Man, that was a lot of talking for an article ostensibly about not talking about it. 😉 ... View more

I'm a mid-engine guy and the number of Detroit teases over the years have been ridiculous: all the Corvette prototypes starting back in the 60's, the GT-90, the Cien, the ME Four-Twelve this story is based on...ugh, just ugh. At least Ford deserves some kudos for putting the GT into production.....twice! ... View more

Nice article, thanks Jack. Let's hope your sources are right about that six-month prediction to free-flow availability. Personally, I think we'll see it extend into 2023. Anyway, the only thing I'd add is that not all Dealers are adding second stickers because not all manufacturers bump sold order to the front of the line. In those cases, if the Dealer wants to increase their allocation, the only way to do it is turn the product more quickly and a second sticker doesn't exactly encourage that. ... View more

High performance three-wheelers are no joke....200 hp and 1,000 lbs? Yeah, I'd have a go in one: https://campagnamotors.com/en/rr-characteristics-2022/ ... View more

Nobody does "bloat" better than the Germans. Had a C5 A6 with the 2.7TT that we absolutely loved; quick enough, fast enough, nimble enough, and big enough to do most everything we needed a car to do. Kid went off to college and we were ready for something a little more svelte that skewed "entertaining" while maintaining a semblance of "practical." We'd had awesome luck with the A6 and figured an S4 was the logical choice. Of course I had a picture of "B5 S4" in my mind, so it was a bit of a shock to find that the B8 was almost exactly the same size as our A6. This was 2015, just as the S3 was launching in the States so it hadn't been on our radar, but once we got turned-on to it...it was the absolutely perfect vehicle for us: quicker, faster, more nimble, and, ironically, very close in size to the B5 S4. We actually still have it today although it's chipped now so the "quicker and faster" parts have become even more pronounced....much to my wife's chagrin. ... View more

Just chiming-in on the row-your-own EV story. As part of the original “I’d rather eat worms” generation, I like it. The “changing the engine’s torque curve” part was especially surprising and appreciated. ... View more

Gotta believe the last ICE vehicles at GM will be HD trucks, not Vettes. As far as potential C9 styling goes, not a fan of either study - nor any Corvette since the ‘73 C3 tbh - but it will be what it will be and folks will buy it because it offers what Corvette has always offered: value-based performance that its competitors can’t touch. Don’t count me as an intender for a BEV Vette however. While I concede that it will offer better performance in some measures than its ICE counterpart - I’ve owned a BEV vehicle so know this for a fact - I’m an ICE guy. I like the sound hundreds of tiny explosions every second make; I like controlling a gearbox; I like the feeling of responsiveness that is lost in 1,200 pounds of batteries. I too have serious doubts about our infrastructure’s ability to accommodate an all-BEV future by 2035, but the issue is kind of like the C9’s styling: it will be what it will be and there’s not a damn thing any of us individually can do to influence it. ... View more

With the launch of the C8, Dealerships had to enroll and be approved as Corvette Dealers before being allowed to sell them. So while it is true that there are designated 'Corvette Dealers' today, I'm not sure how that impacts the availability of C1 - C7 parts through "Non-Corvette" dealerships. ... View more

Jack, buddy, we get it: in this Golden Age of Phukery, Ace is our hobby's shining example; "Living His Best Life" and making sure everyone knows it. But c'mon, he didn't cause global warming, create SARS-CoV-2, or blow-up an orphanage. Let it go....this isn't why I read your stuff. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUTGr5t3MoY ... View more

I wouldn’t say Dealers don’t like the current market; I’d say there is concern for the long-term implications. Franchise Dealers are - for the first time in decades - earning front-end gross on New Car sales. Customers that can’t wait the six months for a New vehicle are buying Used Cars - where again, Dealers are making record front-end grosses. Customers that can’t wait for delivery of a New vehicle, and don’t want to spend $5k over MSRP for a late model Used unit, are extending ownership of their existing car where the Dealer again is earning more revenue than ever because his Service Dept looks like a 1920s sweat shop. The bigger concern for Dealers is the BEV Revolution…the lack of Parts and Service revenue BEVs generate, and the skepticism BEVs are met with by many Full-Size Pick-Up customers; the segment providing most Dealers with the majority of their profits. ... View more

