcast is so successful. We sold the business. I don't really
need to be doing this right right if the automaker wants to get mad at me, and sometimes they do.
Sometimes there are stern conversations. I'm just like, is it false?
Like?
Am I right?
Did I get something wrong? Yeah?
Right? And truthfully, it isn't false in that situation, and
in so many others where we openly just mock stuff, it isn't false. And I think the audience has has
caught on to the fact that, like, there's an honesty here that is kind of nice. And when we praise cars,
I think there's some real value to that too, because it's not just it's not just bs, but when we sit here and say, I can't believe Handa's not making a Forerunner rival. The for Runner has been the most
popular car for years. What are they doing? They're crazy,
They're stupid. Like that's just real. And I think that people,
a lot of people are thinking that and are maybe afraid to say it. And here we're just gonna I
don't care do what I right.
Right, because you don't. You don't owe anybody anything, you
don't need, you don't need them, so and that's kind of what I'm getting back to. Like you, you certainly
have captured an audience that I think is so interesting who obviously recognize that about you? And I'm really curious
about your perception of how YouTube has changed you started, and also the world of car influencers. Now it's just
so massive and it's a completely different landscape. What do
you see from your perspective having.
Been in you go to press events, right, you got to like launch and stuff. Are you as astonished as
I am that there's like TikTok people there who are getting paid and yes.
But you know what you said, I was when it started a few years ago. But I would say in
the last two years, they've actually kept the journalists from news organizations on different waves from.
They't want to see how bad it's getting, so I don't.
I used to there there was a time when there was some like venn diagram overlapping, but now I think I'm kept very separately with more traditional media versus they have a special way for content creators for any number of reasons.
Yeah, right, right, that's I mean, that's to me. I've always,
even though I make YouTube vie and I'm kind of insane, I've always considered myself a journalist to the point where, and maybe this is your situation with Bloomberg, like, I've always paid my own way to fly to press events, like I've always it's rare.
And that's like how we are not allowed to accept any form of compensation airfare, hotel. We can't even a
gift if it's more than fifty dollars, we have to say negative ghost drive.
Back in the day. In my mind, that's like how
journalism is done. And even though no one in our
space really has a adversarial relationship with the automakers, to me, like the relationship should almost start adversarially, Like you should go into the thing thinking that, like you're there to try to find flaws, to try to really tell the consumer what they want to hear or what they need to hear. Now, the cars have become so good that
like it's almost silly to have this relate to like feel this way anymore. It's like I could show up
at the at the for the worst Car launch of the worst car and still it's really not so bad, And it's like hard to really be an adversary. Yeah,
although I was in Manhattan and I wrote and a bunch of them as taxis, and they're they're great, it's awful.
You're not wrong, not wrong, you're not wrong.
But anyway, I don't know I am surprised though, that now people are sort of nakedly just it used to be like, oh, people would accept airfare, and we've all kind of accepted that as part of it. I never
loved it, but I got a lot of these outlets couldn't afford to send people. But now it's like totally
normal for people to be taking money from the car companies that they're doing that.
That's that's nuts, what is happening. Oh and by the way, dude,
real magazines will do that now, you know, Like you get a car magazine, you're like, oh, GM actually paid for this issue, like right, yeah, And I.
Don't so, I mean, don't you feel, Hannah, don't you feel that's like the biggest change, like especially in the last few years specifically.
Yeah, I'll tell you what. My only problem with it
is this that often the reader or the consumer doesn't understand or register the difference between content that has been paid for and content that is not paid for. And
I paid for it, I mean an influencer who's accepted a trip or gets a kickback or whatever whatever to the reader or the receiver of the information, they rarely understand the difference or register the difference, and that's that's the problem.
The creators don't really disclose it as much as I think they probably should. The automakers must be loving it.
They're like, we can't say these. All they do is
put hashtag ad and the description that nobody even reads, and it's like, boom, this is great, but it's it's kind of a crazy thing for our business. Now again,
the cars are so good at this point that this isn't like the eighties and GM where you'd go to a press launch and they'd have seven cars and four journalists because they need backup cars, you know, like if a car breaks down. So like, I don't think it's
some crazy crime, but I also it's a little disillusion for some for me who still considers myself to be a journalist and who still respects in our industry, the remaining actual journalists, the few who like really do kind of come at it with that lens.
