The Latest Auto Extremist
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Rants
DESIGN MATTERS STILL.
by Editor
25 Oct 2026 at 8:24am
Editor's Note: This week, Peter presents a renewed case for the enduring power of design, highlighting the spectacular Alfa Romeo Cuorerosso Concept. In On The Table, from the "Fool's And Their Money" File, Cadillac unveils the 2027 Escalade-V 125th Anniversary Collector Series. Our video this week is a deep dive into the Jaguar Type 01 from Harry's Garage. Our AE Song of the Week is "Peace train" by Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam). In Fumes, Peter presents Part II of his series, "The Racers." And finally, in The Line, we have F1 results from the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, and we were going to have MotoGP results from the spectacular Phillip Island circuit in Australia, but the race was cancelled due to unsafe conditions, so we have video from the Sprint race on Saturday. Remember, you can read past issues by scrolling down and clicking on "Next 1 Entries." Enjoy! -WG
By Peter M. DeLorenzo
Detroit. After years of writing about design, it’s clear that I place a high value on the efficacy and execution of design. It’s also no secret that I believe that design will maintain its position as the Ultimate Initial Product Differentiator going forward – in fact, even more so than ever before.
My past columns have generated a lot of comments from within the industry, especially – and understandably so – from the design community. I would say that the vast majority of the comments we have received over the years were positive, and that’s gratifying, because I have the utmost respect for the creative talents who work in the design houses all over the world.
As I’ve said many times before, the artisans who toil in design studios are the most influential people in the automobile business. They set the tone for brands and lead the word-of-mouth, “street look” discussions, and their visionary work can make – or break – a car company’s fortunes. It’s grueling work, too, because designers live in a particularly strange Twilight Zone where they have to dwell in the past and present, while working on a future that’s coming well down the road. That means lead designers have to present “new” designs to the media and public that have been basically “baked” three to five years before. Then, they go back to their respective studios to put the finishing touches on designs that will appear five years into the future.
This work requires vision, discipline and a savagely creative mindset that is instantly graded the moment the wraps are taken off of their latest designs. It is a relentlessly tough profession, but when you talk to designers, most wouldn’t trade it for anything. Seeing something in concept or production form that they had a key role in creating presents a level of exhilaration that’s extremely hard to beat.
That intro was kind of a labyrinthian way of getting to this week’s discussion topic, which is a question that I get asked all the time: “Given everything you know, who’s doing design well right now?”
That’s the billion-dollar question, isn’t it? Design matters more now than at any other time in automotive history. In this 24/7, nanosecond-attention-span world we live in today, the hot “street look” of the moment captures all the attention and interest, and usually results in red-hot sales figures too.
I’m bringing this up now because we’re still reverberating from the latest Musk fiasco that happened last week with his fanciful “roadster.” The people involved with that car are so far removed from credible design work at this point that it’s hard to fathom what the hell is going on in their heads. And remember, these are the same people who dumped the “Cybertruck” on the streets and byways of America, creating a level of eye pollution that still stings every time we see one. Needless to say, what Tesla is involved in now is the antithesis of credible design work, so I will be glad to dismiss the lot of them as annoying poseurs at this point.
And then there’s the Jaguar Type 01. I will say this about the Jaguar: Unlike the Tesla train wreck, at least it has a design point of view. As I said a couple of weeks ago, however, it’s not really to my taste. The “blunderbuss dildo from outer space” look doesn’t resonate with me, but the more I look at it the more I acknowledge that it will likely find favor with some denizens of the moneyed enclaves in New York, Miami and L.A. It gives off a vibe befitting an armored car from The Future, cocooning its owners in a very tight but cold cabin that will protect them from the coming Apocalypse, or something like that. (For a detailed look at the new Jaguar, please go to On The Table where our video this week gives you a complete rundown of the Type 01. It’s very interesting. -WG)
When it really comes right down to it, exotic cars continue to lead the discussion when it comes to design. Specifically, cars and concepts designed in Italy. This has been the case in this business since the glamorous 1950s and ‘60s, when Italian designs were so spectacularly beyond anything else going on in the industry that even the legendary GM Styling leader – the great Bill Mitchell – would purposely bring the latest Ferrari designs to GM’s Tech Center in Warren, Michigan, and put them on display in the GM Styling viewing courtyard for his designers to see in person. Mitchell figured, and rightly so I might add, that design inspiration was needed from wherever it came from, and the Italians were leading the way.
But I will emphasize that just because a car is expensive or exotic doesn’t mean its design is automatically compelling. Unless, of course we’re talking about the new Alfa Romeo Cuorerosso Concept, which debuted a couple of weeks ago at the Paris Motor Show.
This new Alfa Romeo Cuorerosso Concept is simply extraordinary. Taut of skin and visually stunning from every angle – inside and out – it is an eloquent rebuttal to the relentlessly tedious SUV/crossover/pickup truck world we’re living in right now. And it is a spectacular reminder that emotionally compelling design will always resonate with people, stoking fires of desire that just can’t be replicated anywhere else.
I would offer that the new Alfa Romeo Cuorerosso Concept, which will be Alfa’s design signature going forward influencing all of its future models, makes the new Porsche Mission S concept look bland, mundane and lackluster by comparison, like yesterday’s news.
Kudos to the True Believers at Alfa Romeo design for reminding all of us in this business that passionate, compelling design still matters. And that just “going through the motions” will never cut it, in the studio, or on the street.
And when I think of Bill Mitchell and his thoughts on design, I believe he would have been thrilled with the Alfa Romeo Cuorerosso Concept.
It’s the Best of the Best in this business right now.
And that’s the High-Octane Truth for this week.
(Images courtesy of Alfa Romeo/Sports Car Digest)
Editor's Note: Click on "Next 1 Entries" at the bottom of this page to see previous issues. - WG
SMOKE, MIRRORS AND ANOTHER MUSKIAN FIASCO.
by Editor
18 Oct 2026 at 7:52am
Editor's Note: This week, Peter unleashes on Elon Musk and his latest unmitigated disaster. In On The Table, Porsche unveils the "Mission S," a vision of Porsche's future, which includes a mid-engine car positioned above the 911 that will have a permanent place in the company's product portfolio. Our video this week is about the 1958 12 Hours of Sebring, revealing just how different racing was back then. Our AE Song of the Week is "The Flame" by Cheap Trick. In Fumes, Peter unveils a new series, "The Racers." And finally, in The Line, with F1 and MotoGP off this weekend, we present "October In Racing History" courtesy of our friends at Sports Car Digest. Remember, you can read past issues by scrolling down and clicking on "Next 1 Entries." We're on it! -WG
By Peter M. DeLorenzo
Detroit.
Welcome back, my friends
To the show that never ends
We're so glad you could attend
Come inside! Come inside
There behind a glass
Stands a real blade of grass
Be careful as you pass
Move along! Move along
Come inside, the show's about to start
Guaranteed to blow your head apart
Rest assured you'll get your money's worth
The greatest show in Heaven, Hell, or Earth
“Karn Evil 9” by Emerson, Lake & Palmer, from the album “Brain Salad Surgery” (1973)
Knowing Elon Musk was sniffing around his vaunted “roadster” project again was a bad sign. It was depressing, in fact. The “Smoke-and-Mirrors” addict was sure to come up with a “show” promising something implausible and yet insist it was real, because that’s just who he is. Which brought to mind the famous Emerson, Lake & Palmer song, “Karn Evil 9.” But then, what else can you expect from a guy who constantly lives in his head, mining a kaleidoscope of hype, boasts, self-absorbed malicious intent and fantasy?
The news of the “roadster” intro meant that the attention-span-challenged “smartest guy in the room” had turned his attention back to cars for like, five minutes, and the long-rumored project, which was a decade in the making, finally broke cover last week. And true to form, it was a typical Muskian fiasco, meaning it was comprised of spectacular, non-sensical hype, wildly ridiculous promises and enough unmitigated bullshit to last a lifetime. Come to think of it, that describes the cringeworthy Billionaire Overlord to a “T.”
On his way to dumping $150,000,000 into the Texas senate race on a whim in order to prop up an incompetent fraudster, Musk found time to launch his “roadster” to a crowd of bootlicking partisans, who were foaming at the mouth over the opportunity to bask in Musk’s brilliance. And frankly, it was a disgusting display, produced by a combination of the Best and the Brightest (allegedly) minions of SpaceX and Tesla, with the “Flying Car” hype being the centerpiece of the show, though it doesn’t have even a remote chance in hell of ever seeing the light of day. Flying cars, Elon? Yeah, right.
The promises? Oh boy, I can hardly wait to share them with you.
The topline “roadster” model is dubbed the “Rocket,” which is to be outfitted with “a full flight system” and will be invite-only. (Remember, this is the same guy who promised “Full Self Driving,” which has landed his company permanently ensconced in court due to the flat-out lies promised with that system.) And get this: The one-seat vehicle is not currently approved for public-road use. Oh, really? No shit. Again, it’s yet another example of Musk hubris on a grand scale.
