The Carmudgeon Show

Monterey Car Week 2026 - another wild ride. This week, we come live from Pebble Beach at the Hagerty House with a live studio audience!Jason and Derek dive into all the different happenings this year - and determine whether or not this year was better or worse than others previously.Jason brought his Rover SD1 to show, and his Volkswagen Cabrio VR6 swap to go - with appearances including but not limited to: Monterey British, Concours For A Cure, Little Car Show, Concours D’Lemons, Motorlux, Quail Motorsports Gathering, and Pebble Beach Concours. Jason and Derek discuss the good, bad, and the (beautifully) ugly - what’s improved, worsened, and stayed the same.One thing is for sure - the broccoli heads in the G80 M3s are here to stay. But have THEY ruined everything for other attendees? Maybe not…Derek revisits various auction results from Broad Arrow, as well as Gooding and RM Sothebys. This episode was recorded before the $40M Ferrari Luce sale - however some other notable discussed results include the S123 Mercedes-Benz 280TE with a $252K sale, the $17M Ferrari SP3, and several others.Jason and Derek’s favorite new unveiling was of course the Gordon Murray Special Vehicles (GMSV) S1 - which in many ways, is the rebirth of the road-going McLaren F1. The interest in the S1, the GMA T.33 and T.50, and manual Porsche GT cars has led to a trend of manufactures releasing new manual offerings - including the McLaren McL 6GT and Ferrari 12Cilindri Manuale. Could this trend continue to repeat? Only time (and money) will tell…All this and more, on this week’s episode of The Carmudgeon Show.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week: Jason recaps the latest Hagerty ICONS video - discussing Temerario, the new baby Lamborghini, and its siblings from different eras of baby Lambo family tree. Needless to say, it’s quite a performer - the likes of which have never been approached by any other non-speciality Lamborghini ever. But is that alone enough to make it an icon?

Maybe not. But why?

===
INSURANCE QUOTE: Visit https://hagerty.com/jason or https://jasonsentme.com
===

The latest ICONS video goes over three distinct chapters in the history of the Baby Lamborghini, each defined by the engine - the first of which is the cross-plane crank V8 era led by the Urraco, Silhouette, and Jalpa. We learn - these cars are pleasantly surprising to drive near their limits, and while they were all a lot slower than the V12 Countach that joined the lineup in the late 70s/early 80s, they exhibited playful driving characteristics, exotic interiors, great sounds, and other pleasant surprises you might not expect. But despite their charm, they didn’t do well for the brand - and Lamborghini struggled to move them.

And so, baby Lambos went on hiatus for a while. But after Audi obtained Lamborghini, they returned - in the form of the Gallardo and Huracán. And quite the opposite happened - a brand once struggling, came back to life filled with 10 cylinder song, and stuck around for well over 15 years.

But what about the newest era - the Temerario, and its hybrid flat-plane crank V8? Will it continue to impress like its 10 cylinder siblings did? Or is it too complicated and too focused on speed to bring the same life back to the brand?

And as we approach Monterey Car Week, the topic returns - what group of cars and drivers will wreak the most havoc? Will it be the Altima drivers? G80 M3s?

Or will it be supercars - perhaps…the ones discussed in this episode?
We’ll find out later this week! In the meantime, watch this episode to find out - or, watch the latest ICONS first! The choice is yours…
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen, Toyota Land Cruiser + 4Runner, Porsche 911, Ford F-150, and Range Rover, all have several things in common. Slow depreciation compared to other vehicles in their class, nameplates that have lasted for decades, loyal owners that keep coming back for more and bucket listed for others.

But what’s the ONE thing they all unanimously share? Automotive authenticity.

That’s right - these vehicles have never strayed too far from their original design and intended purpose since inception. The Ford F-150 has always been a rugged, body-on-frame truck. The G-Wagen, 4Runner, and Land Cruiser have always been boxy SUVs that have stayed true to their design and off-road capability without compromise. The Porsche 911 has always had the engine behind its driver and will continue to do so until the end of time.

Today’s episode explores more into what authenticity - and deception - mean in an automotive context. Blob-shaped SUVs like the Bentley Bentayga, Lamborghini Urus, and Ferrari Purosangue are one thing - they claim to do everything well, but end up not fully delivering on this promise and often depreciate like rocks.

On the subject of deception - Jason and Derek discuss the new Ferrari 12Cilindri Manuale - the most recent car of its kind which claims to be a manual and automatic at the same time, by automating a dual clutch transmission to operate like a manual on demand - third pedal, gated shifter and all. But is it really good for the brand in the long run vs. spending the development cost on a real manual?

The Carmudgeons….carmudgeonate on our behalf. Tune in to find out.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's episode, Jason and Derek settle a common debate - as a lifelong car enthusiast, is working in the automotive industry a dream job?

Short answer: It's wonderful - but if it were as amazing as it seems 100% of the time, none of us would be paid to work in it.

Jason gives us the rundown of his time in the industry - and we quickly realize, there's a lot of prep that happens behind the scenes of Revelations, Cammisa's Ultimate Drag Race & Ultimate Lap Battle, and other Hagerty Media pieces. This includes a sneak peak in the latest upcoming Lamborghini piece, featuring the Urraco, Jalpa, Countach, Gallardo, Revuelto, Temerario, and Jason's Ferrari 308 GT4 - many of which explored several states of function and non-function...

Derek gives us a view into his world - one which he often has to travel around the globe to stand out as a collector car dealer in the modern era. Driving and experiencing dream cars around the world can be quite fun, but perhaps having to manage a personality or two, plus getting sick on an airplane.

All that and much more on this week's episode of The Carmudgeon Show.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s episode of The Carmudgeon Show is a bumper episode. It’s also a headlight, taillight, and side market episode - all of the above which were effected greatly in the mid-1970s to 1980s by updated US Department of Transportation regulations in 1974.===Visit http://JasonSentMe.com to get a Hagerty Guaranteed Value (TM) collector-car insurance quote! ===

But first, a Rover update!! The Rover is back (temporarily) on the west coast - we get some long awaited updates, new plans, and of course a new chapter of the saga which may send the car back where it just was……the project never stops!

5-mph bumpers were one of the crucial components removed from the Rover to make it tolerable to look at today. These US-mandated bumpers (and headlights and taillights) the bane of existence for many European and Japanese manufactures in period. Most of these manufactures were so perturbed by this regulation, that the bumper integration became a bit of an afterthought. Cars like the Mercedes-Benz R107 and W116 were considered some of the worst offenders given the size and integration of the bumper in comparison to the car’s raw proportions. Other cars like the BMW E21, E23, E24, E28, and E30 were also repeat offenders. Other cars mentioned include but are not limited to: Maserati Bora, Lamborghini Countach, Rover SD1, Volkswagen Scirocco (MK2) + Cabriolet, Citroen CX, Jaguar XJS, Alfa Romeo Spider, Honda Accord, Datsun Z, BMW 2002, Volkswagen Beetle, Toyota Corolla, Ford Taurus, and Ford Thunderbird.

Rarely, did a manufacture decide they would go the extra mile and integrate the bumper into the design of the car - the G-body Porsche 911 and Chevrolet Corvette C3 were one of the few of the time.

And if you didn’t get enough Rover air time this episode or need a recap, Jason’s just written a 5 column article for The Intercooler about his experience so far - you can red it here: https://www.the-intercooler.com/library/features/america-fast-part-two/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices