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S2 Ep29: We Bought Two RUINED Performance Cars This Week...

S2 Ep29: We Bought Two RUINED Performance Cars This Week...

The AutoAlex Podcast Feb 28, 2026 58 min
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About this episode

The hosts share recent adventures including Rory's trip to Rome, discussing the local food and surprisingly sparse car culture. They dive into car dilemmas like repainting a Mustang with a unique color scheme and the challenges of maintaining classic Minis. The episode blends travel stories with practical car ownership issues, highlighting the quirks of replica cars, paint jobs, and the realities of rebuilding engines. Listeners get a mix of humor, personal updates, and automotive insights, making it a lively conversation about the joys and headaches of car enthusiasm.

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Technical Too Afraid to Ask
Car

Smart Roadster

"...fixing his smart roadster, Shelly Norris, who saw Taylor float past him in Jeff the Range..."

The Smart Roadster is a tiny sports car made by Smart. It's small and light, so it feels fun to drive, even though it's not very powerful.

Car

Range Rover Sport

"...Taylor float past him in Jeff the Range Rover Sport."

The Range Rover Sport is a fancy SUV that can drive well both on roads and off-road. It's comfortable and powerful, making it popular for many drivers.

Car

Rover Tomcat

"He also did buy a Rover Tomcat, so... He did. Yeah, that was your first mistake there."

The Rover Tomcat is a small, fun car made by Rover in the 1990s. It's like a tiny convertible that people like to drive for fun.

Car

BMW 645

"...Rich, who's just bought a BMW 645 for £2,000."

The BMW 645 is a fancy car made by BMW that is both fast and comfortable. People like it because it looks good and drives well.

Car

Fiat Cinquecento

"...I didn't see one interesting car, except for like the Cinquecentos,"

The Fiat Cinquecento is a tiny car made by Fiat, an Italian company. It's small and easy to drive in cities and was made in the 1990s.

Car

Toyota Mark II

"You see a lot of Mark II Penthouse and they are nice."

The Toyota Mark II is a type of car made by Toyota. It's liked by people who enjoy cars because it drives well and can be changed to go faster or look different.

Car

Citroen AMI

"The thing that I was amazed about, though, the Amis, I have never seen so many Amis."

The Citroen AMI is a very small electric car that’s perfect for driving around the city. It’s easy to park and doesn’t use gas, so it’s good for short trips.

Car

Fiat 500

"a lot of people have, like, old Fiat 500s and Chinca-Chentos and stuff like that."

The Fiat 500 is a tiny car made by an Italian company called Fiat. It's very small and easy to drive in cities, and many people in Italy have them.

Part

shock absorber

"Like, I reckon they get in there, and the shock absorber's changed every few months."

A shock absorber is like a cushion for your car that helps smooth out bumps when you drive. It stops the car from bouncing too much after going over a bump.

Car

Ford Mustang

""So, I've got my Mustang. Yeah. Basically, there was a bit of damage to it,""

The Ford Mustang is a popular car that many people like because it looks cool and goes fast. It's been around for a long time and is well known.

Concept

Hertz color combination

"so, the color combination is really cool because it is a Hertz color combination."

Hertz is a car rental company that sometimes paints cars in special colors. These colors make the car look different and special.

Concept

replica

"It's your car as well. It's a replica."

A replica is a copy of a car that looks like the real one but isn't the original. People make replicas to have a car that looks cool without paying a lot.

Car

Ford Mustang GTD

"and then call it the GTRE, the Mustang GT Rory Edition. Nice."

The Ford Mustang GTD is a special version of a famous fast car called the Mustang. It’s known for being strong and looking cool.

Term

quilted leather

"Put some quilted leather in it. Oh, that'd be nice."

Quilted leather is soft leather with a stitched pattern that makes it look fancy and feel comfy inside a car.

Car

Toyota Land Cruiser

"...ced my hand. So you're going to have to owe me a Land Cruiser. But Large Larry was fantastic."

The Toyota Land Cruiser is a big, strong SUV that can drive almost anywhere, even on rough roads. People like it because it lasts a long time and doesn’t break down easily, making it great for adventures.

Car

Porsche 911

"So, I have bought a 2000 Porsche 911 turbo manual coupe. Oh! So, this is the 996 turbo. Yeah. With"

This is a fast sports car made by Porsche called the 911 Turbo from the year 2000. It has a special turbocharged engine that makes it very powerful and is part of the 996 generation, which means it has a certain style and design from that time.

Car

Porsche 911 GT3

""Centelok wheels now for my GT3 replica build. They're cup wheels. Are you going to have to get Centelok hubs then?""