The less advanced “Performance” version is a two-seater without the optional thrusters, but is described as “road-ready,” while a “Thrust” version is described as “race-ready.” Again, if you think these cars will actually see the light of day, I will be your next president.
In case you’re wondering: The Thrust and Rocket versions of the “roadster” contain “cold-gas thrusters,” small rockets that release gas to add juice to the acceleration capability. These two models are either invite-only or “limited release.” All "roadsters" have a fan-suction system that makes downforce at high speeds. “This car really sucks,” said Musk, reaffirming his status as the consummate D-Bag.
And then there are the alleged performance numbers. Again, a reminder, these numbers are nothing more than Gulp Fiction.
The Thrust version of the “roadster” is allegedly supposed to hit 60 mph in less than one second, with a top speed of 230 mph. Tesla operatives say that the base “roadster” can do 0-60 mph in 1.6 seconds.
Now, here’s the comical part, because with Musk there's always a comical part: Musk promised his adoring minions that the “roadster” would begin production in 2028, “actually, for real” as he put it. I could hear the guffaws from knowledgeable industry people all around the world over that one. There is no way in hell that even the base version of the “roadster” will see the light of day before 2030, and even that is a wild-ass stretch. Why? Because Musk really doesn’t give a shit about it; he’s only interested in building his legions of robots. The “roadster” is Musk’s “Side Show Bob” in the overall scheme of his attention-span-challenged mind. And like that certain clown living at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, he’s only interested in “the show,” and I can assure you he’s already moved on from this whole thing.
And finally: I pity the fools putting down deposits of $250,000 on the “roadster.” These people have taken the concept of being “the biggest tools in the shed” to new heights. The fact that there are allegedly smart and rich people out there buying Musk’s bullshit is depressing and unfathomable.
One car company smiling smugly after Musk’s “show”? Porsche. The German car company's operatives have to be grinning ear-to-ear. After all, it’s a real car company that not only promises great cars but builds them. Albeit incredibly pricey and with unbridled greed baked in, but with no smoke and mirrors as part of the equation. (See this week’s “On The Table” – WG)
I could write more about this unmitigated disaster called the “roadster,” but I’m not going to bother. Musk is nothing more than a grifter on a grand scale, someone who moves in whims and malignant shouts, leaving nothing but chaos in his wake. (DOGE anyone?) He’s the perfect bad guy for this dismal chapter in our nation’s history: morally bankrupt, maliciously self-absorbed and confident that only he has the answers for The Future.
Heaven help us.
And that’s the High-Octane Truth for this week.
Editor's Note: Click on "Next 1 Entries" at the bottom of this page to see previous issues. - WG
A JAGUAR IN NAME ONLY.
by Editor
11 Oct 2026 at 8:05am
Editor's Note: This week, Peter dissects the new Jaguar Type 01, which, sadly, is nothing more than an affront to the once-glorious brand. In On The Table, BMW debuts the new iX4 EV, and Honda has updated the Civic for 2027. Our video this week presents the story behind Gil de Ferran's spectacular closed course world speed record. Our AE Song of the Week is "With Or Without You" by U2. In Fumes, Peter unveils Part VII of his series, "Famous Front Rows." And finally, in The Line, we have F1 results from Singapore and MotoGP from Indonesia. Remember, you can read past issues by scrolling down and clicking on "Next 1 Entries." Enjoy! -WG
By Peter M. DeLorenzo
Detroit. We knew this day would come. All of the hand-wringing over the pre-advertising for the “new” Jaguar, and all of the teaser images and pronouncements have led to this: the unveiling of the new Jaguar Type 01 at a gala event in New York last Wednesday evening. And Jaguar operatives were jubilant.
“This was the biggest moment since the Jaguar name was born in 1935. A fitting tribute and a powerful expression of Jaguar's dramatic new era. A new chapter for the brand begins with Type 01. Jaguar is back,” gushed Jaguar’s PR minions.
Oh wait, there’s more: “Type 01 is defined by exuberant proportions, with its low roofline, long bonnet, sleek silhouette and dramatic presence. Starting from a single line and a blank sheet of paper, it is the most aerodynamic and powerful Jaguar road car. A bold, one?of?a?kind that breaks convention, with a clear lineage to the great Jaguars of the past including the E?type and XJS. Beneath Type 01’s clean surfaces is a bespoke Jaguar Electric Architecture which offers more than 1,000HP, always with power in reserve, for a drive that is unmistakably Jaguar. Powered by an 850?volt electrical architecture, it delivers a range of up to 400?miles and adds up to 200 miles in as little as 13 minutes using 350kW charging. Type 01 represents a new standard of power, aerodynamics and technological advancement for Jaguar.”
Wow, that’s a lot to digest. First of all, unmistakably Jaguar? Mentioning the E-Type in conjunction with the Type 01 is an insult to the automotive gods, because even if you squint really hard in your computer-enhanced glasses there is no connection to that magnificent automobile by any stretch of the imagination. Jaguar even alluded to other great machines from its past, none of which were the least bit connected to the gigantic silver beast dubbed “Type 01.”
Now, before I go any further, I have often written about how difficult it is for designers to forge a completely new vision for a brand. It is the most daunting challenge a designer can face, in fact. It is a very fine line between not going far enough or going too far. Designers will tell you that playing the “design reach” game is not for the faint of heart.
Given all of that, let’s consider Jaguar. Needless to say, the Jaguar brand is hanging by a thread in this market and around the world. In this global, cutthroat automotive landscape, Jaguar has become an afterthought, a brand that enjoyed its brightest days decades ago. So, Jaguar operatives were faced with a choice: either make a definitive brand statement that projects a total break from its past, or do another rehash that will just end up in the scrap heap of forgettable also rans. Again.
Jaguar operatives chose the former, and thus, the Type 01.
As you can see by the photos the Type 01 is a lumbering beast. Even if you squint, there’s not a shred of historical “Jaguar” in it. And, of course, that’s the point. Jaguar operatives rightly understood that this “new” Jaguar was, for all intents and purposes, an automotive company start-up. I would add with nothing to lose, but that would be woefully inaccurate. This brand has everything to lose with the Type 01; in fact it’s all on the line.
When the Type 01 appears in this market one year from now with a base MSRP of around $130,500 (Yeah, right, expect an additional $25,000 added to that figure before it gets here. -WG), it will be aimed at the moneyed enclaves in Miami, L.A. and New York. And why not? That’s where the market is most receptive to big ticket luxury EVs; where you can find Escalade IQs roaming the streets and byways in all their gigantic, pavement-crushing glory. So, maybe the Type 01 will find a home in those luxury hot spots.
And when you think about the other high-roller EVs – I’m talking the Rolls-Royce Spectre, for instance, or the new Bentley Torcal, or the horrifying Ferrari Luce – this new Jaguar may fit right in because even if it comes in at $175,000, it will be a relative bargain.
But what are my thoughts on the design itself? If it wasn’t already named a “Jaguar” I could easily see it as the latest from the Kia design studios, especially from the front. It has that kind of a feel to it. And the rear looks like a design exploration for a new sedan from the Cadillac studio at GM design. Derivative design is usually a non-starter in this business, but in this case, because Jaguar is basically nowhere in this market, I don’t believe it will be a hindrance.
Is it pretty? No. It has the look of a blunderbuss dildo from outer space, frankly, especially in its blunt-nosed front. So, there’s that. Is it elegant? From certain angles, yes, especially from the 3/4 to 7/8 rear. So, I don’t hate it, but I do resent what it means. My biggest disappointment? The interior. It’s the one place where the designers could have done more. Much more. Instead, it looks like a generic EV interior from a car 1/3 its price. Here’s another word for it: It’s disastrous.
To me, the Type 01 – and the car company itself – is called “Jaguar” in name only, because it has nothing to do with that previous brand called “Jaguar” or its glorious history. And I would suggest that the operatives from this “new” Jaguar refrain from dragging out its magnificent vehicles from the past, because there’s no rhyme or reason to do that. They have nothing to do with the brand anymore. I find that to be sad, but it’s the ugly reality of this business, right now.
And that’s the High-Octane Truth for this week.
