They’re sharing a quick update from Puerto Rico about a real-estate open house. The fun part is that each room is decorated around a different car brand.
Corvette is Chevrolet’s famous sports car. Here it’s just being used as a theme for the garage area—like the room is styled around that car’s identity.
A Porsche 964 is an older generation of the 911. “RS” usually means a more track-oriented, lighter version meant to feel more direct and less “luxury.”
“Air-cooled” means the engine is cooled by air flowing over it, not by liquid coolant. Some older Porsches are known for this, and it can make the car feel and sound a bit different than water-cooled engines.
This means a car that feels great on twisty roads in the mountains, not just on a racetrack. The goal is a car that’s fun and easy to drive fast through corners in real-world conditions.
This is a Porsche 911 GT3, specifically the 992 generation. It’s designed to be very serious and track-capable, and the host is saying that can make it feel less fun for normal city driving than a lighter, more playful car.
Car
Lotus Amira
The Lotus Amira is a small, light sports car that’s meant to feel fun and easy to drive. The host is saying that once someone experiences that kind of lightweight, balanced driving, it can be hard to go back to heavier, more serious cars.
“Lightweight” means the car is relatively light. Lighter cars tend to feel more nimble and fun to drive because they change speed and direction more easily.
A “drive line rattle” is a rattling sound from the car’s power-transfer parts (the parts that send engine power to the wheels). It usually means something in that system isn’t tight or isn’t in good shape.
The throw-out bearing is a small part that helps your clutch separate when you press the pedal. If it’s not the right one, the clutch can feel wrong or act up. Here, they think the non-OEM bearing was the problem and they swapped it out.
OEM parts are the ones made to match the car’s original design. The clutch and flywheel work together to smoothly transfer power from the engine to the transmission. They’re saying the package had OEM clutch and flywheel, but the throw-out bearing wasn’t OEM.
“Street legal” means the light is approved to be used on public roads. Baja Designs makes aftermarket lights, and in this case they’re using a version that’s DOT-approved. They also wired them so they turn on with the car’s normal light controls.
Callaway makes aftermarket performance upgrades. A “Callaway kit” is a set of parts that boosts power, usually by adding forced induction like a supercharger. They’re using one to supercharge the car.
Borla makes aftermarket exhaust parts. Swapping the muffler can change how the car sounds. Here they’re saying the Borla muffler plus the crossover tube makes the LS engine sound more interesting.
“LS motors” means a type of GM V8 engine family that a lot of people swap into cars. It’s popular because there are lots of parts and it responds well to upgrades. They’re saying the exhaust setup makes this kind of engine sound better.
The ECU is the car’s computer for the engine. “Reflash” means updating that computer’s settings so the engine runs correctly with new modifications. They’re planning to do this calibration change before starting the car.
The “ZR1” is a very fast, high-performance version of the Corvette. They’re talking about racing a modified car against it to judge how much the upgrades help.
Three-piece wheels are made from multiple parts instead of one solid wheel. If they’re lighter than stock, they can help the car accelerate better because the wheels don’t have to “drag” as much weight.
Unsprung weight is the weight of parts like the wheels that aren’t supported by the suspension. Lighter unsprung weight can make the car feel quicker because there’s less mass to control as the car moves.
The Corvette E-Ray uses both gas and an electric motor. That electric motor can provide quick torque, and they’re wondering if that makes it close to a ZR1 in a straight-line race.
The muffler is the part of the exhaust that makes the car quieter. Replacing a heavy factory muffler with a lighter one can help the car feel quicker and usually makes the sound more aggressive.
The Dodge Charger is a car that’s built for performance, with a strong engine and a sporty feel. In the podcast, it’s mentioned in the context of adding a supercharger, which is a device that helps the engine make more power. The conversation is about how changes like that affect the car’s performance.
They’re also expecting Chevrolet Camaros to come in for service. The exact model year isn’t specified in this part of the conversation.
Car
111 RS Spider
This “111 RS Spider” is a special open-top Lotus project the host says kicked off their RS program. The key idea is that it’s a true “spider” with no roof, so it feels more like an open-air car than a normal convertible.
A “center seat” conversion puts the driver in the middle instead of the usual left or right position. To make it work, the car’s controls—like the shifter, pedals, and steering—have to be moved and reworked.
Here, “shifter” means the part you use to change gears. If the driver’s seat moves to the center, the shifter has to move too so it’s reachable and works correctly.
The “pedal box” is the mounting area where the gas/brake/clutch pedals are attached. If the driver moves to the center, the pedal box usually has to move or be rebuilt so the pedals line up properly.
A “tubular rear subframe” is a strong metal frame at the back of the car. Making it with tubes can save weight while still keeping the rear end rigid enough to handle well.
The Lotus Elise is a small, lightweight sports car built to feel nimble and fun to drive. Here it’s mentioned as an example of a very unusual, track-style interior/controls setup.
Seracoding (seracote/seracoding in the transcript) refers to a specialized coating process used to protect metal parts—here, an exhaust system and other components. The host contrasts it with nickel plating, emphasizing that seracote is chosen for temperature resistance and improved corrosion resistance in harsh environments like Florida’s humidity and salt air.
A wishbone is a suspension arm that helps control how the wheel moves. Here, they’re coating that arm with the same protective treatment to see if it resists corrosion better in harsh conditions.
Nickel plating is a thin nickel coating applied to metal parts to help prevent rust. The host is saying it doesn’t always last as long in very salty, humid places, which is why they’re trying a different coating.
“Ferrari Luce” is a name mentioned in the podcast as a Ferrari that would likely get a lot of attention. The discussion doesn’t go into how it drives or what it’s like, but it’s treated as a big, headline-worthy idea. It’s mainly brought up because it sounds like a major new Ferrari.
Concept
affects the market
They’re talking about how a big new car decision can change how the market reacts—what people want to buy and how the brand is viewed. In other words, it’s not just about the car itself, but the ripple effects.
Luca de Montezemolo is a major Ferrari leader from the brand’s recent history. Here, he’s described as being very critical of the new Luce idea, saying it could damage Ferrari’s reputation.
The “prancing horse” is Ferrari’s famous logo. It’s basically the brand’s identity, and the comment implies the new car might not feel like a true Ferrari.
ICE vehicles are gas or diesel cars that use an engine that burns fuel. The host is saying rules in some regions would make those cars harder to sell.
Term
celebrity designer nonsense
The host is basically saying the car’s design feels influenced by famous people and hype, not by what would make the car look right to enthusiasts.
Brand
Johnny Ive and Mark Newsom
The host is naming famous designers and saying their involvement may have shaped the car’s look. The point is that celebrity design influence might not match what a Ferrari should feel like.
The Chevrolet Impala is a popular older American sedan. The host is saying the Ferrari’s rear lights remind them of the Impala’s look from about 20 years ago.
An EV sports car is a sports car that runs on electricity instead of gasoline. They’re debating whether electric cars can still feel exciting like traditional sports cars.
A sedan is a common car shape with a separate trunk in the back. Here, the speaker thinks choosing a sedan instead of a sports-car style EV was the wrong move.
Brand
Puro song wave
This phrase sounds like a transcription error for a Ferrari EV name or slogan. The speaker is basically saying one EV looked more like a Ferrari than the one they saw.
It’s an EV design where the battery is built into the bottom of the car, kind of like a flat base. That helps designers shape the rest of the car more easily because they don’t have to fit a big engine in the front.
The belt line is the main horizontal line you see running along the side of the car. Changing its height or shape can make the car look slimmer or bulkier from the side.
The Ford Mustang Mach-E is an electric Ford crossover. The host mentions it as another EV that uses styling tricks to make the car look less bulky than it really is.
That phrase is about a wheel design that looks like a turbine—usually lots of spokes and a sporty shape. The host is saying the wheel style changes how the whole car looks.
“Options” are the extra features you choose when ordering a car from the factory. The host is saying that when you add the popular add-ons, the price jumps a lot.
This means some people buy a car mostly because of the brand name on it. The host is saying some buyers want the status of a Ferrari EV more than they care whether it looks right or fits their personal taste.
They bring up the Tesla Model Y as an example of an EV that doesn’t look “pretty” to them, but still sells extremely well. The point is that lots of people buy EVs even when the design isn’t what enthusiasts expect.
It means a normal stick shift where the lever moves through a shaped “gate” so you can feel which gear you’re selecting. It’s the classic way manuals are built in many performance cars.
