The Wildest Car the FBI Has Ever Seized.
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Car
Tesla Semi
The Tesla Semi is a big electric truck that companies can use to transport goods. It's important because it helps reduce pollution and can save money on fuel.
Car
Toyota Crown
The Toyota Crown is a large, fancy car that people in Japan often use for business. It's known for being very comfortable and having lots of features.
Car
Porsche 911
The Porsche 911 is a famous sports car that many people recognize. It's known for being fast and stylish, and it has been around for a long time, making it very popular among car enthusiasts.
Car
Mercedes-Benz CLK
The Mercedes-Benz CLK is a stylish two-door car that is both luxurious and fun to drive. It's known for being comfortable and having a nice design.
Car
Toyota GT-One
The Toyota GT-One is a race car made by Toyota that competed in endurance races. It was designed to be very fast and efficient, especially for long races like the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Concept
prototype
A prototype is a first version of a car that is made to test new ideas and designs. It's not for sale but helps manufacturers see how a car will perform before making many of them.
Concept
homologation special
A homologation special is a type of car made so that a company can race it. They have to make a few road versions to follow the rules, even though the real focus is on the race version.
Term
pushrod suspension
Pushrod suspension is a way to connect the wheels to the car's body using rods. It helps improve how the car handles, especially in sports and racing cars.
Term
naturally aspirated V12
A naturally aspirated V12 engine has twelve cylinders and gets its power from regular air, not from a turbo or supercharger. This type of engine is known for its smooth power and unique sound.
Part
anti-roll bars
Anti-roll bars are parts that help keep the car stable when turning by connecting the wheels on either side. They help prevent the car from leaning too much during a turn, making it safer and easier to drive.
Part
sequential gearbox
A sequential gearbox lets you change gears one after another in a set order, like going from first to second, without having to use a clutch pedal. It's often used in race cars because it's faster to shift.
Term
horsepower
Horsepower is a way to measure how powerful an engine is. The more horsepower, the faster the car can go and the quicker it can accelerate.
Term
zero to 60 time
Zero to 60 time tells you how fast a car can go from a complete stop to 60 miles per hour. It's a popular way to see how quick a car is.
Term
ABS system
The ABS system helps prevent the car's wheels from stopping completely when you brake hard. This way, you can still steer the car while slowing down, which is safer.
Term
brake bias
Brake bias is how the braking power is split between the front and back wheels of a car. Changing this can help the car handle better when stopping or turning.
Car
Mercedes-Benz Clk Gtr
The Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR is a very rare and powerful sports car that was made for racing. There are only a few of them in the world, making it very special and valuable.
Car
Honda Civics
The Honda Civic is a small car that many people use for daily driving. It's popular because it's affordable, gets good gas mileage, and is known to last a long time.
Car
Isuzu Trooper
The Isuzu Trooper is a type of SUV that Isuzu made for many years. It's built to handle rough terrain and is good for off-road driving.
Car
Ferrari F8
The Ferrari F8 Tributo is a high-performance sports car made by Ferrari. It has a very powerful engine and is designed for speed and style.
Car
Proton Persona
The Proton Persona is a small car made in Malaysia that is affordable and good for daily driving. It's designed for people who want a reliable car without spending too much money.
Concept
concept car
A concept car is a special type of car that is made to show new ideas and designs. These cars usually aren't sold to the public and are just for display or testing.
Concept
combustion engine
A combustion engine is a type of engine that makes cars go by burning fuel, like gas, to create power.
Concept
plug-in power
Plug-in power means cars that can be charged by plugging them into an outlet, using both electricity and gas to run.
Brand
Audi
Audi is a luxury car brand from Germany that makes cars known for their quality and technology, like the A4 and Q5.
Car
Lexus LS 400
The Lexus LS 400 is a big, comfortable car that was one of the first luxury cars from the Lexus brand. It's known for being very reliable and having a nice, smooth ride.
Car
Lexus LS 430
The Lexus LS 430 is a big, comfortable car that is very nice inside. It's known for being reliable and is a good choice for people who want a luxury car that lasts.
Term
Hakkapeliitta
Hakkapeliitta is a brand of winter tires made by Nokian that are very good for driving in snowy and icy weather.
Term
all-wheel drive
All-wheel drive means that all four wheels of the car get power from the engine, which helps the car grip the road better, especially in rain or snow.
Term
tires
Tires are the round rubber parts on a car that touch the road. Good tires help a car grip the road better and drive safely.
Car
Tesla Roadster
The Tesla Roadster is a fast electric sports car that can go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in just a few seconds. It's important because it shows how electric cars can be exciting and powerful, not just practical.
Car
Chevrolet Astro
The Chevrolet Astro is a big van that can hold a lot of people or stuff. It's useful for families or businesses that need extra space.
Term
two-stroke engine
A two-stroke engine is a type of engine that makes power in just two movements of the piston instead of four. This makes them smaller and lighter, which is useful for things like motorcycles and some military vehicles.
Concept
direct injection
Direct injection means that fuel goes straight into the engine's combustion chamber instead of mixing with air first. This can make the engine run better and use less fuel.
Term
turbo supercharging
Turbo supercharging is when a device called a turbocharger helps an engine get more air, making it more powerful and efficient. It can also help reduce harmful emissions from the engine.
Term
emissions
Emissions are the harmful gases that cars produce when they burn fuel. Reducing these gases is important for keeping the air clean and protecting the environment.
Term
packaging
Packaging in cars means how different parts are arranged inside the vehicle to make the best use of space and weight. Good packaging helps the car perform better and be more efficient.
Term
reed valves
Reed valves are special parts in some engines that help manage how air and fuel get into the engine. They open and close based on pressure, which helps the engine run better.
Part
electronically controlled sleeve
An electronically controlled sleeve is a part of an engine that helps manage how air and fuel enter and exit. It can change when these openings happen, which helps the engine run better and save fuel.
Term
variable port timing
Variable port timing helps the engine run better by changing when the air enters, depending on how fast the engine is going. This makes the car more powerful and efficient.
Car
Cadillac V16
The Cadillac V16 is an old luxury car that had a very powerful engine with sixteen cylinders. It's famous for being very fancy and a symbol of wealth back in the day.
Car
Cadillac Escalade V
The Cadillac Escalade-V is a fancy SUV that is also very fast. It's designed for people who want a luxurious vehicle that can go really quickly.
Car
Porsche Cayenne
The Porsche Cayenne is a fancy SUV that is designed to be both comfortable and fast. It's important because it helps Porsche sell more cars by attracting people who want an SUV instead of just a sports car.
Car
Porsche Macan
The Porsche Macan is a smaller luxury SUV that drives like a sports car. It's popular because it offers a mix of style, comfort, and fun driving experiences.
LIVE
Here's my thought, and I'm going to say this, and I'm going to have to go, but like, ehh, so
here's what I'm going to say, yes, this is very egregious, the sky seems like probably bad
news.