(Jaguar images)
Editor's Note: Click on "Next 1 Entries" at the bottom of this page to see previous issues. - WG
GOODBYE TO ALL THAT.
by Editor
4 Oct 2026 at 8:41am
Editor's Note: This week, Peter paints his bleakest picture yet of the U.S. auto industry, which is careening toward also-ran status on the world stage. In On The Table BMW debuts its new 3 Series in gasoline and EV form, Honda has updated the Civic Type R for 2027, and Hyundai has unveiled its new Tucson. Our video this week presents Peter Brock and the Cobra Daytona Coupe. Our AE Song of the Week is "Espresso" by Sabrina Carpenter. In Fumes, Peter unveils Part VI of his series, "Famous Front Rows." And finally, in The Line, we have F1 results from the Bahrain Grand Prix (which was relocated to Sepang in Malaysia), MotoGP from Japan, and the season finale of the IMSA Series - Petit Le Mans - from Road Atlanta. Remember, you can read past issues by scrolling down and clicking on "Next 1 Entries." Onward! -WG
By Peter M. DeLorenzo
Detroit. It’s clear to me that we’ve reached an inflection point in this “Swirling Maelstrom” that I call the U.S. auto industry. Things aren’t making sense because up is down and down is up, and there’s no rhyme or reason to anything anymore.
In the midst of the most extreme affordability crisis car buying consumers in this country have faced in the last 25 years, domestic automakers are churning out $85,000 (and much more) pickups and SUVs with impunity, counting on the fact that they’ll keep making money on those luxury behemoths while hoping to figure out the lower end of the market on the fly.
As if.
While this is happening, these same automakers are insisting that they haven’t ignored the concept of affordability and that “it won’t be long now!” before domestic dealer lots are crammed with under-$40,000 vehicles. But, needless to say, their credibility is highly suspect.
The evidence? Jim “I’m a genius just ask me” Farley, the Ford CEO – who flits between cable TV appearances on an endless quest for self-aggrandizement and with his “look at me, I’m so cool!” podcasts – is promising that the “Fathom” wonder truck will be the greatest thing since sliced bread when it hits the market next year. Which, considering the source, is highly questionable. Remember, this is from a guy who has promised the moon and the stars before and fell flat on his face. After all, how many “Model T moments” from one company can there be before people just ignore his boastful – and flat-out delusional – promises altogether? Farley is saying his little “wonder truck” will be out next year. That’s a laugh. It might appear on December 31, 2027, in pre-production form, only to suffer an endless series of delays and recalls. Ready. Set. Oh, never mind.
I’ve covered this tedious situation before, but Chairman Bill Ford is well and truly hamstrung with Farley, because the company’s bench strength is nonexistent. So, we’re all collectively stuck with this self-promoting blowhard until he retires to Carmel with his hundreds of millions. Good Riddance can’t happen soon enough. But at least he was crowned “2026 Automotive News Industry Leader of the Year” so there’s that.
And there’s more, there’s always more. Ford and General Motors operatives blatantly cozied up to the Conman-in-Chief to get defense contract business, as well as getting the mileage standards rolled back to where they were during the previous administration. And they succeeded on both counts. But to that I say, be careful what you wish for, because the cost of achieving those goals was astronomical.
These same leaders blithely sat by, there was that unforgettable – and cringeworthy – picture of Farley preening in the oval office as the Stumblebum-in-Chief touted his tariffs, which have only served to decimate the auto industry and destroy longstanding relationships with this country’s most trusted trading partners. It has been, quite simply, a debacle of almost incalculable proportion. Again, to see these corporate leaders whore themselves out was excruciating and inexcusable.
GM’s case was particularly disturbing, as the company destroyed what little shred of credibility it had left when they cozied up to Dear Leader and allowed him to bring his festering Dead Air Circus to Milford. It was simply unconscionable to me and by far the lowest point in the corporation’s history. And what did CEO Mary Barra get for that, exactly? A slew of defense contracts that may or not prove to be lucrative – after all, this is the U.S. government, we’re talking about – so please spare me the idea of a “sure thing,” especially while “partnering” with this chaotic administration. When the final tally is written about Barra’s tenure, this episode will have irrevocably besmirched her reputation.
The other dimension to this “be careful what you ask for” thing is the rollback of the fuel economy standards. It’s no secret that this is the most short-sighted and painfully reactionary administration in this country’s history, so this dimwitted action was not entirely unexpected. After all, Dear Leader is locked in a sick 1980s-time warp, which will only serve to park this auto industry in neutral, while the rest of the global auto industry blows by it, hammer down.
I have predicted of late that this country’s auto industry will end up looking a lot like Great Britain’s, which is basically a cottage industry. But in retrospect, I was being woefully optimistic. The rollback of these standards will effectively destroy the U.S. auto industry within a decade, relegating it to permanent also-ran status.
As I said in my preamble last week, things are rapidly spinning out of control. I retained a shred of optimism as recently as a few weeks ago. Now? We’re watching as an excruciatingly slow train wreck unfolds before our eyes.
And what about all of the glorious high-performance cars we have access to now? Doesn’t that count for something? Sure, it does. And they will look really good at Pebble Beach fifteen years from now as symbols of a perpetually mismanaged industry that was swallowed whole by the harsh realities of a changed world.
It’s just beyond infuriating at this point
And that’s the High-Octane Truth for this week.
Editor's Note: Click on "Next 1 Entries" at the bottom of this page to see previous issues. - WG
IT WAS GOOD. AND HARD. AND FAST, PART II
by Editor
27 Sep 2026 at 7:50am
Editor's Note: This week, after a searing"middle-of-the-night" mini-Rant from Peter, we reprise a special, unvarnished missive about his incomparable high-octane life. On The Table, speaking of a brand that is completely out of ideas, Nissan operatives unveiled a concept that honors T-Tops! Ugh. Our video this week takes a look at the career of Dave MacDonald. Our AE Song of the Week is the classic "Choosin' Texas" by Ella Langley. In Fumes, Peter gives us Part V of his series, "Famous Front Rows." And finally, in The Line, we have F1 results from the Azerbaijan Grand Prix from Baku. Remember, you can read past issues by scrolling down and clicking on "Next 1 Entries." Enjoy! -WG
Editor's Note: Every now and then, it's good to hit the PAUSE button. This week is one of those times (as in, Stop the world - I want to get off). I received the following mini-Rant in a middle-of-the-night email from Peter. “Things are rapidly spinning out of control. The so-called ‘leaders’ of this nation are doing everything in their power to screw things up, and their serial incompetence is costing this country, dearly. The auto industry in particular is caught between a rock and a hard place, careening between piss-poor, capricious decisions in Washington compounded by a tariff strategy that’s completely nonsensical, decimating any semblance of planning or predictability for these manufacturers. U.S. car companies are locking in plans that may result in profits in the short term, but meanwhile the global picture is coming into focus. And it doesn’t include our domestic manufacturers, which are careening toward becoming a localized cottage industry, aided and abetted by an administration hell-bent on punting the U.S. auto industry back to the Stone Age, as they roll back fuel economy standards. What a joke. And, if that isn't enough, VW is talking in-car gaming and Genesis is touting in-car home theater, I mean, WTF is going on? It just pisses me off.” Nice to wake up to, no? So, in the meantime, I thought it would be a good time for Peter to cool off, and to reprise a special, unvarnished missive from The Autoextremist, and a look inside his incomparable high-octane life. Enjoy! -WG
By Peter M. DeLorenzo
Detroit. I am the passenger. I am a Technicolor Dream Cat riding this kaleidoscope of life. I’ve seen some things, indeed, more than most. Magic things. Loud things. Fast things.
I once looked up at a ghostly tornado finger drifting overhead in Flint. It was ominous and beyond scary. A lot of people died that day too. But then, a few years later, I saw my first 707 hanging in the sky. It was majestic and powerful. And the Jet Age was on.
I got introduced to horsepower, side pipes and chrome, and I happily got sucked in. Corvettes and 409s, GTOs and Starfires. And Sting Rays. Forever Sting Rays. And in the midst of all that, I bought and rebuilt a Bug go-kart, had the Mac 6 engine rebuilt and hopped-up, painted it bright orange, and spent one summer terrorizing our neighborhood. I dubbed it the Orange Juicer Mk 1, and found out how fast 60 mph felt that low to the ground. It was everything, all the time.
It was good. And hard. And fast.
Woodward wasn’t just a thing. It was Life. In 0 to 100 bursts. It all came alive at night. Open pipes, rumbles and roars, dares and boasts. The drive-ins smelled like burning rubber and French fries. Girls leaned and preened. Boys slouched and crouched. To get a better look. Riding shotgun with my brother, it was a world that called me.
From there, it was riding with The Maestro, Bill Mitchell – our neighbor – in the original Sting Ray racer, thinking it was normal and knowing it was not. But I soaked it all in anyway, and it was just the beginning. There were Mako Sharks, Monza Super Spyders and GTs; and XP-700 Corvettes and XP-400 Pontiacs. And on and on. It was all stunning to look at. And be in. The grass was greener and the sky was bluer, and the sounds were intoxicating.
It was good. And hard. And fast.
And then came the Cobras. All lithe and tiny next to the Corvettes. And a new kind of fast. Blistering, neck-snapping fast. A two-car-length jump off the line fast. Open-top roadsters lurking for a fight. It was the smell of English leather and burning tennis shoes when running the Cobras in the cool of the night. And believe me, there was nothing else like it.