It’s a roof piece you can remove by lifting it off, rather than a soft top that folds away. The car is still designed to stay stiff because the side roof structure remains.
A “Targa style” car is like a convertible, but it keeps part of the roof structure for stiffness and safety. Usually a roof panel comes off, while the sides/rails stay in place.
Electric assist means the steering is helped by an electric motor. That can change how heavy or light the steering feels compared with cars that use fluid pressure.
Hydraulic steering uses fluid pressure to help you turn the wheel. It can feel different from electric power steering, especially in how the steering “talks back.”
Take rate means “how many people choose this option.” In this case, it’s comparing how many buyers pick the V6 manual compared with the other Amira version.
The Lotus Emira is a newer Lotus sports car with a mid-mounted engine. Here they’re talking about whether Lotus will make a stronger, more exciting version—especially with a manual transmission—because that’s what many buyers want.
A “V6 manual” means the car has a V6 engine and you shift gears yourself with a clutch. The hosts are saying they want a stronger version of that setup, not just the standard car.
“Cosmetic versions” are mostly about looks—like paint and interior/exterior styling—rather than making the car faster in a mechanical way. The host is basically saying Lotus is doing the look upgrades first, before the performance upgrades.
Car
Lotus Scura
The Lotus Scura is a special-edition version of the Emira. Here they describe it as a matte-black style package, and they think Lotus may be using editions like this to build interest while they work on a more exciting manual V6.
Polestar is an electric car brand. The host is using it as an example of how Chinese-backed EV brands can start in China and then expand their presence.
Lucid is an electric vehicle brand known for high-efficiency EVs and long-range claims. The host says they’re “itching” to get their hands on a Lucid, implying it’s one of the few compelling new EV products in a market where many new cars feel too expensive.
The BAC Mono is a very small, very light, single-seat car meant mainly for track driving. It’s built more like a race car than a normal street car, and it uses an engine supplied by Cosworth.
The Jeep Wrangler is a rugged SUV made for off-road driving. Many versions are known for having removable roof and doors. The podcast brings it up because it’s a distinctive car that people choose for adventure and interest.
The Ariel Atom is a very light, simple sports car that’s meant to feel quick and handle well. People like it because it’s not heavy or complicated—so it feels exciting to drive.
Concept
industrial building
They’re saying the garage is in a regular industrial-type building, not a fancy showroom. The point is that it still has the space and setup to work on and maintain cars.
The McLaren F1 is one of the most famous supercars ever made. It’s known for being extremely fast and for having a distinctive seating setup with three seats.
“Clarkson” here refers to Jeremy Clarkson, a famous car TV host known for being loud and comedic on camera. The speaker is saying some hosts act like that to entertain viewers, while Jay Leno is more reserved. It’s about how the host shows excitement, not a car spec.
“Leno” refers to Jay Leno, the well-known car host. The speaker is talking about how Leno acts in his videos—more calm and reserved than some other hosts—while still clearly having fun. It’s about the personality style in car videos.
This is Porsche’s electric “wagon” version of the Taycan. The host likes it for everyday driving and talks about whether it has enough battery range for trips.
The Porsche Taycan is an electric car made for performance, not just commuting. The Cross Turismo version is the wagon-style body that’s meant to be more practical. The podcast brings it up because it’s an EV that still aims to feel like a performance car.
For an electric car, “range” is how many miles you can drive before the battery runs low. The host is basically saying they want enough range to comfortably do everyday trips.
The Ferrari 296 GTB is a newer Ferrari that’s known for its mid-engine design and hybrid setup. In this segment, the host picks it mainly because they love how it looks, especially with the optional stripe styling.
The Testarossa is a famous older Ferrari. People remember it for its bold, distinctive design. In the podcast, it’s mentioned because the speaker likes the way it looks.
The Tesla Model X is an electric SUV. The speaker likes it because it has advanced tech and features (including its signature doors), and they think it’s a better EV SUV pick than the other option.
Autopilot is Tesla’s system that helps the car drive in some situations, like assisting with steering and speed. The speaker is saying they think you’ll enjoy using it.
The Ford Falcon is a car model name that has been used for different versions over the years. In the podcast, it’s mentioned because it has a distinctive door design that people notice. The conversation is focusing on what makes that specific car look or feel different.
“Falcon doors” are the special doors on the Tesla Model X that open upward. The speaker thinks that part is neat, even if they don’t like the car’s overall look.
“Galwing doors” is another way to describe upward-opening doors, like the gullwing style. Here, the speaker is saying the Model X’s doors have that kind of look.
The Plymouth Voyager is a minivan, meaning it’s built to carry people and gear in a practical way. In the podcast, it’s mentioned as part of the broader “Voyager” minivan idea. The point is usually about the car being a typical family vehicle.
The Ferrari 812 Superfast is a high-end Ferrari with a big V12 engine in the front. It’s famous for being a thrilling, old-school-feeling supercar even though it’s modern.
A shooting brake is a car body style that looks like a sporty coupe but has more of a wagon shape for cargo. It’s basically “sporty coupe looks” with “some practicality.”
The Ferrari 458 is a mid-engine Ferrari with a naturally aspirated V8. The hosts are saying it’s one of the most beautiful Ferraris and likely an amazing drive.
The Ferrari F430 is an older Ferrari supercar with a mid-mounted engine. The speaker is basically saying they didn’t love its styling as much as the newer cars that followed.
The Taycan is an electric Porsche, meaning it runs on batteries. It’s designed to feel like a performance car, not just an appliance for commuting. The podcast mentions it as an EV choice that still gives a sporty driving experience.
A manual transmission means you shift gears yourself, usually with a clutch pedal. The speaker likes it because it makes the car feel more connected and fun to drive.
LIVE
Hey, everybody. Welcome back. Full throttle talk. She knew. How are you? Hey, Blair. Glad
to be back. How are you, man? I'm good. This is always one of the highlights of my week
getting the chat with you about cars and, you know, we can, we cannot stop yammering
about cars, right? Well, yeah, it's true. It's like, she knew,
stop telling me about cars, this and that until we hit record. So, you know, we have a lot of
excitement for what's been happening in the car market these days. It's giving us plenty of fodder
to banter about good and bad. So without further ado, any dispatch from Puerto Rico before we dive in?
You know, again, we are very, very fortunate that our good man, Tim Harris, has sent us
his dispatch. So let me, me queue it up here and read it off for you.
And for those of you who may just be joining us, you know, when we appreciate all you listeners
out there, please share, keep sharing this podcast with your friends. Tim Harris started
this podcast. He was on, you know, for a little while with Shenu and I, and then he took a little
detour hiatus. So he's behind the scenes. He's writing a lot of full throttle talk articles.
We just only get to hear from him once a week, you know, via the dispatch. So Shenu,
what do you say? Here's the latest. Okay. From Tim Harris,
real estate update from Puerto Rico, hosted my first automotive themed open house this weekend.
We staged each room with a different car theme. The kitchen was Ferrari. The primary suite was
Porsche. The garage was dedicated Corvette. The Lotus room, of course, was significantly smaller
than the others. Trace Tonores spent the afternoon serenading prospective buyers.
The event was very well attended. But mysteriously, the house still remains available. Tim Harris.
Welcome to full throttle talk. The podcast where a horsepower 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 gear head eraser 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.
It's because they put the Corvettes in the garage, you know, it's like
you should have put the Ferraris out there. A Ferrari themed kitchen, right? Nice. Tim,
thanks for chiming in. We miss you as always, you know, but we're always happy to hear what's
happening in Puerto Rico and the car slash real estate world. And the Trace Tonores even made
the open house. Yes, indeed. Well, let's jump in, Cheney. We've got
what we did in cars this week. I will start if that's okay. I did almost nothing in cars this
week. It was a very crazy, busy week. It was telling me about some of this. Right. With family
stuff. However, one of my favorite things about being a car guy, and I said last week on the episode,
we are stupid people, car guys. And so what I was this week was a sound board for another stupid
car guy, one of my good buddies who is like going through all this internal turmoil about
what car to buy, what to sell, what to replace his GT3 with, how to invest his money differently.
Should he be doing this or that? I mean, it's the standard stuff we all really perseverate over
when we're thinking about the garage and getting the itch. And he says so give a little more context.
