Bowling Green is where Corvette work is handled on the Chevrolet side. In this context, it means the factory/engineering team is approving parts for the car’s special spec.
“Curb feelers” are protective/clearance features intended to help prevent damage when a car’s wheels or body get too close to a curb. In practice, they’re often small add-ons that act like sacrificial contact points or sensors/guards, depending on the setup.
Carbon fiber is a super-light material used on performance parts. It’s used because it can make parts lighter, which helps the car feel quicker and more responsive.
Claude is the person the host is talking about who thinks the new parts might not last. The important takeaway is that they want to test the prototype before trusting it.
This is a BMW 3 Series model. The “330” is BMW’s way of naming a particular version of that car, and the host is saying he’s thinking about replacing his 2021 daily driver.
A daily driver is the car you use most days for normal life—work, errands, and commuting. The host is basically saying he wants something that makes sense for everyday use, not just a fun extra car.
The E46 M3 is a BMW M3 from the E46 generation. It’s a popular older BMW that many car people keep because it’s fun to drive, and the host is considering selling his because his life/garage is getting too cluttered.
The BMW 3 Series is a luxury car that’s meant to be comfortable but still fun to drive. The podcast mentions the E46 M3, which is a high-performance version of the 3 Series. So they’re talking about it because it’s a well-known enthusiast car within that lineup.
Here, “consolidation” means owning fewer cars. The host is thinking about combining what different cars do—so he doesn’t have to keep as many vehicles around.
The C8 Stingray is a Corvette where the engine is in the middle of the car, behind you. That usually makes it handle more like a sports car than older Corvettes with front engines.
The Audi e-tron is an electric SUV, so it runs on electricity instead of gasoline. It’s meant to be a comfortable, premium vehicle for everyday driving. In the podcast, it’s part of the talk about Audi’s electric cars.
The Audi e-tron GT is an electric car, so it uses electricity instead of gasoline. It’s built to feel sporty, not just practical. The podcast mentions it because the host drove one and talked about how it felt.
The Toyota GR 86 is a small sports car designed to be fun and easy to drive. It’s rear-wheel drive, which helps it feel lively when you accelerate and turn. The podcast mentions it because the host tried it and liked how it drives.
This is a Mazda Miata (MX-5) in the ND generation, in a Club Sport trim. It’s the more performance-focused version, usually set up to feel sharper for spirited driving.
Many performance cars let you pick different driving settings (“modes”). Those modes can change how sensitive the gas pedal is, how the car manages traction, and how sporty or calm it feels.
Track mode is the car’s “go fast” setting. It’s meant to help the car behave more predictably when you’re driving hard for longer, like on a track day.
The Corvette is a sports car model made by Chevrolet. Some versions are built for very fast driving, including track-focused trims. The podcast mentions it because they plan to compare it with other cars that cost about the same.
Tour mode is the car’s “comfortable” driving setting. It usually makes the engine and throttle feel less aggressive so the car is quieter and easier to live with.
The Porsche Taycan is Porsche’s electric performance car. The host is saying the Audi e-tron GT is closely related to it and feels similar in how it’s built and drives.
“Platform sharing” means multiple car models are built using the same underlying engineering base—like chassis structure and major components—so they can be developed more efficiently. In this case, the host claims the Audi e-tron GT and Porsche Taycan share that platform, which can lead to similar packaging and driving characteristics.
Alcantara is a soft, suede-like material used inside cars, often on the steering wheel. It feels grippy and upscale, kind of like a premium fabric instead of smooth leather.
The Ferrari Luce is a Ferrari model that was recently unveiled. The podcast is mentioning it because it’s new and people are paying attention to it. The discussion is mainly about the announcement itself.
Instant torque means the car’s pulling power shows up immediately when you press the pedal. Electric cars can do this because their motors respond fast.
The Tesla Model 3 is an electric car. The host is saying it’s easy to use day-to-day, and it also feels quick because electric motors respond instantly.
Lane centering is when the car helps steer so you stay in the middle of your lane. The goal is that you don’t have to keep correcting the steering wheel all the time.
They’re comparing a BMW 5 Series to Tesla’s driving-assist. The point here is whether the car can keep you centered in your lane without you constantly steering.
They’re talking about Tesla’s driver-assist features—systems that can help the car steer and manage speed. How well it works depends on the road and the specific feature being used.
“Full self driving” is Tesla’s name for its advanced driving-assist features. It’s meant to help the car drive, but you usually still have to watch the road and be ready to take over.
This means the car can react to curves in the road and steer smoothly to stay in the lane. The speaker wants the car to do that automatically instead of requiring the driver to constantly correct it.
“Bulletproof reliable” is a way of saying the car is very dependable and doesn’t break down. The speaker is using it to justify choosing a simpler, lower-stress car for daily life.
The Lotus Elise is a small, lightweight sports car that’s built to handle really well. People like it because it feels nimble and fun rather than heavy and complicated.
Aluminum extrusions are metal parts made in a way that creates a strong, shaped aluminum “profile.” Using them in a car can help keep the car lighter without losing too much strength.
Topic
DeLuzer Road
That’s the name of a road the host likes to drive, almost like a personal test route. They’re using it to describe how the car felt on their usual drive.
These are parts of the suspension that hold the wheels in the right position. They help the wheel move smoothly over bumps and keep the car stable when turning.
A subframe is like a strong metal “support frame” under the car that helps hold up important parts. Powder coating is a coating process that protects the metal from rust and makes it last longer.
Powder coating is a type of paint-like protective finish. It’s baked on so it hardens into a tough layer that helps keep metal from rusting.
Term
run out of gas
Running out of gas means your fuel tank is empty and the car can’t keep going. It usually happens when you misjudge how far you can drive on what’s left.
Tread is the part of the tire that actually touches the road. If it’s worn down too far, the tire can’t grip as well—especially in rain—and it can be unsafe.
The sidewall is the tire’s outer “wall” that connects the tread to the wheel. If the tread is gone and you’re down to the sidewalls, the tire is basically worn out and shouldn’t be driven.
“Hyper muscle car” is basically a hype name for a very extreme muscle car. The idea is it’s meant to be more intense and aggressive than a smooth, luxury-style performance car.
The Aston Martin DBS is a high-performance luxury car. It’s built to feel smooth and refined while still being fast. The podcast mentions it to describe a more polished style of performance compared with other types of cars.
“Hyper cars” are ultra-high-performance cars designed to dominate at sports-car tasks like braking, cornering, and overall track capability. The speaker argues that many hyper cars skew toward sports-car behavior (fast in a straight line, strong braking, and good turning) rather than the muscle-car focus on drama and sound.
Car
Audi Nouveau L'Aria
This is an Audi that’s meant to be a super-exclusive “showpiece” car. The hosts are saying it’s not just a normal replacement—it’s a limited-run halo car with a hybrid V8.
The Audi R8 is Audi’s supercar. The hosts are saying Audi has hinted at an R8 replacement, but this new halo car doesn’t sound like the actual R8 successor.
A “halo car” is a special, attention-grabbing car a brand builds to show off its best ideas. It’s usually expensive and made in small numbers, more for image than for mass sales.
This means the car uses a V8 engine plus an electric motor and battery. The goal is to get better efficiency and often stronger acceleration by using both power sources together.
“Avant-garde” means really unusual or experimental. They’re saying the design is bold, but not so weird that it feels like an overly extreme throwback or concept-only look.
Car
Lotus Theory One
Lotus Theory One is a concept car—basically a design study—by Lotus. The host is using it as a visual comparison for how the rear end looks on the Audi they’re talking about.
The Lamborghini Diablo is a famous older Lamborghini supercar with a very sharp, aggressive look. The host is saying the Audi’s rear shape reminds them of the Diablo’s distinctive silhouette.
The Audi TT is a sporty Audi model that’s usually a small coupe or roadster. Here, the host is saying a future version could be electric, which would change what the TT is like to drive.
Term
horse power trains
A powertrain is the combination of components that generate and deliver motion—typically the engine (or motor), transmission, driveshaft/axles, and related systems. The host uses “horse power trains” to refer to the drivetrain/propulsion setup they have insider access to.
The Lotus Emira 420 is a higher-performance version of the Lotus Emira. In this part, they’re talking about what kind of shock absorbers it uses and whether it gets the more advanced versions.
Multi-matic shocks are special shock absorbers designed to control how the car moves over bumps and during cornering. The host is saying the big question is how advanced the shocks are on the Emira 420.
Shim stack shocks use a set of thin metal pieces inside the shock to control how easily fluid can move. That affects how the suspension feels over bumps, and it’s described here as the more conventional option.
Spool valve shocks are advanced shock absorbers that use a controlled valve to regulate how the suspension resists movement. The host is saying these are the high-end version you’d expect on serious race cars.
A damper is basically the shock absorber. It controls how fast the car’s suspension moves so the tires stay planted and the ride doesn’t bounce as much.