And then road racing came calling. My brother Tony’s driver school at Watkins Glen in June of ’64. In a Tuxedo Black Sting Ray that had been personally massaged by Zora and his troops, complete with straight pipes to install when we got there. Riding on Goodyear Blue Streaks the whole way. The Glen Motor Court beckoned, but the track was the thing. That Sting Ray barked and blurted out speed, and Tony was the fastest man there. There was no turning back at that point.
It was good. And hard. And fast.
Next up was a “A” Sedan Corvair that we flat-towed all over hell and back. Starting out at our local Waterford Hills raceway, and then on to Nelson Ledges, Mid-Ohio, Lime Rock, Vineland, Grayling and even a 12-Hour endurance race at Marlboro, Maryland. But that was just the pre-game.
The real stuff was coming in 1967. We ordered what turned out to be the first of just 20 427 L88 Corvette Sting Rays built that year. I remember when we went to Hanley Dawson Chevrolet in Detroit to see the bad-ass Sting Ray for the first time. It had just been unloaded off the truck and it was stunning. We hopped in it just to see, and suspicions were conformed: It was a wild, unruly beast. We dismantled it over a weekend and had a roll bar welded-in, installed a set of American Torq-Thrust racing wheels and bolted-on some OK Kustom headers. We added a few other tweaks and we were off to our first SCCA Regional race in Wilmot Hills, Wisconsin. In “A” Production. There was a 427 Cobra there, too, but it was no match for our Super Sting Ray. Tony won going away. And then it was off to the races, literally: Mid-Ohio, Road America, Blackhawk Farms, Nelson Ledges, Watkins Glen, Daytona.
It was good. And hard. And fast.
And then everything changed. Owens/Corning Fiberglas became our sponsor. And the races got bigger. Twenty-two straight wins in “A” Production, with twelve 1-2 finishes with teammate Jerry Thompson, who would go on to win the National Championship in ‘69. Then it was the major endurance races with GT class wins at Daytona, Sebring and Watkins Glen. And the Trans-Am series in 1970 with Camaros, and in 1971 with ex-Bud Moore factory Mustangs. And finally, the infamous Budd-sponsored Corvette in 1973, with Tony sitting on the pole at Sebring for the all-GT 12-hour race that year.
They were fleeting moments in time, but they were unforgettable. Pouring a bucket of water over my head after gas spilled all over me during a pit stop at Marlboro. Waking up in the cab of our semi on the Ohio Turnpike in the middle of the night on the way to Lime Rock only to see that my brother was fast asleep as we were running diagonally off the left shoulder and headed for the median. I yelled. We made it. But that was just the way it was back then. No sleep for days on end getting the cars ready – to the point of exhaustion – only to then have to load up and drive to the next race. It was relentless.
Then there was the infamous Pontiac street race in 1974. It was a dubious track at best, with haybales and guardrails offering little protection for the drivers, or the crowd. Tony was passing a slower car during the race and the driver moved over on him. The move forced Tony into some haybales, turned him sideways, causing his Corvette to barrel roll 20 feet in the air taking out a light pole. That impact with the light pole saved him from going into a spectator area of at least one hundred people. I was a fair distance away when I saw a flash of his car going end-over-end (after the light pole impact) down the straightway on Wide Track avenue. I sprinted to get there, only to see the car burst into a fireball. I arrived to see my brother laying on the ground. He had gotten out in time, barely a moment before the car burst into flames. It was only later that we found out that a guy who was keeping the car in Florida in-between Daytona races had removed the check-valve in the fuel cell “to save weight.” Idiot.
Needless to say, that was a dark day, especially since a reporter at the event called one of my dad’s GM PR staffers – my mom and dad were at an outdoor party with his entire PR staff – and informed him that Tony had been killed in Pontiac. (He never saw Tony get out of the car.) My dad’s right-hand man informed my parents that they had to go to St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Pontiac immediately. They feared the worse, of course. So that was me at the hospital seeing the ashen look on my parents’ faces when they arrived. I took them to see my brother on a gurney in the hallway; he was alert but battered and extremely sore. My parents were relieved, and so was I.
But that was only part of my ride on this kaleidoscope of life. There was the time we built a prototype ’69 L88 Corvette roadster (in black, of course) called the “Daytona GT” with the intention of selling customer versions. It was basically one of our racing cars equipped with a few more comfort options. We even got display space at Cobo Hall during the Auto Show to show it off. But the pressures of running the racing team meant that the project was shelved. The Corvette was eventually rebuilt to fully race-prepared OCF racing team specs, given a psychedelic paint job and sold to a German Lufthansa pilot who used it to terrorize local and national racing events over there. But before that all happened, I was tasked with keeping it in running order and exercised. Needless to say, I relished that assignment and I happily terrorized the area with open headers on my “exercise” jaunts.
It was good. And hard. And fast.
Then I veered off on my own and became enchanted with the Porsche 911. I bought a used ’75 911S and proceeded to drive that car all over hell and as fast as it would go. I spun-out once going 100 mph on a two-lane road because unbeknownst to me the shoulder had just been graded and there was dirt all over the road in a left-hand sweeper. I came to a stop with the rear wheels right on the edge of a 20-foot drop. And then there was the infamous late-afternoon run from East Lansing to Ann Arbor that I did flat-out, rarely going below 100 mph the entire distance. I made it to my destination in just under 30 minutes, door-to-door. And it is just as vivid for me today as it was when I did it. Fleeting moments indeed.
And then there was the time during my ad career that I spent shooting commercials at the Nurburgring Nordschleife, for a full week. We were short performance drivers, so I spent the week assisting with the driving while tearing around the circuit for the filming. And if that wasn’t special enough, NATO jets were using the wide-open terrain to practice high-speed, low-level maneuvers. How low? We could see the helmet marking on the pilots as they banked over us at tree-top level. It was a week-long orgy of speed that I will never forget.
The point of all this? I’m still a Technicolor Dream Cat riding this kaleidoscope of life. This column gave you fleeting glimpses of some fleeting glimpses. There’s plenty more to tell and a long, long way to go. And I'm not close to being finished.
It was good. And hard. And fast. Indeed.
And that’s the High-Octane Truth for this week.
Editor's Note: Click on "Next 1 Entries" at the bottom of this page to see previous issues. - WG
PORSCHE WANTS ITS DEALERS AND CUSTOMERS TO WAIT A MINUTE. AS IF.
by Editor
20 Sep 2026 at 7:54am
Editor's Note: This week, Peter takes on Porsche, with its staggering product lineup and even more staggering prices, as it attempts to find its place in a market where both its customers and dealers have run out of patience. On The Table, Stellantis goes to its rapidly depleting well again with its Jeep brand, and MINI (remember it?) has come up with yet another special edition for a brand that was completely out of ideas ten years ago. Our video this week is a riveting interview with the great Dan Gurney. Our AE Song of the Week is the classic "Radar Love" by Golden Earring. In Fumes, Peter gives us Part IV of his new series, "Famous Front Rows." And finally, in The Line, we have MotoGP results from the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria, and IMSA SportsCar Championship results from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. Remember, you can read past issues by scrolling down and clicking on "Next 1 Entries." Onward! -WG
By Peter M. DeLorenzo
Detroit. Porsche CEO Michael Leiters wants everyone, meaning its U.S. dealers and their customers, to wait a minute while the brand figures out just what the hell it's doing in the midst of the capricious tariffs put in by Dear Leader, self-inflicted product missteps and other assorted chaotic influences in the current market.
The only problem for Leiters is this fundamental question: Who has that kind of time? Remember, this is a company that made the fateful decision to turn its best-selling vehicle by far in this market – the Macan – to an EV-only offering for 2027. Dealers and customers are apoplectic, as in WTF are you guys thinking?
Leiters & Co. have thrown themselves at the mercy of their dealers, asking them for their patience, while promising an all-new ICE/Hybrid Macan sometime in 2028. What does that mean, realistically? It means that Porsche won’t be bringing a new, non-EV Macan to this market for two years from right now. Oh, Porsche operatives will insist that it will get here sooner than that, but who’s kidding whom? In the present state of the business, that’s an eternity.
And let’s not forget, Porsche just dropped what I considered to be the best driver’s vehicle it made – the 718 – completely this year, which was more than a head-scratcher; it was just flat-out stupid.
So, what’s left for Porsche dealers to push on the Porsche faithful? There’s a brand-new 2027 Cayenne, which thankfully is available in both EV and ICE versions. There’s the Taycan EV, which admittedly is an acquired taste for a lot of Porsche intenders, the Panamera four-door sedan, and a larger-than-Cayenne SUV aimed at the U.S. and Chinese markets. (Needless to say, I’m not enthused about that vehicle in the least.) And last but not least, there’s the cornerstone of the Porsche brand, the 911.
Leiters promises to boost the 911 even more, which is hard to believe, since the model proliferation under the 911 nameplate is almost incomprehensible at this point.