This guy's had a lot of cars, 964 RS, 992.2 manual GT3. So, Cheney, you know this friend,
because I introduced you guys, because after driving the Elise 111 RS that I have,
and then jumping back in his 964 RS, he was done. He decided he had had enough of the air
cool Porsche experience. And he's already sold the 964 RS and he currently has a car
either in route to your shop or in your shop. He does, he does. Yes. To get the full 111 RS
Elise treatment. And then he says to me, well Blair, now that I have the 111 RS or it's going
to be here in a month or two, whatever, I don't think it pairs well with my 992 GT3.
And he said, I can already see myself when I'm reaching for the keys of one of those two,
the Elise is being more fun. If they're both designed to be the fun Canyon track car,
and I may have had a hand in kind of steering his mind this way, thinking you're going to
grab the keys of this Lotus. It's just more fun, more of the time. So, long story short,
you know, he downloaded the world of possibilities on me this week. And you know, I would like to
have a supportive friend, but frankly, I love that it's not me that is this, you know, irrational
and this dilemma for a change. And, you know, number two, it's actually very fun to spend
other people's money in cars. There you go. So he is just traded his 992 GT3 for a Lotus Amira.
He's going all Lotus garage at the moment. Nice. Nice. I like to say I influence him,
but it's this domino. She knew influence me. I influence him. See your circle of influence is
really growing. Listen, once you've tasted the Lotus fruit, you're kind of like screwed for life,
man. It's for all of us who have come from the BMW Porsche, you know, world, you drive a lightweight
car and it's just hard to get it out of your system. And I think that's kind of probably what's
happened to him is he, he got that experience in your one of an RS and then it's like, oh my gosh,
you know, and then you guys have another friend, right? That does have an Amira. So,
you know, he drove that car too. So he saw, you know, right then and there, you know, the kind
of practicality and the overall balance that you get from an Amira. So yeah, that's cool. That's
cool. Anything else? What else? Well, no, I mean, we had talked about that drive an episode or two
ago that we did. Right. My least the Amira. I've got the picture behind me for those audio only
guys and the 964 RS. So we did, we did a round robin as I described. And so now he's
wound up with two, got rid of one of those, the Porsche replaced it for the other two that he
you know, he had a test driven on that occasion. And you know, he texted me and said, you know,
the GT three is such a serious car. And I said, well, we were talking on the phone and I said,
but that's part of what makes it great, but it's also what makes it not the most fun around town
in my opinion. And well, it's interesting because we have a listener question at the end of this
program that's somewhat related to this dilemma. Right. Well, yeah, we totally do. So to my buddy
out there, he listens and he knows who he is. Thanks for providing me all the car entertainment
I needed this week. And I didn't have to spend a dime. So nice. And he makes me feel super
rational on weeks like this. So he's a hell of a friend in that regard, too. Excellent. How was
your week? So, you know, it was, it was pretty busy too. We finally got the 996, you know, our,
our back on the road. So that, that power, you know, a drive line rattle is gone now. So that's
cool. So can we, what, what did you attribute that to? Can you, can you definitively say?
Yeah. So the throw out bearing that we sourced, which came in this complete package
from a particular parts vendor, we, you know, who will be, you know, remain, you know,
unmentioned here, they put together actually a pretty good package, which included OEM clutch
and flywheel, but then they put in their own throw out bearing, which, you know, again,
made in Germany, but not an OEM throw out bearing. And, you know, in the end, that was a thing that
appears to have been what, what we cooked in a matter of three months. And so anyhow, you know,
we've got that changed out now. Cars running great. I, I really actually this weekend,
I'm going to go drive the car properly, but sweet. We wired up these Baja design DOT street legal
lights and I have them shown, you know, be in my backdrop here for people that are watching the
video of our pod. So yeah, they're pretty cool. I mean, they're, they're, they're large, right?
And we have them hanging off that tubular bumper we have at the front of the car,
but what's cool is we've got them wired. So they're wired with the factory lights. So when you
turn on the marker lights, the marker lights come on with the Baja design light and they're
actually DOT street legal. So they are a street legal light, but when the low beam comes on,
the low beam comes on. And so it's, it's, and it's all managed through the factory switch. So
super clean. Love that. You know, and, you know, that's, we always, we're always waxing nostalgic
about these older cars, but the truth is, you know, the lights on some of the older cars are,
are, you know, just not quite up to par with what we're starting to get used to. And, and with my
old eyes, you know, it's like, I could use a bit more light. So anyhow, that was pretty cool. So
super excited about that. That e-ray, we told you we were super charging the e-ray with a
Callaway kit. That is nearly finished. The powertrain's back in the car. This particular client,
he sourced a Borla muffler for the car and it's got like this crossover tube, which on these LS
motors really makes them sound much more exotic. Now we haven't fired the car up yet, but we've got
to reflash the ECU, get, you know, change the calibration on it. So Monday, hopefully Tuesday
we should be firing that puppy back up. And anyways, the owner of that car, he came in and
he says, Hey, there's a YouTuber that is somewhat local to us that wants to take this car and do
a drag race with a ZR1. So. Oh, really? Yeah. And so I actually did say, remember we were talking
about light wheels? Yeah. These three piece wheels on his car, he, he, he was told that they're
lighter. I said, well, find out what they're telling you is, you know, because I don't think
they're lighter, you know, but if you're going to have a drag race with a ZR1, let's get the
stock wheels back on the car because they'll be, I think they're going to be lighter. And that's
the one thing is that when you have more, you know, lighter unsprung weight, it helps with
acceleration as well. And so anyways, that, that, that, that was our week. You know, it was, it was,
you know, a bunch of loads in there. You think a super charged e-ray
Yeah. will be pretty close to a ZR1. I mean, I know out of the box, they're really freaking
fast. So I know, know it is, it's really, it's pretty incredible. It's going to be close.
It's going to be close. I think there's, I think that he has, he's got a fighting chance, man.
I mean, the stock muffler on that car is freaking heavy. It weighs as much as a lotus, I think,
you know, and we were trying to lift that, you know, so he replaced it with a Borla system
and the Borla is significantly lighter. I didn't find out what the weight difference is,
but holy smokes, the factory muffler is so heavy. So yeah, we added a bit of weight with the super
charger, but we, I think we peeled off more by, you know, swapping the, the muffler system on the
car. So anyways, it should sound wonderful. It should certainly be way, way quicker. So we'll
see, you know, this time next week, I'll know for sure, but hopefully I'll be driving around on Tuesday.
That's pretty awesome. So Corvette Porsche, not too big a change from the Lotus work that you
normally do. I mean, how's that been so far? I mean, you've done some of this stuff for a while
now, but you're really diving in deep to these cars more so than ever, right?
Yeah. I mean, look, we, we're still predominantly doing Lotus work, right? The shop's full of
Lotus's, you know, that's really the vast majority of cars and we have a lot of work in
there right now. And, and we've got to get some cars finished and out the door. And most of them
that are in there are Lotus's, you know, and so we, you know, we, we're probably
doing one to two Porsches a month right now. And, you know, we've got, you know, now with this whole
Callaway, you know, partnership, we, you know, we've got a number of, of Corvettes and Camaros and
other miscellaneous GM vehicles that are queuing up for service, for installation, so on and so
forth. So yeah, I think the landscape in the, you know, kinetic, you know, service garage is slowly,
you know, getting a bit more diverse, you know, and, but yeah, but the other thing that we kind of
decided to do that I'm super excited about is, you know, we built this car that we call the
111 RS Spider. It was really the car that got us all started with the whole, you know, RS program.
You know, it did so well at the West Coast Lotus meet, you know, when it won best of show back then.
And that's when I realized, you know what, people like this, maybe we should build a
normal version of this, this, you know, because it was, it's a true spider in that had no roof,
the windshields cut down, blah, blah, blah. But I kind of made a decision, you know,
that car made its way back to us. I saw that when I was there, didn't I?
You saw that. Yeah. So here's what we're, here's what we're planning on doing. We're
planning converting it to a center seat. Really? Yeah. Yeah. So we're going to take out the passenger
seat and put it in the center of the car or take out the passenger and put the driver seat in the
center of the car, which means, you know, obviously we got to move the shifter and, you know, moving
the pedal box and the steering wheel and a handful of other things. But we've got a few schemes there,
you know, of pulling additional weight out of that. You know, and so I'm super excited about
that. We've been working on a tubular rear subframe for the car and, you know, to get some
additional weight out. And so anyhow, I think, you know, you're going to see this car in September
Blair because we're going to unveil it. Yeah, we're going to unveil it at the Lotus Gathering.