Yeah, he's like a trash human, he's a trash human, however, I'm kind of impressed, Chris,
like what I was about to say was like, you have to be pretty smart and pretty industrious
and like be kind of like a go-getter to really good for a Canadian.
Hey guys, welcome to Overcrest, I'm Chris, and I'm back.
No, I'm Jake, Jake is back, he's, he's back, he, I thought you would be Tanner than you
are, because you were always adjusting my white balance because I'm very tan in person.
And I feel like it's not coming through correctly.
Yeah, well, you don't look very tan.
So now I don't believe that you were on vacation at all.
Should I get a white sheet of paper?
So for you guys today, we've got a bunch of news, and then Jake and I were going to kind
of spend some time with the driver's club after we're done and talk about maybe some
projects and things that are going on.
And I like it where we went, what we did and some other said such type things.
I'll get right into the news.
I've got a good one for you.
You're ready to lead things off.
I'm excited.
Let's go.
This is, this is the hall of fame of bad life choices, Jake.
Oh, hall of fame.
The FBI more more than either the what was their name?
The Menendez Brothers.
No, the family where I showed up as a turkey.
Oh, yes.
That was a bad decision.
Yes, that was a bad decision family.
That this was also this is hall of fame, bad life decisions.
The FBI has just seized a $13 million Mercedes from an Olympic snowboard
named Ryan Wedding, who apparently decided being an athlete wasn't enough.
So we built his own cocaine empire instead.
And look, this is not Sean White doing 1080s out of a halfpipe.
Let's be honest, this guy finished 24th in the parallel giant slalom.
Do you know, I it's parallel.
It's a weird hybrid event where some orders secretly wish they were just
skiers because it's like you go down and you just kind of like touch the slalom thing.
This dude was solidly mid pack and realized he was not going to make Canada proud
on the snow and apparently decided to take a shot in the cocaine industry
instead of this guy.
That's I feel like I mean, the mugshot is very different than what I'm seeing
on the right. Yes.
Well, on the right, I don't that's that must have been him right before
they that's just photos they had of the guy, I guess.
Like actually on the FBI most wanted list after the two thousand two.
What is a 13 million dollar Mercedes?
I know you're going to get patient, but I just wanted to focus on that.
We will. We will.
After the two thousand two games, which was in Salt Lake here,
he drifted around the fitness and outdoor scene.
This is pre-influencer.
I think if this would have happened today, he would have been OK
because he could have bought like a van and like, you know,
gone snowboarding and taped himself and I'm an Olympic skier
and he probably could have done a done a better job.
Anyway, he swapped that out for wholesome athlete image
to cocaine across continents.
And the feds say he did not just dabble.
He built an operation big enough to land himself on the FBI's
10 most wanted list, which I think that's a pretty big deal.
Yeah, that seems like it.
He had an accomplishment for 15 million dollar price tag on this head.
15 million.
Now you turn this guy and you get 15 million dollars.
Is it just not just like is it just drug trafficking?
Is it has he been like killing people along the way?
Because that seems very like it's pretty egregious.
Federal prosecutors say this was not just freelance hustling.
Wedding allegedly built a full blown supply chain
that started in Colombia, moved north through Mexican cartels
and crossed the border hidden in semi trucks and cargo
loads before getting broken down in stash houses around SoCal.
From there, the operation pushed product in a major US cities
and up into Canada.
They say he handled everything like a business, distribution
crews, money laundering through faint companies, crypto wallets,
muscle to keep people quiet.
One witness who agreed to testify against him was murdered
in Columbia.
OK, and the feds claim he ordered it personally.
That's why he's not treated like some washed up athlete
making bad choices.
They're calling a top tier international trafficker.
Can I? OK.
Pause. I'll tell you what I can.
I only I read the indictment.
No, no, no, no, no.
It's nothing about you else here.
Here's my thought.
And I'm I'm going to say this, I'm going to have to go.
But like, so here's what I'm going to say.
Yes, this is very egregious.
The guy seems like probably bad news.
Like, he seems like he's like a trash human is a trash human.
However, I'm kind of impressed, Chris.
Like what I was about to say was like, you have to be pretty smart
and pretty industrious and like be kind of like a go getter.
It's really good for a Canadian.
Well, like he literally from ground up made a vertically
integrated enterprise that just happens to be very illegal.
You know what I mean?
Like if you should have snowboards and bindings and like snow pants.
That's what I mean.
Like this guy seems like a very shrewd businessman.
And like very accomplished.
You could have like wedding winter here, but.
Yeah, I'd like with a name like that, that seems super marketable.
Yeah, or like a super wedding weddings.
I don't know.
The FBI hit a warehouse in LA and found the crown jewel
of his drug lord starter pack.
A 2002 Mercedes Benz CLK GTR Roadster, one of six, not six
in the country, six on the planet.
Wow, this is not the usual rich guy Mercedes with quilted seats
in the massage button.
This is not a grandpa car, Jake.
No, this one does backflips on the most long straight.
It does.
This is what happens when a real race program
accidentally spits out something with a license plate.
OK, so you got to remember the world that this thing
came out of is the late nineties.
Money is stupid and racing is even dumber.
And the FIA rules basically say, hey, if you want a race,
you need to pretend that your spaceship is a road car.
So every manufacturer starts cheating
in the most wonderful way possible.
Portia built a nine eleven.
That is not really a nine eleven.
It is the nine eleven GT win.
Stratz and Virgin, the Stratz and Virgin Stratz and Virgin.
This thing I always thought to say, I'm like, come on.
This is you look at this thing, that is not a nine nine six, bro.
It is not. It's not supposed to be.
It's a GT one.
I know, but there's supposed to be a nine eleven.
The nine eleven GT one.
Just like the CLK is not a CLK.
Yeah, I know.
McLaren turned the F one into a Swiss army knife
and Toyota shows up with the GT one.
And Mercedes with AMG took all of that and goes, fine,
we will just build a prototype.
Slap some CLK headlights on it and call it a day.
You're right.
So the race car.
Yeah, that's the GT one right there,
which looks like a headlights on it.
Literally, they just take their their their LMP prototype car
and then put whatever road car headlights on the front.
I mean, yeah, here we go.
That's that's the common thread.
Look at that. It's good. Yeah, it's great.
I love that. OK.
The race car came first.
All right, the CLK GT are debuts in the FIA GT championship
and starts deleting the grid.
It wins most of the races that enters
taking championships in ninety seven and ninety eight.
Does such a thorough job of ruining the party
that GT one basically collapses.
Other teams look at the car, look at their budgets and go,
yep, we're done. We're done. We're out.
We're done crying.
I'll go the series falls and the CLK GT
car is left sitting on top of the corpse.
This is the this car right here.
This is the winner right here.
The one she'll let Mrs.
producer pull up.
This is a homologation special in the purest dumbest sense.
The only reason the road cars exist
is because rulebook said they had to pretend this thing
was somehow related to a CLK you could buy at the dealer.
Underneath is a real race car, carbon fiber,
an aluminum, honeycomb, Moni cock and Moni cock.
Money money, Moni cock.
