A concourse is a car show where cars are judged like art—based on how clean, polished, and well-presented they are. They’re talking about how their Miata did in that kind of event.
The Miata is a small two-seat car made for driving enjoyment. People often spend time cleaning and improving it because it’s a popular car to show or judge. It’s known for being light and easy to enjoy on twisty roads.
Paint correction is basically polishing the car’s paint to remove scratches and dull spots. It makes the paint look cleaner and shinier, especially when you’re showing the car.
Tire dressing is a coating put on the tires so they look darker and cleaner. People use it for car shows because it makes the tires stand out.
Car
Miata's
The Miata is a small Mazda roadster that’s famous for being fun to drive and easy to enjoy. They’re saying they’ll talk about Miatas later in the show.
Callaway is a company that modifies cars to make them faster and more performance-focused. Here, they’re connected to a Corvette project, so it’s not just a random brand name.
The Corvette is a sports car made by Chevrolet. It’s designed to be fast and exciting to drive. People talk about it a lot because it has a strong reputation for performance.
They’re talking about an extremely high top speed. The point is that at speeds like this, tires and grip become a major safety and engineering challenge.
Tire technology is about how tires are built and what they’re made of to grip the road and survive heat. The point here is that older tires weren’t as good at handling very high speeds.
The Camaro is a sports car from Chevrolet that’s built for performance. In the podcast, someone is working on one with a conversion, meaning they’re changing it for a particular setup. It’s a popular platform for customization.
A supercharger kit is an upgrade that adds a device to push extra air into the engine. More air usually means more power, but it has to be installed and tuned correctly.
The E-Ray is a Corvette that uses both a gas engine and an electric motor. That electric part helps with traction, and it’s a more modern kind of Corvette.
Concept
building my C7 Arrow Wagon
They’re talking about a custom project based on a C7 Corvette. “Arrow Wagon” sounds like a nickname for a heavily modified, one-of-a-kind build.
“GT” stands for “grand touring,” a car category focused on covering long distances at speed with comfort and refinement. The host’s “not very much GT” comment suggests the F-Type they drove leans more toward raw, sporty character than a classic long-distance cruiser.
A “killer exhaust” is an upgraded exhaust that makes the car sound louder and more exciting. People do it because the sound is a big part of the driving experience.
“Torquey” means the car feels strong when you get on the gas, especially at lower speeds. It tends to pull hard without needing high engine revs.
Term
single clutch auto
A “single clutch auto” is an automatic that uses one clutch to connect the engine to the drivetrain. It can shift fast when accelerating, but downshifts may feel slower or less smooth than other automatics.
A “GT car” is a performance car meant for long drives. It’s built to feel fast and capable, but also comfortable enough to enjoy on the road for hours.
Horsepower is a number that describes how strong the engine is. Higher horsepower usually helps the car accelerate harder, especially at higher speeds.
A “manual car” is one where you shift gears yourself using a clutch pedal and a gear stick. It gives the driver more control over how the car accelerates.
The Jaguar XK-E is a classic Jaguar sports car from the 1960s. It’s remembered for being good-looking and iconic, and the host is comparing the newer Jaguar’s looks to that classic.
The BMW 3 Series is a mid-size sedan that’s meant to be comfortable but still fun to drive. The podcast mentions an E46 330xi, which is a specific version with all-wheel drive. People often consider it when they want a sporty daily car.
An automatic transmission is the kind of gearbox that changes gears by itself. You don’t have to use a clutch or shift manually, which can make daily driving easier.
The Jeep Wrangler is a tough SUV that’s built for off-road driving. It’s also popular for its open-air style (doors and roof can come off), and the host liked it enough to drive it too.
Term
M edition
“M edition” is a trim/edition label used to indicate a more enthusiast-oriented specification, typically with styling and equipment changes. In BMW contexts, “M” usually points to the performance division, but here it’s specifically attached to the Miata the host describes, so it likely refers to a special package rather than a factory BMW M car.
“Neue Klasse” is BMW’s name for its next big generation of cars and technology. Here, it’s being used to explain the new look and direction BMW is taking with the M3 and 3 Series.
“Neue Klasse” is BMW’s name for its next generation of electric cars. The podcast connects it to an electric M3 and future choices. It’s basically BMW talking about what’s coming next for EVs.
Le Mans is a world-famous race in France, known for long endurance racing. The host is saying BMW unveiled the car there, because it’s a big stage for car news.
ICE means internal combustion engine, basically the traditional gas engine. The car needs things like cooling and exhaust, which an electric car may handle differently.
A quad motor setup means the electric car has four electric motors. More motors can help the car control power to each wheel more precisely for better grip and response.
800 volt architecture means the EV uses a high-voltage electrical system. Higher voltage can make charging faster and power delivery more efficient compared with lower-voltage EVs.
WLTP is a standardized test used in Europe to estimate how far an EV can go. It often predicts a longer range than the U.S. test, so real-world range can be lower.
EPA range is the U.S. test estimate of how far an EV can drive on a charge. It usually comes out lower than some other testing methods, so it can feel more realistic.
Term
SoCal
SoCal means Southern California. The host is basically saying the EV’s range should work well for how they drive in that area.
BMW is calling its main computer system the “heart of joy control system.” The point is that it helps the car manage power and braking in a coordinated way. That can make the car feel more responsive and accurate, especially when it’s controlling each wheel.
A “central computing system” is the car’s main computer. It’s responsible for coordinating different systems so they work together. Here, it’s described as helping manage both driving power and braking.
“Wheel by wheel basis” means the car can control each wheel separately. That helps it keep traction and stability better than controlling everything the same way. It’s especially useful when you’re turning or accelerating hard.
The BMW E30 M3 is a famous older BMW performance car from the E30 generation. In this discussion, it’s mainly being used as a style reference—especially the wheel design—while talking about a newer BMW electric M3. It’s a way to connect the new car’s look to BMW’s classic identity.
A “mesh style of wheel” means the wheel has a web-like pattern, usually made from many thin spokes. It’s mostly a look/design detail, but it can also change how the wheel sits visually behind the brakes. Here it’s mentioned because BMW is carrying a classic wheel style forward.
It’s a sports car that runs on electricity rather than gasoline. The main things people care about are how it drives and how far it can go before recharging.
Range is how far the electric car can go before it needs charging. “250 miles” is the rough distance you’d expect from a full battery.
Car
Ariel Adam
The Ariel Adam is a small, lightweight sports car built to feel very fast and agile. The host talks about different versions of it and how it stacks up against other enthusiast cars.
“K20” is an engine family name Honda uses for a 2.0-liter motor. The host is saying this Ariel uses the same kind of engine Honda uses in the Civic Type R, and that it can rev very high.
The Civic is a compact car made by Honda. The podcast is talking about the high-revving Civic Type R kind of setup, which is the performance version. It’s mentioned because it can be both practical and exciting to drive.
Term
revvs to 9000 RPM
RPM tells you how fast the engine is spinning. If it can rev to around 9,000 RPM, it’s tuned to run at very high speeds for a sportier, more “alive” feel.
Bramo is the company the host says used to help build an earlier version of the Ariel Adam. It matters because it’s part of where and how the car was produced.
SpaceX is the company the host mentions because one of the buyers worked there. It’s not about the car’s engineering—more about who’s buying at this price point.
The Civic Type R is Honda’s performance version of the Civic. Here, they’re comparing how it sounds versus another turbo four-cylinder. It’s basically a “which one sounds better” comparison while talking about speed.
A turbocharged engine uses a device (a turbo) that pushes extra air into the engine. More air usually means more power. In this conversation, they’re also talking about how turbo engines can sound different.
A blow-off valve is part of a turbo system that releases extra pressure when you lift off the gas. It’s what creates the famous “whoosh/pssh” turbo sound. The host doesn’t like how that sound lines up with the engine behavior.
The 991-generation Porsche 911 GT3 is one of Porsche’s most track-oriented 911s. Here, it’s the yardstick for how fast something else is around a track. The idea is that the GT3 may be quicker because it can carry more speed at the top end.
The Porsche 718 GT4 is a Porsche track car based on the 718 Cayman/Boxster platform. Here it’s used as a comparison point for lap speed. The host is basically saying the other car is fast, but the GT cars can have an advantage depending on top speed.
“Drag limited” means the car can’t go faster because air resistance gets too strong at higher speeds. Even if the engine still has power, the air “pushes back” harder and harder. So the car tops out on speed before it runs out of grip.
Understeer is when the car doesn’t “turn in” as much as you want. The front tires lose traction first, so the car tends to slide wide toward the outside of the turn.
Oversteer is when the back of the car loses traction and swings outward. It can feel exciting when controlled, but it can also be dangerous if it happens unexpectedly.
In some race-style suspensions, a pushrod and a bell crank help move suspension forces from the wheel to the shock in a more controlled way. It’s a tuning-focused hardware piece that can improve how the car handles.
Suspension geometry is how the suspension parts are positioned and angled. It affects how the tires stay aligned with the road when you turn or hit bumps.