You know, it's, it's, well, you know, we've got, we got 34 months here now to get it,
get it sorted, but we've started working on that too. So I'm super excited about that.
Well, I love how you're so willing to take risks with ideas. You have big ideas, you know, like,
I can't imagine you're letting the dollars and cents, you know, be the primary driver for some of
these off the wall ideas, but it's your passion. And that's super cool. Yeah. I mean, it's, it's
certainly that's, that's the nice thing, right? The business can, can kind of afford to do some
of these nutty things and, and certainly give me, give me kind of a canvas, you know, that I can,
I can paint on. And so yeah, yeah, exactly. On the YouTube feed, you've got a 996 front bumper
sprayed in truck bedliner with these off-road headlights. You're talking about center seating,
you know, a Lotus Elise with no windshield and moving pedal box, moving shifter. I mean,
there's some pretty wild stuff. So it's pretty cool. You know, one of the things we actually
did on that 996RR is we seracoded the exhaust system. So I'm kind of really curious to see
how well that's going to hold up. So yeah, we, we, we've actually got an RS build, a one of an RS
build that we've serac, we're having the wishbone seracoded. This guy lives in, in Florida.
And so tell me more about seracoding. Cause like on the car I bought from you,
that was like a ceramic coating, wasn't it? We're talking something very different on my exhaust.
Yeah. So yours has nickel plating, which is, yeah. And this is what we have done for most people's
nickel plate. But what we've seen is people that live in, in corrosive environments,
it's not holding up as well, right? And so what we, you know, so we're experimenting now with
this seracote. We haven't done it on some wishbones yet, but I think it's going to work great. And,
and I'm pretty, pretty excited about it. It's, it's really more about temperature resistance,
apparently this coating, but it has very good corrosion resistance too. So we're going to try
it out. We'll see how, how it goes. You know, because I think if we, otherwise we would have
nickel plated his, his solution, and I think in, in a couple of three years, they would start to
break down with that Florida humidity and salt air and, you know, conditions that he, that car
will see there. Wow. Well, very cool. It's always fascinating to see what you're up to. I think we
got to move into like the huge news that was just dropped, you know, the interwebs blew up, right?
There was so much, so much hate. Can we, can I say that so much negativity about one particular
subject? Well, we need Tim back to really dial the, the, the openers of these podcasts, because
I guarantee it would have been the Ferrari Luce dominates the headlines. And we're talking
more fodder for two shmucks on a podcast to, you know, like theorize how this affects the market,
what's happening with the market, what is Ferrari doing? It's, I mean, you've got Luca
de Montezemolo chiming in about this thing and he had nothing nice to say about it, which is like,
when you stop and think about it, that's insane. Did he actually, did he actually
say anything? Cause I thought most of what he was saying was like, Hey, no comment,
or if I were to say something, it wouldn't be nice or something along those lines.
So he said, if I said what I really think about the Luce, I would harm Ferrari more or less. This
is, this is translated. It was an Italian. I saw the video of him walking by somebody put some
mic in his face. It says, what do you think of this new Luce? He said, we risk destroying a legend.
I hope they at least remove the prancing horse from that car. And then maybe most damning was he,
he also joked in a very kind of, certainly frustrated way. He said, certainly this is a
car that Chinese won't copy. They won't need to. And it's like, Oh my God, that's actually, he said
that up. Yes. He said that. And so anyway, she knew with, with the, you know, outside of Enzo
Ferrari, Luca de Montezemolo. And I think many would argue he is, he, he's maybe more of a reason
why Ferrari took off and became commercialized. So successful. 100%. 100%. Yeah. And so many of
the great Ferraris, you know, in the modern era, I mean, that was, that was him and his flair
and his passion. And so you, you get that guy who they eventually squeezed out. And now, you know,
they're a public company. He is Ferrari aside, you know, in the modern era, he had nothing good
to say. So let's hear your reaction. I've got a lot of thoughts. Some might be predictable. Some
news on Monday, right? It was, it was Memorial Day holiday. Yeah. And, and it makes me wonder,
was that, you know, a bit by design, because they figured that most Americans are going to be
having a picnic someplace and not paying attention, you know, but I think in this day and age of
social media, where everything pops up on your phone, like almost immediately, right? It seemed
like people were all over this. And, you know, I think Ferrari, just like all the other car
manufacturers needed to make an EV, because it looked like 2035, they were not going to be able
to sell any ICE vehicles in California and Europe and some of the first world countries, right?
And so they made a decision to move towards EV, like every, you know, significant car manufacturer
had to, right? But I think they kind of lost their way, in my opinion. This particular design,
I mean, there's so many things that we can certainly talk about here. You know, the design
is certainly not as passionate or as interesting as a Ferrari should be, in my opinion. You know,
we talked about the interior before we talked about the price point, which was kind of outrageous,
right? And then design, it's like, you know, if I saw this, a Lancia badge on this car,
I'd say, okay, cool, you know, but this is a Ferrari. And I think they kind of fell for some of this,
you know, celebrity designer nonsense, right? Like we, like the general public and frankly,
I think even a lot of, you know, big time executives who probably haven't, you know,
don't have good taste, they're falling for some of the celebrity aura that surrounds certain,
you know, people, you know, specialists. And so I think that Johnny Ive and Mark Newsom
combo in their design studio is called Love From. You know, somehow the Ferrari folks
and management must have been in a cast under some sort of celebrity spell there and gave
that free reign to come up with an exterior design that frankly, I'm not terribly enamored with.
I think I actually, I mean, I don't have any problem honestly with the design, the front,
the side. I hate the rear, you know, those tail lights remind me of the Chevy Impala from,
you know, 20 years ago, which was completely in a bombing. You don't think that's what they
were going for? Let's make this rear look like the Chevy Impala.
You know, in fact, I meant to put that picture up in my background here of a Chevy Impala,
you know, and it's called the Chevy Lucia, you know, but man, it's a missed opportunity in
my opinion. I think I like, if I can say one positive thing, I would say, you know, I like
the fact that they didn't try to make a sports car with their EV. I think that would have been
really tragic and if the styling had been horrible too. I think there's been plenty of EV sports cars
that have been shown from Remac to Pininfarina and I think, you know, even the Lotus Evia and,
you know, I don't know that any of them have been a commercial success whatsoever.
So I think at least they didn't, you know, sully the sports car side of Ferrari and they decided
to take a chance with a sedan. I just think that the sedan is boring and, you know, I think they
missed the opportunity to create something that we would be passionate about and excited to see,
you know, there are sports cars. All right, sorry, there are sedans that are exciting.
There are sedans that I like and lust over, but the luce ain't one of them.
Well, it's funny you bring up Memorial Day and then it drops on Memorial Day.
When I saw this, I was literally at a barbecue pool party, the whole family with some friends,
family and, you know, I'm taking a little breather on a swing or whatever underneath some shade
and I pull up my phone and I'm like, what is that? And I seriously was so bright outside,
I had sunglasses on. So I'm like, I cannot tell what I'm looking at. This looks like a Model X
or a Model Y had some kind of avant-garde baby and I'm like, that cannot be the car.
So I'm lifting my sunglasses up. I'm trying to increase brightness on my phone. I'm like,
I was so confused at what I was looking at. And so, you know, it started poorly for me thinking
that looks like kind of a Tesla, doesn't it? I mean, this looks like more of an angular kind of
funky Model Y from certain angles or Model X more than the Model Y. And so I would never
look at that to your point about Lancia. I would never look at that and say Ferrari,
at least with the Puro song wave, even though people made fun of that car for looking just like
a Mazda CX-30. At least you look at that car and think, oh yeah, that looks like a Ferrari. And
I'm sure that's part of what they were going for. But I agree with you that it's a missed
opportunity because I am no enthusiast of EVs. That's been made clear. But what I do think is
cool about them is some of the form function you can create with these because you have versatility
not having to fit all the traditional powertrain motor, trans, you know, you've got the skateboard
or whatever, wherever you put the batteries. Yeah, that's exactly one reason why this design
is kind of looks a bit clunky because of the skateboard. So when you look at the belt line,
how high it is and how thick the midsection is, you know, again, it's a function of having to
put everything on top of these batteries that are in that skateboard platform. And you notice
that design kink that goes up on the side in black, that's to visually make the side of the car look
more skinny than it actually is. Yeah, it was like the Mustang Mach-E did the same thing. Correct.