Then there’s Porsche pricing. We all know that the Porsche option list is a monument to unbridled greed and unrepentant usurious behavior, but it’s the base prices that have now reached a new level of out-of-control, and there doesn’t seem to be any hope of stopping the increases.
To give you an example, the base price of the Cayenne Electric is $109,000, and it goes all the way up to the Cayenne Turbo Electric at $163,000; except I saw one at my local Porsche dealer showroom that stickered for $198,000. Ouch, Baby.
And then there’s the Taycan, which starts at $111,900 (good luck finding one for that) and goes all the way up to the Taycan Turbo GT with Weissach Package, which goes for $243,700.
The Panamera starts at $113,000 and goes all the way up to the Panamera Turbo SE-Hybrid for $245,200.
The aforementioned Macan Electric starts at $80,300 (again, good luck finding a “base” model), and the Macan Turbo Electric starts at $112,700.
And last, but not least, there's the Porsche 911, which starts at $135,500, but you’ll never find a base 911 on a dealer lot; you’d have to order one that way. Other 911 pricing lowlights?
The 911Carrera T starts at $148,000.
The 911 Carrera S starts at $156,200.
The 911 Carrera 4S starts at $164,500.
The 911 Carrera S with manual transmission starts at $167,100.
The 911 Carrera GTS starts at $181,000.
The 911 Carrera 4 GTS starts at $189,300.
The 911 Cabriolet starts at $149,400, and other variants go all the way up to the 911 Carrera 4 GTS cabriolet at $203,300.
The 911 Targa 4S starts at $180,200 and goes up to $203,300.
The 911 GT3 starts at $235,800.
The 911 GT3 S/C starts at $273,000.
The 911 Turbo S starts at $270,300.
The 911 Turbo S Cabriolet starts at $284,300.
And finally, there’s the 911 GT3 90 F.A. Porsche, which starts at a whopping $387,000.
Why bother to go through this exercise? To demonstrate the fact that Mr. Leiters and his fellow Porsche operatives have their hands full. The days of unimpeachable belief and blind allegiance to the Porsche brand are over, for customers and dealers alike. With the average Porsche priced at $100,000 and up (you can forget about the base price of the Macan EV, that’s merely a suggestion), Porsche dealers are coming to the realization that the Porsche brand has now ascended to a level of luxury pricing that as of just a few years ago would have been unheard of.
For Porsche intenders and shoppers, once a vehicle crosses the $100,000 threshold, there are more and more options to consider. As for Porsche’s electric offerings in particular, they are merely present and accounted for compared to the new BMW iX3 SUV and i3 sport sedan, whose advanced architectures are setting new standards for the entire industry. Those machines will offer an entirely new – and better – option for serious EV buyers.
But the reality is even worse than that for Porsche and the VW Group. At Porsche, demand is declining rapidly – especially in China – and sharply increased costs are forcing CEO Michael Leiters to take drastic steps to restore profitability. How drastic? Porsche is cutting almost 9,000 jobs to stay afloat. And remember, this is the same company that once boasted that it was "the most profitable car company in the world."
To be sure, I will get pushback from the hardcore Porsche enthusiasts, but the reality is that they are few and far between now. The 911 is one thing, and I’m only semi-confident Porsche will not screw that up. But Porsche’s other offerings are another thing altogether. They are grasping for attention in a market with a painfully short attention span, while offering models that are now pretty much ordinary, other than the Porsche name and crest, especially now that they’re sharing more and more underneath with other vehicles in the VW Group (aka Audi).
So, Porsche headman Leiters' plea to its dealers and its dwindling faithful to be patient while the company figures things out would be laughable if it weren’t so obviously pathetic.
In a drastically altered automotive world, the collective response from potential buyers about the idea of being patient with Porsche is, “As If.”
And that’s the High-Octane Truth for this week.
Editor's Note: Click on "Next 1 Entries" at the bottom of this page to see previous issues. - WG
RUNNING DOWN A DREAM, PART III.
by Editor
13 Sep 2026 at 8:19am
Editor's Note: This week, we travel in Peter's dream to the year 2035 as he details the state of the industry. As PMD says at the end, "the memorable moments in life are fleeting and precious, and still worth pursuing." A hopeful sentiment - no, as we mark the 25th anniversary of 9/11, make that an impassioned plea. No one is guaranteed a tomorrow. And at the end of the Rant, Peter reminds us once again that the future of our nation - our collective tomorrow - is up to all of us. In On The Table, we feature the latest monster hot-rod from Mercedes-AMG, the Mercedes-AMG CLE 646 Spezialanfertigung. There are only 30 of them and they're all sold, of course, but it's still worth a look because of the stated attitude behind the car. Our video this week is a revealing look at Bruce McLaren, complete with details about his life that you probably weren't aware of. Our AE Song of the Week is "One Headlight" by The Wallflowers. In Fumes, Peter gives us Part III of his new series, "Famous Front Rows." And finally, in The Line, we have F1 results from the brand new "Madring" circuit in Madrid, Spain, and the MotoGP Red Bull Grand Prix of San Marino. Remember, you can read past issues by scrolling down and clicking on "Next 1 Entries." We're on it! -WG
By Peter M. DeLorenzo
Detroit. Deep in the throes of another sleepless night, delirious with the knowledge that it was the early hours of a Sunday morning and I still hadn’t written a column or even thought about it, the urgent, searing guitar riffs of one of Mr. Petty’s signature songs took over my thoughts.
And suddenly, it was 2035.
I stepped out into the darkness, wandering around in a world that looked, well, remarkably as it looks today. I noticed a few stray autonomous vehicles doing their rote routines, with their blue LEDs indicating what they were. But they were – not surprisingly – insignificant, part of the thrum of a new reality, but only a bit part.
And as the darkness lightened slightly, I started to see the ebb and flow of traffic on Woodward Avenue. Some avant-garde designs were noticeable – aero shapes punctuated by their wildly diverse lighting systems – but they were clearly full-zoot luxury machines. Other cars were decidedly less adventurous, a mix of small- to medium-sized conveyances that really didn’t look all that much different from today. And yes, the traffic flow was dominated by SUV-like vehicles still, the American consumer having long ago abandoned any thought of going back to a typical passenger car.
The sounds were diverse too. A mix of BEV whine, hybrids and yes, full-on ICE machines as well. It was obvious that the prognostications of a complete transition to BEVs were, of course, dead wrong. The “Grand Transition” had stalled out mightily by 2026, as the perpetual negatives associated with BEVs – the excruciatingly slow-to-develop infrastructure combined with the costly realities – crushed the BEV dreams of those convinced that it was The Future. The result? Scores of consumers happily embracing ICE vehicles for two reasons: cost and the freedom of movement with no limitations, abetted by the chaotic regime in Washington that finally came to an end at the end of 2028. The manufacturers who continued to hone their ICE offerings were reaping the financial rewards because of it, but the international push to EVs continued, and foreign manufacturers were slowly but surely leaving our domestic-based manufacturers in the dust.
To wit? GM and Ford were hanging by a thread, churning out ICE/Hybrid SUVs, crossovers and pickup trucks just to stay alive. The next “Model T” moment put forth by Ford CEO Jim “I’m a genius, just ask me” Farley defined by a wave of “breakthrough” affordable EV pickups and their derivatives was an abject failure. Plagued by launch delays and recurring quality issues, combined with the inevitable stiff price increases, the “new-wave” Fords were languishing on dealer lots because of too much hype and a ho-hum response from consumers. And Farley had finally been exited from the company because of it.
Mary Barra’s seemingly impressive ability to ride whichever way the prevailing winds were blowing in the industry finally ran out of gas, and she was exited too. GM was pretty much where it was at the end of 2026, with its unimpressive and decreasing market share, and a plethora of ICE vehicles that, though attractive, were battered by high prices and flagging consumer interest.
The bright spots for Ford and GM? The pint-sized Ford Pinto EV (developed after Farley’s departure), a limited range – 200-miles – urban commuter selling for $20k; and the GMC Jimmy, another pint-sized vehicle – this one in SUV guise – again with a limited range of 200 miles and selling for $20k.
What of Stellantis? The company pushed its muscle-head agenda to the limit but reached the point of diminishing returns by 2028. The muscle cars started piling up on dealer lots and the company floundered badly because of it. Now? The company lives on its hybrid Ram pickup trucks as it continues to throw product up against the wall to see what sticks. The big – and ongoing – train wreck for Stellantis was the continued mishandling of Jeep. Wrong products at the wrong time punctuated by high prices have damn-near crippled the brand. The “trail-rated” Jeep EVs launched dead in the water because of limited range and crushingly high prices. The “big” Jeeps continue, but pricing has become untenable, with $100k becoming the going ask. And of course, Detroit being Detroit, the Stellantis entry in the new – and all of a sudden red-hot – “pint-sized” market is the only Jeep EV to ever succeed: The on-road-only Jeepster for, you guessed it, $20K, with the obligatory 200-mile urban-only range.