It means paying extra so you can get the car sooner instead of waiting your turn. When lots of people want the same model, that “premium” can be the price of getting it quickly.
Carbon fiber is a strong, light material used in cars. When people say they’d get fenders in carbon fiber, they mean the trim would look sporty and be lighter than some other finishes.
A track day is when regular cars go to a race track for driving practice. It’s usually more about having fun and improving your driving than racing for points.
The S65 V8 is the engine BMW put in the M3 in this era. It’s a V8 (eight-cylinder) that revs freely, and it’s different from the turbo engines used in many other 3 Series models.
Naturally aspirated means the engine doesn’t use a turbo or supercharger. It relies on normal airflow into the engine, and here the host is saying one 330i year used that kind of engine before switching to turbo power.
The N54 twin-turbo is BMW’s engine that uses two turbochargers to make more power. The host is pointing out that even though the car body looked the same, the engine changed from naturally aspirated to turbo.
Bring a Trailer is a website where car enthusiasts buy and sell cars through online auctions. The host is using it to talk about what these BMWs actually sell for.
The BMW 325i is a less powerful version of the 3 Series compared with the top models. The host mentions it to show where the “big boy” versions fit in the lineup.
This is a BMW 3 Series “330i,” which is a common everyday BMW. The speaker is talking about it as the car they’re thinking of upgrading from.
Car
M340i
The M340i is a sportier BMW 3 Series. In this conversation it’s being compared to used cars, and the host notes you can’t get it with a manual transmission.
A manual transmission is the kind of car where you shift gears yourself using a clutch pedal. The host is pointing out that the M340i doesn’t come with that option.
Maintenance is the regular upkeep and repairs a car needs as it gets older. The speaker is warning that an older German car can cost a few thousand dollars per year to keep running well.
Downtime just means how long your car is unavailable. If your car is in the shop waiting for parts, that’s the downtime, and the host is saying you should think about how much that inconvenience costs you.
A lease is like renting a car for a few years with set payments. The idea here is that leasing can help you avoid big repair surprises because the car is usually covered by warranty while you’re using it.
“New Class” is BMW’s way of talking about its next generation of cars, especially electric ones. The podcast connects it to what people might choose next. It’s essentially about BMW’s future EV plans.
Unsprung weight is the weight of parts like the wheels and tires that the suspension has to “control” over bumps. If it’s lower, the car can handle rough roads better and stay more planted.
Wheel weight matters because the wheels have to spin and also move with the suspension. Lighter wheels can make the car feel quicker to respond and better over bumps.
Concept
form and function
They mean design that looks good and also works well. Here, the wheel design is being discussed as both style and something that can change how the car drives.
These are wheels that look like little angled blades, kind of like a turbine. The discussion is basically about which wheel shape looks better on the BMW.
The BMW E34 is an older BMW 5 Series from the late 1980s/early 1990s. Here it’s mentioned as the car that the speaker is thinking about when talking about classic wheel styles.
This is talking about a Porsche 911 Turbo from the 991.1 generation. The speaker is pointing out a specific wheel design (a double 10-spoke look) and comparing it to other Porsche wheel styles they like more.
This describes a wheel design with lots of spokes—specifically a pattern that looks like two groups of ten. It’s mentioned because the speaker thinks the shape looks good (or not) on certain cars.
LIVE
Hey, welcome back to Full Throttle Talk, Shanu, how you doing?
Blair, how are you, brother?
I'm good.
We've got a really eclectic set of topics today.
We're going to be a little bit all over the place and I'm really excited for that, given
my proclivities and tastes.
So, before we dive in, if you have any updates from Puerto Rico, let's hear it and we'll get
after it.
Well, I did get one from Tim, so here we go.
Concourse update from Puerto Rico.
I've spent the last three weeks preparing the Miata for judging.
Paint correction, detailing, tire dressing, the whole process.
The presentation was exceptional.
Unfortunately, best of show went to Ricky Martin's beachfront property.
In hindsight, I may have misunderstood the event.
See you next time, Tim Harris.
Welcome to Full Throttle Talk, the podcast where horse power meets conversation from
supercars to classic legends, high revving tech to motorsport mayhem.
We covered all straight from the driver's seat, whether you're a gearhead or racer or
just love the thrill of the open road, you're in the right place.
Buckle up, hit the gas and let's go full throttle into today's episode.
That's awesome.
He's he's bringing the Miata to a real estate showcase.
The answer is always Miata, right?
Didn't we come up with that?
Well, it is one of my favorite things about our friend Tim Harris, who started
Full Throttle Talk, is he loves Ferraris, he loves expensive real estate, and he loves
Miata's and we're going to get into Miata's in a little bit as well.
So without further ado, Shenu, what did you do in cars this week?
How's it been down there?
So lots of just normal, normal stuff.
You know, we hosted a tech seminar with Callaway cars last Saturday.
That was that was a lot of fun.
You know, Pete Callaway, who's the son of the founder, was there to talk about the company.
You know, it's it's amazing when I think about the their Corvette sledgehammer
they created back in the in the late 80s.
This car did 255 miles an hour, you know, at that time.
And it took it took until 2010 for Bugatti to beat that record.
It's crazy.
Pete was kind of, you know, talking about how, you know, tire technology,
honestly, wasn't up to snuff in those days.
So you can imagine, you know, they're out there hauling ass in this car,
hoping, hoping that the tire is not going to explode.
So that's crazy.
What's the reception been like from your customers, your community down there
as it relates to the new Callaway partnership Corvette?
How's that being received?
Yeah, good.
You know, we've actually had a couple of my Lotus clients who have
Corvettes as well that reached out to to ask, you know, about service.
And so, yeah, overall, good.
You know, we're we're we're still a predominantly a Lotus shop
and, you know, sports car shop.
But, you know, the the we anticipate, you know, we got a Camaro in there
right now that Justin's converting with a Callaway supercharger kit.
So, you know, we've had a steady flow between the e-ray to a C8 to a C7.
Now we got a Camaro.
So yeah, just some steady flow of work.
But it's only a matter of time before you start building my C7 Arrow Wagon.
You know, there you go.
There you go.
Yes.
Yes, I've got that poster.
I've got that poster.
So you sent me one, too.
And it's awesome.
And I did indeed.
I did planting a seed, right?
So it was a success.
Yeah, yeah, good.
It was really good.
And, you know, you had a C11 out there, which is this wild car and and, you know,
the arrow that they built into the car, knowing that they're really building
cars for high speed, you know, and they've kind of worked with the same
designers since the 80s.
And so it's kind of interesting to see their approach there.
But yeah, we you've got some fun stuff coming up, too.
We do this weekend, this weekend.
So I'm actually headed out to Michigan.
And we've been organizing a road rally event with Lotus of Detroit,
are also known as Auto Europe.
And so we've got about 30 guys.
We're driving down to Fun Part of Ohio to to have fun with cars.
And we're going to bring a V6 manual E-Mira and an E-Mira turbo, both.
And so I'll have some fun driving these two cars this weekend.
So when we come back, you know, I'll get a chance to to report back my findings there.
You know, I did the same thing last year, last spring.
And so this will be fun.
And a year later to drive both cars again back to back.
So I'm looking forward to to that this weekend.
That sounds like a seriously fun trip.
Yeah, it is, man.
You know, I grew up in Detroit, right?
There's not a turn to save your life.
And owning these fun cars is just like, oh, man, it's almost pointless
in the Detroit area unless you go to the racetrack, you know?
And so what the truth is, just literally four hours south,
there's these just incredible roads, absolutely incredible roads in Marietta, Ohio.
There's Hawking Hills area.
And so, you know, it's it's not really a far journey to go find really good roads.
And so, yeah, I've been down there now several times,
and I can't speak highly enough about that part of the country.
It's wonderful.
Very cool.
Well, yeah, a part of the country I have very little experience with.
But yeah, I'll be excited to get the report.
Hopefully I have lots of great pictures you can share with us.
I'm I'm extremely jealous about that trip.
Totally. So what did you?
Would you look like you've got an interesting car in your backdrop?
What have you been up to?
Yeah, well, I got a buddy who's got a Jaguar F-Type.
He's got a 996
And he he texts me and he said he's been wanting to drive the Mitsubishi Bravo.
Who doesn't?
Exactly. I want to drive it.
I can't wait to drive it.
Yeah, you're going to.
I'm going to make you drive it.
And 100 percent.
And he said, hey, you around.
So I said, yeah, unfortunately for me, he brought his F-Type.
Nice. So then after we drove the Bravo,
I said, hey, I need to go in this F-Type,
which I had already had one a little while ago.
But then it was funny because I had too many cars in the driveway.
So I said, pull that F-Type into my garage at an empty garage bay.
And I was hoping we'd be out in the Bravo
because my wife was gone like when she got home.
So she would see this F-Type in the in the garage and think
the hell did he buy now?
You know, like, and that is being married to me.
She would never think, oh, he borrowed somebody's car.
It's like, what now?
But she came in right as we were in the garage,
just sitting around looking at this F-Type.