Correct. And the pole stars, the pole stars also have that same kind of design trick. It's
something that, you know, manufacturers use, designers use to make it look a little more
svelte. But yeah, those wheels are like what, 23 inches? I mean, they're huge. Well, yeah. So
obviously I thought now this is absurd. I don't like it. They've lost the plot. The stock market's
down, you know, 58 percent or whatever it was after they announced his car. You got the Ferrari
legend, the God of modern Ferrari just bashing this thing. I couldn't, and thinking he's not,
thinking that he's pleading the fin. Right, right. He needs to give us some of those sound bites.
But what I will say too, and this is like, I can't believe I'm saying this, but like the picture I
have up behind me, I actually think it looks hideous. But there are lots of photos flying around
to this thing. Like I think part of my issue that I have is these turbo turbine style wheels.
When you see them with a five spoke wheel that they put on these cars and it changes the car
for me. And not that I like it, but it becomes less like vomit inducing of like, hey, there's
actually something that's kind of peculiar in an interesting way about this car. So I have to say
with those other wheels in maybe a different color other than orange, like red or the blue,
there is something that I've like warmed up to just a little bit. But the problem is,
A, it doesn't look like a Ferrari to me. B, it doesn't look like a car I'd ever want to own,
even if I don't like hate it in some specs. And C, this thing when it's options, the way they're
going to be optioned is 200 or sorry, it's going to be about 750 grand. So if this was a
$250,000 EV Ferrari, we'd all say it looks weird. It's pretty expensive, but whatever.
This is three quarters of a million dollars. And I just think that's where it all goes sideways,
right? The cost of the thing is just simply outrageous. And but I think, you know, that's
they realized that they don't want to sell a lot of them, right? That's number one.
Number two, you know, I think by pricing it high, they can certainly try to recoup some of their
investment. And, you know, they know that they have plenty of clients that, frankly,
don't have good taste, and they're just buying it for the badge. You know, they're buying it so
they have an EV because they live in the city center of London or someplace where, you know,
you're supposed to have only EVs. And so, you know, I think that they're going to sell these
things. I don't think they're going to sell a lot of them, but there's probably plenty of tech
bros, you know, who, frankly, you know, don't know what looks good or not, but have plenty of money.
And so they'll buy one of these things. I mean, look, that Tesla Model Y looks like a blob,
okay? It just looks like a jellybean driving down the road and not a good looking jellybean,
you know what I'm saying? And yet they sell those things like hotcakes. And so there really
is no accounting for good taste. And so ultimately, you know, I think they created a car. I could
almost live with this thing other than that taillights. I can't stand those taillights.
You know, you've seen a lot of those people that have rendered, oh, you know,
if they had just made it lower and longer and, you know, and they take this existing design
and they virtual reality, you know, or virtual, you know, using some AI tools to kind of
make it look sexier. But again, where they miss it is that it's got the skateboard platform. So
the car has to be up higher. And so trying to just make it low is just not going to work.
But did you hear what you just said, Shenu? You're like, maybe I could live with this thing if.
And it's like $750,000 a and b Ferrari, the most like emotion inducing brand of any automotive
guy's life. And I could I could only live with it if this or that. And and it should be holy crap.
Don't love EVs. But did you see the new freaking EV Ferrari for 750k? That thing looks incredible.
That's what we should be saying. Yeah, I know. That's true. So it's not even that this is like
kind of an avant garde thing. It's just weird looking. It's like a blob and you flatten it
a little and make it a little more angular and put some retro modern interior in it
and give it suicide doors. Who cares? And it's yeah, it's wild stuff. I've heard the other rumor is
that Ferrari 12 cilindry, they may be making a limited run of those things in a in a gated
manual. I don't know if you've seen that or heard that. No, no, no. So the theory is that
if you want that car, which hello, Ferrari, if you guys were smart, less of this and more 12 cylinder
or sorry, manual transmission, 12 cylinder super cars. But if you want one of those, they're
they'll sell them because guys are like, yes, I want that 12 cilindry in a manual and I'm going
to make a crap load of money on that where this thing's going to be worth 150k in five years.
Like no one is going to care. That's my theory about it. We are going to use the luce speaking
of $750,000 to tee up at this or that. How else would you would you buy this or would you buy
that the luce for $750,000? So stay tuned for that. The Lotus Amira 420, Shenu.
Yes, yes. So they broke that news. Yeah, they broke that news what the day after the luce was
announced. A little less controversial, although not entirely without some controversy. So
what is the Lotus Amira 420? Yeah, well, wasn't it last week where we kind of broke the news that
there was going to be an open top or a Targa style kind of lift off roof panel and it's coming on
this 420. I think it's an option, but it's a more powerful turbo so the AMG 4-cylinder.
They've reduced the weight of the car. They've added some more cool like arrow components on it.
I've got actually a picture that there it is now on my backdrop for those of you who are seeing or
watching the video. It's a great looking car. Yeah, great. So is it a Targa top that lives or is it
just a sunroof? No, it's just it's really more of a just a roof panel that comes off. So it still
has all the rigidity that is in place from the kind of roof rails. And so I think that's exactly
what they're hoping for to achieve. So yeah, I mean, lighter, more powerful, but paddle shift.
Listen, I actually spent time driving the turbo as well as the V6 manual last year, last spring.
So talk us off the cliff with this 4-cylinder turbo. Look, man, I mean, it's a really fast car.
It is really easy to drive quickly for whatever reason. And the steering systems are a bit different
between the turbo and the V6, but I prefer the steering on the V6.
Okay. So the steering is different because obviously you think, well, yeah, the powertrain
is the huge differentiator between the two. How is the steering affected by this? Do you
have any explanation for that? So there's an electric assist on the turbo cars.
Oh, there is. Okay. Versus hydraulic on the V6. And so anyways, I think,
you know, this car, it's going to sell. I know I actually talked to one of the load
of Steelers and they said, yeah, they got a ton of interest. So that's cool. I mean,
I think it'll bump their sales a little bit. I mean, the V6 manual is not been,
they haven't actually announced that they're going to cancel that car or discontinue it yet.
We had been hearing rumors. I thought this was going to be the last year,
but it looks like it might potentially be around for a little bit longer. And, you know,
Lotus has had a long history of introducing little power bumps, small styling changes
to keep iterating an existing car for a longer period of time. So the fact that they've done
this now with the turbo already, you know, makes me hopeful that maybe there's some
opportunity for, you know, some other iterations of the V6 manual, because it looks like that
version of the car may still have some life left in it. Yeah. I cannot believe that we're the only
two people who want a V6 manual in general between these two cars. I'd love to know from your buddies
kind of what the sales figures look like for the V6 versus the four cylinder turbo on the Amira.
I think 80% is the V6 manuals are at 80% of the take rate of Amira's in the US.
So I mean, you say the V6 manual is not dead. I see this 420. I think it's super cool looking.
It was fun to follow the progression of the Avora. My hope was, might still be,
that the Amira is going to get the same progression. I think so. I'd be willing to bet on that.
And the V6 manual Amira came out before the four cylinder turbo. So I'm surprised that this 420
came out with the AMG four cylinder in it. I think I'm speaking for 80% of people.
Where's the V6 manual that's been hoted up over the standard Amira like they did with the Avora
400 with the Avora GT, which I think was that the 430 over in Europe?
Was that the equivalent or was that even one step beyond that?
Yeah, I think the V6, they haven't done a hotter version of it, but they've done some
cosmetic versions of it. There was a Jimmy Clark edition. That was released last year.
That's really cool. It's got the asymmetric seating. I love the thing. Red driver seat.
So I think they've gone down that route first, it seems. There's a Scura version.
That's like a matte black version that's out. But my guess is that they wanted to introduce
this one first to kind of help bump some sales there because they know that most people want
V6 manuals. So let's give us a little bit of attention to the AMG Turbo product
and give it some love here, if you will, to gain some interest on that first.
And then let's start iterating the V6 is what would be my guess. If I was a fly on the wall
in their product planning meetings, I would think that's probably what they're thinking.
Yeah. Planning. Well, they've got these two power trains. I hope they're going to develop
them both simultaneously. I'm going to continue to cross my fingers that we're going to see more
out of that V6 manual Amira. So come on, Lotus, don't let us down. I might even be a buyer for
a car like that. So I got a one up my buddy who just traded his GT3 in for the standard Amira.
That's right. Something tells me that wouldn't last very long. But
we got to keep moving. What's going on with U.S. car sales, Shenu?
You know, that's something that, yeah, I mean, I got my Wall Street Journal.