Ohlins makes aftermarket performance shocks and suspension parts. The point is that their shocks are typically easier to adjust and tune than the very specific damper system they’re comparing against.
JRZ makes performance shock absorbers that you can adjust. The host is using it as an example of shocks that are easier to dial in than a car-specific damper system.
Penske is known for racing-style suspension shocks. The host is saying these conventional adjustable shocks are typically easier and faster to tune than a specialized setup.
Term
two way
“Two-way” usually means the shock can control the suspension in two different directions—when it compresses and when it rebounds. That helps the car feel more controlled over bumps and during braking/acceleration weight shifts.
The “Porsche Playbook” means the way Porsche often sells cars with lots of expensive add-ons. The host is saying Lotus is using a similar approach, so the final price can jump fast.
An exhaust made from titanium is lighter than the usual steel exhaust. That can help the car feel a bit more responsive and it also tends to resist rust.
Yokohama A052 is a specific kind of performance tire. The host is saying it’s the kind of tire that’s popular because it sticks well, and that’s part of why it’s being discussed in the regulation story.
Toyo R888R (and the R888Rs variant) is a performance tire model that’s known for strong grip. The host is mentioning it as one of the tires that might get caught up in the proposed rules.
SEMA is a big automotive industry group that represents aftermarket parts and performance businesses. The host is saying they’re likely to lobby to prevent or soften the proposed tire restrictions.
They’re talking about Porsche’s mid-engine Boxster/Cayman models with a bigger 4.0-liter engine. The idea is that they might consider one only if the gearing is changed to suit how they drive.
“Gearing” is the set of gear ratios that affects how the car pulls. Shorter gearing makes it feel quicker, but it can mean the engine spins faster when you’re driving normally.
Carbon bucket seats are lightweight, high-support seats shaped like a bucket to hold you in place during hard cornering. They’re common in track-oriented trims, but they can feel restrictive or uncomfortable for some drivers on everyday drives.
“Long gears” usually means the car uses gearing that keeps the engine RPM lower. That can make it feel a bit slower to respond when you accelerate, because the engine has to work harder to get into its power range.
This is a Porsche 718 Spider RS. It’s set up to feel more aggressive because its transmission shifts in a way that keeps the engine in the right rev range sooner—partly thanks to shorter gear ratios.
Gear ratios control how the engine and wheels work together. Shorter gear ratios make the car feel quicker off the line because the engine reaches the right revs sooner, though it can mean higher RPM at cruising speeds.
They’re talking about the Porsche Cayman GT4, which is the more track-oriented version of the Cayman. The argument here is about whether its gear ratios (how the transmission gears are spaced) feel right for driving and track laps.
Regear is when you change the gear ratios so the car accelerates differently. It can make the car feel more fun to drive, but it’s not free—there’s usually labor and parts cost involved.
Porsche is the car brand being talked about. The “Porsche community” means the group of Porsche owners and fans, and the speaker is saying not everyone drives their cars hard enough to find problems that only show up when you push them.
A downshift is when you change to a lower gear so the engine can speed up. It helps the car accelerate, especially when you’re slowing down for a turn and then getting back on the gas.
Rev matching is a technique where, when you shift to a lower gear, you adjust the engine speed so the car doesn’t jerk. It makes downshifting smoother and helps the car stay stable while you’re turning.
Brand
GR
“GR” is Toyota’s performance label. It’s what Toyota uses for its more driver-focused, higher-performance versions of certain models.
The Toyota GR Corolla is a performance version of the Corolla made by Toyota’s racing brand. It’s meant to be more fun and capable for driving hard than a normal Corolla.
“Dead on center” means the steering wheel feels perfectly straight when you’re going straight. It suggests the car doesn’t wander or feel off-center.
Term
low arrow package
This sounds like a Corvette option package that changes the car’s exterior styling, like the aero pieces. They’re saying they like the “low arrow” look more than the other package.
Term
big arrow package
This is the speaker’s nickname for a Corvette option that makes the car look more aggressive—think bigger, more noticeable styling/aero. They’re comparing it to the “low arrow” package they prefer.
To “spec” a car means picking the options and configuration you want, like colors and packages. The host is saying they built an example configuration, not necessarily their exact order.
An aero package is a set of add-on parts that change the car’s shape to help it cut through air better. It often makes the car feel more planted at speed.
“Pre-owned” means a car that’s been previously sold and is being offered again by a dealer or private seller. The speaker uses it to argue that you can buy a Corvette for around a hundred grand used, and then challenges whether that’s “incredible” after driving it.
“Modifying cars” here means spending money on performance parts to change how the car drives—wheels, brakes, and suspension—to close the gap versus a faster stock car. The speaker frames it as a strategy: start with a Porsche and upgrade it to get a “fighting chance” against the Corvette C8.
Brakes help you slow down safely and repeatedly, especially when driving hard. They’re saying upgrading the brakes is one of the big steps to make a Porsche more competitive.
Suspension affects how the car handles—how it stays planted when you turn or hit bumps. They’re saying suspension upgrades are part of the recipe to make the Porsche faster and more competitive.
The aftermarket is the world of third-party upgrades and replacement parts. If there’s a big aftermarket for a car, it’s usually easier to find quality parts to improve it.
PDK is Porsche’s automatic transmission that shifts very fast using two clutches. It’s designed to keep the car feeling responsive, especially when you’re driving hard.
This is a special Porsche Boxster version called the Spyder. It’s meant to feel more fun and connected to the road than a regular Boxster, and the hosts are talking about how much they cost and why people still want them.
Value retention means how well the car keeps its resale value. If a car has good value retention, you usually don’t lose as much money when you sell it later.
A manual transmission is the kind of gearbox where you use a clutch pedal and choose the gears yourself. Some drivers like it because it gives you more control and feels more engaging when you’re driving fast.
The Porsche Cayman is a mid-engine Porsche, and “987” is the generation they mean. They’re suggesting you start with a 987 Cayman and modify it so it becomes a much stronger track-style car.
The Porsche 911 GT3 is the 911’s track-focused version. They’re saying that, for real track driving, the GT3 is the Porsche that’s most likely to stay competitive with a Corvette Z06.
“G series” is a name for a specific Porsche engine family. The host is saying some cars have had that engine put in (instead of the original), and people claim it can be reliable.
A “mid-engine” car puts the engine closer to the middle of the vehicle instead of the front. That can make the car feel more balanced and easier to steer.
Term
flat plank crank motor
The transcript sounds like it’s describing the engine’s shape and how it spins internally. The point is that this engine design helps the car feel special and rev freely.
“Naturally aspirated” means the engine doesn’t use a turbo or supercharger. The power comes from the engine breathing normally, and the way it accelerates can feel different than a forced-induction car.
RPM tells you how fast the engine is spinning. The host is pointing out that this engine can rev close to 9,000 times per minute, which usually feels very “alive.”
An automatic transmission changes gears by itself. You don’t have to use a clutch pedal or shift manually, and the debate is whether it still feels fun and engaging to drive.
Concept
R and D courage
“R and D” means research and development—basically the engineering work behind new ideas. Here, the host is saying the company would need to be willing to invest a lot to offer something like a manual.
Car
Ariel Adam
The Ariel Adam is a small, lightweight sports car that feels very “hands-on” to drive. The hosts are saying it doesn’t behave perfectly, but people still love it because it has character.
The Porsche 911 is one of the most famous sports cars ever made. In this discussion, the hosts say older 911s can feel imperfect in the corners—pushing wide at first and then rotating more than you might expect—yet people still love them for that feel.
Understeer is when the car feels like it won’t “turn in” and instead keeps going more straight than you want. The front tires are losing grip first, so the car pushes wide at the start of the turn.
Oversteer is when the back of the car feels like it wants to swing out or rotate more than you intended. It usually happens because the rear tires lose grip first.
Weight balance is basically where the car’s weight sits—more toward the front or the rear. That affects how the car behaves in corners, like whether it pushes wide or rotates too much.
The Acura NSX is a supercar made by Acura. It’s known for being very well-engineered and smooth, but the host says that can make it feel a little too “perfect” and not as fun or interesting as cars with more quirks.
“Rear engine weight bias” means more of the car’s mass is concentrated toward the rear because the engine sits behind the driver. That changes traction and balance, so the car’s handling and how it responds to steering and throttle can feel different than a front-engine layout.
“Over center” means the lever/linkage flips past its normal middle position. Once it does that, it can lock in a bad spot—exactly what happened in the host’s breakdown story.
LIVE
Hey, welcome back to Full Throttle Talk.
Shnue, how are you, man?
Hey, Blair.
Hey, you.
Great to be back.
Good to see you, brother.
This one's going to be super fun because if anybody listened last week, maybe you were
offended by what I said about the Porsche Cayman GT4.
We had a discussion about long gearing and apparently I really fired up the Cayman GT4.
Can we say pissed off?
Can we say pissed off?
Yeah, I really, I shook the wasp nest a little bit.
