I admit that I could listen to Jay Leno and James May talk about cars and such all day. And that it takes place mostly in a Triumph TR6 makes it all the better. (By the way, Jay’s take on the Ford Model T is wonderful.)
Should you want one properly restored, here are three options: 1972 / 1973 / 1974
I like the Racing Green one, but I’d happily drive any of them.
And from the comments, I think that “Our Man In Jay Leno’s Garage” is an inspired idea. Make it happen, you guys.
Harry Metcalf takes a Ferrari 296 out for a spin. And once he has it started (see around the 7-minute mark), he loves it. But… hybrid, battery, hassle, tiny gas tank, blah blah blah.
So he wouldn’t want to buy one. And at close to a half-million dollars, one is entitled to be fussy about all the inconveniences.
No thanks. Call me old-fashioned (and some people have), but when I get into a car, I want to start the damn thing (preferably with a key), and get on the road.
It’s kinda sad when a Ferrari is no longer a lottery dream car.
Sent to me by Reader Ken, this observation:
The REAL reason why older gentlemen and hyper cars don’t mix
The video is priceless.
Even as a youngin, I found it difficult to get behind the wheel of a sports car (and even more so to get out of it), mostly because I was bigger than the average Alfa/Ferrari-driving snake-hipped Dago.
With my current physique — yea, even after the Ozempic thing — I’d never be able to fit into a McLaren F1 or the like because shoulders. Getting out would require some kind of crane or block-and-pulley arrangement.
A little while ago I saw the middle-aged driver of a Mazda Miata having a little difficulty getting out at the supermarket, and I asked her how she found the Mazda.
“Best experience ever”, was her response.
“And the hassle of getting out?”
“Worth it.”
Which sums up my attitude, should I ever be in a position to own a sports car (NOT a “super car” because I’m not an idiot).
Yeah, it’s not a “real” Ferrari. Don’t care; it’s friggin’ gorgeous.
Actually, the fact that it’s a recreated Ferrari with a Corvette engine without the bloated (and expensive) “Ferrari mystique” makes it even more desirable to me.
And I don’t care about the crane thing, either.
Audi has become the latest auto manufacturer to perform a dramatic U-turn on its electric vehicle commitments, writing off its promised to stop developing internal combustion engines (ICE) in 2033.
Instead, the Bavarian-based marque will continue to make both ICE cars and plug-in hybrids into the next decade, as part of a ‘completely new’ fuel-powered line-up.
CEO Gernot Döllner confirmed the brand’s revised plans, explaining that ‘flexibility’ is the new direction Audi will take so it can see how ‘markets develop’.
The German car giant had originally planned to build its last ICE-only car next year with the new-generation Q7. However, it suggested earlier this year that petrol and diesel models could run for longer.
Stupid assholes thought they could buy credibility with the wokerati Greens by putting a deadline on the eeeevil fuel-powered engines, despite all the writing on the wall indicating that EVs are not popular in the mass market, that there are serious concerns about the “green-ness” of the EV when the total energy cost of their manufacture is taken into account and not just their eco-friendliness on the road.
And speaking of “on the road”, there’s always this little EV problem:
…and the fact that the EV fires are almost inextinguishable (and can re-ignite even after they are extinguished), and give off toxic smoke.
Yeah… I can’t imagine why a company might want to rethink their position, either.
The fact of the matter is that the auto companies should never have drawn that line in the sand in the first place.
In the meantime, here are a few pics to make us all feel better about this.
There; I told you it would make you feel better.
Here’s a little nugget from the Trump Tariff Front:
General Motors (GM) announced plans to invest $4 billion in three new U.S. assembly plants, including the production lines for the Chevrolet Blazer and Chevrolet Equinox, which the company currently builds in Mexico.
Yay and all that. Another reaction:
The United Auto Workers (UAW) praised GM’s decision, calling it a validation of the effectiveness of global auto tariffs.
Yeah, fine, whatever. Let’s just hope that you union assholes don’t jump on this opportunity to make unreasonable wage demands, which is what drove GM to move the plants to Mexico in the first place.
I’m not at all confident that this won’t happen, but as I am not and never will be a target customer of General Motors*, I personally will not be affected, especially as the newly-replanted assembly plants will be building Chevrolet Equinox, Chevrolet Bolt EV, Chevrolet Blazer, Cadillac Lyriq and Vistiq EVs and the Cadillac XT5. (Lyriq? Vistiq? WTF kind of names are those?)
I see that GM, with its customary foresight, has slated its EV models for some of the new plants, despite customer demand for said excrescences falling through the floor.
Pathetic.
The only GM car I’d ever consider buying is the Caddy CT4 Blackwing, except that while its engine is admittedly excellent, the CT4 looks like a primitive 1978-era CAD drawing:
In earlier times, we would have described that thing as “uglier than a bucketful of burst assholes”.
As for all GM’s other models: pass, with extreme prejudice.
Talking about this burning issue:
“If lithium-ion batteries weren’t powering vehicles that are supposed to save the planet from climate change, they would not be in such widespread use. Perhaps we can find another power source to save the planet that isn’t so hard to put out if it burns, doesn’t let off toxic gases when it’s on fire, and can be manufactured in the United States.”
I think he’s talking about the gasoline-powered internal combustion engine… and not something powered by faerie-dust and unicorn flatulence.