I think Ford would have had a profit-making hit on their hands using the Maya ES prototype. I also find it hard to believe they couldn’t find the budget to build the Explorer and a low-volume sports car (shout-out to Chrysler and its Viper team). Remember, this was at the dawn of the Malaise Era’s demise: Ferrari and Porsche were set to trigger the Supercar Arms Race with the 288 GTO & 959 and the Japanese were ramping-up production of models with never-seen-before performance with the Supra Turbo, 3000 GT VR4, 300ZX Twin Turbo, and RX-7 Twin Turbo on the drawing boards….all front-engine designs of course. While there were more “pedestrian” mid-engine entries from Ferrari and Lamborghini, as well as entry-level designs from Bertone (X1/9) and Toyota (MR2), there was a void in the middle of the mid-engine market - occupied only by the Lotus Esprit at the time - that Ford could have capitalized on. Sure, Ford made a gazillion dollars off the Explorer, but they missed an opportunity that would have paid dividends for decades to come: the creation of an attainable halo car that would have generated an immeasurable amount of press, changed the way consumers thought about Ford, and brought new converts to the brand (shout-out to Chevy’s C8 team). ... View more

“Built in February” Building is one thing, delivering quite another… 😉 ... View more

Have to laugh at all the comments saying a mid-engine chassis and AWD don't "belong" on a Vette. Chevy has been experimenting with both in potential Corvette applications for more than 60 years with Zora Arkus-Duntov himself involved with many of the prototypes. IIRC, a mid-engine platform was considered for every generation of Vette from C3 to C6 with some coming close to getting the green light for production. Not going to argue with anyone about the styling - eye of the beholder and all that - but at least Chevy had the balls to give their street-car customers the same dynamically advanced chassis design found in the C8R.....as opposed to Porsche who - also recognizing the superiority of the mid-engine platform for their 911 RSR race car - continue to only offer their road-going 911 customers a dynamically-inferior rear-engine chassis. ... View more

Senna v. Prost was certainly a great rivalry, but not sure I would characterize Suzuka '89 and '90 as "The best of Formula 1 competition." ... View more

RE: GT4RS: $229k for steel rotors and lug nuts..... As another comment said about the Taycan: go home Porsche, you’re drunk. ... View more

What’s not discussed here is the BEV’s delivery infrastructure. With much of the country’s grid already pushed to its limits, it’s going to take a massive investment in order to accommodate 300 million BEVs. The beauty of synthetic fuels is the existing infrastructure...not to mention the advantage of NOT having all your society’s power source eggs in one basket. As mentioned, synthetic fuel research is in its infancy and just like BEVs, will continue to be optimized for cost and performance. ... View more

IMO, you done good Matt; you had the pre-inspection done and went in with (mostly) eyes wide open. Rare is the individual that can ever truly claim to know the exact condition of every component on a 50 year-old car. While a restoration may not be the most cost-effective way to get into the hobby (vs buying an already restored car), there is an advantage to knowing exactly what's been done and by whom. Let's be generous and say you'll be $10k all-in on your first pass to get the Mini in roadworthy+ condition; what else can you buy for $10k that's a bonafide automotive legend (not to mention inspiration for one of history's all-time sexiest cars, the Lamborghini Miura!)? The topper though is the memories you, your son, and your Dad will make with the Mini...and that's something you just can't plug into a value equation. Best of luck. ... View more

The rear 3/4 view does this car no favors, and I have to agree; there's little apparent inspiration from it applied to the Boxster. While the production 986 Boxster wasn't exactly a design home run, the Boxster Concept Car was a much more handsome and muscular solution that, unfortunately, failed to make it to production. https://kelwaysvillage.com/porsche-boxster-concept/ Fortunately, time heals all wounds/mistakes and to my eye Porsche got it right with the 981/982. ... View more

LeBlanc drove a number of interesting cars - including a gorgeous Alfa 8C Spyder - in the show “Episodes” and I always wondered if they were his personal cars. ... View more

Cannot imagine dancing with this short-wheelbase wonder at 100+ mph across the Mexican Desert....truly a "when men were men" kinda feat. Also, how the hell did they get away with that oil cooler mounted behind the driver's head? ... View more

Would have been nice if the story had given the MSRP instead of making readers run a search outside of Hagerty for it. Also no mention if the Hybrid drivetrain features any kind of energy recapture or regen capabilities....so maybe not the right place to geek-out over all the high-tech engineering and little details? ... View more

Not entirely apples-to-apples including the OX99-11 as it was always intended as a limited-availability halo project, not a pedestrian production vehicle like the others featured here. Remember, this was at a time when Ferrari and McLaren sought to give their customers the closest thing possible to the Formula One experience for the street with the F50 and F1, while boutique cars like the XJ220, EB110, and Cizeta Moroder V16 tempted the wallets of wealthy patrons. That "F1 Design Brief" is the reason for the OX99's cockpit layout, as it was for Murray's center-seat solution for the F1. While the OX99-11 represented the most pure example of the "F1 for the Street" ethos among its contemporaries, it unfortunately gestated during a world economic downturn and featured specs that couldn't quite match its competitors nor support its exotic looks and design brief. Such an unfortunate outcome IMO because it was obviously the most radical and ambitious project of its era, incorporating design and engineering elements that were many years ahead of its time for use in road cars. ... View more