So we're like beyond chomping at the bit to get into today's episode because we're going
to address some of that stuff and I'm going to read to you all of the backlash that I
got and we're going to address some of those comments.
If you haven't seen those, go to Full Throttle Talk on Instagram and you'll see the latest
reel that we posted, which I didn't think was that controversial.
And yet, man, we fired everybody up.
So if you're ready to get into this, you know, I'm excited.
Absolutely.
It's going to be a fun one.
It's going to be a fun one.
Well, we like to start with the, you know, the man, the myth, the legend Tim Harris.
Absolutely.
And I got, I have his latest dispatch from Puerto Rico.
So let me just jump straight into it.
Sweet.
ZR1X update from Puerto Rico.
We've finally heard back from Bowling Green regarding the PR spec package.
The chrome wheels have been approved.
Unfortunately the curb feelers were rejected.
Bad Bunny is taking the news really hard.
He says his cousin owns a race shop and can fabricate a set from carbon fiber.
A prototype is now under development.
The weight savings appears very promising.
But my coach Claude is questioning the durability and says, yes, we do some testing first.
I'll keep you posted, Tim Harris.
Welcome to full throttle talk.
The podcast where horsepower meets conversation from super cars 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.
Tim, thanks for chiming in, man.
I'm, uh, and that was an appropriate dispatch because I'll get into what I did in cars this
week and it has a lot to do with Corvettes.
So yes, you drove a bunch of cars this week and then we're going to get into a bit of
that.
I'm excited to get your takes.
So here's the deal.
If you've been following for a little bit now, I promised everybody that I'm kind of
a basket case when it comes to my garage and I tend to turn my garage over a little bit.
So lately I've been thinking it is time to get rid of my three series BMW.
It's a 2021 330.
I, I treat this car like it's, I mean, don't want to come across the wrong way, but it's
fairly disposable to me.
Let's put it that way.
It's getting up there in miles.
I drive a lot for work.
I'm always on the road.
So it's like, yeah, I think it's times it's small.
My boys are getting older.
So as one car guy does, instead of just going to buy an updated daily driver, I started thinking
of all the possible combinations of how to replace this car and with what and to be more
specific, I think I mentioned last podcast, maybe that I've got this E46 M three that's
kind of sitting around right now.
My life's getting cluttered and too busy and I should really sell that too.
So I should sell that, replace the daily downsize.
Yeah, it makes a lot of sense.
It makes a lot of sense consolidation a little bit.
Yeah.
Makes a lot of sense.
But it doesn't make sense.
And like I told my wife is, Hey, honey, I drove a bunch of cars this week and none of
them were all but one were not daily driver candidates.
Or what most people would consider not a daily driver, right?
So give us the rundown, you know, Blair, what were the cars?
And my thinking is, well, I'll replace the daily or maybe not.
Maybe I'll just replace the M three with something more practical that I can, I can co-daily
with, with the new daily or whatever.
So I drove and we're going to dig into this a little bit later.
I drove a C8 Stingray and a C8 Z06.
And that was first time I've ever driven a C8 and it's been driving me nuts, Shaneu,
that I have not done this.
And we talked about your experience on track with the Z06.
Yep.
And so anyways, we'll dig into that.
Good.
I drove an Audi e-tron GT probably not where anybody would expect that conversation to
go.
I drove a BMW Z3 M Roadster, the S52 M Roadster.
So the early Roadster, I drove a GR86 Toyota.
Nice.
And a new one.
A new one.
Yeah, the new one.
Okay.
Second generation, cool.
Correct.
And I drove an ND Mazda Miata Club Sport.
Okay.
So don't ask me.
Well, if you want to ask me, let's exchange messages on how somehow that becomes the lineup
when I'm trying to just replace a daily driver and how I come to all of those cars, it would
take way too long to get into on this podcast.
But it suffices to say there were a few highlights for me.
We're going to talk more about the Corvettes.
But Shaneu, I was genuinely surprised in the most positive way.
And the C8 Stingray is like a great candidate for anybody who wants to like drive the car
frequently, use as somewhat of a daily.
Like that's what that car should be doing is being used all the time.
Did you see how big the trunk is in that?
I did.
I'm sure I could crawl into that thing and sit inside there, lay down inside it.
It's huge.
We might be able to crawl in there together.
That doesn't sound very appealing.
Okay.
No, no, it doesn't.
But speaking of good Instagram content, apparently we're all about the clickbait these days.
We'll get into that later too.
So yeah, so tell me more.
So you drove the Stingray, which I spent a weekend driving one really hard.
And I was a bit impressed, but you got to be in the right mode.
So did you drive the car in the various modes?
So that truly was one of the standout kind of in most memorable parts of this car to
me was how the character of the car changed so drastically from tour mode to sport to track.
Track, yep.
And, and then I drove the, the Z06 and we could spend a lot of time talking about that.
And we're going to get back to this, maybe in a this or that segment where I all not
intentionally ruffle Porsche feathers again, but it might happen.
We are going to pit this Corvette Z06 against Porsches of similar price range for this or
that later in this episode, just to foreshadow a little bit.
There we go.
The Z06 was incredible.
That motor's insane.
And yet you do, you put it in tour mode and it just gets quiet, gets comfortable.
It's like you go from feeling like you're in just this wild, exotic car with an unbelievable
motor in it to a Chevy, to a cruiser, you know, in a pretty exotic form factor.
So I have a lot more thoughts, but I'll save those maybe for later in the show.
But the other cars that kind of stood out to me, I've been a noted kind of anti EV guy
on these podcasts.
Yes, you have.
And you know, you daily drive a Model 3 Tesla.
I do.
So the e-tron GT, the sales guy just said, listen, you should at least get in that car
and check it out.
This would be a great replacement for your daily, especially if you have other cars that
if you have to drive over 250 miles, take one of the other cars.
But right.
So I drove it and I will say, I was pleasantly surprised of that e-tron GT.
I think it looks wonderful.
I really love the styling of that car.
I mean, look, it's it's it's the Taycan Porsche Taycans kissing cousin, right?
And so I think the platform share those two cars.
And I actually prefer the styling of the Audi over.
I agree. Yeah. Yeah.
And and so, yeah, I have I haven't driven one.
So well, you know, so tell me, you know, what did you think?
Well, you know, Audi's in some ways are just too refined for me, including the R8 that I sold.
They have a very Audi feel, especially in the steering.
And but what Audi does do right is good materials screwed together well,
like that classic German car formula.
And so you get in this compared to all the Teslas that I've been in.
No offense. Yep.
But it's like there's a material difference in quality between that and this.
And then you start driving.
And first, that EV thing is so hard to wrap my brain around, you know,
there's one gear essentially I'm waiting for it to shift or whatever.
And like, but once I wrap my head around that, I'm like, this is a really nice car to be in.
It's very quiet.
It feels very solid.
The steering wheel and this was in, I forget the name of the paint, but it was in a green color.
I put it on my social media, but such a gorgeous car.
The steering wheel was Alcantara.
It just felt all the best things about how he was in this car. Sure.
And the guy said, Hey, the sales guys, like you got to punch this card,
like really get into it and you'll find that the power delivery is better than in the Tesla's.
And we'll make you sick.
So I did get a chance to kind of whip around the corner onto an on ramp on the freeway.
And I was surprised at how well the car handled.
And then, yeah, it's very quick, but it wasn't nauseatingly quick.
And yeah, I don't know where that all that comes from.
I think even Ferrari, you know, a couple of months before they,
you know, unveiled the the the much loved Luce, you know, they were talking about,
you know, nausea in the acceleration of these of these EVs.
And so, you know, the instant torque that you get from the battery and electric motor, it's addictive, man.
You know, you can punch the car wherever you're at, you know, and when the car moves forward,
you know, at whatever speed, if quickly, it's it's it's
great, you know, particularly when you're using it as an appliance, which is the way I view my my model
three, it's just an appliance.
It gets me back and forth to places when, you know, I'm not really thinking frankly about fun.
You know, I'm just, you know, it's the utility of driving to a place to conduct business or whatever.
Right.
Well, I feel a little bit like a sellout saying it, but part of the problem is all the alternatives to this car,
they're getting less and less interesting.
Sure.
So when you get into a really nice EV like this, the downside for me, and this is where Tesla just shines,
is I put on like the lane centering from Audi.
And this car is only two years old, I think.
OK.
And it would just ping pong me between lanes on the high.
Yeah.
And I'm like, if I'm going to do this, I want it to at least on the freeway, because I'm on the freeway a lot.
Sure.
I want it to at least keep me in the middle of the lane for 15 seconds before I have to put my hand on the wheel.
And oh, I drove a BMW five series as well.
And that car actually did keep me in the middle of the lane.
So the Tesla technology, I see why it's so appealing.
And it felt like a real letdown in the out the Audi.
That was the low light of this e-tron GT for me was, you know, it didn't have enough lane centering technology to just.
Yeah.
But man, come on, serious.
Like that that is so high on your list of priorities.
