The Subaru WRX is a popular performance Subaru that’s built to handle well, especially in bad weather. Here, the host is criticizing a factory design detail (plastic cladding) and saying it could be fixed or improved.
Plastic cladding is the plastic protective trim you see on some cars, usually on the lower parts or around the wheel areas. It’s meant to help protect the paint, but some people don’t like the look or how it holds up over time.
Brand
olands
Olands is a brand that makes coilovers, which are suspension parts you can install to change how the car rides and handles. The host says they’re aimed at motorsport use and are priced to be more affordable.
Coilovers are suspension parts that replace the factory shocks and springs with an adjustable setup. People use them to make the car sit how they want and to improve handling, especially for spirited driving or track use.
Term
coiler
A “coiler” usually means coilovers—upgraded suspension parts that let you adjust how high the car sits and how firm it feels. People use them to make the ride handle better.
Term
carbon fee break
I’m not sure what that phrase is supposed to mean here. It sounds like they’re talking about a discount or deal related to parts, but the exact wording is unclear.
“Wheels and tires” are the complete tire-and-rim package that affects grip, ride quality, and steering response. Bundling them is often used by retailers to reduce total cost and streamline installation.
“Drifts” here refers to drifting—driving with intentional oversteer so the car’s rear slips while the driver keeps control and maintains the slide. Doing it on public roads is risky, and the host notes the tires were cold, which can make grip and breakaway behavior feel different than when fully warmed.
“Cars and coffee” is a meet-up where car people get together, usually in the morning, to show their cars and hang out. Here it’s where the host takes the car to show it off.
A car’s transmission has different gears. “Second gear” is one of the lower gears that usually keeps the engine revving more than higher gears, which is why it’s often used when accelerating.
The BMW 3 Series is a compact luxury car made by BMW. It’s known for being fun to drive and for having a sporty feel. People often talk about it because it’s popular and there are many versions over the years.
That phrase means the car’s wiring looks messy and jumbled, usually because someone previously modified it. Messy wiring can lead to electrical issues and makes troubleshooting tougher later.
A “new radio” refers to replacing the factory head unit with an aftermarket or different stereo system. The host implies the car needed it due to prior work, and that even a clean car can still have hidden issues from earlier installs.
The “cubby” holding the license plate is a specific trim/holder area that uses plastic tabs to retain the plate surround. The host says the tabs break, and the repair approach becomes either replacing the part or using an adhesive to re-secure it.
Term
3m
3M makes adhesives and tapes used in cars. The speaker used a 3M adhesive to help hold the broken plastic piece in place.
RTV stands for room-temperature vulcanizing silicone—an adhesive/sealant that cures at normal temperatures. It’s often used in automotive work to bond or seal parts where you need flexibility and resistance to heat and moisture.
The plastic clamshell behind the steering wheel is an interior trim housing that covers components in that area. The host is repairing only the top half, suggesting the clamshell is cracked or broken and needs reattachment to prevent rattles or exposure of underlying parts.
An alcohol wipe-down is surface cleaning before applying adhesive so the bond line isn’t contaminated by oils or grime. Better surface prep improves adhesion reliability, especially for plastic-to-plastic or plastic-to-trim repairs.
Term
breaking tabs
“Tabs” are little plastic clips that snap parts together. If they break, the piece can come loose and you might see gaps or exposed stuff.
A “limited run” means the manufacturer produced only a small number of units, often with a specific numbering scheme. Limited production can make parts more collectible and harder to find later.
The shift knob is the part you grab to change gears. People swap them to change how it feels in your hand.
Term
concealed carry permit
A concealed carry permit is permission to carry a handgun in public while keeping it hidden. The speaker brings it up to explain their personal situation.
Term
365 excel
“365 excel” sounds like a compact SIG handgun model (likely the P365). The speaker is comparing it to a Glock and saying they prefer it.
Term
Glock 19
Glock 19 is a specific type of handgun. The speaker is just naming which one they have in the context of their holster setup.
Term
810
“810” isn’t clear here—it's probably a model number the speaker mentioned. The transcript doesn’t provide enough context to confidently identify what it refers to.
The S2000 is a small two-seat sports car from Honda. It’s known for revving very high and feeling exciting to drive. The podcast mentions it because the car is going to be worked on, likely with repairs or upgrades.
A chassis brace is a structural reinforcement that ties parts of the body/frame together to reduce flex. In this segment, they’re fabricating one as part of the front-end work, and they’re timing the install so they can check clearances around the engine bay.
Clearances are the space between parts inside the engine bay. They need enough room so nothing touches or gets in the way when the engine is installed and moving.
Coolant is the fluid that keeps the engine from overheating. If it leaks, the engine can run too hot, so they’re trying to find exactly where the leak is.
A V-band is a special clamp that connects two pipe ends using matching flanges. It’s made to seal well and be easier to take apart than some other connection types.
“Hard piped” means the fluid lines are made from stiff metal or rigid tubing instead of rubber hoses. Leaks often happen at the connections where the rigid pieces meet.
A turbo is a device that helps the engine make more power by forcing extra air in. Because it spins fast and relies on oil, leaks near the turbo can become a bigger problem.
A bolt-down check is when you make sure bolts are tight and parts are properly mounted. They’re doing it around the turbo area because there’s an oil leak that could be caused by a loose or mis-seated connection.
An aftermarket power steering column is a replacement steering part made by someone other than the car’s original manufacturer. Since it affects how the steering works (and may include electronics), it can cause problems if it isn’t set up correctly.
Term
electronic
Here, “electronic” means the steering system uses electronics to control how much help the steering gets. If something’s not right with the electronics, the steering can act weird.
The ECU is the car’s main computer. It reads sensors and tells different systems what to do; if it’s “set wrong” or getting bad sensor data, it can make parts of the car act strangely.
Company
ishimoto
They mention “Ishimoto” as the place they’re getting parts from. It’s likely an aftermarket parts supplier for car upgrades or repairs.
Term
mileage maintenance repair
They’re talking about doing the car’s scheduled upkeep based on how many miles it has. That usually includes checking and replacing parts that wear out over time.
They’re getting new wheels, which are the parts the tires sit on. They also mention “lips,” which are the outer parts of the wheel—so this sounds like a wheel upgrade or refresh.
“Blown up” is slang for “the car broke badly,” usually meaning the engine or something big inside failed. It typically takes a lot of repair to get it running again.
The Ford Crown Victoria is a big, old-school Ford sedan that’s famous for being tough and lasting a long time. Here it’s compared to a pine tree because it’s sturdy and dependable, even if it’s not the prettiest.
The Subaru Outback is a Subaru model that’s built for everyday practicality and rough roads, and it’s known for being dependable. In this conversation, it’s being compared to a pine tree because it’s tough and lasts.
Term
back parking lot
They’re talking about a parking area behind the main area where a car sits when it isn’t being used. The issue is that the car wasn’t moved when it needed to be.
The Nissan R34 is a specific generation of the Skyline that car fans really like. In this story, they’re talking about how they parked their R34 when visiting someone.
The Mazda RX-8 is a Mazda that’s famous for having a rotary engine, which is different from the normal engine most cars use. They’re mentioning it because of how they used to park it in their garage.
The Miata is a small two-seat convertible made by Mazda. It’s designed to be light and easy to drive, which is why many people like it. The podcast mentions it in a practical way—how it fits and how it was used for flipping cars.
Wheel dollies are little rolling platforms that help you move a car’s wheels around more easily. They’re handy when you’re working in a garage and need to reposition cars.
A hard top is the solid, rigid roof version of a convertible. It’s usually easier to live with day-to-day than a fabric roof, and it can be a valuable part when selling or flipping a car.
Motegi Racing makes aftermarket wheels for cars. In this segment, the host is saying they’re using Motegi wheels for drifting and road events.
Term
cogens
This sounds like a wheel name/model the host is using on their car. They’re basically saying they kept those wheels on after drifting because they like how they look.
Flow forming is a way of making a wheel so it can be lighter while still being strong. The host is saying these wheels are made that way, which helps them survive aggressive driving.
Term
thrashing
“Thrashing” here just means beating on the car—driving it hard and stressing parts more than normal. They’re saying the wheels survived that kind of abuse.
The Honda Prelude is a Honda model that’s meant to feel sporty. Here, the hosts are saying Honda priced it too expensively, and they’d fix that by making it cheaper and more accessible—without changing the basic drivetrain.
“EV projects” means work a car company does to build electric cars. The host is arguing Honda spent too much money on that and should have put more of it into making other cars better and cheaper to develop.
Front-wheel drive means the front wheels do the work of both steering and moving the car forward. The host is suggesting the Prelude should be positioned as a cheaper, accessible sporty car using that common layout.
The powertrain is basically the car’s “go” system—what makes it move and how that power gets to the wheels. The host is saying they wouldn’t change that; they’d focus on other changes instead.