We'll just go. No, that's not good.
No, Moni cock in the middle, big steel
subframes at the ends and pushrod suspension.
Giant brakes. Jake, this thing has Formula One
Grand Prix suspension Grand Prix.
You know that this suspension that does this.
That's that's I can't see you.
But yes. Oh, that's OK.
The engine is a naturally aspirated V12 pushrod.
Yes. Is that what you're trying to get at?
Pushrod suspension.
Whatever you were doing here, it's hand gesture.
I didn't see it's this suspension that does that.
It does. Yes.
Mrs. Ruzer, pull up the photo.
It's right there. That pushrod.
No, I know what. Yeah.
Well, I don't know.
You didn't understand what this meant.
So I thought maybe you didn't didn't know.
Yeah. In road trim.
This doesn't have.
Oh, we could nerd out.
I'm not going to.
I was going to get into it.
How like with the pushrod suspension
in the single one or two, how we'll know
how there's like the Ackerman arm and the third member.
So it like how that's how it does dive and squat.
And then also it has anti roll bars.
We're actually just like a torsion bar right here.
Let me let me pull up a picture here.
I've got Mrs.
producer refuses to do it.
So I'll I'll know.
There we go.
Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah, there you.
Oh, she pulled up a better photo than what I had.
Yeah. Yeah.
So that's anyway.
So because I'm sorry.
This thing is a naturally aspirated V12 6.9 liters.
Six seats, six speed sequential gearbox.
And in road trim makes around 600 horsepower
and does zero to 60 in under four seconds.
And we'll run out of steam around 200 miles per hour.
This thing is incredible.
Go back a couple slides to whatever that is that like the ABS system?
What is what is happening there?
Wow, look at that.
That's like a hard line wet dream right there.
Oh, those are all stainless.
Those must be like brake bias, right?
Or electronic brake bias system or something.
I am not smart enough to know what that is.
Let's just leave it at that.
OK, it looks nice, though.
It looks really well done, but it looks kind of bespoke, right?
Like some guy had to make that.
And then they they built like the distribution block for it
and everything like that. Oh, yeah.
Yeah, it's it's it's super neat.
So this thing topped out along 200 miles per hour.
This thing was legit.
Because of the obligation rules, they had to build those road cars.
So Mercedes and AMG cranked out a tiny batch, roughly 20 coupes.
And then because someone's two car ahead, the sense of humor,
six roadsters for people like you, Jake, I bet you would really you would.
I would love that.
Yeah, that's that's all up your alley.
Oh, yeah. So these things were sold for one point five million dollars
in 1997, which is around four million dollars today.
And inflation dollars. Wow.
What would you call that? Trump and Biden bucks?
That's what inflation dollars, inflation dollars.
So picture all that history and effort and engineering.
All those FIA trophies and carbon twelves, carbon tubs and carbon toys.
Yeah. And then zoom back out to this warehouse in L.A.
Agents roll in on a drug case and it's tucked into the corner
among whatever else this guy has stacked around.
And one of his is this CLK GTR, one of six roasters on earth.
The rarest version of the one of the craziest gosh,
the rarest version of one of the craziest
obligation cards ever built.
Now sitting there is a line item in a narcotics investigation.
I have to wonder if.
Like was he was it was illegally registered?
Is this like shell corporation?
Yeah, but like, oh, I think I don't know.
Or was this stolen?
Was this, you know what I mean?
I don't think you can steal a one of six like this.
How do you steal it?
That would that would be one movie, right?
That would be a hell of a movie.
I mean, I don't know.
I'm sure there's other stuff that he has that is not legally acquired.
You know, this is a thing that probably just bought a cash.
She's probably bought a cash.
Maybe you want it on.
I never mind. I'm not going to I'm not going to go there.
No, I'm not going to go there.
No, I'm not going on the price is right, Chris.
Maybe you want to have the prices right.
That's right. That's what you're saying.
So now this hypercar, one of rarest Mercedes ever built
is sitting in federal custody.
Imagine the guys that designed this GT one monster.
Twenty five years later, years later,
his partner is to a pallet of seized
Honda Civics and counterfeit Rolexes.
So from snowboarder to cocaine hairpin
to watching the FBI tow away your $13 million unicorn.
This is peak Canada currently.
I think that they should stick to maple syrup
and being aggressively polite
because the whole cartel thing
is clearly above their pay grade.
They should leave it to us enterprising Americans.
This is one good.
He basically had to work harder
to get even further north, though.
I mean, think of it that way.
Yeah, there's extra distance.
Extra two. Yes, exactly.
Two border exactly.
This is going to be one hell of a police auction.
You know, I did it.
This will be called a police auction.
Right. It doesn't.
They're not the police aren't going to put it on.
Bring a trailer.
Are they?
Could they?
Maybe.
Should we talk to our friends over there?
Yeah, we should see if we that hello.
Can we I know a guy and bring a trailer
if you want to sell it over there.
Yeah, yeah, let's broker that deal.
What, half a percent?
I'll take half a percent.
I'll take a quarter percent.
I was going to say that would be great.
It'll be great. I'll take it.
I'll take it.
So this is actually this is a great place
to interject our latest new sponsor.
Yes, yes, because introduce who they are.
That car.
Well, I'm going to say that car has a hell of a story, right?
Like, did you imagine buying that car?
Not only now is it one of six and it is all this like heritage
or racing pedigree, but you have this story on top.
Yeah, so you imagine that in the story.
You're looking through the binder.
It's like oil change, oil change.
And then FBI's most wanted poster right in the binder
where it's like this is all things have been done in the car.
Yeah, so our latest sponsor is the common gear, the common gear.com.
And I'll just get right into kind of what they're all about,
because as we mentioned, every story or the story of a car
matters just as much as any details of, you know, provenance
or of, you know, maintenance history and everything else.
Every receipt or every late night fix.
If it's your project car, every rally mile that you go on,
it's kind of that makes a car.
As identity and so most of us have that history scattered everywhere,
whether it's receipts in a glove box or maybe just in your memory
or in your iPhone photos.
So that's where the common gear comes in.
It's a platform built by real car people.
We've talked to him at length, awesome guy who's behind all this
and allows you to digitize everything that is and goes along with your car.
You know, builds, photos, provenance, stories, FBI auctions, perhaps.
It's all organized, all searchable, all in one place.
If you've got decades of paperwork that even have a white glove service.
So probably the type of guy that may buy that Mercedes, he would he would be
the guy that would opt for like, you know what, sure, take all that
provenance, do it for them and digitize it, remote or on site.
Basically, they're able to hand them chaos and they give you a complete
car history, as well as documentation on everything else.
It adds credibility, which is really cool.
It adds value.
If you are going to go sell your vehicle later on, guess what?
You can link digitally to all of the documentation, all of your
photos, all of everything that you can do that.
I see that.
So the common gear dot com.
It's a free account.
There's no purchase necessary.
It just start building your car as digital legacy.
They also have what's really cool.
It's like, remember the days of build threads, Chris?