I'm still one of those old school guys that likes reading a newspaper.
This showed up yesterday and it's right at the top of the paper. I should hold this up
for people that are watching. But it's right at the top. It says new car sales slump deepens.
We've seen that and I think we've talked about that here recently as well. And we peaked,
I think, over 17 million car sales before COVID. And now we'll be lucky if we get to 16 million.
That's a million car difference, which is pretty significant when it comes to capacity.
And it means that the industry is going to continue to feel some pain. And my guess is
there's going to be some attrition here. There's certainly going to be some consolidation.
And I would think some capacity reduction planning. And this might actually be
how the Chinese get into this, you know, into this market, you know, producing cars here in the
States, which, okay, look, we can say that the Volvo is owned by a Chinese company and they
are producing cars here in the States. You know, the pole stars are produced in China.
I believe, you know, some of them. And so some of the Volvos are, you know, so
the Chinese aren't working their way in, but I could almost envision where they're going to come
in now and buy some factories and maybe even a brand or two, some of the brands that aren't doing
as quite as well, and start producing their versions of their own cars here in the States.
And so, you know, when the average car costs $50,000 now, you know, I think the general public is
struggling to buy new cars. And so I think that these are all kind of like indications in my head
that the market's kind of ripe for some change. Yeah. Well, yeah, so new cars are too expensive
as far as I'm concerned. It certainly keeps me looking elsewhere. And yeah, yeah. And until
the products, there's a few out there that are compelling enough. We talked about a couple
20. I know you're itching to get your hands on a luce. So there are some new products that
are still of interest to us. But Shenu, we've got to keep moving. And I do have a few questions.
And I want to chat with you in our next segment, because you were one of the few guys who can
give us a look behind the curtain of what it's like to have the Jay Leno's garage experience.
So tell us about you've been on Jay Leno's garage twice, right? Yes. Tell us why you were on there
twice and how that came to be, what their process is like. Let's start there. And, you know, we've
been, I've been wanting to hear about this and I keep asking you to save it for the podcast. So
the time is now. When did you go on and why? So the first time, you know, was with the BAC Mono,
right? Which, for those of you who don't know this car, it's an English car made in Liverpool.
At the time, we, this was back in 2011, we struck a deal with BAC to become an importer and frankly,
build the car from a bare chassis. At the time, the bodywork was being produced in Canada,
and the engines were coming from Cosworth in LA. So it made sense for us to do that.
Things changed pretty quickly after, you know, I mean, within a few months of us,
I need to contract and deal with them. But, you know, it's a single seat car that is like an F3
spec car. I mean, it is truly a Formula car, more so than anything else that truly has been sold,
you know, in the US and worldwide. So the car was so unique and so interesting, right? And we
were the exclusive sales agent and service, blah, blah, blah, for the Monos. And so, you know,
Leno has a car wrangler, you know, a guy whose job is to go find interesting cars and interesting
people to bring on to the show. And, you know, he's a legit car guy. I actually met him before I
was on the show. Are you saying the car wrangler is a legit car guy as well? I would say he's
actually, I think there's been several different car wranglers, but I think they are, you know,
but they're kind of like a producer for his show, right? They're, you know, on his staff,
to help him, right? You know, arrange interesting cars and people for his show.
Well, this checks out because Jay Leno has always said he loves innovation. He loves cars that,
you know, change the game in some way, new, interesting, innovative. So it makes sense that
the BAC Mono would be on his radar. Yeah. And, you know, the car was unique, you know, in so many
ways, right? And so I first met him. It was actually before that, you know, probably a couple,
three years before that, I saw him and he was walking at this entourage that was following him.
Okay. It was up in Monterey during car week. I forget where the hell it was. I think I was in,
there's one show where they sell all sorts of memorabilia and signage and, you know,
chachkies for car guys, right? Yeah. And I saw him walking through with his entourage
and I just yelled out at him. Okay. I just said to him, Hey Jay, how's your aerial atom? You know,
he has, he had an aerial atom too. And at the time I had one too. So, you know, and so he stops,
like he stops in his tracks and this crowd, this entourage, they all stop. It was hilarious, you
know? And he turns and he looks over at me and he goes, you know what the aerial atom he's pointing
at me? And I'm like, yes, I have one. And he goes, you have one? And he goes walking over to me.
Serious. We start talking about aerial atoms. Yeah. What a cool guy. What a nice, nice guy, right?
And so it was not till a few years later that I came on his show and had a chance to visit,
you know, his garage, which is incredible. I mean, it's absolutely amazing, amazing place.
You know, at the time that I was there, I mean, he's expanded it since it's in Burbank and it's
in an industrial building. And so from the outside, you know, it just looks like a non-descript,
industrial, you know, building, you know? And so, yeah, I brought the mono there and, you know,
we had a show. I mean, it's all on YouTube. You can see it. And, you know, he fit in the car.
You know, there are certainly people who are concerned. He's going to, you know, will he fit
or not? But he did. He fit in the car. We went out and drove, you know, in the canyons there.
And it had some fun with it. What was it intimidating? Or does he put you at ease right
away? Because he seems like a really personable guy. He is. I mean, look, he was a talk show host,
right? I mean, he knows, you know, how to do the whole interview process, right? He knows how to
make people feel. And because he knows like, you know, look, I'm a car guy too. We just, you just
naturally, you know, just gel, right? And like that garage of his is insane, right? So as they're
setting things up, he's like, hey, feel free to walk around and see things and see whatever you
want. Over 100 motorcycles. And so, you know, I thought, you know, it's like I died and gone to
heaven, right? I mean, he's got a McLaren F1, you know, he's got one of Gordon Murray's rockets,
you know, sitting there. You know, just all these cool, interesting cars, you know, a full facility
to work, you know, like a machine shop and, you know, his service guys, you know, so he's got a
big staff that are servicing and keeping these cars running for him. So, you know, the, the, but
the other thing actually that surprised me, and, and I'm not sure if he talks much about it, but
he's his the artwork that he has, you know, all over the place on the walls. It's incredible,
you know, you could just be, you know, a lover of art and not into cars or bikes and be enthralled
by walking through his garage. It's, it's, it's utterly incredible, just absolutely incredible.
Yeah. So, and then you, you go out for the drive and yeah, it's funny. I've always thought
on these drives. So like BAC Mono, and then if I can, you know, just advance this a little bit,
you also went back with your Dragon Spider, but you brought two extremely exhilarating,
there it is, the picture behind you of you and Jay Leno in your, in your Dragon in the Dragon.
Yeah. It's actually kind of a funny story too, man. A couple funny stories with that, you know,
we, so I brought that car and I kind of reintroduced myself. It had been a couple of years since,
since I had seen, been on a show previous and he looks at me like, Shinnu, I know who you are.
You don't have to tell me your name. And I was just, I was, I was, you know, just I couldn't
believe it. I'm like, Jay, how do you remember a guy like me? He's like, Shinnu, we like the same
kind of cars. Come on. You know? And so it was genuine, man. It was, it was sincere. You know,
what a, what a nice, nice guy. And that particular day, it was like 110 degrees out in Burbank.
Hot as hell. Okay. So in that picture, you can see, I got my, you know, I, I like wearing bucket
hats. Okay. That's, that's the normal hat that I typically wear if I'm outside in the sun.
I'm putting this hat on my head. I actually, I put on a long sleeve white t-shirt first and,
and then I had this hat on. He looks at me. He's like, Shinnu, what are you doing?
Jay, it's 110 degrees out there. He's like, yeah, but you're Indian, man. It's okay. I said, listen,
I said, my hair is black. Yours is white. Okay. There's a, the sun's like reflecting off your white
hair and hitting me, man. And I'm getting hooked, you know? We were laughing. He was laughing. I
was laughing. What, what a nice guy. What a, what a nice guy. And then, you know, as you're driving
along with him, he'll, you know, we stop, right? Because the camera guys are reconfiguring things
or whatever. And then people will be driving by and yelling out at him, Hey, Jay. And he is so
gracious. What a nice guy, you know, and he's, and he's talks to everybody, you know,
cracks a couple of jokes. I mean, what a personable, what a sincerely nice, nice man, you know,
I've come across a few other celebrities, you know, car guy celebrities. And I will tell you
that some of those guys are just jerks and not, you know, they're a bit too arrogant and in love
with themselves. This is not, and Jay is not that guy. He's just amazing. He is. He's just,
he's a legend. And I can, you know, only hope that one day, you know, and like he always says,
Hey, look, we're just caretakers for the next guy to, for these cars, right? And, and
I can only imagine that his garage, which it has expanded since I've been there,
is going to become a museum. I've got to believe that will become of that space because
he's got so many great, great cars. And interestingly enough, I mean, his favorite cars
are the steam cars actually is when I asked him, I said, so Jay, all of this stuff that you have
here, what's your favorite? And he goes, I like the steam cars, you know, that's really, and then,
you know, what's also interesting about him is he asks kind of some really simple kind of basic
questions. And you think, come on, you know, Jay, you must know the answer to that question.