The Honda Civic is Honda’s mainstream compact car, and it’s often used as the baseline for pricing and positioning. The hosts compare the Prelude’s intended role to the Civic, arguing it doesn’t make sense to have the Prelude priced like a higher-tier model while also being too close to the Civic conceptually.
A CVT is a type of automatic transmission that can smoothly change ratios instead of shifting gears. The host thinks it makes the car feel less sporty, so they want it replaced.
The Civic Si is the sportier version of the Honda Civic. Here, they’re saying the Prelude should use the same kind of engine package that makes the Civic Si feel more like a real performance car.
“Earth Dreams” is Honda’s name for a set of modern engines. They’re suggesting the Prelude should use a 1.5-liter version of that engine so it feels more like a real sporty Honda.
Term
global regulations
Automakers have to follow rules that governments set for things like pollution and fuel use. If those rules change, car companies may have to redesign parts of the car to stay legal.
Term
evy
EV usually means electric vehicle—cars that run mostly on electricity from a battery. The host is saying the industry was moving toward that direction.
The transmission is what helps the engine send power to the wheels in the right way. If they want to pull it, they think the car’s “how it drives” feel isn’t working and needs fixing.
They’re talking about dealers charging extra money before the car even reaches the customer. So instead of the car being a good deal, it becomes more expensive right away.
This is a special “heritage” version of the Nissan Z. In this part, they’re mainly talking about how it drives with different transmissions—manual vs automatic—and how that changes the feel.
A nine-speed automatic is an automatic gearbox with lots of gear steps. The host is saying it doesn’t shift quickly enough when they want it to, which makes the car feel less responsive.
A six-speed manual is a car where you pick the gears yourself. You use a clutch to switch gears, and the host is comparing how the manual feels versus the automatic.
Rev hang is when the engine RPM doesn’t drop immediately when you lift off the gas or change gears. That can make the car feel awkward or less responsive, which is what the host is complaining about.
Term
sloshy
“Sloshy” here means the car feels a bit delayed or mushy when you ask for power. Instead of responding right away, it feels like the movement and acceleration come in a less direct way.
Sport mode is a setting that’s supposed to make the car respond faster and shift more aggressively. Here, they’re saying the automatic still shifts too slowly even when sport mode is on.
Flappy paddles are the little shift paddles behind the steering wheel. They let you tell an automatic transmission what gear you want, but this car apparently doesn’t have them.
They’re comparing the Nissan Z’s automatic shifting to a Chevrolet Equinox. The point is that the Z felt slower to change gears than a much more normal commuter SUV.
The Supra is a Toyota sports car made for fast driving. It’s usually a two-door coupe and is known for being a performance-focused model. The podcast mentions it in the context of how much you’d have to pay compared to similar sports cars.
The GR 86 is a small sports car from Toyota. It’s designed to be light and fun to drive, especially on twisty roads. The podcast mentions it because of what it costs and because the speaker owned one as a second car.
MSRP is the official starting price on the car’s window sticker. The host is saying that if the car cost about $10,000 less, they’d consider it a perfect deal.
The Porsche 911 is Porsche’s famous sports car. The host is saying that when you add options, the 911 can get so expensive that it starts competing with Ferrari pricing.
The “Ferrari Luce” name in the podcast sounds like a specific Ferrari model, but the exact car isn’t clear from the name alone. The speaker talks about changing it by using parts/ideas from another Ferrari and turning it into an electric vehicle. If you confirm the exact model name, I can explain what that car is.
“Spec out” means customizing a car by choosing options, like paint, wheels, and interior. The speaker is saying that those add-ons can make the final price jump a lot.
“Paint to sample” means you can order a custom paint color instead of a normal factory color. It usually costs more because the paint has to be specially made.
The DuPont Registry is a website where people list and browse expensive collector cars. The host mentions it because it’s where you can find examples of very customized cars.
A “bespoke program” is when the car maker builds a car to your specific custom requests. It’s usually more expensive because it’s not just picking from standard options.
“Steelies” means plain steel wheels, not fancy alloy wheels. The point here is that if you’re going to modify the car anyway, you don’t need to spend extra on the wheels first.
The host is talking about the Supra using an engine that comes from BMW. Their argument is that this made the car cheaper to build (and therefore easier to buy) while still delivering strong performance.
The “3JZ” is a legendary Toyota engine associated with older Supras and a huge tuning scene. The host is saying it would’ve been awesome to have, but it would probably cost a lot more money than the version people can actually buy.
The GT 86 is a Toyota sports car that’s meant to be light and fun. It’s designed for driving enjoyment rather than being a high-cost supercar. The podcast mentions it because the speaker wanted one but couldn’t afford it.
The Datsun 240Z is an older sports car from the early 1970s. It’s known for being a popular, classic model that many car fans still talk about. The podcast mentions it as a major success and a car with a strong reputation.
Person
Mr. Katayama
Mr. Katayama is a real person associated with getting Japanese cars—especially Datsun/Nissan—noticed in the United States. The host is thanking him in connection with the 240Z becoming successful in America.
The Honda Beat is a very small sports car made by Honda. It was designed to be compact and quick for its size. The podcast mentions it because the speaker believes it was strong compared to other small cars in its category.
“Timeless” here is being used as a design concept: the idea that a car’s styling remains attractive across decades. The host contrasts that with modern styling trends—especially how EVs are shaping design—arguing that it’s harder to make new cars look like they’ll still feel right later.
The RX-7 is a Mazda sports car that’s known for having a rotary engine. A rotary engine works differently than the normal engine most cars use. The podcast brings it up because the speaker was looking at what RX-7s were available.
“Pop-ups” are parts that move out from the car when needed and then tuck back in. The hosts are saying the car’s shape changes with them, which affects how much air resistance the car has.
The Scion FR-S is a compact, affordable sports coupe created to appeal to younger buyers with a “fun first” approach. In this segment, it’s positioned as the result of Scion’s strategy to release unique, out-there sports cars, and it’s treated as the start of the modern 86/BRZ/GR86 family story.
They talk about how Scion tried to attract younger drivers with cars that were cheaper and more fun-looking. The FR-S is presented as a key result of that plan.
The BRZ is a small sports coupe from Subaru. It’s designed to handle well and be fun to drive, especially because it’s relatively light. The podcast mentions it as part of a line of similar sports cars that came afterward.
The speaker is talking about how car brands keep making more expensive, higher-end versions. The result is that the cars can start feeling out of reach for normal buyers.
Car
Subaru STI
STI is Subaru’s performance version of the WRX. The host feels the current cars aren’t delivering the same rally-style performance identity they associate with STI.
“Bone stock” means the car is basically exactly how it left the factory. The host is saying people aren’t modifying their WRX much and are just using it to commute.
They’re talking about the dashboard showing information on a screen. Instead of only classic dials, it uses a digital display, but the car still keeps some “needle” style gauges for feel.
They’re complaining about a car screen that swings out from the dash, like older Apple iMacs. They think it looks odd and isn’t as nice to live with as a normal fixed screen.
Car
Dodge SRT
They’re talking about Dodge’s performance badge “SRT.” The host thinks Dodge made a mistake by dropping it or making it less important.
The Charger is a Dodge muscle-style car that’s meant to be powerful and look aggressive. People often debate how the newer versions look compared to older ones. The podcast is reacting to the current design and how it feels compared to what they expected.
The Challenger is a Dodge muscle car, usually with a powerful engine and a bold design. It’s meant to feel like a throwback while still being a modern car. The podcast mentions it because the speaker doesn’t like how it looks to them anymore.
Drag coefficient is a way to measure how much air “pushes back” against a moving car. If it’s lower, the car usually wastes less energy and can feel faster or go farther on the same power.
A radiator is part of a car’s cooling system that helps get heat out of the engine. The host is saying EVs don’t need the same kind of under-hood cooling setup, so designers can change the front-end shape.
The Model Y is a fully electric SUV made by Tesla. Instead of using gas, it runs on electricity from a battery. The podcast brings it up while comparing different EVs and Tesla models.
The Tesla Model S is an all-electric sedan known for strong performance and a minimalist, tech-forward design. The host references the Model S Plaid edition as an example of an EV that still looks like it can go fast, arguing that certain design cues communicate performance even without a big engine.
Electric motors are what actually move an EV. Instead of an engine, the car uses electricity to spin motors, and that affects how the car is built and what you see under the hood.
The Lamborghini Temerario is a newer Lamborghini with a mix of gas and electric power. The host likes it because it still has that wild, aggressive look and feel, even though it doesn’t use a V10.
A V10 is a type of engine with ten cylinders arranged in a V shape. People often associate V10s with high-end supercars, so the host is pointing out it’s not using one.
This is a specific tire model from Continental called the DWS 06. It’s designed to work well in everyday driving, including wet weather, without being a dedicated race tire.