Lane centering.
I mean, come on, man.
Drive your damn car.
Hey, for my daily driver, I'm like, I do like to look down at my phone every now and then when I'm just going 75 on the freeway.
Yeah.
Like, anyways, I shouldn't have admitted that out loud.
You're so busted, man.
You're so busted.
I do see the appeal of these guys just letting the Tesla on the freeway.
Right.
Driven this full self driving around town.
And it drives me crazy because I can't stand it.
I can't stand it too.
Yeah.
I couldn't.
I just couldn't use it around town.
It usually goes too slow.
It's just not thinking what my brain's thinking.
And we're all kind of control freaks behind the wheels.
Right.
It's it's like you're a armchair quarterback or whatever it is, the the passenger criticizing your wife about her driving.
That's what it's like letting Tesla take over.
And but on the freeway, I mean, I think the car should be able to adaptive curves and keep you in the middle of the lane with without you having to do it yourself.
So and then, you know, I drove the an Nd Miata as well.
Yeah.
So talk more about that.
What what I mean, could you actually use that car?
You know, yeah.
Yeah.
Because the idea is replace the M3 with an Nd Miata and a car that gets great gas mileage, a car that is like bullet proof reliable.
Yeah.
I just don't have to sweat it.
I can take work calls in that car.
Yeah.
I was going to ask you, is it quiet enough to do that?
Um, yeah, I think so.
But I'm telling you, yeah, the others are just the best cars ever made.
So take that GT four owners, you know, take that Lotus Elise guys.
I mean, I just bought a very expensive Elise from you.
The answer is always Miata, right?
I love just never get out of a Miata and think, oh, man, that wasn't like they missed the mark on that.
I mean, it's not a matter that wasn't really fun.
So yeah, I agree.
I don't fit well in those cars either.
But so that's what I did.
I'm excited to get a little more into Corvettes.
And you know, it's it's always great to go drive a bunch of cars and try to formulate these thoughts.
And I did even soften on an EV sedan.
So there you go.
I said it out loud.
I admitted it.
She knew what you do in cars.
How was the 996 last weekend?
Oh, man, it was great.
Listen, good and bad, right?
OK, oh, no.
Yeah. Well, OK, the bad was my own damn fault.
OK, and I am to blame for how this story came to a conclusion.
But let's start the story.
Right. I took the car up on my favorite road and I was hauling ass.
The car is really fun.
It just blazes over the bumps.
You know, you know, when you have a car of that size with that much mass,
it you know, there's a certain level of kind of, you know,
a bank vault like feel that you get, right?
You just are not going to be able to get in a 2000 pound lotus, you know,
that is made from, you know, aluminum extrusions, you know.
And so the car really gives you that confidence and it just, you know, the sound of that engine,
you know, just feels really strong, right?
You know, whole car feels solid and so.
But, you know, then you also do feel the mass, too, on so on the flip side of that, right?
So anyways, I went on my favorite loop, the DeLuzer Road, a hauled ass.
It was great.
Having a great time headed back. OK.
And I'm, you know, I'm literally, you know, right across,
very close to a friend of mine who lives up there and the car dies out.
And I'm like, oh, man, you know, what?
Oh, no. OK.
So I'm thinking, all right, what's going on?
And the way it was, it died.
It wasn't as I would have expected, you know, what it turns out, what the issue was.
So anyways, I'm like right at the car stalls out right in front of my friend's house.
I'm thinking, OK, great.
You know, hopefully Scott's home.
You know, this was Sunday morning.
You know, so I'm knocking on his door.
He had to walk like 200 yards to his place and knocking on the door.
He's not there.
You know, later.
Later he sent me a text.
He goes, hey, I think I saw you on my ring camera.
I'm in Oxford, England right now.
And I guess a lot of good you did me.
And you know, but yeah, get back to the car.
And I hitchhike in a couple of octogenarians.
You can come rolling up.
You seriously hitchhike.
How far away are you from civilization?
Or like you're by a buddy's house.
That's crazy.
Yeah. So, you know, yes.
So there's no cell phone coverage where I was at.
OK. I had no signal.
I forgot to mention that no signal.
So I was at a hitchhike out of there and a couple of luckily a couple
of eight year old dudes can pull up in a pickup truck and they probably used
to hitchhike when they're younger.
So they're comfortable with it, you know.
So anyhow, I ran the car out of gas.
OK, that's that's what happened.
And so we've had the fuel gauge on the car has been flaky.
Yeah. And so I've been trying to keep the car, you know, full of gas.
And I, you know, I just I was overcome with the excitement of driving
the car in the morning and I didn't go top it off to make sure, you know.
And I think the fuel consumption is a lot more than I anticipated.
So anyways, I ran the poor thing out of gas.
Oh, no. Got to the gas station, got to jug of fuel, put some fuel in the car.
It starts right up.
I came back home, you know.
So anyways, a little bit of, you know, humble pie, right?
The car, you know, it's like the car guys are like the worst thing
is is running out of freaking gas, you know.
So well, maybe the worst thing is when you wreck your car,
you put it into a trailer, a ditch.
That's the worst car guy thing, right?
But I think, you know, a close second is running your car out of gas.
I think that that's that's pretty lame.
So anyhow, well, yeah.
But we got to figure that out.
We I there's a fuel sender issue with the car.
So I think we're replacing two fuel senders on this thing.
So. But the car felt good.
You were happy with how it really was great.
You know, I was really happy with it.
You know, look, it's it I want to do some some play around a little bit
with it with the sway bars, you know, and I want to flatten the car a little bit,
you know, make some adjustments to the turn in on it.
But it's great.
You know, what I have to kind of remember is this isn't a lotus.
Don't try to make this a lotus, you know, enjoy its positives, you know,
that solid feel, its ability to just bulldoze over bumps and, you know,
enjoy that, you know, part of the car and not try to make it into what is in your head.
You know, what you what you're used to driving, which are much smaller,
much nimbler cars, you know.
So yeah, that that was the probably the biggest thing that happened.
You know, I think a couple of things I mentioned last week,
we got the e-ray fired up and drove that car, you know, now with the supercharger.
Wow, power delivery is super smooth.
You just feel like a stock car that's just really faster.
Yeah. Yep. Yep. Really good.
So Klein picked up the car on Tuesday, you know, took off.
He's super happy getting queued up to do a drag race with with with the ZR1,
as we talked about, right?
So hopefully he puts the stock wheels back on the thing.
You know, his advantage is, of course, the front wheels are driven.
So I'm thinking that that's going to be the key, you know, for him to have any sort of fighting
chance against a new ZR1.
So anyways, the what else?
Oh, you know, we talked a bit about Sarah Coat last week on the way.
Yes, we did.
That goes back, you know, uprights and wishbones.
They look so good.
They look so good.
I need to put it up on our social media.
We actually powder coated the subframe too.
So that that turned out really great.
That's all coming together now on that particular car.
There's a car. That's awesome.
Yeah. So that was good.
So yeah, so that was my week, man.
I mean, you know, not quite as much fun driving like you had.
But anyways, we had a few things we sorted out.
Well, it's always an adventure to run out of gas.
And I had to call my wife a couple of times to come bail me out.
She's like, you're such an idiot.
Like, what are you doing?
I don't know.
I have never run a car out of gas.
Yeah, that's the first time I ran a car out of gas.
You know, so it was especially embarrassing.
Well, the funny thing is the day before my wife was in my Tesla and she calls
she goes, oh, I got a flat tire and I should have a picture of this.
But I don't have the picture to put up behind me.
But I went and picked her up.
She was like about half an hour south of us.
And, you know, I came with, you know, a spare wheel and tire and, you know,
everything I needed to fix this thing.
Right. And she's parked there.
I'm like, babe, where's the tire?
You know, the entire tread was completely gone.
What? I'm like, how long were you driving the car?
It's amazingly, the wheel did not get damaged.
OK, but the car had absolutely no tread left.
It was just the sidewalls, you know.
So anyhow, that was a little bit of a tire changing fund on Saturday.
But always, always shenanigans when you're in this hobby.
Yes, yes.
You take the good, you take the good with the bad.
But let's move into automotive news, you knew.
And I wanted to talk about Dodge announcing this new copperhead,
which looks bitching, man.
That thing looks great.
I think that car is pretty frickin cool.
I think all this, they're calling it like a hyper muscle car or something.
Yeah. Is that a new category or class of car hyper muscle car?
Yes, indeed it is.
And I think it's it's very apt and very smart.
A very good strategic decision.
So how does a hyper muscle car differ from like a.
GT car, like an Aston DBS or something like what just less.
Refined, less luxurious, more raw and kind of in your face.
I mean, that's how I would describe because this does look like a big.
You know, front engine, most likely rear wheel drive.
They did come, they came out and said that this will not be a competitor to the C8.
So they are genuinely not going after the sports car market.
And they made a point to say, this is not a replacement for the Dodge Viper,
which I have to admit, I was kind of bummed about.