And of course, my wife gets out and she's like,
I like that car.
Like, why don't you buy one of these?
You know, instead of a hardcore race, like racy Lotus Elise,
she wish I would drive an F-Type.
And she said, she said, this is a car I would drive.
And so we went out for a drive.
Let me tell you, it is a really underrated car in many respects.
Now, this is not it's very much GT.
It reminded me.
It reminds me a lot of my Audi R8.
Once you put a killer exhaust on the R8,
because from the factory, these F-Types scream.
And I mean scream.
They are so loud.
It's awesome.
And, you know, and then you drive it and it's like so torquey,
like very fast.
The upshifts in the single clutch auto actually really quick.
Downshifts are pretty slow.
OK. But it's a great GT car.
One that you feel like, yeah, I could hustle this if I want to,
but I'm not like dying to seek out twisty roads. Right.
And the funny thing about this guy, I don't, you know,
he told me that he went to consider a Lotus Amira
and he asked him what they would give him on trade for this car.
Shenu, he paid 35 or something a few years ago.
This car is 50,000 miles on it.
Sure. 12 grand, Shenu, is what they offer.
What? Oh, my God.
12 grand.
The 500 horsepower similar torque value.
The car looks spectacular.
And you would believe it if somebody said that's a 2026.
Yeah. Even the interior, it's like really well designed.
I said, well, good news, man, I'll give you 13 like right now.
And I'll get you a little closer to that Amira.
But the car was awesome.
He obviously kind of laughed at that as he should have.
And I said, dude, this car's worth the high 20s, low 30s.
I would just keep this.
And when you're ready for another manual car,
go trade that 996 for something because this is just a great cruiser.
You know, I think it's one of the best looking Jaguars
in a very, very, very, very long time.
The styling, I think, is spot on.
The coupe looks wonderful.
You know, my buddy who's working at a horse powertrain, he's got one.
Oh, really?
Yeah. He came down to our Hawking Hills event last year.
I think this year he's he's he's somewhere in Europe right now.
So won't be able to join us.
But yeah, I love that shape.
I think that car looks wonderful.
I think they did such a great job with it.
You know, I'm disappointed in the sales of the car.
It just didn't take off.
And it certainly didn't turn that company around.
And so they've continued to struggle, I think.
And, you know, there is a car that I think is quintessential Jaguar, you know,
and somehow it didn't, you know, set the sales records, you know,
that I think they had hope for.
And it's a bummer because I think it is arguably one of the best looking
Jaguars, you know, since the XK E, you know, in my view.
But yeah, well, yeah, good deals.
Yeah, it was nice to drive.
And I would be lying if I didn't if I said I didn't go,
you know, run a run a query, run a search to see what Jaguar F type
roadsters are for sale for and with my wife in mind.
But, you know, I don't have any imminent plans.
But what I do have plans potentially to do, and this is the other thing
I did in cars was I literally trade.
I almost traded one car for three cars yesterday.
And so I explained that.
Explain that one car for three.
Well, I would have to put cash on top, too.
But and this is going to be a theme of today's podcast for me is I've got the itch.
I said in last week's show to update my daily driver, but I've got the itch
to do something she knew that I've always wanted to do.
And I haven't, which is look backwards and see as a commuting guy.
I put a lot of miles on a car every month if I can buy an older car.
I'm just I'm not that excited, especially when you see what these new cars cost.
Buy the new car offering right now for if you want practical, but interesting
to drive, and it's just it's not doing it for me.
And I don't want to spend an arm and a leg, so I'd rather spend that on my toys.
So I went to look at an E46 yesterday.
We're talking 330 XI.
It's a 2004 automatic transmission.
I'm like, I'm just going to go see what this car is about.
I've owned a bunch of M3s, never driven a standard E46.
So and as I'm pulling in to this, this small little independent dealer,
I see a Jeep Wrangler there.
Well, I'm concurrently shopping for my soon to be 16 year old daughter.
And I'm like, that's a sweet Jeep.
And so anyways, I go drive the E46.
I really liked it.
And then they're like, well, you got to drive this Jeep.
I drove that. I really liked it.
And then the guy started to ask me about my car background.
I'm like, well, I've got a Lotus and whatever else.
And they're like, man, this guy's a car guy.
Have you ever thought about buying a Miata like, oh, I've owned Miata's
and I freaking love a Miata's.
And so this guy was a father son that run this business.
He's like, well, I have the most unique Miata, maybe of all time.
And you have to see this car.
So anyways, we go to the father and son to their house,
which was like three miles from their shop.
And they've got a really cherry and a Miata.
It's in Merlot.
It's the M edition.
And anyways, it suffices to say that I wanted all three cars then and there.
I took a breather, a step back and like, I got to get my daughter up here to see the Jeep.
I'm like, but I would love to be able to do a, hey, you take my three series
and I take the E46 and I'm going to see if I can daily.
The car is 85,000 miles on it.
I'm going to see get my daughter in the Jeep.
And then I really, really, really want that and a Miata.
So we'll see what happens.
But yeah, it was, you know, you dangle a really clean and a Miata in front of me.
And it's it's I get weak.
So we'll see.
We'll see where that goes.
But, you know, it's always fun, good, good, good adventures in the car scene for me.
Automotive news, you knew you had a picture up behind you, which I did.
I did. Yeah.
Of the BMW, the new M3 Neue Classe, electric picture back up there.
You had pictures of this thing last episode.
We didn't have time to talk about it.
So we did want to chat about this thing.
And it's going to be the the topic of our this or that this week.
So we'll get to that in a little bit here.
Yeah, you know, it's it's pretty exciting.
I feel like the styling of this car.
Finally, you know, the BMW is getting to and I think I've said this
on a previous part, too, that I like this new, the Neue Classe styling
on these three series cars.
And I feel like what they've done with this M3, which they, you know,
basically unveiled at Le Mans, I believe, right?
It's I like it.
I think it looks great.
You know, it's it's this.
And they also confirmed that they're going to do an EV, but they're
also going to do a gap and an ice version of the M3.
So that's that's great, which is really smart.
I think just just off the both.
Yeah, 100 percent.
I think it's smart.
You know, I think they've all kind of started to realize they've got to
to get to keep ice moving along.
Right. And so.
But Shenu, let me ask you because you have more experience with this.
They're not going to be able to make the gas version look like this, though.
Right. Is it going to have a totally different design language
or you think it can be similar?
I think it's going to be similar, man.
I think it's there's going to be some similarities.
I would be surprised if it had a complete, you know, if there's a complete
departure, you know, obviously, you've got to have provisions for for intakes
for radiators and and, you know, exhaust tips, you know, and and and things
that the ice vehicle is going to, you know, absolutely need that a battery
powered vehicle may not necessarily need.
Right. This thing is, you know, it's it's it's
got this quad motor setup, it's got the 800 volt architecture, you know,
the battery is supposed to be over a hundred kilowatt hour battery.
And so, you know, it's it's fast.
And then actually, the thing that that I'm particularly interested is that
is they're they're suggesting it's going to have a pretty long range.
500 and sixty mile range on that WLTP, you know, a test protocol,
which is a European, which is far more generous or optimistic
versus the the U.S.
Is that for the M three or just the standard I three for the for the the
EVM three, right? And well, but I think, you know, an estimated EPA range
is probably somewhere closer to 350 to 400 mile range, which for me is perfect.
I mean, that's actually more than what I have with my current Tesla long range.
And frankly, it'll work perfect for for my needs here in SoCal.
So yeah, I'm on the lid.
You know, I'm definitely interested, you know, in this new M three EV,
you know, because it's got the range I'm looking for.
I like the styling of it.
I feel like they've done some some things here with that car
that absolutely catch it catches my attention.
But yeah, I was pretty impressed with that, you know, so I had to, you know,
say, all right, well, we've got to got to take a peek at this thing
and understand what they're up to.
What do you think? I mean, what's your thoughts?
I happen to think it looks good as well.
It's quirky. It's kind of like what we talked about with the new Velaryo
or whatever the Audi kind of super car. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. I'm OK with pushing the envelope a little bit.
You know, I feel like this is another example where they're pushing it.
It definitely looks different.
Might be off putting to some, but I think they did a nice job with it.
And I'm like, super curious about that.
What I'm more curious about those, they say this thing's going to have
what they're calling their new heart of joy control system,
which is the central computing system,
how it integrates drivetrain and braking functions to control the car
on a wheel by wheel basis, essentially saying they're going to make the EV
more than just fast, but it'll also be more engaging and precise.
We'll see if they can make an EV more engaging.
I think somebody who can really master that is is going to be on to something.
So, yeah, we'll see. I think it's cool.
Yeah, we'll see. We'll see how this one shakes out.
You know, they released a lot of pictures of it along with an E30 M3,
you know, in the same color and you could see some things there, some similarities.
You know, the the E30 had the classic mesh, you know, wheels on it
that they've now moved forward on this new noise class.
If you look at it, it's also a mesh style of wheel.
We'll talk a bit more about wheels later, right?
