i got half a dozen pair of dress socks to refresh my decade old J crew outlet drawer. they seem very high quality and have a nice mix of traditional designs and non traditional designs (i had written out Plebbit tier stoner designs like muh UFO but this is a positive post so i am KEEPING IT POSITIVE). the dress socks aint cheap ($22 a pair)
got another half dozen pair of organic cotton crew socks for winter. absolutely comfortable, lots of colors, not as expensive as zkano ($10.66 a pair in a three pack). i am concerned about the elastic's lifespan long term but this is pure speculation.
the week before, i got several pieces from american giant.
men's rib: incredible crew neck/thick long sleeve T hybrid. buy true to size. cannot recommend enough
everest T: consider sizing up. ridiculously thick. if you buy the wrong size it will look slightly ridiculous so avoid buying a weird color on final sale unless you are positive.
waffle thermal: SIZE UP! i bought the same size as my rib and it was too small, and ofc i picked a weird color on final sale (gee wonder where that advice came from). very nice though.
If you can comfortably AIWB carry a full size Glock you don’t need to size up. If that thought makes your tummy chafe, size up. I don’t know how else to describe it
American Giant sizing can be odd. When I was recently at their outlet in Smithfield NC, I bought their Moto Jacket in a large, because it was roomier and more comfortable, although the medium looked best in the mirror. But I wanted more room to layer.
Because of their sale, I also bought their Bomber Jacket, which is basically just a lighter version of their Moto, but it fit me perfectly as a medium.
When I got home, I checked their sizing for the two jackets, and the medium Bomber had almost the exact same dimensions as the large Moto. I don’t get that.
Two absolutely wonderful jackets, by the way. With their in store promo I paid about 1/3 of the online retail price. I’m gonna look at their t-shirts next.
FYI regarding socks, I am buying all Darn Tough going forward. Pricey but they perform great. I’m a big fan of merino wool in socks.
There’s an outlet?!? It might unironically be cheaper for me to fly down there, load up, and fly back the same day.
Yes, all the sizing is sort of whack. It even seems to vary weight to weight, IE the light weight long sleeve Ts and the medium weight both fit me kinda differently. I’m willing to chalk it up to low volume production but ya certainly caveat emptor with the final sale stuff.
Merino wool is great, I’ve many darn tough pairs, but the local alpaca farm ones are somehow better!!
If anyone is looking for thick, USA made work socks, check out the Big Bertha from Carolina Hoisery. Link below, I usually buy them on Amazon. They are seriously thick.
I've got some thicc Wigwams I've been a fan of. Some are wearing out now after just over a year, but I'm very hard on my footwear and I like those socks a lot so I've been wearing them more often than any others.
MotoGP was in Austria at the Red Bull Ring, KTM's home track, this weekend.
Would Pedro Acosta finally break his winless podium curse? Would Ducati, and Marc, shine?
Jorge Martin steal's Pedro's Friday thunder by nicking pole position. Marc Marquez a stunning second after spending most of the practice session putting laps on a single medium rear tire for data. Pedro places third. Bez a solid fourth with another Aprilia, that of Ai Ogura who returned from injury, in fifth. Alex Marquez the next highest Ducati in 6th.
In the sprint Pedro gets to the front and simply has more pace than anyone else. With over two seconds ahead of the next position he proceeds to crash out with 2 laps to go and score ZERO. This is not the first time Pedro has been in such a situation and pushed too hard (this time it looked like he blew a braking marker). Jorge Martin takes an easy victory from his long held second place, and Marc Marquez finishes second, with Bez in third. Jorge moves to +3 in the championship.
The race starts off with some fierce fighting up front between Jorge, Marc, and Pedro, but a third of the way through Marc has an issue with his front brake going soft and falls down through the pack. He would eventually finish 5th behind Ai Ogura. Pedro and Martin continue their duel a while longer until Pedro breaks Jorge and opens up a large lead.
This time, finally, Pedro Acosta keeps the bike upright and, in his third year in MotoGP, secures his first win. This man will be on a Ducati next year where he may pose an actual championship challenge.
With Marc's brake issue he is now a sprint's points down from Jorge who is back on top in the championship.
Next week MotoGP will be in Motegi, where Marc is historically quite good, Pedro has shown some brilliance (and DNFs), and Jorge is usually strong.
"The air inside the McLaren Technology Centre was thick with the scent of expensive espresso and corporate ambition. McLaren’s elite marketing team was launching their highly anticipated global presentation on the psychological synergy between car and athlete.Behind the podium, a massive, state-of-the-art LED screen glowed in signature Papaya Orange.
The presentation was supposed to be titled: “The Apex of Performance: Redefining Driver Engagement.”Unfortunately, a sleep-deprived intern had finalized the slides at 4:00 AM. The screen flashed in giant, bold letters:THE APEX OF PERFORMANCE: REDEFINING DRIVER ENLARGEMENT.
The auditorium went dead silent.The presenter, completely oblivious, sailed right into his scripted speech. "At McLaren, we believe that simple retention is no enough. We are looking at a radical, long-term physical transformation. We want to see how much we can push the boundaries."
A seasoned Formula 1 journalist in the front row slowly raised his hand. "Er... when you say 'driver enlargement' and targeting a broader demographic... are you saying McLaren is actively courting wealthy fat people now?"
The presenter chuckled, thinking it was a high-concept joke about market expansion. "We welcome customers of all sizes! If you have the capital, we have the capacity. We’ve spent millions engineering this exact package to accommodate maximum growth."
The journalist’s eyes went wide. Within three minutes, the quote was on the internet.
Social media went absolutely nuclear. The F1 meme community and car enthusiasts immediately decided that McLaren was pivoting from lightweight track weapons to ultra-luxury land yachts for the elite, deep-pocketed fast-food connoisseur.
#DriverEnlargement trended number one worldwide. The internet began redesigning McLaren's upcoming hypercars with hilarious new features:
The Big Mac Holder: Memes flooded X (formerly Twitter) showing blueprint mockups of the new MCL38 interior, where the high-tech 8-speed paddle shifters were completely replaced by a heated, perfectly contoured dual-slot Big Mac holder.
The Aerodynamic McNugget Tray: Photoshop wizards added a carbon-fiber, dual-zone dipping sauce console directly over the steering wheel, complete with a 20-piece McNugget tray engineered to withstand 4Gs of lateral cornering without spilling the honey mustard.
The "Supersize" Mode: TikTok creators made videos mocking a fictional new driving mode alongside 'Comfort' and 'Track' called 'Supersize', which automatically lowered the side bolsters and released a soft, motorized crane to help the driver exit the vehicle.
Realizing the impending PR nightmare, the Head of PR frantically scrambled to issue a clarification, but it was too late. The fast-food giants had already smelled the clout.
McDonald's officially replied to McLaren's slide: "We've always said the 'Mac' in McLaren stood for something special. Order up!"
Because the accidental campaign generated more global press coverage than a World Championship win, McLaren's board of directors decided to laugh along with the universe. As a reward for the intern who inadvertently created the biggest viral marketing moment in automotive history, McDonald's corporate sent over a legendary prize: a custom-minted, titanium for-life gift card to McDonald's.
The next morning, an official memo was sent out to all McLaren engineers: "Please ensure all future cockpits remain optimized for downforce, not dipping sauce."
I suppose it depends on your definition, but by mine, Lotus isn't really making "supercars." Their sole internal combustion product, the Emira, has 400 hp, and with a top MSRP of $140k, is less expensive than the highest trim of Boxster/Cayman...and is just as heavy as those have gotten over the years.