Well, yeah, you certainly have developed you know, your following, Like I say, who really respect that?
Because of that? Both of you, I would say, are
both of you have integrity? Is the way I see it.
And I think even though you're right that the many consumers maybe don't know the difference or can't tell on the surface. I think when you look deeper, like if
you're following, is because of that integrity that you have, which is I've.
Always felt that way. I've always felt that I probably
could have made more money throughout my YouTube career taking promos, even not from automakers but like Michelin or whatever. But
the moment you start really doing that, the moment the audience kind of starts to question whether you're objective. And
you know, my views vastly went beyond all the other car review channels. I think in part because the audience
never had to never had to ask that question about me, They like always kind of knew, and I think giving away some of that integrity for some short term cash probably would have long run been a bad idea.
Well, well, it keeps everything simpler if you just know across the board, I can't do anything even if I wanted to, I'm not allowed or whatever. Just keeps it
a lot simpler, keep your story straight.
Well, you've done incredibly well, Doug, and I love I still love consuming your content. I remember watching your first
quirks and features videos and now I love to look at your to look at cars and bids and shot for my nine ninety seven and also listen to your podcast.
So thank you so much for joining us.
Thank you, yeah, totally thank you for having me. I
appreciate it. Matt. You've been a staple in my existence
for since the days of Jelopnik and my and My Crazy uh my Mom's Basement TV show that you you graciously came on back when I was nobody. I appreciate it.
Was my honor at the time, and I'm so glad that you could have that you could join us today.
So appreciate it. And big ups, big ups to Felipo
for his sweet sweet purchase.
Come back and talk to us more.
All right, that was fantastic, very cool to talk to someone who's well a journalist, right. We don't really often
interview other journalists, no.
Unless they work for Bloomberg. I mean, but Doug certainly qualifies.
I think, like, like we said, you know, he's really earned his own respect, which is really cool.
Yeah. I mean, also, he was like literally a journalist
at at Chulopnik. I think he worked for some other
websites as well back in the day, and then like he said, he started that YouTube thing and it.
Just took off YouTube thing.
Yeah, the truth about cars. He worked there as well,
was that ray words thing too.
I can't be quoted on confirms there's a.
Whole crew of people as you as you said, but cool.
So Spinelli was on in that area to love Spinelle.
Actually, I would love to get him on.
We should. What are they doing these days? Do we know?
I don't know, but he was. There's a whole bunch
of journalists I would love to. I want to get
Brett Burke on. Get Brett on, would love to.
He'd be great. Actually I can text.
Him, Yeah, shout out. There's a bunch of guys from
from that era that like all went to the Drive, you know, or you know, worked for the Times, like real you know journalists that we should. Anyway, what have
you got going on? Because I talked about the I'm
in an electric car phase right now, right and I've only driven this Lucid Air like one time my commute Tork this morning, but record time, and it's kind of the base model. It's not the base base there's one
even lower. But I was really impressed with it, I
have to say, really really impressed with.
The with the driving performance, or with the driving.
Performance with the I'm beyond stuff, I can put it that way, Like the seats are really good, and like the operating system like the Kia, you know, it's like a great appliance, but this is much more of a luxury feel. And it reminds me a lot of these
like Moroccan palaces, where from the outside it's not notable.
Oh yeah, like you may don't even you don't even notice it, but then once you get inside the gates, you're like, wow, this is really good, really cool.
Yes, And what's the price point on that one that you do?
The one I'm driving is eighty grand.
To start as, okay, so less than one hundred.
Yeah, I mean, and I feel it's horrible to say, like that's not so much.
Well, the way these things are priced, though, they get expensive quick. That's kind of what I mean. They do
get expensive quick.
I mean the average new car praises we've been reporting a lot lately, is over fifty thousand. You can still
get really cool cars for less. I was in a
suberu Brz a couple of days ago, you know, which is like thirty five thirty eight, and it has a stick and it has a really great boxer motor. Reminded
me of an old BMW airhead and it like handles like a dream. So you can get cars for less.