First Ferrari I ever drove was a 308 GT4 (the day I passed my driving test actually!) and it was truly an eye-opening experience after having cut my teeth on big-block American muscle cars. Once behind the wheel, your ears and seat of the pants will never be able to tell the difference between a 308 GT4 and 308 GTB/S. As the author is surely aware, these Bertone beauties are starting to get the respect they deserve and prices are starting to creep up. Hope to see your project updates over on FChat. ... View more

RE: Pictures. The author starts out on the right track track, saying "Sellers should provide a complete set of good, clear, current photographs showing every aspect of the car, from the exterior to the chassis, particularly of key areas known to be important on this make and model." but then veers into oncoming traffic with the tired old adage "...there’s no such thing as too many photos." and "the more photos, the better." This may end-up being the most un-popular comment ever, but as someone who's last four purchases have been made on-line, sight unseen, I have to respectfully disagree; there IS such a thing as too many photos. Far too many sellers - heeding the "there’s no such thing as too many photos" credo - think an auction listing is the place to showcase their arthouse photo skills. Take this recent BAT listing: https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1965-jaguar-xke-roadster-14/ What exactly does that close-up of the wing mirror with it's high-contrast, moody lighting tell me about the condition of this car? As a buyer, I have to wade-through this crap: the seller's wannabee calendar shots or their 27 versions of the same shot as they seek to find the most artsy angle...26 of which give me absolutely no further information about the car's condition and should have never made it to the listing. Multiply these shenanigans by however many cars you're looking at and photo-fatigue starts to become a real thing. So sellers, please; send all your beauty shots to Road & Track or Pirelli for their annual calendars and only give me what I need: "A complete set of good, clear, current photographs showing every aspect of the car, from the exterior to the chassis, particularly of key areas known to be important on this make and model." ... View more

IDK, to me the whole “One-of-(Fill-in the blank with a list of increasingly inconsequential attributes) is beginning to sound more and more like something Professor Marvel would say to pump-up the value of his elixirs. Hemi ‘Cudas are cool....ragtops even cooler...and the 4-speed puts it over the top, but come on, the fact that it was sold in France? Seriously? What’s next; the fact that it left the factory with 26 psi in the left-front tire? I had the opportunity to spend some time with the cars from a large collection recently and literally tired of reading placard after placard describing how special a car was because it was “One of two known to exist with the combination of 460 ci Super Ram Jet engine, floor-shifted Powerglide transmission, eight-track stereo, and bench seat.” Hey it’s not my money and the owner was obviously proud of the “special” cars displayed, but me....I’m holding out for that Verde Medio Metallizzo over Bordeaux Ferrari 288 GTO built on a Tuesday with the driver’s-side windshield wiper canted at 27 degrees. Now THAT’S a special car! ... View more

Aside from my personal concerns over the National Power Grid’s ability to deal with the increased demand vehicular electrification will place on it, where will the increased generation come from and what will it do greenhouse gas levels? Electrical generation is already the country’s second largest source of greenhouse gases ( https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions ), so unless we can start bringing-in Solar and Wind at competitive prices, we’ll either be swapping tailpipe emissions for smokestack emissions or paying a lot more for the electricity that powers much more than just the millions of new cars we’re talking about. ... View more

Lug nuts. Check their torque every time before pulling-out. Simple and fast way keep your day from being ruined. ... View more

Have to disagree about F1. Maybe it’s not a pure spec series, but so many aspects of the cars’ design are controlled now that it’s definitely more spec than not. I’d personally love to see F1 give designers a defined volume and max fuel flow rate (hybrids are a dead-end and Formula E can promote BEV technology) and see what they come up with. F1 also needs to open-up the tire-supplying role to a second and even third player if interest exists. ... View more

To add to mogowner’s comment, I also squirt a bit of fresh oil into each cylinder after removing the plugs and a few hours before cranking, use a flat-panel infrared heater to warm-up the oil pan/oil. Don’t know how much it helps, but makes me feel like I’ve done as much as I can to ease the shock of that first Spring fire-up. ... View more