That is the one thing I miss most about car forums.
Do we basically create, I know, I know, I know, I know.
We have the Discord.
But they also have, you can like make, create an entire like build
documentation.
Yeah.
I'll import it there anyway.
That would be great.
Yeah.
The common gear stuff.
Yep.
All right.
Oh, look at the stuff she's finding.
Yeah, that thing's awesome.
Azuzu Trooper.
I need a, I need a bar on the front to put a wing.
Bull bar?
Yeah.
Yeah.
All right.
Internet notorious dipshit.
Whistlin diesel is back in the headlines.
And not because he dropped another super car off a loading
dock, this time is in an indictment.
Yep.
Tennessee authorities hit Cody Detwiler with two felony counts
for allegedly dodging sales tax on his Ferrari F8 Tributo.
The same Ferrari he set on fire in a cornfield for views.
So I saw this come across my stupid Instagram feed about
like him getting pulled away on hand costs.
And I was like, is this a publicity stunt?
What is this?
And they're like, no, this is really getting indicted for
tax evasion.
And that's as much as I had read.
And he was basically like, I always pay all my taxes.
I have accountants that do all this.
So do you know anything more about like how or what?
Yeah, I do.
I kind of look curious now.
Yeah, because I was trying to figure this out.
And let me let me get into this.
And if you have a question to ask me, because I did look
into it a little and I'll help you out if I can.
One thing I want to say is during the video, so basically
what he did is he took this thing and he drifted out in
the cornfield and what I can't think of it's the breaks.
And the thing is, is that inside the wheel is full of corn husks.
Yeah.
And I can't think of anything drier and more flammable than
course.
This is the dumbest thing anyone has ever done.
And what sucks is that when you, well, it doesn't
suck, but it's very telling.
Is that later?
They got a red bull can to try to put it out.
Come on.
Sorry, they're, they're idiots.
So, so what happened here was obviously the thing burns
the ground, but later on, he goes, yeah, we kind of
thought this would video was going to be kind of lame,
but now it's great.
You know, and it's just kind of very, very telling.
Um, yeah, I mean, that's, it's unfortunately the sad
state of, according to prosecutors, the car was
purchased in Tennessee, but registered to a Montana
LLC, a move that conveniently avoids tens of
thousands of dollars in, in sales tax.
Oh yeah.
There's the clip right there of this guy.
You can't hear it because there's, there's no audio.
But he basically says he's like this video is
going to be terrible, but here it is.
It's great.
Look at this.
All these fire trucks had to come out and help this.
Yep.
Okay.
So on the surface, it looks like a mundane tax case.
People register their exotics in Montana all the right
time.
And this is what I had to look.
I'm like, how does this work?
Like, why is it a problem that that they did this
at all?
Um, half the cars on Instagram have ghost
addresses and bozemen.
So why him and why now?
Uh, because the Montana loophole isn't illegal by
itself.
It becomes illegal when the state can prove the car
was bought, used, garage and enjoyed in Tennessee
while being titled in Montana solely to avoid taxes.
Most people who play the game keep their heads down.
They don't film themselves lighting the car on fire
with Montana plates and bragging about the purchase
on camera.
And that's the part that makes the story so fitting
for him.
He built an empire on torque on touching live wires
on touching raw nerves.
That is his real talent.
It's not fabrication.
It's not storytelling.
It's not driving.
It's provocation.
Finding the exact thing that will make real
enthusiasts cringe and hammering it until the
algorithm costs up a fresh million views.
Destroying things that actually mean something
to people who care.
He knows exactly which nerves are exposed and he
goes for them every single time.
And it's hard to watch someone carve out a career
so thoroughly from the worst impulses of the
internet and not feel something complicated.
He is massively successful.
Massive.
Yeah, massive.
And that is the bitter part.
He figured out that if you lean into spectacle
hard enough, if you feed the rage bait
machine with enough carnage, you can
bypass talent entirely.
You become a character instead of a person, a
product instead of a creator, you get rich
off the very people who cannot stand you.
I hate it.
I hate the entire act, the deliberate waste,
the smug grin, the middle school
frenetic energy that somehow metastasized
into wealth.
But under that irritation, there's
something else, something closer to pity.
Imagine waking up every day knowing your
relevance depends on being despised and hated.
Knowing your job is to poke at people who
actually love the thing you are
pretending to be a part of.
That's why the indictment landed the way it
did not because Tennessee is on a crusade
against every Montana plate on a luxury
car.
They went after him because he made the
easiest test case imaginable.
High profile guy filmed everywhere with
undeniable evidence of the alleged
dodge, wrapped in the added bonus of a
publicly destroyed Ferrari, a prosecutor
dreams of that kind of package.
They get to make a point.
They get a headline.
His own content becomes his rope.
He's already monetizing the arrest with
merchandise because, of course, he is.
That's the cycle.
Controversy becomes money.
Money becomes stunts.
Stunts become controversy.
And somewhere in the middle is a guy
who built an entire identity on being
the punchline pretending it's a crowd.
He's like if Mr.
Beast was an asshole.
Some part of me hopes the prosecutor
is a car guy, just like me, who's
finally had enough.
Fuck, I hate this guy, man.
You know, I don't I just I don't
obviously I don't know him.
Who knows if it's an entire persona
that might even make it worse.
Is if you like he Ivan, you finish
his video and then he takes his
overalls off and then goes and, you
know, goes he probably you know what
he does is he probably takes his
overalls off puts on sweatpants
and go cries while he watches
Mike Burroughs who actually creates
good content wishes wishing he could
be him.
Yeah, with like some tea, some
chamomile, chamomile tea and like
a pink robe.
I am such a loser.
Everybody imagine having to wake up
that way where your entire ego is
based on hate that people hate
you.
It's I don't know.
I he's not he doesn't make himself
out to be the villain of everyone.
I understand what you're saying
like he is right on.
He thrives on like that being.
Adversary, not adversarial even
controversial, I don't know
controversial, but I feel like
some people do like him.
I don't know.
Have you seen the Instagram videos
of the guy that destroys a nine
and six? He just like cuts up the
seeds and some ashes on the hood
and stuff like that.
It's it's not that far removed
from that, in my opinion.
Anyway, I haven't I haven't
he'll pay a fine.
Yeah, he'll pay a fine.
And I'm sure he lost every dollar
he spent on that Ferrari.
You know, the insurance company
doesn't go. Oh, yeah, we're
coming. Oh, yeah, no.
Well, you know what? I was here's
the problem. Here's what I was not
problem. But here's what I was
thinking of between
the publicity, the views,
the merch and everything else.
He's going to make money.
I know that's the sad thing.
That's the sad thing is whatever
the fine is, I bet he makes money
on the whole ordeal.
And same thing with that Ferrari.
He didn't lose money on the Ferrari.
Like, yeah, sure, he didn't get
it covered by insurance, but he
made money on that video.
It was pretty fun to drive.
But OK, dude, it just sucks
because it's like, I'll never
own a Ferrari like that.
I just won't.