In this pod, but we're going to talk about wheels.
And we're also going to foreshadow this, this or that with the BMW on BMW.
But yeah, absolutely.
Listen, I think the, you know, I'm not crazy about the rear end of the car,
but it's OK. I can live with it.
You know, it's not as bad as the Bengal, but, you know,
I've been getting, you know, hearing some some latest podcasts
and guys, you know, talking about how Bangles, you know, designs have aged well.
And I still think they've aged horribly, you know.
And and yeah, I like a good Bangle five series.
I'm I'm not going to lie, but the seven series is bad.
But yeah, we can get into that another time.
Yeah, I don't hate the some of their cars.
We should definitely talk about the Bengal era of design.
So but anyways, what else is some other cool things?
You know, Caterham has been, you know, releasing some information
about their new project V.
That's their little electric sports car that they're they're testing,
you know, showing some of the prototypes out there.
That's it looks pretty good.
You know, it's a pretty fairly conventional looking design.
Kind of very curvaceous. Looks good.
You know, the the car doesn't appear to be overly heavy, like maybe 3100 pounds.
You know, I'm going to suspect the range is probably going to be
up maybe 250 mile range, maybe.
So so that was kind of interesting to see see that.
And certainly on the heels of of of a good conversation
I've had with Caterham UK.
So we'll we'll, you know, I'll get into that a little more
into some more detail in some future episode.
But, you know, the other thing that was so exciting for me this week
was Lewis Hamilton, you know, winning his first F1 race for Ferrari in Barcelona.
I'm a Lewis fan.
I had actually kind of given up hope on his ability to get an eighth
championship with the trials and tribulations over at Ferrari.
You know, I kind of felt he kind of went out there to be, you know,
put out the pasture and just end his career on a high note
with with the most beloved brand.
But it was exciting to see him take a win.
And so, you know, I don't know if you had a chance.
Did you get a chance to see any of that?
Yes. And it's funny.
I was going to say, I feel like you're either a Lewis Hamilton fan
or a Max Verstappen fan.
And I follow more on the latter camp, you know, Max Verstappen
is is who he's the class of the field right now.
He's the best driver.
There's no question. But yeah, I mean, it just it's fascinating.
You see what Lewis Hamilton's been able to do.
But am I the only one who gets a little bit, you know, we talked about Formula
One and, you know, kind of the some of the perils they've had with that this year
as they're going back to, you know, more of a V eight, you know,
less, less hybrid setup or none at all.
And I don't know.
I'm finding myself like given everything Max Verstappen has said
about the cars and the racing this year,
I'm just feeling less compelled by the result of like, you know,
how much of that is just, you know, the technology, the setup rather than,
you know, the drive, which I know is always part of the deal,
but it just seems like this year it's been such a different vibe.
And I don't know if an asterisk should be placed on some of this year's results.
It feels that way in my mind a little bit, not with Lewis Hamilton,
just generally speaking of like, yeah, I mean, there's so many gimmicks
to what they're doing this year.
It's funky.
Yeah. I mean, I think, look, that's a part of what their their brief is in Formula
One, right? They're supposed to be pushing technology.
And like we kind of mentioned before, you know, these manufacturers are being
challenged with new ideas, you know, that are frankly also environmentally,
you know, conscientious, right, trying to come up with things that may be
a little bit more efficient.
And maybe some of that's taken some of the raw emotion out of it.
And so I'm with you on one hand, you know, like, look, I was getting sick
and tired of watching Versapin win everything, you know, that's true.
Yeah. You know, and I still I'm in the camp of that, that they stole the,
you know, Lewis's eighth championship, you know, so.
Even though I'm more of a Max Versapin guy, I kind of agree.
That that was a heist a little bit.
That was lame, you know.
And so, look, I think Max has the chance to to to beat Lewis's record.
It's going to be tough because Kimmy, you know, Antonelli is is showing,
you know, a lot of promise.
And he's clearly at, you know, at a team that's quite strong.
And so I think that he's the one to watch for them for the long haul.
But I think Max has still got a few more championships, you know, in him.
And it'll be interesting to see how how F1 continues to evolve
in the coming years.
Well, speaking of race cars, we're going to introduce a new segment
in some of these podcasts that, you know, I I'm a big follower of
bringing a trailer, cars and bids, the auction sites.
Maybe we've determined a little bit more than you are.
So I am going to pick a couple of cars maybe each week.
We'll see. OK.
And I just found interesting, you know, and and what your take on.
And we could talk a little bit about maybe it's market trends.
Maybe it's incredible value or the opposite.
Like, can you believe how much this or that costs and where that is going?
So one that jumped out to me, because mostly I wanted to talk
about this with you, is just just a couple of days ago, this 2025
that I have pictured behind me, Ariel Adam for just traded for
a basically brand new 129 miles on it, traded for 100 and 32000 dollars.
That's before the fees to bring a trailer now charges 7500 bucks.
So you're 100 and forty grand for this Adam for.
Number one, my question is, what what does it what do we need to know
about the Ariel Adam for?
And when you, despite some of the things that I've said about
GT fours and boxer spiders and whatever else, nine and one dot one GT
threes Corvette, zero sixes, Lotus Elise, 111 RSS.
Like at 100 and forty grand, you've got a lot of competition here.
So what do we need to know about the Adam for?
And what do you think about 100 and forty grand for this car
as it relates to what else is out there?
Well, you know, my first Ariel Adam showed up, you know, in my garage in 2007.
It was an Adam two, right?
I had an Adam three, the 300 horsepower supercharged K twenty, you know,
a, which is the real civic type R motor that revs to 9000 RPM.
You know, I had a spec race, Adam, you know, we became an Adam dealer in 2010.
So I know quite a bit, you know, I've been to the Adam factory in England.
I've obviously been to, to the factory, actually for the Adam two,
which used to be built up in Ashland, Oregon by a company called Bramo.
I remember I test drove the car up there and my heart was in my throat the entire drive.
You know, so that was then and there.
I knew I was going to get an Adam at some point.
But anyways, you know, the guys in Virginia, TMI, who are building them today
and they have been since 2010, you know, we just delivered
a couple of Adam fours last year after a four plus year wait for both those clients.
Actually, we sold one of those to a to a client who was a very early employee
and high ranking person at SpaceX.
So I think he could probably buy the company now, you know, after their recent IPO.
Yeah. So listen, this Adam four is certainly the best handling
version that has been, you know, introduced.
It's the most thoroughly developed, you know, version of the car.
It's a turbocharged engine.
You know, I don't think it sounds as quite as good as this from the Civic Type R.
The current one. It is. OK. Yeah.
So lots of power. It's great motor.
Yeah. Great motor.
Listen, I'm not much on these turbo motor four cylinder turbos
from a sound perspective, you know, particularly these blow off valve sounds
and things that just don't quite synchronize with the engine speed in my head.
But yeah, you know, the the Adam is one of these very, very special cars
that I think people should own in driving enthusiasts should own.
They're not easy cars to drive fast.
OK, they require a fair amount of focus and skill, good reaction time.
So, you know, look, that the that price that that car pulled at auction, that's
yeah, I mean, look, if you were to order a car right now, it's probably a minimum
two to three years before you get it, you know,
how fast is one of these cars around a track relative to a
991 GT three or a 718 GT four?
Yeah, it's fast.
I mean, I think a GT three is going to be faster
just because it outright has more top end speed.
You know, the problem with these open wheel cars
like an Adam is that they're drag limited. OK, you get to about 130 miles
an hour and you're going to start hitting, you know, an arrow wall.
That just will prevent you from going much faster than that.
So depending on the course that you're on, right, if you're on a track
that's really fast with big, big straights and sweepers,
you know, the the more powerful, more aerodynamic, you know,
slippery cars like a GT three is going to win win the day, you know.
But if you're on a tight circuit that doesn't really have much fast sections,
the Adam is is a little go kart and it will just go from corner to corner
so quickly, you know, it accelerates like a bat out of hell.
It's it's yeah, it's it's it's a seriously fun car.
You know, like I think in one of the previous pods,
we talked about how they understeer going into the corner and the oversteer exiting,
you know, it's it's that weight distribution that's very old 9-11 like.
Yeah. And, you know, but I think they've they finally got the pushrod bell crank.
Suspension geometry better sorted than it was in the previous generations.
So, yeah, I mean, that's that's what that car is going to you're paying
a bit more for it just because you're you're jumping the line effectively
because do you know what the cost of one of these is?
I didn't see in the in the trailer listing didn't have a sticker.
Is this around MSRP?
One it is. I mean, there's I think they're getting probably maybe a ten
thousand dollar premium, you know, that car, you know, they got a bunch of extra
paint work like on the on the fenders and in the tub.
And, you know, there's there's one of that one of the design,
you know, in color schemes of Adams is is juxtapositioning the colors
with the black sections, right?
That's kind of that whole typical aerial Adam look.
Some of these guys have gone to these monochromatic, you know, looks.
I'm not a big fan of them, you know, in certain colors, like, for example,
the one that's in your picture, the the the fenders are in body color.