They’re recommending a specific tire model (called “ecso2”) if you want something that can run on track. They’re basically saying it’s better suited for harder driving than the more street-oriented tire they mention next.
Roadside assistance is a service that helps if your vehicle breaks down, such as towing, battery help, or lockout support. In this segment, it’s mentioned as part of what you may receive with certain tire purchases.
The 2024 Toyota Prius is a hybrid car that most people think of as a commuter. In this episode, they’re saying this specific Prius has been modified a lot, so it’s not just a normal stock Prius anymore.
Carbon fiber is a strong but lightweight material used a lot in performance and race cars. Saying it has “Saibon carbon fiber” means it’s using aftermarket carbon-fiber parts for style and weight savings.
MPG tells you how far a car can go on one gallon of gas. Higher MPG usually means you spend less on fuel, which is why the host is highlighting it as a great daily-driving trait.
This is describing an aero “kit” made from carbon fiber: a hood, front lip, side skirts, and multiple rear aero pieces. These parts are typically used to alter airflow around the car and give it a more track-inspired stance and appearance.
These are alignment parts that help you adjust the angles of the rear wheels. Changing camber and toe can make the car handle better and can also help manage tire wear.
That’s the tire size. The first number is how wide the tire is, and the second number is how tall the sidewall is compared to the width—both affect how the car rides and grips.
The Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo is an electric Porsche with a wagon-style shape for more space. In this conversation, it’s brought up as a car you could daily without feeling like you’re giving up practicality.
A shooting brake is like a sporty wagon: it looks more like a coupe, but it still has extra space for cargo. The host is using it to explain the Taycan Cross Turismo’s “sporty + practical” body shape.
This is a Porsche Panamera variant that looks and feels more like a wagon than a normal sedan. People like it because it gives you that practical, “big car” vibe, but it can be expensive depending on the version.
A daily driver is just the car you drive most days for normal life—work, groceries, errands. The host is saying an older car can still be a great daily if it’s cheap and in good shape.
They’re using the Toyota Camry as the “easy to live with” reference car. The claim is that an older Mercedes diesel can be almost as convenient for daily driving as a Camry.
“Livability” is basically how nice it is to use the car every day. It’s about whether the car is easy and not annoying to own and drive.
Concept
renaissance motor
“Renaissance motor” here sounds like slang for a really interesting, special engine that enthusiasts want. The hosts are saying it shouldn’t be just any engine—it should be the good kind of “special.”
Term
bridge port
“Bridge port” refers to a modification used on some rotary engines (commonly associated with Mazda RX-series) where the intake/exhaust porting is reshaped to improve airflow and throttle response. It’s a niche enthusiast term tied to how the rotary’s ports are machined.
The Datsun 510 is an older compact car that many car fans like. It’s known for being a good base for tuning and for having a strong following. The podcast mentions it in the context of collecting specific early versions.
Swift Springs are aftermarket springs you put on a car to change how it rides. They can lower the car and make the suspension feel more controlled than stock.
Brand
childs
This sounds like a brand name for suspension parts. The host is saying you can just buy a ready-made set instead of building something custom.
Spring rates describe how stiff a spring is—how much it resists compression. Changing spring rates affects ride comfort, body control, and how the car responds during cornering and braking.
A rotary engine (Wankel design) uses a spinning rotor for combustion instead of pistons moving up and down. That architecture changes how the engine makes power and how it sounds, which is why enthusiasts often chase a “rotary” character.
LIVE
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the martini works podcast. Good morning. How are you? Dios mio? I love you
We're happy you're here with
Dakota
Gels hi. Yeah, they haven't had that this opposite. Yeah, I haven't missed that up in a while
I've been good, but we're happy that you're here. It is we're now jumping into June now. That's crazy
It's a crazy thing. We're gonna be talking about a couple two tree things today
One of the big ones that we want to talk about is cars that we think we could fix
I can fix it if we could just be given
In unlimited financial budget within a large conglomerate company. I could just sit in a corporate meeting
Yes at a design meeting
Of modern vehicles. I think I could bring a lot to the table
I could just go to the the Subaru headquarters and just ask the guys
Why the f*** did you put plastic cladding?
Subaru wrx. I don't know if that actually recorded. Oh, no
We found that our our little recording thing for the the audio
Has pre-recorded sounds with buttons that are different colors. Yep. Now, obviously as a guy might
do
Is press them just to see what would happen and one of them is the
Button
We really
We really like that button
So with that being said, thank you for coming to the martini works podcast
If you're looking to modify your car magic car with your friends at martini works dot com
We've got some new product on the website. We have olands, which is a fantastic
Uh coilover brand out there specializes in motorsport oriented, uh applications really high and really affordable
Not affordable. Oh, it's expensive
Out of all the things olands is affordability is usually not tied to that. I think it might be the most expensive thing
We've added to the website outside of maybe some of like the crazy exhaust. Yeah, once we get penski on there
It's really gonna be a oh my god a battle be fair
They asked for it because we did that whole suspension video and they're like white white might where the hell is penski?
Yeah, where's where's penski? It's like brother
That's a 5000 dollar coiler. It's like when I had the motons like four of them
It's like when I had the motons on the 996. It was like these are incredible. I'm glad I did not pay for them
Yeah, uh, because those were eight grand 1300 dollars. Anyway, we also added
Saibon, yeah to the website. That's a big one carbon fee break. Yeah, so if you're looking for some more exterior
Uh parts on your car, you know, we've been adding more stuff outside of wheels and tires
So Saibon's a big one for us and so is uh olands as well
And we're going to be adding more throughout the month
We've got new apex wheels that went on the website new vatour tires that went on the website
Um, and we're working on some european brands that we're really really excited for so it'll take a little bit of time to get
Those on the website, but we don't want to say thank you and remember if you package wheels and tires together martiniworks.com
You can actually save like 200 dollars on the tires and wheels when you package them together
Plus you don't have to pay for mounting and balancing plus you get two percent back with catapult when you check out with them
It's like a win-win win. It's like a really good deal
And now i'm done. Okay
Great power comes great responsibility. That's right with the bleep button. The bleep button is is really op
Like how like it's like such a classic sensor noise. Yeah, there's they they really made that sound
And they're like we do not need to evolve this noise any further
Speaking of which let's talk about what we've been up to lately. I'll start
I'll I drove the pfm on the road this weekend naughty. I'm calling the cops. Oh, did you bring into cars and coffee?
I did. Oh, that's it drove it into cars and coffee. I was out of town this weekend. How many times did you stall it?
Never really. Yeah, unlike lars. I know how to control my
I can't even defend himself and he might listen to he's gonna get really angry or he will never hear this and in which case
I'm talking hella shit. Yeah, it's all at once. Um, to be fair. It was like what?
200 feet down the road into the right
I did a little drifts. He's good drift skis with it going on on the public road because the tires are really cold
A lot easier than you think. Yeah, um, but yeah, so hopped in it. You know, I was like, let's just take this to cars and coffee
How bad could it be?
Um, it was it was fun. It was it's very fast
It's on public streets. It is it is quick
Um, second gear. It was like I looked down on 63 miles an hour or something like that. I mean closed course professional drivers streets
It's something something something so anyway, I took it there
That was really fun and then when I got into the parking lot
I was like I'm just waiting for my reverse to show up and like the guy giggled but didn't really know what I meant
And then Lars pulled up and jumped out of his car because he has his e46 and pushed me back
Oh, he wasn't everybody thought that was really funny. Um, and then when I I
Brought it back, you know equally loud equally incredible. Um
As I left after we parked it, uh, sheriff drove by. Oh, no way
Not that I did that in real life. It would have been really cool to get pulled over though
I just want to hear the conversation. Yeah, we're like, what the fuck?
Yeah, what are you doing? What is this? I was uh, I did I put a bunch of cameras on it was really fun
Um, there's an angle on the back of that car with the gopro where you get like the wing and like everything's really symmetrical
It looks really cool. So I'm really I kind of want to do a little video on it
But yeah, that's what I did on saturday you show me that because that looks that sounds really awesome
And I had martinis on saturday night and that was lovely. Oh, yeah. Yeah. What about you dakota?
Oh, and I tried to work on cars. What did you do dakota?