The lightest McLaren weighs about 250 pounds less than a Boxster GTS, the heaviest 250 pounds more. I'm not sure what a supercar is, and I'm sure a Mclaren drives fantastically. The Lotus certainly isn't a supercar, but it's a hell of a drive and looks good.
Best experience in a dealership was the McLaren store in Munich. Out at night after dinner, nursing a cold, and of course it was cold and raining. We walked up to the storefront and looked at all the (why were all the cars orange?) cars, and then walked in. Sales guy was very nice allowed us to sit in the displays, and imagine, if briefly affording one. Gave me brochures and a hat.
When Lake Forest Sports Cars was opening their McLaren dealership, they had an F1 on display. I stopped in to view it and had a private showing for 15 minutes. Pretty cool.
“Of the Big Three, only Stellantis has a reliable half-ton V-8…”
Ehh the Coyote isn’t that bad. The 10 speed auto CERTAINLY has had issues, but those are mostly ironed out too from what I understand.
I don’t know if I’d trust it more than the 5.7 Hemi, but I really don’t think I’d trust it any less either.
Tangentially related, GM just announced an EIGHT POINT THREE (8.3!!) liter duramax for the next gen 3/4 ton+ trucks. Thats 506 cubic inches!
If it’s anything like every other modern diesel, it’ll be a piece of shit. But 8.3 liters is inspiring in the face of $7/gal diesel in the states. Shout out to ‘em.
Hit the comments early to shout out the 8.3 "Mongoose." After years of watching GM trucks stagnate as the firm paid to develop EVs that were as in demand as chlamydia, it's nice to see a big swing like that again.
I remain skeptical, but the new half ton V8s look stellar on paper. Along with 481 horses, the 6.6 makes 501 lb-ft. Ordering a base 5.7 basically gets you a C5 Z06-poweted truck with 30 more lb-ft of twist, and it's the one they're touting as having best-in-class towing. Impressive stuff regardless of destination charge or the quality(/lack there of) of the people in charge over there.
The funny thing here that seems to get lost in all these discussions is that we're talking about trucks.
We're talking about TRUCKS!
I don't want a truck that is powerful or efficient at the expense of reliability and I will easily sacrifice 5 or more mpg and any post-GMT800 horsepower gains straight off the bat to have an engine that will not let me down under any circumstance before its 300Kth mile. An early 2000s Silverado 1500 with a 5.3 vortec only made 285 hp and 325 lb/ft and yet was dead reliable to and even beyond 300k miles with reasonable maintenance. It would also chirp the tires at any sub-highway speed if you even briefly goosed the throttle.
Engineering complication is only a feat if it works consistently. It may be funny--part of the drama, like a hooker-stilletto pressing into your thigh---when your Ferrari breaks down. When a truck breaks down that is a disaster. Dependability is priority one and losing track of this completely is one of the reasons we can barely operate the civilization gifted to us by our ancestors.
That's well said. I haven't been a truck owner for more than a decade, and fears about reliability, especially in something that costs so much has kept me out of the game, so it's easy to take all of this news in stride as a spectator. Everything the eco-Nazis touch and everything done to appease them turns to shit. My dad put over 400k on an original LB7 Duramax and, other than injectors, about halfway through, it was bulletproof. When he finally replaced it with a new 2019 L5P, it was more than a little finicky. The power and smoothness of the thing was incredible, but it entered limp mode multiple times without warning because of issues with the DEF tank, etc. Cummins and PowerStroke seem to have the same issues - which, I believe, led our host to purchase "Comodus" the gasser - which is a completely unacceptable state of affairs for working class people to have to deal with when their livliyhoods are on the line.
I want to agree with you in principle, but my '00 Chevy 2500 with 170k on its LQ4 really struggles to accelerate to highway speeds with my Challenger in tow. More than 4 poorly spaced gears in the transmission would help, but as is it feels underwhelming coming from the 2015 5.7 Ram 1500 I had previously. That extra 95hp, 50ftlbs, and double the gear ratios really are transformative, and I believe that powertrain struck a great balance of performance and durability. I did consider getting back into one of those, but I of course have a 2006 Cummins now, which once it's running again, should have no problem moving my 6000lb loaded trailer with 4 gears thanks to its 610ftlbs. And it because it needed work, it was CHEAP. Should be running again in a week or so.
did they fix the lifters and shit on the 5.7? i know that was always a problem. my biggest problem with buying a ram is well, id have a ram. 75% of undesirable interactions with non professional motorists ive ever had have been rams. something about the trucks attract the type of person who would've been hung for rustling cattle or something 150 years ago. you know, bottom 10% of the gene pool types.
FWIW, the Ferd version of the 10 speed always had issues, but the Chevy version had significantly less, despite sharing the same physical design. from what i understand, the software explains almost all of it, something about the way fords sport mode forced the pieces to interact vs chevy which never did it.
Would imagine it has to do with financing everyone that walks through the door with $8k+ on the hood. Similar to Nissan in that way. You aren’t gonna get the cream of the crop doing that…
Interesting re: software issues. This of course makes sense as Ford’s QC has been a disaster for a long time now.
it could be as simple as the nissan problem. i always diagnosed it as design driven (aggressive fuck you looking trucks, loud despite being slow (????), lots of black out packages available) but maybe its just credit impaired individuals back at it.
GM used the co designed transmission starting as early as 2017 in the ZL1 and its never had as many horror stories.
For a time, a black ram with black wheels was the most popular new vehicle in my dipshit hick hometown. You could lease them for like $399/mo or less with the pentastar, which was plenty of power to drive home drunk in after a Wednesday night spent at the bar trying (and failing) to cheat on your wife.
You, sir, have described East Oakland: beat-to-shit Altimas and no end of 300s (some of them as old as first-gen) and loud seventh-gen Chargers. Most of them are 392s (that's not the displacement, it's the typical credit score of the driver. hey-oh!) but you see the occasional widebody and Hellcat.
Just as the hills are alive with the sound of music, the streets of deep East Oakland are alive with the sound of Chargers with minimal exhaust baffling.
something about the trucks attract the type of person who would've been hung for rustling cattle or something 150 years ago
Thats most of dodge and almost all of nissan. Ive been watching cops on youtube and the surest way to get pulled over after it’s dark out is to drive a charger
The new McLaren logo looks like it belongs on the face of a 200 dollar quartz fashion watch but I reckon the one positive that will come of it is that it may bolster the resale of their “old logo” cars
Steven Rattner led the government team that made GM shut down Pontiac, so he can fuck right off. I wouldn’t believe anything that comes out of his mouth.
Not a defense of GM, just pointing out that Rattner is a petty tyrant.
I’m currently driving an Envision AWD, courtesy of Avis. It’s mostly “fine”. However, the stalk mounted “shifter” is STUPID and annoying. Which also means the wiper controls are moved to the left stalk which is ANNOYING as I have 50 years of muscle memory with wiper controls being on the right stalk in GM cars. And it’s got a sort of lovely wrap around screen thing on the dash, which is mostly fine except the steering wheel blocks the view of some of the info. Brilliant. At least there are buttons for some of the HVAC controls and a real volume knob for the radio. Would I buy this if made in the USA? Maybe. Built in China? NO.
My MB wagon has the shifter on a column stalk and it is very intuitive in use. As much as I like console shifters, they are not necessary on certain cars.