But yeah, the eighty grand is this the touring level?
Then there's the Grand Touring for one hundred and twenty and like Doug said, I'm not sure if that's what people actually pay. But then there's the Sapphire that's like
two point fifty two hundred and fifty grand for an electric car.
That's that's what I'm geting. That's way too much money.
But what about the Rolls choice? Hannah? What do you?
What do you think about Rice? I know, but three
and a half Night File and Gale.
Okay, all right, you got to set up what this is. Okay,
case anyone hasn't heard about.
It, well you can read Hannah's story about it. And
I actually just interviewed on my TV show the CEO Chris brown Chris Brownridge, and they he was a little kg on the price, but it's about it's about three and a half to five million.
I have it on good authority. It's starting prizes between
three and a half and four million.
It looks amazing and by the way in your story.
I highly recommend people go to Bloomberg dot com to check out your story. What is it Bloomberg dot com,
slash pursuits, slash autos.
They could do that. They can just google Bloomberg dot com.
Rolls Royce Night.
Well, the first photo you have in your piece is this old. I think it's a seventeen EX right, yeah,
or the Ex even from the twenties. What a hot car.
Incredible shape, like a torpedo. I know, I kind of
want one of.
Those, so amazine.
Yeah, I can imagine the scarves and the hats.
I instantly went online to look. Yes, I would love
to take one to Goodwood, like to the Revival'd be so cool.
I'd love it. I mean, these things just but unbelieving.
I just can't imagine paying five million dollars and that's mid away with an electric car.
But that's mid for Rolls Royce. Let's not forget Rolls
Royce was making the boat twelve tail and the swept tail and the other one that I'm forgetting, the droptail, and those are like closer to twenty to thirty million.
So this project Night in Gale, which is Coach built, which means they're doing a limited amount of them. They're
going to do one hundred is actually like mid level compared to the more expensive ones, where they truly are one off. This is like, oh, maybe we'll make it
more accessible. We'll make a hundred of them, and it's
only three to four million. They it's kind of crazy.
They are I want. Like I said, I think I
may have talked about it last week, but I went down to their private office downtown with Jerry. He's there,
press guy, very cool. Yeah, we did talk about it. Yes,
they're investing like three hundred million dollars in Goodwood to do more coach built cars. The reason I say private
office that I went to his private office because they have a huge model of Goodwe on there on the on the walls, and I really want to go there.
I desperately want to go to Goodwood, not only to see their factory but to do the revival.
It really does feel like you're getting in touch with the birthplace and the soul of British auto making and really like high in auto making.
But the other the other thing is I asked Jerry and I asked Chris. I was like, if I'm paying
five million. Can I get real gauges because I don't
want screens. I don't want like a TFT, you know.
And then I've been thinking about it so much since then somebody posted on Twitter a little bit more of the interior of the new electric Ferrari. You know that, Johnny.
I've built it and it looks very nice, like what you would expect from Apple, you know. But I've decided
true luxury, like working a little bit further from your definition of it, has to be like genuine, like real materials, wood and leather. I think true luxury has to go
so far as not to involve any microchips, Like the ultimate luxury vehicle will have no microchips in it.
Wow, in my in my world, in your world? Yeah, okay,
I love this for you.
I wonder if you can actually get that anymore.
Well, definitely, that's ex that rolls right, Yes, that qualifies well or this is what I love about singer.
I some people like singers, love hate right, some people like singer. It's so stupid. Why would anyone pay like
three million dollars for you know, a reworks nine six four?
But I think because you just can't really get that anymore. Like,
Porscha cannot sell you that. There's no way Porsche can
produce and sell you a vehicle like that. It doesn't
have all the kind of traction control stuff. I think
it does actually have traction control and abs, but doesn't have anything beyond that right that they need to for today's regulations. So that's why they have screens. That's why
they don't have a handbreak. That's why they don't have
a manual transmission, because they have to homologate these things and it ends up costing so much it's not worth it.