The Toyota conglomerate now includes Honda and Mazda – run as completely separate entities – as well as Subaru. And Lexus survives only as a fully-electric brand after Toyota bought out the assets of Tesla, which had gone bankrupt five years earlier, a direct result of the “Muskian Nightmare” as St. Elon’s runaway ego ran the company right into the ground. Other news? Peugeot-Citroën and Renault solidified into one company, with Nissan being absorbed and rebranded as Datsun worldwide and Infiniti having been finally put to sleep, for good.
Daimler and BMW had entered into a joint operating agreement; both Mercedes and BMW retained product independence in the new German company and were joined by Aston Martin, which finally ran out of time and money trying to keep its luxury brand afloat.
The VW Group accomplished a shockingly successful turnaround, and its interest in taking over Ford has become a hot thing. Ford’s perpetually late product cadence, ineffectual leadership and prodigious ability to piss away billions has finally caught up with the denizens of Dearborn. And for the first time in its history Ford was no longer controlled by the Ford family, although the family still maintained a significant – but drastically reduced (from 40 to 20 percent) – presence in terms of stock and influence. Was Ford going to survive as an independent entity much longer? Don’t count on it.
As for the Chinese and Korean manufacturers, their presence had been growing to the point that the mainstream BEV market was dominated by their brands, as their market share grew exponentially. And because of that, this country's domestic brands were becoming less and less viable. It was indeed a different automotive world.
Another thing I noticed as I walked past the local Speedway gas station/convenience store on Woodward on the way home was that a row of quick-charging stations for BEVs sat empty, but the gas pumps were already busy.
I found myself back at my computer and I began to peruse some of the stories. The ongoing story (since 2026) that AI was set to kill us all, and soon, had become like any day now, soon. Why should we be surprised? Why should we have expected that those soulless, cash-sucking zombies in Silicon Valley would be responsible stewards of anything connected to the health and well-being of society? Left to their own devices, they conducted themselves exactly like we thought they would: self-absorbed societal pariahs with no redeeming value whatsoever. The brutally painful result? Criminal behavior and flat-out greed equal doomsday scenarios that have our collective heads in a guillotine. Not Good doesn’t even remotely cover it.
The most amazing thing I discovered in my future dream was that all of the hundreds of billions of dollars spent on the development of autonomous vehicles had turned out to be the biggest financial disaster in automotive history. The focus on autonomous conveyances and the promise of a Utopian future of no-involvement ride sharing and rent-by-the-minute usage had devolved into lawyered-up tech companies fighting over a few big municipal fleets, contracts with the U. S. Post Office and very narrowly-focused utilization for the elderly. The Masters from The Valley of Silicon were incredulous that consumers just didn’t buy into their all-encompassing brilliance.
The wholesale consumer acceptance of mass usage rental vehicles turned out to be a mirage, as real people with real lives convincingly reminded the brainiacs that the reality of mass ride sharing just doesn’t work in the real world, where the comings and goings of an average family will never fit into a perfect little autonomous box.
The brightening sky was now getting dark again, as storm clouds rolled in from the west. I went out and fired up The Beast one more time, just to remind myself that the memorable moments in life are fleeting and precious, and still worth pursuing.
And then I woke up and began writing...
I’ll leave it to Mr. Petty to close this one out:
I rolled on as the sky grew dark
I put the pedal down to make some time
There’s something good waitin’ down this road
I’m pickin’ up whatever’s mine
I'm runnin' down a dream
That never would've come to me
Workin' on a mystery, goin' wherever it leads
Runnin' down a dream
And that’s the High-Octane Truth for this week.
Editor-in-Chief’s Note: I couldn’t let last week’s events go by without some final thoughts. On the 25th anniversary of one of this country’s darkest hours, and amid the somber – and profoundly sad – realization that too many people have forgotten about the events of that horrible day, patriotism seems to have been ill-defined and marginalized by the cabal of miscreants currently at the helm of our government entities in Washington, D.C. Needless to say, this is blatantly offensive and an insult to every American who cares deeply about our country. The chaos unfolding on a daily basis and propelling the downward spiral that threatens to swallow this country's future whole is simply inexcusable and unforgivable. And as I said last week, it’s up to all of us to prevent this behavior from destroying this great nation from within. (Read Peter’s incendiary Rant from last week here. -WG)
Editor's Note: Click on "Next 1 Entries" at the bottom of this page to see previous issues. - WG
STICK TO CARS, NO. 427 REDUX.
by Editor
6 Sep 2026 at 8:43am
Editor's Note: This week, Peter's Editor-in-Chief's Note really says it all. The gloves are off. In On The Table, we feature the new Audi A2 E-tron, which, sadly, is not coming to the U.S. And we take in the dedication of the famed Laguna Seca Corkscrew in Alex Zanardi's honor. Then, we review a couple of "last-mile" transportation oddities from Hyundai. Our video this week features the famed Targa Florio, "the craziest race in the world." Our AE Song of the Week is "Shiny Happy People" by R.E.M and we have a new "Letter From L.A." from Tom Pease. In Fumes, Peter gives us Part II of his new series, "Famous Front Rows." And finally, in The Line, we have F1 results from Monza and INDYCAR results from the season finale at Laguna Seca. Remember, you can read past issues by scrolling down and clicking on "Next 1 Entries." Onward! -WG
Editor-in-Chief's Note: I expected blowbacks from members of a certain political spectrum over last week's column, but they were few and far between. Now, part of that is due to the fact that those card-carrying "DTIs" (Defenders of The Indefensible) have long since abandoned this website, permanently pegging me as someone who is "not one of them." They would be correct. The fact of the matter is that there is a growing majority of people in our great nation who are sick to their stomachs over the ongoing trainwreck in Washington, D.C., led by the current occupant of the White House who is hands down the most maliciously incompetent - and corrupt - person ever to reside there. We're sick of the constant lies, the inexcusable and outrageous conduct of the goons of ICE (cheerfully endorsed by this administration); the long list of serially incompetent people occupying positions of power (FBI, Justice, Defense, Treasury, et al.) who make our lives miserable each and every day; the bumbling and stumbling mishandling of the war with Iran, which has disrupted the financial well-being of everyday Americans; the nonsensical tariffs, which have only served to drive prices up for all of us and wreak havoc on our trading partners around the world; the belligerent mistreatment of our longest and closest ally to the north - Canada - which is simply unconscionable; the constant focus on all the wrong things by literally everyone in this so-called administration; the destruction of our enduring relationships with key allies around the world, which may never recover because of the lingering stench of the wildly inappropriate conduct by this administration; the constant grifting; the ridiculous "ballroom"; the desecration of the Kennedy Center; the ongoing environmental carnage; the criminal destruction of our health care system; and now, the flat-out offensive "arch," which will be a visual atrocity that will have to be removed immediately starting on January 20, 2029. And the list goes on and on. Will this country ever recover from this? I remain cautiously optimistic, but it will take years if not decades to right all the wrongs dumped on us by the embarrassing Orange Dictator and his bootlicking minions. People of all stripes around this great nation are sick and tired of it. All of it. Voting is the least we can do, but clearly that isn't going to be enough. The time has come for all of us to speak out loudly and defy every inch of the fascist regime currently occupying Washington, D.C. These people are out to destroy this great country from within, and we cannot sit by and let that happen. I'm pissed-off. We should all be pissed-off. Which is why we're re-running last week's column. And that's the High-Octane Truth for this Labor Day week. -PMD
By Peter M. DeLorenzo
Detroit. This column was supposed to be about the churning and burning going on in the global auto industry right now. Wandering through the latest auto news over the last week, it’s clear to me that some parts of the global industry are on the precipice of disaster.
The overcapacity in China will require a shakeout to that home auto industry of gargantuan proportions, with companies simply ceasing to exist left and right. Even then, it probably won’t be enough. Our friend and regular economics correspondent, Tom Bartkiewicz, passed along an article in Nikkei Asia that revealed some shocking details about current conditions in the Chinese market.
To wit: “China’s automotive industry is reaching extreme levels of saturation: at least eight automakers unveiled new models on a single day in July, hoping to keep up sales by flooding the market in an increasingly relentless showdown. BYD Executive Vice President He Zhiqi told Nikkei Asia that 542 new models were released between January and May alone, an average of 3.6 per day, and called the pace of competition ‘brutal’.”
3.6 per day? That’s unfathomable, and not in the future Ford pickup kind of way.
And more: “The sheer competitiveness of China’s automotive market is without parallel and can seem irrational, but there are basic structural factors underpinning it. One of the biggest is domestic manufacturing capacity and its underutilization: national capacity sits at around 55 million units per year against local demand of just 23 million. Assembly lines, broadly speaking, are running at less than half capacity; this leaves automakers trying to maximize utilization by either releasing a flurry of new models or leaning on global exports.”