I don't really want one right away.
But like, I feel like the reverence.
There you can be over reverential
to this stuff, right?
Like Ferrari, yeah, and can be over
worshiped, I understand.
But there's a certain amount of
reverence for brands that I that
I respect and I respect heritage
and stuff like that. And the guy
comes in. Oh, there's part of me
that like likes that he doesn't
give a shit about the reference
of something. I kind of like that
part. Yeah. At the same time, that's
why people I think do like him
is he's like the good old country
boy who's able to do these
things, right? That's why people
like that persona.
I know, but it's just kind of
like the lowest common
denominator, man.
Oh, yeah. Toyota has officially
confirmed confirmed development
of a new V8 engine, something
almost no one expected to see
in 2025. This is a concept
car. They think it might go in
this car. We don't really know.
This is not a revision of an old
platform or short run heritage
piece. It is an entirely new twin
turbo four liter. Oh, that's
cool. Built within Toyota's
next generation modular engine
family. The announcement lands
after several years of heavy
environmental branding and
electrification messaging across
the industry, much of which has
begun to unravel the push
toward a rapid universal EV
transition has stalled. And the
greenwashing that surrounded it
has weakened. It has not
collapsed entirely, but it has
faded long enough for internal
combustion to reemerge into the
open. Toyota is not acting in
isolation. Porsche recently
restructured its entire product
plan and shifted multiple future
models back towards combustion or
plug in power after EV demand
fell way below projections.
Folks within an Audi have
quietly extended their
combustion engine lifespans in
Europe for the same reason. What
was once marketed as sweeping
inevitable shift now looks more
like a fragmented transition that
varies heavily by region and by
our preference against the
backdrop to its decision to
invest in the new V8 is less of
an active rebellion, more
reflection of a broader
industry recalibration. Now,
I've been thinking about how
we've talked about this EV and
green stuff over the years.
We've been doing this podcast
a long time. And I would like
to say that I was wrong on
something. Oh, what? Yeah,
yes. So do you remember what I
used to say about this? Do you
remember what like my comments
were about what would happen?
Basically, that they have all
the manufacturers have invested
so heavily down this path of
electrification that they
cannot go back that they can't
go back and that they would
squeeze the government in order
to do it. Yes, exactly. I did
not expect Trump to be
reelected. Yeah, I guess the EPA
environmental lobby is not
squeezing Trump into forcing
this thing, these things down
people's throats. They're just
not. However, yeah, I think
that this is a brief resurgence.
Yeah, I don't think that this
obviously this doesn't go on
forever. So no, appreciate it
while it's here. We will have
we will have someone in office
that will be able to be
bullied or have their pockets
lined, or the cronyism will
get turned back on or they
just it's not it's not all
negative conspiracy or just like
money is rubbing. It's no, there
might be someone that actually
just believes and has this as an
ideal that this is, you know,
clean energy and this is the
way forward. Okay, idealist
boy, get the get out of here.
What? Get out of your mind.
You don't support the the
lobbyists and say I will I
will agree with your costs
and take your money if you
don't believe it a little
bit, right? Come boy, are you
naive? Are you being
sarcastic right now? I don't know.
I don't know. No, I mean,
there are a lot of people
probably is that this is the
correct thing to do. And this
is what what is needed. Yes.
So why not line your pockets
along the way if it's what
you believe? I mean, if the
opportunity presents
yourself, exactly. For
do is it is worth
recognizing what this
represents? Before you go on.
Sorry, I'm interjecting a lot,
but I got a text that is
totally off base. But I just
love that like this reinforces
I love the environment that
I'm in because I get a message
from my dad and it broke
through like the do not
disturb. So it's like, oh, I
better look at this. Do you
think this is too low in the
back? And he just has a
video of his C 10 that he's
currently just like
lowering. Like that's that's
the important thing that we
need to do. All right, I love
it.
Do you see the poster just
just made? Yes, I did. Chris
admits he's wrong. It's
perfect. I love it. I'm glad
we pause message that and hit
hit send anyway or notify
anyway. Yes. Yes. And so now
I have to watch it and I
don't know if I can share
this at all with you. You
can hold it up to the
screen. All right. Is this
too low?
I don't know. I can't really
see it. This doesn't like
any of that. Do you like my
new scratch or shattered
screen too? Oh, that's
Oh, I'm watching it. I'm
watching it. It's not too
low. Chris says that's not
all that's not too low at
all. Oh, wait, there's no
bot. There's no bed on it.
There's no so that's
impossible to tell. But
no, it's not.
I just love that these
are the things there like
everybody always says I
never admit when I'm
wrong. However, I will say
let me give you the
caveat here. I'm not
wrong. I am going to be
an asshole for now. For
now I am wrong. It has
been my being right and
has been delayed. I'm not
wrong. I'm temporarily
incorrect. You know,
perfect. I love that. I
absolutely love that. Oh,
man.
Idiot. This may be one of
the last clean sheet V8
engines. So we ever see
the one thing I was going
to say is even with this
resurgence, I would love to
know at manufacturers. I
mean, this is a great
insight into, you know,
Toyota at least, but other
manufacturers are they
saying, okay, let's take
our budget for, you know,
twenty six, twenty seven
and beyond and let's start
redeveloping new internal
combustion engine
architectures. I kind of
doubt it. I kind of doubt
it. But like this, that's
why I think this is like
the last clean sheet
cool engine. Yeah, one
of one of we might
see at least Toyota. Yeah.
Toyota of all companies has
a real history here. This is
the brand that gave us the
world, world the that
that one right there, the
one, you see to use the
and through our families was
like in the LS, the old
LS big body. These engines
were built entirely on
reputation on refinement,
the stability, the
discipline. LS V8 because
you were talking V8s and
then said LS and I got
the LS like the LS 400.
Yeah, like the Lexus, the
car. Yes. Right. Yeah.
Not not not an LS. Yes.
I think so. IS? No, IS is
the little sedan. That's the
sedan. LS 430. Yeah, LS 400.
Yeah. Yeah. Okay. LS 400.
You know, that is are hard. I
know the one you see in
particular became a benchmark
for a smooth balance over
built the V8 could be if
this new four liter twin
turbo follows even a sliver
of that lineage lineage.
It will not just be another
ice hole over it will be
continuation of a tradition
Toyota has proven that it
understands better than most
almost every everyone.
I know this is like I'm
pretty excited about this.
This is cool. You know, another
like a clean sheet engine, like
a high performance thing for
everyone, not some like some
crazy V12 in a super car.
I don't give a shit about any
of that. I don't care. Yeah.
Why don't you tell me a
little bit about some of our
older partners, Jake? Who
else we got on the on the
docket here? Well,
talk about Nokia and quick.
I'm going to talk about
Nokia. I'm going to talk
about let me tell you
this. Okay.
Well, I was going to say I got
I got the tires are
incredible. We've had like five
or six inches of snow here.
Yes. And Jesse's like
sends me a text message.
He goes, everyone is spinning
out in the ditch.
I don't understand what is
the problem.