But on the left side of the same column, those smarter-than-they-think-they-are Germans put the cruise control stalk ABOVE the turn signal stalk, so I always trigger the cruise control instead of the turn signals routinely.
What is the fetish with auto manufacturers to change controls that have been functioning well forever? Where did all the safety scolds go that hounded citizens for decades with buzzers and bells and warnings, but disappeared when really unnecessary and unsafe car features appeared so manufacturers could save a few bucks per car?
They were trying to impart a European vibe to their cars. Thanks to the “buff books!” (The first switch for brights in an American car, in the Collonaide Olds Cutlass Salon on the turn signal stalk, was the same thing. That was the top-line Cutlass in the mid-‘70s before becoming the base-level abomination in the new downsized 1978s. That Cutlass was also trying to ape European cars!)
Thanks to our host, we’ve seen how much the “buff books” were and are smoke and mirrors!
What would cars be like today if the automakers hadn’t listened to them?! Paging Mr. Klockau in the green room!
Pretty much all new Ford designs from the 1978 Fairmont to the 1981 Escort had the stalk horn. Saved them millions from not having to install a clock spring in the steering column. Enough people complained (maybe some lawsuits from accidents?) that by 1984 they were back in the steering wheel.
We got squircle icons on our home screen like 5 years ago. Recently, the progress bar for music in Android auto turned into a disgusting wavy line. Before that the progress circle for downloading apps became a wavy circle.
I did something similar in my girlfriends 928 decades ago. Accidentally hit resume on the cruise control on main street, downtown Kerrville Texas. It was set to 80. The wheels spun.
"But on the left side of the same column, those smarter-than-they-think-they-are Germans put the cruise control stalk ABOVE the turn signal stalk, so I always trigger the cruise control instead of the turn signals routinely."
Yes, this was an issue on both of my S Coupes.
Mercedes-Benz began using the monostable column shifter in the mid-2000s, on the 2006 W164 M-Class and 2007 W221 S-Class and related C216 CL-Class. But BMW actually did it first, debuting a monostable column shifter on the 2002 E65 7 Series and 2003 Rolls-Royce Phantom VII. The BMW/Rolls-Royce arrangement puts the shifter in the above-right section of the column, but then still leaves room below for a separate wiper stalk.
The cruise control stalk on my 2007 BMW 328 wagon is in the left side below the turn signal stalk where it belongs, and it’s the best cruise control stalk I’ve ever used. On a long Interstate road trip when I’m lazy it’s easy to drive the car with that stalk with its intuitive controls.
The problem with my MB is that it’s not my daily driver yet so every time I drive it my muscle memory takes over so it’s annoying.
That's interesting, because more often than not, the wiper operations were on the left stalk in GM cars. It was a combined switch that would handle turn signals, wipers and sometimes lights and cruise control. It tended to be on cars with column shifters, but (as is the case with my relative's 2006 Cadillac STS-V) not always.
“McLaren does on thing well either exhilarating skilled drivers or killing unskilled drivers” That should be a marketing slogan for the company, not…..
Factoid: I was speaking to the marketing manager for Washington DC Ferrari McLaren Massartee dealer at the Greenbrier Concourse this past spring and I was asking about his customer base. He said half the buyers were Indian IT workers from the IAH Greenbelt area. However off handed he says about 50 percent of the cars gets wrecked in the first few months of ownership and they do a lot of repair work. Moral of the story, if you want to drive an exotic car, don’t buy used in the DC Metro and if you want to drive an exotic car get a job as an Indian IT worker. Sorry Speed, I don’t think a pail Canadian could pass. 😁😁
I would guess not many, those IT workers the whole family lives in an overpriced NVA McManson and the family members all pool their money and when I see IT manager job posting the jobs pay in the low six digits.
No stereo type intended. I have just seen numerous Indians/Indian Americans at Cars & Coffee and they all appear to be IT guys in super cars and wearing Rolex watches.
They probably just put ‘em on a boat or straight to the chop shop.
I did see a police chase last week though. Yellow Huracan driving all over Buckhead with about 10 Barney Fifes fruitlessly chasing after him. This went on for at least 30 minutes. Never saw a State Patrol in pursuit, just Atlanta PD.
Well at least a yellow Huracan could blend into the normal traffic in Buckhead….. AtlPD would have had a hard time determining which one they had been chasing…. 😆😆
I was going to ask you if you were going to write about the Porsche financial collapse. Seems their profits suddenly cratered in 2025. Is it due to a crash in sales in China? EV development write downs? Some other accounting voodoo?
If the AFD ever get a Federal German working majority and the Chancellorship, could Porsche and the German auto industry recover?
With exec leadership having imbibed the Green and EV kool-aid for so long, can things be fixed? Germany law can be changed to tell the EU Green Weenies to GFY, but the rot seems too deep to fix.
All the Germans overindexed in China and got slaughtered in 2024-2025. I took a meeting at MB headquarters at the end of 2024 and they offered me and anyone I knew a discount code for any vehicle I wanted it was so bad. I wasn't in the market but it was the first time I was being sold by a manufacturer and not the other way around.
Waymo and the like are just evil. I have this visceral desire to get a 350/3500 truck, put big crash bars on both ends, go hunting those things, and ram them off the road.
But remember that Waymo, if Jack’s fanfic is to be believed, is creating multiple JERBs that you would be willing to destroy because you need to put a Monster Truck to use.
I have never before seen “visceral desire” and a Monster Truck in the same paragraph, let alone the same sentence!
Trucks are tools, and they’re acceptable when they’re used for such purposes. But when they morph into Gender Affirming Emotional Support Penis Extenders for Broke Bois who can’t afford to operate the tool that they “need,” I can’t help but snicker. Trucks are supposed to make the operator appear manly, tough, rugged, resourceful, and well-resourced.
A bit counterproductive to take to social media to whine about “OMG MUH DIESEL PRICES … WHY HAS TRUMP FORSAKEN THE ALPHA MALES LIKE ME?” - it ruins the narrative!
“The McLaren supercar/hypercar/whatever in its various forms is the purest rich-person vehicle to exist in modern times.”
Doug DeMuro made this observation more than a month ago on ‘THIS Car Pod’ … so who’s the REAL podcuck?
“This new “wordmark”, with its awkward nod to a heritage that essentially never existed in anyone’s mind until yesterday and is therefore peak McLaren marketing, apparently presages a move into SUVs and lifestyle branding and an attempt to join Ferrari in the “clothing licensor that happens to make cars” segment.”
Luca di Montezemolo is on the McLaren Board now.
“A bunch of you have sent me the Angeles Death Highway video about the Porsche GT3.”
Surely you mean the Angeles Death Highway video about the Porsche GT3 RS? For the GT3 is the understated choice, and the RS variant is the choice of the gold chain, silk shirt, Miami course-seller phenotype.
His cameraman broke the crank pulley, but Doug initially tried to present it as some problem that I had created (I wasn’t even in Atlanta that day), which inconvenienced Doug’s filming schedule. Then he came clean and paid the service bill, which was like $3K.
I was encouraged this week to see reports of potential future production of my ‘dream car’, a Grand Cherokee with the new Hurricane I6. I think the new GC is attractive inside and out, perfectly sized for me, priced right where I want to be in the market, and missing only a good powertrain (not saddled with the hilariously unreliable new 2.0T). Yes, if it comes through, the GC I6 should make a good impression of an American Range Rover Sport, which is pretty much exactly what I’d like to buy, without all the Range Rover baggage, markups, and maintenance costs (it will still break but will cost reasonable money to fix). Color me enthused.