You know, because I do think there is a lot of excitement for me around the Viper.
And we need more of that.
But you seem to think that that was a smart move and going into this hyper
muscle car, what I would say is probably more of a GT car category is smart.
Yeah, I think, listen, how many hyper cars, you know, sports cars exist,
there's just too many, you know, it's like the market is just utterly
saturated with with hyper cars and hyper cars tend to be very sports
car focused, in other words, they go fast in a straight line,
they break very well in a straight line and they turn left and right really well,
right? Whereas a muscle car is really all about the sound, the look
and going fast as hell in a straight line, right?
And the acceleration.
And so I think, you know, the Dodge saying, hey, look,
we're just going to continue to focus on muscle cars.
I think that was smart.
And I think that, you know, your earlier question about Aston's,
aren't they just muscle cars?
And I think, you know, they position their cars more as GTs,
which is more about, you know, sophisticated touring, you know, it's
certainly, you know, they are fast cars and muscular cars.
But I think they're a bit more refined, whereas a muscle car can be a little
bit more raw, can be a little bit more, you know, crude, maybe not
be the right term to be used, but let's just say, you know, just not as refined
as what Aston is kind of trying to deliver to the market.
So, yeah, no, listen, I think is your like, you know, slicing and dicing,
you know, these, you know, little segments in the automotive space.
You know, I think, you know, I think it's a great strategy.
And so, and the thing looks great.
It looks, I think it looks so cool.
And, yeah, I was excited to see it.
I hope it comes to the market.
We didn't know there was an entirely new category of cars
that was about to be created.
We thought, you know, it's all been sliced up.
And yet here we are, hyper muscle car.
And but I like where their heads at in terms of we're going raw,
we're going enthusiastic, enthusiasm, we're going like performance,
tailoring this to to our core, or
our core audience there.
The Mopar contingent there is diehard as anybody.
So 100 percent.
Yeah, I think I better not piss those guys off.
Like I did the Porsche guys last week because the Mopar guys,
they don't mess around.
You know, hyper muscle cars, you know, creating new segments.
I think this is smart.
It's like last week we had hyper but ugly cars that we talked at length about.
You know, maybe I should call it hyper, but ugly and extremely expensive cars.
You know, that we talked about last week.
But yeah, look, I'm I'm I'm so excited.
And then the other car that you you showed me yesterday that I was like,
well, I had completely missed.
Tell tell us about that car.
Yeah, this is the Audi Nouveau L'Aria, I assume, is Heather.
It was named after a race car driver.
Yeah, race car driver.
Yeah, so so well known that I've never heard about the guy.
But I mean, it's from I think he was like 50, 60.
Yeah, maybe even more 70 years ago.
Yeah. Well, it appears, you know, with the Lamborghini Volkswagen group,
like Audi relationship, it appears this car, you know, you start,
you start reading about this thing and it's like, oh, I see what they're doing here.
They're taking the new Timur Arrio Lamborghini and get a kind of part share
to some extent into an Audi.
So, you know, they've been teasing an R8 successor for a while.
It doesn't look like that's what this is going to be, because there
this is more of a highly exclusive halo car of which they will only build
499 units. Right.
And it's it's going to have a hybrid V8 powertrain,
which I think is what that Timur Arrio has, revving to 10000
RPMs. So, you know, the the picture of this thing, you know, is
you know, it's been a little bit. Oh, you've got it behind you there.
I've got it behind me right now. Yeah, I love it, man.
I love this car.
I've seen some backlash about this online and then, you know, after somebody
was griping about it, they did mention, well,
the Luce came out just before this.
So, you know, it's it's setting the bar pretty low.
So maybe this doesn't look so bad after all.
I think it looks great.
This is what like a modern take risks in this kind of way.
Yeah, it may not be your cup of tea, but I have no problem with the way this thing
looks. It looks very Audi to me.
It's like a sharper, more futuristic version of the R8 and but also in a
simplistic kind of form.
So, yeah, I mean, I think it's cool.
They're going to be very expensive and.
Well, the styling is completely they've borrowed from the TT concept that they
showed just a couple of three months ago, right?
And so it's absolutely in that design language.
And this is to me how you do, you know, fresh and new design.
You know, this this won't be, you know, confused, you know, in my opinion,
for something that's overly avant garde.
It's not something that will be confused for being retro design,
which I think is easy and lame.
You know, I love what they've done with this thing.
I think it fits with the Audi ethos, you know, which is which is more machine
like, which is more robotic, it's not, you know, flamboyant.
It's not, you know, sensual.
It's it's it's this more, you know, kind of sophisticated, industrial,
kind of like ethos in my mind when I think of Audi's, you know, and so I love
this car, man, I love what they've done to it.
You know, I put up a picture of the Lotus theory one.
And if you look at the tail on on that car, which is now in my background,
you know, it's very, very similar to to this Audi, right?
You know, they have a very, very high, you know, rear end, you know,
which again, very similar to the Diablo, right?
Lamborghini Diablo, you know, and so lots of similarities there.
But I think it really helps give the car, you know, that aggressive wedge.
It gives it that look that, you know, I think most of us are looking for in
hypercars and so I'm super excited about the car.
It's a bummer.
It's going to be so expensive, but, you know, so be it.
But I think if, you know, the approachable version will be the Audi TT,
which, you know, I think it's still supposed to be at an EV.
So and now that you've driven an Audi EV and you love it,
maybe Audi TT will be your car in a couple of years.
Love loves a strong word, but I've softened a little bit.
Well, but you have insider access to horse power trains.
And we've talked about this.
You're your good buddies like chief engineer or something. Is that right?
He's a director of R&D for for.
Yeah. Yeah.
You know, the United States and so yes, he's, he's
but it appears, it appears V8 hybrid, hybrid combustion technology is
at least the immediate future right now, because that's what they're talking about.
That's what Audi's doing.
So, you know, on the whole, especially after my Z06 drive, I've been
griping about no manual transmission in any of these things.
The Z06 kind of restored a little bit of faith to me and
maybe all hope is not lost without a manual, but we'll we'll get into that
here shortly. But good.
Good. What do you have behind you there, Shannu?
So, you know, a bit of news that got me super excited this week.
Some more of the details came out about that Lotus Emira 420
that we talked about last week.
Yes. You know, the initial press releases, we
suggested that the car was going to have two way multi-matic shocks on it.
So multi-matic, but what they weren't clear about then, that they are clear
about now is whether or not it has their more sophisticated dampers.
Multi-matic have made more conventional shocks, these shim stack type shocks,
but they but the really trick solution are these spool valve shocks.
These are the ones that you find on, you know, the the Fry Purisangway,
the 4 GT, 9-11 cup cars.
And it's a far more sophisticated damper.
It was the one, you know, that even I, I actually talked with multi-matic
about this 10 years ago.
They're there. I think he's a VP of R&D.
Larry Holt, he loves the Lotus brand.
And so he and I were having, you know, some email exchange about
how do we, you know, develop a set for for the Lotus's.
But what I learned is, you know, it's about $150,000 of R&D
OK, to develop a damper for, you know, the dampers are very specific to the car.
And they're not quite super easy to change.
You know, that's the advantage of conventional types of shocks.
You know, like you find the Olin's or the Nitrons or the JRZ's or Penske's.
They're much easier to tune, you know, and quicker.
And so but in this case, you get something that's far more sophisticated.
So what I learned this week is that the Amira 420s are getting DSSV
dampers, you know, two way from Multimatic.
So that's super exciting.
And I think, yeah, that's that is the option box that you want to tick.
Because the other thing is, you know, a bunch of the option prices have come out
for that kit and, you know, Lotus for the 420 for the 420.
Yeah. And so Lotus has borrowed a bit from the Porsche Playbook, man.
And so if you take every box on a 420, it turns into a hundred and seventy
thousand dollar Lotus. Wow. Yeah.
That that's, you know, pretty, pretty expensive.
But a lot of those options are the bling bling, you know, cosmetic things.
OK, this 12000 dollar handling package.
That's the only one I think I'd be ticking, you know, because it gets me
that the the DSSV Multimatic shocks.
And I think I think it includes the titanium exhaust as well,
and maybe a lighter battery or something like that.
But well, yeah, yeah, as if I haven't made as if I haven't made myself clear
on this podcast so far and it's not going away.
Kind of a Corvette guy now.
So, you know, and I can say that I can, you know, come out of that closet
with you since you're the Callaway Performance Center on the West Coast.
And I'm like, yeah, I'm going to go ahead and say it now, guys.
Say it. Let's hear it.
I don't think you should buy a four Lotus 420 with a four cylinder
and buy a Corvette Z06 instead.
And we're going to like I'm going to keep beating that drum
as we get into this this or that segment.
So anyways, that is.
But there is stuff.
I also drove in a mirror this week, which I didn't talk about.
My my my buddy Chris just bought one.
We couldn't rav it out.
I do love those cars.