What is the problem?
And so I have a story
to tell. Yes, please do.
I went on this
family vacation for a week
down in Palm Springs,
Florida, not Palm Springs,
California, not Palm
Bleach, Palm Beach, Florida.
Palm Bleach.
You said I was in Palm Beach
and then someone was
mentioning me like, oh, I'm
right here. No, I was in
Palm Springs, other side of
the country. The one in
California, the one with
all the Frank Sinatra.
You said you said Palm
Beach, Florida on the
podcast, regardless.
And I was like, we were
like, had to get stuff done
around the house real quick
and it was nice before I
left. I didn't
get to swapping over the
wheels and tires.
I did right before I left and
then parked the car like
right.
Yep. And so I didn't.
And I was like, it'll be fine.
So we drove it over to
Nikki's parents.
And then we all like took an
Uber over to the airport
because whatever is closer.
And so we get back
and there's six inches of
fresh snow. It's blizzarding
and I'm driving home on
performance summer tires.
How was that fun?
Well, to Jess's point
out, I don't understand what
people's problem is. I do.
It's called the incorrect
tire. Yes.
So Nocian does have
the correct tire.
They are literally the
inventor of the winter
tire where their haka
politas. It is definitely
haka polita season.
I can see that for sure
because I also had to
attempt to get up my
driveway, Chris, on summer
tires. It didn't work at
all.
So did you go ahead?
You had to leave the car down
there and then go plow.
And I left the car.
But then I was like,
I'll just leave it there
till morning because I was
tired. And then I looked at
the mailbox that I parked
next to that is our mailbox
and noticed that a car had
already hit it and knocked
it over while we were gone.
And I go, oh, well, I'm
not going to leave the car
here then.
If you're sliding into
so that I had to plow the
driveway and I was able
to get it only up halfway
the driveway and then I
literally changed out my
wheels and tires on the side
of my driveway in a snowbank
because it was that bad.
So yes, tires make a massive,
massive difference.
This was all wheel drive
with a super sophisticated
like torque vectoring
everything. Doesn't matter.
It doesn't matter.
On terrible tires.
It does not matter.
Get a good set.
You know what it is.
Winsor tires.
What is it?
You cannot defeat physics.
You just can't.
You just can't, man.
Triction is friction, man.
Either you have it or you don't.
Yeah, it's a real thing for sure.
So please check out
the Haka Polita or their entire
line of either winter
or your round performance
tires. They have the surpass
ASL one we've talked about a lot.
Haka Polita is of course the
forerunner for winter tires.
Check them out at nokiantires.com.
Best of the best.
All right.
So CEO of Open AI
Sam Altman just tried to cancel
his Tesla Roadster Reservation
to get his $50,000 back
after waiting seven and a half years.
And the most predictable twist
imaginable Tesla didn't even send
him a real reply.
The email bounced.
So this is this is the this is
the first picture.
Your reservation is complete
at the top there.
It says, hi, I'd like to cancel
my reservation.
Could you please refund me
the $50,000?
And this is what he got.
The email bounced.
It's the which that is like
main mailbox, too.
It's not like reservations
for the Tesla Roadster only.
He's banned.
This dude's banned from Tesla.
The email bounced is the
perfect summary of the Roadster
saga.
Elon Musk announced the fastest
car production car ever made
back in 2017, complete with
1.9060
and a 250 mile an hour top speed.
And it was going to block it, Chris.
Do you know why it's going to fly?
We actually got a string of missed
deadlines in twenty, twenty, twenty,
three, twenty, twenty, twenty, four
and now twenty, twenty, five.
Outland posted the whole thing
on X as you saw.
It was called the tail of three
acts by Astro Refund, your ban.
The funniest part is how small
it makes him look.
The head of Open AI, a guy who
claims to be steering the future
of all human intelligence,
spending his afternoon chasing
down a $50,000 deposit like he
stuck arguing with the cable
company.
Even better when you remember
where the outman musk feud
actually comes from.
Do you know, Jake?
I know.
So tell me.
I know nothing about open AI.
Chatchity, they own Chatchity
started in 2015 as a non-profit.
The two men co-founded
meant to be build safe, open source
AI for the benefit of humanity.
Yeah, that's Sam Altman right
there, the megalomaniacal demon.
Then Altman pivoted the whole
thing into a for profit structure
so we could bring in billions
from Microsoft.
Musk felt completely betrayed
and sued them over it and
launched his own competing AI
company, Grock X from X.
Now the two of them are locked
in this bizarre ideological
knife fight where each one thinks
he personally should get to
define the future of intelligence
on earth.
So watching Altman step up
and try to cancel a Roadster
reservation is pure comedy.
The man expected special treatment.
What he got was exactly what every
other Roadster customer has gotten
for the last eight years.
Nothing. Nothing.
Not even a human response, just
a bounced email.
So all joking
and humorous side, do we have
because Ivan, we obviously haven't
followed there is no road to
there is no production.
Any there is no confirmed timeline.
The new must promise for
twenty four never showed up.
The twenty twenty five production
vapor. Every insider update
points points the same way.
The Roadster exist as hype, not
hardware.
Is there a team even employed
currently working on this project?
Who the prototype thing
on the Roadster?
If they are, it's in secret.
It's like you're not going to know
until it comes out.
So but no, as of now, no nothing,
which is strange.
I, you know, I would much rather see
a cheap EV from Tesla than a
Roadster.
Like that's just like a little
yeah, that was called the Model
Three, Chris.
That was the model. No, no, no,
no, there's something else.
No, there's something else that
they were going to do.
Jake, are you wondering what
fifty thousand dollars would be
worth had Sam just purchased
Tesla stock instead of putting a
deposit?
Like if you had bought stock in
twenty eighteen instead of the
instead of putting a deposit
on what would have happened on
July 11, twenty eighteen
Tesla split adjusted closing
price was twenty one dollars.
So fifty thousand dollars would
have bought you about two
thousand three hundred and fifty
two shares.
As of October 30th, twenty
twenty five, it closed at
four hundred and forty dollars.
Your investment would now be
worth one million thirty five
thousand dollars or a twenty
point seven times return.
Holy crap.
Yeah. Yeah.
Wow. Yes.
Huh.
You know who can help you return,
Jake?
Is it on a tough road?
It's on a tough road.
That's right. You can find your
way and they will not give
you no financial advice.
Email. Well, no, I was going to
say you won't just get an email
bounce from from.
No, I seriously, I bet they
they have his email and Elon's
like some blacklist.
He is.
I love that.
You know, this bounces.
Yeah, it's so petty.
Dude, like these billionaires.
They're just what a bunch of losers.
That's all it is, you know.
Yeah.
But yes, if you are looking for
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Or if the logging road you happen
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If they had on XF road, that wouldn't
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As we saw from the nice
yeah, AI illustration
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I was laughing my butt off
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I was also a turkey laughing my
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If you want to stay connected,
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You, of course, have land boundaries,
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You have all other tools like route
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Try it for free for seven days
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All right.
