The Carmudgeon Show

On today’s episode of The Carmudgeon Show - Jason and Derek compete against each other in a Price Is Right-style game show! Rather than going over the price, the objective is to get as close as possible whether being under or over the result. The winner does not, in fact, get a new car - but is instead continuously ridden with car problems of many sorts, which of course means more opportunities for Carmudgeoning.

Our discussion points include:

2003 Bentley Arnage R

1989 Volkswagen Best Seller Wolfsburg Limited Edition Cabriolet

1988 BMW M3

2005 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon Sahara 4x4

2007 Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 Roadster 6-Speed Conversion

1984 Rover Vitesse SD1 TWR Group A Spec

1977 Fiat Bertone 850 T Visitors Bus

1990 Porsche 911 Targa

2002 Ferrari 360 Spider 6-Speed

1995 Mercedes-Benz E300 Diesel

Jason also gives us an update on his Rover SD1 and his Volkswagen Cabrio VR6 swap - including the good, the bad, but not the ugly! The Rover returns to California after more than 15 months of being away, but alas - it’s not quite finished. The Cabrio, while also not quite finished, is finally CARB legal! 

All that and more on that process in this episode of The Carmudgeon Show.
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On today’s episode, Jason and Derek get some exclusive seat time: both with the new Rivian R2, and with Rivian’s Chief Designer Officer Jeff Hammoud and Chief R2 Engineer Max Koff!

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The show hits the road, traveling to Rivian’s beautiful flagship space in San Francisco, where Jeff and Max face their worst nightmare: being peppered with questions and feedback about the new R2 - a make-or-break vehicle for the company. After Jason and Derek’s collective ~200 miles, they cover a host of issues - new design + UX features (halo wheels, rear drop glass, to name a few), acceleration times, uphill burnouts, R1 vs. R2, and most importantly (to Jason only) - the absence of Apple CarPlay. And of course, no episode is complete without a mention of Sacco Mercedes-Benzes and old Volkswagens (Mk1 Scirocco and Mk3 Corrado VR6).

Will the R2 allow Rivian to continue its planned trajectory as a manufacture? And what’s going on with R3?? Time will tell, but we have a suspicion the Tesla Model Y better watch its back…
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This week, we drive an icon that’s been electrified - the Kindred EV Bus, based off of the Volkswagen Microbus. While most of us typically mourn the conversion of many classic cars to EV, this particular conversion may change your mind…

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While most EV conversions strip away the character and soul of a gas car with a great engine, the Volkswagen Microbus is one of those vehicles that was never really defined by its engine. Well, actually - if it was - it was defined by its acceleration, or rather the lack thereof. Many VW Buses had no more than 50 horsepower to work with, making them virtually undriveable above 50 MPH.

The Kindred EV Bus, however, rewrites the rulebook - accelerating from 0-60 in just 7.6 seconds. While that may not seem particularly notable when many modern EVs are twice as fast, this changes the game for this 23-window Microbus - making it genuinely usable in everyday driving. And when the rest of the vehicle was already defined by its iconic styling and form within function, is it now even better than original?

All this and more on this week’s episode of The Carmudgeon Show. Special thanks to Kindred Motorworks for lending us this bus for testing! Check them out at https://kindredmotorworks.com/
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You know the saying - the grass is always greener on the other side. Well…that same grass might be covered in diesel soot - but we don’t care! 

Many American car enthusiasts will forever desire the forbidden European diesels we were never offered here in the US. Derek decided he’d had enough - and went some lengths to acquire his new unicorn wagon - a 1998 Mercedes-Benz C250 Turbodiesel (S202). And the level of unicorn doesn’t stop at diesel station wagon - this one is also has a 5-speed manual, a slicktop, cloth seats, AND a Bruno Sacco design - making it 100% Carmudgeonation-proof.

Our hosts Derek Tam-Scott and Jason Cammisa discuss why the S202 Mercedes-Benz C-Class is such a desirable package even 30+ years after it debuted. Moreover, Derek and Jason discuss why diesels are much more enthusiastic than others may think - citing examples like the euro-only BMW M550d and Audi S6 TDI Avant. Also discussed are the endless variants of Mercedes diesels and their tune-ability, primarily discussing the OM605 and OM606 “superturbo” builds found on a variety of different Mercedes-Benzes from the 1980s to the early 2000s, from W123 to W210 and beyond.

All this and more, on this episode of The Carmudgeon Show.
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Last week was a wild one. We witnessed two of the most controversial models from Ferrari and Mercedes ever to be debuted - none other than the Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door and the Ferrari Luce.

In case you’re not familiar:

- The Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door is Mercedes’ replacement to the outgoing version, which has now gone full EV and straight to battle with the Porsche Taycan. It debuts many new design elements in a slippery 0.22 drag coefficient package, doing 0-60 in as low as 2.0 seconds with an 186 MPH top speed.
- The Ferrari Luce is Ferrari’s first all-electric vehicle and first true five-seater. It also launches a new and unfamiliar interior and exterior design language from ex-Apple design chief Jony Ive and his collective, LoveFrom.

Given that everyone has an opinion on these new EV modes of rapid transport (including your favorite and least favorite journalists, the Italian government, your grandmother, and the pope, to name a few) - we decided to ask, why? What attributes about the Luce and the AMG-GT really make people feel shaken at their core, and why? Would we feel differently if the Ferrari was rebadged as another make? Is the AMG-GT as controversial as the W201 was when it launched in 1982?

We explore all of the above in depth, all on this episode of The Carmudgeon Show with Jason Cammisa and Derek Tam-Scott.
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