IMO, one of the biggest turn-offs to BAT is the almost complete lack of moderation in the comments. I’m not talking about objectionable content, but rather the non-stop stream of inane, non-relevant comments that typically occur in the last two-minutes of the auction - particularly when a high-dollar car is involved - which BAT does nothing to suppress. Many of these comments/commenters seem solely interested in the number of “thumbs-up” reactions they can acquire and during yesterday’s RS200 Evo auction https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1986-ford-rs200-3/ the problem was so bad it completely froze my phone. Had I been a bidder or were I a collector of high-dollar autos, it would drive me crazy (I have purchased a much less valuable car on BAT where this wasn’t a problem btw); it would literally be like people at Mecum asking the auctioneer if the AC blew cold right before the hammer fell. We know BAT can mute these spurious comments - we’ve seen it in a few mega-dollar auctions previously - but why they don’t do it more in the last minute or two of each auction is a head-scratcher to me. ... View more

I still have the Road and Track and Kit Car magazine articles from the early ‘90’s about the Sportech (it started my fascination with cycle-powered cars) as well as its transition to tZero guise. The tZero’s range-extending trailer had a unique dual-point hitch designed to minimize the trailer’s effect on handling and I want to say the “generator” was actually a small Kawasaki motorcycle engine. Regarding Musk’s role at Tesla, there’s no doubt he’s done great things, just as there’s no doubt he forced-out true Co-founder Eberhard (Tesla agreed to an out of court settlement after Eberhard sued in 2009). None of that changes what Tesla has become or who Elon Musk is as a person apparently. ... View more

Jack, Plenty of time for more 170-mph motorcycle runs on the freeway once your son is off to college.... 60 is the new 40 dontcha know! Hahaha ... View more

Z13 and Z21 for me please. Z13 bears more than a passing resemblance to Volvo’s C30, but with a mid-engine design and just 1,800 lbs to move around, sounds a lot more enjoyable. Seems like everyone is doing a take on the Seven these days; too bad BMW never dusted this off, civilized it a tad bit more, and marketed it through its MINI division. ... View more

Good God people....get a life (and sense of humor while you’re at it). ... View more

@jaysalserVW - As the author states, all buses are Type 2s....which is not to be confused with the T1, T2, T3, and T4 designations which indicate Gen 1, Gen 2, Gen 3, and Gen 4. Regarding the Vanagon’s amazing versatility, I’ll just add that in the Carat/Wolfie/Weekender/MultiVan iteration, the “middle row” is actually two rearward-facing jumpseats located directly behind the driver’s and front passenger’s seats. The seat cushions flip-up when not in use to increase room - as well as ease ingress/egress for the sliding door - and can be removed completely with the tug of a single lever. I fact, my answer to the proverbial “If you could only have one vehicle to do everything from haul the family to haul the new washer and dryer home to camp overnight, all while being fun to drive”, it would be a Wolfie hardtop modded with more power and improved suspension....pretty much what Porsche created in the mid-80’s to support their Paris to Dakar entries: https://t3vanagon.blogspot.com/2008/10/b32-volkswagen-vanagon_6299.html?m=1 Even stock though, the Wolfsburg with it’s rear-engine/rear wheel drive layout, short wheel base, balanced weight distribution, lowered suspension, and wider tires is surprisingly entertaining to drive. I miss mine every day. ... View more

To all the White Knights: Your experience or point of view does not erase nor marginalize the experience of others. Your experience or point of view does not erase nor marginalize the experience of others. Yes, I meant to write that twice. I am thrilled that you’ve never exhibited the behavior - nor had the types of thoughts - Jack writes about. But that does not mean they don’t exist and that you can deny their existence. Jack himself has admitted to them and other comments have described being targets of them, so yeah, they’re a thing. To say this type of behavior doesn’t exist is like telling a racial minority that racism doesn’t exist because you don’t practice it and have never witnessed it personally. So do the hobby a favor; accept the fact that this exists for some people in some parts of the hobby and commit yourself to correcting it if you see it being practiced. ... View more

For me, the preference depends (mostly) on the intended use of the car. Cloth, Alcantara, Kevlar, what have you, is far superior to leather for any kind of performance driving. Those who’ve ever completed a track day with their leather clad runabout and 3-pt belts know exactly what I’m talking about. For everyday use though, it is hard to beat the livability of leather. ... View more

Not to take anything away from Mr Williams achievement and obvious talent - the more cool motors in the world the better - but I just don’t see the Neutron going into a lot of street cars based on what I know about similar engines. The Hartley V8 mentioned in the article (based on Suzuki’s Hyabusa head) is $48k complete. RPE’s similar V8 (also Hyabusa-based) which I do not know the exact cost of, has a recommended 40 hour TBO (in a racing environment) with engine+trans overhaul costs in the $25k range. Even if you double the RPE’s TBO to 80 hours, that’s still a $20k-$25k overhaul every other year for my “weekend” car. Of course this assumes the Neutron has buy-in and service costs that are similar to the other engines mentioned; hopefully this is an area where Mr Williams can really apply some engineering magic. ... View more

Gorgeous car and nice article...I had forgotten/didn’t know that Schulz was responsible for both the Commendatore and the b+b CW311. That’s a car I wonder about today as it would make for a fascinating story. As I remember, the CW311 wasn’t so much a “spiritual successor” to the 300 SL as it was a proof of concept that Mercedes’ stillborn concept of the late ‘60’s - early 70’s, the C111, was a still-viable proposition. Road & Track wrote an extensive analysis of the CW311 back in the day. ... View more

Westphalia’s have been steadily climbing the charts for a while now. While the darling of Boomers and investors, IMO Westphalias are really a one-trick pony; everything that makes them a great camper sucks bits and pieces out the overall joy and versatility that Vanagons are capable of providing. Westphalias only seat 4, have a narrower cargo bay, and their increased heft really dulls the driving fun. The Wolfsburg package on the other hand   (or the rare Multi-Van package) seats 7, sleeps 3 (4 for the Multi-Van), has a fold-out table with individual rear-facing one-button removable middle-row seats, a full-width cargo bay, and believe it or not, in 2.1 guise with its wider wheels and tires, enough juice to be enjoyable, keep up with traffic, and exploit the incredibly well-balanced chassis. Contrary to being a negative, the “sitting over the front wheels” only enhances the sense of the Vanagon’s short wheelbase and your perceived immediacy with which it responds to inputs...put plainly, I think they’re a blast to drive. I had the pleasure of driving a Wolfie for 25 years and trust me; if you needed to name one “Desert Island” vehicle - one that could haul cargo and people, return decent fuel-economy, and still provide an enjoyable drive - you’d be hard-pressed to name one with the overall chops of a Wolfsburg. Nice thing about the Wolfie is their much lower price of entry too...which leaves enough budget to spring for a really nice ice chest and camp stove; the two things a Wolfsburg lacks compared to a Westphalia. ... View more

Without knowing the specifics of which dealerships relinquished their Caddy franchises, it’s probably an exaggeration to characterize this as professional suicide; most of not all of these dealers will own multiple franchises; it’s extremely rare to see a stand-alone Caddy store not associated with at least a Buick/GMC franchise or part of a larger ownership group. ... View more

While not part of the auction mentioned in the article, my favorite homologation specials of all time would have to be Porsche’s 911 GT-1/98 and Toyota’s GT-One. Both used “creative interpretation” of the rules to arrive at their design solutions and both discovered that not 100, not 50, not 25, but just one, ridiculous road going example had to be built for homologation. Ferrari’s 250 LM has to earn an honorable mention here too simply for the size of Enzo’s cojones. Craziest Homologation Story honors though have to go to the Dauer 962 Le Mans. Dauer 962 Le Mans’ started life as retired Porsche 962 Group C race cars. The old nags were then lightly civilized and put out to pasture as road legal super cars. After a rules change at Le Mans favored “production” cars,  Dauer - with a little help from his friends.....at Porsche - converted 962 Le Mans road cars back into their (mostly) Group C configuration and raced them as GT cars, winning Le Mans outright in 1994 and proving once again you can teach an old race car new tricks! ... View more

Tom9716 has it exactly right about the consistency in Porsche’s design philosophy . Just look at the 911 RSR and how its, uh, errr, ummmmmm........obviously not intended for  True Porschephiles. 🤣 ... View more

Saw all three together at Pebble Beach in ‘93 or ‘94. They are absolutely stunning achievements in auto design and like Pinifarina’s prototypes discussed in another Hagerty article, really belong in a museum imo. ... View more

The title of the article is “Paolo Pininfarina’s Favorite Designs”...so much respect to Mr. Pininfarina’s opinions. And while I’d have the 512 Speciale, 1965 Dino Concept, 1965 250 LM Berlinetta one-off, and Mythos on my list, I do agree that the P6 is Pininfarina’s least appreciated concept and contributor to the Ferrari partnership. Besides informing the design for the soon to follow 365 GTB/4 BB, the side intakes and slight dihedral treatment of the hood/fender transition would make their way to the 308 as well. What the P6 may have lacked in boundary-pushing awe, it more than made up for in providing proof of concept for Ferrari’s most successful model up to that time. Also agree with Mr. Pininfarina regarding the Modulo (and Pinifarina’s other concepts): I don’t care how devoted a fan of Ferrari Mr. Glickenhouse is, these cars belong in museums, not the garages of collectors to be tinkered with like playthings. ... View more