To me, the fenders are not a good looking design element of that car.
I prefer them in black, you know, so I would generally get them like in carbon
fiber, which I think then it just disappears and it just looks like the tire.
I see no point in bringing attention to a design feature that, frankly,
it isn't that attractive, you know, so.
But that's that's that's, you know, to each his own.
But yeah, yeah, I think that what it sold for, that's probably just maybe
ten grand over more than what it would have cost new.
Yeah, well, speed costs a lot of money.
And I imagine, given my experience with the 111 RS, Elise,
I was really quick in my track day with that.
And I'll have it back on track soon, actually.
And to some extent, you got to pay to go quickly.
But there is a lot of competition in that segment, although
price wise, there is.
But like, you know, this is not a competitor to a GT for
just because I think you choose GT for if you want more usability and comfort.
Right. The other car.
So this goes back to kind of my thought, my very first BMW, the car
I just put up behind me is that it's an interesting car, actually.
And most people would look at this and say, hey, it's just a just a BMW three series.
So this is an E 90.
It's a 2000 and 8006
They made E forty sixes, but then they also made E nineties.
And E nineties mostly went turbocharged other than the M three,
which had the S 65 V eight in it. Right.
But one year only, the 330 I had a naturally aspirated
motor that made 200 and fifty horse and then oh, seven,
even though it was the same body style, they went to the N 54 twin turbo.
So very first E four or BMW I ever owned personally
was one of these with the sport pack on it.
And this just traded on bring a trailer because I am in this mode of like,
can I buy an old kind of thing in BMW and make it my commuter car
successfully without bankrupting myself?
That's kind of what I want to find out.
This car just traded for 9700 bucks.
So you're paying 500 dollars or whatever for the fee.
So you're just over ten grand, had about a 100000 miles on it.
The equivalent car.
So this they had the 325 or 28 and oh, six.
Then so this was the big boy, obviously under the M three,
which wasn't out yet for ninety.
So it's the equivalent of today's M 340 I,
which those cars should do costs around 70000 dollars
to get a BMW M 340 I with a B 58 engine in it.
Right. So I'm looking at, OK, I want to update my my 330 I 2021
I could go M 340 I for seventy grand or buy one used for like,
call it fifty with a little bit of warranty left.
Or I can buy something like this with a 100000 miles on it.
Yes, it's not nothing, but if it's been taken care of, well, for 10000 dollars.
This is a manual transmission, which you can't get in the M 340 I.
So am I crazy when I keep seeing these old BMWs
by enthusiasm, Susie, his own that have been maintained,
thinking I have got to buy one of these cars and spend.
I only spend a year and a half, two years in my daily drivers, and then I move off them.
Like, am I nuts for thinking this is unbelievable value
if it's been maintained properly relative to what the new equivalent costs,
which I just think is absurd, how expensive they are.
Yeah, I mean, listen, I think you're on to something here.
OK, you you just got to make sure you got a good mechanic.
OK, because that car is going to cost you somewhere between
probably three and five grand a year in maintenance.
OK, you know, if this is your daily driver,
there are going to be things that are going to have to be replaced.
You know, it's an it's an older German car.
And, you know, it's got electronics that generally are going to have,
you know, issues, you know, the mechanical bits
and bobs are probably going to be pretty much OK.
So that's all I would say is but at 10 grand.
OK, well, you're you're in it pretty good.
So what you got to consider is what is the downtime worth to you?
Yeah, when when your mechanic is chasing parts to fix this thing.
And what are you driving in the meantime?
You know, and and so I'm still one of these guys that says, listen,
if your daily driver is critical for your what you do, you know,
for in your profession, they just get get something that you lease
and keep under warranty or hack up the miles on the damn thing
and then return it when you're done and then get a new one.
But if, you know, for people that, you know, it's not as critical.
Yeah, you know, I think and in particular, if you wrench on your own cars, too.
I think these are great deals, man.
I think there's there's there's no reason why you can't rack up a lot of miles
on these cars. Well, well, listen, I don't wrench.
Exactly. My daily is critical for my livelihood.
And yet I still want to do this.
I'm like, and if I can expound just real quickly on why again,
I just drove yesterday.
My 330 I back to back.
It's a 2021 with a 2000 and four E 463
thirty X I like I mentioned the start of the podcast.
The quality difference is unbelievable to me that you go just suspension alone.
You go over a railroad track, which I did.
Any bombs, I feel like I'm in a bank vault
and this was a 9500 dollar E 46 with 85
thousand miles on it and a bunch of maintenance records.
And I'm like, yeah, they just feel like better, nicer cars.
And I get in these these modern ones and they feel like they were put together
in Mexico, which my car was.
And not that that's a slight it's just more of this
cost sharing, you know, drive for a profit, whatever.
And I'm kind of tired of it.
And I might I might live to regret this, but or I might live to, you know,
completely contradict myself and go buy a car under warranty, which I, you know,
the practical side of me wants to do.
But I see these cars that I know mechanically can hold up.
I probably lean more E 46 over 90 for electrical simplicity and whatever.
Yeah, but I'm super tempted to get me give this thing to go.
I mean, in E 46330 will go for 200 and fifty
thousand miles without breaking a sweat, if you take care of it.
So the way I look at it is buy one with eighty to a 100000 miles.
You have a cost me 56 grand over the course of 18 months, two years.
Like, and I like the car better and it feels more like
that's what BMWs to me should feel like.
Well, if I do it, I'll have plenty to talk about return and report.
But I'm kind of on this idea right now of like,
I'm sick of these guys charting 60, 70 grand for a car that I think is inferior
other than Apple CarPlay and a little bit of Lane Keep Assist.
Well, Blair, I think you need to do it and and and report back.
So I'm I'm 100 and fifty percent behind you, Blair.
Stroke that check.
Yeah, thirty I'll keep you posted.
OK, we want to move into our next segment.
You had a great idea, Shenu.
Well, it's funny BMW.
This this whole pod has been very, very much BMW.
And I think, you know, you're a BMW fan, I'm a BMW fan.
You know, I've owned several new BMWs you have.
And and and I think it's that seeing that M three E V and the wheels on that car.
I just fell in love with them, right?
And I've got them in, you know, it's I've got that in my backdrop right now.
I'm like, man, that is cool.
Yeah, it just occurred to me BMW wheel design has been really,
really something special, right?
And we have talked in the past about heavy wheels and lightweight wheels
and unsprung weight and all that kind of stuff.
And in fact, we just had an article that came out that talked about wheels,
right, form and function and on our newsletter.
So if you guys haven't gone to fullthrottletalk.com and subscribe
for our to our articles, please do, you know, our dear listeners,
because, you know, we are we are putting out some some I think good articles.
And but yeah, I think this this thought about wheel design
and how it affects, you know, how you perceive a car.
And I remember it was with my first BMW where I changed out the wheels
on the car and it completely changed the look of the car.
Totally, you know, and one of my good friends who was was a car designer.
We were out playing pool one night, having a beer.
And I said to Johnny, I'm like, Johnny, I didn't realize what an impact,
you know, wheels can have on the overall look of a car.
And he looks like he looks over at me like I am the dumbest guy on the planet.
He's like, no shit, you know, I was like, oh, Johnny, come on, man.
It is it is so true.
It can change entirely how you feel about a car.
And so what what we've done is we've chosen three of our favorite
and maybe three of our least favorite.
Now, right, you know, OEM wheels.
We're not talking aftermarket.
That's the thing about wheels is you can you you can throw some
aftermarket stuff on there and the possibilities are endless.
But so why don't you start?
Let's let's end more positively.
So why don't you talk about and if you have any pictures to share?
Three, the three wheels that are not your favorite that came on
from OEMs on enthusiasts or other cars.
OK, I'm going to go with the most ugly one.
And then I'll ease up on the ugly.
OK. And so the first wheel that I put up
is Porsche Tykin Aero wheel.
That is a bad wheel. Oh, my God.
You know, I like the car, right?
But that wheel is ridiculous, you know, and so here they're trying
to balance the arrow benefit of having kind of a dished flat wheel.
But still try to give it some sort of a sporty look.
And I think they kind of failed on that one.
Not not to my liking.
I agree on this one.
I totally agree because a Tycon that is a classic case.
If you you put that wheel on there, you saved the money.
You didn't spring for the, you know, the upgraded wheel.
I mean, you pay for a big time on that I think you do.
I think it looks horrible, you know, the next one.
OK, and this is a classic, right?
But because I do admire BMW wheel design, I think of all the OEMs.
I honestly feel they're the ones that have come up with very clever designs,
very innovative designs.
But this one that I'm about to put up here is one that looks like, you know,
an M five here, right?
E 34 M five and five Turing.
Yeah, I found the Turing picture, but it's like it looks like it's got white
walls on it, you know, and it was crazy, you know.
Well, what the hell are they doing here?
You know, but it was an aero disc over a wheel that was underneath.
And the the wheel design, it actually looked like those were white wall tires.