In my youth the dads who were “winning” (such as it is) at the game of life universally drove one of four types of vehicle on carpool duty:
-large luxury sedan
-American BOF SUV
-Japanese SUV
-the Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited
In my next purchase all I am looking for is value akin to what they found in the above, and (among new cars) the prospects of finding such value is extremely bleak.
A hurricane 6 JGC would be it though. An actually desirable new car. Imagine it!
That McLaren shifter is gorgeous… is it up lit? Damn, do want.
That said every McLaren looks like a car from the Asphalt line of mobile games. That is, every one after the F1. The F1 IS McLaren to me and probably a lot of people my age. There is no topping that, from the cool three seat design to the custom luggage compartment with luggage to the full set of Facom tools it came with (including a massive 56k modem for remote diagnostics). Perfection.
Further, there is a bland sameness to almost all supercars today. The pictured McLaren gets a “meh” from me. It’s not bad, but it really could have any nameplate on it.
Is it a Koenigsegg? The C9 Corvette? Some unpronounceable Chinese brand?
Back in the day all of the Italian supercars were instantly recognizable as being of their brand, even the wild concept cars. But the Automotive Golden Age has long since past, because the times that built the men who built those cars are long gone and never coming back.
That’s why we got the Ferrari Luce instead of a Ferrari Daytona. The Luce represents our stagnant culture better than any product I can think of. And everyone fawning over the Luce as if it’s a Daytona proves my point of how the culture has devolved.
No kid will ever blu-tak a poster of the Luce on their wall. Or the modern equivalent of setting it as their phone wallpaper. Which is even lower effort than having to buy a poster, making the fact zero kids will do it even more pathetic. That’s how much it sucks.
I asked AI for a list of automotive designers who have lauded the Luce. It couldn’t find anyone who did.
It did say that some designers liked the interior, but when in the history of great car designs did anyone ever mention the interior except as an afterthought? The gushing over interior from some press reviews is a tell over how bad the exterior is.
The poster analogy is perfect. Can you imagine the Luce being featured in Miami Vice?
Is see porsches, lambos, ferraris every other day. A mclaren in person hits different. Saw an orange one at jewel a few weeks back and actually stopped to go look at it
I agree. Even their first model looks good now. Theres a guy down here who has one of their GT models which didn’t get the best reviews, but it’s gorgeous and desirable.
I’ve enjoyed the videos on Harry’s Garage on his McLaren. Of course, as an insider and preferred customer, he gets to take it to McLaren Special Operations for service.
positive post of the day:
i bought some great made in america things this week. you can get discount codes for the socks just by googling.
zkano socks: https://zkano.com/
i got half a dozen pair of dress socks to refresh my decade old J crew outlet drawer. they seem very high quality and have a nice mix of traditional designs and non traditional designs (i had written out Plebbit tier stoner designs like muh UFO but this is a positive post so i am KEEPING IT POSITIVE). the dress socks aint cheap ($22 a pair)
maggie's organics: https://maggiesorganics.com/
got another half dozen pair of organic cotton crew socks for winter. absolutely comfortable, lots of colors, not as expensive as zkano ($10.66 a pair in a three pack). i am concerned about the elastic's lifespan long term but this is pure speculation.
the week before, i got several pieces from american giant.
men's rib: incredible crew neck/thick long sleeve T hybrid. buy true to size. cannot recommend enough
everest T: consider sizing up. ridiculously thick. if you buy the wrong size it will look slightly ridiculous so avoid buying a weird color on final sale unless you are positive.
waffle thermal: SIZE UP! i bought the same size as my rib and it was too small, and ofc i picked a weird color on final sale (gee wonder where that advice came from). very nice though.
Thanks for the post and links.
Re the Everest T, the site says its a relaxed fit. Does one really need to go up a size?
And wait, didn’t Jack promise to put a Made in USA product page link in the ACF page header?
If you can comfortably AIWB carry a full size Glock you don’t need to size up. If that thought makes your tummy chafe, size up. I don’t know how else to describe it
American Giant sizing can be odd. When I was recently at their outlet in Smithfield NC, I bought their Moto Jacket in a large, because it was roomier and more comfortable, although the medium looked best in the mirror. But I wanted more room to layer.
Because of their sale, I also bought their Bomber Jacket, which is basically just a lighter version of their Moto, but it fit me perfectly as a medium.
When I got home, I checked their sizing for the two jackets, and the medium Bomber had almost the exact same dimensions as the large Moto. I don’t get that.
Two absolutely wonderful jackets, by the way. With their in store promo I paid about 1/3 of the online retail price. I’m gonna look at their t-shirts next.
FYI regarding socks, I am buying all Darn Tough going forward. Pricey but they perform great. I’m a big fan of merino wool in socks.
There’s an outlet?!? It might unironically be cheaper for me to fly down there, load up, and fly back the same day.
Yes, all the sizing is sort of whack. It even seems to vary weight to weight, IE the light weight long sleeve Ts and the medium weight both fit me kinda differently. I’m willing to chalk it up to low volume production but ya certainly caveat emptor with the final sale stuff.
Merino wool is great, I’ve many darn tough pairs, but the local alpaca farm ones are somehow better!!
AG sizing will break your heart. I'm a large in the T shirts but an XL in the hoodie. This was an expensive lesson to learn.
Yes thank you for the reminder!
If anyone is looking for thick, USA made work socks, check out the Big Bertha from Carolina Hoisery. Link below, I usually buy them on Amazon. They are seriously thick.
https://carolinahosiery.com/products/carolina-ultimate-mens-big-bertha-merino-wool-boot-socks-1-pair
love it, but the $200 min order is a little... constraining
I forgot to mention I have only bought these on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VNT6NDJ?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1&psc=1
I've got some thicc Wigwams I've been a fan of. Some are wearing out now after just over a year, but I'm very hard on my footwear and I like those socks a lot so I've been wearing them more often than any others.
I got rid of all my Maggie's Organics. I found the toe seam very uncomfortable. Maybe different models vary in this.
I can see it being annoying if you work on your feet all day, versus sitting at a desk in Birks.
MotoGP was in Austria at the Red Bull Ring, KTM's home track, this weekend.
Would Pedro Acosta finally break his winless podium curse? Would Ducati, and Marc, shine?
Jorge Martin steal's Pedro's Friday thunder by nicking pole position. Marc Marquez a stunning second after spending most of the practice session putting laps on a single medium rear tire for data. Pedro places third. Bez a solid fourth with another Aprilia, that of Ai Ogura who returned from injury, in fifth. Alex Marquez the next highest Ducati in 6th.
In the sprint Pedro gets to the front and simply has more pace than anyone else. With over two seconds ahead of the next position he proceeds to crash out with 2 laps to go and score ZERO. This is not the first time Pedro has been in such a situation and pushed too hard (this time it looked like he blew a braking marker). Jorge Martin takes an easy victory from his long held second place, and Marc Marquez finishes second, with Bez in third. Jorge moves to +3 in the championship.
The race starts off with some fierce fighting up front between Jorge, Marc, and Pedro, but a third of the way through Marc has an issue with his front brake going soft and falls down through the pack. He would eventually finish 5th behind Ai Ogura. Pedro and Martin continue their duel a while longer until Pedro breaks Jorge and opens up a large lead.