So far, government officials are taking a “hands off’ approach in order to let the shakeout happen at its own pace. In the meantime, Chinese automakers will continue to flood global markets with their products.
And then there’s the situation in the German auto industry, where the implosion going on is historic. The VW Group alone is talking about eliminating 140,000 jobs, related to a 500,000-unit cut in the company's European capacity. The impact of this will launch tentacles throughout the German economy, with more than a million jobs possibly at stake. Product consolidation will accelerate, with Audi and Porsche sharing underpinnings on some models, and BMW and Mercedes-Benz will be facing economic devastation as well. This is truly unprecedented and an example of the turmoil roiling these traditionally solid automakers. In other words, a giant Wiener schnitzel of Not Good.
So, that’s the current situation those in the auto industry find themselves today. It’s a tightrope walk between survival and utter devastation. What about here in the U.S.? The U.S.-based automakers, as I’ve said previously, are rolling along, pushing 84-month financing while churning out pickups and SUVs (plus muscle cars and trucks in Stellantis’ case) with kind of a “What, Us Worry?” and “It Won’t Be Long Now!” warped mantra. As in “Why fret about today when tomorrow is going to be fan-frickin-tastic!” or something like that.
We all know that’s not how it’s going to play out. Mistakes will be made and missteps will occur. (We can’t wait for the production delays to emerge with Ford’s greatest-thing-since-sliced-bread, un-Fathom-able pickup. -WG) And the tides will soon change in the political spectrum as well, which means chaos and uncertainty will continue unabated.
But compounding all of this chaos facing the U.S.-based automakers, of course, is the absurd tariff situation between the U.S. and Canada brought on by the Clown-in-Chief (aka The Global Embarrassment) in Washington. (And please note: if you’re still a supporter of the Asshole-in-Chief you need to move along now, and by the way, BooFuckingHoo.)
Arbitrary, capricious, dumb and stupid, the alleged trade “war” with Canada is flat-out ridiculous. There’s no legitimate rhyme or reason for any of it, and it’s simply absurd that one deluded idiot in Washington is causing so much havoc in the auto industry and in this region.
And that’s right, this region. We Michiganders have zero animosity for our northern neighbors. In fact, we relish the fact that Canadians are our friends and neighbors. The cringeworthy clown in the oval office has embarrassed Americans and Canadians alike with this needlessly antagonistic trade “war,” and we don’t want anything to do with it.
And by the way, the CEOs of Ford and GM should be embarrassed about how they so blatently sucked-up to the Orange Dictator. What has that play gotten them, exactly? Nothing but grief, aggravation and devastating hits to their bottom lines. But I have no sympathy for either one of them, especially when Jim “I’m a genius just ask me” Farley preened for the cameras in the Oval Office like he was the asshole’s best friend. As far as I’m concerned, you both got what you deserved. You play with a snake, you’re bound to get bit. Welcome to the political cesspool that is Washington, D.C., you both came off looking like rubes wandering around in the big city.
As I mentioned in the first sentence of my column, I was planning to stick with comments on the industry today, but when the Dumbledick in the Oval Office announced that he was renaming Lake Ontario – by executive order, no less – “Lake America” that was a level of stupidity too far.
This just in: It will remain Lake Ontario long after this walking, talking embarrassment waddles back to Mar-a-Lago, but of course huge amounts of money will have to be expended to amend all of the changes this ridiculous order will cause. I apologize to our Canadian neighbors for being subjected to this unmitigated bullshit.
Oh, and by the way, in anticipation of the hate mail sure to come our way? “Stick to cars?” Well, BooFuckingWho, Part II. Because being forced to live under the reign of the Flatulant King has become simply intolerable and untenable. I will be speaking out and speaking out often from now on. This is beyond fucking ridiculous.
And that’s the High-Octane Truth for this week.
Editor's Note: Click on "Next 1 Entries" at the bottom of this page to see previous issues. - WG
STICK TO CARS, NO. 427.
by Editor
30 Aug 2026 at 7:57am
Editor's Note: This week, Peter discusses an industry that is on a tightrope walk between survival and utter devastation. And he also has a few searing comments about the insanity that continues in Washington, D.C. In On The Table, we look at the latest "It Won't Be Long Now!" Hydrogen effort from Hyundai, plus changes to the 2027 Chevrolet Equinox. Our video this week features the late Jim Pace in a Shadow DN4 at Road America. Our AE Song of the Week is "9 To 5" by the iconic Dolly Parton. In Fumes, Peter begins a new series, "Famous Front Rows." And finally, in The Line, we have MotoGP from the Michelin GP of Aragon and INDYCAR results from The Milwaukee Mile. Remember, you can read past issues by scrolling down and clicking on "Next 1 Entries." We're on it! -WG
By Peter M. DeLorenzo
Detroit. This column was supposed to be about the churning and burning going on in the global auto industry right now. Wandering through the latest auto news over the last week, it’s clear to me that some parts of the global industry are on the precipice of disaster.
The overcapacity in China will require a shakeout to that home auto industry of gargantuan proportions, with companies simply ceasing to exist left and right. Even then, it probably won’t be enough. Our friend and regular economics correspondent, Tom Bartkiewicz, passed along an article in Nikkei Asia that revealed some shocking details about current conditions in the Chinese market.
To wit: “China’s automotive industry is reaching extreme levels of saturation: at least eight automakers unveiled new models on a single day in July, hoping to keep up sales by flooding the market in an increasingly relentless showdown. BYD Executive Vice President He Zhiqi told Nikkei Asia that 542 new models were released between January and May alone, an average of 3.6 per day, and called the pace of competition ‘brutal’.”
3.6 per day? That’s unfathomable, and not in the future Ford pickup kind of way.
And more: “The sheer competitiveness of China’s automotive market is without parallel and can seem irrational, but there are basic structural factors underpinning it. One of the biggest is domestic manufacturing capacity and its underutilization: national capacity sits at around 55 million units per year against local demand of just 23 million. Assembly lines, broadly speaking, are running at less than half capacity; this leaves automakers trying to maximize utilization by either releasing a flurry of new models or leaning on global exports.”
So far, government officials are taking a “hands off’ approach in order to let the shakeout happen at its own pace. In the meantime, Chinese automakers will continue to flood global markets with their products.
And then there’s the situation in the German auto industry, where the implosion going on is historic. The VW Group alone is talking about eliminating 140,000 jobs, related to a 500,000-unit cut in the company's European capacity. The impact of this will launch tentacles throughout the German economy, with more than a million jobs possibly at stake. Product consolidation will accelerate, with Audi and Porsche sharing underpinnings on some models, and BMW and Mercedes-Benz will be facing economic devastation as well. This is truly unprecedented and an example of the turmoil roiling these traditionally solid automakers. In other words, a giant Wiener schnitzel of Not Good.
So, that’s the current situation those in the auto industry find themselves today. It’s a tightrope walk between survival and utter devastation. What about here in the U.S.? The U.S.-based automakers, as I’ve said previously, are rolling along, pushing 84-month financing while churning out pickups and SUVs (plus muscle cars and trucks in Stellantis’ case) with kind of a “What, Us Worry?” and “It Won’t Be Long Now!” warped mantra. As in “Why fret about today when tomorrow is going to be fan-frickin-tastic!” or something like that.
We all know that’s not how it’s going to play out. Mistakes will be made and missteps will occur. (We can’t wait for the production delays to emerge with Ford’s greatest-thing-since-sliced-bread, un-Fathom-able pickup. -WG) And the tides will soon change in the political spectrum as well, which means chaos and uncertainty will continue unabated.
But compounding all of this chaos facing the U.S.-based automakers, of course, is the absurd tariff situation between the U.S. and Canada brought on by the Clown-in-Chief (aka The Global Embarrassment) in Washington. (And please note: if you’re still a supporter of the Asshole-in-Chief you need to move along now, and by the way, BooFuckingHoo.)
Arbitrary, capricious, dumb and stupid, the alleged trade “war” with Canada is flat-out ridiculous. There’s no legitimate rhyme or reason for any of it, and it’s simply absurd that one deluded idiot in Washington is causing so much havoc in the auto industry and in this region.
And that’s right, this region. We Michiganders have zero animosity for our northern neighbors. In fact, we relish the fact that Canadians are our friends and neighbors. The cringeworthy clown in the oval office has embarrassed Americans and Canadians alike with this needlessly antagonistic trade “war,” and we don’t want anything to do with it.
And by the way, the CEOs of Ford and GM should be embarrassed about how they so blatently sucked-up to the Orange Dictator. What has that play gotten them, exactly? Nothing but grief, aggravation and devastating hits to their bottom lines. But I have no sympathy for either one of them, especially when Jim “I’m a genius just ask me” Farley preened for the cameras in the Oval Office like he was the asshole’s best friend. As far as I’m concerned, you both got what you deserved. You play with a snake, you’re bound to get bit. Welcome to the political cesspool that is Washington, D.C., you both came off looking like rubes wandering around in the big city.