But in fact, they were those are the wheels. Those
Oh, wow. Yeah.
And and it looks like a white wall tire, right?
You know, and I thought, what in the hell are they doing here?
You know, and and so I think they took so much shit that they quickly,
you know, within the same generation of cars came out with this
like throwing star wheel as a replacement.
And that was a smash hit.
You know, that was a very, very good looking wheel.
And, you know, what's interesting is that the five, you know,
spoke, you know, that comes off and there's actually spokes underneath there
that, you know, make make that wheel look good.
Well, and then when I think about that E 34 wagon, you put up.
Yeah, I just think turbine style on the luchee that they just which I said
a couple of weeks ago, I don't hate the design of the luchee when they put
the five spoke on there, you know, it's we talked about that at length.
But these turbine style wheels are ugly, but I have to say
BMW can do very little wrong for me.
She knew in the 80s and the 90s.
So I'm going to disagree with you on those those those turbine style wheels.
I see where you're coming from.
Well, but I mean, I'm showing you, I like the one that's in my backdrop.
Yeah. No, I say both of them.
Even that turbine style funky.
Yes. No, it reminds me of the luchee.
But like, that's classic in my book.
Well, the funny bit here is I certainly, you know,
you know, show, you know, showing this BMW wheel, which I don't like.
Are we going to go to the wheels that we like?
Or are you going to like? Yeah.
Are you going to mention some of the other wheels?
Yeah. OK.
Let me put up a couple of my dislikes.
If you're if you're done with dislikes.
Yes. Yes. Please.
When I say dislike, it's just not my favorite.
Some reason when I start talking about wheels, my mind goes to Porsche.
Just I didn't dig in for hours on like all these old classic wheels,
which, you know, the one you put up behind you on that E34 actually happened to like.
But one of the wheels, I'm thinking more overrated wheels.
Not that I hate them.
So, you know, maybe I didn't totally do this topic justice.
But that's a good looking wheel that you just put up.
See, it's the it's the Porsche.
I know everyone loves this.
I think it's a good looking wheel.
991 dot one turbo wheel.
It's the double 10 spoke wheel and something about it.
I just that Porsche has so many other great looking wheels
that it's more for me contrasting your context.
I'm like, I would never and I'll get into a Porsche wheel
that is like one of my favorite wheels ever.
I think it looks so good on a modern car.
But then I and you can get some of these cars with like a Cayman
with this turbo wheel versus the one I'm going to show you in a minute.
And I just think this is like it's busy.
I don't love it. Too many, too many big old spokes.
I just can't do it.
Looks like a windmill or something.
And everybody loves them.
I'm not I've got a long hood and maybe a virgin up behind me now.
I'm not a fan of the cookie cutter wheels.
Nor am I. Yeah, that's that's that's a good choice for the segment.
You know, this one is one I like genuinely dislike.
Like there is nothing wrong with Fuchs.
If you do a search on the best looking wheels of all time,
it's amazing how many articles they put the Fuchs classic Fuchs wheel in there.
I mean, I like Fuchs.
I think they look just right.
They rarely need to be modified or upgraded on like an air cool 911
But I'm not putting those in into my top or my some of my favorite wheels.
But I can't say these cookie cutters are like no good.
Get the Fuchs wheels. Yeah.
And then lastly, it's very controversial,
unless you think I'm picking on Porsche, I'm going to put up one of my favorite cars
that I just talked about on this episode.
And I almost I kind of want to buy one as we speak.
It's the Enamiata and it's the Daisy wheel.
And so I had my my blue
Mariner blue and a Miata had the Daisy wheels.
I put an aftermarket wheel on, but then I went back to them for the last
like 69 months, I owned it. OK.
But it's not that I think they look bad.
I just think it makes the car, you know,
early Jan, especially Miata's have such a reputation for being like a dorky car.
And and then you put these daisies on there and it's not doing any favors.
When you see the Daisy, it's like it's classic Enamiata.
Like I'll never turn my nose up at it.
I drove one with with those on there.
But I think it just adds to this idea that this is like the hairdresser
grandma sports car like the Daisy wheel is just a really
dull wheel in my in my book.
It's almost like an aeronautical.
I think it like a steering wheel of an old old sea boat or whatever.
Yeah, I think they were drivers.
Yeah, they were trying to modernize the classic mini light wheel.
And, you know, you found those on old sports cars
from the 70s, 60s and 70s.
You know, my GTV had mini lights on it.
I actually put modern kind of mini lights that were more retro on my first
new mini. And and so I think, you know, I can see where you're coming from.
I actually didn't mind those wheels so much, maybe because I was just enamored
with the fact that, you know, Mazda came out with this this kind of homage
to the Lotus e-lawn and they did it so well that that I kind of looked
the other way on that, you know, wheel.
Yeah, well, yeah, OK, I can see where you're coming from.
But well, the other problem is so many of the special editions, whatever,
they put BBS on these N-Amiatas that just looked awesome.
So then you see the Daisy's or I slapped those back on.
And that's what I put on mine was like a BBS knockoff.
And anyways, not a huge fan of the Daisy wheels.
In spite of how I feel about two of my three cars, I chose like a Long Hood 911
N-Amiata, which I love. Yes.
And I get, you know, and I don't hate the the turbo wheel.
But it's just too many other good choices whenever I see it.
I'm like, oh, man, opportunity lost.
So what about good wheels?
What what what is some of your favorites, you know?
OK, so listen, I, you know, you got, you know, that BMW has been
one of my favorite wheels and designers.
And so I think the the clown shoe, the Z3M coupe wheel that five spoke.
There is almost no better wheel, you know, from a styling perspective
that looks strong, that looks really, you know, aggressive.
It's a classic five spoke.
And I think BMW has done the classic five spoke wheel, you know,
arguably better than anyone else, because they've done so many versions of this,
including that last M five picture that I threw up there.
You know, again, I think this is this is what I love about what BMW has done
with wheels and then the next wheel that I want to put up will be another BMW
wheel is a wheel 36, right?
Yeah, 36 M three.
It was on an M three GT model that was never really sold in the US.
But you could buy that wheel from the dealer.
And that's what I did for my 36 325 I.
And that wheel is all the there are certain surfaces that were polished.
So the Ford facing and the top of the spokes and the lips were all polished.
And the sides of the wheels were actually painted silver.
And so it had this shiny and not shiny side of it that just gave it this extra
cachet in my eyes and it was a beautiful wheel.
I love that wheel, utterly transformed the look of that car.
It's one of my favorite wheels of all time, for sure.
Well, as I said earlier, eighties, nineties, BMW could kind of do no wrong.
So yeah, I'm a man.
Those I'm in a complete agreement so far.
The road stars I had.
Yes, I am.
But I never put them on that put the big heavy three piece on there
for which you'll never let me live that down.
But anyways, what's your last choice?
You have one more?
Well, I actually put two more up, but you know, OK, keep it going.
Yeah, so like there's a couple of Lotus wheels that I just love.
And these speed line wheels and it's really to the same manufacturer.
But this flat faced five spoke that came on the series one exeges to me.
These were, you know, magnesium wheels.
And I honestly think they're and I chose this picture with the guy
that's got them in gold.
They're usually they were in black.
I'm not sure if, you know, this may have been painted after the fact.
But I love this wheel and it's actually one of the inspirations
for the Stela Corsa wheel that's on your one 11 RS.
Yeah, which I love.
Yeah, you may see some of the similarities.
I certainly was inspired by that wheel, as well as the wheel
that's on the F 50 Ferrari.
But the other wheel that I got to sneak in here is on the
the those final is free V eights.
And it was the really kind of BBS homage or multi spoke
mesh wheel that they put on the Esprit.
You know, again, just a beautiful wheel.
You see the size difference.
You see how deep the dishes, you know, on that rear wheel,
it just gave it that aggressive, aggressive, proper look
that that I think so many of us love love in sports cars.
Awesome. I think that's very cool.
And I got to tell you offline about Lotus Esprit that, you know,
I just offered to go hapsies on somebody with so, which I know
you'd probably talk me out of, but we're going to try to get behind the wheel.
Good luck. Yeah, exactly.
Fortunately, he is mechanical.
Good. Who I would partner with.
But yes, yeah, those are super cool.
They kind of remind me of like E 92 M three wheels, just, you know,
at first glance, which leads me to mine.
I wanted to put honorable mention like E 46 M three comp CSL wheels.
But yeah, but I wanted to put up the mono blocks from Mercedes.
Yes. Every time I see a car that's got one of these, these are like late 80s
to early 2000s and many of the big sedans are like the
the hammer AMG hammer.
Yeah. As his wheels like this, just timeless, cool.
So makes you want to Mercedes with these wheels on it.
Well, I've got a story about that wheel because it's easy to clean, too.
It'd be awesome to be very, very easy to clean. Yes.
Yes. So I had that generation E class wagon.
Oh, sweet. Yeah.
It was a 2007 and is E 350 wagon.
So I've had two E class wagons.
First was a 94 E 320.