This time, finally, Pedro Acosta keeps the bike upright and, in his third year in MotoGP, secures his first win. This man will be on a Ducati next year where he may pose an actual championship challenge.
With Marc's brake issue he is now a sprint's points down from Jorge who is back on top in the championship.
Next week MotoGP will be in Motegi, where Marc is historically quite good, Pedro has shown some brilliance (and DNFs), and Jorge is usually strong.
This...
"..less German than falling asleep on the Maginot Line."
...is why I subscribe.
LMAO
McLarens don't really do anything for me. They look like ugly expensive designer hi top sneakers.
Or Nerf footballs on wheels.
https://www.athleticpropulsionlabs.com/pages/mclaren?srsltid=AU7gw4VFsUmFv_fwB9Ip8Wi6DSbXCkZiETj3RpD5LJdOkOw_vVhRWA_G
As Ned Ryerson would say, bing!
Ok needle head.
That's needle nose, sir.
Oooh, nitrogen-infused midsole, V-weave carbon fiber!
They *do* seem to be one of two supercar brands with *any* concern about weight management and driver engagement (the other being GMA).
I read the above as "Driver enlargement" and almost shot coffee out my nose.
Now I think Enzyte has to make Bob a car.
"The air inside the McLaren Technology Centre was thick with the scent of expensive espresso and corporate ambition. McLaren’s elite marketing team was launching their highly anticipated global presentation on the psychological synergy between car and athlete.Behind the podium, a massive, state-of-the-art LED screen glowed in signature Papaya Orange.
The presentation was supposed to be titled: “The Apex of Performance: Redefining Driver Engagement.”Unfortunately, a sleep-deprived intern had finalized the slides at 4:00 AM. The screen flashed in giant, bold letters:THE APEX OF PERFORMANCE: REDEFINING DRIVER ENLARGEMENT.
The auditorium went dead silent.The presenter, completely oblivious, sailed right into his scripted speech. "At McLaren, we believe that simple retention is no enough. We are looking at a radical, long-term physical transformation. We want to see how much we can push the boundaries."
A seasoned Formula 1 journalist in the front row slowly raised his hand. "Er... when you say 'driver enlargement' and targeting a broader demographic... are you saying McLaren is actively courting wealthy fat people now?"
The presenter chuckled, thinking it was a high-concept joke about market expansion. "We welcome customers of all sizes! If you have the capital, we have the capacity. We’ve spent millions engineering this exact package to accommodate maximum growth."
The journalist’s eyes went wide. Within three minutes, the quote was on the internet.
Social media went absolutely nuclear. The F1 meme community and car enthusiasts immediately decided that McLaren was pivoting from lightweight track weapons to ultra-luxury land yachts for the elite, deep-pocketed fast-food connoisseur.
#DriverEnlargement trended number one worldwide. The internet began redesigning McLaren's upcoming hypercars with hilarious new features:
The Big Mac Holder: Memes flooded X (formerly Twitter) showing blueprint mockups of the new MCL38 interior, where the high-tech 8-speed paddle shifters were completely replaced by a heated, perfectly contoured dual-slot Big Mac holder.
The Aerodynamic McNugget Tray: Photoshop wizards added a carbon-fiber, dual-zone dipping sauce console directly over the steering wheel, complete with a 20-piece McNugget tray engineered to withstand 4Gs of lateral cornering without spilling the honey mustard.
The "Supersize" Mode: TikTok creators made videos mocking a fictional new driving mode alongside 'Comfort' and 'Track' called 'Supersize', which automatically lowered the side bolsters and released a soft, motorized crane to help the driver exit the vehicle.
Realizing the impending PR nightmare, the Head of PR frantically scrambled to issue a clarification, but it was too late. The fast-food giants had already smelled the clout.
McDonald's officially replied to McLaren's slide: "We've always said the 'Mac' in McLaren stood for something special. Order up!"
Because the accidental campaign generated more global press coverage than a World Championship win, McLaren's board of directors decided to laugh along with the universe. As a reward for the intern who inadvertently created the biggest viral marketing moment in automotive history, McDonald's corporate sent over a legendary prize: a custom-minted, titanium for-life gift card to McDonald's.
The next morning, an official memo was sent out to all McLaren engineers: "Please ensure all future cockpits remain optimized for downforce, not dipping sauce."
Lotus.
I suppose it depends on your definition, but by mine, Lotus isn't really making "supercars." Their sole internal combustion product, the Emira, has 400 hp, and with a top MSRP of $140k, is less expensive than the highest trim of Boxster/Cayman...and is just as heavy as those have gotten over the years.
The lightest McLaren weighs about 250 pounds less than a Boxster GTS, the heaviest 250 pounds more. I'm not sure what a supercar is, and I'm sure a Mclaren drives fantastically. The Lotus certainly isn't a supercar, but it's a hell of a drive and looks good.
I rather enjoy the idea I can get one in Nerf football colors.
About the same build quality, too.
IT'S NERF OR NOTHIN'!
My parents hid / tossed all my nerf toys for being too dangerous. Sign me up!
Best experience in a dealership was the McLaren store in Munich. Out at night after dinner, nursing a cold, and of course it was cold and raining. We walked up to the storefront and looked at all the (why were all the cars orange?) cars, and then walked in. Sales guy was very nice allowed us to sit in the displays, and imagine, if briefly affording one. Gave me brochures and a hat.
When Lake Forest Sports Cars was opening their McLaren dealership, they had an F1 on display. I stopped in to view it and had a private showing for 15 minutes. Pretty cool.
Very cool. I bought my used 2007 BMW 328 wagon at Knauz around the corner.
Zack Brown would prefer that you call it "papaya," not "orange." Orange is for plebes, sir.
Plebes and... Dutchmen!
And Good King Billy and his fans in Northern Ireland.
My mom bought and renovated into a dwelling the former Orange Lodge in her rural community.
And certain folks from Northern Ireland.
“Of the Big Three, only Stellantis has a reliable half-ton V-8…”
Ehh the Coyote isn’t that bad. The 10 speed auto CERTAINLY has had issues, but those are mostly ironed out too from what I understand.
I don’t know if I’d trust it more than the 5.7 Hemi, but I really don’t think I’d trust it any less either.
Tangentially related, GM just announced an EIGHT POINT THREE (8.3!!) liter duramax for the next gen 3/4 ton+ trucks. Thats 506 cubic inches!
If it’s anything like every other modern diesel, it’ll be a piece of shit. But 8.3 liters is inspiring in the face of $7/gal diesel in the states. Shout out to ‘em.
Hit the comments early to shout out the 8.3 "Mongoose." After years of watching GM trucks stagnate as the firm paid to develop EVs that were as in demand as chlamydia, it's nice to see a big swing like that again.
I remain skeptical, but the new half ton V8s look stellar on paper. Along with 481 horses, the 6.6 makes 501 lb-ft. Ordering a base 5.7 basically gets you a C5 Z06-poweted truck with 30 more lb-ft of twist, and it's the one they're touting as having best-in-class towing. Impressive stuff regardless of destination charge or the quality(/lack there of) of the people in charge over there.
You uhhh, realize the 6.6 is a totally different engine than the old ls7?
Good catch, fat fingered it. Meant C5, spec-wise it's almost identical to the 2000s LS6.
Power and displacement, yes. The new one is way up in complexity and probably way down in terms of skilled engineering input
I wish they'd do another 7.0!
The new for 2027 5.7 specs are the same as my 2012 6.2 and I'm guessing the 5.7 will do 50% better fuel economy than my 16mpg highway.