As I mentioned in the first sentence of my column, I was planning to stick with comments on the industry today, but when the Dumbledick in the Oval Office announced that he was renaming Lake Ontario – by executive order, no less – “Lake America” that was a level of stupidity too far.
This just in: It will remain Lake Ontario long after this walking, talking embarrassment waddles back to Mar-a-Lago, but of course huge amounts of money will have to be expended to amend all of the changes this ridiculous order will cause. I apologize to our Canadian neighbors for being subjected to this unmitigated bullshit.
Oh, and by the way, in anticipation of the hate mail sure to come our way? “Stick to cars?” Well, BooFuckingWho, Part II. Because being forced to live under the reign of the Flatulant King has become simply intolerable and untenable. I will be speaking out and speaking out often from now on. This is beyond fucking ridiculous.
And that’s the High-Octane Truth for this week.
Editor's Note: Click on "Next 1 Entries" at the bottom of this page to see previous issues. - WG
LAST TRAIN TO SMALLVILLE.
by Editor
23 Aug 2026 at 7:53am
Editor's Note: This week, Peter has some follow-up comments about the absurd auction activity last week in Monterey. He then presents a dismal look at the forced contraction of the U.S. auto industry and what the future holds for the "Little 3." In On The Table, the wave of giant SUVs continues with the latest entry from Genesis. And we take a look at the all-new Mercedes-Benz C-Class. Our video this week features the Can-Am series and Team McLaren's sensatopnal 1969 season. Our AE Song of the Week is "Butterfly" by Crazy Town with an assist from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. In Fumes, Peter brings us the next chapter in his new series, "The Racing Machines." And finally, in The Line, we have F1 results from the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, INDYCAR results from Washington, D.C., and IMSA GT results from Virginia. Remember, you can read past issues by scrolling down and clicking on "Next 1 Entries." Onward! -WG
By Peter M. DeLorenzo
Detroit. The blowback from the luxury gorging during Monterey Car Week is going strong, fueled by the uproarious auction prices that are still resonating and reverberating throughout the car world. $42 million for one of the original Shelby American Daytona Cobra Coupes. $18 million for one of the original Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sports. And, of course, the $40 million paid for the Ferrari Luce No. 1, which was just astonishingly absurd.
As I said last week, the whole auction thing, or as I refer to it, the "Circus of Artificial Enthusiasm," is a bad joke. There is no excitement generated by these auctions, just a gloomy emptiness hanging in the air over machines that once brimmed with passion and creativity, but are now relegated to marks on a ledger, which will count toward a tally that will be used to promote next year's installment of the "circus."
This calculated feeding frenzy manufactured by the auto auction houses has graduated from being merely tedious to a threat to car enthusiasm itself.
And what can be done about it? Absolutely nothing. Do you think you’ll see that Cobra Daytona Coupe or that Corvette Grand Sport at a vintage racing event near you? You may see them parked in a paddock somewhere, but the likelihood of seeing them actually running on a track – like at the Goodwood Revival – is slim and none. And that’s really depressing.
The future for these machines is grim. They were paraded on stage – souls removed – only to end up in antiseptic, "perfect" garages until they're prepared for another auction down the road. This isn't about the car culture or the sheer passion once associated with these automobiles. Now, it's the living, breathing embodiment of Greed is Good.
Don’t assume I take any of this lightly in the least, because I certainly do not. It’s pretty much up to enthusiasts currently present and accounted for to keep the whole thing going. And therein lies the problem. A cursory glance at the participants in the “Dream Cruise” exposed an obvious dilemma: I’d say 95 percent of people who brought their cars to Woodward Ave. were well into their 60s and above. I saw more “for sale” signs on cars than ever before, because it’s clear that there’s a huge number of people “aging out” of the hobby.
So, then what? Are there enough people getting into the hobby to keep it going? That’s debatable, to be sure. I think it will be far more splintered than it even is today, which makes the whole auction thing even more frustrating.
Why? Because the tech bros and other newly-minted billionaires have no sense of history, no sense of what matters, no perspective on basically anything when it comes to cars. They just think acquiring a car that a lot of people lust after is just part of their reason for being. Soulless, moneyed people perpetuating the vacuous, soulless atmosphere promoted by the auction houses. It’s a perfect match. And a giant gavel of Not Good.
Getting back to the current state of the car business, the prevailing winds of “It Won’t Be Long Now!” are blowing hard and strong. 2030 is shaping up to be a huge year. Just ask the Jimmy Farley-led minions at Ford, who insist that they will be the “affordability” kings. Or GM. Or Stellantis. These companies’ operatives are tripping all over themselves suggesting that 2030 will bring new-found product dominance and certain profitability. That’s assuming, of course, that their various product blitzes will exist in a hermetically-sealed vacuum.
This just in: that’s always the assumption. It reminds me of the auto show press extravaganzas of old when each manufacturer got up to say that because of its product brilliance, it would be increasing sales enough to claim 25 percent of the market, or a market segment. This was, of course, followed by the other manufacturers claiming the exact same thing. And then, when you went to tally-up the day’s percentages, the market would have been expanded by 350 percent!
Nicely done, you unmitigated hacks.
The reality for this business is substantially uglier at this very moment in time, however. China Inc. has overproduced cars to a shocking degree, which means that the inevitable “dumping” of these cut-price machines threatens to destroy home markets around the globe.
The European manufacturers – Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, VW – are reeling, with wholesale job cuts and product reductions being undertaken just to keep afloat. And don’t forget that these manufacturers are continuing to develop their EV technologies, which is absolutely killing their bottom lines, in order to meet ever more restrictive environmental regulations. The only auto companies standing hard on the gas are Toyota, Honda and the Korean manufacturers, Hyundai and Kia, which doesn't bode well for what's left of the Little 3.
The automobile industry is permanently mired in chaos. In fact, chaos has become the new standard operating procedure across the globe. A two-step forward and five-back dance of mediocrity. A kaleidoscope of occasional winning product guesses, combined with out-and-out product failures, and the obligatory and massive overpromising of what’s to come (I’m looking at you, Ford). This is an otherwise moribund industry clamoring for something – anything – to be optimistic about. And that’s nevergonnahappendotcom by the way, especially here in this market.
The serial incompetents in Washington have made sure of that by decimating this nation’s home auto industry with egregiously damaging tariffs that have effectively closed off this market to innovation and forward thinking. The Canada debacle, completely orchestrated by the stumblebums in Washington, being Example No. 1. (That’s not to suggest that the True Believers will stop trying and innovating, because they won’t, which offers some degree of comfort.) As I’ve said before, this is a rerun of the decline of the British Motor Industry, only now it’s the U.S. auto industry we’re talking about. We’re going to be just fine with our giant SUVs and pickup trucks (Right. – WG), which are suited to this market and this market only, while the rest of the global auto industry leaves us standing like a house by the side of the road.
We’re witnessing the forced contraction of the U.S. auto industry right before our eyes. Any thought that our industry will recover somehow and someway with the next administration is just wishful thinking by individuals who should know better. (As for the burgeoning defense contract optimism? Good luck with that.) The reality is that it will take a decade or more for the U.S. auto industry to recover from the miscreants in Washington, but I should point out that this isn’t a given; instead, it will be a giant “We'll See.”
The automobile obviously means more to me than it does for most. I grew up immersed in this business, and the passionate endeavor surrounding the creation of automotive art has never stopped being interesting for me. And it is very much art, by the way. Emotionally involving and undeniably compelling mechanical art that not only takes us where we want to go but moves us in ways that still touches our souls deeply. As I have reminded our readers often, I for one will never forget the essence of the machine, and what makes it a living, breathing mechanical conduit of our hopes and dreams.
Which makes all of this that much more painful for me.
In the midst of what’s going on, I must admit that my interest in this whole thing ranges from Jimi’s “still raining, still dreaming” of a better, more optimistic day, to me notgivingashitdotcom. And my feelings swing wildly depending on the week, or the day, or hell, by the hour.
This business has gotten too predictable and too tedious. And it’s punctuated by too many small-minded but beyond-wealthy people with negligible perspective and bad intentions, motivated by flat-out greed, pure and simple. And with a rapidly contracting U.S. auto industry headed inexorably toward SmallVille, it’s really depressing. Because this was never a “small” industry. It was big and loud and jam-packed with blue-sky dreams, bold thinking and unlimited possibilities.
Which is why I’m paraphrasing the fabulous Gloria Swanson in “Sunset Boulevard” today: I’m still big, it’s the industry that got small.
And it really stinks.
And that’s the High-Octane Truth for this week.
Editor's Note: Click on "Next 1 Entries" at the bottom of this page to see previous issues. - WG
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