And so we bought that and we bought it with the AMG sport line package, OK,
which means it didn't have the full AMG engine.
OK, but it had had a body kit on it that was more aggressive
and it had those wheels and it was fantastic.
A slight variation of that basic wheel.
OK, and sure enough, OK,
the first week we had that car, maybe it was the first month. OK, the first.
My wife hits a pothole and breaks the wheel.
OK, no. Oh, my God.
You know, I bet that was cheap.
Oh, God, you know, that.
Yeah, that was the 800 and fifty dollar wheel at the time.
And yeah, but a gorgeous wheel loved it, you know, and some with you.
And that's a great choice.
Well, I just talked about wanting to daily drive an old car.
Sometimes I think maybe I should throw some of these older Mercedes on there
with mono blocks, you know, I some reason BMW scare me less than old
Mercedes and people think I'm crazy for that.
But it's what it's what I know.
The next one is funny because I've always loved this wheel, Shenu.
And when I just Googled the brainstorm a little bit, yep, which wheels,
you know, like the best looking and the most ugly.
I found some article that had this wheel as being one of the most ugly wheels
of all time. And this is from the Alpha 4C.
It's like the phone dial wheels. Right.
You know, I think it's kind of reminds me of Cloverleaf, kind of like,
you know, some of what you see in their their logo, whatever. Right.
I love when I see a 4C or just the Julia Quadrifoglio.
I think they have these wheels on there, too.
Shout out Tim Harris, who's got a green one of those, which is gorgeous.
I just love them. I think it's so unique.
I love the round phone dial Cloverleaf, which apparently
I don't know which publication had them is on their most ugly wheel list,
but I totally disagree.
And I so I, you know, I see these cars and I want the car because I want the wheels
and the monoblocks Alpha 4C with that wheel.
I've never get it with the other wheel, even though they look fine.
And then this last one, you know, in spite of all the Porsche hate, you know,
that I especially to the 981 718 kind of generation,
I love the Porsche Sport Techno wheels that you see here on this 981 Boxer GTS.
OK, every, every time I see one of these for sale with those wheels on it,
I want to forget about everything and just buy the thing so I can have a car
that looks like that with those wheels on it.
I think because I love a, I like the busier wheel, like the M3 comp CSL
wheel, like on my E46, but I love a clean five spoke design like this.
And I love this.
You can get the Sport Techno and just a single like aluminum, silver color,
whatever. I like the two tone with the black with the silver spoke.
I just think it looks like the car is moving and when it's standing still,
it looks fast. It looks like I love that wheel.
So we would love to hear where you guys think we're up in the night.
I think she knew in his E34 touring turbine style wheel that he he said he
doesn't like deserves a lot of hate for you guys.
So let let let me be the first to say you nailed it on five year six,
she knew, but you've you botched one of those choices.
Don't mess with old BMW wheels ever.
The white wall, the pseudo white wall wheels is.
No, OK, we got to keep moving quickly through this.
So speaking of M3 EV, it prompted this discussion.
And those were cool wheels.
You had a behind you kind of an homage to the like the basket weave E30.
Yeah, I love it.
So we thought.
What if you like this E30 EV or sorry, this M3 EV that they just announced,
we talked about, we think it's going to be around a 100000 dollars.
So it prompted this discussion because they had an E30 M3 there to kind of pay
homage to. So the question is, she knew this or that,
would you rather take the new Neue Klasse
EV M3 or for a 100000 dollars, you could choose a different EV.
So what is the EV that you would pit against this car?
Or you could bag both the EV choices and go older BMW.
Now, it could be that E30 M3 could be a more modern BMW.
The only caveat here is nobody buys an EV M3.
I hope not to just sit in the garage and not daily drive.
So whatever BMW you choose, and this one's going to hurt when I, you know,
say which one I chose, you have to daily drive this car and use in a similar fashion.
So what, what, what, what two cars did you pit against this new M3
for up to a 100000 dollars?
So the two EVs that I chose are, you know, I get one,
I've chosen, I've chosen this in the past because it is,
we don't have too many really cool sporty EV options, frankly, right?
But the Taycan Cross Turismo to me is still the sportiest, coolest
option that's out there.
I would certainly, if that car had more range, you know, like, for example,
last Friday I went up to LA for my friend's, you know, event and was able to come back,
you know, without having to stop to, to juice up my Tesla, right?
And, and, you know, when I got stuck in some traffic up there, it was great.
Just cruise along, no problem, right?
And so, but I don't think I could do that with a Taycan Cross Turismo.
I don't think it's got enough range, you know?
And so, yeah, that's a problem.
Yeah, there's, there's an R3 Rivian that is expected to come, I think, next year.
So I'm not sure if that is, is it qualifies in this or that, you know,
segment of ours here, but I like that R3 Rivian.
I haven't been, you know, as crazy about the R1 or R2s,
but the R3 has this kind of almost rally-esque look to it.
Totally.
And so that car and the utility that I think it'll offer, you know, as a daily for me,
you know, it's, it's probably going to one day make its way into, into my garage
because it feels like the right kind of, you know, every day driver type of car
that I, that I could, that I could enjoy having.
Okay, now BMWs.
So those are the two EVs.
Yes.
So if you opted not to spend a hundred grand on one of those EVs,
the R3 is probably going to be like 50k.
Yeah.
Which, which BMW from its catalog would you choose?
But you have to daily drive it.
It's in the spirit of driving the older car and forgetting all this modern BS,
which I think.
Yeah.
So for me, yeah, I mean, a daily driver's got to have four doors.
Okay.
I just feel like I want to have that utility.
And if it's going to be an older BMW, the car that I haven't owned and the one
that if I close my eyes and think of, of what the ultimate BMW sports sedan is,
it's always the E24 M5.
Okay.
The original M5 is the car, you know, it's all blocky looking.
I love that car.
And I would have to have one of those.
I'm not sure how reliable a damn thing's going to be as a daily, but that would
be the car that I would choose as my daily driver BMW.
Well, you were just giving me a bunch of crap for, you know, my idea about reliability.
So you tell me how, how big a nightmare do you think an E34 M5 would be to own
and to put on the road every day?
Yeah, I don't think it's going to be terribly reliable, right, Blair?
So it's, it's not a car that I think I would realistically choose.
But we're dreaming here, aren't we?
Right.
So in my dream world.
Yeah, exactly.
Well, you get, you get to choose here in just a second after I go through my options
and which are, you know, that the EV that I'm thinking about, which is the one
behind me and I drove it the other day, which is this Audi e-tron GT.
And this is the exact color that I drove in the car.
And it was, I happen to really like it.
This reads more kind of topi in person.
It read, I thought a little more green.
And so you can get one of these.
I mean, they, they sticker for over a hundred grand.
This one in particular did.
We're right around that, that mark, because this was, I think, prestige
and was loaded out with this interesting color.
But so the new EV M3 Audi e-tron GT, I really liked this car.
It looks fantastic.
Or the car that I was thinking about to pit against this.
Speaker, speaking of Chris Bangle, you know, the E 60 M5 and the BMW
catalog with the, with the V 10 motor in it.
Have you ever heard one of these cars with an exhaust on it?
Should you?
Yes, I have, sir.
And it's one of the best sounding BMWs ever.
It was like nine months ago or something.
I'm on the freeway going through in the middle of Salt Lake.
Some dude rolls up next to me in one of these E 60 M5s and we're just cruising.
And then he gets the wild hair to drop a gear or two and just romp on this thing.
And he had the loudest exhaust ever.
And it was like all the wild V 10 noises.
And now you can get these things in a manual.
And yes, these are maybe of all the unreliable BMWs and it's in its past.
Yes.
This one ranks pretty high, if not at the very top of most unreliable.
But the interesting thing about this is you find you can find these cars
with well over a 100000 miles on them.
You just have to take care of, you know, some of the real spooky stuff
and and throw some money at it.
I think the manual ones are going for 50 K.
Call it with 60,000 miles on it.
OK. Yeah.
But you can get the the SMG gearbox, which is the, you know, not ideal.
But I've heard in Europe, they didn't even get the manual of this,
which I thought was fascinating.
So and a lot of guys say that suits these things better.
I happen to like the Chris Bangle five series.
I'm not going to lie, especially with wheels like this.
And like I am a big fan of this car.
It might be too scary for me in the real world application.
But to pit up, you could get one with an SMG for like 30 to 40 grand.
You got a bunch of money left over.
You know, if you're going to go by the new EVM three.
So she knew this or that you taking a new BMW EVM three.
You taking a Taycan cross Turismo or an Audi e-tron GT.
Those are the three options on the EV front or in the back catalog of BMW.
You can go E 34 M five or E 60 M five and use all that leftover money
to put towards maintenance.
Well, my friend, listen, my daily is all about utility and reliability.
OK, so that scratches any old car right off the list.
OK, I just don't want to deal with the maintenance on my daily.
And so I listen, I like that new M three.
So the new M three EV gets my vote.
That's the car I would take.
I think it looks cool.
I think it's got the range I'm looking for.
It's got four doors.