The 5.7 might be more asplody than my 6.2, but that's only speculation based on recent GM history.
If it works, getting the base engine to 6.2 specs is impressive. That could be a big "if," but I'm personally intrigued by both V8s.
Think the Donkeys will show up against Stafford and Co. on Sunday Night?
Re the Donks: Depends upon which quarter you're talking about.
The funny thing here that seems to get lost in all these discussions is that we're talking about trucks.
We're talking about TRUCKS!
I don't want a truck that is powerful or efficient at the expense of reliability and I will easily sacrifice 5 or more mpg and any post-GMT800 horsepower gains straight off the bat to have an engine that will not let me down under any circumstance before its 300Kth mile. An early 2000s Silverado 1500 with a 5.3 vortec only made 285 hp and 325 lb/ft and yet was dead reliable to and even beyond 300k miles with reasonable maintenance. It would also chirp the tires at any sub-highway speed if you even briefly goosed the throttle.
Engineering complication is only a feat if it works consistently. It may be funny--part of the drama, like a hooker-stilletto pressing into your thigh---when your Ferrari breaks down. When a truck breaks down that is a disaster. Dependability is priority one and losing track of this completely is one of the reasons we can barely operate the civilization gifted to us by our ancestors.
That's well said. I haven't been a truck owner for more than a decade, and fears about reliability, especially in something that costs so much has kept me out of the game, so it's easy to take all of this news in stride as a spectator. Everything the eco-Nazis touch and everything done to appease them turns to shit. My dad put over 400k on an original LB7 Duramax and, other than injectors, about halfway through, it was bulletproof. When he finally replaced it with a new 2019 L5P, it was more than a little finicky. The power and smoothness of the thing was incredible, but it entered limp mode multiple times without warning because of issues with the DEF tank, etc. Cummins and PowerStroke seem to have the same issues - which, I believe, led our host to purchase "Comodus" the gasser - which is a completely unacceptable state of affairs for working class people to have to deal with when their livliyhoods are on the line.
I want to agree with you in principle, but my '00 Chevy 2500 with 170k on its LQ4 really struggles to accelerate to highway speeds with my Challenger in tow. More than 4 poorly spaced gears in the transmission would help, but as is it feels underwhelming coming from the 2015 5.7 Ram 1500 I had previously. That extra 95hp, 50ftlbs, and double the gear ratios really are transformative, and I believe that powertrain struck a great balance of performance and durability. I did consider getting back into one of those, but I of course have a 2006 Cummins now, which once it's running again, should have no problem moving my 6000lb loaded trailer with 4 gears thanks to its 610ftlbs. And it because it needed work, it was CHEAP. Should be running again in a week or so.
did they fix the lifters and shit on the 5.7? i know that was always a problem. my biggest problem with buying a ram is well, id have a ram. 75% of undesirable interactions with non professional motorists ive ever had have been rams. something about the trucks attract the type of person who would've been hung for rustling cattle or something 150 years ago. you know, bottom 10% of the gene pool types.
FWIW, the Ferd version of the 10 speed always had issues, but the Chevy version had significantly less, despite sharing the same physical design. from what i understand, the software explains almost all of it, something about the way fords sport mode forced the pieces to interact vs chevy which never did it.
Would imagine it has to do with financing everyone that walks through the door with $8k+ on the hood. Similar to Nissan in that way. You aren’t gonna get the cream of the crop doing that…
Interesting re: software issues. This of course makes sense as Ford’s QC has been a disaster for a long time now.
it could be as simple as the nissan problem. i always diagnosed it as design driven (aggressive fuck you looking trucks, loud despite being slow (????), lots of black out packages available) but maybe its just credit impaired individuals back at it.
GM used the co designed transmission starting as early as 2017 in the ZL1 and its never had as many horror stories.
For a time, a black ram with black wheels was the most popular new vehicle in my dipshit hick hometown. You could lease them for like $399/mo or less with the pentastar, which was plenty of power to drive home drunk in after a Wednesday night spent at the bar trying (and failing) to cheat on your wife.
You, sir, have described East Oakland: beat-to-shit Altimas and no end of 300s (some of them as old as first-gen) and loud seventh-gen Chargers. Most of them are 392s (that's not the displacement, it's the typical credit score of the driver. hey-oh!) but you see the occasional widebody and Hellcat.
Just as the hills are alive with the sound of music, the streets of deep East Oakland are alive with the sound of Chargers with minimal exhaust baffling.
Charger credit score joke is gold, Jerry, gold!
Definitely. All else being equal, it's harder to finance a Silverado, Sierra, F-150 or Tundra than it is a Ram 1500.
something about the trucks attract the type of person who would've been hung for rustling cattle or something 150 years ago
Thats most of dodge and almost all of nissan. Ive been watching cops on youtube and the surest way to get pulled over after it’s dark out is to drive a charger
Huh! Actually saw a Charger, Ohio Highway Patrol edition, the other day. I thought all of them had been replaced by Durangos in the last few years.
The new McLaren logo looks like it belongs on the face of a 200 dollar quartz fashion watch but I reckon the one positive that will come of it is that it may bolster the resale of their “old logo” cars
Resale of the ones that haven’t exploded in flames ….
The old cars are basically better funded Vectors.
Luca is on the Board now, so the new stuff should be good. Less kit car, more bona fide Ferrari competitor.
"better funded Vectors" is both funny and accurate, Sherman. *the lol is implied*
Vectors are awesome, three speed automatic and all. That's all I have to say.
I live in Fort Wayne, and my neighbor, a UAW 1250 member, builds them about 9 miles from my house.
There is no plant on which I’ll give GM $3000 for a delivery charge.
But “friendly arrogance” is far more of a GM value than “Excellence”. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2009/oct/21/us-car-czar-slams-gm
Steven Rattner led the government team that made GM shut down Pontiac, so he can fuck right off. I wouldn’t believe anything that comes out of his mouth.
Not a defense of GM, just pointing out that Rattner is a petty tyrant.
Alfred P Sloan cast a very long shadow on that place.
Obviously the whole thing came tumbling down when the two adjacent rungs of the ladder were yanked!
I’m currently driving an Envision AWD, courtesy of Avis. It’s mostly “fine”. However, the stalk mounted “shifter” is STUPID and annoying. Which also means the wiper controls are moved to the left stalk which is ANNOYING as I have 50 years of muscle memory with wiper controls being on the right stalk in GM cars. And it’s got a sort of lovely wrap around screen thing on the dash, which is mostly fine except the steering wheel blocks the view of some of the info. Brilliant. At least there are buttons for some of the HVAC controls and a real volume knob for the radio. Would I buy this if made in the USA? Maybe. Built in China? NO.
My MB wagon has the shifter on a column stalk and it is very intuitive in use. As much as I like console shifters, they are not necessary on certain cars.
But on the left side of the same column, those smarter-than-they-think-they-are Germans put the cruise control stalk ABOVE the turn signal stalk, so I always trigger the cruise control instead of the turn signals routinely.
What is the fetish with auto manufacturers to change controls that have been functioning well forever? Where did all the safety scolds go that hounded citizens for decades with buzzers and bells and warnings, but disappeared when really unnecessary and unsafe car features appeared so manufacturers could save a few bucks per car?
Didn’t some Ford have the horn on a stalk in the 80’s?
I remember some car having that, because it was so dumb.
Ha! My '79 Mustang had it. Completely forgot about that nonsense.