Uh, I went camping up in door county. It was a really nice little getaway
But uh, that didn't stop me from also working on the cars because when I got back
Uh, there was stuff to be done. So I've been tinkering with the the golf harlequin pretty much
Anytime I get a chance. There's always little stuff to do on there. It's harlequin not harlequin
Unless it's a polo
Learn that the hard way. Oh, um, but uh, so today actually I took it because there's a wiring rats nest from the previous owner
vw kid stuff
New radio new radio. No matter how clean it is can't escape. Yeah new radio getting put in
And then too there's a little cubby that holds the license plate and that
Fucker is known to be just a mess the the tabs break on it that hold it in and then you have to figure out and
To get a new one or one replace is not happening. So uh, I used some 3m some rtv
Any adhesive I really could reach from where I was standing and I shoved that in there and it seems pretty solid now
And then also, uh, the plastic clamshell behind the steering wheel
Did you did you make that a problem for the next owner or just future you? No, I truly think it's better
I think if you knew what it was and what I was talking about you'd be you'd be proud. Okay. I do
Just double checking. Uh, double checking
You'd be really proud because I even took the time to alcohol wipe down everything so that adhesive would actually stick proudly
Yeah, there's been times where I've I've finished a project on a car and I've told myself
Let us both hope that I never have to go back into that location
I thought what I did to it. I don't want to undo. Yeah. Yeah been there many times
Yeah, and I'm trying not to do that with this car. I keep reminding myself that like
I have no intentions of ever getting rid of this car. So whatever I do
I am dealing with and it is now my problem for eternity. So I am trying to do everything, right?
But yeah, I had the the clamshell behind the steering wheel. I only had the top half of it
So the bottom of the steering wheel where all the wires and stuff are was exposed
Again, another piece that is very well known for breaking tabs and stuff like that
But I found a guy in marketplace or it was in one of the groups the mark three groups
Shout out to him. It's super fair price got shipped out and it is in immaculate conditions
Now I have that all buttoned up and then probably the funnest thing I did
Was uh, my hella green tail lights from Germany that I picked up
I installed those and put those on the car nice and uh, what's really nice, too
Is it was actually a fix for my car that I didn't realize
Oh, um
The the tail lights that were in it the the one on the passenger side didn't have the seal any longer in it
And I took it through the car wash one time and then lo and behold, I have a little pool of water in my trunk
I'm I'm like 90 sure because the seal wasn't there. It's just plastic on metal
Water drained in through the tail light housing into my trunk. So now I have to get in water in the trunk
Yeah, my judo sport we can do that too, but now they're all sealed up because I those suckers were brand new never mounted
I I ruined 30 years of someone keeping them nice to put them in my car. They were meant for you. Yep. Oh, and
I also installed a gosh
Dude, I was I was crazy. You're going hard on it. I did a black forest industries one of 100
Specifically made harlequin shift knob that they released. I think it was like five years ago or something. I might be wrong
It was a while ago
But they made a limited run of them and I found a guy that kept one new in the box
And he was like, I don't even have a harlequin. I just thought it was cool
And I keep it as like a little display piece and he said the only way I'd tell is to an actual harlequin owner
So if you want it, it's yours and he didn't mark it up nothing. He sold it for a super fair price
I was super thankful and then I had a custom made
Shift boot from black forest industries with harlequin stitching
So just the stitching on the corners is harlequin colors and I hit a cross stitch. So I installed new shift boot
And new shift knob
And then I installed a holster mount in my forerunner. That's what I did. Damn
God dang american over here. He's going not so you guys know a holster is
for a weapon
Yep, sure
Could be for many things. It could be technically a holster and be for whoever you want
but
Dakota strapped is what I'm hearing but this is America and I want it for my forerunner like you
I have a safe in my forerunner
The combination safe. I do have a holster in the ferrari to be fair. See you got a Glock in my rari
You're not the first to do it. I just want you to know that is that was the first month. I was 100% the reason I did
I bought a Glock and a holster and I took my concealed carry permit literally for a rap song
And the fact that I owned a ferrari this is back in like 2020
I did it first. Yeah amount of times. I've been in the car. I've never even noticed that the Glock sucks by the way
What I don't like it
That's uh, the 365 excel is way better. I don't know why I just like it more. I have a Glock 19
I love it. I like well, okay. I do I do but I don't I just it's a long story
I zack edland had a Glock
I remember and I shot his and it was terrible
Then I bought a Glock even though he told me not to and I didn't really like it because it felt kind of shitty in my hands
And then I got a 365 excel really love that one and then I needed a home defense weapon
And so I wanted an 810
And they're like, okay, sure. What type would you like? And I said, I don't know which everyone you can get faster because this was back during
Uh confinement era, which everything was impossible to get a hold of yeah, especially ammo and then like five months later
I got a call from shields that my 810 was ready to get picked up
And it was a pistol grip 810 shock wave police pump action shotgun
Not a normal shoulder, but anything nope wrap it around grasp it like this
Just a and you shoot it from the hip. You don't shoot it up on the shoulder shoot it from the hip
The hell are you doing with that? I'm not doing anything. I'm just saying that if becca needed to defend herself in our home
She is ready to go. She's going six feet back and whoever she's shooting at is going 12 feet back. That's all I got
Anyway, this is not a weapon conversation. Whatever you feel about that. I got some nerf guns at home
Yeah, that's that's fair
I used to have those blow darts though when I was a kid. What the hell what's a glow dart blow dart gun
Oh blow dart. Yeah, I had one of those everybody had a blow dart gun
I'd never had a blow dart gun your mom didn't trust you with the blow dart gun. She barely trusted me
Yeah, she barely trusted me with airsoft. I had to put I know mama gels together to get an airsoft gun
I know that if mama gels and I were sitting down right now
I did shoot her with it. Yeah, she would tell me why you weren't allowed to have a weapon. Okay
It was fine. I thought I took all the hunter safety. So I was I was fine
Then you shot her. Well, it was after a while. It was many years down the road
I I didn't know I would hit her from that far away
I didn't think I would hit her so like I would shoot like we had our back porch or whatever
And I was kind of like elevated and I would shoot cans at the fire pit down there and I had this it was a
It was a really cool airsoft gun. It was CO2 powered and it was a revolver and you those hurt
You'd load BBs into the shell. Yep. I remember seeing that. Yes. I remember seeing that online
I bought that and I was like, dang, this thing's really cool. And my mom walked out
She was bringing something to the camper, which was all the way across the yard and I was like
I'm like, I'm just like scared a little bit or something
You know, and I freaking smoked her right in the bag and she was not happy about it. How old were you?
I had been probably like 15. I think you were at the age where you understood the
Dad thought it was funny
Anyway, uh, in terms of vehicle builds, we're making
Progress we have an engine hoist now. We have an engine. That thing is a unit
So in case you guys and gals don't know the s2000 is is going to get worked and I will be clear
I have help. Um, I asked my said help if I could get the engine into the car
If that would be an acceptable step without him being involved and he politely told me no
Because there is a
Uh, essentially a strut brace not strut brace, but like a chassis brace that we're fabricating right now
Okay, um for the front bumper
And we don't want to put the engine in and then put that in because we need to check clearances of it
So he's not going to have that ready until the middle of this week
Okay, so instead I'm going to go through and I'm going to take everything out of the s2000 label everything
There is a lot of stuff in there get ready to rock and roll, but then starting this upcoming weekend
I'll start breaking into it and our goal is that by the end of this month will be
finished with it the z is going to
Uh, a friend named paul klug. He owns a shop in ampleton. Yeah. Yeah, we have a coolant leak in the lower piping
It's all hard piped. Yeah, it's like almost like v-band. Yeah, and it has a v-band and
Fabrication is not
Not my skill
So I I'm having him take it to pressure test the coolant system to see where and how it's leaking and then get that sorted
Do a little bolt down check on some of the bits and pieces around the turbo because there's a little oil leak there
So power steering was kind of acting up to yeah, so I don't know you guys might know this if you're listening in
I'm driving the dots and it's got an aftermarket power power steering column. It's electronic. It's electronic. Yep
And so when I'm driving
I have beautiful power steering. Okay. It's lovely makes the front wheels feel like they four ounces
But then when I'm cruising and I'm just like going straight every once in a while it stops working and it gets like
Like binds up it feels like it binds up and then I don't know where it goes
And it'll like unlock itself a little bit and like the car will do a little shimmy
Um, not scary at 30 miles an hour a little scarier
At 90. Oh god. Yeah, I've ever gone to that speed on the back roads of Tennessee, but um, so I want to get that cleared
Yeah, that's what you're this. Oh
I wonder if it's and something weird
Maybe something actually is like binding up or something because if it's like making like a mechanical like popping sound
I have no I sounds really strange. I have no idea. I think I think it has something to do with the
um
The power I think maybe it's just like losing power or maybe even like the ecu has the voltage set
Maybe the wrong way
I'm not entirely sure how it works because I'm not in that world that that much
But it's one of those things where the problem
Evades me just enough to where if I were to work on it
It'll take me too much time if I send it out and I just do it that way. It's going to be done on time
Um, and then after that we have new parts from ishimoto that I'll be installing on becasem4 because
It's now at 63 000 miles
So we're going to go through and get them some things changed around do some mileage
maintenance repair and then the ferrari is
Last on the list and that will get worked shortly after nice
I did find new lips for the new wheels that we're putting on so I just got to get those ordered this week
I'm really excited for that. I forgot you were doing that for a bit and I'm really fucking excited for that. Yeah, that's gonna be
That might be my favorite setup if it works it works
Yeah, if it works, that's the goal. That's the big that's the big thing there, but I think it's gonna be sick
Yeah, more of the story that I'm at right now is just trying to get the the cars working all working
Which is a lot harder than you think because it's like all little it's all little stuff like I mean outside of the s2k
The s2k is blown up. It's about as bad as you get over there, but the rest of it
Ferrari works dots and works s15 works r34 works m4 works great
Just not perfect
And I would like them to work a little I will say the Ferrari breaks the longer it sits still
The more I don't touch that car the more breaks if I drive it all the time never breaks
Sounds like you gotta drive it more. Hmm. I would but there's cars in the way
daily
Daily the rari that would be great. I'm sure my neighbors would love to hear that it's six o'clock in the morning
On a 20 negative 20 afternoon
Can we can we just talk about one more non-automotive related thing that I think the podcast needs to hear?