Yeah, that's that's the that's the car that I probably would would consider
picking up to replace my current M three as some of these Tesla guys call it.
Well, well, it's interesting because I am like I'll probably live to regret it,
but I am so in the camp right now of I want older and I want to see if I can make this go.
I've gotten a lease.
I currently have an E 46 M three.
But that's part of what's spawning this for me is if I downsize,
I think I hate the idea of just downsizing and being resigned to like
then I've got a commuter daily that's pretty modern.
Call it another modern BMW three series, which is kind of snooze fast.
I've been driving one for two years or call it a model three Tesla or you name it.
You know, and then my backups are Lotus Elise and the Mitsubishi Bravo,
two pretty unimpractical cars, I should say.
So I'm like, I told my wife, I want to be in something interesting.
I want to like leave work, you know, again, I commute.
I'm all over the place.
I want to get in my car and think it's a privilege to be a commuter
because I've got something cool to commute in.
And and I can get into it for cheap.
So that being said, I really like that E 46.
I just drove and I thought there is something about the older Arab BMW,
even though this V 10 is so cool and I would love to be the guy to give it a shot.
Buy one for 30 grand and I've got 70 K left over to deal with all the bullcrap
because I don't want a 100000 dollar EV.
I would have to go your E 34 M five touring.
I just think that is the quintessential era of BMW.
I love it, even though E 60 is probably more refined, you know,
to use all the time, if not terribly unreliable.
I think they're probably sixes, frankly, and I would choose your car.
I've next week, I may have abandoned this completely
and just gotten gotten something practical and under warranty.
But how it stands today.
Give me that E 34 and five and let me have 40, 50 K left over
to put towards something I actually love that doesn't feel like a disposable cell phone.
Sure, sure, sure.
Well, there might be a civic another civic type R in your future.
No, I do like that as well.
That straddles it just if only they made seeds that are like old BMW seeds.
I would I would 100 percent buy another one of those.
So lastly, for the last segment today,
we do have a question from Hector and this is an interesting one.
It's what's a car?
She knew that every car enthusiast used to drive at least once in their life.
You've got some serious experience
with wild cars that very few people have experienced.
So your answer is super interesting to me.
What is it?
Oh, listen, I think that it's more of a class of car
that I think everyone should try to own at some point.
And that's these really lightweight cars that have open wheels.
And in here's in here, me out on.
So give me examples. What does that mean?
Ariel, Adam, Ariel, Adam, B.A.C.
Mono, Caterham, Dragon, Spider, right?
These these are cars that are open wheel cars.
The motto, the front wheel, the front wheels are somewhat hidden at what they are hidden.
OK, you don't see them as easily.
They're they're pretty well hidden.
But what makes that car unique is the fact that you're sitting in the center
line of the car and it's a single seater, right?
So that the driving experience on that car is pretty special for that
for that reason in particular.
The handling is superb.
It's you know, it's just absolutely formula car as canling.
It's wonderful.
You know, but the cars that you have these wheels that are open,
like the Adam, like the Dragon, you know, like the Caterham,
what's so fun and exciting for drivers for those of us who really push our cars
and sometimes have to catch our cars, right, where we have to dial in some opposite
lock, right, to keep the rear end in check.
Yeah, when you do that in an open wheel car, OK, you actually see your
wheel and tire move with your steering wheel.
And the first time you you experience that, it's pretty cool, man.
And so I feel like that class of car gives you something for that reason
and for the fact that it's so lightweight and so open to the elements
that everything feels more exhilarating.
And and, you know, they are very, very raw.
You know, there isn't much insulation.
So you hear everything, you feel everything, whether it's the noise,
the heat, the vibration, you know, you're you're definitely going to get
your senses assaulted in a way that most of these other sports cars
just can't quite deliver.
So I would tell this guy, Hector, hey, consider one of these type of cars.
And another car, actually, I forgot to mention is is the aerial Nomad,
which the first version of that car was was they they stopped production
of that fairly quickly.
I think they ended up having some some issue, whatever the hell it was
with the chassis, I believe, with them cracking or something.
But there's a second generation that they've introduced.
It hasn't come stateside.
I think they've had a lot of production related challenges.
But that would be another car that, in my mind, is a legit fun
open wheel car that's fun to own.
Well, I'm super excited because I've never had experience
with these open wheel cars and I'm coming to see you in a couple of weeks.
So yes, it is.
And we may have plans to get the dragon out a little bit.
Yeah, I think, you know, we'll have the dragon ready for you to take it around
and so you can get a feel for what that's all about, because I think
it's it's something very special.
Said it to the tall guy setting.
Well, my my choice is probably a car.
A lot of guys have driven.
It's not the most off the wall choice.
But I think it is the ultimate pallet cleanser car, which is, you know,
it's not nearly as extreme as the Elise, the, you know,
the the catering and the aerial Adams by any stretch.
But I think an early Miata is a car that everybody should drive.
Kind of the BMW and Miata episode for me this week.
Yes, indeed.
The reason I say this is I've had so many guys, even car guys,
you know, dismiss the Miata to me and especially guys who like cars,
but they've not bought an enthusiast car or driven a whole lot of them.
It's they'll always say seriously, Miata.
In fact, we just went to this flying Miata rally track day last week
that I talked about and and it it.
I had some buddy of mine say Miata's like totally poo pooing these cars.
And I just thought, OK, if you have not done so, get in any Miata.
And that is not quite enough.
You have got to go slide one of these things around a corner.
And the beautiful thing of this is you can do it around any corner.
You live in Temecula, you live in Salt Lake, you live in New York City,
get in a Miata and go hustle into a corner and you don't have to break all
that much and let the back end just kick out.
There is not a car that is more approachable when it comes to the limit.
It's really hard to spin one of these things.
And so you can literally get it to kick out and just not care.
And catch it. It will not bite you.
And then Dmiata will buy you.
It's got more torque.
These cars will not bite you.
And nobody cares because they kind of feel bad for you
because you look like the broke car enthusiasts who couldn't afford anything
better than a Miata and you're going like 14 miles an hour
while you're squealing the all season tires or whatever you got on there.
Don't overtire the car.
Go beat the snot out of it wherever you live and take a corner quickly.
And one of these things, I think it's the ultimate
pallet cleansing experience of like, this is just car.
And with you, I agree with you.
You know, the answer is always Miata, right?
So good. Well, Hector, thanks for the question.
If you haven't done so, go to full throttle talk.com.
Subscribe to the newsletter.
iTunes, please go on and give us a five star rating or one star
and tell us why you think we suck.
Well, but but positive ratings truly are a great way for your iTunes
to promote this podcast.
And we want to keep finding car guys, drivers,
enthusiasts who care about it all.
So, Shanu, if nothing else, man, I've really enjoyed the discussion today
because it took us all over the map. Absolutely.
Well, you know, one thing we didn't mention that we maybe we'll
just plug it really quickly, but we're talking about being in Monterey
this year at our week. We're going to be.
Yeah, well, you and I have kind of committed to being up there.
So we're we're we're floating this idea of putting together a little fun
event for full throttle talk, you know, community and to meet up
while we're there to just shoot the shit about cars and have fun together.
So we want to just plug that real quick.
Then you've got some real industry knowledge.
You've got behind the scenes access in many ways.
You may try to call in some of that for this event.
We do. We do.
We may collaborate with some other content creators.
If nothing else, we want to meet, you know, meet some of you guys,
sit down, have dinner, chat.
I think it'd be a heck of a time.
So thanks for putting that plug in August.
Look up those dates if you're going to be there, hit us up.
Shanu at Inno Kinetic on Instagram.
I'm shifter feel on Instagram.
That that's a great way to get a hold of us.
And we'd love to put a plan together that includes many as possible.
Sure. Sure. Well, Blair, this has been fun this week.
Thanks, Shanu. We'll we'll be in touch soon.
Have a great time on your rally.
Yeah. And all of our fine listeners get out there and drive.
Exactly. See you. Thanks, guys. We'll see you.
About this episode
From a concours Miata prep update to a Callaway-linked Corvette speed story, the hosts bounce between shop work, road-rally planning, and what makes certain cars feel special. The Jaguar F-Type gets praised as an underrated, factory-screaming GT with a character compared to an Audi R8. BMW takes center stage with the electric M3 “Neue Klasse” plan—quad motors, 800V architecture, and range expectations—then the conversation widens into daily-driver E46/E90 tradeoffs and classic wheel-obsession.
BMW's upcoming electric M3 has everyone talking—and it leads to a bigger question: are modern performance cars actually better than the classics?
This week, the Full Throttle Talk crew discusses BMW's Neue Klasse M3, why older BMWs still make incredible daily drivers, the overlooked Jaguar F-Type, Ariel Atom market values, Formula 1, Lotus adventures, Callaway Cars, and the OEM wheels that changed automotive design.
Whether you're into classic analog machines or the latest EV performance cars, this episode has something for every enthusiast.
📬 Stay connected between episodes by subscribing to the Full Throttle Talk newsletter:
https://fullthrottletalk.com
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