Well, he does know the answer to that question. But what he's doing is just teeing it up so that he
doesn't come across as his know it all. Okay. I don't know if you watch people that are like,
they act too much like know it all. You know, you said, at some point, you get kind of tired
of listening to him unless they truly are, right? But in this case, I think he really knows how to
play to a broader audience, you know, people who are coming to see him for the entertainment factor,
but, you know, but because he's approachable and he's friendly. And so, yeah, that's, that's the
one thing that I realized is like, you know, he was asking some questions that I knew, you know,
he knows the answers, but he's just teeing. He's, he's, he's lobbing some softballs to you,
you know? Yeah. And it makes him come across even more approachable. And I think it just
works so well. Well, there's no doubt he's a huge car guy. And I think that's super cool. And yeah,
I think you that how approachable and down to earthy is probably because most car guys just,
we like talking to other car guys, it's, it's like hobby for us, we really get enjoyment out of it.
And, and you, you can see how that really comes through with him. One thing that has always
surprised me about his videos, and it's true. I've watched your dragon video. I don't know if I
watched the BAC mono because that a single Cedar, right? Did he go drive by himself? I assume.
Yeah, he did. Yeah. So oftentimes, and I know he loves these cars and I know he's enthused about him,
but I'm always amazed at how little kind of expression or emotion he shows while he's out
driving him like that dragon spider from talking to you. And I sat in it when I was in your shop.
And when you look at what that is on paper, it's not hard to see how that's got to be
one of the most exhilarating driving experiences one person can have. And I'm sure the BAC monos,
you know, up there with it. And yet he kind of drives them like it's another Tuesday, which
probably speaks to the fact that he's literally driven everything and probably very little
surprises him anymore. But I've always been a little bit let down by that where I'm like,
okay, here's the culmination. He's about to go let this dragon spider rip. I think I'd be losing my
mind at you like, holy crap, Shenu, this thing's like wild. And he's kind of like, yeah, it's fun.
He's nice, drives good. You know, listen, man, I think there's some of these hosts, these video
guys, you know, let me just name one Clarkson, Jeremy Clarkson, who will act like a buffoon in
the car. And, you know, just, you know, just all the stuff that he does just, you know, to get the
likes and get the interest, right? I don't think Leno wants it to be perceived in that manner.
So I think he his approach is a little bit more, you know, reserved, if you will. But I know he's,
you know, he really, you know, like even in the car, he's definitely wow, you know, and having
some fun with it, you know, and you could see he is having a good time. But I don't think he plays to
the same, you know, playbook that Clarkson and others, you know, and some modern YouTuber dudes,
you know, nowadays that are putting their arms out like this and doing all sorts of weird stuff and
behaving like, you know, kind of like goofballs. And that's not Leno style.
No, but I do want to know at the end of his videos, does he actually like the car? Like,
everybody wants to know, here's like the ultimate car guy collector. What does he actually think?
And if I, you know, that is one thing I wish I could get out of his videos and his content,
like, okay, you don't have to really play this up for TV. But I do really want to know what you
think I would love for him, because I'm sure he's got strong opinions. I mean, and I'm, and he's a
very entertaining guy. And he's probably, that's not his show. He's not there to, you know, critique
or to review. He's more like, Hey, come tell us about your car and we'll go drive it and listen
to us chat about it, almost like Jerry Seinfeld's comedians and cars getting coffee out in the drive
portion. It's not a car review necessarily. And I think maybe that's, I go in with the wrong
expectation. But I always want to know, like, Jay, I want you to just rip one of these cars,
not rip it. But like, no, tell us honestly, like, do you like this or do you not? And
he doesn't seem to ever be interested to share that level of opinion.
Yeah. And I can't speak to that. I don't know what's, what, why, you know, but I'm guessing,
you know, he's just trying to, you know, not, you know, be too controversial, maybe, maybe that's
out of it. Who knows? Well, that's, that's a cool experience. One that I would love to have,
not only to meet and chat with the guy, but to be able to see the garage and just go on
and drive with him. It's, it's also kudos to you for having these experience that even Jay Leno
wants to like experience for himself and bring in, take part in. So super cool. She knew we've
got to move on to this or that. Cause we teed it up. We did. We did. This is the, this or that
luce addition, which is 700, 700 and around 50 grand, seven to seven 50. I think it's what
guys are going to spend on these cars, which is astronomical. And we had kind of a group thread
going about this. And I originally said, Hey, would you, would you rather have this or that?
And, and by this, so I said, I've kind of bent the rules cause I suck at this stuff, but I,
I originally said, choose two cars, a daily driver and maybe a sports car, wild card, whatever
you want that you could have instead of buying a freaking EV luce. So, and then we kind of bent,
bent the rules a little bit cause I wanted to throw three cars out there. So you tell me
what I could buy for 750 grand instead of the luce. And then I'll do the same and we'll,
and we'll pick which, which trio or combo we'd rather have, or I know you're a big luce guy.
So maybe you'll choose that one. I'm just going to take the luce. Yes. Yes. No, no, no, no.
A big no to that. Okay. But listen, I, I, the picture I have behind me is that my first pick.
Okay. I have to take my dragon. Okay. As one of the three cars. Okay. Because I want something
that's completely different from the, the other two that I've selected. And so those two are,
oops, sorry. I, let me grab the other pictures. So the next one that I've chosen is the practical
car that I want. Okay. And because I thought, all right, we got to choose at least a, an EV of
some sort, right? That I would use daily. I chose the Taycan cross-trismo. Okay. Okay. I think the
cross-trismo, you know, I'm a wagon hatchback dude. So, you know, I think we share that,
you know, that fondness for, for that, that body style. So I would have to get a cross-trismo. So
I think, you know, and I'd get a new one. And then, you know, so Dragon's 150 ish cross-trismo is
probably 150 to 200, you know, in mamba green, that's an incredible looking vehicle. Exactly.
Exactly. That, that to me, I wish it just had a little bit longer range, but I could make this
work. I could make it work. Okay. You know, like yesterday I went up to the valley in my, my Tesla
and I was able to get there and back and I had 30 mile range when I was done, you know. And so
I think the cross-trismo will be a little bit harder, but anyways, I would figure out a way
to make that one work. Okay. But then my last car, okay. And Tim is probably going to like this,
but it is the car that's in Ferrari's lineup. Because I figured, all right, listen, I got to
get a Ferrari if I'm replacing, if I'm not going to leachate, right? I got to get a Ferrari. And so
the one I chose is the one that I think looks the best. And right now to, to my eyes, and particularly
if you get this special package, right? Oh, he will be happy. Yes. I think the 296 GTB, you know,
and then you, you know, you get, you know, I would get the stripe with the, you know, like I chose
a yellow here, but with the white offset stripe and, you know, to me that, that car, I love the
styling of that car. You know, I wasn't terribly enamored with the SF 90 and some of these other
ones like the Testarosa's. And, and so this is the car that I kind of feel has the voluptuous
shape that I am looking for in a Ferrari, right? I want to see the curves. I want,
frankly, I want the female form to be embodied in, in the, in a Ferrari, right? I don't want to see
some slab sided avant-garde, you know, whatever, you know, nondescript shape in a Ferrari. To me,
it's got to evoke, you know, a voluptuousness, a sensual sexiness, right? And to me, the 296 kind
of embodies that, you know, the best right now. So I think, and that's about 300 grand. So I think,
you know, 350 ish, right? And so I think I'm right there up to 700 grand between those three cars.
Yeah. Okay. Well, I love what you did there. And we'll, we'll, we'll come back to yours. So when I,
when I saw this news and we were kind of throwing out messages about it, my thought didn't
necessarily go to exactly like what I would do with 75 or 750k, but it was, what would the
Luce guy do? And what could the Luce buyer do instead of this? And I don't know why that's
just where my mind went. But because of that, my first thought was, this looks like a freaking Tesla.