Absolutely. It's our podcast. We can do whatever we want. So I have this fundamental belief that there are just things naturally
Uh that men do okay, and there are just these certain behaviors of things that like women do. Oh god careful. Yeah, I know
I have no idea where you're going with this. So here's my thing
I have a fundamental belief. You know when uh in 2020 when covet was here and remember everybody's trying to find things to do
a lot of girls decided to
Cut their hair
Right. Sure. A lot of them. They're stuck at home big bread. They cut their hair
What was the thing that a lot of them seemed to cut? What did they want?
They wanted oh hoax. No bangs
Right bangs hear me out. This story has a purpose. I remember. Yeah, and they'd go and they'd cut their bangs or they'd get the bangs
I don't even know the process of this thing even though my wife does it for a living
And it would be perfect the first time through
But then
They'd cut a little bit more and then a little bit more until eventually they'd have to call my wife
It's not even on the side. Oh, it's not yeah
Until eventually they'd have to call my wife because their bangs were like up to the top of their non-existent receding hairline, right?
I found the boy version of that this weekend. Oh god
I love my neighbors to death, right? Are they getting themselves fades but every year
Every year when you go to trim like a pine tree or when you go to trim a tree
You usually go through and you trim like the bottom two
Like rows. I don't know how to call it or like, you know, like circles of branches because they're usually dead, right? They're trying to get
My neighbor bless his heart if he's listening. I love you Nate, but he blesses heart
I walked out there Saturday morning and he's trimming his trees
And I said, oh, how's it going? He's like, god, I just gotta get these here. They're they're dead, you know, tree's not doing too well
So I'm gonna clean it up. Make sure she's all good to go. I'm like, great, you know, if you need help just let me know
I'm two hands. I can at least do something. I'm not super strong. He's like, okay, sounds good
We get back Saturday afternoon
Half the tree branches are gone
This guy went and trimmed
fucking 15 feet into the air
The whole side of the tree. It's like an it's like an opposite circumcision that's happening
We're just the top of the tree has the the the pines on it, right? And I'm like as far as you can reach
I'm like, okay
Let me know if you need help
Sunday morning, I come out there. The whole fucking tree is gone. He just deleted the tree
He just decided to cut the whole thing down. He's like, you know what?
Just get rid of it. He just gave up on it like and I asked him. I was like, how's it going? He's like, ah, I just
got got carried away
Oh, tree knew he fucked up
You see bangs are one thing is, you know, you give him a couple weeks or a month or grow back
A tree removing a whole tree as a solution is an expensive fuck up
That was hilarious because like we have in between our house and his house is is a street and then a fence
And then trees and so we could never see his backyard now
I have full prime time television into his backyard because the two biggest trees that were like stopping me from seeing it
Are now gone
So I went to go cut the back pine trees of my house and my wife watched me intently because she saw the disaster
That was happening in the front yard and refused to let me cut more than I wanted to so more of the story is
If you're a girl only go once with the bangs and if you're a boy
Do not trim more
Then one little row of your tree
And if you if you think you need to cut more
Way today, it's like buying a car way today
Go back out there then look at it. I love trees, but man, they can be a huge pain in the air. They are there
We have an apple tree in our backyard and it's fucking stupid dropped so many apples
It's crazy. It does that make it all moldy. I ain't fucking playing it brother
and then um
In the front yard, we have some goofy ass tree. I don't even know what it is. It's fine. I guess but
That we got new gutters installed
per my insurance
I needed to clean the the tree branches off the roof. So while they're installing the new roof and gutters
I was like, hey, are you guys able to lop off that tree there? Oh, yeah, of course we can so i'm like sick
Thank you, then insurance will get off my butt about it
So I get home riffs all installed gutters are installed trees fucking not touched at all
There's still limbs like hanging on the house. I'm like you guys said you could do this as a can you not?
They're like, oh, yeah, we'll send guys back out. We'll trim it. Okay, dude
They cut half the tree literally in half like there was a whole side of the tree
They went they went off. They went too far. Holy crazy and at that moment time
I did consider like maybe it's time for this thing to go like that's rough
Just lopping off half of a whole tree. I told you there's there's there there are times where you just you've gone too far
You know and and I have one question for you guys. Okay, if I could be so inclined
What car?
Is the pine tree
Of the car industry. What does that mean?
More pine trees. They're everywhere. They're strong. They're durable. They're not always the prettiest
But like should I cut it down? They withstand just about anything, right?
Is there a car out there that is like the pine tree of the car world? Ford
crown Victoria
That's actually pretty accurate. Yeah, I always put one up at Christmas
Oh, I gotta take the crown victim
Oh, dang it
Yeah, santa showing up in the crown Vic. Obviously the show. That's a pretty good one
That's 365 days away. You know what I would say?
Subaru Outback
Subaru Outback
Yep, I had outbag ones
Oh, we know. Yep. I know I remember
I deem out of times I got yelled at for that piece of shit car. I'm so sorry
Don't even get me started dude. I just I just we thought if I just like forgot it weekly emails
Why why why the f*** is that Subaru still in our back parking lot? To be fair I gave the car
To someone and they just wouldn't move it. Oh, yeah, don't don't remind me
I had to go through all of that too because then it was a finger-pointing game and then
You gotta bring my car. So my car something is needed to take it out the pasture, you know
Try to take it out the pasture wouldn't make it that far
That's snowbank in the way. Okay. What's your pine tree car then pine tree car?
I know what it means, but Subaru Outback makes most sense. I think like a 2001 Toyota camera fair enough beige tan interior
I've been hanging on Steven a lot. $368,000. I want you to know he backs his car into his camera duplex
He has camera. So when I pulled up to go see him and Emily, I obviously had to back in the r34
So it inadvertently looked like both of us were posing up for the car show and I think he made my car look better. Damn
Wait, do you guys about the r34? Do you guys back your cars into the garage?
Um
I when I had the rx8, I would back it into the garage
I would piss off any Tetris player in the way that I parked my car in the garage
I do anything but the way that you're supposed to because we right now we're in between projects in the garage
And so there's space for like two and a half cars
Yeah, but the two car space has like one and a half car space. So I just kind of park it at an angle
I just get in there turn it figured out the 240 has been taking up like the actual workable
Garage space that I typically use. I've just been parking outside for the last like two years
Uh, but typically when I would pull in there, I would back in uh, my old apartment in Eau Claire before I moved
It was in 2017. I remember we got this rental and it was a two bedroom two bath
No two bedroom one and a half bath
Uh, 1300 square feet 1400 square feet
But they said it was an oversized two car
And this was back when I was flipping Miata's to make money for college
Would you like to know how many Miata's I fit in there at one time before I got in trouble by the landlord
I'd six Miata's
In that thing because you could you could drive it in
And then you could turn it and then you could use these little wheel chucks and you could just push them into the corner
Dude, those little wheel dollies open up so much. I was like, well, how many can I buy?
So I just started looking for Miata's under a thousand dollars boom hard top boom boom boom
And then I just started picking on a part and then I just parted them out and sold them
There was one time I bought a Miata for 600 dollars
All right, then I found a hard top for 600 dollars and then I cleaned the paint. I sold it for 45
100 holy shit damn
With that being said, we're going to take a small break
But let us know your big flips of the years, you know
Do you have a big flip back in your life? I used to flip runescape accounts
You have to let us know in the comment section below how you made your hustle if you did have a hustle
But we do want to give a huge shout out to
Motegi racing wheels for being a partner of the martini works podcast
They've been absolutely incredible
We kept the cogens on the s15 post drift session just because I love how they look and they're going to be running around on
Road america because we're going to a drift event actually this weekend and next weekend on them
Absolutely fantastic wheel brand. We love the guys over there. They've been doing an incredible job at offering wheels in sizes
That actually makes sense for people that love to slide their car and drive their car
Flow formed. They're super light very strong. I love them
Obviously, they they've withstood the amount of thrashing that we've thrown at them when we've thrown quite a bit at them
And they have a lot of inventory which means that if you're looking for something that you can get quick
That's in stock
You want to mount them with tires like ironmans or kendas or continentals
You can actually do that right on martiniworks.com. We'll get them shipped out to you super super fast
So we want to say thank you to motegi for being a sponsor martiniworks podcast and we will talk to you in a minute
All right guys, what cars would you fix we mean?