So I'm also excited about this engine.
Although I don't know what is going
to happen from it, but I'm guessing
had Kamala been elected, this thing
wouldn't have happened either
because this is a real stretch, dude.
General Motors is studying
a modern two stroke engine,
something that sounds impossible
until you look at where the
technology has actually survived.
The military has been one of the
only groups keeping advanced
two stroke engines alive for the last
decade using a pose only
piston diesels and tactical trucks,
armored vehicles, battlefield
generators and unmanned equipment.
These designs use two patients
sharing one cylinder with no cylinder
head at all, giving them high power
density, low heat signature,
excellent thermal efficiency
in fewer moving parts.
This is the this is the patent
diagram right here, which I look at
it. I don't really I tried deciphering
it and I can kind of figure out
but it's so rudimentary.
It's probably rudimentary on purpose.
They don't want people stealing
their shit. Yeah, I'll I'll explain
what what is going on here in a
minute. GM's research tracks closely
with that type of architecture.
Their concept uses high pressure,
direct injection, port controlled
airflow and turbo super charging
to solve the old problem of
emissions and lubrication.
The real value isn't putting a
clean two stroke clean sheet
two stroke into a Malibu.
However, this is about fitting it
into places where weight
efficiency and packaging matter
most like a high bridge range
extender module, heavy duty trucks,
commercial platforms, defense
contracts and constant low say
off road equipment.
Yeah. Yes.
Could you imagine a drone with
brap?
I feel like some current ones
are two cycle is actually
so two stroke engines never
broken a mainstream consumer cars
unless someone like
John Ludwick.
John Ludwick knows he's very,
very familiar.
As as we are as we know,
they're dirty, loud and difficult
to control.
Have you ever worked on a two stroke
Jake?
Oh, yeah.
Oh, yeah, I've rebuilt these
two strokes and they're always
so they're what I love about
them is they're so dead simple.
Do you zoom in on that, Mrs.
Producer?
You I was in the whole souped
up moped game for a while
there, too.
I was vintage.
Yeah, DCC's.
Yeah. Yeah. And I had a
pook with the E 50 engine
that I like board out and I
had like a super light flywheel
and I had all the stuff going on.
So yeah.
So what kind of maybe
you can describe this a little bit
better, be more fun to have you
describe it to us to me.
Oh, boy, read what I wrote.
But what kind of
valves does the two stroke have?
Well, you OK, because
you want me to say it doesn't
have valves, but you can have
read valves.
Read valves. Yes.
Yes. So it what it does instead
is it has ports on
the side of a cylinder.
So depending on where the piston
is in its cycle, it allows
the vacuum of the cylinder
or the piston was coming down
to allow the air come in,
which is the fuel mixture.
And then as it comes back up,
it also opens the other port,
which allows the exhaust to come out.
So because there is
the ports are always open cycles.
Well, no, there's not because once
you reach above the exhaust
port, then you are in compression
only. Yeah.
But it's there.
They're kind of not.
It's not as precise.
Well, it's having like a valve.
That's correct, because there's a lot
of overlap by just by definition of it.
And that is generally why
they're loud and stinky.
Well, the stinky part is actually
because the bottom crankcase
is how they compress the intake charge
going up into.
And so the only way to lubricate it
is to actually have
that's why all your two cycle stuff
is premixed or it has oil injection
is kind of the more modern two cycle
solution, which everyone always rips
that out and just premixes all their
fuel anyways, because then you don't
have to rely on it and it won't burn
out if your oil injection goes out.
But basically you're burning
all your lubricating oil.
And so that is why it's not ideal.
And not ideal.
So.
This is why two strokes got pushed
in issues like snowmobiles, dirt
bikes, upwards of chainsaws.
You can you can unshare that.
This is proof.
So this is where we're at power.
Yeah, they're very light.
Lots of power or displacement.
Yep, exactly.
And they it's your power density,
I would call it is very high.
Yep, simplicity.
They're using things where simplicity
and weight matters more than long
term emissions or like daily drivability.
Only now with modern injection
and electronic control is there even
a chance of revisiting them.
So I didn't know really how this
worked other than that.
Looking at that diagram, which is
super shitty, you know, they don't
want anybody to know how exactly
how this is going to work.
But they're fixing the biggest flaw
in every old two stroke, which is
that the intake and the exhaust
ports are just fixed holes in the
cylinder wall.
When the piston moves, these holes
open whether the engine wants
them to or not.
So if they don't, they're not
variable, they just they just are
GM's patent as a thin
electronically controlled sleeve
that sits between the piston,
the cylinder wall that slides
up or down to cover or uncover
these ports.
That means the engine can open
the ports earlier or later,
reducing how long the intake
exhaust overlap or even partially
shut them off at light load.
So this is like 96, like kind
of in that region down by the
piston down there is that sleeve
will move up and down.
Sure. Physically moving.
It basically gives it variable
port timing, the two stroke
equivalent of modern variable
valve timing, pair that with a
direct injection that sprays
feel only after the exhaust side
is sealed.
And suddenly you stop the raw fuel
loss that made old two stroke such
a disaster for emissions.
So the concept of a sleeve
valve is actually not new.
And I'm trying to remember how
or where I know about this, but I
swear there was something from
long ago where they used him
in like tank engines or
something.
Oh, here we go.
Invented by Charles, the
night sleeve valve engines were
used in luxury cars like the
Willie Knight and aircraft
engines before World War Two.
Right. The technology was just
reasons.
No, it's just before like, you
know, standard pop it valves that
we know today, like overhead
valves or even not overhead.
It was like they weren't any
more efficient than this.
And so it was a very similar
concept, although a bit more
rudimentary how it work.
But the concept itself isn't
new. I just don't know that
if it was ever applied to a
two cycle or in this
capacity.
So I think I know what GM
is going to build.
Oh, boy. OK, tell me a V12
two stroke.
No, they will never to build
that. But if they did, it would
be a mechanical insanity.
A two stroke fires every crank
rotation, not every other.
A V12 already fires every 60
degrees in a four stroke layout.
Put those together and you
effectively get a V24
pretending to be a V12.
The power density would be
ridiculous. The torque would
feel like a locomotive hooked
up to a snowmobile.
A four liter version could easily
push eight to twelve hundred
horsepower in street trim.
Even more with boost.
It would be completely unhinged.
It would be the brappy brap of
Formula One.
Yeah, let's do it.
So there existed
a rally car that I'm trying
to find. It was some weird, I
think French atrocity
that.
Here it is.
What is this?
Oh, no, never mind.
This is just a home built thing.
Anyways, there is a two liter
V16 that someone made out of
two cycles.
I'm pretty sure that would be
insane.
And it just sounds.
It doesn't even sound good.
It's just the entire
time. That's all you get.
I miss I miss snowmobiling
quite a bit.
It is a lot of fun.
I really I really enjoy it.
I just I hated
that they wouldn't start sometimes
near you.
And have you been on a modern
snowmobile?
They're there.
Let me tell you.
Chris is unbelievable.