The Porsche 911 GT3 is a special version of the 911 made for fast driving on race tracks. It has a powerful engine and better parts to help it go faster and handle better.

Part

GT3 brake calipers

""Also, GT3 brake calipers. Oh, okay. Yeah.""

GT3 brake calipers are special parts on the Porsche 911 GT3 that help the car stop quickly and safely, especially when driving fast.

Part

oil cooler

"hoping that we can fix it by changing the oil cooler and a few bits."

An oil cooler is like a radiator for the oil in your engine. It helps keep the oil from getting too hot so the engine runs better and lasts longer.

Part

throttle body

"He took it apart. He took the throttle body. I don't think there's any oil in the engine either."

The throttle body is a part that controls how much air goes into the engine. More air means more power when you press the gas pedal.

Part

intercoolers

"And the intercoolers are off. So we can't actually"

Intercoolers cool down the air that gets pushed into the engine by a turbo or supercharger. Cooler air helps the engine make more power.

Car

BMW M4

""41? On the M4. It was a bit unhappy. So we had to ease off.""

The BMW M4 is a fast and sporty car made by BMW. It is designed to be fun to drive and can go really fast, but you can also use it as a regular car.

Term

PSI

"And one of the tires had four PSI in it. It was bad. Four. Yeah."

PSI is how we measure how much air is inside a tire. If the number is too low, the tire can be unsafe and wear out faster.

Term

juddery brakes

"The brakes are probably the most juddery brakes I've ever experienced"

Juddery brakes mean the car shakes a bit when you press the brake pedal. This usually means the brakes need fixing.

Term

warp brakes

"The king of warp brakes. Yeah. They are so bad. Speaking of which, Jack has got warp brakes again."

Warp brakes happen when the parts that help stop the car get bent or uneven. This makes the car shake when you press the brake pedal.

Car

Audi RS4

"The brakes on this Audi RS4 are so bad that when you brake at motorway speeds, the headlights shake."

The Audi RS4 is a fast and sporty version of the regular Audi A4 car. It has a stronger engine and is made for people who like to drive quickly and have fun.

Car

BMW M5

"Also, I have been working on my M5. Oh, you have, haven't you?"

The BMW M5 is a fast and fancy car that’s fun to drive but also comfortable for daily use. It’s popular because it can go really fast and still be easy to live with every day.

Car

BMW 540I

"Wait. How much horsepower has the 540i got? 440. Oh, okay."

The BMW 5 Series is a nice, comfortable car that’s also powerful and fun to drive. The 540i version has a strong engine that makes it go fast and feel smooth.

Term

horsepower

"So you own three 500 horsepower plus cars. Out of four cars, you have 2,000 horsepower."

Horsepower tells you how strong a car's engine is and how much power it can make. More horsepower usually means the car can go faster or accelerate quicker.

Concept

car vertical report

"Always, always run a car vertical report. We swear by car vertical, don't we?"

A CarVertical report is a paper or online document that tells you important things about a used car's past, like if it was in accidents or how many people owned it before.

Car

Land Rover Defender

"Wins Moments. The other day, I spotted a Land Rover Defender parked outside my apartment with the bonnet up a..."

The Land Rover Defender is a tough car that can drive over rough and bumpy places where normal cars can’t go. People love it for adventures, but it can sometimes need more repairs than other cars.

Car

Land Rover Range Rover

""How's your Range Rover?" "Lovely, yeah.""

The Range Rover is a fancy SUV that can go off-road and is very comfortable inside. It's made by a company called Land Rover.

Car

Land Rover Discovery

"Or you get back here at dawn. So that's our Land Rover Discovery 4 crew car. Yes."

The Land Rover Discovery is a big, comfortable SUV that can drive on rough roads and carry lots of people or stuff. It’s nice inside but sometimes needs extra care to keep it running well.

Car

BMW E46

"Daily drive. A BMW E46 M3 SMG on 107,000 miles. It's brilliant, dramati..."

The BMW 3 Series is a popular car that’s fun to drive and feels nice inside. The E46 model is well-liked because it’s reliable and handles well, making it good for everyday use.

Car

BMW M3

"Daily drive. A BMW E46 M3 SMG on 107,000 miles. It's brilliant, dramatic a..."

The BMW M3 is a sportier and faster version of the regular 3 Series car. It’s made for people who want a fun and exciting car to drive every day.

Brand

Top Gear

"you also used to work on a certain TV company called Top Gear, didn't you?"

Top Gear is a TV show about cars where they test and talk about different vehicles in fun ways.

21 cars featured

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