Yeah, give me give me the deets. There's some new cars out there
I mean, I guess there's older ones too, but they came out. Maybe there was some hype around them
Maybe people were excited for them and they didn't quite
Hit the mark. Oh, I got it if you could sit in on a meeting
with
The CEOs the big dogs of a car company and be like, hey, I know I'm just a dude
But I got some input. What would you say to who and why I would slap the
underside skin of somebody's chin in the Honda boardroom and say why in the living fuck are you making the Honda prelude a $50,000 car
That's funny when they're like, but we need to increase profit. I'd slap them again
Okay, and I'd say how would you fix it though?
Do it with another car. What would I do? Yeah, how would you fix it? What what what would fix the Honda prelude?
That's the question. Okay, if I wanted to fix the Honda prelude, it's really simple because this one was on my list too
So yeah, yeah, yeah, so we we stop
Hemorrhaging money from all of the terrible EV projects that Honda is doing
Right and we take that money that we would have been spending over there
And we just put that
Into making the efficiencies of developing cars a little bit easier
Maybe the prelude has lots of civic parts just a slightly different chassis slightly different exterior
Right and then we we ship it as an entry level
Front wheel drive fun sports car. Don't even change the powertrain. Don't change anything about that
When just make it affordable when the prelude originally came out, right? Let's let's kick it back
Let's say the third and fourth gen prelude. Mm-hmm
Where did that sit in the Honda lineup? Like was it above the civic? Was it like?
I don't want to talk out of my ass. Okay, but I'm trying. I was trying to figure that out
Like was it because it was two door. So it was like was it supposed to be like the sport?
Version that you know like the sport car for Honda at the time like after the civic
I think it was supposed to be more premium model. Sure, but I don't quote me on that
Because the civic was always seen as that's what yeah, because I'm like I'm like trying to figure out like what they're doing
With this new one. It doesn't make sense for the prelude to be as expensive as it is
But it also doesn't really make sense to essentially have two civics
Yeah, I mean because like okay, so here's here was my notes for the Honda prelude because this one was on my list too. I said
Design wise, right? It's too fucking symmetrical in my opinion. You look at it down the side and it looks
Like an oval it goes up and down the same way
Yeah, the mid like the the highest point of the car is directly in the center and then it's just the same on both sides
Yep, I always think of the when I think of prelude. long nose
Cockpit a little further back still do that. Bring still front wheel drive though
Bring the windshield back bring the cabin back a little bit
Fix the the symmetrical issue. Maybe bring a little bit more angle to the windshield that too
like I said
uh
Bring the cabin back redesign the headlight. So it doesn't like a toyota knockoff
I think it looks too much like a freaking Prius at this point and then
Drop the CVT put a 1.5 liter earth dreams engine out of like the 10th gen civic si
Just slap that in there and call her a day. You know what I think happened
But when I say that though, it's like well, why wouldn't someone just buy, you know, like a tension
two-door civic si I believe
with my radical belief
That I'm not quite sure Honda knew where global regulations were going with cars
and
What we saw with the prelude is a rapid change
To the development of it to meet the needs of the current us climate, right? Because everything up until 20
What 2024 was
Like evy everything was talking evy
I mean we were following the european regulations almost like one for one
And then obviously that all changed right very quickly and then at the same time
There's been a whole bunch of tariff talk and a whole bunch of changing on where production needs to be done
Which also through a lot of these companies, especially in japan, especially in york through massive
hoops to to make a competitively priced car
So like a part of me is thinking that
Maybe Honda had a different idea for what the prelude was going to be
Whether it was what we'd liked or not
but like the the really symmetrical design
And that like evy look tells me that they were planning on that being more of a
Hybrid or probably even like an evy version of
Front wheel drive right yeah 100 and it was like I just don't understand why it's so freaking expensive though
But yeah, go to what do you get used to be dope?
This one's tough
But I think I'd sit down on Nissan meeting. Okay, and I'd be like guys
I'm hungry. I need a snack then after once I get my snack. I'd be like guys
That was pretty good. Um
I'm full now, but
The z looks good on paper, but it just
It ain't hitting
In physical real life
I think we need to pull the transmission out
I think we need to go to
A six cylinder single turbo
I think we need to make it feel a little more raw
And then I think people will enjoy it more
Okay, and then after dakota said that he then
Here's in the boardroom
But what if we make it so that the dealers can mark them up to 80 thousand dollars?
Before a customer ever gets them. What say you then I
Honestly, I wouldn't say a thing because I'd be walking up and panting them
You remember like the that old meme of like the guy doing just sitting in the boardroom giving the the honest
Everyone's thinking and the next frame doesn't fly out. Yeah, that'd be that
That's this discussion in a nutshell
But no, I agree the z needs some that we've talked
We've kind of beat this horse to death here because you know, Alex had that one
um, and it was just
Like there was nothing inherently like
Bad about it. It was just but there wasn't anything inherently good about it. It was just a car
It was kind of a letdown. I still want one. Yeah, I know I I wanted one too
Yeah, maybe what we need to do is maybe we gotta go check out an ismo one see if that
Fixed it changed anything. They have they did a few things. Yeah, but those those are the 80 grand ones right now
It's freaking insane. The prices dropped a lot on the z though, which I think does make it overall a better car
Especially, you know what you get for the cost. Yeah
But what the hell is this 2024 Nissan z s 30 heritage edition?
Okay, so I go in there and I'm like, I wonder if it's a manual or an automatic transmission
Six speed manual or nine speed automatic. You can't have both
Which one is it's an automatic and so I wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt too because it's like
You know, we talked with the manual and had like the really bad like rev hang issue
It just felt like sloshy
Like it didn't feel really connected and that was a big part of it and the car just felt overall big
Like it felt like a big car when you were in it. Yes
And and just with that disconnect and that sloshiness and unresponsiveness it just
Felt sluggish even though the car wasn't the car was decently fast
Yeah, especially after a lot of power and stuff too and like getting some noise a lot of power
It's scoots, but it just like the control and feel of it just felt sluggish
um
And we have the opportunity to check out the automatic one
I'm like, okay. Well, maybe you know the automatic transmission. No flappy paddles could be a lot quicker
It's gonna be a little more responsive
Dude that thing the auto transmission in that in sport mode shifted slower than my fucking chevy equinox with sport mode
Dude, it was atrocious
Like it was such a long delay between switching gears. I'm like, what's the point?
Literally, what is the point? These cars are still kind of expensive. Uh, I think I want phone for 30
I want phone for 35. Okay. Is that like that's like the base model?
Okay, a bit but still like again, that's when you're expensive. Yeah, what it is. How many miles 2400. It's not bad
It's direct competitors the supra. Yeah, you're not getting one of those for like you're getting that for
You're getting that for like gr86 price now. Yeah, which
Was my second car. Okay, that I would fix what would you say to him now?
There's nothing inherently wrong with the gr86. I love that car. I think it's perfect. I do not think it needs a turbo
I know a shocker
But what would you chop 10k off the msrp and it's perfect. You have to say in japanese
They're japanese company careful. You're in the meeting. So you have to say in japanese
No, you don't I haven't done my duolingo in a long time. Crap. I broke my like 700 a streak and I
I realized in the nissan meeting I was supposed to be speaking in japan careful. Okay, don't do that
Don't do that. Uh, I would like to
potentially
also
Go into a Porsche boardroom. Okay
And I would love to take a hot espresso
And throw it at whoever is deciding that Porsche needs to have like $400,000 in
Incremental upsell opportunities when you spec out a 9 11 in 2026. Jesus. It used to be
They were expensive rightfully. So great car
But now they're doing the same like you can spec 9 11's into Ferrari territory and actually even above Ferrari territory
Any day of the week now and I feel like there's like a I feel like there's a tear
Hold on. I would fix the Ferrari luce
By just taking the prosangue and putting an ev power train in it and then
killing the luce
forever and ever and ever
Yeah, yeah
Looks like a loogie. I'm sorry. Can I get the Ferrari luce?
I'll take one of those luches
Thank you
I like that name
No, seriously if you go on uh, like a Porsche website and you spec out an i11
It's actually kind of a fun game to see how expensive can you get it? That's insane
That is insane. It's like one of those things where it's like more an add-on some of this actual base price of the car
Almost almost. It's insane. And people like Porsche has the paint to sample program and they have all that stuff
But like that'd be so fun if I didn't mind to do that actually though
It would be sick. Wouldn't that be fun though?