But until that thing has a manual transmission, the 420,
if it is going to come with a V6, guys, please get over the brand
snobbery, you know, issue and go drive a Z06.
I think your minds will be blown as they were mine.
So what you got one more news story.
You know, there's this other crazy bit of news that's come out.
And, you know, there there is a bill that is
some regulation that's kind of being written by an unelected regulators
that is, you know, basically suggesting, OK, that sticky tires, right?
Tires with this 200 treadwear rating are going to be banned here in California.
OK, so, you know, it's
classic California, you know, but the crazy things is the ones that are
specifically on the list are things like Yokohama A052s, Toyo R888Rs,
you know, the British.
You use. Yeah.
These are the tires that we put on the leases, you know, any seizures.
And so, you know, hopefully this whole nonsense, you know,
does not make its way into reality.
But that certainly was something that kind of caught my attention this week.
But I'm not going to give it too much attention
because my hope is that it goes away.
It does look like SEMA is kind of on it.
So hopefully they can, you know, course correct that and and maybe write
some exemption in there for these, you know, low mileage cars and sports car
applications. So we'll see.
SEMA has quite the lobbying power.
So yeah, I think they do.
They do. You know, we I've been a member of SEMA for, I don't know, over 20
some years and, you know, there's dues that we pay, right?
And so certainly, you know, they're they're collecting money from us.
And so there's some things that they can do on our behalf as an industry
to to ensure that things don't get a bit out of hand because they that seems to be,
you know, California certainly leads the way in in in the in the desire
of banning ICE vehicles and sports cars of all types and modifications.
So, you know, right or wrong, it's good that SEMA is there to kind of help
make some adjustments.
Well, I'm not going to touch the California of legislation,
drama issues with a 10 foot pole.
So I think we should just move right along into GT4 drama.
So yes, here's the best part.
I've been teasing us up.
The best part of this GT4 drama is that Shannu.
Hasn't heard or seen any of this backlash on Instagram.
So what I decided we should do is put together a lot of the comments
and I want to read them to Shannu and and I want you both to be entertained.
But also, I want to have a little more of an educated discussion
about most of these comments, some will just make you laugh.
But, you know, the comment that I made last week was that for me
and I'm pretty sure I said for me, I'm not interested to buy a GT4 Cayman
or us 9817 18, you name it.
Or a spider or a Boxster Cayman four liter.
Unless I was willing to do the gearing, you know, replace the gears
to make them shorter.
I didn't think that was going to truly, you know, trigger trigger the Porsche
mob, and I think it's mostly the Cayman Boxster mob, which by the way,
I've been on record.
Nobody listens to any of the context.
I've been on record saying I love the Cayman Boxster platform.
I think it's more fun than nine elevens.
So the picture up behind me is my first 981 GT4.
And I had it for a couple of months, few months decided I did not like
carbon bucket seats.
So I sold it for the blue one.
And so I and the other thing I want to say before I read
these comments is we do this for fun.
She knew I was accused of just trying to be controversial for
controversy sakes.
I couldn't care less about being controversial, but I would like to just
be able to share an opinion about cars, which makes this fun as we all have
different opinions without worrying about all the backlash.
So if I say it, it's because at least in that moment on that day, that's
how I feel.
So without further ado, let me just read a couple of these.
These first couple were from guys that have a pretty solid social media
following in the Porsche world, the car world, and they they stopped by to chime in.
So one of them said in regards to my comment about the the gearing, I've
never laughed harder.
This is not an issue.
This is a driver issue.
And I think my response was I don't understand how having a preference
for shorter gears is a driver issue.
Like I'm doing something wrong.
I'm like, and this guy has a successful YouTube channel, pretty big
Instagram following.
He's well known to be a Cayman connoisseur.
And and he said, well, it's a driver issue.
The fact that the gearing is too tall for my taste.
Any any chance that you're any any way you can kind of understand why my
issue with long gears is an indictment of my ability to drive?
Well, I think you and I kind of beat that horse, you know, a few times, you know,
in that in that pod.
And so this dude that's making this comment, you know, and again, I think
that's part of what some of these clowns like to do.
They they're the way they drive cars is clearly different than the way maybe you
and I are driving the cars.
And did you get a chance?
I mean, did you look at any of his content?
Does he actually drive the car hard?
Does he live anywhere?
Or, you know, in his credit, he does, but he's also mostly driving a 718
spider RS, which I thought was funny because that's PDK only.
And it's got shorter gear ratios.
Yeah.
But but I know he's he got famous with a 987 dot two box.
They're spider.
And it also is a little tall and yeah, but it doesn't revise as a GT four.
So anyways, the next comment is, bro, everyone talks about these gearing issues.
Quote, gearing issues.
It's such a fairy tale.
And this is what everyone now says without even owning one.
So this guy has a big following on Instagram as well.
And I think he's had a bunch of Porsches.
So let me remind you, I've owned two of these cars.
This was this is not something I've heard.
A lot of guys were just accusing me of regurgitating what, you know, a talking
point is about Cayman boxers like everybody.
That's the other thing a lot of guys said is everybody's picking on the poor
Cayman boxer and the GT four.
I'm like, well, bring that up with Porsche because it's a hell of a car, but
they hamstrung it big time.
So like, I'm sorry.
I mean, if you don't feel that way, that's fantastic.
I like the cars, but so the next one was classic car community echo chamber.
Right.
One, that's good.
Forget about this entirely.
Well, I did own two of them.
I did track a bunch of them, but you're right.
I have never driven one.
So my, my, my comments were all based on hearsay.
Yeah.
Well, I mean, look, this is the issue with these reels, right?
It's like you're taking, you know, things out of context.
You don't really quite know the full backstory because you just watched
this 30 second reel or whatever the hell it is.
And all of a sudden you're jumping to conclusions.
So it's, it's pretty humorous.
The next one, a lot of guys said, well, this one said undriveable or
unviable are dramatic takes.
Now I said unviable.
It's a very viable car.
There I like the cars.
He said it's still a quite enjoyable car to drive and push hard.
If you want to spend money, you can swap gears two to five and make it more fun.
This is a pretty reasonable, reasonable comment.
Was I, am I a little dramatic in this?
Yeah, possibly, but I do feel pretty strongly about it.
Like it's, if I own another one, I'm going to budget to do the 10 to
$15,000 regear on these.
Um, but listen, that was reasonable.
Yeah.
I've been in, in Lotus's Lotus Elise exeges with so many clients and I've
lost count.
Okay.
And it's, it's, it's, it's not like it's 50%, but let's just say somewhere
in the neighborhood of 20% of people, they don't drive the car into the second
camp, right?
They're not revving these cars.
Okay.
And, and so it wouldn't surprise me.
Okay.
And I know it's, it's, it's going to absolutely be the case in the Porsche community
that there are plenty of people that aren't driving their cars, frankly, very hard.
And so they're, they're never going to actually push the car hard enough to,
to see that this is, this is a real issue.
Yeah.
They're not healing, toying their downshifts, going hard into a corner to,
to get a bit more power at launching out of a corner.
You know, and so yeah, no surprise.
And, and I think, I think some guys don't, a lot of guys can't heal in tow.
Yes.
Like actually get into the brakes hard while you're downshifting, not just
red match.
Right.
And, and maybe if they can, I know a lot of guys who will not drive a car on
track without automatic red matching.
That's totally fine.
I don't feel that way.
Cause part of the fun to me is using the skill that I feel like have mastered
pretty well.
And so that's part of it.
Shorter gearing allows me to use that skill and have fun.
So a couple more really quick.
Clickbait GT4 is an epic car.
Try again.
Okay.
Um, the next one is dude, you probably like a Toyota.
Well, you know, if you look at what Toyota has been doing lately, all these
GR cars, one after the next, we, we, we failed to mention the GR Corolla earlier,
but we'll have to talk with that next week.
Okay.
Yes.
Let's talk about what Toyota is doing with, with sports cars and sporty cars.
Um, moving on, the car is 10 years old and they are still complaining
about the long gearing.
No one wants to hear whining.
Okay.
Um, my friend Daley's his GT4 and has zero issues.
This is a skill issue.
He's like, Hey, my buddy has one of these and Daley's it and he's fine with it.
So you must be a bad driver.
It's basically what this guy is saying.
Um, and then the last one is by far my favorite.
He said, all I hear is little bitch.
So, and I told the guy, Hey, to Shay, I love the passion, but still don't
love cars that are geared too tall.
And so yeah, it's, it was very funny.
And I think just what this made me think about, and it's a, it's a thought
that I've had a lot.
She knew, you know, a lot of car guys, I know a lot of car guys.
We've got friends, some of whom share very similar tastes and cars.
You and I might see things too similarly.
We might have a more interesting podcast.
We saw it direct opposite, but there are a lot of different type of car
enthusiasts.
So, you know, when, when we look at stuff like this, I would consider
you and I to be more like drivers and as opposed to, I mean, you, you put
together a list of 10 different categories or segments.