Yeah the early Panthers had it, like 79-81 or so.
And Fairmonts too.
A ha! That’s where I encountered it! We had a Fairmont wagon as the drivers ed car in high school! I could not remember where I interacted with it.
The NA Mk. 1 Fiesta had it in 78
They were trying to impart a European vibe to their cars. Thanks to the “buff books!” (The first switch for brights in an American car, in the Collonaide Olds Cutlass Salon on the turn signal stalk, was the same thing. That was the top-line Cutlass in the mid-‘70s before becoming the base-level abomination in the new downsized 1978s. That Cutlass was also trying to ape European cars!)
Thanks to our host, we’ve seen how much the “buff books” were and are smoke and mirrors!
What would cars be like today if the automakers hadn’t listened to them?! Paging Mr. Klockau in the green room!
Pretty much all new Ford designs from the 1978 Fairmont to the 1981 Escort had the stalk horn. Saved them millions from not having to install a clock spring in the steering column. Enough people complained (maybe some lawsuits from accidents?) that by 1984 they were back in the steering wheel.
Probably the same people that need to change Android UI to sqircles and in is latest update, squiggly lines.
Or the same people who invented "icons" (not the religious kind). We have words for a reason.
For toggle switches in the OS for settings? Apple did the same thing with iOS 26, and I still can’t get used to it!
We got squircle icons on our home screen like 5 years ago. Recently, the progress bar for music in Android auto turned into a disgusting wavy line. Before that the progress circle for downloading apps became a wavy circle.
Mercedes did NOT change the controls.
They had the small cruise control right next to the turn signal for the last 50 years (W115, R107, & W116).
It’s still dumb.
The last few times I drove my daughter's C300 it seemed like every time I went to signal for a turn I ended up turning on the cruise control.
I did something similar in my girlfriends 928 decades ago. Accidentally hit resume on the cruise control on main street, downtown Kerrville Texas. It was set to 80. The wheels spun.
"But on the left side of the same column, those smarter-than-they-think-they-are Germans put the cruise control stalk ABOVE the turn signal stalk, so I always trigger the cruise control instead of the turn signals routinely."
Yes, this was an issue on both of my S Coupes.
Mercedes-Benz began using the monostable column shifter in the mid-2000s, on the 2006 W164 M-Class and 2007 W221 S-Class and related C216 CL-Class. But BMW actually did it first, debuting a monostable column shifter on the 2002 E65 7 Series and 2003 Rolls-Royce Phantom VII. The BMW/Rolls-Royce arrangement puts the shifter in the above-right section of the column, but then still leaves room below for a separate wiper stalk.
The cruise control stalk on my 2007 BMW 328 wagon is in the left side below the turn signal stalk where it belongs, and it’s the best cruise control stalk I’ve ever used. On a long Interstate road trip when I’m lazy it’s easy to drive the car with that stalk with its intuitive controls.
The problem with my MB is that it’s not my daily driver yet so every time I drive it my muscle memory takes over so it’s annoying.
The kia anf audi are pretty opposite on everything which is fine cause the kia isnt mine until it’s road trip time and i do 99% of the driving
My Ram 2500 (ahem!) has press for washer on the turn signal stalk. I go through a lot of washer fluid.
" 50 years of muscle memory with wiper controls being on the right stalk in GM cars"
I guess you missed the couple of decades where they used the combined turn signal/cruise control/wiper left stalk?
https://www.oerparts.com/product/25031456.html
And to this day still combine the turn signal and wiper controls in their trucks.
Yeah those have the column shifter on the right side.
They did, but not for most 2019 to 2026 models. A partial reason in why I didn't buy one. They're going back for 2027.
As a piece of design, I rather like the Envision, especially in Avenir trim. They have a really good looking red interior avilable too.
The first car to pop American cars’ Chinese-built cherry!
That's interesting, because more often than not, the wiper operations were on the left stalk in GM cars. It was a combined switch that would handle turn signals, wipers and sometimes lights and cruise control. It tended to be on cars with column shifters, but (as is the case with my relative's 2006 Cadillac STS-V) not always.
GM started using the multifunction stalk with wipers (with flappy washer paddle) and cruise in 1982 or thereabouts.
“McLaren does on thing well either exhilarating skilled drivers or killing unskilled drivers” That should be a marketing slogan for the company, not…..
Factoid: I was speaking to the marketing manager for Washington DC Ferrari McLaren Massartee dealer at the Greenbrier Concourse this past spring and I was asking about his customer base. He said half the buyers were Indian IT workers from the IAH Greenbelt area. However off handed he says about 50 percent of the cars gets wrecked in the first few months of ownership and they do a lot of repair work. Moral of the story, if you want to drive an exotic car, don’t buy used in the DC Metro and if you want to drive an exotic car get a job as an Indian IT worker. Sorry Speed, I don’t think a pail Canadian could pass. 😁😁
Wonder how many of those IT workers are buying on 8 year loans?
I would guess not many, those IT workers the whole family lives in an overpriced NVA McManson and the family members all pool their money and when I see IT manager job posting the jobs pay in the low six digits.
Stereotype warning!
It is amusing that these Indian IT workers are crashing McLarens no differently than American Indians would if we gave McLarens to them.
(friendly reminder that stereotypes exist for a reason, and pointing one out is just that)
Where I live it’s African Americans crashing McLarens, Huracans, and Hellcats.
No stereo type intended. I have just seen numerous Indians/Indian Americans at Cars & Coffee and they all appear to be IT guys in super cars and wearing Rolex watches.
But Sherman you are in “Hot Atlanta” and there is a thriving market of “previously owned” supercars on the lots on the South-side of Hot Atlanta. 😉😉
They probably just put ‘em on a boat or straight to the chop shop.
I did see a police chase last week though. Yellow Huracan driving all over Buckhead with about 10 Barney Fifes fruitlessly chasing after him. This went on for at least 30 minutes. Never saw a State Patrol in pursuit, just Atlanta PD.
Well at least a yellow Huracan could blend into the normal traffic in Buckhead….. AtlPD would have had a hard time determining which one they had been chasing…. 😆😆
“Indian IT workers” and “McLaren kablammo” should tell everyone all they need to know!
I was going to ask you if you were going to write about the Porsche financial collapse. Seems their profits suddenly cratered in 2025. Is it due to a crash in sales in China? EV development write downs? Some other accounting voodoo?
Over-indexed to China and EV-related write downs, yes.
Blume got defenestrated from the PAG seat in lieu of Leiters - who got defenestrated from McLaren - but Blume does still hold the VW CEO seat.
All they have to do is make base 911s and sell everyone. And they fucked it up. Yet they wouldn’t hire me to govern them this basic advice
If the AFD ever get a Federal German working majority and the Chancellorship, could Porsche and the German auto industry recover?
With exec leadership having imbibed the Green and EV kool-aid for so long, can things be fixed? Germany law can be changed to tell the EU Green Weenies to GFY, but the rot seems too deep to fix.
The AfD would first have to nuke the EU (figuratively).
All the Germans overindexed in China and got slaughtered in 2024-2025. I took a meeting at MB headquarters at the end of 2024 and they offered me and anyone I knew a discount code for any vehicle I wanted it was so bad. I wasn't in the market but it was the first time I was being sold by a manufacturer and not the other way around.
Waymo and the like are just evil. I have this visceral desire to get a 350/3500 truck, put big crash bars on both ends, go hunting those things, and ram them off the road.
Then don’t be a CUCK … do it!