Except you get to see how bad your taste is in real time. Oh, no, be good. No, because I've seen okay, so one of my most
uh
useless hobbies is I will go out to
racecarjunk.com
And the DuPont registry and I'll look at these like either super cheap race cars or super expensive collector cars
And I always look at the paint to sample or the bespoke program cars the ones that were built
Specifically yeah for this customer
And you realize that these rich people have no goddamn taste. Oh, yeah, they'll put money. Don't buy taste. That's what put like red leather interior on
Yellow exterior with orange wheels and like blue stitching
I remember you showing me one of them one time and it was bad. It was really bad really gross
It's really gross looks like a burger king meal. Yeah, I'm just saying there's nothing wrong with cars. I have red and yellow
And green. What other colors? That's fine. You're gonna have all those cars on the car. I think they work together really well
They just can't be touching. No, wait. I want to go back though. We kind of yeah, we glanced over the g re
So I want to talk a little bit more about that. I just said I think the car is fantastic. It's just too expensive
Lars hates that. So but what would you do? Okay, you're in the meeting. You gotta tell him. Yeah, give some advice
What are you doing to cheapen it? What are you doing to cheapen it? Yeah, make it cheaper
I think you don't need some crazy wheel option from the factory
I think like take literally all the stuff that people are just gonna toss out anyway because they're modifying these cars
Throw just a fucking basic set of wheels on like fucking throw it on steelies for all I care
You know, whatever you have a trim that has that option. That's just like base base
Yeah, like base model like, you know, maybe take, you know, make the the infotainment or whatever a little cheaper or whatever like that
Like I don't care do something where you can drop like
10 grand off of the msrp and I think you got a I think you got a banger. Okay. I want to change the question really quick
Okay, you got a changer. Yeah, I'm a question changer rule change your question changer
You can go into any boardroom
And you can give somebody just a firm fucking handshake
for making
This vehicle like they just did it right
No issues no concerns about it at all
Who are you going to give that firm handshake? I got a really hot take
I think
Mark five Toyota Supra
Designer I'm gonna be like, yo, you fucking did it. I don't care. You put the BMW. You know what good idea
Good idea putting the BMW engine because that shit was
Affordable for what it is what car you're getting and comparing it to other cars in that
Era it is affordable. I would not have been able to buy that car if it wasn't made the way it was and I got it
and I absolutely loved it so
Handshake put her there. You fucking did a good job. You went against the grain. I guarantee there is
Japanese executives are like BMW motor. No way like there probably was some pissed off people there
But they went against the grain. They did it. I think it fucking worked. Would a 3jz been cool?
Sure, that would have been cool and would have been a billion fucking dollars that I don't have
And would just been a Toyota GT that I I can get can't get and I won't ever get yeah
So I am thankful for it. I and I'd give that a good old handshake and I'd share some of my snack
Gels that's good
Man what car just got knocked out of the park you go. I'm thinking
You were trying because you don't know
No, I mine mine would be old school
I would go and I would give
Mr. Katayama, Mr. K a good old handshake for the success of the 240z
I think the the 240z still stands as like one of the best success stories of a
Japanese sports car in the American market that
Beat everyone else like it beat Honda at the time it beat Mitsubishi
it beat everybody and
They were probably cool and they're timeless. I think it's so hard to make a car look
Timeless especially in today's day and age when you see like how EVs are currently getting shaped and things like that
It just it's so polarizing to the eye. So we're kind of stuck now. We're all these future cars
Really aren't going to look like anything we've seen before
You know like box TVs and I just have a touch of nostalgia where it's like I want the car to kind of look like it's
Not just shaped by the wind, but it's also shaped like human from human beings
You know and I think the z looks like a car that was built with the concepts of aerodynamics, but was still built by human being
Without a computer
Fair enough
That's my thoughts
It is it is funny you bring that up. I was looking at that website that you shared
Um, it's like all like the archives of the um, oh, yeah
Like uh brochures and like dealer like information and stuff like that for cars back in the day
I went I was like I want to see what was out there for like my like the rx7
um
Like the first gen. Yeah, and uh, so I looked at my year and it was like the whole thing was all about like
It was funny. It's like ready for launch and it was like kind of like talking like
um
Like space and like aerospace kind of style. Yeah. Yeah. They had like these like crazy like cutaway
Uh, like drawings and stuff of like they literally were talking about the drag coefficient that the pop-ups would make when they're down
How sleek the fbrx7 was and it was like it they literally it was we were joking like oh, I wonder what you know
You know manufacturers should start putting like wind tunnel tests of like how aerodynamic their cars are and stuff
It was like they literally did they were like yes
It reduces the drag coefficient by like 0.91 or something. It's something something weird like that. I was like that's really funny
That's cool. Um, I would say kind of kicking it back to toyota and we were talking about g86
Whoever came up with the idea of scion in general
And like what led to the frs because
That was literally like
We want to target the younger demographic and we're going to release
affordable
Unique kind of out there sports cars that are just meant to be fun when they came out with the tc
Honestly, I think the xb when it first came out was a fucking banger. I agree
um
And eventually came out with the frs and that has led to obviously the brz and now the gr86 which was absolutely dominating
And uh, you know, kind of like you said
You know, that was like my first like new car that I bought was that for us and it's like because it was
$16,000 and it had like
10,000 miles on it's like that car was insanely affordable at the time and uh
It's a good car. Absolutely. That's a good call out to to think of scion as a whole
It was I loved the whole idea of scion
I thought it was really cool
Just like is a pretty sick concept. Yeah, they were literally just like we like they're a little quirky. Yeah
We're definitely working with stuff
But it's like you look at all the brands right a lot of the brands is like, okay. Well, uh, you know like look at
Genesis right now. It's like they just keep releasing higher luxury higher tiers higher tiers
Everyone's releasing a higher tier. They're stepping up into the next thing. It's like becoming like unachievable
It's like you're looking at some of these crazy prices on the stuff and it's like
Toyota's just like we want to make something
Fun and cheap. Yep
With new nice
That's awesome. More more brands should do that. Honestly
Yeah, but no
Yes, I am
Maybe uh deserves to get its flowers. Yeah, I'll bring them some flowers. I'll grow up. It was sick. Ooh
Flowers. Mm-hmm first gen xb goes hard. Okay
Who would you go up and just slap across the face mitzvah bishi in general for well everything
Everything after 19 none and none like line them up
Maybe an elbow in there too. What the fuck did you do to the eclipse?
In the evo and the evo
It's like, yeah, what what happened in the mid 2000s
What what happened? They started focusing on uh air conditioners too much or something. I don't know
Uh, what would you do? Um
Who would I slap?
Maybe
Oh
Hyundai
What's that fucking car?
That it's the suv that has like the taillights real low santa face. Oh, yeah
The dog bone taillights. I don't no. No, I don't know. It's a modern. Yeah on that
I just see a million of them all the time and every time I see the rear end it pisses me off
For no, they're too low. Yeah, I think it's that and there's also just real no reason like
They're seeing a person that you just want to punch because it's like
Just for existence. They're just they're just punchable. Yeah, they're punchable. That's that car
So like that that's my first genuine thought of which
I'd probably say otherwise like subaru too. I think that's been a monstrosity lately and I want the sti back and I want
The rally heritage back and now subaru wx's are literally just commuter traffic and everyone
I see driving one is just keeping it bone stock and going to work and that's the only thing
It's done with it and it has big plastic poopy diaper rear end for since you said the new wx's diaper booty
It's like I think about it every time it's like it's got a full diaper. It's what it looks like
I hate that. I hate it. That probably deserves a slap too to be honest. That was also on my list to fix
Yeah
Yeah, and with that bring back the sti. What are the wide wide like keep like teasing it
But it's like oh, but it's just it's just uh, it's just a one-off like well, then we went to japan and they have these sti
Very yeah, but they're like but they're not sti. They're like trim your weird
I don't know what they're doing. I don't know what someone needs to slap wake up calls
Alex who you slapping who am I slapping? Yeah, man
Slap chop slap chop. He's like man. Who's not gonna bring me to an event. Yeah
Who can I safely call? Like he's gonna slap us if we bring him somewhere
I feel like I'm already on a list. Um
Man, I don't know I I I want to slap
Johnny Johnny ivy for for saying that ferrari
Didn't need to make the ferrari luce they chose to make the ferrari luce because that was an abomination and 100% a lie
Um, but because he wears fancy glasses and has a fancy sport coat, you know, it's typical technology guy. Yeah, um luce or luce
The luce is it luce or it's not luce
It's not luce. I can tell you right now. It's not luce. The luce matches the look of it. It's luce
If I could name it anything, I would name it the ferrari ev 9
after kia
Damn because it looks almost every single video is the guy putting his hand in between the headlights and the front
Is that open there? Yeah, he's like, oh, look at this dough. Oh, I couldn't tell from the photos
It didn't look like it was $650,000. Look what it does. Oh
One thing I saw that was plus ring the threat about it was
It has if I understood this correctly a digital screen for the cluster
But then also mechanical like the needles the best thing about that car is it has a combination
Yes, Johnny Johnny ivy did a good job with like the tactile
Buttons on the inside of the car. They are super cool. Like they're they're the the needle is and then
The buttons are all push in and like have a really good ergonomic feature modern stuff, but it
Remained tactile. Yeah, which is what we don't like. I don't like the iMac swing out screen in the middle of it
Yeah, it's like you want the other guy to look at it. Literally, like, you know, you want to watch cartoon network
There's like old iMacs with like the round base, you know the ones I know exactly what you're talking about
I kind of like those you like those. Yeah
That's what it looks like. It sort of looks like they put in the middle of that. Yeah, I don't like any in a car
I just like the old iMacs
I agree that little screen was kind of goofy, but I did like the uh, I'd also like to
I'd also like to slap whoever at dodge that decided that srt was no longer worth
Investing whoever for real ever designed the new charger or whatever the hell it is
That thing does not every time I see a challenger ivy. It gets uglier to me too
Yeah, because they're they're doing that thing right like the ivy's they do this thing where they evolve
Into the centipede looking fuck, you know, and it just like it gets it's short on the front
It's really snubby on the ass and then it just does this thing where it's just this bean, you know
Why do they have to look and they're like, well, it needs to be have a
Drag coefficient, you know, we need something really strong here. So we're just gonna make it. We're gonna shave everything off, right?