You know, you, you kind of like slice and dice, you know, read them off real quick.
You want to read them off?
Okay.
Cool.
I like this.
I think this makes a lot of sense because our hobby is made up of car
enthusiasts that all can be, you know, have different, you know, views on what
they like about the hobby.
Right.
And so the way you, you, you segmented this, I thought this was really pretty good.
10 different groups, right?
The first being the driver, second being the brand loyalist, three being the
luxury enthusiast, four being the status seeker, five being the collector, six
being the builder, seven being the racer, eight being the technology
enthusiast, nine being the nostalgist.
And then finally 10, the experienced chaser thrill seeker.
So I kind of, you know, I thought that was interesting.
And, and, you know, there's no question how we enjoy our hobby is our own right.
You know, the way you and I might want to enjoy our cars is no better or worse
than anyone else.
And so I like this.
And, and, you know, the other thing, the comment I would make on this is, well,
you could be in multiple segments, you know, I'm, I'm certainly a driver.
You know, I'm certainly a builder.
You know, I'm certainly a racer, you know, and I absolutely have an experienced
chaser and thrill seeker, you know.
And so I think, you know, that's the reality is we come in all these, you know,
flavors, if you will.
And, and, and I kind of like this, that was put that way.
And, and, uh, yeah.
And so what do you think?
Have you put this together?
Tell me more about some of this.
Well, I couldn't agree more that a lot of us fall into multiple of these
categories to some extent.
Yeah.
You know, where, where I totally fall into like the nostalgic.
I've got another E 46 M three in my garage that I really need to sell.
Cause my life is too cluttered right now.
And yet I just have so much nostalgia to those cars.
It's, they happen to be pretty good to drive, but not the best.
So, you know, I, I welcome anybody to take shots at that, for example, but it's
like, I'm not doing it cause it's the best.
And anyways, so yeah, I totally think first of all, I welcome all of the feedback.
In fact, I loved all the feedback on Instagram.
Even when somebody called me a little bitch, I thought was hilarious.
So this is what makes this hobby so fun.
And I do think that, yeah, we all come about this a little different way.
I got a buddy who will keep, he keeps texting me these Astans that he drives
and he owns a Jaguar F type and not exactly my type of car, but I love that
those types of car guys are out there and I've driven these cars and I like them.
So, you know, I think it's a reminder to myself, you and everybody out there.
We can't be so sensitive or have our feelings heard if somebody says, Hey,
that E46 M3 steering is so dead on center and they're unreliable.
And it's like, what a dumb car, you know, most overrated car in history, which I've
heard.
Okay.
I said one of those things.
Okay.
No, I'm not even just talking about you.
I've heard this from lots of people and I think you'd not be wrong, but damn it.
I love those cars.
So, you know,
I'm going to do me and I think people should do them and I love the discussion
about this.
So speaking of brand loyalist, we're going to get into this or that because I
wanted to pit based on my driving experience with the C806.
She knew I was genuinely enthused by this car.
And I even asked the sales guy, I'm like, Hey, am I going to hate this car or
hate the base stingray after driving this?
And he's like, Yeah, probably.
I'm happy to report that I don't.
I don't hate the base stingray.
Yeah.
This was put in the styling.
I can't stand the styling of the base C8.
It's just the wheels like that picture you had behind you.
Oh, I can't stand those wheels.
They just don't, the car doesn't look as good as a 06 you know,
that added flair, the bigger wheels and tires.
It just, you know, to me, I, I, I, I like the
low arrow package version of the 06
Yep.
You know, the, the, that the big arrow package, what do they call the 07 package?
You know, it's like, I don't know who comes up with the names at Chevy over there for
these like 10, 15,000 dollars.
It's actually pretty expensive dad.
Yeah.
And listen, it's legit.
If you're going to track the car, it's, that's what I would have 100%.
I would take that box, you know, but.
I probably wouldn't, and I would track it anyways, but.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's the same here, you know, and after driving, you know, one on track, when I said
I was buying the car as just a GT for to cruise around this country, my intention
was not to go on track, but after driving the thing on track, I'm like, yeah, well,
how am I not going to be able to put this car on a track or two?
Cause it's so fast and so fun.
Okay.
I'll give you three highlights and we're going to do the, this or that.
Yes.
The three highlights for me was a, I mean, obviously the motor is insane.
And I, I expected the motor to be so awesome, but well, I might have four
highlights, the motor's insane.
The way this thing changes character in the different drive modes.
We already talked about that.
Awesome.
The car, the biggest pleasant surprise to me about driving both these cars, they
felt smaller to me than what they actually are.
When you look at them, when you see them, I didn't feel like I was in a really
big car when I was inside of that.
Well, compared to a Lotus Elise, sure, your frame of reference is like, yeah,
but, but I felt like I was in a very focused, exotic sports car.
And, and, um, you know, it was just so comfortable as well.
And, and you can't misconstrue comfortable being comfortable with being boring.
And I think for so long, I have done that.
And, and now I figure that being as, as usable.
So like the C8 Stingray, I came out of that thinking that is a really good car.
Kudos to them.
It's super cool that those exist.
I get why they're everywhere on the streets.
I got out of the 06 and just thought that is really special.
And I might be able to forego a manual transmission at some point, even though
I've always said I would only buy manuals and my toys.
So this or that, Shano, I specced a car.
This was not my spec, but I love, there are so many great colors to choose
in Corvette as well, but, and I did not put the Aero package on mine,
but it was about $130,000.
You can buy these things pre-owned for like a hundred grand.
Go drive one and tell me for a hundred grand.
That's not like an incredible experience.
And oh, by the way, the interiors, you can't knock these interiors
like you could the C 7654 big improvements, big improvements.
And they've just updated this year, the C8 interior to something
that I think is better than the original one.
Yeah. Okay.
So we did a this or that, Shano.
C 806 and you can call it used for a hundred grand or new for
about 130 to 150.
That's kind of where I was looking.
Um, and we wanted to keep it Porsche specific.
So what two cars or one car did you, I chose to, did you
pit against the C 806 for this or that?
So listen, this, this was originally, I didn't
realize it was going to be a Porsche centric.
I could only choose for the Porsche bucket because you're like at 150 grand.
Man, what are you going to choose?
That's it's it's all the GT threes that I really want to choose are
well above that now because the market's just out of control, you know.
But what I would do being the, the, you know, guy who likes modifying cars,
you know, I would take a 997 you know, C two.
I would take an original Cayman, um, either of those two cars and I would throw,
um, at, you know, both cars, I would put the very best wheels.
I would put the very best brakes.
I'd put the very best suspension on those cars.
And then I think I would have, um, a fighting chance, you know, to, to, you know,
try to stay with, with the 06
I think the 06 is still going to spank these cars, but, but.
Because you limited me to Porsche and that price point, I felt like those would
be the cars that I would, that I would choose and I would have fun.
I would have fun doing it because there is a great thriving aftermarket of,
of really high quality components out there to improve those cars to the point
where they could take the fight to, to a 06 I think.
Well, I liked that you went a little older and you went more of a build like,
you know, project to take one of those 98799 sevens.
And I love that idea.
Yeah.
But I went more modern and I think that cars that guys are actually
cross shopping with a C 806 if they can get over the brand snobbery.
And the first one is a 991 dot one GT three.
Now remember this was the PDK only car.
Yeah.
2014, 15, 16, the one that had all the engine failure.
Engine issue, right?
Yeah.
So the values have dropped pretty badly on those.
Yeah.
So these are anywhere from like 130 to 160.
Okay.
And ideally you find one with the G series engine.
I've thought about doing it multiple times.
I got a buddy that has one of the easy found one that at the E or F series motor blue.
He got the G six or whatever it is.
And you can have one of those all day for 140 K.
Wow.
Okay.
Especially in white, like I put up there.
Yeah.
I like that car.
I drove that one and it's pretty cool.
Yeah.
I agree.
I like that car a lot just for the record.
Okay.
Case this winds up on Instagram.
So the other car I put up as a car that I have driven, my buddy had one of these.
I drove it quite extensively and it is the seven 18.
Boxster spider.
I technically just called the seven 18 spider.
So the interesting thing about these, so they're not making any anymore,
but they go for about 130 140, you know, talk about great value retention.
And I think for good reason, even though the manual gearing is not exactly my
favorite, but you can get these in a PDK as well.
They didn't do it for the 98 ones, but they added it for the seven 18.
And these are really lovely cars to drive.
So 130 140 is what it cost you.
It would cost me about 150 plus because I would swap the gear set in 234
And so the question is, but the big seller for this one
is you can get that car in a manual.
The other thought I had about Corvette is, damn it, why didn't they make it?
Why won't they put a manual transmission in the C eight?
I wish they would do it.
I'm holding out hope for the C nine, even though I loved it.
So the question is, would you take a C 806
You've driven one on track.
I just wrapped one around town or your choices.
997 dot one or dot two.
If you're going to put the money into it, I'd go dot one or 987
Cayman and build them up to be in real performance monsters.