So you can only get stuff like that from a singer.
You can only get stuff like that. I don't even
know how. Uh, what's the one in in in Modina?
Not CONEGZEG but the other PEGANI like, I don't even know how they end up selling cars into the US market.
It doesn't make financial sense that they would have to crash a car first, and you have to do that.
H Yeah, I'm like, am I going off on a rant here?
No? No, I'm just listening. I mean, yeah, I the
only other way to get it is to just buy something secondhand, But then again, it's not to your specification.
Right, That's why singer's cool because you can make it exactly to your specs.
You're right.
Do you ever go over there?
You know I have not, and I have not driven a singer. Point they are, you know, they are doing
some sort of track diet day out at Willow Spring soon that they were kind enough to invite me too.
But I think I'm gonna be in Miami with you, and I haven't driven one, so I can't. I can't.
I will say this singer has had obviously reliability, like craftsmanship, build quality issues. I mean I've physically seen them with
like the hoods taped down with blue tape on the road.
But don't you just drive back over there and say, like Rob fix this.
Yeah, I think that's probably been improved over the years.
But I really can't comment. I haven't driven one. I
haven't really spent any time around them.
That's crazy. You're like the ultimate luxury reporter and you
live in LA. They're in LA. You should go over
there and say like, let me let me drive one.
Let me let me in, let me in.
Yeah, and the same guys that own them, you know, own Willow Springs. Now kind of there's like a well,
there's a whole like holding.
Well, we had nas on the show and he was great, right, Yeah, he was really really great and informative. So yeah, they've
got a cocktail that people love for sure.
All Right, Uh, I guess we're gonna go. We're gonna
go now. Yeah, that's it.
We're gonna go.
That's it for this week.
That's it for this week. I will I will tease
that I did drive the dB twelve s yesterday. Wow,
that twenty twenty six Aston Martin dB twelve s. Now.
It's not a V it's not twelve cylinders, but it's a pretty good V eight Matt. I can't talk about
the drive, but I'll tease that for the future. I
it was fun.
That's by the way, this is for me. It's a
problem that it's called a problem because it's called a dbach.
I know, it's confusing and misleading.
And it only has eight cylinders. But the other one
that you drove, which like the Valhallage, Yes, I think I saw those in the FM my garage in New Jersey. Yeah,
because they were there like under there were there undercovers, and I talked to my buddy Eric Pierre's partner, and I was like dude, I want to drive one of those, and he was like, they're not press cars, you cannot, Oh, no way. And customer He's like, they just came in
from JFK. And I said, oh, that must have been
what Hannah was driving, and Bill back, oh maybe.
All right.
Well that does it for this week's show. Remember to
follow and subscribe to Hot Pursuit on Apple, Spotify and anywhere you listen. Send us your comments. We forgot to
do the mail bag. We should do the mail bag
next week. We kind of have to. Okay, we have
to because we have so much mail. Send us your comments.
Our email is hot Pursuit at Bloomberg dot net and we're going to go through all of them on next week's show.
Yeah, and you can check out my columns and stories on Bloomberg dot com and the Bloomberg Business App. You
can go there for car reviews, events and stories that you won't find anywhere else. Find it all at Bloomberg
dot com, slash Pursuits, slash autos. I'm Hannah Elliott and
I'm Matt Miller will be back in your podcast feed again next week
About this episode
Doug DeMuro talks origins, risks, and what makes cars (and car media) work. He explains how his Cars and Bids podcast crew formed, why structured news beats rambling, and how his career began with Porsche HQ internships and early writing/video stardom. The conversation gets personal with big purchases like a Ferrari 360 and his obsession with the Countach and Carrera GT—plus why he trusts modern tires/suspension to tame “danger” reputations. They also debate electric collectibility, auction-market dynamics, and influencer transparency.
Matt and Hannah finally interview Doug DeMuro, the man behind auction platform Cars and Bids and This Car Pod! Doug is famous for “all the quirks and features” on YouTube and has built arguably the greatest four-car-dream-garage of all time, with a Ford GT, Carrera GT, Lamborghini Countach and an Arena Red 993 Turbo!