So what do they do they make a hole in between the headlights and the roof so that doesn't need a radiator
So we can get rid of it push it down, right? That's what dodge did and they're like, oh, we could put door handles
No, no, no, let's cut it. Let's make it so that they're inside the door because it'll increase it
So then it smoothens out there
Then they're like, oh, we could put these big wheel arches on it for big was no we don't need to because it's gonna bubble
So let's really tuck the wheels. Let's run like an add 20 by 9 plus 50 and it just looks like an emasculated
Fuck and it just looks bad because the the car has no poise
It has no declaration of intent when you look at EVs out argue even the tesla model s the plaid edition
it has
The right element of
Presence when you look at it that it looks like it can go fast. Yeah
yeah, I think it's because it
It simply is because like the only things in it are electric motors and a battery
Which are pretty well maintained and hidden and it's like back in the day when you're looking at, you know
That car means fucking business. It's because it has a huge fucking engine under the hood
Like that was kind of what what it was is like the you know had to pack all this in there
So like it had to be bigger. It had to have some shoulders on it
The thing is though they've been putting fake shit on cars for a decade my super add fake vents for my fucking
TRD pro has a fake hood scoop on it
If they gotta make it look a little better and add a little shim sham to it with some non functional bits
They have to because yes, they are all starting to look like shit
But dude, we were just driving down the road. I'm like, what is that? They're like, oh my god
It's a challenger EV like I've seen them before I know what they look like. I'm just like that thing's getting the worst part
Is getting uglier. I can't I at this point I have not been keeping up with dodge
But like I know it's like they have is it the charger that they're still making that they did the EV or is it?
It's either the charger the challenger whatever it is
They did the EV version, but then they brought back the internal combustion version, but they kept the same body style
And it
That might be the charger. It's so bad thing
I I don't know if
If they're making
Combustional, yeah, I came to that engines in that new challengers
That's horrible because it looks really really ugly the best version of all this
Then we got to take a break
But the best version of a super car that has that has nailed it that I have driven so far
Is the lamborghini temerario is like the best it's still it doesn't have a v10 anymore
It's got the v8, but it's got two turbos three electric motors
And it still looks like it wants to eat your kids and that is the point of sports cars
They look
Like they just want to like kill they need to have a little bit of that and a lot of these new cars
They just don't look like that the fry luce looks like the kind of person
I wouldn't trust to take care of my cats the luce
We have to take a small break. Yeah, so real quick. It is the charger that they're doing
And it because they put that like new engine. It's a it's a three liter. Yeah twin turbo turbo. It's sick
So like the engine is dope, but then they put it in this fucking monstrosity
They kept the same look as the ev and they just put
This that's a charger. Yeah
It's got a really long name
Look at charger. I seen maybe that was a charger. I see yeah, I think the challenge. I don't think they did
I think it is the charger. Oh, I don't think
Challenger if I'm not mistaken. Okay. So that's what I've been seeing. Yeah, so yeah, it's ugly. Yeah, that's gross
You know, it's not ugly
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You can do that by just packaging this together after you enter in here. You make a model. We'll see you in a bit
Alrighty well in the third segment where we got to talk about
Some of the cool cars that are coming into the martini works belt threads speaking up
If you haven't submitted your car to the build threads, please consider doing so
It's one of the best and easiest ways to get featured on the martini works socials
Plus it helps out other people looking to modify their cars share your story all sorts of good stuff
And today we are featuring
A pretty neat one and we've had some really wild and out there builds
This one brings things back down to earth a little bit, but it's still absolutely incredible
Bring things down to earth. Did you hear him say that?
This brings it down to earth because we're looking at like
Frick, what was it the volkswagen like uh, the clarin swapped volkswagen. I'm sorry. I'm sorry
There was a couple other like crazy things
So I was like here's here's some of you actually go out and buy right now
Which is a 2024 Toyota Prius now that may not sound like a lot
But this thing is fucking just trust trust trust hang on don't don't leave hang on hang in there
Let's look at these pictures here
This thing has literally the entire
Saibon carbon fiber catalog thrown at it as well as a set of bulk or sorry raise
But I think that leads to our last bunch of the podcast it does fortune auto
Not an oxymoron
No, no, yeah, that works. Yeah
Make some of the best coilovers you can get over at martinworks.com, baby
There's some that's due to an early fortune out of 500s for child 510s
Alex has some of them. Hey, he does. You've had some of them. I've got them. I've had some of them
So you listen and do you have some?
Because four out of four dentists say you should have fortune auto. That's a hundred percent exactly
100% of us drive on them. Yeah
What more is there to say?
So I head on over to martini works filtered by fortune auto
Take a look see if they happen for your car. If you want us to customize them help you customize them
We can do that. We need to add swift springs swift springs super nice upgrade
But it's not needed
So just rock a set of four childs right off the shelf and you'll be happy. Otherwise, uh, you can upgrade your
spring rates and all that fun stuff too completely rebuildable
Thank you to four child for sponsoring martini works podcast. I hope everyone has a great weekend
Alex what you got
Your your final thoughts my final thoughts are please send help
I have too many cars to build and I don't know what I'm doing. Well said. Good thing is you're not stepping into a completely
unknown engine platform by any means
Actually, you're not because the pfm has a rotary. So you're good gels. Um, I'm just trying to get my car here yet
I'm seeing the light at the end of the time. It's gonna be a good one
I want I want the rx8. Okay to sound like the pfm that would be incredible actually
I bet you I can do it
That would be sick. I'll help you do it. I would be we'll figure it out. We can figure it out together
Yeah, we can figure it out. All right. You guys have a fantastic weekend. Bye. Bye
About this episode
The MartiniWorks crew riffs on “Cars They Got WRONG From The Factory,” starting with Subaru WRX design choices like “plastic cladding,” then zooming into how expensive factory parts and optioning can miss the mark. They critique real-world drivability on the Nissan Z—“The z looks good on paper, but it just / It ain't hitting / In physical real life”—and get specific about rev hang and delayed shifts. Between project-car wrenching (coolant leaks, tail-light seals) and suspension talk, they also debate pricing, trims, and what brands should’ve done differently.
Enjoy the podcast every Friday? Support it by getting your car mods at https://bit.ly/4vtk1kyToday on the podcast Alex, Dakota, and Gels sit down to discuss cars that just got it wrong from the factory.. Some of these cars had so much potential, but man what we wouldn't do to sit in on one of the design meetings and give our 2 cents. #cars #podcast #automotivePick up our Coffee here! https://bit.ly/3PIFl6JA HUGE thank you to Continental, Motegi, and Fortune Auto for being the official tire, wheel, and suspension of the MartiniWorks Podcast! Let us know if you need a set of tires or coilovers.Shop Continental tires here https://bit.ly/4ecbfAKShop Motegi wheels here https://bit.ly/4vp7VcgShop Fortune Auto suspension here https://bit.ly/4fnfqM8Check out the main channel! @MartiniWorksOfficialWe also have an unboxing channel @MartiniWorksUnboxedFollow Alex @alexmartini__Follow Dakota @dakotastoneeFollow Gels @akagels