Or would you rather have a 06 or a 991 dot one GT three
or a seven, 18 Boxer spider, PDK or manual.
Well, listen, man, I'm on record of saying that I'm getting a 06 right?
Though the new Grand Sports got me thinking twice, but I think the 06
is going to win out when I have to make the decision.
But for this particular little exercise, this this or that.
I think you chose you.
You came up with the right solution to really take the fight to 06
You got to be in the GT three.
But to me, that's the car that has the best chance of keeping with a 06 on track.
It's going to I think it's going to be a still a tough battle.
But I'd have to go with the GT three, my friend.
That's I think you chose the right car.
Well, I'm glad you did because I'm going with this Corvette 06
And the only real tempting part for me was the manual spider with new gearing.
I love those cars and I would love to drive them on track, even with the standard gearing.
But they are really, really good.
But I'm telling you the problem with that GT three, and this is why
they're only $140,000 in the equivalent 991 dot two.
Yes, it went from a three point eight to a four point oh leader.
But they are a lot more money is because they don't have the scary maintenance
or engine potential engine problems, even though these that have had the G series
swapped in are supposedly very reliable.
But I my body just sold this GT three and I was reminded time and time again.
And so was he.
These are very serious cars that feel like they're really designed for one purpose.
And that purpose, it's spectacular at.
And I mean, spectacular.
But I got into that C 806 and thought this would
whoop that car on track.
It absolutely would.
It will.
It will.
It like it would whoop the 991 dot one on track.
It would be just as fun to drive.
The steering is so precise.
You said it many episodes ago.
The C eight has introduced precision that none of the prior Corvettes had.
And Corvette and Porsche was always like cheeseburger and pizza.
It really was.
It's like so hard to even compare the two.
Not anymore.
The quality, the precision.
There's a European feel to these C eights by going mid engine.
And then you add that flat plank crank motor.
600 and seventy naturally aspirated horsepower is insane.
If you think about it, it is.
It will find another motor that can do that.
You know, revs it almost 9000 RPM, you know, comes from an American car
company. Yes. Yeah.
And then you can soften the thing up and and tour in this car.
And lastly, I got done part of what I love about this Elise is the ability
to pull the roof off when you want to.
You can also make the C 806 a target convertible.
I'm like done.
I seriously am done.
And I love the spider.
I would be really hard pressed to pass one of those in a manual because I do
love manuals, but.
What I will say, maybe the controversial statement of this podcast
and I believe it to my core is I don't know why anybody goes and spends two
100000 dollars or 150 plus on a turbocharged 911
It may when a C 806 is sitting there for a hundred to 100
fifty grand, it blows my mind and it is the very epitome of like, you know,
brand loyalty, even to the point where you're driving a way inferior experience
in car. Well, again, like we talked about in the prior segment, we have all
these little different segments, right?
And so those brand loyalists, you know, regardless, you know, it's hard to break
them from from what they believe is the very best sports car.
But you know, it's kind of funny, you know, where there's been a couple of
major revelations that came out in this podcast about you.
OK, first one.
Don't do it.
Maybe it's.
Don't do it.
The first one is you actually like EVs.
The second one is automatic transmissions are possibly in your future.
And you actually don't mind them.
And now the third one is that these 911 turbos are just pointless.
So yes, Blair, you've now been, you know, we've unmasked the real Blair.
I feel ashamed.
I'm going to go hide, you know, don't.
Don't. But what I will say is it does make me a little more optimistic
for the automotive future, because now if they put a manual in the
Grandsport or if the C nine somehow they can muster up the R and D courage
to spend the money and do it, probably won't happen.
That would be spectacular.
I love Porsches, but the C eight really opened my eyes this week.
And I am not such a snob, even though I've only I've owned mostly BMWs and Porsches.
I got to put my money where my mouth is at some point.
And that C 806 Shaneu, if I need to, whatever I need to do to help
expedite your acquisition of one of those, as long as you let me drive it from time to time.
Of course, I'm all in.
So let's be real quick.
We did have a listener question last week, and this kind of goes to what I was just
talking about it ties in perfectly.
Rick wrote into us and said, would you rather have a perfectly engineered sports car
or one with flaws, but huge personality?
I think I know how we're both going to answer this question, but maybe try to be
devil's advocate or something.
You know, let's get you on Instagram, ruffling feathers.
OK, so let me start off with this.
OK, the Ariel Adam and the 911 have are very similar cars in in the way
they behave dynamically from a handling perspective.
OK, and they're hugely flawed.
OK, so maybe that's the way to start this.
I think the Ariel Adam and the Porsche 911 older ones are hugely flawed
from a handling perspective.
Yeah, OK, they understeer going into the corner and they oversteer exiting the corner.
Right. The weight balance is completely wrong for, you know, for for the fastest times.
And so. But yet, why is there such a following for these cars?
Well, I think because they have personality and that personality comes from the flaws,
right? And and, you know, much like who is a Cindy Crawford that had that mole, right?
Yeah, you know, you are a beautiful woman, right?
And and and was Lauren Bacall.
I'm showing my age here. I think, you know, she has that, you know,
that her teeth have a little gap at the front, right?
But, you know, it's like personality matters, you know, and I think for some of us,
that's that is a part of it and learning to drive a car and having fun with it
and being on edge, you know, so to me, I think that matters.
And in a reason why, like when I test drove an NSX back in the 90s, I was kind of
why I left underwhelmed, you know, it felt too good, you know,
and it didn't have enough flaws or personality.
So that's my that's my hot take on it.
What's what's yours? What do you think?
Well, yeah, I think a car with more personality always beats like a technically
brilliant or perfect car and or a perfectly engineered car.
I agree with you about old 9-Elevens.
They're more interesting. I think because of that fact,
you have to drive around that rear engine weight bias. Right.
I had a blast doing that in my air cooled 9-Eleven.
Right. C8 Corvette is not.
Doesn't have like it doesn't exude personality necessarily, you know,
and you get into a C5, Z06.
It's got a lot more personality, you know, it just doesn't.
Right. Doesn't perform as well as perfectly.
It's so I put up a picture of my M coupe.
It's the clown shoe with heavy wheels, as you reminded me.
But but the, you know, the design philosophy was weird.
You had to drive and you also had to drive that car a certain way.
Right.
It added a lot of personality and character to the car.
So yes, including my cave and I'm building kind of a garage
of cars with lots of personality with this Elise and the cave and and so.
Yeah, I think that's an easy one for me.
Modern cars are getting so good that could be a way I contradict myself.
And even with the C8 Corvette, they are really, really good.
And so I do like a car with lots of personality.
So Rick, great question.
I I don't know what your preference would be, but she knew.
And I felt similarly here is give us personality.
We want to be entertained.
Yeah, absolutely. Go go go for the flaws, man.
You know, then and enjoy the experience because that's the number of stories
that will come from that.
You know, I can tell you when I was broken down on the side of the road
with an air ladder because my push rod bell crank suspension went over center,
the bell crank, you know, and then I was stuck in and how I use a big piece
of wood to fix it. So anyways, yeah, look, these are the things that
give us the stories, experiences, right?
So it's like nine.
It's like 99 sixes that didn't come with gas gauges, you know.
Exactly.
Oh, I could probably we could probably do podcasts on the on the breakdowns
and issues that we've had on the side of the road, fixing our enthusiast cars.
Right. So but hey, man, this is this was a fun, fun pod.
You know, but we probably need to bring it to an end here, don't we?
Because we're it's been about an hour. So yeah, we do.
Well, we appreciate all the engagement.
Those of you who are listening, thank you.
Just a reminder, feel free to sling any arrows at me
because I'm slinging some here, maybe at what you're driving.
But I would love to sit down with, you know, all of this community.
And we swap stories and we share opinions and these these cars are all
like fantastic and make this fun and worth talking about.
So I had a blast as well. She knew. Thanks a million.
All right, Blair, take care, man. Thank you.
Okay, see you.
Original notes
Blair accidentally started a Porsche civil war.
After last week's comments about the Porsche Cayman GT4's long gearing, the internet fired back. In this episode, Blair and Shinoo read the comments, respond to the criticism, and dive into a bigger conversation about what makes a great driver's car.
Along the way, Blair test drives a C8 Stingray, C8 Z06, Audi E-Tron GT, GR86, Miata Club, BMW Z3M Roadster, and more while searching for a replacement daily driver. The result? Some surprising opinions about EVs, manual transmissions, and why the Corvette Z06 may be one of the best performance bargains on the market.
They also discuss:
Porsche GT4 gearing controversy
Corvette Z06 vs Porsche GT3 debate
Audi's stunning new Nuvolari concept
Dodge's upcoming Hyper Muscle Car
Lotus Emira 420 updates
California's potential performance tire regulations
Why flawed cars often create the best driving experiences
Is the Corvette Z06 really better than cars costing significantly more? And are enthusiasts too loyal to brands?
Listen and decide for yourself.
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