But remember that Waymo, if Jack’s fanfic is to be believed, is creating multiple JERBs that you would be willing to destroy because you need to put a Monster Truck to use.
You really need to see a therapist re your truck fetish.
I have never before seen “visceral desire” and a Monster Truck in the same paragraph, let alone the same sentence!
Trucks are tools, and they’re acceptable when they’re used for such purposes. But when they morph into Gender Affirming Emotional Support Penis Extenders for Broke Bois who can’t afford to operate the tool that they “need,” I can’t help but snicker. Trucks are supposed to make the operator appear manly, tough, rugged, resourceful, and well-resourced.
A bit counterproductive to take to social media to whine about “OMG MUH DIESEL PRICES … WHY HAS TRUMP FORSAKEN THE ALPHA MALES LIKE ME?” - it ruins the narrative!
I have never mentioned a “monster” truck. Those have giant wheels/tires. An F350 or RAM 3500 is not a monster truck.
And I’ve never said anything like your Trump quote.
"Gender Affirming Emotional Support Penis Extenders for Broke Bois who can’t afford to operate the tool that they 'need.'"
uh, change "broke" for "rich" and you've described a wide swath of the Porsche customer base...
Ok and what about an obese androgynous person who ham fists a GT3 in traffic? The car is a tool and so is its owner.
If you ever get terminal camcer, set up a go fund me and we can make this hapoen.
“The McLaren supercar/hypercar/whatever in its various forms is the purest rich-person vehicle to exist in modern times.”
Doug DeMuro made this observation more than a month ago on ‘THIS Car Pod’ … so who’s the REAL podcuck?
“This new “wordmark”, with its awkward nod to a heritage that essentially never existed in anyone’s mind until yesterday and is therefore peak McLaren marketing, apparently presages a move into SUVs and lifestyle branding and an attempt to join Ferrari in the “clothing licensor that happens to make cars” segment.”
Luca di Montezemolo is on the McLaren Board now.
“A bunch of you have sent me the Angeles Death Highway video about the Porsche GT3.”
Surely you mean the Angeles Death Highway video about the Porsche GT3 RS? For the GT3 is the understated choice, and the RS variant is the choice of the gold chain, silk shirt, Miami course-seller phenotype.
Who the F would choose to listen Doug Demuro
Jack apparently.
As many members of the commentariat are aware, he is a longtime close, personal friend of Sherman McCoy.
JFC you guys are friends? Hard to tell who has the worst taste
Hey-o
Don’t forget to tip your waitress!
I think his taste is fairly inoffensive.
-Carrera GT (GT Silver)
-Ford GT (Blue w/ White Stripe)
-D90 (Yellow - best color)
-993 Turbo (Arena Red)
-Late Countach doesn’t do it for me; only the early car had the purity that it shares with the Luce
Didn’t he blow up your car after he ate his lunch off its wing?
His cameraman broke the crank pulley, but Doug initially tried to present it as some problem that I had created (I wasn’t even in Atlanta that day), which inconvenienced Doug’s filming schedule. Then he came clean and paid the service bill, which was like $3K.
You do realize people can come up with the same thoughts independently right?
I was encouraged this week to see reports of potential future production of my ‘dream car’, a Grand Cherokee with the new Hurricane I6. I think the new GC is attractive inside and out, perfectly sized for me, priced right where I want to be in the market, and missing only a good powertrain (not saddled with the hilariously unreliable new 2.0T). Yes, if it comes through, the GC I6 should make a good impression of an American Range Rover Sport, which is pretty much exactly what I’d like to buy, without all the Range Rover baggage, markups, and maintenance costs (it will still break but will cost reasonable money to fix). Color me enthused.
Would be a great car, seconded bigly .
Expanding on my above comment:
In my youth the dads who were “winning” (such as it is) at the game of life universally drove one of four types of vehicle on carpool duty:
-large luxury sedan
-American BOF SUV
-Japanese SUV
-the Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited
In my next purchase all I am looking for is value akin to what they found in the above, and (among new cars) the prospects of finding such value is extremely bleak.
A hurricane 6 JGC would be it though. An actually desirable new car. Imagine it!
Count me in around 2032 that should give them time to sort it out, and the aftermarket to develop a solid BPU recipe for a ~500whp sleeper.
I think I’ve seen similar branding on cracker boxes at Waitrose
That McLaren shifter is gorgeous… is it up lit? Damn, do want.
That said every McLaren looks like a car from the Asphalt line of mobile games. That is, every one after the F1. The F1 IS McLaren to me and probably a lot of people my age. There is no topping that, from the cool three seat design to the custom luggage compartment with luggage to the full set of Facom tools it came with (including a massive 56k modem for remote diagnostics). Perfection.
Further, there is a bland sameness to almost all supercars today. The pictured McLaren gets a “meh” from me. It’s not bad, but it really could have any nameplate on it.
Is it a Koenigsegg? The C9 Corvette? Some unpronounceable Chinese brand?
Back in the day all of the Italian supercars were instantly recognizable as being of their brand, even the wild concept cars. But the Automotive Golden Age has long since past, because the times that built the men who built those cars are long gone and never coming back.
That’s why we got the Ferrari Luce instead of a Ferrari Daytona. The Luce represents our stagnant culture better than any product I can think of. And everyone fawning over the Luce as if it’s a Daytona proves my point of how the culture has devolved.
I think I’m the only one who had the immediate foresight (see the thread from late May) to appreciate the Luce.
Most groundbreaking Italian automotive silhouette since the Countach.
The Luce is indeed “groundbreaking.”
It’s the first Ferrari or Italian design to evoke the Toyota Prius, so quite a groundbreaking achievement! Gandini, Pinifarina, Scaglietti and Bertone, step aside! You have been eclipsed! https://www.theautopian.com/someone-turned-a-prius-into-a-ferrari-luce-and-it-actually-looks-better/
Apparently Jony Ive never told Ferrari that he had been moonlighting at Toyota and the Luce was the second car he designed.
The Apple Car - Project Titan - was his first design.
The Luce really does look good; can’t wait to see it IRL.
Groundbreaking as in digging a grave for it and putting a Pullman style monument over it. IYKYK.
https://wheninyourstate.com/illinois/this-chicago-cemetery-holds-americas-most-fortified-grave-built-to-stop-angry-workers-from-digging-him-up/
No kid will ever blu-tak a poster of the Luce on their wall. Or the modern equivalent of setting it as their phone wallpaper. Which is even lower effort than having to buy a poster, making the fact zero kids will do it even more pathetic. That’s how much it sucks.
Cool switches tho.
I asked AI for a list of automotive designers who have lauded the Luce. It couldn’t find anyone who did.
It did say that some designers liked the interior, but when in the history of great car designs did anyone ever mention the interior except as an afterthought? The gushing over interior from some press reviews is a tell over how bad the exterior is.
The poster analogy is perfect. Can you imagine the Luce being featured in Miami Vice?
The Luce is downright offensive. And here I'd thought no one would top Jaguar with the Type 01.
Uhh. No.
Is see porsches, lambos, ferraris every other day. A mclaren in person hits different. Saw an orange one at jewel a few weeks back and actually stopped to go look at it
I agree. Even their first model looks good now. Theres a guy down here who has one of their GT models which didn’t get the best reviews, but it’s gorgeous and desirable.
I’ve enjoyed the videos on Harry’s Garage on his McLaren. Of course, as an insider and preferred customer, he gets to take it to McLaren Special Operations for service.