And I know that they've been recently discontinued by a slightly pre-owned one. But I thought,
you want the EV SUV thing? Don't buy a Luce. I beg of you. Instead, buy a Tesla Model X, please.
The tech will be, the test, the tech will be better. You will like autopilot. It's just,
and it's going to cause you like 100, 150k, whatever. Listen, man, I think that they look
like each other. So why spend, why spend the money? Get more tech.
You know, look, I will agree with you on the tech side of it, but man, that Model X
and the Model Y to me are just big blobs. You know, it's like driving around in a minivan,
that X as far as I'm concerned, there is nothing visually appealing to me about that car. Yeah,
it's got the Falcon doors or what do they call it? Like kind of the Galwing doors, which is cool.
Okay, but the overall shape is just, it's just a big blob. You know, how can anyone look at that
and say, oh, that's cool. You know, like, come on, man, like, which minivan, which minivan does
anyone say is cool other than your micro minivan? That's cool. Okay. It is, it is cool. But I don't,
that's because of the size, right? That's why, you know, that car is so cool. But a standard
minivan, like, come on, man, Chrysler Voyager, whatever, Plymouth Voyager, whatever the hell
these things are called, you know, like, no, no, not me. But anyway, sorry. Okay. That's the first.
I'm talking to the guy, I'm talking to the guy who wants a luce. Don't forget that.
That's true. That's true. I beg of you, don't buy the luce. Go get the SUV EV
extraordinaire from a tech standpoint, Model X. And you've got that box checked in your garage.
And then with the, the $600,000 are there abouts you have left. The car behind me that is always
the most exciting when I think of modern Ferrari. Yes. Is the front engine V12 V12 812 Superfast.
I love that. GTS and the, you know, Competizione. I don't even care about those.
No, 812 GTS. We both love M coupes, shooting brake style cars. And I'm like, go, go get one
of those. It probably doesn't need an exhaust. But if it does, if you want more put an exhaust
on that car, it is so freaking cool looking. Yeah. And I just can't believe it. And speaking
of sexy cars, I believe this one does one up the 296 just a little bit.
Go, go get the 458. One of the most beautiful, not try hard. I agree. Ferrari's ever,
which is the 458. And despite our, our inaugural guest, Derek Peterson saying he wasn't a big
fan of the 458. I've not driven one of these cars, but I have a feeling it would be an incredible
experience. And so you mean to tell me the guy who wants a luce. He wants an SUV that's also kind
of a blob. Wouldn't rather go by the blob model X, a freaking 812 Superfast with NAV 12 and a 458
which he will lose zero money on because those are going up in value. Like when you start thinking
about what the combinations are, and they are endless. We go into the Porsche world. I wanted
to keep it kind of specific to luce, you know, with like, and there's so many ways to interpret
this, this or that question. So it's not, that's not how I would spend 750. But like, if you want
an EV, an EV SUV and you want, you like Ferrari for the love, go buy a model X and then an 812
and a 458. That's, that's the question. Well, Blair, of course the irony of the whole thing is
if you can afford to spend 750 on a luce, you could probably buy the luce and all the cars
that you and I both just proposed, right? So I don't think it's an, it's a, this or that for
the luce owner is my guess. No, I don't think so. But I do know some wealthy guys and, you know,
they don't, they still think about it with some sense of practicality, like they ran their business
with or they, but I don't disagree with you. It's not a this or that. It's a this and that.
I do like your 458 choice. Okay. Cause that's the car that actually reignited my love for Ferrari
design because the F430, I just thought it was so derivative and boring, you know, and then they
came out with this and like that, the tail lights and even those little, you know, intakes right
on the side of the front headlights, just the styling of that car. Man, they kind of nailed it.
So yeah, totally. It's, so the question is, you know, 750 grand, you taking a
Model X, which, you know, you've made clear, you really like an 812 Superfaz and a 458 or
are you taking a Taycan cross-tourismo, whatever wagon EV, you get the EV fix,
the dragon spider, which is the driver's car manual and a Ferrari 296. This or that, what are you
taking? Well, listen, there's been many of these, this or that's where I had to succumb and choose
your, your, your choices because they were, they've been really good in the past. This time though,
the Model X choice, I'd rather have a bullet in my head than driver on a Model X. So guess what?
I'm choosing all of mine, you know, cause I do. And those who don't know you might think, oh,
this guy just hates Tesla. Do you have a Model 3 or a Model S? I do. Yeah, I have a Model 3.
So, so it's, it's not Tesla hate. This is truly not a Model X guy. No, or a Model Y guy. All right,
both those cars, I think are just blobs, you know. Well, I, I'm not standing in line for one of those
either. So what, what I will say is I didn't answer the question, what would I rather have? But if
I would go with your trio as well. And I mean, if nothing else, because you put a manual transmission
in there and you put a daily driver that happens to be gorgeous. So you, you did the right thing in
terms of like covering your basis on what a car guy like you or myself would rather have. So yeah,
I'm a, as much as I love an 812 superfast and I love a 458, I would take your three as well.
So nice. Nice. I'm all, all of those out there who would rather have the luce,
go to fulltronnel.com and let us know why. And man, that's maybe, maybe we're off base here,
but I think I, I think we've come up with a lot better ways to, to spend the 750. So we do have a
question this week, but I think we should save it till next week, Shenu. I think we're up against it
in out of time. It's a great question from Rick. So Rick, we are going to get to your question.
It's a good one. So if it's okay with you, Shenu, let's table this. And, and, you know,
regroup next week, right? We will. And what you've done is made me really want to drive that
Dragon Spider again, seeing the picture with you and Jay Leno. It wasn't available for me to drive
when we were, when I was down there. So let's find a time to do this so I can return and report
to the full throttle talk listeners. Absolutely. Absolutely. Well, this was fun today.
Shenu, thanks so much. You guys, if you don't mind on iTunes, go on there and give us a rating
that's going to help us continue to grow this enthusiast community we are trying to build.
So, um, Shenu, if nothing else, let's do better this week of getting out there and driving. I'm
I'm excited to see how this 996 goes for you next week. Yeah. Well, I know I'll be out in that car
this weekend having some fun. So for sure. And Blair, we did forget to plug our newsletter. So
yes, I'll talk.com. Please go there and sign up. I think the newsletter is, you know, we keep, you
know, there's been some really, really interesting ones. I think the luce is going to certainly
spawn some interesting some articles as well. But yeah, it was fun this week and looking forward
to seeing you next week. And yeah, and all of you who are Tim Harris fans, and we consider
ourselves amongst that group, the newsletter is where you still get your fix of Tim Harris. So
get on there and subscribe and thanks so much. Absolutely. All right, Blair, we'll see you next
About this episode
A Puerto Rico listener describes a brand-themed open house where the kitchen is Ferrari, the suite is Porsche, the garage is Corvette, and the Lotus room is “significantly smaller.” The hosts then debate Lotus vs Porsche for everyday fun, and swap stories about trading a 992 GT3 for a Lotus Amira. Garage talk turns technical—clutch parts, Baja Designs wiring, ECU reflash—and even into drag-race prep with Borla weight savings. The Ferrari EV debate gets heated via Luca de Montezemolo’s “destroy a legend” warning, before Jay Leno Garage stories bring in BAC Mono and Burbank workshop details.
Ferrari just revealed the Luce, its first EV, and the reaction was not exactly quiet. Blair and Shinoo break down why the design, price point, and Ferrari badge have created so much controversy — and whether this is a bold move or a massive miss.
They also cover the new Lotus Emira 420, the reality of softening new car sales, Shinoo’s latest shop updates, including the supercharged Corvette E-Ray and 996RR progress, plus a deep dive into what it was really like taking the BAC Mono and Drakan Spyder to Jay Leno’s Garage.
And in this week’s “This or That,” the guys ask the obvious question: if you had around $750,000 to spend, would you really buy Ferrari’s EV… or build a much better garage?
Topics include:
Ferrari Luce EV reaction
Lotus Emira 420
Porsche 996RR updates
Supercharged Corvette E-Ray
Jay Leno’s Garage behind the scenes
BAC Mono and Drakan Spyder
New car sales slowdown
Ferrari 296, 458, 812 Superfast, Taycan Cross Turismo, Tesla Model X
The problem with expensive EVs
For more car talk, market takes, and stories from inside the enthusiast world, subscribe to the Full Throttle Talk newsletter at fullthrottletalk.com.