Modern engineering.
They're on to something there.
Yeah, with that.
Just a rider for design, just
posture.
So amazing.
It's so bad for my back to just
be sitting on the snow.
It's like leaned over like this
and they get sunk in the snow
and they're terrible.
So then I buy snow.
I'll just.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So they make it like a
Polaris.
No, they make a Polaris Indie
like a throwback version
with like the body
and stuff like that.
It's it's really dope.
I really like it.
And then they're you know,
they're four stroke.
But again, they're like
12.
They're like turbo
four stroke now.
I know.
But there's force injection.
It's wild.
Oh, I know.
They're too expensive.
I just look at the price.
It hardly ever snows.
And if I bought it.
That's the problem again.
So I'm never going to do
that.
Okay.
So speaking of
Oh, here's
here's a story that
I love.
I love quite a bit.
Cadillac Escalade owner
allegedly paid off
his entire $60,000.
Hold on.
Whoa.
Cadillac Escalade V.
Yes.
Which I was driving all week.
How was it?
It was absurd.
That vehicle
should not accelerate
that quickly
for how big
and heavy
and boxy and ridiculous it
is.
The front end doesn't look
very good.
But it does look quite nice
from the side.
It looks okay
on this vehicle
boxy.
But this whole
styling thing
of like all
all the front ends
of every vehicle
is just like
looks like a
Well, they have to hide all
the sensors, dude.
It's all the sensors that
are up there.
I know.
Someone asked me to like
go on a tirade about Portia's
new design language
with the new Cayenne
and the Macan
and I was sitting in front
of one and they're all
just they look like
they got their nose
smushed in
because it's all just
flat faced.
But anyways,
this thing's amazing
and I really want
a supercharged V8
because it's just
yeah.
Dude, how much are these things?
They got to be
Oh, they're 60.
Oh, yeah.
They're starting out.
Starting out.
Yeah.
Starting out.
Actually, no, that one,
it might be more
and this just might have been
his balance.
A Cadillac Escalator V owner
allegedly paid off
his entire $60,000
car loan using nothing
but GM reward points.
Wow.
Not you're sharing
you're sharing the screen
producer turn your screen
off.
Not cash,
not crypto,
not a side hustle,
just points,
the same points GM hands out
for watching ads,
clicking prom was
are doing mind numbing
engagement.
No way.
Really?
According to the reports,
the guy stacked
5.9 million points,
which at penny per point
comes out to about
$59,370.
Exactly the remaining balance
is 2024 Escalator V
and he didn't win
a sweepstakes.
The loophole was built
right into GM's own system.
The rewards program
was letting people farm
thousands of points.
Thousands of points
in minutes by grinding
through promotional videos,
then letting those points
be transferred freely
between accounts
with practically zero
oversight.
So we just made
multiple counts,
funnel counts
and one made pool,
apply to loan
and boom,
car paid.
That's amazing.
Also,
that loan balance that he had
was nowhere near the price
of this thing.
What are they actually
cost?
What's the MSRP?
The 2026 model,
if you wanted to go out
and buy a new one,
starts
at $170,000.
You know what's insane
is I was like,
oh $60,000,
that seems like
a starting point.
That's how out of touch
I am with
new car pricing.
Like holy shit.
It does have nearly
700 horsepower.
Our private chauffeur
when we were on vacation
had one of those.
Was it the V?
Yeah.
No, it was the electric one.
Okay.
Yeah.
That's 1,000 V years.
Something.
It was fine.
Yeah.
The V is, yeah.
Wow.
Why don't you just get
one of those
and insulate your
pool bar at the same time.
Yes.
Thank you.
I love your,
yeah.
Chris's financial advice
just to get that.
There were forums full
of people bragging
about racking up points
faster than GM could
come out.
Some folks were earning
50,000 points
every few minutes.
What?
You know,
if people figured it out
that GM finally panicked,
shut down the promas
and locked the transfer
system like someone
realized they left the
bank vault open overnight.
Oh my gosh.
GM has not said how many
cars were paid off
or if they're going to
try clawing any of it back.
But for a brief
glorious moment,
the entire rewards
program turned into
a digital loophole
that let every
people punch way
above their weight
and corporate loyalty
points became a weapon
of the operation itself.
That's amazing.
Honestly, I love it.
Every once in a while
the universe gives
the average person
a tiny crack in the wall
and instead of patching it
they drive a 60,000
pound supercharged
Escalade straight.
Yes.
I wonder if you like
created a program
that would just like
have like
hundreds of browser
windows open
and multiple IPs
and using like
VPNs to just like
do what they did
but just on a
massive scale.
You probably could
but if you did it
at a big enough scale
the lawyers are coming.
You know, I
true.
They'd be like,
wait a minute,
how do you have millions
of dollars worth of GM
points?
I bought a fleet of
Escalades.
All right.
Are you a member
of the driver's club, Jake?
Speaking of loyalty
points.
Uh huh.
Uh huh.
Get it together, man.
Get it together.
Overtransproductions.com
four slash driver's club.
You will not win a car
but you can win our hearts.
I was going to say
redeemable for Chris's
friendship.
No,
my friendship
cannot be bought.
That's the only
that's the only way
you get to be friends with
them. You have no idea
how much I paid the
driver's club you guys.
Yeah,
every month.
Overcrestproductions.com
forward slash driver's club.
We're actually going to,
uh,
I got one,
none,
none,
one,
maybe one,
and we can maybe talk about
some other things on a
driver's club exclusive that
will continue after this,
after this story,
after this story here.
Actually,
we're at like an hour.
I'm just going to cut it
off right here.
Yup,
that was it.
And say,
bye to you all.
We're going to continue on
with the non freeloaders.
Bye freeloaders.
Yeah,
and now those that do
have
all of your loyalty points.
We'll see you next week.
See you next week.
See ya.
Goodbye.
Take care.
About this episode
A fascinating dive into the story of Ryan Wedding, a former Olympic snowboarder turned drug lord, who had a $13 million Mercedes CLK GTR seized by the FBI. The hosts discuss the absurdity of his life choices and the impressive scale of his cocaine operation, which spanned continents and involved sophisticated logistics. They also explore the engineering marvel of the CLK GTR, its racing pedigree, and the bizarre intersection of high-performance cars and criminal enterprises. The episode wraps up with discussions on automotive news, including a new V8 from Toyota and the implications of GM's modern two-stroke engine research.
Original notes
In this episode the guys break down the insane story of the FBI seizing a thirteen million dollar Mercedes CLK GTR roadster from an Olympic snowboarder who built a cocaine empire. WE also get into WhistlinDiesel’s tax-evasion indictment, Toyota’s surprise new V8, GM’s wild two-stroke patent, the GM rewards loophole that paid off an Escalade, Sam Altman’s bounced Tesla refund, Stellantis pushing ads into dashboards, and why plug-in hybrids are basically gas cars with homework. A full week of car news, chaos, and commentary the way we do it at Overcrest.
Overcrest
Kris Clewell / Overcrest
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